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A "necessary evil" is a phrase used when something tests the limits of good taste within the boundaries of fiction, but ultimately leaves the viewer/reader/player with a sense of having gone through something worthwhile.

Does this show merit such a label? Absolutely. Despite its flaws, School Days delivers a solid viewing experience, with a gripping overall story, brilliant pacing and decent character development.

But the flaws? I have to point to its lacklustre animation and character design, with each character looking generic, and the animation quality looking like something from the year 2000 rather than 2007. The soundtrack is also lacking, offering nothing memorable.

These are mere ... nitpicks considering how well the story panned out in the end, and this is well worth watching for anyone wanting an alternative to the regular high school romance.

In my early days of anime fandom, Rumiko Takahashi was probably the first mangaka whose works I was heavily into. My favourite of her manga series? Maison Ikkoku. When it comes to anime adaptations though, Urusei Yatsura would top my list.

It says something about Mamoru Oshii as a director, that he is able to achieve something like making this film and not compromise on the humour and tone that run through UY as a whole. All the elements that this film introduces just astounded me upon first viewing, as most hollywood films similar to this weren't to come along for 9 years (groundhog day being ... the key example here).

The quality of artwork is quite a leap from the tv series and also the first UY film. For a film made in 1984, it holds up surprisingly well.

All in all, this film will make you wonder where its story is going, what's going to happen next, etc. As i close, i have to ask, isn't that what all the best fiction does?

Imagine, if you will, a series by Kunihiko Ikuhara, but one which refuses to delve into themes like sexuality and dark storytelling. Essentially, this is what Princess Tutu is.

The artwork, character designs and animation are all quite a bit advanced by 2002 standards, everything looks pretty as your average magical girl anime should, but this isn't exactly a series to fit snugly in that mould. Its storytelling works on multiple levels, and is kind of revolutionary, as the genre goes, culminating in a final battle scene to rival a few shonen series.

It wouldn't be worth much, though, if Princess Tutu didn't have well-written characters, and ... it does. Duck especially is enjoyable to watch, along with other notable comic relief.

This being centred around ballet, classical music would be expected to feature heavily, and it does, and often. If magical girls appeal to you, this is the middle ground between sailor moon's fate-driven story and madoka magica's tale of misery.

The original star wars? Lord of the rings? There have been countless debates as to what is the best film trilogy of all time. Some would mention the godfather, but part III...come on, don't kid yourselves. I personally would mention Satyajit Ray's Apu trilogy, and I would then mention this.
Rarely, if ever, does animation look this good. There were a couple of shots spread along all three films where I couldn't believe the quality of it. The character design is far beyond what we're used to in monogatari, and that's quite a statement.
The character development is quite special too. Hanekawa and ... Araragi have such chemistry here that I almost wish you-know-who hadn't come along and ruined it. I say almost, because doesn't Senjougahara just make things more fun?

Sometimes, there are things I can't say I prefer over another. I would honestly have trouble choosing between dragonball and dragonball z, as well as the case of patlabor movie 1 vs patlabor movie 2.

This also applies to baccano! Vs durarara!!

Although baccano's focus is mainly on fun, durarara prefers to tell a character-driven drama story. It works quite well, becoming tense as it nears its end.

The art doesn't quite match that of baccano, nor does the soundtrack (although both are decent), but it makes up plenty of ground in terms of its characters, with each one having a lot of importance in the grand scheme ... of things. As a whole, if baccano was your kind of show, durarara will impress.

It is true that hype can ruin your enjoyment of any form of entertainment, but anticipation is a different story. I knew this was going to be good, the only question was 'how good?'

I needn't have worried. The monogatari series does a kind of maturing here, taking darker turns in terms of tone, as well as character development. New revelations about our familiar characters make them become either more tragic figures than before, or in a particular case, more disturbing.

It almost goes without saying that in terms of sound and visuals, monogatari as a whole continues to be a work of creative genius.

