Recent Reviews

Umineko no Naku Koro ni is a mystery with no intrigue, a romance with no soul, and a story with some of the most uninteresting characters and appalling plot twists ever created. Not since Hannibal Rising have I been so shocked by such a putrid sequel (or spiritual successor here, I suppose) to one of my favorite series. Perhaps Higurashi was just a fluke, since Kai was markedly worse and Rei was just straight-up bad. Beginner's luck, I suppose.

Let's start with the story. "Story." Haha, you're killin' me! It starts out promisingly enough; the Ushiromiya family arrives on Rokkenjima for a family meeting, and things go very bad very fast. A few episodes of terrible animation, retarded boob jokes, creepy laughs, and mysterious yet violent incidents later, the entire family ends up dead. Sound familiar? It's not as solid as Higurashi, but expectations run high.

And then we meet Beatrice.

The unconventional but wholly intriguing "tea party" happens. Viewers everywhere are pumped up for the next arc. "This is going to be amazing!" I remember thinking. How wrong I was.

I knew from the moment the ambiguously gay Dickens-esque urchin child randomly sprouted a laser sword with which to fight off a bunch of goat-men that things were about to go downhill. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. From this point on, the plot-points become increasingly more stupid; so much so that you'll be actively wondering what the hell everyone was smoking when they green-lighted this catastrophe.

The mystery also completely falls off at this point in favor of inane magic fights, the worst "torture" (and I use this term VERY loosely) scenes ever put on video, and one of the most contrived and possibly most idiotic romance sub-plots I've ever seen in an anime series. This garbage is so rancid that I had to drop it after 16 episodes (though I did skim the rest to see what I was missing, which almost made me puke in disgust).

Next, let's talk about the characters. After all, you can't have a good story without good characters, and the characters in Umineko are about as good as the story. Meaning? They're horrendous. There are so many characters it's hard to keep track of them all. Not that it matters, as their "development" (another term I use loosely) is outclassed by the likes of Italian Spiderman and perhaps even Ninja Gaiden 2. It seems throughout much of the series that their only purpose in life is to die. This raises some thoughts of Existentialism. No, I don't mean that the philosophy is present in the anime itself, I mean that Umineko is so bad it makes me want to kill myself.

Worse still are the characters introduced midway through the series. The Siestas and the Seven Stakes Of Purgatory would merely be a bad idea in any other anime, but here they're just vomit-inducing. One of this series' crowning moments of awful is the synapse-destroying scene in which the bunny girls (the former party mentioned in this paragraph) shoot one of the family members with their magic bow, a dramatic and completely-intended-to-be-serious moment in which DEEN felt like it was a good idea to parody The Terminator. My face damn near smashed my keyboard in half at this point while my accomplice with whom I watched this monstrosity proceeded to vomit on my shoes. They were pretty nice shoes, too. Fuck you, Umineko.

Of course, it is impossible to discuss the flaws of this anime without mentioning the downright horrible art and animation. DEEN does it again with this one, from giving the characters disproportionate heads to actually forgetting to fully draw and color in one of the character's suits at one point.

The only redeeming aspect of this series is the audio. I really like all the music used in it, especially the tracks ripped straight from the VN, as they're wonderfully atmospheric (when you can hear them). The OP and ED are also quite catchy, and perhaps my only solace during my unfortunate stint of watching this miserable pile of shit.

Don't watch this show. Ever. If you really want to dive into the story, read the VN. It's much better, but, IMO, still not all that impressive. At least I can actually see why people would like it, though. read more

An anime about a butler clad in black serving a boy out for revenge may not sound like anime for you, but this anime is definitely not what it looks like at first glance. I approached this anime with low expectation and was pleasantly surprised. It had a great story through the first half, but after reading a post that says it did not follow the anime, I lost a bit of interest. The studio, however, put forth its best effort to finish the anime, and they did a pretty good job.

Story: It was a simple story. It did not have much of a plot in the beginning. It was merely about a boys relationship with his but. He was one hell of a butler. He could not only use knives to cook, but throw them as shuriken. He could also clean the boys entire mansion and manage to finish before cooking dinner. The boy, Ciel Phantomhive, called the butler Sebastian (I still think it is a cliche name). There was a lot more behind their relationship, though, and that began to develop a little after the second half of the story.

Art: The artwork was excellent. It wasn't the best artwork I had ever seen, but it made the anime stand out. It also gave Sebastian one of the creepiest smiles I have ever seen. It have me shivers every time.

Sound: The opening theme is why I gave the sound score a ten. I immediately looked up SID, the band that performs the song. It is probably one of the best opening themes and sequences of almost any anime I've seen. It was also the first anime where I refused to skip the opening sequence no matter how badly I wanted to see the next episode.

Character: We find out a lot about the characters, but their stories feel so empty. I now know the story behind Ciel Phantomhive and Sebastian. The anime even gave the story of the other members of the household. It still did not feel as complete as I wanted it to be though.

Enjoyment: Some of the episodes dragged on, especially after episode 15, but overall, I did enjoy the anime.

Overall: A second season is coming out, and I will be watching it. The anime was good and hopefully the second season will be a remake of the first, following the manga more closely. read more

My very first review. Go easy on me kudasai. I did my best to avoid any and all spoilers. This should be a safe read.

