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Waves in the ocean. Ripples in water. Occurrences that don't impact on the world as a whole.

Ocean Waves is a story of similar impact; impacting only on three characters locked inside their own small little world. It's a story covering the journey towards adulthood of three high schoolers, where the friendship of two is damaged by the one thing besides hate that can destroy bonds - love.

Often over-looked because the legendary Hayao Miyazaki, co-founder of Studio Ghibli and the director of many highly regarded Ghibli titles, had no role in the completion of the film, it's by far the most under-watched and under-rated of ... the Ghibli films I've watched thus far. Ocean Waves was an attempt at giving the younger staff members of Ghibli a chance to shine - a chance to come from under the shadows of the bigger names - and shine they did, though not as brightly as they would've hoped.

:: Story :: -- 8.5-9/10

In a nutshell, Ocean Waves is a romance, featuring a love triangle, without any supernatural elements whatsoever being included. There are black comedy and depressing sections of the story, leading to the ending being somewhat unpredictable.

Prior to a girl called Rikako transferring from Tokyo to a high school located in a small town by the sea, Taku and Yutaka shared a close friendship; one forged at the back-end of junior high when they were the only two in their school to persist in standing against the school's decision to cancel the school trip. From then onwards, despite being in different classes, the two remained close, inside and outside of school. But Rikako changed everything. Yutaka fell in love with her at first sight, starting with when he - as the class representative - showed her around the school. Yutaka also called Taku to the school on the same day, wanting to show the new girl to his best friend, and that's when their relationship started to become troubled; when Taku also became enchanted by her beauty.

The story is a simple yet moving affair. It's almost certain to be hard-hitting for anyone who has developed feelings for someone a close friend also has feelings for. Watching Taku attempt to sustain a friendship whilst being pulled deeper and deeper into the selfish world of Rikako, it was difficult for me not to get pulled into the world of the characters. Even for those who can't relate to the struggles of the characters, like myself, it'd be an absorbing experience.

The only real story negative is that it's too short, the film only lasting for around 70 minutes. Given that Ocean Waves was a 'youth of Ghilbli' project, with a small budget (which they ended up going over), it isn't shocking that one-third of the love triangle didn't get as much time as the other two-thirds. Likewise, it isn't a shock that the story ended right when it reached the good part; when the story reached its peak. But, viewed as it is, the story has enough quality to justify the 9/10 (rounded from 8.5) score I'm awarding it.

:: Characterization :: - 8.5/10

The main two characters (the two who get the most time - Taku and Rikako) are fleshed out well enough so that I was able to get an excellent understanding of their personalities. Taku is your typical nice guy, willing to help someone work through their problems without gaining anything in return, but he's also honest, being blunt where necessary. Rikako, on the other hand, is a spoilt child, blaming the break-up of her parents' marriage on her mother because she was forced to move away from Tokyo. Where as Taku shows consideration by thinking of the feelings of Yutaka, she thinks only of herself - lying to get money in order to return to Tokyo, deceiving her friend in an attempt to get her to go to Tokyo with her and many other things. But, as they say, opposites attract, and over the course of the story she starts to learn through experience.

My only issue with Rikako is that, because of the short length of the film, nearly all of it focused on her being selfish. Not enough was shown of her other side, or of her growth into a a more mature person - one not locked inside her own little world. If the film had been twenty minutes longer, with some scenes added just before and after the ending, I feel it would've improved the experience.

However, my main characterization issue doesn't lie with Rikako. The third part of the love triangle, Yutaka, quite simply didn't get anywhere near enough time for him to develop into more than a well-used plot device. Nearly all of the film focused on the developments of Taku and Rikako, Yutaka being excluded completely during the black comedy section in the middle. Yutaka being the friend of Taku and making him think twice about his feelings for Rikako made the story work, but it would've been more powerful if there had been three characters to care for rather than two.

On the whole, the characterization is very good. The realism of Rikako's personality in particular is worth noting. But I can't quite give the characterization side a 9/10 score when there could've been added development - development which would've increased my enjoyment.

:: Art / Animation :: - 8.5/10

As you'd expect of a Ghibli title, Ocean Waves is pleasing visually. The animation flowed (though, with it being realistic, there wasn't any fast-paced action or the like) and there were no obvious over-budget issues that caught my eye. The only negative that springs to mind is the trademark Ghibli facial artwork, which is the same except in the cases of certain types of characters. Having watched a couple of Ghibli titles in quick succession, I've noticed how the faces are often identical. What highlighted this to me in the case of Ocean Waves was towards the end, when I noticed that one of the supporting female characters with her hair like Rikako looked just like her (I thought it was her at first.)

To be fair, I'm probably nit-picking. What matters with regards to the faces is that the characters' emotions are conveyed, and the expression side had no issues whatsoever. When Rikako was pissed off and gave Taku the 'evil eye' feared by men worldwide, she looked convincing. When Taku lost his patience with Rikako because of her selfish ways, his feelings were etched on his face. Etc, etc. On the whole, the art impressed me, and I see no reason to mark a drama down because it had no action to be animated.

:: Sound :: - 8/10

The soundtrack has a good range of songs, ranging from depressing piano tracks to uplifting tracks, and the music fitted the mood well. After finishing the film, I couldn't recall an excellent piece I wanted to listen to over and over, but I did appreciate the soundtrack after downloading and listening to it away from the film, with no pretty images to distract me. There's music that sets the mood and music that's wonderful to listen to away from what it played alongside, and the Ocean Waves soundtrack is the former.

As for the voice acting, I felt whilst watching that the voices fitted the characters well enough. Like in the case of the music, I didn't end the film with any of the voices stuck inside my brain, but I didn't end with any negative feelings about the acting.

:: Overall :: - 8/10

To sum it up, Ocean Waves is something for anyone who can handle anime without supernatural elements distancing its story from reality. It's a must watch for fans of romance with a realistic edge.

Don't ignore it simply because of its unknown status compared to the other Ghibli titles. A lot of people go into anime to escape reality - to see something different - and I'm sure that has played a part in it being scored harshly compared to certain other Ghibli titles. It's more than worthy of a place in any Ghibli collection. Trust me when I say that Miyazaki not being involved doesn't make it any less of a film.

Due to this being a review of the second of two specials which condensed the entire 37 episode TV series into roughly four hours, I'm going to skip describing the story and covering what all semi-decent reviews of the TV series should by default, such as art/animation and sound. If I covered those aspects, I might as well be typing a review for the TV series instead. As I type this, I'm assuming the readers will already by familiar with Death Note, though I will hold back in order to avoid revealing all to those not in the know.

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First of all, don't assume I hate ... Death Note because of my 5/10 score. The reverse is true - I love Death Note, it being one of very few titles to receive top marks from yours truly. Madhouse did a wonderful job of fitting 50+ chapters into 11.5 episodes with the last half of the story. The sappy 'original ending' marathon aside, it's the best manga adaptation I've seen to date, it actually improving on the manga by removing the content that slowed down the second half of the story needlessly. However, when they tried to fit the entire second half into 90 minutes - INCLUDING an introduction and two minutes of credits - the writing was already on the wall.

