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After having just watched the finale on livestream, I must say that any attempt to be objective will fail at this point. Shaft has delivered one of the most unique magical girl show ever in my mind.

It starts out like any other magical girl show, a quick glimpse in the daily routine of the main characters of the show. The machinations of magic are quickly introduced, giving us time to be able to digest part of the world of Magical Girls before the first twist occurs. From here on out, we catch a glimpse of a parallel plot and subtle foreshadowing, while ... being explained of the truth of the Magical Girl. All this was but a set up for Madoka's final decision as the story draws to a close, with nary a gaping plot hole in sight.

Shaft's first anime original has given them a lot of liberties to take. The most striking is perhaps the Witches, each given their own theme and décor. It is wide and varied, along with the architectural porn on display. Not to mention some of the cinematographic choices in lighting and camera angles which adds subtle accentuations to the scenes. However, the broadcast episodes do suffer in quality at some points; the characters looking slightly off. Shaft is notorious for this but it is not to say that it detracts too much from the experience.

The sound as well is given great attention to detail. The themes are simple yet easily bolster an already powerful scene. Whether it is the hopeful rescue in the first episode or the sorrow and regret preceding the fall from grace. Again, special mention goes to the sound effects of Witches and their minions. Contrasting their horrific appearances with cheery laughs or a distortion thereof really completes what they are. The voice work is a non-issue.

In terms of characters, once again a master stroke. The cast were able to perform their functions in terms of plot and still have characterisation, changing over the course of the series. This mostly applies to the main characters like Madoka but there was still attention paid to the minor ones like her mother. Admittedly, I thought some were more plot-drivers than actual characters. We are given enough to be able to feel somewhat strongly for the characters because of this. For the Magical Girls though, the feeling is mostly of sympathy. Even the quiet Homura is not what she initially appears to be and could arguably be the protagonist with along Madoka.

After writing this much it'd be impossible to say I haven't enjoyed Madoka at all. From deciphering the runic alphabet to recognising famous landmarks of the world present in Mitakihara, it was a fun ride, speculating on even the smallest details as the show ran its course. The fact that this was an anime original that was trying to do something different only adds to the satisfaction. If you can't at least recognise that, you think too highly of yourself. And remember, the contract was always worth the price.

I remember that Strike Witches ended with a sequel hook so I was eagerly awaiting the continuation of the 501st's war story as any simple minded lowest common denominator type of person that I am would. No surprises here when I went in expecting only more of the same as the first and not being disappointed.

Just to get us back in the groove, we are re-introduced as the war with the Neuroi takes a twist for the worse. Kicking off, we get straight to reassembling the team that led the fight starting with our friend to all living creatures protagonist and her mentor ... figure. But this is where the story lapses back to its slice of life mode and parallels the first season in how the story is presented. Its not saying that its bad, but the excitement built up is washed away, only to be replaced by the excitement you get for indulging in such a guilty pleasure. Thankfully, the series kicks back in to high gear once the pleasantries disperse. Its a great ride with a conclusive ending and there isn't much more satisfying than that.

Fanservice and the blatant lighting effects involved aside, the art is well done. Given that in-flight witches are sometimes rendered in 3-D, we are treated to more dogfights, and more action with little decrease in quality but say hello to uncanny valley. At least this time, there aren't any more plastic landscapes. Equipment is still as detailed as ever while the landscape looks as picturesque as could be, especially Rome (and I've been to Rome).

The sound holds up especially well, with the sound effects matching up well to the equipment used. However, it is once again, the soundtrack that does the score justice. It goes well with the scenes despite being a bit more prominent and adds to the series. In fact, there was this one track which serves as a prelude to an epic battle that should really have been named "Play this song and you will kick arse" and that serves as a triumphant example of what a soundtrack should do (in my opinion).

It is still more or less the same cast of characters so I was relieved when they were able to draw out more characterisation, how very little of it was left. Passable, and at least the side characters get some of their own little moments as well.

I can't say I didn't enjoy Strike Witches, guilty pleasure that it is, especially the Roman Holiday episode. Even if the plot is an excuse to see girls with a lack of pants fight aerial battles over the scenic Adriatic Sea, I find it hard to dislike. If you liked the first season, the second gives you more. And for those pining at the formal dissolution of the 501st, fear not, I suspect the 504th will pick up the sword and continue the fight.

