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[Light spoilers]

As someone who likes this genre, I can say with confidence that Doubt was, by far, one of the most disappointing, pathetically thrown together anime OR manga I've picked up so far.

Reading this manga, I was completely appalled with how much of a train wreck this was. At first glance, this seems like an interesting story concept, and it is. I've read and seen my fair share in the "survival game" genre, and this is an awesome story concept with a lot of potential, which got me interested to begin with. That's why it's so easy to see where Doubt totally blew ... it.

Story (1/10 - Pathetic): The worst part of this entire manga. Straight from the beginning, we are thrown into the pre-game setup. All of the characters are meeting together with little context given. There is no "main character is living a normal life sitting at the back of the classroom when something out of the ordinary happens" scenario. The characters all come together saying "I got this weird message, haha" and that's pretty much it for the exposition. We're given typical manga tropes as characters, which is to be expected, but really doesn't help Doubt's case, proving that they stuck with just the bare minimum. We're even given a MC with absolutely no personality or outstanding qualities.

The pre-game development was extremely weak to say the least. They're thrown into the game when we still know very little about the characters or what's going on. From there, the story continues without any buildup or a sense of major mystery, and the story proceeds to rush itself into a complete mess. Again, no development, no tension, no nothing. The characters don't even seem to be afraid about their friends being murdered and being in a bloody dark hell hole. This even furthers the reader from connecting to the characters in any possible way.

However, maybe the worst part of the story is how predictable it is. The mystery pretty much gave itself away, and I could predict the ending before the end of volume one. Obviously this led to a dull, anticlimactic ending that anyone could see coming. You would not believe how obvious and unimaginative this story came out to be. No redeeming qualities.

Art (6/10 - Fair): There isn't much to talk about here. They made some scenes pretty spooky, lots of blood, characters are drawn in a typical way, but not bad. So what? In Doubt's case, the art is not enough to save it from being complete hell. In fact, one of the reasons so many enjoyed this is probably because of the eerie art that was used as a crutch for a such terrible story. Art is hardly worth recognizing and would not redeem this thing in a million years. Moving on.

Character (2/10 - Dreadful): Characters get virtually no development or backstories. There is no investment in any of the characters and character deaths are needlessly thrown around to compensate for a lacking mystery. Character deaths are also sloppy and anticlimactic to the point that I actually wish there were more characters, because when only a few characters are suddenly left, the story gets even more boring. Completely disappointing and a huge waste of potential... potential. Yeah, potential potential.

Enjoyment (2/10 - Dreadful): Needless to say, when the ending and "plot twists" are obvious, with the characters being one dimensional, and with a story with no development or mystery, there isn't much to enjoy. There were a few moments of suspense that were sort of creepy. That's basically the only thing that saves the "enjoyment" from a 1/10. Believe me, I would have dropped this thing if it wasn't a measly four volumes.

Overall (2/10 - Dreadful): All things considered, I think a 2/10 is fair if not generous. I'm sure they could have found ways to make it even worse, like maybe if they found it in an old scrapbook titled "Baby's First Manga", so I'll spare it from the 1/10 rating.

Doubt is a horrendous attempt at a potentially engaging and mysterious story. I'm hoping I don't get a ton of "Not Helpful"s for such a low score, but I'm telling you, this thing was painful to read. Having zero development, character depth, and tension was really killing me. A cool concept that was completely thrown away by a rather pathetic execution.

TL;DR: Just... don't bother.

Liar Game: A high-stake contest fueled by the darkest sides of human nature. Greed, deceit, betrayal, and lies are what rules these games. Do anything you can to win, or it's your head on the chopping block. What would you do?

I had picked up this manga on a whim some time ago, looking for something interesting that had good reviews. As many of the other reviews say, this is the type of manga that keeps you engaged from beginning to end. The story revolves around the main character Kanzaki, who has been sucked into the Liar Game and must now participate in an intricate ... series of games. Picking up the help from an ex-con, Akiyama, we watch the Liar Game unfold at the hands of a mysterious organization.

