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Madan no Ou to Vanadis is a light novel adaptation set in a medieval fantasy world with magic, dragons and heroes. If that was the most generic story you've ever heard of, then that's probably 'cause the story IS pretty god damn generic. I watched this anime because I had a craving for medieval fantasy after seeing another, far better medieval(ish) fantasy story, Hitsugi no Chaika - ending in a rather rushed and disappointing way. I had hoped that another one like it would wash off the disappointment and it certainly worked! I'm not disappointed anymore, just plain pissed. Yay!

Story (25%) - 3/10
Vanadis' story sounds ... pretty impressive at first glance; a hero of the Brune Kingdom is captured by the Zhcted, Brune's rival, and forms a pact with a Zhcted war maiden to save his hometown from two powerful Brunish dukes plotting to overthrow the king. However, its execution falls completely flat on its face. The story is very linear, for the most part; hardly anything happens that isn't directly related to the protagonist and everything happens conveniently in concert with the main plot. There also isn't much world-building and it seems that the show is more comfortable telling us to go read a history book to find out how medieval times were like rather than bothering to explain how this world works. Another thing that annoyed me to no end was the fact that the heroes never seemed to have any problems in the battles they fought. In the third episode, the heroes face an army numerically superior, better armed and even had two dragons with them. And the heroes respond by using ass-pulls and inferior tactics. Yes, the tactics the heroes use are demonstrably worse than the ones their enemies used; it's like the show is proud of how over-powered they are! That's not to say their enemies were masters of warfare, but at least they used basic flanking and encirclement tactics while the heroes rushed head-on against them using cavalry, of all things. I don't know when medieval action anime will stop doing this but they need to stop thinking that good generals rushed head-on with their cavalry, those were usually used for flanking or to mow down enemies that were either routing or already fighting infantry. I may be bitching a lot about this, but only because these retarded tactics are present throughout the story. There are other incidences, like the protagonist scouting enemy territory by himself in episode 5, which no general in his right mind would ever do. The protagonist's army being able to set up traps and ambushes in episodes 8 and 10 despite the fact that they should know nothing about the terrain and an entire army routing in episode 8 just because their commander was killed (which SHOULDN'T happen to a greatly numerically superior army - the fight was 10 to 1 for crying out loud!).

Art (20%) - 3/10
The character designs are very iffy, all the characters look 10 years younger than they should be which makes it difficult to take them seriously. It's like a generic art style modified to produce lolis where there are none. The animation isn't that great either especially when it comes to the use of CG. I burst out laughing in some of the fight scenes when the background was full of CG enemy soldiers slashing at literally nothing! How clumsy were the animators when they made this?

Sound (20%) - 5/10
I actually liked the OP and ED songs - they certainly feel like they belong in this kind of show but they, along with the rest of the soundtrack, feel too extravagant and over-the-top sometimes. Not much subtlety or variation but enjoyable if you like corny D & D style tunes.

Characters (25%) - 3/10
Now we can add generic harem cast to the show's repertoire of generic elements. The characters are really uninteresting and bland, MC included. The fanservice and harem shenanigans don't exactly help either. The villains are quite one-dimensional and by the show's end, I still have no idea why they wanted the throne or why the war maidens were fighting or why were the war maidens acting like mercenaries when they were practically royalty? There is nothing remotely interesting about any of the characters, but this is a light novel adaptation, so...

Enjoyment (10%) - 6/10
Meh, it's an ok time sink, I suppose. Lots of pretty colors and brainless action and fanservice to keep you occupied. Don't expect much going into it and it won't offend you or anything.

Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance: light novel adaptation! Yeah! You know what that means? Deep, meaningful themes? Character Development? Great Dialogue? Hahahaha, hell no. As with most (if not all) light novel adaptations, Blade Dance is a romance/comedy/harem/fantasy anime catered to the otaku audience. My expectations for this anime were insanely low and all I expected was nothing but a generic, mindless fanservice anime and that's exactly what I got.

