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I haven't reviewed anything for a long time so I'll try reviewing Sukitte Ii Na Yo. Please note I have NOT read the manga, so I will not be making comparisons between them; instead I will pit this series between past shows to see how it fairs, as well as my thoughts on the elements that make up the show. But first, the summary which I will make as vague as possible as to not give any spoilers; (I might give some in the actual critique). The story is typical to shoujo high school romance archetypes in which an unpopular girl becomes of interest ... to the most popular guy in the school; soon challenges arise in every step, from misunderstandings to mind games and even physical altercations. Vague enough? Good, I’ll go into some more details in the next paragraphs. It’s not looking too good…

Story: 6
The story mimics many of the past shoujo romances in the past such as Kaichou wa maid-sama, and Kimi ni Todoke just to name notable shows. The frustration I get from this series is that it’s as if the author did this in such a blatant way that I felt the plot was written with strict guidelines that one must NEVER cross; as a result, there is nothing that particularly stands out and separate this series from any other series in the past. I think even the director(s) of the anime had their own guidelines about story progression that I can pretty much predict what kind of “dilemma” would happen at what episode; from Mei’s and Yamato’s “breakup” to the introduction of Yamato’s past, to the designation an antagonist. They must have had a lot of vanilla to come up with a timeline like this.
Another complain of mine is the episodic nature of the series. What I mean about this is that as far as conflicts go, it feels like in they disappear as fast as they come. Let me lecture a bit about high school English: there are 5 parts to a story, the exposition – the beginning of a story, and description, rising action – conflicts, complications and the like, climax – the collision of everything good and bad, falling action – the wrap up, and resolution – the closure; with those elements in mind, in the episodes throughout the whole series, these elements were recycled. To clarify my statement, you could visualize an ECG (a device to graphically measure a heartbeat), but that heartbeat is resting, and you see absolutely no difference in between beats, not like if you were measured from rest to run, where things get bigger, and more erratic and intense. To put together all that jargon I just said, the episodes just do not seem to contribute to what SHOULD be the climax that is the last 3 episodes of the whole series. But instead, the conflicts themselves just feel isolated and the climax per episodes doesn’t really overlap, or outdo each other. This kind of plot progression doesn’t really suit the kind of tone this series, as well as the nature of its characters.
The one thing that I noticed immediately about this show is its serious tone. I can’t really bash nor praise this element because I would probably become bias; I like my over-the top and somewhat childish scenes, and overall nature of a show. Throughout the 12 episodes, this show did nothing to give anything outside of the main plot line to make me smile, and was more focused on getting out the progression with no quirks in mind. Quite simply, the series was “meh” about anything else, and was too busy with its own ***t. I didn’t feel offended by it, but at the same time, there was nothing in the series to disengage the audience even just a little bit

Characters: 7
The one thing that I give praise about this anime is its maturity. With that said, I’m talking about some of the character’s backgrounds. Within the first five(?) episodes, I got to know Yamato’s past, and how he had done the deed way before ever knowing Mei. This goes along with Yamato’s friends; it’s just like the high schools of the current generation. But with that said, Yamato himself is new to actual romance, yet he knows how to sweet-talk to a lady, quite evident on how he talks to Mei, especially in private.
Mei, well there’s really nothing particularly unique about her; she is shy, almost never ever shows her feelings, quiet, borderline anti-social, homely, and downright boring at times. Of course throughout the series, I can see her develop in both personal and social wellbeing, while giving a few lessons back to Yamato, including how to take care of cats (lol). However, there’s really nothing about her that stands out from any other main character of the same genres.
As for the side characters, we have a somewhat preppy big-boob girl with a history of being bullied, and former bulimic/anorexic bitch turned friendly, a perverted guy friend (of Yamato), and a “former” friend turned rival, and finally a designated antagonist who’s as or more popular than Yamato vying for his love and turns into a complete bitch against Mei. It’s a mishmash of generic archetypes.

