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This is what milking the cash cow looks like. No, not milking. Draining. I have no words to describe my disappointment.

The series had a decent first season – the first episode plunges you right in the middle of the story without needless info dumping. In each episode, you are only given the information necessary to understand the current situation, and as time passes new elements of the puzzle are discovered that serve to unravel the mystery surrounding Enma Ai. The story isn’t without its flaws, with repetitiveness and bad pacing being the worst offenders. Many of the cases could have been merged as they were ... of similar character, and most of the overarching plot development came in the later part of the series.

All in all, the first season was nothing to write home about but it wasn't bad to the point of unwatchable either. It was just decent. Had the story ended with the first season, it still would have been a fitting ending but I wouldn't have cared for any of the characters. I have to admit I'm not into episodic shows, especially ones where the overarching plot takes a long time to develop but I still liked Jigoku Shoujo. I'd say I realized I like it once it was over.

Then I watched the second season and I fell in love with the characters. One can say the characters grew on me through repetition. Yes, repetition. I've seen many single cour shows and wondered how the characters would have developed were there more episodes. By the end of S2 Jigoku Shoujo had 52 episodes and that's an awful lot for the small cast of recurring characters. This naturally gave each of these characters enough screen time for development and let me get to know them. The last arc of the season somehow reminded me of Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, which happens to be one of my favorite shows and that made me like Jigoku Shoujo even more. The final episode of S2 was in my opinion the best possible conclusion to the series.

From there on, everything went downhill. S3 was where the first signs of milking appeared. I went into S3 with no idea what to expect as the end of S2 left nothing more to be solved. Yet the showrunners somehow decided to shrug off the explanation to the one simple question that bothered me throughout the entire S3 - why and how did Ai come back? It appears handwaving that question was how S3 was able to come into fruition, all be it with a large plot hole at its core. Anyway, by the end of S3 the story had acquired some semblance of sense of its own right so as to give it yet another meaningful conclusion. Still not better than S2 but at least it didn't do any major harm to the existing story.

And then I saw S4 and that abomination was the reason I wrote this wall of text. The showrunners completely outdid themselves with that one - retconning the events of S3 as if they never happened. I don't want to give away any spoilers but you'll know it when you see it. S4 aired 9 years after S3 and who knows, maybe the showrunners believed fans had already forgotten the events of S3 or that they haven't seen S3 at all. Or maybe the showrunners themselves forgot S3 existed, which would be the worst case scenario. Me? I binged all seasons in a week’s time so everything was pretty fresh in my memory.

S4 was full with inconsistencies and plot holes but that wasn't its only downfall. Its greatest transgression were the characters. Not Ai-chan and her comrades - no, they were already well developed in the previous seasons so I bear no grudges against them. My peeve was with the other characters, you know, the ones who appear only in their respective episode. The problem with those characters was that they were profound idiots. Each one of them. Bad guys were bad for the sake of being bad, good guys were framed by bad guys due to miscommunication (ahh, my favorite trope) and lack of proper investigation by authorities, and nothing anyone did made any sense.

Episode 1 was about yet another student being bullied at school and that’s about it. I didn't quite get what was going on in episode 2 – it was a mess from beginning to end. And episode 3 felt like a bad joke. Seriously, this was the worst episode of Jigoku Shoujo in the history of the anime. Watch it and you'll see what I mean. I couldn’t help but laugh at the ending – that’s how bad it was. Episode 4 was similar though a bit more subdued. It still didn't make much sense. The last two episodes were about the new recurring character of the show - Michiru. I'm not gonna spoil anything but suffice to say two episodes and a couple of cameos are not enough to develop a new character. Compare Michiru to Yuzuki of S3 and you’ll see what I mean. I didn’t bother watching the recap episodes as I had watched the original episodes some days earlier, so I won’t be commenting about them.

As a whole, Jigoku Shoujo S4 was like watching an orgy of everything that had made the previous seasons good but written by someone with no sense of human psychology and taken to the extreme for the sake of… what? Attention? Maybe the writers believed fans would like the show more if there was more gratuitous violence. You know, the hackneyed trope of always making sequels bigger instead of deeper. First season had dragons. Well, let’s add more dragons in S2. Or first season had mechas. Can you guess what’s going to make S2 an even bigger success than S1? But of course - MORE MECHAS!!!!

Unfortunately, Jigoku Shoujo S4 suffers from the same “shallow sequel syndrome”. Previous seasons had violence. So let’s add even more violence in S4 even though it’s done in a very poor taste and makes the bad guys look like props used to give the other characters an incentive to summon Ai. Previous seasons had Hell Girl. Well, in this season let’s add an— … well, just go watch the show. Or don’t. You won’t be missing out on much by skipping this season entirely.

When its Kickstarter campaign was launched some three years ago, Under the Dog promised spectacular animation, epic music, and interesting characters. Needless to say, it failed to deliver any of those. Instead, it tried to deceive its backers with a breathtaking trailer, only to present the viewer with half-assed plot and characters, and above average animation.

The plot of this 30-minute (or 28-minute if you exclude the credits at the end) OVA is non-existent at best. It's obvious the producers have tried to stir the curiosity of future backers for a longer UTD project by making the story purposely vague. Because of that, there is no ... explanation whatsoever about anything that happens in the OVA. Actually, the MAL synopsis gives a more detailed explanation of the story than the OVA itself, which is hilarious.

