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Sep 15, 2013
More or less directly copied from my review on Anime Planet
-----------------------------
WARNING: THIS REVIEW WILL COVER SEASON ONE ONLY.
I found it really hard to write this review. It's not that I had no thoughts, I just couldn't find the words.
STORY
...
Generally, I rate the story on how much it interested me, rather than how plausible or unique it is. I also add points for comedy if it's well done, and subtract from my final score if there are glaring faults.
Having said that, I found Code Geass to be immensely enthralling, even when I've already seen it once before (read: two and a half years ago). The tension kept me on the edge of my seat, and the twists still genuinely surprised me. i even became more emotionally invested towards the end.
However, it's also towards the end that I had some problems with; not just in how the story made one of the more shocking twists of the show (no matter how much it was foreshadowed), but also the ending. It actually ends on a huge cliffhanger, basically ordering you (no pun intended) to go watch season two, and I do so hate it when that happens.
ANIMATION
I never do have much to say about the animation. Despite re-watching Code Geass for reviewing purposes, i eventually found myself overlooking the art/animation in favour of the story, which I really shouldn't be doing. Overall, the art was good, bright and colourful, and particularly detailed when the scene was set in one of the "ghettos", and the animation was mostly well done.
SOUND
The BGM was largely forgettable for me, bar one or two tracks. It mostly fit well with the current situation, but more often than not, I wouldn't really notice it, particularly the Ashford Academy scenes.
Code Geass sports two main opening themes that split the majority of the show between them, the second one being the worse one, IMO. On the other hand, I often found myself singing along to the first OP - Colors by Flow - as well as humming the first ED - Yuukyou Seishunka by Ali Project. This ending just seemed to fit CG more than the second one did, thought that's probably just personal preference butting in again.
There is, however, a third opening - Hitomi no Tsubasa by access - that took up the slot for the finale. This opening left a long-lasting impression on me, and personally edges ahead of Colors as favourite CG opening.
The voice actors largely do their jobs very well, with Jun Fukuyama doing a very good job as Lelouch. Thinking back, there was not a single voice that didn't really suit their characters, though that's probably because this WAS my second time watching CG, regardless of how long ago I first watched it.
CHARACTERS
The characters, for me, were rather hit-or-miss. On the one hand, you have Kallen, the hot-headed ace pilot who is determined to reclaim Japan's freedom; Cornelia, who does a very good job at being the villain/hero (depending on whose side you're on); and Lelouch, the magnificent schemer who slowly falls further into darkness. Being the main character, he gets the most character development, initially seeming apathetic towards the casualties of his fight against Britannia, and all the bloodshed starts taking its toll, both emotionally and psychologically.
On the other hand, there are characters that annoyed me for whatever reason. For example, we have Suzaku, who is very much against violence claims that he will fight to change Britannia from the inside despite doing nothing more than keeping his own people under the Empire's thumb; and then there's Nina, who honestly doesn't seem to serve any sort of purpose to the story whatsoever. She was the one that pissed me off the most, really, and every time she's on-screen, I wonder just why is she there.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Code Geass is one of those anime that will always be talked about, either in a positive light (fanbase who defend the show against every argument) or a negative light (haters bashing it at every turn). Either way, try to ignore the hype and the spoilers floating all over the internet, and give it a watch. I'm not saying to drop everything and watch it now, but place it high on your priority list.
STORY - 7.9
ANIMATION - 8.2
SOUND - 8.1
CHARACTERS - 7.4
ENJOYMENT - 8.0
FINAL SCORE - 7.92/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jul 26, 2013
More or less directly copied from my review on Anime Planet
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Tasogare Otome x Amnesia is one of the anime I followed weekly in 2012. However, following it weekly meant that each episode lost impact between te last and the next.
Revisiting Tasogare after over a year made this all the more clear.
Story
...
