23rdeconomics's Anime List - MyAnimeList.net

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Boku no Hero Academia

1/13

TV: 1, OVA: 0, Movies: 0, Spcl.: 0, Eps: 0, Days: 0.02, Mean Score: 0.0, Score Dev.: 0.00

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Akira

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Angel Beats!

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Angel Beats! Another Epilogue

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Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai.

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Aria the Animation

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Baccano!

I know that it isn't my policy to rate something until it has concluded, but I cannot help but be tempted to slap a perfect ten on this one. The story and characters of Baccano are top-notch, the animation is spectacular, and the soundtrack is more appropriate than that of Cowboy Bebop (although I personally prefer the latter). The only thing that gets me is the ending theme, which sticks out like a sore thumb. Not that it's absolutely terrible, but just that it's easy for the smallest of errors to stand out in a show as immaculate as Baccano.

I'll get back to scoring this once I'm through episode thirteen.

Alright, I'm back.

Story: 10
Characters: 10
Animation: 10
Sound: 9 (Only because I really believe the ending matters, and the sound is the culprit)
Enjoyment: 9.5 (Because a bad ending can really mess with your fun).

And let's add 'em up.

A staggering 48.5 out of 50, which amounts to 9.7 out of 10. It is with great pleasure that I round this score off to a perfect 10, as few shows are as deserving of this as Baccano.

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Baccano! Specials

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Bamboo Blade

Story: 8
Characters: 9
Animation: 8
Sound: 9 (1 bonus for dub)
Enjoyment: 8

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Berserk

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Black Lagoon

Story: 8
Characters: 9
Animation: 8
Sound: 8
Enjoyment: 9

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Black Lagoon: Roberta's Blood Trail

Hmm...

Hmmmmmm........

HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM............

Oh well.

Story: 8
Characters: 7
Animation: 8.5
Soundtrack: 6
Enjoyment: 7

OVA

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Black Lagoon: The Second Barrage

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Bokura no

Funnily enough, the fansubs on this one are surprisingly vulgar, with words like 'Hidoi' ('Terrible') being replaced for 'bastard', and other bits including the infamous 'You just want to fuck her brains out, don't you?' line. Funnily enough, they actually add a little depth to the story, even though I think I understand some of what's being said to be different from the subtitles.

Okay, so this was actually quite special, as you're about to see a rare bonus outside of the presentation scores.

Story: 9 (Didn't tie up a couple of loose ends, but I liked it nevertheless)
Characters: 11 (I'm still in awe)
Animation: 8 (Really digging the character designs on this one, good use of CG).
Sound: 7 (The endings were forgettable, and while the soundtrack fit, it didn't do anything special. however, bonus points for the OP and voice acting)
Enjoyment: 10

45/50

Bokurano is a 9.25- Rounds off to 9 (shame)

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Byousoku 5 Centimeter

Aagh, Makoto Shinkai. Incredible production quality DOESN'T excuse bad storytelling.

What's supposed to be an endearing tale feels like a drag. Sure, it tries to surprise us by having our two romantic partners drift as far apart as possible in order to snatch any sense of fulfillment away from its audience. However, how is it supposed to snatch away something that doesn't exist?

I feel that the creators tried to play to those who had lost contact with a dear childhood friend or partner. As you can expect, to the introvert who never had either, it's a stupendous faceplant.

As for the characters, there precisely three. We learn nothing of the two main characters, provided that they were childhood friends who wrote letters to one another after they moved apart, and fell in love. The only other character is the only one that gets any depth is Sumida, but not very much, as most of her screen time is spent on her unrequited love towards our blank slate of a protagonist. It's unpleasantly reminiscent of School Days (the fact that I don't immediately resent myself for making that reference means this is terrible).

I once read a webcomic depicting a tale of two cardboard boxes who fell in love, and the characters were more compelling than these two.

The soundtrack isn't anything special, and I can't even find things to say about it. I guess it works.

The animation is the high point of the show, but since I went in expecting a visual orgasm, it isn't what I received. Granted, I did make the mistake of watching The Garden of Words first. If you're looking for the quintessential Makoto Shinkai movie (unbelievable production quality, lazily-written storytelling), then The Garden of Words is the way to go, although I daresay the story there is better than that of 5 Centimeters per Second.

As for enjoyment, I couldn't even get myself through the entire thing without having to take breaks out of sheer boredom.

Story: 4
Characters: 3
Animation: 9
Sound: 6
Enjoyment: 4

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C: The Money of Soul and Possibility Control

Ah, damn it, why am I forced to do this to a show I enjoyed so much.

Well, on with the systematic analysis...

The plot; while the premise was interesting, look at the mess that became of it. It tried to fling so much material into the mix, what with a gigantic battle, the digimo- 'Assets' turning out to be comatose adolescents, and a last-minute appearance from 'God'?

And I've noticed a recurring trend; this is only seen in anime that has an original story, not an adapted one.

I've been more scathing lately, and all the ratings everywhere have gone down. Let's put this back on a scale and weigh it.

The plot just pulls shit out of its numerous back pockets to try to make the story interesting, but that results in plot holes large enough to drive a magic taxi through.

There we go; 5 out of 10

Characters: Now, it's be a lie to say I enjoyed the characters. I enjoyed ONE character; of course, 'twas the one played by J. Michael Tatum; Dunba-, no Lawrenc- SOUICHIROU MIKUNI. Damn it.
The rest of the characters were... Pretty terrible. The protagonist was rather horrible, his digimo- ASSET was his... Granddaughter? Wait, but why did they end up at first base? Ah, fuck it.

And I can't believe I disliked these characters despite the fact that they were played by Vic Mignogna and fucking Brina Palencia!

Still, the supporting cast (whatever little you see of them) are the good parts of the show because you can see the effects of these wild gambles upon the world. Major props to how the teacher and philanthropist were written in.

Then again, the terrible leads, absolute waste of great voice actors, and the girl who inexplicably and irrationally goes insane are unforgivable blunders. 4 out of 10.

Still, Souichirou Mikuni alone drags this rating from a 4 to a 5. Throw in what the supporting cast did, and it goes up to a 6 out of 10.

Animation: For starters, the art style was reminiscent of both Madoka Magica and No Game, No Life; two shows that I love dearly for their visuals (Madoka Magica for more than that). However, it wasn't exactly top-notch, considering what else came out around the same time, and the pencil-shaded 'Epic final blow' was just cringeworthy and brought back unpleasant memories of Evangelion's budget cuts.

7 out of 10

Audio: I can't say I'll ever get used to that battle beat with 'Hey!' on every upbeat. At least Cowboy Bebop gets it right with 'WE ARE THE DOGGY DOGGY DOGS!'. However, with a great opening and some (one) good tunes off the soundtrack, this isn't as bad as I would have dismissed it as before careful consideration.

Props to Taku Iwasaki, whose work has never quite appealed to me (notable that from Black Butler and Gurren Lagann).

The sound gets a 6 out of 10.

Yes, this show had more flaws than I find it within my bounds to forgive. However, seeing J. Michael Tatum practically return as Kraft Lawrence made my day, and the fact that they unintentionally coupled him with Xenoblade Chronicles' Dunban (another major favourite of mine) won me over, even if the show was an eventual mess.

8 out of 10. Even if it crumbles before scrutiny, when I was watching this, I was hooked.

Right, let's put the numbers together.

6.4 out of ten, which puts it at a rounded number of 6. Funny, I'd tried hard to make it round off to 7 earlier, but upon revisiting it, I realized that the show just wasn't worth it.. However, this show has a place on my second tier of favourites just because J. Michael Tatum is in it and does an absolutely badass job of his role.

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Clannad

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Clannad: After Story

Does Clannad; After Story add up to a perfect 10? Or at least a 9.6 or above?

