Gzerble

Mekakucity Actors is the real deal. The complete package: good writing, excellent art that fits it well, and a complete and satisfying arc. It doesn't insult the intelligence of the viewer, isn't reliant on tropes that make the inner otaku squeel with joy (though they do exist), and doesn't go down the beaten path. In case it wasn't clear, I really like this show.

Don't get me wrong, it has cliches I don't like. There's the overuse of singing as a way to move the plot, the characters aren't written nearly as tightly as they should be, once again we're dealing with a bunch of teens with the main character being a neet, the romance is kept to a naive and super-conservative minimum, and everyone wins with the Power of Friendship™. It is quite understandable that the plot is not easy to follow for everyone, and requires watching both the post-credit epilogues, and the stories hidden as music clips in the show.

Despite all the flaws, Mekakucity Actors remains enjoyable in the way that very few are. It has an actual ending, which automatically makes it better than the majority of shows out there. The technical execution isn't flawless, but it tries to do something not quite casual. For people who watch anime because it is a legitimate form of art rather than just a bunch of things they like, this is a rare bird that reminds us that anime can be excellent and not just fun.

No, I'm not objective here. Coming off just watching it for the first time, and this after a few mediocre (or worse) shows, perhaps this just seems better as a contrast. But that doesn't matter, since this will probably be the case for most viewers. In twelve episodes, it achieved far more than most shows do, from technical, literary, artistic, and most of all levels of sheer enjoyment.

Writing (story and characters):

Analyzing the different parts of the writing is probably the wrong way to go about it. Usually, I give an overview as to what the writing tries to achieve, then go more in depth about the story, then the characters, and then give a summary. Instead I'll start with the end: this is not conventional anime writing, and while it does contain a lot of anime tropes and at time uses them to full effect, Mekakucity Actors is far more ambitious.

The characters don't get enough time to develop, because the story is first and foremost about worldbuilding and plot. That's fine, Angel Beats has the same issue and is widely acclaimed as awesome. The plot has some holes in it, and the worldbuilding is only the bare minimum to offer the sandbox for everything to happen. But, these issues are because the writing is structured in such a way as to have this give more impact.

A fairytale basis which starts as an addendum and seems tacked on becomes the heart of the story, and all the pieces fall into place. There are references from Greek mythology to the biblical creation myth through Serial Experiments Lain, and other such pretentious nonsense that doesn't matter. All that matters is that while the characters and story aren't the greatest, they're still very good, but more importantly, a great fit with what the writing tries to do.

There are some questions left open, which allow us to fill in the blanks about the plot and characters. I approve of this, as it allows us to focus on what is actually important and close the gaps in the story later on. That is probably a necessity in something as short as this show that tries to cover so much ground while keeping a strong atmosphere. Overall, this is probably the tightest execution of this ambition since Angel Beats, which is truly high praise.

Artwork (animation and sound):

Nailed it, nailed it, nailed it. There are flaws with the audio, and perhaps even minor ones with the animation. But Mekakucity Actors goes for the artistic approach and it pays off. The sound and animation click together and give a tight package, and are proper tools to control the pacing of the show.

Shaft are arguably my favorite animation studio (and I suspect they know very well that their head tilt has become a meme and are adding it for giggles at this point), and they deliver as usual. While not quite the luminescent artwork of Nisekoi or going all out artsy as Bakemonogatari, this is definitely some gorgeous stuff. There are some great backgrounds, cool character designs, and the animation is usually fantastic (if a bit too static at times). There is a lot of use of abstraction as a tool, which is great for the story.

Perhaps the audio is the weak point of the series. There is a bit too much use of music as a way to push things forward for my taste (though many others would vehemently disagree and argue that it is the best point of the show... but this is my review, so nah). But the use of effects and ambient noise is pretty much spot on (though not quite as aggressive as it should be). The soundtrack is well above average, and the voice acting is good without too much annoying me.

Without great artwork bringing the writing to life, Mekakucity Actors would have been yet another show that is more concept than anything else. Luckily, it delivers in spades. The artwork is fantastic, and is not just another "gorgeous animation that is forgotten as quick as it is seen" type of fantastic. Perhaps a bit of more experimental use of audio could have pushed it up a notch, but that's quibbling.

Overall:

Mekakucity Actors is a great show that I thoroughly enjoyed. It is not for everyone, but for people who want something a bit more challenging than the standard with some strong art to back it up. Luckily, I'm one of those people, and can only say it is highly recommended.