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*^* Spoilers ahead! *^*

Everything about this show is so cute. I mean.. it's called TOKYO MEW MEW! And the synopsis is cute girls fighting cute alien boys to save the frickin world! Sounds great, right? The show starts off lightning fast with its character/world introduction and although the mini stories and fights are rather cheesy, I didn't mind because to me it was something new. And did I mention cute?

What I didn't do was check if the show had any fillers. Turns out in 52 episodes, there are at least 20 episodes of fillers! Although I enjoyed the side stories in some of those, I ... did not enjoy how they all concluded the exact same way without any development whatsoever. These filler episodes dragged out what is already a very repetitive show with its "mew mew use that same attack again" battles. The fillers ended on episode 43 and the show finally went through each plot point in the next 8 episodes to reach a happy yet extremely cheesy ending.

I actually think the show had some good characters (Ichigo and Purin), and good slice-of-life moments with cute humour. However, I thought the pacing was too fast during main story episodes and there were too many fillers. I also didn't like Ichigo's love interest, a bland kid that's supernaturally popular for no real reason.

The animation had major flaws during the first few episodes but they were fixed later and it was decent overall for an old show. The opening song didn't have an impact on me first, but I liked it later. The voice acting felt cute and fitting.

One thing I liked about the show was how they designed different chimera anima. My personal favorites were the seal and the book reading 'hypnotists'. Not every one of them was unique and interesting on their own but they were at least different in each episode. They remained as the fresh twist in those repetitive battles.

Overall, I found Tokyo Mew Mew CUTE but too cheesy and repetitive. Though I think fillers were a huge part of this dislike, at the end of the day, I shouldn't have to search for filler episodes. Also I think its episodic, cute and simple nature would work quite well with its target audience: children.

Only recommended if you're looking for something CUTE and simple. Make sure you skip the fillers.

(Also sorry for saying 'cute' again and again)

*^* Spoilers Ahead *^*

First things first, this season has one of the best opening of all times!! It's soo gooood. I didn't skip that little story even once. Great animation, great music, great flailing arms, 10/10.

Other than that, the show doesn't add anything to the table for a while. The first 5 episodes were bland and trying to play to the show's strengths. But its strengths are the same old 'jokes' we saw multiple times in season 1 so they become weaknesses after being overused. Darkness likes to be hit, we get it. We learned a bit about her past but she is still the ... same character. I feel like Vanir was wasted due to Darkness humor.

Then it got better though. The show let the characters and the audience figure out Kazuma's 'power' in a funny way. Kazuma and Aqua trying to best each other at living fabulously while Megumin went nuts was hilarious. Honestly, Megumin is my favorite character at this point. She is somewhat sane compared to the others and it's refreshing when she neutralizes the absurdity sometimes. Though she didn't have as much screentime as in first season, I liked her a lot.

Anyway, then the group went on a 'long' (by this show's standards) adventure. Pacing was good and I enjoyed the journey. The fanatic town wasn't great but those episodes served as a nice foundation for the final one. I think the final climax was entertaining and beautifully animated. Actually, the animation was a lot better this season overall.

To sum up, I think this season started 'meh' but got better and funnier in the 2nd half. I don't know if a 3rd season is coming, but I'd be interested to see more. Recommended to anyone who found season 1 enjoyable.

Konosuba is funny. It doesn't heavily rely on dialogue for humour, it has good comedic timing, it often switches its art to better complement the jokes, the voice actors are clearly enjoying their lines, and its main cast of colorful members have great (or should I say terrible) chemistry.

Plotwise, the overarching story doesn't advance much during the short 10 episode run, and none of the side characters seem relevant. The season felt like an advertisement for the main group. I'm curious to see if they make some progress next season, but honestly I'm more curious to see what kind of nonsensical shenanigans the group will ... get into. Finally, I think the animation and the soundtrack were meh except for Megumin's glorious explosions.

Overall, I'm not a fan of the 'Isekai' genre and the season felt far too short and empty to deserve a high score but it is funny and I love the main cast except Darkness. Recommended.

*^* MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD *^*

I loved the first episode of SAO. The premise was great, a gorgeous virtual world introduced and then turned into a prison. I thought Kayaba Akihiko's introduction was brilliant, revealing the hidden dark layer of the game visually. You won't see blood, the enemy doesn't even 'really exist', it looks like a video game but the consequences are real. Although I found the MC kinda cold and maybe too accepting of his fate, I was excited to see more.

