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I felt like I was going into viewing this series as I would if I had a loaded gun pointed at the back of my head. The high expectations I had for Clannad were shattered and I was left wondering if I had seen the same show as everyone who loved it. I watched this mostly because I was setting out to prove to myself that I was one of the few people who saw nothing special at all in it. I vowed never to watch another show in the slice of life genre again - at least not without extreme precaution. Five episodes in and I still felt the same way except this time I was starting to get angry. So many things in this show were grating on me – the cliché moe girls, the cliché loud girl who is permanently in PMS, the straight man main character, and, most predictably, the unwelcome comic relief. Such simplified characterizations and it would be stupid of me to expect any depth whatsoever from a show that breeds off of cliché after cliché after cliché.

And here I watched a continuation of the story of these characters whose lives I deemed far less interesting than my own.

I loved Clannad ~After Story~.

No amount of effort could bring me to choose to stray from the crowd and say it sucked. Even though it had clichés. Even though it had stereotypes. Even though I was dangerously close to dropping it.

None of that matters now because this anime means much more to me than anything else I’ve ever seen or read. Despite my tendency to scrutinize, I was able to look past its faults and highlight and focus on its strengths instead. Does that mean I pretended that they never existed? Of course not. But they were such minute annoyances that I realized I would only sound whiny if I let them affect my overall opinion on this show.

My negative opinion on Clannad was slowly revoked as this follow-up finale series brought about twists and turns in the lives of the characters, changing them indefinitely (for better or for worse). These friends go to great lengths to guide one another and it’s inspirational. It’s the best kind of feel good show because it makes you wish you had this same effect on those around you. It makes you wonder why you don’t feel that same twinge in your heart when you spend time with your own friends or family. It makes you wonder why you take life for granted and it makes you realize why reality will rarely be preferable to fiction.

The main protagonist of Clannad is Tomoya, a certified delinquent (although he is the nicest and most rational delinquent you’ll probably ever see) who has an indifferent attitude towards school, his relationships, and life in general. That is, until he meets a soon-to-be special someone who turns out to be just what he needed to turn his life around.

Nagisa is the soft spoken girl whose inner strength and unrelenting optimism motivate Tomoya throughout all of his ordeals. As soon as he begins to feel exhaustion creeping up on him all he needs in order to keep going is to be reminded of the simple things which make him truly happy - like listening to Nagisa talk about the progress she made in school or being offhandedly, yet shockingly, praised by a coworker. Things most of us wouldn’t give a second thought to mean the world to him. And it’s not pathetic or farfetched; it feels so natural and heartwarming.

The beautiful thing about Tomoya and Nagisa’s relationship is that they aren’t lovey-dovey and they aren’t all over one another. I’m not sure if they even kissed once throughout the series (or at least if it was shown). What’s expressed here is that what matters is the notion that they will always be there for one another. And that nothing will come between them no matter what happens. Not even Nagisa’s dad.

This brings me to the supporting cast of Clannad ~After Story~. In high school, Tomoya was often seen hanging around with his unlikely best friend Sunohara. Sunohara provides a lot of the comic relief in the show. The show has many running gags, one of which is that Sunohara is the butt of jokes and is often at the receiving end of physical abuse. He gets beaten up almost every time he encounters the anger-prone Kyou. It’s hard not to sympathize with the guy after a while because he’s clearly misunderstood by all of his friends. It’s a relief to see that he gets some actual character development and more of his and Tomoya’s back story is revealed. Normally it’s hard to take comical characters seriously because seeing them placed in or replaced by an intense dramatic situation feels laughably absurd when compared to the exaggerations and outlandishness we’ve grown accustomed to. But that’s not the case here as comedy and drama are blended so well that it’s impossible to appreciate the show if it only had one or the other.

I loved when Tomoya would deadpan reactions to the people he surrounds himself with. At first I wondered to myself ‘Is this supposed to be funny?’ but soon I realized that the thoughts Tomoya voiced were often those of mine as well. And I couldn’t help but laugh soon after. It’s a shame that these lines and moments fly by so fast that it’s easy to forget even the funnier quotes. Although my personal favorite was when he stated something about Nagisa’s family being stupid.

Another running gag is that everyone hates Nagisa’s mom’s bread. It’s an incredibly simple joke but it actually gets more amusing as the series progresses. This is one of the few anime I’ve seen where the parents actually play a vital role in the main characters’ lives and they aren’t annoying in the least. In fact, they’re lovable and endearing. Nagisa’s dad is one of my top 3 favorite characters of the show. I found it amusing that his seiyuu also voiced the engrish-speaking Mr. K in Gravitation.

