I wanted to witness something that's magic-related and good again, after witnessing that horrible travesty that is the Star vs Forces of Evil grand finale (4 years ago), I didn't expect much when going into the show, but to my surprise, there are actually A LOT of depth in this.

(slight spoilers ahead)

Let's start with the animation:

Now i'm very new to studio Trigger, and this is the first anime I've watched from them. Nevertheless, the animation here is VERY vibrant, even when the characters are just talking in general, the scenery, buildings, and magic that's been used in this show all look amazing and colorful, really loved episode 8 because of it
There are some slips in the animation here and there, but never "flawed" enough to disrupt the experience in anyway.

The characters are also great:

the main cast (Lotte, Akko, and Sucy) all are pretty silly, and in a good way too, they have a lot of chemistry with each other, and they don't feel boring when they're independent with each other, especially Akko, she has dreams of becoming Chariot, as the shows goes on, she learns more and more that she cannot be somebody else BUT herself.

The side characters in the show are also well-written, Chariot in particular shines in this front, as she has a different identity that keeps her actual identity a secret, she DID bad things to Akko (literally stealing her magic that is) but as the show goes on, she's more justified of her actions, mainly because of her being manipulated by Croix into using Dream Fuel Spirit.

My only slight complaint is Diana, BEFORE episode 19-onwards, she's quite boring, and very straightforward on every single thing she does, kind of like a Mary Sue of some sort, not HORRIBLE, just sort of mediocre, although i do like her much more after episode 19.

Almost every episode in the series has to do with one or more side characters, each of them are charming in their own ways, especially Constanze in episode 18, her initial personality in that episode is shown very clear (is a mechanical engineer, and only likes working alone), and as that episode progresses, the more and more Constanze wants Akko to work WITH her.

All of the members in the Appleton Academy are also good, Andrew in particular has a pretty good "change of pace" after he met Akko.

For the story:

Surprisingly deep, with a lot of cool and unique stories and events relating to magic that fit the tone of the show in general.
the Words of Arcturus and everything related to the Shiny Rod are deeply-written while also creating a very great journey for Akko and everyone around her.

Overall, this is very good anime, if you want good comedy, you will find it, and same goes if you want a good story and/or action.