(Okay, I’m back for a moment to post opinions on the first episode.~ There will be spoilers for certain parts, so don’t read if you haven’t seen.)

(First impression: The character models. They… overall, they’re fine, but they sometimes look so awkward. And I feel like they’re missing putting expressions in when there’s supposed to be something there… They also definitely look better when they’re moving, in my opinion. Not that they look bad when still, but if it looks awkward, it’s more noticeable if it stays there for more than half a second. Also, Jii wasn’t as bad as I feared. Nakamori looks off more often than not to me, and they changed Toichi some. But Toichi’s changes were okay. Chikage got a new look, too, which I’m pretty neutral about.

Second impression: Didn’t notice anything too strange about the voices, though we haven’t heard all of them yet. I’m no expert on voice, but I think Aoko’s VA does well. Kappei’s great, but I wasn’t worried about him. Nothing else stood out voice-wise, other than what I mentioned about the animation on the faces not quite matching how it sounds at times.

Random opinions: I approve of Kaito and Aoko living close, though literally being able to talk to each other from outside the window is a bit much… It’s fine, and I overall like it, but I’m probably a bit biased against it for RP purposes, since Kai being alone is a big part of his character. It’s nice that they made it feel more like he has someone to go to in the anime, though.

The painting reveal I loved, though still might’ve liked the actual closet-from-the-wall thing they did in the specials. Jukebox is a nice touch, and I liked it better than the cassette tapes. Certain parts I definitely felt were treated better in the specials, such as Kaito asking about Toichi and his response afterward. They didn’t do the whole martian thing, which I am perfectly happy with, since they actually treated the classroom scene more like the manga, with Kaito smooth-talking his way past the teacher.

….Severely disliked the Toichi death part. Really, majorly. Not even taking into account my headcanon, it just doesn’t seem as forboding that they show that, nor does it have as much impact, honestly. Yes, he’s still ‘gone’, but it doesn’t carry the same weight as not knowing exactly what happened… (I say gone, because I’ve honestly questioned it from fairly soon after entering the fandom, because I always assumed it was an escape trick that went wrong, and that there was no mention of an actual body… My mind likes keeping people alive, anyway, until proven dead.)

Heist was mostly the same, though a bit more rushed, and…. DARK CAPED TOP-HATTED FIGURE, WTH?!!? Is that the same person from the newer manga chapters, and, if so, why are they here already?!

*ahem* Fish phobia reveal was funny, and more ‘warm’ than in either the specials or manga, since it was actually in Aoko’s house and she’d invited him over for dinner. Really do appreciate that, since, while she’s still poking at the phobia, it doesn’t feel quite as bad.

And in conclusion, still prefer the specials, but the anime isn’t as bad as I was worrying it might be. Also, little Kai is adorable. That is all.)