I wanted to like this one so much. It seemed tailor-made to what I love in anime: interesting, anachronistic setting; weird alchemy stuff; a huge slew of characters and viewpoints; framing devices within framing devices.

Instead, it felt...scattered? The character design made things muddled, and the disparate points of view made it difficult to tease out the tangled web of loyalties and interpersonal relationships. None of these things would be that big of a deal if the core action was coherent and propulsive enough, but it... wasn't, and many of the climactic showdowns felt inert.

(None of my complaints apply to Isaac and Miria, who for my money are probably my two favorite anime characters...ever? Certainly my two favorite comedic characters.)

★★★