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I've noticed that a lot of reviews for this series say that the person who wrote them did not finish said series - sure, there are some people who have finished the series, but the first 11 reviews are by people who, at the time they wrote their reviews, had not finished the series. So, as someone who's finished this series, I thought that I might as well add my opinion to the mix. No, I'm not going to be comparing this to Gundam IBO, Unicorn, both seasons of Build Fighters, or Thunderbolt - I'm going to instead compare this to Turn A ... Gundam, which, in addition to being my favorite Gundam series, also happens to be in my top 5 (as well as the last Gundam series Tomino directed before G-Reco, not counting the Zeta Gundam compilation movies).

First, let's start with the story. While I do consider Tomino to be one of my favorite directors, I will admit that one of the common criticisms about him, that his narratives can be rather difficult to understand, does ring true a fair amount of the time (for me, the most notable case would be Zeta, although that could have been due to the depression he was experiencing at the time he made the show) - Turn A was an exception to that rule, since when I watched it, I was able to follow the events rather easily. I had the exact opposite experience with G-Reco; there were quite a few times where characters are captured by opposing factions...yet instead of being treated like POWs like you would expect, the characters were allowed to move around unrestrained. In all other Gundam series, when this happens (granted, it doesn't happen often), there is always an explanation - heck, even Gundam AGE did this right! It feels like this series was supposed to be the standard 49-50 episode length, seeing as how they try and cram so many factions into 26 episodes - yet at the same time, it felt like they somehow managed to drag a 13-episode plot out for too long. And the ending in particular made me appreciate Turn A even more - in Turn A, the ending was easily one of the best, if not the best, endings I'd seen in an anime. G-Reco has NO REAL ENDING TO SPEAK OF.

Up next is the art. The art in Turn A Gundam reminded me a lot of Cowboy Bebop's art style - while I would still say that Bebop has the better animation overall, there were a few moments in Turn A that made me reconsider my stance. G-Reco's artstyle is one I can only describe as a mixture between the animation in Victory Gundam and Gundam AGE - the former I consider to be the worst Gundam anime, and the latter was the first Gundam series that I considered bad (before anyone asks, I watched them in random order). I didn't like the animation styles in those series, so to say I didn't like it here was an understatement. I do like the character designs though.

Now, let's talk about the characters. Now, in most Gundam series, you have characters on both sides you can root for. For example, in Turn A, the Earth side has Kiel Heim, Lily Borjano, and Loran Cehack; the Moonrace, on the other hand, has characters like Harry Ord and Dianna Soreil. G-Reco has...to be honest, I couldn't think of any characters I liked (or for that matter, disliked) in G-Reco. I guess you could say that I liked the cast because I couldn't find anything bad about it...but by that logic, you could also say I hated them because I couldn't find anything bad about them either.

I guess if I had to pick one thing that I liked about G-Reco, it would be the soundtrack - now, admittedly, it's pretty much impossible for any composer to compete with Yoko Kanno, so it's pretty much no contest when comparing Turn A's soundtrack to G-Reco. The one part I would complain about is something that everyone else likes a lot, the ending - while I know that a lot of people find it pretty catchy, it reminds me too much of the second opening to Victory Gundam, and considering that that song currently haunts my nightmares, you can probably guess how I felt about this song.

When I watched Turn A Gundam, it started out okay at first, but it grew on me, and by the end of that show, I had a show that I was more than happy to add to my top 5. With G-Reco, on the other hand, I found myself seriously wondering why I had even bothered, since it was so boring that I nearly fell asleep a few times while watching it - now that would be fine if this was, oh say, Mushishi, but it's not. There were no moments where I was awestruck by how awesome the fightscenes were, or impressed with how much the characters had changed. I just found it incredibly boring.

If Turn A represents Tomino at his best, then I'm almost inclined to say that G-Reco represents him at his worst - key word being "Almost", since I have not completed Garzey's Wing (which I've heard is easily Tomino's worst work). I suppose if you're a Gundam completionist, it's worth a watch, but as for everyone else...you're better off skipping this one.

