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When the Fall season arrived last year, I placed all my expectations on Shion no Ou. It had the potential to be a great mystery show. While what I got was different to what I expected, Shion no Ou exceeded my high expectations, and has become the best anime to air in 2007. The compelling cast of characters are well developed, each of them having their own distinct personality, and their own motives. Lots of background info for most of the main characters are revealed, as the show moves on, while the mystery of who killed Shion's parents is simple, it will leave you guesing who the real killer is until the last few episodes. The story itself is amazing. It starts off a bit slow, introducing the characters and the setting of the Shogi world, but when the big tournament arc begins at the Ep 8 mark, it really lifts off. The mind games during the Shogi matches are even better, as the clues for the mystery slowly unravel. Even if you don't understand Shogi, watching the matches are very tense, and will leave you wanting more.

The OP is awesome J-Rock, while the ED is rather simple J-pop song, but it's nice enough to listen to. The background music is very good though, along with excellent seiyuu's bringing the characters to life. Hearing Shion's thoughts are a joy when someone like Ayako Kawasumi is cast as the voice for Shion.

Studio DEEN adpated Shion no Ou from its manga, which means that you might have trouble liking the animation, especially towards the end. With such a limited budget, DEEN needed a good animation director. Seiya Numata (Key Animation for the infamous Ep 4 of TTGL) did a wonderful job, providing lots of different camera angles, animating the characters in some rather unique poses, and adding lots of messy, realistic but interesting details. At the very least, the characters designs are wonderful. And yes, one certain character does get the Studio DEEN Twisted Face Syndrome.

I never thought Shion no Ou would turn out so well that it would become the best anime of 07, beating big contenders like Baccano, Ghost Hound and Higurashi Kai. If your looking for a compelling story with a great cast of characters, and if you want to experience a visual feast at the same time, you need to see this anime now. read more

Horror. Blood, guts, gore, screams and its very dark tones. Something i am not a big fan of. But despite all that, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni is simply astounding. Mind-bending, chaotic and filled with near-perfect execution.

Story: The story focuses on the village of Hinamizawa, and it's hidden and very chilling secrets. Keiichii Maebara has just moved to the countryside village, and is enjoying his new life with his new friends Rena Ryuugu, Mion Sonozaki, Rika Furude and Satoko Houjou. But underneath the peaceful times, is the chilling mysteries of the Hinamizawa Dam Construction murders, and the Watangashi festival. With this season split into the 4 question arcs and the first two answer arcs, not everything is answered yet. But the crazy plot twists will keep you eager to watch the next episode, even if you see a gruesome scene or two.

Animation: All the characters (Especially Rena and Rika) look very cute, and the backgrounds are all quite well animated. The art style is wonderful too. But unfortunately, their faces distort to X-stream when they're in psycho mode. These inconsistencies with the animation is sometimes an added plus when it comes to scaring you even more.

Sound: I'm addicted to the OP and ED. I adore the little touch at the end when they do the next episode preview while the piano plays at the end of the ED. The background music also fits in very well, and the voice acting is superb. How can they laugh so well? Must be practice.

Character: I enjoyed every character in at least one arc. I even liked Satoko and Shion in arcs 2 and 3. Though nothing can beat Rika's cute phrases and Rena's graceful style. They all develop through the story at a steady pace. Keichii's behavior changes quite a bit throughout the show too, but I believe that he will be a very strong character in Kai. His determination and his will to trust his friends will pull him through. Oishi and Irie was also great minor characters, but I'm unsure on which side they are really on, and their motives...

Enjoyment: Simply put, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni is the perfect anime for anyone that enjoys to really interact, predict and think with the storyline and it's characters. An unbelievable horror anime, and a decent comedy too. Hey, i liked the lame comedy scenes. This is Studio DEEN's masterpiece. read more

It's kinda like Inuyasha or Naruto in the sense that you will either love or hate Excel Saga. Instead of ninjas and demons, it is insane humor and parodies of every type of anime stereotype. This is anime at its funniest.

Story: Plot? Hmm...maybe. Though the first 20 or so episodes don't seem to have any at all, there is enough to tie it together. Excel and Hyatt try to take over the world with Lord Illpalazzo. I like how the good guys are like the bad guys. Episode 21-25 ties up the rest with a plot, and 26...well, you'll just have to find out yourself. It goes too far in a way.

One thing to note. Episodes 14-16 seems like they over-used old humor from earlier. I actually think they were ment to do that, to prove how desperate the directors were. (Not real directors. They are characters as well)

Animation: For its time, I liked the animation. This is my first review, and i'm not an expert on animation. It was smooth and it flowed nicely with Excel's crazy antics.

Sound: It has a very catchy opening theme song that only just got out of my head. The ending theme song is alright, it's just Menchi begging not to be eaten really. The music is generally catchy and matches the situation greatly. Everyone's voices ( I watched this show in English) are quite good, except Excel drags on and on. And on.

Character: Probably what i liked the best about the show. All the characters are crazy, but they all differ and i love them all. They develop their personality's well. Especially Watanabe. He's like me exactly. Without the whole I'm in love with an ACROSS member.

Enjoyment: I enjoyed most of the episodes. Some of them were pointless really, but overall I never stopped laughing. This isn't an anime for everyone, but for the parody lovers and for the ones that like a bit of insanity, Excel Saga is perfect. read more