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In the modern world, society is obsessed with vampires. Vampires have enough mysteriousness and data on them that various writers and directors throughout all mediums of media love creating stories about them. However vampires tend to get a bad rep through works such as twilight and the anime series Diabolik Lovers. These types of stories tend to paint vampires in the light of being bishounens or physically appealing to certain people so that they would be more appropriate for romance stories. However Shiki is different. There are no frills no punches pulled and it's a refreshingly dark take on said genre.

Shiki is a ... horror anime. Horror was never quite my thing but there are always exceptions to every rule and shiki is definitely one of them. The plot takes place in a secluded Japanese village and follows a group of people that move in and basically a doctor and a student try to prevent the village from becoming infested with vampires.

The storytelling in shiki is very methodical in nature. The first seventeen or so episodes of this anime follow a very gradual plot progression. I both liked this and didn't liked this. I say this because on the plus side you realize that it's a country village and it becomes all the. Ore sweeter when the people finally realize what's going on and then the real fun begins when things finally explode. However on the negative side it can sometimes be rather dull when you're just kind of waiting for things to get on however the plot progression feels natural at the least.

There are various interesting themws and social commentaries running through the heart of this anime and the concept of gray morality is explored to the fullest. One thing I always look for in a series or a movie is that the line between good and evil is continuously blurred. This keeps the story Intersting and always keeps the viewer guessing and thinking about the story and characters. The references to biblical stories and the social commentary about eating other species were some or my favorites.

Another great thing this anime did was the atmosphere the atmosphere was amazing and it really ramped up the ominous fear factor. Some scenes literally can have you guessing until the very last moment and the chilling atmosphere did well in enhancing various scenes and really made it feel like a horror anime. However a major problem with the story is that it can feel a bit fragmented at times. What I mean by this is that they will start showing what is going on with one character than cut it off right before the climax and then return to the character's situation a while later. This creates a lot of lose ends throughout the story and in some cases they show you the end and you kind of have to assume what happens. The vampires themselves are awesome design wise and have a relatable cause so you dont automatically hate them or see them as a villains because both sides have truly awful people.

Regarding the characters I personally felt that they were quite mediocre. The main issue is that they were way too many characters in this anime. And when they were dying I felt that I couldn't care. However the Doctor and the monk were good characters and some of the vampires were great aswell. However I felt that many characters could have had more development and fleshing out in general. One major aspect of the characters to point out is that they behave very realistically. Their fear and actions were very human like. Also character interaction was good with some characters such as the relationship between natsuno and tohru.

The animation of shiki was great. As this a fairly modern anime it had crisp animation that really enhanced the viewing experience. I did also enjoy the character designs and had no problems with them. I saw this anime with English subtitles and I thought the voice work was very good. The music was top notch as well, the atmosphere that was being built was great and made me feel spooked at times and the opening and endings were very good as weall.

In conclusion shiki is a breath of fresh air compared to many other vampire stories in modern media. It's an awesome supernatural horror thriller that gives vampires the respect they deserve. Despite problems with the characters and the rather slow build up and some fractured story telling, shiki has enough atmosphere, narriative, and thematic material to be a great and worthwhile anime series.

To me when watching anime or anything else for that matter, originality is very important to me. Unless something is well executed unoriginal shows really tend to put a damper on my viewing experience. On another note I am happy to say Jojo's Bizarre adventure doesn't disappoint in this category. As it is one of the most original and most fun anime series I have ever seen.

Jojo's Bizarre adventure is an anime series that has become a heavy fan favorite ever since it came out. It is based off a manga series by Hirohiko Araki that is divided into parts and this series ... adapts the first 2 parts. An OVA series and a movie later fans were craving a cut free true adaption and in 2012 this is what they got. And with that being said it was an instant hit and I can definitely see why.

