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Oct 1, 2011
That wonderful time has come once again! The time where I've finally got around to finishing an anime, and now it's time to review all of what I've seen. And damn, have I seen some good stuff. Steins;Gate was something that I decided to randomly pick up on a whim one day, and looking back, I'm definitely am glad I did so.
So onto our review of what may be yet another great anime to rock the ages!
Story: Steins;Gate has a story that bleeds science fiction all over the place, but at the same time maintains a very human aspect. The
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main character of the series, Okabe Rinatarou, is thrust into a chaotic mess of trying to mend time after he and his friends radically change it through an invention that can send text messages into the past. The resulting changes in the time stream end up endangering one of Okabe's closest friends, putting him on a path where he must fight against fate and restore the world's time stream to its original state. This, at least in my opinion, has to be one of the most interesting and well-executed stories ever made in an anime. While the physics and details of time travel are not really scientifically accurate, the story itself is still good. This is mostly because it is more character-driven than anything else, and I found it easy to overlook the inaccuracies and still love the storyline.
Art: I've yet to play the game this series was based on, so my opinion on the art style could be a little biased. Still, I thought it was particularly good and did justice to both the male and female characters of the series. I personally like how it didn't make the female characters look too overly cute and how it didn't turn the male characters into glittering models. It gave a good mood to the series and wasn't overplayed.
Music: This is something I really enjoyed in the series. The music, especially the opening song Hacking To The Gate, was simply fantastic. The songs fit the mood perfectly, they established a tone to the series, and they were not at all distracting or out of place. In fact, in episode 23, one character's dialogue wouldn't have been as powerful without the overlying song to strengthen his words. Overall, the music was great, and very iPod worthy.
Characters: If I had to pick a favorite part of this series, it would be the characters themselves, which were pretty unique and fun to watch. Okabe was probably my favorite character of the series, with his ridiculous lines and his dramatic speeches about secret organizations and plots to rule the world. Makise Kurisu was a fantastic character and a perfect foil to Okabe. Their romance was also very cute and quite fulfilling towards the end of the series. As for the rest of the characters, they were also pretty good. Mayuri had to be my least favorite, but even she had her few shining moments and ended up impressing me towards the series finale. Overall, the series presented a good cast of characters that didn't bore the viewer one bit.
Enjoyment: What else is there to say in this department? I really enjoyed this series. I'm buying it on DVD the moment it gets released, and I'm probably going to watch it all over again. This has easily hit my top 5 list.
So overall, I have to give this series a 10. In reality, it should get a 9, because its only flaw is the lack of plausibility when it comes to the actual time travel. But because of the interesting characters, the phenomenal story, and the overall satisfying path from episode one to episode twenty-four, I'm giving this series a perfect 10. I highly recommend this anime to any fan of sci-fi, mad scientists and time travel. You definitely won't be disappointed one bit.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Jun 26, 2010
Honestly, when I first started watching Angel Beats, I didn't really get the whole idea immediately. In fact, I was kind of confused considering the plot line, the many characters, and the various similarities this series has when compared to The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.
However, by the time I got to episode 5, I have to say...I fell in love with this series. I believe that it actually had some great drama. Of course, a good dose of comedy was thrown in to compliment this, and with a character like T.K, the extra comedy did wonders for the series.
But let me get
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to my actual review.
Story: I believe Angel Beats had a decent story. In a nutshell, the series focuses on a bunch of teenagers who have "died" and now eke out an existence in a school-themed afterlife. Each of the characters in the series has lost the chance to achieve something in their previous life. Now that they are stuck in this afterlife, they form a brigade known as the "SSS" and do battle with a super-powered white-haired girl that they call Angel. Overall, I enjoyed the story, but I wish the series had more episodes to develop it. Unfortunately, I felt that the series was almost rushed, and that it deserved much more screen time.
Art: I've never watched Clannad, Air or Kanon, but now I really want to. The art in this series was amazing and some of the best I've ever seen in any Japanese anime. The special effects during battles were pretty fantastic, and I personally thought some of the character designs, like T.K's, were awesome.
Music: If I had to give this series another plus, it would definitely be in the music department. Quite frankly, the opening and ending to Angel Beats were both epic and very catchy. I especially loved the opening enough to make me want to look up the singer. As for the insert songs, I think they were just decent.
