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Story: 7 - Generally episodic and extremely character-driven, might feel like it makes little forward progress.
Characters: 10 - Dynamic and extremely well-realized main cast, with a mostly fleshed-out and enjoyable supporting cast.
Art: 7 - Serviceable, but rarely outstanding. Evocative cinematography.
Sound: 7 - OST is mostly forgettable, but used effectively. Solid vocal performances. Solid OP and ED.
Enjoyment: 10 - Intelligent and insightful without being dry. Effortlessly breezy with endlessly likable characters.

Full Review:

Despite the overwhelmingly positive impression of this show from the vast majority of fans and critics alike, it was really hard not to be skeptical about this. A romantic comedy LN adaptation with ... an overly long title? That's not generally the realm of timeless literature. Fortunately, as everyone assured me, my expectations were blown away in no time at all.

It's apparent right from the opening monologue that this show really gets its characters, and empathizes with them, but it doesn't make excuses for them. And that is quite impressive considering the actual nature of the characters. Our hero Hachiman is a cynical and abrasive black hole of smug indifference. He's internalized his own isolation and built a fortress out of it, but hell if he isn't still a likable character! Not even in the sad or pitiable way that misanthropic loner nerd characters tend to be in anime. Hachiman has a certain charm and charisma all his own. It doesn't really surprise me at all to see younger fans latch on to his various "Hachimanisms" as some kind of gospel. His worldview is the distillation of the introverted intellectual teenager experience. I can definitely remember feeling like the only sane man in an insane world when I was his age. I think everyone probably has a little bit of Hachiman inside them, and that makes him a broadly relatable character despite how much of a huge pompous jerkass he is. Our main heroine is similarly despicable, though in very different ways. Yukino barricades herself in a perfectionist facade. Her willingness to help others and her drive to succeed are as much a crutch as her frigidly standoffish personality. Her biting sarcasm and massive superiority complex belies what may be an even more fundamentally broken person than Hachiman. Hachiman's problems are clearly nothing but demons of his own design, while Yukino's seem to be related to more external factors. Her home situation is never explored in-depth, but is hinted at being a major source of her anxieties. Their interactions(or non-interactions) are the backbone of this whole show, and would be more than enough to carry the entire show just on their own.

The characters aren't the only things keeping the show afloat, though. This is a romantic comedy after all, and OreGairu has a great sense of comedic timing. The jokes flow freely from the characters' base personalities, and the show avoids most of the silly reaction faces and manzai gag set-ups that plague the host of its contemporaries. The music and animation are mostly just serviceable and don't have many stand-out moments to make either of them particularly memorable. Thankfully, the cinematography is generally quite good. The shot framing easily evokes the sense of loneliness and mistrust that the characters wallow in, but also gracefully illustrates the cracking of their proverbial shells over the course of the series. Though it doesn't ever look or sound bad, OreGairu's technical merits are definitely taking a backseat to the script.

OreGairu's one big stumbling point is that in order to continually punch holes in Hachiman's defenses, it has to keep forcing him into situations that challenge them. And "force" is kinda the key word there. As smart as this show is, there's really no avoiding how wish-fulfillmenty the base foundation is. Awkward loner kid is unwillingly thrown into a club with two beautiful, and comparatively lonely girls by his equally young and attractive female teacher. Geez show, there had to be a better way to do this. Making the Main Character an ineffectual harem lead is still kinda transparently pandering, no matter how incredibly bad at it he is. Regardless of how well-written these characters are, and they are fantastic characters, the show can't really rise above the tropes it constantly seems to be sneering at. And that's incredibly unfortunate. This show has so many smart things to say and wonderfully articulated characters, but it just can't escape its own inherent ~anime~ness. Characters like Saika just bog down the story and serve as blatant reminders that, oh yeah, this is an anime romcom(Even though I am quite found of him, personally). He was still a pretty likable character, and I think he actually had decent chemistry with Hachiman, but yeah, he mostly exists just to make hurr-durr trap jokes. And he's not alone in the one-joke supporting character department. The lack of actual romance in this romantic comedy might be another possible sticking-point. I understand that issue is supposed to be the whole joke; Throwing some hapless dude into Anime Harem 101 and not having anything happen because they're all emotionally-stunted jerk-faces cloistered within their own defensive facades, clever! But that doesn't make it any less frustrating to sit through. The show is carefully trying to balance what it wants to say about its characters and having their relationships actually move forward. I'm not sure it quite succeeds.

