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I know that all these other reviews are pitching this anime as 'not as good as the manga', but I'm wondering if they've ever seen any other yaoi anime adaptations. The budget is always much lower than more mainstream genre animes, so no, it's never going to be as slick as something such as Death Note.

RELATIVE to yaoi animes though, this one is pretty gosh darn impressive. They more than compensate for low budget with clever framing angles and techniques; some shots really took me out of the anime to just appreciate how it's been made as a piece of art. The story, characters, ... and atmosphere carry the whole thing in a fashion that, for me, doesn't leave anything feeling lacking. I damn near cried several times.

The manga is one of my all time favourites, so I'm absolutely someone who could be disappointed by the adaptation. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys the subtle, slow-burn pacing of the manga, the scorching tension that comes to fill in the space left by that gradual pacing, and anyone interested in how a low budget anime can still play with cinematography to grasp an audience.

Side note: several reviews found the music lackluster, and whilst I completely agree that it's nothing mind-blowing, I found the understated tone of the music suited the anime's other aspects really well. Outro song slaps in a heart-ruining way too.

If there's one anime I have to review, it's Gokusen. No other anime has shaped my sense of comedy and appreciation of the possible maturity and nuance of anime/manga than Gokusen. Which seems a bit hyperbolic for an anime only 7.something on MAL, but hear me out.

Yes, we have the heroine who works hard to overcome obstacles, the tsundere male who's cool and impossibly good at things. You have dorky side characters for comic relief, the somewhat contrived villains, the mandatory 'beach' episodes and school festival. Nothing unique so far.

But Gokusen gives all of it such a hilarious twist that if you're a long-time ... anime watcher who knows the cliches inside and out, few things are more refreshing. Not to mention the comedy in this anime is golden; the jokes on femininity are crass without being offensive, the characters are caricatures without becoming repetitive, and all of it is carried off by one of my all time favourite female leads.

A Yakuza heir who wants to become a teacher? Yeah, we've heard it before, but now it's a woman who's also known as 'four-eyed monkey'. She's a total dork, but also a total badass. She's self-aware whilst also being dense as a wooden spoon. Goodness, don't tell me: Is this an anime character that's COMPLEX?

Yes. Yes it is. This is one of those animes you can watch over and over because it's really got that level of maturity and depth that allows you to appreciate the jokes and the drama in tandem. You'll root for all the characters, including and at times especially the side characters. The 'romance' is really a sideline plot that if you enjoy, you should continue onto the manga for, but it's touching and endearing when it crops up here too.

Gokusen is the kind of anime I would recommend to anyone over sixteen, or anyone whose sense of humour and drama has matured past being endlessly amused by the same old melodrama and implausible extremes. Sure, Gokusen isn't realistic always, but it pokes fun at itself and the world in such a way that leaves you laughing at just what cartoons and anime are able to accomplish in all their nonsensical weirdness.

Gokusen is a golden gem. Maybe it just suits my sense of humour and affection perfectly, or maybe it's perfect in its own odd, goofy way.

Either way, I'd recommend giving it a shot for 3+ episodes and if you're not feeling oddly protective of every character by the end, well, I guess it's just me then.

This anime is such a blessing, I can't believe I'd never heard of it before spotting it on some 'top ten X' list.

Pro Tip: It doesn't take itself seriously, and neither should you.

This is an anime where one band has a member described as 'the only sane one' (an understatement) and another band with two 'aliens'. Both bands are managed by an egg in a suit, who can only be calmed by being 'whipped' by his well-endowed assistant. Together, they must save the world through the power of music, friendship, and cliched plot devices reworked to be charmingly insane and goofy.

SbR! makes ... fun of tropes, of genre cliches, but also lavishly uses them, twists them, and pokes fun at them. You get magically transported to another realm with no idea how or why? Who cares! You're in a BAND now (insert 'squee' here)!

The part most likely to put people off (or at least, that weirded me out the most) is that during music/battle sequences, the characters transform into 3D chibi animal... things. It's odd, not going to lie, but in a time where Pop Team Epic is about, this seems somewhat tame in comparison.

All in all, it's a goofy, fun, and at times genuinely intriguing/emotive idol anime that managed to make me like an anime in the idol genre. If you find most music/idol animes cringe-worthy and completely lacking in self-awareness, then this anime is the perfect antidote, still equipped with all the cute cat girls and bishounen boys you could ask for.

tl;dr: GO WATCH THIS, CATTLE!

I've never reviewed before, but for this manga, I HAD to. So long as you're not looking for something super serious, it is SO MUCH FUN.

There's drama and a touch of angst here and there, but mostly it is ridiculous smut, banter, comedy of errors, and even a surprising amount of feels. You will ship some ships very hard, witness a lot of characters ALSO very hard, and laugh even harder (which considering how this is literally a group of dude who have sex, is damn hard).

The story is fun, fairly generic, but with enough unique, ridiculous, hilarious twists that it works wonderfully. Up ... to Volume 2 Chapter 11, it even has some drama worked in there which has me desperately awaiting more.

Our protagonist is kind of annoying to begin with, but you warm up to him as he gets over the shock of joining a photography club that turns out to basically be a brothel. I suppose I, too, might be a bit pissy were that to happen to me. Especially since if I didn't screw someone within a month, I'd be gang-raped.

That is the primary word of warning: The word rape is thrown around a lot in this manga, but it is not meant in the criminal sense of rape. You never get the feeling that someone is doing anything against their will, or that they do not enjoy. It actually feels ALOT more consensual than most yaoi I've read.

The characters pretty much all LOVE sex, joke and make comments about it all the time, and it's a surprisingly sex-positive, open-minded manga. Characters are into all sorts, and though sometimes they're teased for it, they're never ostracised.

Overall it's cute, smutty fun with enough feels and depth-of-character to actually make you care as well. I would highly recommend it to anyone who is well accustomed to yaoi, but is looking for something a little more fun, and little less typical uke-dominated-by-seme :)