mcjazzman32's Anime List | mcjazzman32's Manga List

mcjazzman32's Profile

Kimikiss Pure Rouge was one of the first anime I ever watched. Knowing it was from the same director as Honey and Clover and Nodame Cantabile – two brilliant anime in their own right – I had to watch it. But after I finished, I refrained from doing a review for it, simply because I didn’t want readers to think I just gave perfect scores to everything. Needless to say, Kasai is simply a mastermind that makes the cogs spin to perfect time, but I didn’t know what I had stumbled upon at the time.

However, recently I have been watching an anime strikingly similar to Kimikiss’s style called Hatsukoi Limited and when I realized how utterly pale it was in comparison to Kimikiss Pure Rouge, I had to try to realize why. Hatsukoi is a 13 episode disaster waiting to happen and I’ll be surprised if it doesn’t end in a burning crash. There’s almost two dozen characters, nearly all of whom have a crush on someone who likes someone else. It’s littered with pointless dialogue and fanservice. Now, don’t get me wrong – I enjoy my share of fanservice, but it doesn’t belong in an anime with a complex story crippled by a 13 episode timeframe.

And so Hatsukoi shows just what it was that Kimikiss did to get it right. Essentially the story surrounds the love stories of two friends, Kouichi and Kazuki. Kazuki is an outgoing boy who happens to fall for the perfectionist, seemingly emotionless deredere queen (you know… a total hottie with a broken heart underneathe her tough 180 IQ exterior.) and Kouichi is a shy boy with an old childhood friend who happens to come stay with him after being “overseas” for the last few years. It’s A-standard stuff, but Kimikiss takes these typical plot-lines with a potential for disaster and turns it into megawatt, emotional stuff simply by sticking to what Hatsukoi and many other anime refuse to do: make sense. For example in “Anime A” when a boy trips over something… usually air… what happens? He does a face plant into his love interest’s chest right? Well, let’s just say that in Kimikiss Pure Rouge, if a character trips… he just takes an extra half-step and continues on as if nothing happened. So in the same breath, when a typical plot device we all know comes along in Kimikiss, the most common thing that should happen actually happens, and it’s amazing, because it’s a totally new experience! Everything makes sense and it allows the watcher to both sympathize with the characters while predicting what’s eventually going to happen. And it makes it that much better when it takes a turn and surprises you, because you can’t help but want more.

It’s surprising how much you’ll end up rooting for all of these characters. The creators of this anime get romance right in so many ways (including the ending – by far the best I’ve ever experienced in any romance anime.) that every episode is an experience that ramps you up and calms you down at the same time. And it doesn’t hurt that Futami Eriko is one of the greatest characters ever conceived. (Once you watch episode 20, you’ll sneer at other characters in different anime that are similar to her simply because they can’t compete.)

Watch this anime if you like romance in any form. I won’t say it’s the absolute best there is (for me that’s Nodame) but it definitely gets things right. And when you’re looking for something new to watch, isn’t that the first true requisite?
read more

Just 3 one-page, 4-panel comics. None of them are funny, nor do they add anything unknown to the original manga. Not sure what the point of them are, but don't hunt them down thinking you're getting 3 whole new additional chapters. You'll be disappointed.

I wasn’t going to bother writing a review with six other reviews for this manga written; however, after seeing that all the other reviews are a total lovefest without actually attempting to get to the heart of it, I had to do something about it.

Essentially, this entire series is a slice-of-life “love story” about one guy and one girl revolving around track and field in high school. Yamato lives in a womens’ bathhouse with his aunt, who owns it. Suzuka, a star high-jumper, also lives there, right next door. She’s a perfectionist, he’s clumsy, but hard-working. Yada, yada, you see how it goes.

It’s actually a simple singular issue that defines this manga. The creator of this manga, Seo, is a very good story-teller. The artwork is above standard, the issues are complex and hardly betraying of its goals and the characters are sublime if not too badly clichéd. (Although sometimes a few of them look way too alike.) The world around them is magnificently established – once you get 50 chapters in, you feel like your know Tokyo by heart and you feel like you know every room of the bathhouse and the school. Seo turns the clock fantastically and from great angles to always give you a new experience. Plus he has a solid grip of the human body and watching the characters in action almost makes them move to the readers’ eyes. However, there is one matter that every reader should know about before starting this manga and it was something that I wish I had been told before I started it myself

Suzuka is a total bitch.

