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There are only two paths when it comes to Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso. Either one sees it as a low-class patchwork of melancholic cliches and forced drama or one considers it as a soul-rendering memory of something sweetly forgotten.

-Story-
Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso's premise is dependent on a blend of classical music, perspective, and the first love experience. Any casual otaku can reasonably predict the overarching storyline early on in the story, and yet there is the often overlooked details within the predictable events that exhibit a sense of raw vibrancy. The inevitable cliches in the show refuse to bow to precedent, vivacious ... as a certain female violinist. The stagnation, recession, and progression of the story are quite calculated, leaving much room for general complaint and little ability to support said complaint. Ultimately, the story is an honest emotional and philosophical vehicle - you either sit in throughout the journey with conviction or spitefully watch it drift off into the distance.

-Art-
The animation quality and art style are satisfactory. Realistic facial features, probably the most notable effect being lips, show confidence in presenting the show uniquely, as if it were a physical manifestation of the portrayed motifs. However, the sudden chibi art shifts within the show almost suggest budget cuts to the animated quality. The rendering is fluid, and color is a significant factor within the show. Character designs are distinctive, and the complementary backgrounds are satisfactory.

-Sound-
Naturally, for an anime's premise to revolve around music, sound is something not to be scrimp out on. The two sets of OPs and EDs for the first and second part of the show are fitting. The classical music produced throughout the show are, obviously, analyzed within context by the characters. Nonetheless, the monologues that arise during performances take away relative fractions of the immersed experience.

-Character-
Despite the complaints of some viewers of Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso, the characters can be determined as reasonably realistic. Of course, not every background character's life story can be elaborated upon in the span of twenty-two episodes, but the show does a very good job on presenting the dreams, motivations, emotions, and limitations of most of the memorable cast. Perspective is one of the primary factors the show is revolved around, and the characters do their parts accordingly to their portrayal. Casual sayings and quotes, often dismissed as nonsequitur, play a significant role in philosophical development of different characters. Growth and deterioration of a character is an impressive feat Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso managed to pull off, no matter how unlikeable or likeable each character may be to the individual audiences.

-Enjoyment-
Clearly, I've enjoyed Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso greatly. No doubt I'm biased: when there is a show that unreservedly calls for the rememberance of some of a viewer's most bittersweet moments in life, a coolly rational examination of the subject is laughable. For me, this show is both a fascinating adventure and memorable rediscovery.

Perhaps it's true that Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso's core message is irresponsible and immature to a lot of folks out there in the world, but is that not how life becomes blindingly brilliant, at least for a moment?

Romantic Comedy is always an uncertain genre for ambitious anime. Generally speaking, "romcoms" are enjoyed because of their absurdity and good-natured humor while somehow managing to touch on the thinest strand of deep emotion within the romantic framework of things. It's ironically frightening, really, when Toradora! provokes more than enough honest thought and sweet sentiment underneath the camouflage of supposedly whimsical comedy.

-Story-
Outstandingly intricate, the drama is suffused with originality and ironic wit, and it can be said that it is the story that makes Toradora! shine. While the obvious romcom tropes, such as Locked in a Room, Love Letter Lunacy, and the dreaded Drama ... Bomb, are conventional, the permeating sense of disorientation and counterproduction remains pleasantly expressive. Comedy is relative to the viewers' tastes, but the shifts in pace are glaringly charming. Due to the romantic and comedic nature of the anime, predictability is relatively improbable. There is no awkward deus ex machina luxury so many other romcom anime fall back upon when the chronicling gets tough, and so Toradora! ensures a very special type of realism within the nature of comedy. The romantic element, in one of its rarest (and dare I say finest) forms, is hence born out of a carefully crafted maelstrom of natural sentiment.

-Art-
While there is nothing particularly facinating or prodigious about the artwork by itself, the appropriate expression of detail in respect to the context is satisfying. The general details and animation for characters and backgrounds are consistent, but nothing exceptional. However, the various angles within scenes hold appropriate value, and contribute well to the respective mien. The chromatic arrangement of characters seem to also provide minor aesthetic enjoyment.

-Sound-
The anime has a reasonable degree of auditory satisfaction. Voice actors were sufficient, if not suitable, for their roles, and particular OST, such as Lost My Pieces, provide applicable emotional triggers for the contextual atmosphere. The shift in OP/ED songs halfway within the anime invites the critical mood change smoothly.

-Character-
Toradora! holds a character cast of interestingly complex personalities. Character development for the main two protagonists, Takasu Ryuji and Aisaka
Taiga, progresses at a versatile level of depth. Character interaction initially shows convenient stereotypes, such as the Misunderstood Loner, classical Tsundere, and Genki Girl: further development systematically dismantles a large component of the stereotypes, revealing distinctive rationale. The character cast is memorable, and it is probable that some degree of sympathy, if not empathy, can be concluded from the audience.

-Enjoyment-
I cannot claim that Toradora! is the best anime out there for everyone, even if enclosed within the genre of Romantic Comedy - but it is personally meaningful and freshly expressive to me. It is one of the few anime out there that, as poorly as it sounds, "gets what love is", applicable to romance (and I know many can/do/will disagree). It is an anime that isn't afraid to express another form of love in stark contrast to what is styled as the ideal true love only found in dreams and fantasies.

