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Spoilers: Read at your own risk.

The movie I was expecting to see was something that combined the best parts of "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time" with the best parts of "Wolf Children", two of my favorite films from Mamoru Hosoda. I wanted to see a heartwarming journey of recognizing the importance of family through time travel shenanigans. I was a little disappointed when this was only partially realized.

Story: 6
The story had a lot of promise for an extremely heartwarming story of young Kun coming to appreciate his younger sister, Mirai, and his family, even though he initially hates Mirai for taking his ... family's attention from him. I fully expected the story to be focused on Kun being thrusted into a fantastical world with the future version of Mirai. I imagined that through this journey of trying to get back to his family, Kun would gain more understanding and sympathy for his younger sister.

Instead of doing that, the movie repeated a certain pattern: Kun throws a temper tantrum (which makes sense since he's just a kid), have him be thrusted into the past alone to meet one of his relatives, and quickly come back to the present after he's learned something from them. I found this formula to be actually quite interesting since it went against what I had initially believed the movie to be, but I quickly realized that the movie gave up on having deep emotional connections with any of the relatives since each relative took up each other's screen time, forbidding any real development with any of them.

If there is one good nugget of the story I can appreciate is that Kun does show change as he goes through these time traveling vignettes with his relatives, and the at the end when he has a moment with baby Mirai, it almost felt like the ride paid off. Almost.

Overall, I appreciated the story for its back and forth time traveling, but I strongly believe that the film would have immensely benefited from more focus on Kun and Mirai. Mirai shows up about three times in the entire film, which is more than any of the other relatives, and I still couldn't feel a strong bond between the two, even at the very end. The story was decent, but it just lacked oomph to really pull off a satisfying ride.

Art: 9
The art, of course, was great. There were so many sequences that were beautifully animated and really brought fantastical worlds to life. They even had sections where they animated characters in CGI (very much like they did Houseki no Kuni) for some scenes. I saw some great scenes that reminded me of the time jumping sequences in "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time" and fun familial scenes from "Wolf Children". The art, in essence, was what I wanted the story to be.

Sound: 8
Voice acting for both dub and sub were both pretty spot on. I was particularly surprised by how good the dub sounded, though some scenes in the dub I found somewhat uncomfortable because of the way the lines were delivered (I won't get into these scenes, but I was extremely uncomfortable). If I were to recommend sub/dub, I would recommend the sub - I found it to be far more impactful.

The soundtrack was full of heart and I often found myself immersed into the scene purely because the of the songs.

Character: 5
Kun was the only one who had any character development, with nearly everyone else in the main cast being static and unchanging. I actually liked this, since I loved the initial team dynamic of Kun, future Mirai, and their dog Yukko at the start of the movie, and I looked forward to seeing them be forced through different time travel adventures and hardships together. But this team almost immediately dissolves and Kun simply faces his adventures alone in quick and unsatisfying time hopping bursts. I soon became somewhat unimpressed with Kun's development, even when he did show incremental changes in his character. In short, I really wanted to care, but it was just extremely hard to.

On the other hand, the supporting characters, such as the mother and father, had their own developments that I saw through very subtle scenes. I found these legitimately fantastic and heartwarming. I would even daresay that their struggles were more interesting than any of the main characters' struggles. If anything, the supporting casts' struggles and development were in danger of overshadowing most of the main characters' struggles in terms of catching my interest and emotional investment.

Enjoyment: 6.5
Despite my comments above, I did appreciate the movie. I can't deny there were moments that the culmination of the music, art, and some emotional moments got to me. I blinked away a few tears. But I think this movie could've had me bawling. I wish it did.

What if Outbreak Company and Code Geass had a baby?

That would actually be quite horrible.

But No Game No Life (NGNL) presents itself in such a way that it appears to be just that - a combination of the fantasy world that presents a large array of new discoveries in Outbreak Company with the completely spine-shivering tactics and seemingly impossible goals in Code Geass; however, NGNL manages to not only provide an interesting combination, but also add its own flavors to the mix and concoct something truly engaging.

