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Sep 11, 2014
Mythology. Something that you don’t see everyday in anime. But I came across it in so many places, hence I would give it a try. Well, before I watched the anime, I always replayed its opening song because it was awesome.
The anime, produced by XEBEC, starts with the meeting between Mahiro, a normal high school boy, and Nyaruko, a Nyarlathotepian (or alien). She was sent into Earth by an organisation to protect Mahiro from aliens that lurked in this planet. As it progresses, more characters are introduced, be it with the pair or against them.
The story has some funny moments. You ain’t looking at an
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ordinary heroine, but a crazy one. The one who obsess with anime and manga, not as someone who is serious to follow commands. That makes the anime good, in the sense of comedy. Fan-service is spread in these twelve episodes and they are not very excessive.
With mythology as a theme to the story, there isn't really much talk about myths. Don’t expect a lengthy explanation about each creatures, otherwise go to Wikipedia and do your own research.
There are quite a number of battles, meaning good potential action. I would say that most of them are interesting. The rest fell short for its repetition. Even after a few episodes, the story’s quality started to decline for its low action but again peaked again after a while.
There are a lot of references, mostly coming from anime and manga. I managed to pick a few but I didn’t care much. There is some romance too, which isn’t fully developed. Think of it as one-way. I actually think there’s a harem Mahiro has. hehe…
Sometimes, drama can seep in, especially the last episode. But usually it can be broken off into comedy, which I am not happy about. Therefore, if you are looking for a serious story, I’m afraid this anime is not for you. I guess it is good for chuckles only.
The characters aren’t very special. Mahiro is someone who doesn’t like a particular person and tries to avoid that person. Nyaruko is someone who wants to be attached to another particular person. This cat-and-mouse relationship has really never changed throughout the story, but there is some development in both characters.
Their other friends are Kuuko, who loves Nyaruko a lot by some weird reason, Hasuta, who looks like a girl but is really a boy, and Kurei, who is the gossiper of their class. Not much character development is seen in these three, but they are adapted to what has been going in.
The art is nice. I find the opening and ending animations very cute. The scenery is good-looking, especially on places where aliens frequent on Earth, as it gives a different look outside the human world. The character designs are well-down and facial expressions can be both cute and nice. I like how the scenes change as a battle is about to start. The action animation is great.
I really can’t stop listening to the opening song the moment I started playing it. It has some nice beats to get your body moving. It sounds like you want to dance. Meanwhile, the ending song has a different approach, and it really bored the heck out of me, honestly. The background music is nice and the voice acting is great. There are certain voice actors recognisable from their other characters, like Nyaruko, who is voiced by Kana, who voices Hinata and Komari.
In the end, I enjoyed it for a while, until the part where there’s little action. I wished it could have gotten better, and if I were to remove these anime and manga references, and change Nyaruko’s personality, I think the anime can be more interesting. I will still watch the second season and see how it goes.
Don’t take this anime too seriously. Watch it and laugh.
(And I don't see any bad reviews at all. About two reviews received a rating of 3 and I totally respect their decision.)
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jul 27, 2014
I actually wanted to watch this since it came out during its seasonal airing. But, I decided that I would watch it later.
Wake Up, Girls! is another idol anime, produced by Ordet and under the direction of the infamous Yamamoto Yutaka.
Before its 12-episode anime, there is a movie to be watched first. I really, really recommend that you watch the movie because it shows how the idol group under the same anime name, “Wake Up, Girls!” (WUG), started. In the anime series, the group faces problematic situations, and it tries to manage and keep it going.
Sadly, the story didn’t shine really well among other idol
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anime. I would say that there are a lot of clichéd moments, especially during the introductory movie. Also, there’s a lot of idea repetition among members of the group and it really gets annoying hearing from them.
I really hated the first two episodes, because it sudden introduces fan-service, which I felt that it shouldn't be included. However, it needed to be in just for the context of the story. sigh…
Despite the mediocre story, it still have some positive points in the anime. I like how the story sets around 2013-2014. It even made references to real life events, such as the tragic earthquake and tsunami in the Tohoku region, although the anime don’t really focus much on it. Also, the group managed to work their way up to something spectacular, which I think is the best moment in the anime.
I question myself how scary is the idol industry in Japan. The anime showed another bigger and successful idol group, called the I-1. Watching them suffer really irk me. Would such methods from the group be similar to some idol groups in Japan? That’s where reality prove otherwise.