Moreover, what's with the discrepancies between the art and animation in the trailer and in the actual OVA? First of all, none of the scenes in the trailer were in the OVA. NONE of them, and I double-checked. Secondly, the trailer had magnificent animation, constant action, and good character designs. None of those were present in the OVA. I believe the animation the producers promised was the primary reason why so many people wanted to support this project. After all, original anime shows are still rare today, as they are expensive to make, and most that come to life are mediocre at best, especially in regard to animation. The producers probably knew this, for they must have struggled enormously to create that eye-candy trailer in order to attract more backers. Yet, in the end, the final product was nothing close to the expectations. There was no trace of the brilliant action from the trailer. The action in the OVA was mediocre and consisted mostly of gunfights - nothing you wouldn't see in a medium-budget show. Not only that but the main characters in the OVA (who, of course, weren't in the trailer) had so plain designs I couldn't recall their faces right after the episode was over.

Which brings me to the characters. First of all, none of them and their purposes are ever explained. We never learn why there are child soldiers, what they are trying to accomplish, or where the monsters (Pandoras?) had come from. The whole OVA is just a continuous exchange of bullets between Hana, the supposed 'main character', and the US soldiers who have raided the school. We never even learn why they have raided the school either. Hana's only goal in the entire OVA is to protect Shunichi, whom she calls 'the last hope of humanity' or whatever. Yet, we never learn WHY she wants to protect him in the first place. In the end, all those WHY's amount to nothing and the episode ends on a rather anticlimactic point, where you are left wondering why you have bothered watching it at all. Thankfully, it's only 30 minutes long.

And Anthea? In the trailer, she was presented as the story's 'protagonist'. In the OVA, she appears first in the last five minutes of the episode and has exactly one line just before the credits. As with everything else in this episode, we learn nothing about Anthea. In fact, her origins as being from Sweden and all come solely from the information about her on her MAL page. Pathetic.

The Kickstarter campaign for UTD attracted a lot of interest in the first days of its launch and this was understandable given what the producers were trying to achieve. In the end, I would say they were aiming too high without a solid base. The final product failed to live up to the expectations of the backers and it didn't even manage to include the scenes from the trailer. I read somewhere that the producers were planning to release a full-length movie after this OVA, in which they were going to incorporate those scenes. However, as far as I know, they gave up on the idea, or the new campaign was canceled. Something of the sort. Anyway, with this project, they bit more than they could chew.

To wrap it up, I didn't like Under the Dog, although I didn't regret watching it, as it was only 30 minutes long and it didn't waste that much of my time. Needless to say, were the show any longer (a full-length movie for instance) and had it ended on the same note, I would have been furious. Now I'm just indifferent.

I know many people were deceived to support the campaign and I'm glad I wasn't tempted to do the same (I would never give money for anime anyway), as I would have been very disappointed. After all, it's a much bigger accomplishment for me to download the anime, watch it, and then delete it. As I did.

This is a comprehensive review of both Season One and Season Two.

Himouto Umaru-chan was an anime I downloaded some time ago, for I was swayed by the hype (and the memes) surrounding its titular character, and one I was deliberately putting off from watching for quite a long time. I knew I wasn’t going to like it, yet in the end, I had no choice but to see it as I was running low on space on my HDD and had to delete something. You can see from my score that I didn’t like it quite much (as I had expected). After I finished watching ... the second season, I was torn between giving it a 5 or a 6. In the end, I gave it a 6 because I appreciated the animation, and the sound wasn’t half bad. Were it for the characters and plot alone, the show wouldn't have gotten anything above a 4.

::: Story :::

The story of Himouto Umaru-chan is repetitive at best. When it comes to plot, it is nonexistent. Or maybe it was me who couldn't grasp it. Yet, after going over the other reviews, I came to realize that most of the negative ones come from people with the same opinion as me. One can argue the plot is about the titular character, Umaru, overcoming her inner identity and revealing it to her friends. However, this never happens in the course of the series (I haven't read the manga). There is even one episode (the second one of the Specials), where the revelation of her secret identity is teased, but the episode ends rather anticlimactically and this revelation never happens, as Kirie stops Umaru just when she is about to tell them. Talk about convenient.

::: Art :::

I have to admit that the art of this show was decent, to say the least. It wasn't anything groundbreaking, mind you, but it wasn't disastrous either. The colors were vivid and the animation was smooth for the most of the show, and I didn't even see the Blu-Rays - just the regular TV release. The art isn't getting more than a 7 though, because the character designs weren't anything original and memorable, except maybe Umaru's inner self, although I understand they were probably trying to stick to the original manga art.

::: Sound :::

Usually, when it comes to sound in an anime, I can only think of songs (OP/ED songs, insert songs, maybe some soundtrack). I don't know how people judge VAs in anime. I can't. I mean, when it comes to this show, I didn't find any of the voices grating or sounding out of character, but that's it. I don't even know what a voice must be to sound out of character. When it comes to the songs and the soundtrack though, I have an opinion. Generally, the OP songs of both seasons were annoying at best. They were both sung by Umaru's VA and described how much Umaru likes to lounge around, eat junk food, and exploit her brother. Yeah, I'm not kidding here. The EDs, especially the first season's, were okayish. Nothing spectacular or eargasmic again. Yet, the 6 goes for the soundtrack, as there was one particular score I really liked.

::: Character :::

I think it's fair to say the characters were this show's worst aspect. I could put up with everything else, from the repetitive story to the annoying songs. Yet, the characters were what made the experience unbearable for me. I'm writing this review mostly to express my utter disdain for them. Well, mostly for Umaru. Honestly, after all the anime shows I've seen in my life, I've never before come across such an irritating character. My irritation grows even further when I see that many people actually liked her and even RELATED to her! I mean, WHAT?! How can someone such as Umaru be relatable in any bloody way?

The thing about Umaru is that she is sporting two different identities that, when combined, make her the most irritating person in the whole world, anime character or not.

When Umaru goes out, she is a model student with perfect grades (always gets 100 on tests), outstanding at all kinds of sports (she can beat the captains of all school sport clubs), and with fine manners (she is generous and kind, and simply the perfect human being when it comes to personality). Not only that but she is so exceptionally beautiful and perfect that all boys swoon over her and all girls admire her and want to be her friends.

