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I may me a bit slow on writing reviews, but this show has actually got the best out of me, so I wanted and wanted NOT to write this at the same time. But please forgive me for rumbling.

First thing I have to mention is it's NOT the comedy/slice of life anime. If someone says it is, then he must be your best friend (or archenemy). Anyway, it's a drama in it's finest, just covered with humoristic and "happy life" episodes. It may appear lighthearted at first, but it will strike you right there when you get too relaxed, believe me or not.

Other than that, ... it's still a pretty astonishing show with it's own ring to it. Here come the sections.

-Story-
It actually seems a bit trite at first - a kid with a cruelish mother, that teaches her son to play music sheets perfectly, note to note, as the composer intended. "Human metronome" they call him. Then his mother dies near the time of his perfomance, and the kid loses the ability to hear the notes because of the feelings. Then he meets a certain girl, which changes his life. At this moment you might think about the "live happy ever after" line, but, well, the reality differs in a certain way... Something to look forward to, I might say.
Other than that, the story doesn't prove to be anything special, but what can you expect from a so-called "slice-of-life" anyway? Can't ask for more.

-Character-
The characters are the main point of this show. Some say they don't receive any growth throughout the entire anime, but it's not quite true. They do, but the process is really slow. The situation changes only with Arima himself. This guy unravels fairly quickly to the point you can actually see and hear his inner walls getting crushed.
The side characters grow much more in the emotional way, which is clearly shown by all the love triangles. I had to literally draw a scheme to sort out all the relations between everyone. Didn't really pay off, though. By the way, at some point most of the feels make nearly a full 360 revolution, which make the show a bit more intense.
There are a lot of interesting lines with "rivals", who motivate you better than best friends. Those feelings were really close to me, so I enjoyed it even more.
The most tricky character in this show is actually Kaori. Everyone says she doesn't grow at all, but I actually wonder, if everyone here has watched this show till the end. Shame on you, guys.

-Art-
The graphics were pretty enjoyable. Interesting fact: all the characters were drawn with the normal lips instead of curly mouth lines too. Overall, art felt fitting: it was really lighthearted and happy when it needed to be, but also gloomy and dramatic in some moments.

-Sound-
The opening. Oh, I loved it so much. Basically, it only was enough to hook me into watching this whole series. Definetly one of the best I've ever seen. The OP songs were pretty good too.
Soundtrack was also really well-made.
Now I just have to speak about the piano and violin perfomances. Have you ever had a crash on something after watching anime? Well, it happened to me after this one. Maybe not to the maximum point, but I actually started to listen to Shopin, Vivaldi and some other composers. Ave.

-Enjoyment-
I did enjoy this title a lot. I've actually swallowed it in three evenings and was overwhelmed by feels to the point I couldn't get certain images out of my head for a lot of time.
This show can really be serious when it wants too, despite the ridicoulous humorous scenes popping randomly here and there. Overall, I would advice you to watch it, but please, don't make the same genre mistakes as I did.

Higurashi (yes, I'm shortening the name once again) must be observed not as two seasons and whole load of OVA's and specials, but as a collective entity, and what a brilliant one! Beware, because I'm including some plot segments and ideas of Higurashi no Naku Koro ni. If you haven't watched it yet - then go and do it right now, before it's too late!

-Story-
This is the strongest and the most striking point of the whole show. I was puzzled while watching the first season, because most of the events seemed random and somewhat insane: characters murdered each other, resurrected again and kept going mad. ... But I also enjoyed all the mystery surrounding these events ans even started building up some theories. I was hoping for some answers in the second season, and I got them to the fullest extent.

The thing this season did straight away was prove, that there was a method through madness of this show. The "infinite loop" idea was not really uninspired and new, but it did fit and it explained most of the strange moments. But the thing that amazed me the most was the slowly, but surely unravelling of a big ball of ideas in my head. Do you remember the cake theory? Never eat it at once, or you will hate it eventually. Well, this theory works for these series too. Those pieces of plot which I connected with each other throughout Higurashi kept me watching at the edge of my sit and asking for more. I personally place the conspiracy of Higurashi somewhere near the storyline of Death Note, because the psychological and information warfare near the end of the show was absolutely brilliant.

The are only two real cons in the way they handled the story of Higurashi. The first is Higurashi no Naku Koro ni. The madness and "random" events can really put off some viewers. Thankfully, it didn't happen to me.

Second con is a somewhat ridiculous way the company of kids won the battle against the whole squad of special forces just by using some traps and a bit of an advanced tactic. Still, this is Japanese show, can't blame them too much, right?

The viewers were also kept wondering about the origin of Hinamizawa Syndrome, which I feel is the first thing worth explaining.

-Characters-
Another strong point of Higurashi is the way it develops the main characters. All of them have commited some sins, which drove them into the village, but they are trying their best to live happy lives. I began to empathize the MC to the fullest in the second season, when the battle against fate started and most of the backstories were revealed. The only problem was that some characters (mainly Rika and Hanyuu) were still left aside ang quickly captured by sharp-clawed paws of OVA directors.

