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I just finished watching True Tears and it made me cry, which is rare. It was because it touched loneliness and choices in loving/liking someone in a unique way. I usually can't find that kind of plot in American series/films I watch, which I do when I don't watch anime.

The thing that touched me most was how the main character was in love with a girl but had very strong feelings for another, even though not necessarily in a romantic way. The story said you don't have to be in love with a girl for your heart to be shaken by her. There are different ... kinds of love that can move you greatly.

The plot has two guys and three girls. One girl character, Noe, I loved. She's this lively kind of person who can enter your life like a storm and change your life. I loved the feather attached to her bag, guessing it showed she's a free spirit. She moved me. I felt her loneliness. Her brother, the only person she had, had feelings for her he shouldn't. That was edgy and can challenge some of you but Japanese somehow have a thing going on with this topic. I say don't let that get in the way, it's not heavy in the plot.

I felt deeply sorry for the other girl character Hiromi, the orphan living in the same house as the main guy. Her loneliness bothered me more towards the end of the anime. I felt depressed. The third girl character, you go through the despair of loving someone but being stuck with another guy with her. That's also something. The plot is not THAT depressing, though. You'll probably like watching it.

If you like dealing with emotions and relationships, this is for you. I liked it quite much. It has 13 episodes so it doesn't get boring and it has no unnecessary fill-in time or annoying side characters.

I came across this manga while I was looking for josei manga and decided to read it because it won an award. I thought it could be boring but that wasn't the case!

The story takes place in a small town with a warm, cozy atmosphere (around 1960s I think) and you really feel you're there! The characters are very realistic. There's one girl and two guys but the story is not cliché. The girl is a timid, sweet small town girl who's still friends with her childhood friend, the "delinquent" Sen. Then the city boy/ good student comes into the picture and music pulls them ... all together. The main guy is not this amazing, cool type but he has his goods and bads, he's human. And Sen is an amazing character, you would have to read.

From the way the characters meet to the way the mangaka turns romance between characters upside down throughout the manga, I think the right word for this manga for me is "believable". There's no crazy romance with lots of drama but your regular romance you would stumble upon everyday, equally mixed with music and a strong friendship between the two main guys which is rare to find in common literature. I just loved this, made me feel warm stuff :)

Koi Kaze is the only work that made me think 'Yes, a brother and sister can really fall in love.'

You don't have to relate to the story in the sister-brother-love context. You'll relate if you've ever been attracted to someone you shouldn't have: Can be your teacher, or your friend who already has someone, or a far-related relative, etc. The point is, you'll understand how these two blame themselves, especially the man, when what he seems to live through is normal and human. He is angry at himself, which is portrayed just great, and tries to get away.

The tension between the two in a ... single house is given very well. Every time the other closes their room's door, everytime the other comes to the house or leaves, they listen, and wonder, what the other is thinking.

It's sick when you think, that a brother and sister living in the same house fall in love. But, in the circumstances created in Koi Kaze, it might well happen. What's so sick is, for example if a pushy older brother was attracted to his sis, and his sis not, or vice-versa. That would be a cat-mouse play in the house, and simply child molestation. That IS terrible, but not what happens here.

The girl is a little shallow in the anime. But that's because the story is told mainly from the man's view.

Finally, the end is not disappointing or too blurry to me.

A Tale of Memories has a unique story that unfolds nicely. There is some mystery going on, such as: In what kind of world are some of the characters? And what happened in the past? There is also a 'story in the story' by the character Chihiro and I loved it! It goes as: The girl was the only one in the world. That made her the god of that world.'

The setting is really nice, like the sky, the beach, and the empty train station where Chihiro and Renji meets. The music is really good and creates a good atmosphere when it comes together with ... the visionary. There are a lot of scenes which are colored in a different way. The op can give a hint.

Loneliness is a main issue in the story and they dealt with it well. I liked the characters Chihiro and Renji most. Chihiro is very troubled and lonely but the story shows that there's hope for even her, when she meets some kind and caring person like Renji. Another female character, Miyako, is also lonely and struggles to have a bond with the right guy. The third lead, Kei is also interested in the same guy and also has a relation with Chihiro.

It's an anime based on an ero-game but I think it turned out well!

Genius Party won't speak to the mind of a regular anime fan! Oh no. It will let down a shoujo or josei fan big time, mecha fan also doesn't have a lot, action fan could just leave in the middle! It's mainly a playground for the directors to try their intersting ideas that they always wanted to bring to life. Their shorts are sure unique, but also weird at times! It is a try to be universal, but as I said, weird factor! :)

It doesnt't mean that the shorts suck. But they don't represent anime in general. I watched this movie in a hall in ... Germany, where I was trying to give a glimpse of anime to my boyfriend. Man, was that a bad idea! :D He found it: 'Hmm, interesting. What was that loooong dialog in that part about?! I left listening after 3 minutes...''

All in all, Genius Party is influential. You will think about some of the shorts for a long time probably, because it's art. But the movie is not a great watch in general.

I wanted to add that this movie has an epic opening! It shows the girl in the picture 'being made', with an awesome soundtrack piece from Kenji Kawai. Really breathtaking music and visuals!

Some parts of the story is good, some parts a little lame. The main thema about the 'robot-sex-slave's-problem' didn't interest me much, but made me think 'Actually that can happen!' :) I liked the part about virtual reality and generally giving thought about the future world it creates.

The thing I didn't like about the movie is rather personal: I also watched the GitS TV anime series, and I love the main female character, ... the Major. In the movies, they gave less time to her, in this movie very little sight of her, and took the story somewhere else, making it more of a 'man's world' movie. Well, I'm a woman and I want my female character! ^^