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Angel Beats! is yet another tear jerking anime from the creator of Clannad, Air and Kanon. While the anime lacks substance regarding the story and its cast is badly used, Angel Beats! still remained for me an enjoyable
experience.

- Story –

Angel Beats! is set in the afterlife, which could also be seen as a purgatory. From the start, I have to admit that it was hard for me finding a story. The problem is that Angel Beats was transferring from humour to drama in the driest way possible. If most of the episode was relying on typical slapstick humour, the end would suddenly shift to ... the cheapest drama possible. Now of course, Angel Beats! Found itself a meaning, but this toward the very end of the series. Toward the ending, while keeping itself more serious, the anime rushes the story so hard that it becomes a festival of plot twist and drama. Step aside the bad points; let’s not forget that Angel Beats! is from a visual novel of Key, mostly known for their tear jerking moments. I have to admit that the drama feels very cheap, but I’m someone who falls for this kind of trap and end up being affected by the kind of drama that Angel Beats! had to offer. This is pretty much limited to characters having a shit life in the past. In the end, the story didn’t know what to be from the start. Having too much filler in between, there’s a serious lack of substance in the story and many questions that had to be answered, weren’t answered. Angel Beats! still manages to pull the sensible chords, and this actually very well.

-Characters-

There’s a problem with Angel Beats! regarding its cast. Either the show has too much characters and is not focusing on the most important ones, or the show is simply too short. For having this much, Angel Beats! didn’t have the benefit of a 26 episodes anime. Lots of characters, mostly the non-important ones, fall in an archetype and are only meant for comic relief or filling up the holes. There’s only few moments where the anime is really focusing on the main cast. Yet, some side characters are somehow more developed than them. Looking at the main characters, there’s either no originality at all or simply silly change of personality. Yuzuru is a mix of the shit life that Tomoya had and the lost of memories that Yuuichi suffered from. For Angel, she starts as your typical emotionless moe girl but then shift to the characters with lots of expression. And for Yuri, she’s just another non-original female lead. However, even though the cast of Angel Beats! is bad, it doesn’t mean they aren’t entertaining. Certainly not annoying or boring, Angel Beats! offers characters that are simple and fitting to the anime.

-Art/Animation-

No doubt about it, Angel Beats! is yet another eye candy. Even though it’s not perfect regarding the character design, the anime uses lots of CGI and shading to blow the viewer away, and it works very well. The problem though, is that I sometime had problem identifying characters that were too look- alike (Takametsu and Hinata for example). The animation is actually very fluid, which is expected from P.A.

-Sound/music-

The highlight of the series is no doubt the music that Angel Beats! Used. Ranging from pop songs to acoustic songs and then to melodramatic songs, it is no doubt that the music is the main factor why the anime is a tear jerking one. The voice actors are also very good with their respective roles and there’s absolutely no problem with them.

In the end, I did overly enjoyed Angel Beats! despite that the anime contains many obvious flaws. I believe that the show could’ve benefit from being longer or having less filler. It may be the weakest one from Key, but it doesn’t stop itself from being at least good.

Ghost Hunt is another anime that I randomly picked just for the sake of it. Ghost Hunt is a 2006 anime adapted from a series of novels that started back in 1989. Unlike most adaptations, Ghost Hunt is not a direct one. While both of them keep the same characters and the same background, the novels were actually oriented towards young girl (shoujo) while the anime tends itself toward young male audience or perhaps a mix audience. Ghost Hunt was actually a nice find at first. The anime started fluidly and was very interesting at first. However, almost everything that made it enjoyable was lost ... in the second half of the show. What started as a mystery/supernatural anime slowly became action-oriented. What is really the right choice?

