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"Can a girl enjoy a shounen-horror-demon-themed-anime?" I ask "Why not?"Sennen Makyou is the kind of second season that makes an anime outstanding. It drove away all the uneasy feelings the first season left, and strongly consolidated into one of my favorites. If I have to say more, I really want to read the manga after this.

//WARNING: This review will compare a lot first and second season of Nurarihyon. Lazy readers better go to conclusion. Sorry if I´m way too biased for the awesomeness of this anime//

Story (10):
SM has one of the most consolidated stories you´ll ever see. All the points that didn´t make much ... sense on the first season are fully explained here. The consolidation of the Nura Clan, the beginning of the First Nigh Parade of One Hundred Demons, Nurarihyon´s personality and, if I may add, awesomeness (not sure that word exists, but let´s think it does) and such are included here. The director knew how to make a strongly-story-based series and drove the anime with quality, taking care of the plot so there weren´t any holes. The episode director knew what was on his hands, and, as it is, produced a linear sequence, where the flashbacks and the real-time happenings were clearly separated and the cliffhangers were right placed( they still were annoying. I mean, who likes cliffhangers?) Also, they did a good transition into a more comedy-driven series than in the 1st season. The remarks and reactions felt as many other anime´s we´ve seen, but it didn´t damage the quality of the show as a hole. If so, it added to it a little more of what it lacked before.

We find out a lot more about Rikuo´s family and encounter truly hateful villains. Not the ones who have a valid reason to do evil as it seem to be on vogue. Even after you know their reasons, they keep on being as wicked and insane as ever. But try not to get way too ahead of yourselves on this matter, as there is more than meets the eyel on the villain´ s side.

Characters (10)
SM shows that characters depth is as important as the plot. What I truly liked on this season is that Rikuo´s both personalities became one. His speech still changes as drastically as in the first season when it comes to the Nigh Version, but now it really feels like him. No matter if he is polite or uses a yakuza-slang, he is himself. That is, on my opinion, a huge success on what it represented his character. He becames more of a shounen MC : his remarks, his bratty attitude when he faces his superiors, the way he takes things head-on, his compassion of the wrong-and-tricked-onto-it-doers, and a lot more of things give him that shounen hero feeling. Even so, Rikuo keeps his originality as a character, being honest, unhesitant and taking his own decisions. He behaves as the virtuous child who was presented upon us since the beginning, and that is truly appreciated.

In reference to the rest of the cast, I will be briefer. The one who´s gotten more development from the female cast is Yura Kekain, as she´s a MC on this season. She´s gotten a lot more depth in plot and story matters as before and has gained more attention than before (her Kyoto-slang is as funny as always). In the case of Tsurara, her feelingstowards Rikuo have evolved from the blind faith to something more deep and romantic. Now that Rikuo´s gotten more serious, she finds herself on the need to redefine her role as a member of his Night Parade. This happens to other members, namely Kurotabo, Aotabo, and Kubinashi. Everyone starts realizing that Rikuo doesn´t need to be protected, but rather to be trusted and accompanied. Kana doesn´t get as much spotlight, and there´s a point where you wonder what happened with her, as she went from main to side-character.


Music
Yes, I´m going to be honest. What drove me to Nurarihyon no Mago was the 2nd opening of Sennen Makyou. I found it somewhere which name I can´t remember anymore (not that it matters now). L.M.C is a band that knows how to make the right songs for the right story-arcs. They did a great job on Reborn! (first time I heard of them) and they keep on being a reference when it comes to Theme songs. Both OP sequences were awesome, where the second one is the best. Kataze *Size does a good job on the ED sequences, and here I recommend once again the second one. The BGM was beautiful made and placed, being sometimes as darker as it was needed, but with beautiful pieces thrown here and there.

Art (10)
The best! They took the right amount of light and dark, the right colors and tones to each of the parts. Even the blood looked real, and we all know how hard it is to find real looking blood on some series. The night and day sides of the story were well done, and the art took a huge advance from what it was before. Is as you go through the art evolution of the mangaka, which is a plus to this series.

