A curious series and, sadly, a little known one. The uncommon format of 15-minutes-per-episode might sound as a potential barrier to it, but surprisingly it wasn't the case. In fact, the creators were highly efficient in the use of the time and this allowed a great narrative flow. You have enough time to spend watching the characters, which are definetely the series' main asset because of this. Every single of them is really memorable, be it because they have their own personalities and particular traits, or because they have a more deep background which is explored throughout the episodes. The exploration of their conflicts alsocontributes for them to develop really organic, and also charming interactions, leading this to the creation of great drama. The series conveys a melancholic feeling but at the same time an optimistic message, that despite dificulties like loneliness you can still find companions and happiness, if you accept them. The series never makes their characters to play as victims of their circumstances but instead it shows the viewer how they overcome their situations. Also, a great detail is that even the antagonist has his own (and perhaps) subconscious, personal conflict. You never justify his actions but you understand why he does what he does and this is synergistic with a theme of the story, which is: will against programming.

The second most important asset of this anime is without a doubt the music. Every track (even though there aren't that many of these) is really strong and well used, making even more emphasis on the feelings that each scene wants to convey and creating a heartouching atmosphere, or a really tense one depending on circumstances. The animation is almost as well conceived, in the range from pretty decent illustration and character design to amazing fluency on movements and action when the moment requires it.

There're inconvenients, though. The first "defect" is wasting the potential that the story itself provides. The setting is just perfect for explorating more existential and deep issues about artificial inteligence, but no questioning nor morals on IA is ever put on the table as other works (contemporaries to Kurogane Communication) have done. I mentioned the contraposition of will to programming but in a practical sense it is touched really superficially. The other "defect" (yes. also with quotation marks) is that some key points of the story's background are left almost adrift; hard to explain without spoiling, but I could say that a lack of information in the environment forces the viewer to assume what these points are like, based on external stuff. I mean, the conclusion of this happens to be of common sense IF you've watched other stuff about humans and machines. Like Kurogane lacks of independence on this matter of the storytelling. At least I personally consider it as an unproper manner to understand the story, when the producers could've dropped at least some subtle pieces of info, for the series itself to make one elucidate, with more certainty, the events that led the world to be like it's shown. Would've been even better if the topic was also more original. Oh, and finally, some robots have a couple of traits that are too humane for themselves; I don't think that putting IA and humans at an equal emotional level is bad, but there's a line beyond which having some specific humane behaviours makes little sense for a machine (like literally crying, for example).

Anyhow, the previous paragraph is not really to point out conceptual flaws but to describe how this anime could've been more original and better. YET, it's surely good. A truly enjoyable and memorable experience, you shouldn't miss it. 7/10.