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So after hearing that Symphogear will have a sequel you might be interested if the show is worth watching. I have become interested in writing a review as it was something I didn't really expect to happen. To be completely honest my impression of the show was pretty much just your average mahou shoujo show, but lets take a closer look shall we?

Symphogear was fun to watch: It had high eyecandy value. The action scenes weren't half bad, and the music was decent as it should being an integral part of the show. However, I think the fact of the matter is its lack of originality. The members of the cast are part of a secret organization fighting off 'Noise' a creature who randomly appears to rampage and kill. The only way to rid of them of this world is by using symphogear - song powered armor equipment. To be honest it would be an interesting concept if we also didn't have a plethora of other mahou shoujo who are the only hope of saving humanity from oddly named creatures.

That being said they did attempt to integrate interesting plot devices such as betrayal, or death. However, while a show can be good for having such things just having them isn't enough. The execution is somewhat poorly done, in that you feel as if you should be interested in what is happening, but it doesn't quite affect you as intended. To rephrase, there does exist a story, but it is too hard to emotionally connect to it. I find that as a source of entertainment anime needs to entrap our feelings so we actually care about what is going on in the show. Unfortunately, Symphogear is unable to do so.

The characters aren't bad. Hibiki after being injured in an accident (in the first few minutes of episode 1) barely escapes death, but instead becomes gifted with powers. She acts the part of the ordinary girl thrown into extraordinary circumstances. Her character is fine for the most part except for her tendency to try and befriend the opposition, although to be honest her rational is sound. One of my favorite characters has to be the section chief Genjurou as he appears to be superhuman, and his manliness was one of the most enjoyable parts of this show. Unfortunately, they don't quite explain why the hell he defies even the laws of this show, but I suppose it will be explained in season two…

Overall, symphogear is an average mahou shoujo show that tries to be more. Now I won't use the word fail, but it just didn't succeed in connecting the viewers and plot. I honestly can't say I would suggest this show to anyone because of that, but of course there can always be exceptions.
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As a male sometimes it can be difficult to find a good shoujo romance. In general I find them more mature and reasonable than shounen romance, but some of the targeting affect miss the mark on me. However, Lovely Complex is one of my favorite romantic comedies of all time. In fact it was on my top 10 a year or two ago. It is a very relaxing, funny, and cute show that avoids many of the pit holes I see in other romantic comedies.

The story follows Risa and Ootani, whose nicknames are 'Amazoness' and 'chibi' (midget) in reference to their height. They are known in school for being a pair of comedians despite their best efforts to avoid acting as such. To this I can testify that the two of them are indeed a perfect pair of comedians. The show had a really good sense of humor: Good enough for even the serious person I am to admit it. While the show has a similar amount of drama to other shows, the comedy really helps to prevent the drama from overwhelming you by keeping the show bright and happy.

One of my favorite things in this show is that Risa is as active in the story as Ootani. I find it frustrating that many female leads in shoujo shows let the male interest take the spotlight, and do most of the 'things' to make the show what it is (this is obviously vise versa in shounen). However, this show does a good job of making both sides proactive, and letting all the characters carry weight in the show. Perhaps that wasn't well phrased so I will reword it as neither of the leads outshines the other. They are a very good fit together, and it is hard to get tired of seeing the two of them interact.

The other characters in the show play an important role as well. I felt like all the characters acted really real, aka not making really illogical mistakes, and fit into the story well. Overall, I think the characters possessed the necessary amount of depth to make the show a blast to watch.

The plot is simple, after all it is a drama, romantic, comedy. The arcs are very well executed, so that I never felt irritated at the characters actions nor felt as if the situation was dragging on too long. Being twenty four episodes long, they fit all the story and comedy together very nicely. It is hard to elaborate more than saying that I can only recall loving this show for it. The art style is pretty modest especially being made in 2007, but I think it is also somewhat unique and fits the show really nicely.

