Recent Reviews

Galaxy Express 999 is not for people who don't like long anime or older anime. Spanning 113 episodes from '7?-'8? everything about this anime from the episode themes to the music makes you feel like you really are watching this in the late 70's.

If you are only wanting the story you only need to watch the first 5 or so episodes and the last 4. Again another common fact of older anime most stories don't take long to tell and are very, very stretched out.

Almost every episode they stop on a different planet where an event happens to them that effects Tetsuro's opinion on cyborgs and gaining eternal life.

Also if you are a Captian Harlock fan and are watching this because you want to see how it ties in or want to see Captian Harlock; you should know he's only in one episode, and the only thing him and Tetsuro have in common is that they both have the same type of gun.

Over all I enjoyed watching this anime and it's story but there are a lot of "filler" episodes that failed to hold my complete attention and interest.
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Hi there, I'm going to do a review of Guilty Crown and I hope you enjoy it.
Guilty Crown is an amazing anime that I liked a lot and I am still very sad because it ended too quickly and even it's from 2011 I consider one of the best animes that I ever saw. Now I will give 1 to 10 at Story, Art, Sound, Characters, Enjoyment and Overall and give my opinion in which one of those.

Story: 5

- Why an 5? Because the anime just couldn't pull me into the "Lost Christmas" story but the structure of the story was good (7) but even that, the story ran a little too fast so that's why I gave an 5.

Art: 8

- I gave an 8 because the scenes were very good and also scene fights were very good and the special effects were very good indeed, so some people give it a 9 but I give it an 8.

Sound: 9

- I gave an 9 because the soundtracks were amazing, the songs were well placed in the anime, the sound effects of the fights ... were also amazing so I gave a 9 and lower than that it's impossible to someone give.

Character: 8

- I gave an 8 because the main caracters of the anime or are too emotionless (Inori) or have many emotions (Shu) and that destroys a little bit the whole story but in certain scenes that kinda fits well.

Enjoyment: 8

- It's an 8 because it's a good anime and you can watch it over and over and you cannot get bored because it has a lot of action all over the anime.

Overall: 8

- The anime is very good, very enjoyable and it's an anime that has a lot of amazing soundtracks and some people say that the final episode ruined the whole anime but I don't think so, let's face it the last episode could be better but if they done in that way means that they had their reasons.

This is all my opinion and I hope you enjoyed this, and sorry for my bad english.

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Allow me to share my opinion on Arakawa Under the Bridge.
Arakawa under the bridge is a great anime filled with comedy, love and some philosophic filling.

-Story(7/10)-
The story starts with a young man name Kou Ichinomiya who has been taught to never rely on anyone for anything. When he fell down the Arakawa River and was saved by Nino, a girl mysterious who live there. Now he owes her really much. Kou promised to fulfill everything what Nino wants. Since he is a really rich man, it’s not a problem. She said: what about fall in love with me? Easy! She chose love? Not money, world domination. Nothing can be done with that, because she saved his life.
All in all, the story is really good. No ecchi, fan service, Off-color humor.

-Animation(7/10)-
Why animation in op and ed themes was much better than in series? When I first saw op I was really charmed, but the animation in series was worse. Sometimes weird (talking about Nino friends), but really ok and bearable.

-Sound(7/10)-
The OST was ok, it fits anime good. Especially Etsuko Yakushimaru song was amazing I heard over 100 times.

-Characters(7/10)-
The two central characters are Kou and Nino makes a great couple. The kappa, sister, hoshi, Maria and all the other were really good and funny
Now the biggest flaw of this anime, character development. This anime could have been much batter, but character development, made it meh…
I would have liked to have more of the background of the characters, to know something about their past. On the one hand it’s ok, because, mostly it’s comedy, on the other hand it’s not because it’s really important part of all anime.

-Enjoyment(7.5/10)-
Pretty good, but not perfect.

-Overall(8/10)-
If you are tired of stupid jokes, ecchi and want to see normal comedy with normal humor try this anime. read more

Well basically when I was just getting in to anime I saw a youtuber that liked this show's song 'Katyusha" I was interested with the title so I watched it . After the watching song my initial reaction was "wth?" but even though it was showing young girls driving tanks and singing a russian song I was very interested with the universe so I looked the show up on the internet. And *Bam* I found the show Girls Und Panzer. At first I thought its a generic slice of life moe anime but man I was wrong!

While I was watching the show I noticed that it had a World War 2-ish vibe to it but with an interesting modern touch to it. With this it had a really good opportunity for the writers to expand the lore of this unique world. Sadly this never really happens while I was watching the anime and it left a lot plot holes in the setting. Along with the setting the story is unique in concept due to the fact is "Cute Girls riding Massive World War 2 Tanks" but its pretty much mediocre overall

Now you must be wondering why I gave the show an 8? Well there are many reasons to like or even love Girls Und Panzer.

The characters at first I thought the were carbon copies of the already stereotypical slice of life personalities, which is true but the longer I watched the show the more I started to care about the characters and I felt they grew closer to me. I was actually surprised at first because they had many generic characteristics of their specific stereotype. But then I realised why I liked them very much is their undeniable charm and humour that was embedded in them.