So what makes this series so good? Well I'll tell you why, entertainment. This series has balls to the walls action and humor that almost makes it impossible not to love. The story is a very simple yet effective tale that manages to incorporate many tropes and cheese to amp up the fun factor. The narriative's linear nature is actually not as bad as many would think however it isn't something deep or philosophical.

This story is essentially two arcs linked together. The reason this works is because the characters are related and the entire series as a whole follows the bizzare adventures of the joestars. One problem however is that I felt that there was too much of a quality difference between the two arcs. Like the first arc was good it was fine but the second arc was just amazing and it was like a complete upgrade from the first arc.

Another brilliant aspect of this series is the way the action is handled. I mean we all ,I've action in one way or the other but the idea of hamon is very unique and it adds more pizazz to the fights. The great animation also couples well with this aspect and it was just some excellent fights spanning the entire series.

Regarding the characters of this series all I will say is that they're very good. They were all entertaining and blended in with that macho cheesy theme the series's was going for. Joseph joestar was probably the greatest character in the series in my opinion as he utilized some great comedy and some great one liners. I was also a huge Caesar fan he was very funny and had some great character chemistry with Jojo. There were many villains present throughout the series and a few of them were interesting . Especially Wamuu and Dio.

The animation was outstanding. Plenty of color it was fluid and as I mentioned earlier it coupled well with the action scenes. ut also had a wonderful sheen and polish to it. However I can't say the same about the mediocre CG present in both of the opening themes and ending themes.

The sound present here was honestly amazing. The ost and opening themes were both great. The voice work was honestly great and it was very funny and the seiyuus really got into their characters very well.

In the end this series was a great ride. It was very funny with quality characters and an Intriguing story. It also had that great machismo cheese feel that didn't feel cringe worthy in a way. If you want an original piece that has quality to boot Jojo's Bizarre adventure is an excellent choice.

Amnesia is one of the most commonly used tropes in all of media throughout any medium of entertainment. And the mass use of amnesia has caused it to become very bland for many veteran media consumers. However when this trope is used properly it can work wonders for an anime. The dusk maiden of amnesia is an example of an anime that does well for what it is but has some significant problems at the same time.

The dusk maiden of amnesia is a 2012 anime series that's based off a manga of the same thing. It follows a group of students and a ghost ... that mysteriously died 60 years ago and how they investigate paranormal activities and try to find out how the ghost died while a interesting romance develops. Despite being a very serious sypnosis there is actually a significant amount of comedy in this series and that is both good and bad at the same time.

Dusk maiden of amnesia has a fairly well executed story. A lot of the time it follows the escapades of the paranormal investigation club. What I thought was unique is that the ghost is the president of the actual club. One major problem I had with the story though was that it can sometimes be confusing and it avoid the goal. Like this makes the plot progression unfortunately kind of poor.

Another big issue I had is the poorly timed comedy. When the show is trying to build an ominous atmosphere within a scene all of that built up immersion is broken when random fan service or comedy is added. Though the transition becomes better in the second half. The second half of the series is undeniably better due to it being overall more engaging and it actually cuts to the point.

One last gripe is the ending. The ending was ok but I felt that there was one scene that would have made the ending way more memorable. But than I felt they took the wussy way out and just gave us this ending that lessened the impact. But it could have been a lot worse. One positive thing is that the school setting doesn't just feel like a cheap back drop. There is some meaningful world building and lore that makes the setting more fascinating than other school set anime. There are also some well intergrated themes in the anime.

The characters in this show are the most impressive part of the anime. For the most part they all have solid development and they enhance the story very well. The main protagonist, Niiya, has an interesting dilemma within the story and has an excellent relationship with Yuuko and the other characters in the story. Yuuko was a fascinating heroine and she has one of the greatest examples of eternal conflict I've seen in a long time. Kirie started out as kind of bring but she develops nicely over the course of the series. Okonogi unfortunately is not as interesting as the others big still has a good relationship with niiya. An interesting note is that Yuuko reminds me of senjougohara from Bakemonogatari.