Ghost Hunt, in a nutshell, tells the story of our main character Mai and her everyday life in her new job of ghost hunter. The anime is actually couples of short stories that aren’t necessarily attached together or directly follows one after another. Looking at the story arcs, if you forget about the silly and forgettable characters relations and their everyday life, these ghost stories are actually quite interesting in the first half. I find it quite interesting that Ghost Hunt actually bases itself on historic event to make these stories more credible. Even if some of those historic even are fictionally, one can actually draw a parallel between other works of fictions or even popular urban legends. Now, I have to say that the first half of the show is what you would actually expect from a supernatural anime involving ghosts. Poltergeists, unexplainable phenomena and a slow pace story is what Ghost Hunt offered at first. Sadly, after the Christmas Arc, which is the best arc of the series, everything went downhill. Somehow, Ghost Hunt thought it would be better if it went into more of an action anime and overly-cliché melodramatic moments. It doesn`t get any better actually. The more you advance, the less mysterious Ghost Hunt feels and it is right at the end that Ghost Hunt killed it for me. Even though the second half was bad, it does not mean the enjoyment is completely gone and one might actually still enjoy the second half as much. All in all, the story started slightly predictable and became something very predictable.

Ghost Hunt does not offer a memorable cast; in fact it is probably the worst aspect of the show. Don`t get me wrong, the characters aren`t actually bad and they pretty much fit the enjoyment of the show. However, these characters aren`t well written are even less original. How often can you see Shibuya`s personality in anime? Quite a few actually, and this goes to the others as well. Beside the lack of being unique, these characters don`t have a complex personality and are often feels empty. The anime tends to develop characters relation, but in the end goes to nothing more than the starting case. That was a bit irritating for me.

The art is actually very fluid and very good. From old shrines, to an abandoned building and passing by to a mansion, the settings and art reminds the viewer that ghost hunt is or wants to be a supernatural anime. Also, while Ghost Hunt is not scary at all, nor that it is very gory, it can actually be very bloody when the moments arrive (even though it is most of the time cheesy). The character design is quite distinct and well made. There is nothing much more to say about it.

The music of Ghost Hunt is the best aspect of the show. Composed by Toshio Masuda who is popular for having composed the music of Naruto (even though his best work remains with Mushishi), the music is a perfect blend of effectiveness and simplicity that never goes over the top. Ghost Hunt Opening Song is one of the few songs that I wouldn`t mind listening to, probably because it is not another irritating j-pop song. Voice acting is very good. I’m not someone who can critics voice acting very well, but I know when they`re bad.

To conclude, Ghost Hunt is one of those anime that is a nice find and that you actually watch just for the sake of it. I have to say that while being fairly good, Ghost Hunt does not live itself as one of the greatest anime I have seen and is still very far away from very good. I’d recommend this anime for everyone who is looking for a mystery anime that isn’t complex or very dark.

What is nice about Manga is that one can choose something to read whatever his mood is. Be it deep, intelligent, kickass or even stupid, there is a genre for every taste. Ai Kora is pretty much a manga one would read to pass time, and it’s actually a good one at it aswell. A typical story where a boy lives in a girl dormitory, this seems like a recreation of Love Hina isn’t? I’ll have to say that you should never jump to conclusions.

The story of Ai Kora resolves around our main protagonist Hachibei and the relation he has with the girls of ... the dormitory. By relation, it is understood that Hachibei is someone who will go after his love parts and protect them at all costs. This insures lots of jokes and slapstick comedy. The story itself can be considered more of a collection of short stories rather than a story itself just like any manga of its genre. However, there are still connections between the chapters and thus still holds room for character development during the series.In term of originality, Ai Kora delivers quite well actually. Even though the story is predictable by miles, the characters are cliché and the setting was done lots of times before, Ai Kora is still very original. What strikes me is how the manga actually makes fun of a lot of fetishes during the manga and this at any degree. Whether it is a breast fetish, a doll fetish or even a hand fetish, there`s room for any kind of fetishes and jokes around it which is actually quite well done. Sadly, Ai Kora never developed itself during the years it was published and the jokes get repetitive and ineffective after a while. Step aside the comedy, Ai Kora also delivers drama. As expected from a series of its genre, the drama is quite forgettable. They`re either badly placed in the manga or simply leaves not interest for the reader. All in all, the story is enjoyable but lacks a bit of initiative.

Hachibei is not doubt of the star of the show and the only character which I would consider good. Contrary to other harem where the main is a sore loser with sexual insecurities, Hachibei is a mad man and self-assumed pervert who never stop to amaze me. For the girls, it was quite a letdown for most of them. Having single personalities, they were only interesting for the relation they had with Hachibei. Alone, they don`t stand out as characters and are pretty much bland. Plus, one can actually draw a parallel between the girls of Ai Kora and the girls of Love Hina and it doesn`t leave a good impression.

