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The Official Anime Reviews Thread.

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DarkToph
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« on: June 05, 2008, 02:15:21 pm »

I'm quite the critic when it comes to anime. At least I like to think so. XP So I decided to make this thread specially for all you aspiring anime critics out there.

Some rules I must lay down before the reviews ensue.

1) NO FLAMING! Meaning no reviewing an anime just to say how much it sucks. If an anime you review is really THAT bad, try your hardest to be civil about it. Not just spout out "God this was the WORST anime I've ever watched. I think my eyeballs puked!"

2) If you're going to review an anime, make it somewhat detailed. Don't make it (Enter anime title here) It was good. Three stars.
Or something like that. This thread is also to show which animes our community recommends to other people, so just saying something like 4 stars or whatever doesn't give the reader any info on the anime. The more detailed the review, the more helpful the review. =D
Not to say you can't include a star or whatever rating system, because it's still helpful.

3) IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE ENTIRE SERIES make sure you include that when reviewing it. For all you know the series could get much better or much worse towards the end. Remember, the ending usually has a big impact on the watcher. How many times have you heard "I loved that anime, but the ending sucked."? A lot.

4) NEVER EVER BASE YOUR REVIEWS ON THE DUBBED VERSION OF AN ANIME. If it's all you have access to, then it's fine, I just wanna weed out everyone who says an anime sucks just because of it's poorly dubbed enlgish counterpart.This is a personal rule of mine, like I said PERSONAL RULE, so I won't call you on it, I needed to add. Unless you're purely reviewing the dubbed version and not the series altogether, DON'T. Lots of people get turned off of an anime because of the sucky-ass dubbing that gets thrown at us. Most animes for all intents and purposes are much, much better subbed (With the original Japanese audio). A lot of people like dubbed because they hate reading subtitles, something I can understand, especially with action shows, but usually the dubbed version of an anime is messed up. Whether it be unnessecary editing(4kids) unnessecary censorship (4kids) removing whole plotlines (4kids) or VA'a who have no idea how the hell to speak or put any emotion into their characters actions and are just in it for the money. (4kids) the dubbed version's are usually second or third-rate at best. So keep that in mind when deciding on whether or not you like an anime. A comprimise I made with myself a while ago was, if you watch a dubbed anime and don't like/hate it, watch the subbed version before making your final verdict on the show, to give it a fair chance.

~~~YOU ARE ALLOWED TO DOUBLE POST IN THIS THREAD AS LONG AS IT'S TO ADD ANOTHER REVIEW!~~~

Okay then...Well, I was gonna add some reviews of my own, but, not only do I have to study now, but I have housework to do, so I'll be back later. ^_^

HAPPY REVIEWING!

DT Review Index

Fairy warning; some of these reviews are VERY OLD and IMO not written very well in terms of actual critique. Like School Days, I may go back to my old reviews and redo them for the sake of quality, but for now they stand.

07 Ghost
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg190976.html#msg190976

11 Eyes
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg189434.html#msg189434

11 Eyes OVA
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg189444.html#msg189444

2x2 Shinobuden/Ninja Nonsense
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg190629.html#msg190629

30-Sai No Hoken Taiiku
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg190165.html#msg190165

3000 Leagues in Search of Mother
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg198638.html#msg198638

6 Angels
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg206787.html#msg206787

Air TV
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg195768.html#msg195768

Aishiteruze Baby
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg198849.html#msg198849

A Little Snow Fairy, Sugar
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg205352.html#msg205352

Animation Runner Kuromi
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg208220.html#msg208220

Angelic Layer (I believe the rating for this one is supposed to be out of five not ten.)
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg141935.html#msg141935

Angel Sanctuary
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg193394.html#msg193394

A Wind Named Amnesia
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg197046.html#msg197046

A Wind Skimming the River's Surface
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg193426.html#msg193426

B-Legend B-daman
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg195369.html#msg195369

Baccano!
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg207176.html#msg207176

Battle Arena Toshinden
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg207955.html#msg207955

Berserk
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg155778.html#msg155778

Black Blood Brothers
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg159967.html#msg159967

Bride of Deimos
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg198337.html#msg198337

Canary
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg200511.html#msg200511

Casshan Robot Hunter
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg193257.html#msg193257

Colorful (Series)
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg207733.html#msg207733

Dragonball GT
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg205134.html#msg205134

Dragonball Movie 1: The Curse of the Blood Rubies
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg200266.html#msg200266

Ef: A Tale of Melodies
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg197501.html#msg197501

Ef: A Tale of Memories
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg196421.html#msg196421

E's Otherwise
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg195755.html#msg195755

Fatal Fury: Legend of the Hungry Wolf
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg194404.html#msg194404

Fire Emblem OVA
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg208675.html#msg208675

Five Centimeters Per Second
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg196026.html#msg196026

FLCL
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg195528.html#msg195528

Fushigi Yuugi
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg189257.html#msg189257

Fushigi Yuugi OVA 1
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg189270.html#msg189270

Fushigi Yuugi OVA 2
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg189417.html#msg189417

Fruits Basket
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg197326.html#msg197326

Fushigi Yuugi OVA 3: Eikoden
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg189614.html#msg189614

GA: Geijutsuka Art Design Class
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg199813.html#msg199813

Gakkatsu
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg195802.html#msg195802

G Gundam
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg197019.html#msg197019

Ghost Talker's Daydream
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg193411.html#msg193411

Gundam SEED
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg130002.html#msg130002

H2O Footprints in the Sand
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg197549.html#msg197549

Haibane Renmei
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg199273.html#msg199273

ICE OVA
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg196377.html#msg196377

Inuyasha
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg197057.html#msg197057

Inuyasha Movie 1 – Affections Touching Across Time
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg199033.html#msg199033

I's Pure OVA
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg197990.html#msg197990

Itsudatte, My Santa! Episode One
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg208268.html#msg208268

Itsudatte, My Santa! Episode Two
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg208269.html#msg208269

Jyu-Oh-Sei
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg189043.html#msg189043

Kare Kano/His and Hers Circumstances
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg126809.html#msg126809

Kill Me, Baby + OVA
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg206344.html#msg206344

Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg198565.html#msg198565

Nagasarete Airantou
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg196483.html#msg196483

Nagareboshi Lens
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg197925.html#msg197925

Naisho no Tsubomi
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg200909.html#msg200909

Naruto
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg200877.html#msg200877

Ninja Resurrection
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg193506.html#msg193506

Oban Star Racers
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg195222.html#msg195222

Occult Academy
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg199561.html#msg199561

Oda Nobuna no Yabou
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg196712.html#msg196712

Paranoia Agent
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg205880.html#msg205880

Phantom Quest Corp.
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg207436.html#msg207436

Puni Puni Poemy
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg199999.html#msg199999

Queen Emeraldas
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg199418.html#msg199418

Queen's Blade
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg198235.html#msg198235

R-15
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg195212.html#msg195212

Rumbling Hearts
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg134128.html#msg134128

Sacred Seven
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg197706.html#msg197706

School Days (Redo)
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg195401.html#msg195401

Shiguirui Death Frenzy
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg185624.html#msg185624

Space Family Carlvinson
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg202028.html#msg202028

Spectral Force
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg201247.html#msg201247

Super Atragon
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg202462.html#msg202462

Super Grand Prix
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg204674.html#msg204674

Tabisuru Nuigurumi: Traveling Daru
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg203330.html#msg203330

Tokyo Mew Mew
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg186683.html#msg186683

Uchuu Senken Yamato 2199
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg197487.html#msg197487

UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg195013.html#msg195013

Ultimate Girls
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg201575.html#msg201575

Un-Go The Movie
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg197542.html#msg197542

Vampire Knight + Guilty
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg195337.html#msg195337

Wasurenagumo
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg195238.html#msg195238

White Album Season 1
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg196449.html#msg196449

White Album Season 2
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg196755.html#msg196755

White Album 2
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg204061.html#msg204061

Wild 7
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg198198.html#msg198198

Wish Upon the Pleiades
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg204020.html#msg204020

W-Wish
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg194406.html#msg194406

Zero no Tsukaima (first two series + some of the third)
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg125869.html#msg125869

Zetman
http://aisenfield.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,1276.msg198754.html#msg198754
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STARMAN15
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« Reply #1 on: August 02, 2008, 12:46:38 am »

Ok, I guess I'll go first!

