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Genius party brings a group of directors, each of which assigned an 5 to 20 minutes episode. The result? 7 unique pieces of anime from across the board. When I think anime, this is the kind of thing I imagine - the huge variety and depth only animation can achieve.

Genius Party. First is a 5 minute ride through the surreal. It is lively and compelling and appears to take you through the unknown in this bizzare world. Fantastic. 8/10

Shanghai Dragon. Second shows that even a simple kid can save the world. It glimpses the somewhat "genius" of children, and their huge imagination which have ... adults have lost with time. Great animation and an interesting action packed storyline. 7/10

Deathtic 4 boosts brilliant 3D animation, but not much else. The storyline and characters all lack depth and perception, though the idea itself of a zombie world is fairly interesting. 6/10

Doorbell at first appears to be boring, but don't be fooled, the conclusion clears up the confusion and leaves you with a strange feeling and a particular concept. The animation personally I didn't like. 6.5/10

Limit Cycle. A monologue that explores the philosophy of life, God, the Man.
The animation compliments the text, a compilation of flashing moving pictures which give an overall feel of thought and dreams. It gives life through an entirely different perspective than daily life and addresses life's questions in what feels like a different dimension. What is God? What is nature? Watch with an open mind and let it take you through thoughts and feelings on a whole different level. Truly a "genius party" in a sense. 8/10

Happy Machine contains the rare quality of surreal reality, similar to that of Kaiba. With quirky animation you are landed with a baby and its adventures through the peculiar world and its dazzling creations. 7.5/10

Baby Blue. Shinichiro Watanabe, who brought us Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo this time strikes with a short glimpse of life. The story catches an evening of love and departure of a young boy. The fantastic animation brings to life this bittersweet conclusion, similar to that of 5cm per Second. 7.5/10

Genius Party is recommended to all anime watchers, just for the celebration of what the vast world of animation can bring us.
[Overall: 7/10]

Durarara is nothing like Baccano, I can guarantee you that. Don't be fooled by its action scenes, non-linear storytelling or awesome opening sequence. Durarara is a ride which twists your insides really tight then suddenly explodes in your face.

Story: 7/10.
Its uniqueness lies in the story. What makes Durarara stand alone is its depth into the dark side of human psychology. This anime tackles suicide, exceptional forms of love and abuse. These aspects are hidden within the main focus of comic relief and fast paced action. Not to mention its fair share of the supernatural, from souls possession to urban legends.

Durarara has such a large cast ... that it sweeps you up in the urban atmosphere of Ikebukuro, Tokyo. It has the uncanny talent of having that realistic feeling that despite the significance of your action, you are just another human in the curious impersonal place of Ikebukuro, Tokyo.

The storyline itself starts with each episode focusing on one character. You are rewound to the character past experiences and thoughts that have shaped them and others to the present. Every character moves forward in the present, cleverly overlapping each other and tying the several linear storylines together. Secrets start to emerge, and suddenly you find yourself agitated on the edge of your seat for the unpredictable ride through gang wars, borderline zombie fighting and politics. The tension inside Durarara always makes you hungry for more.

Character: 8/10
How realistic the emotions that give each character depth is astonishing. You are given a whole glimpse of the spectrum, from psychopaths to a girl who knows naught of love. Character development occurs simultaneously with the storyline as each character tries to find peace, themselves and resolutions to whatever haunts them from the past. The anime is then able to tie it all together with the development of complex character relationships. As each one evidently finds out secrets and thus the storyline unfolds.

Art: 9/10. Sound: 7/10.
Eye candy. The characters are drawn beautifully, the scenery is spectacular. A must to watch in HD. Feast your eyes. The opening and ending soundtrack fit the anime perfectly. It certainly throws you into the upbeat Durarara atmosphere. The OST compliments the anime, particularly giving mystical, thriller scenes an eerie, chilling effect.

Enjoyment: 7/10. Overall: 8/10.
Personally, Durarara is nothing I expected. Being action and emotion packed, it is certainly a unique experience to remember. I leave you with the sentence in the opening paragraph; Durarara is a ride which twists your insides really tight then suddenly explodes in your face.

