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The mixing of genres is a very common thing in works of fiction, but it goes without saying that they won’t always mix well. You could look at that peanut butter and chocolate, and say that it’s a great idea, but the peanut butter coated chocolate probably won’t be as big a success as the chocolate-coated peanut butter. What I’m saying with this delicious analogy, is that a bit of consideration needs to go into what you’re crafting, and if you put too much of one thing where you should have put another, then the end product isn’t going to be very good. In the ... case of Gakkou Gurashi, the same thing can be said, and the question that shall be answered here, is whether we have a new merger on our hand.

The story begins in Japan, because why wouldn’t it? A group of girls is a part of The School Live club, and lives in the school, as the name may suggest. Already this premise is strange, and it’s hard to imagine what sort of intentions will be behind it, until we get to the end of the first episode and see why living in the school is so crucial. It turns out that a zombie apocalypse has occurred, and these four girls and living in a well-equipped school, because they have little other choice. At this point this are more or less a mix of two much-overused things, moe and zombies, but what really hooks you with the show is the psyche of one of the characters.

Enter Takeda Yuki, our main character, and the typically bubbly girl you expect from this type of show. Through the first episode, we are literally led on a chase as we follow Yuki through the building (chasing a dog) and her behavior is markedly different from that of her lower classmate. It turns out that the zombie apocalypse has broken the poor girl, and in the relative safety of the school, she has forged a bubble around herself, living in an illusion where everything is all right, and anyone who might be dead, is actually alive. This premise is what roped me into the show, as I pondered when this girl broke and whether or not she’d remain that way and it gets increasingly interesting as we see how the other club members react. For once, the zombie apocalypse is taking a different approach, and it offers something that’s worth the time, unfortunately, the moe doesn’t really blend with that well, and so it feels like a lot our time is wasted.

Where we should arguably have focused on navigating the deadly lifestyle, with a girl who doesn’t see the death, we are instead wrapped in her illusion with her, and can only glimpses the hostile world through breaks in her psyche. This is imaginative in a sense. It arguably places us in Yuki’s feet, and that would theoretically increase our immersion, but instead it feels like a waste of time, and too much of that time is paid to her delusion than to the world. Ultimately, the genres aren’t mixed. They’re kept in the same room as one another, but they occupy different sides, and when the do decide to talk; one is noticeably louder than the other is. It is interesting to see how the delusions manifest, but because they can manifest in a safe area (or in a place where we already know nothing is at stake), the anime is allowed to deliver its moe ham-fistedly with very rare moments where the natures join hand.

Ultimately, Gakkou Gurashi had the potential to be something great, but preoccupations with other things present an unavoidable roadblock. It’s worth the watch to see how two entirely different things can come together, and as a cautionary display of how they come together poorly. It does have some interesting elements, but they seem worthless in the greater scheme of the project. Ultimately, I give it a 6/10

A sudden epiphany occurred to me as I got a third of a way through this movie, and it made me stop it to say: "Goddammit." This wasn't a bad exclamation, despite the the choice of words, but a bemusing one, as I realized I was enthralled.. "When was the last time I gave a story a score this high, and when was the last time I said "yes" when I asked if it deserved it?" I know the answer to one of those questions, but that fairly beside the point. Today, at this moment, or whatever moment you choose to read this. I'm going ... to share why I damned that epiphany so much.

--Story--
The story, while daring to try something different, is certainly not trying something 100% new. In short, it is a coming of age tale as we watched the titular wolf children decided what they want to be as they grow up in the world, and while it won't have you taken aback by any sudden plot twist, it is well executed. The story is really brought to life in the characters, and they are fleshed out just enough that their actions aren't bemusing. The pacing is good, seamless in fact, and while there are moments that could beg for more details, they aren't so present that later into the movie you ask yourself why they weren't fleshed out. This is more a character driven tale than anything, and it benefits from that, as it could have easily been pushed into being something that demands you sit on the edge of your seat. As a character piece, there are few stakes raise, but if you can get involved then you won't be begging for more.

