Honestly, the story felt all over the place from the start, and at times felt rushed and forced, as did the drama, which ended up not adding much to the overall experience of the viewers and is the show's major flaw. The show had a very interesting premise and an essentially nice start, albeit the story resembling that of shows like Vivy with the AIs, but referred to here in the show as the automata, and the conflict, and Violet Evergarden with the episodic sad encounters and emotional inducing factors from learning about the living dolls, their past traumatic experiences to their current role, and the occasional CGDCT from a supposedly dire and warlike environment like that of Sound of the Sky, though the CGDCT events do feel off at times. The latter half of the show is where the show started to fall off, where the story didn't really hook the viewers in the first place with the war and all, and as I previously stated, the ending felt rushed and very anticlimactic, to what was already a lackluster build up, severely hindering the enjoyment factor of most of the viewers. The show essentially played it safe rather than utilizing the darker side of its premise to create an essentially better story and hook, though the ending with Haizakura was bittersweet and managed to shed some tears from its viewers.
The main casts, with their endearing personalities, decent character development, and good knowledge of their pasts, as well as the sounds, from the songs they sing to the OP and several ED versions, are essentially the show's winners. The art is paired with what the show was aiming for, so it is nice and meets the criteria. Aside from Chiyo, who actually helped elevate Haizakura's charms and helped set the tone and vibe the show was going for, and Profesor Touma with his knowledge on automata to learning about his past and his impact on the main casts of the show, the side casts are decent at best and not particularly noteworthy aside from the role they're tasked with. Personally, I believe that if the show had reduced the number of characters and focused on the premise of the show, or if there had been more episodes to work with and a different path for the show's middle and ending, it could have been a lot better, but it wasn't.
This show is for you if you like sad shows mixed with CGDCT to increase the cutesy and happiness factor. However, if you're looking for a deep, engaging, and well-executed story and aren't interested in inserting cute girls vibes into what is supposed to be a sad and depressing show, this isn't for you. To be honest, I was disappointed by what could have been the season's hidden gem.
