In general, though, I think they did a good job this time. I'm not actually a reader of the Medaka Box manga, so I can't say much about how closely it follows the manga. Still, I thought it was well-paced (both the individual arcs and the series's progress through them). The 'high school student council' setting isn't particularly original, but the suggestion box gives a really nice twist to it, and the fact that Medaka herself is so powerful makes it quite a good match for Gainax (although I'm glad to see they tone it down a bit in the few serious moments that there are).
The characters are generally pretty interesting, and a good match for each other. They're also pretty three-dimensional, with characters who initially seem two-dimensional becoming more willing to show their other sides as they get closer to the other characters as the show progresses. That's quite unusual in anime, and very unusual in this kind of action-packed romp. The co-dependent relationship between Medaka and her student council members is interesting and not terribly straightforward. Usually in anime, strength is better than weakness, but in Medaka Box, strength is also weakness, something that's touched on in the early episodes and explored in a little more depth later on in the series. I'd expect to see more of that in the next series.
It's not that I don't have my niggles about the show, of course. I know that Medaka is well-endowed in the manga, but that isn't really a reason to keep pointing the camera at her breasts and panties. This is more than a fanservice show; trying to make it into one to appeal to the teenage-boy demographic is going to put off the slightly more mature demographic who are more interested in watching it for what it is. I also felt like some of the comedy could have been a bit more subtle. Gainax really do always feel the need to stick humour right in front of one's face, but often that isn't as amusing as implication or sharp dialogue-based humour (hey there, Bakemonogatari), which there could have been more of with a cast of characters whose personalities clash so unusually.
Medaka Box isn't a masterpiece (and it could have been). But it is very good, and I'd recommend giving it a try even if it doesn't look like your usual sort of thing.
http://james-neve.com/blogposts/7-anime-review-medaka-box