I would say that all the characters in the idol group are varied. Each of them have their own qualities and personality. They have their own reasons to why they want to be an idol, and I find (most of) them quite sweet. Some of them have interesting background which affect who they are.
Character development is okay. I would say some of them continued on after their struggle, thanks to someone else. Overall, I think the group did develop since its formation. And of course, there has to be one character that was from another idol group. Thanks, clichéd anime!
Animation is good, but not great. Starting from the characters, I would say the idols have the same freaking face. Also, there is inconsistent drawing of the characters, making them out of their body shape. The character design is fine, except the awkward hair colour choices. The facial expressions from the characters are nice. The scenery is good-looking, but not special. Also, I like how the performances is mostly 2D-drawn, instead of 3D-rendered.
Although it is an idol anime, I would say music isn’t heavily focused in it. I was a bit disappointed, because I know there are other idol anime that lots of songs sung by the respective idol groups or even solo acts. But still, I love the songs sung by the group. The OPs and ED are sung by the group and they are awesome in their own ways. The background music is fine. Voice acting is okay, but very few voices just don’t really match the characters well.
So, have I enjoyed Wake Up, Girls! like any other idol anime?
My answer would be “only the last few episodes”. The other episodes bore me to sleep (yes, I did sleep when marathoning it) due to the cliché the anime gets all the time. I think the anime really tried its best to be a good one, but honestly I doubt so.
I think I'm the type of person who enjoy more on the glee side of the idol industry, instead of the seriousness. Hence, I would recommend this anime only to people who enjoy idols a lot.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Jun 26, 2014
I lost hope. This anime has ended. ;~;
There is always an anime showing "cute girls doing cute things" every scene. I can never stop loving them, because they are always nice to watch. They are your perfect healers.
So, do you like lolis in your cafe?
Gochuumon wa Usagi desu ka? (or Gochiusa) revolves around five cute girls working on their own shifts in their respective workplace, all of them being cafes. The main character, Cocoa, starts her high-school life in a German-like town. Arriving at the "Rabbit House" cafe hoping to see rabbits in the cafe, she finds out that she will be working in that
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cafe with a soft-spoken girl Chino, and staying as accomodation as well.
From there, she meets the rest of the main cast - Rize, Chiya and Sharo, and other girls. The whole story is simple - cute girl doing cute things. But from an area that doesn't look like a typical Japanese urban, the story is tweaked to fit in its culture. The whole atmosphere is so light and fluffy.
The pacing is similar to some of the "slice of life"s - fast and nice. I like the comedy between the characters. There's a bit of yuri subtext and it's honestly cute.
The characters are extremely likable because of the moe factor, and they have different personalities. I feel that they match to their appearences as well. Some of the personalities are similar to what you see in the past few "slice of life"s, but it doesn't matter anyway.
There is good character development in some of the characters, the most notably be Chino.
One of the things I'm attracted to this anime is the character design, which gives off those loli bodies. I'm not a lolicon, but they are very cute. There is some fan-service but that didn't ruin the anime at all. I love the facial expressions made by the characters, whether for comedy or not. The scenery drawn in the anime are very spectacular. The objects shown are nicely drawn too. The visuals for the opening are awesome and the episode card titles are interesting to look at.
The opening has to be one of the best openings I have listened to in this Spring season. Some parts are catchy while the rest are nice to get the groove on. It is sang by the voice actors vocing the main cast - and they sang wonderfully. The ending, sang by the voice actors of Chino and her two best friends, is nice and smooth. The background music is nice to hear and they somewhat match the culture in the anime's setting - being European-like. The voice acting is too cute, and the voice actors did a good job matching the personalities of their respective characters.
Gochiusa may have been an awesome slice of life to watch, but it can be easily compared to Kirino Mosaic (aired on Summer 2013) and Non Non Biyori (aired on Fall 2013). All three have some similarities, such as Rize and Aya - voiced by the same voice actor. Since the two anime I mentioned have their second seasons announced, will Gochiusa have another season?
Honestly, I definitely agree. This anime is too much. I enjoyed the heck out of it. I love the fun the characters are having. This anime leaves a warm feeling to me and I love it.
Chiya best girl.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jun 24, 2014
"Fujimiya-san, please be my friend!".