Sound: 7
I like acoustic music, so naturally I would like this one; although I’ve heard others that I in my opinion are better. I do have to give credit where credit is due: Ritsuko Okazaki was also the composer and/or performer for classic anime such as Love Hina, and Fruits Basket, while Suneohair perfomed the songs for Honey and Clover – one of my favorite anime ever.

Art: 7

Again, TYPICAL. I mean I don’t know how else to describe it, the characters have gigantic eyes, the guys are tall, yet gentle to the eyes. The women are mostly petite, and slender. There is obvious attention to the characters, while the background blends itself in around them. The color is neutral, going with the serious theme of the plot, and the emotions of the characters. I’m honestly running out of words.

Enjoyment: 6
I love cheesy. I love cliché; and I have to admit this anime has all of that. It’s just the execution that really brought it down. The rollercoaster of emotions was just not there. There’s just a little bit of excitement or happiness - that one silver glint – and a conflict arises, and honestly gets boring after a while. I don’t know if that is deliberate or not, but it’s as if the directors want the cats in the anime to be the only true source of happiness, because I must admit, they made me smile more than the characters did.

Overall: 6
Shuffle! is considered to be the generic harem. To me, Sukitte Ii Na Yo is the generic high school romance. It did good to focus on what happens in a relationship; all the hardship, misunderstandings, competition between lovers and friends, just plain old bitchiness sometimes, and the awkwardness of love itself. With all these elements, It would have been a sure hit. But sadly, the execution just could not be par to the expectations of years and years’ worth of the same material. The potential is there, just not dice.
I do think this would be a good start to someone new to the genre, while still having a somewhat mature theme with it, but that’s really all the credit I can give it for.

Story:
Everyone at one point in their school life fell in love, and had a girlfriend/boyfriend, and they get awkward with each other and try to….blah blah blah blah. The point here is that the theme of this anime is that of the super typical ecchi school romance, with a chance of harem – of course that part did not develop (thankfully). Many anime have already squeezed this already-dry theme to the max. However, this particular series manage to find a unique, and rather… Weird aspect that made it stand out: Saliva. Hmmm… Ok, we’ve all swapped spit (and potentially other bodily fluids as ... well ;D) with a significant other before, but not in a way that the series does it, nor does it evoke the emotions the way they did neither. As strange as it sounds, it becomes more integral as the story progresses, and it becomes the vessel that keeps the characters and the viewers to become emotionally enganged. In short, the saliva swapping is weird, but it grows on you. I was apprehensive at first to continue with this series, but now, I can’t seem to stand it when I don’t see Urabe give Tsubaki her spit; it would lack substance. No pun intended. :P

Animation:
The plot for this anime at first didn’t seem to go along with the overall animation of everything, especially the character build. The animation was old-school; simple facial details, with slightly wild hair (at least for Urabe); the simplistic animation that struck me the most was the eye animation. They were so darn simple! It reminded me my animes from the 1990’s. The animation they chose was definitely something out of an action anime, such as Akira. Again it was awkward at first. Everything didn’t seem to match. However, this becomes second nature as the simplistic design gives way to the complexity that is… the spit (oh lawd). I mean if one observes this, it’s plainly obvious that they paid attention to the detail of what a spit should look like: it looked thick, almost gelatinous, yet you can see it trail from Urabe’s mouth to her finger, with slight grace – Yes… I’m describing DROOL!!! It works though!