Enjoyment (10)
My most sincere regards to the team which created and gave life to this season. Now that I finished this anime I know I took the right decision when I decided to watch it and I´m even taking into consideration reading the manga. Iit takes a good plot and characters to make a horror-hating girl like me to enjoy this. My camp of genres has broadened a little after this. I sincerely encourage anyone to watch this, be it you like the genre or not.

Conclusion
+the art is more refined. It has the right color palette and tones,
+both OP and ED sequences as the BGM are awesome,
+more main characters,
+development and depth in both the MC as SC (side-characters),
+more comedy,
+non-holes plot
+better than the prequel.
To you who´s read till the end of this biased review of a well-produced-shounen-series-lover girl as me, I encourage you to watch this anime. I found it as a piece of 24 episodes that shouldn´t be missed.I myself can´t wait anymore for the OVA that comes on December.

"I always wondered who was the one who suffered the most. The one who departed...or the one who was left behind"

//Before giving me a non-helpful tag please read the review. //

After finishing Sakamichi no Apollon, I wondered if there was another josei anime who would make the same impact on me...and I know now for sure I found it. If else, it had made a hole different one.

Natsuyuki Rendezvous is a beautiful work. The story, the art, the characters, the music, the production and direction...every thing is balanced prefectly.

There´s so many things that are remarkable about this show:a grieving couple that shares everything ... not knowing it, the loneliness of being together and appart at the same time, the fear of moving on, the untasteful way of living everyday without a purpose, the pain that comes when you don´t know if to leave or to stay.

The characters: "as long as there is love, someone´s going to be hurt". We´ve seen that along the way God-know-how-many-billion-hundred-times on different series. Yet, this is one of the few times it felt it so real. Their actions, their selfishness and the way they behave arround each other is so full of mistakes that it makes you want to scream at them. Yes, it is, and it keeps being that way during the hole thing (I mean it). BUT, even if they do things at a brand-new level of wrong, it´s clear that if it were you who were there, you wouldn´t know either, because when it comes to love there´s no right nor correct answers. That´s one of the things which makes us humans, and that is, for sure, one of the major lessons (if you want to name it that way) of this anime.

Another plus of this series is the music. The OP and the ED are so full of messages and blend so well with the story. Each one gives us the side of the story of each part: the OP reflexes Shimao (Rokka´s late husband) and Hazuki´s feelings,while the ending gives you the feelings and thoughts of Rokka.

If you´ve reached this point on the review I know you´ve wondered if I liked it or not.Answer: yes, I do. But, I won´t tell you to watch it if you´re looking for something, ´cuz, as we all know, surprises on life come when you´re not looking for them.

So, shall we move on to the first episode?

¨If you want to pay your debt with me, then please love me¨

Quite the proposition, huh? But this is what you get in the first chapter, and from that moment on, you´re doomed...´cuz you wont help but keep watching so you can know what happens afterwards.

Arakawa under the bridge is the story that having the possibillity to have a cliched development, leaves that completely aside, leaving you with a series were each minute that passes gets more and more weird, and, if you can get used to it, more and more funny.

If you´ve read the summary, you will see more or less what ... it is about, but what doesn´t get explained in it is that the main character is the only normal (?) person under the bridge, and that everyone else is a matter-of-fact worring case, from the nun to the farm-girl, going throught the kappa and the star (yeah, a star, go figure it).But, even when everyone in the bridge is reaaaaaly weird (I mean it), you get to see from time to time some sensibility, and a slightly development on the relationship of the main guy with everyone.

As the strange development of short and interconected stories moves forward, you get to some questions that pops out of nowhere and make you wonder, like...Is it the way everyone (and I´m talking about the society in general) do things the right way? When everyone around you have different upbringings, what exactly is the common sense? You´ll have to wonder that for yourself, and if you faind your answer, I congratulate you righ now!

This is a series that can´t be taken serious.
This is a series that can´t be taken lightly
So what it is?
Is the life of Arakawa under the Bridge...^^!

