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I first started reading One Piece about 5 years ago and no matter how hard I tried I just couldn't get into the series. I will admit I fell for the classic problem at the beginning of a series with "the artwork." It drove me insane. So I dropped the series and came back to it about 2 years ago and boy am I happy I did. Once I managed to push through those first few chapters, this series dragged into depths of fandom I'd never experienced before.



Story: 10

This comedic adventure is set in a place where pirates roamed the earth. Our protagonist Luffy sets ... off on a journey to become the king of the pirates. Along the way he meets many people, including his motley crew, all with their own dreams; as well as countless villains with or without devil fruits (which give people special powers, but takes away their ability to swim.)

While the basis of One Piece is quite simple, the story arcs bring real-world problems into it. From discrimination and racism, to corruption and slavery - the world of One Piece has seen it all. These themes bring about a depth to this fantasy.

With these story arcs, even though they are separate tales, they all interconnect with one another throughout the series. Minor foreshadowing in one arc can lead to major plot developments later on. An attractive thing about One Piece is that there's no limit to what can happen.



Art: 9

As I said earlier, the artwork at the beginning of One Piece was hard to digest as Oda was still a "rookie." However as the story progressed the art got better - MUCH better. The fighting scenes are well done and it's fairly easy to tell what's happening during them (which is always a plus xD). What I really enjoy about the artwork is that it doesn't overuse screentones like many manga tend to do. And while this ties into the "character" section as well, I love the creativity of the character designs especially for the villains.



Characters: 9

I find that the real gem in One Piece is not always the storyline, but the characters met along the way. First we have the crew, all unique in their own respects: (I'm going to try and keep it short...no promises though)

- Luffy, the captain may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but he has a strong sense of determination and friendship. And if he scouts you for his crew, it's best to just give in. He'll win in the end anyway.

- Zoro, the directionally challenged swordsman is hardheaded and can probably sleep anywhere, but is loyal to Luffy. His constant snipping with Sanji is hilarious, but his sword skills are badass.

- Nami, the navigator used to be a weak link always needing saving, but this violent, sassy girl can now hold her own with the rest of the crew.

- Usopp, the lying sniper who wants to be a great man of the sea, is comedic and gets very attached to everyone. While at first he was afraid of everything, he now knows how to take care of his own fights.

- Sanji, the ship's cook is a complete ladies man. When fighting "Black Leg Sanji" only uses his legs and this guy knows how to branch off from the rest of the crew to get some major stuff done.

- Chopper, the Strawhat's doctor and human/reindeer zoan fruit user is sweet and earnest. He wants to be able to cure any disease.

- Robin, the Archaeologist. While having a difficult past, she finally found where she belongs on the crew. This level-headed girl is the logical one in a mass of hot-heads and her curiosity often gets the better of her.

- Franky, the cyborg shipwright wants to sail 1000 seas in a ship he built. His somewhat perverted nature is hilarious at times. He runs on cola and believes he is "SUUUPER" - both of which Usopp and Chopper seem to agree with. xD

- Brook - the skeletal musician who lost his shadow. This complete perv, who is always asking to see the girls' panties is not only skilled with music, but also with a sword. He brings a fun atmosphere to the crew.

Lastly we have villains. What makes One Piece really special to me is the massive amount of MEMORABLE villains. From Crocodile and Baroque Works TO Spandam and CP9 TO Doflamingo and the Doquixote Family (although that last grouping isn't my favourite.) Oda knows how to create a great villain. Although I have to say that at times they can look a little disturbing. *cough* Senor Pink *cough*

Overall, the characters are really well done. Many of the characters have quite a bit of depth, especially as we dive into their backstories.



Enjoyment: 10

I always enjoy reading One Piece and I anxiously await the release of each chapter, groaning when the series goes on break for a week and grinning when a massive plot twist or an exciting reveal happens. If that doesn't constitute enjoyment, then I don't know what does. xD



Overall: 9.5 (rounded to 10)

While every series has its faults (and One Piece is no exception), One Piece is enjoyable to read with good characters, themes, and plots. It well deserves a high rank for any adventure-lover.

Oh how I know I'm going to be going against the masses with this review. When I first watched AOT I was intrigued. What an interesting notion: the decline of humanity, being forced to live like caged animals behind massive walls to be safe from massive human-eating beings.....and that's where all of the good stopped for me.

First off, we have the three main characters: Eren, Mikasa, and Armin.
Eren (aka - mr. grumpy-pants who never stops yelling) seems to be an ideal character at the beginning, but as we move onwards through the series....where is the character development?! Come on!!

