Animation - For an anime made in 2006, the animation is top of the line. The fighting and even the ordinary life scenes are visually stunning and vibrant. The only problem I have with it is some animation seems to be reused, and the fighting is not as varied as I would like it to be.
Sound - This is where, imo, where the anime shines the most. The soundtrack is varied and video game like. At times, ithere is a medieval or religious feel to it. Many of the soundtracks sent shivers down my spine due to the epicness.
Characters - The anime did a great job developing the two main characters. However, the main problem is the lack of background info on the characters, and that slows down that development. In addition, there seems to be little basis for the actions of some characters, making much of the cast seem superficial.
Story - After watching a good amount of shounen, the plot is in a sense, a bit cliche. However, the anime excels at getting rid of the overused feel to it, and I did not, in the least sense, feel that it degraded the storyline. There was tons of surprises and twists in the storyline, keeping the watcher interested. The biggest problem I had with this whole anime was that, at times, it was predictable and there was an enormous lack of information that would have made it more enjoyable. Without defining terms such as "mogist" or "noble phantasm" made me feel like I was missing out on the big picture and did not feel as connected to the fullest extent.
Overall, the anime was slow on the uptake, but gradually got better and more addicting. Its one of those shows where the main character must establish his true motives before the story becomes interesting. I loved the ending, and without spoiling it, the ending was, in one word, bittersweet, but perhaps this is the nature of fairy tales.
