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Tokyo Daigaku Monogatari is a short anime adaptation of the long running manga of the same title. Now since I haven’t read the original source material I cannot comment on its accuracy or faithfulness. However it’s obvious that a story that spanned 34 volumes cannot possibly be given justice in a two episode OVA. All of that being said, I can’t say that this program has inspired me to rush out and find any of the manga volumes.

The story starts off fairly interesting enough. The smart but shy high school student Naoki becomes smitten with the beautiful Haruka when attending a tennis match she was playing in. He asks her out and she surprisingly agrees. The romance that immediately follows is kind of sweet even though it’s really shallow. The couple promises to share their university life together and resolve to get into the prestigious Tokyo University. Naoki as a top student seems all but guaranteed to get in, while Haruka works hard to bring up her grades and test scores.

Very quickly though the wheels start to come off. As mentioned, it’s really impossible to do the story any justice in barely an hour of film. While the first episode is pretty good, the second is confusing and baffling and a complete train wreck. The most notable change is the evolution of the main character into a complete douchebag and waste of skin. Despite Haruka's faithful devotion to him, Naoki continues to cheat on her. The way he acts, particularly over the second episode makes the eventual ending not all that satisfying.

The lead characters do little to enhance this series. Naoki and Haruka for leads are horribly developed by the story. The romance between them is sweet at times but you don’t feel anything for them because the groundwork for the relationship is never laid. Naoki starts out as a likeable and amusing character, switching between this serious thoughtful character and a raging pervert and lunatic. However he inexplicably becomes a ladies man, seemingly bedding down with every other female character that shows up. Haruka, I suppose plays the silently suffering Japanese woman who is accepting of her boyfriend’s infidelity and is unwavering in her devotion for him. She also doesn’t have any substance to her; she exists, is cute, and has huge tits and a nice ass. That really is the only thing you can say about her.

Tons of supporting characters are crammed into the story that were probably very important in the manga but to someone with no familiarity with them they are completely shallow and uninteresting. None of them are developed, explained, or even likeable and they will pop up out of nowhere and vanish just as mysteriously.

Artistically I felt it was inconsistent. Some of the art is very nicely done but the characters themselves often look crude. Naoki's various facial expressions are hilarious at times and I felt were the strongest point of the artwork. The style reminded me of GTO. The acting is decent overall and the ending theme song is very strong.

I think that really all but the most diehard fans of the manga need to bother with this. I didn’t get much out of it; perhaps I would feel differently with more familiarity with the story. Either way the plot and the characters just aren’t that good for me to even bother with and my recommendation would be to not waste your time with this title.
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Hooray for boobies! Kanokon has returned to assault our senses and kill brain cells with its ridiculous story and characters. Chances are if you really liked the original then the boobs and fan service will be just more for you to love. Though if you hated it, then there is nothing here to make you change your mind.

The OVA retains the spirit of the original, as far as being a borderline hentai, however while the first series at least had a rudimentary storyline this has basically no plot at all. Most of the time specials and OVA's that spinoff a full series revolve around fan service and place the characters in echii situations. Though with the original being so extreme it’s hard to see how they could have taken it any farther. Nothing of substance ever has in the story though. There are absolutely zero plot or character developments from the original. A number of side stories do go on around the main characters and the one revolving around Akane and Tayura is more interesting than anything that happens between the key cast.

Chizuru continues her molestation/rape of the shota target Kouta. The "story" unfolds too solely to remove Chizuru's clothes or to have her rub Kouta's face between her boobs. Kouta is typically shocked and dismayed every time she "makes" him look at her naked body. Honestly why at this point he is even bothered by seeing her naked is probably the most unbelievable aspect of the series.

The only character that really stands out is Chizuru. I did find her pretty amusing most of the time. Though I still can’t really find any reason why she is so attracted to Kouta, but it is pretty amusing the way she has to fend off all of her rivals. Kouta remains as one of my most hated characters. This is mainly because he looks and acts like such a wimp. While this is not a shocking development in these kind of stories, he is so unmanly and looks like a small boy that it makes all the echii situations and romantic elements seem outright indecent and illegal.

Fans of Nozomu are likely to be disappointed with this show as her role is extremely small and she rarely even speaks. Considering she was the primary rival from the first series I thought this was pretty odd. On the bright side though she is naked for practically every one of her scenes. Fans of loli boobs rejoice! The remaining supporting cast is mostly forgettable and uninteresting with the exception of the aforementioned Akane and Tayura. I did like their little burgeoning romance together and it was probably the only thing believable and interesting thing to come out of the story.