With charming characters would come with great animation right? Well the animation quality of the characters is a typical anime standard. But when the tank battle scenes roll in its phenomenal to watch. The animation for the tanks is jerkish but this gives them a realistic feel to them while the girls drive their tanks. Plus it builds up the show's suspense when the tanks move slowly while an opponent's tank shell is heading towards them!

Along with the superb animation comes with great immersible sounds. With the characters usually driving tanks most of the time they would need a very good sound designer due to the fact that tanks are loud and noisy! Well I give kudos to them because they really executed the sound effects for the tanks very well, like the engine's sound while the tank is moving to the tank shells fired at their opponents. It gave me[hopefully you] an immersible experience even though I/you didn't ride in a tank before. Also the background track really gave a nostalgic and immersible feel like the characters were fighting in the World War 2 era but with some charming cuteness left in the heat of the battle.

With a combination of animation, story, characters and sound Girls Und Panzer is a very enjoyable anime that shouldn't be missed out by any World War 2 fanactic or by anyone. So in a nutshell go and watch this anime!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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first episode: 6/10 (incredible for hentai)
second episode: 2/10 (regular for hentai)
final score: 4/10 (disappointing but worth checking)

when i started the 1st episode i expected porn. the premise seemed slightly interesting about a guy that works in a video store, has a rape fetish and meets a girl with supposed-magical-powers that can sense if other girls want to be raped. the whole idea of girls wanting to be raped (thus not making it rape), a boy that wants to "rape" (even if it might not be rape) and a sidekick GIRL that guides him through to get his desires all made an interesting premise to me but i wouldn't expect a common hentai to try and examine those ideas.

contrary to my expectations the whole 1st episode was much more about characters, comedy and dialogue rather than sex. even the climatic sex scene feels more about story and characters rather than just plain porn. i found chidori, the main girl, to be interesting, stronger and smarter than the usual hentai girl and the whole question whether she really wants to be raped or not made the whole situation intriguing and on a higher level than the average hentai.

i was expecting the second episode to further explore the characters and topics the first episode set up - does ippei really want to "rape"? does it change anything to him knowing the girls want it as much as he does? does the girls really want to get raped? why?? where does sari got her powers from? are they true?? how does the chidori story arc ends? what did she do after the rape? what does she and ippei feel for each other now??

well none of those questions get any answers. in fact the second episodes throws everything the first episode builds. chidori does not even appear in the second episode! this is really annoying and strange since even sakura, which was way weaker and less interesting as a character then chidori appears in both episodes.

it feels like the writers and director of the first episode left the production completely, the second episode is as average hentai as it can get and really does not fit as a sequel to the first one. ippei even lacks his naive stress and anxiety which made him likable and he just comes off as a bad and hateful person. i think both episodes would've benefit had they been stand alone, but i think the 1st episode really deserves a continuation which sadly we will not receive.

as a hentai that felt more like a shounen romance with funny characters and somewhat taboo and intriguing subjects this pretty much could've been revolutionary, but the second episode holds it back from being so. perhaps in the future there would come a show which would be able to be hentai without neglecting its writing and characters. read more

When I first heard the plot summary for Kokoro Connect I thought it sounded like some hentai series. Even if it wasn't, it seemed obvious that it would be a provider of ample fan-service, it of course wasn't though. After all, if you swapped bodies with someone of the other gender, what would be the first thing you do?
Yep, the obvious, see how well they masticate. Read it again, what were you thinking of?

Kokoro Connect revolves around the daily, not so normal lives of Taichi, Iori, Himeko, Yoshifumi and Yui and their encounters in the Cultural Research Club. Up until recently they thought that they and their friends lived normal happy lives, but now the Heartseed is pulling their lives apart and exposing their inner secrets through body switching, urges and age regression.
The love and teen pentagonal comedy follows the strange phenomena at the Yamahoshi Academy's Culture Club, starting with the five male and female club members switching bodies with each other.

Mix two parts school uniforms and setting, two parts moe, and one part original detail. Blend thoroughly. Serve warm.
Production values are quite good, and there's a good level of detail to go around most of the time. Some scenes are picturesque. At other times, there's an unfortunate loss of detail in mid-ground elements that makes it difficult to focus, but this doesn't happen very often over the stretch.
While this is not a show whose events are ever intended to push aural or visual envelopes, Kokoro Connect is well-animated, and there is never a point where this show looks anything but nice. There is a bit of fan-service here and there but nothing so intrusive that it distracts from the relationship dynamics.

In terms of the animation, I am personally getting tired of the K-ON-like moe look; whether you like how the characters are designed is really based on personal preference. As for quality, Silver Link doesn't offer anything as stunning as a P.A. Works anime, but it manages to hold its own. There were no noticeable mistakes in body proportions, angles, or object size and the quality remains consistent throughout the series.

I have to commend the main cast for the first arc they essentially had to act as five (and in some cases six) different characters, since each character used the voice that went along with the body when they switched, and they all did a rather good job. I've heard some complaints that this studio Silver Link isn't known for hiring really great actors but I think they did a mediocre job this time.

