Note: This will be a review of the series in its entirety.
Overview:
It really says a lot about how fondly the years of school are looked back on by Japanese people that about half of all anime revolve around it in one way or another. However, while it may take place in a fairly standard high school setting, "ReLIFE" still manages to stand on its own by telling its story from a perspective you almost never see in this kind of this series- that of a fully-grown adult. It may not seem like much, but this fresh perspective breaths a level of maturity rarely found in
...
this kind of show, resulting in a unique, interesting and highly enjoyable, if still far from flawless, series.
Story (8/10):
Imagine if your life has taken a turn for the absolute worse, to the point that you feel like there's no way forward (let's face it, we've probably all felt like that at some point). But what if you were given a chance to relive one year of your life, and said chance was also the ticket to gaining your ideal job? Well, that's the question that 27-year-old Arata Kaizaki has just gotten the opportunity to answer. After quitting his previous job and multiple failed attempts at getting a new one, Arata ends up running into Ryo Yoake, an employee of the ReLIFE Laboratory, who are conducting an experiment that seeks to rehabilitate people who have opted out of contributing roles in society. The experiment goes as follows; Arata will take a pill that will change him into a 17-year-old once more and then relive the final year of high school life, which should help to sort out any issues he may have. The best part is, if the experiment is successful, he'll offered a job at the end of it. While Arata is naturally sceptical, his situation is too dire for him to turn down such an ample opportunity, so he accepts and gets transferred into Aoba High School as a third-year student. However, not only does Arata soon learn that experiencing high school again won't be nearly as simple as he initially believed, but he eventually realises that certain parts of your past will come back to influence you whether you want them to or not.
The show's very premise means that it has something that you rarely find in school life anime- duality. While Arata may look like a 17-year-old boy because of the pill he took, mentally he's still very much the same 27-year-old man he was when the story started. While you would think that would give him a huge advantage in school, it's actually the opposite, as school is a very different place from what it was like back in Arata's day, and he initially struggles greatly with interacting with other people, since even his homeroom teacher is technically younger than him. Not helping matters is that Arata was put into his school's third year, a time where everyone is worrying about getting into college and things like that, so Arata instantly feels like he doesn't fit in at all, though Ryo explains that this is the point, as he never said the experiment would be easy. The series also does a fine job at contrasting the sunny, if not perfect days of high school with the dark days of adult life. Japanese companies are rather notorious for being highly exploitive of their employees, while also often being neglectful to their well-being, and the series really shows just how bad it can get, with such an incident being one of several events in Arata's life that lead him to where he was at the beginning of the series.
However, while the story itself is very interesting and deep, the pacing of the series is sadly very uneven, with some arcs feeling like they go on for a lot longer than they should and others feeling like they go by too quickly. In fact, it would actually take less time to list the parts of the series that feel like they move at the right pace, which may very well turn off some viewers for any number of reasons. In particular, the second part of the series consists merely of 4 OVAs (each of which are about the same length as a regular-length episode) that feel like they're condensing a lot of storytelling into such a short amount of time. Ultimately, the ending of the series proved to be right up my alley, but the events leading up to said ending felt pretty rushed, which just makes me wonder why they didn't just do a full second season.
Art & Animation (8/10):
"ReLIFE"'s visuals are best described as 'above-average'. The character models and environments are very well-drawn and detailed, and the animations are generally very good. However, there's also a pretty large amount of deranged animation during comedic moments, as in at least some every episode, even though more often than not it just didn't feel necessary, though deranged animation almost always isn't necessary in my book. Overall, the series doesn't look bad by any means, but given that one of the studios is TMS Entertainment, which has been around since the 1960s, I kind of expected more.
Sound & Dialogue (8.5/10):
"ReLIFE"'s soundtrack is generally good, but far from memorable. There are a few nice tracks here and there, but they tend to just blend into the background rather than actually add anything to a scene. The series has one opening theme for all episodes, which I listened to on a semi-regular basis, and one ending theme for each episode, some of which are memorable, others not so much. The voice acting is generally really good; Micah Solusod does a fantastic job at capturing Arata's emotions regardless of how he's feeling from scene to scene, and Jeannie Tirado captures Chizuru's stoic and awkward yet kind-hearted personality really well, though Kristen McGuire, Blake Shepard and Alexis Tipton are all highlights as well. In short, the sound design just about stands out as the best part of the whole series.
Characters (8/10):
When he transfers into Aoba High School, Arata quickly proves himself to be well out of his element, since he's forgotten the majority of things he learned when in high school and as a result has to take make-up tests quite often over the series. This, in turn, causes him to be regarded as dumb by his teenage classmates, and at one point is even called the stupidest kid in the whole class. In truth, however, Arata is anything but stupid, as what he lacks in book smarts, he more than makes up for in wisdom and life experience. When it comes to social situations and reading the room, Arata absolutely excels, and often gives his classmates advice as a means to help them through whatever issues they may be going through, showing himself to not only be wise, but very kind and compassionate as well. However, the fact that most of the advice Arata gives to others is based on his own past experiences means that there's a lot of hypocrisy involved in what he says, though he's at least self-aware enough to realise this, and if anything is trying to prevent them from making the same mistakes he did. What's more is that as kind as he is, Arata does have definite limits to his patience and will often get irritated whenever someone says or does something he doesn't like, this "someone" usually being Ryo, though there are others who get on his nerves as well. Add in a very sympathetic backstory, which goes a long way to explain how he became who is, and Arata is bar none the best character the show has to offer, and given that he's the character we see the most of that's very much a good thing.
My second favourite character would have to be Chizuru Hishiro, a teenage girl whom Arata befriends when at school. While not especially prominent in early episodes, she becomes more so as the series continues, to the point that she's ultimately the most important character after Arata himself, and serves as his main foil in the series- while Arata is book dumb yet very socially aware, Chizuru has fantastic grades but non-existent social skills. The main trait she shares with Arata is her kindness, though she has great trouble showing it at first. One particular plot point has her trying to smile as a way to make friends, but said smile looks so forced and awkward that she gives people the impression that she's making fun of them instead. Her earnest attempts at making friends both make her very endearing to watch and make room for some great character development. Another way Chizuru differs from Arata is that is wasn't one single event that made her the awkward, socially clueless person she is at the start of the series- rather it was her whole life, where she ended up transferring schools constantly when she was younger, becoming more socially withdrawn each time. As she changes, however, Chizuru begins to realise that how much she dislikes being alone and how she wouldn't wish it on anybody else, which is something I'm sure a lot of us can relate to, myself included. One last thing I should note is that there's a lot more to Chizuru than even what I've already talked about, but said things are a huge spoiler that you're better off finding out for yourself.
Next up is An Onoya, a cheerful, bespectacled girl who is in the same class as Arata, Chizuru and Ryo (who also transfers into Aoba as a way to observe Arata and check on his progress). Personality-wise, An is generally friendly and cheerful, which becomes especially apparent when you put her alongside the awkward Chizuru and short-tempered Rena (more on her below). However, An also has a mischievous streak not unlike Ryo's and, much like Chizuru, she is much more than she seems, though I can't say anything without giving away major spoilers. All I can really say is that she's a lot smarter than she appears to be. A much more straightforward character would Kazuomi Ohga, who unlike the other two male leads is a perfectly normal teenager, albeit one with excellent grades that rival Chizuru's. This means that he's often designated as Arata's tutor, and while polite about it, he doesn't hesitate to call him stupid, which irritates Arata to no end since Kazuomi is just as stupid in his own way- specifically, he's completely and utterly dense when it comes to people's feelings, including his own. Even so, Kazuomi is generally a very kind and friendly guy (about as much as Arata) and any of his lowest moments are due to obliviousness more than anything. Sadly, by the OVAs, he largely gets relegated to the background, save for a minor subplot involving his family.
Then there's Rena Kairu, another one of the smartest students in the class and the series' resident tsundere. Stubborn, short-tempered, can't admit her feelings, prone to misunderstandings, hates being pitied... Rena ticks off all the boxes, which may make or break her character depending on what you think of the archetype. She's also very competitive and wants to be the best at everything, though she often finds herself overshadowed by Chizuru in exams and her friend Honoka in sports. While this trait would be admirable in most other stories, in Rena's case it just leaves her completely blind to what she's already accomplished, and it takes a while for her to see that being as smart and athletic as she is is nothing to sneeze at. While she gets a great deal of focus early on, she pretty much loses all prominence by the time of the OVAs, and unlike Kazuomi she doesn't even get a subplot. Lastly, there's Ryo Yoake, who despite being the second character we're introduced to is also my least favourite of the main characters. While Arata does naturally suspect some shady undertones regarding Ryo at first, all of these quickly prove to be false and, aside from taking a bit too much pleasure in winding up Arata, he's ultimately exactly what he appears... and that happens to be the big problem with him. While every other member of the main six is more than they seem at first glance, in Ryo's case what you see is pretty much what you get, with even his backstory not giving him any real depth so much as just provide an explanation for what we already know about him. That's not to say he isn't an important character, because he absolutely is, but compared to everyone else I've talked about he feels pretty static and underdeveloped. There's a few other characters of note, like the aforementioned Honoka, her childhood friends Nobunaga and Akira and the class's homeroom teacher Kokoto Amatsu, but as far as the characters go, I think I'll leave it at that.
Enjoyment (8/10):
It really isn't for nothing that the the manga this anime was based on was published in a seinen magazine. Not only does it focus on an adult, but the grimness of the world is shown very clearly, with almost every major character having some kind of serious issue and people sometimes making situations even worse by trying to help. Even then, however, the show is actually fairly idealistic, since while it acknowledges that life doesn't always reward positivity or good intentions, it also states the hope that things will turn out well is still worth holding onto regardless. In other words, while the series doesn't shy away from the harshness of reality, it's overall pretty heartwarming, as well as very funny on many occasions.
Overall:
There really isn't a singular reason as to why I like "ReLIFE" as much as I do for the simple fact that every part of it is up to standard, be it the great story, deep, layered characters, serviceable art, good music, fantastic voice acting or often hilarious comedy. While I wouldn't say it's one of the best slice-of-life anime I've seen, it is definitely one of the most original, and if you're a fan of the genre or want a more mature twist, then this is a series that comes highly recommended.
Score:
8+8+8.5+8+8=40.5/50=8.1/10
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Nov 29, 2025 Recommended
Note: This will be a review of the series in its entirety.
Overview: It really says a lot about how fondly the years of school are looked back on by Japanese people that about half of all anime revolve around it in one way or another. However, while it may take place in a fairly standard high school setting, "ReLIFE" still manages to stand on its own by telling its story from a perspective you almost never see in this kind of this series- that of a fully-grown adult. It may not seem like much, but this fresh perspective breaths a level of maturity rarely found in ...
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Nov 27, 2025
Higashi no Eden
(Anime)
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Note: This will be a review of both the anime and the two movies.
