JustinNateal's Anime List | JustinNateal's Manga List

JustinNateal's Profile

*to those who are too lazy to read and just want a quick summary, skip to the final paragraph*

Wordy, confusing, dark, yet strangely compelling. These are the words which perfectly describe the experience I had from watching this anime. Shinsekai Yori, or From The New World , is an anime adaptation of a visual novel of the same name. To tell you frankly, this review has taken quite some time to write, simply because I found it hard to put into words as to why it is good. Either way, I will still do my best to write this review, and to start off let me provide you with a simple overview of the plot.

Shisekai Yori is an anime set a millennium into the future, in a seemingly utopian society where the remaining humans have finally unlocked the power of mind over matter, which they refer to as Cantus. During a field trip, Saki, the main protagonist of the story, along with her four friends discovers an ancient recording device left behind by the past civilization. With the revelations they found, their adventure begins as they are captured by Queerats, another race of beings which resembles humanoid molerats.

So, what exactly is good with Shinsekai Yori? Well, to start off, let us discuss the plot. If you read the summary carefully, you might notice that it actually resembles an adventure type anime. However, that is not the case. Shinsekai Yori is a psychological anime that focuses on the philosophical aspects of the story (which I will be discussing later), despite the fact that it is tagged under horror, which I think it is not. Shinsekai Yori is an anime where you really have to put some time into it to enjoy it. The anime is quite slow; it only gets interesting at episode 3 and the plot only picks up at episode 9 or so. So yes, it does have quite a slow start, but once it gets rolling, it really hooks you in with its wonderfully executed and spontaneous plot. It’s the type of anime where when things get serious, they really get serious, And just as you’re breathing your first sigh of relief after the end of an intense plot arc, things kick into high gear again making it a thrill to watch until the very end.

But despite the plot being spontaneous, it was complicated enough to give off a sense of mystery. There are times when you just have no idea of what’s happening until it hits you in the face. Personally, I found this to be quite refreshing: To not be able to tell what will happen next and just watch plot unfold and reveal the answers to your questions.

Though even with all those things, the best thing about Shinsekai Yori’s plot still lies in its philosophical undertones. It portrays to us in a serious manner sensitive topics such as racism, slavery, human sexuality, and even democracy. These philosophical undertones are what makes Shinsekai Yori shine; It can make you think about the implications of those things in real life just like any decent and self-respecting Sci-fi title has. And what’s more, it shows us circumstances where we can’t help but feel pity to the oppressed and hate for the oppressors. Shinsekai Yori is the type of anime that makes the viewer empathize with the characters despite us viewers never having really been in that situation. This alone makes such a great anime, as it leaves a huge impact on whoever watches it, making it a memorable experience to all those who’ve watched it.

As for the characters, I’d say that they are nothing less than wonderful. The main characters were truly unique and fleshed out, and had good personalities to boot. Now, what really made the characters so interesting is that you can see how they changed over time. You can see them turning from flat and boring characters into interesting people each with their own uniqueness in terms of their philosophies. Speaking of uniqueness, well the characters themselves weren’t all too unique in a sense that they could possibly still be fitted into some character archetypes. Take Shun for example. He’s the silent type who speaks only when needed and when he does, he speaks in an intelligent manner that you would expect from the seemingly smartest person in their group. Does that sound familiar to you? But despite that, the characters do change into unique characters as I’ve mentioned before, and that’s what counts.

And also, I would like to give a special mention to the antagonist of this anime. As to not spoil the plot, I won’t tell who it is but I for one think that he is one of the greatest antagonists ever created. Now, one of the things that really caught my attention about him was his personality. He was what you would call a trickster, the type of character who you have a very bad feeling about and yet he seems to be unlikely an enemy. He made use of the protagonists and played them for fools, while being so seemingly friendly and down to earth which made him so interesting. Also, despite being the antagonist, the reason as to why he was fighting was very reasonable that at times I found myself even supporting him. It wasn’t like in other anime where the antagonists are being asses for the sake of being an ass, in Shinsekai Yori the antagonist was being an ass for a very reasonable reason. Kind of like how Yagami was such an ass despite having good intentions.

And to top it all off, Shinsekai Yori also has a pretty decent animation. It was animated by A1 pictures, which also animated SAO (which despite having a bad plot, you gotta admit it had great animation) as well as other famous anime as well like Magi, Fairy Tail, Kuroshitsuji II, and Ao no Exorcist. The music was also great. The BGMs were the type of foreboding music that sounds like people chanting and gives a wonderful atmosphere when needed. Also, the first ending song, Wareta Ringo, was just addicting and has been stuck in my head for a couple of weeks now. Sadly, they don’t have an opening sequence, and just start off with something like a 30 sec recap of the last episode.

Now one last thing, and this one is the thing that has sparked a bit of controversy among people (or at least, between me and my friends), and that is the presence of Yaoi and Yuri in the series. If you are the type of person who cannot handle seeing tongue action between two men, despite the fact that it isn’t done for the sake of fanservice, or even better, girls kissing each other, well, watch it anyway. These things are not detrimental to the plot (though it was mentioned why this happens in the first three episodes if you read carefully) and therefore would not affect the overall experience of watching this anime.

So with all that said, what is the verdict for Shinsekai Yori? For me, I found it to be quite heck of a ride. The plot was well-written and executed, the undertones were mind boggling and the characters were a joy to watch. Despite that though, it is far from perfect and there are some bad in it like how it had a slow start, a complicated story, and Yaoi. Personally, I found it to be one of the more interesting anime of this past year. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a decent psychological anime that revolves more on philosophical themes rather than gore.

To provide a quick summary of this review, here are the pros and cons of this anime:

+Plot was well-written, well executed and spontaneous.
+The philosophical undertones of the story were very interesting to say the least.
+The characters were fleshed out pretty well and the character development aspect of this anime was superb
+The antagonist was very noteworthy and had a great impact because of his goal.
+The animation and music were decent.
+Yuri XD

-The first few episodes had a slow start to the point that it seemed like nothing was happening
-The plot was hard to understand and pretty complicated at first.
-Some of the characters can be fitted into character archetypes.
-Yaoi (?)

~First and foremost, thanks for reading my review. If you have any comments regarding my review or just want to have a discussion, then leave a comment at my page. I will greatly appreciate it. =)~
read more

*to those who are too lazy to read and just want a quick summary, skip to the final paragraph*

One of the greatest battles that mankind has ever witnessed is the battle between science and religion, a battle that is still being fought today. So just imagine, what will happen if people with supernatural abilities existed and both these sides got hold of people whose special abilities that are nothing short of miraculous? So how exactly does this relate to To Aru Majutsu no Index? Well I suppose a short summary of the story is in order.

