Let me start right off the bat with the biggest flaw in this anime: it takes itself a little too seriously. Mirai Nikki is not a story that is meant to be taken seriously. Nobody who has seen this anime can disagree with that statement, and if anybody wants to try, your arguments are invalid because #SPOILER ALERT# TWEEEEEEEEEE! #END SPOILER# It's an anime based on A) an absurd idea of psychic cell phones wielded by B) a hilariously disturbed cast combined with C) a silly and arbitrary premise for a battle royale orchestrated by D) a laughable deity with a giant chin, yet its inability to recognize its own inherent silliness results in more than one cringe-worthy moment, usually along the lines of, "Yuno does [insert horrific/unrealistic action] while saying, 'Yukki [insert affectionate action] me!' with a really creepy smile." The sad part is that the exact same scene would have been laugh-out-loud funny if the writers had contrasted the stark, horrifying reality of that image with a 5-second "bullet time" of the same scene from Yuno's perspective, which I strongly suspect would resemble a "Magical Girl" show where Yuno defeats her enemies with the power of love.
That aside, the rest story is practically flawless. I was especially impressed by the concept of "a diary that tells the future" because it is handled quite expertly. Specifically, it recognizes the paradox of seeing the future--i.e., you can't see the future without simultaneously giving yourself the opportunity to contradict that future--and cleverly works around it: "seeing the future through the diary via the diary entries that I would have written." In other words, the Future Diaries do not truly predict the future, because Diary users are free to disobey their diary entries.
ART - 8
Good art with some really standout shots here and there.
SOUND - 9
"Kuso Mesorogiwi" is still my guilty pleasure. Also, the "inspired albums" are nice.
CHARACTER - 8
Yuno is amazing and everyone already knows why.
Yukki is underrated in my opinion. He has such subtle, complex character growth that I think is lost on a lot of people. One of the things I liked most about this series was how Yukki is forced to act braver than he actually is, but eventually he catches up with his braver image.
Mur Mur is also a brilliant character, despite having a smaller role.
Deus Ex Machina is only important for his name and his giant chin.
Most of the other characters are pretty throwaway ... but what do you expect when Yuno and Yukki (more like just Yuno) have to mow their way through ten other Diary users before the end of the series?
One thing I do like about the characters in general is how deductive and logical they tend to be (aside from a few token idiots). Pretty much all of the Diary users are very clever when it comes to using their diaries, and battles between Diary users tend to focus on preparation, tactics, negotiations, and superior position.
ENJOYMENT - 10
I enjoyed it a lot. This is probably one of my favorite animes--and favorite stories--of all time.
OVERALL - 9
It's not perfect, but it's still an anime you should definitely check out!
