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Wow. This was incredible. I haven't seen something that good in a while, where it completely moved me to the point of being so exhausting. I cried a lot. I'm so tired from relating to the characters and scenarios and also trying to see the motivations.

I actually pretty skeptical of KyoAni productions. I really hated K-On! and found Beyond Boundary to be a letdown. Free! was average. Clannad was interesting... but The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya was the only one I genuinely liked. This movie was the best of the bunch. I dare say the best anime stand-alone movie I've seen.

I was determined to hate ... Shoya from the beginning, but the movie does a very good job on making this a very complex issue without excusing his actions. He eventually got thrown under the bus by his classmates and suffered for his actions. (Though, I feel in my experience, this doesn't happen hardly ever. The bully gets away with it yadda yadda.) It also shows how brutal kids can be from the beginning in school. Kids understand what they are doing and should be held accountable if they are bullying one another. People are awful to each other.

It does a great job of blending experiences as well. It doesn't completely highlight Shoko's deafness as the main focal point -- it folds in the complexity of guilt, depression, family issues, communication and social anxiety. You can see the characters in your past if you've dealt with something like this.

The only component I criticize is Shoko trying to confess her love to Shoya. I don't think it was needed. I'm glad the movie didn't end with them kissing or becoming a pair because this should not be the focal point. I also think the use of "My Generation" by The Who was like some kind of cheesy AMV.

But I really loved it. It resonated with me, and I felt Shoya learned his lesson AND continued to learn. The ending opened the door that he was willing to understand he still needed self improvement instead of using the scenario as a guilt cop-out. Shoko also showed very real reactions to a bully and was shown as a forgiving personality with a disability rather than being defined by her deafness. I think this movie deserves to be praised. It was an absolute journey to watch.

To sum up this film in one word, I would say "jarring." From the themes, imagery, characters, music... It's a very unique piece.

First off, the music was AMAZING and easily my favorite part about this movie. I want to say the animation is lack luster, but considering it was only two people working on it, it's passable. I think this story would have done a bit more justice if it was polished a bit more.

It's a shame the other two were never made. As a stand alone, it doesn't quite appease anyone who's hoping for a conclusive ending. You also have to ... be in a punk mindset because Tamala is rejecting her non-consensual symbolism to just live as she pleases. It give a big screw you to capitalism and two party politics (the cat and dog party), which is always a plus. Tamala wants to own herself and refuses to let anyone take that away from her. She's desensitized, and oddly both naive and visceral due to her surroundings.

I think the biggest downfall of this movie is the background information dump near the end. I was hoping to get this in pieces throughout the movie rather than a single character explain it to you. (This character happens to be the same individual as Tamala's boyfriend.) You get the whole postal service cult narrative shoved down your throat as soon as you are starting to piece things together.

Overall I would recommend to watch this just once if only for the novelty. It's a mind trip that could be much greater, but still has nuggets to be thought provoking and a conversation piece.

I finished both the televised series of NGE as well as the movie EoE. It took me over a decade to sit down and watch it, but I have to say I’m completely blown away. I was not expecting it to be THAT good.

I don’t believe it was absolute perfection, but it was pretty damn amazing. I tend to be highly critical when it comes to anime. The fact is I do enjoy psychological and heavy anime much more than the fluffy, mindless series, but after something like this, I always need to see something stupid because I’ll continue to never stop thinking about ... the very real concepts it presents.

I quite frankly enjoyed the last two original episodes of the series and was skeptical about EoE. I have come to the conclusion that I actually prefer this ending better, though I do appreciate the original as well.

I think the main gripe I had about the movie was more artistic preference than anything. The scenes that presented “real life footage” caught me off guard and I felt it didn’t mesh well. Personally, I would have like to insert a portion of the last two episodes into there to show the inter-workings of Shinji’s mind with simplicity and acceptance with himself and then cut back to the external part of showing that he rejected instrumentality.

I understand now why people say that viewing both gives you insight of what was happening. I also do applaud it for giving you conclusive info that the original show left for you piece together. That being said, I rated the original as 8/10 but would have rated it 9/10 if this was used as the last two episodes.

But let’s say in my perfect world, I could have both in one?
I can’t say I would still give it a 10. It would easily be a 9. But I can’t get over the fact how rushed Kaworu’s episode was. For Kaworu to be a vital person to Shinji, and for all the character development given to every character, his death lacked that profoundness the series gave as a whole. I was in total awe, feeling just about every emotion throughout the series, except for that particular death. I didn’t have enough time to connect and see how Shinji became so attached and was able to start expressing himself to someone.

Though it’s a bit embarrassing, I admit I do connect with Shinji and understand why there was such a need for overbearing questions and the constant repeat of it. I can say if you have not been through depression, it may be hard to understand him and easily push him aside as a "whiny, annoying character." But having the constant feeling to run away from a responsibility, but then come back because you completely comprehend why it is vital. But then freaking out half way through bailing once again and feeling even more hatred towards yourself for doing it half-assed. That internal and seemingly endless struggle is outwardly pathetic. But if you already come to that realization, isn’t it better to think that of yourself so if someone says it out loud, you can’t be that surprised? Maybe in a way you use that as a confirmation… Almost a ticket to spiral out of control and give yourself the right to end it all and care for absolutely nothing.

