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Shiki is a
S = Supernatural
H = Horror with vampires
I = Inconclusive to a degree with
K = killings...many killings.

Shiki portrays a classic supernatural thriller with a plethora of characters and sets a tone of intrigue and tragedy. Shiki caught my eye within the first episodes and I truthfully have enjoyed watching this series. I would go so far as to rate to rate it a higher score if I could, but the plot really determines whether or not the show is really truly a masterpiece, which Shiki felt like it got the short end of the stick.

Story: The story is simple. The ... setting is set in a peaceful village with friendly neighbors all being part of a close-knit family/community...that is until a new family moves into town. Well, from there, the plot becomes rather predictable, leaving few plot twists to make it truly memorable, but what I do like is that sense of nostalgia of going back to the roots of the old vampire legends of how things were carried in regards to properly "taking care of them." If you are a fan of the vampire genre, especially from the Twilight fan base, you will not find anything beautiful or deeply romantic. What you will find is mystery and a decent thriller because just when you think a victim will survive, ha..ha..nope, another one bites the dust. I will mention that though the story does not really pick up until about episodes 13-15.

Art: The art was unique yet it also reminded as if it were an adult version of Yu-Gi-Oh on steroids. It took some time for me to get adjusted to the animation style.

Sound: I love the first OP and the second ED. I mean, come on, who doesn't like Gackt!? The music arrangement plays well with Gothic undertones which adds more richness to the chilling ambiance of the series..

Character: While I don't have any particular favorite characters, the series flushes out main and secondary characters to where you know their personalities, backgrounds and lifestyles. I was also caught off guard thinking that the pink-haired teen, Megumi was going to be the main female protagonist, but I was quite mistaken. I became affected and sympathetic with a few characters about their own beliefs and biases in regards to themes of humanity, survival, classifying whether actions are necessary or whether they are pure evil and so on.

Enjoyment: Shiki was
S = Satisfactory
H = Horrific
I = Impacting
K = Kooky in artistic style and
I = Irresolute toward plot execution, which is why the rating is a 7 and not a 9 or 10.

Brothers Conflict was a breath of fresh air for me. Sure, it's a reverse harem, but it is one that isn't too flamboyant and with a myriad of personalities, this is a show that I could easily re-watch again and again. This show is not for all, but from what I've stated from another review, I am weak at heart when it comes to this type of genre. ;)

Story: So the protagonist, Ema Hinata, is put into a predicament in where she has to move in with 13 step-brothers. Yes, 13 of them. Her father is re-marrying and here is a girl who has lived ... most of her life alone, so the result is that she has had a lack of physical and social contact with her father. Now, you throw her into the mix and boy oh boy is she in for some surprising events. Sure the plot isn't too creative, but it's nice to see that the female is self-sufficient and not such a damsel in distress like in other shows I've seen.

Art: The animation style is nice, though not mind-blowing. It's nice to see the different character designs of each of the men and the one younger brother. Some wardrobe and fashion designs were thought out and sometimes it's nice to see a new hairstyle or a charming outfit on the characters you are viewing.

Sound: The show doesn't offer anything memorable in terms of music. Yes, even with one of the characters being an idol, I don't think the show really focused much of his particular songs. I would say The OP theme is probably the only thing that stuck out for me, which is sung by Nobuhiko Okamoto! That aside, we have a range of voice actors, all of which are very talented and that bit of fan-girl in me just goes *toki-toki* with various discourse that is portrayed throughout the series.

Character: For a 12-episode show, it's fair that they included all personalities and different perspectives of the males with how they view their beloved imouto (sister). Of course, don't expect to see flushed-out character development. Our female protagonist is a typical teen going through her goals and life choices; she's looking to graduate high school, but during the series, there are qualities in her that are quite passive. If she had a touch of spunk or another trait that made her more dynamic, I think I would have rated the character category a bit higher. Oh and let's not forget, Ema has a talking pet squirrel with whom she is able to communicate, which is a cute bonus.

