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This manga with it's loooong title has been an enjoyable read so far with it's few chapters.

This is a story based on the Fate/Grand Order Mobile game, centering on certain characters that appear in that game. The writing here expects you to have played the game, and played it a lot, in order to recognize the characters, the context of the setting, the basic functions of the magic system, and the deep lore of the Fate-verse. The story itself centers on the protagonist of the game, Fujimaru, and her sudden entering of a deep sleep. In her slumber she appears to have travelled into ... the past, Edo period Japan to be specific, and encounters the legendary samurai Miyamoto Musashi. Together they travel to uncover what exactly has happened to Fujimaru, and at the same are hunted by a group of powerful warriors from across history.

The artstyle of this manga is very pleasing to me, not aggressive or overly cutesy, but an effective combination of grit and youthful style, which is common among the Fate Series. Wataru Rei, the writer and illustrator, is a compelling artist and panelist, capable of epic widespreads to detailed, powerful close ups, and is an excellent character artist. Every character has their charm, if not in story or personality, than in attractive design. Male characters range from cutesy shonen boy to grizzly old badass, and all female characters with their great beauty stand with those men as pure badasses.

I would argue, as with most Fate related content, that a superdeep understanding of the lore isn't particularly important when reading this manga. Even though it isn't finished, for what it had it was compelling through its artstyle and many likeable characters, some hero, some villain, many between. I would recommend Fate/Grand Order- Ashu Tokuiten III/ Ashu Heikou Sekai- Shizan Ketsuga Butai Shimousa no Kuni- Eirei Kengou Nanaban Shoubu... If you don't mind a short story for eleven dollars. If that isn't appealing to you, than maybe you should wait until the actual story is longer than the title itself...

I've never read or seen much of Bleach, but I'm certain that this show has nothing to do with the plot of it other than being in the same universe, and is perfectly enjoyable without the knowledge of Bleach. What appealed to me when scouting for something, anything to watch, was the character designs, which are pleasant enough to look at even when they're not moving. I was pleased to see that, in motion, the characters are detailed and distinct enough, as well as plenty expressive enough for me to enjoy my time watching the show even if I had the sound turned off and ... had no clue what was happening. I'm pretty confident you actually could watch these three episodes without any sound and interpret a general idea of what was happening anyways. That is the sign of a competently made animation is my opinion.

Tite Kubo wrote the story as a one shot, and I think the concept is creative, the two central characters are at least entertaining to see interact with each other and the world around them. Ninny and Noel have distinct enough personalities and designs that fit well with Studio Colorido's interpretation of London. Kubo's character designs blend and move well with the environment thanks to the animation team's talent and, I assume, damn good budget, considering the only three episodes.

The story felt to me somewhat interesting, but of course not really that impressive considering the length of the one shot. You have three episodes to decide if the characters are worth following, because really that's what drew me in and kept me watching, aside from the gratifying animation of course. If Kubo decides to expand on what he's created here, I insist he do so. I imagine he could do quite a lot given what he's already done, considering the cool magic system, entertaining characters, interesting setting, and of course a promising animation direction.

Are these three episodes worth your time? I think so; there's a lot to appreciate here. And if the designs are to your liking, you'll probably get enough out of this show to feel satisfied when it's over, which will unfortunately be very quickly.

Tetsuwan Birdy (or Birdy the Mighty) is a short and sweet little OVA series from original creator Masami Yuki and animated by Studio Madhouse.

This show is some type of wild, and I had the unfortunate experience of getting to view it for the first time dubbed! Focusing on poignant, visually interesting action and the two central characters, Tetsuwan Birdy, though flawed, is a brief but endearing, inventive time sync.

CHARACTERS

Birdy Cephon Altera: Is the titular character of this series, and a rather enjoyable one at that. She is hotheaded, impulsive, possibly a narcissist, and unbelievably charismatic. Certainly not a role model, Birdy is an alien Space ... Cop basically, and after accidentally killing a young man while on the job, she is forced to merge mind and body with him, at the dismay of them both. She has badass abilities, she has a badass body, she has it all, and is certainly the most captivating draw to this series.

Tsutomu: His last name is unimportant, he reeks of generic male protagonist, and quite frankly, he's a complete clown. His ass dies in the first episode, setting off the forced cooperation between him and Birdy as they fuse together. Though being a complete loser, he does try his best with the situation he unfortunately found himself in, and does make some sort of impact as the show goes on.