-- Art --
In one word: "Beautiful," and while I certainly could end it at that, I have to give a round of applause to Madhouse. Even early in the movie when we find ourselves in a small corner of the otherwise booming Tokyo, we are treated to some very detailed set pieces. I feel like I don't know enough about art to give it it's proper credits, but the soft colors complement this mellow tale, and when they want to show you just how beautiful things can be, they do it in very well done scenes. Sans sound except the music and the whispers of nature, we get to see how much effort was lovingly put into the animation of a movie that could have that easily been more muted. Through the art direction, this movie shows a strong grasp of "Show not Tell," and the only flaw with it would be the character design, which isn't very detailed, but is enough so that you could recognize a character regardless of whether you could name them or not. That is to say nothing of the cinematography that had me applauding the director, who had an amazing grasp on when scenes should have dialogue, and when minor grunts or even just silence, would do enough to get the story across.

--Sound--
Much like the Art, the Sound could be summed up in one word, and again like the art, that word would be "beautiful." When we aren't treated to the orchestral symphony accompanying otherwise quiet scenes, we're allowed to here the whispered tones of nature in things like the whistling of the wind, and chirping of cicadas. Together with the Art, the Sound makes an impressive harmony as they bring the dazzling scenery to life in ways that would be missed without it. The voice acting is well done as well, with the VAs putting a lot of emotion into their lines, and controlling their tone when the scene calls for it. At no point did I feel like they're tone was overblown, and continuing the harmony with the visuals, the voice-acting brought a new life to certain scenes.

--Character--
Here is where Ookami Kodomo stands out the most, and it does well to do so. Had the characters been poorly written this movie couldn't possibly be the same, because there'd be absolutely no reason to watch it. For this particular tale, only three characters possess significant importance. The first is of course Hana, the mother of the two children, and it is Yuki and Ame who fill out that importance. I would remiss to say that it was impossible to see where their development was going, especially when scenes just hand the direction to you, but even with those clear moments in mind, I still found myself wishing for the best. At least twice throughout the movie, I stopped it and begged as if it could hear me, to allow the characters to have a good life, and when things turned out bad for them, I actually felt the pulls of empathy. Minor characters, although not fleshed out, are written well enough that you can imagine you know them. The only potential problem I can see is the children in their early days, but this is only a potential problem because of how young they are at that point, and how foolish it would be to hate them for being bratty kids.

--Enjoyment--
It is very easy to say I enjoyed this movie in the entirety of it's near two hour run time. This would be the fourth movie director by Mamoru Hosoda that I've watched, and like the previous three, I enjoyed this a great deal. Hosoda knows what he's doing when he writes a character tale as he has undoubtedly shown before, and the only possible problem I have with that, is that I wish I could learn more. As the movie came to a close, I wondered what would become of the two children as they furthered into adulthood, and what would become of Hana, who showed a great deal of strength to get them that far. However, I wouldn't dare say it should have continued after that, as Hosoda chose an excellent time and point to bring the story to an close.

-- Overall--
If you're thinking about watching Ookami Kodomo no Ame to Yuki then the question you should ask yourself is: "What do I want to see?" If you're expecting something action packed for whatever reason, then it's certainly not going to be your cup of tea, and if you're expecting something along the lines of other wolf themed shows like Spice and Wolf, or Wolf's rain, then I'd say you'd be closer along, but that you may want to tread lightly. I believe that Wolf Children possesses one of the rare qualities of certain anime, that would make it watchable by people who aren't otherwise into the medium, and certainly presents an interesting take on a coming of age tale.

Mixing genres; as a writer, when you mix genre you have to be careful or one genre’s over-representation can overwhelm the other, and subsequently alienate your readers. There are some genres that go well together, like romance and drama, or action and fantasy. But then there are others like drama and comedy that can conflict so much the readers rage at the sight of one or the other. There is nothing stopping such genres from mixing well, but for that to happen a writer has to take care, and in the case of Nabari no ou it doesn’t seem like the writers did.