Right from the start, I had a feeling it wasn't going to be very good.. or, to be more precise, I had a feeling I'd be here, trying to express why I hated it. It started with L making a 'surprise' return, summarizing the first half, with new... animation. But there were only two shots of L - one with him standing at a distance and one from the side of his face - and only his lips moved. At that moment, I couldn't help but think of how little effort went into this special. And this turned out to true in the case of nearly all of the 'new' footage created in a failed attempt to connect a butchered version of the story, with a lot of awkward looking facial art and limited animation.

...Oh, yes, I mentioned 'sappy' above. If you happen to approve of the Madhouse ending and are in desperate need of something else to complain about, Madhouse delivered with one of the few truly new scenes added - one not added to simplify the story. The scene in question involves L, via a TV screen, explaining to the kids at Wammy's House how he's an idiot (I'm quoting him here) and, because he's an idiot, how he's afraid of being lied to. He rambles for awhile, pointing out how he loves the human race for their idiocy (the kids all pay attention because of this dramatic speech), and then it was over. I'm unsure if the Japanese > French > Engrish translation improved this scene or not, but it added nothing of value.

Anyway, moving away from sappy goings on and onto inconsistencies. Because of the huge amount of content that was cut (removal > rewrite), there are numerous inconsistencies present. The most bothersome inconsistency occurred towards the end, when Aizawa entered THE warehouse. In the full story, he goes in to confirm the identity of those inside, him having seen them all already beforehand... but the scene where he saw those people prior to that wasn't included in this special. How in the name of God could he have known if they were the real deal or not when he'd never seen them before? Was he upgraded to a psychic in order to further shorten the length? HOW!?

Maybe even worse yet, Near knew right from the start the identity of Kira. Death Note fans should be aware that Near, though suspicious, only became certain of the identity of Kira after interacting with him for awhile and nearly getting burned as a consequence. But in this woeful attempt at shortening the story, he just knew.

There are many other points I could mention, such as Light acquiring the services of Mikami and Takada before Near came into the picture - the special not even showing why Mikami or Takada were selected - but I won't to avoid going on forever. Just believe me when I say it's as much of a mess as you'd expect an attempt at condensing an already condensed last half of a story to be.

Fear not, though, as we aren't done yet. Not even close. I've saved the best for last.

Remember Light's dad? You know, that guy you never remember the name of and instead just refer as Light's dad? Yeah, him. Did you like the drama involving him in the TV series, where the climax of his story resulted in Light showing his true colours, and later played a key part in Matsuda's anger towards the end? Well, too bad - he isn't even mentioned in this... you know what, I'm tired of calling this a friggin' special. He isn't even a part of this SHIT. No shot of him, no explanation, no nothing. Madhouse remembered to get re-voiced Light dialogue to work around Matsuda's rage, but they couldn't be bothered to explain why Light's dad vanished into thin air. If it was me, and I wanted to butcher one my favourite things in existence, I'd at least have the decency to pull a sudden retirement out of my arse.

Linking into this wonderful omission is Mello, also known by the name of a certain Al Pacino movie in certain circles. But, clearly, Madhouse are not fond of his other name because, like with the poor old father of Light, they forgot to mention how he got his scar. He enters the picture without a scar, the ENTIRE mafia story is removed and then he re-emerges with a surprisingly more attractive face. Why even bother explaining such things? It isn't as if a Death Note newbie is going to be unlucky enough to watch only the... not-so-special-specials and wonder why such an illogical story is so loved. No siree bob!

...You know what, enough of this. All you really need to know is that this is garbage, with a high average rating only because of fanboyism beyond even my Death Note loving understanding. Even the music placement is off, Light's marathon being made worse as a result. If you like Death Note, stay the hell away or you'll more than likely end up imitating me, maybe with a slightly lower paragraph count. If you hate Death Note, by all means watch it - you'll find a lot to moan about and fulfillment. But, whatever you do, don't make the mistake of judging the manga and/or TV series based on this or its slightly less disappointing but by no means special prequel.

Rating: 5/10

"My friend once muttered to me, 'Death is nothing but a release.'
I asked: If death is a release, what is it that you wish to give them?
My friend answered me succinctly: 'I will give them eternal suffering and remorse.' "

There will never be another series quite like Gankutsuou. And that is why it depresses me to see the loosest yet greatest adaptation ever conceived, of *THE* quintessential tale of crime and punishment vengeance (as well as one of the most influential, contemporary classics of literature), so neglected by the anime fandom. Gonzo's masterpiece - complete with stunning CG-layered-on-2D clothing designs by Anna Sui - and ... one of a select few anime worthy of being regarded as such. Voice acting legend Nakata Jouji said it best: "Gankutsuou is one of two or three anime that will stay with viewers, long after its conclusion".

Remember, remember not 'V for Vendetta' but instead its inspiration: The Count of Monte Cristo, Edmond Dantes. A charismatic avenger charming all with a persona crafted after being broken by an injustice so crushing that he was forced to remake himself anew, he inflicts karmic justice on those that stole everything from him. True vengeance has never been about cinematic, visceral violence, and The Count forces his captivated audience to remember, for revenge was a dish served warm before his fictional existence came to be. So synonymous with righteous vengeance is his name that I first came across it when watching 1998 romance anime (of all things!) 'Kare Kano'. Fearing that another character held a long lasting grudge, jokingly the heroine pointed at the character with a look of shock and exclaimed, 'Edmond Dantes!?' The reference went over my head then, but never again.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::STORY:: 8.5-9/10::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

The Count of Monte Cristo has a fairly straightforward revenge narrative, yet the elaborate attention to detail and incredibly relatable examination of the human condition makes it so much more.

A young man called Edmond Dantes loses his freedom, his love and almost his life because of the greed, jealousy and pride of three men. Then, after nearly two decades, he returns out of nowhere after having been thought long dead, posing as 'The Count of Monte Cristo': an enigmatic man of mystery who sends shockwaves through Paris with both his charm and riches. He then puts into action his plan to get the ultimate revenge on the three men that wronged him; all three now being prosperous members of the Parisian elite. After spending countless years suffering, rather than merely wanting to kill them, he wants to ruin them by throwing them into the same pit of despair he himself was once forced to endure.

Gankutsuou differs from the original in one very jarring way: it is NOT told from Edmond's point of view, or in chronological order as a consequence. The first episode is titled 'At Journey's End, We Meet', and this is because the series begins some 300+ pages into the novel! In order to fit it into 24 episodes (rather than 100+!) and increase its anime appeal, the story is instead told from the perspective of Albert; the 15-year-old son of one of the three Edmond seeks vengeance against. This results in both positives AND negatives... the good being the addition of mystery to a previously linear narrative and a different angle on a classic, which allowed for the 'directional sleight of hand' required for large chunks of the source material being skipped entirely. The bad? Albert having the IQ of a dog. So naive/dumb was he that I wanted to slap him when he failed to work out that it was in fact Edmond pulling the strings behind the awful sequence of events occurring for the tenth time. Despite being warned repeatedly... even by Edmond himself!