Now To Aru Majutsu no Index (which I would just refer to now as Majutsu no Index) is set in a world where both science and magic coexist. Kamijou Touma, you regular high school kid lives within a place called Academy City, the so called “utopia of science” as well as an utopia for a new type of people known as ESPers, people who can have supernatural abilities by controlling the laws of science. Kamijou Touma, being a student in the Academy City, has a strange power called “Imagine Breaker”, a skill which allows him to dispel anything magical or is a product of ESPer powers. On the other hand, there is Index Prohibitorum Librorum (or Index for short), a nun who has the superhuman ability to remember virtually anything and has memorized in her mind 103,000 grimoires concerning magic that is prohibited by the church or is otherwise just far too dangerous to be used. One day, Touma found a starving Index hanging in his balcony after being chased by mysterious men, begging him for food. This is where the story starts as Touma finds himself in the middle of all the problems concerned with letting a walking manual for destruction live in his house.

Now, you gotta admit, the idea of science and magic clashing against each other is a pretty freaking good concept, and a good concept always mean a good anime right? Well, Majutsu no Index had pretty much everything that a good anime has: a good concept, interesting premises, and a recipe for romance. Unfortunately, it failed to use its full potential as an anime because of certain mistakes made by the producers of this anime.

So let’s start off with the story. As I’ve said, Majutsu no index is set on interesting premises yet it failed to fully utilize all of its hidden potential. You see, one of the biggest problems here is, or the lack thereof, of a main antagonist because what happened is that the anime was split into two sides : the magic side and the science side.

The magic side is the side concerned with magic aspect of the anime. The plots concerning this side usually just revolves around people who are relentlessly trying to kidnap Index to learn the secrets in her head and wreak havoc upon the earth, those who want to save Index from her perfect memory, which they claim would kill her if they don’t brainwash her every year since she would remember every detail she sees and ultimately overload her brain, and the church which is responsible for pretty much all of Index’s problems. And obviously, it’s Touma’s job to protect Index which he usually does by talking and punching the said magicians into submission. Though that way of solving things isn’t really all that bad, what really makes the magic side so terrible is that it’s quite episodic when it comes to plot. The plot from one arc to another just doesn’t add up and that makes it quite terrible: the fact that it has no continuality.

The science side on the other hand, is a heck lot more interesting in terms of plot than the magic side. It revolves around the concept of leveling up ESPers. You see, the thing with ESPers is that they are ranked using levels, starting from level 0 (which is by the way, Touma’s level) and above. This is done in order to measure how strong an ESPer is with level 0 being weakest, virtually having no powers, and those with higher levels having stronger powers. The current highest level ESPers have been able to attain is level 5, a title which seven different people in Academy City hold. The story focuses on two of these level 5 ESPers, namely Misaka Mikoto, who was the ability to control electricity and is a friend to Touma, and The Accelerator, who can control and redirect vectors at will. What happened is that Academy City decided to create the first level 6 ESPer, and there are only two ways to do it: Either have a level 5 ESPer kill roughly 128 other level 5 ESPers, or to have a level 5 ESPer kill 20,000 level 3 ESPers. Seeing as they only have seven level 5 ESPers, they opted for the other method: have a level 5 ESPer, namely The Accelerator, kill 20,000 level 3 ESPers. Now the question is where do they get 20,000 level 3 ESPers?

If you haven’t noticed by now, yes, I am biased towards the science side of the story but there is a good reason for that. As I’ve said, what this series lacks is the presence of a main antagonist, and what the science side gives is just that, along with a solid plot. On the other hand, the magic side is, as I’ve mentioned, quite episodic in nature, jumping around from one antagonist to the other and having no clear goal as to where it would lead the story next after one conflict is solved. This is one of the biggest downfalls of Majutsu no Index and is one of the main reasons as to why it fails to live up to its potential. Another problem with this anime is that the magic and science side of the story almost never crosses each other, despite the fact that they should be two sides of the same coin. This is especially annoying from time to time because it causes quite a few plotholes in the story.

Another one of the problems with Majutsu no Index lies in its characters. I’m not saying that they are bad, it’s just that they are so cliché it hurts. We have Kamijou Touma, who’s definition of unlucky is seeing naked chicks and getting “in touch” with the ladies (gee, I haven’t seen that before), Index, who is your regular hyperactive loli, Misaka, nicknamed biribiri, who is your run-of-the-mill tsundere, and others who would take too long to mention. But of course, that isn’t the real problem, as cliché characters can still be interesting despite the fact that they are, well, cliché.

The real problem is that the makers of the anime desperately try to make Touma, the main character, look badass when in fact, he’s not. And for the sake of doing this, they pretty much confine most of the other characters to the sidelines. This becomes very apparent during the latter half of the show, when pretty much every problem ends up being solved when Touma punches the antagonist in the face.

But of course, not all of the characters are bad. Take Accelerator for example. Aside from being the main antagonist for the majority of the science side plotline, he is also the one of the few characters that received a noticeable amount of character development. As the story introduced him as an evil psycho who is willing to kill tens of thousands to gain power, he was later shown to have a softer side who cares for others more than he seems .Other than him, most of the other anime characters just receive minimal amounts of development, maybe aside for one more character though discussing her here could spoil the story.

So far, the only redeeming feature Majutsu no Index has is in its animation and music. The Art was just the way I like it, clean, smooth, and shiny just like most of the newer animes today, though there are times when the movements seem a little bit choppy but this is barely noticeable and doesn’t really affect the overall experience of watching this anime. The music on the other hand is just plain freaking awesome. The first and second openings, both J-pop songs, where sung by Kawada Mami which are in my opinion, just perfect for the theme of the anime: fast-paced and somehow had a futuristic tune to it.

So overall I’d have to say that To Aru Majutsu no Index is more or less an average anime. It’s an anime with a good concept and interesting premises, it just happened to have been unable to fully utilize its full potential. Still though, that doesn’t mean that it’s a bad anime. It does have moments where it shines and shows some pretty amazing scenes. Unfortunately, it couldn’t maintain that level of goodness throughout which becomes one of its downfalls. So this isn’t really something that I would personally recommend, but if you’re stuck with nothing to watch, or maybe you’re one those who have a liking for shounen animes with a little bit of romance here and there then why not give this a shot. Who knows, you might come to like it more than I did.

So to provide a quick summary, here are a list of pros and cons:

+ It has a good concept: Science against Magic
+The openings, both sung by Kawada Mami, were awesome J-pop songs
+The art was clean and smooth
+The Science side of the story had a good plotline
+The Accelerator is just a badass antagonist

-The anime was unable to use its full potential and due to half of the story, the magic side, being terrible
-The makers of the anime were trying too hard to make the protagonist of the story, Touma, look badass despite the fact that he was not
-The animation can get a little choppy at times, though this isn’t too noticeable
-The characters are quite cliché

~First and foremost, thanks for reading my review. If you have any comments regarding my review or just want to have a discussion, then leave a comment at my page. I will greatly appreciate it. =)~
read more

*to those people who are only looking for a quick summary, skip to the end*

If you happen to get a power that allows you to kill anyone, regardless of who they are, for as long as you know their name and face, what would you do? Most people would probably use it for their own selfish desires, like to kill that noisy neighbor who doesn’t know where his own lawn ends, or that slave driver of a boss that just piles up more and more paperwork on your desk, or maybe even that fat bastard who won’t pay his debt. Regardless of your answer, I guess that every one of us has someone in their mind who you think should just disappear. This is the very same circumstances that happen in Death note. Light Yagami, an exceptionally smart student happened to find a notebook entitled as Death Note. Thinking of it as a prank, he decided to test it out and surprisingly, he found out that it’s real. Having a strong sense of justice, he decides that with this power, he shall create a new world order, and started his work by killing every single criminal in the world.