However, when she goes home, she dons her favorite hamster hood and transforms (yes, and no one but her brother can recognize her) into a 40-centimeter-tall orange blob of a sluggard, who doesn't do anything but watch anime, read manga, play games, eat junk food, and drink cola. A lot of cola. And this continues for the rest of the day before she goes to sleep. If you think I'm exaggerating, go watch the show and see for yourself.

The thing is, her outer and her inner self are in total discord. For instance, I don't understand how a person can constantly lounge around, eat junk food and not gain any weight. Umaru doesn't only not gain any weight - no, she has the most perfect body of all girls her age. Not only that but she is exceptional in sports. I mean, seriously?

After watching the show, I did my research and found out that Japanese students spend at least two hours per weekday on homework, and even three hours on Sundays. Yeah, right. Throughout the show, I didn't see Umaru study for her classes at all (except that one time before the finals), let alone do her homework. From the OP of the second season it becomes somewhat clear that her brother Taihei is doing her homework, but when I thought about it, it didn't click together entirely. Because what about when Taihei works overtime and comes home late at night and is so exhausted that he goes to sleep right away? Or when he goes on business trips and doesn't come home for days? It would mean Umaru goes to school without homework. And she still maintains perfect grades. Right. You know what, if I go to school without having done my homework even one time, I'll get a straight F. No excuses. No compromises.

However, what irritates me the most about Umaru is her childish personality. The spoiled brat would cry for trifles, and would always get whatever she wants by crying and throwing tantrums. Honestly, every time I saw her rolling on the floor and crying because she wanted a particular game or magazine, I wanted to turn into an anime character, get into the show, and kick her snotty ass out the window. And the worst part of her character is that she never changes. Yes, she makes a few friends throughout the show, but she never musters the courage to tell them about her inner self. So in the end, her story becomes pointless and never teaches you anything (except maybe that it's fine to pretend to be who you are not, and then to be a total drone when no one sees you).

Which brings me to the other main character I didn't like - Umaru's brother, Taihei. It seems the trend in modern anime is for the male characters to lack backbone. Throughout the whole series, I just wished for Taihei to man up and give a good lesson to his younger sister. However, instead of doing it, he kept on spoiling her. He would buy her anything she wanted, from games and anime DVDs to a new car! Yes, in the first season, Umaru saw a commercial for a car, told Taihei she wanted it, and he immediately agreed to buy it. And if it weren't for Taihei's fear of driving, he would have actually purchased it. Just so Umaru can use it to lounge in the backseat. Because that's why she wanted the car in the first place.

Some people may argue with me and say that Taihei loves Umaru and that's why he spoils her. Well, guess what! Spoiling a child out of love is the worst thing a parent (or an older sibling in this case) can do. If the child never learns to accept failure and denial, what is their life going to be when they grow up and have to live on their own? I mean, Umaru isn't planning to always live with her brother and rely on him for everything, is she? That would be pretty savage of her. But knowing her, I wouldn't be surprised if that's what she is thinking.

If it weren't for his backbonelessness and inability to stand up for himself, Taihei would have been a likable character. He is smart, and we even see some of his backstory at school, where he was a model student with perfect grades. However, unlike Umaru, he actually spent his days studying to be on top of his class so that he didn't do anything else and didn't nurture any hobbies of his own. And he wasn't admired for being the most handsome boy. On the contrary, he had average looks.

Now, I'm in no way saying that having average looks is crucial for a character to be relatable. However, what is crucial is for the character to make sense. We never learn about Taihei's lifestyle out of school, so I can't say for certain that it fully corresponds to his looks, but judging by his obsession with studying, he couldn't have had a lot of time to think about his appearance. However, Umaru deliberately doesn't care about her appearance and at the same time she looks stunning. Moreover, she doesn't study at all, but still somehow is the top-grade student at school. This is what doesn't make sense and makes her an annoying character. I mean, if such a person existed in real life, they would live without a single care in the world and would be always happy and contented with their life. Therefore, such person shall not exist.

Anyway, moving on to the rest of the cast, I can only say they were as bland and unimaginative as any character in a low-profit anime these days - cardboard cut-outs sporting stereotypical personalities (although, as far as I know, the show did well in sales). They contributed to nothing and had no goals of their own except for befriending Umaru. Yeah, that's right. Both Sylphin's and Kirie's objectives in the anime were to befriend Umaru (Kirie even wanted to protect her, wtf?). Kirie actually had a goal of her own, but she barely pursued it in the show and it still involved (surprise!) Umaru. Both Kirie's and Sylphin's brothers were stereotypical characters as well, although they got so little screen time I even forgot to mention them at first.

Ebina was maybe the most realistic character in the anime, but she was extremely downplayed and turned into a stuttering laughingstock so that even when she had good moments in the show, they weren't able to erase the damage her character had already taken. For example, near the end of season two, we learn that Ebina's bad grades come from her panicking during tests and being unable to concentrate. Once she managed to get rid of her panic, her grades majorly improved. However, since this happened almost at the end of season two, her one instance of being smart wasn't able to make up for the shame of a dumbhead she had been before. Yet, since she wasn't constantly fixated on Umaru, I would say she had some charm that made her tolerable for me.

The show even introduced another character in the middle of the second season - Hikari. Honestly, when I first saw her, I thought she would be a very good character - a formidable opponent for everything Umaru was. However, being introduced so late in the show, she barely had any screen time and when she did, she was mostly doing one and the same thing - trying to claim Taihei for herself (she even called him 'Onii-chan'). Her lack of screen time really disappointed me and I hope the studio releases a third season where Hikari's character is better explored. But please, don't make her lose to Umaru in any way. PLEASE!