One thing I've noticed is that there are many different types of bad. There's the "cheesy" bad (see Batman and Robin), the "incompetent" bad (see The Last Airbender), and the "embarrassing" bad. But overall, there are 2 main types of bad: the "true" bad (where something that is bad really does suck), and the "good" bad (where something is bad, but it's so bad that it comes around from the other side and starts to actually be GOOD). If Master of Martial Hearts best represents the "rrue" bad, then Gun-dou Musahshi best represents the "good" bad.

Story - 10/10
The story follows Miyamoto Musashi ... - if Miyamoto Musashi was a whiny shounen protagonist dedicated to winning the heart of a girl, instead of like he's depicted in my current favorite manga, Vagabond. Now, normally I would get irritated because it shares the same name as the badass samurai, but that issue doesn't bother me since they use dart guns. Plus, I can look at it this way: he grew out of his immaturity and into the badass we know him for today.

Art - 5/10
Ignoring the animation errors, the art style is just...mediocre. It's just not a style that really appeals to me. It's just a somewhat...plastic style. The color is alright, but that's about it.

Sound - 10/10
This is where it starts to get hilarious - listen to the opening theme and then tell me that it isn't hilarious. No seriously: "WE'RE GHOST BUSTERS OH OH OH!" How are those lines NOT comedy gold?

Character - 10/10
What character? No really, I don't remember anything about the characters that wasn't hilarious. Oh, Miyamoto is a whiny kid. Other than that, that's all I remember.

Enjoyment - 10/10
This series made me burst out laughing when I first saw it. Watch it for yourself if you want a "so good it's bad" show.

Overall - 10/10
There is one thing I'd like to note: I can only find subs up to episode 4, so you're going to have to watch it raw afterwards...but it won't matter, since this show is funny without the subs.

RIYL: ...I actually don't know what this show is similar to. No, seriously, I have no idea.

Have you ever stumbled upon a movie that you swear is a rip-off, only you then find out that it actually came before the movie that you swear it's ripping off? Like for example: Despite seeming like Gordy is a Babe rip-off, Gordy actually came first. The reason I mention this is because Sword for Truth feels like a Ninja Scroll rip-off - and there is grounds to compare the 2, since Sword for Truth has the gall to label itself as having "The Best Sword-Fighting Action since Ninja Scroll!"

Story - 3/10
Basically, it's the story to Super Mario Bros. Except MUCH more ... violent, and much darker, with samurai and ninjas. While that might sound like it's a good thing, it's not - it's much stupider. Also, instead of having a likable samurai version of Mario, we have someone who's very hard to root for.

Art - 2/10
The art is alright...when there's no fight scenes. Which is a HUGE problem, since the fight scenes should be the most important part - especially since this film has the gall to compare itself to what I consider to be one of the best anime films of all time. Heck, I would give the film a high rating in the art department if the fight scenes had the best art.

Sound - 3/10
The sound is very forgettable. I don't remember any of the music, and the voices are just bland. I can't really comment on anything else here.

Character - 1/10
Sakaki makes Kirito from SAO look BALANCED. I'm not kidding - He doesn't even get scratched. Jubei from Ninja Scroll comes close to death several times, and that's what makes him such a likable character. Sakaki, on the other hand, seems like he's some distant ancestor of Golgo 13 - he goes around killing things and having sex with women. And while that might make him seem like he's one of the most manly characters in existance, he's just a joke - I would label Issei Hyoudou or Minato Sahashi as "manly" before I even thought of giving Sakaki the label of "manly".

Enjoyment - 1/10
I'm probably not going to be able to ask this question anywhere else, so I might as well ask it now: How exactly can a sword be "For" something, anyway? Like BennettTheSage said: "If it was Sword of Truth, it would be cliché, but it would make some modicum of sense".

Overall - 1/10
Just go watch Ninja Scroll instead.

Alternative recommendations:
Ninja Scroll, Afro Samurai...Anything with the Samurai tag that has a score higher than a 7 on this site.

Despite what some people might tell you, this is not a harem. Yes, it does have several women living with a man, but only one of them is interested in the man in question. The other 2 are just there because of the one who is interested in the man.

How big of an impact can a single phone call have on your life? Ah! My Goddess shows us just how big of an effect one supernatural phone call can have in what is easily one of the most charming anime I have ever watched.