Characters: Here is where I find myself a little conflicted. I'll be honest when I say that I loved all the characters. Do I find them original? Well...that's another story. I do realize that many of the characters mirror characters from Haruhi, and although Haruhi is my favorite series, it kind of saddens me that this series "stole" from it. Nevertheless, I still find the characters lovable, especially in the case of the amazing and awesome T.K. Michael Rivas should be given a Nobel Prize for his stellar voice work. Truthfully, the only thing that saddens me is that the characters were not really given enough screen time at all. They deserved so much more as a rag-tag bunch of teens.
Enjoyment: Despite the many shortcomings that Angel Beats has, I really enjoyed it as an anime series nonetheless. I realize that multiple plot points were left unresolved, that the characters weren't all that original, and that the series got a bit rushed right at the last episode. Even still, I felt like there was a magic to this series that hit me right where it counts. Angel Beats has a lot of potential, of course, but I believe that it's worth checking out. Maybe it's even worth that spot on your DVD shelf.
I guess I can say I loved this series. It could have been better, but I still love it the way it is. It's an anime...and as an anime, you should expect it to be non-realistic. To me, this series had a warm, bittersweet ending. I believe that counts enough for a 8/10. It was definitely worth all of my time.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Dec 1, 2009
So I'm guessing that you're wondering..."just what the hell is this?". The picture above shows a guy with a girl for a right hand. To fully understand this strange phenomenon, you'll have to watch this anime, but I'll be telling you in my review just how worth watching this anime is.
Story: The story of Midori no Hibi is as followed. Seiji "Mad Dog" Sawamura is a delinquent high school student who is feared by almost all his classmates for his "Devil's Right Hand". He is a pretty strong street fighter, capable of taking down entire gangs by himself. Unfortunately,
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his status as a delinquent has led to him being rejected by just about every girl he has asked out. For seventeen years, his right hand remains his only companion *wink wink* . However, he wakes up one day, only to find that his right hand has been replaced by a tiny girl named Midori, who has actually had a crush on Seiji since middle school. What follows is a zany but lighthearted romantic anime that is actually very, very worth watching. In my opinion, the story is strange but unique enough that its abnormalities make it all the better.
Art: I simply love the art style of this anime. It is extremely eye-catching, and the character designs are either adorable or pretty cool. When compared to the amazing manga it was based off of, the difference is little to none.
Music: An awesome aspect of the series, the music is something else. Like Ouran High School Host Club, there is only one opening and ending theme for this series. However, both of them, "Sentimental" and "Mou Sukoshi...Mou Sukoshi...", are pretty amazing and catchy. The series deserves high points when it comes to the music, which fits perfectly with the theme of the anime.
Characters: To be honest, the characters in this series are fantastically done. Seiji Sawamura isn't actually your normally oblivious male protagonist, and despite appearances as a romance anime, the fight scenes with him are actually pretty badass. Midori is a very cute character at the beginning, but she evolves over the course of the series, and you get a lot more insight on her real self towards the end. Other characters in the series fulfill pretty awesome roles, but I'd hate to ruin them for you, so you'll just have to get to watching it.
Enjoyment: This series makes you laugh, smile, and probably almost shed a tear right towards the end. It deserves that spot on your DVD shelf, and it is very re-watchable, despite it being a short 13 episodes.
In the end, Midori no Hibi represents a magnificent anime that isn't exactly your standard fare. It is a heartwarming yet funny story that delivers in just about every way. I present it with a 10/10 rating, mostly because of just how emotionally powerful it becomes by the end of its 13 episode run. Still, the humor, awesome art and music, and pretty well-done romance should grab you just as easily.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Dec 1, 2009
Well, well, well, look what we have here? Can anyone say "under-appreciated" and "under-watched"? Those words would probably describe Valkyria Chronicles very well.
At first glance, this anime probably doesn't look like anything special. Originally based on a tactical role-playing game of the same name for the PS3, this anime might look like a couple of things. At first glance, it might just look like a military anime that wants to chock itself full of violence and gunplay. However, this is a serious, serious misconception. Let's get to the review and see why, shall we?
