"Harmonie" Anime Review

***This is a spoiler free review***

For a one shot episode, Harmonie packs quite the punch in both tone, animation, and overall acoustic qualities.

Story: 8/10

I cannot talk about much of the plot without ruining the whole episode but what I can say is that they studio really crammed a lot of story into twenty minutes. The overall purpose of the plot might not come easily to everyone watching the show but it does hit pretty deep once you really think about it. I kind of wished that we could see what happens after the episode was done.

Animation: 10/10

Astounding, fluid, beautiful, crisp, bright, dark, ext. This anime landed everything you possibly need in putting on a perfect visual presentation. It's not just the beautiful and handsome character models that make this anime so great to look at; it's the amount of effort that shows in the end product. Shadows, glares, sunlight, facial expressions, eye straining, it's all here and done so well.

Sound: 9.5/10

The music, ambient background noise, and voice actors did an amazing job. The opening scene has many different conversations going on at once and they somehow matched all this up with perfect lip syncing. The music is very soft when present and isn't just some generic sounding crap you would find in most anime. The piano and singer did a great job trying to reach out to the audience. The background noise was very fitting and hit all their marks. Slaps, inner dialogue, chair movements, just everything matched up with what was going on screen. The voice actors did a very good job relaying all of their characters emotions.

Characters: 8.8/10

We unfortunately did not get to see the characters mature as much as we hoped to but from what I saw, they became likeable and I was invested fully by the end of the anime. The main character wouldn't stand out very much in any other anime but he had true feelings; something that is hard to achieve without coming off corny. The supporting cast doesn't really get a chance to shine since it is only a single episode but they do a great job of setting up plot points and providing some very funny moments.

Overall: 9.1/10

This anime was part of the Young Animator Training Project which almost always turns out eyegasm looking anime. What we were lucky to see in this instance however was the addition of a interesting plot, characters, and some of the best sound design I have heard in a long time. If you have twenty spare minutes just do yourself a favor and give this a watch.

"Sakura Trick" Anime Review

***This is a spoiler free review***

Sakura Trick is ummm hmmm. This show completely goes all out with no intent of looking back at what will go down in history of what Yuri Yuri almost was.

Story: 2/10

Look; there is no story. Every episode just helps each character get closer to the one they love. This anime focuses on a group of high school girls that are starting to form affection for another female. This topic is pretty iffy with some people (not me) and in other anime the line has never really been fully crossed in terms of what happens affection (physical affection) wise. Sakura Trick says fu$# that, these bit%$es be horny as a motherf#@%er, time to get down. My jaw almost hit the floor in the beginning episode as I witnessed the main couple really get into their feelings. In other Yuri shows there is a hint of restraint and blackout scenes are used when needed. In Sakura Trick no such thing exists since when the time comes, you see all the affection. I was quite flabbergasted that they went into such detail on some of the scenes (again it didn't bother me I was just literally awestricken).
But plot wise it is just a slice of life so it moves quite slow. You see the same gags in each episode so you might get a little bored with the same cycle over and over and over again.

Animation: 7/10

Not too bad actually. The character models look pretty good and there seemed to be a pretty smooth frame rate throughout the entire show. The use of light colors really matched the carefree feeling of the show.

Sound: 5/10

Average performance, average soundtrack, subpar opening and ending songs.

Characters: 4/10

Again pretty average by my standards. There are some somewhat touching scenes later on but I never really felt totally invested. The characters worked well with each other and helped form some funny scenes here and there but it wasn't really a knock-it-out-of-the-park performance.

Overall: 4.5/10

This show is just really average. If you are into Yuri stuff then you will love this show. However if you are looking for substance, comedy, or character development be ready to be pretty disappointed. It is though very very very kawaii.

"Kill La Kill" Anime Review

***This is a spoiler free review***

To be...or not to be...that is the question we must answer for Kill la Kill. The question? Whether or not over the top action with amazing animation and acoustic qualities can overcome a brain dead plot with a thing for nudity.