As most can probably tell based on the cover of the first volume, the art in this is somewhat different, and it takes a while to get used to. It seems the biggest thing the art focuses on is facial expressions. Throughout the series I found myself trying to mimic their expression when something shocking happens, because they're so full of emotion and detail, which was sometimes funny. There were also a few times where the faces people made were creepy, and freaked me out to the point where I was dying to flip the page. I think if art can effect you in that way, it's something noteworthy. Even aside from that though, art was good and always very clean.

One of the series' greatest strengths is it's character development. From the first few games, Kanzaki is practically useless, dependent, and hopeless when it comes to deceit and lying. She is continuously described as "foolishly honest" due to the fact that she lets people deceive her, and is far too trustworthy. Towards the middle of the series, however, Kanzaki becomes practically a different person. She develops into someone who is still honest, but much more analytic. She makes it her mission to to free all of the players from debt, and stop the organization from holding the Liar Game, with the help of Akiyama. The development in this character is phenomenal, and the growth in the supporting cast is also impressive.

The best part of this manga, though, are the games themselves. Each one is so carefully crafted and enticing, and beautifully considered. The psychological and strategic elements is where this manga really shines. The strategies are insanely complex and unique, as there is always a way to completely turn a game around. I was constantly thinking to myself, "how do they come up with this? How do people write something so intricate?", and that speaks volume. There were plenty of moments where I was physically anxious, excited, smiling, and nervous, because I was never left unsurprised.

I've been wanting to review this for a while, but decided to wait until I finally finished the series. Liar Game was a total thrill ride, a shining example of what a 'psychological' manga should be like. You may be wondering, "why aren't they giving this a 10/10?". Well, besides a few minor flaws, the main reason it's not a 10 is because of the ending. For a manga that was full of plot twists and surprises, I found the ending to be rather anticlimactic, especially for a manga that has been publishing for ten years.The secrets of the game and the organization weren't revealed until the very last chapter, along with a set up for a cliff hanger, which seemed rather rushed.

But regardless, a 9/10 is an excellent score, and the series deserves it. Liar Game is a wonderfully crafted manga, leading the way for many in its genre, and easily becoming one of my favorites.

Story: 9/10
Art: 8/10
Character: 9/10
Enjoyment: 10/10
Overall: 9/10

There's a tradition in Tibetan Buddhism called The Sand Mandala. Tibetan monks create intricate large-scale mandalas out of colored sand which often take days to complete. These large pieces of art often portray deities and complex geometrical patterns. After the piece is complete, the monks take part in a ceremony in which they wipe away the sand and destroy the mandala. Then, the sand is collected in a jar and sent out into the river, to be released back into nature, showing the impermanence of the world. I see this as a symbol for how one can't be too attached to anything, and how things ... in our lives come and go, and that's okay.

Katanagatari reminds me of this tradition.

The series is something unlike anything I've seen. I've seen my fair share of anime, but Katanagatari showed me something I wasn't expecting. Everything from it's structure to it's pacing defies the traditional TV trope of the "Fetch Quest" narrative. A seemingly simple story: a curious and strategic girl searches for a right hand man on her quest for the twelve Deviant Blades across Japan, and we see their relationship grow with each episode.

The series is fairly episodic, with the team getting another one of the swords at the end of each episode, and the pacing of the story is something to be admired. Admittedly, episodes can be a bit dialogue heavy, but it never felt rushed or dragged on for too long, which is an impressive feat for episodes that are 50 minutes long. They keep it packed with enough diverse content to keep the story engaging and episodes don't seem repetitive.

One of the most interesting elements of the show, however, is the art. Character designs are simple yet imaginative, and colors are bright, bold, yet also subtle. The stylized scenery is always detailed and nothing 'looked boring'. I'm a huge fan of the style of this animation. Yet another unconventional strength of the show.

Characters feature a lot of depth, and the romantic interest between the traditional 'brain and brawn' team kept it from being plain. I had almost even wanted them to introduce a third member of their two-man team, but realized that their relationship is a focal point of the series, and a third character would throw off the balance of their unique dynamic. Throughout the show I was always enjoying their interactions which kept an otherwise somewhat serious action/martial arts anime pretty light hearted. Side characters introduced along the way were also interesting with their backstories, but there definitely ended up being too many characters to keep track of.

