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I have fallen in love with IDOLiSH7 since its first season, and then since I got hyped, I decided to download the game and play it. I have been waiting long for Part 2 to be animated and I'm really glad about it.

WARNING: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS

Story
To sum it up, IDOLiSH7 is simply about 7 male strangers who were together and became an idol group. Simple enough? Yes indeed, but wait until you watch the troubles and problems that they had along the way. The story is a wild ride of an emotional roller coaster. The moment we felt glad, the next episode makes ... us cry. Compared to the other male idol anime that I watched, IDOLiSH7 had more realism to it and had many relatable problems. I'd say that the deep story is what makes me loves IDOLiSH7 so much.

In the Second Beat, we are introduced to Re:vale, a senior group of two people, Momo and Yuki, who is also called King of Idols (in the game).

As someone who already played the game, there are some scenes that are cut off in the anime. However, it did not really affect the pace. Length-wise, I would say 15 episodes are enough since Part 2 was less longer than the other parts. From what I see, the first half was focused on IDOLiSH7, while the second half was more focused on TRIGGER and Re:vale.

The troubles that our idol groups faced are not focused only on IDOLiSH7, but also TRIGGER and even Re:vale themselves. The fans reaction in the anime also felt quite real. For example, when there are fans who said that they liked Iori as a center better and the fans who said that the center is Riku. The quarrels in fanbases like these are quite common so I could feel relatable to it. There are also a lot of quotes that we can find helpful.

Also SPOILERS: The last plottwist was not really well covered in the anime. In the game it was so well hidden that I was kind of surprised.

There are still so many things left unexplained in the season, but since we got season 3 (and hopefully season 4), we can wait that much.


Art
The art and animation did not differ much from the first season, but the 3D CG has definitely improved, especially from the 4th episode. The comedic chibis are cute too.


Characters
I always praised character developments in IDOLiSH7. This franchise has to ability to make the character you hated before become so likeable. For example, I myself quite disliked Tamaki since I disliked his childish attitude. However, following the end of the first season and the second season, Tamaki becomes one of my favorite characters in the show. It showed how he tried his best to be better not only for himself, but also for the other members.

I also disliked Anesagi, TRIGGER's manager during the first season, but now I find him/her really funny and entertaining xD

The troubles and problems that our characters faced are also not easy. Imagine Mitsuki, who had taken pride in his ability doing MC, suddenly was told that he is not good and had to leave. It would be weird if I do not felt depressed after that if I were him.

I also find it nice that Re:vale was positioned not as a rival to IDOLiSH7, but as their kind seniors who were simply looking after them, unlike how TRIGGER was to IDOLiSH7. It's not like a group of around one year of experience could defeat an idol group of five years of experience. I want them as my real-life seniors xDD.

Not only that, even sub characters like the managers played their parts marvelously. The moment when Tsumugi announced to her idol boys that she loved IDOLiSH7 and is their first fan, it made me love her even more.

For me personally, I loved Yamato and I find myself relatable to Sougo a lot. Even though I already know what would happen in Episode 14 and I already waited for that scene to be animated, I can't help but get scared of Yamato xD.


Sound
Of course, the music was a key to this franchise. However, in this season, it did not play much. The drama played a lot more instead and the music was pushed back a little. I like it when the music also play part in the story. For example, RESTART POiNTER was sung after each of IDOLiSH7 members finally moved on from their problems in the first half of the season. The messages in the songs are quite powerful.

However, I'm sorry to say that I still prefer WiSH VOYAGE over DiSCOVER THE FUTURE.


Overall, I'd say Second Beat is really well done. I am willing to wait for the third season, since Part 3 is the part that I loved the most. Will I recommend this franchise? Of course! If you like something unusual for an idol story, I definitely recommend this.

As a big fan of Danganronpa series and Kodaka's works, Akudama Drive is one of the original anime that I had been waiting ever since the first trailer. I waited a long time because of the pandemic, but I have to say that I am not disappointed with it.

