This was a truly compelling and well planned anime. The story was top notch and the characters had depth and were very real. It was so easy to identify with the characters and the story, even though it was set it a "primitive fantasy world." Nothing seemed to happen out of nowhere as with many anime that are trying to infuse some action and interest into the story. Progression was a little slower than I personally enjoy, but NEVER came to a grinding halt or had you screaming at the screen begging for "something, anything" to happen. I highly recommend this anime, not just to anime fans, but also to those looking to break into anime that have questions about if the stories can stand up to traditional, live action series.