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Growing up in the country, moving to the big city can be an enormous change. Especially in a metropolis like Tokyo, in the Ikebukuro district to be precise; with its many people, it can be an overwhelming encounter. In this city, anything can happen and every experience will change certain people in various ways, and still the city will never change.

This is the second time I watched Durarara!! and in honor of the second season (finally after 5 years!!!), I'm going to review this anime. Once more it was an amazing experience to watch DRRR!!. I’ll never get tired of rewatching this show over and ... over and here I'll tell you why!

STORY 8/10
Watching Durarara!! is like a puzzle, with its pieces well shaken on the board. The themes of Durarara!! involve things like supernatural phenomena, an imminent gang war and more dark secrets. Those themes aren't new at all, but the way this show deals with them will leave you amazed. The story is basically built on the background stories of the various characters we'll get to meet, which don't seem to have any connection to eachother at first. Many questions rise, and this way we're immediatly hooked on this show. Every episode is narrated by a different character and from their viewpoints you'll get to see their stories. Each of these characters are unique and are amazing in their own way, but I'll get to them later.

The first part of DRRR!! starts off with Ryuugamine Mikado moving from the country to Tokyo, encouraged by his longing for a more exciting life and by his best friend. He seems kind of lost when he arrives at the trainstation, but thankfully this best friend Kida Masaomi comes to pick him up. He gives Mikado a tour through Ikabukuro and along with them we meet some of the people that will play an important role in the show; the legendary Headless Rider, an underground doctor, a grand but peace-loving Russian sushi seller and two dangerous men who you really don't want to piss off! In highschool they befriend a quiet, mysterious girl named Sonohara Anri. With each introduced character, we also meet a set of problems and events right of the bat. From the start, this show is packed with action, laughs, mysteries, weird events and even seems a bit chaotic. Ikebukuro obviously won't go easy on newcomers like Mikado and on us as well.

In the second part of DRRR!!, we'll start to dig deeper into the show's stories, through the viewpoints of the various individuals we get more information on the events and eventually problems get solved and some of our questions will be answered....and slowly the stories intertwine. The storywriters did an excellent job to convey so many content without rushing it nor dragging it too much. With each episode it digs deeper into the mysteries and everything will be explained in great detail. Yet, some of the questions from the beginning keep unanswered. The show leaves us with plotholes and that's pretty frustrating when it's been so good so far. It's probably my only complaint about this show.

CHARACTERS 10/10
Ryuugamine Mikado, Kida Masaomi, Sonohara Anri, Heiwajima Shizuo, Orihara Izaya, Celty Sturluson... even if you haven't watched this show yet, you might have heard of these names. These are just a couple of this show's many characters. You'll have a lot to choose from and some you'll like more than others, but they're all unique and likeable in their own way. Like mentioned before, in each episode one of them narrate the story. This way you'll get to know more about the characters; their thoughts, backgrounds and experiences. You can imagine how uneasy and yet excited Mikado is in this amazing city like when he sees the legendary Headless Rider the first time, the lively and flirty Masaomi will certainly make you laugh, as well as the constant fights between Izaya and Shizuo. I love them. I love Celty. And I love Simon, I wish I could taste his Russian sushi! The most intriguing of all is that all characters have their own secrets and although there's not a lot of character development in this show, it still explores them far enough to get the best out of them. The most important character in this show however, is one that isn't really a character but it certainly plays a major role throughout the show...it's the city itself! Ikebukuro is a place that lives and breathes. It has a great influence on the story and it's characters. And don't forget the Dollars!

ART 8/10
The character designs and artstyle is typical shounen, but it stands out because of its smooth animation. I couldn't find any flaws in it, or they were so small that I didn't notice. And that's good enough for me! The show conveys the atmosphere of the city, often set during nighttime, perfectly with dark colors and city lights.

SOUND 9/10
The impressive narrating of this show comes with amazing voice acting, along with a memorable soundtrack that fits with every moment of the show. The upbeat opening of the first season has become one of my favorite openings, it makes you excited for what is about to come. The second opening feels more serious, as well as more melancholic, but still catchy and sets the mood. Both the endings are less impressive and feel underwhelming compared to the openings, but they still fit very well with the entire show.

