Decided to hop into this show completely blind with a neutral mindset to see for myself whether it was really the masterpiece the fans were calling it, or if the critics were right and it was just an overrated ass anime. This review is going to be tailored towards people who are debating on starting it, so there's going to be NO SPOILERS. I'll only give a basic overview of what the show is like, name some relevant characters, and describe my viewing experience. The review is pretty long since I felt I needed to write enough to show readers a comprehensive idea of what to expect from this show. This is also going to be an extremely subjective review and is merely my opinion, except that Kanbaru is best girl. That is objectively factual, and if you disagree then you, my friend, are simply wrong.

Story(9/10): The show is separated into multiple different arcs, each one revolving around a specific character and their story, background, and personal issues. Each arc uses the supernatural as a way to delve deep into each character's more realistic inner struggles(some more than others). The dialogue, plot twists, and backstories did a pretty good job keeping me immersed in each character's conflicts. While there are harem elements in the show, they are integrated into the story in a way that’s not obnoxious or annoying, and do a good job exploring the more vulnerable and emotional sides of certain characters. The show is not the first one chronologically in the series, but gives you enough information to minimize confusion while still leaving the specifics to be discovered in a future entry. The only real problem I found with the story is the progression and pacing feels really slow at times, due to conversations dragging on far longer than is probably necessary. This specifically occurred the most often during the first four episodes, which is why I'm not surprised people have dropped it and labeled it as boring. Some of the dialogue is kind of complicated as well, so you may have to go back to try and understand wtf Senjou- uhhh I mean, the characters are rambling on about. It was a rough start, but once I got past my initial discomfort and confusion I found the writing to be very impressive, sometimes even mind-blowing.
(Favorite Episodes: 5, 6, 9, 12) (Unordered)

Characters(8.5): Overall the show does a good job giving most of the characters a solid amount of development and depth, making for a pretty likeable cast. Just gonna briefly go over my impressions of some of the cast.
At first I didn't like Senjougahara at all, she came across as an annoying and violent thot, but by the end of the show she's become a queen. Araragi seems to be a better written, far less annoying version of Shirou from Fate UBW. His character isn't anything special imo, but the best part about him personally was his relatability, specifically during character interactions. Whether it was holding up a pair of girls swimwear in triumph, or smacking a disrespectful ass kid upside the head, he definitely deserves to be called a man of culture. The only character we don't learn much about is Oshino, but he's not any worse for it, and still exudes a mysterious vibe while being a pretty cool dude, hopefully they explore his character later in the series. I feel like Sengoku would appeal to a lot of weebs, but I only slightly like her so far. I'd start stanning Kanbaru right now but this section is already getting too long so I'm going to chill. The interactions between the characters definitely makes them a lot more interesting, and makes the show a lot more fun to watch.
(Best Girl Tierlist: Kanbaru, Hachikuji, Senjougahara, Sengoku, Hanekawa) (Not sure what to say about Shinobu, she's just vibing)

Visuals(8.5/10): For a show heavily focused on dialogue, the visuals are a lot more dynamic and stylish then I expected. Even though the show came out in 2009, the art sometimes honestly looks better than most anime I’ve seen that’s come after it, and can easily pass as a modern anime. Animation is pretty crisp as well, making both casual conversations and action scenes more entertaining to watch. Camera shots gave pretty unique and interesting perspectives to view the setting through, giving the show a more distinctive feel than most anime. Also, as someone who dislikes excessive fanservice, this show rarely bothered me, since most of it wasn’t too over the top and it mostly didn’t interfere with the story. The main thing that put me off at first though were the text boxes and the large amount of cuts to different panels. The text boxes cover the screen for a second or two and aren’t necessary to know or read, but they occur pretty frequently throughout each episode, which was kind of annoying at first, but can be adapted to and ignored after a while. As for the large amount of cuts, it forced me to read faster if I wanted to appreciate the background art, and made certain scenes way more dramatic than they probably needed to be. After my initial phase of annoyance, I ended up respecting the amount of time and effort put into this show’s craft, making every episode feel movie-like. I’d definitely prefer they calm down in both of these aspects in future seasons, but in general there was a lot to appreciate in the visuals overall, and these aspects will be a lot easier to deal with if I were to ever rewatch the show.

Music(9/10): As for the soundtrack, this show has a lot to offer as well. The OST is filled with bangers, and I'm definitely going to be adding some of the songs to a new playlist. While I don't think there's anything that completely blew me away, the music definitely did a really good job complimenting the visuals and setting the mood. Whether it was for comedy, emotional moments, or intense scenes, these tracks simply DO NOT MISS, and have greatly enhanced my experience. It didn't feel like there were any throwaway tracks tossed in just to fill in a void, every track had a purpose. Lastly, with every new arc focused on a new character, the show gives them their own opening, adding some extra depth and charm to the cast. Each opening is pretty solid, and helps keep things fresh. (Favorite Openings: 3, 4, 1, 2, 5)

Final Verdict/Enjoyment Level: 8.5/10
If you were to average up the scores from above, the score would’ve been an 8.75, but the one thing I didn’t mention is that the comedy doesn’t always hit. The characters are funny and the show does have some laugh out loud moments, but some of the comedy revolves around japanese puns, and as someone who doesn’t know the language I was very indifferent to it, so that lowered the score slightly. If you are planning on watching the show, I'd suggest watching at least 5-6 episodes before you decide to make your decision to continue or drop it. The 3 episode rule is not going to work for an anime this unique, it'll take some time to get used to this show's formula. Once you get passed the rough initiation period, you'll find a well-crafted show brimming with style and charisma in practically every facet of the anime.