Death Note is an anime that is a brilliant masterpiece. After completing the anime, I can understand why it is so high rated as one of the best of all time. The characters, the storyline, the art, are all amazing and unique, unlike anything I've ever seen before. I greatly enjoyed this anime but I did have one problem with it.

Story: If I were rate the anime based on the first 25 episodes alone, it would received a perfect score. There were no problems. This first part of the series was executed brilliantly, with plot twists galore. The remaining episodes however, did not feel like Death Note. It lost its original purpose and the story kept dragging on, as if its only purpose now was to end.

Art: The artwork was great. I loved the way the characters were drawn. It was to be the best artwork I've seen since Cowboy Bebop. The animation was top par and not overlooked by the production companies. Subarashii!

Sound: The first opening song was The World by Nightmare. Amazing opening sequence that fit well with the music. The soundtrack was incredible. The music really bought out the tension of the situation. I especially loved when orchestra score that was playing when Light was writing names down. The second opening song... was annoying at first, but I grew accustomed to it. It fit the anime very well in the end. The second opening sequence was my favorite one by far.

Character: Yagami Light is definitely one of my favorite characters. He was a bad ass to the core. I know many viewers hated him and are avid L fans, but Light possessed a certain air about him that L did not. He was a genius without a doubt. He was like a maestro leading an orchestra until the curtain was drawn too quickly on his act.

Enjoyment: I loved it. There's nothing more to say.

Overall: It's a great anime, and recommended to everyone who is a fan of any type of anime from josei to seinen. You will not be disappointed. read more

I really enjoyed watching this anime! It was such a great experience that maybe in the future i might consider re-watching it. This is a story about 7 kids and one "animal" Be stranded on a Planet that is not yet charted on any human map. They must not turn this into a stable situation so they can focus on returning to their home. They must find food and water, and also shelter on this unknown planet which is strangely like earth. They experience many troubles along the way but eventually they adapt to this new world. Soon they find ruins and such the story goes on. Basically they make the impossible possible.

Story 7 - I gave this only a 7 because we have all heard of this before. Possibly not on a PLANET but on an unknown island they must adapt to live and such. i understand it is slightly different but bare with me if you may. I will not elaborate any further on this because of possible spoilers.

Art 7 - Yes i know kill me if you wish. I understand that this is aimed towards children thus the artwork. i myself like it, it does take a while to get used to it.

Sound 8 - I'll admit that first song is catchy.... >. read more

This anime needs a solid review from someone who enjoyed the visual novels and enjoyed this series. Now if you were looking for a masterpiece that was craftily made by a work of geniuses, fully-fleshed out with minor discrepancies, this anime is not for you. If you enjoy a good gore-all-over-the-place-just-to-piss-off-the-main-character kind of anime, you've found it. Let me begin my review by saying that this is not an amazing adaption, nor is it a terrible adaption, it's an adaption nonetheless and fans of Ryukishi07's other work will greatly enjoy this series. I also will be comparing the anime to VN (visual novel) quite frequently.

Story: 10/10
A very original story, but while it lacks the luster of the VN it still gets the job done. Battler, our hero, arrives on his grandfathers island after six years of absence with 17 other family members. A rumor a witch exists flies through the air that day and mysterious murders begin to occur at night. Your usual occult story? Not in the slightest. Battler encounters the witch and challenges her that he can prove that WITCHES DON'T EXIST *WHILE* playing with a *witch*. The idea is a little crazy, but it sure as hell is interesting! Battler tries to solve the witches riddles to save his family from Ryukishi07 aspect is that the story occurs numerous times, each time a different way, but unlike Higurashi, the main character is aware of what is going via a meta-world perspective. The game he plays with the witch is like that of a game of chess, in which the witch will set up her trap, and Battler will counter with a rebuttal to try and out wit the witch. Full of twists and turns, it is sure not to disappoint.

Art: 7/10
Serious business here guys. Studio DEEN failed, but not too hard. It well... DEEN'd. The animation varies from time to time, and sometimes experiences moments of QUALITY - but not on a Kampfer level scale. The character designs are all adapted from the visual novel and fit perfectly (although the female characters bust sizes undergo extreme inflation, typical DEEN). The fight scenes are really nice, and often very exciting. For those of who've played the visual novel, watching your favorite battle scene surely won't let you down. The meta-world use of red text was applied really nicely and I was very impressed with the animators decision. The red text literally flies across the screen, because in the VN the red text is just said. A smart decision not to remove the red text (as it is very important to the story) and a smart way to use it. Some of the art was also imported from the VN, which is a really nice touch.

Sound: 10/10
Hot damn. Great soundtrack, awesome opening, solid ending, sound effects and seiyuu's galore. A fair amount (more than eighty percent) of the BGM comes from the visual novel, a doujin (self-made) game that had a ton of doujin artists compose songs to accompany it. The use of the same doujin music is what makes the anime that much better. Your favorite (or soon to be) background songs make up for the sometimes silly animation. The opening "One-winged Angel" by Shikata Akiko (same voice of the VN OP) is really cool with a strong mysterious almost melancholic sound throughout. The ending "Kinzo' Madhouse of Divine Tragedy" by JIMANG is a good kind of creepy and loud, which gives off the right vibe for this anime. A lot of the sound effects came from the visual novel (SURPRISE) and work well with the anime. Pretty much every other voice actor/actress decided to play a role in this anime, since the cast of characters is MASSIVE. Beatrice's voice is awesome, Daisuke Ono plays Battler, Yui Horie as Maria, and a ton more (go check 'em out! It's no joke that a ton of prominent voices are in this)!