That actual music of this anime is pretty decent. There are a few standout tracks but where it really gets good is the opening and ending scenes. These songs work well with the themes of the entire anime. The voice acting was also good and I had no complaints with how the seiyuu portrayed their respective characters. The animation was very pretty and had a sense of gloss and polish. However the background characters were all black silhouettes and this came across as kind of lazy.

In conclusion The dusk maiden of amnesia is an intruiging mystery anime with some great characters and an addicting quality. However there were some incongruencies I had with the narrative and background art. But for those who like mystery and ghosts this one is worth a watch.

When it comes to tv it's a fact of life, making second seasons to already great shows are difficult. Trying to transfer that quality into a brand new sequel and season and trying to continue the series isn't that easy. This is further exemplified in the second season of Gate where I can safely say it's great. However I still felt something was just missing that was present in the first season.

The main premise of the second season of gate is quite similar to the first. It chronicles the political relationship between Japan and the world in the other side of the gate. This ... includes talks of peace and war as well as shrewd power struggles and corruption. As this is described we also discover more about Itami and his own endeavors with the three main girls, the elf tuka,The magician leilei, and the Demi god Rory.

The story in this second season was pretty interesting. The fire dragon arc was very entertaining and you defiantly wanted to see these characters kill this gigantic fire dragon especially when you discover more about the other characters. The politics of the empire are also well described with the addition of Zolzal and Tyuule and the political power struggle.

However a major problem I do have with the story is that the characters don't seem to grow and learn with the exception of one character. In the first season it seems that they're constantly learning about the new world they live in and it doesn't seem like that in the second season. And it also seems at points that they are telling two different stories and that Itami is just isolated from the political struggle. However gate had a good ending even though there is room for more story to be created.

The characters of gate are still as entertaining as ever despite my above complaint. There are also some great new characters that were added new to this season. This includes the dark elf Yao and the crown prince Zolzal. Zolzal was an awesome villain because of the elaboration of his schemes and his cunning. However a problem is that some characters fail to acquire further development in this season except for Tuka. Tuka's mental condition was well explained and she had an amazing relationship with Itami. Itami was still a great character and very entertaining. I did have a problem with the fact that he was slightly disconnected from his theme.

The music in the second season was quite good. While the OST wasn't as memorable the opening theme and ending theme were both excellent and they definitely stood up to the first season. The animation gate was stunning no doubt. The colors were beautiful and the flow of the animation was very good.

In conclusion the second season of gate was indeed very great. It managed to tell a compelling story. However there were some significant incongruencies. Despite that both seasons of gate are definitely worth watching and the seamless blend of genres with some very entertaining characters definitely is the recipe for a very great and fun series.

Zombies have been a staple in all sorts of media throughout the west. When it comes to anime zombies aren't exactly Unheard of but still are fairly prevalent within the medium. An example of this would be High School of the dead or the manga I am a hero. However today I am talking about an anime that comes from a studio that has produced a famous anime you've probably heard of, and that anime is attack on Titan.

Kabaneri of the iron fortress is a twelve episode anime series that debuted in the spring 2016 season. Kabaneri stood out from other titles ... due to its steampunk setting and stunning animation quality. However it was met with widespread criticism as the series progressed into the second half and went from an 8.3 on MAL to about a 7.6. This is a significant drop in such a short timeframe. While I see some people giving it very low scores I weighted my enjoyment and the actual quality of the anime together into one score.

The story of kabaneri takes place in a island country very similar to Japan that is suffering from a zombie apocalypse. Then there is this basic protagonist who is trying to develop a way to kill the zombies also known as kabane. He than meets several other characters and it follows them as they try to survive.

