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This is a review of the censored TV version of the show:

Hyakka Ryouran: Samurai Girls is another representative of a show that started with potential but failed due to bad direction. I'll state my main gripes first before stating the main aspects that were appealing. First off I'll say that if you seek echii content, this "may" be an ok anime to watch (which I'll explain later); if you seek story then you should turn to a different anime.

The story overall was pretty generic and in my opinion, was pretty forgettable for about half of the season. Hyakka Ryouran is a harem, and being ... a harem, it suffered at multiple points. The whole general-sword master idea reeked of the near identical Ashkabi-Sekirei relationship which only stopped pissing me off when I realized there were no more new characters to be introduced. Character development was nothing special, I would say that the only thing that was different is that the male protagonist was not 'as' pitiful as other shows. My biggest pet peeve is probably the overuse of the ink blot effect. It could have been an extremely enjoyable effect but it ended up being the one thing I hated most since it was blatantly used to censor any nudity.

That being said, Hyakka Ryouran does have some nice artwork, not the "best" but pretty good. The art took on a sort of pastel look multiple times and at multiple times the animation was recognizably different from most animes, sort of how Bakemonogatari had a unique feel to it. If you take out the bad ink effects, the ink blot during the fight scenes really caught my eye in a good way. Also, I did like how the colors "white" and "black" didn't necessarily mean "good" and "evil". I said above that ecchi seekers may like this anime, which is true if you watch the uncensored DVD version. If you watch the censored for echiiness, you may notice the ink blots even more than I did, though it isn't to the degree of Seikon no Qwaser (which I did watch for echiness). I can't post my final positive since it may be considered a spoiler but its more on the lines of the lack there of than something that was in the anime.

I finished this anime with a feeling of disappointment and will be highly surprised if a sequel is made. Watch once if you're interested in some of the art concepts but don't get your hopes up for anything else. Rated '6' for fine

Okay I'll try not to include any spoilers so bear with me. So from the synopsis given at the top of the page, you pretty much have all you need to start watching. Is it enough? Well even I don't know that after watching this anime. This is one of those shows where your going to have an opinion at the end; when it comes down to who was right and wrong, it will make you think.

Story: 9
In my opinion, this was a great story line. This is a gut wrenching story about the lives of a group of students and what can happen ... when you disregard the feelings of another. Most of the events and scenarios are quite capable of being real but thats the beauty that draws you into their world. There is probably a small percentage of people who don't know someone who has Motoko-like qualities. He was the nice guy who talked to you when you were lonely, the guy who became your friend when you no one else, even your childhood buddy. But then he changed, what exactly these girls see in him, who knows.

Art: 8
Overall the art was drawn nicely, not enought to make you press pause and stare at the light shining in the window but clean and tight enough to help move the story. As far as characters, I thought they could have made Katsura and Saionji a little more distinguished from each other in the beginning. I think my only reference during beginning closeups were the difference between Katsura and Saionji's eyes. Once you get past the beginning it is much easier to tell who is who.

Sound: 9
Ah the music fit so perfectly, a blend of softness and correct placement is part of what made this anime. The story is sad enough as it is, but added with the soundtrack, I'll be a little surprised if your eyes don't water at least once. Actually I would be very surprised...

Character: 7
Alright this is where I have my problems. Don't get me wrong, I know this series was about the girls and their relationship with Motoko but come on. We weren't introduced to any decent guys. They could have done a little better not portraying all guys as dogs. Well I take some of that back, the only two guys we know that don't cheat, also never showed their faces in the series(I'll let you figure out who). I thought a little more could have been done with Nanami Kanroji (the tall basketball girl); though she is not a major part of the story, by the end of the story I was wondering what happened to her because of *certain circumstances*. Also I didn't really like the amount of girls Motoko was involved with during that 1 to 2 year span, (compared to the amount of girls we were introduced to). It was a little over the top near the end, something I felt wasn't really needed. That being said, I like the recovery of Otome's character at the end, she had me doubting her a few times. But everyone can't be good, we see this in a variety of characters near the end regardless of their relationship

Overall I really liked School Days. It was a pretty sweet train ride that got me thinking about a lot of things. When it comes to people around us, are we being considerate of others or using others to feel better about ourselves? Should we wish for our loved ones happiness with person or should we claim it ourselves? Sorry I'm rambling but yeah, I definitely recommend this anime as long as your ready to delve into the lives of people desperately wanting to be loved. If you end up taking this anime too seriously, the lines between fantasy and reality may disappear and thats something we don't want happening.