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I've been in an anime slump recently and have been struggling to find anything I can get through an episode of. No matter what it is, I frequently just find myself bored and uninterested. ReLife brought the life back to anime in my opinion, even if that might be a bold statement to make.

Giving an overall review of this, while the story does have a few (very ignore-able) plot holes here and there (this is coming from the person who hates pretty much all plot holes) it doesn't detract from the show or message at all. The art is just truly gorgeous and there ... is no (you heard me right) oversexualization of ANYONE. From a show with this description, I was expecting a lot of panty-shots or fetishization of high school girls, but it's truly respectful in its subject material.

The music isn't anything special, but the voice actors did an amazing job, and even the dub isn't bad! It's not stellar, but the dub voices fit the characters well and do a pretty good job portraying emotions without sounding like a joke.

The characters were phenomenal. Every single struggle is relatable and there aren't very many "stereotyped" characters. I could relate to everyone on some level and couldn't find it in me to dislike a single one despite their flaws. Even the minor characters with barely any lines had vibrant, distinguishable personalities. The struggles faced by the characters are very true to those most face in high school, or at least the ones I've faced.

Overall, this was a great experience. It was engaged, had a vibrant cast of characters and different arcs that all worked seamlessly together, and maintained enough mystery about the development of these characters that it had me struggling to do anything else-- I had to finish this all in one go!

I would recommend this especially if you enjoy school anime, character development, or the main character hiding something big from the rest of the cast. Fans of ERASED should like this!

Have a great day! :)

Simply a rollercoaster ride, to put it lightly. If yaoi/BL/shounen-ai isn't your normal thing, stick around-- this review is aimed at you.

I've seem my fair share of this genre, but I've yet to figure out what makes it so addicting. Throughout this show, (mostly in the first couple episodes) I was very much concerned about the rapey vibes. If you can take it for a few episodes thought, the rest of the story does get considerably better despite the beginning being questionable. And before you ask, yes, there is a hell lot of implied (or nearly explicitly shown) sex in this series. It's not even ... meant to further the plot in any way, it's just fan service for the fujioshis and fudanshis. Was it still entertaining? Hell yah. Overall, not a strong storyline, but enough that it's not just a softcore porno compilation. The ending really makes up for it!

I've seen a lot of complaints about the animation, and I do agree, in some places, it does seem undone, but I think that's a fault of the budget. There are more than a couple stills and some awkward movements here and there, but overall, I was very pleased with the consistency and realisticness of the body proportions and sizes, as well as how attractive they made sure to make the characters always look. Some scenes there was clearly more money spent on (Takato's play, the Christmas episode) which looked amazing overall.

The opening and closing scores honestly weren't my fave. I can see the appeal, but they bored me overall. The background music was honestly forgettable, especially since there were little to no scenes with silence where you could just hear the music. The voice actors did an outstanding job though.

I'm going to be honest, Junta was a little terrifying throughout the series. He was a little crazy, a stalker, forceful, pretty rapey-- you name it. However, he's obviously not the one who kept me here. I came and stayed for Takato, who's such a sweetheart. I loved seeing him grow throughout the show which still retaining the underlying principles of his character. Also, for being the 'uke' I'm SO glad that he didn't spend his time being helpless and crying. He was a strong character with resolve and a certain aspect of badassery to him that I adored. What a cutie too <3

Overall, I'm almost ashamed to say that I enjoyed this as much as I did. It was fun to binge, made me fangirl despite my moral compass, and I laughed a lot (1000 yen anyone?) and died a lot. There were many times that I just plain out yelled "FUCK NO" at the screen and died inside. So yeah, there's that.

I would recommend this if you: like the traditional seme/uke dynamic, like forcefulish couples, like repetitive/frequent sex scenes, like love triangles, like love drama, like the idea of secret celebrity relationships

I would NOT recommend this if you: are expecting a realistic portrayal of gay men or celebrities, are looking for a pure romance (starts off rapey, I'm warning you, even though it gets shippable later on), are annoyed by love triangles, hate harems/everyone being in love with the main characters, don't like 'showbiz' anime, don't like heteronormative stereotypes in your romances

Have a great day everyone!

Oof. This is a strange thing to watch. If you're usually not a yaoi/shounen-ai/BL fan, this is the review for you.