::: Enjoyment :::

After my ranting about the characters, I think it's time I continue with the next part of this review. All in all, I didn't enjoy this anime, and Umaru was the primary reason for this. However, I can't deny the fact that I marathoned the series in one night (as I always do with 1-cour shows), and was almost unable to feel the time that had passed. This means the show didn't drag on and although the story was repetitive, each episode had enough stuff going on so that I wasn't bored before I had finished it. Anyway, the show being a comedy, I can't remember many moments that struck me as particularly funny. I think I only managed to laugh two or three times for both seasons, and it was a half-hearted wry laugh. Seriously, I couldn't find anything FUNNY about Umaru and her relationship with her brother, but I managed to find many ANNOYING things about it. With that said, at least the show managed to squeeze some emotional response from me, be it a negative one.

::: Overall :::

To wrap it up, I didn't like Himouto Umaru-chan, and was constantly pissed off at the titular character. I wouldn't recommend the show if you're looking for a good comedy. However, if you are looking to ride the hype train (which seems to be gone already at this point), I advise you to watch the anime, as it is one of those shows that spawn endless discussions (or at least memes) for a good period of time. So, if you want to have a common topic to discuss with your friends (and if you want to better understand the memes going around), this show is for you.

Charlotte's story felt as something I would have written and I don't mean that as a compliment. For although I know what makes a plot and characters good, I'm afraid that if I wrote my own story, I'll inevitably end up with something like Charlotte - cluttered plot lacking a particular focus, no thematic purpose, underdeveloped characters. I believe I could have gotten the music and animation right, but only if I were to make an anime of it (which I wouldn't get a chance to anyway).

Starting with the plot and characters, I'm grouping them together because the score is equal for both. In two ... words - they sucked. To elaborate further, I didn't feel any connection to the characters - main or supporting - for all of them were just blatant straight play of trite cliches with no originality to their personalities. We have tsunderes, yanderes, imoutos, comic relief male friends, and a spineless protagonist. How am I even supposed to like something so... generic? Contrary to many other people's impressions, I didn't find Yuu interesting in the first episode. Yes, I know that he reverts to a generic male protagonist from episode 2 onward, but I've seen many people claim that they saw potential in him during episode 1. Well, the only thing I saw was an irritating, narcissistic brat who wouldn't care an inch about anyone else other than himself and who would even hurt people on purpose to get his ways. I didn't like him - I was furious at him. In fact, I appreciated that he settled down in the following episodes. I wouldn't have had a problem with an insolent protagonist if only he were handled properly. Instead, episode 1 spent its entirety trying to show us just how horrendously evil and maleficent Yuu is, to the point where it became over the top. Honestly, I wouldn't have endured 13 episodes with the Yuu from episode 1. As for the other characters, the only one with potential for development was Nao, but even she was handled poorly because the show concentrated for the most part on Yuu.

As for Charlotte's plot, I don't remember having seen something more cluttered and purposeless than it. It was as if the writers couldn't decide what Charlotte's going to be about, so instead, they threw in everything they came up with to fill up 13 episodes worth of story. And I think it's obvious it didn't work. Moreover, the last episode of the show could have easily been made into a separate series on its own and I believe it would have been much better than the rest of the show. Unless it were made by PA Works. Don't get me wrong - I have nothing against PA Works. I liked both Angel Beats! and Clannad, and Nagi no Asukara was just excellent. I believe PA Works's forte lies in their sound and animation quality. It's just that their series are usually hit or miss when it comes to plot and characters. To illustrate this statement, I'll mention only one of their works - Glasslip. Yep, a sure miss. I haven't seen it, but I guess its rating speaks for itself. Anyway, what I mean is that with PA Works, you can never know what you're gonna get (which sounds like a certain Forest Gump line, but nevermind).

I see many people comparing Charlotte to Angel Beats! and I'll be straightforward - I feel insulted by this comparison. Angel Beats! was my first anime and for a long time was my favorite one. It still is, to some extent. This, of course, doesn't mean it was flawless - I personally thought they crammed way too many characters into only 13 episodes. But that was the only complaint I got against Angel Beats! Because all these characters were decent. And if only they had made it into a 26-episode series instead, Angel Beats! would have been a masterpiece.

Charlotte, on the other hand, could have never turned into a masterpiece no matter how many episodes it ran for. Because the characters lacked originality and depth. Because there were multiple plot lines with no relevance to one another. And don't get me started on the plot holes. I mean, what else could they have churned out for a 26-episode show? Another irrelevant plot line? Yeah, why not add another ingredient to the mishmash. Maybe about interdimensional travel? Followed by the death of a main character and another edgy, over-the-top, coping out episode after that? Or maybe an episode about abilities that allow them to communicate with aliens, which leads to them leaving Earth and moving to an alien planet where they find out that the human-like inhabitants have powers just like theirs, so they'll have to figure out the meaning behind these powers? I wouldn't have been surprised if that were the continuation of Charlotte, because that's what I would have come up with. Well, at least in my first draft, since I would have fixed it BEFORE the publication.

Coming to the sound and animation, I can say these were the best parts of Charlotte and the only reason my enjoyment rate was so high. I don't know about you, but eye-candy animation and beautiful music are always a turn-on for me. Yes, I'm a sucker for scenery porn and beautifully drawn characters. In fact, in the past I've watched certain shows only because I have liked the character designs on their title pages. Charlotte's character designs are a true pleasure to the eyes and the backgrounds are all masterfully crafted. Whoever thinks the opposite is an ignorant fool. My thoughts on the sound are pretty much the same. I really liked the OP by Lia and the ED of episodes 3-4 by Yusa. Now, I've seen some incompetent reviewers claim that Charlotte's music exceeds Angel Beats!'s in terms of quality. This statement is completely and totally wrong. If someone tells you Charlotte has better music than Angel Beats!, you can punch him in the face. In fact, do it for me. Because, my dear God!, Angel Beats!'s music would be a solid 10 in a review of mine!