The artwork and animation is overall pretty good. I would normally go higher for a score for this but the character design for Kouta is that annoying and frustrating for me that I just can’t give it any higher than I did. Besides our childlike lead, the rest of the characters are pretty cute and well drawn. Chizuru's measurements are a bit over the top and if you like big curvy girls then you’re probably going to enjoy Kanokon R's visuals.

Kanokon R does feature a very good seiyuu cast. They do the best they can to make this as watchable as it can possibly be with what they had to work with. The music is also a bright spot overall for the series.

If you totally loved the original Kanokon then you likely will want to watch this. Though if you were hoping for more developments in the story and the characters or even more fox spirit action, then you’re going to get nothing out of this. Those of you who hated the original are still going to hate this too. My recommendation is that you not waste your time.




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When you think of great character design and artwork two of the studios you might think of almost immediately are Gainax and Studio 4°C. So it’s a bit amazing to me that artistically, Debutante Detective Corps turned out to be one of the most horrible looking turds I have seen to date. I guess even the best have to start somewhere.

Given Debutante's title I am not sure what I was expecting, but regardless of what it was I certainly didn’t get it. Nothing about the story or the title make a lot of sense. Obviously this was a title given by the English dubbing studio and it’s really only the beginning of this epic fail abortion of an anime.

Our story starts with our five heroines entering the scene in spastic, silly, and unnecessarily flashy manners. We are given brief bios of the quintet and you better read it because that’s all the character "development" and background story you’re going to get on any of them. They are all fabulously wealthy girls and apparently are being threatened by a mysterious organization. So of course the police, instead of taking our spoiled bitches to some place secure like um, the police station maybe, they take them to a completely unsecure high school where they end up just locking them up in the principal’s office. Of course despite the school being blanketed but literally hundreds of armed officers in riot gear our three villains do manage to get inside the school where predictable, over the top, silly, and retarded action ensues.

Nothing about the story works. The comedy doesn’t because it relies mainly on having some sort of emotional investment in the characters. Given the shortness of the OVA this is practically an impossible task. Once the revelation is made at the end as too who is behind the attack, you’re likely to either explode into a howling laughter at its stupidity or face palm. Or perhaps both. Obviously that this was meant as a pilot episode for a potential series. It’s not shocking at all that this was never picked up. At least someone with some sense and good judgment realized how god awful the concept was and thus the world was saved from the potential of a full season of this garbage.

The characters are standard 90s clichés. You have every kind of "action" girl in the cast. The Chinese martial arts master, the Russian big guns girl, the explosives expert, the master of disguise, and the psychic master of magic’s. In addition we are treated to the usual tsundere, moe, and bratty personality types displayed in every other anime ever made. There is nothing extraordinary or memorable about any of them and honestly you will have a tough time just remembering their names let alone anything about them. The villains and supporting characters are equally stale and stupid.

Artistically this is about as bad as I have ever seen. The style is typical of the era of which I am not a fan of at all but even for the 90s this is epically horrible work. It’s really shocking to me too when you consider the studios involved in its production. For me it’s really difficult to imagine how anyone ever thought this looked good. The sound and music score are as drab and uninteresting as the animation. The lack of a decent story makes it impossible for any talent level of seiyuu to give a good performance.

If you’re considering watching this because of the studios involved in its production like I did, don’t. You will be disappointed. Debutante Detective Corps is best left to the dustbin of history. I am sure those who made it would also wish you forget it exists too.
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Ibara-Hime mata wa Nemuri-Hime or Briar Rose, Sleeping Beauty is an alternate retelling of the classic fairy tale. If it’s possible to turn a fairy tale into a gritty and realistic feeling drama then this short film succeeds marvelously.

The story is told through stop motion animation using dolls and puppets and is narrated by the lead character, the young princess. At first it seems almost exactly like the classic story and the narration brings us up to the current events. The unnamed princess was cursed as a baby by a strange one legged man that she will die on her 15th birthday from a spinning wheel needle. This curse is altered by gentile spirits into putting her to sleep and not killing her. The princess grows up and fatefully discovers the lone spinning wheel left in the kingdom. Instead of being pricked her fascination with the wheel leads her to discover her mother’s old diary. Thus she learns of her mother’s past, the identity of the mysterious man, and the sad betrayal that lead to him cursing her.

The way things unfold is never how you expect. The princess seeks out the man who cursed her and makes amends by offering herself as a sacrifice for her mother’s misdeeds. I found it interesting how it paints a realistic picture of what kind of life this type of people is likely to have lead. It’s a bit cynical, which is not all that uncommon when it comes to Japanese storytelling and romance. When the story comes to a close, and the princess has found her prince charming I found the princess' commentary to be quite poignant and memorable.

