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I have yet to be disappointed by any of Narita's work, but even that didn't prepare for how much I ended up loving these novels. I've sat here in disbelief as the ground shifted from underneath me by a single line (“This building... is my laboratory”). I've groaned at Elmer's bad jokes (“Would being popular with aliens mean I’m universally attractive?”). I've been left in awe by the sheer badassery of Claire (“Do you think that I just sat here and had this strength handed to me on a silver platter?”). And now I patiently wait for Narita to wrap up the pieces once and ... for all in the 2003. And by patiently I mean sitting here while screaming and resisting the urge to tweet Narita about how much he's ruined my life.

Story 9/10

The first four novels of Baccano! are okay - not great, but still far from terrible. Their biggest issue is that they simply bombard you with too much information and too many characters (a good percent of them never actually physically appear - but you'll need to know them anyway). It's a bit much to take in and might make reading the series feel tedious. Then “The Children of Bottle” happens.

“Bottle” is unlike any of the novels before it, starting with an abrupt jump from New York in 1932 to Northern Europe in 2001. It also has a significantly smaller cast and only two characters from the first four novels have any significance in it.

Despite all this, or maybe because of it, it's the novel that really won me over. The central mystery of the novel is fun to unravel and has a profound impact on the rest of the series (though you won't realize how much until many novels later) but the greatest part for me is the introduction of Elmer C. Albatross, a character that always looks on the bright side of life to a terrifying extreme. His scheming is a delight to read about and he plays off the rest of the cast brilliantly.

From “Bottle” onwards, the series really begins to pick up the pace, though the 1930's arcs always tend to feel a bit too long. The interim novels provide a much needed breather (I'd even recommend reading the story somewhat out of publishing order; going from The Slash to Alice in Jails is kind of too much) and even end up stealing the show to some extent.

The 1700's novels in particular are a really enjoyable read for me because of how unlike they are from the rest of the series. They have a much smaller character focus as they are almost completely centered around Huey. Their setting, a small town near Naples during the War of the Spanish Succession, gives them an entirely different atmosphere from the novels set nearer to modern times. And there's this undercurrent of dread running throughout them as you meet characters whose ultimate fates you already know.

The 2002 novels, on the other hand, are powerhouses. The already large cast only further expands and the series comes to what is both a climax and a turning point thanks to the order the books are published (one thing you'll get used to is having storylines spoiled ahead of time that still manage to be shocking when they play out).

As all these different arcs go on they become more and more tangled together which only increases my enjoyment of the series. No scene ends up feeling wasteful in the long run and it's the kind of series that benefits from multiple readings.

Art 10/10 (but not really crucial to the series)

Enami does a good job of matching his illustrations to the character descriptions which makes it easy to visualize them all. And there are some really heartwarming scenes that become more so because of the illustrations (Czes and Maiza's first meeting!). In my experience, that's pretty rare in light novels as illustrations are usually treated like a bonus instead of an enhancement. But since this is a novel, the illustrations shouldn't really be a deciding factor in your opinion of the series.

Characters 10/10

Now, the best part of the series is the characters. Despite the ridiculously huge cast it's not difficult to remember everyone. They all have very unique personalities and their sheer variety guarantees you'll find at least some of them to your taste. In my case, the characters I ended up falling for are the 1711 immortals, especially Elmer and Huey who benefit greatly from having so much of their backstory explored. The unusual friendship they form is one of the highlights of the series for me. Huey's friendship with Elmer, along with his love for Monica, ends up humanizing him a great deal.

Also from the 1711 immortals are Nile, Denkuro, Sylvie and Victor who get negligible screen time in the anime but are greatly expanded on in the novels. They all deal with their immortality in different ways. Denkuro spends years trying to go home but when he does he finds everything has changed. Nile fights in war after war, Sylvie is cursed to spend her endless life without the person she wanted it for in the first place. And Victor seems unaware that he's in a Narita novel as he decides to devote his life trying to force order and harmony on the universe. I love reading about all of them and while they may not end up being your favorites - you will have favorites. This is a cast you'll end up feeling attached to.