Mythical Detective: Loki Ragnarok
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Ok, this series is very biased for children but has some interesting points. I tend to like children based shows every now and then (I rented and watched every episode of Cardcaptor Sakura) and this was one of the better ones I have seen. Based on Norse mythology, the god Loki was banished to Earth and many of the other gods were sent by Odin to kill him. In order to become a god again he must collect all of this evil energy, so he starts a detective agency that deals with supernatural cases. The biggest problem I have with the series is the fact that Loki gets stuck in an eight-year-olds body. It's just hard to watch that small of a kid (actually, he's about the size of Zatch off of Zatch Bell) going up against some of these creatures. Like most kid biased animes the episodes can be repetitive, but there are some jewels embedded in the storyline. I for one recommend it if you're brain is fried and you need something to just relax too, but that's about all it's good for.
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« Reply #2 on: August 02, 2008, 01:39:41 pm »

The Zero no Tsukaima series:
Rating:4/5 or 3/5 depending on your tastes.
Summary: The story of a young female mage nicknamed "Zero" Louise, due to the fact that she has zero successes in the field of magic, every spell she casted usually just ends up in an explosion, summons a familiar for herself as a rite of passage in the magic academy she attends. As yet another "failure", as her friends were all summoning amazing magical creatures who live to serve and protect them, Louise summons a 16 year old japanese boy, Saito, from another dimension.(The equivalent of our world) As he was walking home from getting his laptop repaired a portal appeared before him and before he knew it he was sucked into a world where he didn't understand anyone's language nor what was going on.
Louise was furious with what she summoned as no one's ever summoned a human familiar before, let alone a "commoner"(Someone not of royal status/doesn't have magical powers) She begged her teacher for a re-do on her summoning spell, but rules stated that she could not.
Louise, now stuck with a commoner familiar that she treats like a dog, must deal with an oncoming war along with several other serious problems as she begins to fall for Saito and tries to prove herself to her peers as a true mage.

Reasons for rating:
Season 1-Zero no Tsukaima:
Main:This is a personal favorite series of mine. I love the comedy, the magic, and the art is simply beautiful. It even shares some characteristics with one of my all-time fave shows, Avatar TLA, as all it's mages are clasified as elements, earth, wind, water, and fire. If you're not into magic or wizards or anything like that, this series isn't really for you, but I love the storyline and comedy as well as all the cool magic.
Characters:Louise......is a witch.....no pun intended. I mean, she's whiny, stuck up, and has such an attitude it's unbelieveable. I've said before that I have this weird thing about usually not liking the main character in a series, she's a prime example. I do not like Louise. She's what I call a "Kagome" or a "Sakura"...in a sense that all she does is whine and cry and shout out the name of her main love interest in battle while she waits for him to save her and she does jack squat. "SAITOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" For the life of me, I cannot understand why Saito loves her. She only uses decent magic ONCE IN THE ENTIRE SERIES(TO DATE) In the season finale of season 1. That's it. She was good for one spell, for one minute in one episode.
Saito:I actually like Saito, and I LOVE his character design. He's kind, but stands up for himself and others, he's brave, but sensitive. He's just a great character. Granted he is a bit of a perv in the second series(An issue I shall address when I get to that) but aren't we a little pervy?
Tabitha:I FREAKIN' LOVE TABITHA!! She may not be all that talkitive but she is just so awesome, her character design is GREAT! and her backstory is so heartbreaking. (Yet.....SPOILER!! DO NOT READ BEYOND THIS POINT IF YOU DON'T KNOW HER BACKSTORY!!
I don't...exactly know why Tabitha's mother couldn't have just dumped out the potion instead of drinking it herself causing her to go insane. I really don't understand that.)
Kirche-Kirche's character design is somewhat....busty and fanservicey(Did I mention this entire series is somewhat fanservicey?....I didn't? It is.). But what do you expect from the village ****? Yes, Kirche has IMPLIED that she sleeps with basically any guy at the academy. She's even tried to bang Saito. I like her character's hair and she's an AWESOME fire mage, but she's very slutty.
Guiche-The average playboy character. He claims he's in love with a character named Montmorency, and even seems to be dating her through most of the series, but constantly cheats on her, flirts with other girls and is always on the lookout for attractive girls. He's extremely funny though. Very good for comic relief.
Siesta:Another commoner, Siesta is a maid at the academy. She looks like Saito, which is odd in their dimension, because she's a decendant of a Japanese man who also made his way to their world. Siesta has a very big crush on Saito, and sees Louise as her rival in the contest for his love. Unlike Louise, Siesta is actually very kind, and, although she does get jealous of Saito's relationships, she doesn't blow up at him about it, or hits him like Louise, though she does get very depressed. I'd definitely like to see Saito and her hook up at the end but, that probably won't happen.

Season 2-Zero no Tsukaima: Futatsuki no Kishi:
In this season, it's a lot more lovey-dovey, a lot more serious and dark, and a lot more fanservicey! =D
Something I absolutely hate about this series, especially this season, is it has what I call, "The 'School Days' effect" In that EVERY. LAST. GIRL. in the series seems to fall for one guy. Saito. Louise, Kirche, Henrietta(A princess/queen who is also Louise's childhood friend) Siesta, etc. they all want him to be their knight in shining armor and all of them have been caught in "awkward" scenes together.
Saito becomes somewhat pervy in this series. Having perverted fantasies, staring at girls chests(A lot) ya know, stuff like that.
This season has a more interesting storyline than season 1, and the season finale is AWESOME!

Season 3-Zero no Tsukaima: Princesse no Rondo:
Uhmmm...I can't really review this much, since I only have 3 episodes of it so far, but from what I've seen of it, it's really good. =D

Bottom line:If you don't like fanservice, magic, "School days" plot devices or can't stand that Louise is the main character, knock the rating down. But give it a chance.
It's a personal fave of mine, I'd recommend it. ^_^
Preferred audtience:Eh, it's not really for kids with all the rampant fanservice and character deaths, but it's nothing a ten year old can't watch.
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« Reply #3 on: August 06, 2008, 04:38:02 pm »

Kare Kano/His and Her Circumstances
Rating:4/5
Summary:A girl named Yukino Miyazawa, who's obsessed with getting praised and being adored and pampered, known as a "perfect" girl, deals with her rival a "perfect" guy named Souichiro Arima, who matches, if not beats her in most everything.
The pair eventualy make peace with each other and become friends.
Arima admits that he's been in love with Yukino since the first time he talked to her. Yukino soon realizes she's fallen for him too and the two start dating, slowly falling even more in love each day. Kare Kano is the story of their lives and relationship as they go through school, meeting new...interesting, friends and dealing with the skeletons in their closets. Esepcially Arima...

Reasons for rating:Okay, I have to say this, YES, this story is as lovey dovey as I make it sound. And I really have to add, if you're a total shounen person, TURN BACK NOW!! This anime is not for you. If your anime list contains mostly DBZ, Naruto and Shaman King, I doubt you'll like this series.
If you're in a romantic mood, or a funny crazy mood(Yes, this series is insanely crazy and funny) this is the series for you.
The characters are wonderful, all of them are surprising deep(Even Asa-pin, though he's a playboy.)
The story is beautiful and very interesting. Though I have to admit, the last six episodes kinda didn't keep my interest all that much. Now, as you'd expect of a lovey duvey series, this show is VERY DIALOGUE HEAVY. Most of the time the characters are giving their own special speeches to either the viewer or to another character about their feelings, their pasts, etc. It does get to be a bit much at time, but if you follow it and pay attention, it's actually quite well worded.
The music is one of the few things I despise. It is INCREDIBLY repetitive. Whenever it gets the least bit deep the same piano music plays. And it ALWAYS gets deep, so the same music is ALWAYS playing! Though since most people aren't bothered by this (See:Naruto) it isn't that big of a deal. Nothing to harp on.
This show IS kinda old, so if you're a sucker for cool graphics, you're at a loss. They even did an entire episode with just colored pencil drawings. Though the art is amazing, the character designs are very well done. Unlike most shows the characters actually gradually change appearance, such as Arima and Asaba.(Arima gets much taller and his shoulders get broader. Asaba gets tanner and gets a VERY weird haircut. Even Yukino changes a little.)