Story: 9
Characters: 10
Animation: 9
Sound: 10 (double bonus for opening)
Enjoyment: 9.5

47.5 here. Clannad: After Story gets the gold.

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Clannad: After Story - Mou Hitotsu no Sekai, Kyou-hen

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Clannad: Mou Hitotsu no Sekai, Tomoyo-hen

Despite the entirety of Clannad being essentially an appetizer of character development for what was to come, I'm sure everybody felt something was missing. Clannad was evidently building itself up for some kind of deep, emotional rollercoaster; so why were we stuck watching Sunohara pull gags out of his back pocket and get kicked in the face by strangely-coloured tsunderes?

Lo and behold; the end of your worries and the answer to all of your 'What if?' questions that would be better explained by playing the visual novel, but are retold here.

If only there was more...

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Code Geass: Boukoku no Akito 1 - Yokuryuu wa Maiorita

Movie

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Code Geass: Boukoku no Akito 2 - Hikisakareshi Yokuryuu

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Code Geass: Boukoku no Akito 3 - Kagayaku Mono Ten yori Otsu

I waited for a year. Then the episode came out, and I waited over a month for subtitles. Then, I finally saw it.

LIVE REACTION, MOTHERFUCKERS!

WHAT THE FUCK, SUNRISE?! THIS FANSERVICE SLICE-OF-LIFE COMEDY SHIT IS SO OUT OF PLACE. AND A SERIOUS BACKSTORY REVEAL RIGHT AFTER IT? YOU MADE ME NOT CARE ABOUT CHARACTERS I WOULD HAVE CARED ABOUT! I FUCKING HATE YOU!

AND YOUR ANIMATION TOOK A BIG FUCKING DROP TOO! FUCK YOU!

STOP IT! STOP IT! YOU'VE WASTED A FUCKING THIRD OF THE EPISODE!

WHAT, EVEN THE VOICE-ACTING?!

AND THE CHARACTERS HAVE BEEN REDUCED TO... TO THIS?!

FUCKING LEAVE HIM ALONE! WHAT THE FUCK?! STUFFING FISH INTO HIS MOUTH AS A GAG?! EVEN THE COMEDY IS TERRIBLE!

FUCK, NO MORE OF THIS TAROT BULLSHIT.

AAGH, FUCKING HELL. F-U-C-K.

I NEVER THOUGHT SUNRISE WOULD STOOP SO FUCKING LOW. THIS IS WORSE THAN THE SLICE-OF-LIFE MOMENTS IN THE ORIGINAL SERIES!

THIS CC SHTICK IS BORING AS FUCK TOO.

'BOOSTING ITS SPEED WITH HOLO-DISKS?! DOESN'T SUCH ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY CREATE PLOT HOLES BIG ENOUGH TO SWALLOW ALL OF THE HOLES FROM THE ORIGINAL SERIES?!

WHAT'S WITH THIS WHOLE 'PETTY REVENGE' THING? THE GUY VIOLATED MILITARY POLICY AND ILLEGALLY ERASED PROFILE DATA OF A COMMANDING OFFICER ON AN IMPORTANT MISSION.

NOW HERE'S THIS FUCKING FANSERVICE AGAIN.

AND THAT'S HALF THE EPISODE.

HALF. THE. FUCKING. EPISODE.

NOW THIS ROMANCE SHIT. THIS STILL COUNTS FOR FANSERVICE.

WAIT, SHE'S GLAD HE GOT CURSED WITH AN UNCONTROLLABLE OBLIGATION TO DIE, JUST SO THE MET HIM? FUCK IT, THIS IS TERRIBLE SCRIPTING TOO. AND NOW THIS CLEAVAGE-HEAVY DANCE FANSERVICE.

FUCK YOU, SUNRISE.

AND WHAT IS THIS SOUNDTRACK?!

AND NOW, COMPLETELY RANDOM CHARACTERS, A COMATOSE POPSICLE, AND HIS POSSIBLY CHEATING SPOUSE.

AND NOW THEY'RE PUTTING THE KNIGHTMARE GUYS BACK INTO THEIR SH-

WHY ARE THOSE STUPID GYPSY GRANNIES ALLOWED ONTO A CLASSIFIED. MILITARY. AIRFIELD?!

AND WHY THE FUCK IS AKITO CUTESYING UP AND INVITING EVERYONE TO JAPAN?!

LELOUCH IS BACK. WASN'T SUZAKU TORTURING HIM BY DENYING HIM WATER A MINUTE AGO? HOW IS HE BACK ON FORM?

AND NOW LEILA HAS A SISTER, OUT OF FUCKING NOWHERE.

... SO KNIGHTMARES ARE BUILT BY 3D PRINTERS. AND WHAT'S THIS GUY IN A BEAR SUIT DOING?! WAIT, WHAT THE FUCK, THIS IS THE COMEDY AGAIN.

THERE'S A BLOODY CURTAIN ON THIS THING? 'LIFTING THE CURTAIN' USED LITERALLY AS RED STAGE CURTAINS ARE PULLED BACK... ON A MILITARY OBSERVATION POST?! WHAT THE FUCK?!

IF THIS IS AN ALTERNATIVE TIMELINE, WHY ARE THERE SO MANY MONUMENTS FROM TODAY'S WORLD?

YES, JUST RECYCLE THE FRENCH REVOLUTION. FUCKING PERFECT. FUCK YOU.

ALRIGHT, THAT PHONE HAS A HOLOGRAPHIC CALLER ID DISPLAY, BUT IS JUST A REGULAR, TRADITIONAL, VINTAGE PHONE?

AND NOW THEY'VE RECYCLED A MAES HUGES DESIGN TO THE VERY LAST DETAIL.

SPINNING FUCKING SUZAKU AGAIN. IS THIS A JOKE NOW? IT. ISN'T. FUNNY.

THIS FIGHT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE EITHER. WHY DID SUZAKU GET ENOUGH TIME TO GET IN HIS MECH?! HIS OPPONENTS WERE ATTEMPTING A MUTINOUS ASSASSINATION; THERE WAS NO REASON FOR THEM TO STAND ON CEREMONY.

AND NOW THEY'RE USING GEASS AND CC TO 'EXPLAIN' EVERYTHING.

I REMEMBER HOW FUCKING WELL THAT WORKED OUT IN CODE GEASS R2!

WASN'T SHAING SUPPOSED TO BE A WILY, SNEAKY, SELF-SERVINGLY CLEVER STRATEGIST? WHAT'S WITH THE POWERPLAY COUP, HUH?

A BRIEFING IN HER FANCY FUCKING LIVING ROOM? YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME. HER CIVILIAN SISTER IS JUST SITTING THERE, WATCHING, PRIVY TO ALL THIS INFORMATION.

AND NOW THIS 'ARK' IS CONJURED UP AS AN EXCUSE FOR ACTION. THE SOUND MIXING IS JUST AWFUL; IT SHOWS THAT THEY DON'T TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY ANYMORE. AND NOW WE GET A PETTY FISTFIGHT RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF A BRIEFING?!

'TO BE YOUNG AGAIN?!' AND NOW THE EPISODE ENDS. SUNRISE HAS JUST HAD THE WEAKEST EPISODE I'VE EVER SEEN. AND SHAIN KILLS HIS SISTER, I GUESS. FUCK IT. I DIDN'T EVEN CARE ABOUT HER.

THESE CHARACTER DESIGNS IN THE CREDITS ARE A FUCKING JOKE TOO.

THIS EPISODE COULD NOT HAVE BEEN WEAKER, AND THE PRODUCTION QUALITY HAS DECLINED DESPITE BEING IN DEVELOPMENT FOR OVER TWO YEARS.

STORY: 1
CHARACTERS: 1
ANIMATION: 6 (DESPITE THE DECLINE, IT WAS DECENT)
SOUND: 3
ENJOYMENT: 0. ZERO OUT OF TEN.

