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Compelling, heartbreaking, beautiful. That is the way I would describe this excellent film called OOKAMI KODOMO NO AME TO YUKI.

The Visuals: Amazing. The visuals here are the best I have ever seen in an anime. If your can get the blu-ray and you will treat your eyes to one of the most stunning animations ever made. Miyazaki Hayao's works are the only thing can come close to how beautiful the animation is. From the cityscapes to the country side, everything exudes Japanese artistic aesthetic. The backgrounds are stunningly photo-realistic. I would not be surprised if they were rotoscoped into the shot. The animations are ... smooth and have no jittering. Although I am pretty sure this was not hand drawn, it looks absolute gorgeous and is worth watching for the visuals alone.

The Sound: Wow. Another stunningly good example of how sound should, well, sound. I watched it on a 5.1 system and the directionality of the soundscape was rich and vibrant. Calls and yells were coming from left, right, and behind. It reminded me why I own a 5.1 system in the beginning. It just enhances the experience to a richer level. I also enjoyed the score and the voice acting. Which was on pair with Studio Ghibli's work (my personal benchmark for anime films). The closing song was heartbreakingly sad and filled with palpable emotions.

The Story: On the whole, a basic story of a mother who loses her husband and it forced into a unique situation in raising two wolf children. I guess writing that, it does not sound very basic at all. The characters are all fleshed out very well. The mother, Hana, is a sympathetic character, who wears a badge of determinism like no other. She takes care of her babies and does what she has to, to make sure they are happy and enjoy their lives. The children, Ame, the boy, and Yuki, the girl, are interesting and undergo character development in a meaningful and realistic way. Being wolf-children bring fresh complications to an otherwise typical character arc. The tertiary characters are also fun to observe, in the way they begin by being very static and stereotypical and eventually become dynamic and likeable. Overall, the story, while it draws from many familiar sources, is unique enough to make the viewer appreciate the characters and the message of the film.

If I am to sum this film up, I would say it was a terrific piece of anime that every one should watch. While it does not contain a lot of action, it delivers in other ways that I think most anime lovers would appreciate. The characters are strong and dynamic. The settings are beautiful and breathtakingly artistic. The sound is crisp and sharp. OOKAMI KODOMO NO AME TO YUKI is not to be missed as it stands as a modern day classic that rival anything Studio Ghibli has made in the last five years.

The best way for me to describe the anime called K is exceptionally unexceptional. It begins in a fascinating and intriguing way, but it really does not lead to anything the audience has not already seen a hundred times before. Amnesia? Check. Moe-girl(s)? Check. Supernatural Abilities? Check. I guess the best parts about K are the score and the animation itself. The movement of the characters is always smooth and crisp. Watching K with 1080P resolution is a real joy. It is just a real shame the story and characters themselves are dull and lack any real luster.

What I liked about K is its ... boldness. It tries very hard and excels at looking cool. The characters fighting each other, the flames, smoke, and effects are all very nice to look at. I can really appreciate the time it took to animate this series. Most, if not all, of the characters talk in a over dramatic voice, you that deep, raspy voice? Yeah. That one. It does feature some pretty funny moments featuring the character called “Neko”, but they are few and do not make K a comedy by any stretch of the imagination. The best part of the story is the history lesson we are given half way through the series. So that should be somewhat telling.

What I did not like about K is the plot. It is slow, like molasses slow. Even though K is thirteen episodes long, everything seemed to take forever to happen. A lot of talking happened, with little to no forward movement. Maybe others will disagree with me on this point, but to me, there were whole episodes where nothing dramatic happened. For a thirteen run series, that just cannot be allowed to happen. A lot of the story centers around the Shiro-kun. A young lad suffering from amnesia. Who is he? What has he done? Can he prove his innocence? Kind of stuff. The story is also heavily centered around people with supernatural abilities, but the reason for why exactly they have the abilities is never given. May be this will be explained better in the second series (gulp), but if they only produced this one, then the audience would just be left with their own conjecture, and that is not good.

Who is K for? I suppose any one who enjoys watching the new stuff, like me. It also should appeal to those who like light fantasy to mid-weight fantasy in their anime. Although I suspect that the second series will be much heavier on the the fantastical elements. It is a lighthearted anime that is dressed up to look like some kind of heavy, high concept epic. But really, all you have is a child dressed in his dad's tuxedo. All the flash, but none of the cash. I thought K would have been something I would really like, but it turned out to be just another anime on my list.

Honestly, it is once in a blue moon that we, the viewers of Anime, are graced with an anime this good. To call it excellent would be an understatement. I am sure, in a few years this will be a classic. Not since THE MELANCHOLY OF SUZUMIYA HARUHI have I seen an anime this good. Ladies and gentlemen, may I humbly present, CHUUNIBYOU DEMO KOI GA SHITAI!.

The most basic way to describe CHU 2, is an anime about young love, the same theme that ran through my aforementioned favorite anime, THE MELANCHOLY OF SUZUMIYA HARUHI. Or what it is like to fall in love for ... the first time. Yes, there are supernatural themes, (light) pervert humor, and tsundere we all know and love, but the main theme in CHU 2 is definitely love. Whether that love comes from our protagonist, Yuuta or the love of Rikka's family, this anime is all about dealing with loved ones.

The plot revolves around Rikka, a girl suffering from chuunibyou, or Eighth-grade Syndrome, basically when you are starting to become an adult you try and pull away by having a more active imagination. Starting high school Rikka quickly makes a friends with Yuuta, a boy who is freshly removed from his own case of chuunibyou. Yuuta hates his “old” self, but Rikka refuses to break from her world of sorcery and the occult. Along the way, they form a new club and gather (or force) four other characters together. Humor usually stems from Yuuta trying to rid himself of his old ways and Rikka's constant acting out. Drama comes from the turbulent past Rikka is “running” from. Action comes from Rikka's fantasies where magic and big swords are real.

The animation is stunning. The quick action cuts, to the smooth flow of the characters' movement, everything is done most excellently. It reminds me a lot of the animation style of HYOUKA and THE MELANCHOLY OF SUZUMIYA HARUHI. The sound design is also very good. Listening on surround sound headphones I got a lot of directionality, as well as on a 5.1 surround sound system. The voice acting should also be commended as it is a articulate and full of character as one could get. Technically, CHU 2 is a perfect example of how to do anime right.

What I like about this anime and what has me so positive about it is the way it blends the genres so seamlessly. Yes, there is a kind of about face midway through, plot wise, but the best part about CHU 2 is how the creators weaved in so many funny beats, dramatic cliffs, and completely enthralling action bits. Whenever we, the audience, get to break reality with Rikka, what occurs is what the BLACK ROCK SHOOTER anime should have been. A young girl's escape into a world where she is in the “Driver's Seat.” Power, bravery, and control is what Rikka has in her world, but sadly she lacks these traits in reality. As she progresses as a character, we learn how this came to be and just what it will take for her to regain her “self”.

What I disliked about CHU 2 was its length. 12 episodes was definitely not enough for me. This could easily have been a 22 or 24 series. If I had to be really picky, there could have been more character development on Rikka's sister, but that is being really picky. Overall, there is not much I can really complain about CHU 2, it was just a darn good anime.

In conclusion, this is anime for people who like quirky humor, drama type animes. It is not some kind of serious teenage drama, but there is plenty of it. Neither is it a supernatural type anime. But it blends a lot of genres in a way that is pleasing and never makes you wish for more of any one type. This is one anime where if you do not like the first episode it may not be for you, but if you enjoy it, this will be one of the most rewarding “trips” you will ever take.