Both OPs and EDs are quite catchy and serve well as introductions to the series though nothing to memorable. Sound effects are nothing remarkable but do their job throughout the series.

Everything this series does is for the emotional and dramatic effect, and thus the characters all have very interesting backgrounds. What the show does do a good job of, however, is not washing over things. Whatever happens to the characters their pain isn't easily fixed like some anime likes to do. Throughout the series you still see traces of the pain in the characters and that everything that has happened has strongly affected them one way or another.

They're forced to develop at a rapid pace is a direct product of the supernatural elements of the plot. The point can definitely be made that these elements are a contrivance. When it comes to the concluding arc I'd even tend to agree more often than not. That doesn't entirely eliminate the effect of more than half a season of strong build-up, however the worst thing for me was that, despite the title, I couldn't "connect" with any of the characters, they was more like actors interpreting their roles. Almost everything they said or did felt like forced for the sake of the plot, and Taichi out of them all, is just a place holder for a proper main character, as his personality was not actually explored.

I appreciate that it had the guts to go for actual drama and to ask interesting questions. Ultimately though, you have to deliver results. I also think the series suffers quite a bit due to a cast that’s fairly weak in the final analysis. Taichi’s issues I’ve already covered, and with Inaba the problem was simply that I never liked her very much – she’s easily the most clichéd member of the cast and I never really bought into her self-important self-pity and overcompensating and overbearing arrogance. Aoki and Yui had a definable plot arc, at least, but they were largely plot devices, as Taichi was. It was really only Nagase that emerged as both a likeable and well-defined character, and she too tended to be manipulated for the contrivance of the plot far too often.

Interesting, original premise. Strong opening. Mediocre mid section. Poor ending. It's a downward slope all the way past the first arc - which is a real shame, because the initial episodes hint at the potential for a truly exciting series. Instead we're left with an unfinished mess that takes those pieces that had a chance at greatness and just kind of drops them on the ground.

So does will this series connect you your heart? Possibly. Perhaps not.
Will I stop with these stupid puns? Never. read more

I really wanna set the record somewhat strait. Attack on Titan so far is good. By that i Mean its flaws are shorter than its good things. Its just as a person who has read the manga up to its point(wont spoil plot points) i can sadly say it shall tank latter on. (most likely another SAO Flop) . The Manga also has not finished so we shall not see the end in this season. But i will warn you the first ass pull of many will air today and many may not like it. As with how Eren somehow survived (no spoilers). The story intro is above average and paints a great world, but its throws out all it has in the first stretch thus latter on looses so much momentum and probably will tank. Art style is unique and the cg maxim mobility machine fights are some of the most we put together fights ive seen. The Sound also is great 9/10. But characters are gonna become hit or miss, Potatoes girl is side lined nearly forgotten, and eren still is eren and has little to no development. This goes from pretty much every character, they never seem to learn. There are two types of characters, 1 is a humanized character such as Okabe from steins;gate which is used to show us a real person in a situation , some we are to connect with. The other is a tool for the plot, they represent a moral and their trails represent the opposing forces on said moral, look at any character in evangelion or Madoka magica. In Attack on titan they go for option 1 which requires many episodes of development and said character has to learn lessons as the story goes on. Attack on titan virtually does none of this as the series/ manga progressed. This in my opinion is the main flaw. It tries to do a human character, but said character never learns and thus becomes dull and not human to the read/ viewer. In conclusion i have in fact enjoyed the first episodes of attack on titan, it in my opinion would e amazing, if it had not been for the multiple cliches without reason to the plot. Thus as of now it gets an 8/10. read more

I hate how many people are deliberately and willfully underrating this show because they don't like how this show is ranked so high after only six episodes, because they think it's way too early to rate this show so high. My question is, why are they rating it so low? I mean, the same statement could be said here, why are you rating this so low after only six episodes? My answer would be that I rate the show from what I have seen, and from what I have seen, it deserves the rank. But pessimistically underrating a show because you don't like how it's ranked so high after only a small amount of episodes is quite childish if you ask me.

The difference between the lovers and haters is, (no offense to the haters) is certainly that the haters don't give this anime a chance. They intend to dislike it, and only because of the rank, which seems quite primitive to me. The lovers are those who actually give this show a chance, and I am not necessarily trying to ridicule the haters, but from what I seen, what I just stated seems true. Take a look at any non-positive review and you immediately see at least one complaint about the rank. That's practically the evidence.

Unfortunately, I have to admit that I was rather similar. I thought that it's kind of absurd to rate a show that high when it has only six episodes out of 25 episodes released, but of course that was before I actually started the anime. I even read the plot, which didn't sound intriguing to me. However, unlike the haters I actually gave it a chance, and rated this show independently it's rank and amount of released episodes, and after watching the first episode, I did recognize why this anime was ranked so high. It has a lot of potential, is emotional, has a great story, is musically pleasing, and everything right off the bat. All animes I watched lately were rated 5-7 and I started to wonder if that's just me and I start to get out of animes, but Shingeki no Kyojin gave me back the feeling of true impression, and I am personally relieved that I tried this show.


But now enough of rank and hater drama, let's get to the anime itself.