Sound:
Not going to lie, the background music in the anime drives me nuts, even now that I’m 8 episodes in. It just seemed to me that it overpowers through everything else that’s going on. It’s too loud in my opinion, and any other special effects get distorted. That’s just my quirk. However, the Opening, I liked. It was pop-like and it definitely sounded something out of the 90’s for me. Sometimes old school music will just beat any modern day music. This, along with the old school animation just works, and works well. The Ending? I LOVE IT!!! It’s jazzy and pop-like while still being laid back, along with the rather… sexy shots of the women involved in the anime. It surely adds to the overall “drool-ish” theme of the whole series in a way, and the lyrics, they contribute to the romance even more. Loved the Ending the most. :D

Character:
The character development in this series is a bit simplistic, although for a 13-episode one, it’s good enough: two classmate, one introvert, and one extrovert meet at odds with one another, and one of them (the guy) becomes interested. They start going out and things happen, and they discover “how to love” and “how to be the proper bf/gf”. Sounds generic right? Well, it is, but again the whole spin about “swapping spit” gives this an edge. Per-character wise, it’s also generic for the most part, except for Urabe.
The lead male Tsubaki is your typical guy that kinda struggles in school, has a friend that he shares manly interests in and has those urges, like any boy in his age. He’s chivalrous but at the same time a little too innocent for his own good.
The lead female Urabe, however, is anything but simple. She started out weird, as she never talks to anyone, and is very private, while almost dwelling in her own world (as seen in the first episode + hiding scissors in her underwear), and just plain creepy to others. Her progression to “normalcy” though is interesting as her friend Oka, who happens to be the girl friend of Tsubaki’s best friend Ueno, gives her the push she needs in order to become a “better girlfriend”. Their interactions – including swapping spit – are anything but typical. But they work.
Oka is probably the most notable supporting character as she is basically the main catalyst to what’s happening between Urabe and Tsubaki. Her rather aggressive way of socializing with Urabe really becomes the backdrop of Urabe’s actions, either explicitly or suggestively. She’s just LOVES to teas Urabe, that it’s so cute, and almost yuri.

Enjoyment:
This series might throw people off, it might even make other’s eyes twitch, as no one in their right mind (at least in our society) would just get a wad of drool from their mouth and make someone else eat it. However, this is what separates the anime from other school romance animes out there. Does it work? Of course it does, or else I’d just drop it. It’s a unique way of conveying one’s series, though not necessarily sanitary(?). Overall, the simplistic, yet riveting character progression is really the aspect that one has to look for, especially for Urabe, as it’s probably the most extreme relative to her everyone else’s. The OP was very good, and the ED, I’ll be getting the full version definitely. Overall it’s something that has truth in its theme, while giving it a weird twist. Altogether, the series has definitely been something that I’ve been participating throughout this season.

I've never heard of this series until, well, I actually started to watch it during the season. I gotta say though, I enjoyed it way more than I thought it would, nor did I think that I stayed watching it as I did.

Story: 9/10
The anime centers around a middle schooler named Keima, known to the sim-dating game community as the "God of Conquest". He doesn't give a damn about the real life, so he dwells in his 2-D games. This was until he received an email asking him to prove that he is the God of Conquest, which he arrogantly accepted. ... Little did he know that it would mean the conquest itself was in real life. With this new contract, he receives aid from a Demon named Elsea, which briefs him on the contract and what his goals are: He must release wandering souls that embed themselves into someone's heart by kissing them; if he fails he dies. From here on, he encounters 4 girls in his school that have those souls in their hearts. That's basically the anime.

However, if you think this was a harem anime, like I initially did, well I would say you were very wrong. This is because, sure, it had arcs about each girl, but in the end, when they kissed Keima, and got the souls out, they end up not remembering anything that he did. Not only that, NONE of the girls were initially interested in him, AT ALL, unlike the other harem series. I also found it very to be very creative in that it's a story about a putting the actions used in Keima's games, it is reflected to his real world. I really enjoyed that


Art: 9/10
The first thing I noticed about the character art was their ears!! they were HUGE! Though, strangely enough, they seem to befit the characters very well. In terms of facial structure, they were smooth, and the women did look pretty typical, not too much details applied. Thought I still think Elsea is very kawaii.

I've seen my fair share of vampire anime; and I have to say, it was under vast number of genres, as well as themes. Shiki however, pulls you back in to what the traditional myth of vampires; added to it that it's a thriller, it will move anyone who's a vampire fan.