The oddly specific year 5053 setting will be quite a shock for anyone aware that it was originally set during the 1800's! Adapting a practically unadaptable tale of vengeance, without ANY violence, and moving it to the future with mecha sword duels highlights the suicidal ambition animation studio Gonzo had. It was a further surprise to discover that Gankutsuou begins during the Rome festival section of the novel (Albert's introduction); the only difference being that Rome was replaced with... a city on the moon called Luna!? Sci-fi settings are more attractive than period pieces lacking fantasy, but I would have preferred the story just to have occurred during the same period it did originally. Very few futuristic universe details are shared and it becomes something of a distraction. Clearly, Gonzo's fetish for robots overshadowed logic. In fact, French society and nobility function as if the past has been bizarrely thrown into the future! Even glove throwing to initiate legal duels to the death remained intact. But, for better or worse, it certainly made for an intriguing merger of the distant past and far future!

Ignoring events not being shown in chronological order, one of the two things that might REALLY upset purists is Gankutsuou's story going in a different direction almost entirely after episode 18. With Edmond the narrative's key component, him only caring for vengeance was the reason behind this late change. He was actually persuaded in the novel by Albert's mother, Mercédès, to alter his plans... yet in the anime he turned a deaf ear and continued. This one seemingly minor alteration had a HUGE impact on progression beyond that point since, in the original version, Edmond eventually realised the folly of his actions as an anti-revenge gloss was added for closure. Thankfully, Gonzo handled the changes superbly--the series best episodes being in the final third, and the writers ultimately managed to - just about - retain the core themes; making the finale interesting even for fans of the source material... assuming they are able to overlook a deus ex machina huggle and a rather uninspiring epilogue, that is!

All in all, the story was - and still is - a wonderful ride. An adaptation of a timeless classic with artistic differences, it was executed excellently considering only a fraction of the source material was used. HOWEVER, you do have to wait for everything to fall into place before being able to fully appreciate it, with the first half consisting largely of build up. Uneventful at times, perhaps, but always compelling and never does the narrative lose its grasp on the unsuspecting viewer. Most, if not all, of those not fully convinced prior to episode 15/16 will be by the end; when the series transitions from being very good to giving goosebumps. It is the sort of series where, once the dominoes are lined up, they all fall. After 20 episodes, 2/3 of the villains are taken down in ONE episode: that is the sort of series Gankutsuou is. The pay-off for enduring the 'downtime' is immense satisfaction.

I share these words with those still in doubt: "Bide your time, and hold out hope."

::::::::::::::::::::::::CHARACTERISATION: 8.5-9/10::::::::::::::::::::::::

As I not-so-subtly hinted above, I liked pretty much the entire cast... aside from the lead, Albert. While I do understand that he had to be made somewhat stupid (originally, he was merely a side character, and neither a crybaby nor an idiot) for suspense purposes, his complete inability to see the obvious became a source of irritation. One would think anyone with a few brain cells would be able to put two and two together when Edmond randomly kept appearing AFTER telling Albert there were no coincidences! Thankfully, by the end he does mature and learn from his mistakes, but it was too little, too late for me. Easily the most intriguing aspect of Albert's characterisation is his bond with The Count: from fascinated admiration, to friendship... and perhaps something more to fujoshi! The lines become very blurred.

Albert's best friend, Franz, shares a much closer bond with him than in the source material; the two being near enough inseparable. Franz is calm and highly intelligent, making him Albert's polar opposite and the outlet for my frustration. The pair fall out constantly over Edmond due to Franz's warnings about him not being all that he appears, and they do play off each other rather well as a result of their differences. Also, there are definite homosexual overtones in Gankutsuou that were not in the novel, with Franz making it clear on numerous occasions that he views Albert as more than just a friend; despite him, typically, remaining oblivious. Albert's fiancee, Eugenie (she was originally a lesbian!), traded sexuality with Franz so they could both be closer to Albert. The trio also received oh-so-Japanese childhood friend edits. These alterations proved to be by far the best changes the anime writers made since the emotional turmoil of the chaos surrounding Albert was allowed to consume him completely.

Edmond, The Count of Monte Cristo himself, remains a mystery for much of the series. His screen presence and charisma is such that the anime depicts his arrival in Paris as something akin to a storm. He acts kind, yet he is clearly hiding a horrible truth underneath his mask of faux identity. His character differs considerably from the one seen in the source material because, where as in that he views himself as a faithful servant of God delivering justice, he is - quite literally - a demon of vengeance in this adaptation. Gankutsuou's Edmond is certainly a most interesting take on a famous character. However, in truth he is only 'one side of the coin' in terms of depth that his novel counterpart is (his internal conflict over his actions all but being removed), despite still being one of the best anime characters in existence. That says it all, I feel.

The one glaring omission from Gankutsuou's cast is one of the most important: Abbé Faria. Faria saved Edmond from suicide after he had spent years in pitch-black isolation; giving him renewed hope. Faria then became a mentor; sharing the vast amounts of knowledge held inside his elderly mind and changing Edmond from foolish to respectable. He also lead Edmond to fortune on the island of Monte Cristo. Although only the briefest glimpses in flashbacks are shown of Edmond's past in Gankutsuou, its greatest flaw is that there was no logical progression for his transition from hopelessly naive to the charismatic tactician that is The Count of Monte Cristo. Some form of vague contract with a French-speaking devil is agreed, and that is that: character development was sacrificed to save time. He does not even go to the island of Monte Cristo; his cave instead being moved underneath his house! Although the alternations do rework the narrative to fit, as well as going along with the 'demonic avenger' edit, Gankutsuou would have had FAR more depth if Faria had at least been shown...

Overall, Gankutsuou has a very well developed core cast, ignoring some minor quibbles. I STRONGLY recommend reading the novel for a heavily expanded version after watching, though: a 24-episode anime can only fit in so much!
Some of the supporting cast appear as no more than pointless additions without the multi-faceted depth the novel format allowed for. They appear early on but very rarely during the latter stages. In this regard, the biggest sacrifice was the removal of the Edmond-Morrel subplot, which originally left Edmond hopelessly conflicted over Maximilien Morrel's romance with Valentine (the daughter of one of his targets for vengeance) and highlighted his true sense of justice. In the anime, Edmond's role with Maximilien was given to Albert/Franz, and some of the novel's best exchanges were sadly lost.

::::::::::::::::::::::::VISUALS / AUDIO: 9.5/10::::::::::::::::::::::::

The first thing that hits you about Gankutsuou is the rather bizarre and eye-catching CG effect clothes and hair have. It is hard to put into words without first seeing but it is as if the characters clothing and hair have reflective patterns on them. A world famous fashion designer, Anna Sui, was responsible for the patterns and they truly are a sight to behold. It takes most people, myself included, a few episodes to get used to, but it is stunning once your eyes adjust. Gonzo deserve much praise for the huge amount of effort they put in and the high production values. If, like me, you went into Gankutsuou expecting to see dark and dull colours - the sort fitting for a tale set in the 1800's - you would be completely wrong since the colours are vibrant. Simply beautiful.

