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If you watched the anime first, READ THE MANGA! You will be surprised to see what they changed. The show does not do it justice.

I'll say one thing first, you have to be able to stomach little girls being weirdly/ridiculously sexualized. I know it sounds awful with my opener being something like this, but bear with me. This is one awesome manga. The world building is very strong, and the power system is unbelievably enjoyable. You really get the sense that this is a genuine world with real people who have their own feelings and emotions. The powers, fragments, have an interesting origin and the ... way they are used/developed and explained, you'll find to be a nice touch to the otherwise wild story. At some points, it is a very serious series about humanity and their motivations, but other times it's a high school ecchi comedy. There are many tone switches, and it never takes itself too seriously until you reach the actual plot nearing the last acts. That might make or break the series for a lot of people, but I found the weird comedy skits and situations to be a good break from the darker elements of the series, which can get really morbid at times. The comedy is mostly lackluster, but what can you do with it? It aged badly and you see it clearly. As for character writing, it happens to be Needless' weakest link. Some characters are genuinely plot devices without much purpose, and only a few are well developed later on. Aside from the fact that they stay mostly flat/static as characters, they are so much fun to read and are very endearing. You will slowly grow attached to the characters and end up hoping for their succession, static or not. The weirdness of this manga is highly overshadowed by the sheer coolness of its characters. I commend Kami Imai for being able to write such cool women and men who can still be goofy. The art is also very lovely. With a touch of shonen cuteness and the hypermasculinity of seinen, it's nice on the eyes for fans of both men and women. The two-page spreads are really pretty, and the drawings are consistent, clean, and appealing.

I've read this manga about three times, and I still find it cute, interesting, and fun. In conclusion, this manga is flashy, outrageous, exciting, and most of all, a good experience. I always recommend this series to whoever I can, and I recommend it to you reading this now. I give the amount of crap this series has a pass simply because I loved the world so much. As long as you can handle the fanservice, it is one of the most memorable manga you'll read, and the ending is even more memorable.