11 Eyes:
Fantasy Romance, Special Powers, Extra Dimensions
2009
15+ due to bloody scenes, animated violence, and Sexual Situations although I think the eventual mental instability of one of the characters is more disturbing than all of the above.
The setting for this show is modern day Japan (pre-disaster) in your average high school. Main characters, Kakeru and Yuka, are old friends and are getting close to having a serious relationship when they are sucked into a dimension only accessible to a few people who unbeknownst to themselves have been implanted with a shard of an witch’s power. In this dimension people are attacked by gelatinous monsters and their controllers, 6 members called “The Black Knights.” These knights are keeping a little girl imprisoned within a crystal so as to seal her powers and those with the witches shards are the only ones capable of setting her free.
The rest is spoilers from here on. Kakeru and Yuka are especially sought after by the Black Nights (who turn out to be the good guys) because Kakeru’s eye can see into the future and Yuka’s power comes from the fact that this is actually her reality they are fighting in so she can nullify power. The duty of the Black Nights is to kill those holding the shards to prevent the crystallized girl (evil witch that wants to destroy the world) free. Here the writers decided that it was best to create a second hand plot twist and not have the Black Nights tell the shard bearers so the Black Nights end up looking like the bad guys. As a result of constant attacks Kakeru and Yuka meet several other shard bearers increasing there odds of unknowingly setting the evil witch free.
Technically this show is sound with the typical opening, ending, and situational music only and decent animation styles. Character wise it’s another plus for this show. They are interesting and their relationships to one another have large impact on the outcome, so well done there. Now I get to destroy all the good I’ve just done for the show. This show was not fun to watch, in fact, by the end I was debating just deleting it and watching something that only marginally disappointed me. Only one character was developed fully as powers and person were concerned, the main protagonist was a pansy, the swordsman girl was given several kick ass swords (none of which were really explained) and their powers were never really used. They gave one guy (who should have been way more influential) the power of flame and only give him one technique. The love interest of Kakeru was a nut job that couldn’t really care if the world ended so long as she had Kakeru and then she could nullify any power so she chooses be a pain in the ass instead of a help. Finally the sword girl was the obvious choice in who is a better girl friend but again lets go with the weak willed psycho. 6.4/10.0 for all the above. No quote, this show sucked.

Plot and story: 6.0
Animation Style: 7.0
Character qualities: 7.0
Music: 7.0
Enjoyment: 5.0

Downloaded Episodes: 12

Comical Romance
2005

14+ Is my recommendation because of some adult situations although those really aren’t heavy, just scantily clad comical situations. This show is like many others in the regards that a boy who has been unlucky for much of his life suddenly ends up living with a beautiful girl and yet he still can’t admit his feelings…way to go dumb ass. The twist this time, the girl is a goddess. That’s right and god has a machine running the earth for him. Anyway, this is a comical romance so things always get in the way including his friends and sister and her two goddess sisters and her goddess friends, and some demons, and the end of the world…well you get the picture. This happy show is set in modern day Japan during the college years, and the main character is nuts for driving machines so expect mechanical adventures as well as some racing all though no where near enough of that takes place. On to the technical stuff, the animation is very natural and clear…no fancy stuff just simple and elegant. The sound during the show isn’t bad at all and the music usually matches the mood but in an general sort of way, this show has its best music in its openings and endings. The characters are good and even evolve a little during the progress of the series but again this is a show where the guy never has much in guts so that portion is agonizingly slow. Finally this show does move at a good clip sometimes getting bogged down in the testing of the relationship. Would have been better if the relationship moved forward in a healthy non stall way, also would have liked to see the motor club do some more.
Downloaded Episodes: 24