After watching Full Metal Panic (which I suggest everyone to do before considering watching this to make sense of it more), I was reluctant to watch this spin-off from it. Mainly because I saw no point in watching when there wouldn't be much development of character, nor continued storyline, and the school setting seemed off-putting. But I was glad that I started it, as I enjoyed it immensely. The reasons? I shall try to explain.

Story 8/10
This was far from disappointment, it was brilliant how they made everyday normal scenarios, and exaggerated it into the context of military warfare (mostly by Sousuke's nature to take ... things in that mecha sense). It is therefore tackled and resolved using military tac-tics, planned out strategies and military weapons. This is what makes it so hilarious: the over-blown 'problems' of normal life, and how Sousuke always assumed it was a life-death threat. I also liked how they used stereo-typical bad guys, and basically made it so that they became comical characters. Every episode was unique and you are constantly on the edge of your seat, either in anticipation or laughing.

Art and Sound 7/10
These were similar to Full Metal Panic, and added a greater military and over-exaggerated feel to it, making it even more hilarious. The art was also similar, done do an average standard.

Character 7/10
Surprisingly, there was character development, and you grew closer to knowing Sousuke and Chidori. Their relationship also developed ever so slightly, in an entertaining sense of the comedy duo (more exaggerated than Full Metal Panic)

Enjoyment 9/10
So I enjoyed this series, it had a certain feel-good comical quality to it, and you are bound to laugh and smile throughout watching it. It balanced the action and comedy moments perfectly, so that you are entertained all the way through.

Overall 7/10
Overall, it was a good watch, something to make you smile at the end of the day, and therefore I recommend you to at least try it out.

I started this thinking "alas, another predictable action anime which I may end up dropping" but it had me sucked in to the very end. The reasons? I'll try to explain:

Storyline: 8.5/10
Most action fans would see the storyline as very cliched and predictable, having seen it all played out before. It's storyline does lack, with some filler episodes (such as amusement park visits and hot bath days), and random bad guys which pop up, get defeated, and so moves on to another scenario. However, even though it does lack originality, it's done well and to a good enough standard to enjoy watching it all unravel.

Art: ... 7.5/10
In one angle, the characters are done well, as your average anime. Not brilliant, but not too bad either. However, sometimes the backgrounds (such as on a busy street) are at a stand-still which is noticeable.

Sound: 7.5/10
Again, your average action themes running though it, which aren't brilliant, but not too bad either. At the very least they don't get annoying or anything, and stay well positioned in the background.

Character: 9.5/10
At this point, you're probably thinking why the heck you should watch this anime. Well the secret to it all, which sets it apart from others and keeps you watching, is the characters. The characters themselves are likeable and fit in with the general mood of the anime (some-what cute comedy moments but gets serious when they need to). In one angle they do seem a bit cliched, the average stubborn bad-tempered in-denial girl with the cheeky cold-yet-nice guy but has a dark past, plus the extra nice-but-serious-when-needs-to-be little guy. But the development of the characters, and the development of the romance between the two main protagonists is what really sets it apart. You are kept glued to the screen and get awarded appropriately in the little delightful developments in every episode, and you grow to love every minute. Not to mention the various twists and turns as well, (with added drama) which keep you on the edge of your seat.

Enjoyment: 9.5/10
Sure it's all been done before, sure it's not mind-blowingly good, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. It was a secure anime to watch and enjoy ~ having everything from love triangles, nice friendships, happy-happy-days-of-fun, comedy moments, love; but also drama, action: all balanced perfectly.

Overall: 8.5/10
Overall, it was a good watch, and those who are into romance/action types will surely enjoy this.

There are many types of anime, though you can generalise them in being either fulfilling your expectations, or not. However, every so often, there is an exception of a unique anime which is by far superior though you never expected it to be. The latter defineately describes clannad.
I started with no expectations from clannad, but it turned out to be one of the best anime I have ever seen, if not the best.

