While the flaws can be overwhelming at times, they don't undo what is in store for you, and OH BOY, this anime has a lot of twists and realizations. This makes it worthwhile to watch and is suggested for individuals that prefer a more realistic approach to storytelling that doesn't rely too heavily on action or cliches to push forward character development at the cost of feeling dull at times. It's the type of anime you need to be patient for and not try to control. It will reveal itself to you slowly and peel back all the layers exposing Argento Soma for what it truly is; A story about flawed humans consumed by ideals of revenge, justice, survival and trauma/loss. Mystery, curiosity and philosophy are also part of this anime and become a lot more prominent towards the end of the series, passed episode 18, where the series quality improves considerably.
Speaking of the story, it's slow-paced and methodical. A heavy focus is on the main cast, who aren't cardboard copy-and-paste type cliche characters. A good example is the protagonist, who's a mixture of overly emotional and hyper-intelligent/philosophical being who yo-yos through phases of villainy, being heroic and troubleshooting problems, making him a contradicting character who's easy to both love and hate due to how unstable he is. Another example would be another main character the cast calls "Frank," who's an alien that no one understands and forces to fight for them against other aliens who all look the same; which may appear as boring or lazy to many, but there is a reason why they follow that format of appearance.
Lastly, to end this brief review, Argento Soma is nothing like Neon Genesis Evangelion; it only appears so from a superficial standpoint, as there are aliens and secret organizations with symbolic names such as Morgue and Funeral. However, the similarities end here; it has more in common with "The Iron Giant" and "Interstellar" than anything seen in Evangelion. Even the story plots and motivations are entirely different in both series. Evangelion focuses on the internal conflicts of many characters, employing many of Arthur Schopenhauer's, Sigmund Freud's and Carl Jung's theories. In contrast, Argento Soma is concerned with external conflicts which cause internal tensions, with a nod to Carl Jung's theory regarding the Anima and Animus and the concept of consciousness.
I give it a 7.5 out of 10 and suggest it to patient viewers interested in psychology and philosophy, as those will be the most fascinating aspects of the story. On the other hand, if you're looking for action or watching something for the thrill of it, then Argento Soma won't be a fun experience.