Then came the 2nd episode and although it felt somewhat rushed I enjoyed everything from the boss fight to the introduction of parties, ... floor bosses and Asuna. Kirito was confusing, as he sometimes looked smart and mature but he was also annoying with his edgy lonewolf attitude.

And now I was expecting them to work towards floor 2. Nope says Episode 3, have a timeskip. And by the way here is another rushed story. This time of some saint friends forming a guild, bonding with Kirito and dying in rapid succession. Bad storytelling, and now Kirito is even more of an edgy lonewolf so that's character development I guess.

Unfortunately those 3 episodes are the best of this series by far. What follows is lots of 'filler' episodes that barely contribute to the main story while the main story advances somewhere out of sight. Each episode has lots of timeskips and when we return to the main story Mr. plot armor destroys stuff until we can go back to more fillers and more Mr. Awesomepants! The show loses its dark nature completely during the fillers and becomes a light-hearted adventure that worships Kirito. All the side characters are bland and have no depth. Except Asuna, who is developed from a fierce tsundere fighter to an obedient housewife. To make things better almost all the side characters are cute girls that fall in love with Kirito in 20 minutes!

I don't even wanna spend time talking about the 2nd part of the show. Kirito-kun saves the princess by being OP and a few more girls fall in love with him. Also fanservice. Okay. To sum up, I think story-wise and character-wise, SAO was a letdown.

SAO did have good production value though. The action scenes were okay in the first half and great in the second. I really enjoyed some of the duels in the 2nd half. The audiovisuals were quite good overall, the world looked stunning and the soundtrack accompanied each scene well.

But overall I can't recommend this to anyone. Its greatest feats are its production value and battles, and there are shows that do both of those much better than SAO. Just watch something else.

*^* First paragraph has spoilers *^*

Violet Evergarden is a compilation of short stories that get progressively sadder. The main character is a socially awkward robot-like 14 year old girl who wants to learn more about human emotions. For the majority of the show she is an observer to the stories just like us. And just like us, she is forced to cry her eyes out due to tearjerkers. And that's the idea! We made her cry, she is humanized!

That pretty much sums it up. Sad, disconnected, predictable short stories. Supported by a one-dimensional cast; gorgeous visuals it doesn't deserve; and an emotional soundtrack ... that is never dialed down even during quiet dialogue we can't hear. Uninteresting and poorly directed overall, not recommended.

*^* Light spoilers ahead *^*

The 2nd season of Sangatsu no Lion continues its painfully real portrayal of anxiety with wonderful imagery. Despite tackling a multitude of new subjects, the show doesn't lose much of its lifelike nature. I'm 16 and this show could make me experience anxiety over old age! Many scenes were very dramatic, but not cliche or over the top. I think the narrative strikes an extremely difficult balance to make the scenes feel real while remaining powerful. You really empathize with the characters - actually I find it weird to call them characters at this point - the people! The show already ... had a great cast to begin with but they reached new heights with Rei often taking the backseat this season.

Not much is introduced in terms of audiovisuals on top of the first season, which I didn't mind. It was great to begin with and continued to be creative with abstraction. One thing that bothered me was that they didn't pursue some incomplete storylines. The Kawamoto family's past and Rei's relationship with Kyouko largely remain a mystery. I assume there will be a season 3, otherwise I'd be really upset with the ending.

Another negative was the flow of the show. Whereas the first season's flow was very natural as a whole, this season felt clearly divided into seperate parts with less cohesion. Each 'arc' was powerful but somewhat disconnected. Finally, the 'manga' and 'food' humour continues to be hit-and-miss for me, I wish they'd tone it down sometimes.

Overall, I thought it was a good follow-up to season 1. Highly recommended.

!! SPOILERS AHEAD !!

Sangatsu no Lion revolves around Rei Kiriyama, a frail boy that has to deal with a terrible loss. To distract himself from his emotions he turns to Shogi - a japanese board game similar to chess. His unhealthy obsession with the game is only fueled by the bad parenting of his new 'shogi father'. Rei's new siblings naturally grow to hate Rei instead of their father for stealing his attention. Rei also starts to blame himself for breaking the family apart so he wants to leave the house asap. Soon he becomes a pro and can afford to live by himself, he ... is 'happy' that he left the house without doing more damage.