Please remember that this is merely my opinion.
WARNING: There may be spoilers, but I'll try my best not to write as blatantly as possible.

Okay without further ado, let's talk about this anime.

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Story:
The story is quite simple; an ordinary person got dragged into a world of crime. To put it simply, it is Suicide Squad. The story starts ... as the protagonist, the Ordinary Person was preparing herself for another day. She stumbled upon a takoyaki store and decided to buy it, picking up a 500-yen coin and attempted to return it to a male biker. He refused it, and since the girl refused to use the coin, she was labelled as a C Rank criminal.

The setting is a world of cyberpunk in Kansai, where criminals are called by Akudama and divided by ranks. I watched a live broadcast of this anime with the seiyuus and the producers as the guests, and they said that Osaka is more commonly known in the Western instead of Tokyo and that is one of the reasons they put the setting there.

The story and plot keeps playing with my emotions. In one episode, the two "goods" to Kanto was about to escape, and then their hope was shattered as simple as that. For the pacing, it actually felt quite fast to me. It was fast, but I didn't think it was rushed. I also liked how there are references hidden in the anime xD.

The lore was only explained to the viewers in the form of Bunny and Shark, and I think it was enough. There was no need, or rather, no time for a long explanation for how the world became like that.

In the end, we were made to think; what makes someone an Akudama? If the Chief of Police can announce someone as an Akudama, then what makes someone evil? Then, who is the real Akudama? It was another gray zone between justice and evil.

I was left holding my breath every time I watched a new episode and every episode felt so fast, I didn't realize that it was 30 minutes.

The revelation about Kanto did not really surprise me since I had a hunch that it was like that. I take quite a liking to the story itself since I like themes like this.

Also did you realize that all titles of the episodes are references to the old movies?


Art:
I like the design a lot. I like it because it was designed to be cyberpunk science fiction, and yet we can still see how Japanese culture is still alive in there. For example, for having a "hanko" or "seal" as one of the key objects in the anime. Hanko is quite common in the Japanese culture, especially in Showa period. The Brother's and Sister's outfit is also very Showa, with gakuran and cap. The Sister also had a recorder as a device. The weapons used by the Executioner are called "Jitte", and it was used by the police force in the Edo period. Even though the setting is supposed to be a dystopian science fiction, the culture is not dead. This is one of the factors that I really like about Akudama Drive.

The "introduction video" about each of the Akudamas are also really cool and great. The opening movie is also cool and it actually had many versions. I really like it when the Swindler turned her arms from "Ordinary Person" to "Swindler".


Characters:
Characters are designed by Komatsuzaki Rui. First of all, I felt that it was interesting on how all characters had no names but instead titles. Design-wise, I find them quite memorable and unique. For example; the Cutthroat is a crazy serial killer and yet his design is all white.

However, one thing that I find sad about the characters, was that we do not have the time to find out more about them. So little was explained, even the Courier who seemed to have more conversation with the Swindler compared to the others. We only got few flashbacks about him.
Why had made them to become that way, what had made them stray and become Akudama? Honestly, I could say that we only scraped the skin part of the characters.

I am still interested as to why Courier has 745 years of sentence and yet Brawler and Doctor who seemed to be the most dangerous among them, has only around 300-400 years?

Even so, I do not dislike the their developments. Of course, I saw the Swindler's development as the strongest, given how the events were always swirling towards her. From a simply ordinary person, she began to accept the reality that she is an Akudama.


For the music itself, honestly I didn't really pay attention. However, I find the opening and the ending enjoyable.


Overall, I think that Akudama Drive is a really good anime. I'm actually surprised that people rarely talk about this. I recommended people to watch this, especially if you like Kodaka's works and survival themes. This anime is like Danganronpa meets Persona series, to be honest.

Still only watched for 5 episodes, so my opinions may change later on.