Character: 10/10
Well you wanted sniper bunnies, right? How about trendy maids that represent the seven deadly sins? Oh, Victorian dresses and fancy-pants clothes? Come on down! Battler is a musclehead (poorly adapted by DEEN into a fabulous pretty boy in animation only) who probably isn't as intelligent as the nine-year-old cousin, but he's got guts. Rivaling Kamina in manly finger pointing and bro power levels, Battler yells, hits on his cousins and laughs in the face of death. A real manly man, who fights for his parents and his family. Beatrice is the epitome of "troll" in the animated universe. A bitch, a trickster, a murderer, a liar, a cheater, and everything else you can think of. You've really gotta see this chick in action to believe it. The rest of the cast is humongous, but there's a character for everyone (I think the author followed Tite Kubo with this: Not exciting enough? ADD A NEW CHARACTER), and I mean it in the best way possible. These are dynamic, interesting characters, not one-sided shallow flat designs.

Enjoyment: 10/10
The enjoyment is the most important factor in an anime I believe, and seeing as how I really liked the visual novel, I was very happy with this adaption. If you were a fan of the VN, watching it get animated is really fun. Do I recommend this anime to everyone? No. This is NOT everyones slice of cake. I DO recommend the visual novel version of this to everyone though, which DOES flesh itself out (but actually game of the visual novel takes 10+ hours to play through, as oppose to the two and half the animators got to convert it). With what DEEN had, they did a pretty good job with the time alloted.

Overall: 10/10
Fun to watch and interesting to talk about. Enough said.

This anime does great with what it was given. Do I think 26 episodes was enough to fit in more than 45 hours of reading? No. I don't. I think this series would have been even better as an OVA released over time or four separate TV Series, but with the nine hours the animators had to bring this whole anime together, I think they did a wonderful job.
Before or while you watch this anime, you may want to play the visual novel, but don't steer away from this anime just because I said that. The visual novel fleshes out the plot, while the anime covers the dramatic scenes and between the two, a great product is formed. If you're on the fence about this anime, give it a try, it's different and it's exciting. read more

Well, how could I possibly put all my thoughts into words? Ahaha... I read loads of MANGAs but Cat Street is the first one to have my review. It has been 4 years since I started reading manga and I read a lot of beautiful and unique stories. Cat Street is basically about a child star who quit showbiz because she was devastated by an incident on the theatre and as years passed by her life has been miserable. She met an old man and from that incident her life made a big improvement. She went to El Liston a free school and she met a lot of interesting people who made her life worth living for. She encountered a lot of problems and heartaches. I thought I already read all the great MANGAs and it has been a boring habit for me to read usual stories but as I saw the interesting title it really tampered something different from my usual norms of reading. The story is indeed realistic and In fact I haven’t realized that I’m already too hooked on the story until I saw the clock and my other things to do. This MANGA made my day complete. Keito, the leading character has been an inspiration for those people who experienced a lot of failures; a failure wherein they thought that they already experienced the worst possible situation and the pairings are totally unpredictable. I love the flow of the story and words are not enough to express the unique flow of everything. The way Kouichi and Keito touched my heart made my day captivated by every little bit of events. Unlike any characters that easily fall in love and have those predictable outline; the Manga “Cat Street” is totally different and I really recommend it. So don’t waste your time reading bunch of day-to-day old style and have the change right now! Read Cat Street and be fascinated as well. read more

*Hekiou Academy Student Council Meeting Log*

“… I am Kaicho (president), I am KaichoO! By the way, does the president do anything?” – excerpt from episode 11’s ending theme. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rz2jKbbvMKg (with sub)

What happens when four pretty girls and one handsome guy spend most of their school time everyday in a confined room? Naughty thoughts aside, if you were thinking “oh my god, not another harem” then you were right! Seitokai no Ichizon is NOT a harem, strictly speaking (though our male protagonist tries very hard to make it so). In reality the poor dude gets bully by his female mates more than he ever deserves. So who might this anime be good for? If you are looking for a parody that pokes fun at itself and the entire anime industry in general, then Seitokai no Ichizon will surely meet and most likely exceed your expectation! In fact not only does it do a good job with the too-frequent parodies, but with high quality animation, and impressive new ending themes every episode, Seitokai no Ichizon is a great anime for all ages.

The story of Seitokai no Ichizon centers around the everyday “adventure” of the student council in Hekiyou Gakuen high school. Its setting primarily consists of one place, the student council room, although exceptions do occur in the show from time to time. Now you must be wondering, what can a show that limits itself to one cramped room has to offer? Surprisingly the answer is, plenty. With plenty of jokes and plenty of parodies targeted at other recent well known anime, there is never one boring moment in the show for viewers to complain about. Even if the story itself does not attract the viewers enough due to its random episodic events, but by combining the story with the character interactions, nice consistent animation, superb voice acting, and addictive soundtracks and theme songs, Seitokai no Ichizon has some of the deadliest combination to make it stand on its own ground.