Story
Nabari starts by ... introducing its watchers to two worlds, the world we live in now that continues to evolve and one that hides in that evolution, evolving with it but not enough to become apparent. This turns out to be necessary for that second world, as it is apparently a world where ninja thrive. As the anime starts, its already difficult not to draw comparison to other “ninja” anime, especially when you realize that the title of it translates to King of Nabari (Nabari being the ninja world) despite the comparison you draw though, Nabari actually does do a good job of creating a ninja world in modern times. There are still fantasy elements, but that aren’t so apparent that calling the ninja “ninja” is unfitting. The problem with Nabari no Ou however, starts within the ninja world that I just finished praising. While it builds up a conflict between the four or so hidden villages of Nabari, by the time the fourth or fifth episode comes around that conflict is pushed to the side in favor of something else; a quasi-romance “subplot,” and as the anime goes on that subplot gets pushed more and more to the foreground, so much so that the ninja elements become more of an aside. This is particularly bad because there are a lot of elements in that world that should have been explained. The target of interest for example, is a magical entity called the Shinra Bansho. I use entity because there is in fact something they call “fairy lady” that dwells within the person who possesses the shinra bansho. As the story goes on it becomes apparent that she wants the possessor to use the shinra bansho but there doesn’t seem to be any reason why. At most we learn that she can steal the life of the person who possesses it, but that doesn’t seem to be her goal. Another issue that comes from the ninja elements being pushed aside is that the villain’s motive gets second gun to the conflict of the quasi-romance subplot. It is not till the last few episodes that we learn what he wants to accomplish, and even after being told what his motives are, they still get second gun to the quasi-romance sub plot.

This is a case of genre clashing too, as the quasi-romance somehow manages to remain a subplot and at the same time, manages to be the main focus. Later in the anime the quasi-romance all but completely becomes the main conflict, but even then it is fragmented as watchers are never really given anything more than a shallow reason to care. This romance or camaraderie, or what have you is never exemplified in more than just one of the characters it involves saying that they have to save the other one, or that same character going on about how he and the other are so much alike.

Art
The art and animation for Nabari no Ou is for the most part, wholly unimpressive. Characters are drawn in this CLAMP-esque art style where most of them are this lanky archetype, with the only difference between them being slight differences in their faces, hair, and clothes. It is in fact the clothes that get more attention to detail than the overall character as many of them are decked in these very extravagant outfits. If they aren’t and they have a similar design then my overview of the art style takes form. Take for example the protagonist father who is seen in flashbacks, and one of secondary main characters Aizawa. Both of them are short haired males who wear glasses, and if it wasn’t for the fact that the protagonist father is taller and has a slightly different hair style and color, they’d look exactly alike. As for animation, well despite this being an action anime it is rarely ever pushed. For the most part the characters are talking to each other, making this anime essentially talking heads, but when there are moments of brief actions (and I do mean brief), they range in quality from static images with speed lines, to somewhat fluid movement. Otherwise things are pretty rigid.

Sound
The music in Nabari no ou is very much the same as the art, overall unimpressive. Despite finishing the anime only several days ago, I can barely remember the melody of the opening and ending themes, and as far as music in the show goes I can only recall a heavy use of flutes. While mediocre, I can say that the music suited Nabari’s, let’s say hushed tones. There was never a moment that called for a powerful rock ballad, and likewise the production team never used one. The music in Nabari twists toward a more classical angle, but blends in so well with Nabari that it is barely an aspect alone.

Characters
And now we get to what was likely Nabari’s main problem, and likewise go back to what I was saying before. As what is basically a romance anime clad in action anime clothes, Nabari fails overall at being either because it only gives its watchers shallow reasons to care. The conflicting forces after the shinra bansho don’t really get much development till the end, and the characters in the romance subplot gets next to none. This is not helped by the main character that is soft-spoken, manipulative, apathetic, and more than a little self-entitle. The writing tries to make us care about him by showing that he was wronged as well, but considering just how self-entitled it also makes him, making watchers sympathize doesn’t really work. This gets worse when you realize that the main romance (camaraderie, what have you) involves a character that is almost exactly the same. The difference between this character and protagonist is that the writing actually does make us care but it doesn’t say specifically why we care. This character is haunted by a troubled home life from their youth, and it alludes to there being a reason why it was so bad and why the character is so determined to achieve their goal, but that’s pretty much it; it stops at allusion. To further explain why characters is Nabari’s main problem is to draw attention toward its other characters; characters that seem interesting but get all of a few minutes of expansion. One case goes back to the story and likewise, the similarities watchers might draw. There is a character who wants to get revenge against another for killing their family. This is fine and all, albeit cliché, but the writing’s stubbornness to move away from the quasi-romance subplot makes this characters story an aside, much like the ninja world. Build up is frankly brief, and pay off is underwhelming invoking a sense of this plot only being here because it was (perhaps better) in the manga. This is the same for a lot of other characters. They are displayed as interesting but pay-off always turns out to be these few minute long, underwhelming scenes.