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Code Geass: Boukoku no Akito 4 - Nikushimi no Kioku kara

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Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch

There are reasons I call Sunrise one of my favourite studios. No, they aren't all 'Cowboy Bebop'.

When referring to the quintessential Mech anime, people would likely bring up either Gundam, Evangelion, or both at once. Having seen bits of both, I can say that there is another contender. However, is you're expecting the conventional Mech thrill ride, you're in for a surprise.

Code Geass.

The story is quite something, but the whole 'Brittanian Empire's Holy Conquest' deal doesn't get much backstory.

Bland characters, only Lelouch gets noticeable development. Then there are characters that do their damnest to invoke your resentment. By 'Characters', I am referring to one Suzaku Kururugi.

Although some people might have qualms against the animation, I quite liked the art style, and thought it was original, even if each character appears to be suffering from anorexia and pointy feature syndrome. Still, it feels organic and fluid, and those who are just here to see giant robots duking it out in spectacularly animated battles won't be disappointed.

This was one of the first anime I have ever watched, and I can vouch for it being a great place to begin, should you wish to make your debut into the wonderful world of anime.

Although I won't deny the existence of these flaws, I didn't give them much thought because of how much I was enjoying the show.

Sure, it's got its drawbacks, an inferior second season unnecessary fanservice, plot holes large enough to pilot a knightmare frame through, and by god, the Mao arc. Though when all's said and done, it's probably one of the best experiences I have ever had with anime.

Story: 8
Characters: 8
Animation: 9
Sound: 9
Enjoyment: 9

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Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch R2

Story: 5
Characters: 5
Animation: 8
Sound: 6
Enjoyment: 8

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Cowboy Bebop

Story: 10
Characters: 11
Animation: 11
Soundtrack: 12
Enjoyment: 12

56/5= 11.2

I'd like to address what people might call a 'Slow start' in the context of Cowboy Bebop; i.e, the episodes up until 'Ballad of the Fallen Angels' being slow.

Now, it is only sensible to rewatch a series before you review it, assuming your review isn't in immediate response to the conclusion of the series. It makes sense, doesn't it? Doesn't it?

I don't think so.

Your second impression will almost always be vastly different from your first, unless your mind is about as open as a coconut on a tree.

Ballad of the Fallen Angels is, indeed, the first episode to detail upon what might be considered the most focused-on plot in Cowboy Bebop's world; the story of Spike. It is only natural that we wait in anticipation of this when we watch the series for the second time, which is exactly what makes the four episodes preceding seem like they are dragging.

However, no series is presented with the intention of being perceived primarily via a rewatch. When you watch Cowboy Bebop for the first time (without spoilers, that is), you won't expect Ballad of the Fallen angels to come up at all; making it a wonderful surprise, and letting you enjoy the previous 'Sessions' in all of their episodic glory.

In conclusion, the series has a slow start if you rewatch it, as the first 'milestone' of the series falls five episodes in. However, it doesn't seem so when you first watch it, and when publicly reviewing this (I'm looking at you, 'Glass Reflection Arkada'), keep in mind that the audience of such reviews consists primarily of people who haven't watched it yet.

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Cowboy Bebop: Ein no Natsuyasumi

I don't even know if I should score this.
Technically, it doesn't have a plot for me to write about. The characters have already been presented to us, and whoever knows me knows they get a 10. The music is a little different, as it incorporates the 'Doggy dog' war chant rather than my favourite parts of the soundtrack. Then again, I can't rate this off two tracks (counting the C7 blues piano vamp that closes it). In terms of animation, it was a visual orgasm, and I enjoyed it immensely as it just brought back everything I remembered about Cowboy Bebop.

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Cowboy Bebop: Tengoku no Tobira

When I began watching this movie, my face assumed a permanent, excessively wide grin that lasted for the entirety of the movie; that's just how awesome it was. Even without the original music, it's almost as good, and 'What Planet is This' in particular stands out as some of Yoko Kanno's greatest contributions to the show.

The production quality, despite retaining the same organic feeling of the show, is amazing. I daresay it's even better.

The story and characters are also brilliant. It's rare to see an antagonist receive so much depth, despite never shedding light on his backstory, leaving his origins obscure. I have no idea how Cowboy Bebop does these things, but I suppose that's part of the reason it's called the greatest anime on the face of the Earth.

I should take note that my overall enjoyment was at least an 11 out of 10.

UPDATE: RATING MOVED TO 9/10. TOP IS FOR FRANCHISES ONLY TO AVOID CONFUSION

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Death Note

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Durarara!!

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Eizouken ni wa Te wo Dasu na!

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Elfen Lied

Story: 6
Characters: 5
Animation: 6 (let's be fair, this is 2002, and the backgrounds were nice)
Sound: 2. Come on, this is the same theme over and over.
Entertainment value: 4. The breasts took much away from the show's value as artwork or a piece of entertainment.

Overall score: 4.6/10=5/10.

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Fairy Tail

THIS IS A REVIEW OF THE FIRST 48 EPISODES ONLY

Story: 6 (Interesting questions posed, no resolution)
Characters: 4 (Basically either stupidity or tits on legs)
Animation: 5 (Not bad, but not great for 2012 either)
Sound: 10 (This sells the bad shonen)
Enjoyment: 8 (I won't lie)

Overall, if you can tolerate fanservice, this shonen stands, but not beyond episode 48- that's where this show goes to hell.

175

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Fate/Prototype

OVA

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Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works

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Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works 2nd Season

Story: 2
Characters: 1
Animation: 8
Sound: 7
Enjoyment: 2

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Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works Prologue

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Fate/Zero

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Fate/Zero 2nd Season

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Flying Witch

Story: 8
Characters: 7
Animation: 10
Sound: 6
Enjoyment: 10

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Fullmetal Alchemist

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Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

Forced humor, over-the-top Shonen elements, and a whole lot of 'NO's. Also, the music was rather ridiculous.

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Fullmetal Alchemist: The Conqueror of Shamballa

I don't mind bittersweet endings, but this one had it all wrong, and was inconclusive. Plus, Hohenheim's demise at the hands of a pair of jaws (heh)? Jesus Christ.

Terrible CGI zombies and shit, and too many alternate universe similarity characters.

Soundtrack? Nowhere near as good as the original.

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Gankutsuou

The extensive use of the word 'Fuck' in this review is in the spirit of Black Lagoon, and although I'm not entirely familiar with this vernacular, I've enjoyed incorporating it into my critique of this show.

Here we are again, a few thousand years into the future. Also in France (forgive me, the last show I watched was Sound of the Sky).

Now, before I begin, I must note why the rating of a perfect ten out of ten is so special; there must be nothing wrong with it that the story would be better off without.

At first, I could only think of how deserving this series was of that rank. Later, as I progressed just past the halfway point, I put down a few reasons as to why it doesn't deserve it. Further, around the last few episodes, I was thinking of reasons it deserves a ten, and by the cheesy-ass soggy, sickly happy ending sequence, I was questioning my sanity as to why I ever thought it would be deserving of the perfect grade.

That ending makes me want to vomit. This was a dark tale about manipulation and vengeance. Anime like Kara no Kyoukai are brilliant because they accept that, and don't attempt to fix broken things with pink, fluffy fucking ribbons.

However, I must come back to aspects of this show that are deserving of praise rather than my signature scathing critique.

The sound and animation.

This series aired in 2004 and is probably one of the most visually appealing things I've ever seen. It manages to accomplish this not because of the quality of its art, but rather its unique style. Indeed, the style of Gankutsuou is an anomaly in the anime industry, and while, in some scenes, it was borderline frightening to behold, I enjoyed it.