...yeah

Story: 4/10

Look let's be real here; we ALL knew ten minutes into this anime that this was going to be one of THOSE types of anime. You know the, "OMG ACTION ACTION ACTION NUDITY ACTION" ones. Don't get me wrong it gets all of those things right; lots of amazing action scenes and well yeah some fan service. It even makes fun and borrows from other anime. But this anime just...fails at trying to piece a coherent plot together. The story very halfhazardly tries to put together a plot that puts our main character Ryuuko against impossible odds. Unfortunately the anime trips over itself many times trying to define what the fu#@ the purpose it is trying to accomplish. It uses cheap means to introduce new bad guys and employs brain dead plot devices in general.

The first half of the anime totally killed it with the monster-of-the-week type structure but really lost steam leading up to the closing act. But like I said in the beginning, we already knew that this was not going to be a thinking anime.

Animation: 10/10

The real reason I am giving this a 10/10 is because the animation studio did something that a lot of other studios have given up trying to do; looking unique. This anime looks NOTHING like any other anime you have seen in the past. Everything is completely blown out of proportion, character models are scandalously sexy, emotions just poor out of each of their faces, and the anime screams for originality. It may not boast beautiful colors like Chihayafuru, Nisemonogatari, or Redline but it defines itself in the way it presents itself.

Sound: 9.7/10

Amazing voice performances with very fitting audio during episodes makes this aspect of the anime also near perfect. Just the sound effects you hear in the background of shots feel right at home with what is going on screen. The voice actors very much matched their characters and gave a wonderful performance.

Characters: 9/10

The characters for the most part were extremely unique and memorable. Each one had a sort of presence that just stole all the attention once present. This is funny because most of them were the most generic cookie cutter adaptations of characters we have already seen but since the show is parodying every action anime in existence, it kind of works out for itself.

Overall: 8.2/10

Well I have good news and bad news. The good news is that we now have a new over the top anime to recommend to all our anime newbies to watch and hopefully get them acclimated to the weirdness that is anime. The bad news? We are all going to lose a lot of friends and get really weird looks.
This anime excels at keeping your eyes glued to the screen...if you can stay awake and interested in what is actually going on plot wise.

"Golden Time" Anime Review

***This is a spoiler free review***

Golden Time is an anime that really put me on a rollercoaster ride. There were moments where I legitimately thought it was the best drama I had seen in awhile when other times it had me wanting to drop the show entirely.

Story: 7/10

I will say that the story for Golden Time is fresh, has twists and turns, and had very serious and emotional scenes. I will also say that there are a lot of "cheap" tricks the show uses to make certain events happen for convenient reasons. A quick rundown of the opening is that we follow new college student Tada Banri as he meets new friends Mitsuo, Chinami, Linda, and Kouko. The opening act of the anime had me extremely interested with the possibilities the show could span into. Banri automatically finds someone he likes, he becomes really close friends with Mitsuo, and there was many hints at future foreshadowing events. One thing I would like to point out is that the show did an incredible job at creating "real" feeling scenes that I will remember for the foreseeable future. The friendship between Banri and Mitsuo felt "real" and the events that occur between this cast felt very "real". Also later on in the show when s#!t gets real, I genuinely felt emotionally torn at what I was watching.

Now I cannot comment on what I thought felt "cheap" about the show since it would ruin a major plot point but just know that while the show really pulls some things out of its a$$ in order to make sense of certain events, for the most part it ties the story together well enough in the end.
I do not like rating certain arcs by themselves but the beginning of the show far outshines the ending act.

Animation: 6.9/10

It was....basic but still looked pretty good. The animation studio used some really basic colors and there was a sense of dullness BUT they did an amazing job with facial expressions which really helped out in the emotional scenes. Character models looked pretty good (Kouko was so kawaii :D).

Sound: 7/10

Music=pretty good
Voice actors=amazing level
Voice actors did a really awesome job while the music was good but not great. Openings and endings were not memorable.

