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Azumanga Daioh is a charming high school slice-of-life show that is very chill to watch, has plenty of funny moments, and memorable characters.

The stories in each episode are simple high-school girl situations; they are consistently light-hearted and funny. I think the jokes land well even for the non-Japanese audience. I was surprised that throughout the 26 episodes the girls progressed through several years of high school all the way to graduation; I think this worked well and I enjoyed seeing the girls talking about their futures after school. I also think it was a smart choice not to include any significant male characters in this ... anime (apart from the pervy teacher - of course) so it could focus on the girls' friendships and antics instead of any romance plots.

The characters were all charming in their own ways. I particularly like Kaorin and her crush on Sakaki, if anything it was a shame that Kaorin didn't get more screen time. I also really like Chiyo, and the inclusion of the two female teachers and some of their adventures in addition to the school girl adventures.

The music is okay. To be honest I don't like the opening song, I found it annoying, so I always skipped it. The ending song is kind of charming, though. The score is simplistic and quite repetitive - not in a bad way - and I found the music going round in my head quite a lot when I was watching it.
I watched the first episode with the English dub but then I watched all the rest in Japanese; this is because Osaka's character is given a southern accent in the dub which I found really off-putting. I understand why they did it as the characters are pointing out her regional 'Osaka' accent in the episode, but in the dub it just made it feel too weirdly American. So I'd recommend the Japanese.

The art is fine and charming for the high school setting. Pretty good standard for it's time, but nothing really special.

Overall, after the first couple of episodes I was endeared by the characters and I enjoyed being able to watch this casually. It's funny, sweet, and chill.

Bleach is a series that began promisingly, but sadly became less and less compelling over time, due to a variety of factors.

Bleach's story has a fair enough setup: Ichigo meets Rukia, a soul reaper, and becomes a soul reaper himself. Antics ensue. Right? Well...to some extent, yes. For a little while the story has a kind of monster-of-the-week feel, with our characters facing some fun, inconsequential enemies. We see a little of Ichigo's high school life. Then the big Soul Society arc begins, and it's pretty fun! It introduces a bunch of new characters and lore, we see plenty of fights, it's a good time. ... It's a pretty long arc, and it culminates in a villain reveal that has obviously been memorable among fans.
In my opinion, this is the highest point the manga ever reached. Unfortunately, this arc is generally accepted to end around chapter 182. And there are *705* chapters. That's a pretty big gap. So what was going on for the rest of the time? To be brutally honest, nothing that ever felt that important. There are really only 3 big arcs after the Soul Society. I think that in order to hold your attention over such a long-running shounen series, there should ideally be a higher number of slightly shorter arcs, or at the very least the arcs need to be more varied. But each new arc in Bleach seems to follow the exact same structure as the first, but in increasingly bleaker locations.

I think characterisation is another place Bleach falls short. There's nothing wrong with the characters designs; but I just couldn't ever connect with the main characters the way I wanted to. I'm not certain why this is. They're not TERRIBLE - but I just don't feel that their motivations and goals are well expressed. Ichigo, for example, should be the biggest driver of the story, and I guess I like him well enough - but I don't know what his ultimate goals are. I think this makes it apparent that the story really lacks something important: an emotional core. Without this it's hard to feel invested in any of the goings on. I also always found it kind of odd that Ichigo's high school pals all happened to have their own super abilities outside of the reaper powers.

The artwork of the series, while it's biggest strength, also suffered from deteriorating quality through the years. I think initially the art and designs of Bleach were very impressive; Tite Kubo is a very talented artist. The characters look sleek and very very cool. The fight scenes were visually exciting. But by the mid point there is less and less to hold your eye's attention - the scenery and backgrounds seemed to become much bleaker and washed out. It feels like you're just looking at the characters talking or battling in a blank void, and this only lends to an increasingly empty story.

