Recent Reviews

Bento now i have to say im one of those people who dont really put to much thought into ratings infact if you look at my list they are all practically 7+ so i wouldnt pay to much mind to my ratings of this anime either but lets get to the actual explaining :P

Now the story, first of all i thought "oh a fight over bento's? eh sounds lame" but once you really get into it and once they start explaining the rules, the pig's and dogs' and wolves of the story really just get you hooked in and makes you think "oh damn how much fun would that be?"

It really is an outstanding story with a bit of school love and i mean a bit not much at all, lots of fighting but the real enjoyment comes out from what goes on between the wolves, pigs and dogs. If it didnt have those things it would certainly be alright yeah but not outstanding!

The art well i dont really have any complaints about it, it was above average and good all round. Though someone might be able to point out the flaws of the art i dont really care much for the art as long as it isnt stick figures and they bother putting the effort in to make things look realistic isnt that all that matters?

Well same with sound it was very good and quite interesting at times, the fight music and all, quite interesting choices made and some i didnt get the point of which occurs in an episode it practically is something that only occurs that one time and for only a few seconds but i guess its just to make out that she doesnt want the other person to see it.

The characters were interesting and the 'Ice witch' and 'Pervert' were certainly my favourite characters im sure if you watch it you'll figure out who they are (im been vague to prevent spoiling things) The Ice witch because shes powerful and quite knowlegdable about the art of 'Bento Wars' or Bento Royals' whichever, or what ever you wanna call them, in the end it doesnt matter, anyways how she helps 'pervert' to become a wolf and teach him the difference between wolves, pigs and dogs. Though he learns from other characters in the story like 'brunette' and 'monk' oh and 'goatee' as well.

The 'pervert' is interesting because he seems to be quite unlucky and its funny on how things end up, it really is just hilarious watching what bad luck occurs to him, XD. How he likes the ice witch is also quite interesting. And then there is the 'bento gods' cant remember the actual term so ill use a title of one as an example "The Oil god" but the one of the Ralph store seems to attract his attention as well! XD even the cliche' pool scene has the added fervor of his bad luck and the bento royal!

I truly enjoyed this anime its one of those that you have to watch from start to finish to truly love which isnt hard since its 12 episodes long, but even if you dont watch start to finish its certainly is an awesome anime to get into.

Though alot of animes out there have comedy and action this really just takes the cake the 'cliche' pool scene i mentioned earlier also has a very funny bento there and i have to say you have GOT to watch it to learn it, as it would be a massive unfortunate spoiler if i did here in this review.

Well overall a grand anime, and one of my favourite 12 episode animes. Its just not long enough to be one of my top favourite animes as im one of those guys who get attached and wanna see MORE! but not to much if they have 38 more episodes i would be so happy but i guess it would be alot less action packed if it did. Only boon of short animes more going on.

Since im babbling on in a review it will probably be ignored but ive written this much and not discarding it.

I recommend this anime to those who like action packed funny animes and dont care to much for it been a relatively short anime compared to some out there. And dont mind a tiny amount of "Senpai is all i need" think thats what he says XD well you gotta watch this anime just WATCH IT!! read more

This is the best manga I've read so far..
It's IMPOSSIBLE to find these characters in reality, specially Suwa Daisuke. The guy's fit for a god, the story starts like a typical shoujo manga, but becomes extremely mature further on.
Plus it's kind of a depressing sometimes, coz every time there's some kind of a tragedy in every corner. However it's a must-read for every manga fan..

This is an amazing anime. You know how when someone's reading a really good book and they describe the book as "unputdownable" well the same concept goes to Ghost Hunt. You just can't stop watching it once you've started.

Story: 10/10
I actually thought it was quite a unique anime. It was the first horror/thriller anime that I watched and it got me hooked on that genre. I really liked the whole ESP references and they way they solved the cases. It makes the whole series almost realistic to the point where you think; "What if something like this really does exist" and it creeps you out a bit or even scares you. Which is the whole point and I believe this anime deserves a pat on the back for a job well done! It can also spark your interest with the whole psychic concept which is really quite interesting. AND not only is Ghost Hunt thrilling and scary it's also quite funny! So a round of applause for merging those two together!

