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I will begin by stating that I only started watching this show after seeing some of the fights on YouTube and thinking "Wow, that was intense". Was I impressed? Sadly, no, but I haven't finished the show yet so I may be revising this review later. The reason I'm making this review now is because if I force myself to watch another episode without taking a break and venting to you poor readers, I will end up hating and dropping this show... Which isn't something I want to do with this anime. Here's my take so far...

The story line is actually quite nice. It's got ... a simple goal, reach level 10. Quick and easy. The setting is a futuristic version of Japan where just about everything is monitored digitally. Everyone is hooked up to a global network through Neural Linking devices on there necks. They use these in place of computers, phones, Ipod's and just about every other entertainment and communication device. The show itself often takes place in the "Accelerated World" which is part of a game called "Brain Burst". In this game you fight and level up to obtain burst points which you can use to cheat in the real world. The highest level that is referenced in the show is level 10, which no one has ever reached. That about sums up the story.

The art in the show is done flawlessly(... Other then the main character...) and the fluid animations are what drew me to the show in the first place. It takes a bit for you to reach the episodes with the good fights, but they're well worth the wait. The designs of all the avatars are really intriguing to say the least. They look like human sized Gundams that were smashed together with Tron outfits to forge a look that's quite creative and variable, allowing every character to have there own truly unique appearance. Outside of the virtual world are your basic cookie cutter mold characters, though they are still fantastic looking in 1080p XD.

The soundtrack was enough to get you pumped up in a fight, which is to be expected, but other than that it didn't really stand out. The sound effects where everything they needed to be so there isn't anything missing from it, but they certainly didn't add anything special or exhilarating.

Now for the part that brought this show down to a 7 from 9... The characters. All there personalities are as cookie cutter as there appearances. They include all your typical characters from other anime copy and pasted to this shows shallow selection of inhabitants. All the relations and bonds seem forced, and the only ones that feel somewhat natural are the bonds between Haru, The main character, and his friends Taku and Chiyu, which you don't get to see the forming of since they're already friends when the show starts... And even then, there relationships don't seem to make sense. The only character I liked is Chiyu, and that's because she's the only person who knows that games are supposed to be fun. Everyone else makes the game out to be some sort of alternate reality where any wrong move could spell the end of there lives... All that, and I still haven't touched the subject of all my rage and disappointment... THE MAIN CHARACTER!!! His nickname is Haru and he is a pig shaped short kid who looks, acts and feels completely out of place. Everyone in the show states repeatedly that he's this loser who's a master at video games and he's the fastest gamer they've ever seen. But they never show anything to prove those accusations. He spends 95% of the time being awkwardly unsocial, dimwittedly thick, and incapable of performing the most basic of actions efficiently with any sense of logic... His problem solving skills are unbelievably lacking for someone who's supposed to be a gamer, let alone the fastest gamer. It's like they wanted him to relate to the nerd population, but had no idea what nerds where like. The reason a loser is good at games is because they're not a loser in the games, only in real life, where their body can't perform the badass things they're capable of in games. I'd like to add that scientific studies have shown people who play games are 37% less prone to mistakes then those who don't... Ok, I need to move on or I'll be at this forever.

I do enjoy the show, even if it is dumb a large portion of the time. Many shows are off balance because the main character becomes too overpowered so fast that any resistance from the tasks put in front of them becomes trivial. Other's make characters who remain just as strong as in the beginning so they can overcome the trivial tasks with moderate ease and then complete the moderately difficult ones with slightly less ease. This show throws you for a loop by giving you a character whose so obnoxiously inept he can barely accomplish the simplest of tasks without getting beaten like a rag doll even as he grows stronger. He gets his ass kicked by people who are just as pathetic as he is, only to spontaneously defeat impossible odds by defying physics and his own character traits to take down some guy that was made out to be really strong, much like himself, but turned out to go down like my ex. Then spontaneously go back to being completely inept... well I guess he was just as inept when he beat the silver giant dude who will not be named for spoilers sake, he only won because the story demanded he be temporarily strong enough to defeat that guy no matter how out of character... Wow, I started that up again... Was it worth watching? Yes. Will I keep watching? Probably. Do I hate Haru? ... Very much so... How do you fail posing as a Loser/Nerd? He found a way, which I guess makes him the greatest loser ever and thus perfect for the role...

