Recent Reviews

This manga is the greatest shounen-ai/yaoi I've read!

Unlike other mangas, Totally Captivated, xplains the whole entire story. In the last 2 chapters of Totally Captivated, I though they werent going 2 tell the story of Ewon and his unwed mother. It was really touching when Ewon was telling the story of his mom leaving him lock up in an old house. I waseven crying!!

I SO really recommended this 2 people who like characters that dress up REALLY COOL, like rock stars or idols. Although this one is the mafia, but they dress up really cool!!!

[Opinion]
This anime was genuis! preceding next to Code Geass, the mystery and the difficult logic and stragety must have been a huge sucess and confusing for Death note's writer.

The suspense was very edge-of-your-seat and girl-squeal sort;

The story line was a bit too extended and there were some uninteresting or details in between which made this anime series very long. However, the parts of the thriller made equated for the long explanation and conversation of the characters.

[Sound::10]
The moments when Kira was conducting murders and when he was suspected emphasized the dramatic scenes.

[Story::10]
Yagami Light one day finds a notebook that is able to kill any human by writing their name and knowing their face. Light uses this advantage to create his own ideal world. The genius Light avoids being captured by emulating L's strategic tactics, maniuplating clues, and killing off those who rebel him...

[Character::10]
L was neither uninteresting in character nor portrayed as a typical detective. The thought of using L as the same age group as Kira enchances the formidable match of logic and strategy and increases the tension and thrill for the protagonist and antagonist to interact in the series. read more

[Opinion]
This isn’t your typical mushy romance story; there is semi-comedy and the characters experience romantic infatuation. This was a rare vampire/aristocracy romances I’ve ever saw; no anime has every portrayed Vampires as nobility, so whenever you hear vampire and romance together, then you know you should automatically watch it!

[Story::7]
The story revolves around three main characters- Yuki Cross, Zero Kiryuu, and Kaname Kuran. Kaname has rescued Yuki from a Level E vampire 10 years ago--thats when her memories begin. Meanwhile, Zero faces his own vampire trauma when he was a child. Subsequently, Yuki finds herself in a forbidden relationship with Kaname, while Zero continues to retain his vampire side..

[Art::8]
The character's dress appearance are very elegant and it really fits into the environment of the Academy. There is a discrimination between both the Day and Night class. Not to mention that it helps represent the Vampire's nobility and distinction from humans.

[Character::7]
this semi-comedy series is very romantic based and it really portrays the vampires as aristocrat beauties they are. However, the intent of the characters does not seem strong.

[Enjoyment::8]
Season 2 definetely receives a 9, because there is more conflicts and romantic love for the girl viewer. The suspense is not centered in Season 1, but gradually totals up in Season 2. read more

I'm not much of an expert but I'd still like my say,

Art:
about the art, in my opinion although they did do a good job, I found that I barely knew what was going, which is probably how it should be, but I was still disappointed, I had no idea where the characters were or how they were doing! In all honesty I did like the art in the beginning a little better since I knew what was happening and it gave enough detail that the pages were still stunning.

Plot:
I agree that the storyline is deep but after you reread things a few times things eventually make sense. I myself haven't read many of Clamps works, in fact I've only read Tsubasa, xxxholic, and cardcaptor sakura. But, luckily the story is still understandable enough for me to get enough out of the story for it to grasp my heart. In the end I love how much thought went into the story and many different twists and turns, however I have to say that it took too big of a sharp turn from a fun and whimsical adventure, to a dark, depressing, and heart tearing tragedy.

Setting:
The amazing part of Tsubasa is that the setting never seems to get boring. It always changes when the gang goes to a new world, and each is inspired by something almost completely diffent from the last. For instance at one point they are in a futuristic world of flying machines, and after that they ram into a london setting where all is surrounded by magic, only to be teleported to a post apocalyptic world afterwards.
All in all I can't bring myself to say anything bad about the setting.

Characters:
Just right off the bat I don't want anyone complaining about what I say about the characters. I have had way too much dissing from people just cause I don't like this or that about a certain couple. In this case I could not bring myself to truly love Sakura.

