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Apr 1, 2015
"Ladies and gentlemen! I bring you the illusions that sparkle at night"- Kid the Phantom Thief.
If you are already a fan of Kid the Phantom Thief or Detective Conan, you should enjoy this series. If you are unfamiliar with either of those names, you can still watch this series and enjoy it. Having information about the characters will definitely inform your viewing experience, but it is not needed.
Story: 7
This series is episodic in nature, which each story focusing on Kid the Phantom Thief attempting to steal some jewel or valuable object, which brings him into conflict with the police, other thieves, royalty, teen detectives, and
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a certain child detective. The engaging part of the story is learning the explanation behind the magic tricks performed in the series (most of which are pretty clever). Many scenarios require a great suspension of disbelief, and the stories can be formulaic at times, but still very enjoyable.
Art: 8
The animation quality is great, recreating the unique art-style from the manga. There are plenty of night shots with beautiful lighting and lots of flowing capes.
Sound: 8
The background music is great, there are a couple really great tracks that range from jazz to techno beats. The OPs and EPs are great tunes and get you excited for the series. The Japanese dub has great voice acting, especially from the main character.
Character: 7
I've heard complaints the characters are stereotypical. I can see how characters fit into typical shonen character roles, but they are enjoyable nonetheless. Kaito is a stubborn and prideful guy who has a good heart and Aoko is a sweet girl who just can't seem to be honest with him about her feelings, but she can give him the what for when needed!
Enjoyment: 9
The idea of having a secret identity is a story-line I enjoy watching and the mission Kaito gives himself at the start of the series provides strong motivation to his actions. Having not watched any Detective Conan prior to viewing this, I was apprehensive about watching a spin off series from a long running show . Magic Kaito proved to be very entertaining and a good adventure series, and the episodes with Conan are some of the best ones! Seeing the magic tricks explained and seeing mysteries solved kept me interested in watching more. Kid the Phantom Thief is so charismatic that you can't help but cheer for him!
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Mar 30, 2015
If you want to know more about how anime is made or what it is like to work in the anime industry, Shirobako is the show for you. What we have is an office-themed slice of life series that focuses on an animation company's productions from the vantage point of a young production assistant and her friends.
Story: 8
The story of Shirobako chronicles the company's creation of two anime series, an original series and one based on a popular manga. Each story arc explores the difficulties of creating each type of story, and the show presents the work environment as hectic and insanely busy.
Characters: 7
While
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the series has five protagonists, not all of them have equal screen time or character development. Beyond the main heroines, there is a large ensemble cast of characters who each play a role in the production of anime. Many of them are memorable and at first glance seem to be stereotypes, are given more character development as the show goes on. Learning how and why these characters do what they do and why they pursue their passions are very inspiring.
Sound: 8
The music fits the mood, while mainly being upbeat and energetic. The Japanese dub is good, as characters each have a distinctive voice. And they talk about voice acting a bit in parts of the show when you see them dubbing the show!
Art: 8
A lot of time is dedicated in the story to exploring the motivations and challenges faced by character designers and animators, explaining the difficulty of particular scenes that they are working on (such as a bunch of running horses) and then they proceed to show you that actual completed animation! The actual art of the series is bright and colourful in and of itself.
Enjoyment: 8
I have always been fascinated by the animation process so learning how anime is produced and how many people are involved in the process was a great learning experience for me. There is a lot of people talking in jargon that is hard to understand, but that's true of any story involving an office environment. I also enjoy slice of life shows that show the progression of people through their daily lives. And it was refreshing to see a show about people pursuing careers as young adults as opposed to all the anime shows about teenagers dreaming about the future. Shirobako takes that next step and hows the struggles of establishing yourself as a professional, which speaks to where I'm at in life as well.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Mar 23, 2015
Wow. Just wow.
This series blew my mind. As someone who has never played an instrument, I wasn't sure if I would enjoy an anime about teenagers playing the piano.
BUT I loved it. I was drawn in by the visuals, the music, the symbolism, and characters. I was engaged by the story, and was cheering for the protagonist as he dealt with the life challenges being thrown at him.
If you don't like teen melodrama or coming of age stories, then this isn't for you. There's no fan-service, explosive action scenes, or giant robots. There are some shonen tropes like rivals that become friends, impassioned speeches
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about life, and the lady-killer best friend, but they fit in well with the series. And while the main tone is dramatic, the show's humourous moments shine as well.
