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Throughout the course of KonoSuba's first season, it became apparent that its primary appeal to many people is arguably its use of an over-the-top and well-timed form of comedic humor. This OVA episode is simply an extension of that level of humor that many of us come to love and appreciate.

- minor spoilers henceforth -

You can consider this episode more of a stand-alone episode - in terms of plot, it is not connected to any part of KonoSuba's first season. To summarize quickly, our four favorite wanderers - Megumin, Aqua, Darkness, and Kazuma - enter Wiz's shop one day, where we meet Yunyun, Megumin's ... self-proclaimed rival. As they bicker among each other, Kazuma puts on a magical device that can grant any wish. If the wish isn't granted within a four day period, the user dies. Since Kazuma doesn't wish for anything (or so he thinks), he uses the next four days to make Megumin, Aqua, Darkness, Yunyun, and Wiz to do whatever he wishes. Hilarity ensues.

- end spoilers -

Simply put, this was a nice and fun OVA to watch. It's difficult to critically analyze OVAs since they tend to be short (only 20 minutes long) and don't follow the main story, so I've spared you the trouble. But in terms of the script itself, the writing is highly consistent with the execution of that of the first season. The humor hits you just at the right moment, and the writers of this OVA have delivered a surplus of it, that's for sure.

So, should you watch this? Well, for one, if you're expecting something really deep or meaningful, you have come to the wrong place. Or perhaps you think the characters will be more tolerable despite the fact that you found them bland and irritable during the first season - well, unfortunately, they're exactly the same, so I would not recommend watching this OVA if you hold that opinion. On the other hand, if you liked how KonoSuba's comedy played out during the first season, you'll probably like this too. And, finally, it should be noted that there is some combination of fan service, crude humor, and lewd humor present - and, at times it was on the level of what we witnessed in the infamous Season 1 Episode 9 ("God's Blessing on this Wonderful Shop!"). So if you found yourself cringing throughout Episode 9, maybe this also isn't for you.

All in all, this was a humorous time-killer. Fortunately, in case you haven't heard, there is a second season in the works right now. But for now, this will have to do until it's released.

(Side note: As with all other reviews that I write for OVAs, overall rating reflects enjoyment only.)

As you probably already know, competitive spirit, teamwork, communication, and perseverance are all common themes that unite the sports genre as a whole. Therefore, to truly differentiate one show from other similar shows, scriptwriters need to engage the audience in a remarkably new and refreshing way.

I think for some people, this show is able to connect with them on some deeper, meaningful level. The way that this show engages with its audience is truly something else. The way Karasuno interacts, the way they crack jokes, and their never-ending drive to succeed – it makes you feel excited. It’s as if you are there physically with ... them, cheering the underdogs on as they take on the world around them.

For me, I appreciate how some individuals who were disregarded in the first season are now given much more depth. Consider Tsukishima, for instance. After losing to their ever-so-favorite rivals, the Karasuno team is rebuilding as a team and honing their skills by attending training camps. It is during this when Tsukishima’s time to shine came. In a single episode, we learned why Tsukishima is so deeply affected by his brother’s betrayal and why Tsukishima is such a lone wolf. Thanks to a push by his close friend Yamaguchi, Tsukishima finally learns the true meaning of teamwork, and, from this, he begins to participate in team-building activities (i.e. playing mini-games against with other schools in the training camp). In the first season, you know he would never ever do something like this. It is very fortunate that Tsukishima decided to change; if he didn’t, he would never have been able to hone his skillset, which becomes especially important during the spring qualifiers. Another example: Ennoshita. He becomes a key motivator for the team. He has some big shoes to fill, and he would never have been in this position if it weren’t for Daichi.

Another thing that I really liked about what Haikyuu is how the antagonists (i.e. Karasuno’s rivals) are also characterized. How many shows out there have you watched where you have had one-dimensional villains (or antagonists or bad guys or whatever you want to call them) that you couldn’t relate to? Too many, right? Fortunately, Haikyuu breaks away from this by giving a lot of the antagonists some serious backstory. Most of the time we are able to learn what volleyball means to the rival, what kind of a team player they are, and why the match means so much to them.

