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Easily the best LN I have ever read. Watching the anime made me curious about how the relationship between the main two characters progressed.

The author does a great job of jumping between different character's perspectives throughout the story. I think that this makes the story more enjoyable since the author can decide the best perspective for us to see certain situations through.

For example - If one character is confessing to another, the author can decide for us to be experiencing this from the perspective of the character confessing or from the one being confessed to. Maybe the first half of the situation is told ... to us from one perspective. Then half way through the confession, it could jump to the other person's perspective.

I like that that is often how it happens rather than the same situation being told multiple times by different people for different perspectives. That would make the plot move too slowly.

The pacing of this feels just right to me. It moves fast enough to keep me interested but also takes an ample amount of time with finer details in the characters' inner monologues.

The Anime is a decent adaptation, but it just can't take the place of the details in this LN.

I feel that the novel's weakest point is the introduction of the student council. While it wasn't bad, I was a bit resistant to the change at first.

I enjoyed that this novel didn't contain too many characters. So the author was able to do a lot with the few characters we had.

With the introduction of so many new characters through the student council, it took a bit for me to adjust to. I thought that the execution was decent, but it wasn't as well done as the introduction of Mizuto's extended family. (Likely because there were less characters introduced all at once).

I did understand that the student council characters are essential for the growth of our main characters, though.

The progression of the love story is just right. You are first presented with the current situation the exes are in as they are forced into becoming step siblings. You then are able to get some background as to why they became exes. You then see how complicated their feelings are. Then you gradually see their present and how they start to move forward and how they feel about it.

The characters are also just great. While there are characters with some similar traits (some introverted and nerdy, some extroverted, etc.), they all have unique traits about them that make them stand out. Although I was a bit overwhelmed when so many student council characters were introduced almost all at once, I feel that they all serve an important purpose in the story. I don't feel that there are any filler characters.

Even more interesting than the characters themselves are the relationships between the multiple characters. The author does a great job showing the interactions between the different characters. Of course, since this is in a light novel format, sometimes it does get confusing when 3-4 people are having a conversation and you can't always tell who is saying what during a back and forth, if you re-read those conversations you can tell who is who by the way they are speaking.

This has just the right amount of humor, build up, satisfaction, and pacing. I'm not a big light novel reader, but I find myself reading this for hours at a time.

The story slowly unravels itself with such expertise and perfect pacing that I am constantly wanting to keep learning.

The translation is very good. I typically am not able to get too immersed in books, but with this, I find myself lost in this fictional universe as I read while hours go by.

I very highly recommend this light novel.

The title of this Anime alone got me interested. The premise sounded like a unique and interesting situation. As a fan of Rom Coms, I knew I had to check it out.

The story got me curious enough to check out the Light Novel (which I ended up really loving!) but this review is solely going to be about the anime adaptation.

Story: 10/10
Like I said earlier, the actual story is really well-done. People may not agree with me, but I like this as much as other giants like Kaguya-sama and Toradora.

I think it really captures the mixed feelings you feel towards an Ex. I personally don't ... talk to any of my Exes in any way. If I was forced to live with one, I feel that this depiction is pretty relatable. You'd feel bitter about the breakup but still also possibly have some lingering feelings.

I like the way that the story slowly unravels. Their past relationship is a bit of a mystery and you're constantly wondering why they got together and why they broke up. That is slowly shown and it shows how complicated their feelings are now.

It's even more interesting that their relationship was a secret and they are trying to hide their past from their parents.

It's also obvious that there are lingering feelings, so things can be pretty awkward at home.

I also thought it was an interesting touch that their previous relationship was so short-lived that they weren't even on a first-name basis yet. However, when they became step-siblings, they sort of were forced to call each other by their first names at home.

Art: 9/10
I do prefer the LN art a tad bit, but I feel that the art in the Anime is really well done. It isn't anything ground-breaking or too out of the ordinary, but it gets the job done.

Music: 8/10
The music is fitting for the series, but it isn't unique enough for me to rate it higher. It is very good, though.

Characters: 10/10
The most interesting part of this are the characters. I personally haven't seen a show centered around Exes. There appear to be two sets of Exes in this show and they are all enjoyable in their own ways and uniquely contribute to the story.

