Bimbougami Ga (Anime)

Sakura Ichiko is a 16 year old high school godess. She is the most popular, has plenty of money, a loyal butler, even a pair of enourmous....eyes. But there is a reason for this - she not only has an extraordinary amount of fortune energy, but is uncontrollably absorbing more from the people around her. In Order to counter this, the underworld has sent Momiji the Bimbougami (godess of misfortune) to steal the energy from Ichiko and return it to the rest of the world. But Ichiko isn't going to give up without a fight.

(Anime; 1 season, second slated for release, 12 episodes)

This is without a doubt the funniest anime series of all time. It is so mind numbingly random that one can't do anything but laugh at every episode. This humour comes from ludicrous characters (including a masochist inugami and a pervert black monk), outrageous parodies from practically every other anime series on the planet, and hilarious punch lines that often end in a time shattering punch.

The entertainment doesn't stop there. The story is great, building more and more depth with each episode. The characters are terrific and are as varied as a box of crayons. The animation and artistry are fantastic. There really isn't much that was wrong with this series so there isn't much point in dragging this review out.

Rating - 10/10

Mobile Suit Gundam Age (Anime)

To deal with Earth's expanding population, humanity has begun to branch out into space and develop colonies to live there. However one day, one colony is attacked by a mysterious enemy, known as UE (unknown enemy) wielding deadly and powerful mobile suits. This day was known as 'The day the angel fell'. Several years later, one of the survivors of the colony attack, Flit Asuno, has become the youngest mobile suit developer in his new colony. But then one day the UE returns and attacks Flit's colony. But Flit is prepared and pilots the mobile suit he has been developing just to fight the UE, with blue prints handed down from his dying mother. The Gundam Age.

(Anime; 1 season, 48 episodes, Finished)

Another fantastic addition to the Gundam franchise, and probably one of the most unique series. Starting with what must be said - the Gundam Age itself lives up to the expectations of its predecessors.  Its main hook is that it is able to use the 'Age system' to learn from its previous battles and create new parts and weaponry to fit the need. This is a fantastic idea, and gives the gundam unlimited potential as being one of the best in the series.

Moving on the the series itself, the story is probably the most unique aspect of the whole thing. It is divided into three parts and seems to be an adapted and condensed version of Gundam 0079, Gundam Zeta, Gundam ZZ and even has elements from Char's Counter Attack. The story is split into three arcs - the first being Flit Asuno's, then his son Asemu's and then his Grandson Kio. This leads to some great development as far as the world of the story goes, but on the plot side of things, it makes everything seem a little rushed. Also, there is a theme in all the Gundam series that war isn't always one side being bad or good, just two sides with different views that leads to war. This idea has been handed down since the first ever gundam series, but here in Gundam Age it takes a while for this theme to come to light. For the first two arcs in fact the UE is cast as more of a villain than any other series has to offer.

The rest of the series is good, but not great. The battle sequences are pretty awesome, but get a little repetitive given the story structure. The artistry and animation is good, not great. It could've been better than it is and there was room for improvement. The characters are about the same - no less than what you'd expect from a Gundam series.

A Great addition to the franchise, but that doesn't mean Mobile Suit Gundam Age doesn't have room to improve.

Rating - 7/10

Koi to Senkyo to Chocolate (Anime)

Oojima Yuuki is a student at Takafuji academy, where he spends his days as part of the Food research club - basically a club where he, his childhood friend Chisato, classmate Mifuyu and their friends devote their time to eating sweets and chatting all day. However, after a turn around in the  student council, elections begin, and one of the strongest candidates has said that they intend to disband all non profitable club. In order to counter this, Yuuki must run in the elections himself and win, little realising when he sets out what campaigning to be student council president is really all about.

(Anime; 1 season, 12 episodes, finished)

Probably the best way to describe this series is as a 'ying-yang' series- By this I mean that the story is divided into two very separate plots that run parallel and interact with each other. One half is a slice of life, romantic story with harem tendencies, as Yuuki tries to get elected whilst dealing with the girls around him (which include his presidency rival, childhood friend, mysterious sempai, and booze hitting teacher). The other half his is very dark, mystery series all about secret dealings, hidden agendas and evil attitudes from those who oppose and support Yuuki. These two different plots work brilliantly together and form a fantastic series to watch that sucks you in from the get go.

The rest of this series measures up superbly. The artistry and animation is fantastic to the point of gorgeous to watch. The characters are all thoroughly enjoyable for a number of reasons - one including the fact that some of the non major characters seem to have some sort of flaw to them (e.g. having a propeller in their head) that no one seems to notice except for Yuuki. This leads to some great humour, as to the random antics of several other characters. There is a down side here though, and that is that most of the characters become interesting background very quickly, and the story only focuses on 3 or 4 of the main ones during each episode. Also the setting for the story - Takafuji academy - is a little too detailed: the rules about elections, student hierarchy and different council offices are some many and so diverse that it often becomes hard to understand who the bad guys are and who is following the rules.

Koi to Senkyo to Chocolate is the ideal companion for anyone who loves mystery anime, but with a light hearted tone.

Rating - 7.5/10

Tari Tari (Anime)

The story of five friends in their last year of high school - Wakana Sakai who used to love music but lost that love when her mother died, Konatsu Miyamoto whose energy is matched by a desire to sing, Sawa Okita who dreams of being a horse rider in spite of her parents disapproval, Taichi Takana who works harder at badminton than his lessons, and Wien who has returned from being in Austria for 12 years. They band together to help each other out and keep each other going, as they form the vocal choir 'and sometimes badminton' club.

(Anime; 1 Season, 13 episodes, Finished)

Honestly I am pretty confused by this series. There is plenty going for it, but some other very odd moments that come as more of a surprise than anything else. The premise for the series is about how they are all 'too young to be adults, but don't consider themselves children anymore' - this statement has absolutely NOTHING to do with this series, and makes no sense what so ever. The real story is rather relaxed, nothing overly exciting in itself, but still a great story full of heart warming, tear jerking and side splitting-ly funny moments. Another surprise from the series is the ending - just because it comes so suddenly, and you are begging it not to finish (13 Episodes is far too short). The artwork and animation is reminiscent of Hanasaku Iroha and is fun to watch because of its realistic feel. That characters are great, each really unique and fun to follow as they do their stuff. The story is also riddled with the characters going into singing routines, which are fantastic; if there is not other reason for watching the series, then one should at least try to get hold of the music somewhere.
In spite of its confusing issues, Tari Tari is probably one of the best anime series of the season.

Rating - 9/10

Koko no Naka ni Hitori no Imouto ga Iru (Anime)

On the day of his fathers funeral, a mysterious voice speaks to Kamagurou Shougo. She says she is his little sister, and that she has come to marry him. But then she disappears, and Shougo moves on to inherit his fathers company. The final step in this process is to attend the prestigious miryuuin high school, and find a woman to be his wife. After meeting many people on his first day, he returns home and receives a phone call - the mysterious sister says that she was among the people he met today, and that she still intends to marry him.

(Anime: 1 season, 12 episodes, Finished)

Ok, let's face it. This is another harem anime, based entirely around fan service scenes and one guy being surrounded by pretty girls. Its not like this is anything new. However, this series does stand out of the pack for one specific reason - in all harem anime, the main protagonist never actually picks one of the pretty girls. There are many different reasons; either he doesn't notice any of their feelings (e.g. Infinite Stratos), he is paying more attention to one girl than all the others (e.g. To-Love-Ru) or he just doesn't care for some reason (e.g. Sora no Otoshimono). But with Koko no Naka ni, the protagonist has a Very real reason for not picking a girl because he might accidentally pick his little sister, which is a scary concept. This leads into quite a well thought out story, with a good bit of humorous mystery involved, and which really draws you into the plot because you want to find out who the sister is.

But after that, its just a dumb harem anime. The characters are...well...sluts mostly, who aren't ashamed throw everything they've got (literally) at the main male character. The artistry and animation isn't awful, but it could've been better. For example everything looks quite pink for some reason, and the artists could've dialled that back a bit.

All in All, another typical harem anime, but at least Koko no Naka ni Hitori no Imouta ga Iru has a decent story that keeps it entertaining.

Rating - 4/10

Oda Nobuna no Yabou (Anime)

Sagara Yoshiharu woke up to find he hand been flung back in time to the Sengoku/Waring states period. Not only that, but because of the declining life rate, rules about women becoming Daimyo have changed, and he discovers that his favourite General, Oda Nobunaga, is in fact Oda Nobuna, a young girl who dreams of conquering Japan. When Yoshiharu finds out that he is meant to walk beside her and take the place of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, he decides to use his future knowledge of events to help change history, and save her from danger.

