The first half i thought was good, i mean nothing bad, but nothing stand out. The last third of the series had me glued to the screen though...thats when all the main characters paths finally cross, and when they have to confront their pasts.
Anyway u have to see the ending...its just so confronting, they actully concluded the series pretty tightly....there's really no way they can have a second series. I havent read the manga but i hope the ending is not as tragic Crying or Very sad it cut me deep and hard...
i have to say the 1st 8 eps or so is very mediocre, full of fillers and unnecessary static shots and background plots. however the story pace picks up when aion shows up, the entire story soars from there.
it is hinted on that there would be tragic elements in the story since we were told from the beginning that the female protagonist is fueling chrno's energy with her life but this idea never left a mark on our memory because of the protagonist outgoing nature. later when all the characters begin to reveal their roles in the story (yes, even the supporting characters r so full of life, making this a dominating factor in the series' success), and cross each other's path, leading to the epic climax and the resolution that follows, you realise that the early eps weren't so much as fillers but rather sidestories that builds up each character.
the ending when female protagonist laid in chrno's hug and cried out "i don't want to die..." has truly touched my heart. i have not felt so much emotion since the scene of rei's self destruction in unit-0. i fail to describe how much has been revealed about female protagonist's character in the end because words would diminish them.
it's just so... tragic...