The art of Ai Kora is not a superb one, but not a bad one either. The characters are uniquely drawn and are easy to tell them apart and the art is what you would expect for a manga of its genre. Sure it’s not a beauty, but it is not disgusting as well. This being said, there`s very few aspects to say about the art.

In the end, I have to admit that I did enjoy Ai Kora for its sense of originality that it offered. Once in a while I feel like reading something that I wouldn`t need to be serious about it and Ai Kora is pretty much a perfect example. It is not perfect like all the manga of the same genre and get quite repetitive, but it`s still a good manga to pass time.

Badminton Girl isn't much of a manga. In the end, I couldn't help but think that this series had so much potential to make a decent series. Instead, Badminton Girl, while light and charming falls too short to accomplish a great story. I do hope that they make a long series out of it, as it does have some potential.

The problem with the story is that it resolved too much on the actual sports, than relation. I do know that the sport in question is on the title name, so I do know how important it is to the manga. However, it seemed that EVERYTHING ... flowed around it. Call it friendship, a question of choice in life and what so, was all done with badminton. For this fact, the story was very limited. The story could have gone deeper in building new relationships(Which it started to did, but got nothing in the end) and view itself from a wider space (the whole school, instead of only badminton).Another problem is of course the length of the manga. Not only, there are some chapters that could have been developed more, but it also didn't end in a conclusive way, opening itself to new possibilities. In the end, the story is in fact enjoyable, but too quick and too limited to the actual sport.

The art is no doubt a great aspect of the manga. Call it a typical shoujo art, it doesn't matter. While there were some minor boringness in the characters design, the whole worked very well for the style of the manga. A very light style for a very light story.

The characters in this manga aren't good. Not because they are terrible, or they constantly have contradiction in their personality, but because they aren't developed enough. The main character, Asahi, is a typical innocent and clumsy girl who will always be there to help her friends. and that's about it. She does become somewhat of a prodigy in badminton, which is totally unexpected for a 1 week training, but in term of social and psychological development it doesn't go far. Which is acceptable in a sense, because the story is in fact very short.Not only the main character has this problem, in fact all of them feels incomplete. I'll say it, Badminton Girl has a lovable cast and it's quite hard to hate the characters since they're the image of perfect friends, but this same image is the fact that the cast is not that great.

In conclusion, I did enjoy the series for a reason. While mostly flawed and incomplete, Badminton Girl is a good read for who ever wants a...quick read. Do not expect something terribly bad, this manga isn't. If this manga would have developed characters a bit more and got out of the badminton world I would have probably given it a 8.(if done well)

Neon Genesis Evangelion is widely regarded as a land mark in anime. With its release in 1995, the series has been critically acclaimed across the world for its deep complex plot and its philosophical approach. Though being largely popular, on the other side, Serial Experiments Lain, which deliver a philosophical aspect of identity and reality seemed to have mix reviews over the matter.Point taking, Serial Experiment Lain is not easy to watch. The absence of action and sound and Lain herself is a definitive turn off for some. As for the others, it will be an experiment.

It is not easy to find a story ... within Serial Experiments Lain,as it gives the viewer an impression of non sense and that the story never goes in a straight direction. However, the series story can simply be viewed as a concept more than a definitive story line. By concept, I mean the concept of reality. The two opposing worlds, "The Wired" and the real world makes a good contrast questioning the sense of reality. The bad point of the story, is how it flows during the series. It is very difficult to follow the events and fully understand them. Some scenes might have nothing to do with the story, but you will still be questioning yourself if it did. In overall, the story is the weakest point of the anime as it is more confusing than ever.

The art is not fabulous or beautiful, and this is why it's perfectly fitting for the series. High contrasts, absence of details in the background, and very light colors gives a definitive feeling of what this show is about. Character design is minimalistic and simple, but gives a mood of melancholy. The contrast effect, through the show is a reminded that what you're watching is a mind-fuck. And so, the art is perfect for this show and any other style wouldn't be as perfect.

It would an error to review the soundtrack as it is more fitting reviewing the almost total absence of music through the show. Simply bizarre, Serial Experiments Lain prefer having the buzzing sound of a strong light rather than music playing the background. While the show does include melancholic music it is also kept to a minimum. The seiyūs would be the little turn off for me, I was never impressed with their performance for the most part.