ENJOYMENT & OVERALL CONCLUSION 10/10
It's hard to judge an anime when it's already been a favorite for years. Durarara!! certainly isn't a perfect show. Especially towards the end we're left with some loose ends and to be honest, being left with unanswered questions for five years is far to long. Nonetheless it's one of the best anime I've seen so far and it didn't change after watching it a second time. From episode to episode it was an unforgettable, exciting ride.

For a woman like me, watching an anime like this felt like eating candy. A bunch of really really good looking guys who happen to form a swimming club…that are perfect ingredients for many nosebleeds! Kyoto Animation is well known for series like Clannad, Air and Kanon. I’ve yet to see the last title, but the fanservice in these shows are mainly aimed at men. Nothing wrong with that and I loved Clannad and Air simply because they have great stories and art, but there’s nothing wrong with fanservice aimed at girls either. Up until now, I haven’t seen such series yet, except for otome ... game anime, but there should be something better than that! And finally, I found something better. Much better!

In fact, I’m not into sports anime either, but after seeing the ads for Free!, I just couldn’t let this one pass by unnoticed. The art is fantastic and colorful, and the animated water was gorgeous! The character designs were great as well, making every boy look handsome as hell and seeing them in their swimmingsuits was enough to make me excited. I’m a girl after all. The soundtrack of this show was good too. I don’t like dubstep very much, but it fits the show very well, giving it this ‘cool’ feel. The opening from OLDCODEX is one of my favorites this season.

Aside from good appearances, I found the story pretty good as well. Free! is about Haru who loves water so much that he wants to jump in it as soon as he sees it. Together with three childhood friends they formed a swimming club when they were in elementary school. Everything changed when one of them, Rin moved to Australia to follow his deceased father’s dream to become an Olympic swimmer. The swimming club falls apart, since Haru stopped swimming and all of them went to different schools. When Haru enters high school Nagisa and Makoto happen to be in the same school and they persuade him to reestablish the old swimming club of Iwatobi Highschool. One day, they meet Rin but find out he’s changed greatly. The story about friendship isn’t new, but the show told it really well with lighthearted, funny moments but also intense scenes during the swimming tournaments and confrontations with Rin.

Surprisingly, the handsome boys seemed quite natural to me. Their emotions and feelings towards eachother were portrayed really well and especially the character development of Haru and Rin is worth pointing out. Haru started of as a bit cold and quiet boy, but as the show progressed he seemed to become more open and talked more. Only in the end Rin’s breakdown seemed a bit too expected and too sudden. There were some moments that felt a bit BL-ish and could be easily misunderstood for that, but isn’t it just true friendship? You want to be with your closest friends too, right? And hug your great teammates when you reach the first place?

Overall, I found this a really entertaining show. It’s easy to say as a girl to whom this series is aimed at, but in the end I actually loved it. On that point dear KyoAni succeeded. But I’m not so shallow minded as it seems. Good looks are important, but if I found this series boring or the story was really bad, I wouldn’t enjoy this as much as I did.

Free! is a great show for girls (and maybe boys too?) who want to look at some handsome men, and in the mean time enjoy a good story too. The story is not great and pretty simple, but enjoyable. If you expected KyoAni to make anime just for men and are ticked off because this is aimed ad girls, you might be really disappointed. But then again; appearances are not the most important thing. If you enjoyed the story, then it’s not important to who it’s aimed at!

“You shouldn’t have wishes,” when Alis Color mentioned something like this, at first I didn’t understand. What’s wrong with having wishes? But after his reasoning was explained in a later episode, I realized the meaning of those words. Actually, it was at that point I finally realised what this anime was all about. Working hard to make your dreams come true, is what makes life interesting, right? To find the reason why I say this, you should watch Kamisama no Inai Nichyoubi for yourself.

Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi or Sunday Without God is set in a world where God abandoned the world 15 years ago ... on Sunday. The result is a world where nobody dies. This ‘eternal life’ has it’s consequences: people can’t reproduce and the only way to die peacefully is to be burried by a so-called Gravekeeper. Ai Austin is a young girl raised in a beautiful village, when a man called Hampnie Hambert appears before her, who claims to be a ‘man-eating toy’ and of who her deceased mother once told about. A sudden turn of events takes place, which changes the peaceful life Ai has been living until now. After her village is destroyed, Ai is destined to travel the vast, unknown world in a quest to save it. But saving the world with people who all look differently at this world, and is filled with dilemmas, isn’t easy. The somewhat heavy themes and dilemmas make this story very interesting. The storytelling is great and as we follow Ai, who knows equally as much as we do (let’s say nothing) about this world, we discover more and more about the world. And when you think you know the situation, it appears something completely different. With each problem solved, more questions arise. The great plottwist and mysteries make this a thrilling show, and each episode you wonder what will happen next.

The art in this anime is brilliant. Beautiful colors, detailed surroundings and lovely characterdesigns. The animation looks fluent and great camerawork that makes the more intense scenes really stand out. The soundtrack accompanying the scenes is great as well and gives the show the right atmosphere, from heartwarming to emotional moments. I loved both opening and ending, and the voices fit really well with the characters. I have nothing more to say about this.

The heroine Ai Austin is a lovely, but naïve girl and her reactions seem a bit stupid sometimes, but if you think about the way she is raised until recently, it’s completely understandable. Her being bewildered by the new experiences, wanting to save everyone even though that’s impossible and pondering over the dilemma’s what everyone would do…everything makes sense. Her character development is slow, but the subtle changes are there. The other character’s thoughts and reasonings are well explored too and that makes them realistic. Their backgrounds are often sad and I have shed some tears over them during the show.

I like this kind of anime really quickly. Maybe it’s a bit singleminded, but I consider this a masterpiece, simply because it touches a sensitive chord in me and that’s very important when I watch or read a story. After every episode I kept wondering about the situation, and tried to find my own answer to the vital questions popping up while watching the show. The ending solved the issues well, making me tearful (yes, I cry very easily) but satisfied. Yet there are many questions left unanswered and I hope there will be some answers in the 13th episode which will air later, or hopefully in a sequel. I loved Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi very much!

I hope you’re all working hard to reach your goals, because that’s the only way to make your dreams become reality. And live your life to the fullest to be happy, rather than to wish for an eternal life.

Born and raised in the countryside I was immediately curious when I read the synopsis of Gin no Saji. I haven’t read the manga and I didn’t expect too much from this, but with these low expectations I was pleasantly surprised.

The story of Gin no Saji evolves around Hachiken Yugo, a city boy who flees from his family to an agricultural school far away from the city. With his intellect and his talent in studying attending this school seems to be no problem for him, but he’s proven wrong very quickly. From collecting eggs to raising a piglet until it’s being sent off to the ... slaughterhouse; we follow Hachiken’s struggle when he finds the truth of the harsh world of farming and searching for his goal, when all his new friends (mostly farmer’s heirs) already have their own.

The art in this show was pretty good and detailed. The food showed here makes you hungry just looking at it. The character designs were nice, with unique and funny appearances, and the animation seemed to go smoothly as well. I didn’t like the opening that much, but the overall soundtrack was good and the ending theme gives off this country feel, what makes it really fitting for this show.

The strength of Gin no Saji are the characters. Hachiken enters the school as an inexperienced, shy boy who knows nothing about farming, but struggles bravely with the challenges he gets thrown at him. We see him get sick when the head of a chicken gets chopped off and he gets overly attached to animals which are supposed to become food. We can all relate to at least some of his experiences. As the series continues, we see Hachiken’s character grow. All other characters are interesting as well and often funny, but never too unnatural what makes them look like real people with dreams and goals.

Sitting back in my chair or lying in bed, I enjoyed every episode of Gin no Saji. The show is easy to follow with subtle psychological themes like seeing cute little animals become your food, and the question whether you should eat it or not. But along with a bunch of hilarious scenes it was a light, heartwarming and very entertaining anime.

The second season of Gin no Saji will be airing this Winter season and I’m already looking forward to it! Since it’s my first review, I’m still a bit unsure about how to write them, but I hope you liked it nevertheless!