Now, family plays a major role in this series. Tomoya is often distanced from his father and their relationship is very strained. Over the course of the series, Tomoya’s seemingly concrete stubbornness is gradually whittled away to nothing and it becomes easier to see why this show moved many people even if it didn’t do the same for others. It feels so good to see the characters come to terms with their mistakes and mature into adulthood that all of the pain and misery they went through amidst all of that ends up feeling minuscule.

The art here is of higher than average quality. The colors are very easy on the eyes and pretty to say the least. The most distinguishing features of the characters are their eyes which are difficult for me to describe because, well, they’re eyes. If I had to make a comparison I’d say they appear almost gem-like. They’re shiny and detailed with very beautiful colors. The characters’ appearances clearly represent the purity and beauty of the show itself.

The soundtrack often switches between being either soothing or lighthearted. The fact that it is so easy to forget that there even is background music during some of the more involving scenes is a shame. Especially considering these tracks add so much while still being so subtle and low-key. I loved the show’s ending theme. It’s lively and enthusiastic and it always seems to promise that happier times are ahead even if I seriously doubt it. At times it seems unfitting due to the significant decline in mood towards the conclusion of the series, but at the same time it’s so much easier to appreciate it after being drained of emotion.

The voice acting is good all around although it does depend on the type of character and their significance to the plot. I guess it should be guaranteed that with a substantial increase in conflict and depth there will also be more chances for the seiyuu to really impress. Yuuichi Nakamura is perfectly assigned to the role of Tomoya. It can’t be too difficult to fall into the trap of unintentionally overacting in emotional scenes. However, he never does and he gives a stand out performance. Mai Nakahara does a wonderful job voicing Nagisa. Although I wasn’t a fan of how childlike her voice was (not that it’s entirely the actress’s fault) I don’t see any reason to disapprove since it does fit her character’s personality. Other performances I was impressed by were for the characters of Sunohara (he’s loud and over-the-top, but somehow not annoying) and, as I mentioned earlier, Nagisa’s dad. A very honorable mention goes to Ushio's seiyuu who produces one of the most adorable voices I've ever heard.

Did this show manipulate my emotions a bit? Yes. Was it cheaply and distastefully done? No. Every scene in this series is integral to the conclusion. Friends drifting apart, accepting and appreciating the company of others, reconstructing broken bonds. On the surface, these are mundane things that can only be expected from what lies ahead in our lives. But what matters is the process of getting there and the decisions we make that will make or break our futures. Clannad ~After Story~ tells us nothing new. It's about the presentation.

And it's truly moving and inspiring.

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It's strange that I've always been drawn to this show even though I only ever watched it from time to time on adult swim many years ago. I never watched an entire episode yet I could easily say it was a show I liked if someone were to ask me. I recently decided to actually watch the complete series and I remembered why this was so memorable to me.

One of the great things about Trigun is that it begins with such a typical dramatic western atmosphere when it only ends up contradicting its own set up. The plot revolves around a man who is nicknamed 'Vash the Stampede' and has a 60,000,000,000 dollar bounty placed on his arrest. People cower in fear or explode in rage at the mention of his name.

What cemented my belief that this would be an awesome show was when I realized that it was actually a comedy and that Vash was the source of it.

The first half or so of the show is lighthearted and goofy as it mostly serves to introduce the viewer to the characters and setting. While it may not seem like it at first glance, the show has its own serious side. The latter episodes focus more on internal conflicts and the dark side of humanity ...all the while retaining its original charm. Trigun's biggest strength is that it doesn't take itself too seriously and manages to blend so many genres without feeling awkward in any way.

The character development in the show is unexpectedly great. It's hard to find a character like Vash who is funny and tragic at the same time. Then there is Nicholas D. Wolfwood, a priest who is armed with a gun shaped as a cross. His morals and sense of justice contribute a lot to the more philosophical path the show takes later on. Although he was more of a supporting character, his development was just as believable and he leaves a lasting impression.Two other notable characters are traveling insurance agents Meryl Stryfe(the more serious one) and Milly Thompson(the childish and naive one). While they aren't exactly deep or complex characters, they do compliment the series in their own ways.

The quality of the art is unfortunately not the best. The inconsistency is often very noticeable but not to the point that it's difficult or annoying to watch. The basic character designs are good and unique though.

Often it seems like there is one stand-out performance in a show or movie but Trigun doesn't have any major faults in terms of its voice cast. I do plan on watching the dub again in the future since it was my introduction to the show, but I'll just refer to the Japanese cast here. Masaya Onosaka gives a very impressive performance due to how much versatility is required for the character of Vash. I was also surprised to find that Satsuki Yukino voices Milly. I never would have guessed since she's completely unrecognizable here. Anyway, the voice acting is very good all-around as the main cast in particular put a lot of heart and energy into their performances.