Sakura: Although she has to go through conflict like the other characters, she is much too flat, the original sakura from cardcaptors was a lot less flat than this version. When she made mistakes she didn't always rely on others to help her fix them, and she was fully capable of taking care of herself most of the time. Not to mention her relationship with the Syaoran in cardcaptors is a lot more interesting, with Sakura completely clueless about how he truly feels about her, and completely unaware most of the time about how she feels about him.

Syaoran: as I said before Syoaran ranks a little higher on my character list but is only above sakura. He definately develops more than sakura, but for the first part of the series he's fairly predictable. And even near the end it isn't that hard for me to figure out what he is thinking. I can't think of what else i could say about him, but at the very least, unlike sakura, Sayoran makes a huge contribution to the group with his knowledge of history and language.

Mokona: Who wouldn't love mokona? I have to admit that mokona is also preidctable, but at the very least he/she/it (never got that straight) could at least lighten the mood a little when the story gets serious. His 108 techniques come in surprisingly handy to our heroes. He is very perceptive about what the rest of the gang is feeling, and does his best not to burden anyone. One could argue that sakura does the same thing in trying her best to do what she can, but this only comes up as a hinderance because although she warms the hearts of everyone in the group she makes little or no contribution. The only time she really seems to come in handy is only when her feathers are involved. When the series gets dark and the search for the feathers is no longer a main point, she becomes a fairly useless character.

Kurogane/Fai:
Kurogane and Fai are a breath of fresh air and they both tie for my favorite character position. Kuroganes honorable code and warrior like personality is deep and interesting. While his knowledge for battle gives the group exactly what they need to survive harsh or dangerous worlds.
While Fai adds a certain pizaz to Kurogane that he can't possible have alone.
The onesided fights the two constantly get into during the first half of the series are perhaps the most prevalent of the comedy, while their relationship with each other is very intimate. They both started the journey not wanting to get too attched to their companions, they fail this miserably however as want to help sakura and syaoran constantly shines through.

In simplistic terms the two were more like a comedy duo in the first half of the series who became unlikely freinds, once the dark side comes around the two have more conflicts with one another once they discover the others dark secrets. However, they never seem to truly hate one another, and both would never imagine abandonig the other. To this affect, Kurogane becomes the wall that keeps Fai from letting go of his life, while Fai seems more like something that slowly grew on Kurogane as time went on.
All in all these two have the best personalities out of all the other characters (in my opinion mind you) and their strained yet tight freindship is one of the best relationships in the Clamp universe.

On a separate note I do not support the fan based Kurogan and Fai gay relationship. I admit that it is not past clamp to place such a relationship into their manga, in fact they've done it quite often. But it was always quite obvious and the two men involved practically admit it to one another. This is not so with Kurogane and Fai, and as such there is not enough evidence to say that they have that kind of relationship although it is fully possible.

Overall:
I personally think that more could have been done with the series. That and the romance between syaoran and sakura could have been a little more rocky, y'know they should have had some misunderstandings, fights, and the works.

But in the end Tsubasa remains a manga that has enveloped my heart, and I may never stop loving it. read more

the anime was awesome, it would most likely suit people who wants to see, comedy with a mix of drama, i myself, dont usually watch that much anime, but i really liked this one, because of the story and how the characters dramatically mourn over their loved ones who have, eventually died, if you ask me, the anime was completely one of the coolest animes ever xDDD

its my opinion though, since many of you might not agree with me on this, but well, i hope everyone watches this and would have a great time doing it ^^

first review WOOT

i recently finished this anime, and i can only say this; IT ROCKS.

story
the story continues 1 year after the black rebellion at the end of the first season. it continues to follow lelouch and his various (genius) plans. thier are sad parts, exciting parts, and everything in between(mostly) i don't want to ruining anything so either read the summary or better yet watch it. though i did feel that in the final 4 episodes, the story was sorta rushed yet a tincy bit, but it was still good. oh and the ending;ROCKED...GENIUS.
10/10

art
what can i say, it the same as the first season,pointed chins, awesome hair, big(ish) eyes, long limbs. the knightmare design rock, the characters animate really well, the violence is well...violent. the whole geass thing still looks awesome. the characters look well, and the the females still look cute and smexy(especially kallen).
10/10