Now, before you ask, there IS a sex scene, though it was basically edited so much for the english release(Though it really didn't need it. I've seen the raw japanese version, you see nothing) people are usually half and half- about whether or not they did have sex(They did. In the manga they delve even more into this) As for any dark scenes, Arima is a troubled young lad. He was beaten and abused by his parents at a young age, abandoned as a child, is an outcast from his entire family(except the people who adopted him, his Uncle and Aunt) he's pretty emotionally troubled though he doesn't show it much. Things get kinda dark with him but nothing major.
Like I mentioned, this is also a very funny series and very original in it's humor. Especially the visual humor, which, even though is common in anime, is very originally done in this show.

Bottom line:To sum it up, this is a hilarious, romantic, personal favorite and has been for a couple years, but, like I said, it isn't for everyone. It's very dialogue heavy, very lovey duvey and very emotional.
Preferred audience: I'd say, be in your teens to watch this. Not because of any questionable material, but I doubt any kid would wanna spend their time watching 26 half-hour long episodes of something that's basically a hilarious soap opera.
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« Reply #4 on: August 07, 2008, 04:58:30 pm »

OK, my most recent series.

Air TV
Rating: 4/5

Summary: This slice of life style anime follows a drifter as he searches for a "girl in the sky" told to him by his mother. It follows the people he meets, including one friend that might turn out to be the girl he seeks. Although it is a slice of life style anime, it is also full of Japanese mysticism that keeps the storyline going.

Reason for Rating: I'm usually not keen on slice of life style animes, but Air TV had me hooked from the first episode. The animation is absolutely breathtaking, and the musical track is just as beautiful. The characters all have something more than meets the eyes to give even more depth to the amazing storyline. The last episode had me in tears, and many of the flight/sky/air analogies for life really moved me.

Bottom line: If you want to think and really feel your heart be moved then this anime series is for you. Even the comic relief characters have very dramatic moments that will leave tears in your eyes. I highly recommend one of my new favorite series to all who would watch it!

Coming Soon: Currently I'm watching an amazing series Utawarerumono. I'll review as soon as I finish! (should be tomorrow)
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« Reply #5 on: August 11, 2008, 11:28:44 pm »

Finished it! ZOMG, can't wait for this review!


Utawarerumono
Rating: 4.5/5

Summary:

This anime series follows the otherworldly adventures of Hakuoro, a permanently masked man who awakes in a village with no memory of who he is. As he wanders the town, he learns that its strange-looking inhabitants have a unique connection to nature; hence, their tails and long, pointy ears. Now, on a mission to reconstruct his lost memory and solve the mystery of the mask, Hakuoro joins with the villagers to protect their town and way of life.

Reason for rating:

Artwork. Music. Amazing Plot. Deep character you love.  Utawarerumono has all of this and more. When I read the summary I thought this anime would be all about some guys mission to gain his memory back, yada, yada, but I was completely wrong. He does make that journey, but only because the path he has chosen happens to lead him back to his memories. There is a lot of fighting, and a lot of blood. I was so excited to acually see people get decapitated and fountains of blood erupt from their bodies. On the downside, many of the mass battles (fights with foot soilders) are the exact same animation with different backgrounds. This didn't really bother me though, because the dialogue was different even though the animation wasn't. The ending surprised me, because although romance is hinted at, the ending romantic part seemed out of place to me. It didn't completely screw over the ending and you understood why, but I really wasn't crazy about that one part. The rest of the ending had me in tears. I would suggest this anime to anyone who is looking for a fast paced action anime with a good plot line to follow!

Bottom line: GO WATCH THIS NOW! You really won't regret it!

Next up: Air Gear (Should be finished in one or two days)
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« Reply #6 on: August 15, 2008, 03:25:52 pm »

Gundam SEED
Rating:3.8/5
Summary:Taken from Wikipedia because I didn't know how to explain it well
"The series is the first set in the Cosmic Era. This series begins with the Bloody Valentine War between Earth and the colonies that is similar to the One Year War of the original Gundam series with certain traditional elements from Mobile Suit Gundam Wing and After War Gundam X such as the presence of five multicolored Gundam mobile suits and the threat of an apocalypse. On one side is the Earth Alliance, and on the opposite is the space colonies that form ZAFT (Zodiac Alliance of Freedom Treaty). Mankind is divided over human genetic engineering, with normal humans known as "Naturals" and the genetically altered humans known as "Coordinators". Like the original series, while ZAFT has a head start on mobile suit design, the Earth Alliance quickly catches up with its five prototype Gundams. With ZAFT having stolen four of the prototypes, young Coordinator Kira Yamato pilots the GAT-X105 Strike Gundam and is forced to fight his old friend Athrun Zala. Little do they know that there exist sinister forces working to bring about events that go far beyond their worst nightmares.


Reason for rating:Okay, I'm a fairly avid Gundam fan, so I'm gonna break it all down for ya.
Graphics-The Graphics are very well done, not awe inspiring but the character designs seem solid, the colors jump out at you without being in your face and the animation is pretty fluid.
Plot:Well, I like to think that Gundam SEED is kinda like Gundam + Neon Genesis Evangelion - the gipping story of Eva + a soap opera like theme, complete with the majorly emo main character Shinj--I mean Kira. But we'll get to crybaby Kira later, the plot is basically what you'd expect of any Gundam series(except G Gundam), there's a war and a bunch of kids none older than like 16 are the last hope to win the war.
Along the line there's stirring plot twists, budding romances, tragedy, psycho bitches(See:Flay Allster) and yes, a villian in a mask! =D(Guys in masks seem to be a trademark of Gundam)
This series seems to be more about feelings and hope and love and yeah, than any other Gundam series I've ever seen(Minus G Gundam) and definetly has more of a soap opera air than any other.(At least until I get to rating Gundam SEED Destiny)

Example:Emo main character becoming so depressed he only finds solace in the bed of one of his best friend's girlfriend, who, having seen the death of her father due to the war, decided to wrap her web of psycho bitchness all over Kira. Sai, said boyfriend/best friend, is furious over this and tries to get her back, fails, Flay tries to get HIM back in the end, fails.

SOMEONE Finds out she's SOMEONES long lost twin sister seperated at birth. One became an equivalent to a princess, the other a commoner(no lie. And.....doesn't that sound A LOT like...Luke and Leia? o.o)

I'd have another good example, but it's in Destiny and that's not what I'm reviewing here.

Now, not to say all this is bad, in fact the series itself is fairly decent, but for any die hard Gundam fan or anyone who was looking for tons of gripping action around every corner, might wanna look elsewhere.

Soundtrack-I actually love the opening and closing themes. The music for the actual show is pretty good too. No qualms about the sound track.

Characters: And here we goooooo.
Kira-Gundam's attempt at creating a Shinji clone, Kira Yamato is a troubled young lad, with unique abilities, who wants to save everyone without fighting or killing, constantly bawling his eyes out about everything and having hissy fits throughout the entire series. Kira is also trying to deal with the fact that his former best friend, a fellow coordinator named Athrun Zala, is on the opposing side of the war and is forced to fight with him. Kira isn't....that bad of a character, but he's is low, low, LOW on my list of faves.

Athrun Zala-Athrun is my favorite character in this series. He may be kinda emotional but so is everyone else in the series. He's far more diplomatic and serious in his duties than Kira, though has trouble meeting eye to eye with his buddies when Kira comes up. Kira and Athrun also have the closest non-yaoi guy-guy relationship I've ever witnessed. From crying in battles against each other to lovingly gazing at each other during sunsets and under the bright starlit sky as their shiny hair flows in the wind to flash backs of the two of them as children, Athrun dressed in a sweater-vest and a ber'et, in a forest of blooming cherry blossom trees as the petals surround them and Birdy, the mechanical bird Athrun made for Kira flies around them. I am not making any of this up.
Though as totally heterosexual as Athrun's relationship with Kira is, he falls for my fave female GS character, Cagalli. Their relationship is actually one of my fave shippings, but....Never mind. Screw the spoiler, it doesn't happen until Destiny anyway...

Flay Allster-Or as I like to call her, Psycho McBitch, is a stuck up, irritating witch who cares about no ones feelings but her own. She has earned the title of "DarkToph's Least Favorite Anime Character Ever" Not only is she stuck up BEFORE she goes all nuts, but it's like the bitchy twig in her head snapped after her dad died. It's hard to describe in words exactly how WhoooEEEEooooooo this chick is, you'll have to watch for yourself, but the ending was MESSED UP. SPOILER!!!

She appears as a beautiful shining ghost after she dies and kisses Kira and thanks him.......while naked....WTF?! She was NEVER a good character, yet they made her out as this noble person who turned into a goddess at the end.....who is naked.