The soundtrack in general suits the show well. Many scenes are intensified due to the music and the opening which is accompanied by electric guitar riffs is as fun as the actual show.

I thought I knew what to expect going into Trigun but I couldn't have been proven more wrong. This is a wonderful and entertaining show that is as ridiculous and over-the-top at times as it is heartwarming and enlightening at others. read more

If ever I was to say that I had regrettably underestimated the quality of a manga, it would be now. I can’t say I expected much from a plot that can be simplified as being about a middle school boy whose life has little meaning beyond his daily happy time within a stall of the girls’ restroom. I guess this as well goes to show that you should never judge something based on first impressions.

Meet Kurosawa: a guy who only loses his listless and semi-stoned expression when rigorously performing his secret ritual. The closest contact he would exert himself towards achieving with others is through his perverted fantasies.

Unfortunately, all good things do come to an end. But Kurosawa himself couldn’t have guessed that in place of them a much purer form of gratification could possibly be attained…

This is possibly the first time I’ve felt a genuine connection with manga characters and the obstacles they go through. No, it’s not because I’m a chronic masturbator. Instead, it’s because of the little things. Like when I saw a character burst into tears here…I felt truly sad or happy for them. When a character’s excited confession was disrupted, I felt just as embarrassed. I never would have guessed that this of all places would be where I’d find a story that actually moved me. It’s one of those cases where I was left to wonder how I could have doubted the material in the first place. That is, until I remembered the name of the story…

There is some comedy here as well, mainly scattered throughout the first couple of volumes. There isn’t enough for me to categorize this as fitting into the comedy genre but it should appeal to those who are looking for a quick and amusing read. I did laugh occasionally while reading it and, thankfully, all of the comedy was intentional. I particularly found Kurosawa’s thought process in the beginning to be hilarious in a twisted way.

The art is simple and sketched. However, these are probably some of the least sloppy sketches I’ve seen. When a scene calls for either intensity or subtlety neither leave much to be desired. I wouldn’t call the art as a whole ‘great’ but I also wouldn’t mind seeing it in future manga that I read. Hopefully, the two behind it don’t turn out to be one-hit wonders like so many others out there.

It's hard to believe that I’ve praised something that practically revolves around cum. But then again, that something has charm and depth that aren’t present in so many of the anime and manga that don't. read more

I had noticed for a while that this anime tends to get more hatred than praise despite the intriguing synopsis and title. Most who played the visual novel first were either indifferent to it, disliked it, or hated it due to disappointment. I, too, played the visual novel(I completed it only a couple of days ago actually....sadly, I didn't get any sleep that night. not because it scared me but because it was so interesting and addictive :P) prior to watching this adaptation of it but my feelings toward the anime didn't end up being as strong as most. And I can't help comparing so at least try to see it from my point of view if you haven't played the visual novel it's based upon.

17-year-old Takumi is a neurotic and reclusive otaku with almost no interest in what he refers to as the 3-D world(as in reality). He doesn't even mind that he's literally wasting away in his tiny container housing as long as he gets the chance to fantasize about his treasured Seira-tan anime action figure or play his favorite online game. Despite his isolation, Takumi's peace is often disrupted by recurring feelings of paranoia(specifically, feeling as though he's being watched) as well as difficulty in separating his delusions from reality. These problems really get to be even more troublesome after he stumbles upon the first of a string of murders that continue to occur in his city.

This anime most likely confused and irritated a lot of people and I don't blame them for feeling that way. The speedy plot development and very rushed and complicated explanations for what was supposedly going on in the show can be difficult to grasp.

What I did appreciate about the anime was its faithfulness to the visual novel's basic plot and atmosphere while not being an exact replica of it(far from it, really). I did like one thing about the anime more than the visual novel - the fact that Kozue doesn't talk very much here. Her voice was like nails scratching a chalkboard in the visual novel. Anyway, it's bizarre how Takumi is portrayed as being more sociable and much less high strung here. That was probably the only significant change that actually hurt the story. It really ruins the effect that the conclusion was meant to have. Although they did remember to include his repeated pleadings for someone to save him at random moments. It may be hard to believe if you have only seen the anime but I found the original depiction of the character of Takumi to be great; you really get into the guy's way of thinking and I strangely began to sympathize with him despite his overall negative and repellent attitude.