It was interesting for the characters to repeatedly admit that “nothing ever happens” in their show. And yet they never fail to entertain the viewers with what they can do to make the show appealing solely by chatting. In fact, it is hard to judge these characters in any normal anime standard because they are out of the ordinary. As the casts themselves have put it, “This is where we end after airing twelve episodes? … The main character is supposed to mature after a time (but) … nothing changed.”. They poke fun at their own lack of character growth, but in actuality most characters have had their fair share of developments through learning about each others’ past or family problems. The characters certainly made a positive impact to the overall success of Seitokai no Ichizon due to their unpredictability.

The animation is nothing but greatness. The characters are very nicely designed and even the one and only classroom is very detailed in design with a large variety of decorations and hidden rooms. Fluid scene to scene transition, consistent high quality animation, and a great choice of “scenery” also made Seitokai no Ichizon very attractive to the eyes. Additionally, comedic-like faces on the characters whenever a random chat start appearing also helps crack people up. The animation definitely is another strong point that makes up for the lack of story.

At first I was very skeptical with the seiyu in this show because all the main female leads are apparently voiced by rookies. Yes, they are ALL rookies. New to the anime industry, these female seiyu all tried exceptionally hard to make themselves stand out as a bright star. Unfortunately they were all excellent in voicing their roles so I could not say who seem to be the most talented (unlike in other shows where one can clearly tell some seiyu just don’t go well with the particular role at all). It is, however, quite clear that these voices bring life to the characters in the series and bring entertainment to the viewers.

Special honorary mention goes to the ending themes. Whether they are good or not, one must admit it was creative of the producers to make a unique ending song (same rhythm different lyrics) for each episode thus resulting in a total of TWELEVE ending themes. Even without the lyrics (and I strongly urge you not to miss them), the songs in itself is tremendously addictive. In fact, I could dance around my room all day with the song set on repeat in my computer. The opening, while less catchy, is still very pleasant to hear and once again it showed us the talents these new seiyu possess.

Seitokai no Ichizon is a wonderful addition to the anime industry and made itself stood out among the mist of millions of other similar anime largely due to its parody at poking fun at itself and everything anime-related. The jokes are never too old or too repetitive throughout the show and the references are relatively simple to grasp (provided you are semi-familiar with recent anime). Keep in mind the show is made in Japan and is intended for Japanese viewers who most likely have a more knowledgeable database of the anime series in Japan than we do. If you don’t seem to be able to spot a parody or two in an episode, chances are, you have already missed out on some of the jokes they are making fun of. In that case, you should reconsider whether to continue watching the series or not. Lastly I would recommend anyone who have trouble at school, whether it is your grade or having trouble making friends, to try playing love simulation games (ie. harem games)! read more

Out of the FMP, Fumoffu, and Second Raid, I think I liked The Second Raid the best. It's simply the most beautiful work from FMP.

I was told by many people that TSR (The second raid) was very serious. And I kinda took it to heart. I thought it'd be like warring and warring with 0 humour. But that's just exaggerated.

TSR has the best graphics (beautiful graphics). It's a must try for anyone I rkn.

Story-wise, it's like a continuation of FMP. I'd recommend watching FMP first, because it IS the original and there's always this thing about originals that you have to watch it before you watch a sequel. Usually the first work is the best but not for FMP (in my opinion).

Again, it's by Kyoto Animation (Fumoffu too) and I think after watching a few Kyoto Animation products, you'd find a similarity in style. Colourful settings, beautifully rendered. The character design looks slightly different from FMP, not as pointy. The op-ed and music were really catchy as well.

And the good thing about TSR is that it's short and sweet. Redundant side-stories (that are bad) and miscellaneous episodes were not added in. The focus in TSR is a lot more on the character development than any other thing. A bit emotional at times but the screenplays were creative.

Overall it only lacks that little bit of magic (I can't particularly explain it), otherwise it would've probably ended up in my top 10. read more

There's really not much of a story to fumoffu. It's just plain fun and comedy, using Full Metal Panic! as a base.

I must say that my comical sense is a little different from most people. At first when I watched the first few episodes of Fumoffu, I thought I couldn't watch it anymore. It wasn't funny (they were trying to be funny but it didn't succeed in making me laugh), and neither did it leave an impact on me, like 'Whoa that was good'. The character design was somewhat different from FMP too (Fumoffu done by Kyoto Animation - the company that did Suzumiya Haruhi).

However the latter part of the series picked up and...it was hilarious. I was laughing my head off really. I hadn't laughed so much since the likes of Akazukin Chacha, Sakikage Cromartie High. Psychologically, I think I also thought that my expectations were dropped. I just wanted to enjoy fumoffu the fumoffu way, not compare it to FMP (it's not really a continuation so you can't really compare).

The jokes were presented way different from FMP (I thought FMP was really funny the first few eps) and probably universal as well. Meaning most people will find it funny. It's a great series to catch if you're in for some fun. The comedy is pretty pure, though the series had a fair bit of fanservice.

Generally, my score for this anime doesn't justify the comedy part of it. There's no rating for Comedy sadly. read more

I'm gonna keep my review very short cause I myself am too lazy to read.
BTW, Spoiler alert.