Art: 10/10
The art is also unique in it's own way. The art is a bit more the realistic side than to the animated side which is good for a horror/thriller genre anime since it's main purpose is to seem real enough to creep out the viewers or even frighten them a bit. I think the artist did a good job with art in this anime and deserves a pat on the back! :)

Sound: 10/10
I gave the sound aspect a 10. Why? BECAUSE THE SOUND EFFECTS ARE JUST TOO SCARY. Plus I really liked the opening song as well as the ending song. The music used for them were beautiful! The sound effects used for the thrilling parts of the anime honestly made me jump or hide under my blanket. Sometimes I even had to pause it for a while to calm down. Lol, maybe that's just me being a total scaredy-cat but ah well.

Character: 10/10
The characters fit in together so perfectly. So there's the brains/leader (Naru), the medium (Masako), the priest (John), the fail priestess (Ayako (Although there is a running gag that Ayako is a failure at being a priestess so she does nothing but run errands)), the monk (Bou-san), the onmyouji (Lin) and the psychic (Mai). They're the perfect ghost hunting team.

Enjoyment: 10/10
VERY VERY ENJOYABLE, INDEED! It's a really awesome anime that just really kind of blows your mind! Most of the cases are really scary and it keeps you hooked on til the end. And when you reach the end, you're left wanting more. It's not hard to re-watch the series cos it's extremely enjoyable!

Therefore an overall of 10/10 is given to this anime and it deserves it! :D read more

I was searching for a psychological manga, when i stumbled on this one, accidentally.
and the 1st 3 pages grasped me enough to read more. I think the writer tries to give the picture about how children are harassed and bullied by others, unconditionally. The artwork is absolutely superb and the story is very unique. The character development takes place in a contrasting fashion, like in a typical school how when some children smile like if nothing's happened while some are hurting and are being ignored on the outside..
I think the manga is moral itself to the world.

Naruto: Honoo no Chuunin Shiken (Naruto: Chuunin Exam of Fire) Naruto vs Konohamaru!! is a small episode set somewhere between the Fourth Ninja war and the Five Kage Summit arcs.

The story is simple, to recruit more capable warriors for the Ninja War they start a Chuunin exam or so they say. As a 13 and a half minute episode (I think they did that so they have a 1337 episode) consists mostly of Konohamaru fighting Naruto for advancing in the Chuunin exams .

I gave up on Naruto: Shippuuden some time ago because I didn't want to wait for every new episode coming out and I generally lost interest in Shounen type of anime. The only reason I watched this because it was only 14-ish min. long and it looked interesting.

The fight itself is pretty good with Naruto being the obvious favourite and Konohamaru the underdog, which was the same situation in the original Naruto with the Chuunin exams. The conclusion is a bit anti-climatic, but not that this was going anywhere for a story anyway.

One of the problems I had were that they laughed and were happy as they blew each other up, but I guess that is how I look at it now I don't enjoy Naruto as much as I used to do.

Animation-wise it did a good job, but as expected from the most popular anime in Japan, it probably gets a gigantic budget and can invest a lot in art & animation.

The biggest problem I have is with ending theme, it's really slow for an action anime like Naruto and didn't suit the theme of the OVA neither.

As characters the only change occurs as Konohamaru gets a "resolve boost' and manages to land a hit on Naruto, further it's a 14 minute OVA what do expect?

Had some enjoyment watching this from the fight, but that is all as well.

So if you are big Naruto fan watch it you will probably enjoy, if you are not feel free to leave this one alone.

Life lesson learnt: Making the other person cheat is also considered winning. read more

Yumeiro Patissiere. It's not exactly the most orginal storyline nor is it really that outstanding when you look at the plot. You may think; "Oh, just another typical anime" but let me tell you this, you've got that wrong. Okay, so the storyline might be a bit cliche. Okay, it's a bit girly and childish with fairies and magic and the main character always winning the competitions but honestly it's hard to stop when you start watching it and you can never get tired of watching it!

Story: 8/10

Like I said earlier, it's not exactly the best storyline but it has it's perks! It gets really interesting as the series progress. Just got to have some patience! Also, keep in mind that this anime targets children viewers, not adults therefore they need to keep the storyline simple so children don't have a hard time following.