As I mentioned the entire story is told through the princess narration. None of the characters are given names. The cast is small and all our impressions and observations are through the princess. She is a very practical girl and her experiences in the story eventually make her quite a cynic. By the end she has resigned herself to her life. Is she happy? Not really but given her situation she has made the best of things she really never had any control over.

This is not typical "anime" as most people are used to. It uses stop motion animation featuring puppets. I was quite impressed though with it and with how much emotion and feeling was brought out with something as lifeless as wooden as a puppet. It reminded me a lot of those old Rudolph and Santa Christmas stories that were made with an identical type of animation. It’s definitely different and unique but I thought it was excellently done. There is very little sound to speak of. Since there is no acting save for the princess' narration and the only music is to speak of is soft background music to fit the mood.

Overall I found this to be a fascinating short film with a unique take on a classic story. I feel it’s realistic and gritty story and interesting animation style make it a must watch for anyone in the mood for something different.
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I have over the years watched a lot of really bad anime. Mostly out of personal interest to see just how bad something can possibly be. I suppose it’s a lot like rubbernecking at an accident on the highway. Up until now, Mars of Destruction reigned as the poster boy for terrible anime but after seeing Bronze Zetsuai I have to revise that opinion. This is the only thing I have seen in which I scored it basically 1's across the board.

The prequel to Bronze was not good, however compared to this it looks like Gone with the Wind. Though it isn't really necessary to see the prequel either as other than using the same characters nothing that important is carried over to this episode. The story picks up a year later, with our two lovers Koji and Izumi living together and continuing their passionless and uninteresting relationship in secret. Izumi, thanks to the events from the first story is now a nationally known youth footballer and has been offered the chance to play in Italy. He takes off for Italy to view some football matches without telling Koji personally, just leaving a note. He does this because Koji is a needy psychotic tool and if I had been in his position I would have done the same thing. How long is he going to be gone you ask? For a week. He’s not leaving forever. He’s coming back, in a week. Seven days. 168 hours. 10080 minutes. 604800 seconds. But Koji's needy ass apparently can’t live without Izumi for even 1 second and races off to the airport to stop him. Guess what!? Yep he has an accident and ends up in a coma! Zetsuai's tradition of hospital visits remains intact!

There is absolutely nothing riveting or interesting about how the story is presented. It’s full of clichés and uninspired drama that mostly feels like a poorly written cheap soap opera. The plot plays out so predictably and with additionally unnecessary situations and drama that bring nothing to it. While the original seemed to be told more through Koji's perspective, Bronze is told mainly through Izumi's eyes. I am not sure if it’s possible to make a man, even one as unmanly as Koji, moe but Bronze gives it a try. Koji's family which was completely unmentioned in the first story emerges as cockblocks to their love in this one. Apparently we are to believe that Koji is a Budo prodigy and on his father’s death he is, according to his will, supposed to take over as head of the family to pass on their Budo-style. What this means or why it’s important is never explained, nor did I care to know. I find it hilarious that this weepy sissy who hasn’t practiced since he was 10 is still able to display awe inspiring feats with his sword.

As characters Izumi and Koji remain as the primary focus on the story. Izumi remains as a cold and unfeeling jerk and when the story attempts to show his passionate side towards Koji the only thing I felt was the pain in my stomach from uncontrolled laughter. We see him slowly move towards admitting his gayness. Koji remains the weepy girly man from the first story. The way he acts is both cringe worthy and laugh out loud hilarious. (not in an intentionally funny way either) He is still a complete whack job and despite the stories desperate attempts to make you feel something for either one of the leads, it fails in every aspect.

The addition of Koji's family brings nothing to the story of substance. His brothers seem to have had almost no contact or influence on Koji's life any time recently and it is puzzling why they would suddenly take so much interest in him now. The other supporting characters bring nothing other than to push the asshole Izumi into discovering his true feelings and homosexuality.

Bronze continues the series tradition of eye bleeding shitastic visuals. All of my complaints of the original still remain. I found it confusing how inconsistent it was in terms of the character designs. While Koji and Izumi look pretty much as they did in the first story, the returning supporting cast such as Koji's manager and Izumi's sister look so completely different that they were unrecognizable. Thankfully (I suppose?) there is very little music in this episode but the piss poor voice acting remains to subject your ears too.

Bronze: Zetsuai Since 1989 is the worst show I have seen in my life. The very fact this show is collectively rated a 7.08 makes me wonder about the taste and intelligence of people. This is one of the higher rated yaoi titles on MAL too. I feel sorry for true yaoi fans if this is an example of a good series. Stay very far away from this turd.