As a conclusion, Charlotte was a disappointment to me and I knew from the very beginning what to expect from it and that I'm not gonna like it. Yet, I decided to watch it because it was one of the last short anime series with a decent rating I haven't seen yet, and because of my lack of time for something longer and better. As for recommending it - sure, I do recommend it. Especially if you're an aspiring author - Charlotte's going to show you all the things you shouldn't do with a story. How you should NOT craft a story. How you should NOT introduce new important characters in the middle of that story. How you should NOT develop these characters. And it's coupled with gorgeous animation and sound at that. Unfortunately, if you are looking for advice on how to do something correctly, Charlotte isn't the anime for you - in fact, it may only irritate you. You'd have better chances with one of my favorite shows instead. But if you are the casual viewer who couldn't care less about writing and characters, you may even like Charlotte for what it has to offer.

Today, I’m going to talk about Love Love! – the anime that changed my life. Why? Because it made me an idol.

This is a comprehensive review of both seasons + the movie. I’m putting it here because this is the last chapter of µ’s’ story (TT__TT), as well as because I’m too lazy to write separate reviews for each entry and no one pays me to do it whatsoever. Sunshine!! will receive its own review after the second season (and possibly the movie?) has aired.

Starting with the plot of Love Live!, I didn’t expect an idol anime focusing primarily on music and choreography to have ... an outstanding story capable of keeping me on the edge of my seat. And it didn’t. The plot was predictable and I daresay, clichéd at some moments. However, with its simple plot, Love Live! managed to evoke in me the strong emotions I’m used to experiencing with my favorite shows.

Saving Otonokizaka Gakuin is the goal of µ’s. Doing so by performing at the Love Live! is the dream of each one of them. Following µ’s throughout their journey and wondering whether they will succeed is what kept me intrigued until the very end. Seeing µ’s at the end of the movie and reminiscing about the start of their story, about all the obstacles they had to overcome to become who they are now, is what brought the tears to my eyes. It’s the execution that made this simple plot effective.

As for the characters, I believe everyone who has seen the show would agree that although they are quirky and memorable, they aren’t quite well-developed. Kind of one-dimensional, really. Maki – the tsundere. Eli – the stoic. Hanayo – the dandere. Nozomi – the pervert. Honoka – the genki girl. You get the idea. But that’s expected of such a large cast (9 main characters!). However, they are all given their due screen time either in the first or in the second season. And although their arcs are predictable and don’t stray from the archetypes, I still found something to love about each one µ’s girl. Be it her strong individuality, her enthusiasm about school idols, her cute verbal tic, her wisdom, her smile, her maturity, her kindness, her calm demeanor, or her optimism and perseverance – each µ’s member contributes to the collective feel of the group. And each one of them pursues her dreams in her own unique way.

Moving onto the art and animation, I believe it to be one of the trickiest parts of the show to be judged and rated. Because while the art was vibrant and the overall animation was detailed and fluent, the dance sequences were ruined (to me at least) by the excessive use of CGI, especially during the long shots where the entire group could be seen. With that said, I would have appreciated more close-ups for the sake of a consistent animation. Even the movie, where one would expect a better animation, was guilty of using conspicuous CGI. Anyway, if I were to exclude the CGI sequences and rate the other aspects of the art and animation, my rating would have certainly been higher (probably a 9). But Love Live! does outstanding in everything else and µ’s are adorable anyway, so it doesn’t really matter. He-he.

Finally, we’ve come to the sound and I’m saying finally because this is where I’m planning to pour out all my fan feelings and praises for each of my favorite songs featured in the anime. After all, these songs were the reason why I downloaded Love Live! School Idol Festival on my phone, and why I keep replaying the same song multiple times even though I’ve already completed all of its achievements, and why I curse the world every time I run out of LP. The thing is, Love Live! wouldn’t have been a good anime if it weren’t for the effort put into the music.

Bokura wa Ima no Naka de – although it’s performed at the Love Love! concert at the end of the second season, I’m starting with this song because it is, well, the opening of the first season. It’s an energetic song that drew my attention from the first episode and was my favorite song until the end of the movie (where I found a new favorite).

START:DASH!! – the song that laid the beginnings of µ’s’ story, as well as the song that’s always going to have a special place in my heart. It’s sung during the first live performance by Honoka, Umi and Kotori, right after the three of them have formed µ’s. It’s a song about the beginning of a new journey (even the name says it) and doing so with the firm resolve to accomplish your goals. Being performed by all µ’s members in the final episode of the first season already shows how much the girls have achieved already. And it proclaims to their rivals, A-RISE, that µ’s aren’t planning to give up.

Susume→Tomorrow – the song the anime opens with in the first episode of S1, as well as Honoka, Umi, and Kotori’s first song together. It’s one of the fastest µ’s songs and I really love dancing to it.

Sore wa Bokutachi no Kiseki – the opening of the second season and also a favorite song of mine. Seriously, I can’t tell which one I love more – this one or “Bokura wa Ima no Naka de”.

Yume no Tobira – the song that sums up µ’s’ purpose, as well as a worthy opponent of A-RISE’s “Shocking Party”. And guess what – in Sunshine!!, Riko from Aqours does a piano cover of it.

Snow Halation – the song that skyrocketed µ’s’ popularity and brought them to the most awaited and cherished Love Live! It’s also their first love song (and the most beautiful one). Here’s a piece of advice: Find and listen to the Umi solo cover of this song. Pure magic.

Aishiteru Banzai! – Maki’s song! As much as I love the group version featured in S2’s episode 13, Maki’s solo is still the best.

Angelic Angel – the song µ’s perform when they visit America in the movie. I wasn’t a fan of it initially, but I came to love it once I started playing it on LLSIF. One thing I liked from the beginning was the costumes for this song.