Overall, I think it's a shame that Bleach fell from grace the way it did. I read it faithfully every week for 3-4 years up till sometime in 2013, and yet I find it hard to pinpoint many memories from that all time spent reading. For some time I convinced myself that I would eventually catch up and finish the manga, but I've now long accepted that I will probably never bother. I've seen summaries of the very last chapters and they're not enough to compel me to spend my time reading through more of the same.
I don't want to place blame too harshly on any one factor for the disappointing nature of the series. I think perhaps Tite's strengths lie in artwork and character design, rather than character development. I understand that the world of weekly manga, especially Weekly Shounen Jump, is a unique and unforgiving environment in which to publish these stories, but that doesn't automatically mean that any series in there is doomed to the same failures. And I know that eventually Tite was given a brutally short frame in which to end the manga, but, truthfully, what would have happened otherwise? Would the manga have been drawn out for another 150 chapters of stale plot? Who knows.
Ultimately, I think Bleach would have worked much better as a shorter series; perhaps after the Soul Society arc there could have been a short conclusion. I think Bleach would be remembered more fondly if had ended sooner. But, alas. It's certainly not the worst manga in the world; if shounen manga in a cool, modern setting appeals to you then I think it's worth your time to read the beginnings of it. Just know that, even if you enjoy it to start with, and you're determined to power through the lacklustre arcs in the hopes that the story will get better: it won't.

Code Geass is an anime that I really *wanted* to enjoy, but no matter how hard I tried, I never really did.

I think the setup of the story had potential to be very good, but the execution never lifted it beyond average. The Geass sounds like a very cool, interesting ability, but I think the story suffered for making it too complicated and overpowered at points.
The show doesn't seem to know what to focus on; taking elements from genres like mech and high school anime, while also drawing heavily from other popular shows of the time, most noticeably (to me): Death Note. Smart young man ... is granted God-like power and tries to use it reshape the world around his own views, with no regard for collateral damage, becoming an anti-hero in the process.
While watching, I found it hard to get past my annoyance that the plot seemed a carbon copy of Death Note (which I adore), however; to look at this objectively, perhaps it's unfair to single out Code Geass for doing this, as you can argue that many popular anime subgenres do this all the time - the setup for many magical girl shows is basically the same, the setup for many long-running shounen shows is basically the same, etc. So I guess if this plot setup appeals to you, and you'd prefer to see it against a backdrop of mech fighters and political shenanigans instead of the gothic-detective setting of Death Note, then there's no reason to let that put you off. I would say though, that I don't think Code Geass pulls off these elements all that well. Instead of an intriguing battle of strategic minds, the plot often just comes off as convoluted.

There's not much to say about the characters, as none of them are very memorable to me. LeLouch himself - and I'm sorry to make this comparison again, but it's true - is a carbon copy of Light from Death Note, only devoid of any likeability even right from the start, and not quite as smart. Suzaku and Kallen are...just okay. C.C. is literally just a plot device, and her motivations are never explained at all. The other members of the royal family all blend into one in my mind, to be honest.

I don't really have any complaints about the sound. The score isn't really memorable, but I don't remember it being bad either. There are several very good openings; namely 'Colors' and 'O2', classic shounen opening songs. To note, I watched the English dub, which was fine. I never really watched the Japanese audio so I can't compare.

The art, however, is a sore point for me. The character designs are by Clamp, whose art style is quite distinctive across all their works. The problem, for me, is...I just DON'T like it. It just looks ugly to me. HOWEVER: I don't mean that it's of low-quality, and I don't mean any disrespect to the Clamp artists by that; they are accomplished artists and their designs are a deliberate stylistic choice - I get that. Their art just isn't for me; it's purely down to preference. So while I do think of this as a negative for the show, any viewer who likes what they see of the characters shouldn't have this problem. To each their own.