Now, for some people, maybe even most, that’s ok. They find it appealing or cute in some way, especially when she drops her barriers and seems cute. But for the majority of the time, she treats Yamato like dirt. And I’m not talking in a normal tsundere way. There are many times when she’s outright cruel and vindictive, stubborn beyond belief and hardly appreciative of what Yamato goes through just to win her affections. It got to the point where I was literally pissed at her, but there was nothing I could do because I was already so far and I wanted to know how it ended. But the readers must know this going in and hopefully I at least warn some people so they know what they’re getting in to. I didn’t end up hating Suzuka in the end, but I was close, because I knew… I absolutely knew… that Suzuka didn’t deserve Yamato, not by a mile. Yet, he remained blind, even when she treated him so horribly. She had no excuse and the author never gave us one.

All in all, this is a good manga, especially if you’re in the mood to find someone to despise. And while it could be spoiling, the romance is still quite good with several original moments. This is a recommendation… but a recommendation with a warning.
read more

I am so thankful for this OVA. While the last episode of Origination was utterly fantastic and had me on the brink of tears, this truly helped give me closure from the depression I felt immediately after finishing this incredible series – an extreme feeling of loss. I think one of the only problems I had with Aria as a series (and trust me when I say, it’s a very small problem) it’s that Alicia seemed TOO perfect, to the point where she was almost detached from everyone else.

In every episode, she never showed fear or anxiety, anger or pain. And near the end of the series, when she dropped the bomb she was getting married, it seemed almost illogical, because if she was so close to Akari, why didn’t she ever tell her she was seeing someone? It’s funny, because I often wondered how it was possible guys never seemed to approach her. Then all of a sudden near the end, she’s not only been seeing someone, but she was ready to marry him! Why wasn’t he even mentioned? He should have played some part or at least been mentioned in my mind.

That’s the only qualm I’ve ever had with this series: that Alicia didn’t seem to have full humanity – she was basically a goddess. But this OVA, I think, was meant to address this issue. She was sad when Grandma left and she was apprehensive about taking a student but she fell in love with Akari - truly in love as a sister - rather than as a watchful protector. And when you see this episode, you really feel a lot more strength when you think of the last episode of Origination, when Alicia visits Akari after retiring. Before, it felt like that visit would be one of just a handful and Alicia was gone pretty much for good, much like Grandma’s first student, who also married and moved away. But, with this episode, it was more and it really gave a finishing touch to Aria. You know that Alicia won’t be at Aria Company anymore, but she will always be nearby and Alicia and Akari will forever be the best of sisters and friends.

This was fantastic and I would even go so far as to say it is impossible to appreciate the full breadth of this anime series without this last episode. read more

This is the first time I've written a review right after finishing an anime, simply because it was so wonderful, so magnificent, that it overwhelmed me with emotion. Called Aria, I'd been taking my time enjoying it, rather than burning through the episodes, which I could have done. Trust me when I say this is the first time I've given perfect tens and Aria is worth every point.

At the final minute of a perfect end to the series, I was overcome with both glee and sadness. Even now, as I think about how this series is actually over and I won't have anymore episodes to watch, it saddens me, because that's how good it was. It's inspired me to become an even better writer so that perhaps one day I can write something that will make people as sad - just because they love it that much.

Aria is about three young girls who are training to become gondoliers - gondola riders. They live in a city called Neo-Venizia, which is a future Venice. And the show is generally a slice-of-life tale of these girls growing into their own and becoming Primas, which are full-fledged gondoliers. Full of amazing music, charm, and heart-tugging little stories that could give you happy dreams the rest of your life, Aria is unique in its broad imagination and detail. The world of Neo-Venizia puts you at ease and then fills you with wonder, much like a ride on a gondola itself.

Akari, the main character, and her senior, Alicia, run Aria Company. Every day, Akari learns more and more about this wondrous city as she and her two new friends, Aika and Alice, practice together. They meet fascinating characters and discover secret places tucked away, all while learning about themselves and the ones they look up to. And surrounding these times are breathtaking landscapes and scenes drawn by the finest of animators.

And after three seasons, when the first part of Akari's story comes to a close, the author somehow turns the story full-circle in a masterful job of penmanship that ranks in the upper echelon of magnificent writing. Not only does it make your heart pound with overwhelming feeling and love, but it gives you hope for the new generation - a new story waiting on the horizon.