Bokutachi wa Hitotsu no Hikari – this is it – my favorite µ’s song, as well as the one played during the ending credits of the movie. It’s the song I can never sing past “…toki o maki modoshite…” in the first refrain, because my voice cracks and I start wailing (and my parents think I’ve gone nuts). It’s the song that reminds me of the real µ’s, who disbanded in 2016, making the experience even more painful. It’s also the song I’m listening to right now as I’m writing this review.

Kore Kara – okay, this one wasn’t featured in the anime, but it was included with the movie Blu-Ray and it’s so beautiful a song that I needed to mention it. You can call it my favorite song along with the one above. “Kore Kara” is quite underrated in my opinion and not so popular, but it’s a wonderful ballad on a par with “Bokutachi wa Hitotsu no Hikari”, so if you haven’t listened to it yet, go do it right away. And one tip: For max feels, listen to “Kore Kara” right after “Bokutachi wa Hitotsu no Hikari” and if you don’t understand the Japanese lyrics, find the English translation and you’ll see why both songs are so sad, yet so beautiful.

A honorable mention goes to “Bokura no LIVE Kimi to no LIFE”, “Kitto Seishun ga Kikoeru”, “Donna Toki mo Zutto”, “Wonder Zone”, “Oh, Love & Peace!”, “Dancing Stars on Me!”, “Love Wing Bell”, and “KiRa-KiRa Sensation!”.

So, this is the end of my list of “favorite µ’s songs featured in the anime”, but not the end of my “favorite µ’s songs” list. It continues with “WILD STARS”, “Kaguya no Shiro de Odoritai”, “Natsuiro Egao de 1, 2, Jump!”, “Mermaid Festa Vol.1”, “Arashi no Naka no Koi Dakara”, “HEART to HEART!”, and µ’s’ final single, “MOMENT RING”. And of course, everything by BiBi. Maybe lily white and Printemps as well. But who am I trying to fool – I love them all equally.

As for my enjoyment, I couldn’t help it – any anime can win me with great music and Love Live! has some of the most beautiful songs. With that said, I think my favorite anime genre is music. Ha-ha. But it’s true. Anyway, watch this show, then go play the mobile game – it’s all worth it. I wasn’t into idol music before I saw Love Live!, yet now I’m practicing to become an idol myself. Doing physical exercises every day. Singing. Dancing. I just wish I wasn’t alone in this enterprise. But now I’m certain I can succeed even if I have to do it on my own. That’s why I’m trying nine times as hard as idol groups do. Because I need to be as good as a group of nine people is. And I’ll make it. I’ll be famous one day. Just like µ’s. I have that feeling. After all, even for µ’s, it all began with a subtle premonition.

Datte kanousei kanjitanda
Sou da... susume!
Koukai shitakunai me no mae ni bokura no michi ga aru...

I went into Boku no Hero Academia with the certainty that I'm gonna like it, and a lot at that, because I believed it resembled one of my favorite shows - Hunter x Hunter. The similarities I expected to see weren't in plot and characters, but in genre and more important, mood. Well, I was right.

The plot of BHA is the typical shounen underdog plot - the protagonist starts out weak and maybe goes through a defeat or two by his arch rival or another strong character, only to grow stronger in the course of the story and defeat them by the end of it. ... Done poorly, this type of story is predictable and doesn't provoke any emotions in the viewer. Done well, such a story is by no means less predictable, but it becomes strong and emotional as well. It all depends on the execution of the tropes.

Boku no Hero Academia is on the emotional side - it manages to provoke the right emotions at the right moment and THAT's the reason why I compared it to Hunter x Hunter at the beginning - because the latter does the same. The emotions BHA provokes are definite, specific, and what is most important, strong. I've seen many shows that try to force emotions into the viewer, but to no avail. With the time I've come to realize that the reason why this is unsuccessful is the vagueness of the topic in question, the uncertainty and confusion of the scene/plot, so that in the end the viewer doesn't know what kind of emotion they should be feeling. Love? Hatred? Annoyance? Euphoria? Maybe the reason is that these shows try to provoke contradictory emotions at once, so that these emotions cancel one another. Or maybe they just don't dig deep enough into the characters' minds and explore their true feelings. Or they just try to be a bit too subtle about the emotions and spare them. BHA doesn't spare anything in regard to emotions.

Another aspect of the anime I liked was its pacing. BHA is a fast-paced show that doesn't waste episodes to set up the mood - because it can do this in the course of the story instead.

As for the characters in BHA, they might not be the most original ones in terms of personality, but they are interesting. The best part about the characters is that they are not overpowered and everyone possesses at least one major weakness. I've seen many anime shows with similar plots where everyone but the protagonist is shamelessly overpowered. Not only that, but the protagonists of such shows grow into the same or even stronger overpowered beasts as their enemies in very short a period. Which leads me to the next major asset of the characters in BHA, in this case the protagonist, Izuku - the acquiring of power. Izuku starts as quirkless, much to his dismay, only to later receive the Quirk of his favorite superhero. However, the means through which this happens differ from those in many other shows. Izuku is not gratuitously granted these powers. He has to work out to receive them - he has to deserve them. Not only that, but even after finally receiving them, he still can't make use of them without painful consequences. This places a natural limit to how strong a character can be and creates both plausibility and tension.

The rest of the cast each have their own charm. The best thing about them is that even when each of them represents a certain character archetype, they still have some quality that defines their personality as unique and belonging to only them.

Coming to the art, I found the character designs to be original and unforgettable, which is a plus. I watched the show in 720p, so the quality wasn't very good, but I still liked the animation, especially during the action sequences. Actually, the animation of BHA is one of its main assets. It further adds to the emotional appeal of the show, that is. I like shows with dynamic animation and BHA is one such show.

