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Day Break Illusion is a series that could of joined Madoka Magica in building the dark magical girl sub-genre, instead it simply copied it with little originality. What little originality this series does contain comes from its Tarot Card Reading theme which doesn't effect the progression of the series as much as you might think. Day Break Illusion can be exciting at times and deliver emotional scenes here and there but overall, it's a disappointment. Not a failure but a disappointment. Everything is actually really predictable except for what happens to Luna or the information dump in episode eleven. Day Break Illusion's story is centered ... around young girls who are called upon to sacrifice themselves and save the world as magical girls. In the beginning that was actually well performed, with each girl finding their own way to overcome or ignore the fact that they're basically executioners but we needed an antagonist to really get the ball rolling. Too bad that we literally never figure out why the antagonist (Cerebrum) does what he does until the last two episodes. Cerebrum was such a poorly executed villain, I felt that this show might have actually been better if the producer left him out, let the Daemonia appear as the creatures that naturally exist and focus on the girls mental and emotional development during their times as magical girls. This is just one of the reasons why Madoka Magica managed to be such a hit.


Day Break Illusion tries way to hard to be Madoka Magica and that becomes incredibly noticeable after the first episode onward. After 12 episodes, you will finally know what Cerebrum is after and you'll most likely bust out laughing or facepalm because it's just plain stupid. This series really seems to give nothing to you but questions and the few answers that are given are either silly or seriously late for you to even care. Despite how disappointing Day Break Illusion it's not all bad I guess. The battle scenes between the magical girls and Daemonia are actually enjoyable but the animation makes some parts of the fight unrecognizable.


Day Break Illusion's cast is made up of your average group of magical girls; the optimist, the tomboy, the joker and the weakling. The girl's primarily survive through the power of friendship and it's just so cheesy, I felt like I should of been eating mac and cheese while watching this series. Day Break Illusion gets points for action and disturbing atmosphere but not much else.

Saikano is a pretty old manga, dating back to 2000, made into an anime in 2002, given two OVAs in 2005 and then was finally turned into a live action film in 2006. This review is about the anime and somewhat about the OVAs which I recommend you go and watch if you plan to watch this series. Due to the fact that Saikano is an anime from over a decade ago, don't expect any stellar animation. In fact the animation seems to be perfectly based off of the manga which is pretty damn bad but then again, it's from 2000 so I can't be ... too judgemental about it. The voice actors are actually really good but the dialogue seems kind of repetitive to such a point that you may be a little annoyed when Chise constantly refers to herself as a weapon and Shuji is always calling someone an idiot. What's really important about this series is it's romance between Chise and Shuji which comes under constant strain from Chise being turned into a super weapon to fight a war with practically zero chance of victory. Not only does Chise's status as a WMD put her in a position where she is no longer considered human but it also begins to eat away at her, mentally and emotionally. More importantly this series really focuses on how warfare completely destroys the future (kids and teens) and how no one really wins during a war. An interesting point to make regarding Saikano and it was actually conveyed quite well if not perfectly but the ending will confuse you a bit.

Saikano can get you to really feel for the characters if you're a sensitive individual but don't expect to really feel anything for the cast. There are a few select moments that will get to you and surprisingly, those moments do not revolve around any drama between Chise and Shuji. In fact many scenes involving Chise and Shuji that should normally be quite romantic, dramatic or saddening are actually kind of annoying because it always turns into the exact same conversation. Chise's a weapon and therefore cannot love nor should she be loved, then Shuji loves her anyway, then Chise has to go off to destroy another city and Shuji is left contemplating their relationship until her return. This happens repeatedly through out the series. For a short time, the two of them get romantically involved with other people and it makes for interesting drama but nothing truly note worthy comes from it.

Saikano is a great tragedy based anime when it focuses on the war and it's effect on both the soldiers and civilians. This part is probably the most interesting thing about this series but I only think that way due to my obsession with war documentaries. The psychological impact of the war (in which Japan is losing) plays the most important role in the development of the characters. The lives of the main cast are brought under stress as the battle makes its way to Shuji and Chise's home town and really everyone undergoes a major change in response to the war and the increasing number of earthquakes. Overall, Saikano is an okay show. Nothing horrible and nothing exceptional.

Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge (The Serving Crime Edge) is a dramatic battle series submersed in a number of sexual fetishes. Despite that last statement, this series isn't really ecchi except for a few select moments. Gotta admit, I like this series even though it is pretty cheesy in many instances. The action is pretty over exaggerated which is somewhat funny but adds great entertainment. You'll get a kick out of this series for it's exaggerated fight scenes and budding romance.

Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge primarily focuses on character development more than it does on fighting scenes. Maybe it would of been a better ... idea to focus more on the action and survival. The characters are made up of your basic cast from most shonen series. the headstrong white knight MC (Kiri) and the helpless danzel in distress (Iwai). The arch nemesis that has never really tried to kill the main characters but constantly says they're enemies along with a loyal and mentally disturbed partner (Byouinzaka sisters). There are a cast of other below average characters and the only ones that seem to really stand out to me is the blind pianist Hitomi and her deaf Instead, Houichi. Sadly neither of them get any real screen time and are just seen for about eight minutes in total. The characters don't really stand out and are each pretty generic including the cheesy romance between Kiri and Iwai. Their relationship is exactly what you would expect from your average action/romance series. Alone, each character aren't exactly anything special but their interactions is where the entertainment comes in.

Despite how serious Crime Edge attempts to be, what really seems to be the most enjoyable part of the show are the slightly comical battles. The fight scenes are actually somewhat funny. Just imagine seeing a dramatic battle set in a dark hallway at sundown between a guy holding a pair of scissors and a girl holding a needle. That's pretty much the first battle in this series and it might be as funny as what you're imagining. Crime Edge is actually a pretty enjoyable show to watch if you're not a hardcore shonen anime viewer or a very critical judge of anime. It's a bunch of fun to watch and I recommend it. Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge definitely has some high entertainment value.

I may be an avid anime viewer but I rarely watch anime movies but I decided to give this new one a try. Nerawareta Gakuen is a supernatural romantic drama that starts off simple but gradually builds into a beautiful story that drops 2/3s of the way through. Allow me to explain what I mean. Nerawareta Gakuen starts off as a touching middle school romance between a set of friends that turns into a heart wrenching love triangle of pure unrequited love for each person involved. The love triangle gets even more complicated when Ryoichi, the new transfer student enrolls. Said transfer students turns out ... to be from the future and has come to turn more people into "psychics" to build a better future for humanity. I won't tell you the entire plot but basically the plan ends up looking more like a strict and frightening dictatorship instead of a peaceful and happy society. It's up to the main character, Kenji to stop Ryoichi and his "psychic" followers and this is where things get complicated. The overall movie contains two plots, a touching romantic drama and a supernatural drama. The movie builds up to an amazing climax and then quickly drops into a confusing battle between Kenji and Ryoichi that makes little to no sense once it's all over. I attempted to go back and look for any missing or misunderstood moments but I still came up with "WTF Just Happened?"


Don't get me wrong, this is actually still a good movie to watch but keep in mind that the last half hour of the film will be pretty confusing. I think the producer and writer were probably thinking that they had no idea where to go after building such a stunning climax and just decided to jump off and see where they land. The animation and music for this movie are both incredible but neither of them make up for that last half hour of the film. I say go and watch it yourself. Hopefully you can come up with a better answer to the ending than I did.

Alright let's get to it. Gargantia as I called it, is far from the best series this season or this year and the only real reason anyone says it's such is mainly because of the ending. Give a series a great ending and all of a sudden that makes up for the rest. It's impossible for me to think that way. Gargantia certainly had a great beginning and a great ending but the bridge in between the two cliffs was pretty damn shaky. If anything the series was only good during it's first two episodes and it's last three episodes, everything in between those episodes ... can be summed up as "meh." The story of a soldier stuck on a foreign planet, attempting to coexist with the natives makes for an interesting premise.

No doubt, this series had a lot of potential but it went downhill after the beginning but managed to make its way back up near the end. Suisei no Gargantia focuses on two major pieces, Ledo attempting to integrate into Gargantia society and the raging war between the Hideauze and the Galactic Alliance, whose battle originated on Earth. At first one would think we would actually see a lot going on between the Avalon (Galactic Alliance HQ) and the Hideauze but actually, they seem to be nothing more than set up or backdrop in how Ledo was shaped as a character and how he will integrate into the Gargantian lifestyle. So we can say that the Hideauze add to story but are not the most important piece to this series, what's important is how everyone will come together in a hippy-dippy friendship at the end. That's pretty much what this show is all about, getting involved with new people and forming friendships even with your former enemies.