(Anime: 1 season, 12 episodes, Finished)

All right, lets be fair, this is another of those anime series where all the Sengoku generals are girl, like we haven't seen that about a thousand times already. However, this series does stand out from the pack for several reasons. The first one being that they actually bother to come up with an excuse as to why they are girls (it doesn't just happen) and not every character is female, but some remain male to keep things fresh. And this series isn't all about fan service (not that there isn't any at all) - they actually have a decent story and a sensible plot that is enjoyable to watch and see it progress. The animation and artistry also stand out as being exceptional, offering a much greater level of entertainment for each episode. The characters aren't bad, although most of them are secondary character who only have a few lines per episode. The main character Yoshiharu is impressive, rather than the generic weak characters who usually find themselves in this situation. There is plenty of action, comedy, scenes of being bad-ass and even a little romance all the way through, so there is something for everybody in here.

So for anyone who is bored of generic Sengoku Harem stories, Or loves them and is looking to see another, then Oda Nobuna no Yabou is the best series for you.

Rating - 8/10

Chouyaku Hyakuninisshu: Uta Koi (Anime)

In the 13th century, Fujiwara no Teika was commissioned to compile one hundred poems to decorate the walls of an important estate. Fujiwara no Teika chose some of the best poems from the past years, but almost half of the poems he chose were love poems. And every poem has a history, a meaning, and a story to tell.

(Anime: 1 season, 13 episodes, Finished)

For anyone who loved Chihayafuru, then you will love this series, because it is roughly the story behind where those poems came from. It only covers the Love related poems, but each episode will contain one or two stories about how those poems came to be, in some fantastic and really touching stories. There isn't an over riding plot or theme from this series, just some interesting pieces of poetic history, filled with comedic moments, heart warming romance, and even some tragic stories. The artistry and animation are fantastic, hard to describe but very memorable. Although there seems to be a lot more emphasis put into the female character designs than the male, but that is sort of the point. Probably the one minor hiccup is that there is a large amount of old Japanese cultural facts in this series (from long before the sengoku era) so there is a quite a bit of that which seems strange, but probably only because of the gap in times and cultures.

All around, Uta Koi is one of the best companions for any romance anime lovers.

Rating - 9/10

Phi Brain; Kami no Puzzle (Anime)

Daimon Kaito is a student attending school in a world where puzzles are the norm. Kaito cares only about solving puzzles and spends his days with his childhood friend Nonoha, who just wants him to put down the sudoku. But one day, after solving a dangerous puzzle, Kaito obtains the ring of Orpheus - a powerful relic that pushes the wearers brain power to extremes. With this, Kaito has become a phi brain candidate - one of a few chosen individuals who has the potential to unlock the Puzzle of God and obtain an ancient treasure that is said to be mankind's greatest knowledge.

(Anime; 2 Seasons, 25 episodes, Finished)

This is quite an unusual series, but a lot of fun. Anybody who loves doing the sudoku in the paper of playing with puzzle blocks as a kid will love this show. Most of the action is derived from the characters trying to solve huge puzzles while risking their lives. This leads to some unforgettable action sequences, but there is a flaw with this plan - unless you already know how the puzzle works normally, you have to guess what is going on and you can't tell who is actually winning. There is an explanation of how the puzzles work, but these are often gone over far to fast and you end up having to go back and pause to read the rules. The artistry and animation aren't too bad, but there is something about them that looks more like coloured in manga than an anime (Actually the series as a whole probably would have done better as a manga 1st). The characters - here is the real problem with the series. 1st of all the main characters aren't really likeable, all they care about is puzzles and you spend more time noticing the people watching than the heroes. Adding to this are some very weak villains - most of the major villains spend their time obsessing over Kaito to a degree that is borderline gay stalking (and I mean literally on the knife edge border). The story is pretty good though, with a good deal of mystery and twists turning up everywhere to keep it fresh.

Phi Brain may not be everyones cup of tea, but for anyone looking for something a bit different, there is no better choice.

Rating - 6.5/10

Rinne no Lagrange (Anime)

Madoka is an energetic girl, and the only member of her school's Jersey Club - a club devoted to helping anyone any time. One day a mysterious girl called Lan asks Madoka for help - by piloting a Robot. With this Madoka is thrown into a new life where she must pilot one of three legendary robots known as Vox that destroyed the earth 200000 years ago, and have to power to do so again.

(Anime; 2 Seasons, 12 episodes, Finished)

This is a pretty average series - its good but not great, its not terrible but has a lot going against it. The Animation is impressive and in a lot of places does some unique twists, and when it comes to the robot battles the style of the series really stands out. But at times it can be a little too 'sparkly' and those moments are obvious because they don't really fit with whats going on. The story is pretty good, but it gets wrapped up in its own mythology and spends a lot of time ignoring anything resembling plot. The first season left things really open so a second was much called for. But again the second season suffered from the same problems - starting with some big idea and then ignoring it because of all the mystery surrounding the Vox. This lack of plot or overall drive isn't helped by the characters - they are fun and great to watch, but none of them have any sense of ambition story wise. Most of the time they are just there to make funny lines. Also, there is some underlying joke that the three main female characters are 'more than just friends', this leads to some good jokes, but otherwise just seems silly.

So there you have it, Rinne no Lagrange is a fun watch but nothing spectacular.

Rating - 5/10

Accel World (Anime)

In the future, everyone is equipped with a built in connection device - like having a computer built into your brain. Arita Haruyuki has spent his whole life being picked on and abused at school. His best friends haven't been able to help him, and the only comfort he takes is from playing video games. That is until the beauty of the school, Kuroyukihime, asks to meet him and offers him a link to a special programme called 'Accel World'. Part of this programme is that it can speed up your brain and exist as though time has stopped around you. But the main aim of this programme is a massive multiplayer fighting game, where victory is decided by how long you can survive.

(Anime: 1 Season, 24 episodes, finished)

This was quite an exciting series, but with a couple of flaws. The main one being that at the beginning of the story, there is a whole concept set up about how the aim of the game is to reach level 10, but no ones wants to for various reasons (not going to give that away just yet). This gets basically ignored for the rest of the series. They touch upon it occasionally but when they do you think 'oh yeah that what they were doing'. After they cover this point, the story just divulges into a couple of character building arcs. It even goes off on a tangent during a really important moment and has 2 episodes of pointless side tracking (I HATE when that happens). So the story and plot line could use some refining.

Apart from that, this series was pretty enjoyable. The fight scenes and animation were really spectacular, and there is a lot of depth and detail given to the game world that fits in a way that makes sense without having to be explained. The characters a fun, but the main one Haruyuki seems to be drawn like a chibi character for the whole time (Kind of Like Tomoki from Sora no Otoshimono) This results in him standing out, and generally he can't be taken seriously just because he is at odds with all the normally drawn characters who never go chibi.

All in all, some fine tuning needed, but in the end Accel World is a great show.

Rating - 8/10

Hagure Yuusha no Estetica (Anime)

Ousawa Akatsuki has defeated the evil demon lord, and returns home to his own dimension. With his return, he is enrolled into Babylon academy - a school and training facility for all those who have returned from a different dimension and learned magic. But Akatsuki has brought along a friend - the daughter of the Demon lord he defeated, whom he has been charged with protecting. Now she lives with him as his 'sister', and every day step deeper into the mystery and danger of Babylon academy.

(Anime: 1 Season, 12 episodes, Finished)

The above description may sound a little odd, and thats because the story really is. It takes place after the main character has finished his adventures in a different world, and ends before he starts new adventures. It almost feels as though the series covers the middle boring arc of a long running story, and the introduction and ending are never covered. No matter what else the series may have going for it, this over riding feeling of inadequacy results in a lot of frustration - we aren't shown what we really want from the story.

The rest of the series doesn't stand out much either. There is probably more focus on fan service than story - considering that the main character spends most of his time stealing the underwear of girls while they're wearing them. That may be a great trick, but If all you're looking for is plenty of boobs and no story, you may as well just buy a porno. There are some hints at a harem or a love triangle forming, but again this is glossed over as a 'maybe this is happening' kind of feel. The same can be said about the mystery in this series - it feels like there is some over riding plot going on, but it is rarely touched upon. The animation is pretty basic, nothing very exciting, and the same for the characters.

All in all a sub standard series - needed to start 20 episodes earlier and keep running for another 40.

Rating - 3/10

Natsuyuki Rendevous (Anime, 2012)

Hazuki has fallen in love. He has fallen for the owner of a flower shop, and decides to start working there so that he can get closer to her. There are just two thing standing between him and romance. First that the owner, Rokka, is a widow. The second, that her dead husband is a ghost, living int he flower shop that only Hazuki can see. Now Hazuki has to contend with an obsessive spirit getting in the way of his feelings before he can be with Rokka.

(Anime: 1 season, 11 episodes, Finished)

This is a really......interesting romance story. By far one of the most unique as far as romance in anime goes, and that is staying a lot. The artistry is simply beautiful: gorgeous settings and flowers purvey the entire series, and it is a treat simply to watch the gorgeous series even without paying attention to the story. The characters are pretty interesting as well, and the editing and story are entertaining.