But there’s only one major downside that I can think of: there’s an obvious imbalance regarding the characters. Haikyuu has a tendency to characterize just one individual at a time. People who were given a decent amount of screen time during the first season (e.g. Nishinoya) are suddenly ignored this season; others (e.g. Hinata and Kageyama) decrease in significance. On the other hand, some of the second year benchwarmers still get no screen time. It’s a shame, really. If the show were able to balance out its characters better, we would have been able to understand better how the team operates as a whole and see much more team synergy as a result.

Now moving onto the plot – the plot is more of a mixed bag, to be honest. Yes, it’s exciting to some degree, but the pacing of the plot is not Haikyuu’s strongest point. It’s rather sluggish, and it’s usually due to the following factors:

- The characters talk a lot. Like a lot. Imagine you and your best friend talking. Multiply that by 10.
- They all think a lot too. They are trying to anticipate their opponents.
- The characters are given a backstory.
- Characters are trying new flashy moves. Groovy.
- Sensei is playing the “I’m new to volleyball please explain everything to me” or the “listen to my wise words” role for you.
- The team that Karasuno is playing against is surging ahead in number of points, and the characters are trying to think of a way to fight back.
- Or they’re literally just hitting the ball back and forth endlessly. Who’s going to get the point?

This constant pattern causes each major match drags out over 2-3 episodes. I’m not entirely sure if this is necessary – although they are all technically well-incorporated, there is a point when you become impatient and want to know what the results of the match are. As for non-matches, there is sometimes extraneous information that really serve no purpose in the context of the show. I wouldn’t say 10 minutes of eating BBQ after a nice, long training camp and male volleyball players commenting on the superficial looks of the high schools’ assistant managers was necessary.

And then there’s plot armoring. I really hate to say it, but for shows like these, plot armoring is inevitable (would you want to keep watching a team that keeps losing? Unless you’re a diehard fan, I didn’t think so), so it really is a question of how well-balanced it is. It is easy to say, “You know, they deserve it, they’ve been working hard as a team” and allow the underdogs to keep winning consecutive matches. Fortunately, for Haikyuu, plot armoring is heavily restricted to what is absolutely necessary. For instance, Karasuno doesn’t have to win every practice match (as an audience member, however, I know you’re secretly praying for them to win. Don’t worry, I did that too) and good thing they don't – otherwise they wouldn’t have been able to learn from their mistakes.

Now briefly for one more positive thing about the plot: there's humor and it's well-incorporated throughout the show. Haikyuu would have been utterly flat without it. The way the characters interact and make fun of each other came off as very natural. It kept the ball rolling, especially when things got extremely sluggish.

Art and sound were all excellent. Animation was done very well by Production I.G (see Ao Haru Ride, Kuroko No Basket, and Kimi ni Todoke), although nothing was truly that remarkable. For sound, the OP was very moving and embodied the whole competitive spirit. Voice acting was decent too for the context of this show.

So is it the best sports anime ever? Eh, debatable. It has a lot to offer in terms of characters and will keep you on your toes, but the show is terribly paced. Given this, if you thoroughly enjoyed the first season, don’t worry; you will like the second season too due to its similar execution.

Now that that’s all out of the way, it was a fun ride when it lasted. I can’t wait to see what the third season has in store for us.

Overall: B

Author's Disclaimer: Please remember, this is my own personal opinion. I critique anime primarily on how the story is executed and how well-rounded the characters are. This review is not meant to target any other review but was intended to provide a more holistic analysis.

It should also be noted that this is a full-fledged review of the entire season.

Boku dake ga Inai Machi (ERASED) is an anime that capitalizes on emotional appeal. It incorporates plot devices that primarily targets the audience’s pathos and on a surface level achieves this very effectively. Unfortunately, these same plot devices are only contrived for the sole purpose of making the audience have the so-called “feels.” From a more logical perspective, they do not make any sense, and because of this, we are left with an inconsistent plotline that is riddled with flaws.

(Side note: minor spoilers from this point on.)