Story - 7/10
The story to Ah! My Goddess follows ... Keiichi, who is very unlucky - he gets shot down when he attempts to ask the popular girl out, he doesn't have any money, and he has to take care of the dorm while his friends go out partying. One day, while taking care of the dorm, he makes a phone call like one of his friends asked, but he dials a wrong number - and he calls the Goddess Help Line. Belldandy, an absolutely gorgeous goddess, answers, and appears before him, explaining that she can grant him one wish. Keiichi, not thinking, wishes for her to stay with him - and his wish is accepted. When Keiichi's friends return, they kick him out because there's a strict policy against inviting girls to the dorm (some friends they are). Fortunately, Belldandy manages to find a temple for them to stay at, and a series of events results in the monk giving the temple to them to take care of. Over the course of the story, 2 more goddesses come to live with Keiichi - Urd (who wants Belldandy and Keiichi to upgrade their relationship) and Skuld (who's a younger sister who wants nothing more than to separate Keiichi and Belldandy - fortunately, she never succeeds).

Art - 7/10
The art is nice and colorful, which is just what I like about it. It just looks very good.

Sound - 6/10
The sound here is alright. I do remember the opening theme (in a good way). For those of you who dislike the opening theme: You just need to Open Your Mind, Open Your Mind, Open Your Mind....Okay, you can shoot me for that pun.

The dub is actually very good, and even though some may find Belldandy's voice to be annoying, I personally found that it added to the charm of the show.

Character - 9/10
The cast was what won me over with this show - Belldandy is one of the biggest sweethearts I've seen in any anime (she's basically who Haruka Shitow would be if Haruka was a goddess), and her relationship with Keiichi is one of my all time favorites. Keiichi himself was a very good natured guy - the kind that you want to get the girl in the end. And fortunately, he does. Urd is kind of similar to Aversa from Fire Emblem: Awakening (although she's, you know, not evil), and Skuld is kind of a bratty little sister - except she can be nice at times.

Enjoyment - 10/10
This is one of the most charming shows I've watched. It's a perfect show for reminding people of how beautiful anime can be.

Overall - 8/10
Looking for a good romance? This one will satisfy your desire.

RIYL: Ai Yori Aoshi, Sekirei, Onegai Teacher, Heaven's Lost Property.

"What is a Puchidol? An adorable little pile of cuteness" - Me, in this review.

The way I view spin-offs is that they have 2 purposes: to provide more material for the fans of the show to enjoy or to draw in new fans to the main show. If a spin-off manages to do the former without doing the latter, I still consider it a success. So, in my mind, the best type of spin-off is one that not only provides existing fans with more content, but also manages to draw new fans in. And PUCHIM@S has managed to convince me to try ... out the iDOLM@STER in the near future.

Story - 10/10
What story? This doesn't need a story. It's just a set of daily events that are really entertaining. Each Puchidol has their own special trait, that is apparently supposed to reflect something about the Idol they are a counterpart to (I say apparently because, as previously mentioned, I haven't seen the main show).

Art - 7/10
The art is good. It's colorful. That's about all I can say.

Sound - 10/10
This is a music anime...it'd be shocking if the sound wasn't good.

Character - 10/10
The Puchidols are easily one of the most amusing things I've ever seen - for a few examples: there's Haruka, who multiplies when water is poured on her; Yukipo, who literally digs holes and jumps into them; Miurasan, who can teleport to the location of the person she is thinking of; Chihaya, who bites people (especially girls with bouncy chests); Takanya, who writes down what she's thinking; and Afu, who loves rice balls. Did I mention that they're also really cute? Because they are.

Enjoyment - 10/10
I found this series to be adorable. It's a great time killer, and it's also really short.

Overall - 10/10
The snob in me tells me that I shouldn't even think about giving such a high score to a show like this, but I don't care. I absolutely loved this series.

Normally, I would end this review with a section where I say that if you liked X series, you should watch this, but honestly...I can't think of anything like this. So...yeah.

Well, since my last 3 anime reviews have all been negative, I think I'll write a positive review. And since I'm currently watching Diebuster as of writing this, why not review it's prequel? Since the 2 halves are very different, I'm going to be averaging out the score on most of them.