Overall, even after years I fondly recollect this show as possibly my favorite shoujo anime. I have thrown the weighted word 'shoujo' around, so I would like to clarify that was for comparison purposes. In fact, I think that this is a romantic comedy that almost anyone could enjoy, thus I suppose I should completely disregard tagging the show to a target demographic. As a very funny and cute romantic comedy I think this is a must see for those interested in a relaxing romance story.
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Ano Hana is a tale of love and loss that I will never forget. I have a case of prosopagnosia which causes a headache when you experience hundreds and hundreds of faces in anime not to mention real life. However, Ano Hana is one of the few shows where I can clearly remember and recall the name of each character. Regardless of my own feelings, Ano Hana decided it wanted to grab a spot in my heart and stay there for a while: Two years and running at the moment.

Why has Ano Hana reached so many people and caught them like they have me? Well folks that is because this show knows how to link you to the characters. As mainly a drama, grabbing sympathy from the viewers is very important, and Ano Hana makes sure your tear ducts are ready to run at any moment. You are so deeply invested in the feelings of the characters that every individual action makes your heart ache.

However, on the reverse side it is obviously possible that you are very apathetic. Well, you might enjoy the suffering the characters experience, but there isn't much to look forward to in terms of plot. To be completely honest Ano Hana is extremely simple in terms of plot. After many years of trauma, Menma's ghost returns to haunt her group of childhood friends; although to be specific only really Jintan. The super peace busters disbanded after experiencing the lose of such a close friend, and the members all split up and lead their own separate lives. Of course, due to Memna's persuasion Jintan is slowly forced to reassemble the gang together, in addition to trying to put her to rest.

Each character has their certain regret about 'that day' that causes them to transform themselves into different people, and through reforging their bonds only will they heal themselves. In reality the idea is quite simple, but excellently executed. The characters feel like they could be real living people by acting like normal rational people. Jintan who once lead their group becomes a shut in after feeling extremely responsible for Menma's death. Anjou whom was insecure about her appearance starts hanging around with the pretty, although extremely rude, girls. Poppo escapes the town where Menma died by traveling around the world using work funds. He seems to hold a strange regret about that day, and sympathizes the most with Jintan seeing a ghost only he can see.


Overall, Ano Hana is a story of growing up with your past haunting you. At some time funny, at other times cute, but at most times sad Ano Hana is a roller coaster ride of emotions. Although I think most people should be able to relate Ano Hana it is after all a romantic, slice of life drama. I am pretty opinionated since I only give a 10 to my favorite 10 shows, but I believe that reviews are nothing but ones opinion in the end, yes? If anything I hope I have displayed what you should expect to get out of this show, and why many others like me love Ano Hana. read more

Ika Musume is one of the few very moe comedy shows that I have managed to enjoy. To be honest I rarely can appreciate jokes and gags in anime, so I am very harsh critic. Yet, I must admit that Ika musume had managed to tickle me pink on a few different occasions. They took a simple idea, and made it work well.

Ika musume follows… well Ika Musume as she attempts to conquer land to take revenge on the atrocities humanity commits on the seas. However, due to unfortunate circumstances she damages the frightening Aizawa Chizuru's precious shop. Thus, in order to protect herself from Chizuru she ends up working off her debt in their beachside restaurant.

In reality I have no issues with the deliver of the comedy, or content of the skits. While the majority of them are rather slice of life style jokes the addition of Ika Musume's ocean born naivety and abilities makes the content pretty silly. Her original purpose of conquering humanity isn't typically the focus of the skits, but they don't forget to make her act the part when she should. However, I found that the episodes at the beginning of the show were a bit boring, and that the later episodes are a decent improvement in quality as the characters build better relationships with one another.

The majority of the characters don't feel particularly distinguishable, but their relationship and interactions with ika musume is what makes them interesting. I think nobody can explain this better than Aizawa Eiko, Chizuru's younger sister. She really has no unique character traits at all, but she looks out for Ika-chan and makes sure to tsukkomi whenever possible. However, the comedy takes advantage of this 'simple' character and manages to deliver the jokes in an extremely satisfying way. The characters do have their unique way of interpreting Ika-chan whether it be something to dress up in cute clothes, an alien specimen, or a advertisement tool.

