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So I got really pumped looking at who was involved in making this piece.... and then got disappointment.

At the beginning, I thought, "oh wow this is a new idea" and I was in for a trip that would make my heart break apart at the seems. I was wrong since the story that followed it was nothing like the opening episodes of the anime. The story was bland and rushed, there was all the character development happened in the last episode of the series... the only good thing about it was the art.

The anime itself would have been a bit more enjoyable if there had ... been more episodes? To spread out the story a bit and give the characters some time to make themselves less minor. They introduced a lot of characters but didn't really expand on them, even the more major characters. Some of the major characters, like Lou, they ignored completely and made them into a sort of flat character even though her original personality is somewhat appealing.

If you want something pretty to look at, then this anime is definitely up there with character designing and choice of colors. As for a story, it doesn't amount to much.

Senkou Night Raid is a nice historical anime that centers on the time period between the two World Wars. The chosen time period is somewhat rare for animes since Japan did a lot of questionable stuff during this time period and actually still try to hide it today. It's definitely nice to check out since it tries to depict what happened during the time in Manchuria after the Russo-Japanese War.

Also adds a nice twist by adding ESPers to the time period, making them superpower spies. It's actually kind of vague as to what side they're on, but it gets a little clearer overtime. Adding psychic ... powers to a spy setting just makes the tension go up. Although I think they could've done a bit more on it...

The characters have a sort of cliche back story and personality, but I guess that's okay, right? I really wish the female lead stepped up her game (like in most other anime) and I also wished she had a better voice actor. I'm not one to criticize the voice acting, but it just kind of seemed like she was literally reading off the script rather than acting the part out. I don't know, it might just be my imagination, but the heroine has a lot of lines, so it might bother some people...

Overall, it's a pretty enjoyable anime if you're into all the war tension, political issues stuff. There was one episode where none of the main characters appear and it's just plot development on the main conflict at hand that nearly lulled me to sleep, but the rest of the episodes are generally action packed with some humor in them. The opening is also not bad, but not superb. The anime is also aesthetically pleasing and really brings out the mood of the 1920s.

I recommend it to history buffs.

The idea of royalty getting ousted has been a hot topic for many historical fictions, so the idea is pretty cliche. So if you think this princess is going to be a useless piece of baggage that is annoying, you're right! To an extent.

The amount of character development Yona goes through is tremendous. At first, you think she's an annoying piece of baggage but as she sees the world outside the palace for the first time in her pretty comfortable fifteen years, she begins to realize that what she knew wasn't all she knew. Plus her father is pretty hated on (like most kings I ... might add) so instead of returning to the palace, she works towards bettering her country from the shadows while learning the bow and sword on her travels. Yona soon begins to pull her own weight and even turns pretty badarse by the end of the show. She turns into your typical useless heroine into an actually really likable character.

With the addition of Yona and her quest, you have the side story of all these guys falling for her and her charisma/kindness. Of course the ones who get the most screentime in the romance aspect is her childhood friend, Hak, who also happens to be the strongest warrior in the kingdom and her bodyguard and her cousin, Soo Won, who was her first love. Of course, Yona is totally oblivious to Hak and constantly friend-zones him while is also accompanied by a merry bunch of more hot guys that also like Yona, but Yona is once again oblivious towards all the romantic action. It's totally obvious, but she doesn't know. It can get really annoying at some times, but at others it's pretty funny since the reactions the characters make are unusually accepting. The other characters cock-block each other all the time as well, making it very entertaining to watch the relationships that bloom from all their traveling.

All in all, I would have to say it's the characters and their relationships that hold this whole show together. The story is pretty cliche for it's genre, so I found little redeeming qualities there. It's the characters.

Think blood and dismembered limbs make the horror anime?
Well, they do, but it's not sickening.

Corpse Party: Tortured Souls gives the whole deal, from eyeballs being pulled out of the socket to intestines being cut with scissors. There aren't very many jump scares which is a big plus for a scaredy cat like me, but the graphics of the corpses can be uncomfortable for people who aren't used to such graphic images. I recommend watching this well after you eat or well before since this can get your stomach twisting and turning.

The story is pretty cliche for a horror story and if you've played the game, ... the anime leaves a lot of it out. Not surprising since they had to fit the whole mystery of the Heavenly Host Elementary School into two total hours of screentime. But they do fit the more important aspects into the anime and it's not lacking in the violence and creepiness the game brought us.

The only aspect lacking in the whole storyline is the character development. They have to leave a lot of it out due to, once again, the four episode cap. The characters themselves were pretty cliche in the first place for a horror story that's centered around a bunch of teenagers. The airhead, the occult freak, the delinquent, the initially pretty crazy guy, the calm collected one, etc.

Overall, in comparison with the game, not bad. For those of you going in cold, it's not bad for a horror. It's a nice short watch that leaves you staying away form giggling little children. Unless you disliked children from the beginning.