Unfortunately this series is not without its set backs. The biggest is that a lot of the episodes are taken up by long winded, seemingly rambling monologues and memory flashes, and these can get pretty boring after a while, and force you to think carefully about what the meaning of the words are as they have some part to play in the story. Actually Natsuyuki Rendevous would probably fit more as a film or OVA series than running for 11 episodes, especially since the story is wrapped up about as neatly and quickly.

This is a good series for fans of something gentle and unusual, and a let down for people who expect more from it.

Rating - 5/10

Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita (Anime, 2012)

In a post apocalyptic future, humanity has begun to decline (the title translates as literally humanity has declined), and a new breed of humanity known as fairies have begun to expand. The fairies are small, smily faced, with technology far outstripping mankind at its highest point, and eccentric natures that often leads to outrageous happenings. The Story revolves around an unnamed girl, who works as a mediator between the two races and is often is contact with the fairies. This proves to be more a curse than a job however, because the fairies nature often ropes her into bizarre events.

(Anime: 1 Season, 12 episodes, finished)

I'm honestly not sure how to rate this series. On the one hand, it is a rather fun show. The story is peppered with ludicrous gags and the dialogue and voice acting all match up to create hilarious and thoroughly entertaining stories. The artistry is pretty unique as well, it isn't quite the norm with anime but not far from it.

On the other hand, the timeline of the plot can get really confusing. In the classic Japanese post apocalypse way, the story jumps around from present, to past, to future, its all over the place and this can make it very difficult to follow what is going on. The main character and the fairies are pretty entertaining, but the rest just don't stand out very much. And there is no overriding theme or object so the plot just rambles on in 6 2 episode arcs.

Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita will either tickle your funny bone all day long or leave you thoroughly head ached.

Rating - 6.5/10

La Storia della Arcana Famiglia (Anime, 2012)

On the island of Regalo, a mafia like organisations, known as the Arcana Family oversees and protects the entire town. Each of the leading members has a contract with a Taro card, that allows them to use special powers known as Arcana abilities. One day the 'Papa' of the family announces an upcoming tournament, where those with Arcana abilities may fight to determine who will be the next family head. To the winner he also promises the hand of his daughter, Felicita. She has no desire to be married, but her close friends and fellow family members, Nova and Liberta, are determined to help her and set her free.

(Anime: 1 Season, 12 episodes, Finished)

So right off the bat, just saying it for a fact, this is a gyaku harem anime - meaning the story revolves around the girl Felicita and everyone else she interacts with are boys. Fortunately she only really spends time with the two friends, and there isn't any real sense of a harem going on. Unfortunately this has resulted in a very slow paced story that spends most of the time aimlessly going from one short story to the next, without any sort of over all focus, until about episode 10.

This would be fine if there was something else worth watching in this anime, but overall it wasn't very satisfying. True there were some clever uses of Italian mafia ideas (kind of makes you feel as though you are watching a Japanese version of The Godfather). But the artistry isn't very original, and the animation is the same. The character's aren't particularly clever either, but the real let down of this whole series is that the story just pans out into nothing - no real changes happen and in the end the story reverts back to where it started, basically making the whole series a complete waste of time.

If conventional gyaku harem series are you're thing, then by all mines give La Storia Della Arcana Famiglia a go, just don't get your hopes up.

Rating - 4/10

Kamen Rider Fourze (Tokusatsu)

At Amagawa High school, students of all walks of life come together to learn at a school where space exploration is the key subject. But the students are in danger - evil astro switches are being given out to the students that turns them into Zodiarts; monsters who emulate the constellations of the stars. But trying to help them is the secret Kamen Rider club, created by Kisaragi Gentarou, a transfer student who's dream is to become friends with everyone in his school. He fights as Kamen Rider Fourze, using the power of good astro switches to protect the students and return the zodiarts to normal.

(Tokusatsu - 48 episodes, finished)

There is a lot about Fourze which is pretty awesome, but that being said, this isn't one of the best series i've seen. To explain this i need to go into some of the mythology of Kamen Rider. All the Kamen Riders of the past have the power to fight against evil, but that power is often thrust upon them and comes with self harming side effects. For example the original riders were forced to become cyborgs, Kabuto is vilified by society and so on. But with Fourze there is no side effect, and depending on how you slice it, this will either be a good thing or stick out as a flaw in the story. And also because of Gentarou's attitude towards wanting to be friends, there is often too much touchy-feely emotion going on that can get in the way of the action.

But once you get past that, the rest of the series is extremely awesome. Fourze himself is an epic rider - he is space themed and his main power is have 40 different switches that can equip various weapons and abilites. This creates the widest range of combos imaginable from one rider. That being said though, often one switch will be used once and forgotten about, and after a while he only ends up using 4 or 5 switches repeatedly, which is a shame because that is a huge loss of awesomeness.

The rest of the series is fairly good. The characters are as big a range as you can imagine, and all of them are extremely loveable (although some can be more annoying than others). The story is good but can come off a little face paced. There is a good level of mystery to some of mini stories, but this is eclipsed by some great dialogue and humorous moments. The editing and narrative are all great, but again can come off a little quick.

All in All, Kamen Rider Fourze may not be the best of the Kamen Rider series, but he certainly is one of the best. I like to think he is number 4 on the top 5.

AKB0048 (Anime)

In the future, the universal government has discovered the power of music and songs have over people emotions. An organisation called DES exists and entire planets have been put under an entertainment ban. 48 years ago, the pop idol group AKB0048 began to fight against this plan, and to this day, through inheriting titles and roles, the group still exists to bring music to the galaxy. A new group of understudies joins the girl group, and the series follows them and their adventures as they train and learn to become full time members.

(Anime: 1 Season, second in the works, 13 episodes, finished)

Honestly from the description you would expect this series to have much more impact that it did, but apart from good song and dance animations, there wasn't much exciting about the series. Before going into that, I should explain that this anime is based on the real life girl idol group AKB48. The characters voices are done by members of that group, and the songs are the same ones they sing. This is a fun fact to know, but unless you are a current fan of AKB48, this anime may loose its impact somewhat (but if you are, be aware that you are the otaku's who give us a bad name.)

As for the anime, as I said the songs are pretty good and the animations for the dance and performance routines are pretty good. But apart from that there isn't a lot about this anime that stands out. The characters are good, but look and feel very generic. The story is a good idea, a fun concept, but its lacking: perhaps its because of the shortness of the series, or the lack of an overriding goal or ambition (such as an evil boss to fight) but the pace doesn't feel good enough. Even the space/robot battles aren't good; too short and simple.

The result is that AKB0048 is a good anime, fun to watch and all that, but because of several lacking qualities and flaws, it doesn't stand out as being very memorable. The real entertainment comes from the music, and this will most likely appeal more to AKB48 fans than anyone else.

Shining Hearts: Shiawase no Pan (Anime)

On the island kingdom of Windaria, Rick lives and works as a baker. He has no memory of his time before being washed ashore onto Windaria, but he lives every day full of happiness with the three girls who help out to deliver and bake bread; Neris, Amil and Airy. But soon strange events begin to occur on and around the island and its inhabitants, and Rick's everyday life is soon through into dangerous peril.

(Anime: 1 season, 12 Episodes, Finished)

Based on a game by Sega from the Shining series, the anime isn't too bad, but it's not great. There is definite room for improvement in a lot of areas, but one good thing about the series is that it is a fantastic fantasy story, filled with all sorts of swords and sorcery and mystical qualities that all add up to creating a great fantasy world and story. The art work is very interesting because it isn't quite traditional, and brings something unique that one can't quite put their finger on. The characters are varied widely, whether it is swordsmen, cat people, pirates, the island of Windaria has them all. But this is the point where the series starts to go down, because it isn't really possible to get behind these characters. They aren't bad overall, there just doesn't seem to be any depth or emotion put behind them so they come off a bit plastic. From the description one would assume there might be some romance between Rick and the girls, but no go, just very good friends. Then there is the story: even though events start to happen from the first episode, the whole story becomes very sluggish and long winded. All the strange events that take place tend to happen towards the end and don't stand out as being overly memorable, and the rest of the episodes are devoted to long shots of smiling people, or long deep speeches about pasts and...something, they are very long winded. The result is that Shiawase no Pan is a good anime for anyone who likes fantasy series and a very gentle story. Otherwise this will come off very boring.

Rating - 

5/10

Recorder to Randoseru (Anime)

Atsushi is an average five year old grade schooler with friends, and the body of a fully grown adult. Because of this he is always getting in to trouble and misunderstandings. Atsumi is his older sister who is a second year in high school, with the body of a five year old girl. She is very grown up but often is not taken seriously enough because of her size. The two siblings try to live ordinary lives whilst dealing with an endless stream of mishaps and problems.

(Anime: 1 Season, 26 episodes, finished)

So from the description you can guess that this is a gag anime, and a very good one at that. No idea what the title is referring to, as the recorder only comes up once, but the whole series is very enjoyable. Each episode is only 2 to 3 minutes long and focusses on one particular event/story. This is a good thing because it means one isn't bombarded with 30 minutes of endless gags, and get to enjoy each tiny story as it happens.