If you guys watched Touken Ranbu: Hanamaru simply because "Hey, there is a time travel element on it! Might be interesting to watch!", then don't.

Remember, they already repeated this line in each episode and even in their web:
"This anime is about a certain Citadel and certain Sword Warriors in the cheerful daily lives."
So, non-Touken Ranbu fans will probably have a hard time liking it.

Story: 8
Well, personally up until now I find the story not too bad. Being a daily lives anime, it doesn't have any specific goals or anything. But I think ... the story is focusing on how Yamatonokami and Kashuu develop as a person and as a sword, with the help of the others around them and with the happenings around them.

Art: 9
I'm glad that Doga Kobo does not destroy the original character design. That's all. The 3D CGs in the endings are especially beautiful.

Sound: 6
Sorry, but I found the music unmemorable, except for the Citadel BGM (since it always plays in the game)

Character: 9
Each sword have their own personality and emotions, and I'm glad that it does not differ much from the game itself. However, since there are too much characters (originally it is around 50 or more), it might be hard to go in-depth with them, if we only have 12 episodes. Thus, I personally think Doga Kobo will focus on Kashuu's and Yamatonokami's character development since they are the protagonists.

Enjoyment: 9
I find this anime enjoyable, really do. I look forward to every episode in order to find out who will come next.

Overall: 8
I rate this anime 8 overall. So will I recommend it: Yes, if you are a Touken Ranbu fan! For those who don't know Touken Ranbu, it might be best to know about it firsthand before watching. You don't have to play the game, but at least know their personality and gags so you won't be so confused in the anime.

That's all and thanks!

As a sci-fi story lover, after watching many sci-fi anime and reading sci-fi manga, I'd say Steins;Gate is the best so far.

Story: 9
Even though time traveling is a common theme for modern anime and manga, Steins;Gate managed to deliver this theme in a whole new model. It was interesting enough with the details of World Lines, Alpha Beta World Lines and such.

At first, I was all like, "This is going to be a VERY hard anime to understand..." But it's not! The first few episodes are hard, I admit, but they explained everything I need explanations in later episodes. It became lighter with the explanation, ... and I'm not bored with each episodes.

Art: 7
Let's be honest. The art is not the best. I don't really like the art, but since the story is nice, I just let it go.

Sound: 9
I didn't pay much attention to the BGM, so this review will only focus on the voice acting.

I haven't seen the dubbed version yet, but the Japanese version is really emotional and awesome. I like Mayuri's "tutturu~" It was so cute! And also Hououin Kyouma's maniacal laugh. I can really feel Okarin's suffering through all those time leaps through the voice acting.

Character: 9
Story is good, voice acting is good. What do you need? A good characterization!

Each character is unique by its own. Though I find them a little standard, but it is quite realistic for a science fiction theme. I like on how Okarin took a mad scientist persona with his maniacal laugh.

Enjoyment: 10
Overall: 9
I really enjoyed Steins;Gate. Who can predict that sending one email to the past can change the present so much? That's why we should never meddle with the past. I recommend this very much.

The humor makes me laugh so much, and the drama makes me cry in the corner.
How about you? Well, watch it then you'll know!

I'm a fan of Atlus games as well, including Devil Survivor series. What I like in the second game, is that it is more light-hearted than the first one. The first one is the exact definition of horror. I still love the first one though.

Story 7, Art 8, Sound 9, Chara 6, Enjoy 8, Overall 8

The story is quite simple, so I won't comment much. What I like about the story in the anime and the game, is because the anime diverts itself from the game. Lots of different dead clips and events differ very much. I actually like that, since it makes me wonder ... who's gonna die next, and what kind of ending will take place.

The art is good. It is so very like "2013"-ish. I like Suzuhito Yasuda from Durarara!!, so I can enjoy the art.

I don't really pay attention to the sound, but I love the opening and the ending.