Story: 10/10
On the outside it seems to be the ordinary slice of life drama - ordinary boy meets many girls, helps them, and in the end benefits too (not to forget ... the touch of harem). But clannad is different in that it pulls on your heartstrings, making you go through every emotion: you cry, you laugh. You smile with pride, frown with dismay. The best aspect of it was the comedy, which was perfectly executed and the humour was intelligent and witty.
Every story arc you can easily understand and relate to, and each one is unique and spectacular. The main storyline is also just as good, with some mysterious aspects (there is a parallel little story about a little girl all alone in the world with a robot).
I liked the fact that the story wasn't all centred around the main character, but it portrays many different storylines in which our main protagonists just happens to be there to help.

Art: 9.5/10
I found the art very soothing and beautiful to watch, it used soft colours and textures which portray the scenes and emotions well. The designs of the characters were also unique to each individual, and you enjoy watching them.

Sound: 9/10
The opening of the series I never grew to like, though the ending song 'dango' was extremely cute. The other music used throughout the series however, was exceptional. It flowed with the mood of the scenes perfectly and even to listen to it by itself is enjoyable.

Character: 9.5/10
The characters in clannad were very well developed, you are able to gradually build a detailed picture for each one and understand their personalities; almost at a personal level. Every character has a warm feel, and you have a wonderful time in their company.
I especially liked the main protagonist, Tomoya, he has a very direct and witty personality which anyone would instantly love, and is the centre of conducting all the comedy scenes. As the story progresses, you learn more about him and start to understand and relate to him more.

Enjoyment: 10/10
I enjoyed every second of this anime - it was done perfectly in every aspect, but I especially enjoyed the comedy aspects to it which were hilarious. It had the correct balance of everything you would want in a slice of life drama.
I can guarentee whoever you are, and whatever anime you may like, you will at least enjoy parts of this anime.

I'm sorry if this review is rubbish, it's hard to describe something which is so good that its indescribable. To understand it, you can really only experience it for yourself. I strongely recommend clannad, you will not regret it.

Well as it was only 5 minutes long, I'll make this extremely short. It's simply a 5 minute preview of all the famous clamp characters between 1995 to 2006, set to a cheery song by Maaya Sakamoto. Just 5 minutes of happiness to see all your favourite clamp characters do their thing. ^^

This isnt a review as such, but a comparison to the first season (as this is what i wanted to see when i was looking whether to watch the second season or not)

well the advantages is that its a continuation of the anime - so you see the characters again, more action, romance etc. theres also more characters (which are more your confidence determined rock solid women), you find out secrets, and the princesses character is developed more.
i found the animation more crisp in the second series as well. the storyline at the end was more emotional and more action in the second season as ... well.
it did still continue the good humour, storyline and humour too.

however, there were many set backs.
firstly the humour was much more ecchi. (though that could be an advantage for some). some acts got a bit tiresome after a while (mainly the constant whipping of saito).
also i thought the characters changed slightly - particularly saito, who - in the first season - was your average kind, lovable character who's in love, changes to become quite perverted in the second season to the extent of annoyance, and start to question whether he really loves louise or not. on the other hand he becomes more serious at the end which makes up for it. another major change is siesta - the once gentle, kind, shy servant girl now becomes the determined rival to saito's love, which is quite annoying.
also, some characters in the 1st season - tabitha and kirche especially, are hardly mentioned. their character (as well as louise) is hardly developed compared to the first season.
personally the storyline was was worse than the first series - though that is expected as its hard to develop after youve had the good old girl meets boy and falls in love. the romance is still there, and does develop slightly, but is not focused on much (except towards the end), instead there are 2 other arcs, which seemed a bit too much to juggle in the one series. the overall storyline was quite predictable, apart from the end (which was pretty good and made up for the past).
the action was more guns and machines centred rather than magic, and rather than school-based, it is battle-based. (though that again, could be an advantage)

overall, the second series was pretty good, though it lacked ever-so-slightly slightly compared to the first season.