I loved this anime the 1st few episodes. I mean it had everything, violence, sensless killings, blood everywhere and an evil guy who actually won for once(the good guys in anime usually win and I personally hate that). The whole thing started to go down when ANGE showed up. I mean I was enjoying the thing and then BOOM, you've got this stupid goody-two-shoes girl who starts ruining everything. Anyway, to keep this thing short, since Ange came, I started to hate the thing but kept watching. Finally, episode 26 was a HUGEEEEEEEE DISAPPOINTMENT for me. I was so happy that Beatrice was getting serious and that Ange was gone but then, it came out she was kinda lonely and nice and COMPLETELY not cool/cheesy.

Soo to finish this off, unless they make a second season and correct a few wrongs, it didn't have a very good ending AT ALL.
read more

I re-watched Shin Kimagure Orange Road just a while ago. This is my second time watching it.

Have to admit that the experience wasn't as good as the first time. Shin KOR gives you a semi-old feel, so as a person exposed to post-AD2000 animations, it doesn't really give you a full retro feel or a new feel. Once you get used to HD quality anime, you'll need to take some time to get accustomed to Shin KOR artwork. Nevertheless, I kinda liked the artwork. It has lost a bit of the original appeal, but the change in artwork makes it easier for later generations to appreciate Orange Road.

Before I start, just a warning that I may reveal some spoilers subtlely, but I try not to (as for all my other reviews soon to come).

My ratings (y'know like 9 for story, 7 for art, etc) are kinda biased for Shin KOR because I simply love KOR too much lol. But pretty much this was the kind of rating I'd give when I watched it 5 years ago, or perhaps better. I'd highly recommend this to everyone who watched and liked Kimagure Orange Road (TV/OVA) because it is sort of an ending to the story. One reason I liked Shin KOR was because I could relate with the characters and I know what happened in the TV/OVA/MOVIE.

The story was pretty well-made. It followed the KOR series chronologically and it put a stop to the story itself. The feel and direction was very different from the original though. The kind of experience you'd get is different from KOR, and the climaxing points are emphasised on different areas.

Shin KOR is slightly aimed at a more mature audience I rkn, with many suggestive sexual content. Pretty mild but enough to feel that, hey the characters are already adults. I didn't quite like the mature direction it was heading to, but it was still alright. I loved the idea about time travel though, and how it was pieced together. It kinda came to me that "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (Toki o kakera Shoujo?sp)" was inspired by orange road. The romance was awesome and refreshing, which is what I love about KOR.

The artwork is similar to 1990+ animations. Colours used give you a warm feeling, and brings out the landscape really well.

The OST is really nice. I was shocked that it's by Yuki Kajiura because it's not her usual kind of 'opera-sensation' music. I think this was one of her earliest works in Anime. The music brought life to the movie. In fact my favourite part of the movie was the piano pieces played in the movie.

Character development wasn't very much present, because the foundations were still based on the TV series. But really, the characters have grown much in this movie. It was really fun to see how they become like. The change was rather great (inclusive of the character design). Quite a lot of dialogue between characters, but the feelings of the characters were well portrayed. It touched me.

Overall it's an enjoyable movie for me on Christmas Day. I'm starting to miss KOR. Maybe I'll continue with the manga. KOR really made me enjoy my memories so much. read more

The Student Council, always a place where you can go to have your views heard and the place where the school is taken care of. However what happens behind the doors and away from the classes?

Seitokai no Ichizon is a wonderfully relaxed view of a 5 person Student Council who spend all day talking about unimportant things. While including tasks that a Student Council would normally encounter, Seitokai no Ichizon uses its characters and their personalities to make even a simple task difficult. With a diverse range of characters and the constant references to other famous Anime, this is a very enjoyable show to watch.

Everyday is another day of lounging about for the Student Council members with the odd task to do, however these tasks are soon heavily complicated as the only male character, Sugisaki Ken, attempts to create his dream Harem end with the other 4 girls. Because of the spontaneous outbursts that Seitokai no Ichizon thrives on, there is no solid plot in any episode, however this works fantastically well as the constant humour brought on by Ken and the others means you're never bored.

Because of the various jokes and references that occur throughout the show a range of animation is needed, and although not fantastic, it is above average. Whenever Ken is having a delusion about the others, or the rare time the other girls are having delusions about him, the Animation is never below par and is always right for the occasion. The same can be said for the score, because of the wide range of cultures referenced, the sound needs to be right for the occasion. And when needed to, it is fantastic, notably the OP which is brilliantly suited to the Anime's feel. The only problem may be the ED, which although good, can sometimes be annoying as the song is different each episode.

From the Shy-Otaku, to the Evil-Manipulist to the Small-Childish-Undeveloped-Lolicon-Inducing President, this Anime has the common, sterotypical personalities along with one or two slight differences. Most of the voices used for the characters are so well done, the characters combine in such a good way you'd think the personalities were made from scratch.