Story: 10
Compared to many other vampire themed animes, such as Blood+, Rosario + Vampire, Vampire Knight, and Trinity blood; this anime comes back to the roots of vampires and their myths. In this anime a town is plagued with death with no reasonable explanation; though thought of a possible epidemic, Doctor Ozaki, ... the head doctor of his clinic cannot find any actual symptoms related to any known disease, besides Aplastic Anemia, which is the loss of red and white blood cells. As the body count rises, he becomes desperate to find an answer until he comes up to a conclusion, albeit a far fetched one, that it might be a work of Okiagari, or vampires. His next problem then is to convince the village; of course such a mythical conclusion would "never" exist in the rational world. As he tried desperately to prove the existence of okiagari, death sweeps through the town faster and faster, until soon, more than half of the population has been wiped. Still they did not believe him. That is until he killed a vampire, named Chizuru, in front of everyone. Then the vampire hunt begins. There are mini plots within the whole series that I will not divulge, go watch it to see. At first, the anime's plot progression might come up as slow to most people. Even I had a hard time dealing with the first 3 episodes. But it get's really good. The fact that the anime went back to the original vampire myths alone made me smile, such as that they can not enter a home until they are invited in, or that they die if stabbed with a stake at the heart, and the fact that they are UNDEAD; just including those classic myths already got me hooked. This anime has definitely gave back the respect of vampires that Twilight has taken away. And contrast to the other animes I've mentioned, very little gore is shown, at least until the way later episodes, even then, it was there as part of the ambiance, and not for its own sake.


Art: 7
The lines were sharp, and the colors were almost fluorescent. The art of the animation just didn't look like it fits with a subtle setting and plot like that. Not to mention the crazy hairstyles that almost every relevant character had. It was like watching bakemonogatari but with better details. The animation would be more fit for shounen anime in my opinion.


Sound: 9
The1st season OP got me the first time I heard it. It was almost celtic, and goes perfectly with the whole theme. The BGM, it was not intrusive, but yet it'll make you want to jump at times; some even sound like something out of the catholic church, which is awesome due to the ties of religion to vampires;the good thing about it is that they also barely use BGM. The 2nd season OP for some reason reminded me of one of the OP's of Rozen Maiden, i don't know why, but I didn't like it as much. The 1st season ED is that like something off a romance anime though, but once you get to the later episodes, you will figure out why. The 2nd season ED I liked because it was indie/soft rock for me, and it was calm yet eerie, which what the anime was about.


Characters: 8
There were really only 4 main characters in the anime; Sunako, Ozaki, Seishin, and Yuuki. However, you will definitely be able to tell that EVERYONE is important, even the ones who died, or risen. This is because of the sub-plots, as I mentioned earlier, and they are awesome. However as much as that's a good thing, the downside is that no one really has any room to grow. The viewer really can't see if there is any character progression. However, that really isn't necessary due to the big-picture nature of the plot.


Enjoyment: 9
Like I said in the Story section, it is at first slow, but as the people die, and the vamipres close in to the main characters, it becomes a classic thriller. At one point I actually jumped off my seat. This take on the classic vampire is really something that needed to be done.


Overall: 9

Basically, if you hate twilight, you would love this. It puts back the vampire's reputation of being mysterious, scary, and are considered "monsters". It went back to the classics of vampire myths, and made it work quite well. I really do hope that this anime becomes a classic; in case everyone needs to refresh that vampire actually DIE under the sun, and not sparkle like a disco ball.

Now it's true that for some, if not a lot of us have had awkward periods during our teen years. We've also had our fair share of the "Birds and the Bees" also. Well my friends, this anime not only depicts these moments, but takes it to a whole other level. For an ecchi anime to portray such misgivings of youth, well... They did a kick-ass job!

Story - 10:

First off, the introduction of the storyline is something that I, nor I think anybody in the real world would ever be able to see; at least in a rational one. 100 sex friends? ... Well that got my attention.