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The decision to start Zetsuai was a random one for me. I am not the world’s biggest yaoi fangirl, not that I am somehow morally against or disgusted by the subject matter, but I always attempt to try new things. I really did try to go into this with an open mind but sadly this turned out to be exactly the kind of tripe I was originally expecting. As an anime in general this may be the worst drawn and most poorly designed show I have ever seen.

The story starts out with a flashback of our hunky lead reminiscing about a football hunk from his childhood. Excuse me will I clean my keyboard after spilling my tea laughing at that statement. I lied; there is nothing hunky about our girly man leads. Back on point, the lead Koji Nanjo is a super famous and popular musician who insists he isn’t gay, despite having these thoughts about this footballer. Coincidently the now grown footballer, Takuto Izumi picks up the passed out and drunken Koji from a rainy alley and nurses him back to health. I’m sure this kind of thing happens all the time. Straight man picks up a drunkard from an alley and takes him home then sleeps lovingly with him on the same bed. What a nice man.

Actually this illness, and let’s call it what it is; IT’S A COLD! It’s not life threatening! For the most part healthy young men do not drop dead after getting wet and developing a small fever and the sniffles. However this is a recurring theme in this anime. I would guess that at least 60% of the story takes place in a hospital or in someone’s sickbed. I know, I know, I am sure this is supposed to drive home some kind of splendid drama or titillate me with the promise of healing buttsecks.

All this being said there is some decent drama beneath all the sickness and gay-angst. Sorta. Kinda. Koji moves from a man who claims he isn’t gay to a flaming symbol of gay pride in the span of 10 minutes. Most puzzling we are supposed to believe that it was the look in Izumi's eyes that so captivated him when he was younger. Towards the end though the drama is fairly interesting as Koji tries to get his feelings across to the emotionally damaged Izumi. The story doesn’t really end satisfactorily but it isn’t horrible. It doesn't change the fact though that Koji is an obsessive psycho and there is nothing to make you think either one of them have any real feelings for each other besides what they say. Additionally the sports action and portrayal of the music industry is unrealistic to say the least. Yaoi fans looking for a lot of guy x guy action are also not likely to be satisfied either. There is very little intimacy between the "lovers" and absolutely zero chemistry and nothing that is even close to being called romance.

The cast for Zetsuai is small and pretty much keeps to its two leads. They are both underwhelming as characters. Izumi attempts to be played as this macho and manly athlete. But he comes across as a heartless brooding asshat. Yes, he’s had it rough. He is haunted by the murder of his father by his mother and her attempted murder of him. Because of the societal rejection of him as the son of a murderer he is understandably scarred emotionally and distant from people. He is moderately sympathetic as a character because most of what happens to him or has happened in his life is really through no fault of his own. I suppose the most inspirational thing about his is as a warning to people on why you shouldn't pick up strangers in the street and take them home with you.

Koji on the other hand is equally passionless. Though what exactly he is messed up about is anyone’s guess. I find it quite laughable that someone with so little interest in anything could ever become a successful musical artist. The only time he shows any real passion about anything is in playing the pining man-wife type, while he tries to force himself on Izumi. He is a complete psycho and his antics get more and more over the top the more desperate he becomes.

What can I say about the art? Well it is without a doubt one of the most horrible things I have ever subjected my eyeballs too. This kind of thing is precisely why I don’t watch this genre. If you want to see two women together why not just watch a yuri anime? It seems 99% of yaoi artwork is a rip-off of CLAMP designs. The guys are way too feminine, with long girlish nails and fingers, long silky hair, and thin faces with knife like pointed chins. Either the artist really loves Jay Leno or this is supposed to be attractive. Additionally the characters are supposed to be 16. Despite the silliness of that when it comes to the story, these guys don’t looks like they are 16. No way in hell. It’s not just the character designs that are hideous, the backgrounds and settings are just as bland and uninspired. I suppose I should give it a bit of a pass being that it is from almost 20 years ago but I can’t see this looked good ever. Even a cave artist would have thought this looked like shit.

Perhaps the only thing worse than the art is the music. Wow. I can’t believe we used to listen to this trash. If you want to reminisce to the good old days of hair bands and trite lyrics and corny keyboard sounds then maybe you will get a smidgeon of value. As hair bands go Mötley Crüe rocked, this is more like listening to Nelson. The acting performances are equally uninteresting and unmoving.

Overall Zetsuai 1989 is an anime that should be avoided by all but the most undiscriminating viewer or yaoi fangirl. I would say you could watch it for the lulz but you should love yourself more than that. The only thing it really has going for it is that it’s a million times better than its epically shitty sequel.
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At first glance Kannagi might appear to be just yet another school harem romance comedy and for the most part that’s about all it is. However once you start it becomes apparent that there is a little more to it to separate it from a genre that is overcrowded by bland and average titles.

