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I felt disappointed in this film, and I fear that Prisma Illya may become tainted by Shirou. I feel this because Shirou is too serious.

I also should mention this is NOT a filler movie, it provides backstory from the original 3rei manga for Miyu and Shirou.

Story 5

Focusing on Pre-Illya Miyu and 'alternate' Shirou, this film aims to provide a decent backstory towards the two. The first half of the film focuses mainly on how Shirou meets Miyu, and the building of their relationship, despite any original intentions Shirou may of had.

The second half focuses on the 'you-know-what' events in the 3rei ... anime, showing how Shirou becomes powerful, during the 'Miyu' grail war and how Miyu manages to meet Illya, Luvia and Sapphire afterwards.

The plot of this film is much more serious than the rest of Prisma, and Shirou in this universe is very Fate/Stay Nightish, so if you enjoyed that stuff and the fighting scenes (not quite as well animated as the main series however) you'll surely appreciate this more than I did.

Art 7

I didn't really have any issues, what else can I say?

Sound 8

I really like the OST, definitely my favourite part of the film.

Character 5

Unfortunately, I do not appreciate the Shirou overtaking of Prisma Illya, but that's not the reason this gets just a 5, I honestly just find Sakura irritating, and most of the fight scenes, while referencing other characters in the Fate universe are too short to be really acknowledged. Though there are two 'major' fight scenes, of which the latter is definitely the best in this film, involving a familiar face from 3rei.

I don't appreciate Shirou as much as I would do in the Fate/Stay world, and I dislike some of the other side characters anyway like Sakura. If more screen time was given to the main '3rei' cast, including some of the side characters then I'd definitely give this a higher rating.

Enjoyment/Overall 5

I prefer the more laid back approach of magical girls the main series has, while many people seem to be loving this movie, the serious tone of it kind of bored me at times. It's like an hour and a half anyway, so you may as well watch it for Miyu's backstory, unless this review has somehow convinced you against watching a main-plot movie of an anime you're already 4 seasons into.

I wouldn't say its a bad movie, just not fitting for what I enjoyed the other seasons for, and I tend to have limiters on my enjoyment so a 5 rating is about average for someone like me.

I can't believe this show is my favourite anime of the past few years, this season of the anime is my favourite. If you haven't saw the earlier seasons then why are you reading this review? Anyway this anime is an adaptation of the second half of the 2wei manga.


Story 8/10

This season is pretty much the slice of life season, the first half made up of episodes such as trips to the beach, festivals and amusement parks. Each character has their own comedic 'role' to play, whether it's Miyu's deadpan humour, Illya's WTF reactions, or even Tatsuko's hyper-energy style of living. There's plenty ... of different personalities, mostly relevant to otaku cliches, with an extra special surprise building on one of the side-characters 'confusion' outlined in earlier series (which I found particularly crazy).

All of these different styles of character add up, and allow for a diverse range of awkward, almost shamelessly otaku-pandering style of humour to sate any thirsts you may have for this kind of comedy. I really can appreciate the ridiculousness of it, and it's nice that they bring side-characters such as Bazett into a more 'normal' manner, away from the chaos of fighting. It's more similar to the ova extras (without as much of an yuri vibe, which while it can get comedic I'm glad they don't push it since its a bit cringey, which in itself is kind of funny).

The plot of Herz! only actually picks up towards the end of the season, with a few references made in what little build up there is. But, if you could call the 2wei anime the 'Kuro' arc, then this one surely should be the 'Miyu' arc as it builds on her backstory and character development more than any other (this continues into the next season too), while making good preparations for the next season. I can appreciate the serious stuff, but they don't overdo it and the theme of friendship still rules supreme.

Art 9

I suppose I really like the art too, they get the expressions pretty great on reaction, and it's definitely fitting for the anime. It's not overbearing like some other shows can be.

Sound 9

I'm just rating this for Prisma Illya overall, but since I regularly listen to the ost of all the Fate series, and I like the magical girl adventure vibe of this sound track (and Unlimited Blade Works themes) I believe it gets a 9.

Character 9

I basically already covered this in the story paragraphs, but for the slice-of-life episodes, the rest of the 'normal schoolgirl' cast act less as background characters, and are focused on way more, making them somewhere above the typical side character but obviously not quite as prominent as the main cast. I really enjoyed the focus on their interactions together, and even interactions with even less prominent side characters such as Issei, Shirou and Suzuka's sister add a lot to this season. The more normalised aspect of the characters is a welcome change.

Enjoyment/Overall 8

While my review might seem overwhelmingly positive for me to only give it an 8 overall, unfortunately I tend to not be deeply absorbed into anime, tv and whatever else in my current state of life. This is why the show was a HUGE surprise to me, and one genre I definitely would have avoided if it wasn't tied into Fate. That said, I've not actually tried any similar shows, excluding the more serious (which for someone who struggles to become engaged in a story gets boring) magical girl shows like Madoka, which I kinda found boring.