Characters: 9.5/10

Extremely tight nit cast that provided so many different scenes. One minute you are laughing at a funny scene while four minutes later you are flipping your chair into the air cursing out Kouko for being Kouko. Every character was important which is very important since a lot of anime try to stick generic stand in's for purpose made situations. Each character had a job and performed that job spectacularly. Now I won't lie and say that I loved each one of them. There were many and MANY moments when I really wanted to jumped into the show and beat the living fu#@ out of some of them but in the end I really did enjoy what each one brought to the table.

Overall: 7.6/10

I really, really, really got involved with this anime. Some of the moments in this anime were the best I had experienced in a long time while others really made me want to leave it for awhile. It will grab your full and undivided attention with its witty cast and believable performances; just be prepared to really get frustrated.

"Engaged to the Unidentified" Anime Review

***This is a spoiler free review***

Kawaii, kawaii, kawaii, kawaii, KAWAII, KAWAII!!! And Moe.

Story: 6/10

There is a story and I have to say even though it is just your run-of-the-mill high school drama, they did do a pretty good job injecting some of the unique nuisances that pertain to the non-human characters. The fast run down of the plot is that a side of Kobeni's family descend from a sort of animal/human hybrid race and it has been deemed that Kobeni must marry into the family. Thus begins her awkward adventures with her fiancé Hakuya and her aunt-in-law Mashiro. Things happen in the story but you see them coming a mile away. What really brings the show together is the humor that is present. The gags between Mashiro and Benio along with the sexual jokes pointed at Kobeni were pretty much "lol" worthy each time. This is also most definitely a kawaii heavy show as there are just way too many cute girls present.

All that said however the plot is generic feeling and the plot points are not groundbreaking.

Animation: 8.3/10

I really liked the animation, the character models looked really good, action scenes (though rare) were very fluid, and backgrounds looked great. The comedy scenes had the usual exaggerated plain looking style in order to bring out more laughs.

Overall a very good looking anime.

Sound: 9.5/10

The voice actors did a tremendous job. No I mean a spectacular job! They were so in tuned with their characters and a lot of scenes showed off how well they worked with the other characters in the show. The opening and ending for each episode was way too catchy and well done (the ending has been stuck in my head for around 3 months now). Music in-show was also very fitting.

Characters: 10/10

I don't normally give out perfect scores but the cast in this anime were so in tuned with each other. EVERY scene felt like it was worth watching for either an awkward teen love moment or a funny gag. The back and forth between Benio and Mashiro or the funny but extremely accurate insights of Mayura were a blast to watch. This is an anime that you do not watch for plot; you watch for the kawaii awesome cast interactions.

Overall: 8.5/10

Overall this show was an amazing watch. Yes the plot was a little dubbed down but the interactions between characters, the catchy soundtrack, amazing voice performance, and very well done animation had me anxiously waiting for each week's release. This is a muct watch if you like Moe and comedy.

"Usotsuki Paradox" Manga Review

***I apologize but unlike my other reviews this one contains spoilers throughout the entire review.***

Never in my life have I been so motivated to write a review even though it's like 2AM here. What started out as a funny ecchi comedy ended in the worst possible manner. Let's dive into why Usotsuki Paradox is a manga you should avoid.

Story: 2/10

I'll admit that the opening chapters had me quite interested in what was going on. Essentially the main female lead is part of a "long distance" relationship and decides that it would be ok for one of her co-workers to provide "emotional support". It starts out all innocent but they eventually move onto things that can never be forgotten. The thing is, this is not a bad plot device. In fact I really enjoyed the manga up until this point. The drama was intensifying as we had almost no data on the mystery long distance boyfriend and all our eggs was in the current basket. 

What happens later on of course is that she goes to see mystery man and that just fu$#s up the whole rest of the manga. No joke it gets to the point where they actually tag team her. Gross. This manga had a lot of good things going for it but it descended into a lackluster reverse harem and when it tried to redeem itself by giving the main male lead a new flag to pursue, we get the cliché "they end up together anyways" (talking about the main male lead and the female lead). What's worse is that the author tries to make you think that it was the main male's fault for everything even though the female lead was ok with cheating on her own boyfriend. The only positive things I can say that were constant throughout the entire manga was the comedy and art style (see below).