Truth be told, the only hook I was given while being dragged in to watching this anime was that the male protagonist speaks like a Prinny. After finally finding some time, I sat down and watched the whole series.

Now the start looked very promising. We are introduced to our bumbling male lead and the apple of his eye, the titular Ookami-san. A few episodes later introduces the rest of the members of the Otogi Bank before seguing in to an ominous shadow. Now at this point, the story gets switches rapidly between the ominous Onigashi thread, the characters and reinserting some ... light-heartedness back in to the mix for variety. It isn't that horrible a mess but I find the pacing off. That aside it even leaves the main conflict between our leads and their antagonists unsatisfactorily resolved. A real shame but it may have more to do with the short nature of series (ie it is only 12 episodes long).

The animation however is constant in quality despite the number of action scenes worked in. Funnily enough, it also runs the gamut in terms of variety, showing off serious situations and slapstick comedy with equal attention to both without taking anything away from the scenes. Solid showing.

Props as well to the sound, and one of the few times a voice actor really does make the show better for me. More specifically, the lemony narrator as voiced by Satomi Arai. That's not to say the sound falls short in the other departments. The background music shows variety to accompany the various scenes and supplements the art well. Especially when some damn heroic stunts need to pulled off and succeed, set to the tune of the opening no less. What mars this good sound direction are the sound effects. There is one grating flaw and it is that damn meow sound effect used by the Neko Knuckles. Of course that's some would no doubt find it funny that a punch is masked or glossed over by it but it really really bothers me.

In terms of character I say the effort put in is adequate. Here as well, variety is a watchword. We are treated to our expected stereotypical characters and then there are those that evolve as the show runs its course. Mostly its our male lead, which I find pleasingly not stuck with his neuroses and weaknesses and who moves forward.

Which brings me to the end of my musings. I'm a sucker for lemony narration though and this one is really well done, which is why I was laughing most of the time when it was twisting well known fairy tales with the fight scenes alleviating the boredom when humour could not. I can't say Ookami-san is a bad anime though but it wouldn't be the first thing I recommend this season. Give it a try and see for yourself.

Zombies fans you are in for a treat. Highschool of the Dead is a by the book zombie apocalypse that we all know and love except in anime form. Its not setting new grounds or innovating, but it certainly is entertaining.

The story starts with our protagonists at school at least until the first zombie comes knocking at the school gates. Everything goes down hill from there and what ensues is a frantic scramble for survival. Friendships are tested, emotions run high, and zombies are subjected to various forms of trauma before the survivors find a quiet niche to contemplate, relax or ... otherwise have some downtime. This repeats throughout, ensuring time for characterisation with the repetition supplemented by scenes of the fall of global society. It might seem boring but it is well paced.

As you may or may not know, the source material tends towards visual fidelity and gratuitous fanservice. The anime does not disappoint with great detail spent animating ridiculous fights that defy the laws of physics. Not to say that the quieter or more rousing scenes suffer. They don't and some of the picturesque backgrounds do a great job in contrasting the living dead apocalypse. Characters themselves are given similar treatment, though the fanservice may seem excessive to some. Arguably, the show was never meant to be that subtle about it given an interview the director (correct me if I'm wrong) gave early in series.

Not to mention the sound work done in to the series. Not only do the blows seem visceral but the guns do sound realistic as they were. Supported from below by the background music, the fight scenes really do gain that edge. In fact, even the opening gets you in to the mood to see more zombie carnage while the ending highlights the sadness of having to wait until the next episode for more.

As for the characters themselves I do want to say I love some of them. I appreciate how each character has their own, well, character. Some of them are overplayed however, but really I should have expected it. Especially the ditzy nurse. Surprisingly enough, its the side characters that clearly show some of the best examples of hypocrisy that I like the most, but that's probably only because they get eaten by zombies.

Coming out of the last episode, I must say I enjoyed following our intrepid survivors as they journey along and look forward to the next instalment (there's even a brief glimpse of a future character at the end). The violence and fanservice is gratuitous. Coupled with the depiction fall of global civilisation, there's nothing a zombie apocalypse fan wouldn't want.

Angel Beats my favourite anime this season. Now at first I was sceptical about it but it turns out I was wrong, fortunately so. It was masterminded by KEY after all; whose works have driven even the cold hearted to tears.