And to Rei, that is the finish line. He can now somewhat take care of himself, he has a place to live. He just goes to the shogi hall once in a while, and he doesn't even need to get better at it. He just needs to stay at his current level... nothing needs to change, life is okay. That's where we meet Rei, a depressed boy who thinks he is okay in his solitary aquarium. In the following episodes, through his eyes, we get to see how he evolves through his interactions with people and shogi. I know nothing about shogi but I found the premise fascinating and the story did not disappoint.

As the contrast between the life with his friends and his solitary life became more and more apparent, sometimes Rei was depressed, other times he was crying from happiness. The audience is intentionally put painfully close to Rei, listening to every thought that goes through his mind in slow pacing. The plotline was interesting and realistic. Whether the scene was dramatic or humorous, whether Rei won a game or lost, the show always handled it brilliantly. It was an amazing experience to be able to watch things both from an omniscient view and from Rei's perspective.

In terms of the other characters, The Kawamoto sisters show Rei how dark and lonely his side of the bridge is and how there are other ways you can cope with loss. Nikaidou urges him to take better care of himself and his shogi, to not be content where he is. Takashi sensei reminds him he's still just a kid but also that he is amazing for his age, that he should have self-confidence. Every character has a meaningful place in Rei's life, and impressively none of them is just a "development tool" for him.

Despite seemingly revolving around Rei, the show is realistic and deep with its side characters as well. Akari doesn't just take Rei in because he's "stray", she geniunely cares and it isn't a one-way street. Rei is a big help to their family.. or rather he is family. Nikaidou is not your typical one-dimensional shounen rival, he has his own reasons for pursuing Rei. Even Takashi has plenty moments where it's apparent his life doesn't revolve around his favorite student. Same goes for every single character in the show, everyone has their own lives to worry about. Thanks to the masterful narrative, everyone feels so real and important and well developed.

But what really elevates the series to a work of art is its amazing use of visuals and sound. The artstyle is gorgeous and unique. The show makes great use of symbolism without going overboard and becoming too abstract. Visually, this is easily the most impressive anime I've seen so far. Not because the landscape or animation is as pretty as in Made in Abyss or Shingeki no Kyojin, but because it handles tonal shifts and abstraction extremely well and has a unique approach to facial expressions. The soundtrack also does a great job accompanying the switches in atmosphere and is filled with beautiful bittersweet piano tracks.

In terms of negatives, I had no idea what Shogi is so it was hard to appreciate the matches. They were still dramatic and insightful but I'm sure I'd enjoy it a lot more if I actually knew what was going on. It wasn't much of a problem at first but Shogi became more prevalent towards the later episodes so it was a bit of a turn-off. Nikaidou's cute introduction obviously wasn't enough to understand pro matches. Secondly, as cute and lovely the Kawamoto family is, the humour in their household was sometimes cheesy and repetitive. The over the top humour amplified the disparity between Rei's melancholy and happiness but didn't feel real at times.

Overall Sangatsu no Lion is an amazing show and highly recommended for anyone who wants to witness "art" in anime.

Yikes, that was a mess. Mob Psycho 100 starts off similar to One Punch Man with its humour and superhero setting but reveals the story's more serious layer before long. The show starts off promising but unfortunately the quality goes downhill after 3-4 episodes as the end product becomes neither funny nor deep.. just edgy and uninteresting. The show can't decide whether it's taking itself seriously or not. Both the self-aware jokes and 'deep' ideas are just.. kind of out there without cohesion. Despite boasting character development, the villains either end up dead before they can be developed or are dull and one-dimensional. They mostly ... serve as tools for the brother MCs. To be fair, there is only so much you can do in 12 episodes. I felt like this show was experimental in many ways, it tried to be different than the pack but the formula just didn't work.

On the plus side I enjoyed the artstyle and some of the fight scenes though these were also nothing to write home about. Reigen was a fun character to watch, his interactions were the highlights of the show. In conclusion, unless you're a ONE fan or you want to see Saitama wear different wigs, feel free to pass on this one.

Toradora's story may not be profound or unpredictable... but it is well written.
The characters may be ordinary and even outright annoying at times... but they are relatable.
Yes yes, there are unrealistic moments, the plotline is cliche, the art is average... but trust me it's very enjoyable!

Toradora can make you laugh out loud with its humour and make you cry with its heartbreaking moments. It begins as a good "wholesome rom-com" and rises above that with its dramatic 2nd half. Most of the characters are well developed despite its 25 episode short length.

