https://myanimelist.net/anime/33263I watched Kubikiri Cycle: Aoiro Savant to Zaregototsukai. Also known as The Beheading Cycle. Here are my thoughts:
This is an OVA by Shaft, and it certainly feels that way. The visuals are signature Shaft and resemble past works by the studio. I did not particularly like the character designs or art style, personally. I also wish there were more visual detail in general. However, the visuals were still mildly interesting due to the way Shaft uses cinematography.
The OST is by Yuki Kajiura. It is decent but it felt like not a whole lot of artistic risk was taken. It uses the same kinds of instruments and sounds you've likely heard in her other past OSTs. It was not particularly innovative. (Having said that, I suspect I'll be more impressed with it once I sit down with the OST alone and carefully explore every song in the catalog, since it is Yuki Kajiura after all.)
This is the case in general with Kubikiri Cycle. Although it has a lot of artistic flavour, it doesn't stray beyond the artistic boundaries already explored by Shaft in the past. The cinematography, music and art style are all similar to past works put out by the studio.
I did not like or appreciate any of the characters. The male MC in particular was annoying and unlikable. Also, despite involving a murder mystery, I was never interested in the story at all. However, sometimes the script itself was intriguing and had some memorable lines. The scriptwriting was clearly done with a lot of care. Although I didn't care about the story, the dialogue itself held my attention. In terms of voice acting, the cast was skilled but nobody struck me as exceptional.
My overall rating: 5/10
As a whole, it was only marginally entertaining enough for me to watch to completion. The visuals were mildly interesting but hardly spectacular. The music was decent. The script was well written. No other characteristics of this anime provided me any enjoyment.
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