Art: 9/10

The art is awesome! It's fluent and well drawn. It brings out the childishness of the audience and keep in mind the targeted age group are children so it fits.

Characters: 8/10

Most characters do develop in the course of the series with their personal backgrounds revealed and personalities clearly portrayed. Although, I would've liked to see Makoto-kun's feelings for Ichigo develop more. I wanted Makoto to show his love for Ichigo more! I wanted romanceee (kyaa~) But yeah, it's a kids show so i'll cut it some slack :)

Enjoyment: 10/10

I absolutely enjoyed it! It was funny, cute and the I was really in to the baking and the making of sweets! I loved almost everything about the anime and I can't stop re-watching! I truly enjoyed this anime 100%!

Overall, I gave this anime 10/10 because not even the lack of unique-ness of the storyline can make me unlike it. I might have re-watched this anime more than 10 times. It's just really that enjoyable. Plus, it made me want to eat sweets and learn to make them! GAVE ME INSPIRATION! So definitely 10/10 overall :)
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After getting a recommendation to watch this anime from a few people, I planned on it. From the default picture, it just looks like a regular anime. Nothing special, right? But it is. You find out parts of yourself you've never found before in this anime. I would have never thought I would fall in love with something so simplistic as this. I'll have to say I judged a book by it's cover. Before you try to throw this anime away, watch one episode first.

Story? 10/10.
At first, Kuronuma is outsider in the school. Everyone thinks she can see ghosts and summon spirits, but she's just an ordinary girl. She means a boy named Kazehaya, and he changes her life completely. It may sound regular, but it's totally different from what you're thinking. She never smiles at all, and she's never had real friends, but it was fate that they met.

Art? 10/10.
This is one of the things that drew me away from the anime at first. I looked at the default picture and went, "Ew, this totally isn't kawaii," since it's different from what I usually watch. As the story progressed, I fell more and more in love with this type of art. I suggest that everyone give it a try. It's similar to One Piece.

Sound? 10/10.
I absolutely loved the ending song for Kimi ni Todoke. It's the best in an anime I've seen probably. The lyrics fit the song perfectly, as well as the sound. I enjoyed listening to the ending every time the anime ended.

Character? 9/10.
The only reason this doesn't have a 10, is because I simply didn't like the misunderstandings that floated around in the story. It pissed me off quite a bit as well when Kanami did what she did, but you'll have to watch and see. Conflicts make the story grow, right?

Enjoyment? 9/10.
I really enjoyed this anime. It made me laugh, cry, smile, and fall in love with all of the characters. Anime like this deserve an award. Slice of Life is my favorite genre of anime, and things like this is why. You'll surely fall in love with this anime.

Overall? 10/10.
I'm not over exaggerating when I say this anime was on the verge of being perfect. Other people might love the conflicts and misunderstandings, but it ruined the mood for me. That being said, the heart felt parts were the best. Everyone who's watched this anime knows how it feels to be Kuronuma, and how it feels to be hurt. They also know the want to be loved and have friends. It's a great feeling when you're happy, and this is exactly the anime that gives you happiness. read more

I'm not one to write long reviews. Personally I really liked the anime overall, despite of the few story plot holes (which mostly every anime has) it was still very entertaining. The BGM's were amazingly chosen and made up for some of the short but epic scenes. The art was awesome o.o one of the best I've seen so far. I really don't understand why so many people are hating on the anime, perhaps the hype of how epic the anime was suppose to be didn't quite fit but nevertheless it was STILL a outstanding anime.

i first heard of my beloved hetalia when my cousin showed me the manga. i read the first few pages and closed the book and stared at it weirdly. but then i began to see the animated episodes when i bought it and well i loved it. Its funny and very entertaining! i recommend it to anyone who loves really funny things and accents!

Thus far AO has held up to my expectations for standard set by its predecessor.

As usual from Bones the animation quality is top notch, with a little CGI slapped on the side in the usual places in the cockpits. The series starts off slow in the first episode but quickly picks up to a fast paced and well choreographed action scenes that have thus far managed to keep me on the edge of my seat. There always seems to be a "oh, and just one more thing!" moment in all of the fights that I didn't see coming.