Some didn't like the series mostly because of all the comedian "fillers" in it, but I feel that I enjoyed it even more because of them and the contrast they made. All the "quiet before the storm" episodes were really heartwarming and funny. The scenes, where all the MC started to combine their strength and help each other in their trials, where really well made too.

Another pro is the development of the antagonist. It was hard for me to watch her struggle in her childhood. Desperate people become the "Pierrot marching around the stage" really easily, and this fate didn't pass her by. My feelings about the antagonist are controversal, but at least it's not the typical "kill them all and get the crown" villain without any ulterior motives.

-Art-
The artwork of Higurashi is not bad, but old. Plus, I had to watch the show in 480p. It didn't really spoil the overall enjoyment or anything, though. Characters were happy and cute when they wanted to be, but also really scary and insane at time. This contrast was very well drawn and it created all the atmosphere.

-Sound-
All the openings and endings are pretty catchy and they actually fit the atmosphere. The first OP is quite intense and bloody just like the first season, while the second one is more dramatic and calm. I didn't pay much attention to music, but it was changing mood when needed.
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Overall, I feel that watching all the seasons is indeed worth it because of an amazing storyline and most of the urgent questions answered. I enjoyed Hirugashi a lot and I would advice everyone to watch it, but certainly not as a first title.

Quick summery:
-Story-
8/10
+ The "answering" second season, which slowly unravelled most of the mysteries.
+/- Madness and random events of the first season.
- No explanation to the origin of the Hinamizawa Syndrome.

-Character-
8/10
+ Amazing development of MCs and the sins they commited.
+ Desperate antagonist with sad and depressing backstory.
- Not enough attention to Rika and Hanyuu in the main series.

-Art-
7/10
+ Art changing mood when needs be.
+ Bright and well drawn characters.
- Bad quality and overall stale artwork.

-Sound-
8/10
+ Mood changing.
+ Brilliant OPs and EDs.
- The music is not really that impressive.

I was really, really irritated and upset, when I had watched the first episode. For all those around who have the same hate for whacky characters - brace yourself and you will be rewarded. Believe me.

Starting with anime itself. I really feel like writing a review on two titles (both sequel and this one) could be an option, but I still see them as a collective entity. Thus, my opinion is based on watching both seasons. The only thing I can say about them now - they have the similar idea, but take a different approach on expressing it.

Psycho-Pass has it's own unic way of ... showing the society, which is ruled by Sybil System - the ultimate and perfect (but not completely) judge, who dictates the law and makes the accusation and the same time. The ones who serve justice and find the guilty ones, however, are still humans. This 'human factor' sometimes leads to unexpected incidents such as the one in that notorious first episode, where Acane makes a debut appearance.

I personally think she is not the brightest and best character in this show, but I felt sympathy for her own way of dealing with criminals. She protests about killing humans, knows the value of life and tries to do everything the peaceful way, if possible. I could really tell that she had improved quite a lot throught the show and dumped some of the annoying features of her character.

Slowly making our way to Kougami and Makishima. They are both quite similar in their judgement and views, which makes them feel obsessed with each otherat the end. Kougami wants to fully understand Makishima, Makishima finds a perfect rival for himself, fair enough.
Kougami is brutal, manly and suited for the job of the enforcer, but he also has outstanding abilities as a detective, which made me admire him quite a bit.

The one thing that made me love this show was, in fact, a genius antagonist. Makishima is not the same as all those typical 'all-around evil' guys, who just hurrdurr at everyone, built towers and try to capture the world, failing at the end. You can clearly see Shougo's motives, and I can even say, that I'd feel the same urge to cast down the system as he did. He seems to somewhat enjoy killing people, but does it mainly to find the flaws in Sibyl's judgement. ...I was really amused when he refered to Orwell and Dick and said, that "e-books lack characters" too.

The second season also has a unic antagonist, who wants to shake the society and judge the entire system, but his is more, how do you say it, middle-classed and normal. He still has amazing knowledge in some aspects, but is more about empathy and revenge. No quotes from Shakespeare either.

Other characters were mainly to fill the plot, but they are very well-written too, especially Ginoza, which comes a loong way from an annoying wonnabe-dictator to a caring and tolerant person.

The other good point of the show is it's unbelievable atmosphere. The first season is more about bright colors and showing the life of suburbans becoming really dark and even scary when it wants to, which may shock some people that don't expect such gorgeous contrast. There were some amazingly well-made scenes of hysteria not only amongst individuals, but also amongst the citizens, which made me freeze on spot and just watch things happen with an open mouth.
The second season, however, is dark from the beginning, all the more messy and violent, so you quickly get used to it (if you ever can).

Openings and endings of both seasons represent not only the overall attitude of shows, but the state of mind of main characters too.

Overall, I enjoyed Psycho-Pass a lot and even digged some information about the show's plot in order to understand some motives and events. The show has left some matters to think of and discuss, so I consider it a good aftertaste.

