Bakuten Shoot Beyblade

STORY: 7/10
Though it begins as a team of boys merely wanting to be the champions of the Beyblading world, the story of Bakuten Shoot Beyblade soon branches out into various "arcs" that give you insight into a particular character, and through each of their individual ordeals the group as a whole become closer to one another. While there's also the somewhat cliche issue of global takeover to deal with, it seems primarily to be a tale of friendship and, discreetly, cultural diversity. Though the main protagonists all band together to represent Japan, each comes from a different corner of the globe, and the friends they ... make during their travels also originate from various countries and socioeconomic backgrounds. So if nothing else, the themes certainly make this a good anime to watch. There's also a little bit of supernatural awesomeness in the form of "bit beasts," for those who love their fantasy and enjoy a hats-off to mythology.

ART: 6/10
I'm not much of an art or animation guru within the anime industry, but I thought the animation was decent enough. The style made for some cute and funny expressions on occasion, and it was somewhat amusing for me to watch the cat-like eyes of the entire White Tigers team adjust in moments of anger or annoyance.

SOUND: 2/10
I sincerely wish I could get my hands on a Japanese sub, so I could really judge the music of the original untouched anime for what it is. But as I'm stuck with the dub, I'll say this: the music is nothing interesting. In fact, it can be irritating on occasion, as the same songs are constantly on repeat through different battles. The score is also severely underdeveloped, and barely even noticeable. Doesn't do much for the show at all.

CHARACTER: 8/10
For a "sport" anime directed toward a younger audience, the characters have an unexpected level of depth and story. None of them are as one-sided as they seem to be at first glance, and the majority have to cope with issues that are by no means light; divorce and betrayal being just a few. Most of the characters go through some form of change, becoming either more mature or more accepting of the differences between themselves and other people. While I think that the central character Tyson and his friend Kenny should have been expanded on a little more like their teammates, it seems that their primary development was saved for a later instalment, so I supposed I can't be too dissatisfied.

ENJOYMENT/OVERALL: 8/10
While it may not be some grandose tale of hardship or an action-packed epic like most other anime (but then, "most other" anime usually means viewing for mature watchers), Beyblade is good for what it is: a fun comedy with the occasional 'touch of darkness.' I'd definitely recommend it to your kid sister or brother.

When it comes to kiddie anime, I usually do not give out tens. And msot of what I say is opinion, not fact. So don't take it too personal just because I perfer this season over the other two.

Story:

Spinning tops has never been this badass before! And I love how they made it into an extreme professional sport. If you were to explain the story to someone who has never seen the anime, it would come off as silly to them.

Art:

The art style is pretty unique. I didn't like how the style was altered to look OMFG KAWAII ^__^ and like your typical ... kiddie anime.

Sound:

It was pretty great. And for once English dubbers picked the right voice actors.

Characters:

The BladeBreakers are pretty much the most memorable characters I've noticed in anime. They're the only protagonists that I never got annoyed with. You can say that Takao is the main character, but in a way, him, Kai, Rei and Max are all the main characters and aren't there for just support. It's a good thing that you are led to hate the despicable Boris and you're led to root for Takao and friends.

Enjoyment:

This season holds my most cherished childhood memories that I had between grade 5-7. How could anyone not enjoy this?

I watched this when I was 12-14 years old, after I have already damaged my brain with Pokemon and Yu-gi-oh. I did enjoy it, but even 12-14 years old kid can see why is something happening (for the coolness and for money) and major...failures.

Story:
Take Yu-gi-oh, make the deck with one card, that is getting stronger (Pokemon?) and make a basic toy. Add something techy and here you go - you have a Beyblade! No, the story isn't that bad, but that is just because it is MADE for being bad. Who cares actually? The bad are bad, the good are good, one good guy is ... becoming bad (Sasukeeeeee!) and then good again. Friendship, love and peace always prevail.

Art:
Since it is MADE to be like an average Yu-gi-oh+Pokemon shonen it has to have something to catch the eye. The battles have effects, the Beyblades have very good animations, the creatures are very good too. So far 9. But the overall animation is not that good, static backgrounds are common issue and are very different from the battles. If you have watched Code Geass you know that the animation can be much better in that direction. But are there 12-14 years old kids have seen it?

Sound:
The fact that I can't remember anything bad about the sound (except "Let it rip" or common curses and screams) is the reason for the 6. I remember the good voice acting, good sounds when they have "Let it rip" and the screams of the monsters.

Characters:
Very shonen, very immature and pretty well developed. Another strong point. When you think Naruto is an idiot and Sasuke is an EMO, then you see, that the characters are not so standard (well, they are, but in a better way). They pretty much behave like humans and not like the average shonen idiots (Goku, Lufy, Naruto, etc.).

Enjoyment:
You know when a thing is something more than the sum of it's parts. Well, here it is less. I liked it, but I didn't really enjoy it nearly as much as other shonen titles. Again - Yu-gi-oh and Pokemon are much more fun, because they make a new world - the author makes the rules or breaks them. Here they are trying to make you believe that the world is real. But it is not. And even a 12-14 years old kid understood that.

Overall:
The overall score is a little higher, because it is unfair such a good, pure shonen anime to be hated that much. It is unreal, but who cares?! Hellsing: The ultimate isn't. Berserk isn't. But they are good, aren't they? So if you like animes for kids - go ahead. I like a little more realistic and mature titles.

With a friend we made an army to take over the world - Pokemon hooligans, Bayblade Pedobears and cards-cerebral-destroyers. Well, they can destroy mountains (Pokemons), crush walls and are like power plant s (Bayblades) and can cause serious, sometimes deadly brain damage (Yu-gi-oh cards).