Of two minds on this show, so will be dividing this into its positives and negatives and evaluating that way. To be clear, I did ultimately like it but there are tons of flaws.
Pros: -The premise is atypical and intriguing. I like the idea of two main characters who are outcasts in their own respects and of course I'm a sucker for non-human casts.
-Mirai/Kanbara bond is believable and they have good chemistry
-The animation catches your eye, and has that expected KyoAni seal of quality.
-Action scenes are engaging, even if they drag too long sometimes.
-The climax leads to a solid enough bookend, even if it is a bit confusing to follow all of it.
-Several twists occur in the climax, some making sense, others not. But it did give me a reason to continue watching.
Cons: -Past this promising slice of life formula, it too quickly reverts to a simplistic pattern of our characters killing demons (youmu) for money or saving people.
-The characters are ill-defined or trite outside of Mirai and Kanbara. None of them are unlikable, but much of the humor here feels flat like Mirai's childish mother or the nonstop glasses jokes.
-One thing that irks me are some of the writing inconsistencies. I might have missed the memo on some lore, but two examples. Somehow these teenage characters live on their own and in apartments with no explanation? And initially the Spirit Hunters and youmu emphasize not letting the outside world see, but soon this school/balancing supernatural double life focus is ditched wholesale in later episodes even though a world ending climax is ongoing.
-The lore felt too piled on to keep up with at periods. I acknowledge it's hard to adapt such an active show into 12 condensed episodes, but instead of doing things like the filler number 7 episode, use that time to pad out more backstory and tension.
-A couple of emotional moments feel "forced." This is much more subjective than the other criticisms, but might as well admit that too.
Pros: -The premise is atypical and intriguing. I like the idea of two main characters who are outcasts in their own respects and of course I'm a sucker for non-human casts.
-Mirai/Kanbara bond is believable and they have good chemistry
-The animation catches your eye, and has that expected KyoAni seal of quality.
-Action scenes are engaging, even if they drag too long sometimes.
-The climax leads to a solid enough bookend, even if it is a bit confusing to follow all of it.
-Several twists occur in the climax, some making sense, others not. But it did give me a reason to continue watching.
Cons: -Past this promising slice of life formula, it too quickly reverts to a simplistic pattern of our characters killing demons (youmu) for money or saving people.
-The characters are ill-defined or trite outside of Mirai and Kanbara. None of them are unlikable, but much of the humor here feels flat like Mirai's childish mother or the nonstop glasses jokes.
-One thing that irks me are some of the writing inconsistencies. I might have missed the memo on some lore, but two examples. Somehow these teenage characters live on their own and in apartments with no explanation? And initially the Spirit Hunters and youmu emphasize not letting the outside world see, but soon this school/balancing supernatural double life focus is ditched wholesale in later episodes even though a world ending climax is ongoing.
-The lore felt too piled on to keep up with at periods. I acknowledge it's hard to adapt such an active show into 12 condensed episodes, but instead of doing things like the filler number 7 episode, use that time to pad out more backstory and tension.
-A couple of emotional moments feel "forced." This is much more subjective than the other criticisms, but might as well admit that too.