Love becomes something of a confusing, vast, overwhelming, and wondrous phenomenon - and I think that is why I enjoy Toradora!

The anime of virtual controversy, gamer paradise, and uncertain emotional investment - Sword Art Online. Helplessly overused comes the sudden thought, "The premise of SAO is amazing, but the execution..." from the vast horde of anime veterans, and a rebuke is rarely summoned as response. But SAO doesn't deserve the rage-filled abandonment of a supposedly betrayed and disappointed community; Sword Art Online, Season 1, deserves a Fair evaluation.

-Story-
Again, the premise issue arises, and a grudging admiration for the initial complexity and significance to the death game of SAO must be given. The world of Aincard is no pushover in the demands and sacrifices necessary for ... story progression, and sacrifices are indeed the driving force behind the story development. However, the pacing of romantic, technical, and flag elements is barely decent; granted, the story is spatially patterned, but non-sequitur abruptness can only go so far. Many say that SAO's story cohesiveness falls apart after the first major arc, and I am in unfortunate agreement.

-Art-
The artistic element of SAO is its selling point. Characters are detailed and distinctive, and the backgrounds are pleasantly impressive, as if it were a subtle hint towards the genuine artistic and technical ingenuity of the world creator. The animations are consistent in quality and raw fluidity, lending well to whatever respective mood determined by the animators. There are little complaints towards the art of SAO.

-Sound-
It would appear that the sound for SAO is Fair enough. The OP/ED songs for SAO Season 1 is deliberate, and all other OST are understandable as to why they are inserted within the relative positions within the anime. Aesthetic interests in sound are relatively euphonious, and serves well as a casement for emotional juxtaposition with auditory senses.

-Character-
The portrayal and development of SAO's character cast are the issue and cause for the alleged betrayal of SAO enthusiasts. When there is little development to be seen (in the case of personality and mentality) for the protagonist, Kirito, throughout the entire season, it does not bode well for the rest of the minor characters. Some may argue that Kirito is even more standardized and static than his fellow gamers, and I remain undecided to that point. While not all are flat characters, SAO's players are, for the lack of a better description, simple and horrifyingly expressive.

-Enjoyment-
SAO lifted off of the mediocre levels of anime, but it just wasn't enough to hit the big names. It had an explosively fascinating premise and world (yes, a entirely new virtual world), and it is probably one of the best anime out of there that replicated a thin resemble to the unobtainable gamer paradise - all this is true. The thing that betrayed the expectant audience was not SAO itself.

No, the problem lies within the gamers that never really lived in the world they inhabited, in more ways than one.

It's all about a professional dream, and there's nothing amateur about how the Obata and Ohba team go about crafting this series either. There is little leeway for Bakuman to cut around the common "It's a manga about manga" description, and that's all right - but that doesn't do justice to a Very Good score of 8, does it?

-Story-
The premisis of Bakuman is uncommon at least, and unprecedented at best. Two best friends trying to achieve an unrealistic dream despite the very real cost of losing out to the harsh world of propriety and stability? Cliché start. Any otaku could have seen that coming. But ... predictability stops there. Encyclopedic mangaka knowledge starts pouring in almost seamlessly with a steadily rising situation of where mediocre talent will not survive. It's complicated: sometimes, even genius and determination doesn't cut it - and life, at least in the Shounen Jump office, goes on with or without you. Bakuman's story makes sure to teach its readers a life lesson of what really goes on behind the ink-splattered nib pen.

-Art-
Anyone familiar with Takeshi Obata's illustrations will not be disappointed; that is, Bakuman's art is familiar and unobtrusive. The majority of characters are distinguished properly, and the styles are reasonably consistent, with the minor exception of backgrounds. Understandably, the art is marked as Fair.

-Character-
Bakuman's characters are memorable. True, characters like Hattori Akira can be classified as static, but rarely are they flat. It can be argued that the majority of the cast do not change; it cannot be argued that the majority are only known for a respectively singular personality trait. The protagonists of Bakuman, Moritaka Mashiro and Akito Takagi, obviously develop in skill and maturity - but never in the usual sense. They face misfortune and successful, and the expected response is sometimes delayed or never made. And that's where the magic happens: Mashiro and Takagi don't do the "main characters always win" trope. They can fail, and there are no heroic rematches in Bakuman - lose, grow, and move on, because there's no going back.

-Enjoyment-
Bakuman was a learning experience for me. I don't regret reading it at all, and I very pleasantly couldn't predict the way the beginning, middle, and end of the series was headed. I was worried, thoughtful, happy, and sad throughout various parts of the manga at a genuine level of emotion. Of course it has bits that dragged a little, and I frankly didn't pay too much attention to the statistics of mangaka "failures", but Bakuman is something that taught me something I should have learned long ago when I first flicked through the first few pages of a worn and dusty Japanese piece.

It taught me to respect the professional dream hidden within the pages of what we all know as manga.