Overview: Just like there have been many examples of Western media influenced by anime and Japanese culture (the "Avatar" franchise, "Miraculous Ladybug", "The Matrix" etc.), so too have there been anime influenced by Western culture. Perhaps one of the most blatant examples of this is "Eden of the East", an anime explicitly and heavily inspired by American spy movies, most notably the "Bourne" series. Unfortunately, while it does provide an interesting and entertaining series to sit through, in the end "Eden of the East" never even comes close to matching the quality of ... the movies it so shamelessly borrows ideas from. Story (6.5/10): "Eden of the East" begins with one of the most unique, not to mention bizarre openings to an anime I've ever seen- a mysterious, cheerful and very odd man appears in front of the White House, completely naked and with no memory of how he got there or even who he is. There he meets Saki Morimi, a young Japanese woman the same age as him who helps him out by giving him something to wear. Soon after, the man learns that his name is Akira Takizawa, and he quickly ends up running into Saki again, with them returning to Japan together soon after. It is then that Takizawa learns that the phone he has is no ordinary phone- rather, it signifies that he is a Selacao, one of twelve individuals who are given 10 billion yen and are expected to use the money to save Japan in some way. Using their special phones, these individuals are able to have any wish granted simply by paying an appropriate sum, made possible by an AI known as Juiz. Of course, there is a catch; if the money is used in a way that is deemed irresponsible, the Selecao will be have their lives taken from them swiftly and unexpectedly. Even without his memories, Akira is disturbed by all of this, and makes it his personal mission to uncover the truth behind the twisted game and punch the man responsible for its creation- a mysterious man known only as "Mr. Outside". Does this sound a lot like "Jason Bourne" to you? Well, I can assure that was very much intentional, as Takizawa outright compares himself to Bourne in the very first episode, and the influences the films have on this anime are very clear, from the mysterious man who no memory of his past, to the sinister organization he's allegedly a part of, to the young woman who ends up being drawn to him for one reason or another. Overtime, however, it becomes apparent that being derivative is the least of the story's problems. For starters, there's the pacing. It isn't until the end of the fifth episode that Takizawa begins to take an active role in uncovering the truth behind who he is and the point behind the Selecao game. That means that, if one includes the movies, it isn't until about a third of the way through the series that it feels like we're finally getting somewhere. That's not to say nothing happens in the first five episodes, but most of the things that do happen don't really amount to much in the long run, with the series introducing several potentially interesting plot points and characters only to abandon them just as quickly. For example, Saki states at the end of the first episode that she's been looking for a "prince" or something and that Takizawa could very well be who she's looking for, but exactly what she means by this is never revealed (or at least, I don't remember it ever being revealed). Putting aside the pacing, some parts of the story are quite interesting, like the Selecaos and the various ways each of them use the money they've been given. Even so, a lot of these are things that are done better by other anime I've seen, most notably "Mirai Nikki", which had a very similar storyline about 12 people with superpowered phones. What's more is that there are some other parts of the story that are just downright ridiculous and impossible to take seriously, one particular example being one involving 20'000 NEETs that were caught up in a mysterious incident that occurred before the story, though I can't really say anything beyond that or why it made me roll my eyes. What's more is that, even towards the end of the second movie, it doesn't feel like anything has been adequately resolved, with just about every surviving character being right back where they started. Overall, the story is one that has good bits, bad bits and just too many bits in general, and never really feels like it all comes together even in the end. Art & Animation (8/10): "Eden of the East" is a reasonably good-looking series; while the character designs are kind of odd-looking, they are nevertheless fairly well-drawn and detailed, and the environments look really good as well, complete with pretty serviceable animations. Even so, considering the show was animated by Production I.G. (the same people behind "Psycho Pass", "Ghost in the Shell" and "Guilty Crown" among others), I couldn't help but feel that the series could have looked a hell of a lot better, and overall nothing truly managed to catch my eye in terms of visuals. Sound & Dialogue (8.5/10): The sound design is definitely the best thing about "Eden of the East"; while there aren't many especially memorable tunes in the soundtrack, they nevertheless fit the tones of the scenes they play in quite well. One especially memorable song, however, is the opening theme "Falling Down", which just so happens to be one of the last songs sung by the English rock band Oasis before their official break up in 2009, the year the anime first aired. The voice acting is very solid, with Jason Liebrecht absolutely stealing the show as Takizawa, though Leah Clark's Saki, Michael Sinterniklaas's Osugi and Newton Pittman's Panties are notable performances as well. Beyond that, the cast also contains names like Stephanie Sheh (in one of her rare Texas-based roles), J. Michael Tatum, Lydia Mackay, Stephanie Young and even Todd Haberkorn. While I have heard better, I have definitely heard worse as well, and overall the sound design is more than a few steps above average. Characters (7/10): Even without any memory of who he is, Akira Takizawa proves himself to be quite a kind and friendly person, albeit more than a little odd as well; for an example as to how, the very first episode has him getting out of questioning by showing a police officer his... well, he calls it his 'Johnny', with the craziest thing being that it WORKS. While his eccentric nature initially seems to be because he doesn't have any memories, overtime it becomes apparent that he was like that even BEFORE he lost them. Even so, he's definitely not stupid, being able to come up with some surprisingly effective strategies in order to get out of the many crazy situations he finds himself in. However, his actual character arc over the course of the story leaves a fair bit to be desired, as I felt that he would occasionally take a few steps forward in growth only to take just as many steps back soon after. The result is that there are multiple aspects of his character that never end up being properly explored, which is certainly not helped by the anime's fairly open ending. Overall, while he may claim to be anime's equivalent of Jason Bourne, he falls a pretty long way short of matching the brilliance of that character, though he still stood out as my favourite in the series, with a likeable and often hilarious personality. The other half of the main duo is Saki Morimi, who is actually quite similar to Takizawa, albeit a lot more down-to-earth. Like Takizawa, Saki is generally a very kind person, enough so that she willingly hands over some of her clothes to help a strange, naked man she's never met before, and is content with doing so even after he warns her she may never see him again, and therefore not get her things back. She also dislikes being a burden to other people, desiring to get a job so as to not rely on her older sister's family, who raised her ever since the death of her parents when she was very young. Unfortunately, while not a burden per se, she doesn't really do all that much for the first half or so of the series, mainly just following Takizawa around while he searches for answers. She's more helpful than Lisa Mishima from "Terror in Resonance" at least, but that is a ridiculously low bar to clear, and it ultimately take quite a while before she contributes anything meaningful to the story. Even so, while she's not an especially useful character, she's certainly not annoying, and her relationship with Takizawa is one of the things that makes the show worth watching. Besides the main duo, the cast of characters is quite large, though the series' relatively brief runtime means that not many of them are especially well-developed. For starters, Saki has a group of friends from university, and of all of them, Satoshi Osugi is the only one with a genuine character arc, which is very much needed in his case given how he starts off deeply resenting Takizawa due to his close relationship with Saki. Put simply, he starts off rather obnoxious, then gets worse before finally getting better, being the butt of a fair number of jokes along the way. As for the rest of the group, Hirasawa is the straight man, Micchon is the snarky girl who looks a lot younger than she is, Sis is (you guessed it) the big sister of the group and Kasuga... well, I'm not really what Kasuga's role is. In fact, it's saying something that probably the show's fourth most developed character is Yutaka "Panties" Itazu, despite his rather late introduction compared to everybody else. As for the Selecaos, many of them are given solid goals as to how they intend to change the country, even if many of them fall way into the "extreme" side of things and makes it hard to see them as being in the right, though that was definitely the point. Even so, there are a few Selecaos that don't seem to have any interest in changing Japan, making it hard to understand why they were even chosen in the first place (or don't get disposed of given that one of the rules is that they can't use their fortunes for personal gain), and three of them (as in, a quarter of all of them) only show up either very briefly or not at all. Enjoyment (7.5/10): While the series may have a lot of issues, "Eden of the East" nevertheless manages to stay fun and entertaining throughout, with some fairly creative set-pieces and more than a few laugh-out-loud moments, with nearly all of the most hilarious moments of the series being provided by Takizawa himself. Sure, the series can get a bit boring at times, but it was never to the point where I nearly fell asleep, and overall the series just about lives up to its status as a thriller. Overall: "Eden of the East" is yet another unfortunate example of an anime that's interesting in practice, but rather poor in its execution. While it has good visuals (character designs notwithstanding), some awesome music and great voice acting, the uneven pacing of its story, multiple dangling plot threads and numerous underdeveloped characters hold it back from the greatness the creators were clearly aiming for. Still, if you're someone who loves thrillers, it’s certainly worth checking out. Just don't expect it to rival the masterpieces it was so blatantly inspired by. Score: 6.5+8+8.5+7+7.5=37.5/50=7.5/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Nov 2, 2025 Recommended
Overview:
While Key/Visual Arts are most famously known for their creation of visual novels like "Kanon" and "Clannad", they've also been involved in the creation of several original anime as well. One such anime is "Charlotte", which in addition to not being based off a visual novel is a departure from the usual tearjerking, slice-of-life stories Key generally specialise in, being a rare story about people with superpowers that doesn't fall into the superhero genre. Sadly, experience has taught me that originality isn't always a good thing, and "Charlotte" never even comes to close to matching the quality of most of Key's other stories. Story (6.5/10): "Charlotte" tells ... the story of Yuu Otosaka, a first-year high school student with a power that allows him to possess any individual. Using this power, he has managed to cheat his way into a prestigious academy and all the way to the top of his class. Soon enough, however, Yuu ends up being ousted by two people with powers of their own- Nao Tomori and Jojuirou Takajou, who are members of the student council of a school specifically made to protect those with abilities. As we learn, the abilities the main characters have are ones developed during adolescence but will disappear in a few years. Even worse is that there are scientists out there who are aware of these powers and desire to exploit them for their own personal gain, and many superpowered individuals have already fallen victim to this, Nao's older brother being among them. His reputation at his old school destroyed, Yuu, along with his younger sister Ayumi, ends up transferring to Nao and Jojiro's school Houshinoumi Academy, and soon after joins the student council to prevent other teenagers from abusing their powers just like he has. The nature of the powers in the series is comparable to the British TV series "Misfits", in that most, if not all of them have some kind of serious drawback, often causing Yuu to not-entirely-inaccurately deride them as "half-assed". For example, of the student council members, Yuu can possess people, but only for 5 seconds at a time, Nao can turn invisible, but only to one person at a time, Joujirou can teleport, but has no control over where he stops and Yusa can be possessed by the spirit of her late sister Misa, but not only does she have no control over when this happens, she isn't even aware of what's going on when Misa's in control of her body. All of this means that the main characters have to be careful about how they use their abilities, which makes for some pretty interesting set-pieces. So, why the not-so-glowing score? Blame the fairly flimsy execution of its premise. From beginning to end, the activities of the student council are always treated as unambiguously the right thing to do, even though half the time they're just keeping people from using their powers based on what MIGHT happen to them. Sure, it's shown in a couple of cases that they don't need their abilities, and it's better to get through life via their own merits and hard work instead of hitching a free ride with a power they didn't earn, but these themes are pretty much forgotten by the time the actual story begins since at that point the characters just have bigger things to worry about. The whole thing gives the unfortunate implication that being different is wrong, and that you should hide everything that makes you special and unique if you don't want people taking advantage of you, which may have more than a bit to do with Japan's obsession with conformity. Even disregarding the uncomfortable implications of its story, "Charlotte"'s pacing could use a lot of work, as it is very inconsistent. The first five episodes are largely self-contained, mainly following the student council dealing with a super-powered individual of the week. Without spoiling anything, however, the story takes a very unexpected turn in the sixth and seventh episode. Overall, however, it isn't until the tenth episode (as in, the final third of the series) that we finally start to get some answers to many of the questions you'll likely be asking yourself over the series, and as a result you get hit with one revelation after another for the remaining four episodes, and the series suddenly goes by really fast. In particular, the final episode almost feels like it good have made for an entire extra cour on its own due to how much happens in it, and the ending felt pretty lacking. Overall, "Charlotte" is just another example of an anime that could have used twice as many episodes to make the most out of its story. Art & Animation (8.5/10): "Charlotte" is a really good-looking series, animated as it is by P.A. Works, the same studio behind the excellent visuals of "A Lull in the Sea" and "Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash". The character models are very detailed and well-animated, the environments are just as impressive looking and the effects of the various abilities are simple, but effective, meaning there's no risk of them inducing a seizure of anything similar. Sure, how good the series looks isn't always consistent, with some shots definitely looking better than others, but overall the visuals are definitely one of the show's greatest qualities. Sound & Dialogue (8.5/10): "Charlotte"'s soundtrack is generally good, but not fantastic. It certainly fits the series, but it usually doesn't sound like you couldn't find in multiple other anime. There are a few exceptions to the rule, of course, most notably the opening theme "Bravely You", the ending themes "Yakeochinai Tsuabasa" and "Rakuen Made", along with a couple of insert themes that are best left unspoiled. The voice acting is excellent, with Yuu being an early breakout role for Ray Chase along with Noctis from "Final Fantasy XV", and Lauren Landa delivering an awesome performance as Nao not unlike Mela Lee's performance as Rin Tohsaka (and I mean that in a very good way). Beside these two, the dub cast is solid all around, whether it's Lucien Dodge as the melodramatic Joujirou, Ryan Bartley pulling double duty as the cheerful Yusa and her brasher, tomboyish sister Misa, or Kira Buckland as the equally cheerful Ayumi. As a whole, the sound design won't blow you away, but it's one of the better parts of the series nonetheless. Characters (7.5/10): At the beginning of the series, Yuu is a protagonist who is very difficult to like, though that is undeniably the whole point. Not only does he take full advantage of his power to cheat on every exam he takes, but he even possesses a truck driver to have him nearly hit a girl he has a crush on only