Anyway, the series doesn't focus enough on making the characters' interactions deep or meaningful and it really doesn't help that relationships develop way too quickly. Yes, the characters other than Takumi in the VN weren't so well developed but I did find a few of the girls to be surprisingly likable(such as Rimi) despite the limitations. The depiction of the romance subplot here is rather shallow. The anime also tones down and cuts out many of the darker aspects of the visual novel which is a shame. But then again, it's unfortunately rare that an anime series doesn't choose to play it safe. Another thing that is irritating is that the anime tries desperately to spoil its own story for some reason by making it painfully obvious who one of the villains is. There's no success in building suspense, surprising the viewer, or leaving any sort of impact at the conclusion of a supposedly dramatic scene.

Of course, you can't have a psychotic protagonist without some perversion thrown in. You occasionally get to see amusing perverted delusions involving the female characters. The lack of comparably distressing delusions was disappointing considering how wonderfully executed they were in the visual novel; I had hoped that the extremely tense box scene would be included in the anime(it wasn't..but I guess it's understandable due to constraints).

The voice acting is generally good although some performances are obviously significantly better than others. It's most noticeable in the last couple of episodes where the tension is at its highest. Although, I have to admit, Takumi does have a pretty impressive scream. The opening and ending songs are decent but nothing I'd even bother downloading. The best music came from the characters' ring tones in my opinion.

There's nothing remarkable about the art but it's good enough to not have any real complaints about it. All that needs to be said is that the characters look fine and there aren't any stupid chibi moments or pointlessly exaggerated expressions.

If you have only seen this anime but haven't played the visual novel, go find a way to obtain it and play it because it's worth much more trouble than watching this on YouTube is. I'd take back the 6 hours I spent watching this if I could, honestly. The rating I gave it is mostly due to it being one of the few somewhat decent adaptations of any sort of game to a series. I do realize that it must have been hard to condense 30+ hours of plot into a 6 hour anime series. I think they did a good job in that respect as well. Anyway, the Chaos;Head visual novel is a much more involving, touching, funny, and intense experience especially when compared to this half-baked anime adaptation. You'll only be wasting your time watching this when there's a much higher quality alternative available. read more

I have been familiar with the Gundam franchise dating back to when the shows used to air on Cartoon Network. However, I never really got the impression that any of them would be something I'd enjoy watching. I'm not the biggest action fan to begin with and seeing guys in flying robots fight one another didn't exactly appeal to me(it still doesn't). This particular series appeared to me to be one of the more popular ones of the franchise and I recognized the names of many of the actors voicing the main characters, so I thought it might be something I could at least sit through.

The main protagonist is Kira Yamato, a boy who feels conflicted by his being a Coordinator - a title given to him as a result of his genes being altered prior to his birth. His situation isn't helped much by the current war between the Naturals(those who were born...naturally) and the Coordinators. A childhood friend of his, Athrun Zala, soon becomes one of his enemies and this results in many battles, betrayals, sacrifices, and, of course, endless teen angst.

Rest of the main characters:

Cagalli - A boyish(she has more testosterone than Kira and Athrun combined) and tough princess who at first clashes with both Kira and Athrun but later grows closer to both of them. She's easily my favorite character in the show and sadly underused later on.

Lacus Clyne - A kind(that's her only character trait) popular singer who is often seen carrying a small and annoying ball-shaped robot named Haro. Haro can often be counted on to kill the mood during any dramatic scene where either Kira or any other character(but mostly Kira) happens to be having a nervous breakdown.

Flay Allister - A girl who despises Coordinators. However, after a tragedy costs her her sanity, she begins to take advantage of Kira's own weak state of mind.

I have a few issues with Gundam Seed. But I'm not going to go over it being a rehash or tribute or whatever of/to the original series since 1) I haven't seen that series. 2) Other people have already done that.