Scroll down to the bottom of the review to see how I scored which department of this anime, but first off all I'm going to tell my opinion of all departments, so if you don't feel like reading it, just scroll down to the scores, and if you are curious to see why I scored which department like that, look at my explanation of that department. This review will be as spoiler-free as possible, but I'll pay attention to not include any spoiler, and if I will, I'll probably warn you beforehand. Anyways, let's get to the review.

First off all, the story. The story was what I personally liked most of this anime. I didn't read the Manga, which I probably will when I really want to see what happens next and don't feel like waiting a week. It starts off with Eren, the main protagonist, crying after a long dream. It still wasn't clarified why he cried and what happened in the dream he had, but I assume, this will be explained soon. Shortly after that, the titans attack, which was predictable, but I never expected it being like that, seriously. While episode 3 and 4 were more calm, episode 5 was one of the most amazing anime experiences I ever had. Those who watched the series until episode 5 surely know what I'm going to say, if what happened with that certain character is really true, it'd actually be an outstanding plot-twist, however I'd be a little bit sad, especially now that I started to like that character. Episode 6 is about the past of the main protagonists, which is pretty cool. So far everything was perfect in the story, and it was really impressive as well. I definitely look forward to the rest of the story, and I'm certain that it's going to be even more awesome.

This anime was magnificently animated, especially during the fight scenes. I always love it when Eren and the others are jumping from roof to roof, it looks so awesome, and those scenes are always animated pretty awesomely. The art is also quite decent, especially the environment is nicely drawn, however I dislike the character art. I don't think that it looks really good if the outlines of the characters are so... bold. For some reason, the faces look kinda odd to me as well, and some of the titans; while to me more titans look more creepy than that; look hilariously ridiculous. But other than that, everything is alright.

The soundtrack was really amazing, too. The voice actors were nicely chosen, and the background sounds are really natural and give especially in the action scenes a nice feeling. Speaking of action scenes, the soundtrack that plays in the background is just amazing. It gives such an epic feeling while watching this anime, it's just amazing. I don't recall any calm music, and I also don't recall any remarkably beautiful track, but I like the soundtrack a lot so far. There are definitely better soundtracks around, that's for sure, but the soundtrack of Shingeki no Kyojin is definitely one of the better ones. I recall the ending to be quite decent, but the opening was awesome, and it's one of my favorites for sure.

The Characters were great for the most part. So far I can't really say much about the character development, but I'm definitely fond of most of the characters. Eren, the main protagonist is my favorite character so far. He wants to take revenge for what happened, and after that shock, when you lost almost everything that was important for you, I think that I'd do the same. I saw people hating Eren for that decision, but to me it looks like that they just searched something to complain about. Misaka, Eren's sister (not blood-related, though) is pretty cool as well. She's pretty shy, but I find that to be cool. Armin is the only character I actually disliked. He looks crappy and hasn't got a really good personality at all. The other unmentioned characters are decent, though.

I wasn't left at any second bored. It was thoroughly entertaining, and some episodes weren't just decently entertaining, they give you an epic feeling while watching, and sometimes they even did it so far that I got goosebumps. The first half of episode 1 was rather typical, more calm, but already the first episode, when the giants attacked, gave me goosebumps. I'm always watching all the awesome scenes over and over again on youtube, because they are so awesome. I definitely love watching them, and I rarely enjoyed any anime like this one.


Overall this is one of the best animes I ever watched. So far it doesn't do it into my top 5, however it's really close to my top 5. I'm grateful that this anime brought back my passion for animes I almost forget. I have to apologize for any eventual grammatical or spelling error, since English isn't my native language. I'm also not really experienced with anime reviews, which is why I greatly appreciate criticism, and I'll eventually improve. Anyways, thanks for reading my review and here are the scores:

Story: 10/10
Art: 7/10
Sound: 9/10
Character: 8/10
Enjoyment: 10/10

Overall: 44/50 = 8.80/10 read more

Story-wise, I love the simplicity. You don't need to think hard. It's just humans fighting against the Titans. That's all. I have a hard time understanding the 3-D Maneuver Gear though.

The characters are well-developed too. What I like about Eren, is that he is focused on revenge rather than looking to the future like normal protagonists. When I read that Eren was eaten in the manga, I really thought that he's dead. Only few chapters, and the protagonist is dead already. This anime provides nice twists and turns.

However, too bad that I can't continue watching this anime. I mean, I'm not looking forward to it like the other anime I watched. The main reason is the art.

Flame me all you want, but I really don't find the art enjoyable. It suited the situation, but the art-style is just not in my interest. I'm currently on-hold and haven't continued yet, but I really recommend watching this anime. read more

Date a Live: a series where a protagonist works to defeat invading entities... by dating them. From this description alone, you the viewer should hopefully have realized that this is a parody series - specifically parodying mecha series such as Evangelion, Gundam and Muv Luv, and replacing the invading force with cute girls.

This may sound absurd, perhaps even trite - but here's the catch - it's actually incredibly fun. If you've watched (or read) some of the aforementioned mecha series, you should at least find amusement in how the mecha genre is respectfully made fun of; couple to that a great ensemble of characters who deliver various amusing lines throughout episodes, the result is a show which should keep you laughing throughout its duration.