Overall, this really was a very, very good conclusion to a very, very amazing anime. I haven’t felt anything similar besides that in Haibane Renmei (which I’m sure is not a popular opinion). I think this is because it gives me hope. It reminds you why you need to survive and struggle — why it’s worth it. It reminds you that to be the very definition of human we need freewill to make our own mistakes and learn and grow from it, or it will inevitably eat you alive. It means a lot to me to explore such “simple” concepts of how we interact and see ourselves. We choose to ignore a lot it to get by in life, because pain and human interaction on the surface can be understood by everyone, the way humans think and deal with it is complicated.

After watching this for a third time in the last eight years, I can still say that this is my favorite anime. The themes are very real to me and if you let yourself be immersed by the characters, culture, and plot, you will walk away with a heavy heart and a full mind.

Like most ABe anime, this is not for everyone.
If you are looking for constant action or laughs, I would chose something else.
The first five episodes are quite slow, but it lets you take in the details. It helps you focus on the characters and realize they were all part ... of different walks in their previous life. It more importantly sets up the culture and setting, helping you to form your own theories about who the haibane are meant to be.

The sixth episode is where the darker underlying theme start. This series tackles ideas of loss, attachment, depression and suicide. I admit for anyone who has not felt the sense of pure helplessness or bundling emotions until they burst can not fully understand the weight of the internal conflicts both Rakka and Reki face.

I personally view this series with a spiritual mind rather than a religious one. Though haibane resemble angels, they are born again due to some past sin that they committed or couldn't overcome. Their wings are useless, they do not have a connection to a higher being, and they are almost seen as mystical creatures by the residing humans, often described as a cheerful presence that can give good luck. The haibane are instructed not to use anything that wasn't first used by a human, leading me to believe it is a hint for both discrimination and to cut off ties of the material nature of man. Their whole existence is to make peace within themselves so they can escape the walls on their Day of Flight.

This anime teaches you that salvation can not come from yourself. You need to trust others and express your emotions or you will find yourself in the endless, vicious, self-loathing cycle.

"To recognize one's sin is to have no sin. So are you a sinner?"
"But if I believe have no sin I become a sinner."
"This is the cycle of sin. Think about it. To spin in the same circle, looking for where the sin lies, and at some point losing sight of the way out. To find the answer is to find redemption."

If you are someone who has trouble breaking the sinner's paradox, you will forever be sin bound. You need to realize your sin and know that you will sin again, but to learn from your mistakes and help others forgive you. In turn, they will aide you to break the cycle.

Both Rakka and Reki exemplify consuming sin, which is shown by their wings turning a spotty black. Rakka had help from a crow (who was someone she knew in her previous life), which showed that although someone cared for her, after she presumably committed suicide, they still forgave her and wanted to send a message that she was not alone. After overcoming the feelings of wanting to disappear, Rakka uses her strength to help Reki, who was even more hopeless in finding salvation.

The ending is bittersweet, but truly outstanding. This series is haunting yet charming, unique and touching. The musical score is enchanting and although the art may not always be the best, it makes up for it in every other aspect. For someone who constantly struggles with depression, it gives you hope and a reason to trust others, even when you don't believe in yourself.

For an average viewer, this will be hard to follow.
Those who look to others for explanations on this series will most likely get hung up on how to interpret it, when in fact the very being of this anime has a couple of themes that can be interpreted in different ways (ie the aliens, communication, loneliness, personality disorders and the real definition of reality and god). The sub-plot is built up on the fabric of multiple theories and ideas.

For me, personally, I liked the psychology of the story as a whole, but found the story telling clunky to the point of almost deliberately making ... it confusing. I had to rewatch certain sections of episodes because I felt like I was still missing important key elements of the plot itself. There is a lot of places that have hardly anything significant to the main story line (to most likely help you appreciate the artwork), and suddenly a wave of meaty plot is shoved in.

As a personal preference, I enjoy character development of more than one major character.
But to completely disregard this anime as something that doesn't earn respect would be foolish. The ideas of technology for it's time are very vivid, as 1998 is a different time than the present. The themes of reality and the internet are still heavily relevant.

I give it a '7' because it was good and thought provoking, but lacked a couple of story/character points that I expect when I invest in a story so heavily. For something to be a masterpiece, I need to like every aspect of the anime. Though I agree people don't use the full scale to it's potential, I'm giving a score on my experience with SEL as a whole.

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Annnd....!
As promised, a plot guide for those who were completely confused [spoilers]:
The story starts with Masami Eiri, an employee at Tachibana Labs. He is a key designer of Protocol 7, the next version of the internet/the Wired. Eiri created a code to break down the barrier between the Wired and the physical world in a way where you wouldn't need a device to access it. He looked for a way to insert a administrator that would oversee the entire internet with all the tools to fix anything that wasn't working out as planned. An early version with the codes to merge the two worlds was discovered, and to escape, Eri committed suicide.
Although physically it was noted as a suicide, he was able to upload his mind to the Wired and still regain his memories and sense of reality of the real world. When he was in the system, he made an elite hacker group called Knights of the Eastern Calculus to do his bidding.

