That is - it doesn't risk anything unlike the manga. Despite it being criticized for being "too cinematic", at heart it's really just another shounen anime. As a film buff, believe me, the "cinematic" elements ends on the references in the opening. (I don't like the OP but that's simply a subjective opinion and has nothing to do with the actual critique of the show). I mean, the manga was far more cinematic with its panels already looking like gorgeous still from some forgotten early-80s horror like "Possession" or "The Thing". It took the risks of doing the unpredictable, both with the visuals and the story. In the anime, both of these lack the feeling of being special. The manga was highly stylized to look like a storyboard, the anime needed similarily stylized direction but essentialy it lacks any style except for a typical shounen Mappa approach. Bruh, just because you animate the gore and nudity, it doesn't make it a bold or unique adaptation. You're doing the bare minimum that is being faithful to the source material.
P.S. The world of the manga felt dirty, the buildings looked awful, as if they were about to collapse in the nearest future and it made the vision of the dying world even more powerful. While in the anime, the city looks typically modern and clean... it lacks the ponderosity.
I'll watch it, obviously, I love the story. The execution might be less than great but I'm curious if it will improve over time or all hope is gone.