As one example, consider how Kayo was abused by her mother. Although I am sure the author meant to ... incorporate some level of realism into his writing, Kayo’s abuse was ultimately used as a way to draw the audience on an emotional basis. Since society frowns down upon all forms of child abuse, most people would accept it at face value and never question it. But let’s be honest for a second: none of it was explained. Why was the abuse occurring? Were there any specific triggers? Why didn’t anyone notice this if this has been happening for years? And so on.

Plus, was it really necessary to use child abuse like this? There are so many other ways that you could have elicited just as powerful of an emotional response and NOT use something controversial. Being heartbroken, amending broken friendships, taking a stand with your friends, etc. (all of which could have been implemented in the context of this show, by the way) could have just as easily done the trick.

Now aside from the emotional appeal, the rest of the plot doesn’t make any sense either. For something that is so fundamental to the plot, there is no explanation as to how Satoru gained the Revival ability other than the fact that he somehow magically has it. In a world that is governed by the natural laws of this universe, the Revival ability hardly seems remotely realistic and, as a result, it seems to serve no real purpose other than to force the plot along. On top of all of that, the Satoru’s Revival ability seemingly has no rules to it other than Satoru’s free will. Need to use it because you really don’t want to go to jail? No problem, Revival time! Don’t need Revival ever again because you said so? Okay adios, now it’s gone. Forever. Because of reasons.

As for pacing, it spans the entire spectrum: fast, slow, just right – it’s all there. Sometimes the show pulls it off just dandy. The first episode, for example, was crazy fast, but it still eked out the main gist of what was going on: Satoru’s weird mysterious power, the main characters, and so on. On the other hand, the last three episodes were fast too, but they were all crammed in a way that resulted in unsubstantial character development (e.g. Hiromi and Aya) even though it was clear from the first episode that the two of them played a significant role in the entire plot. Furthermore, all of this cramming eventually leads to important parts in the manga being left out – so, manga readers, beware!

Now onto the characters. Sure, Satoru is collected and analytical, but his personality is incredibly dry. A lot of the other characters did not stand out that much either, minus maybe the smart, attentive Kenya. But what I found most remarkable about the characters was that some of them shared deep, meaningful relationships. For example: Satoru and his mom, Sachiko. A true motherly figure, Sachiko not only takes care of Satoru but also his friends. She knows how he thinks and operates on a day-to-day basis. She knows when not to pry into her son’s life, and she respects him for who he is as a person. All of this is reflected in the short yet interesting dialogues between her and Satoru.

Unfortunately, some other relationships end up not being as strong as Satoru’s and Sachiko’s. Satoru and Kayo is one example of this. The middle 6 or 7 episodes were intentionally slowed down in terms of pacing so that the two of them could build their relationship from out of thin air to something deep. And for the most part, the show accomplishes this well. But in the last three episodes of the show, the show takes a complete U-turn, tossing out their entire relationship out the window. Now before you accuse me for being super butthurt or laughing at me because their “ship” sank, let me be clear: I would have no problem with this if this were executed well, but let’s break down what happens. To start off, Satoru’s been there for Kayo from the very beginning, so it really does not make sense how she would turn her back on him after Satoru reawakens. Sure, maybe the other-guy-in-the-picture had gotten to know Kayo when Satoru wasn’t physically around, but there was nothing in the anime that suggested such a thing. Just a minute of explanation and leaving things at the status quo wouldn’t be an issue. Satoru and Airi is another example, since the anime leaves out a huge chunk of their relationship in its adaptation.

Moving away from the characters and now onto the sound and the art. The artwork is animated by A-1 Pictures. They’ve also animated Shigatsu, AnoHana, SAO, and the whole spiel so it is done well. Sound is also great. The music was timed well to create an ominous mood when it was needed. Voice acting was decent too, although none of it was that exceptional.

In the grand scheme of things, ERASED is a watchable show and I wouldn’t mind recommending this to others. Emotional appeal isn’t inherently bad. Think about Clannad After Story, Little Busters! Refrain, and others – they all had their charm, and ERASED is just another show that falls into that category. However, basing an entire plot primarily on emotional appeal – that’s when things start to fall apart and become incomprehensible and illogical. That’s why ERASED isn’t a masterpiece – but it’s not downright horrible either.