Comical Romance
2005

14+ Is my recommendation because of some adult situations although those really aren’t heavy, just scantily clad comical situations. This show is like many others in the regards that a boy who has been unlucky for much of his life suddenly ends up living with a beautiful girl and yet he still can’t admit his feelings…way to go dumb ass. The twist this time, the girl is a goddess. That’s right and god has a machine running the earth for him. Anyway, this is a comical romance so things always get in the way including his friends and sister and her two goddess sisters and her goddess friends, and some demons, and the end of the world…well you get the picture. This happy show is set in modern day Japan during the college years, and the main character is nuts for driving machines so expect mechanical adventures as well as some racing all though no where near enough of that takes place. On to the technical stuff, the animation is very natural and clear…no fancy stuff just simple and elegant. The sound during the show isn’t bad at all and the music usually matches the mood but in an general sort of way, this show has its best music in its openings and endings. The characters are good and even evolve a little during the progress of the series but again this is a show where the guy never has much in guts so that portion is agonizingly slow. Finally this show does move at a good clip sometimes getting bogged down in the testing of the relationship. Would have been better if the relationship moved forward in a healthy non stall way, also would have liked to see the motor club do some more.
Downloaded Episodes: 22

Cyber Punk
1994

16+ is recommended due to pretty brief full nudity and many scenes of violence, it can be a little bloody. Setting is probably 200 years from now. We’ve colonized mars and are capable of creating advanced robots capable of being useful and aesthetically pleasing to the eye as well. The creation and use of androids brings to the forefront an issue that would probably arise with the use of non human workers, unemployment. The authors do a good job of producing this scenario by creating people who are violently opposed to androids. If the threat to androids weren’t great enough there exists, hidden within the human population of mars a new generation of android, one that has both emotions and another interesting ability that I won’t ruin for you but lets say it adds another dimension of complexity to the situation.
The animation is nice and detailed though not overly drawn and the sound is not the worst ever. The characters come off being kind of flat while the issues surrounding them are mountainous. There are 4 ova and 2 movies one of which recaps the ova’s. Nothing special, has an interesting concept but over all I was just bored with it.
Downloaded Episodes: 4

Action, Fantasy, Romance
2000

15+ due to brief nudity, graphic violence, and adult situations. The plot is set in present day Japan were a brother and sister are just turning 16 which in their family means great changes await them. Basically this family line is very old and the original two members like to reincarnate themselves once in a while which brings about bloody clash. Think celestial powers and angels. This is a love story though so expect tender sequences. The action we do see isn’t prolonged though so don’t look for knock down drag out fights. The character complexity dispite the complex situation that surrounds each individual is average and the animation style is Evangelion-esk just without the mind trip. The music in this series is good, I especially like the opening music. The idea behind this one is nice but used a lot, the music is redeeming as is the comic relief character. The action could have been drawn out more, they have a hard time defining the magnitude of Ceres’s power, and the series was too short. The angle mass suicide was an interesting touch.
Downloaded Episodes: 24

Initial Review:

Over Rated. Another show where weak character ends up getting alot of people killed. All I could think of was how much I hated the main character and how much cooler the demons were than the humans.
Downloaded Episodes: 24

Durarara!!:
Action, Supernatural, Romance
2010

Let’s go with 16+ because of violence and profanity, but honestly it’s probably not something you haven’t seen before. This story is focused on a young boy (Mikado) who moves to Tokyo after his friend convinces him to come. Mikado is originally from the countryside and so city life fascinates him. What’s more, he’s come to the Ikebukuro district and there is a plethora of colorful characters and fascinating stories already weaving an intricate tapestry. However, gangs have been a problem in the past and things are coming to a head behind the scene. The question then becomes what role will Mikado play as events unfold around him.
The mechanics of this show are very solid and I can hardly find a fault in it, but just the same I’ll break it down for you anyway. Let’s start with the animation style. A lot of attention was paid to making the animation clean and smooth but I feel as though they skimped on detail. Character qualities are where this show scores big. All the main characters are given episodes to feature their backstories and some of those stories root themselves in the supernatural. This is the point where people usually groan because backstory episodes are notorious for ruining the flow of a series and also really don’t stand up very well as episodes on their own. Don’t worry the backstory is only when necessary. Further, the connections between the characters are all explored. I suppose that I should tell you that the romance tag comes from the Celty and her handler, Shinra, a relationship I think I turned into guilty pleasure of mine.
Music for this show comes with the obligatory opening and ending songs but this show goes an extra step to include music that isn’t just situational. Plot and story also boost this shows rating by employing coherent and interesting stories which flow at a good pace using clever plot devices at just the right moments. Honestly, the end of this anime did not bring an end to all the story lines that were going on and so I’d like to see a second season. Lastly and most importantly did I enjoy this? yes, yes I did. The characters were fantastic (especially Celty) and the stories were interesting and fit the environment of the plot. This anime was truly about telling an original story rather than entertaining the viewer through flashy colors and generic characters with a plot and story recycled from half a dozen other shows. This show rates an 8.5 / 10.0 because of all the above.
Animation Style: 7pts
Character qualities: 9.5pts
Music: 8pts
Plot and story: 9.5pts
Enjoyment: 8.5pts