sound
the sound is as outstanding as ever. i watched the dubbed version, and i encountered none of the problems i here people talking about. you know the whole"the dub voices don't fit the character" crap. the voices fit the perfectly. all the other sound, explosions, gunfire, geass activation, are outstanding.
10/10

character
all your favourite characters return, c.c, lelouch, nunally, kallen(yay), and are the same as always. their are of course new characters, such as rolo and xingke. the characters are done well, each having their own personality, goals, strengths and weakness. it really makes you care for the characters, so when they die, it quite sad.
10/10

enjoyment
I REALLY REALLY REALLY enjoyed it. its one of the best animes i've ever watched. it was funny, sad, the fight scenes rocked. thier was lot of OH MY GOD moment. obvoiusly you won't enjoy it as much it you have'nt watched the first series. but who is stupid enough to watch the second series and not the first?
10/10

overall
its an excellent anime. just watch it. LELOUCH VI BRITANNIA COMMANDS YOU: WATCH THIS ANIME NOW
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This is a 23 page gem. Take a forbiden art (or at least socially unaccptable), and a socially unacceptable couple and forge and eternal bond. The story is simple but pure.

I rarely give a blanket score of 10, and the only reason I didn't in this case is because it was so good I would have loved more. It's a quick and pleasing read.

Story: 5/10
Noboru and Mikako are two students who are madly in love, on a futuristic planet. Mikako’s grades are very good, and as a result, she was accepted to be launched into space alone. Both of them exchange cell phone text, but as she drifts further and further away in space, it takes longer and longer for her emails to find its way back to Noboru.

The over all premise was good, and was executed well enough, it just got a little boring after a while. This should have been a short rather then a full movie.

Animation: 6/10
The animation was very, odd, and I was not for the 3D elements added on top of it. I suppose it was unique, just not my cup of tea.

Music: 6/10
The music was composed nicely, just not earth shattering.

Voice Acting: (Sub) 7/10
I can’t accurately judge the Japanese voice actors as I don’t speak the language. But there were only two members of the cast, and they still did a good job.

Characters: 5/10
There were only two characters; they were not bland, but not awesome.

Over-All: 5/10 (Average)
Eah, wasn’t really all that good. It had a good concept, but it relied solely on it. To be honest, it felt like I was reading a Fan Fiction.

Link to Full Review: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/SpeedyAlchemistReviews/742953/ read more

Story: 5/10
Chiyo is the youngest of her grade, and is a prodigy for schoolwork. All the high school girls flock around her cause she’s little and very cute, they all become friends very quickly, and spend time together. Azumanga Daioh is about high school life, friends, summer, and fun times among the girls.

There really wasn’t a story, it’s a school slice of life; it's not supposed to have any back story or substance underneath. But, I was never really bored. It was a good comedy; I chuckled quite a few times. It was nothing incredible, but was very cheerful and sweet.

Animation: 6/10
The animation is fair, pretty good for a comedy.

Music: 8/10
The music is a lot of the accordion, cat noises, horns and flutes, and other cheerful tunes; was an adorable soundtrack.

Voice Acting: (Sub) 8/10
I can’t accurately judge the Japanese voice actors as I don’t speak the language. I noticed the Sub is better then the Dub though; all the characters were well cast and hilarious in Japanese.

Characters: 9/10
Great cast, I loved every one of them, some are better then others, but all are quality characters.

Over-All: 7/10 (Good)
Great Series, has a lot of subtle and in your face comedy combined, very lighthearted and fun. Probably appeals to guys the most.

Link to Full Review: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/SpeedyAlchemistReviews/742945/ read more

Now I will admit that change can sometimes be a good thing as it can bring new perspectives, a new feel, and a new avenues for the plot to explore. The only problem is that all too often in anime, change simply means demeaning the existing work and it's fanbase by producing, well, crap.

It's unfortunate then, that a pioneering show like Comic Party should suffer the ignominy of having a sequel like Revolution, and while the two shows share many qualities, they are sometimes used in very different ways.

The story initially follows directly on from the original Comic Party, with Kazuki and Mizuki now attending college. Kazuki has continued to work on doujin creation in his spare time, while Mizuki's attitude towards otaku has softened slightly, although she does still hate the majority of them. The rest of the gang from Comic Party are all present and correct as well, and the show also introduces a few characters who, if you've played the game, were noticeably absent in the first series.

