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Characters: 8 Story: 8 Art: 7 Sound: 8 Overall Enjoyment: 9 Overall Rating: 8

Tonikaku Kawaii had been hyped up by the community as a cute, wholesome, and fun little show that focused on the romantic relationship between Nasa Yuzaki and Tsukasa Tsukuyomi. As a manga reader myself, I was quite excited for the release of this show. The studio behind Tonikaku Kawaii, Seven Arcs, has had its fair share of older shows, many being mediocre at best so I was a little bit concerned when they were announced to be leading the Tonikaku Kawaii anime project. However, Seven Arcs managed to produce for the community ... a wonderful example of what a simple romantic comedy can be.

Most romantic comedy anime, especially the more recent ones that have been coming out, have a typical start with the main character having their first meeting with the main love interest who most people can assume will be the winner once the series completes. There’s not much wrong with this type of approach besides being extremely cliche. However, it’s what comes after that becomes the main problem and one that causes a lot of viewers to get tired of the characters and even drop the series entirely because of it. The rising action of the series gets way too long, causing the show to feel like an endless climb to the top as we get repeated conflicts and drama between the characters and even at times extra characters being added to forcefully extend the plot and add love rivals to further complicate things.

Tonikaku Kawaii doesn’t do that. Instantly from the first episode on you are shown two characters who have fallen in love with each other and married without any sort of long, extended rising action that most romantic comedy anime follow. There is an instant romantic payoff. No frustrating love rivals or back and forths between the main characters as they try to sort out and understand whether they have feelings for each other or not. The show gets straight to the point without taking any overly complicated routes that end up boring and frustrating the audience. The show also proves that a series doesn’t need to end simply after the characters get together. You can still get cute, wholesome, and exciting moments between the two main characters, Nasa and Tsukasa, despite them already being married. You can still have moments just like Nisekoi without the constant dragging and love rivals that often keep the audience disengaged. The audience can enjoy a simple, straightforward story that still contains problems and conflicts, many that are vital for the character development of both Nasa and Tsukasa as well as not feeling so forced.

The art, to many, does not necessarily look good as some viewers find some of the character angles and designs to be either overly-simple or lazily drawn(the former being a bit too common in some cases) but it still serves its purpose and at times even supports the show. A simple art style helps to complement the straightforward and simple story. The colors are bright and help to bring out the comedic value of the show. It’s not the most perfect art, but as long as it serves its purpose and helps to complement the plot and characters rather than contrast and compete with them, then in my eyes that is perfectly fine. This is the same for the soundtrack of the show, which matches with the comedic and romantic tones of the story despite not being overtly noticeable. It’s background music for a reason, helping to support the romantic and comedic moments that are happening rather than overpowering them.
However, Tonikaku Kawaii is not a perfect show. For a story that is meant to mock popular character archetypes and cliches used in romantic comedies, it does not help that the main reason the two got married was because of “love at first sight”. Despite the show trying to convince the audience that Nasa and Tsukasa were a match-made in heaven, it doesn’t seem rather convincing when all the two characters, especially Nasa, say about why they love each other is because they’re “cute”(however, Tsukasa does go into more detail why she is in love with Nasa, which helps to make this flaw not as significant as it could be). And as aforementioned, there are moments where the art is rushed and lazily done. At moments, characters are drawn in weird angles and look very unnatural.

Yet with the few flaws Tonikaku Kawaii has, Seven Arcs has done an excellent job at producing for the anime community a breath of fresh air to the romantic comedy genre, proving that you don’t need overly complicated and lengthened plots with characters being added over and over again for the sake of developing the two main characters. With a simple plot and two lovebirds, Tonikaku Kawaii has shown us how to make some of the most sweet, heartwarming, and memorable moments of this anime season.

A somewhat promising show that took its potential and threw it into the fire like SAO did. A disappointment, to say the least.

When I first watched Danmachi's first season, despite its clichés and overly used character archetypes and plot, I enjoyed every bit of it, watching every episode with joy and excitement. Watching a young boy grow stronger and chase after the woman he loved sparked lots of nostalgia in me. When second season was announced, I was excited beyond belief, even watching the premiere at AX.

