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5-toubun no Hanayome
English: Quintessential Quintuplets

A friend, Sunny, recommended this as being a romantic, ecchi slice of life to watch. If you could tutor five hot ladies and get paid top dollar, would you? Obviously, this anime incorporates much drama and much try-hard by the high school group, but there is more to it than that. This intelligent fellow goes from dreading his situation to finding ways to make things work. And the women slowly begin to appreciate him for it.

It's an interesting tale about a book-smart guy lacking in social skills, who pushes himself to teach social-smart ladies who lack book skills (see what I ... did there). I thoroughly enjoyed each episode and found myself happy to turn this on when I was in the anime mood. Also found myself smiling or even bursting out laughing during certain scenes. Probably scared the cat.

Ratings:
Story - 10 - The plot is very straight forward. Tutor the failing ladies and don't let them fail. He totally sucks at his job, but he can't let himself just suck at it. He pushes himself to build relationships with each girl so that they will let him tutor them. He get's into many interesting circumstances.
Graphics - 10 - Super ecchi, colorful, and modern.
Soundtrack - 10 - Really playful and suiting of the mood
Character personas - 8 - Each quintuplet is given their own personality and way of life. The main character himself isn't a strong character, but he is stubborn in his ways and finds different solutions to different situations.
Voice acting - 8 - Super bubbly, but well voiced.

Overall - 9 - I'm going to give his a high score because I enjoyed watching every episode, never got bored, and wanted to keep watching more episodes.
Recommended - Yes, for those who want an easy going and fun anime to watch.

Harmony (movie)

The future may be filled with auto-driving cars, medical robots that instantly understand your biological crisis, and an AI monitoring system that always knows what your up to, but it will never foresee the terrorism attempts of a highly skilled hacker unit created by three high school girls. Or at least originating from their bonds together.

This is totally a futuristic, sci-fi like anime with MAJOR DILEMMAS. When I say dilemma, I'm not referring to lite drama that you might find within a typical set of high school students. This anime opens up to a future created from the repercussions of their pasts. It is ... about someone who wants to rule the world, someone who wants to save the world, and someone who bears the initial brunt of the consequences.

This movie might be strange enough to enthrall you.

Ratings:
Story - 8 - The purpose is to stop the hacker unit. How that is achieved gets really weird sometimes.
Graphics - 8 - No complaints. Oh, except that it's SUPER GORY. Almost forgot about that.
Soundtrack - 8 - Was hard to pay attention when so much strangeness was happening. I think it was good.
Character personas - 8 - The main characters were really interesting. The side characters served their purpose.
Voice acting - 8 - Well done.

Overall - 8 - Very unique and interesting to watch
Recommended - You could probably live your life without seeing this, but it will definitely add a LOT of flavor to your day if you do watch it.

Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan
English: Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Swordsman Romantic Story

The legendary Battousai the Manslayer was the original name of Kenshin Himura. Everywhere he goes, he can be recognized by his long red hair in a pony tail and the cross-shaped sword scar on his cheek. And any man or swordsman who recognizes him either wants to get a piece to prove they are the better or scrams quick! But most like the idea of becoming know as the man who beat the legendary manslayer.

Kenshin is a wanderer who travels from town to town making amends for his bloodthirsty lifestyle in his past, yet as ... his foes increase in skill, so does his failing restraint to hold himself back and never break his vow to slay another man. Will he kill a man to save his loved ones?

This classic and epic anime is filled with mini adventures that build up characters and their backstories, as well as a much more serious plotline near the middle of the anime. This part was my favorite. The trials and tribulations that Kenshin and his closest comrades had to go through were quite daunting, yet they never gave up hope. They understood it was time to take action or face serous consequences for the people around them.

Ratings:
Story - 7, 10, 4 - I'll split this into three different arcs. The first arc is pretty soft but has it's really awesome moments where Kenshin is pushed to the edge. The second arc is super exciting and requires Kenshin to fight the other strongest men in Japan, and man are they strong! The third arc didn't make sense to me that it was part of the show, but it is filled with many side stories. The ending also felt very rushed.
Graphics - 8 - I think back in it's era, these graphics were really well done.
Soundtrack - 8 - From metal, to electronic, to classical Japanese culture tunes this anime does it all.
Character personas - 10 - I felt nearly every character had a strong sense of self and backstory. The characters were a highlight in this anime, as well as the pace at which their content was introduced.
Character voice acting - 10 - I watched this in English and prefer it over the Japanese actors. Kenshin's voice is on the lighter side most of the time, but once you begin to understand him and his way of life, it's very fitting.