Enjoyment 10/10

I don't think it's possible for me to enjoy this series more than I already do. There are so many great moments that more than make up for slower sections of the story. The hardest part is dealing with brutal cliffhangers that don't get addressed again until many novels later thanks to the timeline jumping around. But every smack down and wham moment makes it all worth it.

If you have any curiosity about the series it's well worth trying out.

The second season of Saiunkoku Monogatari is even better than the first - too bad I can't rate it higher than a ten.

Story - 10

The second season starts off around where the last one ends, so I recommend you watch the first season before you tackle this one. Anyway, the second season is easily even more intricate than the first, with Ryuuki finally taking charge as emperor, something not all members of government appreciates. New enemies appear, and the clans continue to feud as always. Every detail in the story is important, something viewers should be used to by now.

Animation - 9

I really appreciated all ... the costumes this time around. Everyone's hair, the jewelery, and building designs, all of it is so wonderfully done. Actions scenes could be a bit better, but that's not really what the story is about.

Sound - 9

It's the same, top-quality sounds as the first season. The OP/ED haven't changed, which makes me glad. They're really fitting. The seiyūs are kind of awesome and wonderfully casted. Some standouts include: Serian, played by the same seiyu as Xingke from Code Geass (ironic since they're both very similar characters) and Ran Ryuuren (Hei from Darker than BLACK). Okay, the whole cast is amazing.

Character - 10

All the characters from the previous season appear once again, gaining even more development. Kourin and Eigetsu get a particularity epic storyline, something I did not expect, but ended up loving. Shuurei is as motivated as before, trying her hardest to succeed. Ryuuki is also doing his best, and slowly building a group of loyal supporters. Seiran has found a place for himself in the royal guard, and is finally allowing his true personality to show through. Everyone is wonderfully written as usual, probably thanks to Saiunkoku Monogatari being based off a series of novels.

Enjoyment - 10

The second season takes everything I love about this series and adds even more. All my favourite secondary characters get their chances to shine, and some new characters bring fresh life to the show (Go Jyūsan-hime!). I was impressed by the costumes and soothed by the sounds of the erhu. Usually, second seasons aren't as good as their firsts, but Saiunkoku Monogatari does not stick to this norm.

Yozakura Quartet was only a twelve episode series. That's not a lot of episodes to go wrong with. A basic plot and story can easily be done in twelve episodes. Characters can be fleshed out in twelves episodes. Yozakura Quartet did not manage to do any of that.

Story - 3

The first few episodes showed how much potential Yozakura Quartet had. They were interesting and hooked me instantly. The rest of the show continued to mock me as if saying I was a fool for having any hope in the plot. The characters made stupid decisions and many plot points never made sense or were poorly ... explained. Do not be tricked by the strong beginning.

Animation - 8

The animation was pretty good. The character designs were wonderfully done, and all the fight scenes were fun to watch, if taken out of context. The plot seriously hindered my enjoyment of the fights, unfortunately.

Sound - 7

The OP/ED themes were okay, the actual score was nothing special. I really didn't pay much attention to the score, which means at least it didn't bother me. The seiyū's on the other hand were too good for this show. The seiyū's for Chiaki Shinichi (Nodame Cantabile), Shinku (Rozen Maiden), Suigintou (Rozen Maiden), Sebastian Michaelis (Kuroshitsuji), Nagi (Kannagi), Yin (Darker than BLACK), and many more were wasted voicing dull, irritating characters.

Character - 5

The characters started out okay, but slowly a serious case of bad characterization appeared. By the end of the show, I could only stand to watch around two or three characters. The rest made multiple stupid decisions and contradicted their behaviour from before.

Enjoyment - 3

Pretty animation and nice sound will go nowhere if the story fails and you want to strangle to the main leads. The story was a giant letdown, but every week I hoped it would get better. But it didn't.