To begin with, I have to tell you that if you want to watch this series and not gouge out your own eyes, you have to forget regular social convention and that it takes place in the real world. If you can't get past the fact that the main ship is incestual (adopted brothers, so not technically blood related) and kinda pedophilic (seme is a grown ass adult: around 25ish, uke is probably like 15, definitely looks kinda shota) and very few people in ... the anime are concerned about these facts.

But if you can get past all that, you might actually enjoy this show. Am I on the NSA watchlist yet? Probably. (I swear I'm not a pedophile you guys please)

Let's begin. The story itself is pretty lackluster. It completely revolves around Ren, the kid, and Haru, the lowkey predatory adult. Ren has a lot of baggage to deal with, but it's not really explored. Long story short: little to no plot. They tried to throw in a couple of plot elements to spice things up but it created too many plot holes and strange connections and overall, it's just easier to ignore the aspect altogether.

The art itself is actually pretty. Haru's eyes are done very well, most of the character are really attractive, and Ren is just a little darling. The backgrounds are forgettable, but there's hardly any that really deserve to be looked at other than the Canadian wilderness. The animation is eh a lot of the time though, but it's not bad enough to bother me.

Personally, I didn't really like the opening and closing, but I suppose that's pretty normal for any anime of this genre. Throw in any sparkly music with a lot of bishies and you're good to go! Background music included a lot of flute solos, and it was hard for me to concentrate because it reminded me of the Titanic Flute Fail Meme (look it up it's hilarious). The voice actors did an amazing job for the most part.

Ugh, the characters are in a class of their own. I'll be honest, I adored Ren. I have a soft spot for abused or neglected children because of my own past, and I just wanted to give him a hug the whole time. I think in the context of the real world though, Haru is grooming Ren to become an accepting and submissive child and I find it pretty disgusting. If we are to pretend this is in some other universe and all normal convention is void, even then I'm not completely comfortable with what's going on. It's strange to describe because what's going on IS sexual abuse, pedophilia, and domestic abuse, but yaoi seems to not talk that into consideration.

I hate myself for enjoying this as much as I did.

I would recommend this if you: like shounen-ai, like incest-y ships that can still happen, like brotherly love in general, like older semes and shota ukes, don't have problems with any of the problematic shit going down, like to binge yaoi/BL/shounen-ai

I would NOT recommend this if you: are here for smexy time (implied but not shown), are uncomfortable with pedophilia or incest-y relationships, dislike jealousy and seme-uke tropes, wanted a plot

Have a great day everyone!

If you aren't usually a yaoi/BL fan, please stick around! This review is for you!

I haven't read the manga, and I'm not sure if I will. But this is better than 90% of boyxboy for a variety of reasons.

To start off, the storyline is nothing too fancy. It's about a yakuza heir who is in love with his childhood best friend and is very upfront about it. That's it. Is it boring? Somehow, not at all. As a person with a very short attention span (displayed through my aversion to long anime and inability to sit and watch most videos longer than five ... minutes) I actually didn't think about stopping watching this at any point. In one go, it was over and I wishing there was more.

Surprisingly, the art was really good. Usually, BL suffers from seme-uke syndrome, a condition in which all the art must be modified so that one can tell if the character is a bottom or a top in a gay relationship. The symptoms include boxy/pointy chins, beady/massive eyes, hulking shoulders/extremely lanky figures, and a case of what you make call 'seme' hands, among other things. Thankfully and miraculously, this anime is completely void of these stereotypes and it's very normal looking, actually. It's so nice to be able to watch it and not have to be reminded about sex positions continuously.

The opening and closings were not my cup of tea, but they did the job. The background music was barely noticeable, even at the climax. Was it even there? I will never know. The voice actors did great jobs though, which is also rare in yaoi/BL where all the characters constantly either sound like submissive women or bear men if you know what I mean. I much prefer this ambiguity.

I really like the characters in this show. There wasn't too much development (it was only two episodes, gotta give them some slack) and not all the motivations made sense all the time, but across the board, it was a pretty standard love story that made sense in the context we were given. Neither of the main two was weak or overly strong and both of them seem to have an even power balance in their relationship as well. I was pleased to note that I ACTUALLY kinda shipped them despite the fact that I usually don't in this kind of show.

