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A logical first impression when someone hears about “Karneval” and looks at the Cover Art:

• “Wow, Karneval! That’s a really cute name! And look at the cover art! It looks like a party! Look at the main character! He looks so cute! This is going to be a totally cute and not-violent anime with lots of fun and partying!”



That same person’s impression after they watch the first episode:

• “Wh-What? Rape? Huh? Where are the parties? Why is everything so creepy? Why is there a serious, black-haired, yet crazy handsome kid holding a gun? What is that monster, why is it very graphically eating that man?! Ah! ... Confliction!”

Needless to say, this anime is not what you think it is. If you want a cute little shoujo party anime, go to Shugo Chara. This anime gives off the impression of being cute, then you watch the first episode and you’re conflicted on whether or not you want to continue to support that first impression. I mean, there are SOME cute party scenes that last for a few seconds, but there’s a really dark thought behind these parties and it really has a darker plotline than one would expect. I’m glad that I was surprised, actually. I think that having a darker plotline underneath the cute expectation really worked for it and added a bunch of refreshing juxtaposed elements. This anime really isn’t for everybody, though.

Plot: 5

It’s an interesting plot: The story focuses on 2 boys. Gareki is a young, Lady-killing thief who steals money because he wants to (Insert Spoiler Here). He is really great with technology and has a hand for shooting. One day while he was robbing this rich house, he runs into Nai, our second protagonist. Nai is a really young boy, around 8, who claims to have no memory except for this one man named Karoku, who he claims was his caretaker, now missing. All he has left of Karoku now is a bracelet that is later identified as an identification band for a government sponsored combat organization that goes by the name of “Circus.” Somehow, both Gareki and Nai end up travelling together after almost being captured and killed by a monster. This monster is apparently one of the main targets of Circus and that leads to both Nai and Gareki getting held in custody of Circus for questioning and interrogation.

The anime revolves around their adventures with the people they meet and the events that happen while they are tied up with Circus, who are using them to help unlock the mystery of these monsters. The plot is a very fun idea and there are a lot of cute friendship themes that pop up often. I’m sorry to say this, because it was only a 13 episode anime, but everything seemed kind of rushed and there were a lot of scenes where nothing made any sense, eventually leading to an ending that just screwed with my entire mindset. There are a lot of holes in the anime; we never find out what happens to Karoku and the mystery behind the bracelet. The main goals of the characters are supposed to be what makes up the plot of this anime, but it fails in developing that and instead focuses on the development of the bonds b/w characters. It didn’t make for a BAD anime, but it kind of left me unsatisfied in the end with a lot of questions still unanswered. Also, a lot of elements and somewhat significant plot elements seemed to be added last minute and explained with only 2 minutes left to go in the last episode of the anime. I guess I would be satisfied if there was another OV that aired to follow up on the unanswered questions, but there wasn’t and in the end, everything ended up making fuck-all sense. I’m very disappointed because I was really anxious; I knew this plot had potential, but it just wasn’t put together well in the end.

Sound: 7

The music was, at best, mediocre. I wasn’t impressed with the opening or the OST, but there were times where the anime surprised me when pulling out a pretty solo during an emotional moment, which was satisfying. The ending was quite pretty and one of my favorite track in this anime. The voice acting was also good, but really, when isn’t it?

Art: 9

I have to say for myself, the art for this anime was really beautiful. From the designs of the characters to the settings for the anime and the beautiful exchanges b/w the characters, everything was really pretty. The character designs were definitely my favorite part, though. The eyes of the characters were really colorful and each design was 10x different than the next. The designs also fit the characters’ personalities very well. Nai was so fricking adorable and Gareki was really coolly designed. Everything that was supposed to be dark was dark; everything that was supposed to be fun was fun. I loved the contrast within the art styles too. The color and darkness was really interesting to look at. The only thing is, if you knew me at all, you’d know that I’m a sucker for good fight scenes in a shounen. This anime didn’t have the fight scenes that I longed for. They were just mediocre, and for that, I dock a point.

Characters: 8

The characters were my favorite part of this anime. I fell in love with a lot of them, I grew to hate a lot of them. Some characters were amazingly likeable, like Nai. Nai was a fricking angel and his innocence conflicted the darkness and seriousness that was supposed to surround this anime. Sometimes, when done right, a child’s innocent nature can really change the whole mood of the anime. Karneval did that really well. His design was adorable; his diction and attitude was even 10x more likeable, and that’s why I grew to like him. He contrasted with Gareki’s serious nature and that really helped with the whole reoccurring friendship thing. Opposites really do attract. Another character I really grew to love was Yogi. He was like an adult child and I loved it. He was a well-designed, well thought out comic relief that really relieved stress off of the constant depression that hitting me, wave after wave, in this anime. Those three characters were designed in genius. The one thing I didn’t like is that there were WAY TOO MANY CHARACTERS!!! I never learned all of their names. You know that when a watcher can’t learn all of the names, you added too many characters to count. Many of them added absolutely nothing to the anime. No comic relief, no added action, some of them sucked at fighting, it was ridiculous. There was very little character development in some serious protagonists, and even the antagonists had fuck all development. I never learned what happened to them! I never learned their secrets or their true intentions! That’s not good.

Enjoyment: 7

Okay, I’m not lying when I say I like this anime. Sure, it was cute and fun to watch. I liked the episodes that didn’t take themselves seriously; that was the show’s strong point. The episodes where there was actually supposed to be “plot development” died. Many of them bored me and I longed for more “unseriousness.” I get that they were trying, but their attempts were unsuccessful. The plot was developed horribly, what else can I say? The development of relationships and connections were done really well though and that was what I enjoyed.

Overall: 7

I’ll be completely honest, my encounter with “Another” was a simple and innocent change in pace. My watching habits usually consist of such that are filled with humor or “feels” if you will. Watching an anime that was meant to scare its watchers was just a fleeting thought that one day crossed my mind. The show was something that I have never even heard of before, yet it was the first to pop up in requesting horror genre animes. Curious, I just up and watched the first episode right then and there, and to be honest, I didn’t really expect what I got. I expected ... an underdeveloped cliché horror show with zero character development. What I got was an interestingly creepy and mysterious school drama with a plot that definitely sparked my interest. What got me wasn’t the well-executed plot, though. It was the little details that were added that made the experience a reality and actually ended up succeeding in creeping me out. Naturally, I don’t get scared very easily. I’ve seen many different horror movies, including the ones that are supposed to be notoriously famous, such as “The Ring,” “Nightmare on Elm Street,” etc. and I wasn’t really impressed; but oddly enough, this anime managed to give me nightmares. I was impressed with its success in developing the plot and executing its foreshadowing and mysterious mood. If you want to get scared, it is definitely a must-watch.