The soundtrack is also one of the few I have downloaded without actually finishing the production from which it was spawned (the only others being Cowboy Bebop, Sakamichi no Apollon, and Xenoblade Chronicles). Also, the opening and ending are amazing both in terms of raw aesthetic and originality. Few anime start off somber and end with... THAT. Well played, Gonzo.

Now, verging on the aspects of the show that I had problems with.

Let's get the biggest problem out of the way first; the characters. Or perhaps, more specifically, the male lead. What happens when you dump 'Elephantine dunce', 'spoiled aristocrat', and 'Shinji Ikari' into a blender and tip it out onto a dirty plate? A very, very poor protagonist slowly crawls to life.

Indeed, most of this character's screen time was a disgusting spectacle to bear witness to at best, and at worst... Let's just say I've said nicer things to a television display. But he wasn't the only dullard. His best friend (whose 'noble sacrifice' was supposed to move me to tears?) is also a colossal bore.

However, besides these two, all of the characters have so much depth to them, I could watch an endless series based off their interactions. Also, none of the characters conform to cliche anime tropes besides the last one on my resentment roster; Peppo the transvestite. Now, I don't hate her because she's a transvestite. I wanted to appreciate her character for that very reason. But the concept of a transgender man masquerading as a cute female maid has been done to death in anime, and none of this was given any maturity; something that tends to set the characters of Gankutsuou apart from others.

Next, the plot;

Before I begin, I must first address the setting; the anime seemed to be going for the whole space-opera adaptation thing, but it really did end up seeming more like France in the mid 1800s rather than over three thousand years later. There's a lot more quaint countryside picnics and sabre-duels and opera shows than elements more reminiscent of a science-fiction theme. While I was intrigued at first, I think the show could have done without the element, and that the whole art style thing screams 'Masquerade ball for French aristocrats' more than it does 'future party on the moon'.

I'll admit, this anime was a nominee for a bonus score in the category of 'Plot' when I first came down to it, but it decided to pull a stupid stunt, fail, unintentionally conclude everything the show was just halfway through the series, and take a complete FUCKING NOSEDIVE in terms of plot AND pacing.

Gankutsuou was perfectly paced up until the midpoint. And what's more? The ending was bollocks. That, and people refused to die. You can't make a big deal of the one dead friend when the other six were saved by fortunately-placed DEUS EX MACHINAS.

The Count, despite being the best thing about the show by far, did not get his revenge. And instead of embracing some higher calling or his better nature, he asks for his sword to carry out his vengeance and just... Gives up for his final sentence to be some cheesy parting line of advice? I hated that.

I also hated how Gankutsuou, the indomitable incarnation of vengeance, was exorcised and expunged from the count's body because French aristocrat Shinji decides to fucking kiss him.

Also, it pains me to explain this to the anime industry yet again, but incest is not part of the mandate for an anime to be a mature show. We can have mature shows without incestuous relationships that just seem to be there to add to squirm material or provide stimulation for the creepier portion of the fanbase. Fuck you.

I was looking forward to giving this show a ten out of ten, and later, at least a nine. However, my enjoyment of the show had diminished so greatly by the ending that I was skipping through scenes.

I think I felt some of the effect the creators intended for the ending to have on their audience, but I was expecting more than what is standard from an anomaly like Gankutsuou.

Now, let's score this thing.

Plot: 8
Characters: 9
Animation: 9
Sound: 9
Enjoyment: 8

So, we come to an overall score of 42 out of 50, or an 8.4 out of 10.
It is close to a number that might round it off to 9, but it isn't quite there.

(Update: increased character rating from 8 to 9, as the ending isn't a fault of this, and the only detriment was our protagonist. Overall rating is now 8.6, or 9).

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Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu

OVA

110

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Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu: Arata naru Tatakai no Overture

Movie

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Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu: Waga Yuku wa Hoshi no Taikai

Movie

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Guilty Crown: Lost Christmas - An Episode of Port Town

OVA

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Haibane Renmei

Story:

Alright, so I'll be entirely honest here, I think it dragged. I mean, dragged by the knuckles. All these chances to hit world-building completely missed. I mean, there was a whole episode about clock girl and library girl- two characters that don't even matter? Yeah, I said it. There was also so much more asked than answered, and it's like I said with Evangelion. I'm sure there's plenty of people who just want lemons to make imagination lemonade. I've come to expect more of an experience from anime. I didn't even feel anything from Haibane Renmei.

Okay, the whole implications of Reki being 'sinbound' were the parts I enjoyed, but then again, we needed more of that. The implications of Haibane Renmei's setting are dark enough. Now, it would suck for each character to have killed themselves or died in another horrible way, as we are all familiar with Angel Beats. No, I wanted meaning. This story, and by extent, its characters, didn't do it for me. The obsolescence felt more prevalent than the worthwhile, and as somebody who abides by a philosophy of 'less is more' I cannot say I appreciated it.

But Haibane Renmei's use of atmosphere is something that made it genuinely scary at times, because of how subtle it was. Without anything being drastic, even something slightly extreme would legitimately scare me. The part right before the conclusion- that one had me, but the ending did not. I know not whether this was good pacing or not, as the show did drag an awful lot, but I feel at least this worked out for it, in my humble opinion.

Story: 6/10.

Now, I really didn't like the characters. Everyone seemed to grow off some overused trope, and had little depth to them. Reki was the only break from this, but it wasn't a long throw. And I don't have any way of expressing how annoying I found Rokka (I'm sorry, Carrie Savage!).

Characters 4/10.

Now here's a reference I won't have to include an entire rewatch for just for validation. I'll just score it, then.

Animation- 5/10. Nothing special. In fact, it was a little unpleasant in places. However, props for large endless (well, besides that wall thing) vistas that I love so much.

Sound- 5/10. The dub was okay, and I suppose the opening was too. Everything I liked about the ending, however, felt like it was only present on accident.

Enjoyment- 6/10. The story dragging really held me back form enjoying this, but for what it's worth, there were parts where I loved the damn thing, but too many parts made me question if they were worth it.

26/50

I'm sorry, Yoshitoshi Abe.

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Haikyuu!!

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Haikyuu!! Karasuno Koukou vs. Shiratorizawa Gakuen Koukou

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Haikyuu!! Second Season

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Hanasaku Iroha

Story: 6
Characters: 6
Animation: 8
Sound: 7
Enjoyment: 7

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Higurashi no Naku Koro ni

Story=4
Characters=4
Animation=6
Sound=5
Enjoyment=4

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Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai

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Hotaru no Haka

Movie

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Kara no Kyoukai Movie 1: Fukan Fuukei

Rating for entire series so far;

Plot- 9
Characters- 9
Visuals- 10
Sound- 9
Enjoyment- 9

9.2 out of 10.

Movie

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Kara no Kyoukai Movie 2: Satsujin Kousatsu (Zen)

Movie

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Kara no Kyoukai Movie 3: Tsuukaku Zanryuu

Movie

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Kara no Kyoukai Movie 4: Garan no Dou

Movie

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Kara no Kyoukai Movie 5: Mujun Rasen

Ah yes, the apex of the Kara no Kyoukai films; Kinoko Nasu and Ufotable's magnum opus.

I could talk about this for days, but for now, I'll just score it.

Story: 9
Characters: 9
Animation: 11
Sound: 9
Enjoyment: 9

48/50, or 9.6 out of 10

Movie

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Kara no Kyoukai Movie 6: Boukyaku Rokuon

Movie

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Kara no Kyoukai Movie 7: Satsujin Kousatsu (Go)

Movie

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Kara no Kyoukai Movie 8: Shuushou

Special

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Kara no Kyoukai Movie: Mirai Fukuin

Movie

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Kara no Kyoukai Movie: Mirai Fukuin - Extra Chorus

Special

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Kenpuu Denki Berserk

Story: 8
Characters: 8
Animation: 7
Sound: 7
Overall: 7

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Kimi no Na wa.