Lain is the star of the show. A shy girl in the real world and someone to be feared in the wired and then there is the one who claims to be Lain. Through the series, the viewer can be confused on who Lain really is as she is not one personality. Even Lain herself doesn't know who she really is, and neither the other characters. Simple thoughts, Lain is a great character and the only great character of the show. I could easily complain about the side characters, but the main point of the show was to focus on Lain.


After all, I did enjoy Serial Experiments Lain even though I had a hard time to complete the series. If you are looking for entertainment, you will have a hard time finding it in this show since it is not meant to be entertaining. However, Serial Experiments Lain is an experiment and I wonder why, today, animes lost the sense of experimenting with new ideas.

11eyes could have been a not so bad anime if the plot was executed correctly. While it wasn't the most original, the premise wasn't half-bad either. Instead we get 12 episodes of pointless fan service, mediocre character development and massive plot holes.


Story:

It was actually hard to find a story within the first half of the show. In fact, it was nothing else than bunch of kids fighting the black knight for whatever reason. You didn't know why they were transported there and why the black knights were trying to kill them. Until you get to second half, it went down hill. I could ... complain that the first half was confusing me more than ever since the story wasn't developing, but after the second half it was actually better to tell nothing at all. What lacks in the story is the fact that 11eyes made so many plot twists and not intelligent ones that it became embarrassing. A 12 years old could make a more interesting story than that. In the end, the story left many holes and the viewer is still as much confused, or even more, than he was at the first episode.

Art/Animation:

The art was fair to be honest. While most the characters lacked the ability to dress as something else than their school suit, they were actually distinctive. Not the best, but certainly not the worst.

The animation on the other end, was bad. What strikes me the most, is the terrible fighting choreography.While some expressions the made were plain dumb, they were at least walking correctly.

Sound:

It is very sad when the sound is actually the only point that is decent for a show. No doubt about it, the opening and the ending theme song was enjoyable. There's just a few annoying voice acting, most notably the girls cast, but the viewer can easily get over it.

Character:

Where do I begin? Beside the fact that they were mostly cardboards, retards and that the protagonist is lame, there's nothing more to say. The characters were fair at the beginning of the show. While there are few complaints, they were at least interesting. Somehow, the producer thought it would have been a good idea to add a bit(or too much) dementia in the character development. This is where everything gets embarrassing and everything goes down hill. What I hate the most is that you can't say which is more retard between Yuka and Kakeru. Yuka is a lame yandere and a dumb blonde(even is she's not blonde) and Kakeru is just lame, retard and ignorant. The three other main characters aren't better either. Yukiko is just plainly annoying, Misuzu is a slut with no soul and Takahisa is your typical hot head guy. It is funny to see a stereotyped cast, but it's even funnier to see a stereotype cast trying to act in drama situations. I find it very very very sad the best characters were actually the ones that were just there for fillers. Yes I'm talking about Saiko.

I did not enjoy this show, while it wasn't that painful, the story didn't make any sense and the characters are quite lame. Not to mention that they actually inserted fan service in scenes where it was supposed to be sad, or at least emotional. 11eyes is badly executed and is perhaps among the worst anime of 2009.

Ef- a Tale of Melodies is somehow an unnecessary sequel. Unnecessary in a way the first season didn't let any hole for a new season, as I felt it was complete and didn't need to go on. Even tough, I was still thrilled to watch A Tale of Melodies since its predecessor was absolutely beautiful. Perhaps, it would be as beautiful or as interesting.


Sadly, I could only dream about it.


The story is presented in the same pattern as Memories, at this point the viewer shouldn't be confused in the way it's made. While most of the cast are back, they actually switch roll in ... a sense that the main characters of the first season would become the support cast and vice versa. The most drastic change some can feel while watching Melodies is that is darker than the first season and perhaps darker than someone would Imagine. And here's the problem, both of the story arcs were dark and yet they both failed to have a sense of suspense. SHAFT was successful in creating a blend of suspense and romance in the first season(Notably the ending of the Hiro-Miyako) and thus the reason why A Tale of Memories was very good. One could think that A Tale of Melodies would be a parallel. Well, Shaft didn't succeed this time.While the stories had a premise start, As darker these story arcs were, they also felt more cliché, more unbelievable and sadly more boring as it was getting to its end.