I can understand why Code Geass is still a popular anime. It has some cool elements that are reasonably enjoyable to watch. There's nothing wrong with an anime combining elements from many different genres - doing this well really has the potential to create a masterpiece. Sadly, I don't think Code Geass achieves that; it has the feel of a story deliberately assembled to appeal to as many viewers as possible, rather than a compelling story written from the heart. Not the worst anime I've seen by any means, but overall, it's uninspiring. Not for me.

Death Note is a stunning adaptation of an equally outstanding manga. I read the manga first and then watched this; it features no filler and really doesn't leave out any significant detail, so the two are pretty much comparable.

The story is a thrilling battle of minds. It's intriguing to follow Light and L's competing strategies because it's told at an exciting pace and because the stakes feel very high. The death note's power feels unique and original, and has well-defined limits so that it doesn't feel overpowered.
There's a lot of gothic imagery to this anime, on a backdrop of a pretty clinical modern Japanese setting. ... I think this gives Death Note a very unique atmosphere all of it's own. The story also explores the morality of power and judgement, which is one of my favourite elements of the show; and it features an element commonly found in anime since the nineties, which is the growing of cults around controversial figures.

The characterisation is a pretty strong element of this anime. It features a small core cast of memorable figures. Light captivates me as a main character, and not because he's likeable. When I first read and watched this I was still very much an 'edgy teen' and so to begin with I found Light relatable and I really sympathised and supported him...and I still remember my cold, jarring feeling when I came to a turning point - still pretty early in the story - where my perspective of Light was flipped on it's head. The moment appears in episode 7, and from that point I think the story takes on a new tone and the stakes are ramped up. I think his status as an anti-hero is probably not as unique anymore, as the trope has become more popular in the last decade - but I think that owes quite a bit to Death Note as an early, popular example.
L is a quirky character who it's easy to love. I know opinions are more divided on two late additions to the anime, Near and Mello, but personally I like them, Mello in particular. They add a new dimension to the investigation instead of just being clones of L.
Finally there is Misa, who to be honest is less easy to love, but ultimately probably the most developed character. We get to learn more about her background than the others; we never learn much about Light's life before the show which I think is because he genuinely wasn't a remarkable person before getting the death note, and we learn even less about L - that is part of his persona as the enigmatic genius, though I still think it's a shame he's not explored a little further (at least within this adaptation).
Misa is a character who I don't exactly root for, it's more like I pity her. She's a weak girl. But please don't mistake that to mean 'weakly written character'; it's just the opposite. She's a realistic victim-type and I think the super unhealthy relationship dynamic between her and Light is written a lot closer to reality than many viewers would like to admit.

One great asset that Death Note has is it's OST. The score is memorable, and does a lot of work to create the unique, 'modern-gothic' atmosphere of the show. Some great example tracks are 'L's Theme', 'Death Note Theme (Instrumental)', 'Mello's Theme', and 'Misa'. It's a soundtrack that I've kept in rotation for many years. The opening themes are also cool; I think Nightmare's are a bit superior to Maximum the Hormone's, but both are good.
Personally I watched the English dub and enjoyed it. I've barely seen the Japanese audio so I can't really compare the two.

Concerning the art, when I see clips of the show now, the animation is probably not as polished as I remember. It's still nice and fluid, and a good standard for it's time; it just doesn't have the benefit of today's super sharp, clean lines. The palette is kept pretty dark and monochrome throughout; it's a deliberate stylistic choice that fits the themes of the show and allows for some interesting visual storytelling when brighter colours are used to highlight certain elements or characters (I think Mello is a good example of this). The gothic designs of the Shinigami world and of Misa's outfits add a really cool and recognisable element to the show, without totally overpowering it - it retains it's sleek, modern setting.

Overall, Death Note is an anime that has remained a huge favourite in my mind for more than a decade now, and that's partly due to the nostalgia I feel from first watching it and being able to talk about it with friends when it was at it's height of popularity back in the day. It's not perfect but it is a remarkably good anime that stands out from it's peers.
I think people who enjoy intelligent story telling, or people who are really drawn to cool gothic shows will find this very enjoyable. I think there's so little difference between the manga and anime that you could start with either one quite happily, at your preference.

