I'll preface by saying I don't want to compare this to UY, but it mimics UY so much, it's nearly impossible to do so. I will attempt to keep the comparisons to a minimum.
Going by the release dates between Urusei Yatsura and Majo demo Steady, the latter was an attempt to ride on the coattails of the popularity of UY. Honestly, the similarities are pretty uncanny at times. Ironically, the back bone of Steady is actually pretty good. I guess I have a type, liking the concept of other world girl and earthling boy pursue a relationships despite challenges. The issue with Steady lies in the lack of explanation. Things seemingly happen out of the blue and our leading girl, Asami, just blames herself. How she creates this mess or why, we never learn. Is she just a klutz or does her magic require an equal, opposite reaction to work? These questions and lack of explanation are rampant throughout the show.
The art isn't bad, but the animation is choppy and non-fluid much of the time.
Sound is mediocre as well. The opening and closing are dated, but unfortunately didn't ripen with age, missing the campy, nostalgic vibe some 80's songs instill. Sometimes the sound effect doesn't match the action and is noticeably different from what you'd expect.
Characters are decent, but there is no depth to them and they don't really develop significantly. It's actually a shame because I think they'd actually lead to a good story if given time to develop.
Overall, I enjoyed demo Steady because I like the concept. It wasn't the best execution and leaves a lot to be desired. I think it's a bit harshly criticized, but at the same time, I think it rightfully deserves a lot of what it gets. If you like relationship and/or magical girl animation, you'll like demo Steady, just don't expect anything ground breaking.
If there's one more thing to add, it's that I'd like to find the source material for demo Steady. I'd like to know if things were better explained or if this adaption was doomed from the start.
