This was how I spent my new years day, and I was definitely pleasently surprised. At first, I thought it would be a lighthearted romance that simply had treacherous background stories, but the pasts of the characters ended up being very significant to the active story, and were very disturbing. I tend to enjoy disturbing anime when it surprises me because if you don't expect it, you get more hooked.
This season had no boundaries apart from any major nudity and language as well as spice to the romance. There was lots of gore, which was really interesting to see. I often found myself wondering if the show had the balls to kill of a significant character. There were many points of surprise in this series which I know makes it more enjoyable for a lot of people.
One thing that almost made me drop the show entirely on episode one was Elias's tendency to call Chise "Puppy." I was very sure at this moment that the show would be cringe, but I was honestly wrong. Lots of lovable characters and relationships and a very strong plot.
Another down-side to this show is the Chise's mindset. If you like a strong willed main character, turn away. Chise is often comparable to a twig that could be snapped in half and I definitely only found this interesting in the first few episodes. In other words, her weakness gets old fast. Do not think that character development is not present, however.
Overall, this show was very entertaining and engaging. I would recommend this to anyone interested in fantasy, and gore. If you liked shows like Jujutsu Kaisen or Tokyo Ghoul, you might find this to be interesting. I don't think this is as well thought out as those shows, however, I still think they are similar in theme and gore levels.
TL;DR Good show. Surprising aspects made it more enjoyable. Don't watch if you don't like weak FMC's.
PS: I watched the DUB version, and I didn't think any of the voice actors' voices were obnoxious! (So, that's a plus).