7 OUT OF 10!!! I'm out...
This next part is an edit after watching 2 more episodes of the show. I can't take the show any more, I'm dropping it's score to a 6 and subsequently dropping the show on my list... Its turning out just like bleach, with the occasional badass fight thrown into a show about really dumb and inept people failing to keep me enthralled with the story... Chiyu started taking the game too seriously, just like everyone else... Just... To much stupidity for me.
6 OUT OF 10!!! I'm out for real this time T_T So sad...

I'm going to start by saying that " I am in no way, shape or form a fan of robot Anime ". Yet, I seem to have enjoyed this show considerably, which is a good thing on my part. I would hate it if I wasted my time on it. I'll use the same review criteria as I have been in the other reviews. If my grammar is off, I apologize, I haven't slept in awhile. Currently trying to tire myself out ^_^



The story of the show was slightly above average. Not saying it was great or original, but the show did ... have a tolerable story. What I enjoyed most was the world it took place in. You see, all the machines get their power from the world itself. They then use this to power to pilot their, what look and move like, Bio engineered mechs. Steam powered versions are still in the development stage, and only a few models exist in the beginning of the series. Only females seem to be able to pilot these mech's and the few males that can as well, are safeguarded. They are essentially held prisoner, as breeding a male and female would make a pure bred pilot who's skills are unmatched. They don't show it, but apparently they hate having to grow up and marry whichever hot anime babe their assigned to and eventually having to sex them up before they'r told to move on to the next... 0_0



The animation style in the show was fantastic. The fights, the faces and the many awkward moments in between were made much more enjoyable by the animations. The mech fights get very intense and aren't to slow pace, which I love in fights. There were some slight annoyances in the show, such as everyone except Kenshi being inept in every way. They all stand their and get their @sses kicked, or show up after Kenshi has devised a plan to escape his various situations... Not that he needs to, seeing as how he's so OVER POWERED!!! No joke, he doesn't run into any problems until the final boss... what's the points in starting a game at level 100!?!?!



Sound was good, didn't much care for any voice in particular and the music never managed to get me pumped up as I prefer to be when enjoying my action. I suppose their isn't much to elaborate on when it comes to sound.



Now for characters. The main character is a boy named Kenshi. He's one of those few male pilots I was talking about. In my opinion, the minor thing that makes him different is that he's from another world... The greater difference being that this male happens to be the only skilled character in the show. Then there's Princess Lashara, who is a greedy useless b#tch who just so happens to give Kenshi something that's reminiscent of a life... with slavery involved. Their's plenty of other's, 95% of which are females that one by one fall for Kenshi. Then there's Dagmyer, who's a whinny b#tch that can't take getting beaten again and again and again an- I think you get it. I guess I'd be pissed all the time if I was useless too.



All in all, I give the show a 6. I enjoyed the action, though it had several hilarious moments thrown in. I don't normally watch harem animes, but I stepped out of my comfort zone to try and enjoy this one. All in all, I don't think harems are for me... one crazy anime chick is good enough. Hope this review helped you out, if not then bite me... I'm tired now, goodbye!

This Anime is one I have taken to heart more over then any other. Before I begin this review I want to leave a couple side notes. This review may not be entirely accurate on account of my own feelings towards the series. I will grade it the same way I did my Bleach review. If their is anyone unsatisfied with my review, then please massage me with ways of improving the presentation. With all that in mind I hope you bare with me and enjoy what I have to say.

