I gave it a chance when it aired on Toonami back in 2015 and initially, I liked it. The main group of characters fighting injustice in the world is satisfying, albeit very bloody. But as time went on, I grew more and more exhausted by this anime. By the time I finished it, I felt very unsatisfied. Or for better word of description: Depressed. As to why that is, I have to spoil things....slightly.
This anime feels like an experiment to try something different, and I commend it for that. But not all experiments work out perfectly, and this was sadly the case for me. The "experiment" in question is that it kills off a LOT of characters. Many of them the main characters that make up the main story are killed off one by one (won't spoil who, I still want people to give the show a chance) and it gets rather depressing. Not EVERYONE dies, but about 90% do. Both protagonists AND antagonists. To be honest, I don't think I've ever seen a show do this (that is boldly kill off many of the cast) and in a way I appreciate it. But at the same time I felt VERY unsatisfied with how it ended. At that point I was kind of hoping all the protagonists would have been killed off since they are pretty much left all alone with their friends dead.
By the end of the anime I only remember 2 main characters that weren't dead: Akane and Najenda. I felt especially bad for Akane as she is fighting all her battles by herself at the end. All her family and friends.....dead. I don't know how I could keep living if I were in her shoes when there's no one left for you. :(
But I still will give credit where it's due. It tried something new and I greatly appreciated that. You may very well enjoy this show more than I did, but it is indeed depressing and violent. I give it a solid 8/10. Not perfect, not great, but still GOOD! Worth a try if you're up for something a little bit different. :)
This anime feels like an experiment to try something different, and I commend it for that. But not all experiments work out perfectly, and this was sadly the case for me. The "experiment" in question is that it kills off a LOT of characters. Many of them the main characters that make up the main story are killed off one by one (won't spoil who, I still want people to give the show a chance) and it gets rather depressing. Not EVERYONE dies, but about 90% do. Both protagonists AND antagonists. To be honest, I don't think I've ever seen a show do this (that is boldly kill off many of the cast) and in a way I appreciate it. But at the same time I felt VERY unsatisfied with how it ended. At that point I was kind of hoping all the protagonists would have been killed off since they are pretty much left all alone with their friends dead.
By the end of the anime I only remember 2 main characters that weren't dead: Akane and Najenda. I felt especially bad for Akane as she is fighting all her battles by herself at the end. All her family and friends.....dead. I don't know how I could keep living if I were in her shoes when there's no one left for you. :(
But I still will give credit where it's due. It tried something new and I greatly appreciated that. You may very well enjoy this show more than I did, but it is indeed depressing and violent. I give it a solid 8/10. Not perfect, not great, but still GOOD! Worth a try if you're up for something a little bit different. :)