[Ended] Madan to Ou to Vanadis

I'd like to put up a screenshot, but since my only source is Hulu, I'm going to shy away from that.
No clue how retarded their policies might be about this kind of thing. Playing it safe.

Pros: Mature-natured characters, and a tight plot
-The first time I've ever had a bath scene make me think: "that...actually makes sense"
-The plot really feels like the kind of story and events that would be happening in a more Medieval setting, Mystical elements aside.

Cons: Cut Short, still a tiny bit of pandering.
-Despite my initial awe at the turn-me-on-my-head bathscene, the show does eventually push my patience with what can only be called pandering, not the least of which being a second bath scene (second verse, same as the first!), and a handful of other moments.
-The story clearly continues on from where the anime ends, but it's not a horribly butchered thing, at least that I can tell. It concisely wraps up relevant plot elements.
-Several characters have absurdly brief appearances and explanations, (looking at you whip lady), likely a side-effect of the story continuing past what we get.

My Opinion: I went a bit overboard with my expectations of this show after the initial showing that it could be intelligent in the presence of typically pure pandering material. A good heads-up that I was setting the bar too high should have been the bloody roulette wheel of women in the opening. I don't know where, but somewhere in this story is a harem, it just doesn't really show up in what we get in the anime. Maybe the source material lays it on thicker, (doubtful, but who knows?), maybe it just becomes thicker later on in the story. They certainly didn't even introduce everyone on the Wheel of Women, so that's a clue if nothing else.

Impartial Judgement: Aside from my raised expectations being shot down, this is a very good show. The plots wonderful in its coherence, even if it feels like some bits are a bit thin, like the explanation of Tigre's little trip to the temple-thing. I really do get the feeling that with more of the story, a lot of parts of this show may be woven together even tighter. I only mention said feeling in the impartial segment, because this kind of show, macro-drama, is my favorite. I give it a tentative recommendation, with the footnote that if it ever gets a second season, that could easy make or break this show into an epic saga, or a pathetic harem.

[Aside]Personal examples of other macro-dramas would be Spice and Wolf, Baccano, Steins;Gate's early parts. I could list a few more, but they're more pure Drama with Macro-drama elements. Macro-drama is something I characterize as the drama being at its best delivered in the slow revelation of plot elements, and the plot elements interactions over time, rather than the emphasis being on the moment to moment actions in the story. Basically, the best part of the story is in its weaving of plot, rather than a bombastic battle, or a dramatic speech, etc. Basically when it feels like the shows best parts are the overall slowly delivered whole and conclusion.
[Aside end]