It definitely shows its age. It also drags the anime out unnecessarily. I'd say the best thing to do is just to read the manga. I'd only recommend to watch this if you're really into the history of this anime. Like the history of the anime that influenced Shoujo anime, including the masterpiece, Rose of Versailles. Personally, I'm into the history of this anime and can respect it, but I don't know if I respect it enough to slog through 48 more episodes... Especially when the characters are fairly simple, and it's just a mashup of fairy tales.I do respect the take on gender, which is why I rated the manga a 6/10. I do get that it was very progressive back in the day. Though aside from being a respectable feminist work of art, it's just not all that enjoyable.