Enjoyment
At this point I don’t think a person needs to ask if I enjoyed this anime or not. With its unlikeable main character, and failure to mix genre, Nabari no Ou is something of a painful watch, made more so when you realize that it’s pacing is bad. Pacing notwithstanding, this is not a disdain for romance or disdain for action, but a jerking feeling I got while watching it. What I did find interesting, got next to no attention, and what I found annoying was constantly shoved in my face. Again amplifying the negativity of this, the latter was something that was forced into the main focus position. It tries to masquerade as an element of the plot, but the story’s own main character defuses this disguise by choosing a jarring reason to get involved (one that makes him more despicable when you think about it in hindsight).

Overall
If you’re planning to watch Nabari No Ou you should go in knowing that it is neither an action series, nor a romantic one. While those are genres you can tack onto it, this anime barely seems like it knows which one it wants to be. The characters aren’t developed enough to make us care about their romance (camaraderie, what have you) but they are push so hard into the main focus that something we might have cared about (The world of Nabari) becomes second gun even to the end. What Nabari could have benefited from was more than twenty-six episodes, and if that wasn’t an option, a willingness to explore more of its elements. It however had neither, and leaves an impression of time better spent

From the standpoint of a storyteller, the slice of life genre is the biggest you can use and because it's slice of life it can make for a long story. The problem however, is that the genre is almost always filled with generic things. You'll get a protagonist in a high school full of tropes, and despite what the writer might want you to believe, if you've watch or read slice of life then you've probably seen it all before. That's where Hourou Musuko stands out. While it is slice of life, it is more specifically the characters' life, which makes it one of few ... manga in this genre that you can actually say you haven't seen before.

Story:
Despite being little more than its synopsis, Hourou Musuko has a very enjoyable story. This is because it is slice of life and surprisingly enough, it lives up to that point. When the story begins the characters are very young and naive, but as it goes onward they slowly grow older, and the hardships they experienced before leave a very imposing mark. When they approach situations that resemble these events, self-doubt manifested through the past billows upward, and makes them question if they should or could do it again. This is very realistic, which all slice of life manga don't need, but should have a little more of . It's a very character driven story, and Shimura's attention to character depth, makes it a very involving tale.

Art:
Because I'm not much of a visual artist myself, I can't exactly give Hourou Musuko's art any justice when it come to critique, but in my opinion it's suitable for the story. When done in color pages, it looks sort of like a water painting, and uses very pastel colors to go with the over all lighter essence of the story. Character design is simple and won't likely be how you remember them, but its clear that Shimura tries to make an effort, and she has admitted in one omake that her art isn't very good. This however is my critique, and while I can't say that it will appeal to the artist in you, I can say that its simpler look does a good job at giving form to its story.

Character:
The trait that undeniable ranks highest amongst all of Hourou Musuko's traits, is its characterization and and character development, which is important when going into a story like this. It is a manga that shows how far the slice of life genre can be taken when the mangaka isn't just looking for a plane to throw the characters into. What makes the story is the characters, and Shimura pays enough attention to all of them to make them stand out. It is not a cast of anime tropes, thrown into a typical setting but real people in a real setting, thrown into a fictional world. If you have a life that resembles any of the characters, or even if you don't it is possible to see a bit of yourself in them which makes them that much more endearing.

Enjoyment:
The enjoyment you'll find in Hourou Musuko is extremely high, if its not your type of manga then its likely that you won't read it but if you do you won't have to worry about drama being unnecessarily thrown in. Slice of life is an unfortunate genre that more oft than not, comes in two form. One is comedy which can be good sometimes, but is otherwise an excuse to make a story where nothing happens. The other is drama which goes out of its way to prove that it can be that. Again there are some dramas that are actually good, but its not hard to happen upon one that slings the drama into your face. At times, life can be hard, and at others it can make you smile, and if any manga I've read is a testament to that, then Hourou Musuko would be it.

