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Rozen Maiden 2013 is an interesting case.

It is a well done, solidly directed series with a beautiful gothic atmosphere and interesting exploration into the hikikomori issue. Based on its merits, this series should deserve a bigger audience, but unfortunately its format makes it inevitable that this series remains inaccessible to a large number of people.

Few anime series that are adaptations are lucky enough to be able to adapt their source faithfully from beginning to the end. Many times the anime is forced to create their own material to finish the story. If the manga is popular enough , it may ... get some OVA series that adapt some of the most popular arcs. Such a decision usually limits the audience for the OVA series to just the manga fans. Rozen Maiden 2013 is a more interesting case, because the story this anime adapts is actually able to be relatively self contained. The producers must have also noticed this, because they aired this anime as a TV series. Such a decision seems to suggest that they were inviting non-manga audiences to give this series a try.

Unfortunately, this decision meant they had to fill in the new audiences somehow, and that led to a badly done first recap episode that covers basically the story of the 2004 Rozen Maiden plus the manga-only material that differs from the first anime. Yes, they cover material that diverge from the 2004 anime but the breakneck pace makes it pretty hard to keep up. What a way to attract new viewers. When it aired, it offered nothing of worth to new audiences and disappointed fans of the 2004 anime, who also found themselves quite confused by the new material. If they had really wanted to attract new people, they should have committed to it and adapt everything from the beginning.

Other than the first episode, the first half of the anime is an atmospheric slice-of-life punctuated by moments of eerie and sometimes outright freaky moments as the story slowly inches toward to the main narrative. Contrary to what may be expected, these episodes are excellent. The anime offers a thorough insight into Jun's life, who is an ex-hikikomori struggling to keep up with the pressures of society. While not sugarcoated, it gives a sympathetic look into those suffering from social anxiety. It's not truly dark, because there are cute, lighthearted moments, such as with Jun's sweet and kind co-worker Saitou, who offers hope for his situation. There's also Shinku, who provides humor and adorableness to the show. She tries to treat Jun the way she would treat his younger self, but it is inevitable that their relationship dynamic would shift and have different nuances. Seeing the two characters trying to cope with each other in a setting more grounded by reality is fascinating in a way the younger Jun and Shinku never quite was. Then there a moments that deal with supernatural elements. In those moments, the anime turns tense, and a sense of dread prevails. Great directorial decisions make these scenes genuinely a thrill to watch.

It's a shame that eventually the plot kicks in and the slice of life aspect ceases to be. It's not that the story is bad, it just becomes apparent that this anime is telling only a chunk of the whole story. The story becomes reliant on characters that the anime did not set up a proper instruction to, and the conclusion makes it clear that there's a finale that hasn't been animated because it does not fit into this arc. In all honesty it's rather difficult to care about the dolls other than Shinku within the context of the show because there is no build up for them. It would require previous knowledge and connection that the anime does not provide for a viewer to care.

In the end, Rozen Maiden 2013 fails to be accessible to non-manga readers. As an adaptation, it's excellent. The art is beautiful and wonderfully gothic in a way I wish the 2004 Rozen Maiden could have been. It's only sad because what this anime offers is interesting and it renders itself incomplete as a standalone work. This anime really should have been a complete remake. A more unified tone to the whole series would have been better, because I don't know if people who liked the feel of the 2004 anime would necessarily like 2013's. As it's not self contained, it's difficult to recommend to non-Rozen Maiden fans either, no matter its merits. I'd like to think that it's worth it to read the manga to watch the 2004 anime to watch this one, but it is a commitment not everyone is willing to make. On top of that, it's made even more difficult because the 2004 adaptation diverges from the manga that Rozen Maiden 2013 remains faithful to. It's too bad, because Rozen Maiden 2013 is an interesting character study with great atmosphere.

Perhaps it's because I haven't read manga of this type in a while, but I really enjoyed this series. It went beyond the expectations I had when I picked it up after liking this author's newer series, Rex Fabula (Kyouko no Ou). Dragon Eye is a rock solid shonen, and personally that's more than good enough for me to have a good time. Because the thing about shonen is, is that it's very good - addicting even - when the mangaka is competent and is executed well.