This is what Hase would say to Fujimiya every Monday.
Isshuukan Friends, produced by Brain’s Base, is a very special anime that shows how friendship is being cherished between the characters. Although making friends is one of many simple story ideas, the story is still great.
Hase wanted to be friends with Fujimiya, since she did not make any friends. He tried to build up the friendship between the both in the first week, but he learnt something new about her that explained why she couldn’t make any friends. Every Monday, she would lose her memories involving her friends. So without giving up,
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Hase would approach to her and ask to be his friend.
Well, you might think “hey, is this going to be very repetitive”. No, it isn’t. Hase tries to find ways to make her remember of her friends, including himself. The both of them have many challenges that have affected their relationship, but despite that, they are still together. The story isn’t fast-paced. The anime has done a pretty good job at balancing comedy and hardship. The conclusion to this anime is satisfying as it closes the story well.
Many speculated that this anime will fall to the romance route. While I think it would be nice, I don’t think that romance can fit into this anime. The main theme is friendship, after all. However, I can hint that there’s a bit of romance, although not developed.
The friends that Fujimiya have made are very interesting and likable. Each has their own personalities that are realistic.
It is great that Fujimiya has developed as she makes some friends. Her personality has changed from being shy to happy. Hase, on the other hand, despite trying to help Fujimiya, has the tendancy to avoid her making friends, just to be with her. It has been pretty ironic but afterwards, this such jealously disappear. He has also developed as he knows more about Fujimiya. A few more have also developed as well.
A charcter was introduced later in the story, but there isn’t enough information about him to make him a great character. Also, while you will get to know more about Fujimiya, there isn’t a next big step that can try to change her, apart from Hase’s help.
I absolutely love the art direction of this anime, as it portrays the “nice fluffy” feeling. The scenery is great, along with the nice fading. The visuals on the opening and ending are so gorgeous. The character designs are definitely cute, especially on the girls, and the facial expressions have a great impact in emotions invoked from the characters.
The sound direction has also impressed me well. Both opening and ending bring about so much feels and is relatable to the story. I love the instrumental trackings in both songs. The background music has always matched up the mood to the scenes, and the voice acting is very good.
This is one of the best anime made in this Spring season, and I really enjoyed this anime so much. It kept me in suspense every week for the next episode to be aired. The anime has caught up the translated manga, so the rest was a surprise to me. There was no fan service too. I hope to see more of this, showing how the relationship between Hase and Fujimiya will develop further.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Mar 28, 2014
Imagine a world where someone tried to take over the world through clothes. Also imagine a school where it was divided in different ranks. Don't they sound so original than every other anime with moe?
Yes, KILL la KILL has a great setting. Produced by Studio TRIGGER, who made Little Witch Academia. Its founder, Ootsuka Masahiko, was an assistant director of Gainax's creation, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. KILL la KILL was supposed to be a "spiritual successor" of that anime, which I don't want to talk about that.
A mystery murder of Dr. Isshin had led his daughter, Ryuuko, to investigate the matter. She transferred in Honnouji
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Academy, where it wasn't like a normal school you see in anime. She met Mako, an active girl who never failed to smile always, and Satsuki, the school's student council president who acted as the queen in her empire.
Outside the academy, Ryuuko visited her ruined house, where her father was killed. In a surprise, she fell onto the basement where it was filled with piles of trash, through a trapdoor by her homeroom teacher, Aikuro. She heard a sound which came from Senketsu, a "living" sailor uniform and it forced her to wear itself. With the powers gained by Senketsu, she saved Mako the next day, when she was about to be fried.
Ryuuko continued to search for clues over her father's death.
To summarise the whole story in the anime for you, it was full of surprises to awe the audience and there were plot twists which shocked them like mad. The slapstick comedy was funny. I felt that there wasn't any plot holes throughout the story. I loved how the ending really brought to a great closure to the whole story. It left me satisfied. Overall, the story is just perfect.
Character development was just amazing. After possessing Senketsu, Ryuuko learned more about its history, and eventually she learned more about herself. She always persevered, trying to get Satsuki to give her answers. At one point she gave up on Senketsu, but its speech thought otherwise. Mako also developed, although she kept her usual personality, that she learnt about herself and how bonded she and Ryuuko are.