Cagalli-Yes, people! A kick ass female character in a Gundam series. (Sorry for all the G Gundam references but, not counting Allenby of G Gundam. She rocks. =D) Cagalli was first seen as a freelancer(Dunno if that's the right word) fighter that lived in the desert with a group of people who were basically a small neutral army.
Later it's discovered that she basically has the status of a princess.
Cagalli falls in love with Athrun after they first meet when they both crash on a small island. She tried to get the jump on Athrun, but he eventually caught her and tied her up. As the day went on they basically called a truce and bonded(No Bwa chika bwa bwa you perves XD) until daybreak when Kira and ZAFT fleet came to rescue them.

Lacus Clyne-A singer turned rebellion general, Lacus Clyne was originally Athrun's fianc'e through an arranged marriage(I believe it was arranged), though down the line, as the story progressed, Athrun and Lacus basically broke up, Lacus went missing and started a rebellion to stop the war. Lacus is Kira's love interest throughout the series, especially throughout Destiny, but their relationship is more slow than any other. In fact I believe the most they do is a kiss on the cheek. I like Lacus. She's kind and pretty and determined and strong and she proves you can be girly as hell and still be a tough cookie.

Haro-GS's Haro, which in this storyline is a present made by Athrun to Lacus, she has about.....80 of them I think...Haro(GS Version) is the most irritating  mechanical device ever concieved. Nothing is more irritating than that little high pitched ball of screws either repeating what you say in a "nails against a chalkboard" voice or just spouting random crap. Haro+Hammer=happiness.

Bottom Line-It's really not as bad as I rant about it to be. It definitely keeps your interest for a while. Give it a looksie.
Preferred audience-Uhhh...Deaths and a few implications of sex plus some blood, angst and soap opera themes...I'd say...be in your teens to watch. If you're watching the cartoon network version, then just go for it.
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« Reply #7 on: August 25, 2008, 07:57:33 pm »

(I'm going to divide my reviews into three sections: Summary [how good was the storyline?], Voices [were the voices great in both versions?], and the overall [self explanatory]

Lucky Star

Storyline- 4/5

Lucky Star is about a group of highschool girls: Konata, Tsukasa, Miyuki, and Kagami, as they progress highschool at Ryōō Gakuen High School. There is no actual story behind the anime, as it basically is just very random. Konata is an extremely atheletic otaku, however, she doesn't play sports, as it would 'mess up her schedule for late night anime'. Kagami is very adhere to the school rules, and likes to stick to her studies until it is completed. Tsukasa, Kagami's twin sister, is a mix between the characters, and acts like the younger sister. Miyuki is the tallest of the four girls, and is very polite and shy. Lucky Star has a nice somewhat 'story', but it doesn't really make sense at times which really, really, confused me.

Voice Acting-5/5

The voice actors for the main characters and the 'Lucky Channel' characters are:

Konata Izumi- Aya Hirano (JP), Wendee Lee (ENG)
Kagami Hiiragi- Emiri Kato (JP), Kari Wahlgren (ENG)
Tsukasa Hiiragi- Kaori Fukuharu (JP), Michelle Ruff (ENG)
Miyuki Takara- Aya Endo (JP), Karen Strassman (ENG)
Akira Kogami- Hiromi Konno (JP), Stephanie Sheh (ENG)
Minoru Shiraishi- Minoru Shiraishi (JP), Sam Riegel (ENG)

I'd say the voice acting is perfect for the characters. The english dub for the anime didn't screw up [thank god, Cartoon Network didn't get to do the dubbing for Lucky Star >.<]

Overall- 4.5/5

Overall, I reccomend the anime for anyone. The voices are amazing, the storyline is great for people who just want to see a typical 'highschool' anime. There is alot of humourous things. However, there are some cons: they bleep out things that the company doesn't own (let's say, if Konata said something about Pokemon, it would bleep out the characters or the places used), there is some profanity, and the ending of the shows are somewhat 'ridiculous and wild'... but for Aisenfielders, ridiculous and wild isn't new to us, is it? Smiley

 



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A series of KH quotes:

"There. To the door. Why, are you scared?" - Sora, KH:RE:COM
"Give me one hell of a show!" - Axel, KH:COM (GBA version, replaced in English version of RE:COM)
"THE MOLE! IT BURNS! GAHH!" - A friend in RL upon trying to fight Ursula for me.
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« Reply #8 on: August 25, 2008, 08:03:54 pm »

Just a note, Cartoon Network doesn't dub anything. They just air the dubbed version they get from Funimation or (Dear God, no) 4Kidz etc.
Though sometimes Cartoon Network calls for more edits when they're preapring to air anything they get rights to.
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« Reply #9 on: August 25, 2008, 08:05:47 pm »

Just a note, Cartoon Network doesn't dub anything. They just air the dubbed version they get from Funimation or (Dear God, no) 4Kidz etc.
Though sometimes Cartoon Network calls for more edits when they're preapring to air anything they get rights to.

Ahh, I see. Thanks for the heads up, I didn't know that. xD
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A series of KH quotes:

"There. To the door. Why, are you scared?" - Sora, KH:RE:COM
"Give me one hell of a show!" - Axel, KH:COM (GBA version, replaced in English version of RE:COM)
"THE MOLE! IT BURNS! GAHH!" - A friend in RL upon trying to fight Ursula for me.
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« Reply #10 on: August 25, 2008, 10:02:29 pm »

Just a note, Cartoon Network doesn't dub anything. They just air the dubbed version they get from Funimation or (Dear God, no) 4Kidz etc.
Though sometimes Cartoon Network calls for more edits when they're preapring to air anything they get rights to.

Ahh, I see. Thanks for the heads up, I didn't know that. xD
No problem. XD

New review(To help me avoid schoolwork. o_o)

School Days

Rating: 2.5/5 - 4.5/5 depending on how demented you are.

Summary:Makoto Ito rides the train to and from school every day. However, at the beginning of his second term, he falls in love with a beautiful girl that also rides the train. Unfortunately, she barely knows of his existence. Her name is Kotonoha Katsura, and though they attend the same school, they are not in the same class. In an attempt to catch her eye, Makoto enlists the aid of a close female friend of his: Sekai Saionji. She helps him, despite the fact that she--unbeknownst to Makoto--is in love with him. Thus the three are bound in a love triangle of life changing proportions.
Summary from Anime-Stop.com

Reason for rating:Well, first off, I guess I should tell you that this series is based off a RPG/Hentai game of the same name.
Hey, hey, HEY! Stop drooling, fanboys, the anime IS NOT hentai. It's extremely *bleep*ed up, but no hentai.
(For those of you who don't know what hentai is, it's basically the anime equivalent to ****.)
This story.....is KINDA like a soap opera, but it's......Okay it....I can't really explain it well without spoilers so:
MAJOR SPOILER ALERTS!! I'M BASICALLY SPOILING THE ENTIRE SERIES RIGHT NOW! IF YOU WANNA BE KEPT IN THE DARK, DO NOT READ FURTHER, JUST SKIP DOWN TO THE "BOTTOM LINE"
Okay, basically this guy, Pimp Master Makoto, who is a TOTAL ass, but acts like this innocent "I'm not cool =[" guy in the first few eppis, falls a shy girl named Kotonoha Katsura. He then meets Sakai, who is, at first, seemingly harmless, who attempts to "help" Makoto get Kotonoha to be his girlfriend. He succeeds. Though he doesn't realize his "tutor" Sekai, is really falling for him.
Sekai continues to "help" Makoto by letting him practice on her. If you don't know what I mean by that, Makoto basically practices kissing, making out, feeling up a girl, on Sekai, slowly falling for her as well, even sleeping with her after a practice session, claiming that was the reason he wanted to practice.
Up and comes, the most irritating plot device ever fathomed, a plot device I have aptly named "The School Days Effect" in which EVERY DAMN GIRL IN THE SERIES FALLS FOR MAKOTO. NOT KIDDING!
Sekai, Kotonoha, Setsuna(Sekai's best friend), Hikari, Otome, AND I THINK I'M FORGETTING SOME!!
It's even rumored that Makoto had sex with Kotonoha's LITTLE SISTER in the game, WTF!?!?!??!
Game aside, it's a seriously irritating plot device.
The reason I called Makoto "Pimp Master Makoto" is because he kisses, makes out with, feels up, or has sex with at least one girl each episode and it's usually a different girl each time.