Overall - 8 - There are some really cool scenes in this anime and great morals. It's a classic anime to watch and makes you feel good like you're along for the ride with the whole party.
Recommended - I would like to say yes if the show stopped at two arcs only, but I really dreaded the last arc :(

Made in Abyss

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to walk into the woods, off the beaten track, instead of following the known path? What's out there and how dangerous would it be? Have you ever wished you could hold your breath for much, much longer so that you could just swim around at the bottom of the pool or lake? Now imagine the basis for this story, where two kids delve deeper and deeper into a massive gaping hole in the earth knowing that their lives will be in danger every moment. But hey! When parents say things are dangerous, they can't ... really be THAT dangerous, can they?

Here you walk into a world of extreme adventure while following the tale of a girl who has to find the truth. The truth about who her mother really is and why this abyss feels like it's calling her.

Ratings:
Story - 10 - The goal here is well defined. Find her mother. The perils and side journeys that she goes on to attain it are intense. She totally doesn't know what she's getting herself into.
Graphics - 10 - Beautiful, beautiful artwork.
Soundtrack - 10 - Close your eyes and take a deep, deep breath. Now imagine opening them to the most peaceful paradise filled with strange birds flying among the trees, the sweet smell of oranges, and soft grass beneath your feet. This soundtrack will take you there.
Character personas - 10 - You must remember that these are children. Children do not know things that you know and children make mistakes. The world is unknown here. Nothing you could have ever imagined is coming to life. What would YOU do in their situation?
Voice acting - 10 - Spot on.

Overall - 10 - Well, well made. I found myself leaking man-tears near the end of it.
Recommended - Yes, but only if you're up for a journey.

Tekkon Kinkreet
English: Reinforced Concrete

Black and White are the boys who rule this town. They are known as the Cats, and they let NO ONE else rule their territory. Other gangs may laugh when they show up, but this witty and stylish pair are crafty enough to wipe that smile off any gang's face and break a few teeth in the process.

The world here is incredibly creative without being too twisted, yet edgy enough not to be disturbing and yet somehow interesting. If I were to wrap it up in one word, I'd call it ENTERTAINMENT.

But it's more than just two kids dodging the normal ... escapades of life and living it up on the town. There is a darkness to Black, and a naivete to White that make each interaction with each other very unique. Almost opposites, the love for one another is immense, and immense enough that they make the craziest decisions while still watching each others backs. They are incredible bros until something happens that turns their worlds upside down.

Ratings:
Story - 9 - This is the craziest slice of life I have seen, yet. The goal of the story is survival. Yet, how that is accomplished is very satisfying to partake in, and sometimes heart wrenching.
Graphics - 9 - Made in 2006, they put some serious work into these adventurous graphics. They are far from being polished, yet hold their own as a different genre of cool.
Soundtrack - 9 - Super edgy, almost groovy, sometimes bizarre, yet very fitting.
Characters personas - 9 - Black and White are pretty cool cats. Not seen as cool by anybody else in town, but man do these characters have fun. Black is more serious and goal oriented, while White is more laid back and honestly who knows what he's doing most of the time.
Voice acting - 10 - Plenty of emotion coming from the characters and the side characters did well too.

Overall - 9 - Really crazy and entertaining, plus if you look closely enough you'll discover some interesting morals.
Recommended - Now that's an interesting question. I think I would recommend it, but I have no idea how you would act.

The Promised Neverland

A.K.A. Survival of the unsuspecting children

This story is based upon the idea that a group of youngens are trying to escape their home. One night a terrible secret is revealed leaving certain children to ponder how to fend for themselves. The ominous secret isn't really something that they understand how to stop, so they decide to instead devise a plan to escape. If things were this easy, however, we wouldn't make it into the full twelve episodes...