This show doesn't really deliver on character development and most of them make a lot of stupid decisions that just doesn't make sense and sometimes seem counter productive. Besides the first two episodes and the last three, Gargantia is pretty much filled with half naked, belly dancing girls in which one of them, the female lead Amy is infatuated with the main character Ledo. The series isn't short on fan service but it doesn't really throw it in your face (well except for the belly dancing and beach party episodes). Worst of all, Amy isn't really of much importance despite being the female lead and she could easily be forgotten but every episode, we're given a small reminder that she exist. The characters are incredible hypocrites for no apparent reason what so ever. In the beginning, they're worried about killing other people even if those people were attempting to kill them but in the last episode, the Gargantia is seen killing hundreds of people like it was an extermination. Ledo kills the Hideauze without a second thought but when he learns the truth, he all of sudden is shocked about what he has done but when you think about it, you wonder why does it even matter what the Hideauze truly are?

All in all, this show isn't completely dead, the action is worth watching and Ledo's moments of inner conflict are interesting to see but the overall story seems to have taken an arrow to the knee. I recommend watching it as it seems a lot of people have taken great joy in watching this series but I am left unsatisfied with how things played out. I like the beginning and the ending but not much of what was in between. Most of the time, the shear shock value is what kept me watching which isn't a good thing btw.

Tasogare Otome X Amnesia known in English as the Dusk Maiden of Amnesia is an incredible dramatic romance. Tasogare Otome X Amnesia focuses on a young man by the name of Teiichi Niiya who can see ghost and a young girl named Yuuko Kanoe. Yuuko is a ghost that has roamed the halls of Niiya's school's for decades and has no recollection of her death. Yuuko comes in contact with Niiya after he discovers her corpse by mistake and the two end up forming a close bond. Niiya along with Yuuko and Kirie Kane, the granddaughter of Yuuko's younger sister and an enthusiastic ghost hunter ... named Momoe Okonogi form a club tasked with researching the ghostly mysteries of their school. Yuuko has made a name for herself as the school's number one specter, becoming the center of the school's seven mysteries. During the course of their investigations, there seems to be one clue after another that begins to fill in the pieces of Yuuko's broken memory.

Niiya is a bit of a naive type of guy while Yuuko is more of a flirtatious and assertive type of person that isn't easily embarrassed. Tasogare Otome X Amnesia has a perfect transition from a comedic romance to a dramatic romance unlike some romance series that try desperately to transition from comedy to drama. The series begins as a comedy with Yuuko playing all kinds of pranks with her ghostly abilities while her fellow club members have to put up with it all. Yuuko's personality drastically changes after more of her memories begin to return to her and this is where the drama begins. Being a story focused on ghost, this anime wouldn't be complete without some horror and this series isn't actually scary but it can give you the creeps to a certain extent. The ending of Tasogare Otome X Amnesia may not match the dramatic tone of the series' second half but it definitely matches it's comedic moments from the first half. The most important part of this review is to note that Tasogare Otome X Amnesia is a very enjoyable show that you won't become bored of, always keeping you interested in what's going to happen next.

Date A Live, a series that I never really took seriously to begin with. When it comes to harem based animes, they're either suppose to be funny, serious or romantic and Date A Live was none of that. There were no jokes to laugh at, the serious moments about Kotori and Origami's past were presented horribly and the romance was as good as a third grade stage play about Romeo and Juliet. I'll be honest, the only reason I actually decided to watch this series was because of Kurumi and Yoshino who have been added to my list of Favorite Psychopaths and Favorite Kawaii Characters.

Date ... A Live attempts to be serious with the whole Spirits can destroy the world and everything but having to make them fall in love with them turns the situation into a horribly done comedy. After reading the synopsis, you may think this show has to either be funny or serious with comic relief but you're incredibly wrong. The only thing that actually stuck out in this series are the character designs and the weaponry used by the spirits. Date A Live has perfect cosplay material (for females anyway). The weaponry and powers of the spirits are each incredible but sadly their handlers are not.

