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Story:
In the 21st Century for some reason (probably global warming or something..) the world has turned into a wasteland and Japan is ruled by a corrupt and selfish clan whom have neglected their subjects through out their years of ruling so much that the quality of life is pretty much the lowest of low. Then one day there was a set of twins, a boy(Tatara) and a girl(Sarasa) was born and a prophet declares that the boy is the chosen one which would save them from their predicament. Unfortunately the supposed chosen one was killed by the "Red King", which happens to be the son ... of the ruling Emperor and now it's up the the other half of the twins to fulfill her brother's role.

The plot of Legend of Basara doesn't really exude originality but through out it manages to make itself interesting enough. It's too bad that the story is clearly unfinished with the way that things were left off with the final episode though it was somewhat obvious that this would happen seeing as this anime adaption was only 13 episodes long while the original manga span for 27 volumes.

Animation:
Now the animation isn't necessarily bad but it's not great either, while the show being more than 10 years old needs to be put into consideration, there was still plenty of shows that were released around the same time as Legend of Basara that looked better. Although the show did have some interesting character designs despite most of the male characters looking a little too fabulous.

Sound:
The OST hardly had much presence through out the show which is kind of disappointing since a lot shows fantasy type shows use background music to make you feel like what you're watching is some epic adventure.

Character:
Probably the best aspect of the show, Sarasa is a great lead character, she's isn't just some push over and is pretty likable from the start and still she displays a lot of growth in her resolve and personality as the story progresses.

Another interesting note about the characters is that most of the so called villains in the show, are really just following their own justice, following what they think is right for the country and in a way you could see Sarasa as the villain as she's stands in the way of the Red King who seems to have good intentions but just needs a bit more guidance in which is the right path to take.

Overall:
Legend of Basara is a good show, despite the story being incomplete it was rather enjoyable. It's recommendable if you're looking for a decent fantasy/adventure/romance series although be prepared to move on to the manga once you've finished since the story is unfortunately cut short.

Story:
Most of the episodes vary in quality, some are amazing while some aren't as powerful though not necessarily bad just not as good (example:the episode about the rainbow). The effects and the purpose of the Mushi were pretty diverse which made it feel almost like a different story each episode. The show can be sometimes quite tragic, not every episode end in a good note, though I wouldn't say it's dark, it's more like the show isn't afraid to shy away from the typical happy ending.

Animation:
The character design could have used a bit more diversity, since every literally looked the same, I understand that it's ... pretty much the same case with most anime but everyone had practically the same haircut and facial features that some people would think hey didn't I see you last episode?, at least Ginko actually looked different, though the plain looking characters are easily forgivable because the overall quality of the animation is top notch, like the fantastic looking environment, a lot of highly detailed scenery that helps giving the show an a feeling of epicness.

Sound:
I watched the dubbed version which was actually quite decent, there was virtually no awkward dialogue and it the voice actors didn't sound robotic, there was some instances where the some voice actors were used repeatedly for different characters but it's not really such a big issue since most games and anime dubs abuse this even more and to be honest I'd rather have that than shit voice acting that most dubbed versions of anime have.

The OST usually consist of subtle (and effective) guitar and piano scores, the OP was good I suppose it's a little bit too happy for the show though.

Character:
Ginko is a good main character he's not annoying but I felt that they could have handled his character a bit better since he doesn't really have that much of a personality, at least the show had one or two episodes dedicated to his back story which prevented Ginko from being a boring character. The show does it's best trying to make you care for the side characters during each episode, while they do a good job making you care even with the fact that the characters look practically the same.

Overall:
Well I have to say episodic shows are possibly the home of great anime; Aria, Kino's Journey and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (too an extent) are all episodic shows and they are definitely anime of the highest quality, these kind of shows manage to make each episode different and interesting, even as most of the time they have a recurring theme each episode, it never feels repetitive.

Mushi-shi is definitely one of the best anime out there, it might have some faults but it has a lot more aspects that it does pretty well. it's a show that's absolutely impossible to hate, and is definitely something every anime fan needs to see.