It's actually a pretty interesting story. While at first it seems like slice-of-life, with only a few hints at the real mystery - Yuuko's death - scattered here and there, midway through the show is when it starts to lay on the drama, mystery and horror. The last three episodes in particular are incredibly powerful - so much so that you could look back at the start of the show and wouldn't believe it's the same anime.
Animation
Animation in Tasogare is pretty solid throughout its run. The style is reminiscent of Studio Shaft anime - mainly because of the director, Oonuma Shin. It's especially evident during the darker moments of the school festival arc, and the way the school's "mysteries" are initially relayed to the audience.
Colours are striking, especially when the anime moves into the late afternoon; the vibrant reds and oranges during these dusk moments are beautiful to watch.
Sound
The soundtrack often fits the situation - bright and happy during the more fun moments (i.e. the festival), yet darker and more depressing during the deeper moments (i.e. the second half of the anime). One track in particular, Requiem, did an incredible job of stirring the emotions during the final episodes; it fit so beautifully that I was nearly moved to tears. Nearly.
The opening, Choir Jail, is up there as one of my favourite anime openings, fitting with the show's overall air of mystery. Likewise, the ending, Calendrier, is up there with my favourite ending themes, as its style is not something I hear often in anime, and is for me somewhat calming after the episode's events.
Voice actors did well as their characters. Tsubasa Yonaga fit Teiichi rather well, I think, and Eri Kitamura as Kirie was a better fit than I thought - at least when her character wasn't overacting.
Characters
Characters, for the most part, all had a part in the series. Yuuko, the titular amnesiac maiden, was initially very energetic and fun to watch - until the series goes on, which pushes her development into overdrive. Teiichi gets flustered easily, but eventually stands up to protect what he loves.
We even have a pseudo-antagonist in Yuuko Kirishima, who appears during the Seikyou Festival. However, once that's over, the focus moves onto the darker side of things.
Final thoughts
Tasogare Otome x Amnesia, for me, was a very enjoyable watch from start to almost finish. I say "almost finish" because... well, look it up online if you wish to be spoiled. The beautiful visuals and deepening mystery will keep drawing you in with each passing episode, and becomes incredibly enthralling towards the end.
I'm not saying "watch it immediately", but this is one anime that was a joy to watch - bar the ending. At the very least, I would give this one a shot.
Story - 7.4
Animation - 8.9
Sound - 7.5
Characters - 6.9
Enjoyment - 7.0
FINAL SCORE - 7.54/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jul 12, 2013
More or less directly copied from my review on Anime Planet
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When I made my "anime to review next" list, I thought it'd be fun to re-watch some anime I haven't seen in a long time, mixed in with the more recent stuff and shows I haven't seen yet.
Enter Omamori Himari. A supernatural harem anime that I haven't seen in over a year. Unfortunately, I had an experience similar to Negima!?; I still enjoyed it, but not watching it in so long kinda dulled it a little...
Story
...
Because I was new to anime when I watched Omamori Himari, I thought it was really good. Fast-forward about 16 months and it just seems meh at best. Sure, the existence of youkai allow some action to be injected into the show, but for the most part, it was about the main character collecting a harem, and switching from one to the other makes it feel out-of-place.
Animation
The animation in Omamori Himari has nothing really special about it. The characters look good, and the animation seems to flow smoothly, but the worst part about it is probably the fight scenes. It was all fine at the start, and looked good, but in several fights (ones involving Shizuku, especially) ended up using CG effects that looked REALLY out of place. At least, it did for me.
Sound
For me, several of the BGM tracks in this anime stuck out, and generally fit the situation, but at times would feel very out of place. The OP is a cute and catchy song that will be stuck in your head for quite a while, and the ED (or EDs) were sung by the female cast, and I really like it when they do that.
For the voice actors, there were several memorable names. The most obvious would be Ami Koshimizu voicing the titular Himari, and with pretty much every main character, I could hear someone from a different anime. This, however, is also a detriment due to the male lead's voice actor... Daisuke Hirakawa may very well turn people away because he pretty much sounds like a certain cheating asshole of a character.