The story, in short, is that in a world after death, youths who have died gathered and rebelled against God; they called themselves the Afterlife War Front, or SSS if abbreviated from Japanese. Our main protagonist, Otonashi, struck by amnesia due to an apparently violent and traumatic death by blow to the head finds himself waking up talking the the leader of ... these youths, Yuri. From there, the story begins and it weaves a wonderful tale. The pacing is great, striking a good balance between lightheartedness and serious drama and then peppering it with action now and again to keep things fresh. The conflict at first is a relatively harmless battle against Angel, part of God's own if Yuri is to be believed and then segues straight in to the exploration of said Angel. A few twists later and we find out the real purpose of the afterlife and that, I won't spoil. There are a few things I find that detracts from the ending is Angel's relationship with Otonashi as it comes out of nowhere despite how touching it can be, and that is only one of the things wrong with it. Another could possibly be scenes that could have been amazing but were not animated; most likely for plot and/or time-related reasons but still.

The art accompanying this epic is, well, I have nothing to complain about at all. It doesn't break at new ground but it sets a standard and stays there even with the heavier scenes. Be it an epic fight, a touching flashback or lighthearted banter, each of them are well drawn and smoothly animated. Props to the attention to detail towards, well props but mostly weapons. I heartily commend their efforts.

Playing an accompaniment is Girls Dead Monster, who not only serve as a very real distraction in the plot, but also a great band on the sound side. Your mileage may vary regarding rock music, but I find it to my liking. Their song in the first episode played magnificently well with the battle against Angel. I must say, that was also one of the many reasons I kept watching. As for the standard background music, it certainly can make a scene well worth watching but there wasn't anything to write home about. On the effects side, it portrays audio fidelity, in regards to weapons and physical violence played for laughs.

On the character side, we get a varied cast. The very nature of the afterlife makes it so they are varied and have back stories that could be explored. For the plot's sake, we are treated to but a handful. But what a handful it is, especially for the minor characters which I appreciate. But due to the events that transpire along the plot, alternative interpretations set in, and some aren't good but I suppose that is a triumph in characterisation in a way.

To me, this demonstrated once again that first impressions can be misleading. There was a point where I did liken the first episode's male characters as otaku who are dead, and their sole means of escape was to shoot a little girl, Angel. Later being told that this was not the case, I then dropped the anime before even moving to the second episode. A few weeks and convention later, I was given tales of how Angel Beats was turning out to be great. Because I picked it up again, I got a moving story accompanied by intense action and compelling characters set to rock music. Just no Heart jokes please.

As always, there is a rare gem every season that pops up and surprises me. It has been compared to as a K-On in the military but to me, I feel it would be more to suitable to describe it as Aria in the military though I digress.

Sora no Woto, is a deceptive little thing about what it really wants to be with the plot. Young Sorami Kanata, a bugler and a private of the Helvetian army, arrives as the new meat of the 1121st, an all female tank crew/squadron. Suffice to say, a slice of life romp ensues. Albeit, it ... is one with slightly dark undertones here and there. You'd almost forget about them until the masterstroke at the end arrives, heralding the end of the almost idyllic life of the Maidens of the Time-Telling Fortress. But the end, comes almost too fast, yet still feeling it could have been resolved earlier. Its a quick succession of events towards the end but it still manages to follow through to a satisfying conclusion. Not perfect, but still very good.

As for the art, it is outstanding. The bright backgrounds and lighting really help make the setting feel alive. All of Sora no Woto is beautifully animated, whether from the Takemicaduchi and myriad tanks in 3D to the expressive characters. It helps that the quality doesn't suffer at any point either.

And to go with this art, is also an outstanding sound department. The background music really does this series justice, coming in just at the right time. Supporting the scenes actively without being overbearing. That is not to say the voice acting or the effects were poor. They were indeed fitting but the props really have to go out background music. That is not to say, actual music is not played. As a signaller of the tank crew, our little heroine doles out a piece that has touched many hearts, hers included, before the story even started. Another touching piece would be the French, I believe, insert song. But now I'm just listing things. Even so, I am still wishing to hear them outside of the anime in all their glory.