From cheating on Kotonoha with Sekai, to cheating on Sekai with Hikari, to making Sekai pregnant, this guy is by all means the worst kind of "playa".
Kotonoha(Who is my fave person in the anime. She's the only one with any sense of right and wrong, until the ending anyway. o_o) is actually driven to insanity from Makoto's actions, allowing herself to get raped by one of Makoto's friends, and losing all hold on herself.
Alas, we reach the MOST TOTALLY *BLEEP*ED UP ENDING IN ANY ANIME EVER!!
Here it goes, in full detail. The ending of School days. Serious spoiler warning.
Ahem, after Sekai nnounces her pregnancy to the entire class and to a very shocked and unwilling to father Makoto, Makoto runs into the very mentally broken, empty eyed Kotonoha. As Makoto listens to her monotone pleas, he is brought to tears by Kotonoha's condition and begs her to stop acting as such.
Kotonoha eventually hears his voice and comes to her senses, though not completely. Makoto then gets back together with Kotonoha, claiming he will never leave her again. Makoto then has an extremely angry phone conversation with Sekai, which ends in him ordering her to stay in the house and hanging up. She, now pregnant AND insane with anger walks out of Makoto's house, destroying the dinner she had made for them, smashing every plate and every bit of food onto the floor, which Makoto, who returns to his house with Kotonoha, later discovers.
Sekai later returns to the house, to see Kotonoha answering the door and she instantly slaps her on the face and demands to know why she is there, going into a huge rant, telling Kotonoha to stop involving herself with Makoto, and asks Makoto if it's Sekai's turn to get hurt since she got pregnant.
Sekai demands that Kotonoha leaves until she surprisingly speaks up saying that Sekai seduced Makoto in order to break her and Makoto up, so she could have him all to herself, which Sekai denies.
Kotonoha then says she forgives Sekai for what she has done and will never be led astray from Makoto again.
Makoto and Kotonoha then make out in front of Sekai, who freaks and screams at the top of her lungs and leaves the house, going insane.
She later gets a text message from Makoto who says Kotonoha claims she knows of a special hospital which could help Sekai along her pregnancy. "Lessen the burden if she does it right away".
Now, it's kinda fuzzy EXACTLY what goes on in her head about this. Speculation would assume that Kotonoha is suggesting Sekai get an abortion or something, then Kotonoha suggests it was a ploy to get her to show Makoto her baby at the hospital, but we'll get to that later.
Sekai invites Makoto over to his house for tea later, to discuss how the appointment, that she never went to, went. Sekai then disappears into the kitchen to check on the tea, she then phones Makoto's cell and he walks off into the other room to answer it.
It's a text message from Sekai, which says "Sorry" and afterwards it's "entered" so much he has to continuously scroll to see the rest which ends in "Goodbye" as Makoto turns around to see Sekai lunging at his stomach with a knife. Makoto then bleeds oil.(Seriously. They censored it to look black. The uncut version is regular red blood.) as Sekai viciously stabs him like 10 more times until he dies.
Sekai then leaves his house, Makoto's body still on the floor and mopes in her house.
Kotonoha then returns to Makoto's home and finds his corpse on the floor.
Sekai then receives a text message from Makoto's cell, calling her to the rooftop.
Sekai, wondering what's up, prepares herself and goes to the rooftop to find a duffel bag on the bench, which she is about to open, until Kotonoha appears, now twice as broken and 10000x more psycho than before, asking her if she saw the doctor she recommended.
Sekai then admits that she hasn't, claiming she distrusts any hospital Kotonoha recommends.
Kotonoha accuses her of lying and says that Sekai was lying about being pregnant to push her and Makoto apart even further. Sekai still denies this and admits that all she wanted was to be Makoto's girlfriend too. Kotonoha then says "If it's about Makoto, Makoto is right over there. Why don't you ask him yourself?" pointing towards the duffel bag. Sekai then makes her way towards the bag and slowly opens it to reveal Makoto's severed head.(It's never fully shown) Sekai then collapses at this sight, and gags as Kotonoha reveals the bloody knife she used to cut off Makoto's head and lunges at her as Sekai tries to defend herself with her bloody knife she used to KILL Makoto, which Kotonoha swats out of her hands.
She then slices Sekai's throat open causing blood to spray everywhere as Sekai's eyes roll back in her head and she collapses to the ground. Kotonoha then approaches her body and says she's going to find out if she was really lying. She then, non shown, carves up Sekai like a Thanksgiving turkey to find the child inside her and says as she appears back in frame, in front of Sekai's carved up body, "Just as I suspected....You were lying.....There's no one inside you."
As the finale ends, you see Kotonoha floating in the sea on a wooden raft clutching Makoto's severed head, claiming they're finally together.

That was LONG!
How messed up is that?! Seriously? Now for any of you wondering, it is not truly clear whether or not Sekai was honestly pregnant or not, in the game, she is, in the anime, she's not far along enough to tell. Besides, how could you make up being pregnant that easily? I mean, Makoto may be an ASS, but even he'd get a little curious after a while about why she's not showing, or why nine months later THERE'S NO BABY! Though she could just say she had a miscarriage. *shrugs* We'll never know.


END OF SPOILERS!!

Animation/Art-Don't expect anything fancy. Some character designs, such as Kotonoha's are impressive, but a lot of times the actually animated parts look kinda "cut-outy" like anime video game animations.

Voice actors-This show has not been dubbed in english, nor will it ever be to my knowledge. The japanese voices however are pretty shaky. Especially Makoto's, he sounds a little too old.
They got Kotonoha's right though.

Plot:It REALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLYYYYYYYYYYYY Sounds like a REALLLLLLLLLLLYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY messed up soap opera, but if you're like me, you won't get enough of it. It's just that messed up.

Characters-
Makoto-I don't believe I've ever hated an anime character so much, it made me cringe to watch how many girls chased after him. Seriously, this guy has no morals at all. He cheats on everyone, with no remorse whatsoever, gets a girl pregnant and practically refuses to be the father for it, SLEEPS WITH SOMEONE ELSE AFTER HE FINDS OUT SHE'S PREGNANT AND STILL SHOWS NO REMORSE FOR IT, "practices" on another girl while dating another, he is really just the lowest of the low. If anyone says "Don't hate the player, hate the game" I'll stab you. These girls may be slutty, but they all just "loved" Makoto and he played them like a fiddle.
Kotonoha-What a cute little ball of "OMG!!! WTF?!?" You are. My fave character is the psycho killer in both the game AND the anime. She's the most innocent character in the show, besides maybe Setsuna.
Sekai-HA! and HAHA! I hate Sekai almost as much as Makoto. She knew full well what she was doing to her supposed friend Kotonoha, but kept doing it for her own selfish needs.


Bottom line-If you like soap opera storylines(I don't and I still like it), and can't resist a bit of gore and psychoness, I recommend this. If you think the whole plot sounds stupid, keep walking, but read this review, then watch the ending episode just for kicks. XD

SIDE NOTES!!-For any of you considering playing the Japan exclusive hentai game, School Days, after reading this review or watching the show, BE WARNED, the game, I have not played it BTW, I have watched cutscenes from it out of curiousity....*cough* I saw no hentai....Honest.....Anywho...The game IS A HENTAI GAME, meaning it is pornographic. Also the gorey endings, there are several different endings to the School Days game depending on the choices you make in the game, are red-blooded, true-blue gore. From an ocean of blood of Kotonoha slicing Sekai's throat, to Kotonoha jumping off a building and turning into sidewalk soup, IT IS GOREY, IT IS GRAPHIC, AND IT IS AS MESSED UP AS THEY COME. Be warned.
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« Reply #11 on: September 03, 2008, 09:53:11 pm »

Rumbling Hearts

Rating:4.8/5

Summary:At first, Takayuki Narumi is befriended by Mitsuki Hayase only because Mitsuki's best friend, Haruka Suzumiya has a crush on him; however since then, Takayuki, his pal Shinji Taira, and Mitsuki have grown to be the best of friends. Then one day, Haruka confesses to Takayuki her love for him. Not wanting to hurt her feelings, Takayuki agrees to go out with her. After a few incidents, their relationship gets intimate, even while Takayuki and Mitsuki begin to realize their feelings for each other. But suddenly, when tragedy strikes, things are never the same for these four friends again

Reasons for rating:
Story: Who loves soap opera-like stories? ME EITHER! But this is a must-see, anyway. This is as heart-wrenching, sad, and romantic as it gets for anime. Let me get a little more in-depth in the plot to help you along. No worries, I won't spoil anything for ya too bad.