Also, the relationships between the characters are super well-done in this.

Mizuto Irido: Introverted and a loner. Passive and doesn't take initiative on anything. Loves reading.
Yume Ayai/Iridi: Naturally introverted and previously a loner. Trying to change herself and be more social. Loves reading mystery novels.
Kogure Kawanami: Seems to represent shippers since he very much wants to see the Iridos get together. Interesting since he is so outgoing, unlike Mizuto, yet seems more interested in seeing romance than experiencing it himself.
Akkatsuki Minami: Also an extrovert like Kawanami. Seems to be a very lonely person and wants company from another human being. In this case, really wants to spend all of her time with Yume.
Isana Higashira: An introvert like Mizuto. Seems to naturally get along with him better with Yume which makes the plot more interesting. Not enough episodes with her are out yet, so maybe I can revise this later.

Enjoyment: 9/10
This show has a great mix of being funny and also making you curious and tense about the romance. I'm constantly waiting for the next episode to see how the relationship and plot further develop. So much so that like I mentioned earlier, I ended up picking up the Light Novel.

Overall: 9/10
I understand that the title of the show may annoy people but I find this to be extremely entertaining and recommend it to all.
I suppose people that wouldn't like it are easily weirded out by the idea of step-siblings being exes or maybe those that have never been in a relationship. Maybe it would be hard for those to relate to seeing how hateful exes can be towards each other while still feeling conflicted on the inside.

This was actually my first "slice of life" Anime that I have seen. At first, I was a bit skeptical. I was told that it was a show about "cute girls doing cute things." I was told that it was episodic and had no romance so it sounded a bit weird to me, so I decided not to watch it.

A few months later, someone linked me to a YouTube clip (http://youtu.be/DOta_f_9uoU) and I found it really funny (and sort of adorable).

I've played guitar and sang in local rock bands the past 4 years of my life so I figured I should at least give this ... show a chance since I found that one clip funny and I recognized many of the voice actors.

I expected this to be a show centered mostly on music but I found that that was not the center of the story!


Despite my assumptions of it being weird and something I wouldn't like, I ended up thoroughly enjoying this show and I think it is my second favorite show of all times.

The story is nothing too deep. It is all very light. It's a nice show to watch if you have been watching some really heavy and emotionally draining anime and you need a breath of fresh air. Don't worry about these girls getting tentacle raped or anything. It's all very overly happy and the conflicts in the show are not life-threatening. To put it simply: its story revolves around high school girls that become friends after joining a light music club together. Emphasis on the friendship over the actual club. Though they do make some references to classic rock bands here and there which is cool if you're a fan of them.

I really enjoyed the art style of this show. I typically watch shows with a lot of violence and tend to judge the artwork based off of the fight scenes but this show had none of that. The whole show looked really nice to me.

The sound was good too. These girls do write songs but don't expect the deepest of lyrics. The song lyrics are so bad in some of the songs that it's just funny. I think that was the intent. Keeping it "simple and cute." If you can't stand lyrics like that, the songs may bother you a bit.

This show leads you to believe that men are going extinct or something. The only male characters I can think of that appeared in the show are the school principal and Ritsu's brother. It was very strange for me to see a show with no romance since I am a huge fan of those type of shows but for some reason it didn't bother me. The closest thing to romance in this show was the constant poking fun at the single teacher's failed love life.

If you aren't a big "moe" fan then I would not recommend this show. If you are looking for a very "fan-service-y" show with girls being constantly sexualized, I would not recommend this show (they only make a few sexual-ish jokes in the show). It's a very light and funny show. This first season is not too emotionally deep.

I would definitely re-watch this show again after watching other Anime that emotionally drain me.

Sword Art Online Review

Sword Art Online is a very flawed yet very enjoyable show. Many people will often either deem it the best show in the world or the worst show in the world.

I am a big fan of the show and it is currently my absolute favorite at the moment but let me start with the flaws that the series had.

Flaws:
Time Skips / Pacing
I felt that the biggest flaw of the show was the inconsistencies with time gaps. This is mainly an issue with the first half of the series (Aincrad Arc). I had a friend that watched the second episode (clearing the first ... floor) and then the third episode (Kirito joins Moonlit Black Cats) and he called me to ask if he had missed a few episodes or something.

