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Kuroshitsuji II (Black Butler II) is not a true sequel to the original, or at least I refuse to hail it as such, but it is still an interesting addition to the series and appears to experiment with several archetypes, something I as a writer and literature major can appreciate.

I've heard it called an abortion, a sort of a tragic death to the tragic series about death and mortality, and taken in the aspect of a literal sequel - a direct followup to the Black Butler that received high acclaim - this would indeed be the case. However, what Black Butler II does is not poor storytelling in any sense, as far as I can tell (at least until the last few minutes of the final episode, but we'll get to that) - it is simply such a strong deviation from the anime offered by the original that many I've encountered have trouble accepting its premise. Both offer an interesting, Faustian take on the story of the classical romance, (where the bond between demon and contracted is not platonic, but romantic) but Black Butler II greatly underplays the elements that made Black Butler what it was.

This series introduces Alois Trancy and the butler Claude Faustus, along with several other characters who seem to mirror Ciel Phantomhive, Sebastian Michaelis, and the cast who tends to the former's mansion. While Ciel is outwardly dark but ultimately benevolent, Alois is (in several cases) outwardly benevolent but ultimately sadistic. The image we get from the beginning of the anime is one where Ciel and Alois are polar opposites, with Alois playing the Moriarty to Ciel's Holmes, but that dichotomy is played with in such a way that I would have to consider it unique or innovative at least.

Black Butler II has several faults. For one, it does not serve as a tangible vehicle for an intuitive storyline, but uses its allotted run time to dabble in the deconstruction of dichotomies and social mores (at times not as subtly as it should). The relationship between butler and master is questioned, as naturally so is the relationship between demon and contracted. Fictional conceptions of "the villain," who serves as opposite and parallel to the central protagonist, are also challenged. I can't get into how without spoiling the ride for you, but if you take a step back, it's definitely there. How it goes about this "deconstruction" is questionable.

For one, it's almost not Black Butler anymore. Sebastian is presented on a level plane thanks to Claude Faustus and the presence of several other "demonic" characters, meaning he doesn't allow the series to shine quite as much. I've heard it said that Black Butler IS Sebastian Michaelis, and people who agree with that notion are likely to face disappointment at the sight of this new, humbled Sebastian.

Additionally, it's much darker with much less comedy than the original. We see less of the servants, of Elizabeth, and of the main cast, who have been relegated further into the background. At its core, it's simply not the same anime anymore.

I liked it. I liked that I was able to see where it played with the romance genre and with fiction in general. Ultimately though, its willingness to experiment and dabble in concepts does not save its occasional poor delivery or the eerie ending which doesn't fit with the buildup of the series. The conclusion is quite a deus ex machina, to say the least.

Another thing I will say is that Black Butler didn't need a sequel. If ever it did need one, Black Butler II is certainly not its rightful successor. read more

Story (A couple cool ideas, terrible execution)

The plot jumps around a lot. Plot points are made up out of thin air with no fabricated rhyme or reason. This anime should have explained itself better, but instead it gave us a cycle of deus ex machinas and logic that a trained ape could recognize as totally inadequate.

Art (Average- No comment)

Sound (Decent, but not good enough to come close to redeeming the slew of nonsensical plot points that plague this show.)

Character (Equally horrible. Typical shounen. All the girls are defined by the male lead and exist as pure stereotypes. They could have done more with them, but nope.)

Enjoyment (I didn't hate it, although I did facepalm at least ten times and found myself shouting at the anime for its ridiculous logic and poor writing.)

Overall- 3 (Not going to win an Emmy. Now that this is done with, I'll go watch the undoubtedly better Steins;Gate.)
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I am content.
No matter where I go or what happens to me, I will be happy because I know who I am.

***

At this point, if you're reading this review, you may be wondering what this has to do with anything. Perhaps nothing. You may understand if you watch the anime.
Neon Genesis Evangelion: It's been hyped to the moon, to Earth, and back to the moon again, but it wasn't a series I saw myself watching. However, I'm glad I did.