to swoop in and save her at the last minute. As such, when he has his actions exposed and he gets transferred to Hoshinoumi Academy, it feels nothing short of karmic, and from there he's forced to use his power for others and not himself. That said, it's clear that Yuu does have a conscience, as he cares a lot for his younger sister, Ayumi, and is a total pushover when it comes to making her happy. In fact, the only reason he even agrees to help Nao and Joujirou with their endeavours in the first place is because they get paid a generous amount for them, something Yuu desperately needs after his parents divorced and left him and Ayumi in the care of their uncle. Aside from this, however, there isn't much of an explanation as why he starts off as such a jerk, and considering several other characters have been through worse and didn't turn out nearly as bad, it rings kind of hollow, though he does eventually grow and become a better person. Essentially, if you ever watched "Death Note" and found yourself asking the question "What if Light Yagami was forced to use his powers for good?", Yuu is more-or-less the answer to that. Next up is Nao Tomori, the student council president of Houshinoumi and the leader of the heroes. While not as bad as Yuu, Nao definitely isn't what you would call "nice", being very much a "fists first, ask questions later" kind of person who has no problem beating people to a pulp, on top of being pretty cold and cynical. However, we learn early on that she has a good reason for this; not only was her brother, Kazuki, one of the many victims of the scientists, but the girls she thought were her friends in middle school were just manipulating her so she wouldn't find out what was happening to her brother. And if all of that wasn't enough, the only reason they ended up in that situation in the first place is because their mother put them there, all of which has caused Nao to develop severe trust issues. Of course, as Yuu becomes a kinder, more caring person, so too does Nao, and she can actually be quite the dork at times, particularly when it comes to her favourite band ZHIEND, which is the only connection she has left to her brother. Furthermore, while making herself invisible to one target at a time may not seem very impressive, it actually comes in handy on occasion, particularly when it comes to tracking people. While I did find her bossy, self-righteous attitude to be kind of grating at times, and I wish the eventual romance between her and Yuu had been developed a bit more, overall I would definitely say that Nao is my favourite character, and I definitely found her to a lot more consistently likeable and sympathetic than Yuu. Besides Yuu and Nao, there are three other characters who make up the main cast- Joujirou Takajou, Yusa Nishimori (nicknamed Yusarin, though mostly by herself) and Ayumi Otosaka. However, none of these three are developed anywhere near as much as the two leads, serving as comic relief above all else. Since Joujirou can't control where he stops with his ability, he often ends up suffering amusing injuries, and even has to wear protective clothing due to this happening so often. Personality-wise, he's a lot more friendly than Nao and especially pre-character development!Yuu, as well as more cheerful, even if he often breaks out in melodramatic tears over the pain his power has caused him. Yusa, on the other hand, has no control over when her power activates, and she doesn't even seem to be aware that she has one, so it isn't clear why she ends up transferring to Houshinoumi (which she does at the end of episode 3, the one she first appears in) or joins the student council. In fact, the only things we really learn about her is the kind of business her family owns, that she lost her older sister not long before the series began and that she works as an idol singer (her real last name is Kurobane, but she goes by Nishimori because she sees the former as unbefitting for the image of an idol). Lastly, there's Ayumi, who isn't part of the student council but is still part of the main cast. However, for most of the series, she doesn't really do anything of note, mostly serving as Yuu's conscience, though the running gag of her putting pizza sauce on everything she makes (and Yuu suffering in silence as he eats it since he can't bring himself to tell her to stop) makes for some of the funniest moments in the series. Besides the main cast, "Charlotte" has a fair number of characters, though most of these only appear in a single episode. While some of these characters did have touching stories, ultimately it generally takes more than just one episode for me to get attached to a character, and I couldn't help but feel that there was a lot more that could have been done with a lot of them, in particular a bunch of characters that get introduced in the last few episodes of the series, which I will not talk about as would give away massive spoilers. In addition, despite being the whole reason the series happens at all, the scientists are never developed beyond this unseen, malevolent force, and exactly what they possibly hope to gain from doing what they do is only ever explored in the bare minimum of detail, which may appeal to some people but didn't to me. Enjoyment (7.5/10): "Charlotte"'s tone is kind of all over the place. The first five episodes are generally pretty humorous and light-hearted in tone, with the bonus episode (set in-between the fourth and fifth episode) generally following suit minus one dark moment near the end, but things suddenly get much darker in the sixth episode, with the seventh following suit. While things do get a bit lighter after that and continue to be such for a while, things go to hell once again in episode 11 once we see just how high the stakes are, and the series ultimately ends on a very bittersweet note. Overall: "Charlotte" falls into the sad but all-too-common category of "could have been a lot more". It has fantastic visuals and voice acting, and some great music as well, but the story, while original, is rushed and poorly executed and the characters either aren't all that developed or take a while to warm up to. While it is ultimately a very good anime on its own terms, when put side-by-side with Key's other works, it simply can't compare. Score: 6.5+8.5+8.5+7.5+7.5=38.5/50=7.7/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Oct 30, 2025
Madan no Ou to Vanadis
(Anime)
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Overview:
While I don't see myself as someone who believes in violence, the fantasy battle genre is one that I have always found myself enjoying. "Lord Marksman and Vanadis" is an anime that falls into the "warring nations" sub-section of the genre, and certainly makes an effort to distinguish itself from other shows of its kind, albeit in ways that aren't necessarily for the better. It's certainly worth a look, but it also has plenty of flaws that make it a far cry from essential viewing. Story (6.5/10): "Lord Marksman and Vanadis" is set in a pair of Europe-esque rival kingdoms known as Brune and Zhcted, the latter ... of which is home to seven highly powerful female warriors known as the titular Vanadis or war maidens. After the Brunish king falls ill, a power dispute begins between Brunish dukes Felix Aaron Thenardier and Maximilian Bennusa Ganelon, which Zchted takes advantage of by dispatching Leitmeritz war maiden Elenora "Elen" Viltaria to fight them. She wins the battle easily, and the sole survivor on Brune's side is Lord Tigrevurmud "Tigre" Vorn, a noble and master archer, whom is taken in by Elen as a prisoner of war. However, as a civil war begins to erupt in Brune, it's not long before Tigre realises he'll need strong allies in order to stop it, and that his encounter with Elen may have been far more than just chance. The story's pacing leaves a lot to be desired. Being a war story, the series tends to have a lot of big battles between hundreds, if not thousands of soldiers. However, it's pretty rare that these battles are shown to us in full. In fact, more often than not, a good chunk of the battles are shown in the form of moving chess pieces while a narration gives us a brief summary of what's going on during the fights, instead of the battle simply being shown to us via the actual character models. Exactly why this was done in the series I can't say, but if I were to guess I'd say it was to fit each of the battles into the allotted runtime of each episode. It certainly doesn't help that the anime covers the first 5 volumes of the light novel series it's based off in only 13 episodes, when most other light novel anime adaptations of the same length cover only 4, 3 or even 2 volumes. As such, the story goes by very quickly, which often makes it very hard to keep up with everything that's going on. To give one example, in the first episode alone, Tigre loses a big battle, gets taken hostage by Elen, demonstrates his supreme skills with a bow, has some bonding moments with Elen and suddenly learns that his home territory is under attack, and the series really doesn't slow down from there. I mean, I'm all for a show that gets straight to the point but there's still such a thing as going too quickly. While the show's storytelling may have a lot of issues, the worldbuilding is at least pretty decent. For example, we learn that the vast majority of people in Brune degrade the use of the bow, since they view it as a dishonourable weapon that only cowards use, with Tigre and the members of his household being probably the only people who don't have this mindset. While this may not seem like much, it does at least go a long way to explain why Tigre is the only archer in a series where just about everybody else uses a sword or some other kind of melee weapon, which gives him a huge advantage in combat as he often blindsides his enemies with his choice of weapon. It's just a shame that the series doesn't think to explain other things, like while all of the Vanadis wear highly skimpy outfits even in battle, particularly when just about everyone else dresses in more practical clothing, women included. Overall, however, the story really gives the impression that it could have covered its content in at least twice as many episodes, and while the show's primary arc is wrapped up, there are still numerous unresolved plot threads even towards the end. Art & Animation (8.5/10): "Lord Marksman and Vanadis" is a surprisingly good-looking anime, and the show's visuals are arguably its greatest strength. The series has a highly detailed art style with very well-drawn character models and environments and some great battle effects and animations. Sure, the series is pretty fanservice-heavy, especially in regards to the Vanadis, but it's never to the point of killing the mood of the scene, and the series at least seems to know there's a time and a place. The visuals are especially impressive when you consider the animation studio is Satelight, which makes you wonder just where the animators of this series were during production of the first season of "Log Horizon". Sound & Dialogue (8/10): The show's music is alright, but I can't really think of many tracks that stood out for me, and I can definitely say that there are none that I found myself looking for after I listened to them. The opening theme is entirely forgettable and I skipped it every time after the first episode, though the ending theme is a fair bit better and I did listen to that one on occasion. The English voice acting is very good all around, though my favourite performance would have to be that of Caitlin Glass as Elen, as she captures each side of Elen's personality very well, though Joel McDonald also does a great job as Tigre. Overall, the sound design definitely does its job, but I can't really think of many things that really stood out. Characters (7/10): As mentioned above, Tigre is something of an oddity in Brune as he does not regard the bow as a coward's weapon, due to it being a long part of his family's history, and in fact it's quickly established that a bow is the only weapon he has any real skill with. Due to hunting frequently in his spare time, Tigre is an expert at strategy and stealth, which definitely comes in handy during battles. However, while something of a pragmatist in battle and more than willing to get his hands dirty, Tigre is generally a very kind and open-minded person, as he's never shown to be resentful of being Elen's prisoner of war and even asks for her help in defending Brune on multiple occasions, even if he refuses to outright defect to Elen's side, showing that he does have a sense of honour to some degree. Unfortunately, while he is a generally likeable protagonist who's easy to root for, he's not an especially interesting or fleshed-out one, as he ends the series as more-or-less the same person he was when he started, just with more resources and fighting ability. Furthermore, while I did enjoy the chemistry between him and Elen, their relationship felt kind of underdeveloped on Tigre's end, as even towards the end of the series it's still not clear if he returns her feelings or only sees her as a close friend, though their status as nobles of rival nations certainly doesn't help. What's more is that an archer protagonist is hardly unique, especially given how many movies there have been of the most famous example, Robin Hood. Overall, my favourite character would definitely have to be Elen. From the first episode, Elen shows herself to be a very dutiful and disciplined person, as when Tigre accidentally sees her bathing, her reaction is merely standing up and blushing instead of freaking out. She's also generally a very kind and compassionate person, as she always treats Tigre with kindness despite him being her prisoner, though her feelings for him (which she develops from practically the moment she meets him) do play a factor in this. Furthermore, she doesn't hesitate to offer Tigre her aid when he asks to help her protect his home, even if she does ask for control of it in exchange. Even so, Elen does have a more childish side as well, as she often gets jealous when she sees other girls getting close to Tigre, showing that in spite of her powerful position, she's still a young girl at heart. Make no mistake, however; Elen most definitely lives up to her title as a war maiden- not only is she a huge badass who is more than capable of defeating hordes of soldiers by herself, but she's also a great strategist and commander on par with Tigre himself. As a whole, while Elen does sadly end up out of focus in a couple of arcs in the series, I found her to be overall more developed than Tigre, as we get multiple flashbacks to her past that go a long way to explain how she became the way she is and explore her relationships with other characters, particularly the other Vanadis. Her crush on Tigre is also just very cute and sweet, and the small conversations they have throughout the series are definitely some of my favourite scenes. Besides Tigre and Elen, the series features a pretty large cast of characters. Sadly, the show's fast-paced narrative and relatively brief length means that very few of these characters are given any real chance to shine, and a good number of them are just there. Despite the series allegedly being about Tigre and the Vanadis, less than half of the Vanadis are given any real focus in the series, and one of them never even shows up in person. In fact, Tigre's maid Titta (who serves as the main source of comic relief) and Elen's retainer Limalisha both end up getting more focus and development than any of the Vanadis save for Elen herself and maybe Ludmila "Mila" Lourie, which is especially a problem since out of all the Vanadis shown, Mila is easily the most abrasive and it took a while for me to warm up to her, even if I eventually did. Additionally, the villains in general are fairly dull and cliched since, with one exception I can think of, they tend to have very generic and simplistic motives, and overall serve as little more than obstacles for Tigre, Elen and their allies to overcome. Enjoyment (7.5/10): If there's one advantage that the story's breakneck pacing has, it's that the show is pretty much never boring, with almost every episode having some kind of fight in it be it a brief skirmish or an all-out war. While there's never any real doubt that Tigre is going to win a battle, the draw of each of his fights isn't IF he's going to win, but HOW he's going to win, even if you can guess that it'll generally involve an arrow to the head. Sure, this being a war story means that there's guaranteed to be a lot of deaths, but it was never more than I could handle, and of all the deaths, there was only one of a character I genuinely liked. Overall: "Lord Marksman and Vandis" gives the impression that it could have done with a lot more time baking in the oven. The story is rushed and often hard to follow, the characters are likeable and charismatic but not especially interesting, the fight scenes are entertaining but not outstanding and the soundtrack is okay but far from memorable. The only truly standout part of the series I can think of would be the visuals, and even those aren't spectacular. Overall, I would recommend this mainly to people who don't mind women fighting in skimpy clothing or those who just can't get enough of fantasy war stories. Score: 6.5+8.5+8+7+7.5=37.5/50=7.5/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Oct 9, 2025 Recommended
Overview:
"Aliens" and "fishing" are two words that I strongly doubt you ever expected to hear in the same sentence, yet with the existence of the anime "Tsruritama", such a thing doesn't sound so implausible. First released back in 2012, "Tsuritama" is an original anime (as in, one that isn't based off a manga, light novel or anything else) that blends science-fiction elements with slice-of-life elements to create a series that's original, sweet, light-hearted and bizarre, even if not everything about it clicks into place so easily, with some parts being better than others. Story (7.5/10): The primary setting of "Tsuritama" is the Japanese (and real) island Enoshima, ... where the anxious and socially-awkward Yuki Sanada has just moved to with his French grandmother Keito. After initially failing to make any friends at his new school, Yuki unexpectedly piques the interest of another transfer student named Haru, who as it turns out is an alien from an unknown world who is on a secret mission on Earth, which apparently involves teaching Yuki how to fish. While reluctant at first, not helped by the less-than-ideal first impression Haru made, Yuki ultimately decides to give fishing a try, and he and Haru seek out the perfect person to teach them- Natsuki Usami, also known as the "Fishing Prince" due to being Enoshima's leading expert on fishing despite his young age and a native of Enoshima unlike the other two boys. And while the trio of boys bond over fishing, they get observed from afar by half-Indian man Akira Agarkar Yamada, a member of a top-secret organization called D.U.C.K., who are spying on Haru for unknown reasons. While not fast-paced per se, the series does get straight to the point by introducing us to all four central characters in the first episode as well as giving us a good idea of their personalities right off the bat, which is practically a must for a series that's only 12 episodes long. Sure, Yuki has no interest in fishing at first and it takes a while before we learn exactly why Haru and Coco came to Earth, but that's where plot and character development come in, and soon enough we begin to see the boys bond both with each other and the various people around them, particularly as Yuki and Haru get the hang of fishing. And speaking of which, as someone who can't even remember the last time he went fishing, I certainly appreciate how the series explains all the ins and outs of how fishing works and that it's not nearly as simple as it seems; the only reason Natsuki is as good at fishing as he is is because he's been doing it ever since he was a kid, and Yuki and Haru both take a while to really get the hang of fishing even with his guidance. Unfortunately, I certainly can't say that everything about the series fell into place so easily. For example, I felt that the whole "saving the world" plotline and the organization Akira belongs to kind of dragged down the series, since I didn't really really feel like they were necessary to the story other than to add some additional drama. The story is at its best when the characters are allowed to be just normal people doing normal things, especially considering a large portion of Haru's character development is him learning about humans and their behaviour while also becoming more human himself. As such, when the story ends up taking an unexpected turn in the second half of the series, I can't really say that it's one that's for the better. That's not to say the second half is bad in any way, but the parts where the characters are just hanging out and fishing are so enjoyable that I couldn't help but wish that those alone were the series, and overall the ending to the show felt pretty rushed, with multiple things just happening to work out to everyone's benefit. Art & Animation (8/10): "Tsuritama" is a reasonably good-looking anime, being drawn in a bright, vibrant art style that definitely fits the lighthearted yet wacky tone of the show, along with some good character designs and well-drawn environments. However, there are a fair few parts where things look really strange, with the standout example being whenever Yuki makes a demonic face whenever he gets nervous, which is supposed to be disturbing, yet just made me laugh due to how utterly ridiculous he looks. Overall, the visuals are good, but definitely by no means the best we've seen from A-1 Pictures. Sound & Dialogue (8/10): "Tsuritama"'s soundtrack isn't anything to write home about. It fits the series, but there isn't really any tracks that I felt like looking up when I heard them. The only tracks I can remember are the opening "Tsurezure Monochrome" and the ending theme "Sora mo Toberu Hazu", both of which fit the tone of the series very well. The voice acting is generally very good, with each of the major dub cast members' voices fitting their characters and them generally giving adequate performances, though Clint Bickham's Haru is easily the highlight. Ultimately, the sound design doesn't stand out in any way, but it does fit the tone of the series very well. Characters (7.5/10): Due to his grandmother's work as a horticulturist (someone who works in garden cultivation and management), Yuki has moved from one place to another for a good portion of his life, and as such has transferred schools many times. Naturally, this means that by the time he moves to Enoshima he's become extremely introverted, to the point that he struggles to even introduce himself, and he often feels like he's drowning, which is a very accurate representation of how anxiety feels in real life. Over the first few episodes, however, Yuki becomes more and more willing to speak his mind, particularly when calling out Haru on his more questionable actions, and gradually bonds with the people around him, who become the first real friends he's ever had. Furthermore, while he's initially forced into fishing by Haru and Coco, he soon starts to regard it as something he genuinely enjoys, particularly once he gets the hang of it under Natsuki's guidance. Unfortunately, aside from his crippling anxiety (which become less and less prominent as the series progresses), Yuki doesn't have many notable personality traits, and overall he isn't an especially interesting character on his own, with the main draw of him being how he plays off the people around him, particularly Haru. It's also never explained exactly why Haru chose Yuki to help him with his mission, since there isn't any reason as to why it had to be him specifically. Overall, Yuki is a very likeable main character, but not a particularly memorable one. Then there's Haru, who serves as Yuki's foil in many ways. While both of them are socially inept and recent arrivals in Enoshima, Haru's social ineptness goes in the exact opposite direction from Yuki's. While Yuki has great trouble speaking his mind, at least in the beginning, Haru is a little TOO eager to speak his mind, often saying things with no idea as to how they make him sound, and Yuki even outright describes him as someone who's always saying things that he shouldn't. To give just one example, when Yuki's grandmother is getting a check-up in the hospital, Haru tries to cheer Yuki up by pointing out that everyone dies eventually, not getting that humans know that fact very well, but that doesn't make it any less painful for them. He also has a habit early on of spraying Yuki with a mind-controlling water pistol (yes, really) to get him to cooperate, even though he could have simply asked him. To Haru's credit, however, he knows that his understanding of humans is very lacking, and makes it his personal mission to understand them better. It takes some effort, but he does succeed eventually, and overtime he cuts out his more questionable behaviour when he realises that it's not only wrong, but also unnecessary. In the process, he also becomes more human himself, even experiencing sorrow for the first time in his life, with him dealing with it about as well as you'd expect from anyone who's experiencing a new emotion for the first time. Overall, while Haru does do some pretty questionable things even late in the series and can be somewhat annoying at times, as far as characters in the series go, he ultimately stood out as my favourite. Next up is Natsuki, Enoshima's leading expert at fishing despite his age who works at the local fishing store and becomes a mentor to Yuki and Haru, albeit not entirely voluntarily. While Natsuki is certainly more socially adept than Yuki and Haru (granted, that's a very low bar to clear), he's nevertheless not the easiest person to get along with, being friendly to his sister, but ice-cold to those he doesn't know well and his father, whom he resents for moving on from his deceased mother less than 2 years after her death. He's also not especially fond of his moniker, the "Fishing Prince", even warning Yuki and Haru not to call him that at school. Overtime, however, Natsuki does begin to open up to both Haru and Yuki, and soon becomes good friends with both of them, though he's still not above cruel or selfish behaviour, even if he is quick to regret it. Finally, there's Akira, who despite his youthful appearance is actually in his mid-twenties, and who also happens to be an experienced fisherman like Natsuki. While he initially wiggles into Yuki's group of friends for his own reasons, he eventually grows to truly care about them, even if he takes a long time to admit it. Unfortunately, Akira's stoic, mysterious nature makes him rather bland compared to the rest of the cast, and of the four main boys, it's his backstory that's easily the least developed, to the point that we never even learn when, how or why he joined D.U.C.K., and it doesn't help that the scenes involving them are my least favourite parts of the series. Besides the main quartet, "Tsuritama" features a fairly sizeable supporting cast. For starters, there's the various family members of the main cast, like Yuki's grandmother Keito, a kind and wise woman who's always there whenever Yuki needs someone to talk to, Haru's sister Coco, who is more practical and down-to-earth than her happy-go-lucky brother, and often questions Haru's fixation on Yuki, and Natsuki's sister Sakura and father Tamotsu, who bring out the best and worst in Natsuki respectively, which makes for some pretty decent family drama. However, there's also a number of other supporting characters such as Misaki, the owner of the fishing store Hemingway where Natsuki works part-time, and Erika Usami, a classmate of the boys and relative of Natsuki who works as a shrine maiden, though sadly the two of them don't get much focus or development. There are also definitely some characters I didn't like much at all; for example, I found Akira's co-workers in D.U.C.K. to be more annoying than funny or interesting, since they spend a good portion of the series escalating various problems due to their paranoia, and I ultimately couldn't understand why they were even in the series at all, since they didn't feel necessary to Akira's character, let alone the story as a whole. Overall, the cast of characters is quite good, but there isn't anyone I'd consider especially memorable. Enjoyment (8/10): For all of its many flaws, "Tsuritama" still manages to be very fun and entertaining, with plenty of funny moments to go around and a very lighthearted and uplifting atmosphere, especially when you consider that one of the main plot points is an anxious, lonely boy making friends for the first time in his life. Sure, things get a lot more dramatic as the show goes on, but overall the series remains fun and wholesome almost from beginning to end. Overall: With its unique, quirky premise, "Tsuritama" is a series that pretty easy to get into, and it remains a sweet, highly enjoyable series for most of its run, with a good story, serviceable visuals, good voice acting, great comedy, and very likeable characters that develop in a way that feels both nuanced and believable. Sure, not everything about the series fits well together and the second half is a bit of a mess, especially the ending, but if you just want to watch something fun, lighthearted and undemanding, "Tsuritama" should definitely suffice. Just be warned that you will be in for a very, VERY weird ride. Score: 7.5+8+8+7.5+8=39/50=7.8/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Sep 21, 2025 Mixed Feelings
Overview:
The post-apocalyptic/dystopian genre is one that has taken many different forms over the years, but it generally involves a group of people's fight for survival in a future where everybody has it rough. "No.6" is an earnest attempt at doing something fresh with the genre, downplaying the science-fiction and survival elements in favour of examining a conflict between those who have everything and those who have nothing. Unfortunately, a unique setting and some great visuals do the bare minimum to hold up what is ultimately a rushed, if still respectable experience. Story (6/10): The story first opens in the titular No. 6, a city where people's values ... are judged practically from the moment they're born. Shion is a young boy who lives as an elite citizen and was chosen for a special education when he was only two years old, which when the story begins was ten years ago. One fateful stormy night, he ends up encountering a mysterious boy his age known only as Rat (or Nezumi) and ends up discovering that he's a wanted fugitive, with those who are after Rat quickly discovering that Shion has been giving him shelter, and as a result he is stripped of his elite status. Four years later, Shion now lives a quiet life with his mother in the suburbs. Shortly after saying goodbye to his childhood friend, Safu, Shion ends up being the witness of a horrific parasitic outbreak, and soon after runs into Rat once more after the latter saves him from a group of officers. Then, the two end up fleeing to the slums outside of No.6, after which Shion begins to question everything about the place he grew up in, not helped by Rat's insistence that it's not worth saving. "No.6"'s story suffers from the all-too-common problem of "good ideas, weak execution". Light novel adaptations are notorious for cutting corners when it comes to their source material, but "No.6" manages to go well beyond even those standards, ramming nine volumes' worth of content into only 11 episodes. That means the series covers only slightly less than 1 volume per episode, and as a result barely even scratches the surface of its world since it barely has time to slow down, not to mention most of the series tends to take place in the slums. The last few episodes in particular really show just how rushed the series is, with the ultimate confrontation feeling like it should have gone on a lot longer given how dangerous and authoritarian No.6 is shown be over the whole series, and multiple things still not adding up even in the end. Another part of the series that felt rushed was the gay romance between Rat and Shion. While some people may find it refreshing that a pair of people of the same sex openly confess their feelings for each other in an anime, the series sadly doesn't do a very good job of explaining WHY they love each other, given that it's consistently shown that their values and worldviews are fundamentally incompatible with one another. Sure, I got a decent idea as to why Rat likes Shion, but as for why Shion likes Rat? Yeah, I got nothing. It certainly doesn't help that the two of them bear more than a passing resemblance to Allen Walker and Yu Kanda from "D.gray-man", which is a surprisingly popular ship in the fandom of that series despite making absolutely no sense. Ultimately, the story is one that has way too many ideas given the show's short length, and could have done with twice if not three times as many episodes to really make the most out of its premise and properly develop its themes. Art & Animation (8.5/10): "No.6" visuals are, by a wide margin, the best thing about it, done as they are by Studio Bones of "Fullmetal Alchemist" fame. While there aren't too many character models given the show's relatively small cast, they are all very detailed, well-drawn and well-animated, especially during fight scenes. The environments look great as well, and do a great job at highlighting the contrast between No.6 and the slums by showing us the sleekness of the former and the awful conditions of the latter. My favourite part of the visuals, however, is the effects of the wasp virus, which are very unsettling and do a fantastic job at unnerving the viewer. Sound & Dialogue (7/10): Sound-wise, "No.6" doesn't have anything that particularly stands out. Large portions of an episode can go by without any music at all, and the music that is there nearly always slides from your memory the second it stops playing. The opening is so dull and lifeless that I immediately decided never to listen to it again afterwards, though the ending theme is a different story, and I will admit I did listen to it on occasion. The voice acting could also use some work; Greg Ayres' voice fits Shion, but his performance doesn't sound like anything I haven't heard from him many times over, while Kalob Martinez often doesn't sound right as Rat even though he does perform the role well. Add in the fact that some of the dialogue really made me cringe, and the sound design overall never manages to be any more than "decent." Characters (6.5/10): While Shion is by no means a bad protagonist, he is one I found myself having a lot of problems with. He's hyped up early on as a once-in-a-lifetime genius, having been recognized as a prodigy when he was only two years old, yet throughout the series he rarely, if ever, shows himself to be especially smart, with Rat doing the majority of the thinking between the two. He's meant to be the moral centre of the main duo, yet more often than not Rat is the one reining him in rather than the other way round, as he flies into a rage at anyone who so much as insults Rat, which he does as early as when Rat has given him no real reason to be so defensive of him. He wants to find a way to cure the wasp virus and save the people of No.6, yet at the same time he can't bring himself to abandon Rat (who hates No.6) simply because he feels "drawn to [him]", though this can at least be chalked up to conflicting