Story: 8
The story and premise of NGNL is quite the bait in of itself which - ... much like Sword Art Online - plays a huge role in its explosive success and popularity. The story thrusts the NEET protagonists, Sora and Shiro, into a new world that makes use of their extreme talent in games since quite literally everything is determined by the outcome of a variety of games the world's inhabitants play. This setting is quite refreshing since many anime simply throw NEET protagonists into the video game world (or something of a similar nature) they have been obsessing over, such as Sword Art Online, Log Horizon, Btooom!, and Accel World. NGNL could have easily taken that route, especially with the protagonists' insane MMORPG skills demonstrated at the beginning; yet NGNL decided to make an entire new world that wasn't restricted by MMORPG parameters, but rather by a set of 10 laws that a "God" has created. The other races of the world also present an interesting aspect to the show, emphasizing that all other races appear to be superior in their own way with the exception of Imanity (the world's version of humanity) in regards of playing games. Instead of each race presenting similar challenges to the protagonists, the races throw a variety of difficult obstacles at Shiro and Sora since each race will base the game they play on one that is well-suited to their race's unique abilities.

In addition, NGNL was being able to maintain its long, over-arching story of Shiro and Sora trying to beat the God of the world that put them there in the first place, not getting sidetracked with other subplots that would have been far less satisfying.

The pacing was also done very well considering only 12 episodes were aired - not too much was packed into the plot so that what the audience is left is is a jumbled mess that falls on top of itself, and not too little is shown that the audience is bored out of their skulls. Each episode brought a new surprise and problem that was a great enjoyment to watch. And much to my pleasure, there were many moments that sent shivers of excitement and anticipation whenever Sora or Shiro's plans started to become more and more evident - these feelings were strikingly similar to those I experienced while watching Code Geass whenever Leleouch demonstrated his high intellect. I almost couldn't help but either smirk as if I were Shiro himself watching his opponents gasp in disbelief or have my jaw drop. It was nice to relive such a stimulating experience.

However, there were some moments in the story that I found to be questionable as the story progressed. The conclusions of many major games were highly enjoyable, but there were some conclusions that I felt were simply far too convenient for it to justify the intense buildup that occurred in previous episodes. Additionally, I felt as though there was a tad bit too much fan service. Now I do realize that fanservice is a big aspect of the anime culture, but with the story as it is and its excellent progress, I actually felt as if the fan service was slightly out of place. Traditionally, while fanservice is specifically designed to please the viewers, I felt like NGNL really could have done without it. If anything, I felt that it detracted from the show.

Art: 10
NGNL's art is definitely another reason to admire the show. The very fluid and great animation was done by Madhouse, who were also the ones who helped animate Wolf Children. So it didn't come as a great surprise that the art would do the story justice. The art is very bright, vibrant, and displays a huge array of colors. The show did a great job of shifting the very epic, serious scenes with some of the more comedic or explanatory chibi-style scenes without detracting from the plot.

Sound: 9
The soundtrack was composed by Shinji Hosoe (who runs Super Sweeo) along with his long time collaborator Ayako Saso and several others. Shinji Hosoe was responsible for composing the soundtrack of 999, (a Nintendo DS visual novel game) a personal favorite of my library. The soundtrack did its part well, providing analytical-esque, techno music during scenes where strategies were discussed and very soft pieces during the more touching moments. But most notably, we can see that Super Sweep emphasized a lot of their music on the driving, epic soundtracks. One of the most memorable songs is probably Coulomb's Force, which is played when the pinnacle of the game is reached and when the protagonists' plans are finally revealed.

The music by itself was able to send shivers down my spine when I first heard it.

Character: 8
The show offers an interesting cast and has very strong lead characters; and surprisingly, despite the short nature of the show, a substantial amount of characters were able to have their backstories revealed on the show. But as the backstories were short themselves, there is still not as much investment and sympathy for the more supporting characters of the show.

