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Hoozuki no Reitetsu is a kind of anime where it gives you an introductory of Japanese mythology especially the Japanese underworld with a lighthearted-comedy punch into it. If you are interested in Japanese folklore and mythology, this anime can be a good start in having a crash-course introduction into it as the subject itself can be quite confusing and intimidating for someone without prior knowledge of it. However, the anime did not fail to give its viewers, regardless of their familiarity with Japanese folklore and mythology, a twist of comedy yet faithfully to the original folktales and mythical stories, to provide another way in enjoying ... it. Hence, Hoozuki no Reitetsu is a refreshing approach on learning Japanese folklore and mythology.

The story picks up where the first season had ended. It retains its original storytelling style of comedic episodes with a central theme. Each episode is well-knitted to each other that the story's flow isn't disrupted and rushed. Moreover, the anime also did not fail to give its characters a new side of them that we did not see in the first season. The anime's second season revealed a lot of things about the characters in which it aids to the characters' development. We learned more about the Ten Kings and how each King conducted their trials.

Aside from teaching and introducing Japanese folklore and mythology, the anime also did not shy away from comparing Japanese mythologies with other cultures' mythologies. This is not a new thing for the anime as it is applied in the first season. Moreover, we could see a lot of similarities and differences in the world's mythologies. For instance, in that one episode, the deceased's trial and punishment in the afterlife is both presented in the Japanese and Egyptian mythologies. Hence, the anime itself, aside from branding itself as "entertainment," it did a little bit of comparative mythology (an academic field of studying mythologies wherein identifying the shared themes, motifs, and characteristics of the world's mythologies) in its own pace.

Moreover, the second season also added more information about Japanese Hell without summarising it too much that might lead oversimplification. However, the anime does simplified Japanese folklore and mythology; but the anime's production did an excellent job of trying to make it easier and simpler for both enthusiasts and the new viewers. Nevertheless, the anime did careful steps in presenting Japanese folklore and mythology without being lackluster and condescending.

Overall, the anime did a creative and entertaining way of presenting Japanese folklore and mythology in a more comfortable and lighthearted pace that will enjoy by both its' old and new audiences.

TsukiPro The Animation is a fan-service kind of anime. Its difficult for new fans to understand the anime if you don't have a prior knowledge of the groups that were introduced and its targeted audience is the fans themselves obviously. But don't let this hinder you to watch it and to try to know about the groups' music: SolidS, SOARA, Growth, and QUELL

The characters are easily likable as the story is kept simple. Although character development is sacrificed this way, the anime tries to give glimpses of the TsukiPro characters' personalities, "daily lives" and their past. Each episode tackles different problems and challenges to make ... them grow as an idol and as a member of their team. For instance, the meaning of friendship and what is music for them.

Moreover, the anime's main selling point is the music itself. It concentrated more on main songs/opening songs for the four bands. Thus, the animation's quality is uneven. But the animation for the main songs/opening songs is remarkably well done. I have to admit that I preferred TsukiPro's more than Tsukiuta especially the last episode's last song of TsukiPro. But I also wish that the production decided to keep the quality going rather than focusing only on the main songs/opening songs itself.

I shall emphasise again that the anime's music is focal point. Aside from the main songs/opening songs, the anime also featured the TsukiPro's past songs and new songs as ending songs. It perfectly displayed each groups' unique quality and distinct music styles from one another; in which it gives a diverse collection of music rather than focusing on one genre. As the characters describe their music in their own words, the anime did not fail to showcase it. Moreover, the anime also shows how each group creates their music. There will always be a member who is the composer of each group. By presenting the process, the unique attributes of each group is even more emphasized and recognized. Thus, TsukiPro groups are distinct from one another.

Moreover, the anime also did not leave out the significance of music in each people's lives. As the characters' explained and displayed it in each episode, music could paint beautiful and radiant colors in our everyday lives. Hence, the anime shows the value of music.

This is the music's description of each TsukiPro groups:
SOARA - "Like the blue sky."
Growth - "Like flowers blooming in the field."
QUELL - "Like clean, clear water."
SolidS - "Like glittering, intense flames"

Hope you give this anime a chance and be a new fan of the groups' music!

Mushibugyou follows a young samurai named Jinbei Tsukishima in Edo, hoping to be a member of the Insect Magistrate's office in the place of his father. In the Insect Magistrate's office, their only duty is to protect the peace in Edo from the monstrous insects. When Jinbei got to be one of the members of the office, he met his new teammates namely Mugai, Hibachi, Tenma Ichinotani, and Shungiku Koikawa. But the problem is that, all of his teammates believed that he will quit in less than 3 days and he was too weak to fight the insects.



Story (9/10):

Mushibugyou was one of the rare ... action animes that the MC was not that too powerful and too weak either. The anime's story lets the MC, Jinbei Tsukishima, too grow more powerful and wiser as the series progress. The comedy and the fanservice, "the plots", are not too excessive that may cause a downhill and a sort of a bland taste that leave in the audience's eyes. It also shows how beautiful human relationships are. The transition between the arcs was clean and well-thought that avoided some confusion.