Countless maneuvering by the children and keepers of the home keep this endeavor thoroughly exciting and wondering what might occur next. It's definitely hard to write this ... review without divulging any of the juicy details that makeup the sweet mystery of this story, and so I will keep this synopsis equivalent to bending a fat, thick steak on a stick towards my viewers.

The action is quick and often intense.
The plotting is deep and intricate.
And the emotional relationships between the children in the house are highly expressed and sometimes beautiful.

This was one of the anime that had me clicking the 'Next' button after an episode had ended just to find out what would happen next!

Ratings time:
Story - 10 - Full fledged story centered around how to escape from a highly secure house. Every episode and almost every moment was centered around strategy, character relationships, or hardships that ended in setbacks for even the evil characters.
Graphics - 10 - Highly polished artwork. Very vibrant in color. Well executed and often smooth.
Soundtrack - 9 - The intro and ending songs fit the mood very well, as wild or gloomy as they set the atmosphere. Otherwise, the ost played out well during scenes.
Character personas - 9 - I thoroughly remember a moment in this anime when I thought "Wow. That character is being absolutely sincere with his emotions, and doing something very cool." Depending on your perspective, this may happen many times during the anime. I felt that many characters had a role to play in this anime and that's cool. It's nice to distinguish what to expect from certain characters. On the same note, certain characters tended to evolve as the situation became more serious. Kudos for that.
Character voice acting - 10 - I liked watching the Japanese to English sub. Emma has an abundance of emotion spilling from her character almost every second, and she is very well voice acted. Norman and Ray played their voices well, though Emma took the cake.

Overall - 9 - Absolutely superb performance. Norman is a young genius, which might turn off some viewers, but let him build the story and allow you to understand the strategy behind his decisions. I felt him absolutely necessary for being there and Ray played off him well.
Recommended - Totally. Enjoy :)

P.S. Big props to the director of this anime. Those camera angles really made certain scenes feel very real.

Grand Blue

Hahaha where to begin with this anime. There is so many things wrong with this anime, and so many done right. To begin, this anime stretches the limits of what you may have believed as 'proper to be shown' on an anime show. You will be teased, you will be taught, you will be duped, and you will be scooped up in this wild journey rushing along with these crazy college characters. The story is about everything you shouldn't do, but probably should do while you are 'young' (of mind).

The story is about a freshman college gent who moves to a new town ... and is assigned to live with this uncle. His uncle happens to own basically a fraternity clubhouse for scuba diving (and drinking). Little did this gentleman know what he was walking into... Yet, he learns and masters the art of shoondickyfoo. I made that word up to describe the amount of blarg that this guy lives through and thus learns to create upon this world. He is truly a guru of shenanigans.

Story - 7 - This is a slice of life genre about getting acclimatized with college life and learning to scuba dive.
Graphics - 10 - The facial expressions of these characters are absolutely well done. Bravo. 10 points for this.
Soundtrack - 8 - Upbeat and fun. Nothing stuck with me as absolutely amazing, but very well done.
Character personas - 10 - These characters are absolutely ridiculous and own up to their characters well.
Character voice actors - 10 - PLENTY of emotion

Overall - 8
Recommended - Yes, if you are looking for a comedy that will stretch your boundary of what you may deem 'acceptable' to watch. (Do not watch around kids). Ha. Haha. Ha.

The Legend of Galactic Heroes (English)
Ginga Eiyū Densetsu (Japanese)
Heldensagen vom Kosmosinsel (German)

This anime exceeds any moral and political expectations of any anime I have yet to encounter. The breadth of this anime is equivalent to diving deep, deep into the ocean and finding a beautiful array of sea life in it's glorious and inglorious aptitude. Likened to the phrase 'getting your feet wet', this anime instead plunges you into the waters of strife, resilience, strength, bravery, fear, and beyond using magnanimous battles waged on the fields of war and politics. This anime is written as a grand masterpiece.