Story (25%) - 2/10
The story is as generic as it can be. It's nothing but an obvious setup for a harem and there isn't much thought put into the setting. Now you may be thinking "Sure, ... it's generic but 2 out of 10?? That's a bit harsh, don't you think?" so allow me a chance to explain why. Usually, shows with no plot (i.e. slice of life) get an automatic 5 from me, a well-handled plot always scores higher; however, stories that have plots which only exist for empowerment fantasy/wish fulfillment and nothing else get a 1 point deduction. Blade Dance gets another point deduction for not doing a good job of explaining its setting or conflict. Restia's back-story and motives are never explained so she falls flat as a villain. It is also never explained why Kamito is the only boy with powers, which actually makes this show really weak as empowerment fantasy. Since the viewer is expected to step into the shoes of the MC, if it is never explained why the MC is special, then the viewer will not feel special (or "empowered") either. From a story-telling perspective, I see no reason why any random boy couldn't also gain powers and get chicks, it's not like anything is stopping them; thereby making Kamito look ordinary and not unique. Hell, even Infinite Stratos gave a reason as to why the MC is special. Sure, it makes no sense and is never explored, but at least it was there! Another point gets deducted for the fact that the sub-plots are so poorly managed. We are told that Claire's sister went rouge for some reason and Claire wants to get stronger to bring her back or something, but we are never told why. No flashbacks about their memories together, no reason to believe her sister is innocent, there is absolutely no motivation for the audience to care about her; simply telling us they're sisters isn't enough, you know. Have the writers never heard of Fullmetal Alchemist?

Art (20%) - 6/10
The art style is also very generic, it is extremely easy to confuse it with a hundred other shows. The animation is pretty decent, with the show being rather action-oriented. The CGI isn't bad at all, but nothing stands out in terms of art. It's only slightly better from what you would expect from modern anime.

Sound (20%) - 6/10
The OP is sung in TERIBORU ENGURISU (yeah, it's really that bad) which drags the rest of the soundtrack down. It's a shame actually, the other songs weren't half bad and some pieces, particularly those that used the violin, were actually pretty good. Oh, well.

Characters (25%) - 3/10
I already mentioned the worst aspects of the characters in the Story section, so I won't bother to repeat them. Aside from those, the side characters are just so predictable and generic that I can't really find a reason to care about them. Their personalities can basically be described by their hair colour.

Red=Tsundere; Blonde=Arrogant Ojou-sama; Blue=Cool Beauty; Light Blue=Quiet Stoic; Oh the originality!

Enjoyment (10%) - 5/10
Since I am a male teenager, I can't exactly say I was bashing my head on the table while I was watching. It's enjoyable for what it is and as long as you keep your expectations low, you won't be disappointed. My main problem with it is that it's just so generic and predictable. I can hardly tell it apart from Seikoku no Dragonar and that only came out one season before this! Just watch Trinity Seven when it airs this fall. I read the manga and it's the same thing as this but better in every way. It has a better plot, a more OP protagonist, a bigger harem and after you watch it, I'm sure you'll forget all about Blade Dance. Don't waste your time with this anime and instead watch something meaningful like Ping Pong or whatever.

Yet another over-hyped anime that started off the season and just like Attack on Titan, it became a train-wreck as well. Let me make this perfectly clear from the very beginning: this show is all style and no substance. Whatever deep sociopolitical message is ingrained here is hardly ever explored; the show would rather focus on fancy explosions and cool-sounding themes that don't even matter in the end. With that out of the way, I'll start the review.

