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I’d just like to start this review stating that Detective Conan is mainly a series for lovers of the mystery/Detective genre. While it does have a very compelling overarching plot, some great comedy, characters, music and other mechanics that I will be mentioning later on; the series has a main focus on the many cases that it has and I do feel like anyone not completely locked in and trying to solve the various cases through the episodes… won’t be able to appreciate the series as much as those that do. Now, that being said, Detective Conan is a brilliant long running anime & manga ... series with one of the best longer overarching plots in any anime with great character progression, some brilliantly laid out cases and a very nice “journey” feel to it as you progress through the series and I’d urge anyone considering taking on the anime not to feel intimidated by the episode count, it is something that can be watched with a few episodes at a time without really losing any of the flow with the exception of the arcs involving the main antagonists.

Story: [Short synopsis – second paragraph more “reviewey”] Kudo Shinichi, a genius highschool Detective is on a date with childhood friend Mouri Ran and discovers an illicit deal underway, he gets caught unawares and is forced to take a pill that, unbeknownst to the assailants shrinks his body to a childhood state. He rushes to his house to regroup and bumps into Ran who is looking for him, when asked what his name is he looks at the books in his family library and comes up with the alias (Arthur) Conan Edogawa (Rampo), it then occurs to him that he should live with Ran whose father is a failing private detective and, from the background, solve enough cases to the point where he may investigate the “black organisation” that shrunk his body. The story of Detective Conan encompasses a slowly overarching plotline as Conan zeroes in on this black organisation, gathers allies along the way and struggles to keep up relationships with the friends of Kudo Shinichi, it is a plot that will keep you on your toes and so incredibly engaged through this long journey.

From the above synopsis you can probably already tell that the story is quite an involved one, lots of organisations and characters get involved, the old fashioned Detective chase is at the heart of the story and Detective Conan does take an undercover operation to the next level. While the anime is very episodic like most Detective TV shows and other anime I do think that this overarching plot is one of the best out there and some of the twists that Conan has thought out months beforehand do have quite the shock value and keep you very engaged during those arcs.

The art in detective Conan is quite controversial because it is quite a unique and quirky style, while the art does change through the series as Gosho changes his style and gets better at drawing (and the animation follows through) it is quite an old art style which might not be everyone’s cup of tea. One thing that I do find is done quite well though are the action scenes, Conan will take down a culprit using the many gadgets at his disposal and I do find that they animate movement quite well which is highlighted in the many movies. Scenery is also done very nicely, as a tie in with the humour in the anime the many facial expressions can also be quite hilarious.

Music: I do think that the Detective Conan anime does music and soundtracks very well, the original main theme has a very “jazzy” feel to it with the Sax which was quite prominent in the 1920s which also happens to be when EDOGAWA Ranpo started publishing his first books. Conan has a very old style of using soundtracks in it is very uniformal use of a song for each character/event which again isn’t seen as often in the later episodes and I do think that for the Detective Conan series it does it justice, from the very upbeat soundtrack that we see when Conan is chasing a culprit or about to reveal one to the slower and sadder songs we see when Shinichi reluctantly keeps Ran at bay… the soundtrack does very well to set the mood.

Character: The vast cast in Detective Conan do very well to make it such an engaging show and we see considerable character progression despite the short timespan (not episode span) of the show. It is mainly the exposure to the crimes that young children and teenagers wouldn’t usually be exposed to that would explain most of the progression that we see but Gosho does like his romantic stories so we see quite obvious pairings develop over time. Another thing that the characters do quite well in is the relationships and pairings that we see in the anime, most of the time they are there for some very funny moments but I think that the mutual… agreements, the lack of need to really communicate between several characters is something that just gives you a good feeling about the anime.

Enjoyment: Personally I have thoroughly enjoyed the ride that Detective Conan has and continues to take me on, the starvation that you go through of the main overarching plot makes the “Black Organisation” episodes all the better and I think that just spending time getting to know the characters, guessing who the culprit may be and just having a laugh at how Conan manages to get around a crime scene and solve the case without anyone being the wiser. Detective Conan has a brilliant enjoyment value privy to all of its fans over the years, it really does have something for everyone for all ages and I do believe for all the criticism that the story gets because of its episodic nature and characters that aren’t quite as popular to some fans, it has enough of a variety to satisfy I believe anyone that gives it a real shot.

Conclusion: To conclude I’d just like to reiterate that the anime has more of a focus on the cases and crime rather than the overarching plot and character relationships that the story is known for and I’d suggest that anyone planning on taking on the series has a keen love for mystery. Not without its faults, Gosho Aoyama does incorporate the close network of friends and enemies with their problems and deficits in a crime saturated Japan quite well and the anime’s long run is a bit of a testimony to the fact. I have personally really loved the story and do not think that Detective Conan gets the credit it deserves with its predominately Japanese fanbase despite an initially bad reception in the US when it started airing with English names and dubs. I’d just like to urge everyone to at least give this series a go, who knows? You could be a closet mystery lover yourself!