I know what you’re asking right now, is Death Note any good? The answer to that is yes, it is, and the reasons are that: Death Note has pretty much one of the most well thought out and complicated plots out there. It tells the story in such a way that it makes you want to keep an eye on every single detail as it might be the next thing to surprise you. Second, it makes use of very complicated yet very plausible logic that just leaves you thinking if it really makes sense. Lastly, it makes use of the element of suspense most of the time, leaving people glued to their seats while awaiting the next big revelation. Now, if you haven’t guessed yet, the thing that makes Death Note such a great anime is its plot. It makes you think deeply into the situations that the characters Light and L is thrown into, and when you try to predict what will happen next, most of the time you’ll come up with the wrong conclusions. This is the thing that makes Death note such an engaging anime. There are some people out there such as myself who find it pleasurable to try and guess what will happen next in the story, and when you do get it right, it gives a lot of satisfaction. And since Death Note is of the mystery genre and all, it really delivers well in the mystery part. Now, another thing that makes Death note so great is its unique perspective of the story. Instead of showing the story through the eyes of the good guy, L, it shows the story through the eyes of Light Yagami, one of the very few utter assholes that I’ve come to respect. He is in a nutshell, an evil anti-hero who is hell bent on creating a perfect world by committing mass murder. Seeing the story through the eyes of the evil MC can make you think about whether what he is doing is actually right, unlike in other animes wherein when the story is shown through the eyes of the good guy protagonist, the story seems to bias to the side of the good guy MC. But of course, as with all anime, none are perfect. Although this really isn’t a hole in the plot or a mistake by the creators of the anime, some people (most of them haters) points out that the story is too, well, perfect. They like to point out that everything just flows too smoothly, especially the plans that Light carry out. After reading the manga and watching the anime, I have also come to notice this. I’d like to reason out though that this is an anime, not real life. Seeing those plans unfold in seeming perfection is one of the most enjoyable part of watching this anime. If you take that away then Death Note would lose at least 50% of its enjoyment factor. Also, after the timeskip somewhere in the middle of the anime, the plot suddenly seemed to have dropped in quality a bit due to a major plot twist, though it might just be me. Despite that though, Death Note still has one of the best plot out there, and I’d like to see someone say otherwise.

Along with a wonderful plot comes an even better set of characters. From the evil scheming bastard MC Light Yagami to the good guy detective L, every character is just perfect. They are very well developed, with complete personalities and their own philosophies. You can really feel what they are thinking of despite both main characters being slightly despicable in their own way, you just can’t help but agree with them in some points. These things can really make the characters grow on you, and seriously, you’ll really come to love them. Another thing that I’d like to mention again is the fact that the roles of the antagonist and the protagonists were switched, making Light the main character and L as the antagonist. Now, the great thing about this is that the viewers are actually given insight into the mind of the evil MC, and unlike in the other animes wherein the MC just spouts nonsense about justice and peace while the author just hopes that the viewers will take such ideals with a grain of salt, Death Note actually takes time to try and explain the reasons as to why the MC actually does that and even provides us with his philosophies and beliefs. This is one of the things that make Death Note a couple of notches better than other animes. Also with regards to the how smoothly the character development goes, I’d say that they did a damn well job. The pacing was just perfect. You can really see the transformation from a simple high school student that firmly believes that cleansing the world of criminals is justice to a half-mad genius who has a god complex.

Now another thing that I would like to mention is the animation and music of Death Note. Although these things are not really needed to make a good anime, I’d really have to say that Death Note’s animation has aged pretty well. Made during 2007, its animation is still pretty good by my standard, all clean and slick. So to those who have phobias of 90’s animation fear not, it won’t kill your eyes. As for the music, the background music really makes things a heck lot more epic, especially during those scenes when Light is sitting in front of his desk and writing the names of criminals like a BAWS, then an orchestra-playing-epic-music-and-a-choir-starts-singing-in-Latin-or-some-other-laguage-I-can’t-understand type background type of music starts playing. Also, the second opening was really unique. Freaking screamo will really get you pumped for the stuff that will happen next.

So to conclude everything, I’d just like to say that Death Note is an exceptionally good anime. It has a beautiful plot, great characters, is quite long, about 37 episodes so you’ll be able to enjoy it thoroughly. For those people who are into detective and mystery type anime, I highly suggest watching this .I swear you won’t regret it.

As a summary, these are the pros and cons that I pointed out in my review

+Plot is really complex with lots of twists and turns that really hooks you in
+The Main characters are without a doubt, some of the most interesting characters out there, with personalities and beliefs that are well developed
+The suspense factor is great throughout the anime
+The intro and BGM were both very well done
+Quite unique by the fact that the anime was shown through the eyes of the Antagonist


-Gathered a few haters who claim that the story was too unrealistic because everything in the anime goes too smoothly
-has 1 filler episode

~First and foremost, thanks for reading my review. If you have any comments regarding my review or just want to have a discussion, then leave a comment at my page. I will greatly appreciate it. =)~
read more

*for those people who are too lazy to read, skip to the end*

The big three: Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece. You have probably already watched these three anime or they might have even been the ones that got you into anime. Now, what do they have in common? That’s right, they’re all from the shounen genre. Now, the thing is, most of the shounen animes today almost always follow a preset formula in terms of plot, as if they copied it right of an instruction manual. The formula usually goes like: Badass MC appears, Badass MC gains friends, Badass antagonist appears, Badass MC gets his ass handed to him by antagonist, Badass MC gains power-up, Badass MC kicks the antagonist’s ass, then rinse and repeat. If you’ve been paying attention to most of the anime you watch, you’ve probably noticed this already. Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood, on the other hand, despite being a shounen anime doesn’t seem to be like this at all, in fact, it is quite the contrary. If so, then how is it different?

Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood, which I will just abbreviate to FMA:B, is different by the fact that it doesn’t follow that retarded plot formula above. It actually has a well thought-out and gripping plot with a great balance between action and comedy. For starters it doesn’t just go like the regular Going-on-a-adventure or I-need-to-protect-my-nakama shounen type anime. To provide a short summary of the story, it is about Edward and Alphonse Elric. They are two brothers who live in a world wherein a certain type of people called alchemists, people who can transmute anything into something else using a transmutation circle, which is basically a circle which contains a set instruction inside, for as long as it obeys a law called the law of equivalent exchange. Now, the Elric brothers lost their mothers at a young age and decided to try and use alchemy to “transmute” her back to life using ingredients that make up the human body, but unfortunately, a human transmutation is not only prohibited by human laws but by the very laws of god, as a human soul is priceless. So instead of getting back their mother, God took Edward’s arm and Alphonse’s entire body as a toll, and Edward was forced to sacrifice his leg in order to transfix his brother’s soul into a metal body. Not everything is for naught though, because being able to see God and “being dragged through the gates of truth” and living to tell the tale offers a very handsome price: the ability to transmute without the use of a transmutation circle. Then, they proceeded to search for a way to regain their bodies and the solution they found is the Philosopher’s Stone, a legendary object which allows one to disregard the law of equivalent exchange. In their search, they became state alchemists, a group of alchemists who are employed by the state as human weapons. And with that, their adventure begins as they discover the secrets behind the nature of the Philosopher’s Stone.