This is one of the very few anime shows that I am giving a 10 in plot in, aside from the small imperfections; and that is, once again, because of the show’s remarkable development and amazing ability to not feel rushed at all even though the series was only 12 episodes long. On the contrary, actually, I found the first half of the anime to be actually quite slow-paced. It may seem a bit unbearable and annoying but it’s only a way to highlight the small details that add to the frightening experience. The pace quickens after a while. All of the little details, including the 5-second silences, the breathless eye contact moments, and the constant jump scares, really made the plot for me. The anime follows the experience of a Tokyo-raised transfer student named Kouichi Sakakibara (First, Last) who transfers to Yomi North, a school with a dark history and unspoken laws in a certain class, Class 3; the class Sakakibara was enrolled in. What Sakakibara doesn’t realize is that, 26 years ago, a student named Misaki suddenly passed away in what appeared to be an accident case. Though this was proven to be true, Misaki still showed up in the school’s graduation picture. Sakakibara is unaware of this story and is told to just “follow the rules of the classroom,” no questions asked; but he can’t help but notice the mysterious and death-ridden atmosphere in the air and investigate himself. This leads to a series of unfortunate events and uncovering of dark secrets that Class 3 wants to hide. As far as mysteries go, “Another” certainly did its job in unpredictability. No matter how hard he or she tries, the watcher will never expect what’s going to happen next. Something will always turn up, even in the happiest, most predictable scene, and make for a completely unexpected tone shift. One thing about the anime, it is definitely not for the faint hearted. The plot is not sugarcoated in the least bit and gives the viewer a taste of a slightly dramatic reality. Aside from the slightly rushed ending, the anime definitely paced well and was developed well. I applaud “Another” for that.

By watching “Another,” I think one of the most important components of the anime is indeed the OST. Every time there was a mysterious or questionable scene with unbearable silence, a creepy violin solo or unexpected piano riff would sound, making the tension so creepy and frightening, that when the climax or a sudden something happens, it makes the experience twice as shocking and more exciting. Every OST soundtrack fit into the tone perfectly and just added to the whole frightening experience of watching the anime. The only flaw in the sound is the opening. Something was just off about it and though it was creepy, it just didn’t fit the tone of the anime; adding the fact that it was just hard to listen to because of bad composition. Sorry, but I gave it a 7 only because of that; but openings are important parts of anime shows. They are the first things you see and hear in an anime; and I just got the wrong impression.
The art for “Another” was seriously beautiful. The character design was well thought out and, even though it may be awful to say, the deaths of the characters were very well animated and designed as realistic and horrid as possible that just made it even more gory and traumatizing than it was supposed to be. The action at the end was also very well done. Along with the plot, the small details in the art, such as the beauty of the dolls, the detail in the flowers, etc. were all very-well incorporated with the anime and I couldn’t help but love it. Everything was designed as creepy as possible to fit the mood and it really added to my experience seeing that one, single, beautiful petal float across a creepy scene.

The characters, I say, were probably the weakest element in the anime, but that’s common. Many times when I watch a horror movie, I sit and yell at the scream in anger at the main character or some ditzy girl who ruins the scene by being ignorant and not knowing what they’re getting themselves into. While there were also characters I was REALLY into, like the old librarian, Chibiki, who played the role of the cool character that everyone relies on and always comes at the nick of time during an incident. Unfortunately, there were many characters that I didn’t really like; unfortunately, the main character is on that list. I felt like throughout the anime, Sakakibara had trouble getting his priorities straight and abandoned his social life to “solve the mystery” and follow the pretty girl with the eye patch. His obsession with Misaki, the eye patch girl, may have been an attempt to create a friendship element to the anime amidst all of the horror and depression, but it just led to a lot of awkward and out of place scenes. Sakakibara was that ditzy girl that I was constantly yelling at the screen at. His ignorance bothered me, and I realize he was just curious b/c he was a new student, but if I felt like I was getting into something I shouldn’t be and was breaking class 3’s rules, then I would wake up and GTFO, not stay and poke around, risking the lives of my fellow classmates. Therefore, 7

Surprisingly enough, I really enjoyed this show. I love getting scared and the thrill of horror mysteries because I love the feeling of getting shocked. I don’t get scared very easily and doubted this anime would scare me. Surprisingly enough, it did. It did and I had a nightmare the night I watched it. If you love getting scared and don’t mind really disturbing deaths, this is definitely the anime for you. I would’ve enjoyed it more if some of the characters were a bit more likeable. Overall enjoyment, 9.
Overall: 9

Watching Bakemonogatari gives one the same feeling of reading a fast-paced book. It’s very important to keep your mind on the content of the page, and if you slip; finding out that you haven’t been paying attention while scamming through the page, you have to collect your thoughts, go back to where the situation started, and start all over again. That’s a lot like how Bakemonogatari is, except way less fleeting and easier to concentrate on. I tried watching and reading reviews on Bakemonogatari and I heard it was a little ambiguous, so I dove in, only to be hit by something so fascinatingly slow-paced ... that it’s fast-paced, something so ambiguous that it actually makes sense, and something so fleeting, that when you blink, you miss it. I find it not to be the anime for everyone, definitely not. Only a significant few can watch something like this and enjoy the experience. Only the most patient and alert people can get this anime. The impatient will drop it on the first episode. When watching it, though, the impatient; heck, even the patient, are hesitant to drop it because it feels like this anime is a test. It’s testing your intelligence, your personality, your weaknesses, your strengths, etc. and that is why I believe this anime is popular; because so many people want to challenge Bakemonogatari and defeat it, defeat its test and its scrutinizing nature; that’s also why I didn’t drop it, because I am a naturally competitive person and don’t take defeat well.