Still, it is undeniably fun just to see these characters faffing about. They're all just so well-constructed that it's fascinating to simply watch them bounce off each other. However, this show's greatest feat is probably just being such a breezy watch. As weighty and melancholy as the character-drama is, I still blew through this show in what felt like no time at all. I'm not sure I'd call OreGairu a timeless masterpiece, but I'm absolutely glad that it exists. And simultaneously angry that so few shows ever actually strive quite as hard.

Story: 8 - An engrossing and well-told character piece, but the episodic mystery format may fall flat for some.
Characters: 10 - A likable, dynamic, and nuanced cast with understandable personalities and emotional hang-ups.
Art: 10 - Gorgeously animated and directed, with expressive characters and vibrant backgrounds.
Sound: 7 - Strong first OP and seiyuu performances. Serviceable and appropriate, but largely unremarkable OST. No English Dub(as of this review).
Enjoyment: 9 - A compelling take on the mystery genre with striking technical merits and impressive character-writing.

Full Review:

Understanding people, even yourself, is pretty hard. So it's rather brilliant that Hyouka frames this conflict through the lens of classic-era ... detective novels. As Oreki, Chitanda, and the others go about solving the somewhat necessarily contrived mysteries that crop up around them, they also begin to grow as people and understand each other. Though Hyouka ultimately admits that people aren't a mystery you can just solve. People are complex and constantly changing, and true understanding is something that not even Holmes or Poirot could hope to achieve. So what chance do our young sleuths ever have to accomplish that? Well, they don't, unsurprisingly. There is certainly plenty of understanding and self-reflection to be had, but the mystery of the human condition can never really be solved no matter how brilliant of a detective you are.

And this serves as the foundation for Hyouka's poignant insight. Hyouka is a story that totally understands its own characters. Every aspect of the main cast, from seemingly innocuous gestures to their respective character arcs, are all reflective of their idiosyncrasies and their personal faults. I can't even count how many little moments just made me chuckle at the screen thinking "Ohoho that is so Chitanda!" Supported, certainly, by KyoAni's gorgeous technical work. KyoAni once again demonstrates the merit of fluid, detailed animation in a genre that rarely sees the budget of its more frenetic counterparts. As I said, even the slightest of gestures and expressions speak volumes about the characters' emotions and personalities. The "solution" to one mystery towards the end of the story is made so glaringly obvious by the culprit's mannerisms that the ensuing witch-hunt is actually a little uncomfortable to watch. The entire situation is earnestly reflective of the characters involved. Hyouka is a story built upon, and driven by, dynamic and likable characters that are also deeply flawed and troubled people in the midst of adolescent growing pains.

Though the mysteries are generally fun and interesting on their own, Hyouka is a truly character-driven story, and the main cast's emotions and group dynamic fuel most of the central plot. Hyouka is actually structured much like a typical 4-koma anime, with the episodic gags replaced with detective novel mysteries. Thankfully, the individual capers themselves serve as a surprisingly strong platform for characterization and development. Simultaneously a way to flesh out the characters' identities and air their emotional baggage as they work through the various conundrums. Said emotional baggage mostly coming in the form of personal insecurities and unspoken romantic tension. Enjoyment of Hyouka is going to come down largely to how invested the viewer is in emotional struggles of the characters more than investment in the snooping and investigating, but if you really need an overarching narrative to get invested in a story, you may find that the show just isn't going to work for you.

Overall, Hyouka is a beautifully animated and passionate character study. The story of a few endlessly likable characters and their search for love, understanding, and personal truth. Like all good mysteries, the satisfaction lies not in the solution, but the journey. As is the nature of all truths, though, sometimes the answer you're looking for isn't the answer you want to find. People, like mysteries, are sometimes best left unsolved.