Story: The story that encompasses
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Valkyria Chronicles is as follows. It takes place in the year 1935, in an alternate history where two opposing military factions, the Empire and the Federation, wage war against one another on the continent of Europa. It's an alternate WWII inspired-setting, and one of the things that surprised me the most about this anime was a lack of giant robots. Instead, their roles are taken by all manner of tanks, artillery pieces, and other standard military fare, all a-la-Advance Wars. This, I felt, made the anime stronger, as they got by without using a concept used in so many other animes. Continuing with the story, it kicks off in a small town called Bruhl in the neurtal territory of Gallia, where a young girl on town watch, Alicia Melchiott, happens to cross paths with the son of a Gallian General, whose name is Welken Gunther. After this fateful meeting, the two are cast into the military life, where they battle for their lives and lives of their comrades, all while trying to stay relatively sane. Unsurprisingly, there is a lot of romance in this anime, and it is some of the best I've seen. In general, the plot is pretty amazing in my opinion, and from what I can tell, it follow the game pretty well.
Art: I believe that the art was good, though it could have been done just a little better. I wasn't a big fan of the use of 3D effects in this anime, though I admit it was probably necessary for some parts. Nevertheless, the character designs are awesome, and remain very close to their game counterparts.
Music: A seriously amazing aspect of the series, in my opinion. Both the OP and ED of the first half were awesome, and the second half, while not as on par, was also good in terms of the musical content. All songs in the anime are definitely iPod worthy, and they easily fit the dramatic mood of the anime.
Characters: Definitely one of my favorite parts of the entire series. All the characters make up a pretty diverse cast. Welken and Alicia remain to be my favorites, mostly for their personalities and mannerisms when around one another. Even still, the other members of the cast didn't end up just being placeholders. I would warn all who watch this though. Being a dramatic anime, I would expect some important character death. Even still, it doesn't detract from the series at all, and instead strengthens it greatly.
Enjoyment: Seriously, I believe this anime was extremely enjoyable, to the degree where I couldn't stop watching for a day straight. It definitely, definitely deserves a spot on your DVD shelf, or on your hard drive.
There's not much else to say about Valkyria Chronicles. In short, I believe it to be one of the most under-appreciated anime around. In my book, I believe it deserves a perfect 10/10, as it was I believe to be a shining example of what SHOULD be done in an anime series. In all honesty, this anime is highly, highly recommended, and a definite example of a diamond in the rough that should be dug up just a little more often.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Aug 16, 2009
So here we are with another anime review! This time around, it seems that I'm reviewing not so much a series, but a single one shot movie.
This movie in question is called Interstellar 5555(which I found out of luck), and I have to say that it was something very unexpected.
Story: While this movie is really a visual representation of the Daft Punk album Discovery, it actually had a pretty good story. The basis of the story involves four extraterrestrial musicians who get kidnapped from their home world and brought to Earth. They end up having to be rescued by a
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fan/spaceship pilot, and the rest turns out to actually be a pretty enjoyable movie. As a note, I'd like to point out that there is absolutely no dialogue in this movie, so everything is pretty much told with body langauge, facial expressions, action and of course, music.
Art: The art was simply phenomenal. Everything flowed, and the animation was crisp and smooth, especially for it's time. Character designs were awesome in my opinion, my favorite one being Octave and his radical afro. As a note, I have to say that I personally liked how the artists drew Stella, because I could tell that the way she looked was slightly different than from what I've seen of most anime females. It's little things like this that give the art a unique feel.
Sound: Of course, the sound is perfect. I had a slight interest in Daft Punk before watching this, but after watching this, my interest grew to a lot more. The music is magnificent, and every song perfectly fits with each segment of the movie, from the happy, upbeat dance parts, to the slower, sadder ones. The audio shines bright in this movie, but what else would you expect from a movie based on a music album?
Character: Unfortunately, this is where this movie lacks a bit. With no dialogue, character development is close to zero here. Now that's not saying each character was the same. There were differences based on facial expressions and such during the many scenes of the movie, of course. It's just that with no dialogue, the character's personalities are left to our imagination. It's mostly opinion whether that is a flaw or a good thing. I personally don't mind it at all.
Enjoyment: If you like music, especially techno, then this is a definite watch for you. I enjoyed it from start to finish, and although it wasn't perfect in all ways, it's unique enough to take the 5th place spot on my favorites list.