Overall:
The story is involving, the art suits it, the characters it portrays are very well done, and all of this only adds to its enjoyability. What adds to its overall score though is that it is a seinen, and unlike a lot of other seinen that are generally just gore and porn, Hourou Musuko has a reason for being classified as that. The reason it's a seinen is not just because it has things that can't be put in shonen, but because those things require you to think. You have to be mature to read it. This is of course debatable, but I implore you to give it a look before you make your decision. For being a rather well woven story,with a likable cast that drive it well, I award Hourou Musuko with a 9 out of 10. However it does have a lot of characters, and not all of them get enough time, which inevitably took away from the ending score.

Oh how the times have changed. At a point earlier in my life, before I reached what was probably the half-way point of Elfen Lied, I would have given this an overall better score, but I'm afraid things did not allow that. If anything, elfen lied is a testament to having to finish a series before you have a good idea of how you're going to address it, and for that reason before I go on I want to bring something up. Elfen Lied might tempt you with scenes of gorn, but it takes a lot more than that before a series can be called ... mature. Yes, you'd be right to say that it's not for the screamish, but the only thing that keeps it from being a shonen is the aforementioned trope. That aside, let us begin.

Story:
On the very cliche side of things, Elfen Lied follows an amnesiac protagonist, as the story progresses and they slowly regain their memories. What makes Elfen Lied stand out, is just how they lost their memory and what led to this eventual loss. For anti-spoiler reasons, a lot can not be said about what you'd see in the story, but what can be said is that it manages to stay to the end. Even though there are some very glaring issues that take away from the enjoyment, Elfen Lied remembers what its about to the very end, and if you can ignore it's other faults you will not be let down, the problem however, is that these faults can't go ignored.

Art:
Character design is very generic. It is of the variety where ever character that shares a gender has the same face with varying sizes, hair and eye color. What stands out in this series is how the mangaka draws the surroundings, and the military equipment that you'll see a lot. While I can't call myself a military nut, and it'd be wrong to say that they aren't generic, Okamoto puts enough detail into the weapon, but that's not really saying much. Of all of its traits, Elfen Lied's art is the second best, but that's not a hard accomplishment in the presence of its other scores.

Characters:
There are a lot of problems I had with Elfen Lied when I originally read it, but ultimately they could be ignored when there was actually a good character about. Elfen Lied is done pretty well in the moral ambiguity department early on, so much so that at points I could be rooting for one character one moment, then completely root for their opponent the next. This excelled best with the character Lucy, who's split personalities provided a perfect parallel that made you like them both. Unfortunately however, this is completely thrown away. There are a lot of despicable bastards in Elfen lied, and at the half way point the more likable ones join them. This gets every bit worse, when the characterization is thrown out by the series end.

Enjoyment:
When I first started Elfen Lied, I did like it a lot. It was the first seinen manga I read, that actually made me care about the characters. There are a lot of issues however, that you'll see in a lot of seinen, namely the fact that people often don't know the meaning of mature. A lot of the "mature" content in this series could have been left out, and had it been, it would be been a much easier read. Another thing that would have made it easier would have been better handling of its end. If it didn't try so desperately to prove that it was a seinen, and it didn't suffer the fault that a lot of anime and manga fall for, Elfen Lied could have been great but sadly that's not the case.

Overall:
I'd like to say "if you want a good sci-fi story, then Elfen Lied could easily be this for you." but such words can not be spoken in truth. While the story isn't trash, the art is unimpressive, the characters start overall good but quickly join the heap of other bad characters, and you'd have to be a very apathetic or depraved person, to say that your enjoyment of elfen lied is high. This very raunchy series has a lot of potential, but I do not judge on potential so thusly give it a 3 out of 10.

There comes a time in everyones life when they have to deal with the errors they made in the past, but more oft than not, people choose not to. I however, have a tendency to go into fits of introspection and retrospection, which makes that time pretty easy to deal with. This is of course what brings me to doing this review. And surprisingly, the fact that it is not present can be what turns a person away from the series.

