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I was only one minute into "Kotonoha no Niwa," and I was already encaptivated. The beautiful spreading effect of rain hitting the puddles, the bokeh effect of light coming through the windows, the dust particles in the air, and the rainbows that form when light meets glass. The sound of dripping water with well-composed piano in the background. "Kotonoha no Niwa" is literally a work of art.

Throughout the movie, "Kotonoha no Niwa" chooses to not clearly articulate a story. Instead, viewers are given visual cues and short dialogue to figure everything out. From the artwork in Takao's sketchbook to the items in Yukino's room ... and to the few words that Yukino actually says, we find out about the main character's pasts and future anxieties.

Yukino admits to herself that despite the fact that she is 27, she is no smarter than she was when she was 15. Takao, who is 15, is uncertain about his future as a shoemaker, and Yukino, who is 27, is uncertain about whether or not she wants to continue her career as a teacher. "Kotonoha no Niwa" shows how two characters of different ages can share a similar uncertainty about the future, and together, they fell in love in the Garden of Words, where they put down the labels of who they were and expressed their innermost thoughts.

But of course, their labels and their age difference prevents this love from actually developing, and "Kotonaha no Niwa" does a great job at placing its climax in the last 5 minutes of the movie. Viewers rode the calm waves, watching the characters live the happiest moments of their lives until Takao realizes that it was best to end things until he can walk on his own towards her, or until he is old enough to actually be with her.

"Kotonaha" is beautiful, heartwarming, and definitely worthwhile.

Demon Slayer had me shooked from the very first episode. Tanjirou went home to find out that his whole family had been slaugtered, and the sole survivor, his little sister Nezuko, had became a demon. What is worse is that Tomioka caught on that there was a new demon on the loose so he tried to kill her. But of course, we were given a VERY epic scene where Tanjirou used his smarts to defeat Tomioka. Ever since that first episode, I was hooked.

Demon Slayer is not the typical shounen/action anime. Yes, there's going to be a new demon that Tanjirou. or another demon slayer. ... would end up defeating. However, the artsy effects that they use to portray every single move never fails to impress me. The sounds of clashing swords and water make the whole experience even more entrancing.

But Demon Slayer is not only about fights either. We have an amazing main protagonist who is so wholesome, always there for his friends and especially his sister. He started off weak but had potential, and we see him literally go through training to become the amazing character he ended up being in the last episode. Tanjirou eventually teams up with Zenitsu and Inosuke, and they seemed whack at first, but as we watch this go through their own personal journeys, you realize that they are actually really cool too.

With that being said, I definitely recommend Demon Slayer, and I am so glad that I picked it up this season. I only recently checked the reviews/ratings/rankings for Demon Slayer, and it shook me even more that it has a whopping 8.92/10, making it ranked #20 of all time. I cannot wait for the movie to come out, and I hope season 2 comes out soon.

I really enjoyed the first season of DanMachi, so I was really excited for this second season to come out. The art, sound, and characters were exactly how I imagined it to be. It might even be a bit better. The fighting effects shown during the war between Hestia and Apollo and the Killing Stone episodes were really amazing and captivating.

However, as amazing it was for Bell to train and win the war against Apollo and as cool it was for Bell to save Haruhime, this season did not build much character development, nor did it play a role in the overaching story. Bell has ... only gotten a little bit stronger, but I honestly learned nothing about the other characters. They did not play a significant role in this season while they did in the first season. The relationships between any two characters have not changed either. You could skip the entire season and still know what is going on in the next season.

With that being said, there is an allusion to a third season at the end of episode 12 because they introduced a new character. Season 2 was nice to watch because I personally enjoy DanMachi, but it is definitely not stellar, so I hope that DanMachi can reach its maximum potential in season 3.

"Elfen Lied" is an INTENSE psychological anime, especially when the viewers pieced together information from the first few episodes and have already figured out what Lucy did to Kohta's family. But Kohta and the others are, of course, clueless; leaving the viewers scared about whether or not Kohta and the others are in dangered and whether or not Lucy would survive.

"Elfen Lied" has insanely good animation for an anime that was produced in 2004, but I'm not too sure about how good the story is, actually.

The concept of research facilities experimenting on humans who were born differently than others might not be all that ... unique. I mean, that kind of happened in real life during the Holocaust. But the execution of the concept is pretty nice, allowing the viewers to see the humane sides of characters who were deemed to be evil from the very beginning.

I also liked the use of flashbacks, adding onto the suspense I felt and messing with my head a little bit.

What I did not like, however, was how fucked up the relationships were. We know from the beginning that Yuka likes her cousin Kohta. WHY? There were some other things that would be spoilers, but most likely, the author just wanted to have these fucked up details because "Elfen Lied" is a pretty fucked up anime. Anyone can tell how fucked up it is going to be from the opening/first episode. Like, since when was there nudity in the earlier anime series?