The biggest problem with CP Revolution is the lack of any coherent or cohesive plot. Now I will be the first to admit that some shows work really well on nothing more than a "what if....?" premise, however this isn't one of those occasions. CP Revolution suffers from a fundamental lack of plot and, while there is a lot of comedy in the show, much of it, especially during the first few episodes, is generic and overblown. The problem with the show is that it suddenly strikes off in what seems to be a vaguely new direction from time to time, something which really upsets the overall flow of the story. The reason for this is simple. CP Revolution was originally intended to be a two-part OVA, but was bumped up to four episodes after the release of episode one.

Many will have noticed that there are actually two versions of CP Revolution, an OVA and a TV series, and potential viewers of either need to know one important fact - the OVA is basically the first four episodes of the TV series (with some minor editing). The OVA, directed by Sakata Junichi, was extended to a 13 episode TV series in 2005, and the four episodes were edited and shortened to ensure they fit in the show's time slot. The following episodes however (5-13), were not direct by Sakata, but by Tougo Mitsuhiro, and the difference in style really shows midway through the series.

The production schedule is actually the main reason why the directors have tried to compensate for the show's failings, however in respect of the comedy they have tried a bit too hard. The show's focus is also different from the original series. Where Comic Party focused on Kazuki and the creation of doujins in amongst all the antics, CP Revolution focuses more on the female characters.

As far as the design, animation and backgrounds go, CP Revolution is every bit as colourful and well animated as Comic Party. The character designs largely follow the first series and the game, however there is a certain genericism that permeates the show, reflecting the fact that CP Revolution is also a harem rom-com. The change in production companies hasn't really brought anything new to the show, and in truth, the fact that CP Revolution was made by a different comany, with a different director (on both occasions), is actually a hindrance rather than a help.

In terms of production, the biggest letdown was in the music and voice acting. The score was particularly bland for a show that is essentially trying to be a madcap comedy, and gives much of the humour a rather "forced" feeling. The voice acting in the Japanese dub is pretty decent, which is understandable since the cast is much the same as that for the original series. The problem is with the English dub, as the cast, for some reason, really try to ham up their roles, especially when it comes to accents.

The English dub is the main reason why I've scored the sound as average. If you're planning to watch this show, stick to the Japanese dub and subtitles.

Character-wise, the show runs on the assumption that the viewer has already seen the first series. CP Revolution isn't bad as far as development goes, with certain characters having an entire episode devoted to them. Unfortunately, this type of development is artificial and haphazard, especially in comparison to the first series. The reason for this is, once again, the messed up production schedule. The characterisations were pretty decent for the most part, especially with the characters that continued on from the first series. That said, because the show tries to be a harem rom-com it very much needs the characters to be developed, and developed well. The characters in CP Revolution only grow sporadically, and it's truly sad to see the huge missed opportunity here as the characters in CP Revolution are older than in Comic Party, and college students to boot.

This show could very easily have become a real rival to Genshiken instead of the lacklustre attempt at otaku based humour that it is.

That's not to say that the show is so bad that it's unwatchable. In comparison to the first series, CP Revolution is hands down the loser in pretty much every department, but that doesn't automatically make it bad. The humour, while being over the top, is sometimes pretty funny. The characters are okay for the most part, with the biggest plus being that none of them are overly annoying. Although the story is on the "here and there" side, it isn't so bad that it won't keep fans of otakudom watching, and the show has just as many references as the original Comic Party did, so playing the spotting game is always an option.

I'll be completely honest though - this show could have been so much more. All the chopping and changing in the production schedule meant that there was simply no time for other options to be examined, so everything was simply thrown together and everyone hoped for the best. Strangely enough this has worked - and it hasn't. The viewer is able to see just how much potential the show had as either a rom-com, a slice of life comedy, or a zany, surrealist comedy (like Jungle wa Itsumo Hale Nochi Guu). If the director and studio had chosen any one of those paths, then CP Revolution would have been a much better show than it is, especially as the seeds of all three types of comedy are there within the series.