Let me be totally honest with you. There's no real love story in Isshuukan Friends. You can easily describe all the feelings and interactions between main characters as 'love', but they actually put themselves in a 'friend-zone forever' situation. I keep wondering myself, if it's all because of memory loses, or because Hase was just a wet-rag.

The story is really mediocre, but that's doesn't make it bad. I can really describe it only with the words 'long-wided' and 'caramelized'. It can be boring at times, but is always warm and heart-melting.

The artstyle it what cought my eyesight at the firstplace, and it really lived up ... all my expectations. The characters and surroundings are colourful and well-drawn in general. Not much to say about the sound, but I find, that all the voices fit their characters perfectly.

I won't rumble about Hase, because I just don't like those genki-type but somewhat shy and always failing characters. I was really admiring the stoic and cold-minded Shougo though, those two made a great contrast.

Overall, I enjoyed Isshuukan Friends, but I still feel a bad about the relationship just hovering at one point. By the way, I was really surpised by the little scene with Hase at the end. Does he, by any chance, have the same memory problem as Kaori, or is my imagination playing a bad trick on me?..

"My favorite things are the footsteps of a certain person heading towards the house, the sound of the piano and drums riffing in the basement, and the laughter of two boys."

Sakamichi no Appolon feels like a brief, gentle touch of those things most of us dream of: music band, hanging out with friends, being in love with a girl... But the one who really runs the show in this title is the one and only jazz.

Story: 7/10
The story is pretty good at the first half of anime, but at the second one all the characters get screwed over making too many mistakes. Same thing ... about drama: in one episode it feels unnatural and artificial while in the other one it really gets the hold of you.
The other thing I'm still complaining about is the ending. It has no logic, no common sense, nothing. If it would end right after the train scene, it would be pretty sad, but realistic at the very least. C'mon, Watanabe...

Art: 10/10
The art is one of the best pros of the title. It's really colorful and alive, plus, there's no typical moe elements, emoticons and other annoying stuff. The character's cheeks blushing never felt so real.

Sound: 10/10
Not much to say about that. Jazz is flowing through this title and I was personally screaming 'Let's jam!' everytime the guys started playing. Music in Sakamichi no Appolon connects people, starts competitions and generally makes everyone shake off the bad feelings much faster, then any magic in the world.

Character: 8/10
Characters fit in the anime pretty well.
Kaouru is a typical depressed individual, always feeling out of place and having noone to care about, at least, at first. Didn't expect him to get along with Sentarou at all.
His personality is quite contradictory. Today he keeps calm and teaches someone, how to date properly, tomorrow he cries like a psychopath. I personally find his sufferings pretty pathetic and childish at times, but his problems still feel really human.
Sentarou. Who would predict, that a typical school bully would be so kind-hearted and easy-going? He really makes contrast with Kaouru, but I still feel, that he is a bit to quick with making decisions.
Ritsuko is a pretty normal girl. The love story in Sakamichi no Appolon is far from being the best one in the world, and I still get a feeling, that it could end in a much better way if both characters acted a bit differently.
I personally liked the story of Yurika and Junichi. It really shows how far can people go, if they care about someone and it left quite a bit of stuff to think about as well.

Enjoyment: 9/10
The musical part of Sakamichi no Appolon is a real masterpiece. I enjoyed everything else too, despite the story and the characters personalities being really strange, at least, in my personal opinion.
I would still advice this title to everyone, who wants to dive in the world of jazz music, youth and little moments of human happiness.

'Caring for things brings a lot of trouble...'

You know why everyone watches slices, right? A bit of romance, a bit of daily life, love triangles and so on and so forth.
Surely I wasn't excepting that kind of a deep story when I dived in this title, the OP of which I randomly found on Youtube the other day.

Story: 8/10
This anime isn't that much about love and romance. It is about normal human feelings, walls, that we put around us, the masks we wear, living an everyday life. This story may lack the sudden turns and a complicated canvas, but it has real tragedy in it. ... The one-man tragedy, which got me thinking about my own life quite a bit.

Art: 8/10
Not much to say about that. Character design was really good. The only thing that did bring some unwanted feelings was the amount of emoticons and all such things. I think, this title could be better off without them.

Sound: 10/10
The music was beatiful. All soundtracks were playing at the right time and totally fitting the atmosphere. OP/ED were both amazing too.

Character: 9/10
All the main characters in this anime feel really human. We all have hard times telling the truth to someone we care for, but some things are needed to be said.
I really felt bad for Cou and was envious of him at the same time. Maybe, because I associate myself with him in practically all the ways possible, but feel like I could be a better person with this guy's attitude. Still, he was really lucky he had a girl, that 'wanted to be included'. Plus, he is the author the phrase 'friends in name only', which everyone has in their minds, but no one ever says.
Yoshioka was really annoying and sloppy all the time, but I admire her bravery and energy. Wish I had a girlfriend like this, hah.
Other guys were pretty good too, but no that much worth speaking about.

Enjoyment: 9/10
This anime really took me over very quickly. I just breathed in and clicked play... and it was already over. Still, it sure left a lot of things to think about, and I'm grateful for that.

Overal: 9/10