The artistry and editing are all terrific. The concept of the story is a little far fetched but that doesn't matter, just sit back and go with it. And the story tends to focus more on Atsushi's stories rather than him and Atsumi, so depending on how much you like the character one will have to deal with that. Speaking of the characters, they are adorable, and everyone of them is extremely fun to watch as they interact around the major punchline of Atsumi and Atsushi's lives. The humour is pretty good, although it tends to focus back on the main joke (being that Atsushi is always getting arrested as a pedophile). Recorder to Randoseru is a great anime for people who just want a couple of good laughs, and a good time filling series.

Rating - 

8/10

Mouretsu Pirates (Anime)

In the distant future where people sail through space, piracy is not a crime, its a job. Letters of marque are given to pirate captains and their descendants to license legal pirating activities for show. One high school girl and member of the yacht club, Kato Marika, is such a descendant, inheriting one of the most famous pirate ships from a father she never knew. Now she has to adapt to her new way of life whilst trying to maintain a high school girl's life as well.

(Anime: 1 Season, 26 episodes, Finished)

From a title that translates into Bodacious Pirates, One would expect a lot more than the series delivered. The story isn't a bad idea and it makes for a very interesting sc-fi series, what with great art work, dynamic special effects, and a few flashes of comedy and action thrown in. But that's it really; the series is only 'interesting'. It doesn't stand out in any category and comes across as being very sluggish. The story isn't bad, but it seems to get wrapped up in the whole science fiction aspect and spends too long going "look, we think this is how people will pirate in space". The plot is devided into several arcs but none of them really wow you, and mostly have nothing to do with one another, just one story after the next. The characters a mediocre, and a lot of the time very annoying: they seem to be able to do anything without hassle and spend most of the time being giggling girls (The cast is 80% female, and no there is no fan-service). The whole thing feels like it was building up to a climactic conclusion, but after the first two or three episodes you soon discover the whole anime runs at the same tone and pace. Good, not great, an entertaining sci fi and a VERY laid back series, sums up Mouretsu Pirates nicely.

Rating - 

5/10

High School of the Dead (Anime)

One day, Zombies break out all over Japan and the rest of the world, causing chaos and deaths everywhere. A high school is one of the first major break out points and one boy, Takashi, survives the first out break with a group of friends, a teacher and a young girl and dog are now stuck in the middle of a zombie (known as 'Them') filled city. Now they have to get through it to find their missing families and get out before they all die, or worse.

(Anime: 1 Season, 12 episodes, Finished. Manga: 7 volumes, stopped)

To review High School of the Dead (HSOTD), I have to try to be fair, but to sum up the series, it yo-yo's from an epic horror action story to a bad porno. Dealing with the latter first, there is an inordinate amount of fan service and echi moments (trying to sum it up, the people who survive are Takashi, his childhood crush, a senior in his school, a classmate who likes him and a teacher with huge boobs....it doesn't have to try hard to become porn). Personally I don't mind saying the occasional touch of fan service is ok, but this goes over the line A LOT.

Once you get past that though, this is a thrilling and terrifying series, with a good deal going for it. It even a good deal of subtly message undertones, an takes a good look at how people hold up under this sort of event and how society and people try to stay sane through it all (it doesn't go well for most of them). This is something which isn't really looked at by most horror/zombie films and it really helps to expand the genre a bit. Also there is constant referencing to old RPG games with the ideas of objectives and character classes, which again is interesting to note. It doesn't do much for the story but it is fun to keep an eye out for.

The rest of HSOTD isn't too bad either. The story is pretty good when you consider the above points, but it does go to some dark places so be prepared for that (although to be honest most of the hard core stuff is dealt with in episode 1), and also the manga stopped running without having a decent conclusion, which is frankly annoying. All the characters (in spite of the harem quality to them) are fun to watch, non more so than the military trained, trigger happy, eccentric lunatic Hirano who is probably the best character of the bunch. The fights and action scenes are fantastic, mixing traditional zombie survivalism with some down right bad-ass-ness. In the end, once you get past the porn aspects and the lack of a decent conclusion, HSOTD, becomes is the ideal companion for any fan of horror movies and a great watch for most anime fans.

Rating - 

8/10

Natsuiro Kiseki (anime)

Four high school girls are close friends in their local town; Natsumi, Saki, Yuka and Rin. They used to spend all day together, but then Saki says that she has to move away. After fights and squabbles the girls decide to spend the rest of summer making enjoyable memories, aided by a magic rock that, when the four make the same wish, uses magic to make that wish come true.

(Anime: 1 Season, 12 episodes, Finished)

Tremendous fun and a hell of a good ride to watch, loveable from the word go. This series has everything, a touchingly sweet story line, gorgeous art work and lots of adventure and highjinks. Probably the one big flaw is that the story often feels like it is suggesting the characters are more than just good friends, and that is a shame because it spoils an otherwise perfect plot. No one in the series ever openly says anything like that of course, but the idea is just subtly planted there to bother people. And sometimes this is emphasised by moments of unnecessary fan service that feels very out of place. But apart from that the characters are thoroughly enjoyable, giving four different character points that touch the hearts of any anime fan. Then there is the magic side of things: at first glance this sounds like a kiddy theme but it really isn't. It is a fun device that ties everything together and wouldn't make the series great with out it. And it creates all kinds of mischief that will have you side split with laughter or smiling warmly with emotion. So if you ignore the unfortunate double entendre, Natsuiro Kiseki, becomes a must watch.

Rating - 

9/10

Sankarea (Anime)

Chihiro is an ordinary high schooler who lives at a temple, apart from having a fetish for zombies and only being interested in Zombie girls. When his cat dies, he finds an old book with instructions on how to bring back the dead and tries to bring his cat back to life as a zombie. While he is practicing, he meets the princess of the school, Sanka Rea, who lives a privileged but manipulated lifestyle. Her father is overly possessive of her, but all she wants is to be a normal girl. After an accident, Chihiro revives Rea as a zombie, and so begins his days of observing her whilst trying to keep her body alive.

(Anime: 1 Season, 12 Episodes, Finished (?)

There is a lot about this series which was quite interesting, but unfortunately it lacked a great deal. The story is a very interesting idea, taking the classic zombie horror genre and giving it a minor change (namely that there isn't a huge zombie apocalypse and the 1st zombie girl is basically just a normal girl who is undead). For people who were expecting another High School of the Dead this will either be a welcome break or a let down (although there is enough fan service to certainly challenge HSOTD). There are some interesting edits and the art work is enjoyable to watch, but not all that different from mainstream designs. The characters a bit swing and miss: the main character Chihiro is both irritating and a kind person, so its hard to discern whether to like him or not. There is a great/crazy villain in Rea's father, and the rest of the characters are fun to watch although they don't stand out too well, with the possible exception being Chihiro's mentally weak grandfather and caretaker sister.

Honestly the real trouble of this series is that it spends a lot of time setting everything up. There is not real closure from just these twelve episodes and the whole structure feels like it is meant to lead into a bigger story that is only vaguely touched upon. If there is a second season lined up then it will be greatly received, but thats all season one feels like; a prequel. Overall Sankarea is a good series but leaves you wanting just a little more.

Rating - 

7/10

Haiyore! Nyaruko-san: Another crawling Chaos (Anime)

One day, Mahiro Yasaka is attacked by a strange monster on night. His life is saved by the Cthulhu deity Nyarlathotep, a.k.a Nyaruko, who has come from the galactic space police to protect Yasaka and earth and more specifically to read up on earths entertainment industry. All the while trying any method she can think of to get Yasaka's attention, and get him into bed. Now she spends her days with Yasaka protecting him while meeting other Cthulhu deities who have other interests in Nyaruko and Yasaka.

(Anime: 1 season, 12 episodes, Finished)

The description makes this series sound pretty random, and thats because it is. The writers clearly though 'how many parodies can we cram into 12 episodes?': the answer is A LOT. Half the series is devoted to ripping off other shows and making a laugh out of it (From what I saw, there was Kamen Rider, Gundam and many others. You're head will ache from trying to count them all). But unfortunately that becomes the best bit of the series, and the rest if very mediocre. The story and animation are very mainstream, nothing new or exciting on that front. There are several characters (male and female) who have an interest in the protagonist who is content to ignore them all or stab them with forks. Although this sounds fun, the characters with interest are very off the walls looney and this can be very annoying. There are some rare glimpses of sweet emotion that make up for it but overall you can see why Yasaka gets annoyed by them at all. There are some good moments of humour from all this, but they don't stand out agains the multitude of parodies. If parodies are what you're into then you'll love this show, but the story will get old really fast so don't expect too much from the rest of the show.