When it comes to shonen, it's all about the execution. No one goes into shonen to see how mind-blowingly ... original and different it can be. No, people read shonen to see -how- each author approaches the well-worn tropes of the genre. That is why although they belong to similar archetypes of characters, I like the Straw-hat crew and adore the kids of Hunter x Hunter, but find the cast of Ao no Exorcist dull and the Reborn cast irritating.

Dragon Eye is your classic shonen, the same kind of variety as the various successful titles that have graced the pages of Shonen Jump à la Shaman King, H x H, or the Big SJ three. Really, if the series that come to mind while reading this are Naruto, Bleach, and the like, it's not really an insult. It's a praise. Now, you fans may yell at me, saying this is so much better than Naruto or Bleach, as I have already seen people do: "Stop comparing this to -insert popular Shonen Jump title-! It's so much better!" But you see, before those series became the bloaty messes that they are, they were simply good shonen, with great execution. Their popularity is proof of that. Had this been serialized in Shonen Jump back when it started in 2005, I'm quite certain it would have done very well. It'd probably have an anime series that, if it was adapted well, I would have been obsessed with. Then again, maybe it's better this wasn't in Shonen Jump. With Jump's love for making cash cows out of its titles, who knows what would be different about this series? Maybe it would be a trainwreck now.

There are two very important things for a shonen series to fulfill in order to be good:
1) Have an interesting world (the setting, the organization, the system)
2)The characters have "heart", to put it in shonen-like terms. Being cool is obvious, but they should be likeable as well.

One Piece is beloved because it does both things exceptionally well. Heck, some series end up successful even while fulfilling only one of the two. Given what I have already said about Dragon Eye so far, it shouldn't be surprising that the series does both solidly. The city of Mikuni is lively and exciting, the VIUS organization well plotted out, and the characters' powers undeniably cool. I can almost see those badly drawn VIUS organization OCs invade the internet (I have actually seen one). Issa is not lacking in anything in terms of being worthy as a protagonist, and the supporting characters such as Leila are rock solid.

Especially Leila. One of the series' huge positives is that its female characters are good. It's really sad when you see how many authors can't write female characters. It's horribly depressing when I start preferring shows like Hunter x Hunter where female characters are almost nonexistent over ones that have them, but are terrible.

Women are surprisingly well represented throughout the VIUS organization and dress in sensible clothing. It's almost ridiculous how happy that makes me. Leila is not there to be the cutesy love interest of the protagonist, she's not there to be the walking exposition while being "the load" of the group. She's an actual character with ambitions to become strong, which is something that is actually respected by the other characters and the plot.

Note, though, that it doesn't mean female characters are full frontal in the action, à la Legend of Korra. Leila is still one of the weakest and doesn't get into many battles, but considering that she is not the main character, a girl in shonen, AND a complete greenhorn , this girl kicks ass. The chick graduating exams with top scores? Seen that. Be informed that she's talented? Means nothing. Actually see that talent in action? Awesome. While it's unlikely that we will get to see how strong Leila will be with experience, that she's treated as a rookie with huge potential and not as the "Chick", makes me amazingly happy.

The quality of the female characters and the name Fujiyama Kairi makes me conclude that the mangaka is a woman. (Imagine a man with the name Kairi, seriously). I bring this up not because she is a woman (women authors can be just as bad with females), but because she reminds me of Fullmetal Alchemist's Arakawa Hiromu. The bold, easy-on-the-eyes designs of the series bring to mind Arakawa's earlier work and they both have very good fundamentals on writing shonen. There are more differences between them when looking at Fujiyama's Rex Fabula, where her style has matured to be more in tune with the slick designs of contemporary shonen, but through that series and FMA, they have both progressed to go beyond standard shonen to tackle some darker topics.

Not that this series isn't as good. While I am enjoying Rex Fabula too much to begrudge Fujiyama for putting this one on hiatus, this is too good a series to just drop. Fujiyama-sensei, take as much time off as you want. As long as you finish before you die, take as long as you want. Just don't give it a rushed ending. Hopefully, when I can update this review, it would be after a satisfying ending has passed. Just as Arakawa did, may you get the success you deserve, be it through this, Rex Fabula, or a future series. Shonen Jump is struggling because it's failing to find and accommodate talent like you. Oh well, it's their loss.

