This anime is not as bad as the VN purists would like you to say. As a matter of fact it is actually a much superior product that the disappointing gundam AUs of the 2010s. This is definitely the mecha show of the season and it certainly feels that way vs that new Gundam show that is more like a parody. What people expected to be the berserk 2016 of VNs due to low funding, actually had phenomenal mecha action and sound mixing. I promised you the action does feel like it has proper build up, and you can really feel the tighter stakes and thrills.The sound doesn't feel like background noise and endless beam spams like the Gundam shows, but actually has the rhythm as they are building up to larger and larger stakes. It makes you feel like you are actually playing a video game vs watching a cutscene. The CGI rarely has blemishes like the regular 2d mechs where you can pause and see the bad drawings. Overall very well done for such a niche studio

The plot is definitely top notch and doesn't suffer from being proedictable. There is great surprises and you can really feel the trauma. There is definitely a ton of highs. They really did flesh out Takeru. Kouzoki for the most part does most of the talking for the series.

Overall, this is still definitely worth watching even if you haven't played the VNs. I do recommend watching Total Eclipse and Schwarzesmarken for more background knowledge.