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I don't know what it is about Yu Watase's work, as formulaic and sometimes tedious as her stories tend to be, and as annoying as some of her female protagonists are. I somehow keep coming back for more.

I think it has to be the characters of her works. ARATA is a little different than Watase's usual fare, have a male as the main character and being a shonen rather than a shoujo, however, a lot of the same elements are there as you go through this layered quest story.

Two boys from two different worlds, both named Arata, switch worlds and are both thrust into ... dangerous adventure. In a the fantasy realm, Arata is framed for the murder of the Imperial Princess, by her 12 guardians and as he is on the run, he hides in the mysterious Kando Forest. In Japan, Arata Hinohara is have the worst time in school and just wishes he could disappear. Well, you can see where this is going...

The two boys switch places and a race to defeat the 12 guardians known as the "Shinsho" begins, especially as war begins to break out between the guardians as to who will be the Princess' successor as Emperor.

As I said before, Watase knows how to make amazing characters with amazing backstories. Each one is unique and each one is great. Evil characters are twistedly evil and good characters and honorable to a fault. The emotions she's able to weave into this are amazing. Three of the Shinsho arcs drove me to streaming tears so far, and I'm not even done yet.

The romance in this story is half-backed and I think is only in here because Yuu doesn't know what else to do. But the interactions between Arata and the people he meets, including the Shos, Shinshos, and Zakusho's are really good.

Now, all that said, the series is still formulaic quest material. Both Aratas are a little bland. The main girl is a ditz. And the challenges for the MC don't last very long. You would think not "every" problem can be talked out or end as easily as "You're lonely, why don't you be yourself?", but there you do. Arata's main rival is also a bit boring and one note, but there you go.

All in all, this series is very good, and I enjoy reading it so far.

I waited until the end of the series to write my review, and all I have to say: This is one of the most underrated and also best animes of this year. Yes, I know that it's only winter season, but I don't care, I am going to steadfastly stand by that declaration. I have been watching anime for quite some years now, and I've seen some really good ones and some really bad ones. I've seen some that touch my heart and some that make me cringe. However, I have never had one that has consistently from beginning to end, roped me in and ... had me anticipating each and every episode with such excitement. I could literally feel the adrenaline rush while watching each episode, and held on to every moment.

The plot, the story, the characters, the development amongst them all, all top-notch.
The animation was great, action scenes superb, and the music phenomenal, even the hidden messages within are thoughtful.

What's this show about? It involves an alternate world where there are humans that are normal, and humans that have somehow evolved to the point of having ESP (telepathy, telekinesis, pyrokinesis, etc). Those super-powered people are known as "espers". However, as always, humanity has a hard time adjusting to things and people who are different and strange, and so espers have been treated with prejudice as monsters and freaks of nature the world-over. One such esper, with powers even beyond that of other espers, has been ravaged and scarred by such a bigoted society. His name is Major Kyosuke Hyobu and he has, in answer to the injustices against his people, formed an organization that strives to protect espers and their rights as human beings by any means necessary. This organization is known as PANDRA. However, when Major Hyobu meets a peculiar esper named Andy Hinomiya who has secrets of his own, dark storm clouds may soon be in the horizon for PANDRA.

One thing to know, is that I love X-Men, and as you can tell, the synopsis sounds very similar to the world that the X-Men live in. Hyobu is often compared to Magneto in many ways, with PANDRA alike to the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. However, I like Hyobu even more, as the man is more powerful, but also more complex, having layers to his psyche and to his character. The other main character of this show, Andy, is the stand-in for the audience and he plays his part well, as one of the most interesting and likable characters in the show.

This series is 12 episodes long and while the ending was quite satisfying, I cannot deny that I deeply wish for a sequel. This show was so underrated because of the fact that it is touted as a "spin-off" show from a under-performing less-popular 2008 anime, known as Zettai Karen Children or "Psychic Squad" in the States. However, this show can stand very well on its own and does not need the other show for exposition. It is completely different in tone and style and the only thing really similar is the setting and characters that have now been transferred to a completely different plot line. Many thought that you had to watch the original series in order to watch this one, and as the original series is 55+ episodes, no one was truly willing to go through that. However, I am here to tell you that I started this show without ever having even heard of Zettai Karen Children. You DO NOT need to see the original show to see this one. You can easily understand everything without having read or watched any original material.

Okay, I think I have droned on enough, but I can't stress more how awesome this show is. I loved every minute of it and I hope that anyone who looks at it as well will get as much enjoyment out of it as I did. I sincerely hope there will be a second season as 12 episodes just isn't enough.

Now get out of here and go WATCH IT!