As years pass, things change. So do anime. Once, most anime series that people watched were lighthearted series that for the most part concentrated on the fun. Now, many series are trying their hardest to be ambitious and be the next big thing. It is no way a bad thing, and from it spawns many wonderful titles, but sometimes one can get tired of it all.

So people look for things that are just plain fun to watch, like those Jackie-Chan movies. Kazemakase Tsukikage Ran delivers just that, in its short glory.

--Grade: 7, + 1 extra point for great characters and enjoyment: 8--

The show greets its ... viewers with a traditional Japanese styled song, instead of what the viewers usually expect. Even the presentation of the opening is a reminiscence of old Japanese TV series, and it goes together with the series really well, taking the series' setting and mood into consideration.
The OST itself isn't anything amazing, but it does its job well without getting in the way.

The animation is what you can expect out of a TV series at the time, and it does take a big dip in comedic parts. However, the director, Daichi Akitaro, is pretty skilled in making the most of it until he can bring out his trump card: action scenes. His action scenes are amazingly fast paced and wonderfully choreographed, bringing out the best in the characters. Why can't real sword fights be this cool?

The main characters are tastefully designed and are very attractive. They spare Meow the stereotypical Chinese double bun and the verbal tic of aru, which is nice. Ran looks graceful and pretty, but looks formidable enough to be taken seriously. Unfortunately most characters don't get this treatment and look very comical, but it is forgivable.

The characters themselves are very likable. Meow actually manages to be funny without going into the annoying area that hyper idiots usually go into. Ran is, in one word: awesome. She is amazing swordswoman worth respect yes, but her antics are just really interesting to watch. She doesn't care about hiding her sex either and prefers to address herself as the beautiful wanderer who happens to pass by. There's just something really cool about someone who doesn't care about what others think.

Ran and Meow kick ass, literally. Meow doesn't get as much screen time to show off her martial arts skills but it's understandable as it's Ran's show.

The series is episodic and while they are enjoyable none of them are anything amazing. Now that was what I was expecting and I'm fine with that, but I am disappointed that they did not go deeply into the duo's backgrounds and only hint it. Understandable, but I'm sad I cannot learn more about the characters I've come to like.

One of the biggest things I search for in anime is enjoyment and Kazemakase Tsukikage Ran delivers just that. Doesn't try to be ambitious, but just does well with what it has and does a great job of it. Newer generation of viewers who watch only the latest shows might not have the patience with the series, but for older viewers it is a series worth watching, just to go back for a while.

(I happen to write really long reviews; sorry about that ^^;;)
In the sea of manga, manhwa, comics....there are bound to gems hidden for one reason or another.
Some just didn't get exposure or they fail to catch potential readers because of mangaka/manhwaga's lack of experience at the time they started. This particular title is a real hidden gem, but unfortunately it has lots of strikes against it.
In fact, the manhwaga herself wishes she could edit the beginning. There is no wonder in why she feels it and why I feel it.

The story begins with one of the biggest cliches of the world: arranged ... marriage spiced with the usual comedy antics and unpolished art that speaks clearly that she is new to the business.
However, once it starts showing its true colors, the very thing that was against the series actually helps it.

It is quite a feat for someone to come up with such complex story at an early age, polish it, and eventually create a wonderful work by the end. It shows a lot of talent in this author. It's one of the most well done stories with reincarnation and fate as the central theme without becoming way too over dramatic like some series.


Story:
It starts innocent enough, just another arranged marriage. Oh yay. Then weird things start happening. At first it's just dreams, but as time passes encounters, nostalgic feelings, and other strange sensations makes us readers and the characters, realize that their fates are entangled in something big, something from the distant past that still haunts them to this day.

It's a well crafted, heartbreaking story about the different kinds of love that breaks the boundaries of life and death.

A side story, which also serves as a sort of epilogue as well shedding light to a untold event that is only lightly mentioned in the main story. In someways that side story is better than the main story and it's worth reading the whole thing for that alone. (Admittedly, the character of the Mother happens to my favorite character, but it really is well done.)