Anyway, I liked the symbolism in the last episode, even though it did not give me a good sense of closure.

I would recommend "Elfen Lied" to anyone who is looking for an intense, fucked up ride, but it's not really a masterpiece, no.

To be honest, it has been 4 years since I have finished the "Hunter x Hunter (2011)" series, but I have only decided to watch the movies now. I was quite satisfied with the endings, but after a bit of reminiscing, I watched "The Last Mission," and it is not as spectacular and thrilling as the series was because it was very basic.

With the concept of good versus evil and with Jed releasing all the criminals to defeal all the Hunters in the first few minutes of the scene, I was actually reminded of the stories behind Thor and Loki in the Marvel Cinematic ... Universe.

Despite its basicness, "The Last Mission" is a sweet edition that reminds me of how strong the bonds between the characters are especially when every character had a cute, unique role.

Watch this movie for some reminiscing, if not for the actual story itself.

Fuka Ryouiki no Deja vu is the ending that we all needed but did not deserve.

If you watched Steins;Gate, then you already know all the suffering that Okabe has gone through to achieve the perfect world line that this movie takes place in, a world line in which both Kurisu and Mayuri are alive. Thus, we already have so much sympathy for Okabe. So this story isn't about him. It's about Kurisu.

Most movies and OVAs tend to be useless, but I don't think that is the case for Fuka Ryouiki. Fuka Ryouki actually has a story. The new problem is that because Okabe stopped existing ... in the perfect world line, due to his conscious being unable to adjust to the reality. He was so used to seeing the people he loved die in front of him, over and over again. But with this new problem, there is also a solution that is solved by the character that was always by Okabe's side: Kurisu.

Fuka Ryouiki really shows Kurisu's character development and how much Okabe means to her. It tidies up any uneasiness that viewers might feel about the perfect world line since many of us might be expecting things to go awry as well. But most importantly, it tidies up Okabe's uneasiness, having Kurisu welcome him and guide him back into the world.

I definitely recommend Fuka Ryouiki because it's beautiful with the story, character development, art, and OSTs (the piano at the climax was amazing).

I loved Mirai Nikki, and I was actually expecting much more to it. So if you are too, then you would be really disappointed.

Mirai Nikki: Redial is short. It showcases the life of Yuno in the 3rd world, the world in which her parents didn't drive her into insanity. She's like any other sweet and cute anime girl, but you knew that already if you watched the last episode of Mirai Nikki. Because of that, expect A LOT of recaps.

In the end, Mirai Nikki: Redial is a cute little addition to the ending of Mirai Nikki's last episode, and it has a cute little message ... about how love can transcend even dimensions. But it's not that important to the overall story.

Mirai Nikki: Redial is low key a waste of time, but if you have that time to spend, go ahead.

I remember when the first season of Attack on Titan came out about a 5 years ago, and the hype was real. People tend to lose interests in shows, especially when their seasons slowly come out over the course of years. Attack on Titan may no longer produce the memes and parodies that made the show so popular that even those who did not watch anime at least knew about it, but its quality has not diminished, even at its slightest. It has just gotten better.

Attack on Titan Season 3 Part 2 is where everything makes sense. All the questions that were built up in ... the past few seasons finally tie back together to allow viewers to have a cohesive understanding of where titans came from.

With lots of background on Eren's dad, dialogue, action, not a single scene was wasted. Trust me on the action part. If you did not love Armin already, you are going to LOVE his fight with the Colossal Titan.

If you have not watched the previous seasons already, get started already because this show is definitely worth your time.

Everything about "Banana Fish" is just PERFECT.

At first, I was wary of picking up "Banana Fish." Only seeing the title, I thought it was going to be one of those weird animes. In actuality, the title is a reference to the short story "A Perfect Day for Bananafish" by J.D. Salinger. Thankfully, I finally picked up this anime, after it has finished airing.

You are given two beautiful characters from the very beginning, two people who are completely different from one another. However, "opposites attract," and as the show progresses, you can see how the characters change to be more like each other. The two personalities, ... no matter how different, blend so perfectly. The result is heartwarming yet heartwrenching as forces try to pull the two apart.

I highly recommend "Banana Fish." Coming from a New Yorker, I love how "Banana Fish" accurately depict the City of New York. I loved spotting places that I recognized. In addition, I loved the story and characters that make up the show. Give "Banana Fish" a try, but beware of how sad it can be.

"Hinamatsuri" was well produced. Especially with a concluding episode that reminds the audience of everything that has happened, "Hinamatsuri" was produced with carefully-placed details. The show, however, did not really have a story. It is one of those shows where you can watch a random episode and it will still make sense, so if you were looking for a show that has a plot, this is not for you. However, "Hinamatsuri" is extremely wholesome, and every episode comes with its own life lesson. From this show, you can see how much one child can change a few adults' lives, making room for a lot of ... character development. I recommend "Hinamatsuri," especially if you are looking for any show to watch while you unwind.