I've been looking forward to this series for some time now, so I was a little worried about being let down. However, from the first episode, color me very impressed.

First off, everything looks absolutely gorgeous: the lovely character designs, the detailed backgrounds, the unique color palette, the framing, and so on. The background music, all baroque style, fits like a glove. Even the voice acting is solid as a rock.

As for particulars of the story, this was a very good introduction of what's to come. I appreciated how everything was told from Yumi's point of view - it provided not only a device to reveal important background information via first-person narration, but also built a close connection with her as a character right from the first moment. I'm assuming this first-person perspective is going to continue for the rest of the series.

Another nice touch was the non-linear approach to storytelling. Not only did it make for a little extra drama at all the right moments, but it broke up some of the longer exchanges of dialogue...because this episode was heavy on the dialogue. I'm not complaining, for it was handled perfectly, but I couldn't imagine watching this raw with minimal Japanese skills.

Anyway, definitely a strong start. I'm really excited about this show.