As expected of a Gonzo production, Gankutsuou also has a fair amount of CG, including some mecha fights. The mecha CG is actually quite impressive given the series came out in 2004. The problem is the scenic view shots of Paris, which do look very outdated when seen in 2016. CG never ages well compared to 2D art, and anime was very much behind the curve when it came to implementing it. But I feel the unique clothes/hair effect more than makes up for any failings.

In terms of the music, first of all let me say that I think the opening (OP) and ending (ED) songs are the wrong way around: I feel the ED would have worked better if it had been used for the OP, honestly. And vice versa. The OP, whilst fitting perfectly with its clear, downbeat lyrics and visually giving a taste of how the series would have been were it set during the 1800's (the real Château d'If even being shown), is slow-paced to the point I found it dull until I understood the series. On the other hand, the ED has a fast-paced tempo and with also fitting, far more aggressive lyrics--what you would usually expect to hear as an OP.

The soundtrack is very good. There are not too many tracks I listen to outside of the series, but the music fitted the show like a glove and helped keep the story impressively epic. I especially also loved how classical music was included; some even remixed, such as The Count's theme. It made the experience feel that much more special to hear both unedited and edited versions of some of the most famous classical music in existence playing alongside the animation. In addition, I HAVE TO mention track 18, which is one of the best, most tragic pieces of music I have listened to. Period. It was cheek-tingling to hear it play during the most emotional part of the series (strangely enough, episode 18!), making the sequence even more thrilling than it was already.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::OVERALL: 9.5/10::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Having watched far more anime than any sane man should endure and being critical by nature, I am difficult to please. But Gankutsuou impresses, no matter how many times it is re-watched, with every area - aside from its ending, perhaps - surpassing my expectations. It is a rare, rare feeling to end something feeling close to complete satisfaction. I enjoyed the series SO MUCH that I felt compelled to marathon read the 1250 page novel it was based on shortly after finishing, and I am far from an avid reader. In the end, not only did Gankutsuou become my favourite anime, it also lead to the discovery of my favourite book. And for that, Gonzo, will always be remembered fondly--by me, at the very least.

I recommend the series to everyone: those who have read the novel and those who have not. My only suggestion is, if possible, to watch Gankutsuou before reading since people can be EXTREMELY picky when it comes to adaptations. Had I came to love the novel before the anime dazzled me, a very different review may well have been typed here, after all!

Great Teacher Onizuka (GTO): one of the most loved and inspirational manga in existence. Some even pursued a career in teaching after reading it! A story about a man with little in the way of education finding a place for himself in the world as a teacher; teaching kids with more education than himself lessons about life. A wonderful combination of hard-hitting drama, complete with characters with realistic, easy to relate to problems and plenty of over the top comedy. As well as being meaningful, it can inject warmth into even the coldest of hearts. Like mine.

Story: 8/10

The story is centered around a man ... called Eikichi Onizuka. Like near enough every 22 year old male, he wants the easy life; a life involving lots of money, women and respect. And he is determined to get it, taking a resume with him and going to job interviews at big companies. However, there are a few minor problems: he looks like a street punk, he has bleached hair, he barely managed to graduate from a fifth rate college and he boasts about his martial arts skills on his resume, also mentioning the fact he is a virgin. Needless to say, he gets rejected every time he applies for a cushy office job.

Close to giving up on the easy life, a chance encounter with an attractive high school girl, whom is having sex with a fat and bald teacher, changes his mind. After he comes to the shocking realization that teachers are surrounded by young and pure girls, he decides to become a teacher and fulfill his dream of marrying an attractive girl younger than himself. But his goal quickly changes once again after he helps a girl solve her family problems whilst on a teaching training course, and he decides to right the wrongs of the teachers who told him he was trash by becoming the greatest teacher in the world.

While the premise is a simple one, the balance between drama and comedy and the wonderful execution makes the simplicity irrelevant. Living in the storage room at the top of Holy Forest (a co-ed private school), Onizuka helps the students in his class (3-4) in numerous ways, varying from using his street smarts to stop bullies by giving them a taste of their own medicine to simply being friends with his more lonely students. Unlike other teachers who, just like in real life, only care about their job and the money, he goes the extra mile, involving himself with his students in an attempt to make them enjoy their school years in a way he never was able to. Whether it involves saving his students from getting beaten and/or raped or helping them appreciate life by tying them to the front of his bike and driving them off an unfinished bridge (seriously), he is willing to do it. To begin with his class hate teachers in general because of a past experience, but by the end he manages to unite everyone in his class and earn the respect of all.

However, I cannot claim the story is without its problems. Some of the arcs included repeat what has gone before and appear to have only been included just to pad out the series. And, by the end, there are many subplots left hanging, and in some cases it appears that the mangaka forgot to or lacked the motivation required to finish what he had started. Although these are in truth minor problems, largely ignorable because of how enjoyable GTO is to read, I can't objectively give the story top marks when it has so many minor but bothersome issues.

Characterisation: 10/10

Nearly all of the important members of class four get fleshed out over the course of the story. Some more than others because a few get their very own lengthy arcs included, but even those who do not are usually heavily involved in the GTO proceedings. Rather than being driven by an over-arching plot, it is driven by numerous shorter stories that focus on a certain character or two, and Onizuka usually has to step in to help the character(s) involved. I think anyone who reads it would struggle not to find at least one character to add to their favourite character list: whether you are into a mommy's boy who protects his 27 year old (and often braless) mother from men at all costs (Kunio), a mentally slow but innocent and cute girl (Tomoko) or a girl with an IQ of 200 that masks her loneliness with her intellect (Urumi), there is a loveable character for everyone included.

The best thing about the cast is that they all have relatable problems real people have. Some are dissatisfied with their lives, some have family issues, some have been abused - there is something everyone can relate to. If nothing else, pretty much everyone should be able to connect with the characters when it comes to their feelings about teachers and the barrier that exists between teacher and student. And, while it is true that the solutions to the casts various problems tend to be over the top for comedy purposes, none of the meaning is lost. In fact, the addition of often hilarious humour prevents the story as a whole from being a total downer.

GTO is truly worthy of top marks when it comes to characterisation. The only possible reason I can think of to mark it lower is that not every subplot is seen through to conclusion, which is fairly bothersome for me since I became so invested in the lives of the characters.

Art: 10/10

Are you tired of seeing the same background art repeated over and over, with new character poses drawn on top? If you are, then look no further than GTO, where even small objects in rooms are drawn with detail and the backgrounds rarely repeat...or at least not noticeably so. Because of the detailed drawings and the unusually large amount of text per page, the volumes take me far longer than a 180-200 page volume normally takes me to get though.