Analyzing the plot of Bakemonogatari is a waste of time. What plot? There IS no plot in Bakemonogatari. I mean, yes, the creators TRY to make a plot, but it’s so minor and such an insignificant part of the anime, that it’s useless to give it a tangible score, but I’ll try to give you the general jist of it. The main character’s name is Araragi Koyomi, a third year in high school. He’s a “Pseudo-vampire,” bitten by one at one time and only being half-cured, now having an immortal body. The story focuses around him and his experiences with different girls that are tied with a supernatural entities (spirits, apparitions, gods, etc.). And since he’s a generous guy (And also a bit of a pervert), he helps them out. But never mind that. It’s hard to even focus on the plot most of the times when it’s jammed in between all of the talking, and talking, and talking, and talking. The main attraction of this anime is definitely its dialogue, with the witty aphorisms and humorous interactions; it’s the highlight of the entire anime. The interactions and clever details added to the dialogue are really what makes this anime and sets it apart from the others. Also, the dialogue and interactions are so deep and fast-paced, that I have to be careful not to miss a single detail, for everything was important even when it wasn’t supposed to be. This anime is like the hipster of the anime world. The creators must’ve been like, “Plot and action scenes are too mainstream, let’s develop around character interactions,” which sounds really crappy in a plot summary, but ends up being a pretty good element to the anime. Trust me, if I could put an N/A rating for plot, I would, because analyzing it is just unfair. Unfortunately, I cannot, and instead I’ll give the “plot” a 7? (Note the question mark)

Apart from plot, the design of this anime was gorgeous. With a pop art style and freely executed color experimentation, you’re never sure of the setting of the anime, especially during a witty interaction. Everything changes colors so faced, and the art can change from one style to the next in an instant; while also flashing a bunch of different colors in your face. If you are prone to epileptic seizures, then I warn you about this. The art, though, is also what makes this anime different from the rest of the world. Every single art element is just so beautifully stylized and fits the ambiguity of the anime perfectly, also adding to the fact that it is indeed, “hipster.” Even the horribly bloody action scenes (Which were basically made up of the main character getting his ass whooped and intestines pulled out, excuse my French) were pretty and colorful. I don’t know if it’s because I have a twisted mind, or the anime was trying to convince me that I do. In that sense, I lost to Bakemonogatari.

The music for the opening was not how I expected it to be. Considering it’s the first thing a watcher sees when starting an anime, you’d expect it to be much more fitting to the anime. I mean, yes, it was quite cute, but didn’t really characterize the anime very well and lowered my expectations. The OST is one of the very few I actually remember in an anime. It was surprisingly fitting and had a “Curiosity” mood about it, as if foreshadowing something; of course, that was during the interesting dialogue, adding to my suspicion and enjoyment of it all. The voice actors, I believe were casted very well. It’s kind of hard to imagine that the perverted, nonsensical main character is voiced by the serious, frightening Corporal Levi from Shingeki no Kyojin, but Kamiya Hiroshi (The voice actor for Araragi and Levi) pulled it off surprisingly well.

Analyzing the characters for this anime is the most fun in the entire review, mainly because they made up the entire anime and their interactions were the reason of my enjoyment. Every single character has such a weird and different personality that makes it easy for the watchers to distinguish between the characters. Araragi, though, seems to be the weakest character (If I had to pick one), mainly because of his interpretation and display as a helpless and submissive character that Bakemonogatari managed to trick me into once again. Another point to Bakemonogatari, 0-2. The other protagonist, though; Senjougahara, his tsundere girlfriend, had an opposite appeal to me. With her unique and witty, yet seemingly emotionless attitude, her school supplies weapons, and just overall likeable personality, I was instantly drawn. She is amazingly clever and always surprised me with her humorous interactions with Araragi, making her a logical competitor for one of the most likeable female characters in anime.

Overall, I feel, deep down, that I secretly enjoyed this anime while also trying to defeat it as well. It’s like this anime is my rival; I don’t want to lose to it, but I can’t help but enjoy competing and playing the game. The likeable characters and overall hipster nature of the anime really set it apart from any other anime I've every read. Unfortunately, though, since I am not a very patient person, I couldn't help but grow tired of some of the never ending dialogue and all of it seemed a lot to take in. Me 0, Bakemonogatari- 3. In the end, Bakemonogatari’s mind tricks and witty dialogue ended up being the successor in this battle and I lost. I failed the test that Bakemonogatari threw in my face, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy the process of getting there. “Which is more important, the result or the adventure in getting there?” A common question indeed. With Bakemonogatari, the answer is obvious. With no caring in the world of the plot and solutions, instead of the transitional dialogue, I believe that the adventure is more important. If you passed the test, I congratulate you.

Overall: 8

“Ignorance is Bliss.” Many agree with such a term, many go against it, and many qualify it. This anime, “No. 6” is one of those animes that really gets you thinking about it. Is living in eternal bliss without knowing what goes on under the surface the best way to live? What about rebelling against the gov’t and risking your own life to save the ignorant minds of others? Would you want to be the righteous villain, or the guilty hero? Destroy or be destroyed? Survive, or die? Evil or Good? Black or White? No. 6 is really that type of anime that begs these ... questions. One doesn’t just pick one or the other, would you risk finding a grey area and destroy yourself while trying to get there? The main characters, while also developing their friendship and supposed deeper relationship, face this conflict both within themselves and in their environment. Now, this anime hasn’t gotten noticeable ratings, which I completely understand, but then again find hard to believe. This anime definitely has its flaws, but it still develops well around a nicely developed plot. Many find this anime by noticing its very familiar elements that are seen in popular animes around the world.