Story: 8 - An enthralling fantasy epic that unfortunately loses focus and drags in the middle.
Characters: 7 - An admirable lead heroine and fun supporting cast, but much less interesting as individuals beyond their roles in the story.
Art: 8 - Fluid combat sequences, lush backgrounds, with diverse and appealing character designs.
Sound: 9 - Gorgeous musical score and sound design. Strong Opener by L'arc en Ciel.
Enjoyment: 8 - Moribito has lot of good ideas, but also too many noticeable stumbles prevent the series from living up to its full potential.

Full Review:

Moribito is very reminiscent of Hayao Miyazaki's early work, with a strong female ... lead, themes of humanity's place in the natural order, and uniquely eastern fantasy elements. It's very Princess Mononoke-ish. And Moribito stands as probably one of the most exceptional attempts at a Ghibli knock-off. This is due largely in part to the collective talent assembled on the project. Production IG is a studio with a history of gorgeous animation work, and Moribito is no exception. The action is fluid, the characters never stray off-model, and the backgrounds are lush and colorful. Sitting in the director's chair is Kenji Kamiyama, the man largely responsible for the Ghost in the Shell TV series. He sets sweeping fantasy adventure alongside beautifully choreographed action. Composing the score is the legendary Kenji Kawai, also responsible for some of the Ghost in the Shell franchise. Almost to the point of being overpowering, the music in Moribito is haunting and intense. The combined effort results in an atmospheric and enthralling fantasy. Unfortunately, Moribito's characters lack the twinge of humanity necessary to carry the larger-than-life story. They aren't bad characters by any stretch, Balsa is easily one of the best-written female characters anime has to offer, but they feel a little too much like pieces being shuffled around by the plot. This makes Moribito's focus on its characters in the middle episodes seem far more dull than it should be. I've never really seen another show that I felt was overly character-focused. Moribito's characters are interesting collectively, but on an individual basis they're easily the least interesting thing about it.

Moribito does have plenty of interesting things to say, though. Particularly about legacy, and how it pertains to both family, and the natural order. The old must always make way for the new, and the new exists only on the foundation laid by that which came before. The show is also built heavily on parallels. The parallel between Balsa's group and the agents of the Mikado. The parallel between the spirit world and the natural world. The dual parallels of Balsa's relationship to her foster father and Chagum, and the rebirth cycle of the Water Spirit. It's a pretty compelling thematic hook. Which is to say nothing of the coming-of-age and parenting themes that comprise most of the surface elements of the story, which are both handled poignantly.

Overall, I would call Moribito the poster-child for a solid 8/10 anime. There's a lot of good in this show, but the ambition and nuance of the story just proves too much of a burden for the show to carry, causing some all too noticeable stumbles along the way.

Story: 8 - Sweeping and poignant, but fraught with several filler episodes and inconsistent pacing.
Characters: 10 - Dynamic and well-developed cast all-around. Flawed, but likable heroes as well as sympathetic and compelling antagonists.
Art: 8 - Fluid and emotive, but with a tendency to go off-model.
Sound: 9 - Fantastic use of music, memorable soundtrack, solid voice casting.
Enjoyment: 10 - A fun and emotional ride with surprising complexity and thematic resonance.

Full review:

Where do I even start with this? There’s just so much going on in this thing that it’s hard to organize my thoughts. Most stories tend to stick to one or two central ... themes, and explore those. E7 takes the shotgun approach, and decides it wants to talk about everything. It has multiple thematic elements, from coming of age, to anti-war messages, to quasi-environmentalism. Several prominent romance arcs. Tons of character development all around. Recurring flower motifs, allusions to American counter-culture movements, and countless nods to other sci-fi and mecha franchises(my favorite of which is the backpack in the episode titled “Runaway“ being the same colors as Evangelion Unit 01. I see what you did there, Bones). I’m kind of amazed how much they managed to pack into this show without it becoming nonsensical. And I think ultimately, it does make sense. The story is thematically and logically consistent, and with the exception of a few filler episodes, is reasonably well-executed. The entire first act doubles as foreshadowing for the third, and the third act despite being totally absurd, feels surprisingly free of plot holes and deus ex machina. Any lingering questions can be chalked up to purposefully ambiguous sci-fi nonsense, rather than inadvertently bad writing. I think what fundamentally makes E7 work as well as it does is that it feels less like a linear narrative, and more like a series of individual moments threaded to a common conclusion. Fate isn’t always determined by one catastrophic event or miracle, and life isn’t always a straight path. In that sense, E7 feels as true-to-life as an anime about sky-surfing counterculture resistance mecha pilots reasonably could be. It feels like if these were real people, and real events, things would play out exactly as the show does. In a lot of ways, even more so than RahXephon, E7 seems to be Bones' answer to Evangelion. It borrows a lot of Eva's themes, and character archetypes, but spins them in a much more optimistic way. While Evangelion uses post-modern existentialist ideas of subjective personal reality as a means to self-actualization, E7 takes the opposite approach. We're all stuck in this reality together, and even though interpersonal relationships can be painful, it's also what makes life worth living. And rather than simply internalizing your flaws, using your loved ones supplement those flaws instead. Which is an equally valid, and far more positive point of view.

On the technical side of things, Bones is a name that carries a lot of weight in the anime world, and it’s impossible not to have a few preconceived expectations going into one of their projects. Fortunately, E7 holds up pretty well. Shortcuts are taken largely where they won’t matter, and special attention is given to the frenetic action scenes and somber dramatic moments. The character designs are distinct and expressive. Many a quiet forlorn glance speaks volumes more than any line of dialogue ever could. Use of color in E7 is all very deliberate and very beautiful. From Eureka’s own soft feminine blues, to the gloomy grayed-out hues of a ruined cityscape. The world of E7 adopts a full range of sentiment and tone, feeling very organic and dynamic in the process. The cinematography is no slouch, either. Gorgeous sweeping landscapes and dramatic close-ups are used liberally and to great effect. With the exception of a few sporadic slips of model consistency, most egregious in the second act, E7 is everything to be expected of a Bones production. And that includes the anime’s absolutely fantastic soundtrack. The electronic techno/hip-hop and cheesy Jpop, usually reserved for shows trying way too hard to be hip and cool, integrates perfectly with the sci-fi counterculture aesthetic. So much so that E7 makes it point to use them in-story on several important occasions. Episode titles are even taken from various song titles. The use of music as a narrative device in E7, while not quite Cowboy Bebop and Princess Tutu levels, is rather impressive.

The series greatest strength, however, and Bones' decided strong-suit, is the characterization. There are at least six complete character arcs in this story, and several smaller arcs for key secondary characters. The characters are dynamic, with their own distinct personalities that color their actions, and inner demons that they struggle to overcome. The way they act, speak, and the decisions they make are all consistent with the people the story makes them out to be. The romantic entanglements are arguably the weakest part of the show, seeming rather forced and melodramatic in a few places, but are still handled more nuanced and naturally than most other attempts. Making the relationships overall emotionally engaging and gratifying. Renton’s frequent missteps with Eureka are especially humanizing. I think everyone can relate to that awkward moment of talking to the girl/guy you like and inadvertently saying something stupid or insensitive. Renton and Eureka have easily the most complete and dynamic character arcs in the series, as well as the most fleshed out relationship. Renton’s journey from immature classical anti-hero, somewhat annoyingly narrated by the other characters, is both satisfying and heartwarming. While Eureka’s humanization is both subtle and endearing. Making the absolute most of her Rei Ayanami archetype, which may be the best I’ve ever seen it executed in a story.

Overall, Eureka Seven is a fun, and remarkably ambitious entry into its genre. It has a lot to say, and articulates in a way that is equal parts simple and meaningful. Aside from some minor pacing issues(I feel the show could have been 39 episodes), a bit of overwrought drama, and a few logical inconsistencies(Eureka‘s entire existence doesn’t make a ton of sense in the long run), I don’t really have any major problems with this show. I don’t think it’s a flawless masterstroke, but it is definitive proof that “fun” and “thoughtful” are not mutually exclusive. And I think that it’s a testament to what shounen action/adventure anime can strive to be.