It seems as though the old adage "if it isn't broken, don't fix it" only exists for certain anime, and sadly, Comic Party Revolution isn't one of them. read more

Story: 8/10
World War 2 is going on, and Seita and his four-year-old sister Setsuko loose their mother to an air raid. Setsuko tries desperately to care for his younger sister, waiting for his father to return from war, but he is young and inexperienced, and is being forced into becoming a man way too soon.

Everything in it was serious and dramatic. It was very historically accurate, so much it was upsetting. I loved the relationship between brother and sister, but, it gets VERY depressing, and there’s nowhere to shift blame, it’s just plane sad. Somehow, it was beautiful in that way.

Animation: 7/10
The animation was unique, generally Shudio Ghibli gives each Movie of theirs a new look fitting to the story. This was no different, just not really, outstanding.

Music: 7/10
There was not a lot of music, but in a way it added when scenes were silent.

Voice Acting: (Sub) 8/10
I can’t accurately judge the Japanese voice actors as I don’t speak the language. I still thought they did a good job on all the characters though.

Characters: 7/10
There were very few characters aside from the brother and sister, but they were the ones that you got attached to.

Over-All: 8/10 (Very Good)
One of the saddest Movies I’ve ever seen, I saw it once, but I couldn’t bring myself to watch it again.

Link to Full Review: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/SpeedyAlchemistReviews/742926/ read more

Story: 6/10
Yukito, the traveling puppeteer, takes a train and arrives at a beach. He, unexpectedly runs into a young enthusiastic girl who has hopes of finishing her summer project, he gets drafted into it. And as time goes on, she falls in love with him, and he struggles with this from being used to being alone for so long.

The Movie has essentially the same story as the Anime Series, it’s a retelling. The big difference between the two is this focuses more on Yukito and Misuzu’s relationship, rather then starting as a friendship; it’s pretty quick into romance. I will say I preferred this Movie’s ending more then the Series’ ending; it was more meaningful and felt like it was at least sending a message. However, the scene with Misuzu and Haruko was not quite as touching.

Animation: 7/10
The animation is very nice, when it was there. There were times when the budget ran out so they used a black screen or a still frame. Too bad cause I think the Movie’s animation was significantly better then the Series’ animation.

Music: 8/10
The music is just as fluffy as I’d expect, with a lot of piano pieces, emotional like the movie.

Voice Acting: (Dub) 9/10
Now that all the characters that were not interesting are gone, the cast shrunk, that added a lot to the quality of the Dub. Monica Rial, Vic Mignogna, and Luci Christian are fantastic voice actors, and did a wonderful job on this.

Characters: 8/10
I liked the fact they took out all the unnecessary characters they had in the show; that was a big plus. Yukito Haruko and Misuzu are good characters, very likable.

Over-All: 6/10 (Fine)
It was a nice movie; I liked the romance and Hallmark-type drama.
Link to Full Review: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/SpeedyAlchemistReviews/742915/ read more

Hooray for boobies! Kanokon has returned to assault our senses and kill brain cells with its ridiculous story and characters. Chances are if you really liked the original then the boobs and fan service will be just more for you to love. Though if you hated it, then there is nothing here to make you change your mind.

The OVA retains the spirit of the original, as far as being a borderline hentai, however while the first series at least had a rudimentary storyline this has basically no plot at all. Most of the time specials and OVA's that spinoff a full series revolve around fan service and place the characters in echii situations. Though with the original being so extreme it’s hard to see how they could have taken it any farther. Nothing of substance ever has in the story though. There are absolutely zero plot or character developments from the original. A number of side stories do go on around the main characters and the one revolving around Akane and Tayura is more interesting than anything that happens between the key cast.

Chizuru continues her molestation/rape of the shota target Kouta. The "story" unfolds too solely to remove Chizuru's clothes or to have her rub Kouta's face between her boobs. Kouta is typically shocked and dismayed every time she "makes" him look at her naked body. Honestly why at this point he is even bothered by seeing her naked is probably the most unbelievable aspect of the series.

The only character that really stands out is Chizuru. I did find her pretty amusing most of the time. Though I still can’t really find any reason why she is so attracted to Kouta, but it is pretty amusing the way she has to fend off all of her rivals. Kouta remains as one of my most hated characters. This is mainly because he looks and acts like such a wimp. While this is not a shocking development in these kind of stories, he is so unmanly and looks like a small boy that it makes all the echii situations and romantic elements seem outright indecent and illegal.