I'll begin with my view on the story line. ... I had watched the original Naruto series to ensure I wasn't missing any information in shippuden. The series starts back up where it left off. Naruto had left to train with Jiraiya and become strong enough to save his friend. I figured I was going to find shippuden as bland and unsatisfying as I did the original series, but I couldn't have been further from the truth. The story is quite long, considering the show is on it's 320th episode, and similar to it's counterparts ( Bleach, DBZ and OP ) is riddled with fillers. What makes these fillers less of a nuisance is the fact that each one focuses towards Elaborating on the original story, instead of opening entirely new ones. Since the show is generally straight forward it often has many of those "Yeah, I get it" moments where you want to skip dialog that simply states what we already know. Small issues like this can become tiresome and seem to be the biggest issue. It seems that each episode is laid out in a manner that anyone can drop in and have some understanding as to whats happened, happening or going to happen. As for the story itself, well there's a reason this show is one of the most popular. The story isn't your basic young hero kills bad guy story like everything else these days. The young hero is confronted with an enemy that can't be defeated with a spirit bomb or a Bankai. Something beyond all other bad guys seeing as how this enemy exists in reality and is still the cause of a majority of strife in the world. He fights for the sake of his goal not just to become hokage, but to free the war ridden shinobi nations from the very claws of hatred itself. Which includes fighting with his own hatred and overcoming it for the sake of all those he holds dear and the one he seeks to save from their self inflicted fate.

I suppose I should move on to art now. The art style is very fluent in most scenes and other then some minor issues, mostly flawless. In truth the animations only issue would be the repetition. Some fights will replay Physics animations of trees or rocks being torn or pushed or pulled, then replay it in reverse representing the other side of the explosion or whatever is causing things to go flying. Though the biggest nuisance is the over abundance of flashbacks. Again, this acts on those "Yeah, I get it" points and can often kill an otherwise amazing moment in the story. The tree jumping phases can get annoying as well, but are usually used to provide Dialog or representation of travel from plot to plot. The world Shippuden takes place in is beautiful in all rights, with differant climates and cultures that seem to despise each other due to their unstable history of blood shed and chaos. The fight scenes that inevitably arise from this tension gives way to some of the most unbelievably well done animations you could ask for in a fight. Sometimes, I could find the show simply breathtaking, other times people would have to revive me do to my lack of breath ^_^

Next would be sound it seems. I'm a subbed anime kind of guy so that's what I'll be basing the rating on. The voices were excellent and suited each character like a glove. The soundtrack to the Shippuden series is amazing as well. I enjoyed it so much that I put them on my PSP and Phone. My personal favorite being Hyakkaryouran. This theme was exceptional at building up the pressure right before some of the most badass fights I've seen in all the anime I've watched. Though their are so many others that had the same effect, I found my self attached to that one song more then the rest.

Lastly would be the characters. Naruto being the main character starts out as a slightly less obnoxious version of who he was in the original series. The few years of training have calmed him very little, and though he is significantly stronger then he was as a child, He still isn't quite as strong as he needs to be. What made Naruto stand out for me was the fact that he wasn't very strong in the beginning and was quite frankly a horrible ninja, and yet was necessary. You see, though his life was just as hard if not harder then his rival Sasuke, He chooses to move past his pain and hatred to make his future and the future of his friends worth living and dying for. To obtain the secrets to peace, though he doesn't acknowledge that as his goal in the beginning, he soon accepts his destiny with open arms and intends to shoulder all the burden so his loved ones can live happily without the pain of hatred or regret. Then theirs his Rival Sasuke, who instead of attempting to better his life, chooses to hunt down those responsible for his pain and make them pay. His power is clearly greater then Naruto's in the beginning, but his goals are clouded in the very darkness and hatred that Naruto seeks to protect him from. I personally hate him, but that's just one of the connections I have to the series. With the two main characters out of the way I can involve Sakura, who's significantly less useless then she was in the original Naruto series. Kakashi, who's just as calm and collective as ever and still one of the funniest characters in the anime. Though with so many new characters such as Killer Bee and Omoi, he might not bear that title much longer.

Overall this anime is my favorite for many reasons. With a story and characters that I can easily connect with. Action and adventure with small traces of romance and drama thrown in. plenty of laughs and tears ( Both of Joy and Sorrow ). A story that lasts more then just one or two seasons and continues to impress. But most importantly the ability to keep me enthralled in even the most unimpressive episodes. I find that this show causes so many different anime's to go unnoticed and that makes me happy for some reason. Could be reassurance that I'm not the only one who holds the show in high esteem. Or maybe it's just my way of drawing some enjoyment out of all the haters getting riled up over their shows simply because this show's got them beat. With or without my personal opinion, I will always recommend this anime to action adventure fans... Unless they screw up the ending like they did bleach... Who know's, I might have to redo this review later.