I suppose there wasn’t much that could be done because the light novel was sort of written that way. “Floor by floor” side stories were only added later which is why the first half of the series felt a little inconsistent episode by episode. Time would skip and we would be left wondering what happened on the floors that were never shown.

That was my only main issue with the first half of the season.

Not Enough Side Character Love
I loved all of the characters that were in this show but I feel that the flaw was that many were not given the screen time that they deserved.

Klein, for example, was setup to be a very important character based on the first episode but he quickly disappears for the majority of the series.

Many others only appeared in about 1-2 episodes and that was it.

Nerfing Asuna
I personally really liked Asuna as a heroine. It was cool that she was sometimes able to save Kirito too and that she had a high place in her guild, Knights of the Blood Oath. I did not hate the second half of the season (Fairy Dance Arc) but I felt that it was far inferior to the first half.

Asuna almost seemed like a totally different person. Her sexuality became her main attribute. I felt that it was totally unnecessary to have her be nearly tentacle raped. I do not watch hentai or anything so it was uncomfortable for me to see that.

Her escape attempt was also pretty pathetic. I felt that Asuna from Aincrad would not have been as careless and impatient.

Incest
This is also an issue with the second half of the season. I thought that it was just weird to have Suguha fall in love with her brother/cousin. I did end up feeling really bad for her because she just seemed like a confused hormonal tween that didn’t know any better but I still wish that that was not apart of the story.

Strengths:
Great Action
The action scenes in this show were amazing. Many people that mostly hate the show can at least agree that the fight scenes were beautifully done. I only wish that there were more floors shown so that there were more than just a few boss fights shown on screen. Watching the fight scenes always felt so intense to me.

Romance
Many people would see this as a flaw, but I honestly loved Asuna and Kirito’s romance. It was cool to see them get together sooner than later. Perhaps it’s just because it reminded me of my very first relationship because it was also very innocent and fairytale-like and many could not believe that it was happening because it seemed so unrealistic.

I am also a sucker for love stories.

Relatable Character (Kirito)
Kirito was very relatable to me in many ways. This may not apply to others that do not connect with him the same way I did. Ever since 2003, I have been playing a lot of MMORPGs with my friends. Everything from Runescape to Ragnarok to WoW to Guild Wars etc. I was never a god like Kirito, but my friends that I played with tended to consider me really really good so my friends always like to joke that I am the Kirito of our group in that regard when we are playing online games.

I am a very social person now, but when I was younger I was like Kirito where I was a bit antisocial and it reminded me of those times. He coped with situations in similar ways to how I did.

I also did not meet several girls that fell in love with me in video games, but in real life I have had my fair share of overly attached girls that have clung to me and I related to Kirito in that regard. My female friends say that I have no radar for crazy girls or girls that fall for me and I’m always oblivious to it so my friends always joke that I am like Kirito in that way too.

I am by no means a carbon copy of him or anything, but there were many aspects with his character that I connected with.

Variety of Story-lines
While the time skips in Aincrad made me sad due to wondering what happened on floors that were never shown, I always enjoyed the side stories. Some would have preferred if the show only stuck to clearing boss floors, I enjoyed the stories of Kirito helping out weaker players, or solving the murder case, or getting the dark repulser made. I thought it added a nice change of pace!

It also had a fair share of humor to balance the depressing deaths that took place in the game.

Music
The music is very enjoyabl. Crossing Field, the opening song for the first half of the season, always got me pumped up before the episode. It is one of the few anime intros that I actually do not skip regularly.

Also, the sad music always was so fitting for the emotional scenes, the fighting songs always pumped me up during intense fight scenes, and even the light-hearted songs for lighter scenes were always fitting too. I find myself humming the music from this series a lot.

Conclusion:
This show is nowhere near perfect and is filled with a lot of flaws. Despite that, the strengths of this show are so great and enjoyable that it outshines the flaws and I can highly recommend this show to you.

While stating that you dislike this show may make you appear to have a “better taste in Anime” due to its reputation, I would strongly suggest to at least give the show a chance and to not just write off.