This is pretty different from other animes and mangas when it comes to plot.

I enjoyed most of the chapters, which is pretty hard when you know everything almost from the manga.

The design of the characters let me a little disapointed, after seeing the job of Hinata-sensei in the manga, but that doesn´t mean they aren´t enjoyable. Also, the relationships are deep and well-built,and the personalities are pretty funny in a way.

The music isn´t something that let me in awe, but it´s pretty good (my favorite is the ending) and accomplish it´s purpose very well. The title and the introduction are told in french, what it´s ... a ¨well-done¨ from the guys of Satelight, as it gives the animation a touch of originality. Each chapter ends with the image frozen, giving you the feeling of a picture book full of tales.

What I liked the most was to see how the relationship betwen Claude and Yune slowly evolves. Seeing how hard was it for Claude to get a hold of Yune´s habits and way of thinking, and how the hig-spirited Yune tries hard to acustom herself to life in Paris, doing her best and wanting to help everyone, while they slowly start to know and understand each other, makes it a rather enjoyable story.

It´s one of those storyes that you usually don´t find and that, if can be seen in a go, also are good in little pieces.

¨You and Me¨. I think that explains a lot when you hear about this anime.

There are a lot of shounen series out there that seems to not be able to survive without an strange adventure or some out-of-this-dimenssion kind of development. Kimi to Boku breaks with all that.

Is a slice-of-life series where you can be sure that´s what you´re going to see. There are no super powers, nor beings for another galaxy nor mythical creatures: it´s about high-school boys and their every-day lifes. It´s so beautifully refreshing that you can´t help but smile with every chapter.

The main characters are four ... boys whom are friends since kindergarden, but that doesn´t mean they are super best friends, and a new guy that adds to the pack. The general archetypes for shounen-series personalities are thrown away and you´re left with people more real than what you can see generally. Also, there´s a peaceful pace, with that beautiful aura of times that you can only live once.

A characteristic of this series is that every chapter is narrated by one of the boys, without afecting the pace. Is as if each one is telling you their teenage stories, in a speech that can´t be classified as past or present, a beautiful narrative that gives you the chance to know each one as they really are, with their thoughts, ideas and feelings exposed, while you can enjoy what happens as it happens.

The art is also great: there aren´t those general bishies that go back and fort in any anime out there, it´s more like normal people you see everywhere. The music is gorgeus and every chapter is finished as if it where the last one, showing a new side of everyone and of the narrator itself.

The things you hold precious, the chance of being real with yourself or keeping an appearance, unrequitted love, and much more beatiful and real things awaits in this story.It´s a series that you must see one at a time, so you can enjoy it as it deserves.

What are you waiting for? Give you the chance of enjoy this joyfully refreshing series. I´m sure that you will be left with the itching feeling of seeing it twice.

This series has been a really strange discoverment. I´m not going to tell you what actually happens, because that will be spoiler and goes against my policy.

In the beginnig, what atracted me was the plot, that seems to be able to appear in any other place, but that as it starts to move gets deepper and focused. It wisely involves various concepts used in other mangas and makes them blend in a rather amazing way, that lets you with that feeling of wanting to read more. The arcs are subsequents and don´t have any wastes, and in most of the chapters you´re able ... to enjoy a hilarious parts that gives you that shounen-manga-aura, and that allows to relax the development.

Even when the main characters don´t belong to the worlds they have been replaced of (a kind of edo-era-japan and a modern one) they get the resolve to do their best to protect what the other holds precious, while they have the opportunity to know new faces and to grow phisically and emotionally.

The relationship betwen the characters, involved by the casualties of changing places in parallels worlds, where everyone knows them and at the same time doesn´t, and the ability they have to communicate from time to time, makes you able to see side-storys, may it be from the same world or from different ones, giving it -and us- the chance of a ¨change of airs¨ from time to time.

This story it´s pretty brand-new if you compared it with other shounen mangas, but has won it´s place when it comes to plot and development. So, don´t hesitate twice when it comes to read it.