The other characters aren't that important, not even the villains really. One of them has literally no characterization, and the others play little to no importance in the grand scheme of things. Though this is not without explanation. At the time, the original manga run by Masami Yuki had gone unfinished for whatever reason, and the OVA had very little to work with.

STORY
Similarly, the story here also isn't much to speak of without spoiling anything, and even when spoiling it, I can't say it left a mark on my mind. But the story in this OVA is not what I believe to be the main focusing point anyway. And like I said, the story itself was never finished by the time this OVA was released.

SOUND
I remember nothing of the music, or if there was any to begin with. Like I said earlier, my first viewing of this show was the dub, and it left much to be desired. It's definitely got that 90s sound quality, and it seems maybe the crew over at Madhouse weren't too concerned about making the show audibly presentable.

ART
The art on the other hand is very nice. The old animation style is endearing for those who appreciate that sort of thing. Action scenes in general are of great quality, and are loaded here and there with unique shots, interesting scenarios, and lots of "gifable" moments. The action is where it's at, it's dynamic and entertaining all the way through.


Overall, I may find myself one day coming back to this on some sort of nostalgia trip. Tetsuwan Birdy is simply great entertainment. Some of ideas presented are fun to think about too. I mean, a show about a girl merging mind and bodies with a guy, and can switch sexes at will? How would that go down in today's culture if it was released today?

I recommend this show for anyone who knows how to enjoy themselves.

To me, Canaan is the perfect kind of entertainment. It has a story intriguing enough to pull someone in and keep them there through it's entire run, I went into this show with zero expectations and found myself finishing it with them blown out of the water. Nothing I have ever seen has kept me interested in a story as well as this one, and I've re watched it three times... That alone speaks volumes of how well it does it's story telling, even if the story itself isn't groundbreaking, all of it was enough for me.

The characters of this story were developed and nuanced ... pretty well enough to keep me coming back time after time. Everybody gets their time to shine and be fleshed out in their own ways. Canaan is a story about a multitude of things, big and small, but what stood out to me was character relationships and how they interacted with each other. I am inclined to say that the characters are where its at with this show, but that was the case for me and might not be the same for everybody else.

Set in China, Canaan is considered to be a spiritual successor to 428 Shibuya Scramble, a visual novel of which I have personally never played. Apparently there are a few returning characters from that game, but I don't believe that not playing the game has any effect on the enjoyment of Canaan, It hadn't for me.

The animation is probably what a lot of people are here for, every action scene is filled with tight editing and choreography, and good sound design to compliment it. The fights themselves are weighted and impactful, every punch and kick landed is felt by the receiver, all guns are loud as well as deadly, getting shot is actually a real problem. The animation quality itself is always on top of the game, never failing in quality. The music to me wasn't bad, but not exactly worthy of high praise, Its all well made and a perfectly adequate soundtrack.

Ultimately if you are indeed interested in watching Canaan, I would recommend it to you. Every bit of it is enjoyable to experience for the first time, and being an action show with cute girls and the such, I do not doubt that there it always something of value for everybody who watches.

Directorial debut of everybody's favorite depressed genius, Gunbuster is a classic to behold. The old style of animation is not seen anymore, which could make it either off putting or fuckin awesome for some. For me, seeing this style in motion is very nice to my one working eye, I couldn't help but respect all the effort and talent that went in to craft every second. Old animation is not something everybody is going to see much anymore, especially when it seems so many prefer the newer styles.

If you like robot fights in space your gonna have to wait a few episodes for things to ... really kick off, but when they do... prepare for screaming, unbelievably massive explosions, and tits. The tits aren't important, but the screaming is, classic character development at it's finest. Don't see any tropes here, just human beings trying to live with the hand they've been dealt, I love it.

Apparently Gunbuster was inspired by some tennis anime and Top Gun, two very different things, but perfect for the guy who came up with Evangelion. If you want to watch everything Hideaki Anno was a part of, I recommend this to you.

Here is the thing about space, any self respecting man should love it, they should also love sweaty girls piloting robots capable of blowing up a galaxy, screaming as 80's synth rock music plays in the backround. Listen, you don't have to like the characters, or the story, but the themes are there, and the definition of badass is objective, if you cant stop being overly critical and enjoy yourself for once... Then your missing out.