I think season two onwards of Prisma Iilya really ups the quality dramatically compared to season 1 (which on its own was an average-okay series). I've not really felt anything has been worthy of an 8 for years in terms of enjoyment, for me, the dumb, simple humour built on character progression rather than gags somehow done the trick. As if to cement my failure as an adult male, it's a real guilty pleasure* I never expected to enjoy so much.

*I feel the somewhat unnecessary yuri (not prominent in this season) adds to the awkwardness and humour, but it also causes the show to become stereotyped so I'm thankful they've seemed to have toned it down a bit. I'm not sure if I really got the point across, but if you enjoy awkward humour, based sometimes on deadpan, misunderstanding and obsession, then maybe you should watch the series. I hope they have another slice of life arc one day.

5th Part of Yu-gi-oh based on the famous children's card game (CCG).

Each part is completely separate from the others, with minor references or crossovers in some cases, though nothing important that you need to know before watching.

They don't make up the rules either like Part 1, which is likely the most familiar series to people here.

It's 83 episodes long so far, I remember it picking up around episode ~15 for me and again somewhere in the 30s. I mean a general improvement in quality, it doesn't drop down between them.

Like the other arcs, Duel Monsters is akin to a major sport, and ... also a major way of battle.

Action Duels are just cards appearing across the Solid Vision Field, mostly quick-play spells but it depends on the arena chosen. Solid Vision Fields are a false environment, though they hold their own structures akin to real world structures, I would assume they have safety features installed due to the lack of major injury.

Story - 7

Set in Miami City, on the coast of Nippon, Duel Monsters is the biggest thing in town. Thanks to the Leo Corporation, run by its president Reiji Akaba and it's introduction of "Solid Mass Vision", Action duels have reached worldwide popularity. Sakaki Yuya, the son of the former highest ranked duelist, Sakaki Yusho is our protagonist.

Yuya aims to become the worlds best entertainment duelist, just like his father :) though three years prior to the series Yusho mysteriously disappeared and he has yet to reappear. Ishijima Strong, the man who Yusho was to face before his disappearance sends Yuya an invite to duel on behalf of his Father in an exhibition match. It's kind of odd how slow the series starts, when he is meant to be a world champion.

During the exhibition match, Yuya discovers a new dueling technique, Pendulum Summoning which leads onto his path to become the best entertainment duelist there ever was. Smiles, not victories are his goal.

Inspired by the summoning method, a number of new duelists attend You Show Duel School, and a mysterious doppelganger of Yuya is rumored to have appeared which sets the wheels in motion for our adventure. There's a lot more to the story but that's too far in the series for me to non-spoiler it, but the world isn't just peaceful dueling.

It starts slow, gets running, then takes another while to really introduce the plot to viewers.

Art - 8

It's good, I don't really know what else to say. I like it.

Sound - 9

I think most tracks really capture the moment, they done well on this. OP/ED aren't extra special but the music used within the anime itself is really neat.

Character - 8

I already covered Yuya, the only other non-spoiler characters I can introduce is Yuzu, Yuya's childhood friend and the best duelist at You Show Duel School, with Yuya being an average duelist bordering a 50% winrate at whichever level 14 year olds play at, at the start of the series.

Generally most of the characters are memorable and likable, most the side characters are interesting and there are relatively few "I found 3 action cards in 5 seconds" moments in the series, especially the more it goes on. They spend a while to introduce new summoning methods, though for someone barely familiar with XYZ and Synchro that helped me to understand what was going on easier.

Pause and rewind if you don't understand how something works.

Enjoyment - 8

I like it. Check out Dueling Network if you want to play online, it's kind of fun to use decks from the series, the series and real life rules are slightly different.

I guess that's all, if I wrote anything dumb or repeated myself let me know and I'll edit it.

I'm bored so I'm going to review this.

Story -

Itou Kaiji, a depressed NEET loser who spends his time with petty crime and generally being miserable gets to go on a cruise.

Not just any cruise though, a cruise ship paid for and owned by the Teiai Corporation, which is pretty much the Yakuza. They make money from gambling, slavery, loan sharks and most likely legitimate stuff too, there isn't a large span of episodes detailing the intricate details of the organisation because it's not called "Teiai Group the animation". It's Kaiji.

Owing 3 million yen (£16k) debt traced back to him due to co-signing a ... loan for a friend, a loan shark visits his apartment and offers him to board a cruiseship with the possibility of making his money back and more! Without any choice other than slavery, and nothing else going on in his life Kaiji accepts this offer.