The premise is pretty typical of any other show of this type, only the names and the origins ever seem to change. Though I did find it to be a bit unique with this one. Our lead Jin Mikuriya has just completed a wooden sculpture of a tree spirit he saw as a boy for his art class. Shockingly the statue dematerializes and substituted in its place is a girl, Nagi. Nagi claims to be the god of this area and an amnesiac who needs Jin's help to purge the area of impurities that have arisen because the sacred tree she was bound to has been chopped down. It’s an amusing start and Nagi herself is instantly lovable as a character.

Kannagi's story though soon gets off track. Instead of developing the stories premise it stars to meander along and becomes basically a slice of life comedy. Some interesting plot elements that are brought up early seem to be pushed aside and forgotten about altogether. The ending is also slightly disappointing in that it changes focus again and gets serious and doesn’t really end decisively. What saves it though is that I really didn’t care because Nagi and many of the supporting cast are just so much damn fun. There is a lot of great comedy and even though I complain about the poor plot development the episodes, particularly in the middle part of the series, are extremely amusing. That’s the real charm of Kannagi is that despite it being shallow it has a special feeling about it that makes it stand above most other series of this genre. Kannagi also manages to be titillating and sexy without resorting to tasteless fan service. If you’re hoping for a bevy of boobs and panty shots you’re going to be extremely disappointed.

As with most harem shows the most interesting characters are usually the harem itself and not the male lead. Kannagi's appeal begins and ends with Nagi. She carried the show and makes it as interesting as it is. I find it doubtful that anyone watching this wont love her from the start. Her personality oozes out from every scene she’s in. Overall I thought she was pretty unique, moe without being helpless, tsundere without becoming the typical stereotype, and a quirky weirdness without coming across as a Haruhi clone. Sadly though because of the shows plot failures and slice of life pacing through the middle episodes we just don’t get enough back-story and development a character of this importance deserves.

For the rest of the harem the reviews are mixed. Though I found all of them amusing and enjoyable several are archetypes that frankly I am becoming a bit tired of, namely Tsugumi. You know who she is; the childhood friend who's in love with and secretly pines for the lead. (usually a tsundere though in this case she’s not) Girl, I have no sympathy for you. Admit your damn feelings already or get out of the way! Zange was also a tired and overused archetype. She was also poorly developed as none of the issues regarding her characters situation are ever satisfactorily addressed or resolved. Among the supporting cast, Takako steals the show. As the perverted otaku type she manages to be very funny without feeling like a cliché.

Finally Jin is adequate as the lead. He manages to not be the dull weakling who has no business attracting this harem of beautiful girls. Though he certainly has some of those character attributes, I found him to be amusing and interesting. There is great chemistry between him and Nagi and I really enjoyed watching them interact with one another. Again as with Nagi, there is very little overall development of his character which was disappointing.

The styling and animation in Kannagi was excellent. It’s one of the big appeals to this show. I loved Nagi's look and the settings and fashion designs were really cute. The voice cast is outstanding and in my opinion the OP animation and musical number is one of the best I have ever seen. If you watch it and don’t come away wanting to see more then I seriously question your judgment.

Kannagi is light on substance but high on enjoyment. I recommend this show to anyone who is looking for a few hours of mindless entertainment. Despite its failures with plot and some tired overused character types it stands out as a show that shouldn’t be missed.
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The shoujo romance genre is littered with countless series with predictable formulaic plotlines, bishies, and uninteresting characters. Often we are left with a terrible non ending or one in which usually one side can’t express their feelings for the other until the credits start to roll. Hana Yori Dango completely captivated me from the beginning and left me with a rewarding ending that restored my faith in the romance genre.

The premise starts out in a way that you wouldn’t expect much romance to develop from. Tsukushi Makino is a middle to lower middle class student at an exclusive high school attended by mainly wealthy students. Tsukushi is not particularly happy with her high school life nor does she really even want to be at this school. But she attends because of her parent’s insistence and because they have sacrificed a lot to send her there. The school is controlled by the F4, a gang of 4 guys from extremely rich and powerful families. Basically the entire school lives in fear of getting on their bad side and getting the "red card", which basically means your school life becomes hell on earth until you transfer out. Tsukushi goes about her day just trying to be unnoticed until she graduates, leading a fairly miserable existence. This all changes when the only real friend has accidently incurs the wraith of the F4, she jumps to her defense and finds herself given the red card. But she’s not the kind of girl who's going to back down and she declares war back on the F4 herself. As Tsukushi fights back and starts to gain the respect of many classmates and even begins to befriend the F4 and we learn that they are not quite as bad as initially thought.

