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Chihayafuru is a series that surprised me with it's loveable cast and a showcasing of how interesting Karuta could actually be. However, what started off as a promising motivational story about sports (I'll define Karuta as a sport after watching this series) and friendship reached it's peak at episode 15 and never really went anywhere for the final 10 episodes.

Story -, it is just a typical sports anime with a dash of romance and friendship on the side. That being said, it is pretty well written, and the Karuta scenes were pretty edge-of-the-seat stuff. But I felt that often, the story wasn't going anywhere, and ... the lack of progress can be frustrating.

Art - it is Shojou style. I am personally not a big fan of this style, but I will say that it is definitely above average.

Sound - nothing really stood out for me.

Characters - The characters is where this series shines. Each character has an interesting backstory, quirky traits and each leaves a lasting impression - pretty impressive for the large number of characters introduced throughout the series, including minor characters that the main cast meet at various tournaments.

Enjoyment - as I mentioned before, I loved the first 15 or so episodes, but the last 10 were somehow difficult to get through.

Overall - This series was fun, and the cast of characters were some of the best I had seen in a while. However, nothing else about this series really stood out for me. That being said, if a second season comes along, I'll definitely follow that too.

Toradora! may be a high-school romance comedy, but deep down, it is a story about friendship, family and just being true to one's self. This series is still my favourite of all time, but I will try to write this review without making it sound like a sales pitch...

10/10
Unlike many romance series that has came before it or since, the challenges that arose in the plot did not feel forced. The character interactions felt natural as well. Yes, a series on high-school romance is nothing new, but the execution of the series is still among one of the best I have seen so far. ... The pacing was perfect for majority of the series and the transition between comedy and drama was near flawless.

9/10
Let's be frank - the character face designs were unusual, and very different compared to the light novel series and manga. In fact, Ryuji was just plain ugly. That was really the only flaw I could think off. The animation was fluid, the background details were amazing and some scenes was truly exceptional. Giving away more detail would be a spoiler so I'll cut it short there.

10/10
The sounds was probably one of the standouts of this series. The upbeat techno beats in the comedy scenes, the beautiful acoustic guitar riffs in the more emotional scenes, the clever use of the ED in episodes where more screen time on the characters was required - everything was just perfect.

10/10
As good as the sound was, the true gem was the characters of the show. Firstly we have our two main characters (Taiga and Ryuji), who despite their tough exterior are very caring people on the inside. Then we have Minori and Kitamura - two popular students with very eccentric personalities who tries to hide their personal problems. Finally we have Ami to round out the main cast - a girl who fears people knowing the real her and puts up an act instead. Each of these characters have issues which can be related to, and the background story of the characters on how they got the way they are now is also believable and does not provoke a facepalm reaction - something that is very rare in anime these days. In addition to that, this group has a lot of chemistry. It really gave off the sense that this group consists of very close friends who would do anything for each other, and that overall is a standout for me.

10/10
While not quite the rollercoaster ride which Clannad:Afterstory was (I'm comparing the two as they both aired during the same season), this series still strapped us in and took us for a ride. I honestly felt watching this series that I got to know the characters so well, that it was almost as if I was the sixth member of the main cast. Add in the art and sound, and this series has yet to bore me (I've already rewatched about 5 times by now).

10/10
Since Toradora, there has been anime with much more beautiful art, but better sounds and of course, but better plots. However, for me it is the characters which makes a show stand out, and for me, Toradora has the best cast of characters I had ever seen. Each character was lovable, the challenges they faced were believable and most of all, the chemistry between this group of friends is something very special.

The best way to describe this anime is that it is one which shows tonnes of potential, only to fall flat on its face whenever it is within arm's reach of becoming something great.

5/10
Guilty Crown has a lot of ambition, and has a backbone of a story in the palm of its hands which could lead it to being one of the standouts of the year. Instead, we were left with never ending cliches, plot holes the size of Antarctica and questionable story pacing. Don't get me wrong, the whole deal with 'Last Christmas' and the result of it in the present time was ... very interesting, but the execution was just plain terrible.

9/10
This is definitely one of the prettiest anime of the season. However there were a few inconsistencies which kept it from being truly outstanding.

10/10
If you have not heard about Supercell before, you will now. The band that rose to stardom from making Vocaloid songs has progressed a long way since. The songs written as 'Egoist' were amazing, even more so when used during the series. The background music brought life and urgency to a series in which the story was severely lacking. Easily one of the best background music of any anime titles of the season.

5/10
Out of the whole cast, only one character really stood up for me - and that was Ayase. All other characters were too inconsistent for me. One episode one character can be talking about having to make tough choices and make sacrifices and having to do all that is necessary, and the next the same character can be talking about taking things too far. Contradictions like these were frustrating. The only character which this has not happened to is Ayase, who in my opinion is one of the best female characters of the year. She is strong willed and does not let the fact that she is handicapped prevent her from trying to be an independent person.

7/10
While this series lacked in story and character development, the animation and sounds was good enough to keep me coming back for more. For the most part I was entertained. However some scenes were just too full of cliche, or didn't make any sense at all, that I just wanted to facepalm myself.

6/10
Guilty Crown is by no means the best thing I have ever watched, nor is it the worst I have seen. For me, it was an above average series that promised so much more, but ultimately failed to deliver.

Firstly, I want to start off by confessing that I was (and still am) a huge fan of Black Rock Shooter before the OVA and the TV series came out. However I will try my best to write this review as if I know nothing about Black Rock Shooter. All good? Awesome, let's go!

Story 7/10 & Characters 7/10
For me, the weakest areas of this series are the story and characters. The story centers around Mato as she struggles to understand pain and the feelings of hurt, and Black Rock Shooter in an alternate world trying to save others from their pain and suffering by fighting ... their alternate egos. There is depth to the story (mostly apparent in the last few episodes), but the execution of it leaves much to be desired. The last few episodes in particular was very messy, and I had to rewatch them again to fully understand what was going on.

To summarize the characters, we have Mato, a bright and cheery girl who has not really experienced much feelings of pain; Yomi, a quiet girl who has difficulty making friends due to certain circumstances; Kasuga, a girl who is obsessed of never letting go of her friend; Yu, another happy girl who is not who she seems; and the school councellor. Most of the characters are rather bland, with the only standout being Kasuga. However the interaction of the characters and their extreme reactions when they feel the world is crashing down around them was one of the standouts of the series. It created a darker feeling to this series compared to the OVA, and while it can be extreme at times, I can imagine some people in real life will act the same way as well if they were thrown into this situation. You won't like many characters from the get-go, but in a way it is refreshing that an anime series isn't going full throttle to make the audience like every single female character, and allows the viewers to be more subjective rather than taking sides.

Art 9/10
The animation of the fighting scenes is a stand out for the most part. Occasionally something doesn't look quite right with the CG work, but it's only the odd scene or two. The non-CG scenes are also amazing, especially the character's expressions. However I did not really like how young Black Rock Shooter looked, and it was hard to tell what was going on during some of the fast paced action scenes.

Sound 10/10
I felt that the BGM generally fits each scene very well. I also like the occasional lead into the OP or ED. A standout for me would have to be the way the OP and ED was used in the final episode.

Enjoyment 10/10
Personally for me, I felt that this was probably THE standout series of the season, where many other series are more light-hearted or less story driven, and I judge how good a series is based on what else was available that series rather than against all other series I have watched in the past. I was planning to drop this series as I wasn't a big fan of the OVA but decided to give it a try. I'm glad I did in the end.