Story (25%) - 3/10
My reason for giving it such a low score is the fact that the riddles feel so pointless. And this is a big deal since ... about 8 of the episodes focus on them. I keep asking myself: what was the point of those riddles?; why didn't they use the bomb from episode 1?; why didn't they reveal their motive for the bombings from the very beginning?; why didn't anyone go blind after staring at a nuclear explosion? So many questions.... And of course, all the fanboys are over-thinking the show to death with all their BS about how the show is such a deep social commentary on Japan, despite the fact that the show barely spared an episode to mention all that, instead focusing on pointless explosions and riddles. I can do it too, you know:

Zankyou no Terror is actually a show about how Japan refuses to learn from its past mistakes, just like how ZnT refuses to learn from the mistakes of Death Note and Code Geass. How? By adding another one-dimensional, white-haired antagonist to ruin the show and MORE BULLS*** CHESS.

Art (20%) - 8/10
Definitely some of the most realistic looking backgrounds and effects I've seen in anime. The directing is superb, better than most action flicks, and the explosions aren't cartoony. The animation is spectacular and it felt almost like a live-action movie at times. The character designs are what prevent a 10. As I was watching the show, the two main leads kinda reminded me of the characters in Free! The designs just don't seem very original and they don't stand out from other anime.

Sound (20%) - 8/10
Not as good as Bebop's soundtrack but still excellent. The OP however, didn't leave much of an impact. Not much else to say, definitely some of Yoko Kanno's best work.

Characters (25%) - 3/10
None of the characters in the show are relatable, making it hard to identify with any of them. Nine and Twelve really aren't interesting as characters; after their backstories were revealed, I felt sorry for them but also found them rather dull. Lisa was even more useless than Sakura from Naruto (if that's possible) and Five wasn't interesting in the least bit. Shibazaki was interesting and he was certainly the most humane character but he doesn't get much screen time or development and he is reduced to nothing but a plot device in the end.

Enjoyment (10%) - 7/10
It may be a bad show but it has great art and sound. If you're only in it for the explosions and to be given infodumps by random people about the oh so interesting plot instead of being given something to think about, then you'll enjoy this. But don't expect a good thriller anime, this show is pretentious and has no message to offer that it doesn't outright tell you.

H2O: Footprints in the Sand; another melodrama based on a visual novel. Not a good one either. Well, it has some drama, some romance, some comedy, even a bit of psychological but none of it stands out. This anime is still rather generic and there are about a dozen better titles out there that do the exact same things. The only thing worth mentioning is that it's at least not that predictable. I guess. Whatever, let's get on with the review.

Story (25%) - 3/10

Surprise, another school setting. The most annoying part of the first half is the fact that the supernatural element is hardly explored ... and it makes absolutely no sense. At the start, the girl who cures him is a spirit. Then, she's actually a ghost. But no, there's something else going on; she's actually a combination of sorts later on. There just isn't much effort put into explaining the supernatural stuff, there also isn't any tension about it so you end up not caring. Because of this, it just feels like they deliberately included spirits and whatever to make the deus ex machina ending a bit more plausible. The second half is also disappointing. Instead of allowing the MC to learn and get over his tragic past (you know, give him some DEVELOPMENT or something), no; it turns out everything was okay and there was nothing tragic about his past at all. Well, I guess you shouldn't make a serious psychological anime if your fanbase literally uses the story as masturbation material. Disappointing, but at least it's different, for better or worse.

Art (20%) - 3/10

The character designs are quite cartoonish which only makes it harder to take the story seriously. The animation is also sub-par and the whole thing just looks low-budget. The fact that the characters just look plain makes them easily forgettable and even the backgrounds look more appealing than them.

Sound (20%) - 4/10

The soundtrack is also rather generic; just a bunch of uplifting pop tunes and a few songs that sound kind of depressing. It's better than the art though, as it at least does what it can to give the sad scenes their proper mood. But nothing impressive or redeeming about it.

Characters (25%) - 4/10

Well, at first they all appear to be the usual archetypes and most of them stay that way. The most irritating of the bunch are the one-dimensional villains that exist to piss you off and to keep the drama and plot moving, no matter how unrealistic it gets. The only ones to somehow deviate from this trend are the two main leads, usually because of their back-stories and the challenges to their emotional states. This deviation is still predictable without much depth to it, but it's enough to keep them from being bland. In terms of development, only the female lead gets some and it's a rather tiresome watch to finally see it. The male lead on the other hand, as I mentioned in the Story section above, basically resists development and it just gets annoying to see his mood swings and then end up without anything changing.