The characters are as I've already mentioned, very expressive. I really don't know what to say here. I was just along for the ride as everyone told their own stories and talked more about themselves. At the main characters did. Though, special mention goes some of the minor characters as, Colonel Hopkins, or Major Krauss despite their limited appearances. Heck, everyone is accounted for, even if they only say few lines. Which is nice attention to detail.

I love Sora no Woto, it cannot be said enough. Simply because the world is so fascinating and colourful despite the actual backstory. Most if not all the minor details I would have picked at are well done. Though there are occasional slip ups, but that's because there so much detail. The atmosphere traps me further in enjoyment the farther it goes but better still, there is a moral here if you looked for it. Not that I'm one for such things but as always, I'd rather have you, the reader, find out for yourself. This is something I recommend strongly as a must watch of the season.

Pending a proper review by someone else at the time of writing, let me donate my two cents after having completed Seitokai no Ichizon. Involving a student council, as the name suggests, discussing various subjects in their room for the most part. A student council made up of the four most popular students and the most studious student. Unsurprisingly the four most popular are girls. Funnily enough, or not, the most studious is a male. So begins their story, or they say.

The real name of the series, or so I heard, is actually the Hekiou Academy Student Council Meeting Log. ... True to that namesake, the whole of the rather episodic plot takes place in the student council room. Well, that's not the worst that could happen (they even warned the viewers about it in typical fourth wall demolishing fashion). They only good thing I appreciated was the back story that runs parallel to the episodic gags of the day. As the seasons pass, the motivation for our male lead is fleshed out. It may seem jarringly out of place as there is no warning when there are flash backs tough. The conclusion that is reached at the finale of sorts is the kind that brings about a warm and fuzzy feeling.

The art is quite characterful. It shifts willingly between detailed shots and standard animation thoroughfare. Being a mostly cutesy little thing, I have no problem with it. Those who have watched more anime than I will have quite a time identifying visual references, which is part of the anime. However, since the majority of the action takes place in the student council room, it is a shame we can't see pristine backdrops for anything outside.

On the other hand, the sound not something to write, home or anywhere else, about. Most of the time, you wouldn't even know its there. But I guess that's what background music is about. I have little to say of the voice acting either except that its adequate. However, the Konami code in some of the endings is a nice touch in running with their style to reference everything as obviously as possible.

Since the show lacks some what of a plot, it tries to make it up with characters. A brave attempt as initially, we are presented with seemingly one dimensional stereotypes called main characters. Its as the show progresses that we are shown another side. Its brief and fleeting yet still manages to impart a small sense of triumph over the discovery. Okay, so the president gets less comedy driven defining moments and is as happy go lucky as a lark, but that doesn't diminish her effect on the cast as a whole. The secondary characters get their little moments too. They support the main cast well with their infrequent interactions such as Nakameguro, our lead's bromance soul mate (or so Mafuyu likes to think).

A good thing too. Over reliance on over used or stale gags and references could not have possibly made this show tolerable for more than a few minutes. That is probably why I was able to enjoy Seitokai no Ichizon. A personal favourite moment would be Elise who manages to corner her own sister, to name one of her victims, using words and trains of thought that probably shouldn't exist in someone her age yet. Under no pretence is this show trying to do something new, but it can be enjoyable. I don't know whether that'd make me broad of mind or simplistic but let's not go there. As such, this review, finito!

Nyan Koi had me hook, line and sinker at the part about cats. In fact, that was the sole reason I picked this up, blinded by my usual bias towards these kinds of things. Which is why I had no idea what I was getting in to. Arguably, it was probably for the best, since I wouldn't be expecting too much out of it.

Despite the fact that most of the story was episodic at best, there was some semblance of a plot. Given the premise of our fearless protagonist trying to remove a curse from himself all the while trying to ... maintain the masquerade in front of anyone else out of the loop and chasing after his clueless crush, the set up was thrown aside pretty quickly in favour of the standard romantic comedy episodes; which are not bad by themselves but it is kind of a shame. I thought it was going to evenly split the attention between the the cats and the girls but in the end the plot ended up putting emphasis on only half of the premise. The better half of man that is. During my time following the show, there seemed to be only two choices of which are, introduce new character, or silly harem-induced hijinks. That is, until the last two episodes. I bet the writers (since the anime differs from the manga plotwise, mostly) suddenly remembered that our dear protagonist was cursed. In the supposed finale, I was waiting for them to milk the drama for all its worth, but, apparently it isn't worth a lot given the amount of time it took to resolve the mess and it let me down. Any consolation for the poor overall plot is in the form of a sequel hook.