Overall: C+

Author's Disclaimer: Please remember, this is my own personal opinion. I critique anime primarily on how the story is executed and how well-rounded the characters are. This review is not meant to target any other review but was intended to provide a more holistic analysis.

It should also be noted that this is a full-fledged review of the entire season.

The beauty of She and Her Cat: Everything Flows lies in its utter simplicity. It takes what we often take for granted, puts a nice metaphorical spin on it, and connects to us on a deep and heartwarming level that you would never expect in a million years.

Kanojo (or Miyu), the main character of Everything Flows, is a college student who is just beginning to face the real world. As with many other independent college students, she is facing some tough times, but what makes her situation all the more interesting is how she is being bombarded with incessant change. She just recently moved ... out of her childhood home, her friend/roommate recently left the apartment that the two of them split the rent for, and she’s had her applications rejected in her endless search to get a job. Needless to say, things are not looking too bright for Kanojo.

The only one thing that has remained steady and consistent in Kanojo’s life is her cat, Daru. Kanojo’s mother found Daru when Kanojo was still a young child, and, although initially rejecting Daru, she learns to tolerate him. Over time, they grow together and form a deep relationship with each other. Their relationship has now developed up to a point now where Daru recognizes the hardship that Kanojo has to endure. Although there is not much that Daru can physically do, it is clear that he empathizes with her deeply.

It should be noted that the entire storyline is told from Daru’s point of view, but it isn’t isolated to just that. By incorporating a number of flashbacks and cleverly integrated metaphors throughout the story, the screenwriters of this 4 episode series have created something that has just enough impact to leave an impression yet still not sound overly sappy. It’s truly just right: a masterfully crafted balance, as I would say.

As for the art and sound, they are both well done. An easy, breezy OP & ED and well-timed music to leave an emotional impact – what’s there not to like? The animation and art are very consistent and does the trick for this show.

Overall, it’s a great watch. 28 minutes in total may not seem like much, but it does the trick for the context of this show. The simplicity of this show is its strongest selling point, and after watching this I’m sure that it’ll leave you thinking about your own life too.

Overall Grade: A-

Author's Disclaimer: Please remember, this is my own personal opinion. I critique anime primarily on how the story is executed and how well-rounded the characters are. This review is not meant to target any other review but was intended to provide a more holistic analysis.

It should be noted that this is a full-fledged review of the entire season.

If you were like me, you are probably thinking about watching this show because it looks like another Saekano. Surprise: it’s not!

Girls Beyond the Wasteland is a series about a group of friends/schoolmates getting together to make a bishojou game. They all bring a different skillset to the table and serve in different positions: Buntarou is the script writer; Andou is the coder; Yuuki is the artist; Yuuka is the voice actress (voiced by the amazing Kana Hanazawa, mind you); Atomu, the assistant and member-at-large; and Sayuki, who basically checks over everything and takes care of everything else.

Girls Beyond the Wasteland is a show that ... takes a slice-of-life approach. What I mean by this is that most of it (emphasis on most) occurs on an episodic basis. Whenever you want to incorporate a slice-of-life approach, you need to balance it out with something else because you are basically forsaking a definitive story that would otherwise unite the entire plot together. Whether it’s pure humor (e.g. Hanayamata, The Daily Lives of High School Boys, etc.) or a colorful cast of characters that mesh well with each other (e.g. Love Live!, K-On!, etc.), something needs to occur to captivate the audience somehow.

And that’s the numero uno problem with this show: there is nothing captivating. At all. Nothing. There is some humor, but it is sporadically placed throughout the show in a poorly integrated fashion. As for the characters themselves, well they are mostly archetypal, one-dimensional, clichéd, and with no development. But I’ll give the show this: there definitely was some potential for development. However, it did not flesh out this opportunity well. Some characters are the stars of their own episode (e.g. Andou, Yuuka, Buntarou, Yuuki, etc.) but literally nothing happened. Awfully formulaic too, since it usually boiled down to this:

- A conflict occurs, either internally or with someone else
- Some lame resolution is reached
- Move onto the next episode and (usually) pretend like that was it and nothing happened

Fortunately, towards the end of the show, whoever wrote this show does break away from this dry formula. A slight improvement, yes, but this also presents its own set of flaws. For example, Sayuki’s brother – someone who was never mentioned in the show until two episodes before his actual appearance – is forced into the plot because, you know, the plot needs to move along somehow. Same goes for the other competitive game-making group that wants to acquire members from Buntarou’s group. It’s something that does not build off on anything in the show. Aside from that, other aspects of the plot is also pretty clichéd. Obligatory fanservice episode with no meaning? Don’t worry, it’s there alright!