The story wasn't that bad at first. It starts out as a pretty linear survival action story with some good entertainment value. However during the second half what happens is, is that a new character gets introduced and than the story becomes much more convoluted and confusing. Than the story ends up losing all of its charm and becomes very confusing for the viewer to experience. It kind of strays away from that fun mindless popcorn flick and just becomes something that's way too complex for its own good. However there is some kick ass action scenes in this anime which is amplified by a great musical score and amazing animation. Another great thing was the actual kabane concept because it was different from other zombies throughout media. Despite this taking place in Japan, there was some great world building present throughout the anime using industrial revolution and the stations.

People always say that good characters can save a mediocre story and for the most part I really do agree with this concept. However what really makes this anime just ok is the characters. With good characters this anime could have merited a much higher score. However all of them were just so bland and lifeless.

Ikoma is the standard vengeful angry MC who is looking for revenge. He also has a very cliched back story that we've seen in many other characters. He also suffers from the half breed cliche because the story decided to make him a half zombie( LIKE WE HAVENT SEEN THAT ONE BEFORE.) Mumei is a Loli half zombie who has a cool design but seems to be a generic tsundere. However she had a good relationship with Ikoma and Biba. You have princess Ayama who isn't really developed that well. Kurusu has a cool design but no development or back story. And the list goes on. We needed more characterization to make these characters more relatable. Biba was a decent villain despite being bland, he had good motivation though.

The three greatest parts of this anime were the art,music, and action. The action in this anime was actually really good with great fluidity and it works with the zombie concept. The art was lovely with some great lighting and polish. There was also some great color thrown in as well. The music was epic with some great voice work and epic tunes that worked in various scenes.

In conclusion Iron fortress was kind of a let down. It serves well as a popcorn flick you can watch with your friends but it soon dissolves into overblown convoluted concepts. This takes the charm away. However this is worth watching if you like zombies and action but don't expect too much out of it.

Ae seen in anime shorts such as The house of small cubes and furiko, it does not take a long time to tell an amazing story. However it continues to amaze me how well narratives are presented in a short time frame. Dareka no Manazashi is yet another example of this concept.

Makoto Shinkai is the director of this short and he also directed one of my favorite romance stories of all time in The Garden of words. He also directed the film five centimeters per second which is also critically acclaimed. And you can definitely tell just by looking at it that it is by ... him.

The story of Dareka no manazashi is a very simple tale but is outstanding in execution and incorporates a beautiful message that deserves to be heard by absolutely everyone who has ever had conflict with their family. There isn't a deep structure or intricate plot devices. However simplicity is what sells this story and it's definitely a well executed plot despite its lack of complexity.

The characters of this story are kind of dossapointing. However they are human in their behaviors and don't seem cheap or unrealistic. Obviously it is difficult to fully develop and humanize a character in 6 minutes however despite being used as a template these characters are well used for the expression of the central theme of the work.

There is some good music in this story(especially the ending theme). And the voice acting was solid and I had no problem. The visuals were beautiful as expected from Makoto Shinkai. These visuals were rich in detail and just really pretty to look at.

In conclusion Dareka no manazashi is an impressive story despite its very short run time it manages to convey a mature theme with a effective narrative. The visuals are also a plus. If anyone wants a tale that has an impactful team with a short running time or are just a fan of short anime this one is worth watching.

Many people within the anime community complain about the degrading quality of modern anime works. Though I always try to view anime in a positive light, I can't deny that Mayoiga is a great example of this. I mean it was so mediocre and pretentious and it just fell into an eternal abyss of dissapointment.

The lost village is the type of show that tries several ideas and concepts but fails miserably at several of these endeavors. It desperately attempts to incorporate deep themes but can hardly get down dynamic characterization and development, not to mention a completely muddled narrative.

The story of ... Mayoiga follows thirty young individuals who are going to a village to escape all of their problems. This is an incredibly promising concept which could have been amazing if it was handled and developed properly. However a main issue is that a core story doesn't really appear until midway through the entire series. This leads to much confusion throughout the entire series because even after a narrative is established it doesn't take long for it to completely fall apart.