Neon Genesis Evangelion is a pretty popular series among anime fanboys, not so much now as it was in the nineties but the point still ... remains. Because of its popularity, it has two very dominant viewpoints; those who adore it, and those who find it atrocious, that is not to say there is no middle ground, but that's not the point of this review. What I will now do is examine one of the series I formally consider one of my top anime. So without further ado, let's begin.


Story:
Amongst the two prominent views of NGE, you'll find that the fans love it because it's supposedly deep, and that the haters hate it because it's incredibly not. The truth of the matter is that both parties are wrong, and fail to realize that there is middle ground, for fans, I'll elaborate later but for haters, I'll elaborate now. While NGE isn't the type of story that has you on the edge of your seat, worrying about the welfare of the characters, there are particularly enjoyable moments that can leave you with a smile. When it's not wrought with angst, NGE is an amusing show that can leave you satisfied on a few occasions. The problem however, is that there is a story there but because of bad characterization, it can go unnoticed. This is what makes the haters wrong in say that it's not deep, NGE is in fact layered, but unfortunately, it forces you to go through several feet of concrete before you find the layers.


Art:
Considering what I know about this series, I have to say that the art is pretty good for its time. Again, like the story, it won't take your breath away but in all twenty-six episodes it doesn't manage to break. NGE can't be compared to the work of Shinkai Makoto or Hayao Miyazaki in scenery porn, but it doesn't do bad for what it has.

Sound:
Considering the solemn and grave mood of the series, and the particularly angst ridden characters the sound track is actually very likable. I can't exactly explain why Fly me to the moon, of Frank Sonatra fame is used as the ending theme, but it should be a testament to the quality of the music. One episode even show classes this with a choreographed fight, synced with classical ballad. It's not Yoko Kanno in the slightest, but the sound track is far from awful

Character:
As I mentioned in the story part of this review, fans and haters have opposing opinions that don't have any middle ground. While haters are wrong to say that the story lacks any depth, fans are just as at fault to say that the characters are anymore than what they are. To be fair, the reason I initially liked this series is because of the look into Shinji's mind but what subtracts from a rather interesting concept, in a field where most anime characters are one dimensional (more so now than then) is the fact that there's no character development. It is clear from the beginning that Shinji has problems but he is never seen coming to terms with them. Some may say that the original ending was actually meant to do that, but that's arguable, and even if they are right there are still other characters in the show. While diving into Shinji's psyche is an intriguing concept, it doesn't do us any good when he, like others, is one dimensional. The earlier parts of the show actually tried to resolve this with him becoming less angsty and more arrogant through constant victories, but he still suffers his overwhelming emo appearance, that is unfounded considering his connections with at least Misato, who provides a rather stable home. Shinji, as well as the other pilots Rei and Asuka, are the embodiments of the archetypes that were used to construct them, and because of that, they never manage to escape their clutches. This is to say nothing of the other characters.

Enjoyment:
Despite my view on the characters, I originally watched this at a time when I was less critical, and to be fair, you have to be like this if you want to enjoy it. While you don't have to throw away your brain like you do when watching senseless dribble that can be called Moe, you will have to turn it down some in order to over look the characterization. Because this was made at a bad time in GAINAX's life, it's done badly and it doesn't help that director Hideaki Anno was going through psychological problems of his own. When going into this anime note that, and you'll be able to milk a bit of enjoyability from it, if you don't get out right annoyed by the characters first.


Overall:
To say this series is without problems would be to cast delusion onto yourself, but to say it is the epitome of crap would be to ignore what exists in today's anime community. If anything makes Evangelion bad, it is that its two lesser concepts take away from each other. The angels are apart of the plot, but they aren't nearly as important as the characters themselves and because the characters don't seem to grow, it's easy to go through this series and find no merit.

While I've seen my share of anime that are significantly better than this, I've seen an equal share that is completely worse and for that reason my final judgement is that this series gets a 6 out of 10.

When I initially went into this manga I was completely optimistic. It's a shonen series after all, and I'm usually patient with them because it's a very generic field. After hearing that, you can imagine my surprise when, after nine chapters I finally gave up.