Enjoyment and Overall Conclusion: This show is worth re-watching again. Though it's not my top choices of a reverse harem show, it's light and rather short, still leaving room for hope and a sense of mystery about various possibilities that could happen in the future. ;)

Pros - A shoujo, reverse harem that isn't flamboyant and provides opportunities for viewers to see many personalities of the male characters
Cons - Protagonist's qualities in some instances (imo), short series and lack of plot creativity.

Uta Pri has pretty visuals, a fair cast and somewhat catchy the music. The question is would you watch it? Well, for any fan of music and for most girls/women that like nice eye candy, I'd say yes!

I admit I am a sucker for reverse harems, but I am interested to see whether the plot of the series makes it out to be even more worthwhile or just another pretty show. I have mixed emotions about the plot because of the main character, Haruka Nanami. Sure, she is innocent and hardworking, and that's great; however, the truth of the matter is that in a ... real-life scenario, our lovely Nanami would not even get into such a prestigious school.

That aside, throughout the series you do get to see each of the prospective idols interact with her and you get to know them individually. Of course for any girl who's to say you can't love them all!? The guys were handsome in their own ways and you see their specific talents, along with small, rural town Nanami growing into a more confident and musical young lady. The animation is detailed and the colors are crisp and unique, which was another draw-in factor, but not the main one.

When it comes to the quality of music, I'd say it's just slightly above average. The songs are catchy and fun. Some characters (or actual voice actors) try hard to sing well. I can hear strain and some inconsistency with this. Some shine more than others though.

The enjoyment factor is above average as well. The voice acting really pushes through, though as mentioned earlier, plot and character value are those weaknesses. Since this series has a second arc, I will be continuing to see what develops as our potential idols shoot for the stars!

The Story: Seems all too common that a popular student would go for either a plain pick or someone with an unorthodox personality. I've seen this story flushed out before..., but I would have to say a highlight was episode two, where it was actually interesting and unexpected, hehe. Another episode that I enjoyed was the episode with Nagi-san and the encounter of the cats! You will have to watch for it. There are love triangles and the occasional mean girl -- there are always mean girls and gossip around the school genre.

Art: The animation was above average, but nothing extraordinary.

Characters:The characters stick ... out, that I enjoyed the secondary characters more than the main characters! IMO, I liked Kai-kun, Nagi and Megu-tan after she gets over an obstacle ( I will not say what, you will have to see).

Enjoyment: I did enjoy the series overall. There are some cute episodes, some comedy and the romantic scenes are not obnoxious as opposed to harem genres...

I'd say give it a try, if you want a more slow-paced, slice-of-life type of romance anime, but if you're looking for a better romance with plenty of comedy these series trump over Sukitte Ii nya yo: 1) Toradora! 2) Ouran Host Club 3) Kaichou wa Maid sama 4)Skip Beat

Also, "My Little Monster," which is what I'm currently watching, has a similar premise, but the main guy and gal characters are more memorable.

I finished watching Dance in the Vampire Bund. First off, the beginning was very captivating and I wanted to find out more about where this series was going. It pulled me right in.

Story: The story was pretty unique. A vampire queen wants to protect her own kind by having Japan save/pardon a small portion for her kind to leave peacefully to coexist with the human race. The other part involves romance between her and Akira, a werewolf. I won't say much else. Though pretty interesting, I felt like the plot was a bit rushed and the series could have been expanded easily to a ... 24-episode series.

Art: I enjoyed the animation. Plenty of action sequences, beautiful color detail on the females and eye color. Seemed to me the eyes were much of a focal point when looking at the characters.

Sound: The Opening Theme and Ending Themes were fantastic. I love the singer's voice. Professional, crisp and powerful. Dark pop to me, heh. Otherwise the rest of the series, I didn't pay too much attention to the BG music, kinda tuned it out. The high rating is only for the opening and ending songs.

Character: I enjoyed the main characters. Didn't pay too much attention to the side characters, with exception to Vera and Mei Rin. If the characters were flushed out a bit more, I would have rated the character value higher.

Overall Enjoyment: I particularly liked the overall feel of the anime. Vampires trying to coexist with humans, the theme of undying loyalty and seeing how far one promise can go....this series appears to have some cute, childish moments, but this series is for those over the age of 16.