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I'm not going to discuss the show as much in my review, but things I noticed that other reviewers have not touched on (yes I did read them all).

I agree with most of the other reviewers that the art is great, the sound is pretty good, the story is interesting (I watched this series more religiously than I think any other I've seen), the characters are very well developed (arguably one of the most attractive elements of the show), and the setting is ok.

I also would like to say before anything else, that I really really really loved this anime. I lowered my ... score to an 8 because of my frustration with the end... which if you read on will be explained. Up until the last episode the show had wavered between a 10 and a 9 for me.

Now for the things I noticed in the series.

First of all the story is really interesting not due to the actual plot of the series but because of the whole premise of the show/world. (Although, I will say that the plot is pretty interesting) Its not so much the plot line following Ryner and Sion that I found so interesting, but what was happening in their world during the course of the show. It was the social conflict between countries, between the people and the "monsters", etc and how people/characters changed or didn't change in reaction to them that I found really intriguing.

I also hadn't thought about it much until I watched the last episode, but I realized that the first half of the series is really just an introduction to the world. The plot really doesn't pick up until the second half of the show. At the same time, I never found this frustrating and the show was never anything but enjoyable to me. Perhaps it is this careful development of the world that makes my first comment about the series true. I also think that this is part of the reason that the characters within the series have the depth that they have.

However, this leads into my last comment. When I watched the last episode I simply could not believe it was the last one, not because I didn't want the show to end, but because I felt like it wasn't the end. It felt like one of the all too familiar cliff hangers that the show uses unashamedly and continuously. Because the real story didn't begin to be developed until later on in the series, I feel the writers had to rush to "get it all in." Sadly, the show suffered for it. Character side stories were abandoned and unfinished. The last episode leaves the series completely wide open with no real ending to it at all. Watchers are left scratching their heads and wondering what in the world the point was beyond a simply exquisite peak into another world's history.

*spoilers*

I also felt some of the characters suffered from the rushed ending. I found myself wondering what happened to Kiefer after she was suspected of being a spy by Edea. She makes an extremely brief appearance in the last episode in an attempt (I assume) to show watchers that she somehow made it out of her sticky situation in one piece... yet, this answers no questions at all. Does that mean Edea let her go, or did she escape? Is she now acting on his orders in trade for her life? How did she know where Ryner was, and how did she get there that quickly, and why wasn't Edea or any of his people with her? I also had to wonder about Tiir and Milk, these characters dropped off with no real explanation toward the last few episodes as well. Lastly, one has to wonder... Who was the man who showed his face in only one episode, but seemed to be an important character (he kills Ryner and tests Ferris)? Who was the woman in the very last episode that stops Lucile and Sion. How can Lucile be the "Weaver" if Sion is the Hero who consumed him? What will Lucile do when he realizes Ferris ran off with Ryner?

I honestly feel as if the show has another season left in it (I wouldn't be opposed to that at all, in fact I would watch it gladly). So many unanswered questions and so many possibilities. What were the writers thinking finishing in such an open ended and rushed manner?

Having said all of this, I still really enjoyed the show and would def recommend it. Just... keep in mind what others have said, watch more than the 1st episode. You've got to make it through like the 3rd or 4th to really get drawn in.

Overall I think it was a good series. I was really shocked by the last volume... not what I expected at all, but I won't spoil anything. I suppose that's why I didn't rate as high as I would have? I mean I really like that the ending had a huge twist to it, but I also felt the ending left the readers without a lot of closure on some issues.

The premise of the series is REALLY interesting, its what got me started reading it in the first place. I had never seen or read anything like it before; very original. The plot makes ... for some interesting and fun situations that the characters have to navigate through, which is very entertaining. However, I feel like the plot was also pretty weak in some areas. Towards the middle of the series you begin to wonder what exactly is the point of the series after all. At the end it begins to pick up a little which is helpful, but doesn't quite make up for what seems like a long drawn out series of events that could have been shortened up. However, I was pleased that I could not predict the ending, that's always a plus for me. The twists (yes there are more than one) at the end make up a little for the plot issues I had, and give some events in the series a totally new meaning. These make me want to go back and re-read some of those parts.

I think most of the characters were good, some of the minor characters were my favorite, and I think some of them had the greatest character depth. The main character, Mashiro, was a little annoying at times and felt shallow at other times. There was not much personal growth for him/her throughout, which I feel as the main character is a flaw in the series There definitely also seemed to be predictable characters throughout the series, but I suppose that's hard to avoid. I did, however, like the character growth in Kureha ( throughout the series. She was a lot of fun to read and to watch as she changed by the events in the series. I also like Sou a lot as well. I know he played the stereotypical dark character, but I also felt he had some quirks that weren't so stereotypical and were a lot of fun. Of course, his character grew a lot in the last few chapters as well and I very much enjoyed that.

I loved the art work in this series, but then, I think I just particularly love this style with the flowing hair, very expressive faces, close-ups on high emotional parts, and then of course the occasional small more cartoonish side comments to add humor.

I still did enjoy the series quite a bit, despite plot and character issues.