I cannot stress enough how lovely the GTO art is. The character models are so well drawn and realistic that I actually found the female characters attractive (the mangaka deserves an award for 'Best Drawn School Girls Ever'). The expressions are spot on and everything looks as close to perfection as I can imagine a weekly manga ever getting. My only complaint is that, towards the end, some of the characters start to look like those introduced previously... But, to be fair, it is very harsh to criticize an artist for that when reviewing a 25 volume series - there are a huge amount of characters and keeping them all looking totally different is impossible.

Overall: 9.5/10

In closing, GTO is a must read for everyone. It would be difficult for anyone not to be moved by the story and/or not get any laughs out of the comedy. Sure, it is perverted and a little silly at times, but that just adds to the flavour. It is safe to say the series has a little something for everyone, and that is why the series is a worldwide hit. If you do not own the series, go buy all 25 volumes, sit back and get ready for the sort of enjoyment very little in this world can provide you with.

Before the third and final Tenchi movie, Tenchi as a whole had been hit and miss for me. I enjoyed the first two OVA series but quickly grew tired of all the silliness and the lack of explanations with regards to various plot elements. It started to get stale after the harem cast had been assembled. My thoughts about the first two movies are very similar to my thoughts about the OVA. So, I didn't go into what's most likely going to be the last Tenchi anime I watch expecting anything other than the usual harem fluff, with a random, one dimensional villain thrown in ... so that there would be a fight to end it with a sense of purpose.

It ended up surpassing my expectations by some distance. I found it to be emotionally moving and involving - I couldn't help but care about the characters. However, it isn't something for Tenchi fans; it's for fans of well written and executed films. It has a low MAL rating - on par with the Christmas special of a second film - and I understand why without even asking anyone: because it lacks the feel of the other Tenchi anime in existence. If what came before is classed as Tenchi for the younger generation, then this is most certainly Tenchi for adults.

To start with, the art differs from the art of the previous films, both of which looking like the OVA series. I wouldn't say the previous art looks cartoony but it doesn't exactly look realistic either. The intention was clearly to make this installment more realistic to go with the story, and they started by altering the art. The faces look more realistic, the size/proportions of the characters look more realistic... everything apart from the ears and eyes looks realistic. This is a weird complaint to have but the ears bothered me, Ryoko's bothering me the most. Instead of having ears, it looks like a number of characters have rectangles stuck to the sides of their heads. I'm not sure if Ryoko always had rectangle for ears and the different art style simply made me notice, but whoever designed the ears deserves to be shot. Repeatedly.

The music also differs considerably from what's gone before, changing to fit with the new direction. In the past fitting but uninspiring and unmemorable efforts good for comedy were used, but in this there are drama orientated instrumental pieces. Even 'Étude No.3' - the famous piano piece - plays towards the end.

...Anyway, getting back on track. The story starts in normal Tenchi style; with Ayeka and Ryoko fighting like cat and dog and Tenchi getting involved. But within minutes (literally), Tenchi randomly stumbles upon a tree and, enchanted by its beauty, walks toward it. He then gets taken somewhere by a mysterious woman who appears before him.

The plot then fast-forwards six months. Tenchi has been missing and his harem have split up to search for him. Ayeka and Ryoko, who have teamed up, have managed to find out the city he's living in thanks to Washu and they work as waitresses while living there to pay the bills. Ryoko has a watch that alerts her to Tenchi's presence but hasn't had any luck finding him.

It's soon revealed that an older looking Tenchi, complete with long hair, has been living with the woman who appeared before him at the start. The woman is called Haruna and Tenchi has lost all of his memories. And when I say living together, I mean they live together as a couple, doing what couples do when alone. It's normal for anything sexual in a harem to be used only for comical purposes, without any actual sexual intercourse taking place, but there's nothing comical about Tenchi and Haruna's relationship. They're shown together in bed, naked, with Haruna on top of Tenchi early on and later Haruna moves herself slowly up Tenchi whilst he lies down, grinding her body against his.

I'm mentioning this and going into detail because it highlights the different audience the film is aimed at. Sex goes from being childish to being handled in a far more mature fashion. That's quite a jump for what was, before this attempt, a simple and straight-forward harem story involving alien ladies.

Once it's clear how Tenchi's living, the plot starts moving slower. The first twenty minutes flew by - I was surprised by the pacing - but then everything slowed down for character development. Ayeka and Ryoko become more and more depressed with every glimpse of Tenchi happy; oblivious to their existence. Despite them being rivals for Tenchi's affection when down in the dumps, rather than fight over Tenchi, they support each other. Ryoko pushes Ayeka's buttons when she's on the verge giving up and Ayeka tries to do the same for Ryoko. It's fair to say their friendship and not the rivalry they're known for shines through in the film.

All of the other development is, as you'd expected, Tenchi and Haruna development, mixed in with some Yosho (Tenchi's grandfather) development because of his connection to Haruna. The other cast members basically just make cameo appearances. Tenchi comes across differently than the plain harem lead type from before; he's far more troubled and always deep in thought, drawing in an attempt to express himself and the memories that lurk in the back of his mind. Haruna, who is the villain of the story, tries to keep Tenchi ignorant in an attempt to keep him close to her and ease her loneliness. Rather than being yet another one dimensional Tenchi bad guy, she's well developed and by the end you can't help but feel sorry for her.

The important characters all receive lots of development, and the story even fills in some small Yosho related holes. The only serious flaw is that, as I mentioned before, it doesn't have the same vibe as the other Tenchi anime. It's very serious, focusing almost fully on drama. There are very few comedy scenes and the cast only gets together at the end. If I was someone who loved Tenchi for being light-hearted fun, I wouldn't be best pleased, so I can understand the problem people have with it... but I'm not one of those people and I respect those in charge for trying something different.

Overall, watching the film was an excellent way to end my Tenchi love affair. I was expecting to end it to end on a low note, but I ended up actually thinking highly of a Tenchi offering. To anyone other than diehard Tenchi fans who can't accept change, I strongly recommend it.

Rating: 8/10

Mod Edit: review may contain spoilers.
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With the limited amount of 10/10s in existence, I am forever on the lookout for anything of the more serious and twisted variety, for if there is anything that can get a reaction out if me, it is not blushing wuv shoujo, or the usual braindead school anime.

Bradherley's Coach certainly fits the bill: set in Europe in the early 1900's (the setting matching best with England), is is about girls from orphanages getting picked based on their appearance to join the opera troupe of one of the most powerful nobles (the fourth, to be precise!) in existence - Bradherley. The ... girls view this like we would see winning the lottery in modern times; jumping from rags to riches.

What the girls do not know about is a plan Bradherley put forward to parliament after something serious occurred at a prison. (There was a riot, the result being a lot of death and injuries.) Seeing his chance in the aftermath, Bradherley suggested taming the wild urges of the inmates serving life at prisons by offering a 'lamb' to counter their violent and lustful needs after a certain amount of months, preventing any further riots by allowing the inmates to give into their urges by offering them one innocent victim who would be sacrificed for the greater good.

