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So, what can I say about this manga? It’s short, it’s touching, it’s bittersweet, it’s perfect in my eyes. The story revolves around two main characters named Saku and Aki and the relationship that develops between them. At first glance, the manga feels like your typical romantic slice of life with a normal, average guy falling in love with a cute, outgoing girl. However, this assumption that it’s a generic high school romance quickly becomes wrong as the story evolves into a melancholy, depressing, and heart wrenching tale. Never in my life have I read something that was capable of evoking such raw and deep emotions. By the time I reached the middle of chapter four and the beginning of chapter five, I felt tears building up in my eyes and a knot swelling up in my throat, leaving my vision slightly blurry with a feeling that I was choking on the very air that I was breathing. Although I’m a guy, I’m not afraid to admit that I was deeply touched by Socrates in Love and that its tragic story has left me with a lasting impression that I will never forget.

The story and layout are really well done. There aren’t any unnecessary fillers and every part felt significant in its own way, positively contributing to the manga as a whole. What really surprised me was the pacing and it should be commended. For a manga that’s only five chapters, it didn’t feel rushed nor did the pace slow down and drag at any point. The story also throws the audience into the mix right away by letting the reader know that Aki dies on the second page and thus sets up the tragic tone in later chapters. The perspective then changes and the plot unfolds from the past to the present as the reader watches Saku and Aki’s love blossom, the time they spend together, the dramatic and painful death, and finally, a resolution after all is said and done. Every piece fell right in place and the flow was consistent throughout.

The art and character designs could be described as pretty simplistic. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of detail put into backgrounds or into the characters’ appearance. The clothing folds are simple and effective and most panels involve only dialogue with a “blank” backdrop. Some may be turned off with this kind of style but I personally loved it. Kazumi Kazui’s art is there to supplement the amazing story that Kyoichi Katayama wanted to tell. The focus didn’t need to be on fancy, complicated, and in depth details but rather what the characters were feeling on each page. Keeping this in mind, the artistic style felt perfect since Kazui did an excellent job conveying what the characters were thinking through their facial expressions.

What I think really makes me appreciate this manga is that the theme is something everyone can relate to. Having lost my best friend in my freshman year of college, I instantly sympathized with Saku’s character and knew exactly what he was going through. Accepting the fact that you will never see someone who was close and dear to you again and understanding that nothing will fill in that piece of you that you lost when that person died can be a traumatic experience for anyone. However, Socrates in Love isn’t just a tragedy about the painful endeavors involved with the innocence of teenage love. Instead, by the end of the story, another theme of accepting what happened, pushing yourself to move on, and letting go of the past emerges. I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys slice of lifes with heavy emphasis on romance and tragedy, and I don’t think that any human can read this without having their feelings waver at some point.

+ An amazing story, theme, and resolution
+ Excellent art style, perfect for the type of story being told
+ Characters that one can easily relate to and sympathize with
+ Layout and pacing felt perfect
+ A highly fitting title which is explained in chapter five

10 out of 10 read more

Cowboy Bebop is an amazing anime. The series itself is about 85% episodic, meaning that each episode is a stand alone story. Only a few episodes follow a certain 'overall' story arc, which involves Spike's past and someone who used to be his friend, who has now turned into his bitter enemy. Spike (the main character) slowly reveals his past through short flashbacks and dream sequences. What truly happens in his past is never fully explained and is left open for the viewer to interpret.

All episodes are unique and interesting. Some may involve getting a bounty and catching a wanted criminal while others may be about something as simple as beating a genius at chess. The randomness of the episodes and the story that each one tells makes Cowboy Bebop original, unpredictable, and entertaining.

The character designs in this series are extremely well done. Each character looks very detailed in appearance and is unique in personalities and character traits. The animation is also very impressive and reaches a point that Cowboy Bebop can be compared to anime that have been released recently. This is an impressive feat considering that it was released in 1998.

The soundtrack is also one of the best I have ever heard. Cowboy Bebop is my second favorite in terms of music, second only to FLCL. The jazz influence can be found in multiple episodes and plays an important role in the overall tone of the series. From the fast paced opening 'Tank!' to the well suited and stylized music played in certain scenes (falling from a church window, chasing a criminal, jazz and blues played at a local lounge, etc.), and the critically acclaimed ending song 'The Real Folk Blues,' the music isn't just 'there' but adds to the anime as a whole and to some fans, the music defines Cowboy Bebop. Even the episode titles are named after songs or musical components.