Story: 5
Characters: 3
Animation: 9
Sound: 3
Enjoyment: 4

Movie

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Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo!

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Kotonoha no Niwa

Story: 3
Characters: 2
Animation: 11
Sound: 6
Enjoyment: 4

Movie

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Koukaku Kidoutai

Movie

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Log Horizon

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Macross: Do You Remember Love?

Movie

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Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica

Story: 9.5 (Another time loop)
Characters: 9 (Why is Madoka so one-dimensional?)
Animation: 9 (Bravo, Shaft)
Sound: 9.5 (Everything nails it but the opening)
Enjoyment: 9.5 (Had me hooked, but Madoka wasn't as interesting as the rest of the cast).

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Mind Game

Movie

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Mirai Nikki: Redial

OVA

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Monster

Story: 10
Characters: 11
Animation: 9
Sound: 9
Enjoyment: 9

48/50, or a 9.6

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Mushishi

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Nagato Yuki-chan no Shoushitsu

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Nagi no Asu kara

Story: 5
Characters: 2
Animation: 11
Sound: 7
Enjoyment: 6

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No Game No Life

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Omoide no Marnie

Story: 8. I feel that it could have actually confronted Anna's problems rather than changing her entire personality to go along with the plot. Furthermore, the grandmother bit was either love it or hate it. I'll give it props in places, but I feel that I was able to guess along those lines in the very beginning. Still, the foreshadowing was one of the reasons this part still gets an 8.

Characters: 7. Half-assed the old boatman. Seems like there were some deleted scenes. Also, the character design missed a few beats with a certain visual. Also, I understand that Ghibli wants to leave a lot to the imagination, but when other parts are... Unusually specific, that's when it fails.

Animation 6: Alright, here's where I'm going to get the flack. True, Ghibli's nailed a certain art style, and I'm certain there are millions to appreciate it. Perhaps it is an acquired taste, and if so, it is one I have not acquired yet. Also, there were some blatant missteps there. Their goal with the visual of Marnie's smiling face as she dances with Anna was supposed to be endearing, or so it seems, as they used it four or five times. But the animation there was so off that it scared me. This is a dock. Sure, there was the beautiful watercolour aesthetic and the role of lighting rather than colour as a narrative element- unusual enough. Still, I can't overlook that misstep.

Sound: 9. The soundtrack pulled itself through remarkably well in a few places, but those were the few sinister ones. Less is more, I say, but there was nothing that particularly stood out to me. Is this a bad thing? No. You're hearing this from a drummer who hasn't played a drum solo in months. The purpose of a soundtrack ISN'T to eslfishly impose itself on everything else and steal the spotlight. Drummers who keep good time are the best. Soundtracks that make for good narration and presentation of a story are the best. I mean, sure, you can do both, but that isn't the point. Less is more, Studio Ghibli. You receive the platinum Jacob for this.
9 out of 10, only because I thought the singing was a little... Well...

But that ED was great.

Enjoyment- 7. Now here's the thing. Even though this will go down in my books as an 8, I'd still recommend this to people on the level of one of my '9/10' shows. Similarly, I'd refrain from recommending some of the 9s as well. Why?

I can tell that this movie has so much to be enjoyed. I just didn't enjoy all of it personally, but it takes a special piece of animation that makes you realize how subjective this is. There are dozens of shows and movies on here that I didn't hesitate to write off as 'Poor' or that the ratings should be subject only to my opinion. Note that I haven't changed the ratings here, but I felt I needed to call attention to this.

I don't know how much I appreciate the 'less is more' aesthetic. Fine wine's an acquired taste, I suppose. I've still got learning to do- always will.

Movie

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One Punch Man

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Ookami Kodomo no Ame to Yuki

Notes:

Did the story end perfectly? Could there have been more?
The timeskip may have been fitting and presented well, and this would be ruined were it presented in multiple installments. Still, I can't help but wonder; could there have been more?

Still, it looks and sounds gorgeous. The animation is awesome and over-the-top when needed, but I believe Wolf Children shines in its Ghibli-esque subtlety. However, that jarringly beautiful scene in the snow (you know the one) is more jarring than it is captivating. Now, I'm not saying it wasn't good; god, no, it was amazing. But it does make the other scenes look more average than you wyouould want.

The characters are great, and Hana's personal fortitude has got to be the highest in the history of anime characters.

I don't know why this isn't a 10 out of 10. Maybe it should be...

Story- 9 (timeskips!)
Characters- 10
Animation- 9
Sound- 9
Enjoyment- 9
Mean score- 9.2 out of 10. Well, I guess it's about fair. I really wish MyAnimeList had an option for fine-tuning ratings.

Movie

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Ookami to Koushinryou

Story: 9
Characters: 11
Animation: 7
Sound: 9
Enjoyment: 10

46/5, or 9.2 out of 10.

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Ookami to Koushinryou II

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Ookami to Koushinryou II: Ookami to Kohakuiro no Yuuutsu

OVA

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Perfect Blue

Movie

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Ping Pong the Animation

Story: 9
Characters: 9
Sound: 10
Animation: 10
Enjoyment: 9.5

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Psycho-Pass

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Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan - Tsuioku-hen

OVA

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Sakamichi no Apollon

Despite its flaws, this is my favourite anime show to date. The reason behind this isn't the brilliance of the show itself, but rather my extremely biased judgement as a jazz musician.

7+7+9+10+8

Yeah, I really liked this show.

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Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi

Movie

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Serial Experiments Lain

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Shinseiki Evangelion

Story: 5
Characters: 3
Animation: 6
Sound: 3
Enjoyment: 4

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Shinseiki Evangelion Movie: Air/Magokoro wo, Kimi ni

Movie

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Shinsekai yori

Story- 6 (loads of holes in here, and it doesn't handle its grey area very well. And it doesn't exactly put forward the best message about slavery, as society just goes on without a shred of recognition for the fact that the Queerat rebellion was entirely justified. I'm no Gandhian, and while extreme measures do cause grief for the affected party (illustrated by the killing of Mamoru and Maria moments after their child was born) I do believe that they were means to an end, and they probably pale in comparison to the atrocities committed by humans against Queerats. And yet, their leader- who proved himself to be a man of the people- people who follower him of their own consent- was confined to a punishment that made me want to vomit more than anything else I've seen ever has.

Does ending on a screen of a bigoted society that still prevails- despite Saki's evolutionary step towards bettering it- make this a bad ending? No. But here's what does.

Hypocrisy. Inconsistency.

Shinsekai Yori is a show that seems to project moral messages in dozens of instances. Ending on a 'that's how life is' moment? I don't know about that. Was the ending an ode to William Wallace and other revolutionaries violently executed for their respective movements? I don't think so. And in the end, it shat on its message. Fuck this show for going with the easy option despite those great suggestions towards moral ambiguity. I don't care if it was there for twenty episodes- if it doesn't come together in the end, then it doesn't work.

Characters- Adding variants from heterosexual orientation doesn't make characters colourful. I appreciate that homosexual relationships were portrayed as normal, but when you look at it closely, they weren't. Sure, haul me up before your internet vigilante panel for saying this, but plot conveniences. Was every character bisexual save for Mamoru, who was just a milk-drinker? Convenient that they'd just go with what they have to just to get the story rolling. Furthermore, there were parts that were simply annoying. Saki wasn't the least bit intelligent, and didn't make a ton of effort towards this. Furthermore, sacrifice Kiromarou when you fucked up a perfectly good plan to kill the 'Fiend', just because he acknowledged that he was ready to die for a cause? So did Satoru, if I'm not mistaken. Who gave you the right to become judge, jury, and arbiter? Oh, right, the scriptwriter. Sin.