SnK Season 3 (Part 2) is the result of an anime that has always shined brightly while unable to fully hide various flaws, becoming polished to absolute perfection.

The story is fast-paced and is heavy on the action, making up for where it lacked in Part 1. The sense of foreboding in episode 1 is palpable. The early episodes really do a great job of reinforcing your hatred for the villains; I didn't think it was possible to hate the trio of traitors any more than I already did, but a harrowing flashback in episode 3 actually achieves this! The Beast titan is as detestable, smug, ... and ugly as ever.
The relentless battle of the first half is equal parts thrilling and devastating. Erwin's charge is a moment showcasing the anime's emotional core: desperate hope in the face of insurmountable odds. And episode 6 is perhaps my favourite episode in all of SnK so far...the choice presented feels absolutely gut-wrenching for all involved, and I think the episode is done just perfectly.
The remaining episodes are the most satisfying of the whole series and finally begin to unravel the mysteries of the SnK world, incorporating a pretty harrowing story in flashback form. It's been a long time coming, and it's well worth the wait.

The characterisation has only continued to get stronger from season to season. In Part 2 the greatest standout to me is Armin, a boy who has been consistently proving himself as a smart and valuable ally throughout SnK but who had remained a little underrated by his peers, fully blossoms in this season and it's beautiful to watch. Erwin and Levi shine brightly as well.

My opinion on the sound and the art is unchanged from previous seasons: the music is fine. The animation is outstandingly brilliant. Kudos.

Overall, I enjoyed Part 3 the most of any season to date. Previous seasons have always been strong but have consistently had setbacks too; whereas I think Part 3 really nails every element. The action, the pacing, the significant emotional gut-punching, the exposition, the final scenes...this anime is a joy to watch, and makes me giddy with anticipation for the final season.

SnK Season 3 (Part 1) has a pretty different vibe and pacing from it's surrounding seasons. This works well in some ways, less in others...and the season packs in some outstanding moments.

It's clear from the start that this season will focus on more human conflict; for the first couple of episodes I was worried that this was going to a frustrating distraction from the 'main' conflict; fortunately this isn't the case. It actually allows us to get - FINALLY - the beginnings of some explanations.
The plot actually does a complete 180° to what the plot of season 2 was doing: while in season 2 a ... lot of time was spent giving us no real exposition, only leaving the viewer more confused, in many episodes of season 3 there is a whole lot of exposition given very quickly. I found myself pausing frequently during some scenes to make sure I was fully keeping up with what was being explained. And while, yes, this is preferable and more satisfying, I think it does reveal the one significant weakness of the anime which is just an issue with pacing. It's not an issue that ruins the show by any means; it just holds it back from being really perfect.
I enjoyed watching Erwin's plans in episode 5, it was smart and gratifying to see, but I do think it maybe happened a little too quickly; not that I would wish for the pace of the show to slow down, I just thought it made things look a bit too simple.
I also have to say I found it a little frustrating that Eren gets kidnapped so early in the season when it feels like he was only just recovered at the end of season 2...it's not a huge gripe, it just gave him a bit of a 'damsel in distress' vibe for a while there.

The human focus of this season has the major upside of some fantastic character moments and development. Highlights are: seeing Levi back in action and learning a fair bit about his past, the squad wrestling with the morality of killing and torture, Eren's tragic guilt, Erwin's smart gambles, and best of all: Historia's moment in episode 7. She was a character that I truly didn't care about at all until that moment, but she really blossoms in this season and becomes a character to admire. The moment is not only her highlight, but really a highlight of the whole show, and it allows the story to overcome the trap of being a cynical tragedy, but rather a story of human hope and resistance. I really loved it!

The OST is pretty much the same quality as other SnK seasons: fine. Pretty good, not that memorable. The opening this season is also pretty good as always, but not in the top rankings of them. I've continued to watch the Japanese audio and I have no complaints.