So where in this second season did things go wrong?

If we look at a show like One Punch Man ... and it's second season, we can get a good grasp at just what happened that caused the second season to be unable to live up to the expectations of the first. One trait that OPM had in its first season was this feeling of exhilaration in every action scene. This feeling would excite the viewers, bringing watchers closer into the action and movements of the characters and just how epic the show was. Danmachi 1 was similar in many ways as there were many scenes in which I and many others watched in awe as Bell Cranel fought with great passion to overcome many obstacles. But sadly, second season didn't have that.

One of the main issues why I couldn't properly watch this show and savor feelings of exhilaration was due to the quick pacing. Often times scenes could have been lengthened out, giving them more meaning and purpose. Like the tortoise and the hare, it is often much better to take your time than to speed through, and that's exactly what Danmachi 2 failed at. Everything felt rushed and unnatural, nothing like an adventure. One moment Bell got caught in a fight against the Apollo familia, and the next moment, victory against the Apollo familia in the war game. A fight scene that could have been lengthened out and given great detail such as the Minotaur fight in season 1 ended before you could even think about it. There was just no feelings put into the show.

Season 2 was also supposed to be a break from the dungeoning aspect of season 1 and focus more on the relationships between the gods and familias of Orario, but instead we got nothing but 2 gods who were nuts over Bell. Little to no details about the gods were given, and in an attempt to create a show that squeezed in two highly anticipated arcs we ended up with a confusing plot with nothing but creepy Apollo faces and a sprinkle of fan service because why not, it'll get you some views. For a show that stresses the importance of relationships between gods and the mortals of the world, it felt like nothing but a tournament to see who could take Bell's virginity first. Once the 2 major arcs were completed, the whole story took a downfall, and decided to end the series with 2 filler episodes that failed to do anything but worsen the reputation of the show, as I couldn't help but watch them feeling as if the studio had just completely given up on the project after they noticed it was paced way too fast and failed to achieve it's expectations of a epic and exhilarating show.

The overall sound stayed consistent throughout the show, which was one of season 1's strong points. However, the art took a serious hit towards the end of the second arc, with many scenes feeling very rushed and, not surprisingly, bad CGI. This only worsened the feeling that the studio had given up on the second season due to how poorly it was paced.

Of course, the show had some of it's strong points that kept the whole show from being a complete disaster. As aforementioned, it was nice to take a break from the dungeoning aspect of Bell's life and more towards the relationships and rivalries between the gods of Tenkai. Danmachi was introduced as a show of dungeons and gods, not just of the dungeons, so changing the subject of the show was definitely a positive towards the overall plot.

Despite the possible positives to this show, it comes to no surprise that Danmachi 2 was unable to outdo or even match the prowess of the first season. Its unnatural pace and skipping of details that could have added more depth into the show caused the entire story and characters to fall apart. The overall show felt very flat and boring, as I could no longer feel this sense of motivation and energy that the first season initially had. To top it all off, the failure of the art to match the quality of its first couple episodes and the first season made it worse, as it became painful to watch a show that no longer seemed to have any effort put into it. With how poorly the show ended I was surprised to see that a 3rd season was announced, and despite having had great expectations to the 2nd season that was to cover 2 very exciting arc from the light novel series, I no longer feel a sense of excitement for the 3rd season, despite knowing just how amazing the following story arc are in the actual light novel series. Danmahi 1 set up a high level of potential which the second season managed to throw away by pacing the show too quickly and therefore making a very bland show. I am hoping that the 3rd season that will air in the future will fix the mistakes created in the 2nd season and bring back the sense of exhilaration and excitement that the first season gave in order to capture its audience.

Story:5 Art:6 Sound:7 Character:5 Enjoyment:4 Overall:5.6

Boarding School Juliet has gone rather unnoticed this season due to the popularity of Goblin Slayer, Sword Art Online, and so on. As a romantic comedy, it’s hard to keep up with the top shounen shows releasing every season. However, this show is surprisingly interesting and although can’t exactly be compare to the quality of the top shows airing right now, is still quite entertaining to watch.