Well, no, adventure really isn’t the proper word for it. It’s more like chasing rumors to see whether they can find clues to see how to make or where to find a Philosopher’s stone. Now, onto the actual review. The thing that separates FMA:B from other shounen anime is its plot. Unlike other shounen anime that consists of loosely related arcs (think One Piece or Naruto arcs), FMA:B consists of several arcs which are closely related that serves to introduce bits and pieces of the story which at the end will all come together to form one complex plot. This is one of the strong points of FMA:B. The story seems a little slow at the start but once it picks up it really gets going. First it introduces the main points and the basic concepts of the story then proceeds to create conflicts which will keep on adding to the suspense of the story. Now, another thing that sets FMA:B apart from others is the way it answers the questions in the plot. Whenever it raises a question in the viewer’s mind, it usually answers it sometime later, but it also raises another question. This kind of technique makes it so that those who are watching it will always be at the edge of their seat, awaiting the answer to their questions. I know I was at the edge of my seat while watching this, and every time they answer a question and I decide to try and sleep, they leave a cliffhanger at the end which make me want to watch more, and that in itself is a very strong point since it can keep you glued to your seat. Despite this fact, they still manage to answer every question they raise, leaving no plotholes in the story for as far as I can tell. Another great point of FMA:B is the good balance between the action and comedy. Despite being somewhat serious during the middle and end part of the anime, it still has those moments that can make you laugh and smile, despite the fact that the tension and suspense in the anime is already near its peak. To put it simply, FMA:B knows how to and when to put a good comic relief, and that gives it another point. Still, as with every anime, none of them are perfect. The only thing that I can deem as an imperfection in this anime is the fact that it sort of went overboard during the last 4 or so episodes, only to result in a somewhat anticlimactic defeat of the main antagonist. What do I mean by overboard? Well, to put it simply, it sort of went DBZ with laser beams flying around and that kind of stuff, although it was nothing major, just something I would like to point out.

Along with a great plot, FMA:B also comes with a great set of characters. To be frank, the character design of the MC character Edward Elric isn’t really all that unique, just your regular noisy kid who firmly believes that killing is bad. This doesn’t mean that he stays that way though, as another one of the great points of this anime if the fact that not only does the characters develop beautifully into fleshed out characters, each with their respective personalities, they also do it smoothly. The anime takes its time to carefully turn them into what they will be, without any sudden developments happening out of thin air(think Sasuke). And here’s something that completely sets it apart from the other animes. The antagonists themselves are developed so well that you actually feel sorry for them. Despite the fact that you will probably hate them at the start of the series due to them being complete assholes most of the time( which is also another good point, since they are antagonists), over time you will come to love them and even feel sad after their deaths. And I don’t mean that they pull a “Severus-Snape-actually being-a-ally” type of sad, antagonist death, I mean that they actually touch your heart during their last moments due to them finally realizing what they truly want. I personally found this as the strongest point of FMA:B, since of all the animes I’ve watched, only in this one did I ever feel a saddened due to the death of an antagonist, wherein in most cases I would just laugh like a maniac due to the horrible fate they suffered.

And like always, there’s the animation and music. While not being that important, I got to give them props for being thorough with their animation. Unlike some others wherein they just loop a scene of the two people hitting each other, they actually took time to choreograph the fights scenes and the end results are just dazzling. Not only that, you can also see the sheer amount of detail they put especially in things like Edward’s prosthetic arm when Winry is fixing it, and like in Envy’s true form and inside GreedLing’s mind. Of course, the music is just about as good as the art. The OP’s are all catchy, although I wouldn’t have time to describe each of them because there’s a lot of them. Also, the BGM is really something else. The way they match the scene they’re played in is just wonderful. Not to mention, they can also get your blood pumping, as if it’s a BGM in a boss fight scene in a game.

With all of that, I can assure you that Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood is the best shounen anime during these recent years. I highly recommend watching it and I’m willing to bet my pride that it will not disappoint. Also, unlike other shounen titles, FMA:B is filled to the brim with action and doesn’t tend to drag things out, hence only 64 episode, which is quite short compared to the other, more known titles out there, so why not give it a try?

To provide a quick summary of the pros and cons:
+Good plot
+Almost all the characters are well-developed, antagonists included
+No plotholes
+Great animation with beautifully choreographed fights

-The last fight at the end was over the top, only to end to the anticlimactic death of the antagonist
-Some of the antagonists are more lovable than the MCs(not really sure if a con or not)
-Nothing else really, except that the sheer number of badass characters in this anime can cause you to get jelly

~First and foremost, thanks for reading my review. If you have any comments regarding my review or just want to have a discussion, then leave a comment at my page. I will greatly appreciate it. =)~
read more

*to those lazy people who just want to see a quick summary, just skip to the end*

I’m pretty sure that no matter who you are, where you live, and what you’re stature in life is, you’ve once dreamt of the supernatural. You know, like having special powers that set you apart from others, or living in a floating castle in the sky. But of course, regardless of that, there came a time when we all decided to forget such delusions and become a proper part of the society. Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai, otherwise known as Chuu-2, is an anime that focuses on such delusions.

Chuu-2 shows us the story of Yuuta, your everyday, run-of-the-mill, high school teenage boy. Or so he seems. In the past he seems to have been infected with one of the most widespread, embarrassing, and even humiliating disease of all time, and that is Chuunibyou. Chuunibyou is something that every normal person has gone through in his life, and that the delusions that come with the developing of one’s mind during the second year of middle school, and thus the name Chuunibyou. Now, the thing is, each case of Chuunibyou is different from one person to another, and Yuuta happened to have a really bad case of it, making him act out his delusions to the point of going to school in costume fighting enemies that don’t exist. But as with every person, he soon realized what he was doing, and became slightly traumatized with embarrassment. So, after graduating middle school, he decided to put everything behind him, and start fresh in a school where nobody knows of his dark past. Now, here comes Rikka, a person who, even until high school, still has her Chuunibyou. With her discovering Yuuta’s hidden secret, she drags him into all sorts of situations, and so the story begins.

With that short summary of the story, you might be asking “what is so great about this anime?” First off, it is literally one of the funniest anime I’ve ever watched. Everything, from the epic fight scenes that Rikka imagines down to her reactions when Yuuto hits her in the head is just priceless. What’s more is that the jokes they tell not only makes you laugh, but actually hits you right in the face. Chuu-2 shows us what we were when we were young and still unembarrassed with our delusional dreams for the future. It gives you a feeling of nostalgia, like you can almost be certain that back then, you also thought of being a hero of justice or something like that. So to make a long statement short, not only is it funny, you can actually relate to the things that they are doing, or even the way they think.

