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The game maybe bl but I’m not sure if this series entirely qualifies. At best, I’d say it was BL curious. Some characters were entirely devoid of life and development, like Sei, who not only had hardly any place in the entire series but barely even says a couple sentences. Aoba’s outfit looked a bit extravagant for someone working at such a mom & pop store plus he’s wearing a coat all the time and headphones, that he never uses. It makes it look like no real attention was given to his look relative to his habits or his income. ... Noiz, honestly makes absolutely no sense to me and neither does any of his entire story arc. Who in their right mind has dinner with an intruder who basically attacked them earlier? Then, he asks him to play when joining after helping him, but that ‘help’ never happens either.
You can see where some‘romantic’ moments might happen, but even if they did, they don’t feel real or natural but more like they are acting on stage for laughs. The rescue after the tower infiltration, doesn’t make much sense either as in, there’s no way they’d know let alone get there that fast and conveniently at just the right time and place. Action is good. Bad guys ok and their plots almost make sense and more sense then several good guy stories. I think I still like “Dune”’s weirding way better though and it was easier to tell when and how it was being used than in this show. It’s not bad, but it could use some work and improvement. I’ll confess I’m not a fan of BL’ish stories but I don’t review them unfairly either and some are pretty good, most I’ve seen however tend to make those parts poorly executed or even meld with bad or criminal behavior which doesn’t appear fair to me.

Few anime, I could quantify as having been done flawlessly or even near so. So many anime are: so full of cliches; copied characters and stories; missing story elements such as foreshadowing; lack of cohesion within the context of the world created by the anime; or even forgotten rules or character traits revealed in one part of a series only to be ignored or forgotten or contradicted later on. Tanya is not one of these. Tanya is one of the few anime that appears to have been done on a technical level, nearly perfectly compared to most anime. It will surprise ... you. When I first started watching, I frankly expected little quality or entertainment and nothing more than mere distraction, but this show has quite a compelling story told in a riveting standout fashion.
In episode two, I saw one of the best dialogues between two characters i have ever seen. I have replayed just that banter more than once it is so powerfully dramatic and yet bears a ring of truth. Each episode the story got more mind blowing and engaging and better than the previous one. The show draws you in with how simple it starts out and bears a hint of a typical generic story of this set of genres. It deceptive in how your mind can be tricked into complacency then shocked into stunning surprise and interest.
We all ponder big questions of life like where we come from or what to believe in or about death. Tanya gets to ponder that and more such as a global fear that the world maybe out to get you. These remarkable real world anxieties and life reflective questions are a driving force for this series. These issues are constantly brought to light almost like Al visiting Sam in Quantum Leap. The biggest question and motivation of all for the show maybe faith. Yes it has religious overtones but they are quite subtle compared to other shows with similar genres and themes.
Tanya has a powerful grip once you start watching it. Between the technical side being done nearly perfectly and the story itself though not totally original in every way is compelling and interesting enough to keep attention from one episode to the next in a nearly growing addictive way, Tanya is one of the best anime from start to finish though there is hope for more seasons.

Happiness! may look cheap or low budget and it probably is, but that does not hamper it significantly from how wonderful the story is. It is the best romance anime I have ever seen. The very premise upon which the story is built sounds like the best scene from "It's a Wonderful Life". The opening and closing sequences fits perfectly with the music and brings in summary the story to life or as a good reminder of the essence of the story that happiness and love are magic. It is hard to beat such poetic imagery displayed by the show's story. ... Though I can forgive it's frugal budget a bit, there are a few things that I can not which drag it down just a tad. The biggest drag on the show is the backstory reveal shown around episode 10/11 about why Yuma came to be where he is. It simply makes no sense nor is the reason why he was orphaned. No parent would accept that. On the other hand, the intention of some trauma being behind how Yuma ended up the way he did, does get across, I just wish they had created a better more logical and reasonable cause behind it. The tama chan episode is also a bit unclear and unsettling but it doesn't lose full points because it is also cute. Despite how sloppily written that part is, the rest is quite exceptional. The ending is spectacular. The beginning is one of the best especially for a magical romantic story. Haruhi makes a great girl next door type of figure. She is the kind of girl every well intentioned boy would dream about. The first few and last few episodes are wonderful, but sometimes the middle episodes stumble along the way. it still makes the intent of the story clear and does a fairly good job despite a few setbacks.

