The animation is ok, but the unsaturated palette and the fact that Reunion has a budget to give their grunts a uniform is very telling about how cheap it really is. But they do take the time to make most of the characters look unique so there is that.
The OST is very average too. Not terrible, but it doesn't grab your attention either. In a season of banger OPs this isn't good at all.
Character development is below average. We get introduced to a bunch of characters and I can understand that if you are an Arknights player you will know who these characters are and their backstories. You may even be excited about seeing your waifu animated. But if you don't know who they are then they are just a parade of faces you don't get to learn anything about before they get shuffled aside for the next one. I don't hold out much hope for anything more either since there are only 8 episodes in this short season.
Lastly, the most egregious fault is the "doktah" the self-insert cardboard cut-out is terrible, it just leaves a gaping hole in the story crying out for something of substance to fill it.
If you are a fan of Arknights you probably want to scream at me about how wrong I am and that this is the best thing since sliced bread. However, it is my opinion that if a story struggles to stand on its own, then it is not a very good story at all. But if you are curious about Arknights and thinking about playing the game then I suppose it might be a good starting point... maybe.