Before I write this review which is very long overdue I would like to first establish that Gintama is my favourite series in both the manga and anime mediums and it is something that I will carry with me forever, it took me out of a very dark part in my life and set me on the right path. Gintama is something that becomes better as time moves on and you learn more about Japanese culture (of course, manga and anime) looking back at the series but it is also a very compelling story with slowly arching storyline with some really emotional moments and just ... some moments that really hit home to any anime watcher.

Secondly, I would like to note that Gintama is the funniest form of media (at least anime) that I have seen. I don't think that people quite appreciate the knowledge that the author (who refers to himself as a Gorilla in the manga) has, he is thoroughly up to date with todays manga and anime series, with American TV shows, to Japanese Pop artists and Idols, and to Japanese comedy all together. He is a true appreciator of comedy and this is very apparent in his series where he runs jokes sometimes volumes apart, he has running gags throughout the series and he ties in references to all works of media that his wide audience (most of the time) appreciates.

-Just going to do a quick overview and reasoning for my 10/10 on all scores for the anime-

Story: Gintama starts as a bunch of friends in the Edo period of Japan start up an "odd jobs" with the intent on doing any job for anyone around the town after the alien "amanto" take over the Earth for a low price to get by. They start making associates in all kinds of places from the "Joi" terrorists to the various policing organisations around the place to the Shogunate itself, with the more relationships that they build the more influence and responsibility the group gathers around the town, the several ties made really bring together the story; this story isn't really your general soul searching, power gaining Shonen, it is about protecting these ties with everything that the group has.

Art: With such an amazing source I do feel that Sunrise did a very good job animating Gintama. Character designs stay very true to their original sources and they did a very nice job giving you a feel as to what it would be like living in this run down town where Aliens and Humans live (seemingly) in harmony. The action scenes are done very - very well and the various "playful" facial expressions and such are done to perfection.

Sound: Gintama has quite a range of different scenarios and I think that the sound put together did very well at setting the tone for these scenarios. It has some very touching songs for those emotionally beautiful scenes, it has some really cool fighting music when necessary and some very comical jigs for the right moment. Another strong point in Gintama is its OPs and EDs, they really do get some amazing bands (SPYAIR does a few) in for these theme songs and they stay very true to the series.

Character: Gintama has some very loveable characters, they each play their comical role very well with their interactions with certain characters, one thing that I've noticed is how well Sorachi pairs certain characters with one another in both the humorous sense and in a social one. You also need to appreciate that every supporting character is either introduced during the series with some sort of arc that very closely ties each character with the group or they are done so in the same way with a flashback.

Enjoyment: Due to its episodic nature Gintama is something that you can show to friends at any point and they will love it all the same. As touched on earlier it is such an enjoyable series because of its diversity, there is something in it for everyone of all ages because the authors knowledge in anything funny is so diverse all the same. Watch it for the endless references, the fighting scenes, the comedy, you will not leave disappointed whatever your interests are.

To conclude in my bias I just really want to stress that everyone no matter what their tastes are should watch Gintama, don't get strayed away by these premise that because it is on the MAL top anime ratings that it must be mainstream trash. It is there for a reason, everyone that watches it loves it.

Overview:
Sket Dance, meaning "helpers club" ("助人団"; "Suketto Dan") follows the highschool lives of a trio of friends with what could be described as depressing backgrounds that form the club "Sket Dance" which aims to help any academy member in need. They grow strong bonds with a good bunch of the town that they live in as they go through their daily lives. Sket Dance is a comedy that follows the "recipe" of fellow comedy Gin Tama along with quite a few voice actors, they even did a crossover episode!

Plot 8/10:
Nice little story going on here, the anime itself doesn't actually start and finish with ... the manga as it is ongoing, though I do feel like it stopped at a good time. We have our group in the "Skettu Dan" working towards the problems brought to them by fellow members of the school, some sort of contest against the notorious members of the school counsil, and interactions with recurring classmates and teachers as thus. Even though Sket Dance follows this episodic formula, it doesn't leave us without character and story progression, it may be slow but there is things going on in the background to leave you a little teary from either sadness or laughing a little too hard.
Animation 7/10
We do see a newer form of artwork in place with some unique character design. Fan service is minimal but certainly still there as you would expect from a school setting anime. The artwork put in place does a fairly good job to enhance situations going on to set the mood of what could be very funny or very gloomy.

We also see some pretty cool action themes!

Sound 6/10:
As the students actually partake in forms of music from time to time we do see quite the variation in sound used, jRock is seen at times along with some heart-warming ballads during the OT's, ET's and throughout what were some very gloomy scenes. There was also no shortage of OST's to get us through the more important themes, a little jig to get through the humorous content or a low-key piano piece as a character gets through a sudden heart felt realisation.


Character 9/10:
The characters themselves progress at a very alarming rate, that is, all except for our main characters in the Sket Dan. Through helping others out they sure do define themselves as above saving so to speak, though this is not without conquest... they sure have their own hearts.
These students all have their own lovable stories, some of them will surely bring anyone with a soul to tears and some will have you just about punching through your tv screen (and a few walls), we see strong relationships which will seemingly last to the grave and others which are surely temporary for the comedic intent.

Overall 8/10:
If comedy is something that is up your alley and you did enjoy Gintama then surely give this one a shot, not without some tears Sket Dance is to be taken seriously as a fully fledged Shonen!