loyalty. And while he is generally a very nice person, there are times when he can be TOO nice, such as when he promises to have sex with his childhood friend, Safu, when the smarter thing to do would simply be to tell her he doesn't feel that way about her. One could argue that at least some of these are intended character flaws, but even that's undermined by the fact that he never really outgrows any of them, and overall his character just felt very inconsistent. In sharp contrast to the optimistic Shion, Rat is very cynical and jaded, often to the point of callousness- while Shion will go out of his way to help most people, Rat very much has a "with me or against me" mentality, being willing to consider anyone who doesn't take his side as his enemy, which includes everyone in No.6 due to how the city has treated him. While Shion accuses him of seeing things in black-and-white, once we learn about all he went through in the past (which far exceeds anything Shion goes through over the series) and the true nature of No.6, you start to believe that Rat's completely right about the society being messed-up, even if the idea that everyone there isn't worth saving is still going too far. Even so, while I did enjoy Rat and Shion's dynamic relationship (in fact, it's probably my favourite part of the whole series), I couldn't help but feel that the romantic angle felt kind of forced, since their conflicting values made it impossible for me to see them as a couple. This isn't even a case of "opposites attract", this is more a case of "two very different people thrown together for the sake of the plot", and overall I feel it would have been better if they had just been friends. Overall, while Rat isn't an especially original character, he's at least consistent, and I found myself liking him a fair bit more than Shion or anyone else in the series for that matter. Besides Shion and Rat, the other main character of the series is Safu, Shion's childhood friend and a prodigy just like him. Unlike Shion, however, Safu wasn't stripped of her elite status and as such is sent to study in a different city early in the series, meaning she and Shion are separated for the majority of the story. As someone who maintains their elite status even in the present, Safu could easily have been used to provide a different perspective to the world as a way to contrast her from both Rat (who's spent his whole life as an outsider) and Shion (who used to be an elite). Unfortunately, her point-of-view is barely touched upon over the series and even when it is, her character revolves almost entirely around her feelings for Shion, and how they're doomed to always be unrequited. Words cannot describe how much it irks me that the most prominent female character in the series exists primarily to suffer at the expense of someone else's romance, never mind one as forced and artificial as Shion and Rat's is. Besides these three, the characters who are so much as named can be counted on one hand, and there isn't really an awful lot to say about them, so I think I'll leave this section at that. Enjoyment (7/10): "No.6" definitely doesn't shy away from showing hardships in its setting, with people in the slums having to struggle every day to get by, to say nothing of the horrific nature of the wasp virus. That said, the actions scenes, while somewhat rare, are very entertaining, particularly the parts that involve Rat. Furthermore, the tone of the series is overall pretty heartwarming, and while the story does have an overall bittersweet ending, it's definitely more sweet than bitter. Overall: "No.6" is a series that really gives the impression that it could have used a lot more time in the oven in order to truly develop. It has an interesting premise and world held back by awful pacing, the characters range from inconsistent to poorly developed, the soundtrack is almost completely forgettable and the romance feels forced and unnecessary. All in all, unless you're a sucker for yaoi or dystopian stories, then this is a series that you should probably think twice about before deciding to watch. Score: 6+8.5+7+6.5+7=35/50=7.0/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Sep 20, 2025 Recommended
Note: This will be a review of the series in its entirety
Overview: "Dungeon ni Deai wo Motomeru no wa Machigatteiru Darou ka", roughly translated as "Is it Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon" and generally abbreviated as "DanMachi", is a seemingly cliched fantasy adventure anime that nevertheless makes a good effort at carving its own identity, even if the title alone could very well put off some potential viewers altogether. While it falls a pretty long way short from true greatness and can't help but fall back on familiar tropes from time to time, this is still a unique and interesting series ... that you may very well end up enjoying in spite of yourself. Story (7.5/10): Set in a world where the gods and goddesses descended long ago to live among humanity, "Danmachi" takes place primarily in the fantasy city Orario, a city in which a vast labyrinth known as the Dungeon exists in the centre where people called adventurers (each of whom belong to the organization or familia of a specific god or goddess) explore every day to defeat monsters as a way to get stronger and gather crystals which serve as the city's currency. Bell Cranel is a 14-year-old rookie adventurer who, at the start of the story, is the only other member of the Hestia Familia, and has made it his personal mission to become the best adventurer he can possibly be. Overtime, he makes many friends and acquaintances, learns plenty of valuable lessons, obtains multiple useful skills and gradually becomes more and more well-known in Orario, all done in the name of attempting to impress the girl he likes, Aiz Wallenstein, a veteran adventurer whom he fell head-over-heels for after she saved his life from a monster one day. Before we go any further, I'm going to blow everybody's minds when I say that, no, "DanMachi" is NOT an isekai. It may have some of the same story beats of one, but it ultimately doesn't have the premise needed to fall into the genre. While Bell ending up in Orario and becoming an adventurer are fairly recent developments when the story begins, he was born into the world where the series takes place. As such, there isn't any culture clashes between him and everyone else because his values are the same as theirs, and he doesn't need to have most things explained to him because they're common knowledge in his world. While this may not seem like much of a difference, the fact that Bell is just another resident of the show's world means he isn't handed some story-breaking power out of nowhere, and he more often than not needs a huge amount of help from his friends and allies in order to get anything done, making the story a cut above the standard fantasy adventure flair. The series also has a great amount of world-building, with the series doing a good job of explaining how various things in the world work, like familias, the Dungeon and the standard routine of adventurers just to name a few. However, while the story itself is very interesting, the pacing of the series leaves a lot to be desired. For one, it isn't until near the end of the first season and the beginning of the second that the series starts to break away from the dungeon-crawling formula and begins to truly develop the world in both big and small ways, as well as the stakes of the series becoming significantly higher. Nearly the entire first season feels like little more than an introduction that goes on for way longer than it should, meaning unless you have a good amount of patience you may very well end up dropping the series before it even gets to the truly good parts. Furthermore, while season 4 has overall some of the best storytelling the show has to offer, if not the best full stop, the fact that it's the longest season at 22 episodes means it can certainly drag on from time to time, with a notable string of episodes following the exact same pattern, which left me pretty bored even if I take no pleasure in saying such. Ultimately, while none of the seasons are bad, and each of them prove important to the story, I overall felt the series had a good amount of fat that it could have trimmed without losing anything of significance. Art & Animation (8.5/10): In the first few seasons, "DanMachi"'s visuals aren't really anything to write home about; while there is a number of great character designs, with Bell's being a particular stand out, they aren't especially detailed or well-animated, nor do the environments look especially eye-popping. Things, however, do improve a noticeable amount as the show goes on, which starts around season 3 and becomes especially noticeable in season 4, with crisper character models and more fluid animations. Overall, as far as shows by J.C. Staff go, this is definitely one of their better-looking series. Sound & Dialogue (8.5/10): For the most part, "DanMachi"'s music is nothing special, with most of the tracks sounding like what you could easily find in many other entries in the fantasy genre, though there are some definite exceptions. The series uses six openings and six ending themes, and I enjoyed listening to all of them, but not to the point where I listened to them every time they came on. The voice acting is great; Bryson Baugus embodies Bell's kind, easily flustered nature really well, Luci Christian does a great job as the friendly-but-easily angered Hestia, and Shelley Calene-Black can go between Aiz's generally reserved attitude and her occasional dorky side without missing a beat. And that's just a few voice actors, with the dub featuring a number of great voice actors including David Wald, Hilary Haag, Genevieve and Juliet Simmons, Patricia Duran and Allison Sumrall just to name a few. Overall, the sound design is great, but it's far from amazing. Characters (7.5/10): When we're first introduced to Bell, he has already made it his goal to become an adventurer as powerful as Aiz so he can walk alongside her. The irony is that he initially became an adventurer in hopes of getting a harem (hence the title) yet ever since Aiz saved him, he's only had eyes (no pun intended) for her, to the point that he never notices the affections of any other girl. In the beginning, Bell is quite weak and can only handle fairly weak monsters in the dungeon, a far cry from a standard light novel protagonist who can solo almost anything from the start. The only advantage Bell has over his peers is that his blessing means he grows in strength a lot faster than everyone else- in a sense, he's comparable to RPG party members that start off useless but get considerably more useful the more they level up. Indeed, Bell's strength and skill set improves exponentially the more the shows goes on, though it's never to the point that he overshadows the rest of the cast, which I very much appreciate. As for his actual personality, he's very kind and forgiving (perhaps too much for his own good, since he seems incapable of holding a grudge) but also severely lacking in confidence, especially early on, though this lessens once he really begins to come into his own as an adventurer. The real highlight of his character development, however, happens in the final arc of season 3, where he ends up in what is easily the biggest emotional conflict of his life. I won't spoil it, but I will say that it really shows just how much Bell is willing to stick by his ideals, regardless of what he has to do to achieve them. Then there's the aforementioned Aiz Wallenstein, the object of Bell's affection and one of the greatest adventurers in Orario, being already Level 6 at the start of the series. While Bell is initially too nervous to even face her, they get to know each other fairly early on, with her even becoming a mentor to him. Overall, it's not that hard to see why Bell loves her, as in addition to being a total badass, she's also a very soft-hearted, compassionate and kind person, as well as surprisingly awkward despite her stoic exterior. Essentially, she's an older, female version of Bell himself, albeit a bit more cynical. Furthermore, later seasons heavily imply that Aiz returns Bell's feelings, which makes for some really cute and hilarious moments. Unfortunately, the fact that she's in a different familia than Bell combined with being one of the most powerful people in the setting means her contribution to the story isn't as big as you would probably like, and good chunks of the series can go by without her ever making an appearance. The other most important woman in Bell's life is Hestia, the goddess of the familia that he belongs to who took him in when he first came to Orario. In the beginning, Hestia is seen as a loser by her fellow deities due to only having one person in her familia, but other than picking childish fights with her fellow deities from time to time, she doesn't let it bother her much, and she's very kind not only to Bell, but to everyone else who joins her familia. The thing that I really didn't like about her is her possessive attitude. Even if Bell wasn't completely smitten with Aiz and Hestia wasn't old enough to be his grandmother (if not older), the way she basically acts like Bell belongs to her made me completely unable to see them as a couple. At one point, she even uses her status as the Hestia Familia's goddess to forbid Bell from touching any of the girls in the familia or vice-versa, which is a very blatant abuse of power. What's more is that despite being one of the main heroines, her status as a goddess means there's only so much she can do to help Bell and the others, especially considering deities are explicitly forbidden from entering the Dungeon, where roughly half of the series takes place. Throughout the series, Bell meets multiple allies who end up accompanying him on his journey. One example of these is Welf Crozzo, a young blacksmith who is initially a member of the Hephaestus familia (for those who don't know their Greek mythology, Hephaestus is the god of blacksmithing, reimagined here as a woman) and descended from a family with the ability to craft magic swords. However, Welf initially refuses to use this ability due to the unstable nature of magic swords and a fear of being taken advantage of, which is reasonable but still seen a huge waste of talent by people who would kill to have such an ability. Soon enough, however, he gets over his aversion and starts to use his talent as a means to help his friends, There's also Liliruca Arde, or Lili for short, a beastkin who becomes Bell's Supporter, whose job is to carry items like potions, money, maps and other things. Naturally, this means that Lili doesn't have much in the way of combat ability, though she can at least fight at long range with a slingshot. Personality-wise, there isn't all that much that makes her standout from the rest of the group, other than the fact that she tends to be more cynical, which actually works against her more often than not. Another major ally Bell meets is Mikoto Yamato, a samurai-like adventurer who is initially part of the Takemikazuchi familia. Out of all of the characters who join the Hestia familia, Mikoto is tied with Bell as the most combat-oriented, being a master swordswoman and highly-skilled martial artist who doesn't even need any magic or magical weapon in order to be effective. She doesn't get a lot of focus and development in the series, but her contribution to the main party is definitely valuable. There are a couple of other major allies of note, but saying anything genuine about them risks giving away major spoilers, so I won't. Even setting aside the core group plus Aiz, "DanMachi"'s cast of characters is pretty huge, having a huge number of gods from every kind of mythology you can think of, some of which are gender flips of their mythological counterparts like Loki and the aforementioned Hephaestus. What's more is that all of these gods are leaders of their own familia, which by design makes the cast exponentially larger. Sadly, the fact that the series focuses primarily on Bell and his associates means there's only so much time to focus on or develop these characters, and as such a large number of them are just there without contributing anything of significance, and even the characters that do get focus aren't always the ones you'll end up liking. Enjoyment (7.5/10): "Danmachi" starts off lighthearted enough, and remains as such most of the time, but it doesn't take long to become clear that this is far from your ideal fantasy world, with the threats to Bell and co.'s lives being constant and most of the major villains being absolutely disgusting pieces of work. The series also deals with some surprisingly heavy themes like racism, prostitution and the idea that sometimes a single person must be sacrificed so that a larger crowd can live. While there's plenty of excitement and humour to lighten the mood, some parts of the series can nevertheless still be pretty difficult to sit through. Overall: Few shows prove you shouldn't judge a work by its title like "Is it Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon" does, as what sounds like a trashy fantasy about a lecherous jerk is actually a deep, entertaining and surprisingly wholesome series with adequate storytelling, great worldbuilding, likeable, if not especially complex characters, exciting action scenes and highly creative set pieces. It's not a masterpiece in any sense of the word, but if you enjoy RPGs, fantasy shows or both then "DanMachi" is a series that you should definitely consider checking out. Score: 7.5+8.5+8.5+7.5+7.5=39.5/50=7.9/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Sep 5, 2025
Bungou Stray Dogs
(Anime)
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Note: This will be a review of the series in its entirety.