Bones does well and doesn't let up even for a second, even with green streams flying across the screen. All episodes so far have kept up appearances with a lot of help from the music which is simply to say... astounding. The sound atmosphere that's created by the combination of guitars, drums and orchestral instruments creates an amazingly cheerful and eerie atmosphere throughout. For once we get to see larger parts of the E7 universe while still managing to keep focus on the characters oh so well. Bones have pulled it off again, even giving an amazing personality to an AI with very little screen time.

I have no doubt that the combination of an astounding main cast, amazing atmosphere created by the brilliant animation and amazing sound, characters that are deep at face value and the ever-expanding E7 universe will keep me screaming for more every week.

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This Anime..ugh i just dont know whats the deal with it.
You had lots of Build up, through the whole Franchise and the OVA and the TV Series just doesnt deliever right.

I apologize for spelling, Syntax and other mistakes, since english isnt my first language. Tried my best writing down my feelings about this Anime, after just finishing it.

Story: 4
Regarding all the other bad Reviews to this Anime, I wont go into detail in this category. We all know the Writer of this. If not, look up his other works. This Guys writing is terrible and goes for Style-over-Substance. But since the bad CGI, it did also fail in that regard. For Short: It was a complete mess. The Story was just all over the Place, and made NO Sense in the End.

Art: 5
I LOVED The Art... in the OVA. Obviously, the TV Show didnt have that much budget to deliever the same style in the same Quality. So I expected it to be slightly worse. And it was, and it didnt bug me. What pissed me off was the CGI. This fucking CGI. Why does this exist? Why do Anime think it looks good? It doesnt. Especially not here. It made the Fight Sequences hard to look at, and destroyed so much of the Appeal of this Otherworld.

Sound: 7
It was good enough. The Score and Actors were fine. The Problem here lies in the Opening and Ending. You remember the Song "Black Rock Shooter" from Supercell? I loved that Song! One of the Reasons why Miku and BRS got so Famous. Guess what they did? they used it as Opening. That IS a good Idea. What WASNT a good Idea was to REWORK the Song. They changed it. My guess is, that they thought that rerecording the Song with the new Miku Append would make it better. Guess what: It sounds horrible now. And im serious. Listen to it. Its so much worse then the older Version. Aso the Ending: Terrible Vocals. Boring. Just...no.

Characters: 5
Bland and simple Characters, getting unimportant after defeating them. Thats all i have to say. They DO keep them in the Show. But yeah..they are just there so the Camera can focus them for 2 seconds in every Episode. And its the same as i said in "Story": Motivations, Background, nothing here makes sense. The Other-World-Character Design is great, but the Show itself should not be credited for that. Except for one: The Deadmaster. What the hell did they do with her? They changed her Looks so much, they made her unappealing, boring and fucked up the great Design she had Before. WHY? Oh, i know why. Because shes was not fucking important.

Enjoyment: 6
As said, you WILL be sucked into the first few Episodes and slapped in the Face in the Last 2. Great Premise. Really. The Fightscenes are great, except them being in CGI. The Drama looks interesting at the beginning. But the End is just this BIG letdown.

Makes an Overall of 6. It IS watchable. But do not expect anything. Just dont.
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Usogui- A manga which I believe truly lacks recognition.

Story (7): The story which mostly focuses on the main character (Bak Madarame) dealing with different types of gambles which reflects just how much of the genius he is.It wasn't really the first in its category but it certainly had a lot of unique aspects such as a range of different types of gamble games which have been explained simply but you can understand enough for you to grab hold of it. Another thing I enjoyed about the story is that it introduces few new characters throughout to balance the tension and show the thoughts of the game.

Art (8): The thing I enjoyed about the manga quite a lot was definitely the art. It really focuses on showing the characters expressions and their feelings through it which you can't seize to admire. The art also makes those few fighting scenes really stand out because of its extraordinary detail. There were some flaws such as lack of detail on some parts which didn't have much influence but that would just probably count as me trying hard to find flaws for it.

Characters (9): The best thing about this manga for me was most likely the characters, well one in particular. The main character isn't you're typical type of guy who has a lot of worries for the decisions he makes or usually is to scared to do anything about anything. This character really doesn't have any fear in near death situations, what he feels from them is probably just sheer excitement. His mentality works well even in the most dangerous situations. Bak is also made so that he can come across as different type of guy which ever you want. If you want him to be evil there are quite a lot of scenes which illustrate him being that but there are a lot of scenes where he is shown to care for others.