As many others have easily pointed out, Sora is reminiscent of Lelouch at many times whenever he plays a game and is orchestrating different tactics to throw off the enemy; however, he also has a very comical and non-serious side that balances out the complete bad-assery he demonstrates throughout the show. His sense of humor is quite unique as it can switch from being snarky and sarcastic to simply self-deprecating and embarrassing. It is far more easier to relate to Sora since he is far more human than many other protagonists - he has flaws. Shiro is a bit less relatable than Sora is, but that doesn't seem to detract too much from her character. Shiro is highly analytical and quiet. And while she may not have a loud voice, her impressive, quick calculations speak far bigger volumes and often become the highlight of many game conclusions. She's very quick to criticize Sora and will not hesitate to force Sora to reflect on his actions whenever he is close to making a mistake.

But the charm of Sora and Shiro's characters shine their brightest when both come together as a team - "Blank". Sora and Shiro's sibling relationship are the highlight of the show. Shiroa and Sora, despite having an age difference, treat each other equally - which really helps add on to the idea that the two of them are two halves of one whole team. Not to mention that Shiro's computative abilities combined with Sora's quick thinking and impressive behavioral reading skills make them seem almost impervious to any game thrown at them, like a God. NGNL does an excellent job of being able to both show off both of the siblings' skills individually and demonstrate the gargantuan power of their unity.

The supporting characters, such as Steph and Jibril, provide much of the story's fanservice and comic relief; however, they do have major contributions to the plans that Sora and Shiro construct, whether it be in a game or in simple politics, which make them an integral addition to the sibling's journey of defeating the God of their world.

Overall: 8
No Game No Life is a wonderful addition to the anime library with its simplistic, yet enthralling story that has each episode enthusiastically volunteering itself to become a puzzle piece that continually adds to the full picture. The entire show has felt like a series of chess moves that push towards the long awaited moment where Sora and Shiro finally place the God in check.

While I typically find many shows that follow such storytelling to eventually fall on its face and trip into a convoluted mess, I was pleasantly surprised to find that No Game No Life steps up where others have failed.

A seemingly strange, but very touching, twist on the genre we call modern romance.

Story: 10
The premise was intriguing from the get-go. A disaster separates a happy couple from each other, and the only one who can put the pieces back together is a robot who looks like a human. Of course, this idea initially brings out my cynical self, eliciting questions of whether a true romance can be achieved between this robot and Kurumi; however, as the events of the story progress quickly, these questions gradually begin to fall away and the movie begins to prod the more emotional side of myself. Essentially, the ... story is what you would have expected after watching the trailer - Hal gradually becoming intimate with Kurumi - but unlike many other stories that follow a similar story, it does it right. Now if you're reading this and asking yourself 'Wait, if I know what the movie's going to be about, then why should I watch it?', I will say that the ending is really something to look forward to.

The only gripe I have about the movie is that it seemed a tad bit too short. Perhaps this is due to the my emotional side wailing that the experience was over, but I truly believe that more development between the couple should have been stretched out more. Certainly, at times there are some anime that have too many pointless "filler" scenes that tried to develop the characters' relationships with one another; however, I feel that Hal falters in that area. Most of the movie's beauty comes from the new blossoming relationship between the new Hal and Kurumi, and yet there seems to be a lack in emphasizing it.

Character: 9
Because of the short length of the film, I didn't get to see in-depth to the characters' lives and personalities. But I am pleased to say that even within such a short span of time, Hal manages to impress me with the way it was able to churn out a surprisingly detailed backstories and character development for the both Hal and Kurumi.

Due to spoilers, I do not want to disclose too much about the characters (as much as I want to) since discovering the stories behind each character is an interesting aspect of the movie.

Overall: 9
I'm sure anyone even slightly interested in the romance genre will appreciate this piece of work. The story was well introduced and executed throughout the short one hour with proper pacing (considering its time) and the development between the characters is just something to watch. If it was longer and contained even further development between the two characters, a score of 10 would be in order.

If I look back on my experience with Suisei no Gargantia, I can feel the chills of the sea and space envelop my body as a whole.