Story - 7/10 (first half gets a 5/10; second half gets a 9/10)
In a way, Gunbuster is basically half NGE and half Gurren Lagann - in that order. The story is basically what would happen if a female version of Shinji got chosen to pilot a robot to defend humanity, and ... had to go to a training school - at least, the first half is pretty much like that. Episode 4 comes along, however, and Noriko (our heroine) apparently started reading either FoTNS or JJBA, because she takes not one, not two, but THREE levels in badass, and pilots the titular mech to destroy the alien forces that are pursuing the Exelion (the ship that Noriko is stationed on). Afterwards, the story keeps on getting more and more epic - the ending, while bittersweet, is easily one of the best I've seen in an anime.

Art - 9/10 (it's consistent, so I'm giving both halves the same score)
The art has aged BEAUTIFULLY. It's really colorful, very fluid, and pleasant to look at. The animation is almost all I could ask for in an anime from this time period.

Sound - 10/10 (just like the art, it's consistent)
If you can think of a reason why I shouldn't give a perfect score in the sound department to a show which literally has the most hot-blooded J-Pop song ("Fly High") I've ever heard (and probably of all time), I would like to hear it. Oh, and the voice acting is great.

Character - 8/10 (really hard to score each half separately, so I'm giving both halves the same score)
Noriko undergoes HUGE character development. Remember how I said she takes 3 levels in badass in episode 4? If you want a comparison: She starts off basically being the female version of Shinji Ikari. By the time this show is over, she's become a female version of Ayato Kamina - except more hot-blooded. Kazumi is a really nice character - in fact, I'm somewhat convinced that she was an influence on the creation of Misato Katsuragi when NGE was conceived. And in my mind, Coach is the trope codifier for the "grizzled old mentor" in the super robot shows - and he deserves that role.

Enjoyment - 10/10
While RahXephon was what showed me that mecha anime could be really "deep", and what I've seen of Gurren Lagann showed me that mecha anime could be badass (I say "What I've seen" since I haven't finished it yet - but as soon as I finish Diebuster, I'm going to work on correcting that), but Gunbuster showed me that mecha anime could be both.

Overall - 9/10
I wouldn't say "If you're only going to watch one mecha anime in your life, make it this one", but I would say that if you're only going to watch one OVA this year, make it this one. It's just so awesome.

RIYL: Any mecha anime

In the early 2000s, there were 3 anime that came out that were extremely controversial. The first of these 3 is obviously Elfen Lied - which, similar to how Cowboy Bebop is the most popular (and has the most critical acclaim) of the 3 "Space Western" anime, is the most popular and highest rated of the 3. The second one is Gantz, and it's one that I wouldn't be surprised if you had or had not heard of it - it's the "middle of the road" title in terms of popularity and critical reception. So, what title is the Outlaw Star of ... this group? Narutaru.

Story - 2/10
Did you think that Digimon Tamers wasn't edgy enough to be a deconstruction of the "mon" genre? Then this show will be right up your alley!

The show actually starts off decently - it shows what you would expect of a typical "mon" show: our heroine, Shiina, gets her Dragon's Child (the name of the "-mons" in this show) and names it Hoshimaru. However, the next episode is extremely jarring - it shows someone attempt suicide! That's not the most shocking thing. I would go into further detail, but I feel that you should watch it if you want to see how shocking it is.

Art - 5/10
The art is actually passable. It's not great, but it's not terrible instead. I just don't particularly like the style they used here.

Sound - 3/10
The sound mixing is actually pretty good. However, the sound used is very jarring - especially when it comes to the opening. I expected a show that was basically Pokemon meets Mushishi when I started this. I got something that was basically Pokemon meets Mnemosyne when I was done with this. And while a combination like that is something that sounded awesome before I started watching it, the end result is absolutely terrible.

Character - 2/10
Most of the cast is very unlikable by the end of the show - the only characters who I really found to be likable were Shiina and her dad, since they were the only good people on the show (sure, some of the other people were nice, but Shiina and her father were the only people who didn't do anything extremely shocking in the show).

Enjoyment - 1/10
This show was way too jarring for me to enjoy. I found myself suffering from whiplash by the end of this series.

Overall - 1/10
Did you think the anime adaptation of Akame ga Kill! was edgy? Narutaru makes Akame ga Kill!'s anime adaptation look like Chi's Sweet Home. Did you find the original ending to Neon Genesis Evangelion to be a letdown? It will look like the ending to Gunbuster when you compare it to the ending of Narutaru. Did you find the cast of Gantz to be unlikable? You'll find them to be as likable as the cast of RahXephon by the time you're done with Narutaru.