The characters had a wide range of personalities and skills. The Four Divas, who are Ira, Uzu, Houka and Nonon, are examples of displaying that quality. They too have developed since their childhood past.
KILL la KILL is also great in art. I'm glad that the art direction does not follow that of a typical moe anime. Although the scenery is bland, it does not really matter. The battle scenes are very spectacular, where they feel like real fighting. Its fanservice beautifies the anime well. It is just up to the audience to think of something different, whether naughty or not. The character designs do not strictly follow to all characters, but each character has a unique look. The facial expressions from the characters are great, either portraying real emotions of a character to show something, or exaggerating for comedy.
The OST is superb! I can't stop listening to some of the songs in the OST album. I fell in love with it. This is my first anime to have its OST being loved by myself. All its openings and endings are great. The first opening brought a great drum intro, while the first ending brought out something relaxing. The second opening isn't special, and the second ending is something I felt that it contrasted with the anime's story. But, I still love the both of them.
I started watching KILL la KILL weeks after its first episode, so at first, I was lagging behind. But I caught up afterwards and continued watching on simulcast. If I had not known this anime for being awesome, I would totally miss the fun.
In the end, I want to say this to everyone who never watched KILL la KILL before: watch KILL la KILL and be dazzled!
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Mar 27, 2014
This is, perhaps, the first slice of life anime series to finish in this winter season. And Dogakobo had, yet again, brought out another good anime for us to watch.
When I watched the first episode of Mikakunin de Shinkoukei, I thought that it would have a great story and I felt that it would be the best romcom anime for the season. But unfortunately, I wasn’t finding that expectation I wanted. Here’s why.
The story revolved around the Yonomori sisters, Kobeni and Benio, and the Mitsumine siblings, Hakuya and Mashiro. Akane, who is the Yonomori sisters’ mom, announced that Kobeni was somewhat engaged to Hakuya by
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her grandpa during her 16th birthday. Apparently, Kobeni had met Hakuya before during childhood, but it seemed that she forgot who he was.
So why did my expectation failed? It can be summed up in one word, which is “tropes”. They are everywhere in the anime, mainly the story and the characters. It made the story a bit clichéd, and the characters similar to others.
However, it didn’t really matter much, because there are some points in the story which made the story more interesting. Indeed, there is a small surprise that developed it from a few characters. There is also a backstory between Kobeni and Hakuya as well. The romance, although not bringing enough impact to me, is cute. There are times when Kobeni showed her “dere” side sometimes to Hakuya, while there are other times when she wanted Hakuya to stop acting “cutesy-lovely” to her. Eventually, the relationship actually developed.
The ending is a bit satisfactory, as it ended the story where the characters continued to carry out their lives.
The anime has characters with the typical tropes. Benio is a student council president who excels in academics and sports and is adored by many students. Mashiro is a child who acts like a teenager. Hakuya is a quiet guy who is always emotionless. Kobeni has great figures, mentioned by some characters, and is great at housework and cooking. There are other characters, such as Konoha, a member in the student council, who has feelings for Benio, and Shirayuki, mom of the Mitsumine siblings, who looked like a loli.
I feel that there’s isn’t much character development in all except Hakuya and Kobebi, but it is a slice of life anyway. But all these characters are interesting. Some of them showed their emotions well to execute something.
The opening is totally superb. It has a great upbeat and is sung by the seiyuus of the three main girls in the anime. They also sang the ending, which is more relaxed but still enjoyable. The art style is awesome, although not really important at all. The scenery is just spectacular. The character designs have the moe feel, and the facial expressions do exaggerate, all of this to make a great comedy.
Although the story and characters are the anime’s weakest points, I still enjoyed the anime nevertheless. It may not be the best romcom of the season, but it is good enough. Sweet cute romance is enjoyable for me already.
I heard that the anime’s first volume sale was great so far. I hoped that this continues onwards with the other volumes, and maybe we might expect a second season. There are two OVAs, where one of them is already released but not subbed. It’s just typical scenes of the onsen and night-walk.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Mar 24, 2014
[spoilers - be warned]
If not noticing its anime preview during Anime Festival Asia last year, I would have not known this anime earlier. Finishing its last episode, I feel so glad for picking this up and enjoying the rest of it.
Noragami is a supernatural action-comedy anime, produced by Bones, who also produced Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 and still-airing Space Dandy. I never knew what Bones had produced since the anime aired on Japan's television.