The reason why I am not supplying names is because most of the manga is un-translated and while my Japanese is ok, names are still tough to pick out of the mess.  

Art: 9.5/10

This aspect of the manga I actually really, really liked. Even though it looks a little messy and undefined, the way the characters were drawn really had me engaged. The female lead had really large inviting eyes and the male lead looked quite mature. The background scenes were very well done and all the side characters looked amazing as well.

Characters: 2/10

They really fell off the deep end in the second half of the manga. We get introduced to some asshole that we are somehow supposed to root for. The one strong female character in the manga decides to go soft and allow the male lead to get away, and the friends of the female lead do little to no help in resolving the conflict. The only character I really liked was the main male lead as he was pretty much tricked and provoked into initializing the faux relationship.

Overall: 4.5/10

The ending chapters really made me want to gag. Not only was it cliché as hell and disgusting beyond belief, it completely ruined what the first part of the manga tried to establish. If you want an ecchi comic then here is one; just be warned that any emotional attachment will just make you want to hate it even more in the end.

"Sundome" Manga Review

***This is a semi non-spoiler review***

This manga was a real puzzle for me; so many people seem to praise it for many different reasons. Is it how the female lead treats the male lead like absolute s%&t and manipulates him in every chapter? I don't really know but there are some good things here.

Story: 5/10

There's a story? Well kind of; essentially we follow Hideo and Kurumi's pervy adventures in the "Roman Club" (they look for aliens). This club goes on many adventures looking for aliens for just checking out really creepy areas and of course something pervy happens between the two lovebirds in every chapter. Look I get that this is an ecchi manga but some of the fetishes are just a little too awkward to endure (and I'm pretty open minded). That aside, the manga is actually pretty fu$%ing hilarious. There were a plethora amount of moments where I was literally laughing out loud at what was going on. The author should be praised for his sense of comedy.

Art: 8/10

The manga doesn't look too bad. It has a lot of rough looking scenes but I think that was done on purpose to some degree. Both Hideo and Kurumi look defined in the more serious and "other" scenes. The quality of the scenes did seem to get better as the manga went on.

Characters: 9/10

The characters are hilarious; all of them. They do fit some of the generic roles but they work very well with each other. They all contribute a lot to the comedy aspect of the manga. Hideo and Kurumi actually had some good chemistry between them other than the whole peeing on each other thing.

Overall: 7.3/10

So I kind of enjoyed reading this manga but there is a small bit of regret. The ending was actually quite mature and had me a little taken back. The characters did an awesome job at providing some really funny moments but overall the awkwardness of some of the fetishes really turned me off (literally) when reading. If you like ecchi and comedy then you will most likely enjoy this manga.

"Noragami" Anime Review

 ***This is a spoiler free review***

Cute, adorable, fluid, funny, interesting; these are words that I would use to describe the anime Noragami. With loads of character development and amazing animation quality, this might just be the best Winter 2014 anime I have watched thus far.

Story: 7/10

The thing really holding back the show in my opinion is the occasional fluff (fillerish stuff) you encounter. I also did not necessarily enjoy the whole arc surrounding Yukine but overall the premise of the show really did grab onto me early on. The first episode explains the situation Hiyori finds herself in quite well and also shows you what to look forward to for eleven more episodes; the character interactions (see more bellow).

Overall the show kept me interested all the way through. The Yukine stuff was a little boringish to watch but the other characters help make it watchable.

Animation: 9.5/10

Loved, loved, loved, LOVED IT. Sleek and beautiful/handsome character models, amazing quality on background and snow shots, and really believable facial expressions really had me glued to the screen. Everything from how the characters looked to how fluid their eyes were just had me taking screen shots everywhere. If it were not for Nisekoi also airing this season, Noragami would be hands down the best looking anime of this season.

Sound: 9/10

Who cannot love the male voice actor that has contributed to so many awesome male leads such as Otonashi (Angle Beats!), Koyomi Araragi (Monogatari series), and Hiroomi Souma (Working!!). The second Yato spoke, my brain immediately screamed, "ARARAGI-KUN!!!". To my surprise, I also really liked the female voice actor for Hiyori. She did a great job of transmitting flustered and embarrassed scenes. The music for the anime worked well enough and was very fitting.