Now the tragedy mentioned in the summary was about Haruka. She, after dating Takayuki for a while, is involved in a car accident into a phone booth. Takayuki runs over to see a pool of blood and Haruka's hair ribbons sitting in the blood as he hears an official say that they've identified one of the victims in the accident as "Haruka Suzumiya". Haruka is seriously injured and ends up in a coma for three years, leaving Takayuki suffering with posttraumatic stress disorder, and Mitsuki tending to him.
Mitsuki and Takayuki hook up as Mitsuki tries to break him out of his depression by confessing her long-time love for him and sleeping with him. As the years go by, steadily dating as Haruka stays in her coma, everything seems peachy for the two, as they both get decent jobs, living life and loving each other. UNTIL!! DUN DUN DUNNNNNNN! HARUKA COMES OUT OF HER COMA AFTER THREE YEARS!! DUN DUN DUN DUN DUN DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!
Now the entire storyline(and this is only after two episodes people!) is shaken up by this. Takayuki, who is revealed to have stopped visiting her after time went by, is beating himself up over whether or not to deal with the sudden awakening of his still-girlfriend, as his current girlfriend is trying to deal with how HE'LL handle it along with dealing with the hatred of Haruka's little sister, Akane, who walked in on Mitsuki, naked in Takayuki's bed, early in their relationship. Haruka, who doesn't even realize it's been three years since the accident, is being kept in the dark about pretty much everything that's happened over the years to protect her fragile psyche from causing her harm.

This storyline, on paper, may seem kinda over-soap-opera-ish for some people, but for anyone who has the slightest bit of a romantic side along with a need for an anime more complex in plot than DBZ, NEEDS to see this.

Now I won't lie, I, myself, didn't care for the ending. Oh and I should add, like School days, the review that preceeded this review, is ALSO based on a video game, though I haven't seen any cutscenes of it, I assume it's not a hentai game. *shrugs* The ending....was unexpected. It was sweet, but not the ending I personally was rooting for. I've already spoiled enough for you people already, so I'll just leave it at that.

Art:The art COULD NOT BE better. Pristine animation, great character designs(Though, once again, not realistic natural hair colors. Pink, hot pink and blues all around!) I was just blown away at how good the animation and art was. And might I say the art of it's sequel....My God. *faints* The detail! So sparkly and purty!!

Music:Not mind-blowing, but I never expect the music of a romance-centric anime to catch that much of my interest anyway. The music was good.

Voices:Yes, I did this entire review off the dubbed version. The voices were actually great, though Haruka's and Akane's were sorta too high pitched for my tastes.

Characters:
Takayuki: Okay, I can't help but kinda spite Takayuki for "the ending", but he was trying to be a good guy. He was taking care of Haruka, and protecting her and awww.

Akane:Great character. I totally get where she's coming from, I wouldn't stand for it either.

Mitsuki:My least favorite character. Can't fully explain why to avoid spoilers, but from my description, you can basically tell. Your best friend falls into a coma after a horrible car accident and you jump her emotionally paralyzed, depressed boyfriend? Then using Shinji like that? Real good friend you are.

Haruka:My God, I would NOT have the bravery and selflessness that you have. To "the ending" when you "the ending" for "the ending" after recovering from the shock of waking up from a three-year long coma? I applaud you, my pink-haired friend. *applauds*

Bottom line: Though it may be too romance, drama and soap-opera feeling for the casual anime watcher, this anime is a must-see. I honestly didn't think I'd like it, but I totally recommend it.

Recommened audience:Mild swearing, mild violence, some mature situations, angst, is all fine and dandy, partial nudity, mentions of sex, non-graphic(though there is a nipple or two...haha, get it? Or two?...ahhh..) depictions of sexual encounters....I'd say.....14+ At least. *deep voice* Viewer discretion is advised.
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« Reply #12 on: November 08, 2008, 03:09:54 pm »

Angelic Layer

Rating: 4.8/10

Summary: Misaki Suzuhara is a seventh grader who recently moved to Tokyo to live with her Aunt Shouko. When she arrives in the city, she witnesses an Angelic Layer battle featuring the Angel Athena on a big screen outside of Tokyo station and is in awe of it. Angelic Layer is a highly popular game in which players, known as Deus', customize a battle doll, also known as an Angel, and pit them in one-on-one battles inside the Layer, a mechanism which allows the dolls to move. The dolls move in the Layer by means of the Deus by use of mental control via a specialized headset.
She instantly goes to a store to buy an Angel for herself with the help of a weird man in a lab coat named Icchan, who is soon to be revealed as Ichiro Mihara, Co-creator or "Father" of Angelic Layer.
After activating and customizing her Angel, she decides to name it Hikaru. Which she names after her favorite childhood doll.
Misaki soon meets Hatoko Kobayashi, a very smart and mature kindergartner who is also a Deus and is later revealed that she and her Angel, Suzuka, are champions in Angelic Layer and is an expert in the game.
She also meets Kotaro, Hatoko's big brother, who is also a fan of Angelic Layer, yet doesn't play. He's Misaki's classmate and instantly shows a bit of a crush on Misaki.
Tamayo, Kotaro's best friend/childhood friend who's obsessed with wrestling, also befriends Misaki, while showing her wrestling moves that she frequently demonstrates and practices on a very unwilling Kotaro.
Misaki, though shy and happy, is gripped by her past. Her mother left when she was in pre-school(Pretty certain her dad just died like before she was born or something, he's never mentioned.) to "work". In reality, her mother was suffering from multiple sclerosis, which confined her to a wheelchair. So she set out find a cure for her condtion
She is soon shown to be the "Mother" of Angelic Layer alongside Icchan, due to his research and testing for intricate prosthetics, which eventually led to the game Angelic Layer. Icchan also eventually falls in love with her and even proposes later in the series, but all she says is "Thank you" (It's part of the conversation) and Icchan is really left at the end with no answer. (But we can assume it was a happy ending.)
She's the deus of Athena, the Angel that got Misaki into Angelic Layer in the first place. She's the over-all total champion of Angelic Layer and most every Deus looks up to her.
Shuko(That's her name) avoids meeting with Misaki for seven years, afraid of what her daughter would think about her situation. They finally meet at the National Games, where they face off in Angelic Layer.

Reasons for rating: I finally finished the series. Yup Yup.
Anyway, this is a cute, well made, very interesting and sad anime. Probably the best gaming-centric anime ever.
I won't go into too much detail so I'll just list the pros and cons.
Pros: Very fluid animation and wonderful graphics.
Character designs are very solid.
Sotryline is very interesting and fun to follow.
Has just the right balance of drama, humor and action.
Makes you wish this game was real.(I know I'd play it.)

Cons:
Little more in-depth with the cons, here.
They constantly play off of the KotaroxMisaki friendship based relationship throughout the series, yet (SPOILER!!) they totally side-track this so that Tamayo, about 5 episodes before the ending, starts realizing that she loves Kotaro. But Kotaro doesn't seem to love her back and wants Misaki and this whole mess, after she admits it to him, is settled by Kotaro saying that he never thought of her as a girl before and now that he does think of her as a girl that she can't ride on his bike anymore, practice wrestling moves on him anymore, or go into his room without asking anymore and she ends up happy....Yeah. Nice tie-up there.
Misaki ends up dating OuJiro, a 15 year old Deus who is Icchan's little step-brother, who only appears to her like 5 different times in the anime. Oujiro admits that Misaki reminds him of his first love, which is kinda a given because his first love was Misaki's mother.
There's also this seriously annoying habit of having an "personal issue of the week" Whether it be a rival or a member of the team, someone always has some "poor me" problem that pops up and is instantly solved by a speech usually given by Misaki who is increasingly reminding me of Te'a from Yu-Gi-Oh!.
Speaking of Yu-Gi-Oh, I should also warn you of Misaki's nickname; The Miracle Rookie.
Yes, yet another gaming show in which the main character is a total rookie who has no idea what the hell she's doing but somehow manages to beat nearly everyone she faces with simple tactics.
Nothing really major that irks me so far, except one thing. The final battle between Athena and Hikaru/Misaki and her mother.
Let me give you a play by play.
Misaki and her mother start out by simple hand to hand combat, which, G-GUNDAM REFERENCE!, is really them communicating through their battle movements.