Overall: A fantastic movie overall, with awesome music, amazing art, and a pretty good story to go along with it. Besides the lack of character development, this anime movie has no other faults that I can think of. I award it a 9/10, and it's definitely a must-watch.
Now go watch it. Now!
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Aug 1, 2009
Venturing farther into the infinite world of anime, I happened to come across yet another amazing series in my travels. This one was relatively straightfoward compared to other animes, but it was also captivating, enthralling, enjoyable and certainly unique. This anime was Shakugan No Shana.
Story: While not the strongest point of this series, I will say that this anime's story certainly shines bright. It's a little confusing at the most, but I assume that's probably because of how much they could fit in one season. The actual story content was enjoyable, despite the fact that it's slightly predictable as it involves
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the Flame Haze Shana keeping the world balanced
(with her sword) alongside a newly-made Torch(replacement for a human being), Yuji Sakai.
Art: The art of this anime was simply compelling and eye-catching, and the light effects and various energy explosions were phenomenal. I can totally see the lolita appeal that Shana has. For one thing, I particually liked the scenes were Shana fires up into her Burning form. They were particularly well-done, and it's safe to say that the many sword-fights in this anime were both epic and amazingly executed.
Sound: This anime definitely had awesome music. All the songs were catchy, and they fit well with the mood of the anime as well. I personally enjoyed the first opening theme and the first ending theme, but the other two themes were equally as good. All the songs are iPod worthy.
Character: I have to say that this anime has outstanding character development. From the supposed Torch Yuji becoming "himself" again, to Shana turning from a introverted Flame Haze to a much nicer person, this anime certainly delivers in respects to character development. On a side note, I'd like to say that I really disliked Yoshida-san, but that's probably because she gets in the way of Shana and Yuji, who seem like they're just fated for one another. Other than that, the rest of the characters were likeable and definitely not in the norm of what you might usually expect.
Enjoyment: While I'll admit that a few episodes are a bit dull, this series will keep you glued to your computer screen and have you asking what happen's next. I'm not going to ruin the ending, but luckily it's one that does not dissapoint at all.
Overall: All in all, Shakugan No Shana is a fantastically executed anime, that, despite it's slight shortcomings in the story, can certainly take a 10/10 for awesome music, character development, art and enjoyment value, not to mention a simply stellar ending. It takes a place among my favirotes, as #3, and I'm anxious to watch the second season. Truly, this is anime that I think deserves a spot among some of the best and finest.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Jul 20, 2009
I have to say, this anime completely blew away all expectations. It is by far one of the best in existence, and I don't think I could list all the reasons why it was so great in even one thousand pages of writing. I will attempt to review it as a whole, and describe just how great of an anime Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann is.
Story: This is one of the high points in the entire series, and I must say, it was done amazingly well. It connects at all the right points, and it truly grips you as you watch. You'll
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find that Gurren Lagann is easily able to keep you watching well into the break of dawn. It's truly mind-boggling how gripping this anime becomes after the first few episodes.
Art: A fantastic blend of visual effects and extremely detailed characters and mechas make the art of this series a sure-fire win. The lights and explosions that the action scenes of this series deliver are just out of this world, and careful attention was given to each and every character in this anime. The art style is amazing in all respects, and I personally think that the Gurren Lagann's design is ingenius.
Sound: Suprisingly, I loved the music for this series. It was catchy and epic a the same time, and it completely fit the series as a whole, especially towards the finale of the last episode. The music is certainly iPod worthy in every way.
Character: Another point where the series shines. Character development is at it's maximum here, and it's clear that every character does in fact change throughout the entire anime's run. Simon's character begins as timid and shy digger boy, but slowly grows up and in fact becomes a mirror of the very person he wanted to emulate the entire time. I would tell you who, but you need to watch it and see for yourself.
Enjoyment: I found myself spending hours watching this series in blocks, so the enjoyment value is defintiely up there. This is also DVD-worthy, and I could definitely go through this series again, as it was just fantastic and magnificent the first time around.
Overall: All in all, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann earns a perfect 10/10 score. It is a must-watch, in fact, it goes beyond just simple anime. It is a truly amazing tale of one man searching for his destiny, and it is beautifully imagined and executed. I believe this anime will truly amaze many for years to come. It is the only one of it's kind.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Jul 16, 2009
K-ON! was definitely something that I could consider to be a very well done anime. This is obvious in so many ways, and it's safe to say that it should not be underestimated.