My major issue with this show is with its poor attempts at making the characters seem deep and human by having them cry a lot. That does sound like a very simplistic complaint, but it's a problem that affects the show as a whole and, in a way, even caused me to lose interest in the story. I don't know if what I'm saying is anything new but Kira really doesn't grow much as a character. All that needs to be known about him is that he cries too easily(which was even noted by Cagalli on at least one occasion) and he feels like he has no choice but to fight in the mobile suit despite hating doing so(which gets kind of old as it's one of the few conflicts presented by the show and he always comes to the same conclusion when dealing with his problems). Unfortunately, his way of dealing with all of this is by making noises that are awkward to listen to(he's lucky his friends don't run away from him when this happens) while he suffers from stress induced stomach pains. Anyway, after a while he makes Shinji from NGE look easygoing. His Japanese voice actor is instantly recognizable if you've heard any of his other work. However, this is not some of his best work(but then again, this isn't one of his best characters). Personally, I was most impressed with his voice acting in Higurashi no Naku Koro ni. Here he's just annoying, unfortunately. I've rambled a lot about Kira's emotional outbursts but this annoyance isn't even limited to him; crying seems to be the alternative to clever and insightful dialogues in this show. It's difficult to connect with these characters because of this. My favorite characters were Athrun and Cagalli because they did things other than cry and temporarily go insane. Also, their voice actors impressed me the most as they showcased the most range and they never made me cringe(which is a big plus here). Lacus and Flay are mostly plot devices with Flay easily being the more interesting of the two due to her slightly demonic personality. Unfortunately, each example of romance in the series is contrived as well but the story isn't significantly affected by any of them anyway. I didn't like the way this series ended, personally.

The action sequences were generally fun enough for me to watch but it could just be because this was my first Gundam series or because the music was well chosen for those parts. In the end, I wouldn't have cared if most of them were disposed of and the series was more character-driven but they're nothing worth complaining about. It's kind of funny that my thoughts on the action are so short considering it's a series revolving around battle, but I'd just bore you if I tried going into detail.

I have mixed feelings about the art. The characters have heart shaped faces and big eyes (that are a little too far apart from one another in my opinion), no upper lip, and most of them have pretty awful hairdos and style in general. Let's just hope that the future doesn't turn out to be that ugly. The art is decent but a few character animations are reused and it's quite noticeable - especially when you see Kira's 'surprised' look several times over the course of a few episodes. It's not a big deal but it would have been nice to see more creativity in terms of the character art in general; many of the main characters have the exact same face shape and their eyes, noses, and mouths all look the same. The most interesting looking character in the show is a villain but he is also, unfortunately, ridiculous looking. However, if you enjoy everything else about the show, the art shouldn't bother you.

The music is where the show shines best. I'm not sure if I would have enjoyed watching it nearly as much if it hadn't been for the great soundtrack. Gundam Seed has various opening and ending themes over the course of its run and every one of them are easy on the ears(although I wasn't as impressed with the final opening theme). All of the ending themes, on the other hand, are very nice and always fit when they begin playing before the show has even ended. My favorite was easily See-saw's 'Anna ni Issho Datta Noni'(a.k.a. 'We Were So Close Together'). If you liked this song, I'd recommend 'Uninstall' which is sung by the same talented woman(Chiaki Ishikawa). Anyway, the show's main theme is based off of 'Anna ni....' and it's a memorable and beautiful tune, the kind that wouldn't drive me crazy if it was stuck in my head for days. The music is always fitting to the mood and never annoying(especially since it beats most of the other aspects of the show).

I had difficulty getting through this show because I could only maintain interest in it a couple of episodes at a time. It's made me question whether or not I'd want to commit to another show with 50 or more episodes unless I'd be very likely to enjoy it. However, I have a feeling that most people who aren't already hardcore fans of the franchise won't mind so much the uninteresting characters, the lame villains, and the soap opera-inspired drama and they will be more likely to enjoy Gundam Seed. Maybe I'm just hard to please. But come on, even the fans know the characters cry a little too much!(some of them are just not willing to admit it) read more

This shounen-ai series managed to deceive me in so many ways while I watched it. I have to admit I was impressed with how clever the creators were. Here I thought I was in for a show that would be romantic. Or pure-hearted(the literal translation of 'junjo'). Little did I know I was in for a big surprise because this show turned out to be a dark and heartless parody of love, er I mean relationships. Okay, sex lives.

Junjo Romantica is about three hideous male couples who are unsurprisingly(because of their ugliness) deprived of sex. This might at least be entertaining if they ever actually have willing sex with one another. Instead, the masculine guys who were sadly born without jaws(or love, apparently) are forced to molest and humiliate their feminine sex toys. The creepiest thing is that all three of the feminine guys love having their dignity taken away from them and would be desperate for more sex even after it's gotten to the point where they've been legally raped. So basically, they're all passive whores who don't have any self worth. Worse still, no one in this anime is aware of the existence of other gay people. After having sex with a male chain-smoking author who he's living with, one of the main characters seriously debates with himself as to whether or not he and the author are lovers. Many phrases pop up while he thinks his many very interesting thoughts like: 'But..he's a guy!' 'But we're both guys!' 'Are we...lovers?' 'But I'm a guy!'. But in the end, being a guy doesn't matter when it comes to sexually harassing or getting sexually harassed for these guys.