Given the choice, I would sooner watch a series which let me discover what its central message was rather than a show which tried at every other moment to force its message upon me. This for my money is the difference between Ah My Goddess! and Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid. It's also the difference between The Seven Deadly Sins and Fairy Tail. Sure, friendship is a wonderful thing, but we don't need to be reminded of this every 10 minutes or so (a slight exaggeration, just go with it).

The Seven Deadly Sins is one of the better shonen series currently floating around out there, with ... likable characters matching those of every other shonen series, decent animation and character design. Its story doesn't relegate itself to telling a long succession of story arcs. Instead it focuses on just one season-long arc, which at times plays out more like a Fire Emblem game than your typical shonen anime. There's also a noticeable lack of plot armour here, with our heroes facing a lot of tense situations throughout.

This is probably me being presumptuous, but any Fairy Tail fan looking for a more mature approach to storytelling without losing any fun elements could do a lot worse than check this out.

When looking at anime through past decades, it would seem that one title defines the time in which it was made. Evangelion defines the 1990's, capturing the mood of Japan at the time. Haruhi Suzumiya led to an explosion in moe culture, defining the 2000's. Madoka Magica would surely define the 2010's, at least up until now.
For example, would Made in Abyss be the success it was, or would it even get animated, if its formula of cute-meets-soul-crushing wasn't done here first? Unlikely.

Its character development is probably the best thing on show. Each of our main cast has a certain amount of relatability about them. ... Even our "villain", when the details of his plotting are revealed, make you see his point, after some thought

This is yet another production by studio shaft, directed by Akiyuki Shinbou, which should give you some idea of how it looks. The characters' designs are well-done, but the witches are artbook-worthy, being imaginatively designed.

As with the Monogatari series, the soundtrack is nicely done, the opening theme lulling viewers into a false sense of security from the very start.

I give this anime a 10 rating because anything less would be an insult for a work of this magnitude. 'Masterpiece' is an entirely appropriate word to use when describing it.

This does go without saying, but anime can get surreal sometimes. There you are, thinking everything is nice and normal, but weirdness is sometimes looking over your shoulder. Kaiba is the very anime that makes this clear.

Kaiba does have the art style of Osamu Tezuka running throughout it, at least to some degree. For some reason, episode 5 decided "screw that, I'm being abstract!", and Masaaki Yuasa let it happen.

The world-building of Kaiba is pretty good, not the best, but it outclasses a lot of series. The characters were ones I never really felt an emotional attachment to, until we neared the endgame and shit ... got real. Towards the end, things of an entirely depressing nature start happening. It's not overwhelming by any means, but stiil...damn.

But I haven't mentioned the best of it yet. The episodes that are stand alone stories are by far Kaiba's true strengths, episodes 5 and 6 being two of the best anime episodes that I've ever come across. The final few episodes seem disjointed and confusing at first, but things do get explained quite clearly soon after.

As for comparing it to Yuasa's other works, Cat soup and the tatami galaxy are better and should be checked out first. Lu over the wall and other things, you say? Probably reviews for another time.

As much as I love anime, there are times when I find it absolutely detestable. Not to say this show is bad, but it makes me feel envious, envious that my school days could never be as depicted here and in most other school-based series.

For a lesser-known suidio, Lerche produces one of the better-looking series I've seen recently. The characters are well-drawn and move fluidly. The characters themselves though are mostly lacking in personality, relying on single traits. That is until you get to what I like to call the big four; Nagisa, Karma, Kaede and the big guy himself, Koro-sensei.

The soundtrack is, like the ... Bakemonogatari soundtrack, full of catchy tunes that won't leave your head too soon.

The cleverest thing this show achieves is its subversion of battle shonen tropes. Big training scenes? Just have our guys and girls studying. The battle scene against rivals? an exam. The rivals/big bads themselves? students from an elite class.

For all people tired of the usual shonen series, as well as people just looking for a good watch, this is worth a try.