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I really enjoyed the show, but it was not without its flaws. With the series over, I've begun to go back and spoil myself on the LN volumes and I'm finding a lot of the events depicted making a lot more sense, and being frustrated that the director couldn't find some way to slip the necessary information in. Long series of exposition was given on matters that weren't all that important, and major parts of the universe and Tatsuya's powers and limitations went completely without discussion.
The primary reason I watch anime is for the characters, and that is where I feel like the Mahouka anime really shines - damn near every character is likeable in a way I can't really remember feeling about any anime in recent memory! I love that there are competent interesting male characters other than Tatsuya, and girls with love interests other than Tatsuya. The witty banter, slice of life goofing around, and relationships just radiate with human warmth. I know a lot of folks thought she was creepy, but Miyuki's adorable, and I just love how she gushes for her Onii-sama.
I'm also not sure what people's issue was with the soundtrack - I actually consider it one of the coolest and most original soundtracks I've heard in a long time. After finding out it was written by the same guy who composed the soundtrack for Gatchaman Crowds, I consider myself something of a fan of Taku Iwasaki, because he really knows how to bring energy to a scene through music.
The action scenes were great when they happened, but they seemed to be a bit few and far between. In addition, it appeared that in the rush to squeeze everything in, every action scene outside the final battle in Nine Schools Competition was more about showing off character X's best moves, with any challenge they may have faced being cut for time.
It really feels like after 26 episodes, the story is just getting started. The Yokohama Disturbances arc reminds me of the first few episodes of Code Geass - revealing to the world both the extent of the character's abilities and the challenges they face. If there isn't a season 2, I'm going to be deeply disappointed!
Overall, I'd give it an 8 out of 10. If the director had done just a little more to provide the viewer with context for some of the things going on, I'd have given it a 9, but far too many scenes were animated in a way that simply depicted what happened without providing the audience any frame of reference to understand why or how it was relevant. I don't think it's any wonder why this is popular in Japan but largely panned in the US - it's another anime adaptation that pre-supposes you're reading the light novel and exists purely to provide animated visuals. Without having read up on the background, you're losing huge chunks of the experience.
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