I also have to point that ending didn't have the same expectation as the first season. While A Tale of Memories felt completed, the ending of a Tale of Melodies is left with the feeling that there's still something more to tell which can leave an unsatisfying feeling for the viewers.

Nothing can't really be said against the art except for some of the characters design that really felt bland or been done before. Truly amazing backgrounds and sunset. The SHAFT art, which consist of high contrast, simple colours, black and white and so on is also magnificent as it played a key role in the most important scenes.

A Tale of melodies did deliver a great cast, no doubt about that. Yet, the series still suffered from few characters who weren't developed enough and made them quite uninteresting(Notably Nagi, who even though she's a supporting character, still had an important role). Another problem that can be regarded is the quality of the dialogues. The series did have some good dialogues, yet a lot of them were predictable, silly and also cliché.

I have to admit, enjoying the series was quite hard. While I admit Melodies had beautiful moment and memorable SHAFT scenes, it still suffered from long scenes where all it did was turning around the block(Not getting to the point).

In overall, A Tale of Melodies could have been a great sequel there's no doubt about that. We hoped for something as good or better, but it isn't the case. Like I said, it had a premised start and the only element needed was a good execution. This element was never included.

Beside, most of the fans of first did like this one. I guess I wasn't in the majority. So go on, flame me.

Anime based on video games are nothing rare. Even though it might seems like a terrible cross over, it is not to take into consideration. Just like books to anime, it could be either good or terrible. Based on the game 428,which earned a perfect score from Famitsu Weekly, CANAAN is a series with a predictable and slightly cliched story, but will still be fairly enjoyable for the viewer.



The story of CANAAN is predictable and cliched, but it does not mean it sucks. I have seen animes of the same length trying too hard for an original plot and in the end was filled with ... massive holes. For a 13 episodes series, it would be a stupid move to try looking "intelligent" and offer a complex plot. Gladly, CANAAN as a simple plot and very easy to folllow. While the main story is based on revenge and protecting the ones you love, which are fairly overused aspects in animes, the UA virus and its relation with the government will back it up correctly. Sadly, the ending is the major flaw of the anime. It is very hard to forgive an anime for a bad ending, since it is usually what you remember the most, but I'm not saying the ending was worst than shit. In a comparison to the whole series, it did suck. I would compare it to impossible endings that often american movies would include in their motion pictures, cliched and irrational. In summary, the plot is fair.

The art in CANAAN is great, no doubt about that. While the characters were variated, some characters just had the feeling of déjà vu.The 3D didn't really appeal and seemed off from the rest of the art. The real beauty is the background art. The city of Shangai never felt so alive and dangerous, and the desert of the middle east looked like a land of despair. In other words, colorful and powerful.

For the sound, a great voice cast for the characters, their voice didn't feel awkward in any way and were perfectly suited. The animation opens with an opening theme that blends well the style of the anime, action. As for the ending, it was alright.

Memorable and simple minded characters is what CANAAN delivers. Memorable in any way you would think of. Some characters were unbelievable for their personalities, while some were memorable because they looked like ultimate retards, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. There can be complaint about not having enough background stories of few characters, but a 13 episodes series it is not something you'll always get and for good reasons. As I said earlier, getting too complex can get confusing and leave massive holes in the plot. You will instead receive the essential, enough to at least understand.

The enjoyment is af I was driving on a sine wave. Having its up and down, the enjoyment was not constant or wasn't building up. While I was thrilled with enjoyment on a scene, a next scene would crash it all and vice versa. I do not mind "boring" parts at all, and boring in mean of pointless dialogues and scenes that don't make progression in the stories, but CANAAN didn't blend it well.


In overall, CANAAN is no doubt a good series. I wouldn't be reminded by it, nor will recommend it absolutely, but you will have fun watching it. And if you don't, well that's not really my problem.

Kanon(2006) will give you a warm feeling, but the lack of character's depth and the slow story can make you turn away from it.

Note: I'll stop saying Kanon(2006) and say Kanon instead, you get the point.

