This was a pleasant find with notable life lessons about overcoming self-doubt. Frankly, I could not put my finger on what it was exactly that kept me so captivated. I generally don't go for animes of any sort mostly because I'm not too enthused about the style of artwork. Other adults might actually feel condescended too, but this film's target audience was/is that adolescent Goth crowd who see themselves as misfit deviants searching for meaning. The writer(s) very cleverly exploit one of this group's greatest fixations...(death) to convey a message of hope.
Looking back, the story hints at Dante's Inferno; This is probably why it began to grow on me. I'm such a fan of the classics.