Rating - 

4/10

Aquarion Evol (Anime)

12000 years have passed since the time of Aquarion, and the earth is under threat again. An alien species is coming to earth and stealing women from humanity. The only ones who can fight back is a school that is split between boys and girls. They pilot three robot sets that combine to become the mighty aquarion robot, but because of an old accident, there is a rule that the opposite sexes can not combine together. That is until one day, during an abductor attack, the boy Amata, who has golden wings on his heels, and the kindly girl Mikono climb aboard one of the machines and combines with another boy and girl, breaking the seal and unleashing the power of the new Aquarion Evol.

(Anime: 1 Season, 26 episodes, Finished)

At first glance this looks like a remake of the great sci-fi series Sousei no Aquarion, but it soon becomes clear that this is in fact a direct sequel to it (give or take 12,000 years. I still don't understand how they came to that number). And this was a great reveal because to be honest the end of Sousei no Aquarion left me feeling a little unsatisfied. And Aquarion Evol does a fantastic job of not only meeting the requirements of the previous series, but also exceeds it in a number of ways. Firstly it meets the standard action sequences and giant mecha fights that we've come to expect from Sousei, and goes a lot further by introducing many new attacks and abilities that are guaranteed to be both awesome and laughable at times. Anything you can think of, there may be an attack for it. Then there are the characters of which there are plenty. All of which have their own unique powers as with Sousei and there are lots of relationship webs forming amongst them that are half the fun of the series. There is even a cameo from some of the original cast (including Fuudo Zen, not to give away too much but his deal is finally explained). There are lots good romantic moments, comedic antics and great fights, all culminating in a fabulous series, making up for everything Sousei lacked. One last note: there is a punchline about the series that is almost impossible to see, and when it finally gets sprung on you, then expect to smack yourself in the face for not seeing it.

Rating - 

10/10

Zetman (Anime)

A secret organisation once created a new species of monstrous creatures known as players to fight in gladiatorial combat. But those players rebelled and escaped, hiding among the humans of society. During the rebellion, one scientist steals the creature Zet, a player who is more powerful than any other, but can become almost 100% human. The scientist wants to raise Zet as a human and names him Jin. Several years later, Jin realises his true powers and decides to fight against the players to protect humanity.

(Anime: 1 season, 13 episodes, Finished)

This is an exciting and full throttle anime, even if you have to use a flash light to look through all the dark to see it. It's a fantastic science fiction, with a good dose of mystery and action thrown in for good measure. The story is very good, leading to a lot of grim ideas that smell of real issues, but get thrown off by the overall fiction of the piece. I'm not going to lie, although there are a lot of exciting moments, these are put along side some very intense moments. There is a lot of blood, people getting ripped apart,  violence torture, and this can all get a bit too much at times, so Zetman may not be for everybody. The evil creatures are actually pretty well developed and designed, and they are given a good story line to match. Then there are the good characters: Jin is a bad ass guy and easily likeable as the main hero, but there is another hero Kouga who tries to fight using a scientifically developed super suit. He honestly gets pretty annoying and lame in places, not having any of the same flare of cool factor as Jin. There are lots of support characters and most of these are more likeable than Kouga but I don't want to give away too much so i won't go into all of them. There is plenty to offer from Zetman, especially if you are a fan of darker stuff like the new Batman trilogy. But as i said it will become a bit hard core so just brace yourself for that.

Rating - 

8/10

Hiiro no Kakeru (Anime)

When teenager Tamaki is called by her grandmother to move in with her in a small village, she soon realises there is a purpose behind it. The forests and mountains are full of spirits, all of whom have felt the weakening of an ancient seal meant to contain an ancient demon slaying sword. Tamaki is the last descendant of an ancient clan of priestesses who, along with 5 guardian warriors, have protected the seal and the 7 mystical items that keep it in place. Now Tamaki must not only uncover her true potential as the Tamayori Princess, but also learn to get along with the five men who have to guard her, in spite of their qualms.

(Anime: 1 season, 13 episodes)

Although the description makes this sound like an interesting anime, the actual series does not measure up to expectations. The story sounds interesting enough but the delivery is very slow, and not well executed at all. The artistry is very good and some of the animations (those involving mystical powers) are very interesting to watch, it makes for a beautiful display. But unfortunately that is the end of all that makes this series original. The biggest let down is that there are lots of battles with an evil organisation that want the sword too, but in every fight the good guys just get their asses handed to them in a matter of 3 frames. I mean sure its always good to see the hero loose once in a while, but only if they come back stronger. After the fight the heros just moan and go to a library searching for more information on the sword - THAT IS NOT INTERESTING. Also one of the genre descriptions of this series is that it is meant to be a gyaku harem (one girls has to choose between lots of cute boys) but even this point is mostly ignored. Nothing feels romantic about any of the relationships and any moments of comedy are dry and plain.

Although I have been bashing it i still can't completely out this series though: it is a very gentle anime and a good counter to anything dark that you may be watching at the same time. It's a good time filler, but don't expect much.

Rating - 

3/10

Tasogare Otome x Amnesia (Anime)

Seikyou private academy is an old middle and high school. The buildings have been replaced and added too so much that many of the old rooms and halls are either inaccessible or are so far within the recesses of the campus that they are difficult to get to. Rumours about ghosts and demons haunt the halls and all of them seem to relate back to the mysterious ghost story Yuuko. What they don't know is, Yuuko the ghost is real. She looks like an ordinary school girl, except that she has no memory of her time before being a ghost. The only person who can see and touch her is the middle school boy Niiya Teiichi, who tries to help her get back her memories while investigating the many strange occurrences at the school.

(Anime: 1 Season, 12 Episodes, Finished)

This is quite a wacky anime, mixing a strange blend of comedy, slice of life, Horror and romance. The story itself is pretty strange, and is portrayed through exciting and unusual animations that can be both confusing, terrifying and enjoyable all at the same time. The characters are very enjoyable, especially the playfully cooky Yuuko who is loveable as soon as she turns up. Mostly one could think about this as a romantic comedy (apart from the fact the heroine is a ghost). There is lots of humour and romantic moments, that range from very sweet and adorable moments, to fan service (of which there is an excessive amount). But when the horror aspects of the series kick in, they do so in an insane way. Not once does the horror and suspense relax and is guaranteed to frighten and alarm anyone. It can get a little intense and anyone who doesn't like that sort of thing should strongly avoid this series. But anyone who's up for a bit of mystery, and good romance and a lot of comedy will really enjoy this fantastic anime.

Rating - 

9/10

Fate/Zero (Anime)

Taking place several years before the events of Fate/Stay Night, the series tells the story of the 4th Holy Grail war. As seven magicians summon powerful heroes from legend to fights for possession of the Holy Grail, Emiya Kiritsugu becomes the master of the servant Saber, the strongest of the servant classes. He seeks the grail to make world peace, but his opponents are no less motivated. Except for one; Kotomine Kirei, who seeks nothing more than to destroy Kiritsugu and everything he stands for.

(1 Season, 25 episodes, Finished)

One can't compare this series to Fate/Stay Night: this is a prequel series that leads into the next, and was made several years after the original story. That being said it is no less incredible than the original series, and in many ways it answers a lot of the questions we are left with from Fate/Stay Night. As one would expect from any prequel series, the audience knows how the story is going to end (and that is no less enforced by a clock ticking down to the end of the series) and that is almost a little sad because it means that we don't get the excitement of finding out what happens. But that is ok because we still get to enjoy the ride and find out how the story ends up where it will. The series re-introduces some character who we have seen in the original and shows how they developed and affected the future timeline. And through explaining the back stories of future characters, it is possible to see a glimpse of their dark pasts, and be warmed by those moments as well. So once the story covers those characters, that leaves it free to come up with exciting and original characters that are both fantastic to watch, and tragic to know that they can not survive the whole series. As expected of a 6 year time difference, the artistry and animation has been given a massive upgrade and has resulted in some of the most unforgettable fight sequences imaginable.

For anyone who enjoyed Fate/Stay Night, you will love Fate/Zero. It doesn't matter which order you watch them in, but both are a must see experience.

Rating - 

10/10

Buso Renkin (Manga)

One night, high school student Muto Kazuki is stabbed through the chest by a mysterious monster. Then he wakes up the next morning thinking it a dream. But he soon realises that his life was saved by Tsumura Tokiko; a warrior who uses alchemic powers to fight the monsters known as homunculus. She has replaced Kazuki's heart with a kakugane to save his life: an alchemic device that transforms into individual weapons that can destroy homunculus. Kazuki joins Tokiko's fight against the monsters and protect humanity.