Cowboy Bebop also has a certain style that is hard to describe. From all of the anime that I have seen, this is one of a kind and can't be imitated (although Samurai Champloo comes close). Every setting is astonishing and easy on the eyes. There are high class space casinos, freezing cold planets with lowly criminals, futuristic cities with skyscrapers, and even barren deserts filled with nothing but sand. Each new location provides a new 'feel' that defines that episode. This anime also provides so many genre types that it is hard to classify. In some ways, Cowboy Bebop is a genre in of itself. It can be lightly humored like 'Mushroom Samba,' melancholy and depressing like 'Waltz for Venus,' action oriented and story driven like 'The Real Folk Blues parts 1 and 2,' and simply brilliant like 'Ballad of Fallen Angels.' This anime offers so much that it can appeal to ANY kind of anime fan. If you blend incredible music, visuals, stories, and settings, you end up with nothing but the essence of Cowboy Bebop's style.

By the last two episodes, Spike finally catches up to his ex-friend turned bitter rival and fights to bring peace to himself for what has happened in the past. The ending is so dramatic, well done, and overwhelming, that it is my favorite anime ending of all time. The ending is well deserved for the series and brings this awesome series to a stunning conclusion.



Rating

+ Interesting and varied episodes
+ Incredible animation and character designs
+ Highly stylized and original in concept and presentation of episodes
+ One of the best anime soundtracks and music of all time
+ One of the best anime endings of all time
- Some episodes may not appeal to everyone
- Not enough explanation on Spike's past and hardly any storyline
- Not enough air time for some characters (Vicious, Julia)
- Seriously, we need more Vicious and Julia...

9 out of 10 read more

This is quite possibly the best anime drama I have ever seen, and that's saying a lot considering that I usually am drawn to more action oriented anime. One phrase that could describe Kiminozo is 'a beautiful mess of emotions.' The basic concept or plot puts Takayuki (the main male character) on the theme of choosing someone he loved dearly in the past, or staying with the girl he loves now in the present. A majority of the anime shows the feelings and emotions that take place while Takayuki is deciding on who to ultimately be with in the end. This is what makes the anime so great. One truly has sympathy to the characters as they struggle with their feelings. Eventually, you'll start rooting for the character you want Takayuki to choose and thus motivates you to continue watching. This leads up to the dramatic conclusion in which Takayuki chooses the girl he loves...who is the girl he chooses? You will have to watch to find out. All I can say is that the girl I wanted him to end up with got chosen. :)

The animation isn't too bad, but it isn't great either. I felt the character designs were great though. Kiminozo also has some pacing issues. There were some moments where it just felt too dragged out and not much was happening. However, if you're the type who enjoys slow and painful dramas that continuously builds, then you'll enjoy this aspect of Kiminozo. Another problem focuses on two co-workers of Takayuki that provide comic relief. I felt that they did an excellent job with the comic relief since after painful, dramatic, and depressing scenes, the anime usually focuses on the two co-workers to lighten up the mood, but most viewers would say that these scenes of comedy ruin the impact of the sadder moments. The ending itself also left me feeling unsatisfied. After watching this emotional rollercoaster, I expected the ending to be nothing short of spectacular, but instead it was just a 'good' ending.

Some other stuff I would like to point out is that the first two episodes serve as an introduction to the main story. I would highly recommend to continue watching until at least the third episode. The first episode gives the impression that it's going to be a bland, generic, 'highschool life' anime, which this is definitely not. After watching the second episode though, most everyone continues watching to see what happens next. Personally, I absolutely loved this anime and I'm incredibly bias towards giving this a perfect 10. However, that wouldn't be fair to those who are actually using this review to decide whether or not to watch KGNE, so I have pointed out some of the faults this anime has. Overall, I would say if you enjoy dramas, then I would recommend this wholeheartedly. However, if you're more action oriented, expect explosions, and do not particularly enjoy the 'slice of life' genre, you might not enjoy KGNE, but I would still say check this out.

Rating

+ Good, realistic character designs
+ Interesting story with a good theme tying it all together
+ Excellent depiction of human emotion
- Some pacing issues
- Some misplaced comic relief

9 out of 10 read more