Let’s start with the plot, which I gave a solid 7. This anime takes place in a supposed “utopia” district known as “No. 6,” the name creatively given for it being the 6th city in the walls of human habitat that was created after [Insert spoiler Here.] The story focuses on an intelligent boy named Shion who was born in No. 6 and had all of his privileges stripped from him after he saved the life of an escaped boy named Nezumi, or Rat. Years later, Shion grows up to become a park manager in No. 6 and starts questioning the reality and legitimate nature of the city, only to be arrested for suggested suspicion of betrayal; and who rescues him? Nezumi, after 4 years. They go on to live in the western District outside the Walls of No. 6 which is where all of the rejects run away to and is considered to be one of the most dangerous places to reside. This all occurs while Nezumi and Shion begin to understand each other and develop a strong friendship and hinted relationship that is thought to be deeper than that. The plot is definitely a good idea on paper even though the “dystopian society” and “totalitarian” genre is getting more and more popular every single year as anime continues to spread across America, and with only 11 episodes, they managed to fit it all in while adding the finer details. The best points of this plot were definitely the added contrasting elements. While the mood of the anime was supposed to be hopeless, depressing, and scary; the fact that Nezumi and Shion manage to find hope and have their friendship shine through really added to the plot. Also, the fluff in the anime, including the suggestive “romance” scenes b/w the two main protagonists, wasn’t too overwhelming and it respected the fact that the anime was still a shounen. The problems with the plot seemed to focus around the fact that the anime was only 11 episodes long. If it was 12, or 13, like most, I think all of the holes in the plot would’ve been resolved peacefully. I mean, I never found out the secret behind the bees, and the goals of the antagonists. I don’t know if it was just me, but it was just too obvious to ignore. The plot was obviously rushed and that definitely took away from the plot, adding the fact that a lot was changed around compared to the manga. It took away the plot's potential even though it was such a good idea.

While talking about the art, I might as well start off with the character designs. I’d say they were creative, but I can’t let go of the fact that Nezumi and Shion look so much like Allen and Kanda from D. Gray Man. Shion even has a pink scar in the same place Allen does. It’s too obvious to let go. Other than that, though; I really admire the fact that each character is created with a specific personality in mind, and that personality was personified into the perfect figure. Shion is supposed to be this naïve, innocent and pure, intelligent boy; so he was given white hair for purity, big eyes to represent his child like demeanor and good intentions, and dressed in comfortable, loose clothing to represent his comfortable and gentle character. Nezumi, on the other hand, was designed to be the exact opposite of that, given dark hair, sharp eyes, an d a dangerous smirk to represent his nickname as a “demon,” (Given by Inukashi.) Normally in a shounen, I look for the beauty in action scenes, which there weren’t very much of, unfortunately; but the setting and development of the anime as a whole along with the symbolism of the colors really fit the anime’s character and added to contrast. They tried really hard to make “No. 6” as pretty as possible in order to highlight the contradiction later on that accuses the city of being a living hell in its core. Overall, you can tell the art was looked at really well and carefully done. So for that, it gets a 9.

Sound-wise, I gave “No. 6” a 9, as well. All of the tracks were very beautiful, especially the OST. As you may know, the anime has a very sad nature behind it, along with a hidden sliver of hope; the composers of the music for this anime paid very much attention to this detail and the result was perfection in the OST. The ending, I thought, was very beautiful. Much better than the opening, anyways, which seems to be the only flaw I can find in the music. I can’t help but pull my hair out at the opening, which sounds like a child that just had throat surgery. It didn’t fit the anime and just didn’t do anything but cause annoyance. It’s a shame considering the first thing one hears when they open a new anime IS the opening.

Let me first point out that this anime had the perfect amount of characters. There weren’t too many or too little. Also, the main protagonists of “No. 6” were a couple of the best developed and most likeable characters I’ve ever seen in anime. Their interactions, if you ask me, made up most of the best moments in the anime. Their arguments, which were hiding their secret admiration for each other, were genius additions. A lot of hate has been given to Shion in particular, after reading some forum discussions, for being too clingy and dependent on his partner, Nezumi. I find this to be quite legitimate, though; mainly for the reason of character development and added contrast. Nezumi wanted to break away from Shion in fear of becoming weaker; Shion wanted to get closer to Nezumi in order to become stronger. Shion is sometimes useless, but, if necessary, he can do a complete 180 and will even murder somebody when someone insults Nezumi. There is only one character that conflicts me regarding her purpose, and that was Safu. I mean, yeah, he [Insert Spoiler here], but I just found her completely useless and as extra baggage that caused a lot of struggle character-wise.

Overall, I enjoyed this anime a lot. It may seem cliché, but I’m a sucker for subtle romance hints, yaoi or not. Also, my most favorite animes in the world are tearjerkers, like K, and FMA: Brotherhood, and D. Gray Man, etc. This anime definitely adds to that list. The ending brought tears to my eyes and if this was a score based off of pure enjoyment, I would give this anime a 10. Unfortunately, because of plot holes and obvious rushing in the plot due to major compression, I had to give the overall score a 9.

“My Mental Choices Are Completely Interfering with my School Romantic Comedy” Aka, “Noucome,” (which is probably what I’m going to call it from now on in the review), was an anime that really surprised me in both enjoyment and quality. After reading the summary, I was expecting a nonsensical, random, shoujo with girls with huge boobs and large eyes eating pieces of toast with jam and looking as adorable as possible. And while this was indeed true, I had fun with it otherwise and its insane plot is surprisingly well-developed.

Story: 9

I found myself shaking my head after first reading the summary. “This is just another ... shoujo,” I thought. “It won’t be any different from the others,” I thought; but then I realized how fun the plot actually sounded and tried at the first episode. Basically, in a nutshell, the story revolves around a young, handsome, high school boy Kanade Amakusa, who everyone has pushed aside as one of the “Reject Five” even though he used to be quite popular. This is only because of a disability, if you will, he gained last year that caused multiple choice questions to appear in his head to solve real life conflicts. Many of these solutions are usually perverted and weird. One thing led to another and he became unpopular, finally. This is a harem genre anime in which Kanade is surrounded by the other girls in the Reject Five. It’s basically a growing love story with hilarious elements mixed in between. I love how the anime knew that the plot seemed very “archetypical” and decided to play around with it a little. A humorous mood is always surrounding the air of this anime. I was really disappointed though, at the fact that was only 10 episodes long. I believe it would’ve been a lot less compacted and would’ve been much more humorous if the anime extended a few episodes more. Haha, or maybe that’s just me not wanting it to end. I guess the element that did the most for this anime was the irony. I mean, a conflict would erupt and instead of finding the most serious and calming solution as possible, Kanade takes the hard, humorous route and entertains us with his constant failure. I could not stop laughing at his constant catastrophes and screw-ups, because then we get to see more Kanade tries to start all over again. Overall, the plot was very well developed and there seemed to be very little holes and confusion. 9