Overall I really enjoyed this and it was a nice thing to kill a little time. Would I watch it again? Probably not, just because there's not a lot of over-the-top cute moments or plot moments, but I might read the manga to satisfy that craving.

I would recommend this if you: are looking for a yaoi/BL with a healthy relationship, dislike seme-uke differentiation and stereotypes, like yakuza tropes, have 40 minutes to spare on a cute love story

I would NOT recommend this if you: kinda enjoy the assaulty type scenes in most yaoi, like overly tsundere ukes or forceful jealous semes, like semes and ukes in general, are here for smexy times (kissing and implications are as far as this anime goes), like longer more developed anime

Have a great day everyone!

This was... strange to say the least. It was recommended to me by a friend, who said that it wasn't a great show overall but it had some interesting aspects. If you're here and you are a.) a yaoi fan b.) a fan of fictional toxic relationships or c.) a fan of 'mafia' style anime, this review is for you.

First of all, I'll start by addressing the elements of the show objectively. The storyline starts off interesting, but it quickly delves into a realm of the unexplainable. Do police not exist in this world? Some may make the argument that this is a mafia AU, ... so the police are possibly corrupt. Cool, then why isn't that shown? It seems like a plot hole when it's blatantly not covered. In other aspects, it entirely skips over the plot that should be there and continues with the so-called 'romance', as if the actual story is self-explanatory. But I suppose it's so cliche that it kinda is, to an extent. Overall, for a mafia AU, this was a little sad.

The art, I'll give a pass to. I've been reading the manga and other than strange proportions in the semes' shoulders at times, most everything is drawn alright. THIS IS NOT FULLY ANIMATED! If you're obsessed with animation and everything being smooth and well done, step away! This is mostly just colored and slightly animated (a limb here and there, lips) manga frames. Not even joking, the frames were pretty much copy-pasted.

I... didn't like the music. At all. At the most serious and trying of times for our dear uke, the music is an upbeat elevator-style instrumental, and a lot of the time it just felt like a fan animated manga bit on youtube. Not very well done in that aspect.

With the characters, I'm not sure where to start. There was an interesting 'villain', but when looking at the main love interest for the uke, you come to terms with the fact that he's basically a rapist. Not basically, scratch that-- he IS a rapist. It says so in the summary itself. However, like every classic uke, our main character completely neglects this fact and starts to take this 'relationship' with his abuser seriously and starts to depend on him. Toxic relationship at its finest.

Overall, I have to say for the first half of the first episode I was pretty bored and wondering if I should even continue watching this. I only kept watching because I was reassured by the fact that it was only two episodes and that I would finish in no time at all.

Now, FOR THE YAOI FANS: This is your cup of tea. It has a classic seme and uke, some jealousy thrown in, and a good bit of kink. Did I mention the uke is pretty tsundere too? And the seme doesn't know the meaning of the word 'no', is a rapist, and has no refractory period whatsoever? Yep, you heard it here folks! Go ahead and give this a try.

FOR TOXIC RELATIONSHIP JUNKIES: I love myself some good angst and friction in an unhealthy fictional couple, but this isn't what you want. There is no gradual or mentally unstable dependence or 'love' in this. It jumps straight from rape to being in love. /Actual/ love. Or what the characters consider that to be anyways. There is no friction, no character development, no nothing. If you're into that kinda thing, I would suggest Ai No Kusabi, which presents a very compelling and well-written story about toxic dependence.

FOR THOSE MAFIA AU FANS: GET AWAY! This will ruin your love for mafia shit. I'm warning you. This honestly has close to no plot or anything to do with mafia style stuff-- it's just the convenient premise for an uneven power dynamic.

All in all, I feel like this is a very niche anime and it will appeal to the people who are into kinky yaoi. If you're not feeling the animation, check out the manga. It's pretty much the same.

I would recommend this if you: want a crappy modern version of Ai no Kusabi, like kinky shizz, are into power dynamics, really like seme-uke

I would NOT recommend this if you: are an animation elitist, want character development, are here for plot, are invested in genuine characters in genuine relationships

Have a great day everyone!

Why was this even made? A legitimate question, not even just me being snarky...

If you're here because you were (or are) a High School Musical fan, I suggest you turn around and walk away. And probably try to forget about this entirely. Because even these ten pages were an ultimate waste of time, for the readers and probably everyone else who was involved.

