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I can see how this would've been mindbending and a cult classic back in the 70s and even this version might've been something special if I had less perspective when I saw it but at this point in my life it just feels like a rather cheap bunch of nonsense. I respect that it was able to absolutely go 100% for a nihilistic message but as a well-adjusted adult I fundamentally find that messaging laughable on a core level. Horrible things do actually happen in history but when fictional media portrays it seriously without any balance I find it to be a waste of time. ... If you actually think this portrayal of humanity is really really true then there is no point in living and if there's no point in living then there's an easy remedy to that. Which is why its a waste of time to take that seriously and anyone that stays alive to argue that is a maladjusted poser.

As for the quality of the storytelling in this show...it isn't good. Aside from a few beats about who the characters are (in the literal sense, not their personalities) you could cut out like half the episodes and miss nothing. Nobody really changes during the course of the show and everything basically turns on why Ryo is such a piece of shit. I figured it out around episode 6 or 7 and then the show goes for a bunch of unearned emotional moments by overloading how shocking the deaths of these paper-thin nobodies are. The rappers are really the only characters that have any sort of arc, honestly. Like, the first three episodes where Miki has that stupid photographer trying to molest her are so insanely pointless in retrospect. Not that it felt like a well-told plotline at the time but by the end it feels like literal filler.

I also think this show is very ugly. Ping Pong is one of my favourite anime and its art is also quite ugly in stills. The difference is that Ping Pong uses that to show extreme deformation of characters while they play and it can integrate fantastical stuff quite easily and it creates its own unique look that is fantastic. Devilman Crybaby does a bit of psychedelic stuff early on and then it gives up on doing anything interesting with its art and hides its obligatory action behind darkness and bad editing. It wants to look like Shingeki no Kyojin but it doesn't have the chops and it just suffers for it. I have no idea what the budget was for this show but the end result makes it seem like it was done cheaply by a studio without enough experience to pull off the kind of action scenes needed.

I'm honestly not entirely sure how I feel about the sound design for this show. I do like the music and it feels like it nods to the 70s show while being modern but I'm not sure if it actually blends well with the show itself. A good OST is fine but it doesn't feel like it enhances the show just by being good. As for sound effects and the like, I don't think this show does anything special. I have this same complaint about Dandadan. Not every studio can make sounds as instantly iconic as David Production or do what Sunrise does with its Gundams but I can't think of any particularly amazing sounds from this show. Its all just fine.

Honestly, this show was good enough to get me to finish without forcing myself so I can't say its bad but even though I went in with no expectations I'm still somehow disappointed. I think Masaaki Yuasa just doesn't make things I think are genuinely good other than Ping Pong (which is a legacy cementing masterpiece). I don't like phrasing criticism this way but he truly does make stuff that people love to think is very smart but is actually just directionless crap. Not that Devilman doesn't try and say anything at all but I think its substance is very slight and people that haven't ever seen anything trying to say what it gestures toward will think it is very smart and deep despite it being some cheap gut punches and silly nihilism and nothing more.

I think I wrote a review here that sounds like a 3/10 but I feel comfortable with a 6/10 ("Fine" as MAL rates that). It was somewhat entertaining and it at least takes a shot at some big themes even if they are all muddled and trip over each other. This show will be a catalyst for some people to think more about anime and story-telling in general and maybe bigger things than those. I do hope that those people eventually rewatch this years later and see that it isn't the pinnacle of anything though.

Despite everything it has going for it, Space Dandy is not a good show. Given its pedigree (animated by Bones in its heyday, directed by Cowboy Bebop's director, an amazing OST) its hard to go into this show with fair expectations but even after watching a few episodes and getting used to what it really offers you just can't shake the feeling that the show is wasting your time. Space Dandy is purely episodic (although events loosely build on each other anyway) which means its needs a solid cast and interesting situations to deliver entertainment and neither of those are present.

The three main characters ... of Space Dandy are Dandy, Meow, and QT and they're all extremely idiotic losers that never get anything done. Every episode is them looking for a quick way to make money so that they can slack off without being hungry, basically, and every episode is them screwing that up. This is a funny premise but because all the characters are idiots (even QT the "straight man" character) every episode is basically just random stuff happening to three not very likeable people that have almost no agency. Dumb Guy comedy works best when normal situations are ruined by poor decision making but Space Dandy is basically too wacky and random for anything to feel consequential.

Space Dandy's saving grace is that it looks and sounds amazing. The show really lays everything out in the first episode and if you think that episode is great and want exactly 12 more things exactly like that (or 25 if you're up for season 2) then go right ahead and enjoy. However, anyone that wants character development, something like a funny version of Cowboy Bebop, or an actually funny show then don't bother. Its not the worst show ever but there's just no point to it either.

Escaflowne is an isekai mecha action show that really really really wishes it could just be an isekai romance show. The first half balances those elements reasonably well and strings the viewer along with a lot of mystery about its world and why the evil Zaibach empire is so bent on finding "Escaflowne". Ultimately that promise is never delivered on in any meaningful way and halfway through the show the shounen action and romance fall completely out of balance and get in each other's way. Everything does reach a rushed yet functional conclusion but the wasted potential is massive.

Pros+
+ Escaflowne is a visual feast if ... you’re a fan of that certain sort of 90s animation. Sunrise really put their best effort into showing the eponymous Escaflowne transforming and swinging its sword against other Gunda-I mean Guymelefs. Cockpit shots showing gears and pulleys and braided steel are very smoothly drawn.

+ Yoko Kanno’s work on the OST is tremendous. Action and drama are well supported with choral backing and high tension string instruments while gentler moments have flowing piano and gentle violin. Truly an excellent work from a renowned musical director

Cons-
- The story of Escaflowne is not confusing but it is quite slow for no particular reason until the final few episodes where it races to the finish. The first half of the show involves a lot of the main cast running from the enemy while sheltering in various locales such as military outposts, capital cities, airships, and the wilderness. Then it just sort of stalls and turns into long emotional exchanges punctuated by somewhat weightless action.
- The characters. This is truly where Escaflowne falls utterly apart. Allen, is the only character that truly gets consistent character development and backstory. New characters are introduced and seem interesting enough (Van the prince of a ruined nation; his cat friend Merle; Chid the child prince; Folken the brooding strategist of Zaibach) and then nothing really happens. Van, for instance, fights for revenge after Dilandau destroys his country while looking for Escaflowne. We see this in the first episode. And then nothing really changes about that at all. He runs, he fights, he learns a bit about his family, and then at the end he fights Dilandau and says “You destroyed my country so I will kill you!”. We never really see him do much other than fight and talk to people about nothing. Some side characters have character arcs but mostly nobody is well developed.
- The romance. Hitomi arrives in Gaea and is immediately treated well by everyone and there is a clear connection between her and Van but also her and Allen. And then…nobody tries to do anything. Hitomi increasingly seems attracted to Allen but eventually learns he likes more age and class appropriate women and backs off. And then any “will they? Won’t they?” progress goes away until about episode 20 when it becomes plot relevant and everything is forced to an unsurprising but still somehow very weird conclusion in 6 episodes. The show has all the trappings of a romance but because it also has giant robots it doesn’t let itself get too lovey dovey because that will get in the way of robot fights.
Ultimately Escaflowne is a great looking and sounding show that starts strong, slows down rather quickly, and then never finds a good speed before crashing into its ending at 150 mph. There is enough to like that I can’t honestly call it worthless but I almost certainly wouldn’t have gone back to it if I hadn’t watched some of it as a kid and after seeing it I don’t think romance or mecha fans would be satisfied watching it over something else.