Art: 8

The art is fricking adorable. I mean, I know I don’t normally don’t like that kind of thing and I don’t really approve of the flashing titties and skirts… but I couldn’t help but I couldn’t help it. The art style and design, with the bright colors, large eyes, cute patterns… It just fit the anime really well and there’s no denying that fact. It really had a well impact on the whole entire humorous and fun aspect of the anime. It wasn’t too serious, and it was pretty cute. Kanade was the only character that I believe could’ve been designed better. I mean, he was supposed to be “handsome.” That was his image, and that’s who he used to be; but I just didn’t see it. Also, I wouldn’t say the movement of the anime is very pretty; the only thing that got me was the color. Still very well executed. 7

Sound: 7

Okay, nothing was very special about the OST soundtrack. That was a big flaw in the anime. I would expect a cute, bubbly, song that cheers everyone up and is almost nonsensical to the plot, but I didn’t get anything like that, so I was pretty disappointed. The opening was pretty cute though, I mean, you have all of these adorable little girls, why not use them for a well-choreographed dance number? Normally I don’t like that kind of thing, but once again, it fit the anime really well. Now, for the voice acting. Okay, you can tell that the actors had LOADS of fun filming this anime, especially the actor for Kanade. He had so many different moods and tones in his voice that just cracked me up, so Kudos to him for keeping a straight face through it all. The acting was really well done for all the girls.

Characters: 8

Ah, my favorite thing to analyze. I won’t analyze all of the characters because there are just too damn many. That’s a weakness point or two to take away from the anime’s characters. Sorry, but too many characters is a reoccurring issue in anime these days and I many are added just for a small something that plays insignificant to the story and that mainly ends up screwing with the story a bit. And you’d think, in that entire sea if characters, that I would hate a few, but I really didn’t. The variety of the characters’ personalities and different viewpoints and sources of humor ADDED to the anime and just added more laughs. I mean, yeah, some characters were insignificant, like that one “little sister character” but I couldn’t help but enjoy the variety. I had to see it coming though, I mean, it IS a harem, duh, Stupid Hattie. And seriously, I even laughed at the side characters that seemed to play no value to the story, such as the “Flippant God,” (OMG he was hilarious) or his ugly neighbor who is a “boy lolicon.”

Enjoyment: 10
This anime was fricking hilarious. The randomness along with the amazing elements and characters really got me hooked. It would always cheer me up and I have never loved a shoujo anime like this. I hope they make more of this anime so I can get a less ambiguous ending and a refreshing second season.

Overall: 8/9

To Aru Majutsu no Index is an anime that I never really expected to come across. It never was my “cup of tea” kind of genre, with a mixture of science fiction with a bit of religious elements. I picked up on though, because of this conflict. The constantly reoccurring quarrel in reality between science and religion is explained in an over exaggerating expanded television series. I liked the idea of this reoccurring motif, and on many occasions, I was surprised with a sudden allusion to the conflict and really enjoyed that.

Tbh, the ratings are just OKAY for this anime, and I completely understand ... that. There are so many flaws in many significant elements in the story that just… ruin it for me. I’ll explain.

Story: 5

To be honest, I’m about 50% sure of my current rating for this anime. This anime remained “ratingless” on my list for a while since I finished it. I’ll start with the story, and hopefully I’ll come to a surer conclusion. The story is supposed to revolve around a boy named Tohma who lives in Academy City, a city based off of science and the main powers gained in that city are those based off of science themselves, the people who develop these powers being known as “espers.” Tohma is about the lowest ranking esper there could possibly be, but there is one plus side. He has a certain power in his right hand known as “Imagine Breaker;” In other words, he can cancel any type of esper or magic type vector that may be shot at him. One day, he finds a little girl in a white gown hanging on his balcony who claims to be named “Index” and is basically a walking library containing vast amounts of knowledge. What’s more, she resides from the magic side of reality. That’s how the hidden conflict erupts. Ever since this girl starts living with him, all of these incidents start occurring. The first arc, in my opinion, was the BEST in the series. I loved the characters that turned up and everything made sense in that first arc. The first arc was a matter of trusting both magic and scientific ability, and the conflict left me at the edge of my seat. Unfortunately, after the last episode of that arc, which I believe was around episode 4-5, everything started slowly drifting away from me. There were many newly added elements and characters that I couldn’t understand. There was one point in the anime that I thought I skipped an episode, because there were so many things that I just couldn’t get. It took me longer to finish this anime because I just got so bored of it on many occasions. Also, even though the anime is supposed to revolve around Tohma and Index, Index is BARELY a part of the main plot. She can’t use magic so she usually just watches on the side. Even when she IS in an episode, it’s just for about a half a second. I found that as a major issue and hole in the plot, even more prominent than the other millions of holes that I found. I never even found out the objective of the main antagonist. At least, I THINK he’s the main antagonist… I mean, he only shows in two episodes… That’s an issue. And then, half way through the anime, they introduce… angels? I didn’t get that, either. Maybe I’m just not good at understanding these kinds of things, but the story was definitely overall confusing with too many plot elements and rough transitions b/w Religion and Science.

Art: 9

I thought that the art for the fight scenes was genius. Whether it was magic or Esper ability, all of the powers were perfectly designed and made as fun to watch as possible. The setting of Academy City was also one of my favorites. The design of the characters, though, didn’t meet my expectations. I mean, I’m sorry for having such high expectations, but for an anime with beautiful art style in everything else, you’d think the art would be really cool for the characters. I’m not saying it’s BAD, I’m just saying it wasn’t as exciting as expected. Sorry.

Sound: 8

My favorite music element of the anime was the first opening. It had a nice, techno, mysterious tone to it and I believe it fit the anime really well, while being really catchy. The OSTs were pretty cool, too. The second opening and the endings were kind of boring though; also not living up to my expectations. Not bad, overall.