I know that many people may disregard this because of the fact that it's a short manga and it's rated so low that you're morbidly curious, but don't, because that's what I did and I regret it entirely. This isn't even ... the sort of bad that you can laugh at. It's just... bad. Not even funny bad. Just plain terrible with no apparent reason at all.

If you're still here looking for specifics, there is no plot at all. It's just Troy's thoughts on literally established canon. It's literally 10 pages, what are you expecting?

If I'm being honest, the art is bounds better than most shoujos, but that doesn't make up for the lack of anything else happening. For that reason, I rated that higher, but it doesn't erase the fact that the rest of the manga deserves no score at all.

In summary, I think this would have been better off as some sort of manga-style fan art of the movies. That's about it. This should have never been made into a legitimate manga. I mean, who's a big enough HSM fan that they're desperate enough to read manga of it, for heaven's sake?

All that being said, please don't read this. It's for your own good.

"Love is a divine punishment." - Sojou no Koi wa Nida Haneru

I'm going to be honest, this was definitely not what I was expecting. This was raw, this was honest, this was realistic, and this h u r t. I'm going to tell you straight up: this is not what you are expecting. This WILL surprise you, and perhaps not in the best ways. All that being said, let's get into the specifics.

If you're here, it's likely that you're at least somewhat of a yaoi fan-- fujioshi, fudanshi, whatever be the case. I don't expect to see many yaoi newbies over here. However, ... there are ways in which this would be a good thing for non-yaoi fans to read. In fact, if you're into seme-uke dynamics and predictably sappy storylines with more than their fair share of sexual assault and other nonconsensual acts, this is not your cup of tea. This story is painstakingly adult and it is unapologetic being as heartbreaking as it is. It's a story of the real world: homophobia, societal expectations, the temptation to just "be straight", forget about love, get married and settle down... it details the choices that adults have to make. It's not longer just about a cute love story where the only things the main characters have to fight against is their refusal to admit whether or not they like each other. It's a butterfly effect and the way even choices like who you fall in love with can fundamentally change many people's lives.

I have to be honest, the story and characters consistently made me want to bang my head on a wall. Every character is layered and deep. None of them are perfect. They are essentially all flawed, selfish, terrible people. But aren't we all? It was fascinating to watch characters that were essentially toxic and harmful to eachother to twist themselves up in this dark romance that doesn't sit right for anyone. It's so fragile, so twisted: their problems only continue to pile up and no matter what they do, it only leads to more insecurity and depravity than it did before.

I think I've ranted enough. Overall, without spoiling anything, all I can say is that the story and characters are all the most I've seen in any yaoi (or romance, now that I think about it) and the author does a great job of exploring the ambiguity of human morality.

As for the art, I'm very pleased with it. I was expecting the classic "seme and uke chins", among other things. I was happy that both of the main characters looked like actual men and roughly equal in stature as well. It leveled the playing field between them. It focused less on the fact that one of them was a 'forceful alpha male' and more about the pitfalls of their relationship with each other.

Why did I rate this an 8? I'm going to be honest, this usually isn't my cup of tea. I read this purely because it was recommended to me and no other reason. I do indulge in yaoi here and there, but romance saturated works without any humor or subplots just don't appeal to me very much across the board. There is nothing wrong with the work to explicitly deserve the points off, but it's more of a personal issue. :)

I would recommend this if you like: realistic works, reading about adult problems, romance-centered things, toxic relationships, mutual tragedy, this is the end of all the endings, love so deep you feel like you're drowning and hurting yourself, like bittersweet things

I would NOT recommend this if you: are here for seme-uke yaoi, want something light-hearted and cute, are expecting a completely happy ending, don't like romance-centered things

Have a great day everyone!

If you're not a diehard fan of HxH who simply just can't get enough of it, then don't watch this. It'll probably turn you off from the series entirely. If you /are/ a diehard fan, be cautious. This may look good, but in my opinion, was pretty terrible. To be clear, this movie doesn't follow any manga storyline and just utilizes the vagueness of elements of the canon plot to create this. In my mind, it's not even close to canon. It reads like a mediocre fanfiction, in all honesty.

