Youko in Twelve Kingdoms is one of the best-made and best-developed characters I've ever seen. It starts off as something akin to a coming-of-age type of story, but Youko's development doesn't just stop when she starts being honest with herself. She goes from having one problem to another, and struggles through it as best she can. Then she goes to making mistakes and tries to fix them. It's just a very human story of struggle, and at the very end of her story, you feel inspired and think "wow, what a woman/leader".
Youko isn't the only reason I loved Twelve Kingdoms, just
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Apr 28, 2010
Minami-ke Okaeri
(Anime)
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I went and rewatched Okaeri recently and as I was watching it, I was thinking that it wasn't as funny as the original. But then Touma's brother visited the Minamis and scene had me crying with laughter again. And Kana is always awesome, especially whenever she's surprised or gets an "idea".
Okaeri isn't a radical change from the previous seasons, just little things here and there. They seem to have moved to the 3-segment style instead of part a/b, which is kinda annoying cause now I have to skip sections twice instead of once. Chiaki looks even more different now, which is ... 
Apr 16, 2010
Minami-ke Okawari
(Anime)
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Minami-ke Okawari is a continuation of the first season, and you probably won't enjoy Okawari if you haven't seen the first season. The majority of the animation/sound/characters/humor remains the same. I don't think I cried from laughing as much, but it was still hilarious.
There are little changes here and there. Chiaki's hair color has mysteriously changed and Kana has some crazy dog shirt instead of I AM BOSS, which made me sad. The detailed animation style for some scenes is more downplayed so it's not as weird. Chiaki sometimes seems cross-eyed in this season, which is disturbing like an itch ... 
Apr 14, 2010
Minami-ke is hilarious. I cried from laughing, even the second time I watched it. The characters are wonderful; it's not one of those comedies that feels like random gags, but slice-of-life where the humor is more integrated in day-to-day happenings (even though there isn't much in the way of story progression).
The artwork is very well done, but it's made for the humor, not necessarily to be pretty. Especially Kana's expressions crack me up. And her "I AM BOSS" t-shirt makes me laugh every time I think about it. Actually pretty much everything about Kana cracks me up. The voice ... 
Apr 7, 2010
King of Eden is difficult to rate - compared to most movies/OVAs it's very good but compared to the Eden of the East TV series it's very lacking. It's the same style and everything, just a bit more polished in the animation. The characters are more or less still the same lovable, quirky people.
The plot of the movie was the letdown for me. It felt as though there were ~3 story arcs going on at once - the main Selecao one, the King one, and the director one. The director one is predominantly a plain, average anime plot, but it felt ... 
Apr 6, 2010
Toaru Majutsu no Index
(Anime)
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I'm a big fan of animes that have an interesting "world". The idea of a world where you have magic and magic-like science is really interesting to watch. Aside from a few episodes, the story and characters are both touching and funny. If Touma weren't so absurdly impulsive, I'd probably rate it a 10.
Apr 6, 2010
Shakugan no Shana
(Anime)
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The story wasn't too bad and the art was good, but more than anything I just couldn't stand Shana's character, which I'd classify as "noisy/annoying".
Apr 6, 2010
I think I stumbled upon RahXephon from a review of Neon Genesis Evangelon where someone said if you didn't really like NGE you'd probably like RahXephon. That advice was perfect for me.
All in all, the characters and story really made it for me. The characters and their decisions were believable and you go through a good range of emotions while watching it. 
Apr 6, 2010
Higashi no Eden
(Anime)
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The vibe I got was a combination of Bourne Identity and animes like Code Geass and Death Note (except not dark at all). It was incredibly fun to watch. The only cons were that it was too short and some parts of the plot felt like they had been skipped.
The characters are realistic and quirky. The animation is excellent, like a refined version of Honey and Clover or Nodame Cantabile. The story is incredibly interesting. The opening is amazing, like probably the only one where I'd watch it for every episode. 
Apr 6, 2010
Ergo Proxy
(Anime)
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For me, Ergo Proxy is one of those animes where I think "oh man, what could've been!"
Pros: The artwork and music are stellar. I think I can rewatch it so easily because it's entertaining just to watch and listen to. Both very strongly support the environments, like the sterile-looking Romdeau or the utterly desolate wastelands. In that setting, I could almost watch the anime alone if you took out all the characters but Pino. Pino is simply a masterpiece of voice acting, character development, and artwork. Cons: The story felt like it was trying to be recognized as a smart anime, rather than actually being a ... |
