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Deltora Quest is one of the few anime that despite having so many problems, so many pitfalls, and one of the most predictable stories I've seen in quite so time, that I can say I enjoyed watching every single episode of.

The 2007 adaptation of Emily Rodda's Deltora Quest series is so remarkably unremarkable, so vanilla, that its pure simplicity stood out when watching it. Now, I may be a bit biased due to having read this book series as a child, but I could not remember the slightest bit about it for the life of me when I came around to watching this.

A brief synopsis ... is that The Generic Dark King (Literally the Shadow Lord) took over the kingdom, and only The Chosen One (Lief) can rebuild the legendary artifact that is the Dark Lord's one and only weakness using the Seven Gems of Deltora. The entire quest is to reobtain these seven gems, and each 'arc' of the story is based on the events surrounding each one of them.

While the story's outline is the most cliched premise in fantasy anime history, the actual writing is very well done. There is a large amount of Chekhov's Gun in play ALL throughout the series, almost every element they introduce is followed up upon or plays a great importance later on in the story. Never does it feel like the story is simply wasting time for time's sake, it always has a purpose in the grand scheme of the adventure, even the so-called "filler" episodes serve a purpose in the end. The plot twists feel real, and often times unexpected yet very clever, and looking back at it give the last third of the show a lot of legitimate tension and suspense. The pacing is very well done, as each Gem arc never feels like it drags on once, even in 64 whole episodes.

The visuals are very standard, and in some ways reminiscent of the original FMA series in terms of style. The most striking choice however, is the CGI models for the 7 Gem Guardians, which on one hand look pretty pathetic, but on the other hand give a real sense of 'impact' on screen, like they're much more than just another goon.

The voice acting is actually pretty alright, atleast in the English Dub, although Jasmine's voice can be fairly irritating to listen to. The standout in the sound department is easily Thaegan's Riddle song, which they play several times throughout the series and is easily the most catchy song I've heard in an anime.

The Characters of the show are easily Deltora Quest's greatest downside, although in some cases, I actually enjoyed just how terrible they were.

Leif is the generic "Justice triumphs all!" hero type you see in every fantasy story, who has a soft spot for damsels in need and doing the right thing even if it causes trouble for everyone; ala Morty from Rick & Morty.

Barda is the 'strong bodyguard' type who serves two purposes, 1. Story exposition, since he is the most wise and can tell the heroes what's going on or what they should do. 2. To lose every single fight he starts in order to make whatever enemy they're fighting appear so much more powerful. No seriously, I don't think Barda wins a single fight in the whole show on-screen.

Jasmine is Rodda's own pet character, as she's a clear Mary-sue whos purpose is to leave the party every few episodes like the lone-wolf she is, and then swoop back in to save Leif and Barda from whatever threat avails them. Not only is she Jesus reincarnated into a little girl, but she has two animal mascot characters, Fili and Kree, who she can speak to and also act as a deus ex machina half the time to solve whatever problem the protagonists run into. It doesn't take a genius to notice how biased the story is to Jasmine, and honestly she can come off as rather irritating most of the time.

Deltora Quest is a rare occurrence where a show so average and generic actually transcends the boundary of 'so boring it's bad' to 'so bad it's actually really good'. The characters chemistry just works, and even the most mundane of scenes is made entertaining by using overused dialogue and story cliches. Despite the odds being against the show, Deltora Quest proved that despite how boring a show may seem on paper, can actually turn out to be one hell of a memorable and enjoyable ride.

Choudenji Robo Combattler V, older brother to the slightly more popular Voltes V, and featured multiple times in the Super Robot Wars franchise.

I'll start off with the pretty blunt statement, that this show is rather basic no matter how you look at it. It isn't groundbreaking, its very similar to Voltes V, and isn't too thrilling in any particular department.
Heck, both the mech and the pilots seem like clones of Voltes V's own in many aspects.

But it has one thing going for it. Its fun to watch. In that charismatic way Super Robot series are. That no matter how repetitive the series is, no matter ... how bland the villains or heroes are, you always want to cheer them on as they fight the monster of the week, and finish them off with the finishing blow, CHOUDENJI SPIIIIIN. Its in this Super Robot kind of excitement that keeps me returning episode after episode to watch Garuda and the Campbellians resurrect a new monster and attempt to "finally take down Combattler!"

Its fun, it enjoyable, most certainly retro, and will make you feel like you're 10 years old again. From the hotshot speed demon Hyouma, gun loving ace Juuzou, token girl member Chizuru, obese Daisaku, and kid genius Kosuke, they each have episodes devoted to their own characters. And to be honest, I think these episodes are probably some of the most well done in the show, since they actually put a lot of background into the individual pilots. These episodes also help keep it from being straight "Monster of the Week" all in a row, by helping spice it up a bit. Not to mention Garuda, who suddenly turns from the spoiled prince into a complex villain of conflicting values later on.

Now, halfway through the series, it reaches the climax of the entire story. I'm not naming anything, but it really reaches the meat of the story, and then for the second half changes completely and goes back to how it was for the first half, but with different cast of villains. This really hurt its story, since all the work they put into making the spectacular half point went to waste with the new villains.

Overall, if you enjoy catchy theme songs, absurd weapons (C'mon, who doesn't love the Electromagnetic Yo-yo?), stereotypical villains, and are a sucker for Super Robots, then this is right up your alley. Otherwise, you may find it looking out of date, boring, and just downright childish. Thats alright, but when it comes to Combattler, it holds much more nostalgia and entertainment than first meets the eye.