The show is a moe comedy in reality though. Take for example the 'moe' chapters of mini Ika Musume where nothing really happens except Ika being miniature size and acting cute. That being said I don't think that having a really moe segment actually makes the show better; although, i admit it can be adorable. Ika Musume is in actuality a genius (for example, a living calculator), but cannot seem to escape the short end of the stick every skit. For me it was a combination of frustration, and amusement as Ika-chan proceeded to be ruthlessly teased on throughout the show. The skits were well done, but I have always had a disdane for main characters who do everything right yet can't get a break.

Overall, I think that if you are looking for a lighthearted comedy Ika Musume does it right, and does it pretty well. My score is somewhat low due to my unusually dull sense of humor, but I won't say that this will have you laughing your ass of either. However, if you are in the mood for some strange slice of life comedies with moe squids then I don't think you have to look any further. read more

Princess Tutu defies all expectations by going above and beyond the meaning of mahou shoujo. I recall being very hesitant to start watching this show as I have a tendency to avoid the genre, and the fact that she transforms into a tutu wielding heroine is not what I had wanted to watch for nearly 40 episodes.

However, I quickly got into the story of Princess Tutu almost as if I was also under Drosselmeyer's control. Yes, the entire story takes place in a town that is living to the script of a famous writer Drosselmeyer, and while the characters have their own free will and conscious they play out the fairy tale that has been laid before them. Ahiru plays the role of princess tutu, who is trying to return the princess his heart (emotions). She must also deal with the knight, and the evil ravens who were sealed using the prince's heart.

If I have to pinpoint what drew me into Princess Tutu, it would be the characters personalities. You can see drastic changes in the characters as they develop to overcome their 'destiny' from the story: One of the favorite characters, the knight, has almost a completely different personality by the end of the show. The key point though is that this is the focus of the show, so it is not as if he wakes up and becomes a different person.

Princess Tutu does have an unusual pace though. The first 13 episodes are full length, and rather episodic. However, after the climax of the first arc the episodes are half sized. The first arc itself isn't bad, but it is also doesn't distinguish itself from any other mahou shoujo show. The story finally starts to shine after the first hill is passed, but that being said it isn't hard to get there.

I think Princess Tutu is an interesting fair tale to watch transpire. After finishing the show, to me at least, it feels like a classic anime that would be hard to forget. I think the story works well for any audience big, old, male, and female. Yes, if I showed this show to my mother even she would approve (She can accept transforming girls in tutus if it is a fairy tale). Princess Tutu should be a must try on anyone's list.
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Chuunibyou had been the highlight of the 2012 fall season for me. For me it has resonated with me a decent bit, as I have experienced (and continue experiencing) "eighth grader syndrome" myself. Chuunibyou is essentially possessing an overactive imagination to the extent that you will superimpose your own delusions in reality. Why do people contract Chuunibyou? Is it a disease, or just a piece of ones personality? Should we really attempt to become completely normal? Does everyone not have their own unique 'chuunibyou' experience at one point in their life?

Yuuta, our male lead, experienced his chuunibyou as dark flame master. After proceeding to realize how much he regrets his eight grader actions he attempts to transfer to a school where nobody will recognize him. Unfortunately, he runs into a ninth grader stuck in her eight grade syndrome who has discovered his secret past. Thus chaos ensues as the 'recovered' Yuuta and the 'sick' Rikka enter a strange friendship.

The story is a relatively lighthearted comedy for the most part, as Yuuta who sympathizes with Rikka's situation tries to open her eyes with little progress. Rikka ends up forming a supernatural (and nap) club, gathering an eight grader Dekomori, wielding sand bags at the end of her twin tails, whom worships the other member with the nickname Forest Summer. Their senpai kumin really only enjoys napping, but joins their club so they have enough members.

After a few episodes that tend to be on the comedy side, chuunibyou switches over to start exploring the feelings between the characters, and the feelings between reality and imagination. I felt that the drama never appeared over the top, and the situation was simple. It was well executed allowing you to sympathize well with the characters, but at the same time not feel depressed yourself. I thought that the drama and comedy paired together nicely, to make a very enjoyable viewing experience.