(Manga: 10 volumes, Finished. Anime: 1 season, 26 episodes, finished)

This series has a manga and an anime, but I am reviewing the manga because the story makes a bit more sense than the anime which skewed the original ideas after the second half. But in spite of that, both are an excellent series, I just thought i'd start by pointing that out because it might be better to start with the manga then check out the anime. The story is a great read, full of action, romance, mystery and even a decent bit of comedy. Most of the characters don't stand out as much as the main cast, but that's ok because that main cast are really fun to watch. A heart warming romance develops between the main characters (as you might expect after reading it a while) and that leads into some very sweet moments. Although i mentioned comedy, to be honest its a bit touch and go whether you'll think its funny: the type of humour comes off a bit anime generic but some people like that. The artistry is very good and brings the pages and battles to life as you read through it all. And the battles are great because they give that great alchemic excitement of scientific super powers. This was the first anime series I fully watched (except for naruto which was airing at the time) and the first Manga I finished so it will always hold a special place in my heart, but being objective about it I have to say it has its flaws and the manga is much better than the anime, but Buso Renkin I still a great story.

Rating - 

7/10

Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger (Tokusatsu)

Celebrating 35 years of Super Sentai, when the evil Zangyack empire attack earth, the 34 Super Sentai who protected earth in the past band together and fight the empire off, but at the cost of their powers. Several years later, a group of space pirates arrive on earth searching for the 'ultimate treasure in the universe', and they arrive at the same time as the returning Zangyack empire. But these space pirates are actually the Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger, who have brought with them the powers of all the previous Super Sentai and are able to change into them at will. Now they have to protect earth and search for the treasure as the 35th Super Sentai.

(Tokusatsu: 1 series, 51 episodes, Finished)

For anyone who is unsure whether to watch Super Sentai = for god sake start here because this show is AWESOME. The best thing about this series is that Gokaiger's are able to use and transform into the previous Sentai (so anyone who is already a fan of Super Sentai will be able to see their previous favourites again, and anyone who isn't a fan can start here because it gives you a taste of all the other series and you can guess what to look into later). Also the other awesome side story is that previous Sentai members are constantly making cameos through out the series to meet the Gokaigers, and to pass on their Grand Powers: basically a mega attack or upgrade that the Gokaiger's super robot can use in battle. This leads to some of the best fight scenes imaginable from a toku series. And the story itself is really original and leads to some great moments of every sort. The villains are also very enjoyable: there is a clever trend going on where apart from original monsters of Zangyack, the show recycles some major villains from previous Sentai shows and films, which are meant to foreshadow a meeting with an old member.

The only major problem is that the main cast are extremely like those of One Piece and this never really changes: there is a captain who is interested in meat and adventure, a 1st mate who is also a bad ass swordsman, a navigator who is only interested in money and a cowardly/bumbling doctor. There is NO originality here what so ever and this is quite a disappointment. If I want to see One Piece i'll go watch it.

Overall, a fantastic, non stop epic series and a good starting point for any budding toku fans or Super Sentai fans.

Rating - 

9/10

Gosick (Anime)

In 1924, in the fictional mid european country of Sauville, a Japanese exchange student Kazuya Kujo is treated like an outcast because of an old legend called the 'black grim reaper', and because of Kazuya's dark hair and eyes he's associated with the reaper. One day, at the top of the school's clock tower/library, he meets the mysterious, golden haired girl Victorique de blois. It turns out she has access to the knowledge of the universe and is able to solve any mystery, occasional helping the police in secret. Together these two work and live together to solve mysterious legends, unusual deaths and many other dark and disturbing events that take place in Sauville.

(Anime: 1 season, 26 episodes, Finished)

This is a fantastic mystery series, one of the best there is. Although the concept sounds a little familiar. Oh thats right = sherlock Holmes, if Holmes was a little blond girl and Watson was Japanese. As much as that sounds like a joke, one can't help but make the comparison about the characters, including the supporting cast who look after/work with the pair. 

But once you get past that, it is still a great story and an amazing. The mysteries are very clever and always come with some strange, darker ideas that will shock and awe. It can get a little bloody though so anyone who has a problem with that should probably avoid this series. But the story often gets broken up by funny moments of humour and lots of very sweet friend-mantic moments between Victorique and Kazuya. Anyone who loves mystery and detective stories will mega-love this anime, and anyone who doesn't this is a great place to start.

Rating - 

10/10

School Rumble (Anime/Manga)

Tenma Tsukamato is an ordinary high school girl with a crush on her classmate Karasuma, who has no idea about her feelings. She has a number of friends each with their own stories going on. Kenji Harima is a (less than) ordinary high school boy with a crush on his classmate Tenma Tsukamato, who has no idea about his feelings. He tries to act like a delinquent but occasional gets along with the rest of the class. Karasuma like turtles and looking out the window.

(Anime: 2.5 seasons, 26 episodes, Finished. Manga: 22 volumes, finished)

A lot of people tend to give up on this anime after the first few episodes, but they really shouldn't because it's a great series. The story is all about the various relationships that go on in this high school class of miss fits, with Harima and Tenma's stories being the central theme. There are always funny antics and hilarious misunderstandings going on throughout the show and even a number of very sweet moments between the romantic characters. The real problem with this series is that the first 4-8 episodes of season 1 are devoted to setting up the relationships between all the characters and so it takes a while to get going (which is why most people drop it by episode 3). But the characters a very enjoyable, and you can pick your favourites as to which you think is the best. Tenma herself is slightly annoying, and spends most of the series acting like an irritating kid. Harima is much more interesting but still gets kind of strange and goes off on bizarre tangents (which is part of the comedy and will make you laugh or scratch your head). But overall this an enjoyable series and a very good romantic comedy, and one could suppose it classes as a slice of life 75% of the time.
By the way for those who are wondering why I said there are '2.5' seasons its because A) there are two OVA episodes that fit extra stories into the mix and are worth a watch, and B) the manga ran on a lot longer with a decent ending (although the english translations stopped at volume 16), but the anime only made the last two episodes of a 3rd season (episode 25 and 26, I don't know why) to cover the end of the story because season 2 didn't end of a proper note.

Rating - 

7.5/10

Medaka Box (Anime)

Hakoniwa High School has many departments, many students and many troubles. In her first year of school, Kurokami Medaka becomes the student council president by a 98% majority. Her main policy is to make a suggestion box and encourages any and every member of the school to ask the council for help with whatever problem they have. And for every problem the student council solves, Medaka intends to plant one flower to mark the occasion. Along with her childhood friend, Hitoyoshi Zenkichi, and the other members of the student council, Medaka is on a quest to fill Hakoniwa high school with flowers and help EVERY student she can.

(Anime; 1 Season (2nd slated for release), 12 episodes, Manga: 15 volumes, still running)

For one of shonen jump's most popular manga series, the anime is a bit touch and go. It has its good points and its bad that tend to balance out in equal measure, but is still a thoroughly entertaining series. There is plenty of humour to be had from great punch line jokes, hilarious high jinks and just some CRAZY random stuff. The major pull of the story though is the characters; of which there are many. Whatever problem comes up per episode, there are always interesting character to be had, but none more so than Medaka herself. She can do anything, literally anything, including become a giant to impress her position upon people. She is an exhibitionist so there is plenty of fan-service to be had, and she even has the occasional kawaii moment. Other characters that stand out are Zenkichi who's always trying to act like a bad ass and does so and his friend Shiranui Hansode who is Always eating and is the main comic relief of the show. The antics of each episode are each unique and result in hilarious reactions and great amusing events.

That being said, this show is not without it's downside. And unfortunately these end up countering many of the good points of the series. The series is very episodic; for most of the time there isn't any overriding enemy of great cause (what else do you expect from the synopsis) and this will either come across as very fun, or a bit mundane after the first 2 or 3 episodes. Medaka will either come across as a great character or a pain in the ass because of her domineering, 'better than everybody else' attitude. And apart from a few exceptions most of the characters don't really stand out: they aren't boring, they just don't offer anything more than other series of the same kind.

All in all, this is a good fun anime, and will either make you want to grab the manga or just dip into the second series.

Rating - 

7/10

Toku Tasters

Every so often I like to have a taster watch of some series of Anime and Tokusatsu. I watch up to episode 5 of a series and see whether it's good enough to come back to later or whether to drop it by episode 2. I recently did so for several Tokusatsu series most of which I dropped and i just wanted to put my reasons for why on here. You may not agree with them all but I hope they may be a bit influential - 

Taiyo Sentai Sun Vulcan - the 5th ever series of Super sentai. Yes it's old but even looking past that this was not a well made series. The story is simple and it looked to be ok, but the characters are very unappealing and most of the editing feels really slap dash and jumpy: it hurt my eyes to watch it.

Choujin Sentai Jetman - the 15th super sentai and I was expecting to like it a lot more than I did. The story wasn't too shabby but what really let itself down were the characters. Apart from the Red Hawk Character the others are just lazy, douche-y or in the case of White Swan's character, just REALLY annoying.

Kamen Rider W - ok I have a series OCD problem, so the idea of a character who is literally like a pair of odd socks was never going to sit well with me, but I could look past that. Including the fact that the number of power combinations they could use were limited and so W ran out of cool tricks by episode 6. I could eve forgive the excessive amounts of lousy CGI. What really let me down about this show though was the female protagonist: a really really really irritatingly stupid bitch (that's as politely as i can put it on here). She constantly gets in the way, constantly shouts that no one told her anything and ruins the other cool characters. I couldn't bare the thought of watching more of that idiot cow.