Story- Very Good (8) (Personal opinion), Good (7) (Critical standpoint)

It really isn't fair to judge this on story because the ending veers off from the set plot; this was partly due to budget cuts. However, I personally enjoyed the ending very much, even if it was a little forced and still didn't tie everything together as well as it should have (for those who are concerned with that, there is the End of Evangelion to ease your mind. I was one of few people who preferred the original ending to End, but you might like it more than I did.)
The one thing that justifies this lack of finality is that the central protagonists in Evangelion have no ultimate objective. They pilot mechas to keep the world from going to hell.
As it stands in its original form, Evangelion is more based in its philosophy than in its plot. The original version leaves several areas of plot unexplored, and while I don't think its philosophy entirely compensated for its rushed ending, I'm not sure assessing it on plot alone is a fair or easy task because it changed into something else entirely.

Art- Good (7) (Personal opinion), Mediocre (5) (Critical standpoint)

The art in Evangelion is often criticized.
Evangelion uses a lot of still shots, for example. Without saying too much, Evangelion tries several things later on that separates it from other anime. It takes several risks (partially due to aforementioned budget cuts.)
But should that experimentation be praised? To an extent, yes. I personally give it props because I love a risk taker. On personal judgment, I like that it played around with its art.
However, critically speaking, even by ascribing some deeper meaning or artistic significance to its rough animation style, the animation is what it is. It's rough and simple and it often cuts corners for budget reasons.

Sound- Great (9) (Personal opinion), Very good (8) (Critical)

I never got why people love Cruel Angel's Thesis as much as they do, but after watching the episodes without skipping the into once, I have a profound love for it and I understand. Hideaki Anno (the person responsible for this anime) would have chosen classical music in the opening if it were up to him, but I think that would have been a mistake. The intro misleads the viewer: "This is a mecha anime," they might think. That makes the reveal all the more significant.
...But that's all theory.
The background music lent itself quite well to the mood of the anime. Beyond that, I'm not sure how one would objectively rate this: Did I like it? (Subjective) Yes. The sound is another thing that sets this anime apart. In several situations, it returns to much more classical roots. Because this helps the anime more than it hurts it, and the music is often very appropriate, the sound deserves commendation.

Character- Outstanding (10) (Personal), Great (9) (Critical)

Any other critic might fault the characters. They do dwell on their situation a bit more than others. From the get go, it becomes clear that the central characters are not happy people.
But you know what? Critiquing objectively should not be about personal enjoyment, so whether they themselves liked the characters shouldn't be a matter unless it's clear that the creator intended for them to like the characters.
These are not happy people for very simple reasons that are significantly explored in the anime. They pilot mechas to save the world (from angels), and that is the only purpose that they know. Granted, a bit more could have been done in exploring Shinji's background. I'm still unclear as to what he was doing before he entered the Evangelion program (i.e. the majority of his life); I'm not sure if that was ever quite addressed. However, the glimpses of the characters that we do see fit with their environment, and that their reactions are fairly realistic. Character is one of this anime's strong points.

Enjoyment- 10 (Outstanding) (Personal)

I've separated this into two separate categories because Enjoyment is not something that I feel should be a critical concern.
But did I enjoy it? Hell yes I did. It was a bit long sitting through the mecha fights, but the ending was well worth it.
Some might consider the philosophy of this anime convoluted. I'd tell them to get over themselves. (Really, why is it so important for them to grasp every idea that they're presented with? I'll never understand that...)
There's a lot of depth in the ideas that Hideaki Anno presents, and the philosophy that he presents fits the anime very well. You should bear in mind the setting of this anime as well as the situation of the characters: the one thing that they are ordered to do is to pilot mechas to defend the world and Tokyo-3. That is their purpose.
I'm afraid that I may have spoiled something, and I won't press that issue further to avoid any other spoilers, but that's my take: I like it because I like a good philosophical analysis.