Overall, I really enjoyed chuunibyou as it mixed comedy with meaning. As anime lovers, at least I assume you are, we all tend to have more of an overactive imagination or in comparison to others. Well I haven't actually had an imaginary battles with my friends since I was small, yet chuunibyou shows that letting your creativity run wild is a very important part of growing up. I also love romance and drama, so my tastes for those were well satisfied too! I would definitely recommend this anime to just about anyone as I think the target audience is extremely broad. That means you reader!
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The Hayate series has been one I have held dearest to my heart for a long time. The specific sense of humor and the use of art to exaggerate the characters dumbfounded expressions always made me laugh back when I watch the first two seasons. However, after the long gap 'I can't take my eyes off you' was a disappointment.

The story line is completely independent of the manga, and covers the story behind Nagi's father and mother. In all honesty I thought that the actual plot of the show was not half bad, I might even admit good, but there was a bigger issue. The plot didn't appear until about the 7th episode.

Now, in Hayate no Gotoku terms plot wouldn't really be important, but I found the episodes in the first half of the series to be somewhat lacking. There was a few good scenes, but in all honesty I felt bored at sometimes. Seeing as I would claim myself as a fan of the series I found that to be slightly awkward. The jokes were there, but I suppose they weren't as appealing to me at all.

A new anime specific character Tsugumi Ruri, claiming to be Nagi's sister, is added to the show. Tsugumi is clearly up to no good upon her entrance to the show in episode one, but at the same time is obviously to nice to do any harm. She is an airhead and her voice is somewhat whiny, and is picked on for the entirety of the show.

Thankfully, in the second half my faith was returned. The plot helped increase my enthusiasm to continue watching and I slowly enjoyed the comedy that was placed in there. The entire cast eventually makes their way over to Las Vegas to obtain an object called the Kurotsubaki that her deceased father left behind. Needless to say it is cursed with horrible luck, but allows the wielder to experience great luck at times. For some reason Tsugumi wants Nagi to reclaim this pocket watch, and the mystery behind Nagi's father, the Kurotsubaki, and Tsugumi's motives is revealed.

In all honesty I wouldn't say this is the best Hayate no Gotoku has to offer, but if you want to learn the history behind Nagi's parents this will explain it. The Hina fans will probably last until episode three at least, and I don't think I need to say that the majority of the season is almost all Nagi centered. I don't think I would recommend this season to anyone who is on the fence, but I am sure that any fan would probably still enjoy this season.
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Kokoro Connect is an school drama, romantic, comedy that brings great depth to their characters by the supernatural experiences they encounter. My impression of Kokoro Connect soared beyond what I had originally imagined: The following 4 specials have become my favorite set of specials. Kokoro Connect managed to utilize all its supernatural occurrences skillfully, focusing less on overusing them and more on how they affect the five people members of the cultural research club.

The story follows 5 seemly normal youths (Aoki, Inaba, Yui, Taichi, and Inori) who's weaknesses are exposed through the meddling of some higher being. This higher being, Fuusenkazura, essentially just wants to experiment on the cultural research club for both his and our enjoyment. It is weird that the story never really highlights why Fuusenkazura is toying with the members of the club, but I suppose they are too busy dealing with the mess he causes to be asking questions.

The main character of the story is Taichi, a noble person who honestly wants to help people out, a good character to view the story from as the rest of the cast experience body swapping, uncontrollable impulses, mental telepathy, time reversal, etc.. The story develops all the characters at once, but each event seems to cause the most trouble for specific members of the clubs who in turn of, for example, body swapping become extremely uncomfortable due to their inability to be around the opposite gender.

While I mentioned that Taichi is the main character, it is really hard to make that judgment since most of the characters have equal involvement and impact in the story. Yui is an surprisingly docile girl for somebody who was well known for her martial art skills in middle school. Aoki is always high spirited and excited. He also has a crush on Yui, whom continuous to ignore his feelings, but thankfully Aoki is not annoying. Typically such a character drives me insane, but Aoki fawns over Yui like a 'normal' person would since after all she doesn't just quit the club. Inaba is very mysterious, serious, and looks out for the rest of the club members. Inori is always putting on a smile for everyone and acts friendly to the other members.

The characters all have their own unique quirks that become apparent as the show continues - I don't want to say anymore since the vast majority of the show is discovering the true identities of the characters and how they change.

