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This one surprised me in a good way. I expected ecchi or full-on ero, and it was very much ero right from the start; jam-packed. Not my thing, and I seriously considered dropping it, but it wasn't actually bad, just... lacking any real plotline (my usual complaint about ero: sometimes they try to be both ero and plotline, but that's often a disaster for each). I expected it to be a 4 (hoping not a 3 or less), and not expecting so much as a 5 on the outside, but this managed to become an 8 for me (mostly a 6 or ... so, but it comes together — no pun intended — in the end [also no pun intended]).

But then the plotline and cultures began to peak out just a little, and the ero shifted to the characters' needs and wishes. This was better. Then it got a little... let's say "uncomfortable", but the story progressed well in general.

There were two (arguably three) plot twists toward the end, and the author suddenly made me care about the MC and the secondary characters and all of the NPCs.

It's not the first time that I've cried (happy tears this time, luckily, though there've been both happy and sad ones before) at a manga (though it's more common for me with anime), but it's the first time that I've cried over an ero.

If you're looking for ero, there's plenty of "that". Absolutely plenty. If you're looking for a wonderful, heart-warming ending though, there's that too. Yes, it's definitely a little thin on plot for the most part (more than a patina, but not by much), and not a lot of character development, but the ending is well-worthwhile. ❤️

I gave it a 6, but the true core is more complicated than that.

Some aspects deserve a 7-8, and it's not that there are other aspects of 4-5 that drive it to a mean average of 6, but that the first 11 chapters are a pleasant mix of light ecchi and surprisingly wholesome interactions, and then things take an odd turn in 12-14, with 15 seeing some of that and a turnover to the ending arc. It's this overall imbalance and storycrafting jerkiness (in the sense of position, speed, acceleration, jerk, snap, etc.) that comes out at the fore of the elements — the ... composition as a whole rather than the parts that it comprises — that I came away with, rather than the enjoyment of each development or arc, without the time to savor or digest the goings on.

In short, it ended up lacking focus, telling a larger story that seems to have been crammed for time in the last several chapters. Had it remained light ecchi, or been expanded a few (or many) more chapters, then either would have been at least a solid 7. As it stands though: not bad; not good, but not bad.

It could be worse... it's not a horrible anime in any way really, but it's definitely ranked below any that I've watched so far. I gave it a three due to its sheer blandness. It might be OK, say a 5, if one were stoned, but that's about it.

Oh, joy: ⚠ This review needs more information!

Fine, taking the suggestions given:

Is the story unique? Only insofar as any Mary Sue can be. Bounty hunter on the hunt, and has some superpowers. Not much more to her than that, other than that apparently she could be the next Jem, just waiting for her ... Holograms, as it were.

If it was predictable, did you enjoy it anyway because you like this genre/set-up? N/A: more or less semi-random events, with only the conclusion (she wins) predictable.

Do you think the art style is fitting for the story? Actually, yes. Aside from the styles that one encounters in anime changing over time, this one's was typical enough of the '80s. That said though, it really did look about right for the events' settings.

Were the characters well-rounded? N/A: it's a half-hour one-shot, so no, there wasn't enough time to really round out anyone.

Did they have flaws and strengths, or were they unusually strong/smart/stupid? Nah, they were solidly one dimensional: Big Bad Guy is a lummox, Evil Psionicist is evil.

Did the characters react to situations and events in a realistic way? Given their natures and apparent psychologies, yes.

Do you think others will enjoy/dislike this series, even if you didn't? Why? Not really, other than true fans of the genre itself, with an appreciation of the evolution of the artform. If you want a deep story line, profound insights, cool worldbuilding... wrong place to look. It might appeal to shōnen fans, given some mild violence in it, but I'm not certain of that much even.

Caveat: my Japanese is extremely limited (aside from anime, I spent four years in Japan, but that was a decade and a half ago), so the lack of English subtitles (in the version that I was able to find) hampered my ability to understand the events and enjoy the show fully.

It's not (at the time of this writing) easily found or widely available through online streaming sites, but is probably worth the time and effort to search it out _after_ having watched at least one season of Tenchi Muyo Ryooki, or one of the other main series (possibly excepting Mahou Shoujo Pretty Sammy or Dual ... Parallel -- not as a reflection on them, but because the other Tenchi series seem more in line with the Heianmuyo characterization, and having first become emotionally invested in those characters would likely give the viewer a better feel of those found in this picture drama).

In short, the story was OK, the characters much as I recall them from season 1, etc.. The thing is... the symbolism kind of turned me off... a lot. I don't know why, it just did: the bad guys under a demon king are called commandments, and our heroes (as anyone from seasons 1 will know) are the deadly sins (nothing new there, but it all felt uncomfortably upside-down; reversed; wrong. I pushed through in order to finish and see how it all turned out, but there wasn't any real satisfaction to that.

Would I watch it now, for the first time, in ... retrospect, if I could somehow know then how I'd feel afterward? Honestly, no. The first season, sure, but this one felt too "off".

1: Possibly better watched "uncensored", simply because there isn't much story line to it, so can't really be ruined by the more lewd version.

2: It struggles between anime and hentai throughout most of the series, but finally begins getting pretty decent around episode 8 or 9 (i.e.: just as the show is almost over).

Is it worth watching? Ehh... not as a top pick, no, but it's not so bad as to avoid it. Good if you're bored and casting about between one anime and your next, but not much more than that. As anime: the last few episodes probably justify ... having invested the time spent on the first 7 or so, I suppose; as hentai: hentai's not my thing at all, but I'd wager that ero fans probably wouldn't be impressed by it either, and for the same reason (i.e.: the fact that it straddles the fence, rather than truly committing to either).

The first episode or two? Interesting. Same for the last one or two. Like a proverbial package of razor blades, the middle ones were only so-so. The fan-service might have been pleasantly titillating at moments had it been less heavy-handed and less constant.

The story line itself progresses well enough, but its focus felt to me to be a bit too borderline-hentai for my taste. Maybe it would have been better or worse had I watched the uncensored version (it's worth considering before going straight to the censored version, in this case, simply because there's so much of it that its ... almost a distraction to have it censored in the first place), but even the censored version alone focused on T&A far more often than necessary -- I don't know if I could quite justify calling it R-rated, but I don't think that PG-13 quite suffices.

I had hoped for more character development, but that didn't really happen to the extent that I might have expected. Likewise their sociodynamic -- neither was left undeveloped, just a bit underdeveloped.

The artwork itself was well done; good attention to detail, appropriate setting flavor, nice color palette, etc..