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The name of the maximum score on MAL is masterpiece. I find this word perfectly suited to Katanagatari. Of course, masterpiece doesn't mean that everything is perfect and that the serie doesn't have any flaws, but his number of qualities is astonishing.

I find the story very well written. All the context and goals are presented from the start without losing the viewer in too much information. It's by adding new characters throughout the duration that new plots are added which gradually merge without one having the impression that those comes from nowhere. As NisiOisiN has proven throughout his career, the dialogues are very good, impactful ... and unforgettable without overdoing it. Another good point of the story are its important moments, they are well balanced and well timed. The conclusion is incredible and leaves an unforgettable imprint on anyone who sees it. A final good point would be the absence of dichotomy, as much in the holders of the katanas as in the Maniwa for example. You have compassion for a lot of characters, and this is the proof of a very thoughful story.
Another good point of Katanagatari for me (which is sometimes a flaw for some people) is its art. The style is truly atypical and, while it may not appeal to everyone, I find it superb. The sets are brilliant, they make you think of paintings, which is obviously a very good choice for a story set in feudal Japan. The design of the characters is also very peculiar. The features of them are quite simple, even minimalist. The most obvious example are the eyes. Where animes sometimes go overboard with the details in the eyes, very simple eyes is an interesting idea. Although the characters have a simple appearance, as Katanagatari introduces a lot of characters in a series of 12 episodes, each character has a particular detail that is remembered.
A very important point that I find successfuly done is the animation (I'm also adding the "camera" work here). Because of its originality in several aspects, the animation brings freshness to an anime which is based on a succession of fights throughout the series, who could be boring if the animation was lazy and not inspired. During the movements of the characters in combat, their outlines are sometimes bolded, refined or blurred. This bring a lot of dynamism in the scenes. Because a lot of the characters moves really fast, the blurred background that follows them is also a really good idea. Another thing that made the fights incredible is the "camera" work. Where the shots are located is often in accordance with the combat situation. Sometimes, during a fight (often in the "final move"), the "camera" suddenly moves and arise in a total different place to show the deflagration of the final move, that's a really cool idea to show how huge the damages are. One last great thing in the fights is the appearance of different colors flash during a hit to show the pain of the impact. The color flashes are very very fast and one might not even notice them but they again add vibrancy to the action.
Few of the anime that we still remember some OST several months after viewing, this is the case with Katanagatari for me. The soundtrack is perfectly in keeping with the historical context of the anime. There are many musical sequences whose origin comes from the oriental music culture. (the vocals on Bahasa Palus, the instruments used....) It's a pretentious analysis towards the animes. But Katanagari's OST could easily be the soundtrack of a film setting in that time period. Another interesting note is the addition of much more modern instruments (like in animes like Samurai Champloo) to create a lag. Although I am not a HUGE fan of the opening and ending of this series, the idea of changing the ending at each episode is nice.
One element that I would also like to highlight, even briefly in this review, is the genre balance. Of course, we can easily sum it up by saying that this is an action anime with a bit of romance. However, in a lot of anime with the same theme, the genres are not well balanced and there will often be complaints that one or more episodes are all about romance and that they stop the progression of the story. This is not the case with Katanagatari where, each episode has in addition to the fights, the emotional progression of the characters.
Finally, one of, if not the best strength of Katanagatari: its characters and their evolution. As said above, the anime features a lot of characters in quite a short time (protector of the katanas, Maniwas...), and yet each character is interesting in terms of their story and character traits. It's very impressive that we only see a character for one episode but that he's so developed and that even through the episode their behavior changes significantly. Absolutely all of the characters are well written and interesting, it also reinforces the good lack of dichotomy explained at the start of this review. Finally, the evolution of the characters is for me the best strength of Katanagatari. While splitting episodes can be a problem for this, as some episodes are separated by months-long ellipses, each episode is perfectly crafted to teach our main characters an important life concept. There are no moments when you say to yourself "since when has he been like that?", by analyzing each scene, each dialogue, everything is explainable.

My review may seem a little wrong, because I say at the beginning that like any work, Katanagatari has flaws and I hardly cite them. However, it is to show how many qualities there are and how they overwhelm the flaws that I have written this review. To sum up, if you are interested in an anime set in past Japan and that you like atypical series that don't look like just any average anime, Katanagatari is what you need.