I can believe that verdict and even agree with it. Like the judges say the composition is good and the characters are endearing. It also doesn't feel like it's copying a more famous work and doesn't try to take itself too seriously.
People often seem to forget that not every series has to be like Berserk or Evangelion. A story doesn't have to be artistic to be good. It just needs to be fun! And writing a fun story can be much harder than writing an artistic one.