There are obvious annoying cliches present here. The masculine guys are chain-smokers, at least one of which is an author who writes boys' love novels. Try not to snicker because this story is very serious. This author is clearly in need of some form of therapy because he carries a huge teddy bear with him wherever he goes and he sleeps with it at night. Now, I wouldn't mention this if this show wasn't meant to be taken seriously. Junjo Romantica has lots of 'drama' in it. The characters get upset at one another and the music changes when this happens. While the music is often lighthearted to fit the 'happy' atmosphere of the show, it also switches to something more intense when one of the characters starts crying because he misses being abused by his 'lover'. The passive self-loathing whores all blush more than any girl in any anime I've seen. They act like grating, nagging housewives or psychotic stalkers who no reasonable person could like, much less love.

One more thing. This show's attempts at comedy are the biggest failures I've seen in a while. It's actually so unfunny it's not even unintentionally funny. It's sickening and weird because we're supposed to laugh off the fact that these are the most pathetic relationships ever. Anyway, the comedy consists of characters going into 'chibi' mode where they look like kids. There's no comic timing or point to this 90% of the time and it's overdone to the point that it leaves no impact on the viewer whatsoever. I think I laughed once while watching this show and that was near the beginning when it still had a glimmer of promise.

Oh yes, the promise. What bothers me most about a show like this is the fact that it wasn't hopeless from the start. There was immense potential. Misaki(one of the girly men) and Usami(the smoker author), for starters. Usami incorporates his experiences with Misaki into his boys' love novels. Such as the things they do in bed. This embarrasses and angers Misaki but nothing really interesting happens as a result of this plot. It's disappointing because I saw the potential for the comedy but it was completely destroyed by all the pathetic fan service and embarrassingly bad depictions of the relationships. Obviously, it shouldn't be taken seriously and I definitely don't take shounen-ai seriously when I watch it. But when a show literally portrays every couple as being obsessed with sex and then tries to trick viewers into thinking there's a heart behind this by adding a bunch of crap about their past love(sex) lives, it only ends up being insulting.

Anyway, if you're still interested in this show...

The art is mostly in pastel colors with cutesy character designs that are so cutesy they look like freakish aliens. I suppose that was the first sign that I was going to be watching a show that isn't about humans but set in an ideal world for people who don't care about one another but only about their freakish bodies.

The voice acting is poor. The actors lack comic timing as much as the jokes and humor lack any funniness whatsoever. I had a sudden urge to do something which I saw in Uzumaki at one point while I was, in agony, listening to the robotic voice of Usami.

The music is average pop with annoying vocals. Extremely catchy, unfortunately, but the intro does make my ears bleed.

Please, whatever you do, do not watch this show. I'd be lying if I said I didn't know why it was so highly rated on this site. It's because of the yaoi fanatics. They'd love anything as long as they get to see guys touch one another in naughty ways. Watch Gravitation or Loveless instead. Both have some cliches but they at the very least have charm and/or depth with good voice acting and decent art. read more

Imagine any one of your friends, family members, or classmates and go over in your mind what you think of them. Try and picture them doing and saying revolting and/or loathsome things. Could you imagine any of them ever doing something truly morally objectionable? Something that would turn your stomach just thinking about it?

Worse things are in store for the main protagonists of this horror manga by Junji Ito.

The town of Kurozu-cho literally begins to spiral out of control when a curse hits the unprepared residents and everything else within its vicinity. The effect it has on some of the townspeople start off as simply being bizarre but grow in intensity as the true motive of the curse becomes clear. The supernatural entity brings chaos and misery with it as no one is able to escape its wrath. It's fun to see them try though.

Uzumaki's main character is Kirie, a girl who, despite the terror she frequently experiences as a result of the curse, shows genuine concern for the welfare of others. Her inner strength is most noticeable when she is speaking with her nervous wreck of a boyfriend, Shuichi. Shuichi is the person in the town of Kurozu-cho who is most affected by the curse of the spiral. Everyone else seems eerily calm in comparison, almost as though they believe it's a trial that will pass or that someone or something will eventually save them.

The most frightening aspect of Uzumaki's story is that the characters feel so very real even though most appear to either be abnormally unaware of the hopelessness of their situation or in denial of it. The foreshadowing is wonderfully done. It's one of those cases where even if you know what the book will be about, it somehow still ends up being a shock when what appears to otherwise be a normal setting is disturbed by something so horrific that it can spoil a strong-stomached person's appetite. I, for one, will not be eating mushrooms anytime soon. And I'll try to repress my once strong urge to try escargot, as much as I would have loved to eat something that looks like living mucus in the first place.