If you’re worried about the pacing, it is actually alright for the most part since the story is presented episodically. The only issue with it is with the first episode, where basically getting every character to join the group is crammed into an incoherent 24 minutes. Because of this, you may end up questioning why some of them decided to join the group.

As for the art, it’s very mediocre. There are some minor shading inconsistencies and the characters themselves seem to almost never change facial expressions. Sound-wise, the voice acting was done well and the music was alright, but I didn’t find it too remarkable.

All in all, a dry cast of characters and a formulaic plot is never a good combination. There were times when the show could have built off the potential it had, but it blew every chance that it was given. I wouldn’t recommend watching this unless you were so bored that you have nothing to do. Then go ahead.

P.S. Did you pick up on the references to other shows? (cough Saekano cough)

Overall: D+

Author's Disclaimer: Please remember, this is my own personal opinion. I critique anime primarily on how the story is executed and how well-rounded the characters are. This review is not meant to target any other review but was intended to provide a more holistic analysis.

It should also be noted that this is a full-fledged review of the entire season.

Introducing Stride: an extreme high-thrilled sport where parkour and endurance running collide together!

The rules of Stride are really simple: you form a team of six people and you compete against one other team. Five of you run across the race course as a relay, avoiding obstacles, and staying on track. The fastest team who crosses the finish line first wins.

It’s definitely a very interesting concept straight from the get-go. So why can’t I rank this show any higher?

Well, for one, whenever you introduce a sport, it is imperative to consider your audience: they have no clue what the sport is about or never ... even heard of anything like it before. Furthermore, sports often incorporate a lot of new terminology that can lose the audience quickly. As a result, the screenwriters must absolutely take the time to explain these terms well.

This is where Prince of Stride begins to crack. In the first few episodes, terms such as “relationer” will be thrown at you and leave you second-guessing until you actually see it in action. Techniques associated with parkour or the relationing process itself, too, are never properly explained. And, most importantly, the rules of Stride are very open, and this is a recipe for disaster. For instance, shortcuts – what exactly constitutes an acceptable shortcut? Couldn’t you technically just “shortcut” an entire leg? Since this rule and others like it are never thoroughly explained, viewers who are making an attempt to understand what is happening are more than often left hanging and utterly confused. And mind you that this is just one rule – there are plenty of others that don't make any sense either.

The other issue is the characters themselves. As you probably know, Prince of Stride centers on the members of the Honan Stride team. The characters on this team had serious potential but were never given ample time on the show to have enough depth. Some characters were given no time at all and honestly were not a significant factor in the show (e.g. Hozumi). They could have been left out from the story and the plot of the entire show would not have changed much (minus the fact that you would have an incomplete team, oops). Others are what I like to call half-baked: some characterization but somewhat forced. A good example of this is Nana. Nana’s true colors begin to show when her father shows up back in Japan, but since her father was never mentioned up to this point, it seems as if his entire purpose was to elicit some emotional response from her. Thus, her actions and thoughts come off as a little unbelievable. I would argue that the only decent characterization was of Riku (see episode 11), since we later learn that he uses Stride as a way to dissociate his own identity from his more talented brother’s.

As for the plot, there isn’t really anything remarkable about it. As with all other sports anime, Prince of Stride: Alternative tries to balance Honan’s training and the tournaments that they participate in. In the first half of the show, there is more training and other trivial things that they do (e.g. obtain a sponsor) than there are actual tournaments, and some of these training sessions do not produce anything fruitful other than heightened, excited emotions. Towards the end of the show, however, the plot finally gets somewhere when the Honan team comes face-to-face against two of their toughest, most challenging rival teams during the End of Summer semi-finals and finals.