At the centre of the series is the protagonist Itsuka Shidou who is tasked with the aforementioned role of dating invading entities. This of course leads to him quickly developing a harem of various diverse personalities, for which Shidou has his own personal radio-based command centre assisting him from afar - there is no such thing as going too far in Date a Live. As mentioned above, the characters in this are variously fantastic in different ways: thus there is much to like in the various harem members; Shidou himself is a decent harem lead, tackling things head on and taking care of his harem (which is more than can be said for most harem protagonists).

Behind the parody, comedy and harem aspects there is also a serious story about the invading entities causing mass devastation and killing millions of people. To counteract this there is (within the confined area depicted) an Anti-Spirit Team consisting of mecha-suited girls who are armed to the teeth with various weapons. This aspect gives Date a Live some nicely choreographed battle sequences, and helps to further along its lively pacing. Whilst this side of the story provides serious undertones, they seldom undermine the generally lighthearted disposition of the episodes.

The artwork for the series is particularly nice, with cute character designs that move fluidly when required; characters are also amusingly expressive in accordance with their personalities. I can't think of any instances where the animation fell off-model, which is impressive considering just how much detail is drawn on to each character - sure, this may not be KyoAni levels of detail, but it's nice to see nonetheless.

Overall, this is an entertaining show that applies a different twist to the harem genre and doesn't take itself at all seriously. It's well worth a watch if you can enjoy that sort of thing. read more

This is my first review, so i figured i would have to review my favourite anime. Full moon wo Sagashite is about a girl named Mitsuki who aspires to become a singer, though there is a twist - she has been diagnosed with a tumor in her vocal cords, which not only restrict her singing capabilities, but also cause an immediate threat to her life. She is visited by Shinigami who tell her that she has 1 year left to live.

Story - 10
As much as the story goes, its pretty authentic, and by far one of the best stories i have witnessed in my life. It is simply amazing how well every feature of this anime compliments eachother. Mitsuki is a 12 year old girl who aims to become a singer( as i have already stated), in the hopes to one day meet Eichi, a boy that she loved from when she lived in an orphanage. While this anime seems like some random shoujo anime, it really isn't. Admittedly, the first half of this anime IS sort of just screw around episodes where you get acquainted with the characters and plot, but nonetheless, it was enjoyable and completely relevant to the second half.

The second half of this anime is what makes it such an extravagant anime, why this anime is my favourite. With the amazing and comical buildup from the first half, approaching the rollercoaster of emotions, what more do you need for an emotional anime?

Art - 9
The artwork of this anime is pretty self explanatory; extremely detailed and outstanding hair and eyes. This has to be one of the best artworks i have seen, but it isn't a 10 for a reason - The art was clearly focused on Mitsuki, Takuto and Eichi, which is understandable as it can portray their importance in the anime, but why does it seem that Meroko's hair was slightly neglected?!?

Sound - 10
Excluding the opening themes, i would have to rate the soundtracks from this anime a 10. The songs used in this anime were all performed by a band named Changin' My Life, with the vocalist Myco(who is also Mitsuki's Seiyuu). Alright, their music wasn't the best, but what was good about it was how at times it fit in perfect harmony with the scenes, and just seemed so appropriate for the anime. If there was something i could change about this anime, it definitely wouldn't be the sound. (Eternal snow is amazing!!)

Characters - 10
Every character in this anime has an interesting personality, and an amazing past. Just learning about peoples pasts and how this links in with the story already make this anime a 10/10. Although it doesn't cover everyone's past like in the manga, its still heartbreaking to hear about most of the characters past.

Enjoyment - 10
To begin with, i was actually pretty satisfied with the first half of this anime, and figured it would continue like that until the end, but seriously i did not expect such a PERFECT ending from this. I definitely enjoyed this anime's ending much more than other emotionals like Clannad or Angel beats(but they were still good).

Overall, i would have to say that this is one of the best anime i have ever seen, and i certainly recommend watching this anime if you are a fan of emotionals like Angel beats or Clannad. Or even if you're looking for a good drama anime. This one is the champion. read more

Since there are already so many reviews, I will keep mine short and sweet and say why this is one of the few animes I can't seem to get myself to finish. Overall it's your basic shounen anime with a bit of a unique art style. I had no problem with the action or the music either, in fact that the over the top action which is obviously very common for this type of anime was the best part of it. But I just couldn't stand the constant "comedy" and humor in the show. The main characters were RARELY ever serious which I found more annoying than funny. IMO, if they just toned down the parodies and humor a bit this show would have been so much more enjoyable but the comedy aspect of this show really takes away from this series. It's sad because I really want to like this series, I just can't force myself to. :( read more

This anime will surely make you smile and cry! It's very touching, and I, as a very tough person who isn't mushy & emotional (I'm called the Tough Cookie), I literally cried here. For me this is the BEST anime I've ever watched! MUCH BETTER COMPARED TO THE NOW-FAMOUS ACTION/ADVENTURE ANIMES!