I was surprised, however, at how well the guy could sing in the final episode's ED.
Characters
Characters in anime are a bit of a hit-or-miss. Omamori Himari is disliked for having two characters who are more or less useless throughout most of the show (or, in Rinko's case, the show in its entirety).
The better of the main characters (Himari, Shizuku, Kuesu) are generally more fun to watch, especially when any combination of the three battle. However, Kuesu's initial introduction may prove to be too strong for some viewers during the closing stages of the show.
Final thoughts
Omamori Himari was a fun watch overall, but when it tried to get too serious near the end, it felt like it was trying a little too hard and the sudden change in tone may end up turning some watchers off.
I'd say to watch this if you are bored and have nothing else to do, at an overall pace of one episode a day. Trying to marathon this anime could quite possibly end up being too much.
Story - 4.6
Animation - 7.2
Sound - 8.1
Characters - 7.2
Enjoyment - 7.0
FINAL SCORE - 6.82/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jun 30, 2013
More or less directly copied from my review on Anime Planet
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When I was talking about anime with a friend on Steam, he brought up the anime Acchi Kocchi. He recommended it for various reasons, the tsundere heroine being the main one. And with that, I sat back and got myself ready to watch some rom-com, even if I did have a bit of trouble to start off.
Story
There isn't really much of a story for Acchi Kocchi. The heroine, Tsumiki, is in love with a guy called Io, but can't spit it out. Io is oblivious to her feelings. That's pretty much all there is to
...
it.
As far as this anime goes, it's a rom-com slice of life, and I personally don't do well with slice of life anime. I find them to be somewhat slow and difficult to concentrate on.
The major highlight, besides the interesting relationship Tsumiki and Io have, is by far the comedy. Every episode had me laughing several times, even when I was in a terrible mood, and the supporting characters are often the source of this, whether it be Mayoi's crazy inventions or Sakaki's games.
Animation
The animation in this show seemed smooth and well done, especially regarding the games in the earlier episodes. Acchi Kocchi made Kick the Can unepectedly awesome; however, outside of the over-the-top games, there was nothing really special about the animation, at least not to me. It at least reaches the current animation status.
Sound
The BGMs for me were nothing too notable, but the opening will get stuck in your head if you listen to it too long; it's energetic and random, fitting with the anime's nature. The ending, like the BGM, was nothing too special and the voice actors suited their roles relatively nicely.
Characters
What really made this anime enjoyable were the characters. Tsumiki, in particular, was indeed one of the highlights, as she's mostly on the 'dere' side of the "tsundere" character type. Whenever she and Io were having a moment, it was adorable, but not too much so.
My favourite character, however, has to be Sakaki. His antics were always fun to watch, and his reactions in general were one of the better parts of the show for me.
Final thoughts
For me, Acchi Kocchi was a lot of fun to watch, and more or less met my expectations, if not surpassed them. I would recommend it exactly how I recommended K-On!: this anime would be a nice way to relax after a shounen action, and the comedy will wipe away your bad mood. At least, it did for me.
Story - 5.2
Animation - 7.5
Sound - 7.1
Characters - 8.2
Enjoyment - 8.0
FINAL SCORE - 7.2/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jun 24, 2013
More or less directly copied from my review on Anime Planet
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Hoo boy... this show... when people said it started well, and went downhill at the end, they weren't kidding.
I watched Ichiban Ushiro no Daimaou at the recommendation of a friend on Steam; he told me that I should watch it, since I seem to enjoy harem anime. He did warn me about the drop in quality, but I never expected it to end like that.
Perhaps it would have been better for me to give this a miss altogether...
...
Story
The initial premise isn't actually that bad - Akuto Sai wishes to become something similar to a high priest, yet is predicted to become the next demon lord, a bringer of destruction. So now he has to do his best to fight his apparent dark destiny.
This anime was good at the beginning, but its pacing more or less destroyed this anime. The last episodes in particular tried to cram FAR too many things into such a short space of time, and it left far too many things unexplained - episode ten especially so.