Although being very relaxed, Seitokai no Ichizon still manages to include some Character Development... however like the show it is, it throws it out the window 5 seconds later. Being the main character, which he loves to state, Ken's story is brought out bit by bit throughout the show, and although not very in-depth, it is enough to see Ken's true character and why he desires each of the Student Council members at the same time. Although there isn't much on the other characters, there is enough to make the show enjoyable without becoming boring, but like I said, when they've confessed their love, revealed their secret or anything else, a joke is made that ruins any chance of a touching moment. Although this can be irritating sometimes, thats the show it is and it sticks to it.

This show can be summed up by two words: Parody and Harem. Although this would turn away a lot of people, it is still a very inticing show once started and the anticipation of the next reference or joke makes you enjoy it all the more. The constant attempts of a Harem by Ken are very amusing and the way each of the characters rejects him makes it all the better.

Overall this is a very enjoyable show and is great for anyone who's favourite genre is Harem, Comedy or Parody. For anyone else it'd be a gamble on whether you like it or not but I'd recommend it as I enjoyed it enough to rate it an 7. My preferred rating would be a 7.5 as I think a 7 doesn't reflect this as good enough, but an 8 would give people expectations a bit too high for an anime that knows it's just a bit of fun. read more

This is the story of a young creator named Ryukishi07 whose hit visual novel series Higurashi no Naku Koro ni became a hit anime and put him in the spotlight for great things. Hoping to capitalize on Higurashi's success, the same director and studio went to work adapting his spinoff visual novel series, Umineko no Naku Koro ni. Surely we could expect great things would come of it.

We were dead f*cking wrong.

This is anime at its most disgustingly deceptive, dragging you through 26 episodes of "mystery" and I cannot stress those quotation marks enough because half the time the mystery doesn't even exist. Hell I could hardly tell what was the meta-world, the real world, the alternative world, THERE IS NO PERSPECTIVE! None! I don't even know where I am half the f*cking time so how the hell would I be expected to know what's going on?!

The characters are a mess. We're rivaling Geass and Nanoha levels here in characters, and as such signifies, half of them have no personalities. Hell, you see them all die so many times over and over again that you just come to accept that's their purpose in all of this. In fact, there are some characters so f*cking annoying you cheer when its their turn to take the grotesque spill, but it's not even half as enjoyable as it could be because this anime is spammed with so much violence that it makes it seem uninteresting. I have never seen senseless violence become so BORING!

The art is laughable. Studio Deen has clearly learned nothing from Higurashi, kept the same production values and amped up the facial distortions to a saturation point that makes them entirely unremarkable. Fortunately they kept the original music of the games which is quite good in some case if you can hear it over blood splattering and insane laughter. Oh, and another rare prop to this series for Sayaka Oohara's performance. I wonder if she got drunk before coming in on days to voice Umineko. I hope so. She at least made it halfway entertaining.

But the real kicker is we aren't even close to solving any of the mysteries by the end of this and it ends with WAIT FOR SEASON 2 LOL. Now some of you may say "Hey Splitter! You gave Higurashi's first season a 9 and it did the same thing!" Yes it did, but it also got closer to the truth every episode and eventually made the big reveal that puts the whole series into focus while Umineko didn't do anything even remotely close to that. I've heard the games are better (more times than should be heard) but this adaptation does nothing to make me want to invest days on end into playing them and the adaptation certainly doesn't make me want to stick around for 24-26 more episodes as I care nothing about anyone in it and could care less if they all stay trapped in this game for all eternity. In fact, put Chiaki Kon and her staff in this game for all eternity with the characters. That's a suitable punishment for making this grotesque travesty of a "murder mystery". Seriously, all you've got is a good OST, a solid backstory with Maria and Ange (F*CK WHAT THEY DID WITH ANGE), and Beatrice's seiyuu performance. After that you have 22 eps of inane shit and characters you just want to see permanently shut up.

Overall, I give Umineko no Naku Koro ni a 4 out of 10.


read more

Like others, this anime showed promise. And it delivered in its own special way. Though it had slow moments, and even pointless staring moments, its is a very enjoyable show if you stick to it.

The first volume was the best out of all 3. It introduced the charcters and the story well. In the last 2 volumes the story got muddy and confusing, almost like it was filler. The series is actually very good overall, especially if you like pretty boys and wings! ^_^ *SPOILER* the artist's rare chibis are soooooo cute. :D The ending made me cry a bit but the sreies is overall pretty good.

--------
STORY
--------
Considering in the original manga, our world wasn't even involved; and that the 'ending' of the 2003 animé was dreamt up by those producing it; this film is a surprisingly good way to extend on the series' plot threads.

I particularly liked the way in which they interconnected the events of the plot with the rise of the Nazi Party (integrating entertainingly well with the Nazi's obsession with the Occult, etc.). It clearly wasn't perfect, but they made a great job of what they had; an hour and three quarters well spent, in my opinion.

-----
ART
-----
Nothing really stands out; it isn't super-detailed, or artistically magnificent. But it's consistently visually pleasing, slightly improving on the similarly-satisfying quality of the series; with some very nice visual effects thrown in here and there. As with most animé of the last half-decade, it's primarily computer-rendered (nice crisp lines, and precise colours); but they haven't done what often happens, namely where they try to integrate 3D-renderings with the 2D environment/characters and fail horribly. Which is always nice.