Mikasa, is literally ms. perfect in every ... way. It seems this girl can do no wrong. She can do everything without even batting an eyelash. Enough said - irritating character due to her perfection. News flash - nobody should be perfect.

Armin is the best out of the three by far. He's the classic bookworm. I don't have pretty much anything bad to say about him.


One thing that really irritated me was that this is pretty much a military anime about fighting gigantic titans. The characters are in an ARMY and yet, they're disobeying orders left and right and I don't think that they were ever punished for doing so? What BS is that? I'm sorry, but it's true. Also, if it's based on military, I'm sure there should be some military strategy - NOPE. practically nothing.

HOWEVER, all of this is not the fault of the animation team, they did the best with what they had to work with. They did a fantastic job with the animation.

Last thing in the review I was attempting to keep short: FLASHBACKS!!! WHY. SO. MANY? - I remember watching an episode that was 3/4 flashbacks. Worst episode ever because there was 5mins of new content.

My summary of AOT: Crappy storyline and characters hidden behind massive flashy battle scenes.

OVERALL RATING (for me) = 3/10
(based on all 5 sections) = 4.4/10



EDIT: I have a few people asking me about the sound rating I gave for this series. The subbed version wasn't all that good, and when I tried the dubbed I was laughing so hard at the voices that I couldn't focus on the series. The 5 is just my personal rating. I did not enjoy the opening song, however it did suit the series, so the sound probably deserves a 7 overall.

Barakamon is one of those anime that you cannot help but love. It's a feel-good story about a calligraphy artist who is sent to a remote island off the coast of Japan and how the character's life changed while he was there. And change it did.

Story: 9/10 - Okay, when I first heard about this anime I wasn't exactly sure how I would enjoy it. If done wrong, it could've become boring, but the pace of the anime almost seemed fast - which is kind of funny due to the slice of life genre.

Art: 9/10 - Wonderful. The art perfectly suited the story that ... was being told.

Sound: 9/10 - When I think of who the anime producers cast for the anime I found that I was pleasantly surprised. All of the voices suited each character down to the T. That alone made the overall rating bump up for me. Also, the great soundtrack boosted the feeling throughout the series!

Character: 10/10 - Wow! Just Wow! I don't think I've ever come across an anime where I have liked every single one of the characters! Each were so diverse and completely crazy in their own way: from the annoying little girl, to the reserved boy, to the messy but loveable teen. Everyone had their role in this anime and played it exceedingly well! Their interactions with the main character really made this story come alive.

Enjoyment: 9/10 - What can I say...enjoyment level to the max!

Overall: 9/10 - If you want a feel-good, make you smile anime...this is the one for you! With the fantastic: soundtrack, characters, and storyline; Barakamon is one for the books. One to watch when you're feeling down; or just to see whenever you feel like it! Such a fantastic series! :)

I'm normally not one to write anime reviews, but after I finished watching Soredemo I just couldn't help myself.

Story: 7
The story itself is very simple - a princess is betrothed to a foreign king to save her country, only to find out when she gets there that he is only a young boy. Sometimes simplicity is the best option to keep the overall feeling you want in the anime. If this anime had tried to do any complex plots, I believe it would have taken away from the anime as a whole.

Art: 8
The artwork in the anime was very nice. It ... was simple and worked with the theme and mood of the anime. This is a shojo, romance anime and the artwork suited it perfectly. The style of course cannot be the same as anything like Attack On Titan or Sword Art Online because of the different genre, so it was very fitting and made the anime seem charming.

Sound: 9
WOW. I loved Nike's voice! I immediately fell in love with the soundtrack from Soredemo. Not just the songs with lyrics, but if you listen closely to the background music, it fits each scene like a glove. "Beautiful Rains" was a nice song, even if it was overplayed. However the version in the last episode where Nike is feeling a little sad; you can tell it through the song as well. It sounded sad and it was nice to hear that emotion in the song.

Character: 10
All of the characters in this anime were well thought out. The main characters: Livi and Nike had development throughout the series, which was very nice to see. You get to see that Love-Hate relationship that turns into one of the sweetest relationships I have ever seen in an anime before....how the writers managed that stumps me, but they must be geniuses! Also, you see very strong supporting characters that always seemed to be around. The butler was an especially strong supporting character. Overall, the characters were extremely well done!

Enjoyment: 10
Okay, I LOVED this anime. If I were to base my entire rating on enjoyment I'd be giving this anime a definite 10 easily, but I have to take into account everything else for my review. This is one of those anime that can just suck you into it. It's charming and sweet with a few dramatic moments that leave you wanting more. Overall it is just a wonderful anime that deserves a chance by everyone!

Overall: 8.8/10 - round up to 9/10!