[Warning: LIGHT spoilers, mainly vague references]

The ending, however, is where I draw the connection to the Sand Mandala tradition. The highly controversial last episode first made me confused, angry, then upset, then content. The plot twists became overwhelming, but I had forgotten what show I was watching: Katanagatari isn't your traditional anime, and things weren't meant to last forever. This series isn't going to cater to the casual viewer, it's going to stay dedicated to its craft, and there's no way that there would be a predictable, one dimensional ending.

[/LIGHT spoilers and vague references]

In general, Katanagatari showcased a lot of subtle elements that recent anime simple don't have. An unconventional show for the unconventional viewer. Plenty of action, clever dialogue, and great art. Great timeline and pacing. Katanagatari is a gem of its genre and is certainly worth the watch!

Story: 9/10
Art: 9/10
Sound: 8/10
Character: 8/10
Enjoyment: 8/10
Overall: 8.5/10 (rounded to 9)

Hyouka has been sitting in my "Plan to Watch" list for some time, and I can report that I'm very glad to have gotten around to watching it. I was originally allured by the beautiful animation and reputable ratings, and I was definitely not disappointed.

Story: 8/10
Art: 9/10
Sound: 8/10
Character: 7/10
Enjoyment: 8/10
Overall: 8/10

Story (8):
Hyouka is centered around four charming students in the Classics Club and their desire to dive into the subtle mysteries of the world around them. The main character Oreki has committed to his "energy conserving" lifestyle, as he does not want to stand out, waste energy, or do things that aren't required of him. ... Upon joining the Classics Club, the club president Chitanda discovers that Oreki has excellent deduction skills and can solve simple mysteries that spontaneously spark her curiosity. Oreki develops into the group's lead detective as they discover the world around them.

The story itself is a charming and simple one focused around development of the Classics Club, as we watch the personal growth of the members during their first year of high school. A rather uncomplicated story work in its favor, as the the episodes develop "moment-by-moment", which engages the viewer into the story excellently. I regularly found myself getting lost in the episode that before I knew it, they were over. That's an impressive feat for a slice of life anime. However from a critical standpoint, the story was sometimes inconsistent and hard to follow, seeing that a lot can happen in a short amount of time.

Art (9):
This is definitely Hyouka's most impressive element. The art was almost flawless. Chitanda's sparkly purple eyes, the flow of the hair, the beautiful resolution, the stunning scenery. You'll definitely want to watch this in at least 720p, or you're not fully appreciating what this show has to offer. Throughout the series I was consistently impressed with the animation. The only thing holding this back from a 10 is some of the little things. Sometimes the hands lacked detail along with things like faces in the background etc. If it was just a little more detailed it would be a total 10. Still can't complain.

Sound (8):
Never sure of what to say in this section, sound seemed good, nice and HQ but nothing that stood out as impeccable.

Character (7):
I really found myself relating a lot to the main character Oreki, as I too have been accused of not caring, being lazy, can't put effort into things, is never excited or smiling, etc. Some of the jokes the supporting cast say about his personality are things that have been actually said to me, even.

The characters have great, unique personalities and each had some growth in themselves throughout the series. However, this is also my lowest score for all the elements of the show (though a 7 is still good). I was hoping for a bit more development in the supporting cast and the relationships between them, as most of the development seemed to focus around Oreki. He is the mc, but regardless this could have been a very strong category otherwise.

Enjoyment (8):
I never thought I would watch a slice of life anime this fast. Episode after episode is completely packed with story and meaning and the series seemed to fly by. The innocent curiosity of the Classics Club kept me engaged and entertained, as I practiced by deductive skills and honed in on the world in front of my eyes. Especially through the great animation, falling into the story was easy.

Overall (8):
Hyouka is a great example of a slice of life / mystery done right. Beautiful art and story from beginning to end, engaging and curious. Can't believe I waited so long to watch this! if you're looking to get lost in a cute and charismatic story, Hyouka is definitely the way to go.