Gintama is a strange show for me to review, for a multitude of reasons. First and foremost, Gintama is nowhere near a "new" show - what is being shown this season is its "fifth" series (according to Crunchyroll) and the anime has just over 200 episodes under its belt at this point. Two hundred! That's a big number! Another reason why this show is strange for me to review is that I am neither a stranger to the show, nor am I anywhere near up to date - I have seen the first 20 episodes and a few select episodes after that. That’s a lot of background I am missing! Also, as previously mentioned in my review of Nichijou, comedy is a highly subjective beast. But aside from all that, does Gintama measure up?

In short - hell yes. For the entire time that I watched these three episodes I had a smile on my face and I lost track of the amount of times that I cracked up laughing. The main reason behind this show's success is its sheer variety and density of gags - while not all of the jokes will provoke a laugh, enough are hits that you forget about the misses and have a good old time. The variety in particular is a massive boon - the show blends together sight gags, straight man/idiot partnerships, references, character humour and much more, all covered in a thick layer of self-referential and meta jokes. In a medium where it’s not uncommon to find comedy series that tend to lean almost exclusively on one format of joke (especially those that lean on references), this breadth of approach is more than welcome. The shows cast of (quite literally at this point) dozens really helps in this regard as nearly every person is unhinged in some amusing fashion - even the supposedly sensible ones are dumbasses in their own way. The sheer amount and concentration of characters means that events inevitably get out of hand no matter what the original problem was, causing the show to go free-wheeling so far off into the depths of insanity that even the cast themselves break the fourth wall to exclaim in horror at how out of hand things have gotten. Needless to say, if meta humour or breaking the fourth wall makes you want to throw things then you may want to give this series a miss.

Naturally, having skipped around 180 episodes, I have personally missed out on quite a few character introductions - by way of illustration, half of the OP is filled with characters I had no idea existed. I was initially worried that the show would expect me to intimately know who all these mysterious newcomers were, but these first three episodes have done a great job of getting me caught up with the cast. The majority of the characters aren't that complex to begin with, and the introductory two-episode storyline, based entirely on the 4th wall breaking premise that the show has been off the air for a year, was a very well disguised catch-up. The setting is also very easily to digest and not particularly important - in the recap at the start of this new series the cast breaks in an interrupts the narration, exclaiming that it is a “waste of time to worry about the context!” In short: the series is set in an alternate Edo-era Japan where aliens invade and take over, bringing advanced technology with them. This allows the show to get away with whatever gadgets or anacronisms are desired by the plot and the jokes without spending five minutes explaining where it all came from every time.

Even with this great two-part storyline to ease you back into things, I would not recommend starting with this new series if you haven't seen any of Gintama previously as it assumes that you know the core cast of characters at the very least. Watching, or at least skimming through, the first 13 episodes or so of Gintama (also available on Crunchyroll) should arm you with the basic knowledge you need if you are eager to jump into the latest episodes. If you have already watched and enjoyed Gintama, then feel free to rejoice as this is yet more of the show you already know and love, if perhaps somewhat sharpened and honed by its time off of the air.

The art in Gintama is nothing to write home about, but it does put in the time and effort where it is most needed. All of the characters are well designed and are identifiable from a hundred paces even when they are pulling strange faces, which is a massive help when the cast are such a massive part of the humour. The sound design, in particular the effects, are also very well designed and greatly add to the impact of the jokes. As a person who prides himself on enjoying funny animated faces and goofy sound effects (even though I probably shouldn't) Gintama scores major points with me. The opening and closing sequences are also very well made, and this is coming from someone who habitually skips them, no matter the show.

As a returning series, Gintama succeeds marvellously. I snickered, I laughed, I chortled, and I exclaimed "What the hell?" more than once. I enjoyed these three episodes so much that I am eagerly looking forward to what is to come, and am also looking at going back into the vault to catch up on the 180 or so episodes that I previously missed. read more

Story: The anime will continue where it left off, following the steps of Haruka to become a famous composer, along with her friends Otoya, Masato, Natsuki, Tokiya, Ren, Syo and Cecil, whose dream is to become idols.
However, it won’t be easy for the boys as they’ll have to pass a strict exam supervised by the idols Reiji, Ranmaru, Ai and Camus. For those who already watched the first episode then i bet most of you love it just like i do.. Ive been waiting for this season two to come out, im so excited to watch the ep. 1 and when it's been finally aired, those waiting days didnt disappointed me at all! It's worth it..

