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Takahashi Nanami has just started a high school with not many people she knows. Takahashi has a goal to make as much friends as possible. Amongst the female students, there is much talk about a boy named Motoharu Yano. Supposedly, mostly every girl likes Yano and is very popular with his contemporaries. Takahashi asks her classmate, Yamamoto Yuri (chuckle) about Yano to try and confirm this sort of "gossip". Yuri claims that she hates him and shortly after Takahashi begins to hate him as well but sudden feelings begin to grow.

Bokura ga Ita feels like any kind of shoujo anime out there. With there is nothing wrong with sticking to the classics. The story is played out well over a twenty-six episode period which didn't feel rushed or drawn-out. I really appreciated that there was no time skip in Bokura ga Ita. One thing that irritates me is when shoujo manga/anime has a large time skip, which makes you feel as if you're not seeing the full relationship between the two characters. Along with the typical romance. Just to clarify once again, there is nothing wrong with being cliche or typical. Along with the romance, I found myself enjoying the relationship between other characters more. The friendship and rivalry that Yano and Takeuchi had throughout the series the growing relationship between a mother and son that didn't exist for a while. This smaller stories in the series had me yearning for much more than the main romance.

The art is my highest rating of the show. I would hate to describe this art as "shoujo" as I have been already. The art feels very, very dreamy. All the scenes are full of color and they always shine brightly with light around the characters, almost as their in a spotlight when their time is up. I should also add that they captured a lot of stills and add a watercolor-type touch to the still. I welcomed those stills; they added a more dreamy touch when the characters explained their feelings and thoughts. The style of art always drags in that little extra bit of drama with the story. A picture to help explain.

The sound is probably one of my least favorite aspects of the show. Surely, the music added the scenes but I swear I was hearing the same songs every episode. There are varieties to the song as least, sometimes it's the instrumental version, sometimes the lyrics will be replaced with "la la la"s. The music fits perfectly with the scenes and the series but it just wasn't for me. The OP got a little old. The eight different EDs were probably my favorite part. Each one played the last scene out. Which got me thinking, there are only eight moods the episodes go out on? I cannot answer this question on my own. So you'll have to be the judge.

Characters were very well displayed as the series finally kicks off. Takahashi begins hating Yano, which I only remembered whilst flicking through the episodes. This is probably because there wasn't much evidence that Takahashi actually hated Yano. But when Takahashi starts to realize her feelings is when I started getting interested. All of her actions were never questioned until a fateful moment where it finally mattered. Which bothered me a little but that is her character; realistic as well. Yano is really described throughout the whole series as you learn about his murky past and how he lives in the present. You really see their relationship as well as the smaller ones. I mentioned before that those relationships were my favorite. Between Yano and his family, mainly his mother and between his friend Takeuchi. The characters seem very realistic and are portrayed well. Which is a huge plus in this show and review.

I found myself enjoying Bokura ga Ita. A definite check-out for anyone that is a fan with the genre. Which is a damn big fan base. It had it's flaws that I noticed but they don't matter as much as the whole series. The story may not be original, but it feels right at home when it comes to the drama and romance. Although, I did feel cheated at the end. A bittersweet taste is left in my mouth. read more

The story follows third year high school student Araragi Koyomi; a past vampire. Over his spring break he was attacked by a vampire thus turning into one. With the help Meme Oshino, an expert in the field of oddities: Who helps Araragi become a human again with payment. The series has a set of chapters, with a heroine in each chapter being induced by an oddity. This show is full of word play, which is the author's strength in his writing of the light novels.

The art in the series is nothing less than spectacular. The lighting, the animation, the colors is just all so beautiful. The scenes that would be plain have some sort of interesting aspect and life to it. This is done by Studio Shaft (one of my favorite studios) so it's very familiar to those that have seen Sayonara Zetsubo Sensei or Tsukuyomi: Moon Phase. Which are fantastic as well. And yes, Shaft does make use of production slides and storyboards for dialogue or just for some effect on the situation. CAUTION: Some of the storyboards/production slides go by really fast. You're going to have pause to read them.

The sound is great. I'll mention OPs and EDs. The OPs are great, different ones for chapters and they fit well based on the heroine of the chapter. The ED is by supercell (they did the theme for Cencoroll as well) is fantastic, the animation in the ED is personally a favorite of mine. Now, to the real sound that counts, the BGM. It's great, fits every scene well and adds emotion to them as well. Very well done.

The cast of characters is all over the place. Araragi is overly kind and tries to help anyone he can. Amongst the heroines there are the basic characters that stick out. There is Hitagi Senjougahara who describes herself as a tsundere. She speaks in a very threatening way to anyone. Suruga Kanbaru, a self-proclaimed lesbian, masochist, and fujoshi. Many other characters appear with other personalities which gives a delectable assortment of characters.

Overall, this anime is definitely one to check out; one of my favorites from this season. With the overtone of spirits, mythological creatures, ghosts, and gods there is room for romance in this anime as well. Chapters are relatively short (limited to three/two episodes for one chapter) but capture a lot of the story through this dialogue heavy anime. An anime to a remember with the great depth of the characters and how the chapters help the characters develop. read more

When first viewing The Third, I believe I was going into the anime with the wrong attitude. I was thinking that this anime was going to mediocre and bland. I was wrong; what we have here is a anime with great development of characters and a story that ties together throughout the series.

The synopsis is given at the top of the page for this anime but I'll give a version for you.

Earth; years after a war that nearly destroyed all of the humans is now a barren desert. In this desert, Honoka can be found reciting poems by her favorite Poet, "Dana Myfree." Honoka is the "jack-of-all-trades" known throughout the land as "Sword Dancer." She does jobs for people of cities. Whether it's moving stock around town or taking out Stigma Ants in the desert. During one of those jobs, she finds a man in the desert named Iks. After being saved by Honoka, he wishes to accompany her on all of her travels to begin an observation of the The Third controlled Earth.

The series is accompanied by a narrator. Which to me, was a welcomed idea. The narration helped explain parts of the story and the emotions of the characters. With the emotions, the narrator goes even deeper into the minds of the characters making you feel "one" with the character. This made for some great character development in the story, I felt as if I knew what the characters would do in any situation.

The art of the series is great, but nothing that really jumped out at me. Great animation for fights and any other kind of scene. Some episodes we're disappointing due to a change of animation and art. It was done by another group as far as I know and it's extremely noticeable. Despite the lack of art and animation in about two or three episodes, the rest is superb. The lighting and colors during some scenes really set a mood in some of the story making it some great eye candy.

The OP is pretty tasteless. I usually enjoy watching the OPs of all animes because it's there to set a tone. The OP does a good job setting the tone but was just seemed long and boring. The EDs I did enjoy, I'll throw that in. The BGM was nothing memorable or remarkable; it helps to set a mood for the scenes and does a good job fitting any situation. The OP is played as BGM during some episodes, which is welcomed then.

The characters in this show almost make everything. The narration helps you get more in depth with each character. Honoka is a fierce yet humble swordsman but is a spriteful young girl around characters she's comfortable with. Not to mention that Honoka is probably one of the most powerful swordsman I have seen in a while. With Honoka there are plenty of other well-developed characters in the story.

In conclusion, this anime seems bumpy at first with four different story arcs in the range of 24 episodes. But if you feel down, you have to keep watching until the end where everything is tied up and leaves a brilliant smile on your face. read more