I'll keep this review pretty blunt, since there's no point of trying deeply analyze a comedy such as this one. Sabagebu! is a lighthearted story about a group of girls who belong to the Survival Game Club. As you may know, there have been several other shows that have played around with this plot (for example, C3), but I'll tell you why Sabagebu! did it the right way.

First of all, this anime is pretty episodic. The pattern I've noticed is that the episodes typically consist of two or three short story arcs that each last for part of the episode. Sometimes the stories are ... more geared towards action, and sometimes they're geared more towards school life, or whatever other random events may happen.

The cool thing about this series is that it has at least one thing that most people can enjoy. For me, it's the action and the actual "Survival Game" portion of the show. I love guns, anime girls, but especially anime girls with guns. However, this is where it gets a little different: the guns are actually air soft guns, and all the blood and death that is shown is part of their imaginations. This way, the show can cater to viewers like me who want to see guns and blood, but they also keep it cute, and actually pretty funny, and sometimes features a narrator who occasionally throws in an entertaining commentary.

I'll admit that the character development is nothing to brag about, though. A lot of the characters are just your standard run-of-the-mill anime archetypes, but a few characters such as the main protagonist have a unique personalities that definitely carry the show. Great art, OST and EST, and is a simple show that definitely entertains.

TL;DR
A cute and simple show with some guns and blood (part of their imaginations), and a good sense of humor all for a good, entertaining anime. Sabagebu! definitely delivers.

WIXOSS - a card game capable of bringing either hope or despair. Or maybe just straight up despair.

Selector Infected WIXOSS is definitely a genre all in its own. Getting into this show, I was expecting it to be some sort of Yu-Gi-Oh thing, but it was far different from my expectations. The show actually has a lot of parallels with Madoka Magica (the recommendations tab will tell you the same thing) more than anything else. Normal girls who are chosen to posses mysterious powers or abilities must compete against each other in order to get their wishes granted, without knowing what they're really getting ... in to.

Turns out, Selector Infected WIXOSS is less about the card game, and more about the experience of the players - how the game is effecting their everyday lives, the emotional and psychological consequences, and their interactions both in battle, and in the real world. In fact, the real rules of the game aren't even explained, which is both valuable, but also a weakness. With too much information about the game, there wouldn't be enough development in the characters in a short twelve episodes, but at the same time, having the rules of the game explained would keep the viewer more engaged, and added the element of strategy. However, I think for the most part they made up for in with excellent effects and art that kept the battles interesting. People who are considering watching this should be aware that this show is more about the story, dialogue, and mystery rather than the game itself.

But that doesn't keep it from having a unique and powerful concept. The viewer follows the players as they put themselves on the line for the sake of their wishes being granted. We follow them as they go deeper into labyrinth of this mysterious game and the darkness that comes along with it. Will a strong sense of justice get lost in a sea of greed? Will inner strength and willpower beat the odds of defeat?

Even with a few story holes, Selector Infected WIXOSS delivered more than I thought it would. With great art, a enticing concept with many, many layers, this leaves quite an impact with a great cliffhanger for the second season. A decent show with some solid entertainment value.

TL;DR

Biggest strength: character development and concept
Biggest weakness: rules of the game are unexplained which leaves a few story holes

Be aware that this show is less about the game and more about the experience of the players. Very similar to Madoka Magica. Still pretty good.

Welcome to the NHK - a profound, interesting, and sometimes painful journey taken with main character Satou Tatsuhiro. The story revolves around the peaks and the pits of Satou's life, the hardships and the anxiety, but also the mystery and optimism the the great unknown - also known as "the real world".

Satou's character is pretty atypical in the realm of anime. Yes, he's an lonely outcast like many protags, but he is different: no matter how many times he tries to get up, he falls back down. He shows a lot of real, human characteristics that everyone can relate to in this sense. Life ... isn't just a 24 episode anime where your life suddenly turns for the better around episode 6. No, Satou is a complete fuck up, and when we think he's going to change his hikikomori ways, he always goes back to his same habits. This is an utterly frustrating cycle that keeps the viewer interested in his story, which comes from some really great development.