Characters: 6

One of the weaker aspects of the anime; there was definitely a problem in the character design. I mean, there were characters that I liked, such as the main protagonist, Tohma, and the Index’s two friends from the English Church. Index, I believe, had the behavior of a supporting character. She played no significant roles in the story except at the beginning, where Tohma just saved her. She would’ve been a good comic relief if the author didn’t try so hard to make her important, which failed miserably. Plus, even though she’s a possible love interest, she’s, like, 8 years old, while Tohma’s in high school. I found that a weakening element in the characters. And speaking of love interests, there seem to be way too many. In fact, there seem to be too many characters to start out with. It really ruins t for me because I have to remember all of their names and some of them are just way too insignificant to be a good element to add to the story. And don’t get me started on all of the MISAKA’s… Oh, Dear God.

Enjoyment: 7

Well, let me see, aside from the first arc, the rest of the anime only confused and bored me on many occasions. I mean, there were other good parts of the plot, but there were just so many holes in such a good idea for a story, that it ruined an opportunity for fame. The subliminal messaging was hard to catch, but I got it eventually b/w all of the pretty actions scenes. Seriously, the anime’s action episodes were my favorites, but they weren’t enough to make up for the clusterfuck plot. Sorry.

Overall: 7

When I started Highschool of the Dead, I was already aware of the many cliché scenes and overwhelming fanservice based on previous research. I have heard of the series before and yes, I held off on it because it didn’t seem like my kind of anime. I was never fond of the High School Genre and Romance, especially when it tries to take itself seriously. I realized around 2/3 through the anime that I wasn’t very far off on my expectations, but then again, I was a little surprised on why I was still watching it and hadn’t dropped it yet. Something clicked with the ... anime but it still wasn’t all that special even after all of the great review it had received.

Story: 7

Okay, the first thing I realized is the fact that this anime was trying too hard to be your ideal anime. When a zombie apocalypse breaks out, a “perfect” team is created of the master swordswoman and Kendo club president Saeko, the overconfident and way too brave protagonist, Takashi; His “girl” Rei; a smart bitch, Saya; and a gun expert, Kouta. Then there’s the ditzy school nurse, Mrs. Marikawa. They all form the expert zombie-killing group and manage to survive longer than the actual adults in the anime. Nah, too perfect. It just seems too cliché to click. There would be a handsome, confident, ovary exploder with spikey hair that wants to get into the skirt of a hot, big –breasted girl that won’t stop crying about her dead boyfriend, but instead gets into the skirt of an equally sexy Tsundere swordswoman… I’ve seen these elements in almost every school anime. It’s as if this anime wants to be taken seriously, but it’s just… not. There are just too many unbelievable and convenient events that take place. While this is the unavoidable truth, I think zombie apocalypse and supernatural animes develop a successful franchise altogether and I like the idea of combining an everyday school/slice of life anime with the zombie apocalypse genre. That developed and interesting plot and overall I think it was alright.  Unfortunately, I also realized that the plot didn’t really lead anywhere. I got the fact that they were trying to find their parents, but there were just too many extra characters and elements that kind of drove my mind away from that main goal and kind of brought my head to believe that the main goal was for the main protagonist to get inside everyone’s pants and kill as many zombies as he can while looking as cool as possible. Jk, but seriously, the plot strays a lot, and that kind of bothers me.

Art: 10

Art is always a tough one to analyze in an anime because you’re not just looking at the characters, but the design of the backgrounds, the animation, and the color scheme, etc. Character wise, I think they were all designed with a special thought to their character. Takashi, the protagonist was made especially cool and confident looking, Saya had glasses to mark her intelligence, etc. The fights and animation scenes were generally fantastic. There was great movement in the fight scenes and you could say that they were very “pretty” and “fun to look at.” The setting design and color scheme kind of went together on this one. I noticed that not many scenes took place in broad daylight. It was always in twilight or nighttime; I think that was to add to the fear element and kind of gave the mood of the anime a boost in darkness. I liked that feeling and it worked well with the rest of the anime.

Sound: 7

Normally, when thinking of sound, I review both openings, endings, OSTs, and also voice acting. To start, the openings and endings weren’t that good. Normally, when I don’t listen to it in its full every time I watch an episode, there’s nothing special about it. The same went for the OST unfortunately. The voice acting, however, was hilarious. I watched dubbed for this anime and the voice acting definitely proved my point that this anime was trying too hard to be way too serious. Swears were thrown in at random and it definitely wasn’t the best acting, but to tell the truth, if it were subbed, I can assure you that I wouldn’t have enjoyed it as much as I did. The acting just added to the ridiculousness of the entire scene and made everything hilarious. I liked that about the sound, above everything else.

Characters: 6

The characters, of course, were too archetypical and there wasn’t much to like about them, really. Normally, when writing a review about an anime, I look for what I liked before what I didn’t like first, but the first thing I realized when I starting watching this anime, WAS the weakness of the characters. Many of them were pretty much useless and served no purpose to the plot whatsoever. If anything, the added fanservice completely took away from the plot, and I didn’t like that at all. I find that the overwhelming “over 9000 mark” fanservice was completely distracting and once of the reasons why I didn’t take the anime very seriously. Also, he personalities of the characters and their archetypes made it extremely hard to actually like a character. The only one I really had a connection with was Kouta, the fat, gun expert, and that was because he took everything seriously and looked at the world through realistic eyes, and that wasn’t because he was coward either, it’s because he’s good at looking into the true meaning of things and only risking his life to protect what he cares for most. His friends. The other characters were God-awful. So, 6, sorry.

Enjoyment: 9

I can’t help but enjoy this anime. Even though it was trying to be serious, I found it more humorous and amusing to watch, mainly because of the unneeded elements that took away from everything else and added such that wasn’t meant to be added. The action scenes were very fun and my favorite parts of the entire anime. I basically watched because of the action scenes and not the clusterfuck plot. It met my expectations and unfortunately didn’t surprise me anywhere, but I found amusing enough to deserve a 9 in enjoyment.
Overall: 7

For anyone who read my previous anime review, I apologize. It was my doing for writing such an unprofessional and misleading review on such a great anime such as K. Let’s start over and hopefully this one will be much better. 
Okay, I must admit that I came into “K” with low expectations. It hadn’t gotten noticeably good ratings before and wasn’t very popular when it came out because of all the fuss over other premiering anime shows at that same time such as “Magi” and “Bakuman” which received excellent reviews and recognition; therefore it was hard for “K” to stand out from their shadows. ... Also, my sister (17 YO) had previously watched the anime not a few months ago, telling me that it wasn’t worth watching. I decided to challenge this statement and witness the anime for myself, for I saw it on my recommendations list b/c of its reported similarity to one of my personal favorites, “Durarara,” and read the plot summary for myself that was provided by . Surprisingly enough, I decided to add it to my “Plan to Watch” List, coming back to it not a few days ago.