The sound and music were nice as well. The OP and ED were energetic and in mood with the show and I downloaded them in the end (I just couldn't help it). The overall soundtrack was nice, too. The voice acting was good - I believe the VAs did a great job with each of the characters.

As for my enjoyment, I believe it's needless to say it was high. Shounen series usually have higher enjoyment rates than other types of shows (at least to me), but only the best of them can leave me with a long-term impression. If there was anything I didn't like about Boku no Hero Academia, it was its length - I wished it could go on longer. That's why I liked Hunter x Hunter - because it was good and entertained me for two long weeks, which felt like two days, to be honest. Anyway, I'm happy that a second season has been announced and I'll be looking forward to it. I might even rewatch the first season in 1080p if it's released before the second season.

All in all, Boku no Hero Academia is an excellent shounen series and I recommend it to all shounen fans. Even if you aren't a fan of shounen, you may still find the concept about superpowers interesting.

I've never been a fan of the Suzumiya Haruhi series, nor of any of the characters. Moreover, Haruhi is one of those arrogant school kids who likes bossing people around and forcing her ways, so that you want to punch her in the face and tell her to get real. Actually, I could have become a fan of the series if it weren't for Haruhi - this girl pissed me off in every single episode. Unfortunately, following my principles, I had to watch the spin off, for I've already seen the main series.

From the very beginning of its announcement, I knew Nagato Yuki-chan was going ... to be a total disaster of a show. I don't usually like Slice of Life shows, except when they are good. Well, Nagato Yuki-chan is definitely not a good SoL. I knew I'll be bored watching it, I knew I'll stop every 2 episodes to get a snack, and I knew I'm gonna rate it low. This explains why I watched it in 1080p BD rip - I've been stalling it forever. But I had to see it, that is, I felt obliged because I had already seen the rest of the franchise.

Starting with the story, there is no trace of it. Really. Halfway into the series, I couldn't grasp the plot of it. One could claim that the plot is about Nagato's attempts to overcome her uncertainty and confess her feelings to Kyon. However, this happened to be a tiny part of this mess of a show and could be summed up in the three episodes bearing the name of the series. 3 out of 16. Moreover, the show contains at least one of each cliche episodes in the anime industry, namely a hot springs episode (a couple of them), a beach episode, and a summer festival episode. The series also rehashes some of the original one's episodes, which is plain plagiarism and shows a lack or originality. It is in the end of episode 9 when they finally decided to throw in some conflict which, however, was vague as hell and resolved ITSELF in 3 episodes. Pathetic.

As for the characters, they are as shallow as the story. As much as I wasn't a fan of the original series, I could still find charm in some of the characters, like Kyon and Nagato. This spin off, however, destroys the personalities of the characters and replaces them with cardboard ones (probably to suit the shallowness of the plot). No one in the main cast acts like "themselves", especially Kyon, Haruhi and Nagato. I liked Kyon in the original series, but I find him spineless here. And Haruhi was the bane of the original show, while here I don't care about her. Even in the episodes where she plays a major role, I still can't find her as annoying as I used to in the main series. The most ruined character, unfortunately, is Nagato. I understand that this series is supposed to be a parallel universe existing in the course of The Disappearance of Suzumiya Haruhi movie, but as far as I remember, the human Nagato from the movie wasn't the same person as the Nagato from this spin off - the movie Nagato was better. The rest of the cast is even worse, but at least they weren't that important in the main series either. Mikuru exists in the story only to swoon and to have her breasts fondled by the rest of the girls. Tsuruya is there to tease Mikuru and to provide an excuse for the characters to visit the beach and a hot springs resort (since her family owns them). Itsuki is reduced to the "other guy" with questionable orientation - a common archetype in stories with five main characters where two of them are boys, the one being the protagonist. Ryouko is the only character that had more appeal to me than she did in the main series, but even she was just the overused archetype of the "onee-san".

As for the art and sound, I'm gonna sum them up in one paragraph, for I didn't find anything in them worthy of an own paragraph. All in all, they were mediocre. The art was plain compared to the original series and the character designs were kind of unsymmetrical. Overused, as well. The animation was cheap with nothing especially well animated. The sound was forgettable, the songs were annoying, especially the OP song. The ED was better, but still mediocre. I liked that they hired the original VAs, but that's all. Anyone, who knows what I value the most in an anime, will understand my rating based only on this paragraph.

As for my enjoyment, it was nonexistent as the plot. This show is not even some mindless watch. Shounen series with crisp animation and lots of fighting are that (at least to me). Nagato Yuki-chan was plain boring, so much that I have been stalling it for more than a year.

Overall, I knew the series was going to be bad and I went into it with low expectations, but it didn't help. If you are a fan of the original series, you may find some appeal in it, or you may feel cheated depending on your expectations. However, don't expect it to be even an ounce similar to the main series. Nagato Yuki-chan is a boring SoL compared to the mystery and fantasy of the original anime.

To be honest, Re:Zero is the first fantasy anime I liked in a while. I’m not claiming that I don’t like fantasy anime, or that I don’t have any other favourites in the genre – quite the opposite – my favourite shows are fantasy and my favourite genre is fantasy. That’s why I’m so picky about it. Usually, I don’t even bother watching anime I deem unworthy of my time. My time is quite meagre, so I treasure it and watch only the shows I believe I’m going to enjoy. However, sometimes I get deceived to watch hyped shows that end up disappointing me (ex.: ... Sword Art Online). However, Re:Zero proved worthy of my time, in the end.

Some of the best aspects of Re:Zero are also the ones I usually start with when writing my reviews: the animation and sound. I’m a person who finds aesthetics to be the most important part of anything – an artist and musician such as myself would most naturally consider aesthetics before anything else. Re:Zero offers exquisite enjoyment in both animation and soundtrack.

