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Horrible pacing with anticlimatic twists and full of exposition, ultimately boring. The feeling of wasted potential started here, a distaste and disinterest that will loom in future entries, keeping me from fully enjoying this disconnected series. Probably my least favorite episode. The story was boring, it wasn't predictable, still I didn't enjoy it. The art style is fitting for the story, maintining the beauty from the first installment. The characters remained as half-baked messes, all of them are weird and confusing and frustrating. They didn't react to situations in a realistic way and I guess some people will enjoy it more than I did, ... that's why I'm feeling a light six on this one.

Disjointed first installment for an even more broken saga. It is, indeed, quite enigmatic and thrilling, setting its supernatural world and metaphysic tone. The story is unique, it has a lot of potential and I'm keen to this genre, so I gave it go. The art style is amazing. Since this is the first entry the characters were presented, so development is left to do, nonetheless, all of them were smart, especially Shiki. Still, not entirely convinced with what it has going on and my concerns will only grow bigger (and become clearer) with one entry after another. Soundtrack and visuals are killer though. ... I'm feeling a light seven on this one.

Great anime continued by a weak sequel. Dropped this off by a little past the hour mark and I'm glad I did as it only went donwhill from there. With an overly long beginning, the movie focuses its final hour in attempting to stick two different stories, creating a mess. The world-building, its characters and their relationships completely change, betraying most of what was portrayed in the anime. Plus, the ending is so unsatisfying, the fact there hasn't been a follow-up leads me to believe this is the actual ending of the whole saga, which sucks. Though the great animation and entertainment remains intact, the ... story is unncessarily complex with cheesy moments, making this an incosistent sequel to an series that wrapped up pretty well. I'm very on the fence to expect or even watch Walpurgisnacht: Rising once it's released. I'm feeling a light five on this one.

Yearn and wishes as sources for goodness are sadically twisted in Puella Magi Madoka Magica, an anxiety-ridden anime where personal desires cast a curse upon the world and the magical girls themselves. Turning the genre in its head and filling it with a Bergman-esque existential dread, the show sees the girls questioning their position, purpose and life when thrown into a dangerous, dispair bound role, in which there's no gain in the outcome, as it leads, one way or another, to death. Though the final episode and the antagonistic intentions were too convoluted for its own sake, it showcased a quite amount of hope and ... salvation steaming from friendship and love, which is kinda hippie, yet works after a ruthless downward spiral. Definately an inmediate favourite; a complex, original and gloomy anime disguised in pastel colors and good willing. I'm feeling a decent to strong nine on this one.

Loaded with action and entertainment, Bubblegum Crisis is anime where its highlights make up for the overall flaws. I wasn't sure if I'd like this due to its 80s' cheesiness, yet said characteristic is the one that creates such a beautiful retro-futuristic world, with one banging song after the other (the first ten minutes are honestly incredible) and stylish outfits throughout, set against this alluring nocturne urban landscapes. The animation is the one to thank for this aspect, as well as for some truly pretty shots that have landed their way in most of the "slow+reverb" videos. Nonetheless, storytelling wise lacked strength, it would've been ... beneficial to this anime a full-on dramatic arc, from first to eighth episode, instead of a different adventure each installment. Although the episodes are told with a patience, the fights are so brief it was a let down. Not only it would've benefit the story, but the character development too, as you barely know their backgrounds and motives to join The Knight Sabers. I'm aware that most of the animes at that time weren't use to break archetypes, still, it had the potential. On a good note, for an anime this old, it was very upbeat to watch that most of the characters were women, especially this group of strong women that fight with little to no help from men, showing little and teenage girls that they hold power too. Generally, Bubblegum Crisis wasn't the most deep or perfect anime I've seen, yet the flaws, which are mostly dated, can't ruin the nicely build episodes and how enjoyable everything is, showcasing friendship and aspects of anime that are mostly attributed to a male demographic in an unapologetically girly way. Liked this one quite a bit, I'm feeling a light to decent seven on this one.

Gave this one up, I didn't feel engaged after six episodes into it. The true selling point of this anime are the battles as they're gory and truly brutal. Yet, all of this is shown in favor of relegating characters and story to a side, it leaves them completely undeveloped. I admit action is a lot of fun, but it's difficult for me to connect with characters that are devoid of any emotion or personality whatsoever, there are many parts where there are shown flashbacks to developed the character, but this technique is not only rushed, but belated too. I understand that, more than humans, ... these are monsters whom only find amusement in killing and fighting and I commend that portrayal as it's very fitting, but still. Plus, the first four episodes feature the same structure and, once again, the fights were cool, but it was hard to be excited when Alucard is constantly presented as invincible. Overall, the episodes drag a lot and center way too much on cheesy dialogues, don't even get me started on the "comedic" bits. Story wise isn't nothing new either: a villain whose sole purpose is to, aside for destroying an individual, take over the world. The animation was great and it was interesting to see themes (although touched very lightly) such as the viciousness of power and the incessant desire of war. Still, I find all of these combats and betrayals and references to trauma gratuitous to say the least. Not really my cup of tea. I'm feeling a light to decent five on this one.

Laced with so much crackhead energy, bombastic animation and expressionistic narration, FLCL is a badass and visually fascinating coming-of-age tale. In only six episodes, Tsurumaki creates such an original world with hyperactive characters and, strangely, finds a style that fits this erratic and almost restless story, bringing cohesion to what may seem messy. It's definitely complicated as some details never get an explicit answer, but for the most part it's comprehensible, at least it was for me. I do feel that if the series had started the plot earlier instead from the fourth episode, everything would've been tighter. Anyways, it reminds us that it's okay ... to feel bored, overwhelmed or disoriented as life itself is all of those contradictory things at the same time. It's hard to wrap your head around it as it is a true shock at first glance and the story could've been more focused, but I do think it's pretty good. Iconoclast as fuck. I'm feeling a light eight on this one.

P.S. I've always been an anime buff, yet six or five years ago, for reasons I can't remember now, I stopped watching it, but this marks my return.