What a ride.

Suisei no Gargantia was definitely one of the animes I always looked forward to watching every week when a new episode came out, and I believe it does deserve plenty of recognition for what it has done.

Story: 8
The premise from the get-go was very promising - humanity has been forced to leave Earth and is driven to the deep reaches of space, developing highly advanced technology to combat strange foes that spell doom for ... humanity. I liked it. However, like with any other anime I watch, I was sure not to get my hopes up to high in case the rest of the anime didn't deliver on the set-up. Fortunately, my caution was not necessary since I was well-satisfied with the content that I was gifted.

The concept of a futuristic human coming down to Earth, not knowing that it was his race's planet of origin, by itself provided numerous elements to the anime. It provided initial humor at his surprise with some discoveries and engaging action as he explored the now barren realms of Earth's body. When Ledo and Chamber run into some of the indigenous people, a spark of conflict then provides the backbone to the rest of the story, breathing forth a tale of cultural conflicts and drama, with a hint of romance.

Art: 8
The art is what you would expect out of many of the "generic" anime you see in modern times. Nothing new is introduced, but usually that's the way I like it.

Sound: 8
Music and voice acting both completed their jobs well. Their existence was noted, but did not dominate the anime with their presence. They managed to stay discreet and not bring too much attention to themselves, just like they should.

Character: 9
I think this category is what really did it for me.

Ledo is a wonderful character to analyze by himself. As the anime progresses, there is a clear change in his character and his way of thinking. The show does a superb job of showing how Ledo struggles and wrestles with the idea that the ways that he was taught up in space may not be acceptable. While he is very powerful and easily overpowers all of the beings on Earth with Chamber, he is not shown to be invincible, which is something I can really appreciate.

Chamber also is a very potent presence in the anime and appears to be Ledo's last connection the world he left behind, causing him to be almost half of Ledo's life. Yet even though I held no expectations for him to surprise me as a character, he surprises me in the end and is the cause of one of the last chills to send down my spine for the anime.

Now we have Amy, the heroine of our story. (For clarification, there are hints of romance between her and Ledo in the story, but it definitely does not consume a majority of the anime) For Amy, I have to say she provides nothing extraordinary as a character, but she definitely is not a hindrance to the anime - which is a lot better than other heroines in other anime.

The rest of the characters are very colorful and have their own backstories that are all covered as the story progresses, and I have to say I found myself engaged in all of them.

Overall
For a 13 episode anime, I have to say they did a wondrous job of compacting a relatively deep and engaging story without sacrificing the usual components such as character development, pacing, and purpose. Both thought-provoking and exciting in numerous regards, Suisei no Gargantia is one anime I would love to see more of in the future.

I just want to strangle the guy who created this wonderful piece for making me cry so much.

AnoHi (not going to write out the whole thing) is a beautiful story about a girl who dies, but returns to one of her best friends in the form of a sort of "spirit" - but things are not they once were. Her best friends are now all separated and seems hopelessly... unsalvageable (I don't think that's a word, but screw it).

The story was simplistic and straightforward - something I really appreciated. There was no need to think hard about what was happening about the ... screen in front of me and made it far easier to enjoy and soak in the emotions the story was trying to give off. And the conflicts/drama between the characters with their backstories really put me on the edge of my seat the whole time. The pacing was done well considering that it was a 12-episode piece, finishing off strong with a powerful ending that led me staring at the computer screen long after the credits finished rolling with water leaking from my eyes. One last thing I really liked was that the story didn't end the way I had expected. It caught me by slight surprise, which just added to the leaking water I had pouring out of my eyes.

The art and sound were also simple - nothing special, yet they were both of high quality that could definitely be appreciated as strengthening supplements to the story.

The characters of the story were so colorful. Junpei, Menma, and the rest of the friends all had their quirks and talents, yet they all had a hidden side to them that was revealed as the story went on. And it was heart-warming to see the development of the friends returning to their close relationship to one another as now young adults.

