OVERALL RATING: 8.6/10

plot: 9/10 -- i greatly enjoyed the story. the story is very unique, i have never seen anything like this before. it was incredibly interesting & i loved the idea behind the story. the beginning was a bit weird to me, the way all the characters were brought together & how everything started in order to push them to engage with one another. however, after that, everything was very enjoyable. there were an number of challenges & difficulties that were like subplots to the main plot which i enjoyed. they did not take anything away from the story, but rather added to it.

world/setting: 9/10 -- i believe a lot of effort was put into the creation of this world. the overall setting is futuristic japan so there are some details that make it different from today's world, but it's overall pretty normal. the setting seemed to be pretty detailed, with the story taking place all around their city. i don't know what i would change regarding the world, but it doesn't feel complete or perfect to me even though it is a very unique & well-thought-out setting.

purpose: 9/10 -- there is a clear goal for most of the characters in this season & most of what they do is meant to help them reach their goals. i really enjoyed the obstacles they faced & had to overcome. something that bothered me is the addition of one character. i'm not sure what the purpose of their character is because i felt that they were only significant in the episode that they were introduced in. after that, they didn't really seem to be a part of the story other than to be a supporting character. i wish they had been more intricately woven into the story along with the other characters.

characters: 8/10 -- the anime starts with every single character being a typical flat character without any dimension, but with each episode, there is more character development. some of the characters had very intricate personalities & backstories, with many explanations as to how they became the person that they are in the anime. i really enjoyed all of that, learning about the characters & seeing how they feel on an intimate level & understanding their insecurities. it helped to relate to them & emphasize with them. for all the characters with these details, they are perfect. however, there are some characters who are not as detailed even though i felt they should have been.

storytelling: 9/10 -- throughout the story, there are many hints to foreshadowing that help to explain a lot of things. i really enjoyed the foreshadowing as well as some flashbacks. we also get to see through the perspectives of different characters which i found to be very entertaining. there are many different characters who are important so i enjoyed seeing through all of their viewpoints. however, it did get a little bit confusing in some areas, but not too confusing.

enjoyment: 8/10 -- aside from the very beginning of episode 1 & some parts in the middle, i really enjoyed the anime. i watched the entire show in one day & it really made me emotional. i believe the anime is very good at invoking emotions from the viewer & portraying very significant & dark themes. there were some parts with a lack of emotion, i'm not sure how else to describe it, but i did not particularly enjoy those parts.

animation/visuals: 10/10 -- i typically enjoy very beautiful art styles that portray characters as very aesthetically pleasing so anime that were more recently released. however, i believe the art & animation suited this anime perfectly. i really liked the animation throughout the entire anime.

pace: 7/10 -- i feel that the pace of the anime was pretty good overall, but the ending felt a bit rushed & it just felt like a lot was happening all at once. however, it's not too bad, the pacing is just odd in some places with the ending in particular.

soundtrack: 8/10 -- the opening song really seemed to fit the anime & background music was good. nothing really stood out to me besides the opening, though. i believe the soundtrack was great in terms of setting the mood throughout the anime, but that's all.

gut feeling: 9/10 -- one of my favorite anime, but i will have to say it's not a perfect 10/10 for me.