When Kaiji arrives on the ship for an overnight cruise, the way to make money is revealed: Restricted Rock, Paper, Scissors. Which is just Rock Paper Scissors but you use cards instead of your hand, participants only get a select number of cards and an even number of each type. I'm going to stop there because if you should just watch the show if you want to know more about that, but as with most psychological game genres you can't trust anyone. It's relatively unpredictable and at times Kaiji feels like a gambling addict, rather than a genius hero compared to L or the guy from Liar Game, also unlike Liar Game friendship doesn't match wits. A positive for me, but I still thought Liar Game was good, check that out too if you are into the genre, it's more genius vs genius like Death Note than desperate gamblers vs desperate gamblers like Kaiji is most of the time.

Art: Really nice and unique style. It is a bit more dull than other anime, but the fact that 90% of anime are colourful, joyful styles that make me wonder where's my joy? it works fantastically. If more anime had a similar style it wouldn't be as impressive.

Sound: Great voice acting, great op/ed, really nice background music. So basically I enjoyed it, adds to the dramatic scenes.

Character: I love Itou Kaiji as a man, he is what I wish I was like. He fights through fear, is brave ect. but he also acts like a gambling addict at the first few signs of possible success. He is relatively naive and trusting. He isn't a selfish person, unlike most of the other characters and genuinely wants everyone to be happy rather than focusing on his own greed. He is a fool at times, but if he was perfect I wouldn't like him nearly as much.

Enjoyment:

This is an odd one for me, as I don't get immersed like I did up to around 16. Life and my mental health melted is thanks to that, but seeing someone so low is kind of relateable, which is nice. I would say it's (actually season 2 is) my favourite anime I've watched this year (2015) over Fate/Zero and many others. A couple of years ago I'd have probably been totally immersed in the fate series, but sadly that time is gone. Kaiji is a nice distraction from life, so it's something.

Since no one has written a review I feel I might as well.

Beast 9 - A Mecha manhwa which I picked up because Park, Jin-Hwan (of The Breaker fame) was the artist.

Story-6
13 years ago a mysterious enemy named Eraser invaded Earth. With humanity on the verge of collapse The Beast - a weapon equip to counter the Erasers power appeared. Created by the heroic (and perverted) commander-in-chief of the MAGIC Brigade Mr. Vincent, will The Beast be the savior the world needs?

*The MAGIC Brigade are the force which the Beast pilots serve under.
** 6 is a tentative scoring, the plot is starting ... to thicken but MAL lists it as 34 chapters long which would destroy any real sense of story development.

Characters- 7
Attending Le Prince Academy - A pilot training school (founded by Mr. Vincent) are the two main characters in this story. Choi Il-Gun and Jang Mari.

Choi Il-Gun ironically suffers from claustrophobia, unable to pilot even training Mecha to acceptable standards he performs poorly, but is determined to succeed.

Jang Mari is the top of the class and widely regarded as being the girl who will become the next Beast pilot (Beast #9, hence the title). These two become very close (you'll have to read it to see what I mean).

I have a feeling there might be one or two main characters, but we shall see (and I'll update if so).

Art- 9
Clean, crisp and easy to follow. No complaints here.

Enjoyment- 7
It took a while for me to get into it but it's something I'll be following. The characters are interesting and the entire story is a huge mystery as of now. Comedy moments from Mr. Vincent have made me smile once or twice too :)

Overall- 7

P.s. If this Manhwa is really 34 chapters long then I'll cry. I hope it's not been cancelled :(

I've seen debates about the naming of this manga. I feel its worth mentioning that Green refers to Irish and Blood to gangs (I'd assume).

Now onto the relatively short tale of revenge.

Story- 6

The story takes place in the USA, during the industrial revolution. Immigrants are flooding into the country which has led to the 6th District of New York, known as the Five Points being considered the worlds worst slum and is an area which is completely under the control and the law of various Irish gangs.

There isn't much room for development with it being short, add 40-50 more chapters and I'd ... probably be giving it an 8.

Character- 8

Only two characters get real development. I'm pretty sure the author planned on making it longer but reasons unknown he seemingly had to cut it short (axed?).

The two main characters are Brad and Luke Burns. Left by their Father (an infamous outlaw) 14 years prior to the story after he murdered their Mother they eventually found themselves taken in by the founder of the Grave Diggers (an Irish Gang) and now live in the Five Points.

Brad is an infamous hitman, who works for and was trained by the Grave Diggers and goes by the name 'Grim Reaper'. Brad uses a gunknife to carry out assassinations and is constantly searching for information about his Father.
There are only two things on his mind - Keeping Luke safe and getting revenge on the man who killed his Mother.

Luke works at the ports and is innocent, kind and hardworking - an anomaly in a world of corruption. He dreams of him and Brad owning land of their own and being free from the poverty they suffer. Luke is oblivious to his brothers line of work and ambition for revenge. He is basically the opposite of Brad but has significant development during the course of the Manga.