Story:
The beginning of the story is part mystery and part adventure, focusing on a group of half a dozen white haired kids making an appearance through out centuries seemingly without aging and the other time focusing on a kid called Thoma who meets some anti-social girl called Helga and a energetic boy called Chitto. I admit the story was a bit underwhelming at first but once the story unfolds in later episode, you'll be hooked straight away, it turns into something quite epic and unique, there's so many twist and turns and you'd just watch episode after episode and without even noticing it's already over.

Animation:
The ... art style can be a bit of a turn off for some people, they might even think this is a kids show but fear not this is quite mature even if the first few episodes are light-hearted they're nothing compared to what happens next.

Anyway, as you get used to the art, it becomes more apparent that it's done quite well, lots of attractive looking backgrounds and pretty solid animations.

Sound:
The background music can really manipulate the emotions of certain scenes, they really help make pivotal moments in the story have more impact. The OP fit the series perfectly too bad I had to skip on occasion since I just really wanted to get on with the story, While the ED is sang by ORIGA the same singer who lent her voice for the majority of the GITS soundtrack.

Character:
How they made the connections with each character was great, most of the characters had a certain connection to the main plot, the importance of characters become unpredictable that you'd be shocked when the story finally reveals what their purpose are. Honestly every character was interesting and it was nice to see that they all had a part to play they weren't just some random people thrown in together to make episodes last longer.

Overall:
A lot of people would probably just ignore it after looking at the front picture alone, which is too bad because it's a pretty damn good show with a unique and interesting plot along with a great cast and a solid OST, you might not like it as much as I did but I guarantee it's definitely worth watching, it's only real flaw is how lame the name is.

Story
It’s based on the French Revolution, though that doesn’t mean the story is completely unoriginal, the author added few original characters like Oscar Francois de Jarjayes, who happens to be the main character. A bulk of the first half of story focuses on Marie Antoinette and certain nobles trying to take advantage of her or trying to oppose her due to her being young and impressionable. While the second half focused on planting the seeds of the historic Revolution with the Royal family sort of fading in the background in favour of Oscar, Andre and other characters that where somehow involved in the upcoming revolution.

The ... story is nicely paced; there was mostly no wasteful episode, so each event had an effect on the overall story.

Animation
It’s unfair to say that the animation is Rose of Versailles’ weak point, because it really isn't, sure it’s going to look dated because of the lack of tools present at the time of it’s production but for an 80’s anime it looks pretty decent and once you’ve been grasped by the engaging plot you’ll pretty much forget about how dated the show looks. The backgrounds are very detailed and the while some of the characters seems to share the same facial features, though they do vary in character design, although Oscar does look significantly different from the rest of the cast, her face is ambiguous which helps solidify her ambiguous personality.

Sound
It had a solid OP and ED, they fit the mood of the show fairly well since both had had a sort of bittersweet feel to it. The rest of the OST was great as well; background music represented what type of music you would hear in the 17th Century well, although there were a few instances of the clichéd "dramatic" piano playing but it’s hard to hold it against them because it was so COOL at the time.

Character
Oscar is a great character, she was cool and strong willed; being raised as a man, it was somewhat humorous that members of both sexes where attracted to her and even as the women find out that she is in fact a woman as well they still retain their admiration for her.

At first Marie Antoinette was likeable but through out the story she started becoming more selfish and immature which I guess lessened my sympathy for her when she faced her eventual demise. (not really a spoiler it's part of history after all)

The rest of the cast weren't as interesting but they did manage to stand out on a few occasions through out the show.

Overall
Rose of Versailles is definitely a classic. it’s one of the pioneers of shoujo manga/anime. It’s probably hard to watch for some since it’s quite old and not only that, there's little action and a lot of political drama as the story tend to focus more on the build up to the revolution rather than the revolution itself. Another thing is that it’s not a happy show; there are a lot of tragedies that befall the cast of characters so if you’re looking for a feel good show, this is not it. If you’re a fan of the oldies or very open minded with different genres of anime then it’s quite recommendable.

*This review was originally for 13 and has consequently been merged into Gintama*

Story:
It's from the creator of Gintama, Hideaki Sorachi so you would expect some ridiculous slapstick humour, action and even a bit of drama, this one shot definitely delivers in aspects in even with its length. This could have even worked as an episode of Gintama. Despite being a One Shot, it manages to make a the story interesting enough, although it does help you appreciate it more if you're already a fan of Gintama since it would be easier for you to "get" the humour.

