First of all, if you like the type of anime that you have to connect many dots to understand something, you 'll love this.
The characters are so good and memorable. It starts slow but it's worth it to see. I couldn't get attached to the characters to the point of crying. I don't know if the anime itself was trying to achieve that.
Yes, the first episode is very gloomy. There are few animes like this, it's a unique experience.
Even though it is relatively old, you have to understand why the reviews give it so many tens. It may not be your style of anime but give it a chance.
Thanks for reading.