Story: Boarding School Juliet is a spin-off of the original “Romeo and Juliet”(which is quite obvious when you read the title), as it retains many of the same elements. This time, the two rival groups, the White Cats ... and the Black Dogs continuously fight amongst each other with their leaders,Juliet Persia and Romeo Inuzuka, as the two star crossed lovers. These two groups are a part of the same school, but each compete to rise to the top and best the other. It’s your basic, simple storyline that has been overused, but still is enjoyable as we watch the two characters get into problematic, comedic, and romantic situations together.

Characters: When it comes to characters, romantic comedies tend to fall very short, and Boarding School Juliet isn’t exactly any better. Inuzuka Romeo, although isn’t as dense as most harem show main characters, still retains the cliche dense archetype many in the audience despise and are tired of constantly seeing. There’s not much depth or uniqueness in his character, he still retains a predictable and overused personality. Juliet is not very different either, she also has a very shallow character with a predictable personality. In fact, how she even fell for Romeo seems very rushed with no development, how someone who was her life-long enemy suddenly became the love of her life in a mere instant.

Art and Music: If you have read my past reviews, then you would know I don’t put too much stress on the art and music of a show. What matters most is the plot and the characters, great art and music alone can not get you anywhere. Moving on, Boarding School Juliet’s art is quite good, and I have nothing really to complain about it. The colors are bright and it fits nicely with the comedy of the show. Music is also great, as the opening is probably one of my favorite ones this season. Overall, solid animation and music production that fits nicely with the theme and mood of the show.

Final Verdict: For many of us, romantic comedies are guilty pleasures, and I am not an exceptions. They’re fun to watch and many times the cuteness of the characters puts a smile on our faces. But the main problem with these type of shows and including Boarding School Juliet is the lack of strong characters and plot. It’s almost always the same predictable character archetype with a weak story to follow up on it. Boarding School Juliet is fun to watch, but it lacks two of the most important elements to truly entertain the audience. There is a lack of a strong theme or message or any powerful statement; this show like many others is simply there to make a select group of people have fun and that’s about it. Boarding School Juliet can bring many people excitement for a short period of time, but it’s a show that stays largely forgettable once it finishes airing. But if you are looking for a show for some quick enjoyment, then I recommend this show to you.
Story:6 Characters:6 Art:8 Music:8 Enjoyment:7 Overall:7

Seishun Buta Yarou wa Bunny Girl Senpai no Yume wa Minai went under the radar for many anime watchers due to the hype for shows such as Goblin Slayer and Sword Art Online: Alicization, but it is undoubtedly one of the best shows currently airing.

Romantic comedies are rarely known for having good plots or characters, especially in anime where we are commonly given a dense main protagonist and a harem to back him up. Development is almost non-existence and the only thing that is possibly keeping the watcher going is the cute character designs.

So what makes this show different from the rest? Granted this ... show is not exactly unique in any way but it definitely is very different, and I’ll explain why.

Story: In this show we are given a main protagonist, Sakuta Azusagawa, who helps people that are suffering from what’s known as “Adolescence Syndrome”. Adolescence Syndrome, as stated by the name, occurs in those in their adolescent stage of life and are inflicted when they experience great stress, instability, and turmoil. The show uses the Adolescence Syndrome as a way to address common problems faced by many high school students, many that you may consider relatable. But in reality, many choose to hide their problems rather than express them to others in order to solve them. In this show, those who suffer from great stress are inflicted with physical damage, in which the character is in a way forced to understand how they must solve their problems, otherwise they are unable to face society again.
This sort of plot is definitely a leg up from many other cliche stories. Although only 4 episodes have released, it can be predicted Sakuta will be helping out different characters overtime, curing them of Adolescence Syndrome while developing himself as he learns about the problems many of his peers face. This is a very similar style of plot to Oregairu, TWOGK, and Kokoro Connect. But just like those shows, this show may become a repetitive repeat in which Sakuta finds someone with Adolescence Syndrome and cures them of it, unless it tries to gradually increase the severity of this disease.