The main characters of Mayoiga had great potential. The character of mitsumune had an interesting backstory and some valid motivation. However he is a really annoying and bland character and he hardly grows throughout the story. Masaki is kind of the standard timid quiet innocent girl that is very generic. Koharun was also pretty bland but there was a good plot twist involving her. Hayato was probably the best and most interesting character and his motives were very relatable.

The other side characters in Mayoiga is the perfect example of a large amount of characters who don't mean crap to the viewer. Honestly just info dumping their backstories at random is not a good way to develop a character. Their were a couple of semi-interesting side characters but the rest were just hit garbage. The cast was way too big and it really hindered the potential of the show.

The themes of accepting your psychological scars is explored through characters I can hard,y care about. This makes the anime very pretentious due to it trying to be deep but failing miserably.

The art of Mayoiga is actually good. There is a feel of modern polish and I had no problem with it. The voice acting was also good and the actors portrayed their respective characters accurately. The music was excellent with a great opening and ending themes. The ost also built good atmosphere.

In conclusion Mayoiga is a series that had an amazing amount of potential in its premise but just completely flopped. It has some redeemable aspects but there are much better less pretentious mystery anime out there so I can't reccomened this anime.

In the world of sports being the underdog can sometimes not be a bad thing. Because people do not expect that much of you, you can easily surprise them by putting in a very good performance. However this is not the case for many years for East Tokyo United football club. That is until the new young manager tatsumi takeshi begins his ETU managing career and they now look to regain their honor.

Giant killing is a sports anime. Sports anime have giants such as kuroko no basket, Haikyuu and diamond no ace. Even within the soccer sub genre giant killing is still rarely ... mentioned among fans. However I did find giant killing and started watching it due to my fondness of soccer in real life. However after finally finishing it I came to the conclusion that giant killing is an anime that I enjoyed, however it had some crippling flaws that really held it back in terms of giving it a score.

The story of giant killing at first glance looks pretty basic. However when analyzed further it can definitely be seen that it is different than the average sports anime. The main characters if ETU are all adults. They aren't in high school where the stakes are low these people are real adults who are trying to make a living playing the sport they love. And for the most part I really like this. It gives more weight to the story and characters.

However a major problem with the story is that they seem to skip over several details of an actual soccer match which makes the pacing very poor. For example some of the league matches are just completely skipped over and we are given a result than they move on to the next event. This make several matches seem more insignificant than they actually are and it causes boredom. I will have to applaud that the last few episodes of giant killing were really good and I wish the rest of the series was like that. The ending to the series while nice, ,made the series very incomplete.

The characters of giant killing weren't actually half bad. All of the team members have good chemistry and work well together. They also enter many realistic and believable situations as both a team and individual players. They also grow and develop throughout the course of the story. This was very fun and entertaining to watch.

In particular some very good characters in this series were Murakoshi, Macchan, and finally the eccentric and wacky manager Tatsumi Takeshi. Tatsumi was a great character because he was able bring out the best and believe in his players. He also used several unusual methods that are doubted my many but end up working in the long run.

The art of giant killing was very disappointing. The character designs were way too angular for my taste and they made use of really terrible cgi at some points in the series. There was also unsuitable lighting which distracted from some important moments in the actual anime. The voice acting of giant killing was not bad at all and the voice actors portrayed their rolls very well. I also enjoyed much of the music present in the anime.

One personal enjoyment I had with giant killing was that the fans were very realistic in relation with the type of team ETU is. Some of the characters who were fans were very interesting and the spirit really shined through. This was also relatable to me in real life as I'm a spirited supporter of a small struggling soccer team in my vicinity.

In conclusion giant killing despite the score I gave it and the obvious incongruencies as far as the narrative goes, this was not a bad series. You will definitely enjoy it by I thought it could have been better. Because of the improbable season 2 I will have to read the manga to experience more of the story. But seriously if you like soccer this will be worth watching despite its set backs.