Another thing is that the plot itself was straightforward. It doesn’t wander around from this to that but just focuses on both Yuuta and Rikka, the two main protagonist of the story. It shows their lives just like any self-respecting slice of life anime does, with a little twist in the middle when the anime starts to pick up speed and transform from a comedy slice of life to a somewhat romantic drama. What is really amazing about it though is that even with that transition, it still managed to stay true to its concept. At the start it was about some high school students with Chuunibyou and in the end, it still was. Even if the transition made it more serious and dramatic, the core concept was still there, and that is about these students trying to let go of their delusions. Lastly, the thing I liked the most about this anime is its conclusive ending. Although this might not be really good because it lowers the chance of Chuu-2 having a second season, it’s still better than leaving us hanging. The ending left no plotholes, and is overall solid, leaving a warm and fluffy feeling after watching the entire series.

Aside from the plot itself, one of the things that make Chuu-2 so great is its characters. Each one of them is them is unique in their own way and is refreshing to watch. Rikka for example, is the main source of the gags in the anime due to her extremely unpredictable nature. She is the kind of character who is usually creates the complications and problems in the plot and is also the love interest of Yuuta. Yuuta on the other hand is more of the straight man who usually solves and stops Rikka from doing embarrassing things. Aside from that he also once had Chuunibyou and called himself “Dark Flame Master”, which caused him to be the center of some gags throughout the anime. Aside from them, there are also a few supporting characters, namely: Dekomori, Rikka’s best friend and apparent servant, Isshiki, Yuuta’s best friend and a source of comic relief in the story, Nibutani, the beautiful class rep. and a school idol who used to have Chuunibyou and called herself Forest Summer, and the last one, Kumin, their sempai who just likes to nap. Now, this is where Chuu-2 really shines. The characters are just perfect for the premise of the story. They’re funny, cute and most of all, relatable. Along with, the character development is also pretty smooth. It can be quite sudden, but it’s not without proper cause and is justifiable.

And of course, there’s always the animation and music. Although having beautiful graphics isn’t really crucial to making a good anime, but damn this anime is really animated really well. Everything was smooth, no inconsistencies as far as I can tell, and is pretty much just eye candy. And those fight scenes. Having been spawned from a Chuunibyou’s imagination, it can be really over the top sometimes, but it’s really good enough to rival those of some shounen anime. But of course, since it was done by KyoAni, which is known for its high quality animations, this is pretty much a given. The music is also just as good. Heck, you can even watch the anime just for the music itself, although I really wouldn’t recommend it. The opening, Sparkling Daydream, is an lively and upbeat song which can pretty much give you a general idea of the comedy and chaos that’s about to ensue later into the episode. The ending, Inside Identity, is more of a j-rock song which is also pretty catchy as well.

So overall, I found Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai as the best comedy/romance anime of 2012 and one of the best of all time. I highly recommend it to everyone, especially to those who have a soft spot for romcoms. But still, regardless of your taste in anime, it’s only 12 episodes long, so it won’t really take much time, so why not give it a try? After all you might come to like it.

So to provide a quick summary for those lazy people who have another serious disease which they commonly abbreviate as TL;DR syndrome, I’ll just list the pros and cons of the anime.

+Funny
+Easily Relatable
+Fairly straightforward but highly entertaining plot
+Conclusive ending
+Stays true to its concept/doesn’t try to be what it isn’t

-Due to the story being straightforward, the plot can be somehow predictable
-If you hate moe, you might not like this
-Can cause hysterical laughter which leads to lightheadedness and stomachaches

~First and foremost, thanks for reading my review. If you have any comments regarding my review or just want to have a discussion, then leave a comment at my page. I will greatly appreciate it. =)~
read more

Life in the big city. Imagine yourself as an average high school teen who’s finally going to live alone in a new, unfamiliar, and hostile environment with gangs out on the streets, a supernatural serial killer lurking at night, and a headless biker roaming the streets. Doesn’t sound so easy, does it? This is the exact situation Ryuugamine Mikado was thrown into. Because of wanting to see his old friend, Kida Masaomi again, he decided to go and study in Ikebukuro. Unknown to him, Ikebukuro is actually a hub for gangs and unexplainable happenings. Durarara! revolves around these happenings as the main character Mikado tries to cope with his current situation and inevitably gets dragged into the troubles that this city hold.

Plot-wise, Durarara! sounds a cliché, half-baked anime which uses the same plot as those that have been used over and over again by the same genre. Although this is not entirely false, Durarara! knows when to add twists, variations, and innovations to its not-so-exceptional plot. First of all, Durarara! makes use of different viewpoints in telling its stories. Unlike other animes wherein the story is usually just seen from the viewpoint of the MC, in Durarara! it shows us the story through the eyes of the MC, his best friend Kida, the headless rider Celty, the killer Saika, and even some of the side characters. Along with that, they also tell the story behind each character, main or not. This gives Durarara! an incredibly detailed plot, which makes up for its somehow predictable twists. Another flaw of Durarara! is its plotholes. As incredibly detailed it is, it raised some MAJOR plot points and questions which it failed to answer at the end of the series. For a junkie for animes with good, solid, and concluding plot like me, this left a very bitter taste in my mouth.

Don’t go throwing this anime into the bin just yet though, because just as I’ve said, what it lacks in plot depth, it makes up with plot detail. If you are the kind of person who likes well developed characters, you are sure to like this. As Durarara! is told using multiple perspectives, you can damn well expect that the characters are well fleshed-out. Each of them are unique, from the shy and timid MC Mikado, to the talkative mute Celty, you can expect a multitude of personalities to collide, bringing with it one of the strong points of Durarara!. Even with that though, the character designs themselves are pretty bland. Mikado looks just like any generic high school character from a random anime, Kido looks like you typical douche/funny guy, and another character, Shizuo, looks like your normal badass.

Then there’s the art and animation. It’s quite bland compared to other animes, but it does the job. Although it might just be the actual art style, budget limitations, or just laziness, but I really don’t like when the animators leave the background characters uncolored. It’s nothing major, and won’t ruin the experience, but those little details can really cause the anime to look dull and lifeless. However, the actual animation itself is really good. Everything is smooth, slick, and shiny; just the way most animes now look like, so those with phobias with DBZ-style animation, you don’t have to worry.

So, the final verdict is, Durarara! is an above average anime, but not exceptional. It’s just that the good points of it are being offset by its bad points. So yeah, I would recommend that you watch it, but don’t expect it to be a masterpiece. It’s a good thing to waste time on; it give you good entertainment for the amount of time you spend on it.


~First and foremost, thanks for reading my review. If you have any comments regarding my review or just want to have a discussion, then leave a comment at my page. I will greatly appreciate it. =)~



read more

I wonder, what does it feel like to be able to travel all over the world and sit under the blue sky while making countless friends and acquaintances, and having a beautiful companion to witness all of it with you? Now, what exactly is Spice and wolf and how does this question relate to it? Spice and Wolf is an anime that depicts the life of Craft Lawrence and his fateful encounter with Holo, a wolf deity who takes the form of a young, beautiful woman. Together, they travel across the land as traveling merchants with their goal being to be able to reach Holo’s hometown, Yoitsu. So, what exactly is so special about this anime then? Well, to put it simply, Spice and Wolf is one of those rare gems that come along every couple of years or so. It is different from other animes in a way that it is of the romance genre, yet it shows it in a way that is quite different from others. That, along with a wonderfully written plot makes it a very unique anime that can both pique your interest and minds and at the same time give you the vibes that romance animes usually have.