Fans of Nozomu are likely to be disappointed with this show as her role is extremely small and she rarely even speaks. Considering she was the primary rival from the first series I thought this was pretty odd. On the bright side though she is naked for practically every one of her scenes. Fans of loli boobs rejoice! The remaining supporting cast is mostly forgettable and uninteresting with the exception of the aforementioned Akane and Tayura. I did like their little burgeoning romance together and it was probably the only thing believable and interesting thing to come out of the story.

The artwork and animation is overall pretty good. I would normally go higher for a score for this but the character design for Kouta is that annoying and frustrating for me that I just can’t give it any higher than I did. Besides our childlike lead, the rest of the characters are pretty cute and well drawn. Chizuru's measurements are a bit over the top and if you like big curvy girls then you’re probably going to enjoy Kanokon R's visuals.

Kanokon R does feature a very good seiyuu cast. They do the best they can to make this as watchable as it can possibly be with what they had to work with. The music is also a bright spot overall for the series.

If you totally loved the original Kanokon then you likely will want to watch this. Though if you were hoping for more developments in the story and the characters or even more fox spirit action, then you’re going to get nothing out of this. Those of you who hated the original are still going to hate this too. My recommendation is that you not waste your time.




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By the title of this anime, Rome x Juliet, you already know that this is a story about two people that fall in love, but it's different. There's soo much more and a whole new thought in this storyline. There's a reason behind everything!

The story was well written. It is a bit cheesy compared to Shakespears version. But I liked how there's more action and some fighting scenes. Also the fact that Romeo and Juliet are actually spending time together. It gives them an even more reason to want to be with each other. There's Romance, Tragedy, Drama, and Fantasy.

The opening theme( You Raise Me Up- by Lena Park) was beautifully sung and really set the mood. I really enjoy this song :] The ending theme (Cyclone- by 12012) wasn't that bad either.

Some of the characters might have been unnecessary, but in the end they played their part just fine. No one in this story stuck out more then the main characters, Romeo and Juliet. They did, however, help us understand the true warm-hearted personalities of these two lovers.

Overall I really enjoyed it. The entire story was well thought out, Love at First Sight, the Rose and Iris, Escalus, and the fact that it took place on a floating island. Like I said earlier, the story is somewhat like the original play. The falling in love and tragic fate, but the episodes aren't predictable. Each one has a shocking twist to it which is awesome because in the end it all ties together. Basically everything has a meaning to it. Definitely worth watching. read more

I found this anime alot like Fushigi Yuugi or Hanasakeru Seishonen. But it was extreemly interesting, has a good plot line and has good character developments. I would recomend this anime to anyone who liked Fushigi Yuugi.

it gave me a nice feeling, that Kurenai Shinkurou boy and Kuhouin Murasaki was somewhat the same, both cute, nice and sweet, i don't know how to say how i feel abot them, but i really liked both of them. The art was really good, and the writer had some really good ideas to add in the story, for characters. In some other anime's there are lots of characters that seems like they don't have their own life, just becouse they are not the main characters. i hate it, so i loved this anime for having that. Ah, but i don't really like things like yakuza , and fighting, and hings like this, so there was pieces that i didin'd enjoyed. but there also was one episode where I was laughing dead ;D . the sixth one , i guess. that was ossum!! And I really am thankfull for the writer that he added somethin like this, the anime needed it.
While watchin this anime i always knew how it'll end, but still wanted to watch further and further!! And i really don't have any regrets that I watched it.
Hope This review will be usefull to you, and you'l like the anime! read more

The moment I saw the few first scenes in the first episode, I was rather puzzled and bewildered with the seemingly abstract visual arts and random fan-services. Despite that, as the series progressed, I realized that this series is basically an experiment.

The way the animation goes, it reminds me of 'Serial Experiment Lain', although both series are not comparable in any sense. However, SHAFT obviously went through some difficulties in catching up with the airing dates. Many incomplete scenes are instead replaced with 'black cuts'. It is really a minus point and sometimes annoying, evidently in Episode 10.