Nostalgia can be a very powerful thing when consuming any form of media. Everyone more often than not loves to reminisce about when they were young and this is usually connected to an aspect of their childhood whether it be a game, movie, or tv program. Nostalgia more often than not implements A positive bias in us. This is definitely the case with this movie but I can't really give it a good score due to all of its problems.

Destiny deoxys is a Pokemon movie that is connected to the advanced generation story which is basically gen 3. When looking at Pokemon movies ... in general you have to consider that they have no real effect on the plot and just serve as side stories for Pokemon fans to enjoy. The only different the generations are is the people ash is actually traveling with as well as setting. However like always ash is the main character.

The story of destiny deoxys had massive potential. I felt that it had a very fascinating concept and I really wanted to know more about deoxys and why it's here, and what it's doing here. The expansion of these concepts are really only half done unfortunately. The story does fall apart as the movie goes on and many dull plot devices are used in conjunction with bullshit Pokemon logic that really makes absolutely no sense. The timeskip present destroyed the story's momentum before it can even get on the correct track.

The characters are probably the most dissapointing part of this movie. Despite the relationship between tori and ash being very good, the characters themeselves weren't strong enough to make me care. The pseudo romance between Sid and May was also appreciated but once again Sid is such an insignificant character that the relationship only supplies some hollow laughs when it could have been so much more dynamic and interesting. If the characters who only appeared for this movie had some meaningful characterization I would have enjoyed them much more.

The voice work and music actually weren't bad in this movie. The animation was pretty well done despite some rather ugly CG. I've seen both the English dub and the Japanese and both versions are fine as the seiyuus portrayed their characters fairly well it didn't really come across as poor or low quality. And THAT SING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MOVIE THOUGH.

In the end this movie is something I enjoy out of pure nostalgia. It's not that this was a particularly bad movie but nostalgia alone cannot save it. The issues with the story and characters were unfortunately just too big to ignore.

The concept of survival has been heavily explored in nearly every form of media imaginable. A product of this concept are games that pit people against each other such as the hunger games and Battle Royale. However Ousama Game is a bit different. Despite Ousama Game having great promise, it clearly spiraled into a disappointing mess to be perfectly honest with you.

The Story of Osama game is easily the best part. It exentuates intrigue in the reader and you definitely want to know more. The author also does a great job of actually telling the story and building up great suspense. This is ... expected due to this being based off a series of Light novels. The central mystery to Ousama game was quite well executed and I wanted to know more about who the King was and why this game is being played. The transition between the light hearted beginning of the story and how it spirals into something much more sinister was well handled.

However unfortunately this great story is hardly supported by the cast of characters that are present in this manga. The characters were outright bad in this story. For a class of 32 people being present I only genuinely liked one of these people. However in one way the characters triumphed was there realistic relations to each other. However this was literally their only redeeming qualities and it seems just like in Doubt( though probably worse than doubt) they just seemed like devices used to carry out the events of the plot. There's no depth no development they're all just one dimensional.

Our main protagonist was probably the most boring one out of all of them. He's the standard cliche: I want to save everyone without everyone getting hurt. He's also a bit of a Mary Sue and none of the characters including him take the initiative to try to solve the Osama game. The only interesting character was probably Ria. Maybe it was because of her mysterious and aura and the fact that we got some background detail on her. And do you know what the worst part is? So many of these characters died and I couldn't even care less.

The art in Ousama game improves as the series goes on due to its 5 volume length. Many frames were reasonably detailed. However I'm not really a fan of the character designs and this was especially apparent during the first half of the series. The death of the characters
were also well drawn. The ending to Osama game was decent but there is a sequel which has not been translated to English yet unfortunately.

In the end Ousama game is a manga that went from something good to only an ok manga. It kind of fell under the weight of its concept and the characters were very bland. However I can't deny the great story and the fair artwork and also the fact that I read this in two sittings due to the heavy suspense. So read this if your interested it's a fine read but certainly not the best out there.