Overview: Taken at face value, "Bungou Stray Dogs" is a supernatural crime thriller that seems heavily inspired by the "Like a Dragon" video game series and marinated with the flavour of shows like "Durarara!" or "Baccano!", which would be all well and good on its own. What makes the series truly unique, however, is the sheer amount of homages it pays to classic literature, both Japanese and beyond, with every character being a reference to a famous novelist or poet. That definitely isn't to say the series doesn't have a good number of issues, but ... this still definitely isn't the kind of anime you come across every day. Story (7.5/10): Set in the Japanese city Yokohama, the story opens with 18-year-old Atsushi Nakajima on the brink of starvation after being kicked out of his orphanage a couple of weeks prior. While collapsed by the lake, Atsushi spots a man drowning in the lake and jumps in to save him, though it turns out the man didn't want to be saved since he was trying to commit suicide, something he does on a regular basis according to his co-worker. Introducing themselves as Osamu Dazai and Doppo Kunikida, the two men serve as members of the Armed Detective Agency, a group of people gifted with supernatural powers who specialise in taking on cases that are too much for ordinary people to handle. And not only that, but Dazai and Kunikida are looking for a tiger, which just so happens to be the very beast that destroyed crops in Atsushi's orphanage, which led to him being kicked out. And not only THAT, but the tiger ultimately turns out to be none other Atsushi himself, or more specifically the ability to transform into it is his supernatural power, which causes him to be seen as an ideal candidate for the Agency's latest member. While understandably shocked by all these revelations, not to mention being doubtful that he could be of any use to them, Atsushi ultimately agrees to assist the Agency in their fights against their arch rivals the Port Mafia, as well as any other criminal organizations that seek to terrorize Yokohama. One thing that's made clear right away is that every single named character and their powers are references to a novelist or poet; for example, Atsuhi's power is called "Beast Beneath the Moonlight" and Dazai's power is called "No Longer Human", which are both the names of their respective namesakes' most famous work. While this may not seem obvious at first to those not familiar with Japanese literature, it becomes especially obvious when people from foreign countries start to get introduced, with there being characters called Francis Scott Fitzgerald, John Steinbeck and Edgar Allen Poe just to name a few. As for the actual story, the first season is rather slow-burn, but this is something that ultimately proves to be to the show's benefit rather than detriment, as it helps familiarize us with the world, the characters, how the Agency and the Mafia operate, the powers of the organizations' various members and generally just what kind of story we're in for. And once the story starts to get going, things become a LOT more interesting and exciting. Being a seinen series, the show also deals with some very mature themes like trauma and the horrors of war, though the latter is largely regulated to the show's background, with the conflict in the present day never evolving beyond mob wars, of which there are many given the nature of the series. As interesting as the story is, it does have its fair share of flaws, both big and small. For one, starting from the second season, the series has a habit of starting each season with a sub-arc that flashbacks to the past of one of the major characters, usually Dazai's. While these side arcs are far from boring, and they do provide some great background to the show's world and characters, that still doesn't change the fact that the main story ends up being put on hold until a few episodes in, and so the actual arc of the seasons are shorter than you would probably like. In particular, the third season ends up covering multiple side stories in a row, resulting in the main arc of the series being a mere five episodes long, which is about half the length of the whole season. Additionally, the fourth and fifth seasons (which are essentially one season split in two) are kind of a slog, with much of them consisting of the Agency being on the run from a group of ridiculously overpowered antagonists while hardly ever managing to get any kind of upper hand against them. Furthermore, even towards the end of the fifth season, it's made clear that the series is still not over (with a sixth season having been already confirmed), even though it's hard to say exactly where the story has left to go. Art & Animation (8/10): "Bungou Stray Dogs" isn't an especially good-looking series; the environments are well-drawn and detailed, the character designs are very good and the special effects of the various supernatural powers look very believable, with Atushi's tiger transformations being a personal favourite of mine. However, the character models aren't especially detailed and the series does tend to make use of a lot of deranged animation during comedic moments, of which there are a fair number. Overall, it's a decent effort as far as works by Studio Bones go, even if it's by no means their best. Sound & Dialogue (9/10): "Bungou Stray Dogs"'s sound design is definitely the best thing about it. The series has a total of five openings and five ending themes, and all of them are fantastic to the point that I never skipped any of them, and I can't even decide which one of each I liked most. There are also some equally fantastic tracks that play during the episodes themselves, with a particular highlight being "Eye of the Tiger", which can practically be seen as the show's main theme. The voice acting is fantastic as well; Max Mittelman's Atsushi, Kaiji Tang's Dazai and Cherami Leigh's Kyoka are my favourite performances, with each of them capturing the various sides of their characters really well, and the dub has a solid cast all around, including Patrick Seitz, Erica Lindbeck, Jamieson Price, Vic Mignogna, Cristina Vee and Ray Chase, and those are just the ones I think of off the top of my head. Combined together, the music and voice acting make for an experience that's very respectful to your ears. Characters (7.5/10): Initially, Atsushi may seem to be a pitiful coward due to how nervous and easily frightened he is. However, it soon becomes clear that he isn't actually cowardly at all, he's just insecure. He suffers from cripplingly low self-esteem due to a lifetime of abuse he suffered at the orphanage he grew up in, where everyone called him a "good-for-nothing" as far back as he can remember. Learning that he has a supernatural power doesn't help with this, as not only does he initially have no control over when he transforms, but he has no memory of what's going on while he's in tiger form, and as such can't understand what use he could be to an organization that specializes in taking threats that even the police and miliary can't handle. Making matters worse is that his power results in him being a target for the Port Mafia early on in the series, which only further feeds his belief that he brings nothing but misfortune to everyone around him. Further disproving the notion that he's a coward is that he can always be counted on to do the right thing, and will never willingly abandon those in need, even going out of his way to help complete strangers on more than one occasion. Atushi's character development over the series is quite substantial as well, even if it does take a while to be noticeable. As he endures more and more trials and gets better control over "Beast Beneath the Moonlight", Atsushi gains more and more confidence and resolve to stand up to anyone who threatens his friends and home, and in later episodes the self-loathing nervous wreck who wholeheartedly believed he'd be better dead is almost completely gone, while the positive traits of his old persona like his kindness still remain. Overall, Atsushi is undoubtedly my favourite character; he's very likeable, relatable and sympathetic, and I really enjoyed his dynamics with the other characters, particularly Dazai and Kyoka. Then there's Osamu Dazai, who was originally a member of the Port Mafia before he went straight and takes Atsushi under his wing when he first joins the Agency, acting as something of a mentor to him. In contrast to Atsushi's powerful but (initially) highly impractical ability, Dazai's power falls under the category of "simple but effective"; called "No Longer Human", his power works very much like Touma Kamijou's Imagine Breaker in that it cancels out any other supernatural power he comes in contact with. Out of the show's many characters (no really, there's an awful lot of them), Dazai is easily the most important after Atsushi, to the point that you'd be forgiven for thinking he's the main character at times; in fact, the opening arcs of both the second and third seasons explore his past as a member of the Mafia, including exactly what motivated him to leave the life behind and pursue honest work. Personality-wise, he's best described as odd, with a running gag in the series being him trying to commit his ideal suicide. While this may seem tasteless given that his namesake actually DID commit suicide, he doesn't appear to be all that serious about it, and it happens less and less as the series progresses. Dazai is also unbelievably intelligent, to the point that no matter how smart the Agency's current enemy may be, it's almost a guarantee that Dazai will be several steps ahead of them, which may hurt or bolster his character depending on who you ask. He also doesn't go through a lot of growth over the main story, though again this isn't too much of an issue as he's already gone through his character development in the past. Ultimately, Atushi is still my favourite character as a whole, but Dazai is definitely a close second, and even in later episodes I was never sure what he was going to do next. Next down my list of favourite characters is Kyoka Izumi, a rather late addition to the cast who doesn't get introduced until about halfway through the first season. She's introduced as an assassin for the Port Mafia, but she changes sides so quickly that her doing so can't even be considered a spoiler. Her main conflict instead stems from whether or not she can leave her bloody past behind, due to being told that she's good for nothing except killing. This is due to her ability "Demon Snow", which manifests in the form of a ghost-like entity that attacks people with a sword, something Kyoka has used to kill dozens of people, though not entirely of her own free will given that she initially has no control over it. This understandably has made her terrified of her ability and very reluctant to use it again, even for good, though this fear largely fades once she gains control over it. Her character arc is similar to Atsushi's in a lot of ways, in that they both start off with very poor self-esteem but gradually become more confident as they gain more control over their powers, with their relationship being one of my favourites in the series, if not my favourite full-stop. Another well-developed character is Doppo Kunikida, Dazai's main partner and his polar opposite- while Dazai is a goofy cynic who goes with the flow, Kunikida is an overly-serious idealist who is adamant about things going according to his schedule, which he refers to as his ideal. Said schedule is written in a notebook that's also the source of his power. No, literally. His ability, "Doppo Poet", allows him to transform a page in his notebook into any item of appropriate size, as long as he understands its form and function, making it one of the more versatile abilities in the series. While he may seem stern and controlling, and he is, Kunikida doesn't call himself an idealist for nothing, as he cares deeply for his co-workers and innocent lives and is deeply saddened whenever he fails to save someone, which happens quite often, making him very sympathetic. Let's be real, though, I've only begun to cover the cast of characters in this series, which is honestly enormous. When I say that every character is named after some kind of novelist or poet, I'm not exaggerating in the slightest, with the majority of them having some kind of ability that's named after their namesakes' most famous work (e.g. John Steinbeck has a power called "The Grapes of Wrath" and Herman Melville has a power called "Moby Dick) and many characters are worth noting for the references alone. Unfortunately, the massive cast of characters combined with the series being currently 60 episodes long (not counting the OVA and movie) means that a large number of them don't get a lot of focus or development. Even a couple of members of the Armed Detective Agency only get a couple of episodes in which they're the focus, and there are also a couple of characters who I felt got too much screentime, if only because I didn't like them all that much. The quality of the villains also varies quite a bit, with the main instigator of the plot of the third season in particular being a huge letdown of a villain, though of course I won't say anything beyond that. Enjoyment (8/10): While it can veer into some very dark places, "Bungou Stay Dogs" is nevertheless a very exciting and entertaining series. The sheer number and versatility of powers displayed makes for plenty of highly creative fight scenes that are always enjoyable to watch. There's some genuinely funny comic relief to be found in the series as well, particularly whenever Dazai and Kunikida are getting on each other's nerves, which happens a lot due to their clashing personalities. Even the parts where the Agency are being chased endlessly are entertaining in their own right, as it makes for some great suspense. Overall: While it may not be something totally unrecognizable, "Bungou Stray Dogs" nevertheless succeeds in forging its own identity, and is a series that should appeal to fans of crime shows and the supernatural alike, with a good story, interesting, well-developed characters, fantastic music, exciting action scenes and great comedy. Sure, the series can drag a bit from time to time, especially in later seasons, and the art and animation definitely aren't the best, but this is still an interesting, likeable, fun and unique series that any literature buff should definitely check out. Score: 7.5+8+9+7.5+8=40/50=8.0/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Aug 2, 2025 Recommended
Note: This will be a review of the whole series, including "The Final Act".