Chouseishin Gransazer - The major problem with this series was that it wasn't very unique; basically an alternate idea on Super Sentai but with much more posturing. Some of the camera shots were cool, but the show just felt much too silly and lame frankly.

Ninpu Sentai Hurricanger - This show is stupid. Really Stupid. Idiotically so. The fight scenes were good but the characters are morons. That and the whole concept is a cross between Choujuu Sentai Liveman and Ninja Sentai Kakuranger. 

Engine Sentai Go-onger - The real let down of the series is that the main cast do not take the fight against evil seriously enough. They are always joking around and acting like they aren't doing anything serious at all. The talking engine zords are a pretty interesting idea, but not enough to make me want to continue watching it.

Kamen Rider Kuuga - The first series of the Heisei era Kamen Riders and an unfortunate let down. The story isn't too bad, but the fight scenes are pretty slow and unexciting: not what you want from Kamen Riders.

Madan Senki Ryukendo - not a bad series, just a bit to childish and simple in some places. Episode one set up some really cool battle between science and demons, but its just two different sides using magic in a semi lame manner. Shame really.

Kamen Rider Agito - Once again, not a bad series overall, but it is steeps in too much mystery and dark attitudes for me. Sure a challenge from the story is good, but it would be nice if there were some clue that made sense.

Kamen Rider Decade (Tokusatsu)

There are many worlds that live side by side, unbeknown to each other. However suddenly these worlds are starting to collide and destroy each other. The only one who can do something about it is the mysterious boy Tsukasa, who has the power to travel between the world with his friend and caretaker Natsumi. Tsukasa has the power to become Kamen Rider Decade, and must use his powers to battle against the previous 9 Kamen Riders, whose worlds he must save but whose worlds all reject him.

(1 Season, 31 episodes, Finished)

Everyone is always hating on Decade, and to be honest I can't really understand why because overall its a great series. Sure they could've made Decade less pink, but he is still a decent Rider. Anyone who is a massive fan of cross-over stuff will love this series because its all about how Decade has to go and fight the previous 9 Kamen riders from the Heisei Era (because this series is celebrating 10 years of Heisei Kamen Riders). Not only does he meet them, Decade can also turn into the other Riders and turn the actual Riders into super weapons, which is a pretty cool trick. That being said anyone who now expects to be able to see the previous Kamen Riders again will be slightly disappointed because each of the other Kamen Rider's stories have been altered slightly so that they are different from the original versions yet still keeping the same basic story going. This isn't necessarily a bad thing but it can be a little disappointing. On the plus side though the series comes up with a number of their own original worlds that revive some of the previous stories of the Kamen Riders (e.g. there is a world based on the Kamen Rider Blade film). Most of the characters are pretty enjoyable, except for Tsukasa himself who spends most of his time going around being a douche, then whipping out a cool realisation about that characters that he supposedly knew all along: frankly he's 80% annoying, 10% cool, 10% hate-able. The one major let down of the whole series is that it never ends properly and just goes into a giant cliff hanger that I'm not going to spoil. But it is very irritating and the only way to get any sense of closure is to either watch the Kamen Rider X Kamen Rider Decade Double cross over film, or skip the last 6 episodes in favour of the Kamen Rider Decade let's go all riders film. On that note there is also an additional film called the Decade X Den-o film, but really its all about Kamen Rider Den-o and Decade makes a couple of cameos in it: might as well have called it the Kamen Rider Den-o with Decade showing up here and there film. All in all though i feel this is a good addition to the series even if a little short and with a disappointing end.

Rating - 

6/10

Bakuman (Manga/Anime)

Mashiro is an ordinary middle school boy with a talent for drawing and a crush on the prettiest girl in the class. One day, he runs into Takagi, the school genius who offers him a proposal: 'work with me to create manga'. At first he refuses, but then finds out that the girl he likes, Azuki, is trying to become a voice actress and the two make a promise: that when Mashiro's manga gets made into an anime and Azuki stars as the voice actress, the two will get married. This event starts Mashiro and Takagi's paths off on the road to become Mangaka (professional artists).

(Anime: 2 Seasons (3rd slated for release) 26 episodes. Manga: 11 Volumes, Still running)

This is quite an unusual story brought to us by the makers of Death Note (a lot of the characters pay homage to this fact). Its a great blend of slice of life, comedy and romance stories and is a genuinely enjoyable experience to watch. It is also a very educational idea: it focuses on the two boys trying to become professional and explains a lot about the many levels and processes involved in trying to do so. Why they decided to make it, I don't care because its fun to learn something about the business and process by which great manga are brought to us. That being said, there is a tiny flaw in the plan: the story sometimes gets slowed down into long moments of dialogue where the characters are basically explaining everything and this can feel a little slow. With the anime this became a problem because there is so much information being thrown at you that you have to re-watch episodes several times to get the whole picture (not that there is anything wrong with that, but it is something to remember). Personally the manga is better because you can take your time but the anime is still just as enjoyable. There are some great moments in the story that really stand out and the whole story is fantastic. The characters are really enjoyable and the humour moments aren't too shabby. But probably one of the most memorable things about this story is the love relationship between Mashiro and Azuki: they basically decide not to see each other until their dreams come true, but this leads to some of the most bizarre and sweet interactions that i've ever seen from an anime. All i can say is i can't wait for season 3 of the anime to be released.

Rating - 

9/10

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann (Anime)

In the distant future, humanity is forced to live underground in small colonies while the surface is controlled by the beastmen, who pilot giant mecha called Gunmen and kill any human who approaches the surface. In one village live to brothers, the introverted digger Simon, and the dynamic Kamina who dreams of living on the world above. One day, a gunman falls through into their colony followed by the warrior woman Yoko. While fighting the Gunmen, Simon discovers a small mecha and uses it to fight back. Simon, Kamina and Yoko go up to the surface and continue to fight the beastmen by combining the little Mecha, Lagann, with Kamina's stolen Mecha Gurren, creating the ultimate gunman warrior Gurren Lagann.
(Anime: 1 Season, 27 Episode, Finished. Manga: 6 volumes, still running)

This...show...is...AWESOME on every scale!!!! I really can not explain just how fundamentally incredible this show is. Story starts out simple then evolves into this incredible adventure that gets more extreme with every passing second. The artistry is very incredible, mixing traditional character designs with flashing shocking colours and shames that become impossible to look away from. And the characters are awesome: the whole concept of this show is to ignore limits and just stand as big and proud as possible, which they do with breathtaking abandonment. It's like they thought 'lets create a bunch of characters that just say screw you to limits' and then made a series around it. And the mecha fights are incredible, unforgettable, extraordinary, extreme; the list goes on for several pages. This is one of those mecha series where the mecha ignore reality and just fight with super powers mega attacks - giant drills being the prime example here. I don't think i've done this show enough justice, but all I can summarise with is watch this show and TRY not to love it with every fibre of your being.

Rating

15/10 (because limits are for losers)

Naruto/Naruto Shippuden (Manga/Anime)

In a world of ninjas and spirits, there exists the Hidden Leaf village where many ninja train in the arts of ninjutsu. One young ninja, Naruto Uzumaki, hopes to become the leader of this village, the Hokage and be respected by all. But what he soon finds out is that he is cursed: sealed in his body is the spirit of the Kyuubi (Nine Tailed Fox) and monstrous demon that attacked the village and killed the previous Hokage before it could be sealed. But this does not stop Naruto, he is determined and with his fellow ninja trainees, the tomboy Sakura and the vengeful Sasuke, and his teacher Kakashi sensei, he will face many trouble and challenges on his way to becoming the greatest ninja of all.

(Anime: Multiple Seasons, 2 series, 466 episodes. Manga: 56 volumes, Still Running)

This is a mixed bag as a series, but by no means a bad show at all. The manga is still running as one continuous story with a break of 4 years in the middle (story wise) but the anime was broken into two different shows - Naruto and Naruto Shippuden. The first Naruto focuses on his child hood and it is very good because it establishes the story and characters, along with giving the details on the many super powered abilities and skills of the ninjas. That being said, it really feels like it is focused on setting up the story to Shippuden, and the anime does a good job of ignoring the manga after a while (The first 150 episodes were exactly what you want from an anime adaption, then the rest of the 250 episode series is fillers.) Naruto Shippuden is the current running series and to be honest, it is falling into a few pitfalls. For one thing every so often the anime catches up to the anime too quickly and it is forced to go off on its own filler tangent for a while to save time. Also some of the fight sequences have become a bit stale: they aren't bad, they just don't add anything special. 