Enjoyment (8): There isn't much I can say in terms of enjoyment. This manga should be read if you still haven't read it because it might be a different style than something which you usually would be reading. There are quite a lot of enjoyable scenes for different types of people out there so the manga should appeal to quite a big audience.

Overall (8): Overall I have no regrets reading this manga and it really wasn't a waste of time even if it did take me quite a while to read through those chapters. Hope you read this and create a positive opinion about this manga.
Taka read more

I dont like the story so much I dont think its special

the art is so great

the characters are fine

the enjoyment I give him 9

which make the overall 8 ^^ (7.5)

5 Centimeters Per Seconds is an anime film which is divided inthree small parts. The main story revloves around Tohno Takaki and Shinohara Akari, two best friends who are fallen in love with each other. The story tells how they are trying to keep in contact but year by year they are getting further from each other. This anime film has outstanding drawing which left me a big impression because you can't find this high level of drawing in any other anime. The story is really good because deeply respresent real life and feelings for people. I think those who are watching anime which is good anime should definitely see this one too.

ReiZona read more

History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi is an anime about Kenichi; a pathetic high school boys with the nickname Weak-Legs. That is all untill he meets a girl named Furinji Miu, an expert in martial arts and slowly Kenichi's life gets dragged in the world of martial arts and finds himself getting stronger.

To be honest the story is typically shounen and in this case it's not a bad thing. The big evil organization, the rivals/enemies which appear one after another and that some of them slightly turn to the protagonists's side as the story progresses is all shounen to its fullest. I truly think that the creator uses a typical shounen anime with nothing attached and that it has a good result.

The most amazing thing about the anime is Kenichi's progression as a martial artist he slowly learns skills and gets under-confident, overconfident and has a lot of different states as he progresses.

The action of the series obviously includes martial arts and all forms of it like: boxing, karate, Chinese martial arts and many more. Our protagonist also combines all these styles to create his own. Since this is a shounen anime he wins with his "willpower, resolve or endurance" however you want to call it, but just because it has this doesn't mean the fights are boring and it also is not like he wins everything, he loses gets depressed trains and becomes stronger. That's probably one of the more entertaining parts of this anime.

The one bad about the Story is, I was a bit disappointed with was the pace of the anime it was way too slow and the plot progress was on par with a snail. He gets stuck fighting his first rival for two episodes, which could have been easily done in ten minutes. With 50 episodes of airtime it could have reached more deeply of where the manga is now and with the new OVA released a lot of talk is going whether the anime is going to have a 2nd season.

The art is decent and very old school, nothing special or ground-breaking (for 2006-2007). I do think some of the character designs were a bit bad though, like Miu's hair antenna and Shigure's eyebrows (seriously why would you want to walk around like that?)

Animation wise this anime is very good, all the skills the characters use seem very realistic and no weird skipping around. From a typical shounen all characters have the six colours of rainbow hair.

The anime has in total two opening themes and five ending themes, but none of them were exceptionally good, nothing keeps lingering in your mind wanting to listen it again at least for me. The seiyuu all are very experienced and suit their characters well.

When talking about the characters in this anime there are a lot of good points and a few bad ones as well.

The bad points are a lot of the "masters" who trained Kenichi didn't actually do anything besides that,

The good points are the amazing character development and the variety of strong personalties in this sea of characters and the characters and their base as well

I enjoyed this anime quite a lot because of its great character development and amazing, realistic fights.

So if you are looking for a martial arts anime with great characters History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi is the anime for you.

Life lesson learnt: When having started something you need to see it to the end as well. read more

Animation & sound, well executed. Plotwise, it was horrible.
Admittedly, I derived my entertainment from the scrambling to keep it PG while leaving enough Freudian material to keep adults amused.

Some say that there can be no sequel as good as they original and the E7 Astral Ocean is proof of that.
I can understand the need to attract young ages but the new E7AO compared to the original E7 is what the new Gundam AGE is compared to Gundam SEED/00 and what the new Aquarion EVOL is compared to the original Aquarion.
The characters of E7AO have no depth, there's almost zero emotion coming from the series (neither laughter nor sorrow), the entire storyline makes little sense compared to what happened with the original and there are countless unanswered questions.
Bottom line it's just good but it will never reach the original. read more

kanchigai musume to buchigire ouji is quite a long boring name, ne?
but, like they say, don't judge a BOOK by it's cover, or by it's TITLE .