The art is a different story. Its colourful, solid and bold. In fact, a lot of our protagonist's feline friends are even well drawn and animated like the cutesy critters that cats are. It is hard to find fault in the art for Nyan Koi even as it shifts style for various effects.

Sound is also an artful triumph. Though I don't follow Voice Actors, I have to give mad props to Yuu Kobayashi, Nagi's VA, who does stellar job of conveying the two extremes of character. As for the normal background sound, we get various subtle but catchy and instantly recognisable tunes. They'll burrow in to your ear and enhance the action on screen like any good soundtrack does.

Character-wise, its unsound; the majority of characters are not given much in this department. If there were any development it seemed I missed it. In fact, a main offender of a rather typical archetype is Mizuno, the ditzy little lady that our protagonist has crushed on since they entered high school together. To some, its always nice to see a cutesy character who seems to be perpetually locked out of a loop, to others, its "been there, done that." As it all centres around our male protagonist the developments the harem has towards him is almost boringly predictable. The near uni-dimensional nature of the characters extends to our supporting cast as well, but that's to be expected.

Flaws aside, it is supposed to elicit a chuckle and be enjoyed moment by moment. And chuckle I did. In fact, the nature in which I enjoyed it reminded me of another anime with humour in the same vein (which I also greatly enjoyed). Since its a quickie, it works well for me. Also, I love cats, so if all else fails, the cats will at the very least distract me, in a good way, with their presence. If you are not looking for some nice and quick laughs, you might want to pass. Best summed up as came for the cats, and stayed for the silly antics, and cats. Oh before I forget, did I mention I love cats?

The premise reminds me of another anime about a gifted individual who initially hated or disliked the gift that allowed them to do insane things. Saki is kinda like that. Though it may seem like a contrived coincidence, I actually do play Mahjong, using Cantonese rules though, with family for pocket money. If not for that link, I probably would not have picked up what my friend described as "Yu-gi-Oh with Mahjong".

Getting down to business, Saki's story is actually quite formulaic. Not that I dock points for that. Its all about the Mahjong tournaments. The preparation, the climax and ... the conclusion is logical. It makes sense since its an anime about Mahjong and what better way to see it being played than in a tournament. For me it was a foregone conclusion, but that is exactly why they made the journey tense, eventful and generally thrilling from how the game is taken so seriously. Sadly however, outside the game there really isn't that much there for me. There's comedy/fanservice here and there but nothing really spectacular or as moving as when playing Mahjong itself. The attempts at drama are laughable and most of it can be easily skipped without doing much harm to the main plot or character motivation. Then there's the ending. It is screaming for a sequel and I cry foul play. They could have tied it up right there and then with the end of the tournaments instead of hanging on for some cooldown filler just to reach that 24 episode mark.

Most of the 25 episodes you will be treated to are of high standard. That said, coming in to the final stretch, there are bad art shifts. So much that I can't believe were deliberate choices to have such jarringly low quality. Otherwise though, there are good are shifts and probably would not stop the likes of Koromo from being even cuter than this other blond haired, weird eyed little lady with incredible power I know. On a side note, Nodoka could be a real rich landlady with those huge tracts of arable land. The animation is smooth and the 3D art doesn't stand out like a sore thumb. Well okay, maybe I still think those tiles are made of some weird otherworldly material and looks so very unnatural, but that really is just a triviality. Though if you pay enough attention to the scenes you may catch glimpses of reused animations, something I didn't really catch during the first run through. On the second run, they started appearing but at that point I didn't care any more because it certainly didn't do anything except indicate that production is a bit cheap; mostly harmless.

Now the sound, that is something of a treat. The background music is exactly the reason all the action on screen is so great. Nothing less would get you pumped when that miraculous draw from the dead wall happens. Heck, most of the tunes would spice up any of the scenes regardless. Even the music for the openings and endings are catchy and cheery pop tunes, going on about Mahjong I reckon. As for the sound effects, I can't say they're anything special, though I am a bit partial to the clicks of the tiles. Then we come to the voice talents. Its a great pool of names you may already know or have heard of which you should be able to judge for yourself.