For anyone who loves a fantastic story that could end all ails with one cute "Ehhhh?" from Akari, I would recommend Aria. I guarantee you will be changed forever, even before Alicia can say, "Ada ada!" read more

I think Japanese television is superior to American television. I do. I think that Japanese anime is truly great and because they limit most of their shows to one or two seasons, they allow for great stories with conclusions and romance and moral lessons that you could never get in America, where all that matters is extending the life of every show until people stop watching it.
However, there is also something negative that, unfortunately, inherently comes with anime as well: incredibly bad endings. It’s almost unfathomable how every now and then, you can watch a perfectly normal show and then be greeted with an ending so egregiously bad, that you are actually laughing out loud. To date, I’ve never watched an American show and laughed at a really bad ending, but I’ve watched at least three of four anime series where this has happened. (Certain examples are Blue Drop and Magikano) It’s truly disappointing, however, when you come across a good show where this happened, because you’re enjoying yourself and you get hit with an anvil.
Well, sadly enough, Mahoromatic Season 2, without a doubt, comes packed with the worst ending I have ever, ever seen. I had tears in my eyes as I laughed at its ridiculous last episode, and then when that died down, my mouth was merely agape. Now, I could go on and on about how miserably bad it was, but I’m not going to bother, because it’s that disconnected. If I had seen only the first 11 of the 13 episodes, I could write a completely different review with a lot of positives, so I’ve decided that’s what I’ll do now.
The story is essentially about a parentless boy Suguru, who is rich enough to hire a maid. His maid, Mahoro, is a hot, retired, android warrior who used to work for an organization designed to keep the peace between alien forces that are waging war in Earth’s skies without humans knowing about it. There are two catches: 1. She’s going to run out of life force in less than two years and 2.) she was forced to kill his father, who was a commander of Vesper, her old organization. For the first 11 episodes, Mahoromatic’s second season gives a lot more of what it gave us the first season: some good laughs, sweet moments, well-done battle scenes, and a lot more fan service. Plus, there was romance, which was great, since it wasn’t really assured if the show was going to turn that corner with the two main characters. And for the first ten episodes or so, its mainly fluffy slice of life – there isn’t any real drama as one would think upon reading the synopsis of the story. In that way, the story is actually charming and the unique characters only make the show more appealing.
There’s a lot to take from this show and I would recommend it to anyone as long as they are fully aware that the ending to this anime is essentially the worst on…. like… earth. That’s all. I can’t say much more than that.
read more

There are few times when an avid anime fan goes into something expecting so much and gets so little in return. Yozakura Quartet happens to be one such example. Based on a much more highly acclaimed manga, the first episode starts off with all one could expect from a show that could deliver. Interesting, well-drawn characters centered around at least a moderately unique plotline. The music and sound quality are top notch and there are even early introductions to romance possibilities.

However, as some stories tend to do, that’s when the train leaves the tracks. Yozakura Quartet is about a group of young people (there are 5 of them actually, and originally 6 so the title really makes no sense) who protect a town that harbors both humans and Youkai. An evil Youkai, who has possessed the body of the best friend of two of the members, is out to seek the destruction of the town and bring about an era of all-Youkai rule, essentially snuffing out humans.

The first few episodes start slowly and then immediately we’re introduced to Enjin, the protagonist, who it turns out is far stronger than they. There’s no real room for development or explanation of how they’re related and it seemed to me that maybe this should have been a 24 episode series. But for some inexplicable reason, the story decides to stick with random fights throughout the rest of the series, leading to mindless, repetitious dialogue that we could have seen coming using “fill-in-the-blanks.” The heroes never grow in strength as the finale comes either, so the ending is an extreme example of dues ex machina, which is like a death warrant for any anime anyway. There are too many characters to fill the time slots, the relationships between the characters don’t grow an inch and several of the plot lines are never resolved.

There were some good things. As said before, the music was excellent and the ladies were very nice to look at – they were anything but bland or clichéd. The villain and his sidekick were diabolical and deserved a better defeat. And the art really was stunning in several points of the anime.

All in all, though, this was an anime that was a disappointment far greater than a regular bad show, because it had potential and went nowhere.
read more

I''s Pure is the purest example I have ever seen of Anime fail. Simply put, these 6 episodes became, in my mind, the foremost and easiest to distinguish example of the corny, cliched love story. It fell into every single trap I could think of: a rediculous, laugh-out-loud sappy ending, convenient interruptions to confessions, the "childhood friend" who happens to walk in on the main character in her underwear just at the most inconvenient time, the title that really has nothing to do with the story AT ALL, the honorable break-up so the girl can "follow her dream" as an actress, the the coma due to a weak fight that brings the two fateful lovers together at the last moment.

I was laughing for a few minutes straight, because this show was that bad. If you want a good laugh, spend a few hours watching this. You might learn something: like how not to make a short OVA "romance" series. But if you want a true romance story, go watch something good like Nodame Cantabile or Kimikiss Pure Rouge. read more

What is Nana?

What is the story about?

(Warning: the following review contains some spoilers, because that’s really the only way you can review something like this.)

I had to ask myself what this anime was about several times per episode. I had to try to find some ultimate conclusion, because this was such a good anime, but it never seemed to want to give me an answer.