I know what some of you are probably going to ask: Is this worse than Master of Martial Hearts (which, for those of you who have not seen my reviews in the past, I declared the worst anime of all time)? I'm going to say no. Mainly because this show does deconstruct the "Mon" genre without being guilty of most of the things that it's trying to critique. So if you're looking for a really shocking deconstruction, give this a shot - you might enjoy this more than I did.

Alternative recommendations: Mnemosyne, Bokurano, Madoka Magica, Higurashi

There are certain issues that it can be rather tricky to handle in fiction of any kind. Drug addiction, suicide, sexual abuse, etc. One of these topics is incest - and while some shows have it to act as a commentary of sorts, for every show that does this (the only example that comes to my head is Koi Kaze), there's a show that has incest for the sake of incest. Like KissxSis.

Story - 3/10
The story to KissXSis is a rather generic harem/romcom story, with the only thing that's really unique about it being the incest. The plot of each episode ... centers around Riko and Ako attempting to seduce their brother - and given the main "appeal" of this anime, you can probably guess what happens at the end. The story tries to excuse the incest by saying that Keita (our male lead) and his sisters, Riko and Ako, aren't related by blood - they're related by marriage. And I don't buy that excuse, because quite frankly, they're still related - it's still incest. You can get a flu vaccine via that mist technique instead of having a shot, but that still doesn't change the fact that you got a vaccine. At least the show has Keita's sisters be slightly older than he is.

Half of the events are ones that would work in a generic harem/romcom, but there are also events that are absolutely disgusting. For example: in one episode, Riko and Ako both make a good luck charm for their brother. While this sounds innocent enough, they do so by putting one of their pubes in the charm.

Art - 6/10
I'm not a fan of the style they used here, but it wasn't unpleasant to look at - it's passable. Nothing I'd write home about, but nothing I would condemn, either.

Sound - 4/10
The sound isn't bad per say, it's just pretty forgettable - the opening is generic J-Pop, and the ending is also pretty generic. The voice acting is...okay, I guess, but it's not something I'd say really stands out about this show.

Character - 3/10
Riko and Ako are generic older sisters, who only interested in screwing their brother - they don't even talk about normal conversation topics (I do not remember a single moment where they talked about something like the weather or how they were doing at school). Keita seems like he's resisting their efforts at first, but he then goes to reluctant to have them fall for him, to not having a problem with their advances by the end.

There was literally only 1 character who objected to Riko and Ako's efforts to seduce their brother - their teacher, Yuuzuki Kiryuu (and it's for that reason why I actually found her to be the one character I liked about the show), who happens to be a closet Otaku (I know that Otaku generally refers to males, but I forget the female counterpart), and she's really into cosplay (this is actually important during several scenes). Everyone else doesn't have a problem with it - in fact, the parents of the 3 main characters actually encourage Riko and Ako. It would have been one thing if they did this once as a joke, and then scolded the twin sisters the rest of the time. But no, the story chooses not to redeem itself.

Enjoyment - 1/10
I actually enjoy watching harems every now and then (it's not a perfect genre, but there are shows in the genre that I genuinely enjoy), but this was the first one that I watched (that I didn't have mental scars as a result of watching) where I did not have at least some enjoyment from watching it.

Overall - 2/10
I'd just skip this one. It's not really worth your time, and there are tons of better series out there that would take you the same amount of time to watch as it would take you to watch this one.

Alternative recommendations: Koi Kaze, Heaven's Lost Property

Now to talk about what I consider to be one of the best cases of the manga being superior to the anime, Rosario + Vampire.

Story - 10/10
15 year old Tsukune Aono enrolls at the Youkai Academy, due to the fact that no other high school will accept him, and while walking from the bus to the school, a girl named Moka Akashiya crashes into him - who reveals herself to be a vampire by sucking Tsukune's blood. After arriving at the school, he quickly realizes that the school is actually a school for monsters. And it turns out that Moka is in his ... class.