Character:
The main characters are well developed. Shin-Young is of course distressed as any other girl in her situation but instead of whining, she demands. She's stoic and stubborn, often displaying courage when other girls would be scared. Although it's not as a great thing as a compliment as it once was, but considering this is quite an old work, I should think it was at the time. Ji-Hoo is an idiot. A popular, handsome playboy but still an idiot. It's funny to read about him than some jerk or sadistic king. In some ways the roles are reversed, and that's one of themes of the work. (Expect a lot of gender bending and such.)
It is not that weird that my favorite character is the Mother. She is one of the most complex characters in the story, who had seemed like a minor character at first. Oh, the limits she would go over for love.

Art:
It's inconsistent and amateurish at times but it improves with time and eventually develops into a style I really like. it's sad people will drop it because of the art, but it's unavoidable.

Enjoyment:
This kind of story was what I was looking for when it comes to fate and rebirth, and it hits them on the right spots for me. It was very interesting to see how things came together, and who's who. The tragic story aims at your heart, making you feel pity rather than hatred toward the characters.

Overall:
I doubt there will be interest in this project long enough for people see what the story really is, (the scanlation group that had picked it up didn't release another chapter for a long time) but if you can read Korean, I do recommend you check this out. For others, well I hope maybe one day someone will license it.

(A score of seven which is good in my book, but not enough to warrant a 10 of its predecessor.)

Short: Worth a watch, but is a disappointment. Short length hurts flow and character development.

Full Review
When the first season of Nodame Cantabile ended, I was one of the many who had fallen in love with the story and craving for more, migrated to the manga. I was absorbed by the Paris Arc, which took the series into new horizons. So when the second season arrived, I was very excited.

Did it deliver? To the anime only fans yes, but for those who experienced Paris in ... the manga, this season was more of a disappointment.

More than anything else, the short length of the season hurt it a lot more than one would think.


Story: Taking place in Europe, the second season focuses on the new hopes and dreams that opened up for Nodame and Chiaki. Chiaki can finally work to achieve his life long dream, and Nodame's love and real motivation for music that had sprouted in the first season starts to grow and grow.

Due to the 11 episode length, many things had been cut, and this makes it a lot more centered on Nodame and Chiaki.

Anime only viewers will still be able to get to see the most important parts and the development of the most important couple. While some might like this, side characters have been majorly hurt by this, and many agree the new friends of Nodame and Chiaki just are not the same.


Art: The art style in the second season keeps the same pastel feeling I have come to love in the first season and the characters resemble the manga more. This is nice, and I am grateful for that.

There's a lot less still shots and many orchestra scenes have been animated. However, it looks more awkward than it is pleasing. Chiaki and co. seem to look more like robots than people.

First season rarely had this even if they had way less movements. I sometimes wished they just went with the still shots instead.


Sound: The OP takes time getting used to, compared to the first season which I instantly loved. The ED on the other hand is excellent and nice to listen to while waiting for the previews.

The song being in french is a nice touch I say. Music inside is wonderful of course, I just wished I was able to listen to it without feeling like I'm being rushed to the next key scene and the next.


Character: They took care as to not butcher Nodame and Chiaki's relationship and handled some of the best scenes very well. However we can't feel the sadness of Nodame if she is separated from Chiaki if he comes back again later in the episode or in the next one. In the manga that time was used to acquaint us to the new characters while Chiaki was out of Nodame's scene.

However the anime does not, and as a result they end up paper-thin, only shadows of their Japanese counterparts. They don't feel likable and bland. Mini stories are mentioned in one sentence in the anime, and the artist who allowed for insight into characters' skills was barely introduced.

What was hurt the most was the new couple of the series to fill in for the secondary couple of Japan was paced wrongly and changed. What happened slowly and hilariously happened awkwardly that just feels weird.


Enjoyment: Despite how disappointed I was from the series' most butchered arc, it was surprising fun. It didn't have the heart and charm of the first series, but it wasn't horrible. However, everything felt rushed and I could not shake off the feeling of someone grabbing and pulling me to one thing to another.


Overall: Don't get me wrong, it's enjoyable and some people will enjoy it just as much as the first season. However, if you've been exposed to another form of Nodame, there's a bitter taste that can't be washed. It's recommended to watch this season right after the first one so you can keep some of the spirit from the first. It wasn't really the anime's fault but the length that ruined it.

Despite all this though, I have high hopes for the 3rd season. You should still watch this, but I highly recommend the manga afterwards.