Art:
There isn't anything about the art ... that can be considered outstanding, still the overall quality of it is decent. The character design and art is mostly simplistic but it has it's own charm.

Characters:
Given that this was a One Shot it hardly left any room for character development but it did manage to make the two central characters interesting enough.

Overall:
I felt that it could have fleshed out the story a bit more with a few more pages of Golgo's hilarious attempts to assassinate Fujieda but all in all it was enjoyable for what it was, definitely worth the read if you're a fan of Gintama/Sorachi or just looking for a short comedy/action manga to read

Story:
The first time I read the plot synopsis it seemed pretty underwhelming but once I gave it a try I was surprised how amazing the story was, the world of the Twelve Kingdoms was just so interesting and detailed that you can’t help yourself and just be engrossed with it. One small thing I liked how people didn’t speak the same language in the other world as the main characters seeing as most shows don’t care about such small details and even integrating it to the main story, I liked the fact that they put some thought into stuff like that.

The story had immense potential ... to be something quite epic but the anime was cut-short (which I’m still quite upset about to this day), and therefore it's hard for me to give the story a perfect score since the story does not have some sort of conclusion.

Animation:
I wouldn’t say the animation was terrible but it didn’t really think it was amazing; everything just looked “ok”. At first I thought the anime was quite old because of the animation but I was quite surprised that it was made in the 2000’s. Seeing as the studios involved with the production are pretty big companies, I would have expected something better. One thing I didn't get was how Youka supposedly looked so different that she couldn't be recognized by her old friend when clearly she looked the same, I literally went back through the first few episodes and compared her appearance yet there wasn't any difference.

Sound:
It had a brilliant OP and while the rest of the OST suits the whole ancient China-like setting that the series has, they're not really worth writing about.

Character:
Probably the best aspect of the series Twelve Kingdoms has great character development and interaction. Youko is such a great lead character; she’s one of the few female lead characters that don’t need to be a “badass” to look strong. While at first Youko’s attitude was quite annoying seeing as she was a push-over and she was always obsessed with how people view her, as the series progresses she becomes more mature and becomes a much better character.

The two other supporting characters, Shoukei and Suzo while added later in the series, you can’t help but be interesting in the development of their individual struggles.

Final Thoughts:
I pretty much couldn’t stop watching episode after episode; in fact I haven’t enjoyed a story as much as The Twelve Kingdoms’ story which is why it’s even more irritating that the production was cut short.

I would have also wished for more action scenes since war has somewhat of an importance to the plot while it’s not such a big deal since the story itself is quite great; it would have made it more interesting.

Overall, I think it’s well worth the watch especially if you’re a fan of the fantasy genre, despite its inconclusiveness.

Story:
While the whole "saving the world" kind of storyline isn't anything new, it does it so well that it makes the reader so engrossed in the story and not want to stop reading. The switch between timelines are done so well that it hardly leaves you confused on what is going on. There are so many twist and turns in the story which makes nearly every chapter such an enjoyable read.

Art:
The art is quite detailed and even as the art was already quite good from the start, as it goes on it steadily improves. I have to say Urusawa's distinct art style definitely is ... growing on me as it's such a refreshing treat compared to the sea of "Moe" that is pretty common in anime and manga.

Character:
My favourite aspect of 20th Century Boys has to be the cast of characters and their development through out the story. All of them have interesting traits and everyone was given a time to shine.

There isn't much cliched character archetypes here, most of the characters act mostly realistically so no annoying tsunderes etc. One example would be Yoshitsune as at the beginning he would seem like one of those stereotypical anime characters with glasses which are usually really weak and cowardly but it turns out he was the one that really stood up for his friends and always tried to do everything to help them.

The main character, Kenji seemed like the most "normal" out of all the characters, while some people would find him boring and they'd probably like Otcho (Kenji's best friend) more but honestly there isn't anyone more suited that him to be the main character since he's the most normal and easiest to relate to.

Final Thoughts:
I saw 20th Century Boys ranked quite highly here in MAL and I'm glad I gave it a chance. It's truly a masterpiece in my eyes. It's highly recommendable and I can't even say it enough you HAVE to check this manga out. After finishing it I literally just took my time thinking about what an amazing manga I just read.

Also how can you not want to read a manga that has a villian called Friend and a homeless guy called God.