Story:
It's not much. I didn't read SWOT's one shot but from the comments of other people I can imagine that it was fairly good in comparison to this. A swot is apparently a person who studies a lot, but that doesn't matter it's just a trait of the main character that makes him annoying. This series goes for a tradition shonen ... battle manga, but going in you can really tell that it's out of its field. If you read bleach, you'll notice that this series has a lot in common with it. The saddest part about that is that SWOT has yet to break a double digit meaning this abysmal quality is directly out of no where, that's not to say bleach's isn't.

Art:
Mediocre as my score may have hinted. The characters barely look any different, so much so that I was stunned when a person said that one of them was attractive. Excluding maybe the main character, you'll see a lot of design recycling. But hey, the destruction is nicely done.

Characters:
Once again, this series shares something in common with Bleach. It's characters are very one dimensional, and in the first nine chapters after at least one try to develop them, it fails miserably. The protagonist is the worse of the offenders though, spending the majority of this series saying that he's fighting to get some peace and quiet till chapter eight where he spontaneously grows a heart. I wouldn't mind it, if his tsundere personality didn't just die from nothing.


Enjoyment:
If you're the type of person who likes senseless shonen violence, then this series is for you. For the last time, like bleach, the only reason the characters seem to exist is to beat the crap out of each other. Don't go in expecting an involving story because that's not even a prospect.

Overall:
Because my optimism is surprisingly durable, I'll say that this series may have a very minute chance of improving in the future if it doesn't get canceled first. Till then, it is crap and judging by how things are going from chapter nine, it will stay that for a while.

Story:
When I first started maburaho some odd years ago, I was very intrigued by what the previews showed. Simply, in a world where people can cast spells a certain number of times, Kazuki Shikimori, has a very low count a considers himself worthless. This is until he becomes the target of an unwanted harem when it is revealed to his class, that he has some impressive magical genes. Going in, you get what you asked for. A harem series set in a magical world. At the time, I didn't expect much but now that I had some time to think, I realized a lot of ... potential was lost in the making of this series. First of all, the magical world; I believe this is the first time (outside of games with mp) where I've seen magic being in a set number. It wasn't much, but it would have been interesting to see them go into depth about it. Secondly, there's a few character stories that could have been used to show the political side of the world. We will get to that later.

Art:
Of the things that haven't changed about my opinion of maburaho, the art is one of them. It is nothing special. It does not stand out as breath taking, but it's easy to look at.

Sound:
The same can be said about the sound. Maburaho's opening theme for one was very enjoyable when I first heard it. So was the slight musical notes played when one of the female characters appeared. A different tune for the three girls of choice. It's not an original touch but an enjoyable one nonetheless.

Character:
Now to get back to the bad. Maburaho is a harem series with opening video that just doesn't belong. Even during my original viewing of the should, I stared in awe at the reel of characters shown and wondered how they'd be integrated into the story. This left me solely disappointed because they were more background noise than anything. Out of the twenty something characters you see, less than ten of them play major roles. As for the main cast, thinking back, I feel that some of the stories shouldn't have been played for romance. While the love developing wasn't bad, Kuriko's business associated story had some grand attention, and would have worked perfectly as a sort of battle arc. Rin's story, while not getting as much attention as Kuriko, could have worked epically in a drama sort of sense. This is a harem though, and while there are battles in this one, they aren't as great as the aforementioned ones could be, and comedy is valued more than drama.

Enjoyment:
I gave it an eight because I enjoyed it for what it was. Maburaho was a harem and going in understanding that, you will not be disappointed. Of the anime genres, harem is one of the more generic ones, but maburaho slightly averts this by implementing it's magical elements.

Overall:
Despite my altered opinion of the series, Maburaho is what it is. If you don't think much about the perfectly good plot that was wasted, you will likely enjoy this series.

Recently I have found it impossible to find a good shonen series to watch or read. It's come to the point that if it even looks remotely shonen, I stray away from it with untamed fury. Why do I keep coming back though? Why do I still look for shonen manga to read? It's all because of series like Full Metal alchemist.