The characters are each pretty damn annoying except for Yushino who makes a great dandere and Kurumi who plays a great villain. Maybe that's just my bias but none of the characters are very memorable. The only time I found any enjoyment while watching this series was during the fight scenes. Everything else was pretty much needless and a boring wannabe romance.

Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai! is a great anime, but I must admit, the romantic part of the anime doesn't really kick in until about episode 7 or 8, but enjoy the hilarious antics of our main cast up until then. Our main duo consist of Togashi Yuuta who used to suffer from Chuunibyou (8th Grade Syndrome) and Takanashi Rikka who still has it. The other main cast consist of Kumin Tsuyuri, Mikoto Isshiki, Shinka Nibutani and my favorite character Dekomori Sanae who also has Chuunibyou and calls Rikka her master. Before I can go into telling you what this anime is about, you ... must first understand what is Chuunibyou. Chuunibyou is sort of like playing pretend, you know back when you were younger and you used to play things like house, doctor or maybe cowboys and robbers. The only difference is that people with this syndrome are normally in the 8th grade and take their pretend world very seriously which is what lays down the comedy sketches in this show. Now for those who have forgotten this condition and moved on like Yuuta has, that time of their life is the most embarrassing moment of their entire life and it is something they would like to forget. When someone like Rikka comes along and begins to make Yuuta relive that embarrassing time over and over again, it's quite aggravating for him but is hilarious for us the viewer. Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai is only funny for those who understand the art of randomness, but those who are looking for actual punchlines and such, go somewhere else. The characters are each unique in their own way and each play a role in the comedy that makes this anime so funny. The overall plot is well put together, with the drama and romance smoothly building up each episode until it creates a magnificent and beautiful climax that makes you want to stand up and start clapping as if you just got finished watching Titanic (not to say this anime is as good as Titanic).

Kotoura-San was somewhat of a disappointment and had so much lost potential is just saddening. The first three episodes gave us the impression that Kotoura-San will be more of a romantic dramatic with some comedy to ease the tension. Even though I thought highly of Kotoura-San in the beginning, this show began to deteriorate into a poorly done slap-stick comedy that couldn't even deliver good jokes in no time flat. The romance is barely there and what is there only includes that stereotypical romance with a bunch of blushing and no one acting on their feelings so don't expect a romance as beautiful as Toradora ... either. Kotoura-San is suppose to be about how Kotoura is able to make and keep friends even though she has the ability to read minds which has driven off everyone else she has ever come in contact with. There's very little to actually enjoy about this show after the first half and just has so much lost potential. A story could of been built off of Kotoura's relationship with her mother and how her friends help her through it or at least involve a growing relationship between Manabe and Kotoura.

If you haven't read it start reading it. Cage of Eden is by far one of the best ongoing manga today and combines some of the best genres into an beautifully put together masterpiece. Panty shots, loli, horror, tragedy, intense violence, adventure, romance, psychological, mystery, giant extinct animals, and perseverance describes what this manga is all about. Cage of Eden centers around a young teen named Akira Sengoku and his classmates who returning home from a trip to Guam. The plane he, his classmates and others are on board soon crash land on a mysterious island which is inhabited by prehistoric animals that are supposed ... to be extinct. Sengoku and his group of survivors are now stuck on this island and have to find a way off before they end eaten by one of the extinct prehistoric creatures that inhabit the island or end up killed by other passengers. Along the way, he and his group also attempt to find the answers to this mysterious island, including figuring out how and why these animals that are supposed to be extinct are now alive. Cage of Eden has an incredible story line and the suspense created from the island's mysteries as well as Sengoku and his allies' attempt at survival keeps you coming back, having you want to read more and more. True that the large amount of fanservice in the beginning can be a little overbearing but it simmers down as the story goes along (not to say that I don't enjoy the fanservice). One of the most intriguing things about Cage of Eden is the reality in it (minus the extinct prehistoric animals), as it shows the depth of human behavior including both the good and the bad of humanity. During the first few days the plane crash survivors spend on the island, you see what would be expected of most people in such a situation, but as time goes on, the survivors tend to become used to their condition and adapt as would most likely be true in reality. Unlike some mangas where the characters are automatically adapt to the situation right from the beginning or stay frightened and helpless all the way through, Cage of Eden gives a true sense of human behavior, emotion and thinking giving the entire manga a in depth look into humans in general. Cage of Eden is definitely an incredible manga and is long overdue for an anime.