To begin with, the story is supposed to be sandwiched between the Yorknew and Greed ... Island arcs, even though it might not necessarily make sense. The Yorknew arc ended with Gon and Killua acquiring means to get into Greed Island, after all, so the circumstances for this to happen would not have occurred; at least not while Gon and Killua were still outside of the game. On top of that, there seems to be some inconsistency in the plot elements themselves. From time to time, Gon and Killua both demonstrate abilities that they shouldn't have developed until later in the series, like concentrating nen in different shapes and forms separate from their bodies. The nen of the 'villain' of this movie is rather confusing and explained very poorly, as in some occasions its described as a reanimation or 'zombieish' technique, while in other instances it has something to do with just making an embodiment of a person. While I tried to pay as much attention as possible to understand it, the idea of his nen was totally lost on me.

On top of that, there is some character 'undevelopment', if I can call it that. Killua goes back to his earlier state of believing in Illumi's brainwashing, though in canon he managed to get rid of it around the end of the Exam arc. He just reverts back to it and then, instead of being the calculated person he usually is, gives in to his emotions and does very stupid things that don't even make any sense. I won't discuss events in particular here, but there are just so many inconsistencies in characters and motivations that it made my head hurt.

Adding to that, Kurapika seems like a different person. While it's understandable that he may feel more vulnerable when faced with his past, he acts nothing like himself and further complicates the plot. Hisoka was a disappointment as well, which is saying a lot since he's usually one of my favorites. And I won't even go into the ways that the newer or more 'background' characters were completely OOC and strange, not to mention the 'villain' being way OP and not even having a discernible motive other than just simply being a nutcase.

While this doesn't fit neatly into one of the 'ratable' categories, the dialogue was also very strange at times. There were sudden profound flashbacks that sounded nothing like the characters, complete verbal contradictions that were never called out and unintended, and unecessary things that were said with seemingly no purpose. It felt like the script was written in one go and was never proofread. Overall, the plot, characterization, and interactions were all messes.

I think I've bashed this enough. Now to talk about some good things...

The art was gorgeous. Enough said. Every background, every movement, every character had so much work and time put into it. All of it was very well done and intricate, and even with the shit pile of plot going on, I couldn't look away because it was so beautiful.

In addition, the background music and the 'closing' and such were all very beautiful and fitting, so there are no complaints about that. There were a couple of moments where I found the VAs to be unfitting for the dialogue/character, but I was watching a dub so that's excusable.

While most of the 'characterization' was a miss for me, I did enjoy the flashbacks to Killua and Kurapika's childhoods because we saw different sides of them and what the implications made in canon really were when played out on screen. So yes, there were a few elements of the plot I did appreciate.

All in all, I spent most of the time staring at the screen in disbelief. Am I being harsh? Perhaps. But maybe that's because I expected a lot more, because HxH is such a wonderfully written manga.anime. I've learned not to go in with such high expectations, quite simply put.

I would recommend this if you: are a diehard Kurapika fan/want to learn a little about his past, want to learn a little bit more in detail about Killua's past, just can't get enough of our dear HxH cast and will take pretty much any material you got

I would NOT recommend this if you: don't want to ruin your HxH experience overall, don't tolerate plot holes or bad characterization, hate OP characters, are expecting a point to this whole saga, wanted something surprising or unpredictable, were going for something profound

Have a great day everyone!

Ah, a masterpiece. Hunter x Hunter overall is just a blessing that keeps me glued to the screen and away from my responsibilities. This review is aimed at two groups of people: those who are planning to watch this after finishing the rest of the old adaptation, and those who have watched the new 2011 adaptation and are thinking about watching this. These are probably the two biggest groups of people looking into this OVA.

The story is very similar, almost exactly, to the story of the manga or the new adaptation. For those who are watching it for the first time, it covers Gon, ... Killua, and Bisky's journey as they work towards finishing the game. There are a lot of complicated nen battles and in all honesty, it's best watched in one go. While this arc is one of the less popular and certainly not my absolute favorite (that would be Yorknew) it has a lighter feel to it than any of the arcs (excluding the exam arc) do. It focuses more on Gon and Killua's growth and the logistics of the complicated game, as well as the real advances in Gon's plan to find his father. Overall, I personally found it rather heartwarming and a really good training/growth arc for all the characters.