All of the characters had unique and remarkable designs, which is an important asset in today’s anime industry, where half of the characters have similar faces and appear to come from one and the same show. Re:Zero’s characters, on the other hand, are utterly recognizable and unforgettable. And even though I had to watch the entire series in 720p, for BD rips weren’t available yet, I still found the animation to be stunning. As you might be aware of, BD versions tend to improve animation and art in anime, but if they are already impressive, imagine what would be when the 1080p BDs come out. Not that it would make a big difference for me, since everything, 1080p included, looks rasterized on my 4K monitor. Anyway, if you haven’t seen the show yet and are planning to watch it in the near future, I’d advise you to wait for the BD rips, for this show is worthy of enjoying in its full HD glory. I might as well rewatch it after the BDs come out.

As for the soundtrack, I often found myself listening to the songs and music played in the background instead of reading the subtitles, so I had to rewind the show at some scenes to catch on what I had missed. The first OP and ED songs were the ones I liked the most, so I downloaded them immediately after I completed the show. In fact, I’ve set them on repeat in my music player at the moment.

As for the plot and characters, I found them enjoyable as well. The plot was quite interesting, combining the common elements of fantasy and time travel – it’s an original approach I haven’t seen in another fantasy anime. Of course, you can compare the time travel to revival of protagonists in RPG games. However, this element of the story wasn’t just a gimmick to differentiate Re:Zero from other fantasies, and played an important part in fleshing out the characters. In fact, without this “Return by Death” ability of Subaru, the show wouldn’t have had the character development it had. The series explores common fantasy themes, such as self-sacrifice and heroism – traits that most fantasy protagonists share. However, what makes Re:Zero different is its exploration and extrapolation of these themes to the point of reaching their fundamental cores – and this creates the character development in the protagonist. Protagonists in many anime shows are left without a significant development, if any – most of them are usually stripped of their dignity and even humanity, and reduced to simple self-insert characters with no personality of their own. Moreover, if anyone in the cast of such anime gets some development, it would usually be some supporting character. That’s why I’m saying Re:Zero is different in this aspect. While the supporting characters’ personalities get explored in depth, it really is the protagonist, Subaru, who gets the most character development in the story.

All in all, I found Re:Zero to be quite enjoyable a series and recommend it for everyone who is looking for an original and well-done fantasy series. However, as I said above, I’d advise you to wait for the BDs before you set to watch it, so you can enjoy it even more – the waiting is worth it.

Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress is one of the best anime I've seen in a while, and I don't understand the hate toward it. Wait, I do. It's because people can't stop comparing it to other shows.

When I say that something is good, I usually mean two things. First, I liked the visuals. And second, I liked the sound. With Kabaneri, I loved both.

I mean, what is there not to be liked about this show's visuals and sound? You have the OP sung by EGOIST (who is my favourite Japanese artist), and the ED by the collaborative work of both EGOIST and aimer! Oh yeah! ... Add to that some glorious OST, especially during the battle scenes, and there you have it - AOTY. I don't kid - the OST got me pretty emotional and excited during the action, which means that it was good. I rarely find such good shows, but when I do, I have the most enjoyable of times.

The other thing that impressed me was the art. Since I got my new 4K monitor, I've become particularly aware of the visuals in the shows I watch. Although I saw Kabaneri in 720p, for the BD version wasn't out yet, the art and animation were quite outstanding throughout the series. I noticed little to no use of CGI, which shows that the creators put a lot of effort into animating each movement of the characters in a proper way. I don't see well-animated shows every day, so this one must be some sort of a jewel in a pile of muddy rocks. But, we already know that and I can understand the hype around this anime in Japan. Because, if you don't know, Kabaneri is pretty popular in Japan at the moment. I'm glad I had the chance to watch it before the end of the year.

Although the story didn't impress me with anything particular, for it was predictable, and none of the characters stood out, I loved Kabaneri for what it tried to deliver at first place, since it succeeded. The show introduced me to my new favourite anime songs and gave me new art ideas for my own story (since I'm a writer, you know, and an artist at that).

All in all, Kabaneri exceeded my expectations, or at least met them, for, you know, when you start watching something with a rating lower than 7.50, you don't expect a lot from it. However, since I was already familiar with the OP and ED songs before I saw the show, it already had a high enjoyment factor. Not only that, but the ending suggests a likely second season, so I'll be looking forward to the announcement of one. :)

Mushishi was painful. I have never fancied that a day will come when I will drop a show, but alas, this day came. Mushishi is my first dropped show, and for a solid reason.

First off, the story is non-existent. The characters have no motivation, and I have no idea where the show is supposed to go, even after watching 14 episodes of it. Hell, even the most generic shounen characters have some goal to pursue, be it to save the world, or to find something. The characters in Mushishi lack this precious substance.

Second, the art and animation weren't anything special. Before trying to watch Mushishi, ... I've heard people say that it has magnificent art and animation - my foot! I watched HunterxHunter a week ago, and it had a way better animation for its 148 episodes than this wreck, Mushishi. In addition, half of the characters in Mushishi looked the same, and there were moments when I didn't realize I was seeing a totally different character from the one I had seen in the previous episode (or even scene).

The sound was boring at best. Most of the OST lacked lyrics, which is a disadvantage to me. The Opening, which was the only piece with lyrics, which was dull and almost made me fall asleep. I can say nothing about the VAs, neither good or bad - they didn't need to do a spectacular job whatsoever.

The characters were the worst aspect of Mushishi. As I already mentioned in the beginning, they all lacked motivations and goals, and wandered aimlessly throughout the story. Needless to say, no character managed to interest me, because of their monotonous behaviour - yes, almost all characters had the same personalities.

I didn't enjoy Mushishi and I'm not planning to ever finish it. And, please, don't tell me that it gets better in the later episodes - a good show is good from the beginning to the end.

Disappointed. Might watch To Love Ru instead - it may provide me with something substantial, unlike Mushishi.