Characters: Unarguably this show is highly focused on the characters that are being introduced. These characters are unique, as each one depicts a specific problem commonly faced throughout high school. Sakuta will learn of each problem and help each character out, while slowly developing himself. This is very similar to the characters of the shows aforementioned. But although the first 4 episodes of this show were quite good as well as the development of the characters, this show can easily fall and never be able to rise back to the top. As a show that is highly focused on the character, each time an arc ends, Sakuta and every new character introduced as well as the old ones must have a proper development. If only Sakuta gains development throughout the series, the other characters will become completely useless and we will be forced into an infinite story loop that will eventually cause the audience to lose interest. If, however, this loop does not occur, then get ready for one of the best romantic comedies to ever release in the anime universe.

Art and Sound: If you have seen my previous reviews, I do not take art as an important factor that determines how good a show is. Rather, I focus on the plot and characters, as I see art as a benefit rather than a requirement. However, this show’s art is still great. The designs of the characters are quite simple, and you can feel as if you yourself are in the high school experience.
When it comes to Romantic Comedies, music isn’t exactly a popular factor. The music is quite good though, especially the ending in my opinion.

Enjoyment and Overall Rating: Overall this show has some of the greatest potential in this season. It is nice to see something different for a change, a drama that is well executed and a romantic comedy that does not focus on a dense main character, harem cast, and a selective comedic stance as well as large amounts of ecchi. However, this plot is nothing new, as we have commonly seen it in the past, especially from Oregairu, which has similar characters and a similar style of plot. If the next episodes are done well, we can have a great anime that addresses multiple and common challenges faced by high schoolers in reality, relatable and entertaining characters, and an almost unforgettable story. But if the character development fails, then this show will end up as a repetitive collection if predictable stories that is only entertaining at the beginning and progressively bores the audience into dropping the show. I have high hopes for this show’s success.
Story:8 Art:8 Sound:8 Characters:8 Enjoyment:9 Overall:8

Satsuriku no Tenshi was a very hyped show, one fans were excited and waiting for. And for the first episodes, it did help satisfy the audience, but overtime, the story decayed to a rather mediocre story led by weak characters, barely keeping the anime from collapsing into chaos.

J.C. Staff did a great job with introducing Satsuriku no Tenshi, cleverly setting up the protagonists Zack and Rachel as well as a horror/mystery atmosphere. Many questions such as who Rachel and Zack were, where they were trapped in, and why they were trapped in the strange building were all well introduced in the first episode. If J.C. ... Staff had continued this quality of production, this show would have been amazing.

Except they didn't.

Just from the 2nd episode much of the atmosphere that J.C. Staff so nicely set up was almost nonexistent, as if it was completely ignored or wasn't even there in the first place. The horror feeling is gone, and the mystery just felt so lackluster. But it was only the second episode, and there was still a lot of hope remaining. Sadly, the story never picked up from this devastating injury; overtime almost everyone that was set up from the first episode is gone, no horror or mystery, as if it was entirely a new anime.

Now Satsuriku no Tenshi tried to compensate for its poor plot with good characters which can work, but in order for this to work there needs to be great character development, background or backstory, and depth.

Except there really wasn't.

J.C. Staff tried very hard to create 2 great characters, Zack and Rachel, as they worked together to defeat the floor "bosses" and reach the top. And they both developed overtime, but the reasons why were very confusing. There was not really much to explain about the reasons behind their developments, their absolute loyalty to each other(other than their oath), and who they truly were as characters. It was very confusing, being thrown Rachel's ideals of God and Zack's backstory of why he became such a murderous man. J.C. Staff introduced these factors thinking we'd understand or relate to the characters, but it only made things worse.

The art is one of the only redeeming factors of the show, it nicely fits the "supposed" atmosphere of the anime and can be considered pretty high quality. The soundtrack is also pretty good, especially the ending song.

I cannot stress enough how important characters or plot or both are to the overall story. Art and soundtrack are nice, they enhance the experience but they alone are barely enough to keep a show together. Art and sound are rather benefits, and to fully enjoy a series, there needs to be either good characters or good plot, or if possible, both. Satsuriku no Tenshi could not continue with their great set up in the first episode, and when they tried to compensate with better characters but failing to do so too, it ultimately just fell and became one of the season's greatest letdowns.