Critical Value- 10 (Outstanding) (Critical)

How do I begin to rank this? Evangelion set the bar for a great many successors. Its notoriety cemented its place in Japanese animation. Whether or not it deserves that place is up to you to decide.
There's a lot of significance in the view that Anno presents much later on. I know I keep hammering that point, and I feel bad because I believe I may be giving something away, but if we were to look at the significance of what one would take away from watching this show, then the philosophy would be impossible to avoid. Whether or not you like this show's philosophy will determine how well you like it. Don't expect this show to tie everything together at the end. As I've said, it is a show about a very select group of kids fighting in mechas to save the world. It doesn't present a higher antagonist than that at the beginning, and so you shouldn't expect much of an overarching goal. This anime is psychological. That's all I'll say.

Overall- Very Good (8) (Critical), Great (9) (Personal)

I'd suggest watching this if you haven't, but remember to keep an open mind.
In fact, I'd go further in advising you to keep an open mind about most things in life.
But I guess you wouldn't listen to me if you didn't keep an open mind, and my advice would fall on deaf ears if you already kept one, so...
Watch it. It's considered a very significant piece of Japanese animation. I think everybody who watches anime should develop an opinion on Neon Genesis: Evangelion, whether that opinion be favorable or not. read more

If you got hit by a truck and I found out that you were a zombie, I'd better at least get some decent follow-up.

THIS REVIEW WILL CONTAIN FEW SPOILERS; HOWEVER, BE WARY, AS THIS WILL STILL ALLUDE TO DEVELOPMENTS IN THE PLOT, WHICH MAY "SPOIL" EXPERIENCES FOR SOME VIEWERS.

Kore wa Zombie Desu Ka? is nothing extraordinary. For an anime series, it tries to do too much with itself, and rather than focusing on the "zombie" anime that it's supposed to be (but isn't), this anime deals almost entirely with one teenage boy who happens to be a zombie and lives with three girls who happen to be other things that one wouldn't routinely find in daily life.

Story: Poor

Kore wa's plot line is overly sporadic and at times quite confusing. This show attempts to cram way too much into twelve episodes.

Art: Mediocre

The art is nothing to write home about. This style has been done to death and certainly isn't the marking feature of this anime.

Sound: Good

Call me crazy, but I liked the theme. Also, I was quite fond of the background music at times.
Don't get me wrong. It's nothing remarkable. But it does lend itself to the anime much better than any other trait.

Character: Decent

It's hard to develop that many characters when there's so much going on and when you have to cram all of that detail into only twelve episodes, but I feel like the creators didn't try nearly as hard as they could have. One guy living with three girls is a harem. That's a basic fact. But this harem is underdeveloped, and the characters aren't terribly deep or complex either.
It's fairly generous that I'm scoring this as "decent", but I don't want to crack down too hard on the poor anime. So, I'll give this one a four instead of a three.

Enjoyment: Good

Don't ask me why I enjoyed it. The characters aren't deep, the plot is hard to pin down, and at times the comedy feels cheap for an apparently satirical anime.
Still, I liked this anime, criticisms aside. I didn't feel like I'd wasted my time watching it, and actually caught myself laughing a few times as well.

Overall: Mediocre to Fair (5 or 6, take your pick)

I strongly considered rating this show as a 5, but I didn't because again, I felt generous.
I've heard it remarked before that entertainment is not the ultimate goal of art, and that media that entertains simply fails to generate critical thought.
Yet I think entertainment is a noble goal. If I don't feel like throwing tomatoes at an anime, then I think it's achieved something (I'm rather short on tomatoes lately though).
Kore wa entertained me. It didn't amaze me. It didn't cause me to rethink how I viewed the world. But it made me laugh and it kept me watching.oitself in my opinion) then the first season of Kore wa might be for you.
A second season was recently confirmed, so expect that to come some time early next year. My expectations are not terribly high, but I'll watch it hoping for the same enjoyment I got from the first season.
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This is the best thing ever. I could compare this to the Mona Lisa, but frankly this beats that.
My heart cried.
My soul weeped.
I was overcome with ecstatic joy.
The song, while vaguely familiar, still haunted me and brought me into a weeping fetal position.
Truly, nothing could be more glorious, more outstanding, more fantastic than this gem. And with a runtime of only 1:30, you can present it to your whole family. And their lives can be changed forever as well.