Characters (8/10):

1. Jinbei Tsukishima: Jinbei Tsukishima acted as a human pillar of goodness and hope. Throughout the anime, his goodness towards other people, whether foe or ally, doesn't change a single bit but it became stronger as he met more people,with different perspectives and experiences, as a member of the Insect Magistrate's office.

His goodness was first shown when he saved Oharu from getting eaten by an insect. Oharu told him about her parents' horrible death in the hands of the insects and lost hope in living as being eaten was always an everyday activity in Edo; but he gave her hope by promising her that he will do his very best to protect her and Edo from the insect. Later on, with Hibachi, he encouraged and shared sentiments towards Mugai. He helped Tenma to overcome his fears. He admired and strongly believed in Shunguki. His strong determination and will touched Mugai which lead Mugai to open his heart on Jinbei. His promise of seeing the skies in Edo with the Insect Magistrate or Princess Naa. And it made his teammates to accept him and to believe in him as one of them. These things were only some of his goodness list which changed lives for the better.

His iron determination, will, and persistent were also one of his good points. Because of these characteristics, he gave hope to his teammates to overcome the struggles in battle and to have strength that can kill their enemies. Although the foe was not in his league, for example Yukimura Sanada, he didn't lose hope and continued to battle although his body was not in fighting shape. That's because he didn't waver on his philosophy that to win every battles until he died. He also obsessed about being stronger since he didn't want to burden his teammates and didn't want to experiece the humilation that he can't protect anyone on his power. It was also to become an aide for his teammates.



2. Mugai:

In the case of Mugai, since he's rarely shown in the anime, he didn't have that much character development compared to others; but his character still plays an important role. Him, being strong and powerful, became Jinbei's goal towards an ideal swordman that can erase people's fear; that honed Jinbei's skills as a samurai and leave a bigger room of development for Jinbei.

Although in the anime, his past was shown, it was somehow a little bit lacking in explanation in some parts; like on his reason why he left a criminal group. But he still did show a little development in the anime.



3. Hibachi:

Hibachi is the tsundere of the anime. She punched and kicked Jinbei for being a so-called pervert and for whatever reasons. She became Jinbei's first friend in the Insect Magistrate when they both shared admiration for Mugai. As a fellow member, she believed on Jinbei which gave him support. Her character development wasn't that impressive but still worth praising for; for when she became stronger ninja and changed her opnions of Jinbei.



4. Tenma Ichinotani:

Tenma Ichinotani was the character who showed a great character development throughout of the anime. From being a cry-baby to being a strong, noble, and dependable onmyoji. He's very likable character since it was like watching a baby to grow up as a good adult. His love for his parents stayed true and his friendship with Jinbei and the others became stronger.



5. Shungiku Koikawa:

Just like Hibachi, Shungiku Koikawa doesn't have that much character development. But Koikawa has this misleading image of him. He's a badass samurai who had a clean cut in everything he cuts but he's also a drunkard. But I never thought that he's also quite fair in fights, for a murder, when he didn't strike Mugai when Mugai threw his longsword to the ground, and a little bit a mature and responsible adult, for a drunkard, when he's aiding his teammates in battle.



Overall (8/10):

The anime let it's characters to grow and to have a meaningful development. It's quite rare, these days, to find an anime which all of its characters are growing together; not the typical anime in which the main character is only the one who's getting stronger. The story is not confusing and not too predicatble. But the only downside of this anime is that it doesn't have a second season.

Hakkenden: Touhou Hakken Ibun is an historical and supernatural anime that revolves around the story of 18 years old Inuzuka Shino, Inukawa Sousuke, and Murasame. Inuzuka Shino was supposed to be dead 5 years ago without the help of Saitome Riou. Riou 'implanted' Murasame in Shino's body to have a second chance in life but the price was that Shino will never die and will always be trapped in a 13 years old body of his. Inukawa Sousuke was also revived but had to live in a consequences of having half of his soul was gone and have the ability of transforming to a dog ... named Yoshiro.

Hakkenden: Touhou Hakken Ibun is a masterpiece in its own league, having the perfect collaboration within the characters like Sousuke being a big brother to Shino, Riou's superiority to Shino, and many more; and also the perfect layout of unfolding and revealing mysteries such as Ao being Sousuke's shadow, Murasame's true form, Riou's claim of its his duty to give his blood to Shino, and all the bead holders' last names have "Inu" in them and have the same situations on how they had the beads.

Unlike in supernatural animes, Hakkenden: Touhou Hakken Ibun has a unique point of master-demons relationships. For example, Murasame and other demons are very vengeful to the people who harmed their masters, very dangerous when they sensed someone threatening their masters' safety, and very obedient to their masters. An example of this was Murasame devouring Shouichi when Shouichi shot Shino at his neck, causing Shino to be dead; Yatsufusa's obedience towards Rio, Hibiki's over protectiveness towards Ayane, Yukihime's possessiveness towards Inuyama Dousetsu and the casual relationship between the Five Foxes and Osaki Kaname. Also, the element of transforming a human to a demon without going berserk and claiming to be "good demons" like Inuta Kobungo and Inukai Genpachi.