Kishuku Gakkou no Juliet, or Boarding School Juliet, although was a rather enjoyable experience to read, does not fall into my category of an outstanding romantic comedy, but rather as your typical cliche romantic comedy story.

Similar to the original "Romeo and Juliet" story written by William Shakespeare, protagonists Persia and Inuzuka are the leaders of the rivaling House White Cats and House Black Dogs respectively. And exactly like the original story these two get together and become a secret couple, doing everything they can so no one but their most trusted ones know of their forbidden relationship.

Boarding School Juliet is similar to many other Japanese ... romantic comedies with having two lover protagonists go through many trials and events while resulting in the strengthening of their bonds. There's not exactly anything special or remarkable about this story. That doesn't mean its boring; it still contains many scenes that can melt the readers heart and wish the protagonists for the best.

But like many Japanese romantic comedies, it lacks a story with depth. There's not much of an overall main theme or lesson being taught. And if there is, it's expressed very weakly and hardly noticeable. Boarding School Juliet is just another story that uses a cute romance story to hook the reader into continuing. While this does have a low risk, there's also a low reward on top of that.

I myself am an avid reader and personally enjoy the romantic comedy genre, considering it as one of my guilty pleasures. If you aren't looking for a strong story with great and well developed characters, then try out Boarding School Juliet. It's definitely a fun and heartwarming experience that is hard to regret spending time on. But if you are looking for the type of story just mentioned, then it is best just to skip this one for now.

Story:7 Art:9 Characater:6 Enjoyment:8 Overall:7.4

There's not much to say about this show, as I and many others have already repeated the same criticism and made similar reviews for these Isekai shows. Isekai Maou to Shoukan Shoujo no Dorei Majutsu, like any other Isekai show, consists of a main character who has been transported, or rather in this occasion, "summoned" into a fantasy world.
Isekai Maou, like Overlord, SAO, and Log Horizon, takes place in what originally was a gaming world. The main character, who was a powerful gamer at the time, is placed in this world in his game avatar.

The story is nothing new, just another ridiculously over powered main ... character who claims to be the "Demon King" or Maou- Sama. And like any other isekai MC, he has some girls that follow him through his adventures.

My greatest criticism to all isekai shows including this one is how little the show has to offer to the audience other than fanservice and some epic moments. No morals, no main theme, just a powerful main character who beats anyone who stands in his way. It's a show that once the audience has finished watching, is cast away and forgotten in the box of many other isekai shows. Of course, there are those rare moments when a isekai anime gets extremely popular, as aforementioned, but even they have at least one theme or lesson that can be discussed about. In other words, this show lacks depth in both its characters and story.

Isekai Maou, although is overly cliched and lacks much depth in its story, still retains some of the qualities that still keep it "entertaining". As aforementioned, Isekai Maou has an over-powered character and some nice fanservice, which are many people's guilty pleasures. So while the story or characters are not so great, it's still enjoyable to watch.

Overall the art is decent and the sound isn't so bad although the OP song is quite forgettable. This show is a 7/10 for me so far, and subject to change.