KMTB (the title for short) is a oneshot created by one of my favorite mangaka, saki shiumi-sensei.
she have made a beautiful, lovely oneshot with pure romance. predictable, but not too rushed. the first story is quite entertaining , and the best between the three chapters at the moment. i'm still waiting for the last and final chapter to determine whether the first really is the best. the second chapter was also great, but i can't surpass the first one. the third chapter is nice, but the first and second ones are better. is it in descending order? =DD

the artwork is great, and it really fits my standards. the guy is cool, and i could classify it a "bishounen" according to my own tastes and preferences.
shiumi saki's works are also amusing with the cool and refreshing artworks along with it's great storytelling. her works will definitely be a satisfaction to all shoujo readers like me.

i've enjoyed the available chapters fair and square, and i'm still waiting for the last one to be released. i definitely recommend this oneshot to all those who likes romantic shoujo lovers who have not much free time in their hands. read more

Have you ever wondered what would happen to a banana if it were placed in a time travelling microwave? Neither have I, but Steins;Gate plays with this arbitrary idea along with a few other alluring what-ifs on the subject of time travel. Based on the visual novel of the same name, this 24-episode television adaptation is something of a science-fiction thriller topped with a welcome quantity of humour – as it’s come to be expected in most anime series nowadays. It comes as an odd realisation that an industry as creative and inventive as the one of Japanese animation would have such few attempts at delving in the ever puzzling and intriguing topic of time manipulation to showcase for. Sure, plenty of series have toyed with the theme in one way or another, and the recent The Girl Who Leapt Through Time made exemplary use of the concept in what turned out to be an appropriately casual but memorable feature length piece, but most would-be examples preferred to cast time travel off in the supporting role rather than making it the star of the show.

In Steins;Gate, however, time travel makes for the quintessential leading man. It’s as much of a character in the story as our accidental heroes: a group of individuals with colliding personalities gathered together by Okabe Rintarou (although he would prefer to be called Hououin Kyouma), a self-professed ‘mad scientist’ who’s always on the lookout to increase the budget of his small apartment laboratory and come up with new and strangely-named ‘future gadgets’ – as he refers to them. Okabe’s bunch is a scarce one at first, made up entirely of him, the slightly chubby and not so slightly sexually perverted Daru, and lovable airhead Shiina Mayuri. Daru handles all things related to computer tech, Mayuri provides light entertainment and some funds when the laboratory demands so, and Okabe strolls around entranced in his countless conspiracy theories (much to our amusement).

Things start off with Okabe witnessing the murder of a talented young researcher by the name of Makise Kurisu while attending a conference on time travel. His sending of a text message regarding the incident to lab partner Daru triggers a change in the recent past, causing among other things the deceased Makise to be alive and well, much to Okabe’s astonishment. Once the crew realise that the microwave gadget in the lab is capable of time travel, they start experimenting with it, discovering more and more details of this bizarre phenomenon as time goes on – or rather backwards in this case.

There’s a fine story at play here, and the dynamic between the various characters – superior to that in most other shows in recent years – makes for engaging episodes. As with pretty much every other piece of fiction on the subject of time travel, suspension of belief is more or less required if one is to follow the story without screaming for plot holes every five minutes, but Steins;Gate is remarkably watertight in that respect (as watertight as time travel can get anyway). The adventures of Okabe and co. are plausible enough so as not to warrant any confusion or unnecessary scepticism on the viewer’s part, and time travel is portrayed in a relatively logical and easily understandable fashion.

Getting back to the characters Steins;Gate boasts an ensemble that rises above the copy and paste of a considerably large amount of today’s anime series. Surprisingly enough, what gives Steins;Gate this advantage is not the fact that the characters here are unique or anything of the kind, but rather that the characters contain a certain something that sets them apart from the prototype. Okabe undoubtedly shares the traits of the model protagonist, being the most important and crucial piece in the narrative chess game, but he’s oddly enough also used as the primary comic relief of the show. Now, there’s a dangerous line one is walking when deciding to blend hero and jester in a single mix, and often the consequences of not playing the card right far outweigh the benefits of getting the ace in the hole, but the dramatis persona of Okabe is done so well – whether by intention or pure accident – that in a couple of years, prompted by the kick-in of nostalgia, people will be looking back and saying: ‘Now that was a good leading character.’

