As said in title this is the prequel to the manga "Ga-rei." It is an adaptation so a number of events, scenes and objects don't always fit together.
However the anime is still just as good and just as amazing no matter how short it is.
First things first. The anime starts off at the climax of the story and then falls into a flashback that lasts for almost the entire series eventually leading up to the part the anime started off with. So in case you get confused that's the sequence of the anime.
The animation is fairly dark suiting the darkness of this anime however it has the right amount of brightness to make the scenes easy to follow. The animation is smooth and the drawings are well drawn.
Dialogue be it English or Japanese they are both still good (not sure if anime-access has English, sorry).
One of the downfalls is definitely the first episode. Do not get attached to any of the characters in the first episode, don't even bother learning their names because those characters are not important what so ever. They simply set the environment that the world is based in and how the problems (Monsters and so on) are taken care of.
Another is the habit this anime has for killing on characters. Most anime do tend to kill of one or two but this anime takes it that step further and kills off 3/4 of the main characters.

Ok so to action lovers this is something worth checking out and if you liked it then I'd recommend the manga to you as well. Those who hate dark anime or having a characters killed off then maybe you should skip this one. There's also a little of comedy and romance however this is very small. (show less)

Ga-Rei-Zero is, perhaps, one of those average supernatural anime. What makes it stand apart from others of its genre is its presentation and structure. The anime starts in a unique, spoiler-ish way that may engage the curiousity of some viewers while putting some viewer off. By starting off the series like this, the viewer already knows what is going to happen at the series' most critical point and hence, the rest of the episodes are about getting from point A to point B. The viewer knows that it's not going to end well from viewing the first episode and yet, it is the curiousity, the wanting to know how everything gets to that point that keeps the viewer interested.

What I LIKED about Ga-Rei-Zero:
+Unusual Structure and execution
+Interesting main cast.
+Good animation
+Emotional scenes are well executed
+Great opening and ending songs and visuals
+Good soundtrack

What I DISLIKED about Ga-Rei-Zero:
-Too many canon fodder characters
-Obvious plot armour surrounding the main heroine
-Open-ended conclusion

Summary:
Ga-Rei-Zero is a prequel to a manga that may not ever be animated and anime-only viewers may feel as though the conclusion was lacking closure. Those who have read both manga and anime note that the atmosphere in Ga-Rei-Zero is remarkably darker than that of the manga and have criticized the manga. (show less)