Downloaded Episodes: 24

Downloaded Episodes: 12

Hakuouki & Sequal
Reverse Harem, Samurai, Romance
2010

15+ Due to animated violence, profanity, and some gore but nothing that’ll make you sick on yourself. So the show set up like this: Girl (Chizuru) is searching for her father, whom is a doctor in Kyoto, when she accidentally gets caught up in a fight between Shinsengumi and a couple of Oni. The Shinsengumi take her into custody to cover up the incident. As they debate what to do with Chizuru they discover that she is the daughter of the doctor they have been looking for. They decide to protect Chizuru as she searches for her father in hopes that they themselves will catch him. As the story unfolds many secrets are revealed, the Shinsengumi become involved in a war to protect the Shogunate, and romances unfold.
All in all this isn’t a bad show to pick up; the plot and story are interesting if not a bit drawn out to the point that it may feel slow. Further, though this is an anime with samurai, it is first and foremost a show about Chizuru’s interaction with them and her search for her father. Do not go into this show thinking it’s Rurouni Kenchin, you will be disappointed. Animation wise Hakuouki is well drawn but it’s not the best drawn and probably is best put into the action category when it comes to detail because not much is really paid. Character qualities actually do mater in this anime because as the story moves along many changes take place. Allegiances change, people are killed, and relationships deepen. I’d say the writers do a pretty good job to make sure that characters stay dynamic but at the same time don’t loose their core. Music for this show is nothing special so expect your typical opening and ending with situational stuff thrown in to compliment the mood. Finally and lastly, did I enjoy this show? Mostly yes and a little no. I felt many situations were drawn out further than that ought to have been and that Chizuru played the typical weak damsel in distress a little too much for having been taught swordsmanship. I’m not going to give away too much but I also am not a huge fan of samurai style tragedy. 7.2/10.0 is what I’m giving this show due mainly to the music and slow moving plot and story.

Plot and story: 6.5
Animation Style: 7.5
Character qualities: 8
Music: 6.5
Enjoyment: 7.5

Downloaded Episodes: 12

See Hakuouki for my review
Downloaded Episodes: 10

Romantic Comedy
1988

14+ sexual situations and that’s about it. If you loved Ranma ½ like I didn’t, than KOR is a step up and in a better direction plus you’ll actually feel like finishing it. The main character in this one is a 15 year old boy who has been moving around Japan a lot with his father and sisters on account of the fact he and his sisters have paranormal powers that they inherited from their mother and people keep seeing them use the power. On the first episode you find him falling for the girl of many peoples dreams, the reserved bad ass girl who’s looks could kill like her fists do. But wait this story is love triangle and our main character is Mr. Indecisive so situational humor ensues. Ok as for the animation of this show its defiantly Ranma ½ 1987 style so nothing really sharp but I like the way they went with it. The characters are good and you’ll find some of them annoying which means their filling their part right. As far as the music goes I’d say it’s a definite plus with the rock ballad style guitar playing and a sax mixed in, it’s the love music from the late 80’s so I love it. Story line while good as a whole gets bogged down sometimes and they probably could have cut 5-10 eps out of this series. This is supposed to be comedic romance but well all I found was awkward situation humor.
Downloaded Episodes: 48

