Story:
The story is very well thought out. It can be confusing at times, but is quickly cleared up. It is full of surprises, morals and everything a fan of anime would love to see. Its split into two parts with two stories following extraordinary events (damn, sometimes i wish i was him.) and is set in the same place. I believe that the time of the stories were different, however, it is plain to see if you watch this series which i highly recommend. Despite the switching between the two "stories", it flowed extremely well with each other. A climatic event may be coming up soon, but it suddenly switches. This was perhaps, the only flaw that i found in the story. To me, this bother was so miniscule that it didn't impact my viewing experience in anyway. Hirono, the manga artist, had an awkward love triangle story going on, which brought frustration. Despite this, it is highly amusing and intriguing to watch. Renji's story was different; it brought depression and sadness. Metaphors are used EXTREMELY effectively in this story. Together, the series is overflowing with human-problems that it seems like it will be difficult to conclude the series in an effective way. This was quite the opposite. Through the drama, frustration, sadness, romance and jealous, the story concluded shockingly well. One of the best I've seen. Many shows try to incorporate many different themes, but have failed. This is one that succeeded.
Art:
The art is beautiful. The scenery (sunsets, beaches, etc) was gorgeous. The desperation shown by one of the characters was amazingly portrayed. The last few minutes of that episode was so nervewracking (in a good way) and was shown with a fading screen. Very powerful. The opening scenes during the theme songs were very colorful and bright. It was very pleasing to the eye. The characters were also very well designed and colored.
Sound:
The sound? I guess i could say the sounds were used effectively. When doors slam shut, all you here is the slamming; there is no useless background noise. Also, to emphasize the sounds, the screen fades to black so you can focus.
Character:
The character development was very good. I fell in love with many of the characters, but that is just me. Piece by piece the information concerning each of the characters comes. By the end, you will know everything about each of the characters. Development was great, we knew what we needed to know about the characters in order understand what was going on and why it was occuring at that specific time. Each of the characters were unique, there was no character that acted the same way another character did. Chihiro was my favorite character because her past seems so clouded and mysterious, i got hooked. Her 13 hour amnesia makes room for a hugeee character development. There are so many things that could result of this one small detail. Also, the art of the characters are very good.
Enjoyment:
Ah, how do i describe this. You are presented with morals and things you can do in reality to make your life better. Never give up, follow your dreams, yeah yeah sounds repetitive. Wrong. Instead of mindless nonsense, characters state their respective problems, then pursue them to correct them. I enjoyed the series very much also because of the story. It never lost my interest. It is one-of-a-kind. How often do you watch a accident-victim who can only remember 13 hours of memories?
Overall:
As previously stated, it is very unique, effectively incorporates romance, sadness, happiness, frustration, jealous and morals. The art was amazing, story was topnotch, characters were lovable and most importantly, the ending was so well done, i don't think i've watched any anime that concluded such a perplexing storyline so well in 12 episodes.
Being able to watch how a character reacts in a love triangle can be very informative, and funny at the same time. This is one of the best drama/romance/slice-of-life shows i have ever seen, so i highly recommend you watch it. It sure is a tear-jerker and this is one i will not forget in 13 hours. ;)