The 'lamb' would be tricked into thinking she's being taken to Bradherley's estate in a coach, get taken to a prison instead, then get lead into a room full of 30-60+ inmates and, finally, the prison guards would then watch on as the inmates beat and rape the girl over and over. This would be allowed to continue for as many days as it took for the girls to die.

For handling the payments given to the orphanages for the 'lambs', supplying the girls and basically taking all the risks, Bradherley gained more power within the government and maybe even was allowed to evade paying taxes. There were a lot of benefits balanced against the risks. But, really, what risks were there in allowing inmates who wouldn't ever leave prison to have their way with girls with no family; girls who wouldn't be remembered?

Following the short introduction of a girl leaving her orphanage, blissfully unaware of her fate, the manga started off by showing a fairly graphic rape sequence. It didn't disturb me - I've seen one too many doujins on the internet to be easily disturbed, as well as a fair few other things - but I have read that some of the early parts of the story made some people stop. But, after the opening two chapters, the chapters that followed didn't show that kind of thing quite so graphically, instead mainly focusing on short stories involving different girls outside of the prisons...or, in other words, the events leading up to them becoming 'lambs'. The mangaka showed what happened to the girls in detail at the start in order to get the readers to fully understand what the girls had to endure and then stopped so as to not make the series pornographic. There was even a chapter telling the story from the perspective of a few prisoners; a chapter that was good because it helped me understand how the prisoners handled the situation they found themselves in.

What I loved when reading this series was the art. It was drawn with the intention of being realistic in an attempt to make the events more believable and disturbing, and it worked a treat. I couldn't spot any flaws in the art, either. The mangaka is meant to be pretty famous and, if this effort is anything to go by, I can see why.

To sum it up, Bradherley's Coach is an excellent series to read... if you can handle something realistic to the point of being disturbing. Rape is only shown in graphic detail at the beginning and it does veer away from being pornographic, though. It's short enough to read in one go, it only lasting for eight chapters, and the fact that each chapter tells the story of a different girl (or two) keeps it fresh. I highly recommend it to lovers of short 'n grim stories.

'Laputa: Castle in the Sky' is incredibly similar to a much loved TV series from years gone by called 'Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water'... which is hardly shocking when you consider that Miyazaki, the director of Laputa, came up with the idea that later became Nadia!

In case you are unaware, the story of Nadia and its titular heroine goes like this: a girl wearing a mysterious pendant is being pursued by people, including a secret organization, because of the pendant's power. Somehow, it is connected the mythical lost land of Atlantis. Nadia spends most of her time running with a boy, whom happens to ... be an inventor, in an attempt to evade her pursuers.

And in case you are curious why this is at all relevant: if you were to replace the above with Laputa, you would have close to the same basic plot blurb. I actually prefer Nadia because of the additional Anno (director/creator of psychological trauma series Evangelion) characterisation and far more relatable characters. Miyazaki's characters mostly tend to feel very... hollow to me. The magic of adventure typically mask the failings of his characters. I honestly can not even recall the names of Laputa's lead duo!

Laputa's first half was far from amazing. A girl falls from the sky, gets found by a boy, they bond WAAAAY too quickly and end up running away together. The girl then gets captured and the boy saves her... that pretty much sums it up. It was predictable and I was left unable able to connect with either of them because of the lack of development; the focus being almost entirely on running away from people in impressively animated sequences. This is where being a movie instead of a TV series really hurt the narrative.

The second half was much improved, thankfully. The duo join a pirate ship and, for a short period, the focus switches to the smaller picture for some downtime. Then, the story finally reaches the titular castle in the sky. This reminded me the themes of adventure and exploration seen during my younger days in PS1 JRPG Grandia, where a young adventurer sets off on a journey in order to reach Alent--a place of legend no-one knows if is real. It was not quite as exciting reaching the castle in the sky in Laputa because it had not taken much time or effort for the to reach it (at least not when compared to longer works), but it did make me feel kind of nostalgic and immersed me in the world more.

With the castle in the sky's reveal, the story became much more interesting and difficult to predict. There was still the same running away and chasing loop that had gone before, but the new and unknown setting made it come across in a different light. Where as I had been able to take breaks earlier because of a lack of interest, my eyes were now glued to the screen. And, while some of what occurred at the end was a tad too convenient (the placement of a ship, for example), it did leave me satisfied overall. It would have been nice if an epilogue had been added in after the credits, mind you.

In summary: Laputa is definitely a classic worthy of its praise, complete with Ghibli's trademark art-style and enough visual splendor to compensate for many of its failings. I would not go so far as to call it perfect due to me being unable to connect with the lead duo due to a serious lack of time spent on development, and the first half was rather boring side at times. However, it is hard to deny that Laputa is a charming film that has aged well, both in terms of the visuals and story.

If you are a fan of adventure stories, you should definitely watch it at least once.

NieA 7 - 7.5/10

A diamond in the rough. For a series with such a lowly average on MAL, it's surprisingly good. It's reminiscent of Haibane Renmei because of its slow, dialogue heavy and relaxing style.

After watching the first volume, I wasn't too taken with it. It started off reasonably well, showing the struggles of a very believable young woman, Mayuko, as she tries to survive with little money and, at the same time, studies to get into college. But my interest levels dropped as soon as it was revealed that an alien, NieA, lived in Mayuko's closet, eating some of her food and causing her ... trouble. My interest continued to decrease as more cartoony aliens got involved and the usual anime silliness ensued.

Why did this bother me, you ask? Because NieA 7 didn't need an alien living in a closet and attempting to build a UFO. The highly enjoyable and realistic slice of life elements were, from my perspective, getting damaged by the random slapstick comedy elements. I can see and fully understand one of the reasons for the involvement of carefree NieA - to show the contrast between stressed Mayuko, trying her best to survive, and NieA, an alien so carefree that she comes across as thoughtless - but I feel the main reason was to take the anime away from the realm of the real. The thinking probably was that most viewers want to use anime to escape, and that if the story was too realistic it would've taken away from the enjoyment. This sort of thing is viewed as a negative by me because I like to see some anime that contain believable stories.

The good news for people like me is that after the mixed opening volume the series started to focus more and more on realism and less on anime insanity. Rather than having a UFO blow a hole through the roof and the like for giggles, the second volume had an episode where an arcade gaming competition was used for laughs, involving the staff at the bathhouse where Mayuko lives and works playing against a small army of kids. I found it funny because it wasn't over the top; because it tried to be real. In my the eyes, the best kind of comedy is the kind I can imagine happening in the land of the real - not just on some nutty planet on the other side of the galaxy.