I decided to watch the first episode. It didn’t have a very strong start, which may also contribute to its lack of popularity and good reviews, but I didn’t let that phase me and continued to watch the show. I realized after about 5 episodes in, the show captivated me and I couldn’t stop watching it. Even after the weakness and confusing nature of the first few episodes, it soon proved to have great development, both in character and plot. Eventually, when I reached the end, I witnessed one of the greatest finales, in my opinion, in anime history. Please sit and read quietly while I explain this well-deserved 10 that this anime happened to receive.

Story: 9

The best way to describe this anime is a focus on many different viewpoints of different anime characters that somehow creatively make up one giant, amazing, unexpected puzzle that is finished at the very end of this anime. The main protagonist is a seemingly normal high school boy named Isana Yashiro, or “Shiro” that somehow gets involved with a murder case that took place on the rooftop of a bar. The murder victim unfortunately was one of a psychic clan known as “HOMRA” led by the violent short-fused red king, Suoh Mikoto. Unfortunately for him, the killer (who was captured on video) looks a lot like Shiro even though he doesn’t remember doing such a thing. With the help of his “guardian” Yatogami Kuroh, and “Neko” (I have yet to find her significance to the story), they try to get to the bottom of this framing without starting a psychic war between the seven kings. A well thought out plot, yes? There are indeed a lot of elements to the plot, and that’s why the beginning seemed so confusing and weak at first. And Indeed, the anime is very similar to DRRR. Some of the characters look similar to those in DRRR, also, the colored clan idea is a very similar, personalized element to the use of Color gangs in DRRR. Also, I find that both protagonists have very unusual and unexpected secrets that are revealed later on, which I won’t give away. The fact that all of the elements are summed up perfectly and fit together like a puzzle really adds to the plot. On many occasions, I experienced an “Oh my Gosh, That makes sense!” Moment in my head. I loved that. There were just certain occasions, especially at the beginning, when it seemed like all of the detail and elements ended up confusing and overwhelming me, leading to discomfort in some plot areas. Also, many good points were also brought up with the fact that there are noticeable holes in the plot and a lot of excess information was left out. I noticed this of course. On many occasions I would've like to learn a little more about the Silver, Blue and Red Kings; I would've also desired a little more history behind the Sources of their power, the 7 Swords of Damocles. This was obviously an issue mainly because of the span of the anime. If it lasted for 26 episodes instead of 13, I believe that K would earn 10 points in Story. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case, instead the story gets a 7

Art: 10

This seems very opinioned, I’m sorry. But I love color. I love the idea behind color and their hidden meanings and themes. I believe that all of the colors incorporated in the plot and art style really added to the deeper meaning beneath the surface. Red marked the “Violent” clan. Blue marked the “Reasonable and Cool” Clan, and Gold and Silver marked the “Top Dog Clans” that were most powerful. These colors that were incorporated in the characters and hidden themes really added to the complex tones of all the elements in the story. The complexity and character of each little color, from personality, to mood, to comparison, (such as black and white) had a great impact. Also, I found the fight scenes, especially with use of the mix of psychic abilities, quite pretty and well designed. There was great movement and perfect camera angles in the action scenes of the anime and that was a really great aspect of the anime that just boosted the whole watching experience.

Sound: 10

when dealing with sound of an anime, people just look at the anime openings and endings; and while in K, both were very nice, the real highlights in sound for the anime were definitely the Character Themes and transitional OST tracks. All of the themes for each character fit them so well that it’s uncanny. You can listen to a theme song and have the ability to guess which character it fits they are made so well. Also, the OST tracks, you can tell that a lot of work went into making them just right for each scene. There are songs, such as my favorite, “Requiem of Red” that add so much emotion to the perfect scene to an already awesome ending. One of the best. Sound also refers to the voice acting, and I must say, I watched subbed and the casting was amazing. My favorite voice of course was the slurred heavy voice of Mikoto Suoh, played by Tsura Kenjirou. It wasn’t just him though, the other voice actors fit so well, whether their virtue was innocence, or pride, or cockiness. Everything worked. 

Character: 8

If there was to be a main flaw with this anime, it would have to be with the characters. Don’t get me wrong, I fell in love with almost every single character in the anime, even with the ones I was supposed to hate, haha. It just seemed like every single character had their own personal piece of the puzzle and specific role to play, if it was to add to the pride theme of the anime, or to the comic relief, or to the innocence theme, all of the characters had a role that fit the plot perfectly. I just felt that there were some superfluous characters that I had trouble trying to find their main role, such as Neko. She is cat and has psychic abilities, yes; and she DOES help Shiro and Kuroh on many occasions, but I feel that her role was mainly fanservice and gaining views and that just took away from the anime itself. There are many other characters that I feel this confliction with as well even though many of the characters’ designs and personalities really clicked with me.

Enjoyment: 10

If you find me, and ask me what my favorite anime I’ve ever watched is, I would most definitely say “K.” And this is why: There are so many elements and themes that really captivate you as you continue to journey through this anime. From characters to plot, to sound, I guarantee you will enjoy this anime. If you dropped it after a few episodes, Pick it up and watch it again, because you will be missing out on a lot. Everything fit together in this show and I loved how it all worked out in the end.

