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~ ~ Story 7/10 ~ ~

The story sucks you in from the very first stunningly animated heist scene and it stays fast-paced from there. It slows down only for us to get a little glimpse of the characters but not for long because the mystery behind Sphinx is what's driving the show. While I have to admit that there's an arc (about 3-4 episodes long) that felt kind of pointless in the grand scheme of things, the clever puzzles that are solved in each episode contribute to a heart-wrenching overarching tale of vengeance (or not, depending on how you see it). The grand payoff in ... the end isn't as grand as I hoped it would be but it does leave you with much moral-questioning.

~ ~ Characters 7/10 ~ ~

Nine and Twelve were really interesting even though I knew next to nothing about them. Their interactions, the easygoing casualness of Twelve and the ice-cold rationalizing of Nine, balanced each other out. Lisa, the awkward highschooler with a troubled family background, paled in comparison because although her confusion was relatable, she didn't matter to the plot aside from being the occasional damsel in distress. On the other side of the table, the character of Five was like Lisa's more crafty and badass counterpart aka she also seems pretty useless too if you think of her role in the whole context of the story. Her reluctant rival/ally, Detective Shibazaki, was a brilliant character with an understandable backstory but he was by no means the most memorable anime detective.

~ ~ Art 10/10 ~ ~

It's realistic, fluid and has beautiful camera angling. The colors change according to the mood but overall it sticks to the realism (except for Five who has silver hair and purple eyes for no flipping reason).

~ ~ Sound 10/10 ~ ~

Yoko Kanno bless your soul, just bless you to heaven and beyond. Everything from the gorgeous opening sequence to that serene motorcycle scene ("Is feat. POP ETC") to the unique Icelandic song ("Von feat. Arnór Dan") was perfect at conveying all the feels.

~ ~ Enjoyment 7/10 ~ ~

Full of suspense in some moments, peace in others, WTFery in some scenes and "what's the point of all this?" in others.

~ ~ Overall 8/10 ~ ~
A must-watch for anyone who's thirsting for strategic mindgames, likable morally ambiguous characters, and elegantly animated action sequences.