A ruined world full of mysteries in which the main characters begin to question and try their best to understand themselves, and in fact, the current status of humanity itself. Darling in the FranXX tries its best to focus on this theme, and is doing it quite well.
Story-8
The idea of a destroyed world in which the small remaining human population tries to survive is no new idea, as it has been used many times not only in the anime universe, but just about everywhere else. Because of the Klaxosaur attacks, much of the world has been destroyed, and these small remaining groups of humans utilize ... their new understandings of technology to fight back. Darling in the FranXX points out many times how this huge advancement of technology is a dystopia and is taking away the aspects of humanity, especially by characters like Zero Two, who sometimes states how the city of adults are "lifeless". Parts of life such as puberty are seen as negative and dangerous, and many important emotions such as love seem unknown. This enhances the already overused theme, making it much more interesting and thought provoking.
Art-9
Trigger studios and A-1 Pictures are well known for producing some of the best art in animation, such as Sword Art Online from A-1 and Kill la Kill from Trigger studios. The overall art is amazing, with a western and cartoon character style. The visuals are very beautiful, and especially shines during the mecha fight scenes against the Klaxosaurs.
Sound-9
I don't have too much of an opinion on the soundtrack, but the OST sounds quite great. Some of the OST's have a similar style to that of Yuki Kajiura, where operas are used to enhance the current mood of the scene. The opening song is quite good, as well as some great ending songs.
Characters-8
A large character cast is hard to handle, as each character needs a proper amount of development. If a character is ignored and rarely used, then that character loses its purpose and becomes a dead-weight to the series. The story has to juggle back and forth with characters so that each character feels important and vital for the story while not reverting too much time from the actual main protagonist. Done correctly and you get a story with enjoyable and likable characters, but done poorly can result terribly, as most likely the character is only used as an excuse to force the story forward for a small moment. Darling in the FranXX does a decent job with its large character cast, as each character seems somewhat useful while still keeping a good amount of focus on Hiro and Zero Two. Still, some of the other main characters lack a good background or base, and seem only important for a small amount of time(currently referring to anyone other than Ichigo, Hiro, Zero Two, and Goro). But this is most likely subject to change, as the series is still only halfway through. The mysterious character Zero Two also adds more interest to the series, because of how much she seems to go against the current human ideals. Regardless of her rude personality, her larger knowledge and cold demeaner make Zero Two a much more compelling character. Unlike the other characters, she seems to possess much more information about the world they live in, and definitely not anything positive.
Overall:8.3
Darling in the FranXX is overall a great series, and while does contain many negatives, can still be very enjoyable. Throughout the recent years of anime, there have rarely been any decent mecha animes, and Darling in the FranXX finally somewhat keeps the mecha genre from dying away. Darling in the FranXX is similar to the book "The Giver" where both contain a world in which the human race has unethically used the tools of science to create what logically seems to be a huge improvement to society, or utopia, but ethically is not. Both worlds contain a character that becomes much more different than the other humans, especially the adults, and take matters into their own hands to understand the mysteries of the dystopia they are living in. Darling in the FranXX has reached it's halfway mark, and with its amazing 13th episode, I have high expectations of this show. Enjoy watching!

A great story is a story that can express multiple themes and contain many that still are to be discovered.

Bakemonogatari is a collection of stories narrated by Araragi Koyomi, who helps to resolve the aberrations that are damaging or in some way affecting each victim's lives. Each story arc has a certain theme as well; all unique and important to recognize.

Bakemonogatari consists of 5 stories, each one focusing on a new character. Each character contains an aberration, or simply, a sort of spirit. These spirits enter the lives of those with "problems" in which they can not handle alone. These problems can range to about ... anything, such as jealousy of others or a fear of the past. These problems contain multiple lessons, in which the characters must come to understand. Hitagi Crab,for example, explains you must accept your past instead of running away from it, and this is only the general theme of the arc. There are many smaller sub themes as well, but that is up to you as the watcher to determine.

Bakemonogatari is considered a dialogue-heavy show. Dialogue heavy shows consists of large amounts of confusing dialogue and what Bakemonogatari does best at; wordplay. Many times the characters twist words into interesting yet clever statements and multiple puns. It will definitely take a while to understand the series due to it focusing heavily on dialogue and wordplay, but once you understand them, the series gets very entertaining.

Art is one of Bakemonogatari's strongest points. Shaft studios decided to try out their unique animation, and it fits the anime almost perfectly. The setting of the series is supposed to feel both like a normal city and an otherworldly universe, in which aberrations strike those who least expect it. While most animations focus on the characters and portraying them to their best ability, Shaft Studios focused more on the background, giving the audience a feel like they are truly delving into an ominous world full of mysteries. Including this, many times they added words into the background, and cutscenes with more details on what the characters are thinking. The animation is surprisingly high quality and well done, especially for a series that was released 9 years ago.

Bakemonogatari's OST contains many moods and styles, ranging from vivid to dark and cryptic. Each soundtrack fits so well with every scene, amplifying the enjoyment of the show. Upbeat music is played during comedic character conversations, mysterious pieces are played during important dialogue and many more. Some of these OST's, such as Hiyori and Ika, Kaisou, are well known for establishing the perfect mood. The focus on percussion and multiple sound effects are greatly well done. This is by far Bakemonogatari's greatest quality.