I found the story to be quite moving and powerful and found myself experiencing the full range of emotions. The portrayal of the bullying, which becomes quite intense at times was often very difficult to watch. There will be times you will cringe and times when you will jump out of your chair and cheer. Eiktoku High School may just be one of the 4 or 5 worst places on earth. It truly was a hell on earth and it doesn’t exactly paint a pretty picture of high society and the people who populate it. I’m not sure I would have had to strength of character Tsukushi had to stick things out and not let them win. It’s difficult to talk about the romance aspects of this anime without giving away spoilers. Though it will become pretty obvious fairly early where they are going and who she’s going to end up with. The journey to this revelation though is quite the ride. The ending differs completely from the manga version, since this anime was completed several years before its run had finished. Despite the original ending it is still very satisfying and believable.

Tsukushi Makino emerges as perhaps the best shoujo heroine of all time. I really cannot give her enough praise for how I felt about her as a character and how much I would love to have a friend like her. She is tough, practical and no-nonsense type of girl in a world full of shallow materialistic bitches. Viewers will be drawn to her both her likeable nature and the sheer torture she has to endure over the course of the series. The things that are done to her and the torment she is put through are both frightening and inspiring. Seeing the events of the story told through her inner monologue made me feel even more connected to the plot and her emotions felt even more intense because of it. Though perhaps she is in the end a bit more forgiving than I personally would be if I was in her place, she is overall a very inspirational character.

Tsukasa Domyoji is the leader of the F4 and one of Tsukushi’s love interests. He has all the classic elements of a shoujo love interest. He’s fabulously wealthy, handsome, and an asshole. I have mixed feelings on him. Initially he is an extremely frightening character. His menacing demeanor and the adjunct terror that Tsukushi often feels in his presence makes him initially almost impossible to like at all. However as the series progresses he becomes less and less the horrible boogeyman he begins as and actually turns into a decent and even sympathetic human being. While I tried my best to keep hating him, he wore me down not unlike Tsukushi into believing someone could actually fall in love with him. As a character, Tsukasa makes a huge amount of growth. He changes from selfish and egotistical brat into a much more humble and likeable guy while still maintaining the essence of who he is.

Rui is another member of F4 and another main love interest. He is almost the complete opposite of the hotheaded Tsukasa. While still from an enormously wealthy family and suitably good looking, Rui is far more introverted and shy. I liked him far more at first than any of the other men in the cast but he really isn’t any nicer that Tsukasa is. While not physically violent his cold nature and inconsistency in when he does or doesn’t jump to Tsukushi’s defense doesn’t exactly win him any feminist awards. My feelings for him are pretty much the reverse of what I felt for Tsukasa. By the end of the series I grew tired of his personality and while he does manage to change a little, his nature just gets more and more annoying. He was also just a bit too bishie for me.

Most of the remaining supporting cast is pretty detestable. The two remaining members of F4, Akira and Sojiro are not very well developed as characters being their basic personality archetypes and never emerge as serious love interests. Tsukushi’s childhood friend Kazuya is likeable and provides comic relief, often at times when the story can really use some. While he is in love with Tsukushi he is more of a friend to her and he provides her with a much needed friend at times when she really needs one. Shizuka also is one of the rare decent characters who also provides Tsukushi with plenty of support and encouragement in times of need. There are plenty of absolutely spoiled rotten waste of skin bitches and assholes to get mad about. But despite the anger you’re likely to feel every time one of them appears on screen or plots against the heroine they do serve a useful purpose in the growth of the main characters and in the development of the romances.

Given the age of this series the animation and visuals are understandably dated. Unfortunately they are bad enough that it’s possible that it will discourage some people all together from even giving this series a chance. That is a real shame. While I can’t say that I loved the artwork, I did eventually develop some appreciation for it as the series progressed. The color palette used is very drab and the hairstyles and fashions are also extremely dated. The character designs are true to the manga and are realistic body types which adds to the overall sense of realism. The settings and backgrounds though are strength are all look pretty good.

The audio is also a bit of a mixed bag. While the voice acting performances are all top notch, I didn’t much care for the music at all, especially the lame and uninteresting OP animation sequence. The incidental and background music is also very dated.

Ultimately Hana Yori Dango is a series that should not be missed by serious romance and anime fans alike. It’s a very intense series likely to stir up just about every emotion there is for the viewer. Though as much as I loved Tsukushi and the story, I just can’t give this series the perfect score I wanted to because of the uninspired art and music. I highly recommend it.
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It doesn’t take a genius to look at the anime page for Sekirei and have a pretty good idea what you are getting yourself into. But I have a weakness for such shows regardless how silly, played out, and clichéd they usually are. I have to say though that with Sekirei I was pleasantly surprised with the results.