Animation
There really is not a lot for me to say about animation this time around. That or I can't put it into words.
The animation was amazingly average for me. The action scenes were nice to look at, but outside of that, there was nothing that really stood out for me.
The character designs were also nothing really special, with maybe the exception of the different hair colours for each of the heroines. Not one of them shared a colour, which was a little odd at first, but otherwise not important.
Sound
The background music in Daimaou is one thing I never really noticed. There were some times when it seemed out-of-place, but otherwise there was nothing really noteworthy about it.
The opening song somewhat fits with the anime's style; the ending, however - being a sweet J-pop song that emphasised the harem aspect of the show - , grew increasingly dissonant to the episode's mood after each one.
The voice actors fit the characters rather well in this anime. Takashi Kondo and Shizuka Itou in particular seemed to fit their characters like a glove with Akuto Sai and Fujiko Etou, respectively.
Characters
When all else fails, you need to at least have characters to make the show entertaining. However, this may be due to my bad mood when watching the latter half of Daimaou, but I couldn't even really enjoy the characters that much.
While Akuto is a good character, what with wanting to help people yet is always seen as the bad guy even if he isn't involved in something, the real star of the show was most definitely Korone. This single character brought so many laughs to the show, going so far as to adopt a "little-sister" voice from time to time, which brought even more laughs.
Sadly, the other characters leave something to be desired. Junko is a textbook tsundere, while Keena is the energetic airhead and Fujiko is the beloved sempai with a darker side. It certainly doesn't help that Lily Shiraishi, despite being shown in the ending theme, isn't even seen a lot of the time. Which is a shame really, because she was one of the other characters I liked.
Final thoughts
I shouldn't have expected much from Daimaou, but with such an interesting start, it was inevitable. Overall, unless you just want some mindless fun with some fanservice on the side, I would avoid Ichiban Ushiro no Daimaou like the bloody plague. Its story - particularly at the back end of the show - is an inconsistent mess, and the characters aren't particularly enjoyable to watch either.
The only thing that really saves this show is the android observer, Korone, and MAYBE the show's opening theme.
Truthfully, this anime needed at least 24 episodes. I wouldn't watch a sequel, but if a reboot were to come about with more episodes to fix the atrocious pacing this anime had, I would gladly watch it.
Story - 2.9
Animation - 6.1
Sound - 6.8
Characters - 5.4
Enjoyment - 3.0
FINAL SCORE - 4.84
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Jun 22, 2013
More or less directly copied from my review on Anime Planet
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When I first watched this back in April 2012, I was relatively new to watching anime, so I didn't have many standards. I just wanted to watch something where I could kick back and enjoy myself with a decent story, entertaining characters and a bit of humour.
The first time I watched Negima!?, it delivered. Sixteen months later... not so much.
Story
What's notable about Negima!? is that it actually starts off with the original manga's plot; namely, the Evangeline arc. However, it's made clear that Negima!? is a spin-off from the original as this gets cleared up
...
in the first few episodes and fast-forwards a whole year after the incident.
What makes this show stand apart from its parent show Negima!, besides the extra question mark, is that it focuses more on comedy and action compared to the original's harem antics. However, even the comedy starts to lose its lustre as the show drags on, becoming just the same jokes repeated with some variety thrown in every now and then.
Animation
Being done by Studio SHAFT, the animation is one of the saving graces of the anime. Bright colours are often used with odd angles and flashes of title cards featuring the characters, especially in the later stages of the anime, used to show a scene break. The actions were done really well, particularly the battle with Evangeline in the opening episodes.
Sound
Not really that much to say about the sound this time around.
The opening song, "Sparking 1000%!", is one of my favourite songs, and would make it onto my top 50 anime openings list if I make one. There were various endings; "Hoshizora Letter" didn't really stick out for me, whereas the regular ending after it, "A-LY-YA!", was a lot more fun to listen to, and fit the light-hearted feel of the anime very well.