5/10. Diversity plus, convenience minus.

And you know what else was inconsistent? The animation. Pretty enough in a few moments, but this came out in 2012. Unexceptional even in its brightest moments, and truly terrible in others. Why does the ending receive so much praise? I know not. 4.5/10.

Soundtrack- unexceptional again. I don't know what people see here. Sure, there's the 'it's all subjective' argument, but this is my opinion. Is that allowed to be subjective? Of course it is. So, here's a resounding 'sod off'. Sure, some stuff wasn't bad, but I'm coming here from Cowboy Bebop, Kara no Kyoukai, and Fullmetal Alchemist. You haven't impressed me. No, you don't get credits for the Dvorak either, and just barely for using it right.

5/10. Tasteful use of Dvorak yields no bonus points due to a penalty imposed by the 2nd ED (And parts of the first)

Pacing, all over the place. Consistency- you can't even spell it. And did I enjoy it? Up until the halfway point where it fell apart. 6/10, and I'll give it that.

I know I've been harder on shows lately. Lest you forget, here it is again.

CRITICISM ISN'T BAD.

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Shirobako

Story: 8
Characters: 9
Animation: 9
Sound: 7
Enjoyment: 9

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So Ra No Wo To

The setting:
While it may seem like yet another old fictional military period around the 1900s, there's far more to it. We discover that the setting is a long while into the future, following a war that wiped out all civilization, leaving but remnants. We even see people speak of our own modern technology as if it were sorcery produced by the magecraft of an ancient age. All was lost in a terrible span of wars, reminding us of their horrifying nature, but telling us about it from a unique, insightful, and extremely emotional point of view.

However, this highly intriguing setting is left unexplored, which was immensely disappointing, as it held virtually unlimited storytelling potential

The Plot:
Here's what drags the show down. After all of those welcome dark, surprisingly mature moments, we're treated to a Moe blob happy hug ending. That, and the telephone episode... Without these, the show is staring down the business end of a perfect ten. 8/10

The characters:
While they may come off as five different manifestations of Moe, they're so much more than that. They all have their own stories (which are surprisingly dark). And they aren't your average band of adorable young females that you see in anime; they truly are a family. 9/10

Visuals:
Bravo, A-1 Pictures. I tip my hat. This may come off as cryptic, but here goes: Despite the animation not being the best I've seen, it's much better; it does the most it can without detracting from the focus of the story; the characters. It did exactly what Spice and Wolf did, rather than go Fate/Zero on the whole thing and turn it into a series of jaw-dropping. spectacles held together by a plot that is forgotten (however good it may be). 9/10

The music:
For a show entitled 'Sound of the Sky', you'd expect the soundtrack to excel in every way and then some. However, the music was a bit of a letdown, leaning heavily on a trumpet rendition of 'Amazing Grace', which, while a classic, doesn't invoke the emotions the scenes seem to expect it to. However, if there are any shortcomings, there is something to redeem them; the opening. When you combine Elfen Lied and Yuki Kaijura with the sort of themes found in Sound of the Sky, you can hardly go wrong. You can also go very, very right, which is exactly what this opening does. 6.5/10

Update: Now that I've listened to the soundtrack, I should mention that there are some particularly good tracks there. However, I cannot ignore the poor decisions concerning the implementation of these tracks within scenes. 'Servante de Feu' and 'Au Coin de Feu' are used to great effect. However, the fact that tracks like (episode 12, 8:15) are used in the show's most intense moments (particularly during the events leading up to the finale) haunts me to this date, especially since there are tracks like 'Le Peril' which are far more apt. Those pizzicato strings just made it sound silly.

Enjoyment: Perhaps not a show that is a constant joyride, but definitely a show I have enjoyed immensely so far, particularly the moments that made me think. 8/10

100

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So Ra No Wo To Specials

Special

101

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Space☆Dandy

Story: 7
Characters: 6
Animation: 9
Sound: 8
Enjoyment: 8

102

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Space☆Dandy 2nd Season

103

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Steins;Gate

Story: 10
Characters: 10
Animation: 8
Sound: 10
Enjoyment: 10

48/50, or 9.6

104

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Steins;Gate Movie: Fuka Ryouiki no Déjà vu

Well, this was a mess. With the OVA/25th episode, Steins;Gate ended perfectly. However, this was naught but a piece of slapdash fanservice for followers with crude taste. I hated to see one of my favourite anime and its characters degraded in such a way.

Steins;Gate was a show full of intelligent banter, and along with the genius of the plot and characters, that was where the entertainment of the show was found (albeit its lighter side). Also, I'm sure you've heard a saying or two that go 'Digging up old somethings is bad'.

Unfortunately, when the majority of the anime community is composed of those who want their favourite shows to go on and on and on, they don't understand the importance of an ending. As a result, the producers can only stand to gain from the terrible decision to create a sequel when it isn't needed. The same was done with Madoka Magica, although they took it further by abridging the series into two movies, releasing the sequel as a third and thus reeling in thrice the profit.

Sure, the animation has persisted, but that wasn't ever the high point of this show, was it? It doesn't make things better, and it doesn't detract from the show either. Also, given the exponentially increased ratio of animation expenditure per scene, one would expect the production quality to skyrocket; yet another front where I leave disappointed.

I'll admit the music of Steins;Gate was great, but I don't see it used as wisely in the movie as it was in the show. The music on its own isn't much, but therein lies its beauty; how well it works within its designation. In this movie, though, it just seemed to float around for the sake of existence.

Now that we've got that out of the way, let's get to why I really hated this movie.

The Plot.

Now, Steins;Gate's plot is rather well-known for its brilliance. On the subject of time travel, sometimes we hear remarks about how reliving memories could addle your brain, but never saw it in action, and rightfully so; the creators obviously tried to make it as logical as possible. Now, in this movie, we have Kurisu chase her lover (yes, I'm well aware of the demeaning nature of my words, but THAT'S HOW THE FUCKING MOVIE GOES) as he begins to hop from one world line to the next because he time-traveled too much. Then we have her save him from his fate by traveling back in time a decade and going to first base with his teenaged self?

It seems desperate. It gives off the feeling that since the creators used up all of their better ideas on the show, they would use anything just to pump out some new material; giving quantity the priority and throwing a bone the the fans of the show who ride under the banner of 'Anime Gourmand'.

I didn't think it was possible to ruin this show. It seems the universe is hell-bent on proving me wrong.

Next; the characters.

Most of them serve as background props. No, all of them serve as background props. However, the two leads of the original show, Okabe and Kurisu, aren't even the same characters. This seems to be inspired by the metric tonne of steamy fanfiction involving the two that I'm sure is all over the internet. Also, you have Kurisu's banter taking on such a tsundere approach that I could swear I saw her hair turning orange. It seems the creators stopped respecting our characters, and had them all but slobber over each other in tradition stale romantic comedy fashion. And Kurisu was a special character because we could respect her as a strong, intelligent, and independent woman. That's also what makes their relationship what it is; and it doesn't need to give that up in order to pull your heartstrings till they're taut enough to sound a B-flat in the sixth octave.

Steins;Gate seemed to be one of the shows that cared more about its story than its fanbase, and my respect for that sentiment is immeasurable. Instead of creating cash cows that would be fed by crude fans, they created something wonderful, although it risked disappointing the less refined portion of its fanbase. This movie seems to be an appeasement, and it shows. As expected, the aforementioned portion of the fanbase (which was surprisingly large) fell upon it like a flock of hungry vultures.

As for my personal enjoyment, I'm surprised I managed to get myself through this movie. I think it is one of the few instances where I have abandoned all grace and sworn like a pirate, throwing objects at the screen from whence the cause of my discontent emanates.

I doubt even the upcoming dub could change my mind about this.