THIS IS NOT AN IN-DEPTH REVIEW. I AVOID SPOILERS AND LOOK AT THE ANIME FROM ITS INTRODUCTION, THEN PROGRESS IN VAGUE DETAIL TO ITS DEVELOPMENTS. AS SUCH, THIS REVIEW MAY BE CONSIDERED A RECOMMENDATION INSTEAD OF OR AS WELL AS A REVIEW.

You could spend hours pointing out the clichés in any story really... particularly in anime. It is my firm belief that there are no original stories. Mechanics in anime are shared, then recycled, just in any other industry. This is not imitation at its worst, but the limits of the human psyche. As such, attacking an anime for a lack of originality is low-brow, and I attempt to avoid it here.
I'm not going to hail this anime as God incarnate. I think that's pushing it a little far.
However, I will say that I was surprised by Puella Magi, and I think you'll like it if you're looking for an anime that doesn't hand you your plot on a silver platter. Puella Magi keeps you guessing. Even from an unbiased perspective, I have to give it that much.
And so, without further ado:

Story: 9
By limiting themselves to 12 episodes, I've seen many shows fall apart. Puella Magi is not one of them.
Puella Magi poses questions, and it answers the majority of, if not the entirety of, those questions (that depends on who you ask). I didn't feel like anything was left unresolved, and as such there were no gaping plot holes that I noticed.
I suppose I could reach for faults in storytelling if I really wanted to hate this anime, but I'm not going to. I thought the story was original enough. Beyond that though, this anime knows where it's going from the start, and it hints at the conclusion from the first episode. That level of planning is a rare gem in entertainment, and so I give Madoka props.

Art: 8
As far as art is concerned, Puella Magi was a breath of fresh air. I thought the animation for the monsters/antagonists in the show was a little over the top at times, but what can I say? After looking into it a little further, I decided that what Puella Magi does works.
Lately, I've noticed a trend of style recycling. Without naming any anime for fear of insulting, there is an apparent similarity between many styles that I can excuse as a lack of effort (Some of those shows still have intriguing premises and decent execution, so I don't fault them too harshly.) Puella Magi isn't afraid to experiment, and so I give Madoka an 8.

Sound: 8
I enjoyed this show's music quite a bit. At first, I wondered whether it really belonged, but then the background music became a source of nostalgia for me.
My complaint would be variety. There's two songs that I can individually recall from the anime, (the OP and the ending) both of which I liked. But I felt like a bit more could have been done here.
Also, it's hard to stand out as an anime because of sound. Many anime differentiate themselves because of sound, and this raises the bar significantly. Madoka has a great soundtrack, but I don't consider it anything revolutionary.

EDIT: 10
I hadn't noticed the BGM before, and I'm amazed that I did. This show has an extraordinary soundtrack. Long after watching the show, the soundtrack is what draws me back in.

Character:8
(More on that in a bit)

Enjoyment:10
I enjoyed this anime. I can't tell you why without giving anything away. I will say that I found myself wanting to watch it again after my first viewing yesterday, and I'll probably get around to that.
It's hard to say why I enjoy an anime, but the enjoyment that this anime is the driving force behind my overall rating of:

Overall: 9
I felt Puella Magi was a great anime.
Although some elements of this show bear similarity to Sailor Moon, I don't think its fair to consider it a knockoff, because it does experiment with the genre and has been well-received for that fact.
I'm not going to say that it's the greatest thing since sliced bread, because it isn't. But the deus ex machina at the end actually works within the context of the anime, there are few if any plot holes, the animation is impressive, the sound is good, and it kept me guessing. It isn't what I expected it to be, but that turned out to be a good thing.
Put this anime on your "To Watch" list. It may be slightly hit or miss, but this is one you don't want to overlook. read more

Ah, the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. I was told not to watch it, and that just made me all the more curious.
Haruhi is the subject of anime-bashing left and right. It's also an anime that receives way too much praise. So where do I stand on that?
More on that in a second. First, I would like to take an objective look at the anime.