Overall - 5

So much potential, so little results. Yozakura Quartet was mediocre to core. I didn't exactly hate it - I was disappointed by it. Please, don't waste your time with this anime when there are plenty of others (Kamisama Kazoku, for example, is by the same author and is so much better) that aren't such a letdown.

Cat Street is a surprisingly deep story, easily one of the best I have ever come across. Cat Street has it's moments of humor, but what it realyl excels at is drama.

The story starts with Aoyama Keito, a lonely girl traumatized by her experience as a child actor. Years earlier she suffered from stage fright and managed to successfully ruin her career. Now she spends her days at home in a state of apathy. The manga essentially focuses on Keito's progress as she starts to interact with society again, starting with her enrollment at El Liston, a school full of students with similar backgrounds.

Story ... - 9

Cat Street is heavy reading. It's emotional and deep - not something for shallow readers. Seeing as some of its main themes are depression, unrequited love, and general angst, this is hardly surprising. But it's also about putting things behind and moving on, creating lasting friendships, and finding true love. Cat Street suffers a little at one point with a strange kidnapping, but it sorts itself out in the end.

Art - 10

Cat Street's art really stood out in all the right ways. The facial expressions of the characters (especially the eyes) portrayed so much emotion, I sometimes forget I was looking at a simple black-and-white drawing. The characters also age really well (the manga covers several years).

Characters - 10

And we have a winner. Cat Street is character development at its finest. We get to watch the four main characters grow up and confront their pasts, moving on and learning from past mistakes. None of it is forced. Kamio Yoko (the mangaka) understands people in a way that blows my mind. She develops her characters in a way most authors (of every medium) can only dream of doing.

Enjoyment - 10

Cat Street tugged at all the right emotions; the characters became real people. I could easily identify with the entire main cast. Keito's journey as a person was wonderfully written and the art was beautiful.

Overall - 10

Cat Street is an emotional ride, best read slowly. I strongly discourage marathon reading. Cat Street takes place over several years (despite being only thirty-five chapters long), and reading it too quickly will kill the effect. Cat Street is something you would want to savour anyway.

I highly recommend Cat Street to any shoujo fan looking for something that's a little more than the usual high school romantic comedy.

Oh, Saiunkoku Monogatari. I will never understand why this show isn't more popular. But I digress.

Story: 10

At first glance, the plot may seem a bit shallow - a girl becomes the consort of a reluctant Emperor, let the silliness begin! - but wow does it become so much more. Essentially, Saiunkoku Monogatari is an engaging drama filled with political intrigue disguised as a simple reverse harem story. Even the simplest details connect to overall story and the plot becomes more and more developed as the show progresses.

Animation: 8

Not much to say here other than Saiunkoku Monogatari does have an overdose of bishies. Don't let ... that deter you though. None of the characters are there just for looks.

Sound: 8

Pretty well done score. Some of the highlights include anytime Shuurei plays the erhu and the OP/ED themes.

Character: 10

This show has a lot of characters, but they are introduced slowly and all of the major characters have their backgrounds fleshed out enough. Shuurei is easily one of the best female protagonists I've come across. She has a girl power! attitude that never comes off as obnoxious. Her interactions with the rest of the cast are entertaining to watch. She has a magnetic personality, but not to the point of ridiculousness (Honda Tohru comes to mind). Though truth is, I kind of like all of the characters. Some stand outs include Seiran (one of my top ten favourite characters ever) and Ryuuren with his crazy flute.

Enjoyment: 10

The plot twists, the characters, the everything. I finished this show some time ago, but I wouldn't mind rewatching it. It's the kind of show where you miss little details the first time around.

Overall: 10

My enjoyment of this show compels me to give it a 10. The story is just so much more than a little blurb of a summary. The characters really grew on me, the soundtrack added to the mood. The beautiful backgrounds always caught my eye. There's just so much substance to this show - it's not for someone looking for a simple story. Prepare to be sucked into the world of Saiunkoku Monogatari, I know I was.