The art was great, it often added to the beauty or "ugliness" of subjects/ characters. The backgrounds and buildings are very detailed, so you can get a strong sense of "place". This work covers topics in science, japanese mythology, phycology, and more. Reading this series was very entertaining (once you get past the first chapter), and the developments (with plot, characters, etc) are explained or implied. Personally I don't fully agree with what was expressed or the logic behind some things, but I feel like understanding the thoughts behind these things was interesting in themselves. A good read if you're bored, like theorizing about mysteries,and like to read about unusual or taboo subjects.