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Really enjoyed this series. Fast-paced thriller, mature and well-rounded ie most loose ends are tied up. Something to keep you interested happens in every episode, and I think what they've been able to do in 11 eps with the story is quite impressive. Art and sound are good, personally I didn't enjoy the OP/ED tracks at all but they do suit the mood of the anime.

Character development is a bit lacking and they are a bit 2D at times, but in regards to the relationship development between the three mains it's quite nuanced and it does treat the viewer as an adult in that ... there are small things you can infer and not be illustrated overtly.

Would have been good if more was made of the backstories to Lisa and more was written in about 5, 9 and 12. But with the episode limit staff were up against I feel like they did a stellar job. 9.5/10

There are so many things which are wrong about so many of the relationships in this anime. It basically reads like a high school student's sexual fantasies put into animation. So depending on what you're wanting to get out of this the scoring differs. For a romance it gets a 6, but for a watch-at-midnight-by-yourself anime it's more like a 7.5 because they are fairly gratuitous with showing off body parts and uh, physical recreation.

There is a semi-decent storyline compared to other animes of this sort for the different story arcs, but because each one is so short there's pretty much no feels for any ... of the characters. The way they do the transitions between each story arc is quite good though with same scene-different ending though.

I watched the first arc in full but then basically just skipped to the bits with the action. One thing which really annoyed me though was how frequently they get all the girls naked in this but have Haruka (the male lead) still with all his clothes on. Kinda sexist. And my goodness, how they exaggerate the size of every female's breasts. Character art design almost certainly done by a male.

The OP and EN themes are really beautiful though.

So, I noticed that this anime recently moved from the #3 spot to the #2 spot on MAL. For real? This anime was recommended as "doing time travel way better" than Future Diary, which I thought was pretty awesome, but despite being more "serious", I find Stein's Gate pales in almost every element. The premise is certainly a good one and the beginning seems to hold a lot of promise but I'm not sure where "the second half is a masterpiece" comes from.

Art: okay, to me most of the characters looked sorta flat faced. Apparently their production budget was low. No particular attraction or ... detraction. Whats with the hair clip when Ruka is a guy?!? Thought they should have at least tried to make his gender matter a bit more rather than just used as a plot device.

Sound: again, okay, no particular attraction or detraction. Probably could be better used for emotional tension in the more dramatic moments. OP theme is quite good.

Story: slow to start off with, then when it's meant to become a masterpiece halfway, often contrived, full of pseudoscience, "no loopholes" because the viewer is so confused as to whats going on and many loose ends which don't get explained/tied up. Like, what was with the gelnanas? How did everyone remember bits of their other world lines? Mostly predictable, though still imminently watchable.

Characters: found it hard to connect with them or feel their chemistry. Okarin is selfish as anything, asking everybody to give up their own wishes to fulfil his own. And being the protagonist, obviously immune to death himself, which I found particularly annoying at the end, despite it the final episodes giving the whole series a sort of closure and resolution. Kurisu is a very attractive character. Hardly felt the chemistry though, except for THAT episode, which is particularly touching. Would have worked as a beautiful ending. I thought Daru was a great character, shouldve been better developed, especially his relationship with Okarin.likewise moeka. Everybody else was like "who cares" or "why are they even in this story again?" There was one particular line Ruka has in his episode which I thought said a lot about sexuality in Japanese culture though which I found fairly touching. His one shining moment.

So yeah, enjoyable and watchable enough. But I didn't find it particularly moving. Too many flaws. Ultimately a forgettable anime for me.

As crazy and random and spontaneous as life itself.
You never know what's coming with Nichijou.
Technically a slice-of-life anime, but not driven by storyline. Like Azumanga-Daioh, it focuses on Josei Koukou Seikatsu and often makes no sense, but that is also its winning point. Still, relationships b/ w main and minor characters are a strong focus and may remind you of the bonds you formed during high school yourself.
It will make you laugh at things you didn't think could be funny.
Always good when your brain needs a rest after a day at work. Not an anime to marathon or watch back to back. ... Like chocolate cake, good in small doses. Something sweet to bring some happiness into your day.

This is one of those anime's you watch and remember, then try to look for all the work by the same director when it's over.
Makoto Shinkai is very good at depicting slice-of-life star-crossed love stories and this is the movie which first introduced me to his work.
Basically, the three "episodes" comprising the movie is about a guy and his first love and how even as an adult he hasn't been able to let go of her. He mightn't be aware of this, or does little to remedy it if he does, but it sort of hangs over his relationships with other women.
The ... final episode showing their lives as adults is short but raw, and if you know what it's like to be forgotten by someone you once loved or still do, it will resonate with you.
The settings are beautifully animated. My two criticisms would be the middle episode -didn't understand why the focus shifted to a third character rather than the two protagonists. And also the choice of EP which could have been so powerful. It sounds like something for middle-aged folk rather than something befittting the young and heartbroken.
In any case, it's still a true work of art and as relevant and worthwhile now as it was when it first came out almost 9 years ago.

I'd put this one in the popcorn flick basket, something to watch for the sake of something to watch, check-off your list, then forget about.

Artwork and storyline are okay, didn't really identify with the characters. Actually the main character is kinda annoying, especially the way he treats his mother. And how he doesn't ever seriously try to figure out his identity, just mopes about all the time. The opening presents him as the spirit of a returning man, but he acts immaturely, as if he's the boy. It's confusing and an obstacle for viewers to develop any relationship with the protagonist.

I watched this Colourful only ... a few months ago and hardly remember it. Enjoyable enough for a night-in but probably not something that will leave a lasting impression.

Artwork is very different.
Storyline is slice of life with different chapters focussing on different characters. It's an easy series to read and keeps you absorbed. Nothing that left a particularly strong impression on me though. Maybe because I'm from a different generation to the one it depicts. I only read it last year but couldn't remember what it was about until I re-read the synopsis on MAL and that brought back bits and pieces of the story back to me. I suppose the characters didn't resonate with me, and I didn't identify myself in any of them so I was detached.
Anyway, still think it's worth ... checking out if just for the artwork. Taiyo Matsumoto, the guy behind Tekkon Kinkreet has a unique style which sets his work apart from typical manga.

This is a manga written for adults.
If you are going through a quarter life crisis or mid life crisis, hate your job or plain lost in life, this manga is for you.
It depicts the challenge of everyday struggles most people can identify with and makes you feel like less of a failure by pretty much saying everybody around you feels the same way, fighting their own battles and suffering alone. And then it shows the story of how someone (who friends and family have pretty much relegated to the loser basket) can achieve a small success through sheer determination and self-belief, and how much ... of a motivation this is to the people around him. And that small successes can be as important and inspiring as big ones.
This manga has a good message to spread about life.
The art is hilarious and so are parts of the story.
It will keep surprising you.

Slice-of-life manga following a group of girls growing up together through high school with some cameos from teachers and a random cat. It's a bit like Garfield or other newspaper comics in that a joke is made in 4 panels and there's a thin overarching storyline to hold everything together. It's rare these days to find ink and paper writing or art which makes you really laugh out loud but that is what Azumanga gets you to do again and again and again.

It must be at least 5 years since I've read it and I still remember the characters and some of the randomer/crazier gags. ...

Besides the humour, the author/illustrator also does a good job of building relationships between the characters throughout the 4 volumes. If high school is already in the distant (or recent) past for you, this will make you miss all the great times you spent with friends and nostalgic for the freedom of youth.