Characters: 8.5/10

First and foremost I loved every scene that focused on Hiyori and Yato. The chemistry between these two characters was so spot on. The supporting cast for the most part were also very well done. Kofuku, Daikoku, Nora, Kazuma, and Tenman-Tenjin did an amazing job of adding more character development for the main cast. The one snag in this though was Yukine in the first part of the anime. I get that he is a kid and kids do stupid stuff but the problems he causes for the main cast really made me start to loath his character. Thankfully once his arc was over, he became a much more likable character.

Overall: 8.5/10

This was a very nice catch as I was not expecting very much after doing initial research for the anime. The voice actors and animation are amazing and the cast helps put on some really interesting and funny scenes. While I did not like the middle part of the anime as much, I still feel like this is a very good and worthwhile anime. I recommend it to anyone that wants a semi-light hearted anime to enjoy.

"Kotonoha no Niwa" Anime Review

***Spoiler free review***

One superficial gripe I have with movies in general is how short they tend to be. I have always enjoyed books, manga, and long running shows because of the added time to build upon characters and expand the plot. I however must retract my superficialness for the animated film Kotonoha no Niwa as it has pulled on my heart strings to their breaking point.

Story: 8/10

At its core, Kotonoha no Niwa is a mature love story between student Takao and skipping work Yukari. They end up meeting on rainy days in a very lush park in the Kanto region of Japan. They began to mingle a little bit inching closer and closer to each other when all of the sudden the rainy season ends. I think that a lot of people might not like the ending of this film since it does not follow the typical good ending of most Japanese anime but I found it very fitting.

Animation: 10/10

Drop dead gorgeous oh my god what the f#$@ that isn't real rain!!?
I cannot believe how pretty this anime was the characters just shine in the rain and the amount of detail of each shot really shows.

Sound: 9.5/10

The voice actors did a really good job but the real winner was the soft piano and strings in the background. The score fitted so well with what was going on screen.
After looking back at Kana Hanazawa's profile (voice actor for Yukari) I noticed why I liked her voice so much; she plays Kosaki Onodera in Nisekoi.

Characters: 9.5/10

I loved the scenes between these two star-crossed lovers. Pretty much everywhere in the world a relationship between two people of their status might be looked at as wrong but it works well here. There was real emotion behind every decision and resolution.

Overall: 9.3/10

If you cannot tell I freaking loved this movie. It has a somewhat bittersweet ending but I loved it nevertheless. This movie really made me rethink what a 45 minute film could accomplish. Highly recommend to everyone.

I apologize for the short review it is 3AM here and I wanted to get my thoughts down before I forgot what I wanted to say.

"Kokuriko-Zaka Kara" Anime Review

***This is a spoiler free review***

Grazing through my "want to watch" list I find an animated movie that I have been dodging for years now. The reasoning is quite arbitrary but the important thing is that I finally took the time to sit down and watch it. My verdict? :D

Story: 7/10

This movie really does not have a lot going on but how it moves from scene to scene was quite well done. The basic premise of the movie is a following of the relationship that begins to form between Umi and Shun. Throughout the story we see them get closer and closer as they help save the school's clubhouse from getting torn down. What I did not see coming was a sub plot added around 30 minutes into the film that becomes the real purpose of the film. When the resolution is met, I was very happy for the main characters. This ninety minute film had me interested all the way through and I am glad that I finally watched it. 

Animation: 7/10

This is a 2011 movie which means it has to go up against some pretty amazing looking anime films and shows. While the colors were not eye popping, the scenes were fluid and interesting. The character models were detailed and the facial expressions were well done. It's not overly flamboyant like a Shaft production but it doesn't need to be.

Sound: 9.5/10

This movie hit it out of the park with its overall sound presentation. Amazing voice actors, music, and ambient noises. I personally liked the way Shirou and Shun communicated with each other. The music was soft but very suitable for what was occurring on screen.