For the art, let’s just say it’s different. The color palette that Madhouse chose to use in this show often comes off as overly bright or pale. It’s not oversaturated as in the colors of No Game No Life but will take some time to adjust to. Despite this, the animation and artwork is very consistent. Sound and voice acting are also of high quality, albeit none of it really stood out.

So, just to summarize, I wouldn’t say that this is one of the better sports anime out there. Its premise had a lot of potential but unfortunately the plot does not build off from it at all. If you’re looking for a more balanced story or characters with more depth, you won’t find them here. I felt like too often this show came off as a little dry since nothing is really explored well, and it’s likely that you will think this way too.

Overall rating: C

Author's Disclaimer: Please remember, this is my own personal opinion. I critique anime primarily on how the story is executed and how well-rounded the characters are. This review is not meant to target any other review but was intended to provide a more holistic analysis.

It should also be noted that this is a full-fledged review of the entire season.

From the very first episode in Season 1, Date A Live was definitely unique in its set-up. Using dates to save spirits from their misery is certainly a concept that you do not see often in the romance genre (except maybe The World God Only Knows? Just maybe?) and this was initially executed in a very interesting way. Where Date A Live goes wrong, however, is that, instead of coming up with something new, the writers choose to recycle the same generic formula once, twice, and now thrice.

“Formula? What the heck are you talking about? What formula is this?” you may ask. Nothing wrong ... with asking a totally legitimate question. And to answer: well, let us boil down exactly what happened in the past two seasons. Whenever a problem comes up in the form of a new character, tensions among various characters, or some kind of event, how do the characters resolve it? That’s right, a date. Something as simple as two people spending time together as a way to seal up the worst of the worst.

Does this happen once again in Mayuri Judgment? Certainly. But having Shidou go on six dates for the first 45 minutes of the movie was really unnecessary and dragged the plot on and on. Nothing spectacular come out of these dates, and we learned nothing new about the characters that we did not already know.

As for the climax itself, talk about messy, messy, messy. One thing that I kept asking was what the heck is the big-ball-of-doom doing there? The relationship between that and Mayuri’s presence is constantly hinted at during the “climax” battle, but it’s never fully explained and thus we end up taking it at face value.

Moving onto the characters themselves, there really isn’t any development at all. In the first and second seasons, dates were used as a way to forge and deepen the relationships between Shidou and the rest of the main characters. Since they are all now close friends, these dates don’t hold the same kind of meaning anymore, hence the little character development. Don’t get me wrong – the characters are definitely interesting – it’s just that they don’t really change at all.

One new character does come into the mix: Mayuri. But she’s just there with really no purpose for most of the movie – stalking around in the background, following the main characters around, with some hints here and there. When it’s finally her time to shine, she transitions into the plot inconsistently and poorly. In one moment, nobody but Shidou can see her, but all of a sudden in the next second everybody else can. All of this crammed into literally the last 20 to 30 minutes of the movie.

The only one character I was extremely disappointed with was Origami. She was completely a throwaway character in the movie who butts in randomly to challenge Tohka (as if we’ve never seen this happen in the previous seasons), and then removes herself from the picture once that is over. The movie could have just done well without her (although I’m sure the fans wouldn’t have liked that).

Sound and art are of high quality. The animation is by Production IMS so it is definitely high quality. The voice acting is also done well. I personally really like how Shidou changes his voice when he switches into his female counterpart. My only major issue is that sometimes the 3D graphics looked a little odd and incompatible with the bright, well-illuminated background, but otherwise from that, no complaints on that front.

So is this movie worth your time? Well if you’re reading this review and thinking about it, you’ve probably already enjoyed the first two seasons well enough so go right ahead. From a critical standpoint, however, I was pretty disappointed. Date A Live: Mayuri Judgment did not put itself ahead of the pack.

Overall Grade: D+

Author's Disclaimer: Please remember, this is my own personal opinion. I critique anime primarily on how the story is executed and how well-rounded the characters are. This review is not meant to target any other review but was intended to provide a more holistic analysis.

