Belial 6

I don't usually watch animes, with some of the reasons as to why being present in this show. Particularly in the beginning, I was constantly groaning because of the terrible dialogue (at least as far as the English dub is concerned), and just as bad, the exposition, which was blunt and contrived. But this improved as the show progressed, and I found myself able to enjoy the show, save for some occasional head-scratching and/or eye-roll-worthy behavior. The show utilizes plot devices and techniques that I appreciate, and also makes some slight social commentary. I was at first very much irritated by the show's main protagonist, Eren Jaeger, but this actually serves to set the stage for his character arc, so all is forgiven. The story is set in an alternate reality where Humanity has been confined to life within a network of walls that serve to protect it from the countless slews of "Titans," mindless giants that eat Humans, that roam outside. A "Colossal Titan" breaks down the first wall and causes a large percentage of Humanity to perish in a horrific spectacle, including the mother of the aforementioned Eren, who then declares a personal war on the titans. But, as Eren continues on his self-appointed quest, he learns that the situation is not quite so black-and-white as his convictions... And then there's Levi Ackerman, who is almost too cool and perfect, but is still Human enough not to be a Mary Sue, and he pretty much steals the show. (And he makes me hot...) The tone is a bit darker but still maintains that we-can-do-it optimism that is so common in animes, which I hate, but at least in this case it's more balanced. The soundtrack didn't really stick out to me, which might be a good thing. The aesthetic is on point. Overall I enjoyed it, but the show, like many animes, is like a cookie with a few raisins in it: if you like raisins, that's fine, but as for me, I'd rather not have that junk in my cookie. But in any case, the show may not be 100% worth it's reputation, but I enjoyed it, and it's a general recommendation from me; 7.5/10.

Though not nearly the most technically brilliant of the handful of animes I've seen, and despite constantly doing things that make me cringe, I have to say this has to be among my most favorite animes. First off, the show has a dark, gothic, delicious tone, as it is set in Victorian-era England and follows a young orphaned noble named Ciel Phantomhive (I hate that last name), who juggles his job as "the Queen's Guard Dog" with trying to find his parents' killers, all with the help of his personal demon, who in exchange for helping Ciel find his parents' killers will get to devour Ciel's evidently quite valuable soul. Of course, Ciel takes full advantage of this arrangement, both using his demon as a butler he named after his late pet dog Sebastian, but also as a trump card for getting things done quickly and effectively. The show explores Ciel's extremely compelling character by placing him in all manner of situations. We get to see his philosophies, what his motivations are, so many things that really flush out his character, and between that and the gothic backdrop of the show, this is what I love most about it. Unfortunately, the show is plagued with all manner of the most shrill comic relief characters that really drag the show down from the greatness it would have otherwise achieved. And particularly with the second season, the plot is susceptible to going off in contrived directions that leave me daydreaming about what I would have done differently, and it saddens me because I see such amazing opportunities it missed out on. I love the aesthetic of this show more than any other anime I've seen. The soundtrack is composed mostly of orchestral pieces that are simply excellent. Like all animes, the dialogue may suffer at points, but surprisingly to me, not that often; for the most part the characters speak in a realistic fashion. Likewise, the exposition does not stick out to me as bluntly as it might with other animes. In fact I would say that if the show had less shrill comic relief characters, and took itself a little more seriously, it would have been a true work of art, which it generally is. Also some very subtle homoeroticism (I guess it was originally going to be a yaoi? Don't quote me on that). Overall, I would greatly recommend this, but only if you're willing to grit your teeth and put up with the 6+ overexcited characters. The second season drops the ball for the most part but might still have some worthwhile content. "Book of Circus" and "Book of Murder" are as good as the show gets, but greatly benefit from the exposition provided in the first season. I give it 7/10 on a technical scale, and 8.5/10 for personal enjoyment.