Movie

105

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Steins;Gate: Oukoubakko no Poriomania

I may have been known to say that Steins;Gate ends beautifully. This is why.

The plot, despite suddenly turning a little unscientific, is still extremely fulfilling.

Despite being your same, beloved cast of characters, it does contain a small but significant amount of development, all in the course of just one special. Damn.

The art seems to look better than the series, for some reason.

The music is used to just as great an effect, and it isn't the opening and ending, but their absence, that makes me appreciate the decisions the sound crew made all the more.

Although I'm not among the ever-growing throng of avid fanfiction enthusiasts who want nothing more than to see the two leads of the franchise end up in a romantic relationship, I still loved this special. I did feel that Steins;Gate half-assed the finale with the weathered, beaten concept of a 'accidental contact of fingers between 'strangers', but this conclusion made up for it.

Special

106

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Steins;Gate: Soumei Eichi no Cognitive Computing

SELLOUT FUCK YOU, WHITE FOX. FIRST THE MOVIE, NOW THIS?! DO YOU THINK OF EVERY MEMBER OF THE STEINS;GATE FANBASE TO BE A HUNGRY FUCKING BOAR THAT WILL CHOW DOWN ON ANYTHING TO DO WITH STEINS;GATE?

THE SHOW WAS A FUCKING MASTERPIECE, AND YOU'VE MANAGED TO RUIN IT EVEN AFTER ITS COMPLETION.

I WISH I'D NEVER SEEN THIS.

ONA

107

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Stranger: Mukou Hadan

Story: 7
Characters: 6
Sound: 9
Animation: 9
Enjoyment: 9

Movie

108

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Summer Wars

Movie

109

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Suzumiya Haruhi no Shoushitsu

Yes, Kyoto Animation. Yes.

I can't continue singing praises of this, but the one of the only problems I had with Haruhi remains unfixed; the skewed performance of the dub cast. While Crispin Freeman plays one of his best ever roles here, the voice of Haruhi remains unchanged; Wendee Lee. I can't believe the same lady did Faye Valentine, as Haruhi's voice is awful. Thankfully, she plays her role a little better than she did in the series.

By god, the animation. Again, *raises nonexistent goblet of mango juice* to Kyoto Ani.

The music is beautiful, and works PERFECTLY in conjunction with the scenes. Also, it's less background music than it was in the show, managing to draw at least some attention to itself, but not detracting from the story.

And now, for my final problem with the show which the movie fixed; the characters.

Our characters, while being unique, get almost no depth or development, and most of the time, we see them thrown into some kind of supernatural calamity just to see what happens; our attention on the aforementioned calamity rather than the characters. Now, we FINALLY receive some long-overdue insight into these characters, especially one who had all the personality of a brick (pun intended); Yuki Nagato.

The story... Well, since I cannot comment upon this at any respectable length without spoiling some part of the movie, I will refrain from elaboration upon my near-perfect score for the plot.

Movie

110

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Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu

I should begin by stating clearly that I LOVED this show. However, since I shall forever remember its virtues, let me chalk down its demerit in words that should always be associated with it.

Now, this one really bothers me.

Crispin Freeman was the best thing that could have happened to the role of Kyon, giving him that snark that was completely absent from the Japanese voice (primarily because I don't speak or understand Japanese). Now that we have top notch portrayal of the character who has the most talk-time in the show, let's turn our attention to the one who is the secondary focus; Haruhi. Now, the Japanese voice is excellent, but with Wendee Lee's voice, it feels as though the dubbing team either gave up, ran out of money, or had a stake driven through all of their ears simultaneously. It is so awful, it had me considering starting over with the Japanese voices. It grew on me enough to tolerate it, but when Wendee Lee got up in 'Live Alive' to sing, I had to switch to the Japanese voices (After cleansing my ear canals with rubbing alcohol, of course). Wendee Lee ruins the dub, and if not for Crispin Freeman, it would be unwatchable. I can't believe this is the same voice actress that portrayed Faye Valentine.

Funnily enough, despite thoroughly enjoying the dub, I would still recommend the original Japanese voices, as it is my belief that a consistent set of good performances is better than a skewed set involving a masterpiece and a pitfall.

111

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Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu (2009)

112

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Sword Art Online

Notes:

Bravo, Reki Kawahara. You created a setting with endless possibilities, and sat an Elephant down on it.

The story starts off rather well, and nobody's really paying attention when we're boggled by the jaw-dropping beauty of the world. However, good as the premise is, the story rapidly deteriorates until we're staring down the business end of a colossal pile of lizard excrement. And of all the things you could do, why would you divide it into the most pointless of arcs? And here's a golden rule of fiction; DON'T ASK QUESTIONS IF YOU DON'T MEAN FOR THEM TO HAVE ANSWERS.

And if you're looking to appeal to the introverted crowd that wants nothing more than for the advent of virtual reality to hurry the fuck up, you had better do it right; not USE. IT. AS. A. STEPPING. STONE. TO. BYPASS. BOUNDARIES.

2 out of 10

I have to contain my now white-hot rage in a leaded safe at this point. Gary Stu stumbles into a videogame, and meets a strong female ch- orange tsundere, with a pre-established harem of other strangely-coloured little girls at his feet, each with their own utterly pointless side story about how AWESOME SIR STU IS! And the orange tsundere, who appears to be rather capable, gets reduced to a helpless mess of a characters, and Gary's kawaii waifu.

The characters get absolutely nothing; my worst rating yet.

I'll grudgingly have to admit that the animation is rather beautiful, and (as this was one of the earlier anime I watched) was one of the best-looking shows that I had seen so far (although it was reduced to a smouldering wreck). Still, a high budget can make even a steaming heap of decomposing burrito filling look all shiny and pleasing.

8 out of 10. This would be a nine, but I soon learned that Sword Art Online was nowhere near the greatest visual experience anime had to offer.

The sound for show wasn't bad, but it was rather generic. Still, the initial opening theme was incredible and enough to give me hope that this twisted travesty would redeem itself. Yuki Kaijura did a good, if generic job, with the exception of one track that has (against all odds) found a special place in my heart. That track is 'Everyday Life'.

8 out of 10.

You know you'll hate a show when all you can think about is the flaws and you're barely halfway through. And when I WAS halfway through, 'Crossing Field' was replaced by an inferior opening, and I forsook hope in favour of pessimism. Despite expecting as little as humanly possible, it still found ways to disappoint me, and don't even get me started on the next season.

4 out of 10. Hey, at least I wasn't forced to drop it. That says something, as I was unable to see both Black Butler and Shingeki no Kyojin through to the end.

And now, for the mean score:
4.4 out of 10, and a recommendation to toss the show rather than waste your time upon it. On the other hand, if you're looking for an appealing visual and aural experience, it should pass. You might also learn a thing or two about disastrous fumbles in the anime industry.

As an alternative, there's Log Horizon, which started off on a very intriguing note, but descended into generic schlock midway through the second season (at least, judging by the part of it that aired before the 5th of January, 2015 as I sit here writing this).

Also, there's an unusual take on the 'Trapped in a game world' premise, and one of my favourites (minus the borderline obnoxious fanservice). That anime is No Game, No Life, and deserves a chance.

113

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Terra e... (TV)

Story: 9
Characters: 8.5
Animation: 7
Sound: 9.5
Enjoyment: 8.5

The animation is, frankly, very sub-par, but it doesn't make the show unwatchable. It even breaks immersion with its emptiness (not in a less-is-more way) and overuse of CG. Oh well, Toei does what it does.

Now, this series was extremely tasteful, but towards the end it gave way to a few poorly-placed moments and plot elements. The entire 'Children gaining superpowers' bit definitely took away from the plot.