Overall: 9

I highly suggest you watch this, and I guarantee that you will enjoy it. Unfortunately this anime hasn’t gotten the publicity it deserves and that’s because people aren’t expecting it to be great. That’s how I was. But if you take the time to watch around 6-7 episodes, I guarantee you won’t regret it. You’re missing way too much if you skip out on this anime. Give it a chance. There are some plot holes that take away from the anime, but overall I liked it and of you average all of my scores, they come out as a 9, even though I would've loved to give it a 10 :)

Okay, before you press the "Not Helpful" button after seeing my rating, realize this: I haven't played the game. This is a review from a watcher who thinks of this as just a regular anime, not a game adaptation. And, as someone who didn't play the game, I think it's a anime worth watching. Let me explain:

Story: 8

It's a really creative, well adapted version of the "Last man standing" plotline, which seems more cliché than it actually is. I personally really like the idea; when someone gets murdered everyone has to crack the case together and if that culprit gets found out, he/she dies too. ... The story revolves around 15 teenagers who are invited to attend Hope's Peak Academy, ad when they step inside, all they can feel is despair when they discover that their principal is sadistic, moving and talking Black and White Teddy Bear that goes by the name of Monobear, (or Monokuma). He instructs the students that this is all a test. Only one student is allowed to leave the school and that's the one that manages who doesn't get found out as a culprit or just manages to survive until the end. I loved the whole idea and personally, I love animes that mess with your head like this, because you NEVER know who the culprit is going to be or what is going to happen next. The only thing is that some of the elements were really confusing, and it takes a while to process what's happening, but overall, it's a really great idea.

Art: 10

This anime has a great transition between different art styles. From time to time, it switches from the normal expected art style and an urban vintage type art style, and thought it really enhanced the mood of a dramatic plot point. It was really unexpected and surprisingly relevant. I've never ever seen an anime hat does something like that, EVER. And I would highly recommend it to other animes in the future. Also, the effects during the anime, especially during the class trials, were really good and different from anything I've ever witnessed.

Sound: 7

It was pretty good, the transitional soundtrack and also the opening. I love how the opening was westernized into a rap, American song. It was really original ad I liked it. It was unexpected and fit the rest of the anime really well. I mean, it's nothing to sparkle at and listen twice to, but it was really original. The transitional music tracks were placed very well. I like the soundtracks in the Class Trials, it added suspense and put a mysterious twist on the plot.

Character: 8

Of course, with 15 teenagers, there were going to be ones I hated and ones I liked, but I didn't really necessarily "hate" any of the characters. In fact, I really like the mix of different design and personalities that made up of the group; from a multi-personality freak, to a body builder monster woman, Danganronpa covers it all. I really liked the main character; though, he turns kind of cheesy in the ending, but totally worth it right? Of course, the mix of personalities is what the anime really had going for it. Each character had their own tag, their own extreme personality that got them into the school in the first place. It really added effect.


Enjoyment: 9

Overall, I really enjoyed the whole mix of the different elements that each added some originality to the anime. I couldn't look away from the screen, it was so worth watching it.

Ending: 8 (I won't give any spoilers)

I know from experience that an ending can really ruin the anime. It's happened millions of times and that's why I'm really scared to watch the ending of Shingeki no Kyojin today... but that aside, I'm going to tell you what I thought of the ending. There is so much of a plot twist that you yourself hurt your brain by watching it, but that's not always a bad thing. I mean, Danganronpa puts the ending together really well, so well in fact, that it will get you banging your head against your desk for a week. I mean, there's slight cheese, but it's not overwhelming like in SAO.

Overall I really enjoyed watching it. It really put me on the edge of my seat and gave me chills with all of its beautifully executed elements. I would definitely recommend this to a close friend, or anyone to that matter! I believe this anime is really underrated and needs to be recognized. Right now, everything is buried in the shadow of Shingeki no Kyojin, but I'm telling you, it's a fantastic anime.

Overall: 9

Brothers Conflict is one of the very few watchable reverse harems in the world of anime, but that's just it. 's not good, or bad, it's just, "watchable." and unfortunately it can be addicting to weak watchers, like me.

Story: 7

I'm sorry, but the plot is way too outrageous to take seriously. I mean, really? A girl who isn't all that special looking moves into her brothers' home with NO PARENT SUPERVISION, and they all end up falling in love with her, and she just shakes them all off like they're a bunch of fucking cats. That's too perfect. I know its just an anime, ... but that's not how life works. It actually made me kind of angry. Though, some elements, like the fluffiness of the cute scenes/exchanges with my personal favorite brothers. (Yuusuke, Natsume, Azusa, but I'll get into that later...) I really liked that. SOME of them respected her and that led to a lot of cute scenes.

Art: 7

The art isn't anything to giggle otokully (wtf Hattie?) at. It's obviously not as good as Death Note and Shingeki no Kyojin, but whatever. I mean, I didn't like the design of the protagonist, Ema. She looked ditzy and dumb. (Again, more on that later) But some character designs were pretty creative, even though they looked like ripoffs of other characters of other anime. Some their designs totally pissed me off. Whatever, it wasn't that bad, really...

Sound: 6

My sister was obsessed with the ending song for some gay reason. She would sing it nonstop when we got home from school, and I would yell, "What the fuck is that?!" And she'd yell back. "It's the Brothers Conflict ending!" I'm not one to watch endings, but since she mentioned it, I took the time to watch it that day, and I guess the ending's pretty creative relatively. I mean, you got all these Brothers, why not use them for a choreographed dance number in which they all sing, even though some of them really shouldn't. (Subaru, when he sings, sounds like a dying cat.) It was okay. The opening was so annoying though!

Character: 5

Okay, there are 13 Brothers and one annoying protagonist. Its kind of given that I would hate all of them except a legitimate few. They all ended up falling in love with her, in which I scream,"BOLLLOOCCKSSS!" But some characters are worth mentioning. I mean, the only one that didn't force himself upon the protagonist was Yuusuke, that red haired bastard. Their exchanges were so sweet, along with Azusa's and Natsume's. I'm just saying, they weren't overwhelming, and seemed fair to her, giving her a chance to breathe! While there are characters I like, I pretty much hate the rest of them and their designs. A perverted monk is basically a contradiction in it's own name, really. Is that the best of your creativity? And that pop star! Fuuto! I spit at his name! He's 15, my age, and attempting rape! Modern society, people. Is that normal in Japan? Also, I hated his design. Whenever he came on screen, I'd yell, "FUCKING NEKO-CHAN!!" Cause face it, he looks like a cat and needs mouth surgery. There are too many hateable characters! That's a harem's nightmare!

Enjoyment:

As I said, it was my guilty pleasure. I watched it to the end, sadly. I didn't mean to, it just happened...

Overall: 6.5