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I've been putting off this review for a while because I needed the "ending" to simmer for a while before I could put my opinions to paper. Because, hot damn, it was *this close* to a 9/10. It really was that close. The first 12 episodes, if they had actually given us a halfway decent OVA or second season, were well on track to anime of the year. And then they botched the ending so supremely.

I like to make comparisons to other media is something I do quite often, but this show was a great mix of Doki Doki Literature Club and Infinity Train. I ... doubt anyone outside of the US has experienced both of these, but I think it sums it up nicely. The unsettling horror from DDLC, and the sci-fi and character building of IT.

Art: The art style is right up my wheelhouse, so it's not surprising I liked how it looks. I thought the designs for the enemies were evocative and in the right middle ground between literal and figurative. The visual effects stemming from the See-no-evils was very good, and the recurring locations didn't really detract from the experience. The scene in the first episode, with Koito on the sidewalk, was such a gut punch I loved it.

Sound: It didn't stand out to me all that well, but the OP and EP were pretty good, and there were some real moments that really immersed me into the story these girls were going through.

Character: Here we go. LGBTQ+ representation isn't something that I need in media, but when it is done well I LOVE it. Of course, I won't refuse to watch something that doesn't have it, but if I hear it has it, there's a big chance I'm gonna give it a shot. The girls are all pretty great. I especially love the weapons that they all use in the dreamscape, they were very well designed and imaginative. I think my favorite is Momoe, who doesn't love a cool but insecure tomgirl? I wish we actually had a little more time with her, she only first showed up around half way through. I do like the running gag that the girls all fall in love with her, but they disappear before they kiss. Pretty rough, I would imagine, but a tasteful joke that I really thought fit with the character. It seems unclear if they are able to go through the Egg process for another person, but after her final battle, I really wish for them to be able to. The other three girls, along with the people they are trying to save, are all pretty great characters that I would be sitting here typing for a long time. Also, their summons are all cute as hell. Sawaki-sensei is slimy and I really don't like him, but maybe that's my whole aversion to the trope in anime (the trope referring to his relationships).

I will also focus on Acca and Ura-Acca. Much like One-one, they are the mysterious pair who guide the girls through their Eggventure. It's hard to say much without spoilers, but the reveal-immediate-unreveal was pretty geniously executed. Even after the flashback sequence, they still seemed like flawed, but extremely believable people. They were just misunderstood! They made mistakes, but they weren't for no reason.

Enjoyment: I was very willing to forgive the recap episode. It was disappointing, but I know that it's sometimes necessary for animes. Never seen one in a 12-episode show, though. But I was willing to forgive it. Until they did it again at the beginning of the OVA. That pissed me off. They hyped the hour-long OVA, which they very easily could have ended the story satisfyingly with, but they wasted the first HALF of it with another recap. And then, they barely gave us anything with the second half. I'm ready to believe the reveal in the second half of the OVA. But because they botched the rest of it, it's hard to consider it canon.

But the other 11 episodes, dang, they were pretty good. Some of them were REALLY good. Episode 1 was genius. But they just botched it so supremely. Oh well. It's a shame this is an original anime, this would be the point where I would go and read the source material.