This manga has characters doing revolting and loathsome things. Morals are broken in uncountable ways. And, after my statements about mushrooms and snails(two very different things which share a few things in common in this manga), do I really have to tell you that it completely turned my stomach? I was eating pizza while writing this(I hadn't eaten in about 7 hours) and I had to throw away my leftovers due to being reminded of some unpleasant images. I must say that I was both addicted to and repelled by the material. That's a sign of a good horror story. And Uzumaki is not just a good story, but a horror masterpiece.

The art is beautiful, as always. As beautiful as such nauseating and creepy stuff can be, really. The character designs are the best I've seen of Ito's work so far. Everything is wonderfully detailed and clean. The art is just as engrossing as the story. It's difficult to look away. I was most impressed with it during the chapter of 'The Snail'. But that's only a personal preference because no chapter or volume is overshadowed by any other. The contrast between the 'normal' characters and those who clearly aren't doesn't feel far-fetched but believable.

Uzumaki is a must read if you're looking for anything to do with horror. I had heard of the live action Japanese film adaptation of the same name but never bothered to actually watch it. Obviously, this manga has convinced me that it is worth a watch after all.

It's always nice to come across horror writers who relate their stories to reality. In reality, lives don't always end happily or satisfyingly. And in reality, everyone is capable of committing inhumane acts. We just don't know what buttons need to be pressed before any one of us snaps. But, thankfully, most of us will never witness or experience such things. We just read about them. And the funny thing is, most atrocities in reality are inspired by those described or presented in works of fiction. read more

Ryuusuke is a teen who has just moved back to his old town because of his father's job. However, he is feeling very uneasy about this and for good reason. The town is often subjected to a thick fog and the residents, no matter what their ages are, all take part in a game known as 'intersection fortune telling'. The game involves the player popping out from hiding near an intersection upon encountering someone else and then asking whoever it is for advice on his/ her love life. This is risky to begin with. But the real trouble doesn't start until soon after Ryuusuke's reunited with some old friends. What follow are resurfaced buried memories and very many events which would easily convince almost anyone else to move away as soon and as far away as possible.

Lovesick Dead is a horror manga written and illustrated by Junji Ito. The story is much darker than it sounds so don't be fooled by my synopsis as I tried not to include even the slightest spoilers. There is plenty of creepy material although it is rarely, if ever, visually shocking in the way that Uzumaki and Gyo are. That isn't necessarily a fault, however. The story is well paced and kept me interested from start to finish. The main characters' lives are not delved into very much beyond what is necessary for readers to know(and in relation to the core mystery/phenomenon) but the characters themselves are decent when considering the length. The main character doesn't feel cliched or recycled and the minor characters have personalities as well. If I had to make one complaint it would be that I felt the ending was too sudden to even elicit a reaction from me. But it wasn't an outright bad ending at the very least. Story - 8/10 Characters - 7/10

Although I've only recently looked into his work, I think it's fair to say that if you are familiar with Junji Ito then you should expect refreshingly realistic artwork here as well. Not even the details which most artists neglect are forgotten as the subtlest facial expressions and physical reactions are easy to read when depicted on a character(an unfortunate rarity in animation in general). The characters change and, sometimes, distort physically in believable ways. There were moments where I was caught off guard by a frightening-looking character despite obvious foreshadowing on that very page. I loved how a simple close up to a character's eye(s) was often more intense than what actually provoked such fear in him or her. I wish more graphic novels were illustrated this way. Art - 10/10

I'm mostly writing this review because I enjoyed this story enough to feel that it really deserved at least one review on this site even if it would be difficult for me to sum up my thoughts on it(to be honest, I did have trouble writing this). Anyway, to put it simply, I have no overpowering reasons not to recommend this to anyone who either likes horror, supernatural, mystery & suspense, or all of the above. There is a little romance as well but I'm not sure if many people will find it particularly romantic...

Enjoyment - 9/10 (addictive storyline, fantastic artwork with great detail, quick and satisfying read)

Overall - 8/10

* There's also a live action movie based on this short story I was surprised to find out. If I end up seeing it anytime soon I may add what I thought of it to this review. Of course, I'd recommend reading the manga beforehand. read more

The city of Okinawa is under attack - no, not by armed forces or aliens, but by walking(or more accurately, scuttling) fish. Scuttling fish that smell really, really awful. So awful, in fact, that a large portion of the manga consists of characters complaining about the horrible stench.

The question is (obviously) why are these fish scuttling? And why do they smell so terrible? But the nagging questions, shocking revelations, and horror don't end there for the unfortunate main protagonists: Tadashi, a courageous and good-natured young man and his girlfriend Kaori, a neurotic young woman who is cursed with a strong sense of smell. Will these two find a way to escape and/or defeat these creepy creatures? And, really, what could that smell be coming from?