Overview: Every anime fan has a specific anime that they cherish above all others, and in many cases it's not even necessarily the one everyone else loves. In my case, that anime is "Inuyasha", an absolutely breathtaking fantasy adventure animated by Sunrise and based on the manga by the famous Rumiko Takahashi, with just about everything a show could possibly need to make it compelling and enjoyable, whether it be action, comedy, romance or horror. The result is a series that is both uniquely great and near-flawless, and has in many ways set ... my standards for anime in general. Story & World (10/10): For as long as she can remember, modern-day teenager Kagome Higurashi has been told legends by her eccentric grandfather about the Shikon Jewel, though she has spend her whole life believing they were only stories. That is, until her fifteenth birthday, where a monstrous demon emerges from the well located at her family's shrine and pulls Kagome through it. Emerging from the well, Kagome discovers that she has ended up in the Warring States era, which also happens to be inhabited by all kinds of humanoid and animal-like demons. Soon after, Kagome comes across and ends up freeing a young man named Inuyasha, who is a dog demon-human hybrid. And not only that, she discovers that the Shikon Jewel, thought to be lost for centuries, has been reborn inside her body, and is the carnal desire of many demons, Inuyasha himself included. And not only THAT, Kagome ends up shattering the jewel into a thousand pieces in a botched attempt to retrieve it, so she and Inuyasha will need to find them all in order to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands. Initially, Kagome is highly reluctant, wanting nothing more than to go home, which she can actually do simply by jumping into the well again, but ultimately her conscience gets the better of her, and she and Inuyasha agree to set aside their differences in order to find the jewel shards, making countless friends, allies and enemies along the way. Part of what makes Inuyasha's story so brilliant is that it isn't really about a group of people collecting jewel shards. Rather, it's about a group of people fighting demons, helping people, exploring feudal Japan, getting stronger, investigating rumours and (in Kagome's case) getting through school WHILE they collect jewel shards which is an important distinction. At no point does the series ever feel like a standard "gotta catch 'em all" story we've likely all heard more than a few times in our lives, with the hunt for the jewel shards being just one small part of a much grander design. A lot of people believe that the series is a lot longer than it needed to be, and while I do agree with that, it's nevertheless proof that that doesn't have to be a bad thing. When the series isn't focusing on the main plot, it's instead focusing on developing the world and characters in both big and small ways, or treating the audience to some cool, hilarious, or just plain fluffy sub-plots. Could they have achieved the same effect by cutting the series to two-thirds or even half the length? Possibly, but that would mean cutting out a large number of episodes, and speaking for myself I can count the episodes I didn't enjoy to some extent on one hand, with the show's best episodes blowing the majority of those found in regular-length anime out of the water. There are also a huge number of twists and turns, with virtually nothing you hear in the first few episodes turning out to be true, and the series still managing to pull huge revelations even as late as "The Final Act". But what really elevates the story from a great one to an incredible one is the themes. Watching "Inuyasha" taught me the most important lesson I've ever had to learn, namely that treating someone poorly just because they're different is wrong and it never pays to judge someone before you even know them. At face value, this may seem like just an anti-racism message but it actually goes beyond that. For example, Kagome's first impression of Inuyasha is that he's whiny, a show-off and a total egomaniac, but as she gets to know him, she realises that there is much, MUCH more to him than that. The relationship between the two of them feels endlessly dynamic, interesting and believable, and the same can be said for the majority of other relationships found in the series. I won't spoil anything, but I would also like to point out that the anime's ending is easily one of the best of any show I've ever seen, to the point that it is easily worth watching the entire series to get to, and given that the series is nearly 200 episodes long, that should really say something. Art & Animation (10/10): "Inuyasha"'s visuals start off great-looking and only improve in quality the more the show goes on. The series began back when purely hand-drawn animation was going out of fashion, and it shows as the first half of the series has a beautifully detailed hand-drawn style that could give even "Cowboy Bebop" a run for its money (fitting, given that they're animated by the same people), with fantastic-looking character models and environments, great monster design and fantastic special effects. Starting from episode 99 onwards, the art style shifts to a digitally animated one which looks even better, and this particular style gets improved upon further for "The Final Act", which is easily one of the best-looking anime seasons I have yet to see. On a side note, one thing you'll quickly notice is that there's next to no deranged animation, even during the more comedic scenes, and the series looks all the better for it. Sound & Dialogue (9.5/10): If there's one part of the series that didn't instantly captivate me, it's the music. That's not to say it's bad by any means, but the battle music isn't always that great, with "Attack on Titan" and "Fairy Tail" among others being notably better in that regard, though are still plenty of great tracks, especially late in the series. There are a lot of opening and ending themes (seven openings and elven ending themes in total) and while all of them are great, there are some I definitely liked a lot more than others. Sound-wise, the real draw of the series is the voice acting; rather than the standard Texas or L.A. dub you'd hear in other big anime, "Inuyasha" was dubbed in Canada, so the dub features lesser-known talents like Richard Ian Cox as Inuyasha, Moneca Stori as Kagome, Kirby Morrow as Miroku and Kelly Sheridan as Sango, with each of their voices feeling distinct and fitting their respective characters perfectly, though the cast in general is fantastic, as well as having probably my favourite villain performance in any anime. Sure, a few voices did end up getting replaced for "The Final Act", but the new voices are similar enough that you'll barely notice the difference. Characters (10/10): Of course, no masterpiece of an anime is complete without amazing characters, and thankfully "Inuyasha" has those in spades, with Inuyasha himself being easily one of the best. He's not likeable at first, but it isn't long before he starts to show some depth to him and we begin to understand how he became the way he is. In fact, Inuyasha's past is awful enough that just about every negative trait he has can be explained by it. Refusing to admit when something's his fault? He was blamed for all sorts of things that weren't his fault. Emotional maturity of a seven-year-old? Growing up without any parents will do that to you. Refusing to run away even when it's the sensible thing to do? He was chased constantly as a child, and years of that has clearly made him hate looking like a coward. Even his claim early on that he's one of the people who would use the Shikon Jewel to bring disaster is just him embracing the negative image forced upon him by humans and demons alike, as opposed to actually enjoying being a villain. As a half-demon who's rejected by both demons and humans, Inuyasha can easily be read as a metaphor for the struggles of a biracial person- not being accepted by either side of your culture, having even family treat you less, and having to struggle with your own identity. While he may claim otherwise, Inuyasha's desire to use the jewel to become all-demon is mainly so he can finally have a place to belong, and this desire slowly fades as he meets and interacts with those who accept him as a half-demon, Kagome in particular. In general, Inuyasha goes through a massive amount of character development over the series, which is subtle in the beginning but becomes very apparent over the course of dozens of episodes. He's also a huge badass, being more than capable of holding his own both with and without his demonic sword, the Tessaiga, which he obtains very early on. He also becomes more and more of a powerhouse as the series goes on, particularly as he adds more techniques to the Tessaiga. As a whole, Inuyasha is an amazingly complex character and I really grew to love him over the show's incredibly lengthy runtime. You would think that with all that I've said, there's no way the series could have a better character than Inuyasha, but in truth it has exactly that in the form of Kagome Higurashi. While Inuyasha is the title character, it's Kagome whose perspective the story is primarily told from, which is a smart move since she starts off knowing nothing about feudal Japan or demons and so as she learns things, we do as well. Make no mistake, though, Kagome is definitely not an ordinary teenager; as we learn early on, she's the reincarnation of Inuyasha's first love, Kikyo, who pinned him to a tree fifty years before the story began, and so has inherited her priestess powers, allowing her to sense nearby jewel shards and purify both them and demons. That said, she and Kikyo are very different people, and Kagome rightfully insists that she is her own person, with Inuyasha himself taking a while to accept this. Besides this particular sore spot, Kagome is an incredibly kind-hearted girl, which only becomes more apparent the more the series goes on. As someone who grew up in the modern day, Kagome is generally horrified by the wanton destruction found in the feudal era, and she goes out of her way to help anyone she can while also encouraging her friends to do the same. In general, Kagome proves herself to be a very positive influence on just about everyone she befriends, especially Inuyasha, with their eventual romance being easily one of my favourite parts of the entire series. Part of what makes it so great is that, without giving too much away, Kagome develops feelings of jealousy in regards to Inuyasha, but this is treated as a perfectly normal feeling that anyone would have. It's really refreshing to have this point made in an anime, and to have it be made by a 15-year-old girl, no less. At the time I watched the series, I was way too used to people pushing the idea that jealousy is a sign that what you're feeling is possession rather than love. In terms of combat prowess, Kagome's growth surpasses that of Inuyasha or anyone else in the series for that matter, being a complete amateur with a bow in the beginning but eventually becoming skilled enough that she basically always hits her target, though her powers definitely help out in that regard. In short, Kagome is not only my favourite character in the series, she's my favourite animated character of all time. There, I said it. Throughout their journey, Kagome and Inuyasha meet and befriend a number of people who end up joining them on their journey. My favourite of these is Miroku, a monk who is searching for a demon that cursed his family with a phenomenon known as the Wind Tunnel, which sucks in everything in its path but is also slowly killing him, not unlike Ashitaka's curse in "Princess Mononoke". Personality-wise, he is very unpredictable, in that you almost never know just what he's going to do next. While he is as dedicated to helping those in need as any man of religion should be, he's also very lecherous, with a running gag in the series being him frequently asking women he's just met to bear his children. However, it's established quickly that he has a good reason for it, that being that he needs a child to carry on his family's tradition, which in those days was pretty much a must. What's more is that when you look past this particular trait of his, Miroku is generally a very kind and polite person, as well as the most mature of the group, with even his tendency to rip people off being a way to provide for himself and his friends, even if they're often not pleased with him doing so. What's more is that he sheds his worst traits as time goes on, particularly as he starts to fall in love for real, specifically with Sango, a girl from a village that makes a living slaying demons which is destroyed early on, which in turn leads to her joining the others, and rather quickly becoming Kagome's best friend (with Inuyasha and Miroku eventually becoming the same, though their relationship is a lot more belligerent). What makes Sango unique among the main cast is that she's the only one with no demonic or spiritual power to speak of. Instead, she makes it through battles with nothing more than weapons, experience and a massive amount of strength that you would never expect someone of her size and build to have. Her weapon of choice is a giant boomerang called Hiraikotsu, which she is consistently able to throw and recall with astounding ease, though she has plenty of other weapons as well. As for her actual personality, she's generally reasonable and compassionate, but overall more no-nonsense than Kagome, particularly when Miroku is having a moment. Sure, she does make some rather poor decisions over the series, but given the circumstances said decisions are very understandable, and overall she is easily one of the most tragic characters in the whole series. With Sango also comes her pet cat, and when I say "cat", I mean a two-tailed cat-like demon (or nekomata as they're known as in Japanese folklore) called Kirara, who is surprisingly intelligent as well as sentient. It must sound strange that a demon and a demon slayer have such a close relationship, but the two of them are pretty much inseparable, though Kirara quickly becomes fond of the others as well. She can't speak, but her expressions and the tone of the sounds she makes often make it easy to tell what she's thinking. While she looks like an adorable kitten most of the time, she has the ability to transform into a much larger form that resembles a saber-tooth tiger, which is able to fly through the air, is very fast and strong and is resistant to fire on top of that. Overall, she feels like just as much a member of the party as anybody else, which is quite rare for a team pet. Lastly, there's Shippo, an orphaned fox demon child who is actually the first person to join Inuyasha and Kagome on their journey. Being both a fox and a child, Shippo is very mischievous, often playing pranks on Inuyasha, which often causes Inuyasha to lash out at him in return, though they do care about each other, and Shippo grows to think of his friends like family. While he doesn't have much in terms of raw power, his illusion powers do help out the party many times, increasingly so as the show progresses. He also goes through a fair amount of character development, overtime showing off traits that he clearly picked up from his companions while also learning from their mistakes. That said, Shippo is overall my least favourite of the main characters, if only for the simple fact that someone has to be. Beyond the main six, "Inuyasha" also has a number of very important characters, though saying anything about them risks giving away major spoilers, so it's best that you discover them for yourself. I will say however that even characters that were around for two or three episodes managed to leave an impression on me, which is really a testament to the show's amazing writing. As for the villains, I absolutely hated the guts of many of them, but that was undeniably the whole point. Enjoyment (10/10): Despite the rather bleak setting, "Inuyasha" generally maintains a very optimistic and hopeful tone throughout, with plenty of funny and heartwarming moments to balance out all the action and horror, and the truly heartbreaking scenes being few and far between. The series can also be downright lighthearted at times, particularly whenever Kagome returns to the modern world for school or any other reason, which nearly always results in Inuyasha following her, with many of these modern-day episodes being just as memorable and enjoyable as the ones set in feudal Japan. And even when things do get dark, which is quite often, it's always with purpose and the show never overdoes it. Overall: It's commonly believed that an anime either dies a masterpiece or lives long enough to see itself become trash. "Inuyasha", however, takes a third option- it lives long and prospers. Incredible story, gorgeous visuals, great music, amazing voice acting, unforgettable characters, brilliant action scenes, hilarious comedy... "Inuyasha" has all of those and then some, and really knows how to use the long runtime it's been given. This is, bar none, the best anime I have ever seen, a distinction that's highly unlikely to be topped at any time in the foreseeable future, and a show that I believe everyone should watch, anime fan or not. Score: 10+10+9.5+10+10=49.5/50=9.9/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Jul 23, 2025