The first OP is probably one of best anime theme songs I have ever heard, and the second EP is almost as good. You care about the journey these characters face, and the conclusion is satisfying. Worth your time!
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Feb 17, 2015
Durarara!! has a large cast of characters, and the first half of the series spends a lot of time fleshing out who these people are and where they come from. Just watching the opening shows that there are a lot of main characters to become invested in. Some characters are more fleshed out than others, and for the first 10 episodes you will find yourself asking "What the hell is going on?".
However, once you meet all the players the story becomes really good. There are definitely some crazy people in this world, and the show becomes more enjoyable for it. I would say the characters
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and the plotting are definitely the highlights of this series. You can tell this was based on a light novel, as there are lots of scenes with narration explaining character thoughts and providing exposition.
The animation and sound are average. The characters look different enough that you can tell everyone apart, and the music changes to match the scene. I watched the English dub (which is available on Crunchyroll) which I thought serviced the story well.
This show is intense. If you enjoy supernatural crime drama stories, then you will enjoy this show. I was so emotionally invested in the conflicts between characters and groups in the story that I actually got angry at the TV a couple times.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Feb 16, 2015
On paper, the premise of Ben-To seems ridiculous. A shonen battle series about people who literally engage in fist fights over half priced bento meals in super markets. It's the kind of ridiculous story that could only work in anime.
I haven't read the manga, so I don't know how it holds up as an adaptation. The anime series does a good job at making the ridiculous premise enjoyable by making the characters enjoyable and establishing Fight Club-esque rules for the food fighting. This series has a lot of stereotypical character types, and the main protagonist suffers a lot of physical abuse that he doesn't deserve
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(from female members of the cast).
The fighting animation is very fluid and alive, but character designs go off-model fairly often. The theme song is really catchy and actually ties into the series (if you read the subtitles for the lyrics). I watched the English dub of the series and the cast chosen did a good job.
It's a crazy idea that I found very enjoyable nonetheless. The story is engaging and the world-building makes the scenario seem more plausible. If you like shonen battle series or food fights, check Ben-To out.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Feb 9, 2015
Little Busters Refrain! is the second season of the Little Busters anime. The show is based on a Key visual novel, and if you know what that means, then you know what to expect.
For those unfamiliar with Key or visual novel adaptations, the series plays out the plot line from a dating sim-type video game, where the protagonist builds relationships with multiple girls. Little Busters follows a young man who meets several people and helps them overcome personal tragedies so they can all play baseball. Most visual novel adaptations have an emphasis on romance, where the story arc of each girl has them falling
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in love with the main character. Little Busters is more focused on friendship, which is a nice change.
I would say that it is important to see the first season before watching Refrain because you won't know who any of the characters are otherwise. Like other Key adaptations, this show pulls on the heartstrings and can be very emotional. I enjoyed the experience the characters went through, and the struggles they face are real world issues. Without getting into spoilers, I have mixed feelings about the ending, which deviates from the story of the game. Overall its a good drama with themes of friendship. Worth the watch.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jan 29, 2015
If you want to see a shonen-style anime starring Marvel Comics characters, this is your show. It is clearly targeted at a young male audience and as such if you don't like kids-action shonen series with lots of merchandising thrown in, then avoid this series.
I've only see the first 29 episodes so I have admittedly fallen behind and its currently in my "on hold" list. People have described this series as Pokemon meets Avengers but I see it more so as Digimon meets Avengers.
Similarly to Digimon Adventure, a group of young people are paired off with a different Avenger character in an adventure battle series
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where the goal is collecting stuff. Like in Digimon, each respective Avenger can only fight when their partner "summons" them through stock transformation sequences. Each kid has a personality that nicely contrasts the Avenger they are paired with, allowing for character growth. For example, The Hulk is paired with a nerdy, introverted kid while Captain America is paired with a teenage rebel.
The biggest attraction to this series for me is seeing Marvel Comics characters in an anime series. As a comics nerd, I enjoy seeing how Japanese creators visualize and give life to US creations. From what I've seen, they have done a great job at characterizing the Marvel characters as they should be.
If you aren't a Marvel comics fan or a fan of kids shonen adventure anime, there's pretty much no reason for you to watch this.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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