My take on it is this: it is far from perfect. It spends ten out of twelve episodes moving at a very slow pace, and while that slow pace was good for fleshing out the characters and world-building, the sudden change of pace during the final two episodes, while welcome, is a little confusing and feels out-of-place. If the tone shift had been more gradual I might have given it another star. The characters (save for Noel and to a lesser extent Filicia) are also not very unique, but their interactions are enjoyable and fun to watch. There were also some needlessly sexualized moments (especially in the opening sequence) that felt out of place and a bit uncomfortable, and this is coming from someone who enjoys ecchi (at least to an extent).
However, it grows on you. Slowly but surely as you get to know the characters and setting little by little you start to love them, and their stories start to impact you more and more as you learn about their circumstances. You start to feel little bubbles of happiness rise within you every time Kanata gets better at playing the bugle, or when you see Noel smile. You start to really appreciate the beautiful art, music and crafty world building that form the essence of this show. And then in the finale you see everything come to a climax, and you’re left with a feeling of, “that was quite nice.”
Here’s my advice. For the first 10 episodes it’d be hard to watch more than one in a day. Try watching one before bed every night, they’re very relaxing and have helped me fall asleep more than once. Then, watch the final two episodes back to back.
My original rating for this was a 6, but it’s been bumped up to a 7. I’d say it’s pretty good.
