It seems that after merely one episode, Aku no Hana has managed to infuriate many. I was even going to link a MAL review here that someone wrote, but it looks like it was taken down. If I remember correctly, one complaint in it was directed at the music. Um, I guess a show that's setting itself up to explore the darker side of human nature is supposed to have...I'm not sure, circus music? The minimalist music kind of reminds me of Trent Reznor's soundtracks for some of David Fincher's films, and I'm ok with that. It sounds, if you'll pardon my ugly phrase, "immediately-detached", like a bad dream that sticks with you well into day.
As far as I can tell, most of the complaints are about the rotoscope art. It did look unusual at first, but rotoscope isn't unusual to see in anime. I've seen it in anime from Mushishi to Alien Nine to Jin-Roh. Except in Aku no Hana, it looks grittier, almost shaky. It's like watching sketches of personalities that some psychologist jotted down, expressing what's stirring underneath. Again, I don't have any major complaints with the artwork (and to be clear, the background art is amazing. If the bg is animated with such care, then maybe that suggests that the character animation is intended to look that way for a reason).
That said, time will tell if it all adds up to something that gets under your skin, in a good way.
