Plot: Rags Town is a place people go to escape their past, the kind of town where no one asks many questions. This is where Shu lives and operates his detective agency, along with his brother Akira and two beautiful ladies, Manami and Ayaka. While Rags Town is the sort of place where unusual isn’t that unusual, the cases Shu works are considered unusual even there. Shu is able to read people quite well, discern the truth from lies, and knows just what to say in order to find out what he wants. But this case will test even his skills and then some. He is tasked to watch over a young girl named Sara, who has some odd abilities and is shrouded in mystery, to say the least. But there are people who want to take Sara for themselves, so Shu and his associates will have to work hard to find some answers and uncover the truth about Sara.

Entertainment Value: This anime series has it all, from action to drama to humor, with a pretty good story to contain all the elements. The blend of detective narrative with sci/fi elements is a unique mix as well, so that helps the series stand out. I was most impressed with the characters, as some great ones are crafted within Glass Maiden. Of course, the nature of the story prevents us from knowing a lot about them, but perhaps that works in the series’ favor. After all, sometimes it is best to leave some elements to the imagination and that certainly seems to work here. The story turns out to be a solid detective yarn with some nice twists, all driven by those terrific characters I just mentioned. The sci/fi threads keep things interesting, even when some of the story elements hit well worn tropes.

You might think with all kinds of different elements in play, Glass Maiden seems inconsistent, but that isn’t the case. To draw on multiple genres is a tough approach, as you need to hit the rights in each one, while also crafting a consistent overall experience, no small task. But Glass Maiden pulls it off and all of the tumblers fall into place, which is a remarkable achievement. Even when the show switches from humor to a more serious tone, the transition is smooth and never veers the story off course. I think the balance there is spot on as well, as the tone is serious enough to stay tense when it needs to, but the comic relief is always so well timed. So if you’re a fan of detective stories or anime in general, Glass Maiden is well recommended.

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