I was sorely disappointed that the story ended the way it did - and so short too! I might have liked it if they stretched it out over a little longer with more cherishing moments of Menma returning to the gang of friends she left with her death - but the ending was beautiful - something I cannot deny no matter how much I wanted another ending. And I really could appreciate the author taking that route, leaving the ending open-ended to a sliver of hope for the rest of the audience before the curtain closes for the last time.

Having recently watched ToraDora!, I felt as if no other anime could satisfy my emotional needs and wants forever. But as my eyes caught notice of Angel Beats! in the "Recommendations" section of Toraodora!, I decided to give it a shot.

Angel Beats! follows the story Otonashi, who wakes up in a purgatory that's designed as a school. There, he joins a group of students who are rebelling against a powerful student named Tenshi or "Angel".

What can I say about the anime? Well...
They should've put more than 13 episodes, because I laughed and cried so much with this anime.

STORY
The story was pretty typical. But ... then again, what story isn't anymore? With more and more ideas being taken, it's almost impossible to find a unique idea. And while the story did take many interesting turns (will not state them for spoilers), I couldn't help but notice many holes in the story's explanations of certain events. The story also had nice pacing, yet I couldn't help but feel that the last several episodes felt rushed in order to squish in the conclusion of the anime. I feel as if Angel Beats! was an anime that was destined to have a second season or more than their mere 13 episodes. It could have expanded more on the school life or dragged out the last arc of the story for a bit longer. But then again, I do not laud Angel Beats! for its story line anyhow.
7/10

ART
The art was well done and beautifully crafted. The characters were well designed and was similar to that of Toradora!'s, which I greatly appreciated at the time of watching it.
10/10

SOUND
Oh dear lord. I simply loved the soundtrack for Angel Beats! to the point where I got their OST for it. The piano soundtrack that plays throughout the anime is simply beautiful and heart-wrenching when one thinks about the scenes associated with the music. I particularly liked the music for the opening, it really brought out the feeling and atmosphere of the anime very well. The music and sound effects were definitely a huge highlight for the anime.
10/10.

CHARACTER
Character development was surprisingly deep in certain characters. Mostly the main three characters displayed depth in their characters while the others retained their very flat personalities. But I found this acceptable since the character development for Otonashi, Tenshi, Naomi, and Yuri all stole the show anyway.
8/10

ENJOYMENT
Angel Beats! is definitely a must-watch for many anime fans out there. It has a beautiful soundtrack, nicely-drawn art, and a surprisingly nice story despite its generic plot. It's also a quick 13 episode run anyway, so it won't take up too much time (which can actually be a curse in disguise). Prepare to laugh and cry a lot. Leggo.

I'll admit I was forced to watch this. When I first took one look at the cover photo for this anime and went "Ehhhh... no." and scrolled on. But my sister, horrified at what I had done, nagged me to watch it to no end until I finally got off my reluctant butt to watch it.

And what a lovely surprise I got.

Chihayafuru is an incredible anime that I regret not seeing sooner. Especially since I had low expectations coming into it, I was swept off my feet within the first several episodes.

STORY:
The story revolves around a girl named Chihaya Ayase, a beautiful tomboy ... who is obsessed with karuta, a Japanese traditional card game. Through karuta, she makes all sorts of friends and even creates a club, all the while striving to reach her ultimate goal: to become the best female karuta player and receive the title of "Queen". Meanwhile, Mashima Taichi and Wataya Arata, Chihaya's two closest childhood friends, struggle with their feelings for her as they play karuta as well. (Yes, there IS some romance. While MyAnimeList does not mark it as such, it is not deprived of romance. So for you rom/com people out there, this is a possibility.)
I'll admit this story is somewhat lackluster at a glance. Heck, I thought this sounded suspiciously like Yu-gi-oh when I read the story. But words cannot do the story justice as the anime delivers its story excellently, with both clean pacing and clear direction. Despite its seemingly lackluster plot, it is enrapturing the whole ride to the end.
Don't be turned off by the fact its about a card game. It's a lot more complex than it sounds, and surprisingly fun to get into.
10/10