Each story arc contains a new OP to fit the theme of the story and the life and personality of the characters that are being focused on. The first OP, Staple Stable, is one of the anime's big successful OP hits. Other OP, such as Renai's Circulation, are well known, especially in popular memes( Everyone's Circulation to be exact).

The main protagonist, Araragi Koyomi, follows an ideology in which he wants everyone to follow a route of "happiness", and one that would reward you in the future. He is the type of character who would help others without their consent, and would damage himself for the sake of others. Just from the first episode you can see that he is a stubborn character who is unable to give up on helping others, even if he is helping a stranger. And this stubborness eventually pays off, as he is able to help Hitagi Senjougahara, the deuteragonist, from living a painful life wounded from the past. The character cast of Bakemonogatari contains very unique characters, such as the sadistic tsundere Hitagi, clever Meme Oshino, and supportive Hanekawa. Each character helps Araragi in resolving other people's aberrations.

Overall, Bakemonogatari is an excellent story with great characters, sound and art. My only concerns with the anime are the small amount of cameo some of the characters other than Araragi get, and it's somewhat slow pace. But these are all minor details that can be overlooked. With a combination of great sound, art, and story, Bakemonogatari clearly ranks as one of my favorite stories to be animated. But remember, like Hanekawa says," I don't know everything, I just know what I know." Overall Rating: 9

Note: Bakemonogatari is not the start of the story series. There are 3 movies and one season that comes before this, but I would recommend you watch from broadcast order, which is Bakemonogatari. This way you can enjoy the series more with less confusion.

Nisekoi, one of my guiltiest pleasures. Nisekoi was the start of my anime binge watching, and I absolutely, and still, love it. But this review will not be talking about how much I enjoyed the series, but how good the actual story was overall.

Nisekoi is pretty much your typical harem anime, in which the main character, Raku, gets the iconic first meeting with the girl of his future, Chitoge. Nothing new really happens in the series, as much of it is just a mix of overused cliches, but that doesn't necessarily mean the show is bad. When done right, used ideas can still make a ... great show(such as BNHA), but it's just how well the author can use them.

Story: Nisekoi does contain many previously used ideas, but it doesn't do it poorly. Rather, Nisekoi has an interesting plot, which keeps many of us from dropping the series. Two characters, Raku and Chitoge, are complete opposites, but in order to retain peace in the city, they must overlook their hate for one another. Due to the clashes between their mafia families, they are forced by their parents, who lead the mafias, to get into a fake relationship. This first introduction is actually pretty interesting, as we get to see two people who despise one another develop overtime. For tsundere lovers, Nisekoi will be like a jewel, and for those who despise them, you can at least try enjoying the other girl characters.

Nisekoi has a pretty decent overall story, with lots of comedy, and is an actual anime in which you don't have to deal with every episode being a filler episode(Except season 2).

Art and Sound: Shaft studios is well known for making some of the most unique, yet entertaining types of animation, as well as a magical soundtrack. Nisekoi's art was no exception, as it contained a mix of old animation styles from previous projects, while having its own unique style. Nisekoi's art was much more bright and well, "colorful". But like any Shaft Studios works, there were still head tilts, so don't worry about missing out on those. The soundtrack was pretty good, as it fit the romantic comedy genre well. The OST isn't as catchy as Shaft's previous works, but that's probably because it's a romcom after all. Art is most likely Nisekoi's strongest point, and if you are looking for some good eye-candy, then Nisekoi might be just for you.

Characters: Nisekoi has many diverse characters throughout the story. There's the somewhat dense main protagonist, Raku, tsunderes Chitoge and Tsugumi, sweet and kind Onodera, and aggressive Tachibana. Nothing exactly new, just your average harem anime character cast. This is one of those "who's best girl?" animes, so go ahead and pick your style, but be warned, its quite obvious who'll come out on top.

Final Verdict: Nisekoi is one of those guilt pleasure animes, for not just me, but for many others. Sure, the story wasn't really that great, characters weren't new, and the only great quality about the series was the art, but it is still one hell of an enjoyable series. Sadly, they kind of screwed up the second season. If you want, you can watch the sequel as well, but it won't be anywhere as good as the first. Overall Rating:8