The plot itself is original at least to a point: girl wants some; girl finds guy, girl falls in love, the end. But of course along the way, she encounters many "obstacles". Don't want to give anymore spoilers.


Art - 9:

The art was crisp and vibrant. There was no need for any "real world" effects here, just crazy scenes with the typical anime emoticons you find in a lot of comedy-style animes. Although... Some of the girls have disproportionately large ta-ta's for their heights (not too mention age - though sometimes that happens in real life too). But hey an ecchi anime almost always requires those right?i Boin away!


Sound - 8:

The OP and ED are very cutesy, and definitely lively. It's so fitting for the main character's personality. It has a moe feel, but you will know that feeling arises after watching at least one episode


Character 10:

This is where anime shines the most. The Main character Yamada isn't your normal school girl, and by "normal" I mean that in psychological terms. She has that tsundere-like feel sometimes, but most of the time, she would do nothing but think about what most guys think about their whole life: sex. That itself is an original; not to mention a shock in our society.

The other main character Takashi is that of an awkward boy just trying to survive high school, who happens to get the nickname "cherry boy" when he meets Yamada for the first time. By awkward, I mean trip on a peanut awkward.

As for the other characters we have the un-datable girl, the little spoiled (and kiss x sis-like) princess, the shy childhood lady friend, and of course the rational friend. An almost complete set


Enjoyment - >10:

Yes, it was that great. I looked forward to every episode because I know I have to order new lungs because I would laugh so hard. Not only that, some of the scenarios are what typical teenagers face, which prompted me in flashbacks; these then would cause me to either laugh more, or scream like a little girl. Yes, it invoked many voices out of me.


Overall - 9.5:

Having no decimal point system, I will break the law of round out by giving it a 9 on the official board. The whole series was funny, ecchi, and sometimes even reminded me of some awkward situations. the 0.5 lost was for some of the slow episodes which I really did not expect.


You want ecchi, it's got plenty, you want high school, they got it also. You want a horny girl, it's got it. This is one of the most entertaining animes I've watched for 2010.

First of, I never played the game so this review is based completely on the episodes I've seen so far, and I might have a different view of this series after seeing all of it. With that in mind:

Story:
Typical harem-like story, with an even more typical boy who's awkward, shy, and has some, if not a lot of trouble trying to go out with the girls that clearly have interest with him.

The plot progression is different, though in my opinion not the best, especially if this anime is going to be short. The anime is subdivided into different groups in which has ... a certain amount of chapters; these groups are the different women that the main character encounters. Though sounds like a good idea, it's really not. That, in my opinion, disrupts the flow of the overall plot progression.


Art:
Average. The lines are soft, and the colors aren't too vibrant, nor dull. The characters' faces remind me of the Gate Keepers (a fairly old anime) without the hollow eye look.


Sound:
The BGM I think is well executed; it's not overbearing to the situation, while still being there to help with the mood. I like it like that: subtle.


Character:
Hmmmm... Sometimes I REALLY REALLY want to smack Junichi due to his incompetence; but then again, if he was outspoken, it'd be just like a reality series. Although at rare times, he does give out some good game on the ladies, and I like that because he does that in unexpected instances.

Tsusaka to me is an airhead. Seriously, comparing a boy that likes you to a dog? Out of nowhere, jump on him for no reason? As much as she's popular, she needs to be a bit more mature than she is. Her popularity must have inflated her head a little bit.

As for the other characters, some have been introduced, but not fully developed, or have not been introduced at all. I'll let you, the reader decide on what to say for the later ones.


Enjoyment:
Somehow, it feels a bit like a slice of life too me, but that's all well and good. It's a good anime if you want to have an occasional laugh from either super cheesy lines, or random occurrences. Hell, it helped me relax after work.


Overall:
It's a fairly good anime, though of course its genre is one of the most overused genres in anime, even in the broadcasting industry, but hey, it works. I don't see it having a big potential though. It's just one of those animes that's there if you wan to see it.