SOUND:
This is probably the best part of the anime that I will remember for a long time. There are multiple emotional moments scattered throughout the anime and are surprisingly moving. But Chihayafuru's simply amazing soundtrack is enough to bring me to tears whenever it came on. Whether it be when an intense match was reaching its climax or someone was having an emotional breakdown, the music simply blew me away and every time I could feel tears glaze my eyes. The music is reason enough for someone to watch Chihayafuru. Simply amazing.
10/10

CHARACTER:
Characters in the anime were all definitely lovable in their own way. All of them had their good sides, bad sides, and their own unique strategies when playing karuta. Watching each playing style was far more interesting than expected, especially when two completely different playing styles clashed. The protagonists were likable enough, but Chihaya's obliviousness to many people's feelings around her were definitely a frustrating aspect of the anime. Regardless, Chihayafuru does a good job at maintaining interest in the characters even when the focus of the anime shifts away from them in their
9/10

ENJOYMENT:
This anime surprised me by becoming one of my new favorites. I regret being so reluctant to watch it based on just its cover photo and a synopsis different from what I was used to. It's really opened my mind and I've started to venture outside my comfort zone. With its amazing, moving soundtrack and surprisingly engaging story, Chihayafuru does what not many anime are able to do: leave a part of itself inside of me. Unfortunately, Chihayfuru is over with its season 2, but I still pray that one day a season 3 will arrive soon.
10/10

Toradora! is one of those animes that immediately pop into my mind when someone asks me for a rom/com recommendation. It's simply a must-watch if you're a fan of rom/com. Even if you aren't a typical watcher of these kinds of shows, Toradora! is definitely a great first step into that world.

STORY:
Toradora! follows a typical plot: a guy named Takasu Ryuuji has a crush on a girl, who just happens to be his neighbor's best friend. Coincidentally, the neighbor, Aisaka Taiga, has a crush on Takasu's best friend, Yuusaka Kitamura. The two team up and try to help each other get their targets through ... their adventures. But as the story introduces more characters and progresses from its light-hearted comedy to its heavy drama, the story evolves from its cliche'd plot and takes on a much deeper story. And while many animes are able to conduct such a transition, Toradora! is one that is able to do so subtly and beautifully.
10/10.

ART:
I'm not particularly picky about the art for animes, and to be completely honest, there's nothing special about the art for Toradora!. But it's definitely visually appealing and is well done. The only issue I had was he striking similarity between Kawashima Ami and the Student Countil President. The two were so similar I constantly confused one for the other when they were both introduced. Other than that, I thought the art was great.
9/10.

SOUND:
When an anime has a great OP, I never skip it for each episode. Unfortunately, that didn't happen with Toradora!. While the first OP was quite catchy when I first heard it, it soon became something I just skipped to get to the show. Generally, the music was nothing special, especially during the light-hearted scenes. But the more touching moments of the anime had wonderful music that practically drove me to tears. Many dramatic scenes with crying characters or fights sent shivers done my spine as my vision started to blur in front of the screen. Such music was simply nicely fit into such moments and I couldn't describe it any other way.
10/10.

CHARACTER:
The characters at first appear to be two dimensional. But they have a lot more to them later when the story really hits the dramatic point. At that point, a lot of the characters' different sides and hidden desires are revealed and each changing angle is so interesting. I can't go into too much detail without spoiling the story, so unfortunately I cannot substantiate my view. The characters are all lovable with their quirks and moments, especially Aisaka Taiga. She was by far my favorite character throughout the whole anime.
9/10.

ENJOYMENT:
With the unique execution and traversal of such an cliche'd story, I was well caught off-guard with such a emotional ride. The music and the story just blended together to create something that was truly amazing. I cried plenty and was hungry for more after I finished the series. It got so bad that afterwards, I went into a state of depression because I couldn't find anything like Toradora!
Toradora! definitely remains as one of the animes at the top of my list.