Story- 5 (Mediocre)

As far as plot goes, the first season of Haruhi Suzumiya is lacking. Now, bear with me here. I'm not trying to insult what may be your favorite anime.
Every episode, we, the viewers, get a small glimpse of the world as seen by the characters, centering around Haruhi, of course.
I don't like to give out plot summaries, but in this instance, I feel it may be appropriate.
[Synopsis-style spoilers]
The show is about Haruhi Suzumiya, a girl with the power to influence the world around her. She is able to get people to play into her own designs. If Haruhi wants a rave, Haruhi gets a rave. If Haruhi wants a real-life horror story, Haruhi gets one.
But when the world is boring or upsetting, Haruhi gets upset. And when Haruhi gets upset, people DIE!
Haruhi creates voids without realizing it when she is unhappy in which giant, invisible monsters wreak havoc on an alternate dimension of the current world. So no harm done. Except if things get too far out of hand, the world as the story knows it falls in jeopardy.
That's where the esper, the time-traveler, and the cybernetic (sort of) girl come in to keep balance and stop her from going out of control. By entertaining her. Oh, and there's an average guy too.
[End synopsis-style spoilers]
And all that is great.
Except it's almost irrelevant in most episodes.
Haruhi does not know she is a god, nor does she know that Mikuru is a time traveler, or that Yuki is an android/robot/computer bot, or that Itsuki is an esper, so there are times when I think the story could be told without the science fiction-like twist.

Art- 7 (Good)

The art is good for an anime- perhaps even average. The art style itself isn't separated from the majority of anime however.
So for that, the art receives a respectable 7.

Sound- 8 (Very good)

Even people who hate the anime have told me that they like the music, and that doesn't seem too unusual. Anime, at least before they are dubbed, generally have catchy, memorable songs. Haruhi is no exception. The closing song has become quite well-known in recent years, and the opening isn't terrible either.

Character- 5 or 6 (I could go either way)

The characters in Haruhi Suzumiya aren't extraordinarily believable. I've heard a lot of people complain that Haruhi's transformation to a decent, respectable (Mary-Sue) is generally sudden and happens without any transition.
Nevertheless, the heart of this show is in its characters, not in its plot. The show displays life for the five S.O.S. brigade members, and that is the focal point of the show.
That said, there's still a lot to be desired in the characters of this show. Each character is mainly around to please Haruhi, and Mikuru mostly serves as a stock character, with Mikuru being the cute girl who adds to the show simply by being Mikuru.

Enjoyment- 6 (Fair)

I feel like I'm rambling on here, so I'll get to the point. I was not amazed by Haruhi, but I did enjoy it. The watch was admittedly taxing, since I'm more of a plot person than anything, and slice-of-life is generally hard for me to get into.
Nevertheless, Haruhi isn't terrible. It's not nearly as extraordinary as people make it out to be (my opinion), but I don't think it deserves nearly the amount of criticism that it's received. Nor the amount of praise.

Which earns the Melancholy of Suzumiya with a respectable

Overall- 7 (Good) read more

I still don't get the appeal of this series. The show seems to be 5% zombies, 95% cleavage, and this time around, it was 95% cleavage, 5% unusual sex situations.
I mean, I guess I enjoyed it... but there is no story line anywhere in this OVA.
Okay, so technically there was a story line, but it's somewhat difficult to extract.
The odd thing is that if I tell you the story line, I spoil the OVA.
Well, I'll try.

Story- 1
Yes, I gave it a one.
The group comes to an island where they're supposedly safe from the zombies.. typical, right? In this scenario, you would expect to see, a la the conclusion of Dawn of the Dead, that there are zombies in their haven, but zombies play no part in this episode.
They play a very, very, very small part toward the end, but that's not what this episode is about. As I've said, it's very, very difficult to specify any plot worth mentioning.