Still, the strongest point of this series lies on the characters. Senjougahara has become my instant favorite. The way she anticipates everything with her utmost calmness and coolness (except at few very emotional moments) ensnares any guys who are looking for the inner beauty as well as the outer beauty. She might be labelled as 'tsundere', but she is the least bit unrealistic compared to any mainstream 'tsundere' characters outside there. Moreover, she has witty sharp tongue and plain sense of humour which never fails to bemuse and amuse me.

Our main protagonist, Ararararugi (sorry, I misspell), is my second favorite. He is quite wise and well-behaved for a typical harem guy. Unlike other harem guys, he is good at difficult subjects like maths (even though he nearly fails all other subjects) and still sticks to his family despite all troubles and decaying bonds. Nevertheless, the series has not revealed what stands behind that calm mask of his. He is an unlikely perfect match for Senjougahara.

Other characters, such as the lesbo athlete and ponytail ghost girl also warm up the lengthy dialogues and the relatively slow pace. While the planning of the arcs is not the best ever (some characters regretfully do not show in few arcs, notably Senjougahara), the plot is concluded nicely and very sweetly with a unconventional date between both protagonists. Thus, this story of exorcism and supernatural phenomena is wrapped up in an unlikely manner, a typical teenager romance, but still much better than most series.


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I voted everything a 4.

I gave it a 4 because this was pointless and don't eve waste your time watching it. This part is just in the anime and it beats me why I wasted 20 minutes watching something i've already seen in the anime. Some OVA.

In the anime and manga though this part gets a 10.

Bleach rocks, so i'll give it a 6.

When I finished it, my first idea was "WTF?!"
Story is simply cliche. A rich boy which is used to bully girls. Of course he is popular, pretty. A poor girl, which has to do a servant for him.
He is an arrogant jerk, she can't do anything, even if she is trying to beat him. And in the end... nah, I know I'm not supposed to write spoilers, but... honestly, in this story isn't any surprises, just a clear cliche so you probably know how it will finish.
And art... I watched it in terrible quality, but... when you compare it with... Seirei no Moribito, for example, so SnM will have 10 points and Mitsu x Mitsu Drops maybe 2 or 3.

I don't like it. Cliche, predictable, boring anime.
It's good, when you look for simple, stupid "romantic" story to kill some time. But if you want to see some quality, don't watch it. read more

Every once in awhile, I stumble across an anime which manages to surprise me. Knowing nothing about what I'm going to watch in advance, I start viewing, ending up with this rare sense of...joy; as if I've unearthed a buried treasure. Whilst watching this OVA, based on the work of Osamu Tezuka, I ended up feeling this way.

I'm not experienced with Tezuka’s work. So far, I've only watched three or so anime adaptations of his numerous manga titles. However, going on what I've read, this OVA is darker, and far more realistic in its approach than the source material. The character designs, for example, are said to have been altered from cartoonish to a grittier style. But, in the end, different or not, I doubt it'll matter to most reading this; most, like myself, not knowing a lot about it prior to viewing.

:: Story :: -- 9/10

The story is about a man known by the name of 'Black Jack'. He's an unlicensed doctor, said to be the best in the world, who will do almost any job asked of him... for a price. With a black cape he keeps wrapped around himself even in the heat of the desert, he travels the world, being paid crazy amounts of money to find the cure for various diseases and illnesses that normal doctors can find no remedy for. No-one knows much about him, only a basic description: he has a surgical scar on his face, a mixture of black and white hair and, as his name suggests, he wears black.

The best way for me to explain the series to someone totally in the dark is to use Mushishi; a very popular, totally episodic title, with very little development for its lead and few recurring characters. Like the lead of Mushishi, Black Jack is always on the move, attempting solve mysteries in order to save the lives of his patients. Each episode focuses on a different problem, and Black Jack often finds himself in a race against time to save lives. There's isn't much in the way of greenery, the stories mostly taking place inside towns, and there isn't any relaxing music that soothes the soul, but the basic premise of both titles are very, very similar. There are even a number of supernatural cases included, meaning there's no realism/supernatural divide separating the two. Black Jack does try to stick closer to reality, with its lead using the power of science rather than information about supernatural life-forms, though.