Little Busters!: Ecstasy is an additional (and likely final) eight episode addition to the Little Busters franchise that was coupled with the DVD release of Refrain. Although LB! EX certainly had its moments, its ultimate downfall was due to its script writing. Simply put, the plot was not strong enough to keep the show flowing in a straightforward, unidirectional manner.

Before I jump to my criticisms, I want to say briefly that I certainly enjoyed LB! EX. In fact, I watched it twice just to make sure I'm not imagining any of the cons that I listed, but unfortunately, they are there, and there are some ... pretty glaring issues that I can't ignore.

The main issue I had with LB! EX was the same issue I had with the first and second seasons of LB (and pretty much any VN from Key that is adapted). By trying to incorporate a bunch of supernatural elements into the plot line, we are ultimately left with, frankly, a mess that doesn't follow any coherent flow. A good example of this in Saya's arc. Yet despite having the most screen time of the three heroines, Saya's arc was by far the weakest arc simply because there are a lot of unanswered questions that forced us to accept things at face value. For instance, how and why exactly does Saya come into existence? Who exactly are the Darkness executives, and why are they such an integral part of this world? And why was Saya able to make it out at the very end of her arc? Frankly, any creator that leaves so many open questions cannot argue that they have a strong, well-written script, no matter how feels-y or charming it can get.

Fortunately, LB! EX is not all bad. The other two heroines, Kanata and Sasami, finally get some much needed screen time. Although the two of them showed up every now and then throughout the first season, they are the stars of their respective arcs and we get to learn substantially more about their past. For Kanata, it's a continuation of the first season - that is, what we learned about Kanata's past in the first season gets even more depth. In the first season, we learned about why Kanata has such a tough exterior for her personality, and LB! EX builds on this by describing the sacrifices that Kanata made for her sister.

As for Sasami, we go straight to her past and learn about her bond with a stray cat that she took in at an early age. Unfortunate circumstances separate the two, but it is in Sasami's arc where the two reunite and resolve their differences.

The one thing I really liked about Kanata's and Sasami's arc is their consistency (in terms of their plot) to their parent story. As I've already indicated, Kanata's arc was a more in-depth description of her past and carries over some of what we learned about her in the first season. As for Sasami, her arc borrows the concept of the "a new, secondary supernatural world that is controlled by one particular character" from LB! Refrain. Although I still can't follow how such a world gets established (Refrain didn't explain this that well), the more important thing is that it's not a new concept that comes straight out of the blue.

As for themes, a lot of what is used is recycled from the previous two seasons. If you're looking for something new, something deeper, something more meaningful than the previous seasons you will definitely not find it here. Love and the testing of one's friendship are all concepts that we've seen not only in this show but in a lot of other anime out there. Although these two concepts are not executed worse than the other two LB seasons, it doesn't really bring anything new to the table either.

As for characters, well, frankly put - there's nothing really special here. Saya is your stock-of-the-mill tsundere who falls for Riki apparently because of the amount of time that they spent together during their childhood (this love development certainly could have been fleshed out more, but I'll just set that aside for now). Sasami and Kanata are a bit more realistic, but even so, I'm sure you could name other shows out there where you've seen cold/mysterious personalities.

As for character development, it's certainly present in LB! EX - to a degree. It certainly could have been fleshed out more, but you do have to remember that there are only eight episodes to LB! EX portioned into three separate arcs, so nothing truly spectacular can happen within that given frame. Still, Saya begins to open up to Riki towards the end of her arc (as with most tsunderes, lol); Kanata finally realizes the true meaning of sisterhood and friendship and how important the two are to her; and Sasami confronts her past, resolves it, moves on, and carries on with her life. At the end of Sasami's arc, you can see that she is clearly no longer held back by her past as she is more willing to take part in activities that she would have obviously avoided during the first season of LB.

Obligatory statement regarding the art: it is well-illuminated, consistent, and well done. J.C.Staff is godly when it comes to art designs and certainly sets the standard high in the anime industry.

