The first episode was brilliant, a rollicking mashup of Turren Langen & Made in Abyss. The end of that episode was a shock, too. I was really excited by what was to come.
Sadly, what was to come was the father, and he was so stereotypical & clichéd that any attempts to give him depth or humanity seemed forced. (Time for Gabumber to reveal he loves his daughter!) Worse, the show became more and more about him – and he is the least interesting character in the show! Nothing in this show made me give one good damn about him. Such a poorly written character, and his presence robbed the show of the chance to do the kind of exciting things MIA did.
Compare this to Heike Monogatari, which manages to develop characters I care about in such a short time; I won't say that it's *because* women are leading that show, but I will say this: I'm tired of men (and I am one) pretending they have the slightest understanding of how to write female characters when all they know is good ol' boy anime.