The premise of K-ON! involves a group of high school girls who form a band through their light music club. It might sound a little boring to some, but that all depends if you can handle a slice of life anime like K-ON! Rest assured however, that this is not the only focal point of the series.
For one, I personally loved the art. It was unique in the way it's
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animated, and the characters are all drawn to be amazingly lovable. In addtion, I would also say that this series might have some of the most likeable anime characters around. While some might say they represent anime stereotypes, I will beg to differ in saying that they are actually unique enough to break the stereotype boundary.
If you like moe, then this is definitely an anime for you. I don't think I've seen such a cute anime as this one, and it especially gets more so with the inclusion of Azusa in the last five episodes. There are not enough words to describe just how moe this anime gets. K-ON! also made me laugh a lot, and it definitely has a lot of parts which will make you smile or grin without a doubt.
Music, as the title suggests, is obviously one of the main things about this anime that make it so enjoyable. I've always found myself attuned to jazzy and more danceable music, but I can't say that I did not enjoy the ending and opening sequences of K-ON! The songs are quite catchy and they have a kind of 80s vibe to them, so if you're a fan of that, you'll definitely like K-ON!'s music.
Storywise, K-ON! was relatively decent in that it focused mainly on the lives of the characters and the upcoming preformances that the light music club had to get through. I never found any of this boring, luckily, so the anime doesn't falter storywise. Character development doesn't happen much beyond the band getting more coherent towards the end, but the characters keep all their charm throughout the thirteen episode run.
All in all, K-ON! is a very good anime, and definitely worth watching if you're looking for a good laugh, lots of moe goodness, and musical content as well. I give it a 8/10 only because it didn't really blow my mind or keep me really attached like other animes have, but it was still very entertaining and enjoyable.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jul 12, 2009
I still remain to be a relative rookie in the world of anime, but I'm sure there are some things that have amazed others who are more familiar with anime just as much as they have amazed me.
And Fate/stay night was was one of those things. This anime seems to have just about everything you could ever want in one well-wrapped package. It's got a great story, action scenes that I believe rival or even surpass Dragonball, romance and a certain captivating effect on the viewer.
First off, I'd like to say the art is just magnificent. The character designs in this anime
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are proof of that, and I must especially say that I loved Saber the most. As a character, she seems enthralling and interesting at the same time, and you can help but be drawn in when you're watching her in all the fantastically executed swordfighting scenes.
If there is one thing I might have to say that this anime lacks, it would probably be the music. Some of the songs were good, but most of them felt a little too slow for me, or they didn't exactly fit the scene. This could all be personal taste, but I found myself just fast fowarding the beginning and ending sequences half the time.
On another note, I'd like to say that the story could have been done a little better. I understand that as an anime, there are many limitations to what they can do in only so many episodes. I'm sure that there are many more things about the characters that they couldn't explore, simply because of the restricted time frame. In the visual novel, which I have just begun, I expect that there is much more that is explored regarding the overall storyline
All in all, I believe this anime deserves a 9/10, because although it does approach perfection, it still has some things which bring it down just a little bit. Nevertheless, it is beyond fantastic either way, and I highly reccomend it to just about anyone. It does meet expectations, I think.
Hejin
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Apr 25, 2009
To tell the truth, I have very little experience when it comes to anime. In fact, I knew really nothing about the whole subject till only a few weeks ago.
In short, I discovered the Melancholy Of Haruhi Suzumiya by complete luck one day. A friend of mine showed me the Hare Hare Yukai song, and I just started listening to it continually because it was fun and catchy. One day, I just said to myself "What's this anime all about?", and so, I decided to watch it.
I have to say, I didn't even know what I was missing. I've seen enough
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American "anime" to realized how much of great anime this one was. Unique, funny and original are the three words I would use to describe the Melancholy Of Haruhi Suzumiya. Haruhi Suzumiya is just such an eccentric character in general, and I like how her bizarreness is nicely complimented by the more reasonable Kyon. This ainme was like a gateway drug for me; literally opening up a door that will hopefully lead to more great anime in the future.
I truly enjoyed it, and sincerely recommend it. Although it's the only one I've really watched, I have a feeling it's going to remain my favorite forever.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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