You see, the plot is, as simple as it sounds like, is actually one of the most complex and unpredictable plots I’ve ever seen. The anime is subdivided into several arcs that each have their own separate story. Now, each of these arcs are seemingly simple and straightforward, but in reality, they can task your mind just by thinking about how things will end up. Each story has more twist and turns than a slum, like in one moment they are happy and smiling then suddenly one simple mistake and their entire situation turns upside down. it still manages to tie up everything perfectly though and is the way they solve these problems is what makes Spice and Wolf interesting. It makes use of economic principles(whether they are applicable in real life or just made up is beyond me) that can either amaze you or confuse you. Also, along with these events are the messages that make Spice and Wolf into the anime it is. These messages are subtle implications about things like how money corrupts men, how untrustworthy people become when faced with certain opportunities and other things which may sound a bit philosophical. Then there’s the romantic aspect of Spice and Wolf. I find it really entertaining yet very infuriating to watch the two main characters flirt with each other but their relationship seems to remain platonic. Sure, after a few episodes or so they start holding hands or so but other than that there really isn’t anything else. This kind of flirting though does have a certain charm that makes me crave for more.

Speaking of craving more, I just can never get enough of Holo. She is one unique character that never fails to amuse; a beautiful, wise and quick-witted woman who has a distinct love for alcohol and apples. Then there’s the traveling merchant Craft Lawrence, a bona fide gentleman who has a great way with words and is Holo’s love interest. Every time these two are on screen alone, you can just be sure that a wonderful exchange of words is about to ensue. Along with these two characters are a bunch of other side characters that they meet in every arc then leave as they venture out. Unfortunately though, since only Holo and Lawrence are given enough screen time, only they are the ones with solid and unique personalities. Don’t get me wrong though, the side characters are not entirely dull and boring or anything of the likes, you just can’t really grow to love them as they don’t really stick around for long. This kind of character development does kind of fit the story though as Lawrence and Holo are both traveling merchants so meeting a multitude of other characters does benefit the plot in some way or another.

Then throw in a bit of wonderful music and sceneries and you’ve got exactly what Spice and wolf looks like. The opening of this series, Tabi no Tochuu, is one of the most beautiful and emotional song I’ve heard from an anime. Then there’s also the ending, Ringo hiyori, which has a happy and energetic beat to it, and not to mention, it’s in English, something you don’t see everyday. The scenery is somewhat plain yet fitting to the theme of the storysSince the story of Spice and Wolf usually occur within cities. As such, most of the things you can expect to see are large brick buildings and markets cluttered by stalls with cloth roofs. When the occasion calls for it though, Spice and Wolf can surprise you with views ranging from vast wheat fields and rural sceneries that are based off medieval Europe to foggy, foreboding forests and quiet paths along the countryside.

All in all, Spice and Wolf has done a great job being unique and staying true to its concept. It never strayed from the story and had a very intricate and mind-boggling plot. Along with the romance going on between Holo and Lawrence, Spice and Wolf truly delivers type of entertainment that hasn’t been shown in any other anime. it tries to both tease the mind by putting the characters into complicated yet conceivable situations and charm the heart by slowly developing the relationship between Holo and Lawrence. It has been a fun watch for me and for everyone who is looking for an anime that has a well constructed plot and a sweet, mature love story, look no further because I am sure that Spice and Wolf will deliver.

Btw, don’t you just love apples?

~First and foremost, thanks for reading my review. If you have any comments regarding my review or just want to have a discussion, then leave a comment at my page. I will greatly appreciate it. =)~
read more

Usually, when you carve a wooden sculpture you don’t expect it to turn into a person, right? Well, unfortunately for Jin, that’s not the case. Kannagi is an anime that revolves around the concept of land gods that live inside trees. It seems that the wood that Jin used is actually the trunk of a sacred tree and summons the god Nagi. What a coincidence! Set on these premises, Kannagi starts of wonderfully but for some reason, ends up horribly. Why? Let’s see…

First of all, it’s the story. After that coincidence of summoning Nagi, what was supposed to happen next is that they will be exterminating impurities disguised as bugs. Unfortunately, that never happened. What happened is that Kannagi drifted away from its concept of going for a mahou shoujo type anime without the frilly clothes and magic beams flying around. Instead, it opted for a slice of life type anime, complete with some references to series like lucky star and almost completely threw away the concept it created during the first 3 or so episodes. Also, if that wasn’t bad enough, somewhere in the middle it suddenly turns into a harem type anime with three girls competing for the MC. Then during the last couple of episodes or so, they suddenly reverted back to their original concept, in hopes of tying up all of the loose ends. Now, there lies the problem. Kannagi wasn’t able to focus on anything. It kept on switching and switching between genres and in the end, it left without answering any of the questions it raised during progression of the series. Also, besides leaving unanswered questions, it also leaves an open ending, and as a series which left too much to ponder upon, it left a very bitter taste in my mouth. So in the end, the problems of Kannagi lies within its plot; It was indecisive of what it wanted to become and has way to many plotholes.

Now, even though it had a terrible plot, the reason I was able to watch through the entire series is because of the character development and interactions. You can see the characters developing from bland, generic anime characters into somewhat loveable ones, although they are still far from perfect. You see, even though they are loveable, they still resemble some anime stereotypes and are not really all that unique. That isn’t where Kannagi shines though. Where Kannagi truly shines is in the interactions between the characters and the weird situations they are thrown in. These moments are where the characters develop and the story progresses as well as when we get to see the inner thoughts of the characters. Some of these moments can range from something as missing an airing episode of Nagi’s favorite anime up to Jin becoming the subject of gossip of his entire school. Unfortunately though, these moments don’t really contribute much to the story and only creates and more confusion for the viewers. It does however, manage to entertain despite all of the confusion it creates, so it’s still enjoyable enough to keep me watching.

That, along the animation and sound of the Kannagi managed to at least make the series somewhat acceptable. The animation was clean, smooth and well-done overall, and with a little touch of moe here and there, it gives a pleasant feeling to watch. The opening, , had an upbeat and catchy tune to it and the ending has a bit of a mysterious and sad feel to it which was quite contradictory with the opening. The voice acting is also worth mentioning. I gotta give props to Nagi’s voice actor because Nagi’s voice was just, wow. It fits her personality so perfectly that I wouldn’t want it any other way.

Now, even with these good compliments that I made to Kannagi, I still can’t disregard the fact that its plot sucked. Still though, this is in no way a terrible anime. Deep inside me, something is telling me that I might be being biased but really, it made me laugh, it gave me a great time and it gave back a nice amount of entertainment for the time I spent watching it. It still is far from a masterpiece but if you have nothing else to watch and just seek a couple of hours of entertainment, Kannagi could be a good anime to watch. I don’t highly recommend it but if you have some spare time then why not give it a shot? Who knows, you might actually like it.