There's nothing new to say about the art of the show: it's stellar. The action sequences are as thrilling as ever. Of particular note is the design of the main titan this season; even by SnK's standards I thought it was horrifying.

Overall, this was an intriguing season; it provided a more satisfying story than the previous season. While the main titan battle was pretty cool, it was a bit lacking in titan action. I think that much like season 2 it's almost reaching perfection, held back by only a few shortcomings. But's it's almost there...and the final episode does get you very pumped for the second part of the season.

I enjoyed this season of SnK a great deal. It has some brilliant highs - and, to be fair, some frustrating lows as well.

The story is faster paced than season 1, and throws you in to the perilous action right from the start. Episodes 1 and 2 deliver some truly gruesome scenes to remind you of the terrible threat our heroes face, just in case you became complacent during the 4 year wait. The mystery from the close of season 1 is explored, but not resolved in any real way. About midway through Season 2, comes what I regard as the most shocking character revelation ... throughout all 3 seasons so far; one of the best moments of the show! The resulting battle is also very exciting. The last big highlight of Season 2 is the battle of the final 2 episodes, which provide some brilliant moments for our characters (particularly Erwin and Eren), the revelation of a mysterious new power, and a very satisfying titan conflict.
The main drawback of this season is the time spent on a lot of 'exposition' that truly isn't exposition at all. There's a big focus on the roles of Ymir and Christa, but despite many conversations and flashbacks, their importance is not explained whatsoever during this Season. Related to this is the pursuit of the latter episodes, which provide many snippets of conversations that are understood only by the characters having them, but never by the viewer. And while yes, these mysteries are gradually unclouded in Season 3 which provides some context for their motivations, it makes for a frustrating watch for any first time viewer. I definitely think this part of the storytelling could have been done better; even silence from the would-be kidnappers would be less frustrating than what we got, in my opinion.

Where I think this season shines is in a lot of it's characters. Apart from most of the drama between Ymir and Christa (which is hard to care about), I found myself much more attached to the main cast this season. I really felt Eren's anger in episode 6, and his outburst of frustration in the final episode feels pretty gut-wrenching. Hange is fun to watch, and it's interesting to see some more background of Sasha and Conny. The biggest thing we're missing this season is many scenes with Levi; obviously I understand it makes sense in the story, but it's still kind of a shame!

The OST of Season 2 is mostly more of the same from Season 1 - that is, pretty average; neither bad nor really memorable. However, there is an addition to this score, 'Call of Silence', which I think is the most evocative and memorable track across all 3 seasons so far, and it elevates my overall opinion of the sound here.
The opening of Season 2 is also a highlight - I think second only to the very first opening of SnK. It fills you with determination.
I've continued to watch the Japanese audio, and I have no complaints.

The art just retains the consistent high quality from the first season. It remains one of the series' greatest assets. If you enjoyed the thrilling action sequences of the first season, you won't be disappointed by Season 2.

Overall I found Season 2 thrilling; it lands plenty of great punches. I think if it weren't for the problems concerning the withheld explanations in the story, it could have been the strongest season of SnK out of the 3 so far...but alas it does have that problem. After all, I don't think it's fair to judge the season only by rewatch value. It's a season that is ALMOST reaching perfection, but it's not quite there yet. It leaves you hungry for more answers.

Shingeki no Kyojin is arguably the most standout, influential, and memorable anime milestone of the 2010s; a decade with a generous share of great series. It's not perfect as a season, but it is still very enjoyable.

The story is a dark and dangerous adventure. It is pretty unforgiving in it's portrayal of violence, and unrelenting in it's perilous nature - it lacks much lightheartedness or goofiness to provide relief from the serious story. It fortunately doesn't fall into the trap of being cynical, though; at it's core the story is about the will of humanity to 'give their hearts' and fight to survive and overcome ... their truly dire situation. This theme continues through later seasons and is what makes it compelling to watch.
The writing is smart to give itself two great assets: an exceptional first episode, and exceptional final episode. The first episode is thrilling, frightening, and sets up the anime just perfectly. The final episode - most crucially, the final scene of the season - raises a host of thrilling questions that instantly make your mind race, and reels in the viewer to keep as a hostage for the next four years in a painfully long wait for answers. Though - fortunately for you if this is your first time watching the show, you won't have this problem!