Yato is a god who answers prayers through asking for 5 yen and fights against phantoms. One day, when searching for a missing cat, a bus was on his way. A middle-school girl
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named Hiyori reacted and saved Yato, only to be hit by the bus. Surprisingly, she was still alive, but in half-phantom form. She was able to get back in her body. Yato introduced himself to her in a hospital room where she rested in.
One evening, Hiyori was searching for the cat. At night, Yato found the cat but a phantom appeared. Hiyori, assuming she saw what happened to Yato, saved him again and tried defeating the phantom. Although failed, they escaped from it. Afterwards, Yato explained why was she in her half-phantom form. She didn't like to be that state, so she asked him to get her back to normal.
Yato did not have a regalia, as his last regalia he had before meeting Hiyori wasn't in good terms with him. A regalia, also known as a shinki, is a divine weapon used by gods, that can be transformed into any shape, such as a human. After encountering another phantom, Yato found a phantom and claimed it to be his new regalia. In its human form, it is a teenage boy named Yukine.
Afterwards is just the lives between Yato, Hiyori and Yukine. It started well, with a few new characters being introduced. Then the story became more serious and dramatic. Tears were shed among the characters. Yukine was just having typical "mood swings" while Yato has to deal with a god who is hunting for him. The last few episodes tells the story about Hiyori's stolen memories and Yato having to deal another god who used to be his partner. The ending is satisfactory and I can say that it closes the story well.
The comedy is great - the anime has some typical comedic tropes to laugh at. Almost all problems faced in the story are solved. The drama isn't very exaggerative, although I might have feel irritated at how Yukine cried out. The way comedy and drama is mixed is perfect and not awkward. I wasn't aware of any plotholes in the story, so hence it is well-done!
(Story: 10/10)
Some of the characters have a backstory which relates back to their current time. Their backstories have a way to affect their character and soon these characters might have development. One example is Yukine, who died at a young age. When he was in Hiyori's school, he was very depressed of not being able to be a typical teenager. Another example is Yato: he used to be partners with a god. For unknown reasons, they were separated, and he became someone who would answer anyone's prayers.
Some characters are interesting, like Hiyori. She used to not like being in her half-phantom state, but as the story ends, she wanted to stay with Yato and Yukine forever, abandoning her previous wish. She was someone who observed their own problems and was willing to help them. There are also supporting characters like Kofuku, a cute god... of poverty. She could be funny, but at one point, she used to be serious about Yato.
The phantoms have their own character, which is actually about people's problems. The gods also have their own character, although it isn't really important.
(Character: 9/10)
The art-style is great - nothing special. The action, such as the fight scenes, are superb! The character designs are fine, while facial expressions can be exaggerating for comedy. I should praise the anime for its opening and ending, as well as its soundtrack. However, the full opening is quite disappointing at first, but it was good anyway.
(Art: 9/10)
(Sound: 9/10)
I really enjoyed this anime so much. Sometimes, I lost track and got confused at some parts in the story, but I understood them in the end.
(Enjoyment: 9/10)
I would say that this anime is the best in regards to gods and phantoms. Truly a great action comedy with some drama blended in. Although the ending really closed the story well, I would like to see more of this. I hope that the sales for Noragami will be great and maybe I might expect a second season. For now is just OVAs to enjoy.
(Overall: 9/10)
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Feb 12, 2014
This is my first (and short) review.
The special for Kamisami no Inai Nichiyoubi is split into three short episodes. The first short episode is a typical onsen (hot spring) scene. As obvious, there is fan service, both males and females. The second short episode shows Alice/Alis recalling his actions (main series spoilers not shown) and then encountering Hampnie. The final short episode shows how Hampnie first met with Hana.
The stories are interesting to follow, but the way they are portrayed from start to end is awkward - jumping from a cheerful story to a serious dramatic story. The first episode would only appeal as fan-service,
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well as the other two episodes appeal as stories with development. It would be better if these short stories can be separated into three individual OVAs. Anyway, the special is optional to watch.
To put the stories in chronological order, the first episode takes place during the last arc of the main series, the second episode probably taking place after "the actions" Alice did, hence the last arc as well, and the third episode takes place during the first arc, second episode to be exact.
The art style is okay, but not really much appealing.
But although the downsides of the special, I enjoyed it as much as the main series.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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