The relationship between the two is one of the highlights of the Manga but there isn't much depth to anyone else sadly.

Art- 9
Not much to say, it's similar to Attack on Titans art but much more detailed.

Overall- 8

Even though it was short it was enjoyable. If you are looking for a Western setting then you wouldn't go wrong checking this out. I just wish it was longer :(

(Read The Breaker before moving on to this) - 129 Chapters as of writing.
*TL;DR versions underneath the long ones :P

After I finished The Breaker in about a week and loving it I moved onto New Waves with a hopeful expectation it would live up to the original story. For me, it's done more than that.

Story - 10

The story carries on directly from The Breaker, with Shi-Woon losing his Ki Centre (allowing him to control the flow of his Ki, allowing him to use Murim-esque abilities).

After Goomoonryong's departure Shioon is trying to adjust to a normal life once more, although due ... to him being the infamous disciple of Goomoonryong he is targeted by vengeful Murim members and as the holder of the Phoenix Medallion (Given by Sosul) Shioon still holds major ties to the Sun-Woo clan, meaning avoidance becomes increasingly impossible.

Aside from Murim-in's there is now a new major group - Soldiers Under Command, its members follow Goomoonryong as he if were god and are intent on starting a new world by his command, the information revealed about this organisation is really scarce which really increases the anticipation for even slight revelations.

TL;DR- It picks up where it left off. Shioon is trying to live a normal life once more but he can't as Murim-in's target him and the Sunwoo clan respect him due to Sosul giving him the Phoenix Medallion. Also a new group called Soldiers on Command - Stating they follow Goomoonryong appear and become the main antagonistic group (so far) in this manwha.

Art - 10

I really, really love The Breakers artwork. In other manga/manhwa sometimes I have trouble seeing what's happening in fight scenes, or getting confused on which supporting character is which (E.g. Witch Hunter). But I've never had any problems when reading this, the fight scenes are clear on whats happening and the characters all have really unique looks which helps express their personalities too!

TL;DR: Really good, characters easily defined by their unique aesthetics and great design.

Character - 10

I think this is where New Waves excels over The Breaker. Any thoughts of the negative effects of Goomoonryong or Shi-Ho were quickly dispelled for me. And minor characters/organisations (E.g. Sun-Woo, S.U.C) now take a much larger role, with many, mainly younger (hence the title New Wave) characters being introduced as main characters. Interaction feels much more informal with Shioon too as they are younger, rather than older characters who usually treat Shioon like a child which is pretty refereshing. The doubt over whether or not Goomoonryong is a antagonist really builds the anticipation for when (I'm assuming) Shioon finally meets him once more.

As the new characters aren't Goomoonryong it gives a better sense of the power ranking too
(Goomoonryong just destroys everyone pretty much in The Breaker).

TL;DR- Loss of Goomoonryong and Shi-Ho aren't too big due to the amount of new characters who appear in New Waves. As they are mostly younger it gives more time to show a more natural side of Shioon rather than the formal rapport between him and Goomoonryong.

Conclusion - This Manhwa is fantastic, even better than the original. If you've read the first and enjoyed it then you truly need to add this to your collection too, this was more than a cut above everything else I've read so far. 10/10

TL;DR - Read this.

This is my first review and my grammar is usually pretty poor so sorry if this is bad. I'm writing this view mainly on the assumption you are a fan of either Rave or Fairy Tail.

*Fairy Tail x Rave takes place sometime after the Oración Seis arc in Fairy Tail and the Blue Guardians arc in Rave Master.

*If you've watched the Fairy Tail x Rave trailer then this should be spoiler free.

Story- As this is a crossover don't expect much story. The way the chain of events played out was decent but its not really the focus of this OVA anyway. Both Dark Bring ... and Magic are referenced throughout the show.

Art- No different than the usual Fairy Tail animation. There wasn't enough time to cover lots of moves typical of both Fairy Tail & Rave but what was there was done well. I especially enjoyed the animation on Haru's abilities.

Sound- The scores and VAs from both the Fairy Tail and Rave return and mix really well. There is an emphasis on FT's soundtrack but scores from Rave still do appear and are paced very well. I've always thought FTs sound track was excellent and FTxRave is no exception.

Characters- Even though it's not in a logical setting its an enjoyable experience to see some of my favorite characters mix together. With it being 25 minutes long there isn't enough time to cover each character thoroughly but regardless what is there is enjoyable. Nastu/Haru, Gray/Musica and Lucy/Ellie to an extent share characteristics so naturally mix together well. For Let, Julia and Wendy they all share Dragon-like abilities and its nice to see the brief companionship between them.

Enjoyment- Being a fan of both Rave and Fairy Tail I really enjoyed this. I was more excited to see the Rave characters animated with modern animation than anything else and it doesn't disappoint.