~ First of all, thanks for reading my review. If you have a different opinion about this anime, feel free to comment. Your criticism will be greatly appreciated, whether good or bad. Also, a simple click on the Helpful button means a lot to me; it feels good to see that my reviews actually help people.~
read more

Another vampire anime, how lame. Normally, this is how people would react to anything with vampires in them ever since the boom of the vampire industry not so long ago. However, that is not the case with Hellsing: Ultimate, an OVA remake of the original Hellsing anime. Now the question is what exactly sets it apart from those cliché vampire shows that everyone got bored of? Does it set a new standard for modern anime? Did it revolutionize the vampire genre? Is it a marvelous masterpiece that could possibly revitalize the dying hype for vampires? Possibly, but of course, as with all anime, it came with its own flaws and of course, that is the reason that I’m writing this review; to give a detailed analysis of this series.

Probably one of the things that will either make you love or hate Hellsing is its overwhelming use of gore. I for one happen to love it, but if you are haemophobic or otherwise disgusted by blood spattering and mutilated body parts flying all over the place, then I discourage you from watching this anime, because not only will it turn you off, I’ll probably nauseate you to the point of disgust. This however, is what sets it apart from all the other vampire-themed anime. Hellsing is completely unique with the fact that it consists of lots mindless slaughter and violence. It doesn’t mess around with concepts that has already been explored already like harems, creating countries, and love triangles but instead just goes back to the very roots of what vampires really supposed to be, which is purely terrifying. Hellsing portrayed what vampires are truly supposed to be which are horrifying blood-sucking monsters that hunger for death and violence, who bring destruction and chaos wherever they go, and not cute, bishounen loverboys who fawn over women. One last thing is that unlike others, Hellsing exudes a creepy aura, as well as a tense and ominous feeling to it, setting up nice atmosphere for the all-important plot.

The plot is straightforward, yet highly effective. It goes something like this: One night, a certain place called Cheddar Village was overtaken by a vampires and almost all of its population has been completely transformed into ghouls. Seras Victoria, a policewoman was fighting amidst of that town was taken hostage by the vampire, who plans to drink her blood and turn her into a vampire. Unfortunately for that vampire though, a vampire by the name of Alucard was dispatched by Britain’s special taskforce, the Hellsing Organization. Seras was then mortally wounded, but right before she died, Alucard gave her a choice: to die or to become a vampire. Now, that pretty much sums up the first 10 minutes of the first OVA. I won’t give any spoilers, but I can assure you, the story develops at a very comfortable pace, and also gets deeper and deeper with each episode. It doesn’t mess around or beats around the bush, most of the time the anime would either be busy advancing the story and developing the plot and the rest of the time is spent with revealing the character’s pasts and creating conversations between characters which reveals their ideals and personalities, all of which contribute heavily to the character development. There are moments though wherein the anime gives us a breather from all the action and switches into a somewhat silly, cartoon-like animation that consists of slapstick comedy and dark humor that is highly contradictory to the theme of the show. This however is kept minimal and is mostly happens at the very start of each episode, and it somehow compensates for Hellsing’s lack of an opening. Now, even though I said that the story is quite straightforward, do not be fooled, there are some surprising plot twists in the story, and because of its seemingly straightforward plot, it can really catch you off guard and cause quite a bit of a shock. One last thing that I would like to mention is that each episode of the OVA is quite long - roughly 45 minutes each without the ending credits. So somehow, each episode feels like a short film in itself, and that works really well too, because it leaves a satisfying feeling after you finish an episode yet still keep you interested enough to make you anticipate for the next one.

But even with the already tense and creepy atmosphere as well as the wonderfully paced plot, the main selling point of Hellsing is as one would expect, the main character Alucard. He is exactly what a real vampire should be; Bloodthirsty and violent yet charming and elegant in his own way. He is what one would call a near-perfect anti hero. As the saying goes, either you die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become a villain. This quote perfectly describes Alucard entirely. As he was already alive since the times of the crusades, he has seen all of the dirt and grit of this world, and as an effect, he turned into a sinister being, one who only longer only lives to find an equal who can slay him, yet actually caring enough to his master and servant, and pities those who tried their hardest to kill him. Of course, as with all main characters there always has to be a rival. Here comes the legendary priest, Alexander Anderson. At the very first time I laid eyes on him, my very first impression of him was that he was a deranged madman, a person who lusts for battle, a person who will never defy an order and kill everyone he was ordered to, regardless of what happens to anyone around him. I was wrong though, because as the story advanced, his story was revealed, piece by piece and he was shown to be a very caring person, who owes great loyalty to his organization and is willing to sacrifice his life for the sake of his comrades. These are only some of the most important characters in Hellsing though, and although I only mentioned two of them, there are other interesting and equally important characters as well, but I won’t spoil it for you because I want you to know them for yourselves.

All of this, coupled with an exquisite animation really makes Hellsing a sight to see. The visuals were quite unique, emphasizing on the blood and the facial expressions of the characters. Everything, from that slight, contorted smile up to that evil, maniacal laughing expression was done perfectly. The problem is, even though the character designs are done well, there seems to be a reoccurring problem in the series which is the repeated drop in quality in some parts, but then suddenly turn HD in other parts. This seems like it was done deliberately to save money, as the ones with low quality are only during the dull moments and the fight scenes were the ones done with utmost care. Don’t worry though, these minor setbacks aren’t really that big of a deal, especially when you’re focused deeply into the story.

For my final sentiments, I wouldn’t say that Hellsing is a new masterpiece of some sort, but it did manage to deviate from the norm and become a cut above the rest. It was a pleasure to watch, and I encourage everyone who wants to see something different from all of the other cliché vampire romances to go and see this anime. It was a worthwhile watch, and I’m certain that the time you will invest into this anime will not go to waste.


~ first and foremost, I would like to thank you for reading this review and second, if this review has helped you or pissed you of in any way, I would be very thankful to hear your feedback. It really helps a lot. Thanks again : ) ~
read more

Well, here comes Zero no Tsukaima, a harem-type anime with a tsundere for a main heroine. Another harem anime? Haven’t we had enough of this already? Yep, here’s another anime with a cliché characters, a subpar plot, and a ridiculous amount of fanservice. What? Seriously? Yes, seriously. Zero no Tsukaima is just another one of those terrible animes that people would consider crap. But why? Wasn’t J.C. Staff the one who made this anime? I mean, J.C staff was pretty successful with Toradora! Wasn’t it? Well you see, Zero no Tsukaima is one of those “failures”, so to speak. It failed in almost every aspect and is actually a terrible anime despite its huge fanbase. Why is that you ask? Well, I’ll give you the reasons why. Also, I would like you to know that this would be a review for the entire series and not just for this season. Now let’s move on to the review.