When it comes to critiquing, I'm somewhat merciless. I'm sure some of the people who have seen my reviews of their favorite series think I consider myself a know it all, but nothing could be further from the truth. Often I see "but they ... make a lot of money," as a response to my heavy critique, but not once have I considered it a valid excuse for a drop in quality or lack there of. This is something that I can guess Arakawa understood. She did not write just to get money, she wrote because she had a great idea. She wrote because she had a compelling fantasy world, and compelling story in which involving characters exist.As an aspiring novelist, this is something I can respect and one of the reasons that I'm proud to say I'm a fan of FMA.

Story:
Full Metal Alchemist story hits close to home, because I lost my mother when I was about four. It may sound like a lie but I had hopes of bringing her back from the dead, of course I couldn't because no such magic exist in the world and the hope that it did was just the hope of an ambitious kid. Edward and Alphonse had this ambition and as a result, they were met with a gruesome response. Understanding their wrongs the duo set out, and that as they say is that... somewhat. The journey that the duo took immersed them in colorful characters and a well designed world. This would not be the first time alchemy was used in a series, but I sure it will be a time well remembered.

Art:
While in an AIM group chat once, I heard a female speaker say that Full Metal Alchemist's art is simple, but I'll be honest I can't agree. For the record I can't draw to save my life, but I think there's something great about the drawings Arakawa provides. As I said earlier I'm an aspiring writer, so to me anything put into the story should have a certain charm to it that will make it memorable. That's what the art in full metal alchemist is. Even if its simple it does not stand in your way of falling in love with the series.

Characters:
As I said above, anything put into the story should have a certain charm to it that will make it memorable, and like it can be said about the art, the same can be said about the story. Riddle me this; "How do you get a reader to miss a villain, without giving them a sappy backstory?" "How do you make an otherwise minor character one that your readers will remember?" To tell you the answers, I don't really know, but Arakawa figured it out. Not one character in FMA struck me as one dimensional. While I thought "god this guy is an evil bastard." Not once did I find one appalling enough to insult Arakawa for creating. One of the things that I think drive a story is it's plot and it's characters, evident by the manga in question.

Enjoyment:

If it's not apparent already, I really did enjoy this series. I remember the moments I spent catching up with it and the "full metal alchemist withdrawal" that I went into when I did. I had only seen the first anime before I started, so I didn't know what to expect. Upon reading through I realized the difference right away, and realized more that the difference between the two made the first anime a very affectionate adaption.

Overall:

At this point, there is not much more to say. If you want a engaging fantasy series with affectionate art, and compelling story then this is one for you. The fights are great too but really, they shouldn't be your concern when going into Full Metal Alchemist, a manga that has much more. and even though Arakawa Hiromu will probably never see this, I congratulate her for making a great shonen series in a time that's majorly lacks them.

If you have an animelist similar too my own you're probably used to the typical action packed anime with a hint of drama and romance. You've seen the bit on "believing in the strength of your friends." You've seen the occasional explosion wreck planets and cities and, if you're like me then you're probably looking for a breath of fresh air every now and then. For me, Tokyo Magnitude was more like a strong gale.

Story:
When starting this show I kind of figured what to expect considering it's title. It's, what I suppose you could call a "disaster drama," or a series that starts with ... a natural disaster and plays from that point. While this was an accidental find I took the time to get into it, and in the very first episode I found myself hooked.


Art:
A rarity for me is that the art of this series caught my attention before the story. If you're a fan of Higashi no Eden's art style then I think you'll find adjusting to this anime very easy. That said, even if you don't like the art I think you should give it a try, after all, drawings alone makes no story.

Sound:
As far as music and sound effects go, In my opinion Tokyo Magnitude does a good job at connecting the tone and the mood. Upon hearing it's opening theme I found myself a bit nostalgic and began a search as to where I heard the familiar beat.

Characters:
The characters are as real as any event in this show can be. No exaggerated reactions, no unexplained buffoonary, just typical people you'd find in everyday life. Mirai, a junior high girl troubled by her parents relationship. Yuuki a understandably naiive grade schooler, and Mari, a working single mother are the main focus of the story and it's not imposible to believe that people like them can exist.

Enjoyment:
I have to say that this series is highly captivating, although it took me a few days to watch from episode three onward, when I finally got the time I managed to finish it in a few hours. In the end, it was the type of series I was satisfied with the length of. It wasn't so long that it dragged out a story, and it wasn't so short that the story seemed rushed.