I won't lie and pretend to understand a lick of this story. It's insanely convoluted and you can forget about any semblance of a linear plot. But throughout it all, I can't say I actively disliked a second of it. Every frame was rendered creatively and beautifully, and the score was brilliantly emotional. Sad to see this finish.
More people should be watching this. Best anime of the season imo.
It's even been picked up by Crunchyroll so there's no excuse now!
Review by ManiacBVIP OG 12BlockedParent2013-12-22T02:40:50Z
From start to finish - an absolute joy to watch. In what I would consider a not particularly impressive anime season, this series really shines out as an example of what you can really do with a bit of creativity. The series (if you don't include the OVA and the Net Episodes from Season 1, which you don't really need to see) is only 10 episodes long but it still manages to tell a fantastic and touching story.
What really amazes me is how good this is compared to what I was expecting. Having watched the OVAs and web episodes that "aired" prior to the TV series itself, I found myself thinking "Looks cool, but doesn't really make any sense or go anywhere". The TV series was able to flesh out the previous content and weave it into a very compelling story. What's even more amazing is that from what I understand, this started out as just a small little collaberation between Toei Animation and a friggin' toy maker (Banpresto)!
I get the feeling that not everyone will be quite as smitten with the series as I was, but it just worked for me. I liked the characters, the fantasy setting, the music, everything. This absolutely shines out as my anime of the season, and possibly the whole year.
Oh, and Koto is love.