The first time I saw the title sequence cured me of all hype aversion I had for this, and I was hooked on the series. Watching and hearing the opening credits still never gets old for me.
It's hard to describe without spoilers, so I'll be brief. Unforgettable characters. Brilliant dialog. Gripping action scenes. Intelligent premises, with a little bit of the fantastic but not enough to feel inauthentic in the 30's prohibition underworld setting.
At first it's difficult to follow because of the anachronistic order and sheer loads of characters, but as you get used to the pacing and familiar with the faces, the pieces begin to fit together. The storytelling is genius, and the reveals are a lot more rewarding exposed in this way than if time were shown sequentially.
English dub: I just finished watching this, and it's a fair localization that kept to the spirit of the original, and included more appropriate accents. It's somewhat lacking in that Isaac and Miria, two of the more watchable characters, just aren't as funny, though the actors are decent they don't have the same chemistry as the original Japanese.