Art: just like the season one, Uta no Prince-sama 2000%'s art is good too but should i say it became better than the season one? There arent any changes at the characters' faces or whatsover but if you watch the season one first ep. And the season two first ep. You will see the difference on how it became better. So my score will be 9

Sound: sound... Yeah sound! XD lets talk about it... The songs are sooo awesome! The opening, i like it very much especially the song which the quartet night sang when they introduced themselves! The voice, the so called wave when they sing are just so awesome! The song poison kiss is like a drug to me XD i became so addictive in that song even if the full version isnt out yet (im anticipating to it XD) their songs evolved to the next round ... I would love to give a perfect score here so 10

Characters: as you all know, there are new characters like camus,ai,ranmaru and reiji. You can say that they are all bishies just like our fav. Characters ittoki,natsuki,syo, ichinose,masato,cecil and ren. If you like the cool type then go for ranmaru, for the girls who like ittoki then reiji is right for you :D.. And hmm... For ai (which is my fav chara from the group quartet night XD) he is just like syo but if you know flan of katekyo hitman reborn, they are look alike, the color of the eyes and hair, especially the mocking attitude :3 and as for camus, i think he is a flirty type? Coz in my point of view he and ren are kinda look a like CX .... So for this section, 9

Enjoyment: if you're a girl who squeals or who gets easily flustered when an anime guy does something sweet for the girl then you will find it here :D the seven main characters (boys) are all soo sweet to our fav. Composer nanami. The atmosphere is kinda funny too, so if you like kaichou wa maid-sama, special a and other animes which has a fluffy and sweet genre that will make you kyaaa then this anime suits you, so if you're that type just like me then watch this, i promise... You wont be disappointed at this anime coz it will give an enjoyment which you like :D... 9 again...

Overall: i'll give it a ten coz im expecting this anime to be a good and succesful one just like the season one... And for the story... I'll give it a 9 i guess?

Hope this is helpful for you... read more

Allow me to share my opinion on DTB Kuro no Keiyakusha Gaiden.

Story -(7/10)-
When I saw KKG I nearly broke my PC. I really adored DTB and was a bit shocked with the story of KKG.
Since it’s a DVD special and anyone who tries to watch this before Darker than Black won't understand anything what happens.
There's no reason to read this review unless you have done that already.
KKG's story begins immediately after the end of Darker than Black. Yin and Hei are on the run from the the syndicate, and everyone they meet wants to get their hands on Yin. They told why Yin is so desirable to syndicate and other people. Now Hei and Yin try to settle their past.
Now, my favorite part, flaws:
1) How it refers to the sequel (Ryusei no Gemini)?
2) Hell gates, what is that? Why and when did it appear?

Animation -(9/10)-
Believe me when I say that this is the best animated piece I've seen in a while. The animation is really superb, fight scenes, character feeling and other. They made it realistic. Just perfect!

Sound -(10/10)-
If there's a soundtrack I love, it's Darker Than Black's. OSTs, voice acting, effects, ED theme just epic. All hail Yasushi Ishii! And if haven’t heard this name, try in now.

Characters (7/10):
The character developing is really bad. Hei and Yin are our protagonists. So, why not tell us a bit more about their past? Next time, sorry. They gave us the basis and ll the rest is for us to decide.

Enjoyment –(10/10)-
I really enjoyed the show. I was really nervous for Hei and Yin and this feeling lasted really long.

Overall -(10/10)-
If you gave to DTB 7-10 you will sure like the OVA. Unlike Gemini and kuro no Keiyakusha
Specials it’s a masterpiece plus really touching.
If you watched 1-st season and didn’t like it, don’t waste your time.
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this isn't exactly a review but i need to get this off my chest:

not long enough

i feel that for the whole anime it's not enough.

i want more

everything's great but i still feel like this anime didn't last long enough.

maybe it's kind of selfish of me to say this but i think this is much better than what you usually see nowadays

If you enjoyed Ulta no Prince sama 1, then you will also enjoy the second season. Sequels are notorious for not being up to par with it's origional series, but I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised. This anime is lighthearted and just absolutely fun to watch. By no means is it going to be some sort of "drama masterpiece" if that's what you're looking for. The story had potential, but with the series only having 13 episodes it would be rather difficult to get too far into each of the main character's backgrounds. The comedy bits in this series kind of remind me of Ouran Highschool Host Club, and I actually found myself smiling and giggling in a few scenes.

You have your stereotypical shoujo anime male personality types ...the mysterious, the smart, the playboy, the feminine one, ect... however, in my opinion, the writers were able to execute each of their characters smoothly. The female lead can come off a little dry but she surprises you at certain moments throughout the episodes. Her personality is very cute and endearing.

All in all its a great show for a shoujo anime. The artwork is beautiful, the songs are fun, they characters make you laugh, and you find yourself cheering on for at least one of the guys to get the girl. My only complaint is there aren't enough episodes for the writers to have added a little more drama into the anime and spend more time on each character as an individual. Hope others enjoy watching this series as much as I did :)

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Note: This is a spoiler-free review.

There comes a time when one gains knowledge of a certain story or event, in any form, that boggles his or her mind beyond comprehension. You don't know how you feel about it. Do you hate it or love it? It's definitely not just 'average' if it could evoke such uncertainty and conflict within you.

Neon Genesis Evangelion is that story for me. Animated by Gainax and created by Hideaki Anno, it is the tale of Shinji Ikari, a fourteen-year old boy and the unstable world he resides in. His father is the commander of an organisation known as NERV and abandoned Shinji at a very young age, and his mother is a lost memory. In essence, Shinji is purposeless and neglected. When mysterious creatures known as Angels start attacking Tokyo, the young boy is recruited by his father to pilot the fighting machine known as the Evangelion.