I've decided to rewrite some of my reviews since my other's were more opinions then reviews. There may be spoilers involved so if you haven't finished the show yet, then you've been warned. I said their may be spoilers because I'm basically typing what I say, so don't troll me if my grammar is off.
Anyway's, The Bleach series started out as any cliche Organization Vs Evil Things does ( Such as in D Grey Man, Soul Eater, Trinity Blood, Etc) and doesn't really start to get interesting until around episode 16 or 17. If you enjoy action over other genres and are willing ... to sacrifice having a Tolerable story to get it, then this is the show for you. This rather generic anime has some of the most intense fights in anime, which is perfect for those who watch anime for the fight scenes. I'll use the order of the rating system to review the show and others I might decide to review, So let's begin.
First up for judgement is the Bleach story line. In my experience of the show the story was good up to the end. As I stated, the show didn't really start to get interesting until episode 17 were they travel to soul society. From their the story progressively gets better, Fights get more epic and powers become ridiculous. At the end of the soul society arc your left with some questions, as to be expected, and instead of giving answers they give fillers. The Bleach series was riddled with them, popping up when you just want to find out what happens next. I got sick of fillers and searched for a filler list so I could skip them. Without them the show was a little more enjoyable. Unfortunately, the ending of the main story was rather dreadful and quite frankly left the feeling of chewing on razor blades and using lemon juice as mouth wash afterwards. Sorry if that last phrase was more opinion then review material, but I was quite furious with everything that happened after Ichigo fights Ulquiorra.
Next is art, Which was the best part of the show. The show was full of color and had an interesting array of special effects thrown in. The shows art style changes as it progresses, representing the advancements the studio is making towards more fluent animations. The fight scenes are Bleach's specialty and they certainly deliver. The way it seemed to work is that the show uses a lower budget anime style for the small engagements leading up to Kurosaki and his next boss fight ( Byakuya, Grimjow, Ulquiorra and Aizen). When those fights begin the animations become so flawless the you can't look away and so epic that you forget the color pink, the ability to transform into a cat elf thing and being emo aren't badass. As for Aizen turning into a butterfly? No wonder he wanted the world to end. His fight had spectacular animations even if lacking in movements. The field they were fighting on seemed to be more active then they were.
Not much to say about the sounds, other the the fact that I loved the noise Cero makes when it's charging and then fired. The soundtrack was amazing as well, with my favorite song being Mysterious. The voice actors in the Japanese version were spectacular. I didn't watch the English version other then a couple episodes here and their for a comparison... Never watching dubbed anime again thanks to that ordeal.
Now for character's. Ichigo is a decent enough protagonist. Aizen started out as an amazing antagonist. Other then that, there's way to many characters to review. Would have been nice if the story would kill some good guys off for once, you know, so the show doesn't feel so over populated. As for Aizens decline from amazing badass, well let me explain. When you first see Aizen he appears to be the only captain who gives a crap about the world, only to find that he's the one who triggered the events leading to Ichigo entering Soul Society. He appears to be a genius who is more then just an exceptional spell caster, but is extremely over powered and is prepared for every scenario. After he gets what he wanted and Beats a few captains to express his dominance he takes his glasses off and folds his hair back Clark Kent to Superman style and disappears into the world of the hollows. Unfortunately Kubo's writing ruined Aizen by taking his Foresight overboard. Having him state that all of ichigo's life has just been another one of his experiments. That he was aware of the boy from birth and had pushed Ichigo into all these situations to watch him progress to a stronger state. Then he turns into a butterfly and gets slaughtered by Ichigo in the completely one sided final battle.
The show had a great deal of potential, but was lacking in almost every aspect. The concept of the Zanpakuto was very interesting and made for some nasty fight scenes. But I suppose it just wasn't my cup of tea, though I would rather watch every non fighting episode of this show then any episodes of DragonballZ. Keep in mind the I excluded everything after 310 cause as for as I'm concerned that's where the story should have ended. I give Bleach a 5 out of 10.