The basic premise for Sekirei was interesting to me. In a lot of ways it reminded me of the action movie Highlander, only with tits and asses. The setting is a town in Japan controlled by the massive MBI cooperation. They are administering a "game" of sorts which pits 108 mysterious girls (and a few boys) called Sekirei against one another in a battle in which only one will get the prize. Each of the Sekirei binds themselves to a human called an Ashikabi with a kiss which grants them extra powers. There can be only one... giant pair of boobies.

Sekirei does a good job of combining a lot of different genres together and making it work. Action and fighting anime mixed with harem romance and comedy and a healthy dose of supernatural magic. It manages to work quite well and despite being a short series there is enough of everything to keep fans entertained. Though the series doesn’t wrap up the main storyline it ends with an announcement of a second season. This is good because quite a few unanswered questions remain at the end. The pacing of the plot is good and it keeps you interested and never feels like its dragging along or becoming repetitive. It doesn’t always stay on topic but I never found myself minding that much when it didn’t. Unexpectantly I really did enjoy the harem aspect of the story. This was one of the few series in which I liked the entire group of girls. It also may be the only time I wouldn’t mind if there is never a romantic choice between them and the male lead. They all work so well together and have so much chemistry that I really just think they all belong together.

The cast overall is a bit mixed but for the most part very good. It is brought down mainly by an uninspired and uninteresting lead in Minato. He is your classic harem lead and I really fail to understand why the girls in the cast find him so damn interesting. It’s not that he’s an unlikable guy, because he is but he is very unoriginal and doesn’t stand out. Viewers are unlikely to think much of him other than to wish they were in his place. Besides spouting clichés and acting holier than thou he contributes nothing to the plot other than to be saved by his busty harem.

It’s the harem though that saves the series for me. I really loved them all, they were hilarious together and while none of them are inspired characters from an originality standpoint they just matched each other so well that they were a lot of fun. Musubi is the ditsy and airheaded fighter who really just cares about the competition. Her personality provides for a lot of comedy and a whole lot of fan service. Early on in the story you would say she was the main love interest and while she may turn out to be that in the end she kind of became just one of the girls by the middle portions of the show. I didn’t mind this so much because the rest of the girls were fun as well. Tsukiume is the main rival for Minato's affections with Musubi. She’s the resident tsundere so of course I loved her immediately. Like most tsundere characters it seems she underwent the most growth in personality so I felt like I was rooting for her. Misato stars as the perverted and geeky glasses girl. She takes more of a backseat with the romance but her personality is more for laughs. Of course a harem wouldn’t be complete without a loli, Kusano. Despite me not liking loli's much I have to admit Kuu was pretty damn lovable and impossible to hate.

The rest of the supporting cast and villains is solid but not particularly deep. Everyone’s favorite is likely to be Miya, the landlady of the house they all live in together. She’s a bit of a mysterious character in her origins but she acts a bit like a teacher, combat trainer, and a mother. But dont tell her that or she’ll make a scary aura appear. Other Ashikabi and their Sekirei appear over the course of the story, some to help and others to fight against our heroes and heroines. We only get a small taste of the main villains which mostly serve to tease the next season. Other supporting characters like Uzume and Homura remain mostly clouded in mystery and set for larger roles in the future.

Artistically I can’t say I like Sekirei. This is not to say the animation and art is bad, because it’s not. Sekirei really puts the service in fan service and its uncensored version rivals pretty much any other show in terms of its nudity and panty shots. My main problem though is the unrealistic and silly body measurements and character designs. The boobs are outrageously huge on practically every non-loli character and really not even that attractive to look at. They are unrealistically shaped and this is important because you are going to see them ALOT! Additionally the girls’ bodies are completely malformed with huge hips and asses and tiny waists. Often characters, particularly Musubi look practically deformed. It really takes away from the show as I dont think it was necessary. Dial it down a couple of cup sizes into at least a feasible size range. The magic and fighting special effects are pretty good though but there are far less of them then there are nipple shots.

I enjoyed the music and voice performances. I felt the OP/EN theme songs which were performed by the cast were cute and captured the spirit of the series. Of the seiyuu, I really liked Marina Inoue and Saori Hayama as Tsukiume and Musubi. They really brought out their respective characters and stole the show.