Characters are usually the main reasons I watched an anime. Aside from art. The characters don't develop that much, and I must say that I was quite disappointed by the developments. Hibiki's actions are actually from your typical shounen protagonists. Though I can relate and forgive it, since I thought his actions are perfectly normal for a normal high school students who were suddenly brought to the end of the world.

Still, because I'm an ATLUS fan, I can't stop watching this anime.

I would've put the overall as 7.5, since the core point of the anime was struck down.

As a bonus, I finally realized that this anime is actually very interesting. You need to watch this further deeper into the episodes to know its quality. I admit, that the few first episodes are utterly disappointing. But I can't say that again to the later episodes. It's getting more and more interesting.

I like sports, especially basketball. I was on a team under the number 17 but I quit due to... circumstances.

Story - 7
Why do I give the story 7? It's because it's just a standard manga about sports. Sometimes the protagonist's have to win, so that's what makes the story kinda easy to predict. I was going to give it a 6, but when I think about it again, the story has different elements from Slam Dunk or Dear Boys. Actually, I'm not into sports manga or anime.

Art - 10
Honestly. The art is AWESOME. I have nothing more to say.

Sound - 8
The OSTs are standard, but ... they do have a certain spark in it which makes you love it. I especially love the music when Kuroko first shows his ability.

Characters - 10
This is the very reason of why I watch this anime. The development of the characters are the BEST ones I've ever seen so far. You rarely seen characters like Kuroko.

Enjoyment - 8
I really enjoyed this anime. Even though the genre is not my favorite, but I REALLY like this. The running gags are enough to make me laugh it loud, and Kuroko's straightforwardness is the main point :D

Overall - 9
I recommend you to watch this anime. Sure there are flaws, but overall, I like this anime. This anime even encourages me to play basketball again.

Just watch and you'll understand.

I first know about Hetalia from the issues about it in the internet. There's a LOT of Hetalia videos in YouTube, be it fan-works or official. I watched the first episode, and I found it extremely hard to understand, since it's so fast. After watching one or two episodes, I'm not really interested because it doesn't really make me laugh. So I stop watching for months. But when I was searching for new anime to watch, I choose this since I'm curious. So, now I'm extremely in love with this series.

Story - 8
Story-wise, it took place in WWII. But it doesn't have an exact plot. ... The plot continues until the 6th episode, and then after that the plot changed and became really... messed up. It can teach a REALLY small portion of history, but mostly are European History, so it's not helpful to me. But I like the story. Hetalia is an anime that focuses on stereotypical comedy, so plot doesn't really matter actually.

Art - 7
I like the art, but unfortunately, the art is not enough to make me laugh out loud. Of course, some parts are hilarious, but others are not. When I read the manga of the same part in the anime, honestly, I laugh more when I read the manga. The art doesn't show enough laughter. And the skin is very pale for some characters...

Sound - 9
I like the OSTs. It's simple, yet really displayed the character's characteristics, such as Italy's theme. It really showed Italy's culture in it. The voice acting is also good. They picked nice seiyuus to fill it up. But unfortunately, I think that the seiyuus are not being emotional enough. So it's kinda hard to pull out the laughter. The character songs are great though. They really displayed the harshness of history for some songs.

Character - 10
Character-wise, I LOVE it. Hima-sama really had a nice imagination. Non-human characters are common, but these characters are rare, since they are personifications of a country. Demon characters are really common, but you rarely saw an anime consists of personifications. Offensive stereotypes are relative and personal matters, so I'll leave it at that.

Enjoyment - 10
Whether you will like it or not is a personal matter. But, I will recommend you to watch this anime. I really enjoy this anime top to bottom. Sure there are some minor flaws, but nothing is perfect, you know?

Overall - 9
Overall, I LOVE it. First of all, I like this anime mostly about its creativity, and the characters. But, the art is not good enough to make me laugh...

The rest? Watch it, and you'll know. :)