What Hakkenden: Touhou Hakken Ibun fun to watch is the relationship of the characters to each other and the personality of each, which made a good balancing in the anime. In other animes, portraying the relationship of the characters in details can sometimes makes the story draggging and boring but in this case, it was different. It had a flavor of a good balance of relationships without inserting some dramatic events.

The protagonist's, Shino's, growth can be seen as well. At that start of the series, Shino will always be seen in Sousuke's side but later on, Shino hanging out to the other characters and meet other people like Kouhaku, and also the realization of the world, like Shino's statement to Kouhaku: “I didn’t understand that there are people who didn’t fear death, but instead falter at that thought of living.”

Overall, Hakkende: Touhou Hakken Ibun is strongly recommended for the people who are carving in a different ride of supernatural animes. There are no girls pairing up to these beautiful boys but these boys are pairing up each other themselves (xD); Shino's clingy attitude towards Sousuke and Genpachi's love to Shino. Of course, there's an exception, Hamaji's and Kaname's love to each other (Kaname said himself that he wants to marry Hamaji when she is old enough to marry)

“I told you that I’m afraid of dying, but I think being left all alone in this world is much more painful than death. However, if only there’d be someone by my side to hold my hand, then I’m sure I’d neither fear the thought of life nor death.” -Shino Inuzuka

Haikyuu is a volleyball anime that tells a story of a not-gifted-in-terms-of-height freshmen high school student named Hinata Shoyo, who dreams to become the next "little giant" in volleyball.

Just like any other sports anime, it tells a story of hope and dreams but one thing that sets it apart from other sports anime is the realistic nature of it. Without any supernatural moves like in Kuroko no Basket, Haikyuu successfully make the characters' development as real as they can. Hinata's super fast reflexes, Tobio's monstrous tosses, and Nishinoya's great saves can be attain in real life with years of practice and dedication to the ... sport.

What amazed me more than the other sports animes I've watched, Haikyuu delivers the message that nothing is impossible with great work and dedication like Hinata's height disadvantage, but nonetheless excels in the sport he truly loved. And the beautiful photo of what a captain really is, Daichi-kun! To never break down, to never lose hope, and to hold the team until the end.

The other thing that makes Haikyuu unique is the perfect display of volleyball as not only a mere sport but a fight that can only win with a connected team. Tobio character brings this message into light as he slowly learns himself to play as a team, not an individual and to trust his teammates in the game. He even had the best rival and the best partner he can ever wishes for, Hinata!

Haikyuu has also this special thing about it; that sets them apart and form a big gap among the other sports animes. Its a rarity for a sport animes to concentrate on the extra characters or those characters who are created merely to make the protagonist/s shine even more brightly. They even have a long part of expressing their regrets and their thoughts about losing, which made me cried a lot because I knew that feeling too well.

Overall, Haikyuu is a emotional ride of tears, laughter, and frustration that you can feel from the characters, whether main character or extra-character. An anime where you can learn a lot and reflect a lot about your life.

"There must be thousands of guys in this country, whose last season gets cut short. Winning all the preliminaries and going on to the nationals. If all this were a work of fiction, those guys who go to the nationals would be the protagonists, and the rest of us would just be extras. But regardless, we got to play volleyball" - Hayato Ikejiri

Free! Eternal Summer is the season 2 installation of Free! Iwatobi Swim Club. It continues on where the season 1 had ended. At the start of the series, Captain of the Samezuka Swim Team, Seijuurou Mikoshiba, retired and assigned Matsuoka Rin as the new captain. As the anime continued on, it displayed the powerful bond of Haruka Nanase towards his team and his friends. The main focal point of the season 2 is the Iwatobi Swim Club's dream of competing in the national tournament.

The anime also introduced a new character namely, Yamazaki Sousuke. Even though character was a supporting one, he played a big ... role in the lives of the main characters. Sousuke became Rin's right hand man and Haru's main driver. Without Sousuke, Rin will never have someone who can protect him and give him advice and hope, while in the Haru's case, no one will remind Haru that Rin needed him badly and drived Haru to find his dream.

The anime displayed the strong bond of friendship between the characters. One example of this was how Haru's deeply cared about his friends when he revealed to Rin when they were in Australia that it's a big deal for Haru when he fought Makoto because of being stubborn of finding his own dream.

It also showed the essence of having a dream, being a leader, and having a hope to continue for your own future. What's good about the anime was that it not only focused on the main characters but also the supporting characters, like Nitori Aiichirou's struggle of improving his time record, Yamazaki Sousuke's shoulder injury that caused him to unable to swim anymore, and Shigino Hayato's overcoming his fear of water.

Overall, the characters were equally given attention whether main or not, and have each own dreams. The anime taught on how to achieve your dream without giving up and how to look for your own dream by simply looking what's around in you. The music was also good for the moods of each scene and the character songs for each characters. I highly recommended this anime to watch because of the good life lessons it relayed on it's viewers.