The background music was never really particularly memorable, except for one or two tracks used during action scenes, which were also used in the first Mou Hitotsu no Sekai OVA.
The voice actors were much the same as they were in the original Negima! anime. They brought the characters to life much more effectively than the original anime, but that may just be because of the series' more colourful presentation.
Characters
As with the original, the characters is where Negima!? truly shines. What with introducing a total of thirty-six characters in the first episodes alone, there are a lot to choose from.
One thing this anime does is stick with one attribute of each character and take it to the extreme; for example, Asuna, who in the original was often tired due to her paper routine and had poor grades as a result, was turned into an outright lazy character whose day started the moment class ended.
One thing I really liked about Negima!? was the fact that it brought several characters who were never really important in the original right into the forefront much earlier, particularly the Narutaki twins and Kaede.
Final thoughts
In the end, Negima!? is nothing more than a spin-off of the original work. The only things the two share is the setting and the characters. It's better not to think too much when watching this anime, so just sit back, relax, with a nice cup of tea and watch the characters go through their various advantures.
Story - 4.1
Animation - 8.7
Sound - 7.8
Characters - 8.1
Enjoyment - 9.0
FINAL SCORE - 7.54/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jun 19, 2013
More or less directly copied from my review on Anime Planet
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This was my gateway anime, so I may or may not be slightly biased with my review.
Ah, Highschool of the Dead. It's been nearly three years since I first watched it, and even now, I still enjoy the shit out of it.
Story
...
Highschool of the Dead, or HotD from here on, is rather unique with its premise - at least, in the anime world.
What starts as a normal day for Takashi Komuro turns into hell on Earth as his school is overrun with the living dead. Hardships are faced, classmates drop like flies, and the situation constantly looks bleak.
As with many other works involving zombies, the plot mainly revolves around Takashi and his group of new friends - Rei Miyamoto, the childhood friend; Saya Takagi, the self-proclaimed genius; Saeko Busujima, the kendo club captain with a dark secret; Kouta Hirano, the chubby nerd with a knack for firearms; and Shizuka Marikawa, the school nurse - attempting to survive the zombie outbreak.
HotD does incredibly well with ramping up the atmosphere in various ways. It takes the Romero approach of zombies - slow, shambling living dead that spread through bites. But this show also does well with how the characters change to adapt to the situation. But more on that later.
Of course, when talking about HotD, you can't avoid the fanservice. If you haven't watched many ecchi shows before, then the constant overdosing of fanservice will quite possibly turn you away from this show. However, this by no means makes HotD a horrible show from the get-go. While there are moments that will make you throw your hands in the air and say "What the fuck?", they are more than made up for by the various action sequences.
Animation
Again, not really much for me to say in regards to animation. The animation present in HotD was consistently smooth and well-done; the action scenes in particular are incredibly fluid, most clearly seen during episode 5's bridge battle, with slow motion once Hirano manages to upgrade his weaponry, and Saeko's general performance with her wooden sword.
The smooth animation also transfers over to the more light-hearted moments of the show, i.e. the fanservicey parts. Episodes 6 and 8 in particular stand out in a more negative way than the rest of the show, but hey, I don't mind it any more.
Sound
I have a lot to say about the sound.
The usually quiet background music in HotD always tends to fit the on-screen situation, and as such increases the tension and atmosphere in the series. One particular instance that stood out for me was near the end of episode seven, when one of the characters had to escape a horde of zombies by walking on a thin wall - one that could barely fit their feet when put one in front of the other.
The opening, for me, would get me excited for the upcoming episode, but other than that was rather... forgettable. The same cannot be said, however, for its ending - or endings, as the ending changes each episode. From the hopelessness of episode 8's The place of hope to the cheerful tune of episode 5's Memories of Days Gone By, each ending song was pleasing to the ear and always stuck with you.
The voice actors were tremendous, with Junichi Suwabe and Miyuki Sawashiro bringing Takashi and Saeko respectively to life in a spectacular fashion. Another special mention goes to Mamoru Miyano for bringing an incredible, albeit short-lived performance as Hisashi Igou, particularly during said character's last moments.