The show has no fan service, and none of the supernatural occurrences have any sort of presence in the animation at all. To be honest the art isn't very impactful, but it is still very clean. It does clearly depict the characters emotions, and doesn't detract from the meaning behind their words and actions.

Overall, I would recommend this show to pretty much anyone. Some of the lessons the characters experience kind of make you reflect on your own life and how you live it. I will say that certain arcs had more impact than others. In finishing one arc I resonated with my heart and made me reflect for a good while. It managed to lift my spirits for a few days to be honest, but that is because it happened to coincide with what I had been thinking about. The show was Great (9), and I had no complaints watching this, so neither should you! read more

Ookami no Monshou revolves around of the struggle of a young werewolf who desires no more than to live a normal human life. Unfortunately for him, that isn't exactly easy due to his proud nature and constant encounter with those guys you don't really want to mess with. The story focuses on how strong a will he has as he faces off against the darkest evils of humanity.

In short, the story is about a badass immortal dude fighting against the mentally unstable, and violent son of a gang boss. Our 'hero' Akira could give less about society as he has nothing but disrespect for the nature of humans and tries his best to stay out of trouble. However, Akira doesn't mind getting his hands dirty if he needs to maintain his peace so he quickly becomes enemies with Haguro Dou.

Thus their insane escapades starts, from carving people up, raping them, blowing them up, putting them full of holes… or at least tries to on some occasion. Dou really is a rich and spoiled guy who could care less about any other human being, and starts off rather emotionless. Thankfully, his insane obsession with defeating Akira causes him to develop into an even more twisted person, which you think wouldn't be possible.

The story does keep you amused throughout the 117 chapters for there is always something 'dangerous' happening. However, reading this manga is likely to make you want to become violent itself since there is never really any 'peace' obtained at any point. The story is in such high tension that it starts to go over the line from being a interesting and dark piece of work to being slightly disturbing.

The mangaka know how to draw for this type of genre though, and the artwork matches. However, the art isn't really sharp and when the scenes get more and more powerful the art gets more and more insane. By insane I mean messy, and grotesque. I mean does everyone have such giant bags under their eyes? They communicate their point though, and in case they didn't small narratives are added in. These can be good fillers for scenes that really don't need spoken words. Sometimes it is nice, but you also just might wish the scenes just were powerful enough they didn't require any words in general.

I feel like any feminist would be appalled at this Wolf Guy because frankly they didn't really implement their female cast wisely. In fact, the main fates of the female cast is to be used as sex objects. Aoshika really has no larger role than to act as a damsel in distress. She causes Akira to become more involved with humanity, but at the same time fails to contribute positively to the story. Don't get me started on Ryuuko, Dou's "fuck buddy," (that’s what she calls herself, not my choice of words), because that girl's insanity was on par with Dou's for the most part.

To summarize, Ookami no Monshou was a story that kept the excitement and tension relatively high, and keeps you rather eager to continue reading. The story is really violent though, and the cast a little weak causing it to rely heavily on Akira and Dou's struggle to try and keep one satisfied. I really wouldn't recommend it to anyone that wasn't looking for a very mature read. If that is what you eyes desire to see, then I would say look no further. read more

This review is short because it is assumed you have watched the first season. This is about the differences of the second season.

Maria holic continues it's madness where it left off. Well, not exactly. It starts off right before the pool opens, and the cliffhanger from last season's finale becomes moot. That is okay though as there is no plot anyways, and it gives the same wacky comedy it did two years ago.

There is not much that changes about the humor in the show so if you thoroughly enjoyed the first reason you can rest assured that the amount of laughs won't change drastically. However, there is a surprising lack of change in some areas. There are only two new characters that make a visit to the campus. While it is good not to have to enlarge the cast, interacting with new types of people allow for more variety in the show, even if it is only for a single episode. This along with a insignificant amount of change in character make the show literally the same old same old.

Overall I really enjoyed the second season. While I complain about the lack of differences if the content is great why change it? I didn't really enjoy the first season, but I am glad I gave the sequel a chance as I liked it even more with the setting and characters always established. There is no reason not to continue watching this series if you liked the first at all therefore I highly recommend it.


I hope my review was helpful, questions and feedback are welcome! read more