The Evangelion requires a certain amount of nerve synchronisation with its pilot, which is why all the pain of damage served to the machine is also inflicted upon the pilot. Thus begins Shinji's fight against obscure enemies known as the Angels. This is how Shinji is thrown into a gruesome reality he is absolutely unwilling to confront.

NGE is often referred to as a classic masterpiece by the average anime viewer for its powerful psychological implications and startling symbolism. The creator himself was a victim of psychological problems, and partially because of this, the ugly realities of the human mind were brought to life in most frightening manners on screen.

STORY (8.7/10):

While the base of NGE is not entirely unique, its manner of execution more than compensates for that. Everything has been done before, and because of this, uniqueness comes only from presentation, perspective, and execution. NGE is quite possibly one of the best deconstructions of the mecha genre, using the mecha aspect in a way that is not only unique, but thought-provoking and very, very perturbing.

NGE is one of 'those' anime. Yes, 'those' that do not acknowledge the direct translation of the term storytelling. More often than not, it is entirely up to the viewer to disassemble the events taking place on screen, and then reassemble them in a comprehensible manner so as to follow the complexity that is Neon Genesis Evangelion.

CHARACTERS (9.0/10):

The characters of NGE are one of its strongest points, but also one of its major downfalls. In a nutshell, they all suffer from various types of psychological trauma. However, each character has his or her own method of coping with their everyday life (be it effective or not), allowing the viewer the opportunity to both compare and contrast these methods. NGE does not falter in retaining an unyielding and well-established sense of realism in its portrayal of how the events that a character experiences affect his or her mental state of being.

A popular interpretation of Shinji Ikari's character is that of a spineless coward. I cannot disagree more. He is a young boy victim to severe neglect, and as a result, experiences social awkwardness, the curse we call loneliness, and more tragic circumstances that I dare not reveal. For someone already so psychologically perturbed to be flung into such a stressful and nerve-wracking position warrants genuine sympathy and kindness from us viewers. Unlike most young characters in similar settings, Shinji's personality is most faithful to reality.

However, the extent of the psychological tribulations they face are difficult for most regular viewers to relate to. They are extremely 'messed up'- for lack of better term, sometimes having entire episodes dedicated to showcasing their unstable mental states towards the latter half of the series. Most of the main characters are developed to a level that hits so close to home that it's frightening. Contrarily, the side characters receive little to no attention and development, often playing meaningless roles. Towards the end of the series however, this diverse cast starts to feel more distant than realistic, and more confusing than disturbing. This is, perhaps, the fault of the execution.

ANIMATION (7.8/10):

Gainax distributed its small budget very peculiarly in this series. While the fight scenes between the Evangelions and Angels were animated with incredible fluidity and detail, more dialogue-based scenes and character interactions were an array of still frames with little to no movement. Many a time, the characters even took positions in which their mouths were covered, as if to avoid animating their lip movements. It is understandable to an extent that they had budget issues, but a more balanced distribution could have accounted for more effective execution, most particularly at the very end of NGE.

There is a considerable amount of both visual and direct symbolism in NGE, particularly Christian (take the explosions in the shape of crosses, "Melchior", "Balthasar", "Adam", "Angels", as examples). NGE does not make the effort to conceal these symbols, and for me this was a positive point because referencing the Christian religion inadvertently leads into a deeper, more human context. It isn't excessive to the point of becoming a distraction, but it isn't ignorable either.

There isn't much more to criticise about the animation. A comparison to present day anime would be unreasonable. In its time, it was a spectacular achievement.

MUSIC AND SOUND (8.5/10):

"A Cruel Angel's Thesis" by Yoko Takahashi was the opening song of NGE. It has topped many people's lists as their favourite opening of all time, and with reason. Accompanied by visuals that match the upbeat music, NGE's opening is undeniably one of the more memorable openings. The lyrics to this song were written with Shinji Ikari as its subject, making it extremely fitting. The same cannot be said about the generic ending. Though the music isn't bad, it's too dull to watch every time.

The soundtrack within the series is an excellent and bone-chilling compilation of various battle themes ("Decisive Battle" being one of the more memorable ones) as well as emotional and heart-wrenching music that is employed with commendable attention to tension as well as detail.

OVERALL (8/10):

Do I personally like Neon Genesis Evangelion? I'm not entirely sure. There are definitely select portions of it that I love dearly, but there exist others that simply leave me staring at the screen with incoherent, muddled feelings. Do I recommend this anime? Absolutely. Every person who calls themselves a fan of anime should watch the original series at least once.

I'm not going to provide an in depth discussion about the ending for two reasons. Firstly, I have mixed feelings about it. It was indeed confusing and out of place, but somehow left me with a sense of completion and satisfaction. Secondly, it is an extremely controversial topic in the anime community, so it all depends on your taste. My first thought after watching it was "a twisted ending to a twisted, but excellent, series".

Neon Genesis Evangelion is an unforgettable experience, one that cannot be appreciated by everyone, but is too influential and important to dismiss. read more

In this anime, a jerk stepfather uses a mysterious spray to make his two step-daughters have sex with him. However, they still resist him and therefore do not enjoy their first time. For me, this ruins it.