Naturally, Satou had the most development of all, but it ended up taking anyway from the supporting characters. I was wanting to see more of the supporting characters' backstories, their own tragedies and struggles, and how the person they've become has gone on to impact Satou's development. Additionally, since one of the genres is "Psychological", I was hoping to see some more... you know, existentialist, thought-provoking dialogues and some more raw emotion or something. However, a lot of that had to come from you, the viewer, to see the meaning in the small change in characters and events.

But the seemingly trivial experience of this NEET still leaves an impact. This is a story of finding friends, finding purpose, and finding hope in a life that is filled with dead ends. The real humanity found in these characters mirrors what we see in ourselves and those who have trouble supporting us, and those we wish could be by our side. In Satou's realizations, his breakdowns and delusions, you can't help but feel a little less alone in a world so overwhelmingly large.

Good sound and animation, though nothing outstanding. A raw, thought-provoking narrative that is definitely worth watching.

Nagi no Asukara is a drama about four children that live under the sea, and their merge as they are forced to attend sea on the surface. A lot of romance, tensions, and events unfolds to leave an extremely memorable and impactful series. As a person that usually doesn't go for dramas, starting this series at first seemed a little risky. It's not unlikely that I would get bored with a similar series as far as the genre goes. However, Nagi no Asukara proved me wrong and thereafter. This turned out to be a stunning work of art and definitely the most underrated show of ... the Winter 2013 season. Nobody is talking about this enough! Anyway, I'll get this started:

Story (9) - NnA has a very deep and meaningful story which includes entangled love hexagons and profound themes of racial tensions between the people of the sea, and the people of the land. This results in a fantastic and modern coming of age story across the board. The events that unfold makes for an enticing storyline, full of heartbreaking moments and a huge sense of friendship and togetherness. This really had an impact on me. The love interests for one another as the story develops creates a huge web of love which kept me emotionally invested and interested in the story. Only criticisms that keep it from getting a 10 would be that the show throws a lot of material out in the beginning, which was a tad confusing, and the ending dragged out a bit, even though I can see their reasons for it based on the way it ended.

Art (10) - Right off the bat from the first episode, you cannot deny the AMAZING artwork, especially the colors, which really enhanced the viewing experience. The way the underwater village was animated visually tells you the story of a magical and stunning place with a lot of history, and that was amazing to me. At first I thought the huge blue eyes were pretty corny, but they really grew on me, and I understood that the eyes represent the visual differences between the two races of people. Eye color is no different than skin color. Oh, and I loved the facial expressions and smirks, they were precious. Art was definitely outstanding. No flaws.

Sound (9) - This is the section that I have the most trouble reviewing, but I can confidently say that NnA had great sound. Beautiful voices, beautiful underwater sound effects, only thing keeping it from a 10 is the OST, I think they could have beefed it up a bit. Still great.

Character (9) - Incredible development. The unique relationships between these childhood friends leads to a very beautiful understanding of the characters, even though you won't see their kind of relationship in any other show. You really get to empathize for the characters as they express their feelings, since they share such deep emotions with another. Each two characters have their own, unique relationship, but was not hard to keep up with. The relationships felt very realistic in this sense. After some time, it almost seemed like I had my own relationships with each of them. You get to see true transformations and watch these people evolve, and that results in a very profound sense of investment and love for the characters.

Enjoyment (10) - I very rarely marathon shows as fast as I watched this one. One episode after the next, watching this show never got tedious or old. Thankfully, I watched all of them and caught up on the day that the last episode aired, so I didn't have to wait between episodes. Otherwise it would have been incredibly frustrating. This is definitely the type of show that you can knock out in a few sittings, and it's hard for me to find those. I also rarely cry, ever, but I did once or twice during this show. It's amazing how emotionally invested I got in only 26 episodes. Amazing amazing amazing

Overall (9) - One of the most memorable and amazing shows I've seen, and I will be recommending this to everyone. Even if you're not sure how it sounds (even after this review), at least watch the first episode, because it WILL capture your interest. This is a truly beautiful and profound story that won't be forgotten. Nagi no Asukara truly did not disappoint. High notes all around

Kiss x Sis is, in short, is a typical slice of life anime but with some perverted and romantic scenes, and the whole added incestuous taboo thing. The main character grew up with two step sisters, who have always been in love with him until current day, where Keita is in his final year of middle school. Since his step sisters are a grade above him, they do everything they can to help Keita study for his entrance exams, so they can go to the same high school next year. This along with the increased romantic tension is pretty much the gist of the plot. ...