In short, if you're looking for something revolutionary or fresh, feel ... free to skip Toradora but if you're willing to look past its common tropes, get ready for a captivating ride!

**SPOILERS AHEAD**

Story: 6
HxH is a mixed bag. Even though the story's main focus is Gon and his journey, HxH is a show that doesn't shy away from pushing side characters to the spotlight. Consisting of 7 different arcs, each arc has different characters highlighted, different villains, and even a different theme, tone and setting. These arcs are not combined well to an overarching storyline, they are mostly presented as seperate journeys that develop the main characters. So it's only fair to review the story of each arc seperately. I do not want to create a wall of text however, so I'll give short reviews.

Hunter Exam: ... 7
Though some of the 'fights' were too simple or bland, this arc served as a good introduction to the fascinating world of Hunters and the main characters.

Zoldyck Family Arc: 6
Good introduction to the interesting assassin family and the butlers but it was cut rather short.

Heaven's Arena Arc: 8
Light-hearted, and one of the better arcs of the series. The nen system is finally introduced, and is explained in great detail in the following arcs. Killua and Gon develop a sweet friendship as they tackle some simple obstacles. This arc also had one of the best fights of the entire series (Hisoka x Kastro) showcasing HxH's focus on strategy over powerlevel.

Yorknew City Arc: 5
The show does a fine job switching its tone at will, but Kurapika fell short as the main character. Troupe had few interesting villains too, so it felt like the plot didn't have anyone to lean on. The fights were also less strategic than the previous arcs. Although the final 5-6 episodes got better with the troupe being further developed and Gon/Killua getting more involved, overall I felt the arc was below HxH average.

Greed Island Arc: 7
More Gon x Killua training bromance in a different setting, with a better teacher. The card system was interesting and the dodgeball competition was great. But this arc also had the weakest villain (bomber) and the strategies remained rather simple for the most part.

Chimera Ant Arc: 9
Though it had its flaws (overnarration and Kite's development), this arc was by far the most ambitious and interesting one. The creator did an amazing job with the ants, and you can feel how much he cared for the arc. From Meruem and Komugi to the royal guards and from the queen and her soldiers to the newly introduced hunters, every character was sufficiently explored and fit well in the story. It also happens to be the longest arc by far, and in my opinion it's the arc that makes HxH special.

Hunter Chairman Arc: 3
I couldn't care much less about this arc. The whole arc felt like plot convenience and the zodiacs didn't catch my interest at all. Gon's revival and his reunion with Ging didn't give me much satisfaction. The ending also felt incomplete with lots of things unresolved. Overall, it felt like a bad transition to the light-hearted tone and a forced happy ending.

Overall the story had its ups and downs. It had great pacing throughout but excluding the Chimera Ant Arc, the plot remained too simplistic since each arc did its own thing instead of building on the previous one. It's not necessarily a bad thing however, as Ging says:

"You should enjoy the little detours. To the fullest. Because that's where you'll find the things more important than what you want."

I believe that's what HxH highlights with its arcs, it focuses on the characters, their interactions, their journey more than an all-embracing story.

Art and Sound: 6
I think this is one part HxH isn't great at. Apart from Hisoka's theme, I found all of the music mediocre and forgettable. It does have a wide array of tracks to cover its different tones though.

I think the animation was consistent and handled tonal shifts well. Some fights like Meruem x Netero was a blast to watch but most of the time the animation was just 'good' for 2011, nothing that special.

Characters: 9
This is where HxH excels at. It doesn't just have colorful, memorable but generic characters like Naruto. It develops its main characters extremely well but the side characters are also very unique and developed enough so you can relate to their goals and personalities. Especially the Chimera Ant was amazing in this aspect with its great 'villains'. In terms of characters, I think HxH is up there with FMAB.

However the show has a bad habit of throwing away good potential. Leorio,Kurapika and Chrollo come to mind as examples. Chrollo and Kurapika basically vanished after the Troupe arc completely to never return and Leorio had a short return for.. elections? Personally I'd have liked to see more of them after they were developed so much.

Enjoyment: 7
Overall, HxH is a good shounen. For me it was kind of hit and miss with its arcs but if not for anything, it's worth a watch for its glorious Chimera Ant Arc and eccentric villains like Pouf and Hisoka.