Characters
The characters were a joy to watch as they desperately struggled to survive admist the chaos that comes with the end of the world. Takashi in particular undergoes a lot of change from a heartbroken moper who's reluctant to fight in episode one, to willingly killing another human being in order to protect the ones he loves.
Saeko starts off calm and collected, but later in the show, she starts showing a secret nature that is fully laid-out towards the end of the show's run.
Due to the nature of the plot, there can't be a true villain, but for the heroes there is a villain with a teacher at their school, Koichi Shidou. He isn't shown much in the first two episodes, but in his proper "debut" is shown to be a heartless, manipulative bastard aand this is only solidified as HotD goes on.
In general, all characters serve their purpose and their voice actors do a fantastic job in bringing them to life.
Well, with one notable exception...
Final thoughts
In the end, Highschool of the Dead is overall just fun to watch. It's one of those shows where it's better to just sit back, relax and switch off as the characters smash heads and struggle to survive. Just don't have TOO much fun watching the blood fly...
Also, if you want to enjoy the horror and gore to its fullest, try to ignore the fanservice. There's more than one moment where the show just shoves it into your face, but if you've watched enough ecchi anime before this show, you should be able to focus more on the story.
Story - 5.6
Animation - 8.5
Sound - 7.7
Characters - 6.2
Enjoyment - 9.0
FINAL SCORE - 7.40/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jun 18, 2013
More or less directly copied from my review on Anime Planet.
-----------------------------
This is my first review, so bear with me.
After finishing Kokoro Connect and its OVA "sequel" Michi Random, I was left with something of a void. Not to the extent of Steins;Gate or Clannad: After Story, but there was a hole in my anime schedule that I thought would be difficult to fill.
Some people say that if you're stuck on what to watch after finishing a show, then start a show similar to the one that left the void. With this in mind, I decided to watch K-On!. Why? Because the character designs in Kokoro
...
made me think of this show; most likely because the same character designer worked on both shows.
Story
As much as the story centres around music, it is still very much a slice of life anime, and as such, there are many times where the characters, rather than practicing, just sit around and do something that isn't club activities - drinking tea, for example.
Animation
There's not really much for me to say about animation. As one would expect from Kyoto Animation, the art and animation of this anime is generally well done, particularly the attention to detail regarding the club's equipment. At times, however, the colours in the background would seem a bit dull, though this was counteracted by the characters.
Sound
This is where K-On! truly shines. The BGMs, although not too memorable, generally fit with the current on-screen situation. The OP would probably fit onto my top 50 anime opening list, if I were to ever make such a list, and the ED gave off a music-video feeling, with a catchy tune to go with it.
The episodes that focused on the Light Music Club actually doing music were the highlights of the show for me. The insert songs were great if a bit odd, but unfortunately, only two or three episodes actually had real performances done by the club; the rest were spent on the girls going about their daily lives, as you'd expect from a slice of life show.
Characters
There was not a single character that I really disliked throughout the show. Their interactions are the second highlight of the show, with the voice actors really bringing the show's comedy to life. Aki Toyosaki and Yoko Hikasa in particular fit their assigned characters - Yui and Mio, respectively - better than I expected.
With one or two exceptions, each named character served a purpose towards the story; for example, Yui's best friend Nodoka Manabe, is a member of the school council and generally appeared to move the actual plot along in the form of pushing the club for various application forms.
Final thoughts
Overall, K-On! turned out to be better than I expected. I had heard good things about it, so that set some expectations, and they were met, but not really exceeded.
So in the end, I'd recommend this show if you're looking to take it easy after a shounen action, or just want to kick back in general.
I hope you enjoyed my first review. If there's anything you disagree with, post a comment. Thanks for taking the time to read it! :)
Story - 6.8
Animation - 8.1
Sound - 8.4
Characters - 7.3
Enjoyment - 7.0
FINAL SCORE - 7.52/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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