The story in Kanon is based around a guy related with girls. Somehow this guy suffers from amnesia, which I never knew why. He can't remember any of the past relations he had with them seven years ago. What stroked me the most is that for a 24 episodes show, it was slow. If you're not a fan of stories that graduate so slowly that you don't know where it's ... getting, and then Kanon is probably something you won't watch. However, Kanon like any other series from Key has this little touch of magic that gives you a warm feeling, so it's not a useless story after all. As for Key animations, they are probably good at shiting you with the reality of life, Kanon is no exception there. Sadly, the way Kanon is told, you would never get the build up of a strong relationship between characters, except between Mai and Yuuichi. Mai is probably the only female lead who doesn't "disappear". In summary, the story is light, nothing outstanding but nothing too bad.

What is probably mostly annoying in the art are the girls. They all look innocent, have the same small mouth, the same face and the huge eyes. I'll tell you now, I'm not a fan of the huge eyes, and in this term, Kanon delivers. You love them? Go watch Kanon now. Still, I loved the backgrounds, the city of snow, the lighting. If you forget the characters, I’d probably give art a 9.5/10.

What do you get with innocent looking girls? Yes, you mostly get an annoying voice cast. I probably got tired of " UGUUUUUUUU" after the 10th time(which I believe was the first episode). As for the music, it goes well with the mood. Listening to Kanon music would probably make you depressive. IT IS a depressive show after all.

As I said in my introduction, Kanon strongly lack in character's depth. What I mean by "lack", I totally mean that the characters are flat. Not only the girls all look innocent, they actually act innocent for most of them. Their characteristic makes the show hard to watch, as there is not enough. However, they all have this mysterious and secret past that will hold you on watching the show only for the reason of knowing it. I'll give a thumbs to Key for this, now that's what I call marketing. Anyway, the show didn't have a strong variation of characters, that's why someone would probably think they're all the same.

After all these mix of good and bad things, I can say that I actually enjoyed Kanon more than I hated it. Yes, the long moments of silence, the slow story and the flat characters is what I hated it, but you'd still get this mix of sad and happy feeling after watching it. Like most of key's animations, Kanon is a form of relaxation. You won't get any suspense, strong drama, big tragedies, but you'll feel relaxed.

Now on to the review of what I should call "an extremly overhyped series." Though it is somehow a popular series for its genre, it just didn't appeal to me.


Story: Is it really an outstanding story? Well I can say that it is outstanding for being a mediocre romance story. Even if romance is not the key for this anime, I have a need to critic what is bad, and this is no exception. The so called romance in school days lacked in its true value of what romance should really mean. What starts as a simple boy loves girls actually turns out to be ... a big fat pool of sexualisation and lust. I'm not actually surprised, since it is actually based on a eroge game. The REAL story actually starts on the second half of the show. Yes indeed, the first half was literally bullshit in the development. For the second half, the big pool I talked about is still there, but instead going for the better, the story debut its journey into a downward spiral which lead to the so called "Amazing ending".

Characters: All I have to say is that Makoto is probably the dumbest character ever made in anime histories. Am I over the board with my statement? I am not and I'm sure a lots of you would agree with me. I just couldn't find any values for him. As for the defaults that he has, he's selfish, stupid, have no heart and he's a big fat asshole. He's not the only asshole of the story, in fact most of the characters are, but he's still the biggest of them all. As for the female characters, which represents 95% of the population in this show, all have one similar point. They can't control their lust. Every girls in this show(no exception) are portrait as easy girls and sluts. Which is rather disapointing. The psychology made no sense either. You can't just stop loving a girl just like that to love another one. It's actually nonsense, but for Makoto, it happens on a daily basis.

Art: Not much to say about it. Character art was fairly generic, as for the backgrounds nothing outstanding, but nothing mediocre.

Sound:Didn't really like the opening and ending, though they smartly use a suspense feeling to some of the scenes.

Enjoyment: Though the first episodes were not so good, the last ones are what actually makes the show "enjoyable". Emotionally disturbed, Kotonoha is probably the character which made the show enjoyable. I would compare her to Carrie(Stephen King Novel). As for the ending, you would probably expect that since it's the only reason to watch this show.

Overall: I'm giving it a 5/10. It was enjoyable at some points, but the series still lacked in many aspects(characters for example). As for the moral, I'll just quote something from the song Billie Jean:

"People Always Told Me Be Careful Of What You Do
And Don't Go Around Breaking Young Girls' Hearts"

Enjoy!