Please note: This is my first anime review, so it might be a bit sucky.
“...On Friday, God looked over the world in minute detail. God rested on Saturday. And God, on Sunday… abandoned the world.”
This is one of the many shows I watched because the OP or ED sounded good. I did quite enjoy watching it, and even though I am around 10 years late to this review, I’d still like to give my take on it.
Synopsis
In a world where God abandoned the world, the people cannot reproduce nor can the dead properly die. The one miracle God left the world with were "gravekeepers' who are tasked with maintaining a balance in the world and allowing the dead a peaceful and proper death. Ai, a 12 year old gravekeeper must bear that responsibility for her village. One fateful day, Ai meets a black cloaked man with a different outlook on life and death, but soon enough, he ends up making Ai's job much more burdensome.
Plot
The first time around, I didn’t know about the plot beforehand, but I can confidently say that the plot was quite intriguing and kept me watching. The second time around, I noticed quite a few plot holes, and the pacing could’ve been better. There are many questions left unanswered and some conclusions that could’ve been better explained. The way the show looks at, and reimagines death is quite intriguing and does spark some curiosity as to what the characters will do about it. In general, the plot could use some depth, but aside from that it's very compelling. (8/10)
Art
The art perfectly matches the plot of the story and the emotions of the characters. The animation was consistently beautiful and always matched the plot. The tawny colors gave way to many distinct emotions and helped make every moment, conversation, and highlight of the story drastically more meaningful. The shot composition and the realistic panning on their own would've been able to show and elevate the characters' feelings. (9/10)
Music
The OST is one that perfectly captures the story and makes it shine more. The music matches the show flawlessly and the scenes are never made worse by it. The choice of instruments and genre was ideal, and I don't think the music could've been done much better. (10/10)
Characters
I absolutely adore the character design and their personalities. The character design is quite close to perfect and each character has a familiar but yet unique design. Each character only has sufficient depth, and the characters' actions always end up aligning with their emotions but to a minimal degree. Each one is burdened by the abandonment of God in their own way, and that is shown well through dialogue and animation. I do think some characters could've had more depth. (8/10)
In conclusion...
This show was very compelling and I'm happy I watched it. Though there were slight issues pertaining to the plot and character depth, overall this show was great. I truly loved the moments and highlights of the show, but also the animation and color usage.
Would I recommend it? Probably to most people, it's completely their choice. This show has it's own pros and cons which some people may care a lot about, while others not at all. I do think this anime is great for fantasy enjoyers, but not so great for people who care a ton about plot and don't want there to be plot holes every now and then.