I asked an online friend, who was a big fan of SR, for a specific comment on Arashi (yes, I'm pulling all sorts of levers behind the scenes). Here's the expert opinion:

I think it's terrible. A big disappointment, considering I also usually like SHAFT's stuff. The art comes across less as SHAFT's normal "artistic" impression and more as a low-budget collection of amateur background scrolling tricks. The character art is ugly, with all the females' faces looking distorted. The show itself looks like it's trying to be funny, but I find the humor is better delivered by explaining the plot vocally than actually watching it. It's a neat concept, but poorly executed.

There you have it. I was wrong to love the art and animation... OTZ.