The characters, while fine, I don't think fully blossom in this season. I struggled to find all of them memorable and distinct. This is partly down to the constraints of the character design: the cast are drawn in a more realistic style to fit the tone of the show, plus due to being part of an army they necessarily all wear the same uniform. The other factor is just time; as by spending more time with them in later seasons I do find them more individually memorable and compelling now. Our initial trio of Eren, Mikasa and Armin still have much development to do in later seasons.

The OST of Shingeki no Kyojin is to me, a pretty average anime score. While I never felt the music was out of place or lacking, I unfortunately can't remember any significant part of it. It is obviously there and doing it's job as needed, but it's also nothing special.
The opening themes are, conversely, a very special part of the show. You've probably been unable to avoid hearing the ubiquitous first opening even without ever watching the show, and for good reason - it's badass!! It's easily one of the greatest anime openings of all time. The second one is also good, it only suffers in people's opinions because we all just missed hearing the first one every week.
The Japanese voice acting is cool and appropriate; no voice is really out-of-place. I can't comment on the English dub as I haven't seen it.

The art of this first season is, I think, it's greatest asset. SnK is very pleasing to the eye. The character designs, while not super unique, are all attractive and realistic. The lines are clean. The action sequences are fluid and thrilling to follow. The palette is as dark as the show's content, and the violence makes you queasy.
The biggest standout, of course, is the design of the titans. Your investment in the show really hinges on the believablity of these ridiculous figures, and fortunately the designs work. The titans are intimidating, horrifying, revolting, and maddening to look at. You feel every bit of the character's fear when they are on screen; their size, strength and relentless pursuit of humans imposes a strong feeling of hopelessness and despair at humanity's situation in this story, and I believe that's why the anime works so well.

Overall, I think SnK has a fantastic set up, and is reasonably enjoyable throughout, if not often reaching exceptional heights. I think the story and characters fully blossom as the later seasons unfold, and it's well worth watching this to get to that point.

FMA: Brotherhood is consistently ranked as an all-time great anime, and it is well deserving of that respect. To note: I've never watched the 2003 anime and I have read only the first 2/3 or so of the manga (and enjoyed it).

The story is a fun, well-paced adventure with a good balance of action scenes, plot-driven scenes, and quieter emotional moments. The ability in the series, alchemy, has well defined limits and never feels overpowered. Early episodes covering some seemingly 'stand-alone' stories are not forgotten by the characters and influence them across the series. There are a few emotional gut-punches that you will remember long ... after watching the show. The mysterious homunculi and the overarching plans of the villain/s are interesting to learn about.
The show covers the morality of war, propaganda, and revenge. It incorporates philosophical ideas in a compelling way, without ever condescending the viewer or becoming too abstract or confusing. It has plenty of goofy moments to balance the serious material, which prevents it from ever being pretentious. It has minimal fanservice. An example is the character of Mei Chang, who may seem at first glance to be a annoying moe trope, but this is far from the truth - she is smart, powerful, capable, and has her own dubious moral choices to make. The brother's stated goal of finding the philosopher's stone doesn't feel like a childish quest and the item in question is not some fix-all magical reward for defeating the bad guys.