On the whole though, this is a very enjoyable series. Stuffed with hilarious comedy, awe striking action and super powers that will blow your mind. Every character is unique and you can take your pick of favourites, and they are constantly growing and evolving in a way that really makes you invested in their stories. That being said some of the relationships become a little predictable and more often than not don't develop at the same rate as the characters. The story and world of the series is given an enormous amount of detail, to the point where every new development adds more depth. And of course the action is intense, a subtle mixture of super magic-like powers and wicked kung-fu action. Although as I said before the anime gets pretty stuffed with filler arks, so to be honest I recommend the manga more than the anime, it sticks to the story a lot more and you get the same level of entertainment as the anime.

Rating - 

7/10

Rurouni Kenshin (Manga)

3 years after the end of the revolutionary war in Japan, many of those who fought are trying to adjust into regular society. The most feared warrior and the greatest swordsman in all Japan Kenshin, who fought as Hitokiri Battousai, is one such warrior who struggles with his bloody past yet is unable to escape it because of the cross shaped scar on his cheek marking him. One day he meets the owner of an Edo swordsmanship dojo, Kamiya Kaoru, who is struggling to maintain her dojo as a female sword master. After an incident in which Kenshin saves her life, Kaoru forces Kenshin to live at the dojo. From that day they will face all kinds of threats and meet many companions and friends, while Kenshin tries to live with his memories from the battlefield.

(Manga: 27 volumes, finished. Anime; 95 episode, Finished)

This is a great manga, one of the most enjoyable for all kinds of reasons. For starters, the story is based on fact (the characters are fictional but Kenshin's character was based on an actual samurai from the civil war). This adds a great sense of depth are reality to the story, even if only slightly. It also highlights some of the problems Japanese society faced after the civil war - about opening up to western culture, the decline of the samurai warriors and swordsmanship and many other concepts. The artistry is fantastic, adding life to the fights and beauty to the story and setting. The characters are all loveable and there are plenty to choose from, especially Kenshin: his back story really makes you feel his pain and enjoy every moment of his struggles. And of course the fight scenes: unforgettable. They are given a touch of realism (i.e. they stretch the boundaries of reality without necessarily crossing them). The whole series is a great manga that makes you want to read it again and again. There was an anime spin off, but it doesn't measure up to the same standards: it started alright but then half way through went off on a tangent ignoring the rest of the manga's story (that and mostly these days it can only be found in english dub and really who wants to see that). I'd say read the manga but don't bother too much with anime and the manga itself is fantastic in every way except that it had to end.

Rating - 

10/10

Kamen Rider OOO (Tokusatsu)

1000 years ago, creatures known as Greeed were created from magically powered medals, cell medals for their bodies, and core medals that take the powers of animals for their souls. These creatures were sealed away but in the present day they are released. The only one who can stop them is Hino Eiji, a traveller who cares for others before himself and wants nothing except his pants for tomorrow. He meets a mysterious floating hand, the remains of the Greeed Anhk who is fighting the other Greeed and who give Eiji the power to transform in Kamen Rider OOO. The two form an unlikely alliance and fight the Greeed and their monster offsprings the yummy who are created from human desires.

(1 series, 48 episodes, Finished)

This is a great entry in the Kamen Rider series, commemorating the 1000th episode in the franchise (it took me a while to get the link) and celebrating 40 years of the Kamen Riders. It has everything one could want from a tokusatsu series, great action, awesome super powers and an amazing story. OOO himself is a very good entry as a Kamen Rider, fitting most of the requirements and adding his own unique flare. His major selling point is that his form and powers are dependant on the combinations of the medals he uses. And since each medal set comes in threes (each with their own powers) and there are 6 different sets of threes, this means that there is a wide variety of powers to see. The story is really good, being both a satire for human greediness and packed with amazing fight scenes, excellent plot twists and fantastic characters. Every character is loveable, whether you're watching the heros or the villains (except for one character who you hate from the word go). There is a secret organisation with an interest in the medals run by mr Kogami, and he is easily the most unforgettable character you will ever see. A great series, an all around favourite and thoroughly enjoyable to every kind of fan.

Rating - 

10/10

Bleach (Anime/Manga)

Unknown to the living, monstrous creatures known as Hollows roam the cities praying on the innocent spirits of the dead. To protect them and the living are shinigami (soul reapers) who's job it is to kill the hollows and release the spirits to cross over to the next world. One living human, Ichigo Kurosaki, is able to see spirits and talk with them. One day he meets a shinigami, Rukia Kuchiki and when she is injured, she gives him her powers and he now fights in her place as a substitute Soul Reaper. While fighting he has to contend with numerous other spiritual warriors and dark forces who seek to destroy him and the rest of the living.

(Anime: Multiple Seasons, 366 episodes total, Finished. Manga; 41 volumes, Still running)

When I started watching this series, it was one of my favourites. It was a good story, with lots of amazing fight sequences and super powered effects. With each step the level of the story got deeper and more exciting and it was genuinely good to watch. That was 300 episodes ago. Since then the series fell on a steep downwards slope for numerous reasons.

Firstly the anime was made too soon: the manga wasn't half finished and the result was that the anime had to make up for the lack of main story by making long filler seasons that had nothing to do with the rest of the story. Some of these were good, others not so much but for all of them you find yourself wishing it would get on with the real story. Then the story itself is flawed: it kept introducing many new characters and special powers and most of these are never fully explained or given enough detail. They either get introduced as small characters who get killed off, or they simply don't feel the need to explain it further: well we feel the need, even if you don't writers. As I said before the fight sequences are very entertaining, and this is still true throughout the series. Granted it gets blunted by the fact that the super powers and abilities they use don't get fully explained, but they are still fun to watch.

The manga itself is enjoyable but falls into the same pitfalls as the anime (unsurprising really). The manga was broken into about 4 arks, but it could have ended after the second. The 3rd ark was much too short and the 4th has been made to end the story, hopefully on a better note than the anime which was cancelled after the end of the 3rd ark. All together this isn't a bad series if you skip over the fillers and just watch the 1st two arks of the story.

Rating -

5/10

Katanagatari (Anime)

In feudal Japan, a sword smith created 12 legendary swords which are rumoured, when all brought together, have enough power to give the user the strength to rule the world. A strategist to the Shogun Togame is on the hunt for the swords on behalf of the shogun. To help her, she enlists the help of the 7th head of the ancient Kyoutouryuu (Swordless Style) swordsman Yasuri Shichika - who's family and Togame have an old history and who agrees to fight for Togame because he has fallen in love with her. On their journey they will face master swordsmen, deadly ninjas and many other obstacles before they can find the 12 swords.

(1 Series, 12 Episodes, Finished)

Before I go into what makes the series so great, I have to tell you a bit about the series as a whole: each episode is worth 3 regular anime episodes and was released one episode every month for a whole year. This lead to a SERIOUSLY high level of build up, but it is absolutely worth it. It is also one of the most unique anime's in terms of art style and is as beautiful to watch as it is exciting.

The series itself is spectacular, jam packed with everything that great stories are made of. Sometimes the episodes get pretty slow: they are long episodes with a lot of moments of dialogue that make it feel like a novel or manga rather than an anime, but it is all crucial to pay attention to because what they're saying is an important part of both the back story and the characters development. And when the fight scenes come along, they are guaranteed to blow your minds. That beautiful art style is put to the extreme with dynamic and exciting fights mixing all kinds of combat and super powered attacks. One of the best things about those fights is the way Shichika is pitted against the users of the swords (he fights without swords but with the same powers, you'll have to see it to understand this point because it will take just too long to explain here). It leads to some unforgettable fights and each one is better than the last. There are plenty of highly enjoyable characters coming in all shapes and sizes throughout the series and always playing off the Togame and Shichika relationship. A fantastic series if you have time to enjoy every episode and a great story.

Rating - 

10/10

Zero No Tsukaima (Anime)

In a world where magic is normal, and science hasn't been discovered, a school exists to teach every magician to manipulate one or more of the 4 elements, except for one: Louise, called the Zero by her classmates for being the only magician unable to do anything more than blow stuff up. One day, when the students are trying to summon their magic familiars, Louise accidentally summons a human familiar from our world: Saito. Now Saito has to adapt to his new world and people, get along with his bossy mistress and protect her from approaching forces of darkness.

(4 Seasons, 12/13 episodes, Finished)

This is a really good romantic comedy, with a good helping of fantasy thrown in. There is a lot of really funny comedy and a bunch of really enjoyable characters. Sometimes the episodes go off on a tangent (dissolving into random episodes of haremic fan-service) but that's ok because those episodes are still enjoyable and they help to expand the relationships between the various characters. Each season deals with a specific story and theme and those stories connect into the next so to get the full picture of the series you have to watch the whole thing. But since the season's are short thats not too bad. Also the relationship between Saito and Louise is one of my favourites in Anime: its very sweet and warm in some places and spoiled by hilarious 'oops' moments that serve to make the relationship feel deeper (even if it does get a little tedious waiting for the moment when they finally open up to each other). All in all its a pleasant series with a lot to offer to anyone who's a fan of rom-com, fantasy, action and even harem anime.

Rating:

8/10