This is one of those that needs an active effort from the viewer. It's excellently written, the characters, the story, the acting... it's way too believable. It's a story that could happen IRL 100% - there's no fantasy, science fiction, or exaggerated stuff. It hits, and manages to be engaging and thrilling at all moments.

But it is not for everyone. You need to be able to empathize with the cast, and notice how the acting is very deliberate. Those that usually don't pay attention to the emotional state of the characters might fail to see what the show is about. Those that do might find it very hard to watch because it is painful to see how the actions and the lack of empathy do affect others severely.

I am keeping this review as spoiler free as I can. Sorry if it gets a bit too generic. It doesn't get a 100/100 score from me solely because this is not the type of show that I would typically enjoy watching. But is it worth a heavy recommendation? Absolutely yes. It's a masterpiece, it's unique - I can't remember having watched any other show I can compare it to. The feelings it causes on me are similar to what Breaking Bad and Bojack Horseman did. But this show totally stands on its own, it's a novel story and tackles themes I haven't seen anywhere else.

Animation wise, it's excellent. The quality of each frame, how they flow, they did a really good job here. The plot and story is also dense, the pace is good. Of course, this is not an action anime so it doesn't have that much adrenaline rush or fast paced stuff. But strong developments do happen and it's not a rare thing, on the contrary, it's packed with lots of conflict and I got sucked in wanting to see how it continues at all times. Boring is not an adjective that fits here at all.

The story flows very well, there are no problems of the characters behaving in ways convenient to the plot. On the contrary, this feels as if it was something that did really happen IRL. And that's what makes it so unsettling. It feels too real.

I loved to see how Shoko's deafness was portrayed. How people behaved around her. I learned so much, I never interacted with anyone who is deaf and it seems I learned a lot from this show.

It might feel a bit too long at times, but by the time I finished watching I was left craving for a bit more, maybe another 20 minutes more. Which is very telling that it is very engaging, however this is only towards the 2/3rd of the film. The initial exposition is packed but for me difficult to stand, then the next part is a bit more tiring... I don't think these are failures per-se, they seem necessary, as the plot and scenes do not linger and are very heavily packed. But I had to stop two or three times for a breath of fresh air, for me this was a bit too much to stand in one go.

Overall, I would heavily recommend. It requires effort, but it's very well worth it.