Ultimately, I believe what people miss in this show is the message of "Sometimes, now matter how hard you try, you still fail". There tends to be a focus on characters when it comes to this series, not that that's a bad thing, but it seems like most people haven't really thought about it that much. The message that there will ALWAYS be someone better than you at something I believe is a very important message to get into your head as soon as possible, and that, in general, life tends to be unfair. However in the end it shows that all you need is ... something to always work towards as best as you can.

Back on the characters thing, some may see all of them as somewhat simple and with little development. While I personally like the characters for what they are, I can see the obvious simplicity. Overall I think it's the messages that carry this show, the themes themselves are most certainly different than the usual optimism anime generally has. It's pretty good in my opinion, I would recommend this to anyone who is interested.

So most of my childhood was just me sitting around not doing a whole lot, never had too many friends, never had anywhere to go, nothing to do but go to school and come home to pass out. Now in retrospect, I believe it was a pretty shitty childhood, not because it was particularly difficult, but rather because it was so uneventful. If I didn't exist at all at the time, it wouldn't have changed much.

I was directionless and bored out of mind and desperately trying to find some inspiration. So when I watched Kino's Journey it was like a big punch in the teeth, ... the biggest inspiration it gave me was the need to go outside and exercise and chill out. Another was the need to travel to distant lands, get the hell out of America and just...experience I guess. Adrenalin and adventure were two things I was lacking considerably.

Now, as an adult, I can say my life has improved and I feel a lot better about myself. But Kino's Journey is more than just an inspiration to me, it really is a fantastic experience to watch, if you can move past the very dated visuals. Its filled with atmosphere and mystery as well as it's own unique charm. There is a lot of nuance to it. It can get you thinking and excited.

I would recommend Kino's Journey to literally anyone, no matter what your tastes may be.

P.s My feelings here match the remake as well.

When I was in high school I always wanted to be in a rock band, I played guitar and piano pretty frequently. However that opportunity never came because the school band was a more of an orchestra\marching band and no one I knew shared my desire to be in rock band the same way I did. It was a pretty big letdown for me, high school in general wasn't all that exciting to be honest.

But ya know, don't let darkness consume you and other Yoda shit like that. So I ended up just moving on. Sound Euphonium (and in contrast K on) is a series ... that I came to admire over the simple fact it that is was quite interesting to see how much effort goes into making music, the kind of diligence and passion that is required to be able to even think of getting good.

The character I enjoy the most is the main, Kumiko. Not necessarily is she the most interesting character or even the "best", but rather the one I relate to the most. I tend to develop an affinity towards characters whom remind me of others/things. Kumiko was a lot like myself in my high school days.

With all that said, what I can say is that I thoroughly enjoyed my time with this one. My personal feelings and experiences are not the same for everyone else however, so there may be some of you who are looking for something nice to watch, something that requires your full attention as is the case with most KyoAni shows. Also if your a band geek.

I give this recommendation a thumbs up to anyone who seems interested.
P.S All that is said here applies to the 2nd season as well.

Short review, There's no underlining meaning to my enjoyment of this one. Its quite simple, Plastic Memories hit me so hard in the feels I couldn't stop thinking about it for days. I loved the relationship between the two leads, It seemed so real and genuine to me. Their romance was a natural progression that felt satisfying and heartwarming, it was the most human relationship I've seen in anime so far. It really got me good. Would recommend to anyone looking for this kind of thing, it's a slow burner.

Also, in my opinion, I feel its best not to binge this one. Take your time ... with it, like one or two episodes a day, I think this helps build a familiarity between you and the characters, making the impact of the ending more powerful.

When I was a kid there was a lot I didn't understand... I mean obviously right? No one understands jack shit as kid, but what I REALLY didn't understand was why people got so emotional all the time. I was a very stoic child and I never really had any particular interests, I just sort of...existed for a while, not really coming into my own being until mid to late teens. Why did people cry all time over things that shouldn't matter?

Now, I'm a older person. I have likes, dislikes, goals, and ideas. It feels great to feel like you're doing something, instead of being ... an emotionless blob. It also feels great to be able to empathize with someone whom you have a fondness for, that feeling of similarity is very empowering.

This series' enjoyment for me is mostly based on the amount of empathy I carry for the main character Violet, I can relate to pretty much everything she goes through in her development as a person. She is fantastically written and her whole arc really hit home for me.

But now regardless of my obvious bias in favor of Violet's character, everything else is real good in my opinion. It doesn't need to be said that literally everything looks and sounds orgasmic, as for the story itself there isn't too much to say without spoiling anything. Its a drama, and if that's whats your looking for I would absolutely recommend it to you.