If you strip away the outer coating the story is nothing special really. It's just a nobody (surprise surprise, a kid) going from no one to someone on a journey that will be filled with epic moments & the making of new friends, be them enemies once or not. Where have we heard this before? I wonder.
So there isn't anything that makes the story special? Well yeah, I suppose there is. But it's not the story itself, but what this show fills the story with. I can't stand anime with crap stories, however the story isn't really important here when you have all these amazing characters & events happening, as long as the story means they keep coming. It doesn't matter how bad it is.
The art seems to often switch from style to style, sketchy, angular, cartoony, realistic (in an anime sense) & ultimately I didn't think it worked all that well. It just often comes off cheap looking somehow. And the battles, they are often incredibly unclear, everything moves so fast (I'm not sure if this is on purpose or not) & just becomes this sort of crazy blur. Or once again, loads of coloured lines & balls of orange for explosions. It's like they took the same image & changed one thing & the background & used it for the whole anime. I suppose the saving grace is the designs of everything. No matter how unclear, you can't deny that everything this anime does screams cool, while pointing it's finger up at the sky & one leg placed on a raised object.
Sound. As amazing powerful as it is at first, you soon find it quite annoying, that basically every male character shouts rather than talks. I mean the lines start to become less epic when once again they are shouting them at the top of their lungs to some kind of funky coloured background. The voice actor cast is however, a good one. Even if you keep expecting Viral to shout bankai. I especially loved Kamina's voice (Japanese) this warm, strong voice, which is recognisable straight away & will fill you with warmth & joy everytime you hear it. Wow that was cheesy. In terms of music, this has arguably the best soundtrack in an anime ever & they use the music perfectly. Except maybe the 'Roh roh, fight da powah!" stuff...
The characters in this are simply perfect, whether it comes to personality or design. And I suppose it is hard for me to explain why with such a large cast without spoiling. But I want you to, if you haven't already, watch this anime & find out for yourself. Even characters who initially annoy you at first will end up doing something which gives them a place in your heart. Trust me on this. If nothing else I have written so far.
Enjoyment. It will vary. The first 3 episodes are pure pleasure, but then it's rather dire from episode 4 (it almost feels like filler) until at least episode 8 where it picks up again then it becomes a rather stretched out slog of samey battles & a bit rubbish. Unless you're easily entertained. And attempting to avoid spoilers, to your dismay you will soon find out after that, that everything you watched was pointless. Then it takes more time for some reason & finally the end comes around & the brilliance pierces the heavens with it's drill. And I think that is possibly the one fault with TTGL. You can't get enough, but yet, at the same time, there is to much. Things are dragged out way to much, random things happen, which merely tack something onto the certain scene to make it last longer. Not really twists, more like they hadn't enough materiel to make the series as long as planned but refused to admit it.
So overall. I don't look back on this in any other way than joy. What an amazing thrill ride of pleasure this anime has been. I am thankful for all the times it made me cheer, smile, cry, laugh or simply scream at how cool it was. But it isn't without faults. There is a little to much man & way to much ambition to call this perfect, or to truly live up to the hype. It is however, one of the best things you'll ever watch at this length.