Characters: 9/10

Loved, loved, loved everyone of them. Shun, Umi, Shirou, Sora, and all of the club members were all very unique and pulled off some really great scenes. Nothing felt generic about any of the characters and the growing romance between Shun and Umi felt believable even with the problem they eventually had to face.

Overall: 8.1/10

This movie will not wow everyone since there is no magical action adventure type elements within its ninety minute runtime. What you get is a very heartfelt slice of life with some romance brewing as a group of kids try to save a broken down building. If you are looking for a more realistic type slice of life then I highly highly recommend this film.

"Kimi no Iru Machi" Manga Review

It has been one long ride but after more than six years of weekly chapter releases, Kimi no Iru Machi has finally concluded. The problem? It should have ended a long time ago.

Story: 3.5/10

I wish I could rate this by arc because just like with Bleach this manga starts out incredibly great but really starts to lose steam as it chugs away. Part of the problem was that there were a lot of plot lines that either lasted way too long or were abruptly ended way too quick. It starts out as a romance high school type story but then migrates into a nauseous mess of "MUST GO HERE TO FIND 'X' PERSON WHO MAY OR MAY NOT LIKE ME". Problem with this is that the girl Haruto ends up really wanting was my least favorite out of the bunch. He literally tramples over like seven different girls heart's in order to get one. 

All of this aside, there were good moments in the series. Unfortunately there was just way too much crap between. And that ending? Just when I felt like something fresh and new was about to happen....yeah the same ol' crap.

Art: 8.9/10

I very much enjoyed the art in this series. Character models were great both on the male and female side. Very detailed scenes in a lot of different parts of the story. I would check out the next manga the author has planned just to see some of the new character models.

Characters: 4/10

Kind of a mixed bag here since Haruto and Yuzuki were by far the biggest factors of why I didn't end up enjoying the series as much as I could. The other characters however helped make the series much more enjoyable. Rin, Takashi, Akari, and Kyosuke really resonated with me since they had legitimate feelings, hopes, and dreams. There were even some really cute and awesome things that this cast accomplished. Too bad the main characters were total shit.

Overall: 5.5/10

Like I said in the opening;  I really enjoyed the start of the series. It felt like a normal high school romance in the making. It continued to evolve and move onto new ideas and areas. It however fell very short as there were large gaps in enjoyable content. The train has been milked as far as it could so onto something different.

"Kampfer" Anime Review

 ***Spoiler free review***

Well I have to be honest; I knew exactly what I was getting into when I started watching Kampfer. I was told it was a no nonsense ecchi with some serious omg female x female moments but I did manage to enjoy the show for more than the tits it showed off…asses too!

Story: 1.5/10

2 teams; red vs. blue; butt and boob shots every other scene; women who are a little too bicurious; you get the gist of the show. Wasn’t really interested in the plot at all but for what it’s worth the show did keep me interested until all hell broke loose on episode thirteen. Speaking of episode thirteen, that episode takes “Well that escalated quickly” to a whole new level.

Animation: 7/10

Pretty solid in my honest opinion. The eyes where my favorite aspect of the animation with props also going to the detail of the female character models. For a show that relies heavily on fanservice, it’s a good thing they got that right.

Sound: 5/10

Soundtrack was extremely generic and forgetful. The voice actors however did a pretty good job; while I cannot list the actors off the top of my head, I did recognize a couple from other anime I have enjoyed.

Characters: 7/10

I’ll probably get a lot of flak for this but I actually enjoyed the character interactions in this show (and no not just the sexualish stuff). The bits that played off between each character was actually pretty funny to watch in most cases. Even though I hate indecisive male leads, it sometimes pays off to have multiple romantic options.

Overall: 5.1/10

I normally do not watch ecchi shows since I like stuff with substance but I was just in one of those moods to watch this kind of crap. Funny thing is compared to other ecchi no nonsense anime (Campione! and the newest season of High School DxD) this one was actually somewhat enjoyable. If you are looking for something to watch that involves bouncing balls of fat then here you go. You might just pay attention a little bit.