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This particular cour was the worst by far in what is otherwise a fantastically done anime. Misstep after misstep. It wasn't unwatchable by any means, but it was oftentimes painfully boring. The characters and the relationships they had with each other were put on the wayside in favor of drawn out battles. The political intrigue plot was so poorly done it was almost embarrassing. Also, was the long Levi backstory really necessary (I'll admit I never was particularly fond of Levi as a character [sacrilege, I know!], so considering the prevailing attitudes towards him I assume most people will enjoy it)? Though I did appreciate ... the departure from the mess that was the main plot. There were enough exciting, gripping scenes that kept me watching, but I can't give it higher than a 4 overall. This cour is really something to just push through to get to part 2, which is such a huge step up it almost feels like it was written by a different writer. Really not sure what happened here.

Let's start with the good. The first season, especially the first arc, was for the most part incredibly well-done. It really struck a balance between atmosphere, mystery, and horror without relying too much on gore or jump scares (not sure where the reputation of this anime being incredibly gory came from in the first place? There were really only a few scenes that were gory but they were all done well. There were a couple times where I actually flinched or had to look away from the screen). However, this anime fell prey to really frustrating tropes, pacing problems, character issues, and an ending I ... found to be tonally dissonant in comparison to the rest of the show. The tonal dissonance was a problem throughout -- I understand what the point and intention of jumping from slice of life to brutal murder and then back again was, but I don't feel it was done as effectively as it could have been. The art/animation is definitely not the worst I've ever seen by a long shot, but it's something that holds back the effectiveness of serious and dramatic scenes. The character design is also lacking. This is a personal pet peeve of mine, but I found the amount of anime bullsh*t (uwu & moeblob type stuff) to be really frustrating and overall brought the anime down as a whole. That being said, the story was compelling and kept me watching for the entire 50+ episodes, which is rare (I tend to tap out after the standard 24 eps unless it's REALLY good). Overall, I'd say this is worth a watch, but even though I (mostly) personally enjoyed it, it really starts to fall apart towards the end.