I'll preface this by saying that I have only seen the first 5 episodes, which I watched yesterday.
And I'll get this out of the way now: I love this anime.
Admittedly, I was a bit soured on Bones anime after the end of RahXephon, which I thought was a complete flop. Everything up until the end was wonderful, but the series really needed a few more episodes to finish things up. Had they not gone down Evangelion Avenue, it probably would have been in my all-time top 10. I also got a sense that they were trying to retract their statement with the movie, and in a way, it helped, but the damage was already done.
Anyway, it took some time to finally get around to E7, but after watching the first DVD volume, I've fallen in love with anime all over again.
Ironically, I think it's because the anime feels so darn nostalgic. I love the heavy, bombastic musical pieces that play throughout almost every scene, and the vocal tracks are high-energy and optimistic as well. The OP is beautiful, and the ED theme, while unpolished, is instantly unforgettable. I love the way it's essentially a single shot.
In this day and age, though, why is it only 4:3?
Especially with how beautiful the backgrounds and combat scenes are, the 4:3 aspect ratio feels claustrophobic and limiting.
Anyway, so far, so good. The characters are very solid thus far, and the animation is through the roof. And things are just getting started. If this is a sign of things to come, this will be climbing the charts quickly.
-Mike