Downloaded Episodes: 1

NANA: Revisited

Romantic Drama, Music
2007
17+ because of brief nudity and many instances of sexual situations. Look for a lot in the way of romance, drama, music, and humor. That being said I’m no longer new to this genre of anime because of my expanding the show selection and the lighter side. This was ultimately a good move, especially when I came across NANA. I will have a hard time fairly rating other shows of this type because this one is so good. The show is 47 eps and 2 live actions which turn out to tell the same story that the anime tells with out a lot of the humor so I say don’t bother with them.

Ok, I’m singing its praises but what is it all about? Alright this is a story about a girl (Nana/ Hatchi) who is, for all intents and purposes, a high school whore…yes I know it sounds harsh and that is a drawn conclusion, but if you boil down her relationship with everyone up to Shoji you could see my point. High school doesn’t last forever and everyone is growing up, all her friends are going to college in Tokyo, and she’s just stuck in her home town. Not wanting to be left behind and also thinking Shoji is “the one” Nana works to save money to move to Tokyo after Shoji. On the train she meets another girl also named Nana, this is easily a destined meeting, and they hit it off. Anyway this new girl is really into punk, even belonging to a band in the past. Don’t worry about details here because there is a several episode flashback right at the beginning of the series. She is also following her love to Tokyo. This relationship is a mainstay of the series and will affect everyone. The two end up sharing an apartment and the story takes off from there.

So with all that said history of relationships is extremely important here and take my word that all the characters, aside from Trapnest’s drummer, are worth while so I’ll go right into the breakdown. The music is phenomenal in this anime, some of the best I’ve heard with a good mix of hard driving rock, soft pop, and punk. Several songs are altered for situational sound and to keep the variety flowing (means big bucks when selling the soundtrack). The character qualities are well suited and they evolve nicely with a delicate balance of intricacy and strait forwardness according to their respective personalities. The humor here is quick and sharp, usually relying on the wits of Nana/Hatchi’s friends. Keeping up is difficult but worth it to catch the situational humor. The animation styling is unique in my experience, and somewhat troubling. It's as though the designer was addicted to porcelain dolls. Still that’s something I can get around, it’s the limbs of the characters which bother me. I feel as though these people shoud fear walking with their toothpick like legs. As far as the story goes it doesn’t go far enough…I want more, meaning it’s damn near perfect. I’d think this could be an American soap opera if only those didn’t suck hardcore. Anyway the show ends at an unfortunate point and the watcher is left looking for the outcome.
9/ 10… Gonna be hard to find another this good.
Plot and story: 10
Animation Style: 7
Character qualities: 9
Music: 9.5
Enjoyment: 9.5

Downloaded Episodes: 47

Comedy, Music, Slice of Life
2007
Very few anime fall into the musical category and fewer into the good side of that. I rate this 12+ due to some language and suggestive behavior, but it’s all in good fun. Plot is as such, modern day Japan music conservatoire has enrolled within it some rare talent one (Shinichi Chiaki) being a musical genius with family history of musical talent is lacking direction and another (Noda Megumi) who’s wild yet captivating piano skills could be focused into pure gold with the right teacher. The story follows these two and their friends through their trials and accomplishments both during and after the conservatoire including a growing relationship between Nodami and Chiaki.
Down to the technical aspects…Plot and story are strait forward and progress at a good pace for a slice of life show. This combination of a non-twisting plot and story allow for steady character growth and grow they do. The writers are even kind enough that memorizing the sub-characters is none to difficult. Animation style is a blend of old, new, and possibly revolutionary. The old stylings are few and far between and take place at times when it really doesn’t matter much. New is more modern and typical for anime today. The revolutionary part comes into effect when they focus on the playing, I can’t guarantee that they are playing the right notes but the finger movements are synched with the music. The only down part is that the sudden changes to the synched movement leaves only an awe in motion but the detail during these parts could almost be called simplistic. Further when the view is shifted to above the animation has a disturbing tendency to elongate the arms and have them sit at a 90 degree angle. The music here of course is the star. I know that classical music isn’t the first choice on the hit lists but if you are willing to listen to really old school and hear sounds that are beyond the scope of the modern screech than this is a place where you could either foster your first/continuing/or rekindled taste of classical.
Over all this is a very refreshing show with interesting characters whose quirks lead to many a good laugh and several shivers from their fantastic performances. 8.8/10 about the only thing that would have made this show better is the fine-tuning of the animation and a story line where the characters real moments hit a little harder.
Downloaded Episodes: 23

