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A fresh take on a repeated troupe in fiction, "What happen when a bunch of kids are forced to face their greatest fear?" This conventional troupe is usually used as a way to explore the "hidden (often dark) side" of human psyche, and Bokurano has done this masterfully. At first glance it might look like a rip-off Evangelion, with the premise first introduced as "kids riding giant mecha robots to fight aliens"; But I promise you it is something totally different, and maybe even better.
The structure of the story itself is semi-episodic; similar to what you see in Cowboy Bebop or Death Parade. Every ... few chapters cover a story arc of a specific character, usually ends in a tragic, soul-crushing way. Every character is written with care; Each one of them is a unique representation of what it means to be "human".
The only thing that bugs me, is the "twists and turns" that sometimes doesn't feel right, and feels abrupt. But this is just a small flaw compare to what Bokurano attempted to offer.
Even though it IS essentially a tragedy, I wouldn't say this is one of those manga that leaves you feeling "depressed" or empty. On the contrary, this manga actually ends with a rather optimistic/hopeful touch; after tossing a common existentialist and/or nihilistic theme throughout the whole story.