The story in the manga isn't exactly ground breaking on it's own, but it's actually like it's completely different from the anime - mainly because it feels like they take more time to flesh out the characters, as opposed to the anime, which felt like it was basically trying to rush to introduce all of the characters from the first season (I cannot comment on the second season, since I have not seen it, and to my understanding, the second season of the anime is not adapted from the manga). True, they do establish that this is a harem by introducing Kurumu in the second chapter, but after that, whenever a character is introduced, it feels like said character is actually being introduced to the story, instead of being forced into the story. Also, the fight scenes actually feel like fight scenes - they don't have a lot of fanservice, so it's easier to take them seriously. Also, the manga has a lot more content than the anime - however, I'm not going to list out all the things that the manga has that the anime doesn't, since that would be spoiling the manga, and it would also take me a long time to do so.

Art - 9/10
The anime has ONE advantage over the manga in this area: it's colored. Other than that, I would actually say that the art in the anime was a downgrade from the art in the manga (although I think that the studio responsible for making the anime adaptation is to blame for that).

Character - 10/10
While the personalities of the characters in the manga are similar to their anime counterparts, as mentioned previously, they have more time to develop, and as a result, they feel more fleshed out. Also, because there's more content in the manga, we actually get to see aspects of the characters that the anime doesn't show. For example, Mizore and Kurumu's parents are actually introduced - and it's apparent that the traits of those 2 are passed down.

Enjoyment: 10/10
This has easily earned itself a spot on my top 5 favorite manga, and I'm definitely going to read the second season. Stay tuned for when I eventually tackle the second season of the manga.

RIYL: Sekirei, Claymore, Immortal Regis

Well, I decided to randomly pick and complete something off of my "Dropped" list, and I chose to review this. And it turned out to be surprisingly offensive. So, let's get this over with.

Story - 3/10
The main element of a plot is that there's a "Honey" System at this high school called Houjou academy, which basically allows a normal student to enroll in a course normally reserved for rich kids; however, this requires a normal student to become a "honey" of a rich student, who becomes their "master". In a well-written comedy, this premise would likely lead to the "honey" getting assigned ... simple tasks, only to go on comedic misadventures while donig said tasks. But since this is a drama, instead of doing what would be the easy thing (but the one that would actually be enjoyable) and focusing on a pairing of a honey with a nice master, we get a pairing of a honey (named Yuzuru Hagino) with a jock who's also a pretty big asshole (named Kai Renge) - and there's a love triangle, with a guy (named Chihaya Yurioka) who wants Yuzuru to be HIS honey. I'll come back to the characters in a minute.

Art - 6/10
The art is...actually rather good. It's definitely one where the art is better than the anime that it's showing. It's not good enough to justify watching the show just for the animation, however.

Sound - 5/10
The sound is okay, and it does fit the mood, but it's also...very forgettable. I guess the problem is that it's not one that I'd really want to listen to on it's own. It's more of one that's better than the anime it's attached to. Also, there's no dub, so I can't comment on that.

Character - 2/10
There are only 3 characters really of note, so I'll focus on those 3. All 3 of them can be described using other, more likable, characters from vastly superior show. Yuzuru reminds me somewhat of a fusion of Sakura Chiyo from Monthly Girls' Nozaki-Kun and Hinata from Naruto - except she's nowhere near as strong (personality-wise) as a fusion of those 2 characters actually would be. Kai and Chihaya remind me of a fusion of Takami Usui from Maid-Sama! with a different character (in Kai's case, it's Taiga Kagami from Kuroko no Basket; in Chihaya's case, it's Lelouch Lamperouge from Code Geass). And, both characters have none of the likable traits - Kai inherited the "jerk" side of Taiga, and stays in that mode permanently; and Chihaya is as cunning as Lelouch - except Lelouch actually had a good reason for acting the way he did; Chihaya just seems like he's acting out of pure spite.

Enjoyment - 1/10
It might seem like I was just being harsh on this because I'm not the target audience (this is a shoujo anime, and I'm a guy), but the thing is, I'm currently watching - and enjoying - the aforementioned Maid-Sama!, and that's also a Shoujo. So if Maid-Sama! can entertain me, then this has no excuse not to.

Overall - 2/10
Unless you somehow get enjoyment out of the pain of watching bad anime (excluding "So bad it's good" anime like Musashi Gun-Doh), stay away from this one at all costs.

Alternative recommendations: Maid-Sama!, Ouran High School Host Club, Lovely Complex, Fruits Basket