And finally, on the last episode, when the final song played, I realized what this was all about: hopelessness. In every sense of the world, the story of Nana and Nana is a tragedy. There is no happy ending for anyone, not really. There’s nothing to feel good about in the slightest. Every single character save for one (Yasu) ends up being a terrible person, full of personality flaws and the impressive ability to make only bad decisions. If you want the basic premise of the story, read the other reviews, because what I want to say is that these characters all end up basically unhappy or on the precipice of unhappiness, hanging by a thread and miring in a mud pit of depression and lost hope. The best example of this is Hachi (Valley girl Nana who was given that nickname for practicality) – her story is pretty much the most depressing story ever. She’s a selfish, pathetic excuse for a woman who cares about nothing in the world except herself. I had to ask myself why the other characters even liked her. She was just annoying and by the end of the anime, you’ll find yourself open-mouthed and completely aghast because you just can’t believe her story actually ends the way it does. I won’t say more, but it’s completely pathetic.

But, you know what? That was the intention. That’s who Hachi is and the anime doesn’t try to make excuses for her. This wasn’t supposed to be a happy story. Unfortunately, through the first 20 episodes, you find so much hope and great things, that it’s kind of a let-down afterwards, because it sinks into the hole of depression that it never digs itself out from. But the original intention of this was to tell the shabby story of these two women and what happened to them. In a sense, it was supposed to display realism at its ugliest – a godless, soulless world and the creators of this anime accomplished what they set out to do. Friendships are chance, marriage is always a mistake and love is an illusion – people are only out to serve themselves, but every now and then, you need someone to support the burden you carry in life, and that is what people call relationships. They serve no other purpose.

Now, I’m not a believer in this ideology personally, but still, what they set out to do, they finished with style. Nana has a unique fashion and voice all its own and it leads to several powerful episodes that would have been hard to pull off otherwise. The voice acting and music is second to none, full of emotion and while the crying scenes aren’t exactly few and far between, they’re well done and you usually can connect with them on some level.

So, what did I get from Nana in the end? Well, I had to analyze my own interpretation of love and romance and test it to see if it’s what I believed. When an anime can make you really think and care at the same time, it’s truly something special. Nana is definitely special and I would recommend it to anyone. I didn’t enjoy the ending and the first 23 episodes are better than the last 24 by far, but what can you do? Also, I have to warn anyone who watches this that the two main characters don’t actually talk to each other for the last fourth of the series, which was a huge letdown. I mean, how can you do that? Plus Hachi’s story completely loses steam while Punk Rock Nana’s story takes center stage. For the first 3 fourths of the story, their stories intertwine, but it just falls flat in the end to where Hachi become completely irrelevant, which is too bad. The ending was a failure on most levels as a result, I’m sorry to report. It left a seriously bad cliffhanger with obvious intentions of a second season that was hardly a representation of the whole of the series. It was like 46 plus 1. As close to epic fail as you can get.

I still thoroughly enjoyed this anime though, if only to satisfy my dark side and need to plunge into darkness now and again. (On a personal note, I hate Takumi and I constantly hoped he would die. *Sigh* unfortunately, he does not.) But I will definitely need a fresh dose of something uplifting like Nodame Cantabile to bring me back from the depths. In the end, I just thought it was too bad that this anime just refused to allow for some hope.

I prefer a world where hope exists.
read more

They are my Noble Masters is ecchi harem with a great story. That pretty much sums it up and if any of you out there have watched a lot of harem, you'll know it's a rare thing when it has a story at all. What was great about this anime is that the story doesn't apologize for itself - it is what it is. The eldest sister, Shinra, is a weird cross between a tsundere and a deredere with potent perverted instincs. She's so unique, that she alone is worth watching this series.

But the supporting cast minus maybe one or two characters are all well-developed and you find you know them intimiately by the end of the series, which is another rare thing. The theme of this story is essentially this trio of rich sisters who lost their parents, taking on delinquents or orphans like them to become their butlers and make them a part of their family. And what's great is that this anime never loses that theme, not for a moment. Most anime will introduce a theme and then forget it two episode in in order to dispense with the cliched nuances of harem anime. So, by remembering the theme, this anime accomplishes so much. I wanted 30 more episodes of this anime simply for that reason. It was refreshing and I fell in love with the people.

There were some minor problems. The relationship between Shinra and Ren could have been developed more, but the animators chose to put it off most of the time in order to stuff each episode with Shinra basically molesting her chief maid and her lolita-looking younger sister. It wasn't bad (it was very good, if you get me. hehe), but romantics might be a little disppointed until the last episode. Also, as mentioned before, this series was just too short, but it's because it was so good. So it's a win/lose proposition.

I would recommend this to any guy. (I just don't see how girls could enjoy this.) It's certainly among the best out there and considering it was released in 2008, I'll have my fingers crossed for a second season. read more