I first got interested in this anime after I heard from several forums, reviews, and anime sites that Tatsuya was an exceptionally cool character and fell into one of the genres I liked. After seeing this anime in it's entirety many times, I can say he is a very cool character. The show hits upon many genres and does so seamlessly and very well. The story is enrapturing without falling into the tired BS so commonly associated with Anime in general like the dozens of cliches and reused character templates. It has great characters and though the author himself denies it, ... half the cast appears to have some form of Autism. So maybe he created characters with Autism without realizing it but they pass muster for strong qualities befitting of the condition. That is actually one of the reasons it is such a great show. It is one of the few if not only times, Autism is not shown as a strictly negative condition but is shown in a strongly much more positive light than any other story, movie, or tv show I have ever experienced. Wether they actually have it or not as the author claims they do not is irrelevant. At the very least, they are characters people with Autism can very strongly identify with. The explanations of magic are rather convoluted and sloppy and the strong hint of the bro-con sister gets a bit dull. In fact, Miyuki is probably the worst and most annoying character in the show and the biggest drawback. If the author were to ever somehow make them end up together it might well ruin the story completely, but thankfully so far that has not happened and hopefully it won't. Aside from those few negative issues, the show is addictive to watch. If you were into spies you would love all the secrets, undercover work, and hidden conflicts going on under the surface. It has magic, hidden powers, high school, drama, espionage, war, mechas, and hints of love.

Tatsuya is not omnipotent nor OP as many others would have you believe nor is he 'emotionless'. His lack of emotion is an illusion. If you read the novels especially, you will know he is more than capable of emotional outbursts that have nothing to do with his sister as the show claims the only emotion he has left is his sibling love for her. The series and novels suggest several characters who can or have defeated him and several even Tatsuya is wear about if not fearful. Mayumi is the perfect potential love interest even if Tatsuya doesn't know it. She is without exception the best and probably most powerful of the main characters since Miyuki lacks much confidence anyway. Erika is the next most significant character and one of the main sources of humor and social interaction among the group of friends. Leo is probably the closest thing to a best friend and the first male friend his age Tatsuya makes. Mizuki is not much different personality wise than Miyuki but a much better, more solid, and more stable character. Miki is almost a male version but is still a better character who gradually develops some confidence in part to support the more meek Mizuki.

Like many anime some important scenes are skipped or sped through so viewers may miss a few points but sadly this is very common in virtually all anime ever made. This is an excellent hidden power show as several characters either hide from others, hide their powers, or hide their full or true abilities or even hide their identities. There are many good 'ah-ha' moments, where your excitement is stirred by something incredible. The last episodes has some of the best season ending moments ever. The beginning maybe a bit slow but it does establish who is what pretty well such as when Mayumi is the first and only female who ever treats Tatsuya like a human and an equal from the get go. (No his sister does not qualify, though it does not show it in the anime, it does have subtle hints, but until just a few years prior, Miyuki treated him like a worthless object so she doesn't get to claim true love even if she wasn't his sister). Leo is the first guy to do that so, he belongs as his first and best friend.

This is a solid entertaining and enjoyable anime with a compelling and deep story filled with action, drama, humor, martial arts, and fascinating displays of magical powers. What it gets right it gets very right: great action; martial arts mixed with magic; modern and ancient magic classifications; characters (except Miyuki); opening and closing songs (filler songs get repeated and tiring though); aha moments; use of magic; hidden powers angle; character development; the freshman monolith code event; and use of awesome powers near the end. Only a few things prevent me from giving it a perfect ten and that is: Miyuki both her bro-con obsession and her subpar character; the show ended too soon and needs more episodes; long winded explanations of magical power and engineering; skipping on key components and backgrounds from the novels; and a few cheesy scenes like the ones between Mizuki and Mikihiko before the thesis competition.

Fafner tries to be a good show but it is such an average typical mecha filled with forced, cheesy, and fake dramatical moments that despite it retaining some entertainment value and possessing a good mystery draw to uncover, this show is hard to watch. The drama is filled with cheesy lines and other additions such as forced tears and little to no sufficient character development to ensure viewers would feel anything during these emotional or dramatic scenes. During fights pilots often scream like maniacs and it can carry on a bit too long when they do. Only a few characters have any ... development or capacity to draw viewers in enough for form a connection. Most enemy characters have no sense of connection or development that result in enemies a bit too flat. The flow of the story draws little to no distinction who the enemies are and yet the islanders end up feeling like abused victims though they never appear to blame any of the enemies or have the will to resist or retaliate once they are face to face. Nothing really stands out as unique so about the series from other mecha or other anime.

Positives:

*Untapped potential to be a much better anime
*A theme of resolution other than violence
*Though few, there are some likable and somewhat developed characters
*Imaginative look at an apocalypse futuristic setting in an alternate world
*Humans with unique gifted qualities perfect for facing the crisis

Negatives:

*Most characters totally lack any development or connection to viewers
*Dramatic and emotional moments are cheesy, fake, and forced
*Lousy non universal views of morals and ethics though done in a confusing conflicting way.
*No sense of consequences for bad decisions such as betrayal
*Poor story logic (mostly to do with poor emotional scenes, betrayals and behaviors of those betrayed, and non sensical lines that do not line up with previous dialogue, actions, or results.