In an anime so steeped in Mahjong, you need characters to actually play it. And play they do, with relish I might add. Their character really comes out when they play and sometimes this is pretty literal. Alter-egos, superpowers and godly/demonic luck aside, the characters are not much more than that. Each of the players are given some sort of motivation from flashbacks when they are in a tight spot and give it their all but mostly, that's it. There is a lot of staring, blushing and hugging. Yes they're a lovable bunch and yes, the anime does like heavy-handed subtext. Maybe the staring and hugging has something to do with telepathy but I doubt it was going to open up anything special. Very few of the characters that speak do not get characterisation though, which is a pretty good thing, considering the varied cast (from phase-shifting butler to average salary man father to aloof big sister) is upwards of twenty, maybe thirty of them running around on screen.

I was generally amused and entertained though. The Mahjong is over the top, with enough comedy and fanservice to not have my mind dulled by certain other parts. Even the small details like the fact that Hagiyoshi plays a mean game of Mahjong online. I'll see if after watching this, I can improve my own game a bit :p

To tell you the truth, I had no interest in CANAAN at all. That all changed when at a local con, they decided to show CANAAN's Opening. Solely from that, my interest in it grew and with it, I set out to find the promised land, CANAAN.

Now let me begin with the story. First of all, it is by no means badly paced. No doubt, it was written in the anime description itself that anime was about all walks of life pulled together by a global conspiracy. A conspiracy in which only start to come together as the story progresses. ... You'll not figure out everything from the start and by the end, most if not all your questions will be answered. For some it may start off slow, but to tell you the truth, starting up like a Hong Kong action movie (set in Shanghai) is anything but slow. The progression as the action ramps up and the mysteries answered is just perfect, leaving me quite satisfied with the ending. However, they did slip up a bit. The transition is jarring by segregating the last mini arc with Alphard before the conclusion but after the mystery was solved.

What better way to accompany the story than with well-drawn art? To say that it is well drawn is one thing, but most, if not everything, is recreated in great detail. Even with the more intense action scenes, the quality stays well within the boundaries, never dropping too far below the quality of say, more static talking scenes. I'm a minor gun nut as well so I must laud the military equipment on display. Not just objects but characters too. Liang Qi never would have seemed that 'troubled' without the appropriate art to render her neuroses. There are points however, where the animation or the art could be better but that would just be nitpicking now. I would say that overall, it is a solid showing.

The sound on the other hand is not as spectacular. Sure the adrenaline rush inducing opening was indeed quite a treat, but that's just my bias towards rock music. Conversely, it could be said that the ending is merely okay, but again, that is just musical bias. The background music doesn't stand out particularly, it only acts up subtly and even then you have to actually pay attention to it if you really want to listen. But really, that's not the point of background music anyway. It keeps our attention firmly placed on the action, where its supposed to be. There is also the voice acting, which, were it horrible I would comment more on it. I don't follow any voice actors in particular and I find no fault in their delivery, so I'll have to say your mileage may vary. Sound effects aren't extravagant either. They seem realistic sounding enough to convince me they could be real. Not that I'll be comparing the sound of gun fire to actual real guns. Nope, not at all.

Now we get to the characters. Though it may be usual, the characterisation really shines for the big shots. Canaan's maturation, mentally, is well done, seeing her having to face the consequences of her actions whilst she was more naive. Or Maria's insecurities and little wishes, which by the end she seems to have come to terms with. Or Alphard, in the end, trying to banishing the ghosts of the past. Those who tag along for the ride as well are not given the cold shoulder, being treated with realistic conflicts and their ultimate resolution. Whether it is Cummings' impossible love, Santana's guilt, Yun Yun's personality or Natsume's secrets. Which is sort of a shame that some of the minor characters are still quite one sided, but I guess that's more an issue of not having enough screen time or a deliberate choice to have us focus on the main characters.

Enjoyment, well, its hard to say I didn't enjoy this Hong Kong action anime (set in Shanghai). The fight scenes particularly touching me the most, awing me time after time with the fluid animation and choreography. That's the main highlight from me. That is not to say I can't enjoy CANAAN as a whole though. The plot in the end made sense, the characters made sense, and even some things may have made less sense than others, it doesn't detract from the enjoyment at all. In my book, this is what I call a well rounded anime, probably one of the best to watch this season. So to those still on the fence, I heartily recommend you to join me in the promised land, Canaan.