I also have major qualms with the character of Tony. It is disturbing to see a child with genuine murderous intent as a mere toddler, but later, the series chooses to portray him as a 'Fine young man'. What, did the lingering evil just vanish? Or was that another emergence of the obligatory psychotic child trend? This was immensely disappointing. And no, it's not that Tony 'Didn't know his own strength'. He made clear his intentions to kill Keith at what, two years old? Funny how he's suddenly remorseful after he kills Matsuka.

I haven't downloaded the soundtrack to this show yet, but it seems rather great, but the opening and ending prove tasteless. Normally, this won't stick out enough to be a major bother, but when the rest of the series is seemingly tasteful and selective about its content, why are the show's two openings and endings utter garbage?

I sincerely wish this show wasn't plagued by a host of immersion-breakers.

114

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Tiger & Bunny

115

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Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo

Movie

116

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Tokyo Godfathers

Story: 9
Characters: 8.5
Animation: 10
Sound: 8.5
Enjoyment: 11

This should be a 10, but here's what holds it back.

Miyuki's silly backstory. That's a smear on both the story and the characters. Her mannerisms are also pretty lazy, and she's the only person in this show whom I feel fits a trope. Sachiko and her husband aren't very good either.

I remember the Harmonica- not the music. Nothing besides 'Deck the halls' at the end of the film, and the Sound of Music tune Hana was singing. No songs stand out to me. On second thought, the music worked in all the right places, to an amazing extent. Atop the voice acting, I don't know if it's fair to let this show off on a 8 in the sound. The main theme is also incredibly catchy.

This is still the best Christmas movie of all time, but I can't put this up alongside Cowboy Bebop. Or can I? The soundtrack wasn't memorable, but the story was just as enjoyable. There were slip-ups, but Bebop had fucking 'Pierrot Le Feu'.

The music wasn't memorable at all. That's a big minus. However, the voice acting was stellar.

I didn't notice any of these when watching the film. I was far too busy having fun.

Movie

117

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Usagi Drop

118

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Usagi Drop Specials

Special

119

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Yojouhan Shinwa Taikei

Holy cow.

I'm never going to have to write down reasons as to why I rated this show as a perfect ten. I won't ever need the notes to remember it- that's how memorable this was.

You know the time you have everything sorted out into your neat little stacks, folders, shelves, directories or whatnot, and an oddball emerges just to fuck it all up? This is the oddball. This show, alongside Mushishi, have lead me to reconsider just where all of my currently-rated shows stands on a scale of 1 to 10. I'm going to have to move a bunch of 10s down to 9, 9s to 8, and so on.

Gold medal, The Tatami Galaxy.

120

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Yoru wa Mijikashi Arukeyo Otome

Movie

121

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Zankyou no Terror

Story: 7.5
Characters: 7.5
Animation: 8.5
Sound: 7
Enjoyment: 7

TV: 66, OVA: 7, Movies: 36, Spcl.: 10, Eps: 0, Days: 29.48, Mean Score: 6.4, Score Dev.: -1.62

On-Hold

Anime Title

Score

Type

Progress

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Aoi Bungaku Series

4/12

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Trigun

5/26

TV: 2, OVA: 0, Movies: 0, Spcl.: 0, Eps: 0, Days: 0.15, Mean Score: 0.0, Score Dev.: 0.00

Dropped

Anime Title

Score

Type

Progress

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3-gatsu no Lion

3/22

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Arslan Senki (TV)

10/25

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Boku dake ga Inai Machi

8/12

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Bungou Stray Dogs

1/12

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Fairy Tail (2014)

-/102

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Gangsta.

4/12

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Guilty Crown

14/22

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Hyouka

6/22

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Joker Game

-/12

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Kagewani

1/13

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Kanojo to Kanojo no Neko: Everything Flows

2/4

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Kanon (2006)

10/24

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Kidou Senshi Gundam Unicorn RE:0096

2/22

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Kidou Senshi Gundam: The Origin

OVA

5/6

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Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo! 2

4/10

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Kuroshitsuji

-/24

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Log Horizon 2nd Season

7/25

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Mayoiga

1/12

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Mirai Nikki (TV)

13/26

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Omoide Poroporo

Movie

-/1

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One Piece Airing

4/-

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Orange

12/13

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Plastic Memories

9/13

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Quanzhi Gaoshou

ONA

-/12

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Saint☆Oniisan

OVA

1/2

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Sakamoto desu ga?

2/12

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Sakura Quest

5/25

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School Days

-/12

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Seiren

1/12

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Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso

14/22

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Shingeki no Kyojin

8/25

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Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu

Easily the best premiere I've seen in recent years, and such promise.

And then it's episode after episode of some shit backstory about a character I didn't want to find out so much about. Where are out MCs? This is terrible.

5/13

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Sidonia no Kishi

1/12

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Steins;Gate 0

20/23

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Subete ga F ni Naru

5/11

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Sword Art Online II

-/24

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Tokyo Magnitude 8.0

4/11

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Toradora!

5/25

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Yuri!!! on Ice

7/12

TV: 35, OVA: 2, Movies: 1, Spcl.: 0, Eps: 0, Days: 3.35, Mean Score: 2.9, Score Dev.: -4.69

Plan to Watch

Anime Title

Score

Type

Progress

Tags

Priority

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Afro Samurai

-/5

Low

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Akage no Anne

-/50

High

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Beck

-/26

Low

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Cat Shit One

ONA

-/1

Low

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Cello Hiki no Gauche (1982)

Movie

-/1

Low

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Fune wo Amu

-/11

Low

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Gin no Saji

-/11

Low

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Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu: Die Neue These - Kaikou

-/12

Low

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Golden Boy

OVA

-/6

Low

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Gyakusatsu Kikan

Movie

-/1

Low

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Haha wo Tazunete Sanzenri

-/52

Low

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Haikyuu!! Tokushuu! Haru-kou Volley ni Kaketa Seishun

OVA

-/1

Low

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Hellsing

-/13

Low

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Hetalia Axis Powers

ONA

-/52

Low

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Hirune Hime: Shiranai Watashi no Monogatari

Movie

-/1

Low

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Hotarubi no Mori e

Movie

-/1

Low

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Howl no Ugoku Shiro

Movie

-/1

Low

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Jarinko Chie

Movie

-/1

Low

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Je T'aime

OVA

-/1

Low

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Kabuki-bu!

-/12

Low

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Kaiba

-/12

Low

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Kaze no Tani no Nausicaä

Movie

-/1

Low

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Kemonozume

-/13

High

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Kidou Keisatsu Patlabor: Reboot

Movie

-/1

Low

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Kino no Tabi: The Beautiful World

-/13

Low

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Kono Sekai no Katasumi ni

Movie

-/1

Low

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Koukaku Kidoutai: Stand Alone Complex

-/26

Low

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Kyousou Giga (TV)

-/10

High

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Mononoke

-/12

Low

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Mononoke Hime

Movie

-/1

Low

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Nodame Cantabile

-/23

Low

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Ouran Koukou Host Club

-/26

Low

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Princess Tutu

-/38

Low

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Scrapped Princess

-/24

Low

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Seikai no Monshou

-/13

Low

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Shigurui

-/12

Low

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Shinreigari

-/22

Low

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Soul Eater

-/51

Low

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The Animatrix

OVA

-/9

Low

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Tonari no Yamada-kun

Movie

-/1

Low

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Touch

-/101

Low

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Uchuu Kyoudai

-/99

Low

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Udon no Kuni no Kiniro Kemari

-/12

Low

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Wolf's Rain

-/26

Low

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Yakitate!! Japan

-/69

Low

TV: 28, OVA: 4, Movies: 11, Spcl.: 0, Eps: 0, Days: 0, Mean Score: 0.0, Score Dev.: 0.00

TV: 132, OVA: 13, Movies: 48, Spcl.: 10, Eps: 1860, Days: 33, Mean Score: 5.6, Score Dev.: -2.36

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