After their little chat, they really start up. Athena eventually slams Hikaru and lowers her points about half. Afterwards, Athena gives her trademark move that NO ONE HAS LIVED THROUGH (The Angels, I mean.), the Astral Emission, which hits her, with half her points left. She somehow manages to survive the blast with barely a half a point left. She eventually stands up and attacks Athena again. Now living through a move no Angel has survived with a half a point left, I kinda get, but the ending for this fight makes NO SENSE!
Hikaru and Athena face off again and Hikaru, now it's never explained how or why, but she magically grows Angel wings like Athena and they both fly around in battle, until Shuko decides to end it with another Astral Emission.
Now, let's clear this up. Hikaru is just barely alive with half a point and hasn't even touched Athena for any damage as of yet.
Hikaru sees Athena powering up the Astral Emission and tries to force the blast back at her with her hands, but the blast just ends up exploding in both Athena and Hikaru's faces. Meaning they BOTH got hit by the blast. Since Athena's so powerful and Hikaru was shown to have survived the blast with half the points Athena had, Hikaru, having one point left, should've lost right? Wrong.
Hikaru doesn't even seem fazed by the blast and struts out of the smoke, like nothing happened, while Athena is left for dead, no points left.
Tell me how that makes sense. Hikaru had HALF a point left. Not even a full hit point left and Athena wasn't even fazed at all. Full health bar. Hikaru survived an Astral emission with half her points, yet Athena couldn't survive her own attack with full health? Hikaru doesn't even end up damaged after the second Astral Emission.
*sighs*
Well, we round up to the ending, which ties up everything fairly well. Tamayo's trying to get closer to Kotaro and Kotaro's trying to accept the relationship.(Yeah, that's true love allright...) Every side character's all happy and stuff, and the prosthetics finally get fully tested and designed and Misaki is shown walking with her mother happily talking with her as Icchan and Oujiro look on. End scene is a shot of Hikaru in the arms of Athena, set up on a couch, symbolizing mother and daughter reunited and happy.

Now, something to note here is that this series reminded me a lot of Fruits Basket. It starts out funny, then everyone has an issue or a troubled past to confront, then everyone ends up all happy by the small, pushover, clueless, orphan girl's speeches, the ending is fairly dark and sad, but it all ends on a happy-go-lucky note in which the lead girl doesn't end up with the guy you thought or wanted her to end up with.
(Speaking of Fruits Basket, I'll probably review that one after this.)

Art: Wonderful. Have no qualms whatsoever with the art. Very well done.

Music: Not really memorable, but they flow well with the show.

Voices:(English dub) Other than Misaki's voice being slightly irritating, no qualms. I basically expected her voice to be somewhat of an irritance anyway.

Characters:
Misaki: Imagine Te'a and Tohru Honda mixed together and make her short. That's Misaki. From inspiring speeches to being walked all over like gum on a sidewalk, this girl may be cute as a button, but she has her annoying spots.
I like the fact that she made her Angel small and light to prove that just because you're little doesn't mean you're not strong, and she's pretty tough for a girl of her nature, like Tohru, but the subtle things you'll spot in the series will irk you.

Kotaro: You're quite the jerk/moron aren't you? Can't get the balls to actually ask Misaki out and gets jealous when she starts spending time with Oujiro, but when your best childhood friend proclaims her love to you you just shrug her off, tell her you never thought of her as a girl before then tell her about all the restrictions you're putting on their relationship because now you realize she's a girl? Nice, real nice.

Tamayo: I actually thought she was annoying as all hell during the first 15 episodes. I mean, all she was there for was tackling people and cheering her head off for Misaki during the games. She had no depth until the final episodes, where you can't help but love her. If only Kotaro wasn't such a jackass...

Hatoko: Cute as a button, smart as an Angelic Layer version of Einstein and as mature as any 30 year old. That's Hatoko.
Something kinda off about Hatoko is the fact that she's in kindergarten and is already a master at Angelic Layer and has been a champion of Angelic Layer. Meaning she's probably been playing it since she was like 3. o.o??

Oujiro: You're hot, you're suave, you're were once in love with your girlfriend's mother, and you're an awesome Deus. I would've liked the OujiroxMisaki relationship a little more if he appeared to her more often though.

Icchan: You crazy MoFo. Who couldn't love you?

Bottom line: This series has it's confusing points for anyone paying attention to logic not flair, but it's VERY cute, very sad and nearly makes you cry. The ending pairings may be a disappointment though. I really recommend this, especially if you like gaming animes.
Though be warned, this is a shoujo anime. Meaning it may be action packed, but it's also cute and girly. In fact most of the Deus' are in fact girls. The only male Deus I've ever seen really is Oujiro. So if you like gaming animes, but you mean Beyblade, Medabots, Bakugan, Yu-Gi-Oh! This may not be for you.

Recommended Audience There's nothing truly to note here. The ending is pretty sad and dark, but everything else is peachy. Any and all violence is kept to the layer, except a few wrestling moves by Tamayo.
I'd say, beware of the ending, but this should be safe for basically all ages.

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« Reply #13 on: March 17, 2009, 02:02:57 pm »

Been a while, huh? Well, might as well do another.
Prepare for the usual spoilers.

Berserk

Rating: 4.5/5

Summary: Berserk's setting is inspired by medieval Europe. It centers around the life of Guts, an orphaned mercenary warrior, and Griffith, the leader of a mercenary band called the Band of the Hawk. As he ages, Guts changes from a solitary boy into a man who realizes the value of camaraderie. The story contains elements of both fantasy and horror, as it explores both the best and worst of human nature. Both the manga and anime are noted for their heavy violence.

Summary taken from Wikipedia.

Reasons for rating:
 
Story: Berserk has a wonderfully thought out and gripping storyline. My biggest beef with the story of the anime is the fact that it ends extremely abruptly and lots of loose ends are left dangling.

The entire anime series runs like this;
You see Guts in "the present" (for the timeline of the story anyway). He has a fake arm and has lost an eye. He saves a girl in a bar from being harassed by a band of mercenaries. He kills them all except one of them, telling that one to tell his master that The Black Swordsman is coming.

He's seen defeating a huge demon while the soldiers around him, who aren't with him, they were trying to defend their village, notice the mark on his neck (Which won't be explained until the final episode)

Now Guts basically has a flashback that lasts the entire series and never ends, never even glimpsing into "the present" Guts to see what he's up to. All the flashback episodes are about who he was as a child, and as a young adult, and basically build up to why he is who he is today.

The series SORTA comes full circle. As we see how Guts lost his arm, lost his eye, who this "Master" is that he's looking for, and what the mark on his neck meant. The problem is that it never builds on the present. As in we never see present Guts meet his goal, in fact, we never see present Guts again after the first episode, and quite a few questions are left unanswered (Some are answered in the manga) such as; What happened to Caska? Will Griffith/Femto be defeated? Why did Zodd choose to help out Guts? What happened to Zodd's prediction that Guts would die with Griffith? (If he stays with Griffith.)

So, the series is sorta satisfactory, if your main goal was trying to figure out what happened to Guts, but if you're curious as to what the ending was, or even what the "present" storyline was, you're out of luck.

The series ends with the eclipse, where Griffith gets turned into a demon (I know, I'm skipping like everything, but bear with me. Watch the damn series.) He kills all but two of his team from the Band of the Hawk; Caska and Guts. Now, Guts and Caska had a relationship. A very new one, like a few days old, but they slept together and were going to run off together until Caska decided she had to stay with a frail Griffith who had been tortured for over a year, had the ligaments in his arms and legs cut, along with having his tongue cut out.

Guts understood.

Like I said, Demon Griffith or "Femto" appears as a black winged, bat/hawk like thing, which still bears the face of Griffith. While restraining Guts, he takes a now naked Caska and rapes her right in front of Guts.

Guts tries to reach Caska, but one of the demons bites down on his left arm. Guts takes his broken dagger and continuously stabs his arm to free himself. Once he's severed his arm, more demons, bird-like with giant talons, descend on him and pin him to the ground. One of the talons goes through Guts' right eye and the final scene is of Guts trying to lunge at Griffith, then it ends.

See what I mean?

The story, like I said, is AWESOME. Very gripping. But the ending was just so abrupt and unsatisfactory that it just ruins it all...

Art: Well, Berserk holds two kinds of art, sorta like Elfen Lied; the animations and the still frames, which look like paintings. The still frames are wonderful, and the animation is fluid and detailed, but nothing really awe-inspiring.

Music: The action music, the tense moment music I love. But there's one or two scores in this series that never cease to get on my nerves. When there's a "touching" moment the same vocals play and they're so annoying! AhhhhhhAHHHHHH OhhhhhhhOohhhhhOOOhhhh!! GAH!