I was surprised with Gyo. This was an entertaining horror story with some truly nightmarish imagery to go along with it. It's rare that this happens for me, but I was hooked from the first chapter and I read non-stop until the very end. And it's a fairly satisfying end. Not one that would likely anger many readers. The plot twists are great as well and not easily predictable. Story - 7/10

This creepy horror manga benefits greatly by the impressive artwork by Junji Ito, who is also the writer. This is one of those stories where I actually physically reacted a little to it while reading it. That doesn't happen often but I think you'll understand why I felt slightly nauseous. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who is very squeamish as it does get nasty(I'm not talking about blood and guts though). The artwork is very detailed and the realistic character designs fit the dark story they are a part of. Nothing looks sloppy and I have little to complain about other than personal nitpicks. Art - 9/10

The characters are good for its length. It's easy to get an idea of their core personalities, strengths, and weaknesses just by briefly thinking about their actions. For example, Tadashi has a seemingly built-in impulse to help people and he puts his own safety at risk in doing so. Kaori is extremely jumpy and shrill, especially when compared to Tadashi's calmer, more rational demeanor. Even the minor characters are paid attention to, such as Tadashi's somewhat unnerving inventor of an uncle and his faithful assistant Ms. Yoshiyama. Background stories are presented which help to make them more than just side-line characters or simple plot devices. Characters - 7/10

I would definitely recommend Gyo to anyone seeking a good, not too long horror read. It is a satisfying and unique tale with disturbing imagery that would be hard to forget after seeing it. Enjoyment - 8/10

There are two short horror stories included with Gyo: 'The Sad Tale of the Principle Post' and 'The Enigma of Amigara Fault'. The first one is about a family who hear a cry of help from the father. That is all I can give away without spoiling it because it is that short. The second one is, thankfully, significantly longer and succeeded in creeping me out quite a bit. Even more so than Gyo did, actually. The Enigma of Amigara Fault is about a young man named Owaki and a girl named Yoshida who stumble upon a bizarre formation that nearly encompasses one entire side of a mountain. There are holes in the shape of human bodies on this mountain. Holes that seem to go on forever. And the people who have now gathered around these holes are becoming obsessed with them. But at what cost?

Loved the conclusion of that one.

Overall opinion of Gyo: Well worth reading and with great artwork. read more

An accident befalls long-time friends Asai and Ishikura during their trek up a snowy mountain amidst a blizzard. Ishikura is badly injured and believes that he won't survive long enough for them to find help. So he chooses to disclose a painful secret which he's reserved only for his closest friend(Asai).

Luckily enough, they find and inhabit an empty cabin immediately afterward. Ishikura's been saved! But Asai can't stop thinking about his friend's shocking confession and paranoia begins eating away at him as the two wait for people to rescue them. Or at least one of them.

This is a 300 page manga but it only took me a little over an hour to get through. It definitely kept me interested until the very end because I just knew there had to be a twist to this story(and there was).

The start is promising and the atmosphere is set with a heavy sense of foreboding immediately after Ishikura's confession. After this, the story is told from Asai's point of view. He becomes increasingly more suspicious of, and even frightened of, his friend. He monitors every subtle action and movement that Ishikura makes. This might sound annoying but it was surprisingly well executed, at first, in building apprehension. The reader will also be likely to wonder about the background story behind these two friends. It is brought up but not elaborated on enough to make them interesting characters. There is too much focus on the air of distrust and not enough on the characters' relationship with one another. I thought very little of Ishikura in particular. The character is one we've all seen before but that character is pretty boring here. Overall, I was very disappointed with the characterizations as I had expected characters who had more depth considering its 300 page length.

The artwork is just above average. The characters don't have memorable appearances, except maybe for Ishikura(if you have good memory, anyway). The characters don't have a lot of facial expressions for some reason. Although I did laugh a couple of times at Asai's freaked out reactions.

I saw a lot of promise in this manga. Especially from a psychological perspective. But it does not go in depth into the characters' lives and it only serves to resolve a conflict which few readers will genuinely care about due to its length. The twist near the very end didn't add anything positive to the already average story. The conclusion left no impact on me, personally.

Confession has an intriguing premise and even had me reading non-stop until I finished. But what does any of that matter if I wouldn't mind erasing it from my memory and having the little time I spent reading it back? This is yet another work that I'd not hesitate to categorize as wasted potential. Oh, and I lied when I said the confession was shocking. It really wasn't...:P read more