Art- 7
The art isn't exceptional, but it's certainly not worth faulting either.

Sound-8
I'm somewhat attached to the opening theme. Highschool of the Dead has a decent OP.
Unfortunately, I can't say much more than that, as neither of the above played a strong part in this episode.

Character-2
I guess there was a little girl (Alice Maresato)... but wait, where did she go?
In this episode, there's no character development. Nobody changes, and there's really nothing to differentiate any of the females from one another. Granted, Saya Takagi stands out as the reluctant, tough-as-nails personality of the group (euphemism for being a total bitch), but really... if you're expecting a character masterpiece, don't come here.

Enjoyment- 7
Why did I enjoy this? I almost feel bad for it, but there were times when it was moderately humorous. And there were boobs. And I got to see the awesome boobage they censored in episode 6.
And despite having no character development, no real plot, and leaving me wondering what I just watched, this was moderately enjoyable.

Overall-3
Nevertheless, I like my anime to have an actual plot, and I'm sad that they're not doing anything with this anime when there's so much potential. I'm not saying don't watch it. I'm only saying be wary. read more

You're dead. You don't have to take my word for it either. Go talk to that girl down there... Yeah, the one with the silver hair. (There are no other people around, after all.) I'm sure she'll do a nice job of killing you. Again.

Of course, nobody stays dead in purgatory, which is the humor of Angel Beats!.

The anime is set in a high school, where the majority of people aren't people at all, but non-player characters designed to persuade you that the high school is a reality. Once you accept that the high school is a reality, and begin to enjoy life within its confines, you are "obliterated," meaning you leave the world of purgatory.

And that's a bad thing.

Story

The plot is definitely the weak point of Angel Beats!. Many times, the anime withholds crucial details, or introduces ideas and presumes to expand on them later, but never does.

In other words, Angel Beats! lacks continuity, and fails to expand upon or think of key details. What happens when you leave the high school grounds? Is there a larger world, or are you brought back to the high school? How did (x) die? We don't get many back stories on key characters- they're just sort of "there".

For thirteen (technically fourteen, including the special) episodes, this show lacks much follow-up. As such, it plays out less like a story and more like a large collection of concepts.

Don't get me wrong- it has a plot line. The plot line just isn't coherent enough.

Art

The art style of Angel Beats! is good. In fact, the animation is one of the reasons I started watching Angel Beats!, though not because the art style is revolutionary or exceptional.

When I look for an anime, I like to find familiarity, and Angel Beats! had that familiarity in the form of its art style. The illustration is similar to Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, another show I've reviewed and would highly recommend.

So while the animation style is not revolutionary or ground-breaking, it certainly doesn't detract from the show. The often light-hearted and comedic air that Angel Beats! has is captured well in its illustration.

Sound

You can almost watch Angel Beats! for its sound alone. The soundtrack to this show is exceptional. I'm not going to make ignorant pretenses, because anime is a new genre for me, but the intro to the anime is extraordinary in my humble opinion. The background music for the show is often quite catchy, and the ending theme for the show, coupled with its animation sequence, is enough to make you feel sad that the episode has ended and to go looking for more.

Of course, Angel Beats! is based around its music, as is implied by its name. The band, Girls Dead Monster, (GDM) is a fairly significant part of this show.

Believe it or not, the idea of a music-centered anime turned me off at first. When I watched it, and found out that Angel Beats! meant that it was probably going to have a lot to do with music, I thought that it meant that it wasn't going to do as much with plot, and I was partly right, but for the wrong reasons (see above.) This show really doesn't do enough with its band, but then again, you can't expect too much in thirteen episodes.

The music in Angel Beats! is outstanding. It complements the show extraordinarily well, and can almost stand on its own. Beyond that, I often watch this show over just to see the introductory sequence, which is really quite enchanting.

Character

This story lacks much character development, which is another one of its drawbacks. At times, this has a fair amount to do with the plot of the show, because the show juggles too much at once. Often, characters are introduced who have no real back story and who only come up once more in the series, if at all.