Romantic Comedy
2005

Good for kids 12+ some awkward situations but mostly a funny light romantic comedy. This is a comedy of high school love and the funny situations that come up when all are looking for a squeeze and few are clueless. The story centers around Tenma Tsukamoto who is an air head but she is about the cutest there is. She fancies a non-emotional kid Karasuma who is just weird. She is loved by the school punk Harima who despite his rocky exterior is just upside down over Tenma. Now if it were just these three it wouldn’t be much fun so the writers through in Tenma’s friends and the rest of the guys to go after them to…a horn dog, a karate expert, and other random boys. Just to make this even more fun Tenma’s sister is the odds on favorite of the school. So the show covers their adventures and mis-adventures in love. Technically this is a sound anime, the characters are well drawn and fit well into their environment, the sound isn’t bad but isn’t great either…mostly situational stuff. The story line is such that nothing really happens at the end of an episode or two. Finally the character qualities are well pronounced and the little quirks that come with them only add to the hilarity of this one. If you let yourself laugh you will like this show.

Downloaded Episodes: 26

Downloaded Episodes: 24

You’re Under Arrest:
Police Comedy-Drama
1997
Recommended age is 12+ because it contains relationship drama and I don’t think anyone younger will want to watch this show. This show is episodic with a few arcs surpassing that. This show highlights the adventures of two Tokyo lady cops, Natsumi Tsujimoto and Miyuki Kobayakawa, one a gear head and the other for all intents and purposes an muscle bound idiot (even though her body is that of your average animated girl). Several supporting characters such as a cross dresser, who has become his role, and a socially awkward bike patrol man are there to help prolong this seemingly aimless series.
Technically this show is solid even though I think it falls under the category of boring. The music is mediocre but it’s what you expect for a show of this type and caliber. The story line while boring at times does tie together without issue. The animation style is probably the best quality this show has and that’s really not saying much because the style is bland by today’s standards. Character qualities make the show interesting but are unreasonable, probably why it’s a comedy. Finally, as far as the enjoyment I got from the show goes…I got more from the anticipation of relationships that were budding before they were ended or left hanging. It not being worth it for me to pursue the newer additions these relationships will be left hanging.
Animation Style: 7
Character Qualities: 5.5
Plot and Story: 6.5
Music: 7
Enjoyment: 7
6.6 ===This show is without any real point and belongs in the bin with other shows that can be called filler

Downloaded Episodes: 47

Martial Arts, Romantic Comedy
1989-1992

16+ is my recommendation and this is all due to unabashed use of upper body nudity but that is all. No bad language but plenty of martial arts although nothing really serious. Basically this is middle school relationship 101 with a twist. Guy and Girl put together in an arranged marriage by their fathers. Obviously a match by the way their tempers clash. Unfortunately guys dad was less than honorable when promising his son to only one girl. Then there’s the bit about them being cursed and changing form when cold water hits them. The animation isn’t anything special, the music isn’t that great, and while the personality types of the characters make them easy to discern and predict there really isn’t much in the way of character development even though this runs 7 seasons. Hate to say it but even Poke’mon had a better storyline than this. The only thing that will keep anyone watching this is that there is a great deal of slapstick and situational humor...Don’t bother explaining guys because you are always wrong.

Downloaded Episodes: 161