Voices: English dub- Very fitting voices. From the noble (Almost Kurama-like) voice of Griffith to the gruff He-man voice of Guts, I have no qualms about anyone's voice acting.

Characters:

Guts: He's rough, he's tough, he was born from a corpse, this guy has slain 100 men by himself at once and if he gets stabbed in the arm it magically recovers an hour later (Guts vs. Caska)
Guts is a very cool character. I don't adore him, but he's awesome and pretty memorable.

Griffith: The noble commoner Griffith is loved by all. His followers look up to and respect him to the point of which they'd happily die for him and the government officials (Well, the ones that don't want to kill him anyway) value him as a proud member of their forces. Griffith's character is hard to peg. I love him, yet there are times when I hate him, ya know?

Caska: Caska's initial character personality was a kick-ass female warrior, and though she never really fails to be this there's times where the sexism kicks in and makes any girl who watches this shake her head.
She cries all the time, is constantly being saved by Guts, keeps almost getting raped, the works...
What's even worse is that, she's awesome in regular battles, but when an enemy actually calls her out for being a woman, she can never seem to actually stand her ground. I also find her to be somewhat stupid. Who falls for the whole "begging for mercy" bit? Especially when the enemy who's doing it has been nothing but sneaky and underhanded and brutal?
Caska's great and all, she's a strong warrior and a strong woman, but I wish they had wrote her parts a little better.

Pippin: Who doesn't love Pippin? He's the big ol' teddy bear of the series. Huge and powerful looking, but loyal and kind to his comrades.

Judeau: Probably my favorite side-character alongside Rickert, Judeau is that "best friend" kinda character that you just can't help but love. His fighting style is also my favorite with knives thrown with deadly accuracy. Shows that you don't need a huge sword to be an awesome fighter.

Rickert: Rickert Is SO cute. XP
Cute, definitely not a word you use all too often in this series, but he is. He's the kid of the group. Looks to be about 12 or 13 when the series starts out. Despite all he's seen, and probably done, Rickert still holds this amazing child-like innocence and never fails to have a smile on his face.
In the anime, it's almost as if they want the viewer to believe that Rickert is killed near the ending, but in the manga he's saved and is still alive to the current chapter.
Number 1 thing that bugs me about him; he never grows up! He's 12 or 13 like I said in the beginning, and has a semi-high pitched, scared-little-kid voice. This never changes over the course of almost 5 years. Age stays the same, height, voice all the same. What the hell?

Bottom line: I REALLY wish they'd make one more season to this show. The ending was just too abrupt and unsatisfactory. This anime is truly a great one, but it really does fit into the category of "WTF?! That's the ending?! BULLSH**!!!"

Preferred Audience: Be at least 16 before watching this. It is brutally gory to the core. Blood EVERYWHERE, people getting killed every which way, beheaded, tortured, self-mutilation, the works.
There's nudity for both genders, though no genitals are ever shown (Breasts are shown in full view, though.) **** scene, mentions of ****, sexual abuse, regular sex scenes, yeah...
There's some swearing but it is never continuous or rampant.
This series is fun at times, but it is dark, dark, dark. It's even been a labelled a "horror" anime.
Watch with caution, but watch it anyway. XP

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« Reply #14 on: May 06, 2009, 04:28:16 pm »

Black Blood Brothers

Rating: 4.5/5

Summary:During a fictional war called the Hong Kong Crusade, an Old Blood vampire, Jiro Mochizuki, a.k.a. the Silver Blade (銀刀 Gintō?), fought and defeated the Kowloon king and also most of the Kowloon Children. Ten years later, Jiro heads to Japan with his little brother, Kotaro, in hopes of reaching The Special Zone, a thriving secret city where vampires live. They soon realize that a plan to infiltrate The Special Zone is being hatched by the Kowloon Children survivors. As they travel to The Special Zone, Jiro encounters enemies from the past and new threats that may endanger the safety of the Special Zone. The abduction of Kotaro, by one of the Kowloon Children, thrusts him even further into the battle.

Summary taken from Wiki

Reasons for rating:

Story: It's an anime about vampires, but they make it nice and refreshing. Sorta like Angel meets Vampire Knight meets Berserk (Sorta on that last one.)

I honestly didn't have high expectations for this show when I first saw it, but it kept getting more and more interesting.

It has a wonderful blend of comedy and action, lovable characters, interesting plots, romance. It's pretty much pristine.

The pretty much part is the only reason there's .5 taken off my rating.

The characters are awesome. If you know me, you know I 7 times out of 10 dislike the main character in an anime, but Jiro is awesome. Though Zelman is now one of my top favorite anime characters EVER. ^.^

The story is awesome, as I said.

The villains are kinda...stereotypical, but they're still cool.

The ONLY beef I have with this show is that they leave too many loose ends in the end. It is not a satisfactory ending in my eyes.

The series ends on cliffhanger basically. The bad guys, or the main bad woman, is not dead in the end, she disappears.
Jiro claims his destiny is to give Kotaro his blood when he gets old enough and he'll disappear, leaving his relationship with Mimiko as "We'll figure something out"
And I don't think anyone ever fully explains why Jiro is the only vampire in the entire series that starts to dissolve when water hits him.
Not Holy water. Just water. Even rain hurts him.

If there's a second season to this (unlikely?) I may change my rating, but for now it stands. =\

Art: The art is great, very well done. My only problem is some people's faces are kinda too long and pointy...

Music: Though the opening and ending weren't really amazing or memorable, the over-soundtrack is great. No complaints.

Voices: Yes, I did the English Dub...
The voices are really great and fitting. Mimiko's voice is a TAD annoying, but no qualms overall.

Characters:
Jiro: Jiro's character is very noble and loving, full of honor and respect. I sorta dislike, as stated in the show, his constant need to be the hero. Even when Mimiko or Kotaro are doing the heroics (in a noble sense) he comes out as the knight in shining armor in the end.
His character design is also stated to be modelled after Alucard and, though I can see it like in the hair and hat maybe jacket, I don't think you can compare the master of all anime vamps to gentle Jiro.

Kotaro: Kotaro's loving and cute and just as you'd expect a little kid in an anime to be. He's not bratty, but he's a bit of a troublemaker.
I can't help but love Kotaro. X3
His existence is key in the series, and it's not until the last episode where you find out what he really is and why, as Jiro's supposed "Little Brother", he not only looks in now way to Jiro (Jiro: Black straight hair, brown eyes; Kotaro: Blond semi-curly hair, blue eyes) but also why he seems to have no weaknesses like Jiro's water intolerance and can even walk in sunlight.
(I assumed, as you probably would if you watched before reading this, that he was son of Jiro and Alice (Jiro's sire. She has blond, semi-curly hair and blue eyes, which sparks the suspicion) but he's apparently not. I won't say much, but he IS his little brother in a blood sense, but they aren't related by blood. (HAH!))

Mimiko: Mimiko's annoying, but a lot more noble and brave than some other girls in anime. Standing up to vamps, giving her blood to Jiro (Though, I wish Jiro would've sired her. I dunno why, I just wish that would've happened.) she also keeps Jiro in line on more than once occasion.

....She also has a "Te'a" moment....

Casa: The main villain, Casa was friends with both Jiro and Alice many years ago, but betrayed them by killing Alice. She guarded Alice's ashes for years afterwards and, yet another loose end, never explains why.
She's a Kowloon child. I believe she was the first to be bitten by the Kowloon children leader.
My theory is, by the way she talks, that she guarded Alice's remains out of guilt, but remained a proud traitor and concocted a plan to resurrect the Kowloon King (Yet another loose end)

Bottom Line: Definitely worth a watch, even if you're not into vampires.
Hope they make another season though. Doubt they will because, from my knowledge, the manga stops in the same place...

Preferred Audience: I didn't think this would be that bad at first but it definitely has it's moments.
People (well, a Kowloon child) skewered with a giant spike of wood (The guy doesn't turn to dust BTW. That doesn't even seem to happen in this show, it's all about silver, like werewolves.) arms getting blown off, getting sliced with knife tons of times, a giant dog stomping on a small boys head to the point where he's so bloody you can't recognise him...
Sexually, there's very subtle mentions of **** (discussions. None actually happens.) and sex, but there's not even any kissing.

I'd say at least be at a double-digit age to watch this. It's not bad at all.



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