---------
SOUND
---------
The soundtrack is orchestral, and was both well-written, and was of very good sound quality. Most of the seiyuu reprised their roles from the series, and all of them were not only appropriate to their characters, but knew how to speak in a way that conveyed the tone of the scene without once sounding ridiculous or annoying. Japanese women sometimes fail at this, but this was a success.

---------------
CHARACTER
---------------
I won't go into all of the characters from the main series, since it would take too long and get boring; but suffice to say pretty much all of those ones who are in this film get 10/10. The only let-downs in this area (in my opinion) were that the main Antagonist of the film was somewhat insufficiently explained (and their motives felt a touch forced right at the end); and that the appearance of the Homunculi didn't really make that much sense.

---------------
ENJOYMENT
---------------
This was a fun and exciting film; where the action sequences were well represented, and the story-progression scenes were consistent and interesting. A few scenes even combined the two well. In fact, there was nothing which detracted from the actual enjoyment of the film; but of course it simply didn't contain the epic-ness, spectacle, or sharp wit which would qualify this film to be a "masterpiece".

-----------
OVERALL
-----------
This film was very good. I can't really give it a 9, mainly since there was nothing particularly innovative about it, nor did it reach really significant epic-levels; but if you enjoyed the 2003 series, watch this film.

Don't watch it if you haven't, since it assumes a lot of knowledge from the series. Which is good, because if it had any recap scenes, in my opinion it would have detracted from the viewing experience. read more

Despite the low viewer rating and the first review here for Viper's Creed, I absolutely loved this anime and I'm really hoping for a sequel.

Story: 10--a good story, especially for so few episodes. Yes, the general storyline is a classic one, but it's a storyline that works, which is why it's been used so many times.

Art: 8--at the beginning I remember thinking that the art could have used a few more frames to smooth out some of the movements, but overall it's animated in the usual style for the newer anime, and the action scenes are done really well. They knew how to create tension with the visuals as well as the storyline and sound effects by zooming in on something and omitting the focus. Really keeps you watching.

Sound: 9--consistently throughout the series, I was amazed at the background music. It set the tone perfectly for each scene without making the view actually notice it until the director wanted the viewer to notice. Also, the ending song is my newest favorite (will be listening on repeat for another month). Sound effects were good overall, though most are the usual mech anime sounds (hydraulics, gunshots, metal, etc.).

Character: 10--Great character development. They structure the story so that you really invest in the characters, even though the anime is so short. Very realistic characters, flaws and all. At times you want to hate them, at times you want to just hug them 'til they suffocate. (o.O moe?)

Enjoyment: 9--absolutely loved (almost) every minute of the anime. I usually go for happy anime (Shugo Chara anyone?), and too much strife mid-series can permanently turn me off of a series. Great beginning, great end, it's the middle you have to watch out for. So, I docked one point, but still, it's a 9/10.

Overall: 10--period. read more

One of my pet gripes about anime and manga is the over-abundance of school settings used throughout both mediums. Over the last few years there has been an increase in the number of stories that are based in or around a school, and while the majority of them are nothing more than mediocre offerings, some of them turn out to be rather good.

It's unfortunate then that, of the good ones, many don't get the recognition they deserve.

Sora no Manimani (lit. Sport of the Air, not "At the Mercy of the Sky"), is based on the manga by Kashiwabara Mami that began in November 2005 and, at first glance, seems like just another school based comedy in the style of School Rumble, GA, Azumangah Daioh, etc. The story follows a "year" in the life of Ooyagi Saku, a freshmen student at Souei High School, located in the town he and his family lived in 7 years ago. Because of his love for books and reading, he is eager to join the school's famous Literature club, however he is somehow roped into joining the school's newly formed Astronomy club by a girl he hasn't seen for a long time.

As far as stories go, this is a surprisingly simple and straightforward affair. While the concept of childhood friends has been used innumerable times in countless variations, Sora no Manimani is unusual in that the scenario doesn't follow the stereotypical conventions. There is no sudden blossoming of romance, no harem (even though some of the girls in the show are clearly interested in Saku), and mostly importantly, matters are allowed to progress slowly. Unlike many other shows of this type, the honesty of the plot, coupled with a healthy dose of comic relief and pacing that allows a degree of introspection amongst the characters, gives the show the same kind of feel that the original To Heart has.

That's not to say that the plot is perfect though. The series adopts a quasi-educational stance with regards to astronomy, and explanations abound throughout the show. That said, those who have any kind of interest in astronomy or outer space will find these tidbits rather pleasing, and the fact that they are presented in a manner that maintains the flow of the story allows the viewer to absorb the information without disturbing their enjoyment of the show.

Sora no Manimani is a bit of a dichotomy in terms of it's looks. Generally the series adopts a style of presentation and animation that isn't really any different from most other school based shows. The characters are all fairly plain in terms of design (although I did chuckle at the reference to Saku's "Ghibli hairstyle"), and the series makes good use of various comic styles to enhance the viewer's amusement. The backgrounds and backdrops are nicely presented, and are surprisingly detailed in a number of scenes. CG is also well incorporated, and while it's sometimes easy to spot those moments, this doesn't impinge on one's enjoyment of the series.