After the first volume, there were also a lot of episodes that focused on the serious sections of the story without resorting to slapstick humour in an attempt to brighten up the mood randomly. My favourite depressing episode is probably the one where Mayuko gets invited to a 'Go-Con' (basically random group dating) and eventually decides against going because she doesn't have any nice clothes to wear and can't afford to have her hair cut. Simple, I know, but the feelings and thoughts Mayuko had during that episode are the kind many people have over the course of their lives and it was effective on an emotional level because of that. Slice of life is at its best when it allows you to go into the shoes of the characters and feel how they feel, and Niea 7 achieves this on a number of occasions.

Really, the reason Niea 7 is so endearing is because the cast, aliens aside, come across as real people. Mayuko struggles to get by and lacks a goal to work towards; the owner of the bathhouse attempts to handle two jobs in order to keep the bathhouse running, despite it bringing her debt because of her ties to the people who work there; Genzo, the shy guy with a crush on Mayuko because of her helping him when they were kids, tries to help Mayuko by bringing her rice, yet struggles to express his feelings for her...etc, etc. It's very easy to get into the heads of the cast and see things from their points if view, and that's what makes NieA 7 a fantastic series to spend time watching.

The message of NieA 7 is to live life to the full, instead of worrying about everything constantly. Life flies by very quickly and there's little joy to be had if everything is always too difficult. That's why Mayuko is envious of NieA for being so carefree, like nothing can bother her. As Mayuko lives with NieA, she understands how it feels to be 'free', and I'm sure the objective of the series when it was created was to make the viewers feel the same way as Mayuko.

Watching the series is a relaxing, occasionally depressive and mostly fun ride - a journey worth the time of any bored anime fan looking to unearth a gem. Do I recommend the series? Providing you can handle lots of talking and little in the way of action, yes. It's a charming series that fans of Haibane Renmei and its ilk will lap up.

DearS is a combination of a failed Chobits clone (lacking any of the warmth that made that series so endearing) and, depending on your gender, offensive pro-slave rubbish. It's also uneventful, lacking a story and instead containing the same perverted nonsense you've seen before already until the episode count reaches 12-13.

To start with, the premise is beyond dumb. A UFO crashes into Japan, 150 aliens - who happen to be submissive hotties - emerge, and they're welcomed by the world. Because humans are, as we all know, kind and understanding creatures by nature, no attempts were made to capture and experiment on the aliens. It's ... the sort of plot element that would only work in a hentai. Or Melody of Oblivion.

...Oh, yes, hentai material. Have I covered the part where DearS all wear dog collars and are happy to be slaves, doing whatever their master wants, including sex? It's like sitting through the wet dream of a pre-pubescent retard. I'm sure most female viewers would find it slightly offensive to see females wearing dog collars and being happy to get in the kitchen when told - a great fan pleasing idea.

As for the characters, Ren (the Chi of DearS) is blank, having zero personality. She also looks bad because of the crappy art - not at all fap worthy. And Takeya, the lucky lead, is a complete arsehole, never being a man and always being a complete fuck to Ren. He even tells her to go home and cook his food, also ordering her to clean his room. He lacks any likability. The only character with any depth whatsoever in this mess is the pink-haired DearS, whose name I've already forgot.

On the plus side, DearS is easy to watch. It's so simple and stupid that it's possible to watch it for four hours, miss lines of dialogue and still understand what's going on. If you happen to be brain-dead or are looking for something that's easy to watch, despite being dull, DearS is for you. I only managed to sit through it all because I wasn't required to use my brain and could just chill.

Alongside Melody of Oblivion, DearS has made for a great start to going through my DVD backlog. I can't wait to have a look at Petite Princess Yucie and A Little Snow Fairy Sugar. By the end of watching all the wonderful series I've collected on DVD, my mental state might reach the stage where life will seem too painful...

Overall, I suggest avoiding DearS unless A) your dream woman wears a dog collar and stays in the kitchen or B) you're an idiot who paid money for the series because it's an OOP Geneon title. Stick to Chobits and avoid this poor attempt at copying it.

Maison Ikkoku: the famous, much loved romantic comedy (rom-com) that began its serialisation waaaay back in 1980. Its success resulted in a flood of manga being created about a college loser falling madly in love and, after many comical hardships, EVENTUALLY getting the girl of his dreams.

The story is about a group of individuals living at a boarding house that is - of course - called Maison Ikkoku ('MI' from this point onwards). Kyoko Otonashi, a 22-year-old widow still trying to come to terms with the death of her husband, moves in as the manager in an attempt to take her mind off her problems. ... One of the tenants, Yusaku Godai, was just about to leave in order to find a more peaceful study environment when she walked into the building. He was quick to change his mind about escaping once he looked at her and fell in love at first sight. But, as Godai soon discovered, winning the heart of a woman still in love with her deceased husband is no easy task...


How to a rate a series that is so wonderfully heart-warming yet so horribly frustrating... Reading it filled me with feelings of warmth I have not felt since I read Love Hina; another rom-com that copied and improved a lot from MI. But, during the middle sections of the story in particular, NOTHING advanced at all in 80% of the chapters. In fact, because the main characters were so indecisive, it took six years for four people to sort out relationship issues that could, and should, have been sorted out in under half the time!

...But I'm not going to get into the negative right from the get-go. That would give readers the wrong impression about the series. I have a habit of going on forever about the negative when something irks me, even when I actually like what I'm talking about. And as you'll see as you read on, that's true in the case of MI.

Even though MI may appear to be more of the same to fairly experienced manga readers because many people have seen a rom-com involving a boarding house by now, before going into the series you have to understand that it started its serialization back in 1980 - we're now in 2009 and it has been copied to death. And even by today’s standards, MI is still a worthy rival for any other rom-com in existence, it being far more amusing and touching than a lot of attempts that have been made at copying it.

Despite its age, MI has something many rom-com stories lack: charm and respectability. In this day and age, it's rare to see a comedy manga that doesn't involve much in the way of nudity/panty shots - it's almost a requirement these days. But, to its credit, MI isn't like that, and that adds a mature feel to the relationships of the character that just isn't there in most of the perverse rubbish out there. That's why it felt so special when, after over 130 chapters, Godai and Kyoko finally did the deed, touching each other and being intimate for the first time. It's difficult to feel the same way in other rom-coms where the male lead has already felt up and saw the female lead naked in every other chapter.

The charm and general fun vibe the story has carries it when the chapters come across as fillerish. I was able to keep reading without needing breaks because of this. It can become a frustrating experience if you're the sort of person who doesn't like the idea of seeing the development of a relationship stretched to the limit for comedy purposes (I fall into this category myself), but it's undeniable that MI is incredibly fun to read. I think, somewhere deep inside us, we all have a part of us that wants to see two people fall in love and be happy together, and if the two in question can manage that after providing lots of laughter then all the better.


As for the art, it looks a little old by today’s standards, and Rumiko Takahashi (the author/artist) did become a little sloppy during the less important sections (like just about every manga artist tends to), but she was able to express the characters' emotions so well that I didn't care about the minor issues. For example, when Kyoko went into a jealous rage, giving Godai the 'evil eye' and stomping around, I felt her emotions reach out from the page and have an impact on me. It isn't often that black and white manga panels make me feel that way. Takahashi's loved as much as she is for good reason.