It’s not merely Okabe that stands out in this manner, though, but the rest of the bunch as well. Mayuri’s kawaii adequately represents the calm before the storm, contrasting the ‘darker’ turn of events that comes to fruition later on in the narrative journey – during which the character is also given a neat little twist which loosens up her cardboard shackles. Daru remains pretty constant throughout, though his lewd ways generate some delightfully amusing moments thanks to the clever dialogue, and latter developments in the plot push him towards three-dimensionality and consequently help him keep up with the rest of the band (insert weight joke here). Then there’s Makise Kurisu: a tsundere by all accounts of the definition, but far more tolerable in that regard than most of her kinsfolk, and quite a competent love interest as well. The romance subplot involving the relationship between her and Okabe never gets in the way of the main narrative but it never drifts off to the side either; in other words, it is thoroughly well-done and appropriately sweet.

There’s a reason for mentioning the turn of events in the previous paragraph. Despite its seemingly cheerful nature, Steins;Gate is not entirely untainted by a figurative dark side. In fact, the tone alters a good deal throughout its telling of the story, and hints of this change of heart are given as early on as the very first episode. However, whether this transformation causes an occurrence of welcome balance or displeasing distortion in the temper of the series or whether it hits or misses its targeted purpose is more up to the individual viewer to decide rather than being the task of a unanimous collective.

Unlike its impressive storyline or its striking characters, Steins;Gate isn’t particularly distinctive in terms of its visual aesthetics. Aside from some noteworthy character design – especially noticeable in the various and creative close-ups of Okabe – and an interesting choice of colour palette, there’s little to distinguish the series from today’s model of shows. It’s basically a template dipped – moderately, not entirely – in a bucket of neutral colours. In other words, Steins;Gate shows a clear affinity for patterns of white, gray, and black, which is ultimately the only thing that gives the show somewhat of a visual signature. One of the greatest weaknesses is found behind the curtain, in the background and scenery department. While the imagery works well enough in interior locations such as the laboratory, there are a few stumbles when it comes to the outsides.

The title sequence encapsulates the essence of the series rather well, delivering an eye-catching journey themed around time and all its musings. All the while Itou Kanako’s ‘Hacking to the Gate’ plays in the background – a resounding tune fuelled by a powerful chorus that empowers the rapidly shifting images on the screen. The closing credits aren’t as stirring, but the concluding piano track is effective enough to provide a gratifying final touch to each episode.

Steins;Gate may not be the be-all and end-all of anime time travelling, but it’s certainly an above average exercise in more than one respect. Benefitting from all-around superior writing and a smoothly told story with characters that draw in, drama that manages to capture, and comedy that produces laughter and grins, it’s hard to consider the series as anything other than a success. It’s safe to say that no one will want to go back in time and warn their past selves to avoid this show after giving it run through. read more

stand up!!!! (with a seriously plenty amount of exclamation points) is a somewhat mystery-type of romantic shoujo manga created by kumagai kyoko.

the story centers around four main protagonists namely : hinako, makoto, yuki and yoshi, the four of them are childhood friends. the story is basically around those four solving mysteries together , and some of them are requests from other students. the principal can also be a point of interest. he looks just like lory takada from skip beat (the mustache, the hair, and even his horse! (which is something like a decoration to add mysterious effect on his character xD) ).

the art is simply cute and shoujo-sh, but not really my type. kumagai kyoko has improved a little bit with her art and screentoning skills. the guys are cool and goodlooking, but not fit in my standards (except for makoto. yeah, he's short but hot *^*). all the other boys are just extras in my opinion, and are not given much appeal and attention on the outside appearance , and are not given the chance to be chosen (and Favorited xD) .


the latest chapter is really intriguing and attention-catching, especially the very last page. if you're curious on what it is, better start reading it . you'll find yourself at the ends of your seat, with the "what will happen next" question in mind. =) read more