While I do appreciate the characters and the humor, I felt that the plots were not particularly exciting or unique - it seemed to me like a bad mix of Lupin the Third and Ghost in the Shell SAC, and I’d prefer Fujiko Mine over Faye Valentine any day. I’d love to see more of Ed’s hacking in action, even though deep down I know it’s going to be a disappointment compared to the goddess, Motoko.
There was also not much character development throughout the series. Spike started out quite interesting, but his character remained constant throughout as with the others, whom all lacked substance, which made them all rather blend. This definitely created the my dissonance between the anime. I also found the worldbuilding and visuals to be predictable and what one would “expect” of futuristic planets. To me, they are not artistic, visually striking or novel, but I can understand how this would fascinate others with less aesthetic expectations.
Regardless of the suboptimal plot and characters, I’d have to say the Saul Bass inspired opening is my favorite opening in all of anime. No matter how many times I watch it, it’s so appealing while being the perfect match to the music - absolutely sexy and stylish. It is probably the only anime which I have watched all of the opening without skipping to the main story - really quite exquisite!
All in all, not one of my favorites. Just watched it to enjoy Yoko Kanno’s music.