And sound: I wouldn't say there's anything too exceptional regarding the voice acting. It's consistent, like the artwork. I will say this, however: LB! EX probably has some of the most interesting and meaningful OP and ED that I've seen thus far. The lyrics that they use in each song apply directly to what is happening in the anime. Yes, okay the OP remixes the first season's OP, but it's an electric guitar. Come on. Who doesn't like electric guitars?

In conclusion, will you enjoy LB! EX? Certainly. I doubt you'd drop the show. If you're reading this, you're probably thinking about watching the series, which means you probably made it through the other two seasons just fine. But do I think it is the best thing ever? Nope.

Actually I take that back, maybe the electric guitar solo is the best thing ever.

tl;dr

Pros:
+ Some of the plot is consistent with previous seasons
+ More screen time to side characters that was direly needed
+ Some development
+ Good art
+ Electric guitars, just because

Cons:
- Development could have been fleshed out more, but it passes
- Some of the plot doesn't really make any sense and leaves unanswered questions
- Stock-of-the-mill anime archetypes that aren't really original in the slightest

Overall: 4. Although consistent, the plot is simply too weak to stand on its own.

Nisekoi: OVA is an extra 26 minute episode that was released with a recent issue of the Nisekoi manga. Its plot is divided into two parts. Part 1, also known as, "Honeymoon", centers around the male main character, Raku, and the first four female characters of his harem: Chitoge, Kosaki, Marika, and Seishirou. In "Honeymoon", Raku and each of the four characters share a dream together in which the two of them become married.

Part 2 of the OVA is "Magical Pâtissière Kosaki-chan!" It essentially builds off from the first half of Episode 8 from the second season of Nisekoi ("Magical Pâtissière Kosaki!"). Here, Chitoge, ... Marika, and Kosaki use their magical powers once again to battle the evil leader Shuu.

If you're wondering if the scriptwriting improved, you will be sorely disappointed. It uses the same old antics, but even then, the humor is far drier than its parent story. On top of that, the plot jumps all over the place (and since when did Nisekoi ever have a straight plotline? Good question.). As for the characters themselves, they don't change much from the second season, which is to be expected since this is just a single OVA.

The art is done well and does not differ much from the second season. The shading is very consistent and the animation is fluid. If you pay close attention, you will also notice that Magical Pâtissière Kosaki-chan! pays tribute to some of Shaft's other shows, including Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica and Bakemonogatari. Aside from that, I do want to warn some of you that there is some minor fanservice. If you're not interested in stuff like that, I wouldn't recommend watching, but if you're okay with it, go right ahead.

The sound in general is decent, but it is certainly far, far from spectacular. Let's just say that it suffices for the context of this episode.

Overall, this OVA was pretty poorly done and lackluster. It had its moments, but it ultimately fell flat on its face due to the fact that it was so dry. If you decide to not watch this OVA, don't worry - you're not missing out.

(In case you're wondering, by the way, I gave this OVA overall a 3 because MAL says 3 is "poor." Which is what exactly this was.)

The iDOLM@STER: 765 Pro to Iu Monogatari, which is also known as the Idolmaster Special, is a 26 minute OVA of sorts that was released with the iDOLM@STER Blu-ray disc. It is essentially a compilation of short, quick stories revolving around everybody within 765 Productions. If you have a favorite character from the original Idolmaster series, don't worry; there is a high chance that they're in this episode somewhere. (Yes, even the members from Jupiter are in this episode.)

The stories themselves maybe short and presented in a slice-of-life kind of way, but they are still very humorous. You'll be able to dig a little deeper ... into the more trivial aspects of the idols' daily lives in a way that is much different from the original series. However, if you're looking for some intense drama (as with 961 Pro in the original series), character development, or anything of that sort, unfortunately, you won't find it here at all. This is just one episode after all.

The sound, as with the original Idolmaster series, is arguably the strongest point of this episode. There is plenty of music presented throughout the Idolmaster Special. It never ceases to amaze me the amount of effort that people put into the creation of these songs.

The art is very similar to that of the original series too. More importantly, there are no glaring inconsistencies. All of the characters, settings, and objects all share the same style of artwork. Furthermore, everything moves quite fluidly as a whole.

Overall, the Idolmaster Special was definitely funny and worthwhile, but don't expect anything overly meaningful from it.