Now, I'm going to cover the characters. All my negative points are connected to the characters because MI is a character driven story with no real main plot thread - the characters push the plot forward rather than the plot forcing the characters onwards. That's not to say there are more negative points than positive ones - that's not true at all - but I'm going to focus on the negative since the flaws annoyed me.

Godai: Quite possibly the most spineless main character ever. I liked him for being a kind-hearted guy, just like I like other male rom-com leads, but he REALLY pissed me off. How on earth can a grown man take six years to get it on with a woman when he's lived with her for all that time, well aware of her feelings for him? All he needed to do was stop being such a wimp. It took another character upsetting Kyoko to FINALLY drive him to confessing all to her. If not for him being such a wimp/the author wanting more money, what happened in the last 20 chapters would've occurred around 62 chapters earlier, easily.

The worst thing about it all was that he did nothing even though he had a serious rival in the form of Mitaka. Instead of being a man, he let Mitaka drive around with and grope Kyoko, risking losing her because he couldn't bring himself to do anything. If not for Kyoko being unlucky and later not jumping at the chance to marry Mitaka, Godai would've lost Kyoko. How pathetic does a lead character have to be for him to win the battle for his love because his rival was forced to throw the towel in due to a misunderstanding!?

Still, I ended up feeling happy for Godai because he was a good person who had a lot go wrong for him. It was hard to hate him when, despite his lack of backbone, he truly loved Kyoko and wanted to make her happy. But I would've liked him a hell of a lot more if there had been less chapters and he'd been more of a man.

Kyoko: I'm not sure which of the two leads frustrated me more. Godai's hard to beat in the spineless rankings but Kyoko sure gave him a run for his money.

For six years she made two men fight over her. Of course, it was their choice to do so, but she never truly rejected either and was always quick to jump at the chance of going out when Mitaka called her. At first it was understandable because she was still in love with her deceased husband and didn't know either Godai or Mitaka very well, but as the years passed the logic behind her stringing both along became less and less respectable. The truth is, she was as spineless as Godai - they were made for each other.

What really got to me about her was how jealous she got over Godai seeing other girls. How could she act the way she did when she let Mitaka take her out and feel her up constantly? She was a complete hypocrite. I know human relationships and women don't always follow logic but, nonetheless, she still got to me with her mood swings. At least, in the end, she started to reject the advances of Mitaka...even if she did still let him drive her around and didn't ever completely reject him.

I must confess to feeling fond of her, despite what I said above. She's one of the few female characters I've seen in manga/anime that wasn't cheapened by being drawn wearing revealing clothes, and/or being shown throwing herself at men. She valued herself and wanted to remain faithful to her dead husband. I liked how Godai described her as a woman who burned with jealousy, yet was perfect in his eyes when she smiled.

Mitaka: the stud, the tennis coach, the rich guy and the rival for Kyoko's affections.

Since the story was told from Godai's perspective and, from start to finish, he was the underdog, I naturally felt some level of hostility towards him. That's what the author intended; that's why he was made so perfect. But I didn't truly dislike him. At heart he was a good guy and, in the end, he was toyed with for six years by Kyoko before circumstances forced him out of the race for her. He put his love life on hold for her and suffered because Kyoko wasn't able to be honest about her feelings - I couldn't help but feel at least a little bit sorry for him.

If there's one good thing that Mitaka injected into MI it was humour. His irrational fear of dogs got the most laughs out of me, sometimes even making me laugh out loud. The image of him, a well-built guy, looking around a corner in fear at a puppy, which he'd bought in an attempt to free himself of his fear, will stay with me for a long time. I never thought something so simple could make me laugh so much.

Putting aside my feelings for the three most important characters, my main criticism lies with the heart of the supporting cast, or rather how the author wasted those three characters. Yotsuya, the snake-like voyeur who sneaks into Godai's room via a hole in the wall, stealing food most of the time, was my favourite character until he began to fade as the series went on; Akemi, the bar hostess/prostitute who enjoys walking around MI in a see-through top and no bra (the sluttish character every harem type needs) and Ichinose, the nosey, fat older woman who gets drunk on a regular basis and dances. I don't have any problem with the characters actual personalities - I feel they all added to the comedy - but the author never fleshed out any of them, never giving any chapters that fully explained their history and took them above the level of humourous plot devices. I would've loved to discover more about Yotsuya and what he did for a living, but instead I was forced to read many chapters that added nothing to the series in any way, shape or form.

There were some other important characters - a school girl with a crush on Godai (Yagami), another girl blindly in love with Godai (Kozue), a girl who falls madly in love with Mitaka (Asuna), the son of the nosey woman mentioned above (Kentaro) and a simple minded late resident of Maison Ikkoku (Nikaido) - but very few of them did anything other than extend the story. While it was obvious she only existed to add to the chapter count, Yagami was a likeable enough character and her student-teacher relationship put Kyoko's past with her deceased husband into the spotlight, but she was the only worthwhile character out of the bunch. The author had a horrible habit of bringing characters into the picture and then forgetting about them. For example, Kentaro's strained relationship with his parents was never looked into again after around the halfway point, and his character only appeared in a few panels after that. And something similar occurred with Nikaido, a character that appeared for half of a volume, taking center stage, and then only appeared again in a few panels - I can fully understand why he never appeared in the anime. Simply put, the author created too many filler characters and didn't develop a large portion of the cast.


What MI did wrong in terms of character development and pacing has been corrected by others over the years. Love Hina is the most popular out of all the attempts at taking the rom-com crown away from it, and Love Hina fixed a lot of its problems. In Love Hina, all but one of the residents of Hinata House (Love Hina's very own Maison Ikkoku) had character development and a huge amount of the chapters were devoted to them and them alone - they weren't just there for comedy purposes. This meant that some of the supporting characters became as likeable as the main two. And Keitaro, the main character of Love Hina, actually changed as the story progressed - he didn't stay spineless like Godai. Also, instead of the exam side coming up at the start and then not being touched upon again like in MI, in Love Hina exam preparation and exams were used to add purpose to the story, preventing it from becoming a completely random series of chapters.

Of course, Love Hina also has flaws that MI doesn’t, and MI has plus points that Love Hina doesn't. Both are great in their own ways. Now that I've read both, MI will always be the original and Love Hina will be thought of by me as something of a remake by me. At the end of the day, all that mattered was my enjoyment, and I enjoyed both a lot.


So, to wrap this up, let me express how much enjoyment I got out of MI. No, it wasn't perfect, and the flaws did bother me at times, but it moved me emotionally like very little else has. For a fictional story that's been copied to death to make me go on a 60+ chapter marathon and make me feel happy because of a love story that was able to warm even my cold heart, it did a lot right.

I was torn at first as to how to rate it because of its flaws and age... however, after the outstanding final 20 or so chapters (once the fillerish material stopped), how on earth can I rate something so heart-warming less than 8.5-9/10?

Rating: 8.5/10