>>8639864>>8639866It's not genre-breaking by any means but it is basically a polished shonen distilled to its very best parts. It has a likeable protagonist with a clear, well-defined goal that trims a lot of the fat off of typical shonenshit; i.e. the training arcs serve a narrative purpose but never go on for longer than they need to. The supporting cast are also enjoyable yet a bit generic and when the final goal is met there is no greater antagonist, no stronger power-creeped villain that shows up and makes the protagonist go "I have to get EVEN STRONGER!!" The goal is reached and everything up to that point was the entertaining journey along the way in the pursuit of that goal and then it ends with everything wrapped up. It never overstays its welcome and ends precisely when it means to, which is why a lot of people enjoyed it. Also, the anime itself has some truly gorgeous animation when they dip into the budget and the CGI isn't as overtly distracting when it's used.
Overall, it's a solid shonen that highlights the best aspects of the genre while removing any and all fluff from it. The artist had a specific vision for what he wanted to do and didn't milk it dry. It also happened to be right place, right time.