Throughout the course of the OVAs, the art has only improved. Granted, it's still nothing compared to the 2011 adaptation, obviously, but it's gorgeous in a timeless way. Personally, even as someone who doesn't watch 'older' anime often, I forgot the animation was even 'outdated'. It's very smooth and detailed, and it's easy to tell how much effort went into it.

In the beginning, the opening and closing seemed off to me and I didn't like them at all, but by the end of the 14 episodes, they had grown on me and I'd become attached. It's not music I would listen to on my own time, but it was something almost nostalgic and it will forever remain in my memory like a warm blanket. As for the background music, I think it was well done. Nothing ever seemed out of place to me.

I think the characters and their growth were the most important to this arc overall. Hisoka is shortly at the front and center once more, but his ambiguity of character and swaying loyalties are highlighted in this OVA, creating another layer to him that warns the fans to never rely on him. Being a Hisoka fan, I've always appreciated this grey area of his character and enjoyed this aspect a lot. Gon and Killua undergo a lot of development as well. While some may argue that this is just a training arc, it's momentous for their relationship as they begin to trust eachother through anything (not that they didn't before) and grow in their abilities considerably. I've seen some argue that Killua, who was formerly much more powerful than Gon, has taken a lesser role in this OVA, but I think it suits his personality. He belongs in the shadows, he watches and waits, while Gon jumps ahead and is rather impulsive. That's how they work together, and that's what this OVA develops.

I binged this in around a day, the only thing getting in my way being my other irl responsibilities, unfortunately. Despite having seen the 2011 adaptation, this was still such a fun ride, and there were even things I didn't expect, even the second time around. It was just very entertaining and heartwarming overall, and I would definitely watch this again and try to get more of my friends addicted to it.

I would recommend this if you: liked any other OVA or adaptation of HxH, liked the manga, like full immersion MMORPG anime, like massive-scale games, like 'training'/development arcs

I would NOT recommend this if you: didn't like any other adaptation or OVA of HxH, like more 'plot heavy' arcs, dislike 'training' arcs

Have a great day everyone!

If you have watched any of HxH, go ahead and watch this. It's amazing. I started by watching the new adaptation of HxH and then went back to watch all the old adaptations, and I'm really glad I did. There is some sort of nostalgia to the old ones that every diehard fan needs to see. Going into the specifics...

The story is the same as the manga and the new adaptation. For new viewers, it's just a lot of MMORPG fun. The classic 'sucked into the game' ritual. It's Sword Art Online, but a million times better and with an actual plot. Honestly, this is ... probably my favorite HxH arc besides York New. It's got a good balance of everything. Especially concerning the plot, it has humor and serious moments that really push the story forwards. On top of that, the logistics of the game itself are very well thought out and make it an interesting 'world' for our main characters to play in.

For the time, the art is actually quite amazing. There are times where the characters are drawn a little strangely and seem a little disproportionate, but the animation is scarily smooth and fluid, and so much effort went into every single aspect of it. Believe me, you will forget that it's even an old anime at some point.

I usually don't like the opening and closing themes of old anime. Honestly, I didn't like the openings and closings of some of the other OVAs in the old adaptation. But the ones in this OVA specifically were actually really good. They called to mind some sort of nostalgia that reminded me of Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood, almost. They are reminiscent of struggle, hard work, and growth somehow. It's a strange way to describe an anime opening, but it's really what it felt like to me.

The characters overall are the highlight of this show, besides the world-building. Both aspects shine in this OVA, but the characters undergo the most development. Gon and Killua are shown to not be invincible, but they are definitely on their way there. Watching their childish foolishness is quite heartwarming and realistic, as is their honest conviction towards the game. HxH has a great talent for portraying every character, whether they be a saint or a mass murderer, as likable and somehow relatable. Truly amazing writing.

Overall, this was so much fun to watch. I can never get enough of this show!

I would recommend this if you: have read the manga, have watched any of the old adaptation, have watched the new adaptation, like 'superpower' anime, like anime about naive children becoming super strong, like traditional shounen, like immersive MMORPG anime

I would NOT recommend this if you: did not enjoy other HxH material, don't like 'video game' anime

In all honesty, if you are a Hunter x Hunter fan, you definitely will not be disappointed by this. There absolutely no way.

So I hope you watch and enjoy this. Have a great day everyone!