In the first half, the focus is heavily on realism. There's a story involving the effects drugs have on people and how they destroy lives; there's a story about a clearly-not-renamed-version-of-America attempting to re-capture the leader of a smaller nation out of greed; there's a story about an actress being unable to eat, edging ever closer to starvation and, finally, there's a story about a young man trying to uncover the mystery behind his dreams, which result in him having spasms and bleeding from an old bullet wound. The first episode involves a supernatural illness, but the majority of the content in episodes 2-5 doesn’t stray too far from what can be viewed as believable.

However, the second half differs greatly, and it came close to making me lower my rating slightly. I won't go through them all, but one episode I can use as an example is the sixth. It involves a box full of money arriving two years late at the residence of Black Jack and a rather bizarre dream sequence playing out, where Black Jack goes back in time and has to try to figure out why a princess is suffering as if a serpent is wrapped around her, with her also going into rages where she attacks others. After what came before, it struck me as being out of place, although the later episodes made it fit in better. Honestly, I didn't get as much enjoyment out of episodes 6-9 as I did out of 1-5, and only the moving and very involving final episode about a 'mermaid' compares to the earlier episodes in my mind.

I wouldn't go as far as to say Black Jack is a tale of two halves. The second half did have some interesting episodes, nearly all of them being entertaining, and the final episode allowed the series to end on a high. I will, however, say that, depending on if you enjoy realistic or supernatural elements more, you'll probably end up preferring one half of the series over the other.

:: Characterization :: -- 8.5/10

The characterization is the main plus or negative, depending on your perspective, though. Black Jack, and his youthful looking and immature assistant, Pinoko, receive no real development throughout the series. Black Jack always attempts to distance himself emotionally from his patients and, while he does sometimes end up becoming close with a number of the females involved in each story (even sleeping in the same bed as one of them), the relationships never advance to a point where you learn more about Black Jack. He's quiet, he's kinder than his the fees he asks for suggests and he's a God with a scalpel - that's all you'll ever learn about him from this OVA. Nothing is shown of his past, and you aren't even told why he lives with the ever colourful Pinoko; a character that wasn't needed and often got in the way with her light-hearted scenes, especially in the last half.

The flipside of this coin is that all of the main characters in each of the stories get fleshed out significantly. More often than not, I was able to sympathize with their struggles... or, at the very least, I was able to understand enough to care. Using the characterization in episode four as an example, a woman was shown to gradually deteriorate until she was close to being a skeleton. From time to time, she dreamed about her childhood days spent with her friend; when they both shared childish dreams. As she neared death, despite her will to live, she wanted her pain to end, and to 'see' her friend once again. Because of the slow pacing and powerful images shown, it was impossible for me not to become emotionally involved, and I felt similarly about a number of the other characters.

While I would've loved to learn more about Black Jack and Pinoko, I don't think it damaged what is a totally episodic title. If anything, knowing little about Black Jack made him more of an enigma; adding to his appeal.

:: Art / Animation + Sound :: -- 7/10 & 6/10

By far, the visuals and sound are the most disappointing aspects of the series. I like the gritty art style, I like the detailed and bloody surgery scenes, I like the dull colour usage and the voice acting is perfectly acceptable. The problems lie with the animation and soundtrack. There's very little animation of note included, sometimes still-shots being used. The openings and endings are both very disappointing, the opening in particular because it flashes between poor quality (video) artwork for around three minutes. And the soundtrack is totally unmemorable, me not even noticing when there wasn't any music during the many parts with only voice acting and sound effects. While far from horrible, this isn't something to go into for eye and ear pleasing material.

:: Overall :: -- 8.5/10-9/10

To sum it up, Black Jack is an excellent, slightly under-rated and VERY under-watched anime. I highly recommend it to fans of Mushishi's story-telling style, or to anyone looking for something not reliant on moe to appeal. Without wanting to sound pretentious, Black Jack is an anime aimed at adults; aimed at those who can look underneath and appreciate stories not needing to be pushed along with constant, attention grabbing plot twists. Unless you believe you need 2000+ flashiness, do yourself a favour and look back in time; you never know, you might just see what I saw when I watched it. read more