Story (6) - I'm giving the story a 6 because at the end of the day, it's not much more than what you would expect just from the description, however, I could totally see the story turning around and bringing the entire series to be a complete piece of shit, so at least they didn't totally fuck this one up. Most of the story is the two step-sisters, Ako and Riko, trying to please their brother Keita, as you would expect from this harem-type scenario. Then, once in a while we get to a scene where one of the sisters starts coming onto him. Keita will then get super uncomfortable, since he knows making out with one of his step sisters is wrong, blah blah blah, the sister will be aggressive, and then right before it actually gets interesting, the other sister will walk in, be jealous, and interrupt the scene. Every time. I understand that this is an ecchi, not a hentai, but every scene ending in the same way gets frustrating. However, I will admit the romantic development in this series is strong, as Keita will be more and more affectionate towards his sisters by the end of the series.

Art (5) - Nothing spectacular, or anything that really blew me away. The facial expressions are kind of lame, it was really just your typical rull of the mill animation for a show that probably didn't have a huge budget. There were a few parts I liked, like then Riko puts chocolate lipstick on herself, but once again, not much that was super stellar.

Sound (6) - I actually took note of the sound being pretty good quality as far as the voices went. However, there's not much to base it off of when this is a romantic school-life show, I mean, what sound effects are you supposed to have? Wind chimes?

Character (4) - I'm mainly giving this a 4 for the extremely weak supporting characters. They tried hard to throw in some side characters to give it story a different dynamic, but ultimately the supporting characters were annoying as hell and didn't contribute to much. It was just so average: the moe girl in the main characters' class that he has awkward encounters with, some random underclassmen that calls him senpai, the main character's friends who come and go once in a while that aren't really a part of the story, and so on. There were no characters besides the main three that didn't seem like filler. In addition, the step sisters Riko and Ako have hardly any personality or memorable characteristics. They're really just there to submit to / make out with Keita, the only character that got sufficient development.

Enjoyment (6) - Although the story and characters weren't anything special, let's be real, the scenes were pretty hot. However if this was not an ecchi, and was just some generic romance story, I wouldn't have watched it in the first place. I would be bored out of my mind. If you're looking for a good romance to watch, this probably isn't it. But as someone who doesn't like romance series, I wasn't entirely bored with most of it which is somewhat impressive in itself.

Overall (6) - I think a 6 is pretty generous, since the story, characters, and art were all kind of lame, however at the end of the day it's probably better and more interesting than your typical school-life/romance/SoL type thing. Probably due almost entirely to the ecchi aspect, but whatever.

So if you want a story based around a sexual fantasy, you probably came to the right place. As far as ecchi/harm/romance goes, this is pretty good in comparison. If you're looking for a series with some decent development and romance, I'd probably go elsewhere. But in general it was a pretty fun series, had a few funny moments, and might be worth watching just because it's so different than your typical show. The choice is yours

Sword Art Online is the perfect example of an entry-level anime. The disappointing part is that not all areas of the series is mediocre. The art was often very impressive, lots of great futuristic features and animations that made the series interesting to watch. With that, the series had a lot of potential with the storyline. However, the storyline ended up being EXTREMELY inconsistent and all over the place. There were some implied time skips that were confusing, characters coming from nowhere, along with other inconsistencies. Reading the synopsis and actually the first couple episodes got me really excited about the series, it's such a ... great concept but the places they went with it didn't make sense. They also through in some romantic crap that wasn't believable. They could have condensed the random side stories into one enticing main plot. And it really shouldn't have continued past episode 15, but it did anyway. Although, again I have to give props to the animation, the character design, and sound. The series is watchable, but didn't go in the direction I think it should have.