Enjoyment (10%) - 4/10

It starts out easygoing and ends up being pretentious as it is psychological in name only. Still, I guess it's fulfilling to see a happy ending (even if it makes no sense) and the romance doesn't feel forced despite the lackluster story. It's hardly a tear-jerker and less of a good psychological anime but it's still watchable as a romance with some drama. Just don't expect anything good if you decide to watch it.

Just when you think there are already too many battle shounens out there, here comes another. However, I appreciate the fact that Air Gear at least comes with a unique concept. Regardless, a battle shounen is a battle shounen and it all comes down to presentation that decides whether or not an anime stands out in its genre. Unfortunately, that isn't quite the case for Air Gear. It is definitely enjoyable but it doesn't present anything new to the table. If you plan to watch this anime expecting a masterpiece, prepare to be disappointed; but if you just come in for a good time, then ... help yourself.

Story (25%) - 5/10

The plot starts out the same as any battle shounen; there's a special sport/power with a special tournament which has special people participating. The MC suddenly gets exposed to it, wants to join, forms a team, etc. This seems generic but would have actually been fine considering that the characters and city setting seem suited for this kind of plot. However, the writer suddenly got ambitious and decided to insert some epic, grand plot to keep everyone tuned in. From there, the plot becomes a mess as it keeps us begging for answers but obviously there isn't enough time to answer half of them in a 25 episode show. It would have been nice to know at least just how they seem to gain superpowers from using mechanized roller blades, but we don't even get that. All in all though, nothing gets too dragged out and the story is at least internally coherent and simple albeit incomplete as it only covers about 1/3 of the manga.

Art (20%) - 9/10

The backgrounds and character designs are simply breathtaking. There isn't a single frame which looks ugly and the characters are well-proportioned. Animation is fluid, which really does wonders for an action anime such as this. The way in which the city's atmosphere blends magically with the more surreal fantasy, supernatural-ish dream world thingy is also superb. If only they did a better job at explaining that world, the transition might have been flawless. There are a few things the art does kinda bad, but these are few and usually occur with minor details of supporting characters, so they can easily be ignored.

Sound (20%) - 10/10

This is where the anime truly shines. I swear to the god I don't believe in that the soundtrack is one of the best in anime. Considering that the opening song basically started the career of its creators, you know you can expect something good. More than half the songs in its soundtrack can be listened to on their own and every song fits its scene nicely. The atmosphere is not only preserved by the sound, it is greatly enhanced by it.

Characters (25%) - 4/10

This is definitely the anime's weakest point. The characters don't have much variation with other shounen archetypes. The only ones remotely interesting are Agito and Ringo. And even they aren't that different in the shounen genre. However, I think they make up for their individual blandness by their good chemistry with each other. Although even this gets ruined by the excessive fanservice the show shoves in your face. Nonetheless, the characters are likable (for the most part) and they move the story along well enough. Don't expect them to be serious though as basically every character is a comic relief character at some point, usually accompanied by fanservice. There also isn't much development among its characters. Only Ikki and Kazu get some degree of development and even that is rather superficial. But considering this is shounen, it's at least something.

Enjoyment (10%) - 7/10

This is popcorn material no question. It may suddenly give you some deep-sounding quote out of nowhere for no reason but you'd have to be a fool to take it seriously, especially considering the tits and ass shots outnumber those quotes 2 to 1. If you expect some action and comedy, you'll be pleasantly surprised when the anime gives you exactly that plus the great art and sound.

Overall - 7/10

It may have a great soundtrack and visuals but no story and characters to remember it by. It is entertaining but I seriously doubt that it will leave an impact on anyone. Still, it is worth your time if for the visuals and sound alone.