Sakura-sou no Pet na Kanojo
(Anime)
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Overview:
Take one good look at "The Pet Girl of Sakurasou" and you'll probably think that it's just a quirky slice-of-life comedy about quirky teenagers doing quirky things. Actually watching the series, on the other hand, will tell you that it is so much more than that, being a surprisingly deep study of the conflict between those who have talent and those who don't. This seemingly simple touch elevates what could have been just another school life comedy into a show that is just as complex as it is charming, and it is easily a cut above the majority of other slice-of-life anime I have seen. Story ... (8.5/10): "The Pet Girl of Sakurasou" is set primarily in the titular Sakura Hall, a run-down dormitory that hosts the "problem students" of Suimei University of the Arts. These include eccentric animator Misaki Kamiigusa, shut-in gynophobe and genius programmer Ryuunosuke Akasaka, smooth-talking ladies' man and aspiring writer Jin Mitaka and Sorata Kanda who... can't resist taking home any stray cat he comes across, and is otherwise a perfectly normal guy. Given the dorm's rather bad reputation, Sorata is desperate to leave so that he won't be seen as a weirdo. However, his plans end up getting delayed with the arrival of a new resident. She is Mashiro Shiina, a teenage girl who has spent much of her life living abroad in England and the cousin of Sakura Hall's dorm supervisor, Chihiro Sengoku. Supremely talented in art but completely unable to take care of herself, Mashiro ends up needing someone to look after her, and that "someone" ends up being Sorata himself much to his annoyance. Little does Sorata realise, however, just how much this chance encounter will end up impacting his life. The main theme of the story is that, contrary to what many would like to believe, not everyone is equal. Working hard for something does not mean you're guaranteed any reward and people can and will be better than you without even trying. While such a theme is hardly unique, the way it's explored in the story is, namely it shows the consequences of such a truth and how those with talent end up hurting those who don't, often without realising it, and vice-versa. The prime example of this is Mashiro herself, whom we learn became the envy of many of her peers back in England due to her incredible talent for painting, to the point that many of them ended up quitting once they realised they'd never be as good as her, something Mashiro never realised and makes her feel awful once she learns it. And that's just one example, with several characters over the series being forced to face the fact that their efforts can and will often end up being for nothing, especially in such a competitive society. That said, those who choose to simply give up are portrayed as being the ones in the wrong, with the series making the point that even if your hard work won't always be rewarded, that doesn't mean you shouldn't keep trying regardless, and being overshadowed by someone doesn't make your own skills any worse or less valid. In short, while the story may be realistic, it's not cynical. As good as the story is, however, there were a few parts where I felt like momentum was lost. In the first half, the story just gets progressively better the more it goes on, with us being introduced one after another to each of the major characters and see their relationships develop, with the twelfth episode being good enough that it could easily have been a season finale. Unfortunately, the subsequent episodes take a bit of a dip in quality, with certain character relationships feeling as though they took a few backwards steps in progression, which is frustrating even if it does make sense in the context of the story, and I can't honestly say that the characters' actions always made sense to me. The third quarter also establishes a couple of plot points that aren't at all important to the overarching story, and ultimately they don't really go anywhere. Even so, these episodes are still far from terrible and the show does pick up again in the final quarter. The ending is also very satisfying, and overall the show wraps up well enough that I honestly would prefer if they didn't do another season. Art & Animation (8.5/10): In terms of visuals, "The Pet Girl of Sakurasou" doesn't look particularly special at first glance, with a rather simplistic-looking art style. However, further examination will tell you that the series actually looks a lot better than first impressions might imply, with the character models and environments having a great amount of detail and the animations in general being very smooth. The fanservice is also kept to a minimum, and even what's there is played entirely for comedy. J.C. have always been pretty inconsistent when it comes to the quality of their visuals, but "The Pet Girl of Sakurasou" is definitely one of their best efforts. Sound & Dialogue (9/10): "The Pet Girl of Sakurasou"'s soundtrack definitely isn't the best I've ever heard, but it fits the series and often helps to emphasise the emotions of a given scene. The two openings and two ending themes are all worth listening to, with the first opening "You Brought a Dream" and the second ending theme "Prime Number" being my personal favourites. The voice acting is excellent in both languages, though some performances are definitely better than others, with Yoshitsugu Matsuoka fitting Sorata notably better than Greg Ayres. On the other hand, there are also a few voice performances in English that I prefer over their Japanese counterparts, most notably Luci Christian and Blake Shepard, whom I felt fit Misaki and Ryuunosuke better than Natsumi Takamori and Yui Horie, respectively, particularly the latter. For the most part, however, the voice acting is equally good in both languages, with both Ai Kayano and Caitlynn French capturing each side of Mashiro really well, as do Takahiro Sakurai and Scott Gibbs with Jin. All in all, everything sound-wise is great, which is helped by the frequently hilarious and highly emotional dialogue. Characters (8.5/10): While Sorata comes off as rather plain in comparison to his eccentric dormmates, that is undeniably the entire point, since he himself states that he's initially the only one in Sakura Hall without anything going for him. While he starts off claiming he wants to return to the regular dorms, it quickly becomes apparent that the only thing keeping him from leaving Sakura Hall is himself, and he's either too stubborn or too much of a conformist to admit that he likes living there. After confronting this, Sorata starts to work towards a true goal, namely to be a video game designer, only to get hit with reality time and again when Mashiro overshadows him repeatedly. This only gets worse when Sorata starts to develop feelings for her, as he frequently feels like he isn't good enough for someone as talented as her despite being the only reason she can function as a human being, due to having to do almost everything for her. While he does keep his insecurities to himself for the most part, he does let them get the better of him when he's at his lowest, which makes for some pretty heartbreaking moments. Ultimately, however, Sorata is a very kind and friendly guy at heart, which is made apparent as early as the very first episode by the fact that he refuses to turn away any abandoned cat despite dorm policies against them, with his friend Nanami even noting how nice he is. He also makes for a brilliant "straight man", and his interactions with Mashiro and the other characters are always a joy to watch. As good a character as Sorata is, my favourite character is definitely Mashiro. In contrast to Sorata, who is quite average in all fields, Mashiro is supremely talented at anything art-related, but is completely unable to do everything else (she often forgets to dress herself in the morning, for one) and is severely lacking in common sense. It's because of this that Sorata ends up being assigned as her caretaker, which the residents of the dorm dub "Mashiro Duty". Additionally, to call her socially inept would be an understatement, as she often says things with absolutely no self-awareness as to how ridiculous they sound, which is just made all the funnier by her completely deadpan delivery. While she seems emotionless on the surface, Mashiro is actually a very sweet and loving girl, and once she learns just how much hostility she caused due to overshadowing all of her peers with her immense talent, she feels notably and understandably guilty. And in later episodes especially, Mashiro shows time and time again just how much she cares about the other residents of Sakura Hall, particularly Sorata as she becomes aware of her growing feelings for him. While she's never outright stated to be on the spectrum, Mashiro can easily be read as an analogue for autistic people, up to including the common (and completely untrue) belief that they lack emotions and empathy, which Mashiro absolutely does not. As a whole, it's hard not to see why Mashiro is used as the poster girl for the series (with the "pet girl" in the title referring to her) as she is easily one of the best parts of the entire show. Another highly colourful and loveable character in the series is Misaki Kamiigusa, Sorata's senior by one year and a highly skilled animator. Extremely quirky and energetic, Misaki has Sorata genuinely convinced that she's an alien, which is why he always calls her by her first name even though she's a girl and one year older than him, when he struggles to do the same for Mashiro despite her being the same age and her insistence that he does so. Despite her odd habits, Misaki is overall more socially adept than Mashiro (not that that's difficult) with the reason she's in Sakura Hall being her obsession with anime and manga, and she's a consistently friendly girl who goes out of her way to make her friends happy. However, while she may seem to be the most cheerful member of Sakura Hall (and normally, she is) she nevertheless has her own insecurities to deal with just like everyone else, particularly when it comes to her relationship with Jin, whom she's known since they were kids and she's been in love with for a long time, though the drama they have as a couple never quite reaches the same level as that of Sorata and Mashiro's relationship. There's also Ryuunosuke Akasaka, who doesn't appear in person until about a third of the way through, yet immediately integrates himself into the story really well, though it helps that he's technically a part of the story from the beginning. While Ryuunosuke may look like a girl due to his long hair, he sure as hell doesn't act like one- in fact, for reasons explained late in the series, he has a pathological fear of women and makes a point of staying away from them as much as humanly possible. In general, Ryuunosuke is very blunt and frequently runs his mouth with zero concern for the feelings of others, though the things he says are often just as true as they are hurtful, if not more so. While he's not especially important to the story's themes (he doesn't overshadow anyone nor does he particularly care about being overshadowed), he's nevertheless layered, well-developed and surprisingly likeable, as in spite of his attitude problems he really does care about his friends. Next up is Jin Mitaka, another third-year student and Misaki's childhood friend, though compared to her he's a lot more down-to-earth and is overall one of Sakura Hall's more normal residents, even acting as something of a big brother mentor to Sorata by frequently giving him good advice, especially early on. His main quirk is that he's a playboy, which is eventually revealed to be because he thinks he's unworthy of someone as talented as Misaki, with his constant dating being a form of escapism so he can avoid confronting his feelings for her. He's similar to Sorata in this regard, but compared to him Jin's insecurities and actions felt a lot less justified, and his character arc is one of the weakest in the series, eventually having him regress into a far more unlikeable version of himself, though thankfully it doesn't last forever. The last of the main characters, and also my least favourite, is Nanami Aoyama, Sorata's friend and classmate who aspires to become a voice actor. However, for reasons unknown, her parents are strongly against this dream, and so she ends up having to pay all of her own bills, resulting in her moving into Sakura Hall during the show's second arc due to the rent being cheap. Along with Sorata and Jin, Nanami is one of the most level-headed characters in the series, with her main flaw being that she's too independent for her own good, and as such initially can't wrap her head around the fact that Mashiro really can't take care of herself, though the two girls soon become close friends. In a lot of ways, she's like a female Sorata, right down to the challenges they face over the series. The main reason I didn't like her as much as the others is because out of the main six, she's the only one whose character arc didn't feel adequately resolved at the end, which is pretty disappointing. There's plenty of other characters, like the dorm supervisor Chihiro (who is best described as "Misato Katsuragi" if she were an art teacher"), Mashiro's friend from England Rita Ainsworth and many students from Suimei High and other characters, but I think I've said enough about the characters as it is. Enjoyment (8.5/10): From beginning to end, "The Pet Girl of Sakurasou" is a very funny and heartwarming series. The show has plenty of hilarious moments, particularly from Mashiro and Misaki, and Sorata's straight-manning just makes them all the funnier. While the series can be very sad and heavy at times, it's never without purpose, and more often than not these sad moments are merely used as build-up for an equally heartwarming one. Overall, the series is almost consistently uplifting and enjoyable throughout, and even towards the end I still felt like it kept coming up with new ways to put a smile on my face. Overall: "The Pet Girl of Sakurasou" is a series that could easily have been enjoyable no matter what, but instead it goes above and beyond to create something truly impressive. It has a great story with touching, complex themes, loveable, well-developed characters, charming visuals, great music, fantastic voice acting both in Japanese and in English, and a fantastic sense of humour blended with some equally fantastic drama. While it may not be the best slice-of-life anime I've seen, it's definitely up there, and I would definitely recommend this series to anyone who likes the genre. Score: 8.5+8.5+9+8.5+8.5=43/50=8.6/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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