Looking back I shouldn’t really have liked this series as much as I did. It’s not remarkable in any aspect except just being entertaining. If your dont like harems and over the top fan service then you should stay away from this. However if you have a boob fetish, love service anime, or like fighting anime then Sekirei will probably be an enjoyable experience.
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I have to admit I went into my viewing of Saki with next to zero knowledge about the game of Mahjong, its terminology, or its rules. Besides a short wiki article and just the visual similarities to some domino games I have played before, most of it still is quite vague and mysterious. I was drawn to Saki by the cute character designs, a hint of yuri romance, and my own curiosity over the game of Mahjong.

Despite my curiosity, the idea of a 25 episode anime revolving around a table game doesn’t sound all that exciting. Most likely that is going to be the reaction of quite a few people who just give Saki a casual glance. However they would be wrong. Saki manages to take something that doesn’t have any real action or makes for an interesting spectator sport and injects energy and excitement into it. While it’s decidedly over the top and completely implausible, it nonetheless works brilliantly.

The basic premise of the story revolves around Saki Miyanaga, a high school freshman who finds herself participating in the schools Mahjong club even though she hates the game. Though she is a very skillful player, bad memories of playing with her family has left a bad taste for the game with her. However she finds playing with people other than her family to be fun and her love of the game begins to be rekindled. Soon Saki and her new friends set their sights on making the national Mahjong tournament, and it’s this goal which dominates the plot.

As I mentioned, Saki does an excellent job of creating drama and action from something that isn’t in reality exciting. Characters are animated making special "finishing moves" when completing important hands and also some have special powers to intimidate or confuse their opponents. So don’t be expecting a lot of realism, both in terms of game play or the players themselves. Besides the game action, there is a fair amount of character building and touches of yuri themed romance. Saki overall is quite fun to watch and entertaining.

However it’s not all positive. While the actual plot revolving the Mahjong tournament is exciting and compelling the story does manage to derail itself quite a few times. The most glaring being the open ending. While it seems extremely likely that a second season is probable, I really wonder if it was even necessary. There were too many filler and service episodes and way too much story time devoted to developing unimportant and often nauseatingly annoying characters. I would have much more preferred the story spend its time developing the relationship between Saki and Nodoka. While the yuri aspects of the story are quite obviously present they are also unsatisfying. Beyond the wistful stares and blushing glances there is nothing of substance.

My opinions of the characters are decidedly mixed. Saki and Nodoka, as well as their friends in the Mahjong club are very enjoyable and interesting characters. Particularly in the case of Yuuki who steals the show a bit, adding comedic moments and also just being a funny character. Saki and Nodoka have a lot of chemistry together and make for a cute pair, though an unfulfilling couple. We get some background on both of them but really considering how important they are to the story it really is quite small. All of these subplots are left unresolved by the ending, so it will take a new season for them to be satisfactorily completed.

What really drags Saki's story and characters down is an enormous amount of dead weight in the supporting cast. There is absolutely no need to have this many "named" characters. The middle portions of the series give way to much screen time to developing the rival schools and players characters. This is not to say it shouldn’t have been done at all, but there was no need to have this done with basically everyone! It doesn’t help that I was completely uninterested in the majority of them and downright hated a few others. Annoying cat girl Kana? Please go eat a bowl of cat food laced with arsenic. Disappearing girl Momoko? Please get run over by a speeding city bus. There are a few memorable supporting characters but most are just various standard stereotypes we see in every other anime made.

The voice cast turns in a solid performance. Saki's enormous cast is brought out well by a bit of a dream team of seiyuu performers. However despite their talent the very fact that there are so many of them means that there just wasn’t enough screen time for many of them to make much of an impact. Additionally I found the music to be pretty plain and uninspired with a few exceptions. Some of the songs were catchy and they were cute many of them sounded like the singer was off-key. Others like the second OP theme I just didn’t like.

Artistically, Saki is very good. The character designs are typical of what you would expect in a Gonzo production. Saki reminds me of another series protagonist from this studio, Miyafugi from Strike Witches who is almost identical in both looks and personality. Also typical of Gonzo, they enjoy mixing in a lot of CGI effects with mixed results. The Mahjong automated tables looked pretty good but the "Nodocci" vs. Touka battle animation looked silly and out of place when compared to the rest of the series artwork. The visuals did a good job though into bringing in excitement and action into the games.

While I would classify my viewing experience of Saki to be very enjoyable, the overload of unnecessary characters and the lack of a proper ending or any substance in yuri relationships bring its score down. Hopefully a sequel will be coming soon that will address all of the plot issues and relationships that were left unresolved. I would say my own lack of knowledge of the game also hampered my enjoyment, though I did watch a sub version with notes that explained most of the terminology, it was still pretty confusing. It’s still overall, a fun and light hearted comedy that I recommend.
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