Story - 10 - The story's main purpose ... is to fulfill the goals of any and all characters who strive to become the greatest at their station. Numerous characters are given a spotlight in the anime and show up to the batter's box. Death reigns as the final ultimatum. There is an exceedingly high amount of righteous doing by both the 'good' guys and the 'evil' guys, if righteous can be the word used. Anyone who commits a grand act of violence does so because they believe it has to be done, and that is why grand heroes and grand villains live on to command armies of individuals who are their followers. In essence... epic, epic war scenarios with purpose.
Graphics - 10 - Incredibly well done for it's time. This show came out in the 1980s.
Soundtrack - 10 - Classical soundtrack that fits the mood very well whether is be times of peace or war.
Character personas - 10 - Absolutely spot on as many, many characters have a plethora of personalities and they all hold true to those personalities for better or worse.
Character voice acting - 10 - Full of tonality and fluctuation, characters sound as one might envision them within a realistic situation.

Overall - 10 - Absolutely stunning for the full 110 episodes.
Recommended - Absolutely recommended to those who pay special attention to detail and are prepared to soak in and consume an entire new world filled with fantasies and moral dilemmas beyond their original expectations.

Tokyo Godfathers (movie)

This anime movie is completely unpredictable and hilarious to an extent that it's amazing what kind of trouble these folks get themselves into. The backstory is that the three main characters are living as hobos on the streets. One day while scavenging the dumpsters for food, they find a baby that was abandoned and pictures relating to who the parents were. From there on, they take it upon themselves to look for the parents through a series of radical events which helps them rediscover who they really are and who they were before they left for the streets.

Being that the story is centered ... around these three hobos, the viewer will gain a greater understanding of how it feels to be a hobo around other civilians in the streets, and how they are treated. They are still humans and I think it can be easy to forget that sometimes. They do what they can to survive. Especially when there is a baby involved...

Ratings:
Story - 10 - This story plays out phenomenally in how they go about achieving the goal of returning the baby. Do they keep it? Do they return it? How are they going to take care of it in the meantime? To what extents are they willing to go? The story is very realistic and morally involved. Very, very nice story.
Graphics - 8 - Very old graphics because it was made in 2003, but the graphics were done right for its age.
Soundtrack - 9 - Very nice atmosphere for the events and plenty of humour which is fitting for this anime.
Character personas - 10 - Man did they ever hit these characters spot on. FULL OF LIFE. From the grumpy older man who takes care of those around him, to the vibrant homo who express himself (herself), to the runaway teenager who is trying to make a living on the streets.
Voice acting - 10 - Watched in Japanese. Very well done.

Overall - 10
Recommended - Yes. As a movie, this story takes you on a trip!

Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii (Love is Hard for Otaku)

Otaku being the equivalent of a gamer/anime lover.

This anime delivers a pleasantly, comical experience through the intense emotions of the characters. This story is based upon Otaku gaining love, and holds true to the end of the story. That is the whole purpose of this story, and the characters achieve that through finding other Otaku to interact with, in this case being in the workplace. The characters kind of stumble upon each other and through a series of bold moves interact with each other for what would be described as an incredible experience.

I guess life is ... more fun when we gather the courage to do something crazy, eh?

Four main characters are the bases of character development with a fifth/sixth joining temporarily along the way. Each character is given a distinct personality and have many flaws because of it. This is exciting, as we are all humans, and as well it's great to see the strengths of our characters in situations such as pissing off another character and then trying to make it up to them. Totally normal situation, ya?

In fact, this whole anime is full of normal experiences and it's hilarious to see them back in action. We ourselves have probably been in many of these awkward situations or would like to be... how do I feel? How do they feel? What should we do next? Alright. Here I go! (being in the mindset of a guy interacting with a girl).

Alright, ratings time:

Story - 8 - In terms of a slice of life, this anime does a good job of building up the experience for the viewer and the main characters along the way. There is story progression.
Graphics - 9 - Very modern and well done. There are even times when they incorporate an additional graphics engine to render games that they play within the anime itself. Super cool.
Soundtrack - 8 - Nice to listen to. Fits the mood well.
Characters personas - 8 - I felt that the characters expressed themselves very well and showed fault and strengths, and were consistent with their nature.
Voice acting - 10 - Absolutely awesome Japanese voice acting. Really spot on and my favorite thing about this anime, if that can be said for voice acting.

Overall - 8 - Lovely experience, that.
Recommended - Yes, for all Otaku out there looking for love, or for ones with girlfriends now or more (you make me proud), and the two of you need something to watch together.