Druaga is not a masterpiece by any means, otherwise I wouldn't give it an 8 only. But it does have the potential to become a masterpiece. I was rather disappointed after the first episode because it was not funny at all (the Urua episode was much better IMO). In the next 11 episodes, I did see some interesting ideas and the writer did not drop them either. Unfortunately he didn't go on and explore them. Of course, one may argue that Druaga is a comedy anime in nature, and I'm perfectly fine with it. All I'm saying is that Druaga could be much better if the writers were more serious about these ideas.
But I'm not trying to bash the show here. What makes Druaga so wonderful is its good characterization and a full-of-imagination worldsetting. The worldsetting incorporates all the wonderful elements of RPG such as cute low level monsters, various skills, different classes of characters, team play, boss run etc. It also leaves all the boring parts out, such as walking from point A to B, like what they did in that more-boring-than-Bohr's-atomic-model Guardian of the Spirits. The little cute monsters and all that are what makes RPG interesting in the old days.
The chacterization is above the average too, even though it suffers a little bit from the plot. It has everything I could ask for. The characters are realistic, they have depth, and they have some lovable elements. Rarely seen in the anime industry, the writer clearly demosntrated that he received some professional training in writing. Druaga introduced a huge set of characters. Fortunately the writer didn't divide the screen time evenly to each character (see Rahxephon). What he did, like any other trained writer is supposed to do, is to focus most of the show on the main characters: namely Kaaya, Niba, and Jil. None of them are annoying, and all of them have some mysteries surrounding their past. The mysteries kept them interesting to watch throughout the season. My favourite character is Jil, not because he is the protagonist but because he is the only one who showed some character change in this season. From a rather naive hero wannabe to a person who desires to become a shield for his friends, the change was done smoothly and genuiely with considerable amount of introspection, another important piece in good characterization. The last episode says it all:"They are not heroes but people who fight for their dreams." A normal person growing up is always the best. The puppy love between Kaaya is cute too and it's very likely that the focus of the show is going to be shifted toward this relationship in the next season. As for the side characters, as long as they are not annoying, that's enough for me, and that's exactly what the writer has done.
Season 1 has been a great journey and ended at a cliffhanger. Without a question, season 2 is going to be my most anticipated series next year.
PS I hope someone could organize a petition. The rating system should really include more important things such as world setting, theme, theme delivery etc. Who cares about animation...?