I will mention one thing that separates Sora no Manimani from the herd though, and that is the numerous, varying, and highly detailed skies that appear throughout the show. Given that there is a heavy emphasis on astronomy, it's to be expected that the sky would appear several times in any one episode. It's to the credit of Studio Comet then, that they have produced some of the best skies to appear in anime over the last few years. They're so good in fact, that the viewer may find themselves wondering if the real thing is just as good, such is the detail and sophistication of their presentation.

One of the things that I liked about this show is that it's easy on the ears. The OP, "Super Noisy Nova" by Sphere, is a nicely choreographed J-Pop track with an upbeat feel. The ED, "Hoshikuzu no Surround" by CooRie, is also pure J-Pop, but has a much more melodic style. Both tracks, surprisingly, maintain the spirit of the show very well, and while I'm not a huge fan of pop in any form, I found that these two tracks worked well with the series proper.

Generally the show doesn't really place great emphasis on the use of mood music, with much of the series having no background accompaniment. That said, the tracks that are present are well used, and lend to the atmosphere of the scene.

In terms of acting, the cast provide a repsectable portrayal of their respective characters, however there are no Oscar winners here. While the cast is able to emote rather well, the type of story, as well as the scripting, precludes the need for any stellar performances.

That said, I have to admit that I did like the characters.

Since the advent of Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu there has been a glut of school based slice-of-life comedies involving a selection of odd characters from the annals of anime - Lucky Star, K-On, Seitokai no Ichizon, Geijustuka Art Design Class, Hyakko, etc. The one thing that each of these shows has in common is that character development doesn't really play a big part and the jokes are set to rapid fire. Sora no Manimani bears a striking resemblance to all of these shows in that there is a lot of humour, however this is tempered by some degree of development, especially where Saku is concerned.

While the development of the other characters is sporadic at best, the show does present events in a fairly realistic manner, and although there is some predictability with regards to how the story will go, the show makes good use of what it has. In this respect the characters, while mainly being funny, are also more easily accepted by the viewer, especially when events take a more serious turn.

That said, the characters are generally one dimensional, and while this isn't necessarily abad thing in a comedy, it does sometimes impact on how the viewer perceives any development that occurs.

I will admit that I do like astronomy and comedy, so watching Sora no Manimani was an enjoyable experience for me. Whilst the humour is a tad juvenile at times, there is enough variety in the gags to keep the viewer interested, and the surprisingly detailed explanations of astronomy make a nice counterpoint to all the humour. Also, the characters, especially Mihoshi, radiate an excitement for the subject matter that made me remember what I was like as a kid first looking up at the stars.

All in all, Sora no Manimani is a surprisingly enjoyable series that, while having it's flaws, displays a passion for it's related subject matter that many other shows lack. It's this passion that makes the show far more enjoyable than it would normally be, and while the series may not be to everyone's tastes, the honesty in which the series is presented allows the viewer to relate more with the characters.

After all, sometimes it's nice to watch something that's just.... nice. read more

Please note: This review will be the review of an anime-only reviewer. I will not be comparing/lamenting the adaption quality.

Umineko no Naku Koro ni is a fantastic story. Taking elements of both Eastern and Western mythologies, we are thrust into a battle between witches. A battle of fantasy vs reality, where we can trust nothing we see, and are forced to reason our way out of a labyrinth of lies.

The music is strong, if not particularly noteworthy. It supports the scenes well, but one will not be humming the themes walking down the street. The OP/ED are excellent, though. By now, we know that DEEN is not a fantastic animation studio. It would come as no surprise that occasionally, there are some art problems.

A very large part of the appeal of Umineko though, are the characters. By the end of the show, you know each character and love most of them. Each member of the family receives a time to shine. This is also supported by one of the most complicated, and interesting antagonists I've seen in anime, the Golden Witch, Beatrice.

The other main draw is the story. The issue with this, is that one cannot discuss it without giving away large plot points. Suffice it to say, that there are layers upon layers of plans, lies, and rules, both written and unwritten.

Umineko is going to be a tough sell to later viewers, as a large part of the charm of the series is wildly speculating the questions of who and how. Ryukishi07 is a gifted writer, and anything by him will be an interesting journey, if nothing else. Do yourself a favor and don't rush through Umineko. Umineko isn't for everyone, but those who "get" it, will love it. read more

ok this is my first review so go easy on me
well many many people said that the asura cryin series suck but i will explain why they say that: like 90% of the people who say that only saw the first season and have to warn u if u only watch the first season U WONT UNDERSTAND A THING OF THIS ANIME. this isnt a story that has a season and if its succesefull thay make a second one, no that not the case, this series was intended to have 2 seasons thats why u wont unsderstand anythinf just by watching the second season.
when u start seeing the second season u will get captured by the storyline and by the way the plot and story starts to develop and the evolution of the romantic part was prety good too (^^)
Loved the arts from the final batle it reminded me litle of gurren lagann :D and the OP of the first season in the final batle was EPIC!!!!
well overall i give t a 9 cause it was realy emnjoyable art was prety good the story developed very well and the sound (speacialy in the end) was very good and because it ad a very conclusive ending, it was not like most animes in oour days that have inconclusive endings thats why i advise u to see this anime :D
PS: DONT TRY TO WATCH THE SECOND SEASON WITHOT SEEING THE FIRST UR U WONT UNDERSTAND A THING!! HAPPY HOLYDAYS EVERYONE ^^ read more