The anime has an ample cast of well-developed characters. Our heroes, Ed and Al, and incredibly likeable and sympathetic. They are not written as typical perfect shounen heroes who always instinctively understand the best and wisest moral path; rather they are young boys who make mistakes, face the consequences, and must discover the truth of the world for themselves. They are both equally capable of being serious and being goofy, providing comic relief as well as an emotional core to the story. Their sweet, fierce, and wholesome brotherly bond is a joy to watch, and illustrates why 'Brotherhood' is such a fitting subtitle for this anime.
The cast is well-rounded with characters who have their own goals, ambitions, and philosophies, quite apart from our central Elric brothers. The show avoids the shounen trope of having a great deal of characters whose only goals are seemingly to help the protagonists achieve THEIR goal. Ultimately, though there is a common enemy that many of our cast must come together to face towards the end, once this is resolved the brothers still must stand alone, and find their answers alone.

Brotherhood boasts a solid OST. There are many recognisable themes and beautiful pieces throughout. A personal favourite is the eerie, foreboding sound that plays during many early encounters with the Homunculi. I think the only thing missing is the track 'Brothers' which featured in the 2003 show; I haven't even watched that, it's just a beautiful piece! But I digress. The opening themes are consistently good and suitable for a shounen show; my favourite is 'Period'. The ending themes are more mellow and also memorable.
To note, I've often watched the English dub; I enjoy the energy of the voice actors, and a particular favourite is Al's VA, who I think adds to the sweet and endearing nature of Al's character. What I've seen of the Japanese audio is also very good and not significantly different in tone or quality, so I think either would be equally enjoyable.

The artwork is consistently high quality. The characters are drawn in a more realistic style, without distractingly exaggerated features like over-the-top anime eyes...the action scenes are visually exciting, the lines are clean, the backgrounds are pleasant. The series incorporates plenty of goofy moments and the simplified drawings of characters work really well to complement this; Al is my favourite example of this when he is a drawn as a big, adorable grey sausage. Also, the exaggerated way that Armstrong and Sig Curtis are drawn when showcasing their muscles is always hilarious to me!

I think the series rates so consistently high among viewers, and in my own mind, because of it's two greatest strengths:
1. It's just the right length. It's not rushed; we have plenty of time to enjoy and become attached to the characters. And it's not overblown - it has basically no filler at all, and doesn't follow the path of many long-running shounen series.
2. More than any other anime I've seen, Brotherhood absolutely nails the ending. I mean REALLY nails it. Even the best shows can flounder when trying to tie everything up neatly at the end, but Brotherhood is a masterclass. Rest assured that if you choose to start this show, you can expect a satisfying payoff at the end.

It's easy to see why this is a frequent recommendation as a gateway into anime; it's ambiguous setting doesn't polarise anyone, and it incorporates something for everyone: smart storytelling, fantastical battle scenes, monstrous characters, lighthearted glimpses of life, political intrigue, ambiguous morality, and hints of romance that don't feel forced. I think this anime can be enjoyed by anyone, regardless of what genre you may typically prefer.

Overall, I promise I have not been lazy by scoring it so highly in every category! Examining each element carefully has convinced me that deducting points for the sake of being hyper-critical is simply unjustified. It's just so hard to find fault with this anime. It deserves it's spot as one of the most acclaimed anime of all time, and is one that I personally love and thoroughly enjoy rewatching.

Shiba Inuko-san delivers exactly what it promises: cute, innocuous shorts showing two high-school girls and a cute dog.

There's no story to speak of in such shorts; your enjoyment of it will boil down to whether the premise appeals to you. It's a slice-of-life style absurd comedy that delivers sweet, simple moments in each episode. It even squeezes in a tiny beach episode!

The three main characters are pretty average, likeable high school girls/canines, and they are never annoying.

I think it's impressive that they managed to squeeze in two different openings in a series that is literally only 26 minutes long content-wise! Both are average; the second ... one is the better one.

The art is pretty simple and standard fair; appropriate for the tone of a high-school setting. The dog is (obviously) cute.

Overall, I think if you like cute animals or high school settings, then it's worth half an hour of your time. It's not super memorable, but it is what it is. I think it would actually work well as a longer series - even as 5 minute shorts - as I think there's plenty of comedic potential in the set-up. Alas.