That said, the characters in the show also add to it a fair amount, especially TK. TK is a stock character, who often says the most outrageous things, and who is a "mystery man" with an unknown back story. He adds a fair amount of humor to the show, and it's characters like him, who only add to the comedy of the show, that make Angel Beats! worth watching. I only wish the forces behind this show would have developed their characters more...

Enjoyment

To say I enjoyed Angel Beats! would be an understatement. The show made me laugh. The show made me cry (and I almost never cry). I anticipate that I'll be watching this many times over. In fact, I am now. And I'm wearing socks.

Overall

Angel Beats! lacks many of the things that make a good show- character development, a coherent plot, etc.

And yet for some reason, you can forgive it for that. Perhaps it's the beauty or the depth of the show itself, which poses questions about what it's like to be human, or whether or not you're prepared for death. Perhaps it's the music of the show, which could almost carry it completely.

Either way, Angel Beats! is worth watching. You shouldn't expect much in the way of answers to the questions that the show puts forth, but you should expect a great deal of enjoyment.

On a side note, the creator of Angel Beats! claims a second season is on the horizon. Some presume that this is all talk, but supposedly the show is coming out this spring. The cast list is completely different, which is a disappointment, but maybe this next season will still answer some key questions that the first season never answered.

In the meantime, I'll be finding more anime to watch and reading the show's manga, which might also provide some insights into the show itself. read more

Higurashi is a happy-go-lucky show about a bunch of kids.
With that in mind, watch it.
The tags are lying. It isn't horror at-

Had you going.
This show would do a wonderful job at deceiving you if not for that intro tacked right onto the first episode. If not for that, you'd think you were watching a cute, slice-of-life anime.
The whole show is a puzzle for you to solve. Why is everybody dying? What drives a perfectly normal teenager to go Freddy Krueger on two of his best friends?
At times, the underlying problem of Higurashi seems supernatural, at times psychological. Right until the end of the first season, you'll wonder about this show, and more than likely, you'll be wrong.
My advice is not to overlook Kai. While it may be a whole nother ballgame, it will provide some much-needed clarity.

Story- The anime opens up on Keiichi Maebara, an average enough kid- except you just saw him hack up two people with a baseball bat.
The two people, you find out, are Keichi's friends, Mion Sonozaki and Rena Ryuguu. For the first episode, you might wonder when you'll get to see that baseball bat again.
It's coming. And soon.

Art- The art is decent. I've heard people knock on it, but I thought it was really quite refreshing. The show deceives you by taking a lighthearted character design and shifting and mutating it into a slasher movie.

Sound- I don't watch an anime if it doesn't have an intro theme that doesn't immediately hook me, and Higurashi's has almost become the standard for that judgment.
It's beautiful. It's wicked and mysterious. It's mythical.
It's exactly like the show itself.
Beyond that, the soundtrack works with the show rather well, rather than detracting from it. When you want suspense, the show's soundtrack plays suspense... and it does it damn well. The soundtrack also plays cute, and mysterious, and... well, you'll just have to hear for yourself.

Character- This show is very plot-driven. As such, the characters are hard to follow and to sympathize with at first, because you're never sure whether to run away from them or to hug them. That's why you hold onto characters like Rika Furude, who carry the show's cuteness on their shoulders, and you try to understand the other characters all the while.

Enjoyment- At first, watching this show was a chore. I think I might have seem the first episode, then I shoved it aside, thinking "Eh. My friend's crazy for recommending this."
Then I picked it up again, and I couldn't stop watching. I wanted to know what was going on.
And so I kept watching, and in no time at all I had finished with the first season. Then I went onto Kai, and then Reii, and I bulldozed through those.
Hopefully, you will too.

Overall- For all of the above reasons, I'd strongly recommend Higurashi. The show requires a fair amount of patience, but if you keep watching, you simply won't be able to stop.
Well, the key to continuing is to knowing that there is a rhyme or reason for what you're watching. read more