Story: The all-important story. Every anime needs a good, gripping story to entertain its viewers right? Well unfortunately, Zero no Tsukaima( which I will just abbreviate to ZnT for simplicity’s sake.) failed to deliver this all-important part of an anime. To tell you frankly, it had a great concept of what it was going to be. A simple summary of the story would be that Saito, a normal, everyday teenager was suddenly dragged into an unknown world and made a familiar by a magician nicknamed as Zero Louise, due to her lack of talent in using magic. It then turns out that the reason Louise can’t use magic efficiently Is because she only excels in a special, legendary type of magic which is void magic and that Saito is the knight of legend, Gandalfr. From that simple summary, one can guess that this would be an epic tale about two legends, trying to fulfill their destinies while encountering numerous hardships along the way, all while developing a romantic relationship between the two. Unfortunately though, the author just decided to go “Fuck that shit, who needs a decent plot when we got a tsundere main heroine, a pevert main hero, lots of tits and an entire harem at our disposal?” Yes, this is exactly what happened to ZnT. Instead of creating an intricate and enjoyable story and focusing on developing the plot, they just decided to give us a crap ton of fanservice, tits, a harem, and then proceeded to screw up the plot and rely on half-baked comedy and tits to try and hook its viewers. Although this would have worked if done correctly, even the comedic side was done half-baked. One of the running gags in ZnT is that the MC, Saito, is an idiot who cannot seem to be able to hold in his boner and literally just drools of every boob he sees, and then proceeds to get dragged into the most awkward circumstances, and then gets beaten up by Louise. It was funny the first time but after seeing it in every single episode that had a scene wherein the MC interacts with a girl (which is like every fucking episode) it got old so much that it only served to annoy me every time it happens. So yeah, the comedy part was pretty horrid, but what exactly happened to the plot then? Well, as you would expect, the plot turned into a complete mush that only serves to further Saito’s harem(I would explain his harem later) and to create more opportunities for them to insert their stupid gag instead of actually developing the plot. I mean seriously, the plot had more plotholes than there are pimples on a boy going through puberty and had as much plot development as a porn flick. Yes, it’s that terrible. But seriously though, the series doesn’t even have a proper antagonist. In each season, a new antagonist is introduced, then they try to set up a scene where the MCs will fight the antagonist, only for the antagonist to be killed/go MIA in an instant, never to be seen or mentioned in the story ever again. So for short, not only doesn’t ZnT have a proper plot, it also doesn’t have a proper antagonist. The last thing that I would like to mention is about the lack of details and proper explanations in ZnT. Now, this is a common problem among a lot of animes, but ZnT just took it to new extremes. There are so many instances wherein inexplicably unbelievable things just happen. It seems that every time something bad happens, some incredible “coincidences” just happen for some reason. Like for example, in one instance, MC Saito is trapped in a room with only a brick wall separating him from his enemies and apparent death, but then guess what? MC Louise “accidentally” learns teleportation magic and teleports him and his friends to safety. Such ridiculous plot armor only exists in fairy tales, and in my opinion it is completely retarded to even try to incorporate them into anime. To sum it all up, I give it a 4/10, just because it is utterly ridiculous up to the point that they might as well add “the power of love” as one their plot armors. Oh wait, they already did, Stupid me.

Characters: As I’ve said before, ZnT is an anime focused on making scenarios wherein they could add ecchi and add more members to Saito’s harem. As such, one can expect that the characters are really bland. For one, there is ABSOLUTELY no character development in this anime, none whatsoever. I mean seriously, the main character Saito, a perverted, two-timing guy who has as much sex appeal as Makoto from school days is still the same character he is four seasons after he appeared. Louise, a tsundere loli who only is Saito’s master and supposed “lover” is still the same stereotype anime girl who always gets into trouble and has to be saved by Saito. Then there’s Siesta, a typical maid who becomes a bitch after she falls in love Saito turns into a slutty bitch after who does absolutely nothing but press her boobs onto Saito in hopes of getting noticed after four seasons. After that, there’s Tabitha, your typical silent, mysterious girl stereotype that has as many expressions as Kristen Stewart who is still the same girl she is after four seasons, with the exception of being able to blush and sneaking into Saito’s bed while hoping to get laid or something(no really I’m serious). Then comes in Princess Henrietta, a stereotype girl who seems refined and stoic outside, but apparently has a habit of seducing our MC Saito whenever no one’s around. And finally, Tiffania, your typical air-headed girl with huge, f-cup boobs that always gets into “unfortunate” accidents with the MC is still the same air-headed girl with huge tits when the story ends. You see, there’s your problem; The supposed main characters are all bitches who could all have had a good, deep personality in them are all reduced into mere bitches who fight over Saito’s attention. Now, although there a lot of instances wherein their characters could’ve been fleshed out, like when their back story is explored in an arc, what the anime does instead is to make the girls seem all helpless and make Saito save them and as a result, they fall in love with him. Heck, I even think that some of the side characters have deeper personalities and are more fleshed out than the actual MC’s. I mean, Agnes and Colbert, two side characters had an ENTIRE arc dedicated to them just to reveal their back stories and were actually given a good introduction and excellent character development, all done with good execution but were just thrown away into the sidelines, only appearing thrice or four times in each season after their arc were finished. Now, there’s the problem. Instead of focusing their efforts on developing the main characters, they put their efforts in developing characters that would barely appear in the series while they could have given all that effort into fleshing out the main characters or even at least removing Saito’s inability to reject a girl’s advances especially since he’s already in a relationship. And top it all off, even the antagonist are just plain terrible and don’t stick around for long, as I’ve mentioned before. With all of those blunders, the only score I could give it is a 3/10, since pretty much every character are just about as interesting as one of those singing birthday cards; fun at first, but just damn annoying and noisy later on.

Animation: Pretty much the only good thing in this anime. Animation was smooth and shiny, just the way I like it. Although just like everything in this anime, there is always something lacking. The action scenes are so dull, it’s almost a bore to watch them. While fight scenes are supposed to be epic and adrenaline-inducing, the fight scenes in ZnT is just about as dull as watching someone else brush their teeth. It’s so slow that it almost look like it’s from a children’s cartoon show. So even with the animation, I can’t give it a perfect score due to the failure on the part of the animators, so instead I’ll just give it a 7/10 and be done with it.

Sound: There really isn’t much to say about the sound except that all of the BGMs were reused from the first season till the end and that the openings are pretty much sound just the same, only with different lyrics. 7/10

Enjoyment: Despite all of the negative comments I put up there, I actually enjoyed the first season. After that though, everything went downhill and my hopes of seeing a new masterpiece were completely shattered. But still though, I will take into consideration that I enjoyed ¼ of this anime so I guess giving it a 3/10 is good enough.

Overall: In conclusion, I would like to say that Zero no Tsukaima could’ve been a great anime. Unfortunately, all of that potential was wasted on a subpar plot, mediocre characters, and lame humor. To all those who are planning to watch this, only watch it if you are a die-hard tsundere fan or just watch the first season since the rest are crap. Overall I give it a 5/10.

If you have any comments, please post a comment on my page. I will gladly receive any criticism, good or bad and I will try my best to reply to your comment. Thanks for reading my review :))
read more