Next, Lain was created to fix the holes in the Wired, but Tachibana Labs soon realized her Wired personality wasn't as dependable as they would like, due to her abnormal tendencies. To fix this, the physical body of Lain was developed in the real world. By giving her a family and normal human life, she would able to connect better with the average user rather than rely on personalities and coding to solve the problems on the Wired. To keep records, her "father" raised her. He also worked at Tachibana labs.

After that, the Knights used the underground information they dug up from the KIDS system that Professor Hodgeson was working on. They used the findings to build the club Cyberia to feed off the children's psi energy to further break down the wall between the Wired and the real world. Chisa was one of the first to be influenced by this by visiting Cyberia, and committed suicide to upload her mind to the Wired, much like Eri. Chisa sent emails to further pull her classmates in, specifically Lain.

Lain is affected by the atmosphere when she visits Cyberia, battling her hidden powers of her other personality that runs the Wired. To further push triggers, the men in black brings Lain to the executive of Tachibana Labs to question her and pull out her alter ego.
After the Wired Lain comes out, she spreads rumors about Alice having relations with their teacher (which is true, considering the last episode in the future). Confused about the fact that Wired Lain is really herself, Lain in the physical world deletes all the memories except Alice's. This causes Alice to confront Lain. At the same time, Eri manifests. The chaos causes Lain to reset everyone's memories, so that no one would have any recollection of Lain's physical or Wired form. But Lain battles with the right to exist, which is why she appears to Alice later in her life, and inevitably watch her from afar.

DISCLAIMER: The score of 6 that I assign to this short is NOT the same as I feel about the video games. This is merely how I felt the actual ONA should be rated. Please keep reading for more info on the video games!

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If you have heard of the games 9 Persons, 9 Hours, 9 Doors (999) or Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward (VPL) and are interested in learning more about it, spoiler free, I recommend watching this ONA.

If you are intrigued by the theme of a group of people being locked away and forced to play a deadly game, this is ... for you! You are forced to weigh your trust for the other characters because you initially know little about your "competitors." Both plots are centered around The Nonary Game, where the number 9 door holds your salvation to escape the facility. It has intelligent and intricate story telling that will keep you guessing and glued to the screen. It's very suspenseful and the pace between novel and puzzles gives it a good mix. The puzzles will make you think, as will the plot. There is a lot of layers to the games, especially VPL.

Both games, 999 being the first game and VPL being the second, are Visual Novel/Puzzle games. They are personally one of the best games I've played in last couple of years. 999 is on DS and VPL is on the 3DS and Vita. I have heard that there is a bug that can wipe your save data clean on the 3DS version of VPL, so if you have a Vita, I recommend buying it the Vita. (If not, please DO NOT let this discourage you. This is such a fantastic game, it would be a shame that people would miss out just because of that. As long as you don't save in the puzzle rooms, and only in the novel section, you should be fine.)

Both games have won awards, and they deserve it. A third installment is also in the making due to it's high reception and unanswered questions in the series. 999 was generally written more tightly, and I give it a 9... which is fitting! VPL has a lot going on, and is still excellent, but the characters weren't as good and [insert spoiler here] will leave you overwhelmed. I give the sequel an 8.

In short, this ONA doesn't even touch the tip of the ice burg. A lot of the deeper elements are integrated in psychology and quantum physics, but explains it in a way that a general audience can understand. I highly advise you play both if you are an manga/anime fan looking for an element of challenge and interaction with the characters. Pick these up as soon as you can, you won't regret it!

You want to know what led me to watching this?
Well, I saw a friend of mine watched it a while ago. But the main reason is I got into reading the LPs for Dangan Ronpa, and when the character Ibuki Mioda came up, I wanted to know more about light music clubs. I have to say Ibuki's character of being silly, not very smart (or maybe that's an act?) and hyper does personify this anime.
However... I'm not quite sure why this anime is so popular? Sure, it's cute... but that's about it. Please read below for a more detailed explanation!

Story:
A classic high ... school setting involving after school activities of four (eventually five) girls. They learn how to play music together, sound great, and it shows them becoming closer.
And... that's about it. Pretty poor story telling. Lots a cuteness, lots of fluff, lots of... god it really made me annoyed that were so flipping lazy and they hardly played music. And drank tea all the time. Before this turns into a rant: The bottom line is to not watch this thinking it has an interesting plot.

Art:
The art is easily one of the best things about this anime. I think it is ADORABLE. I really like the odd flow of it, especially when they are singing/playing. This anime will provide you with an overload of cuteness. It's clean and shiny!

Sound:
I'm a fan of the opening, the ending... and the few songs they sing in the show. Other than that, the background music was forgettable. You would think that an anime focusing on playing music would have more... music. NOPE. Don't get your hopes up too much if you are looking for something focused on the sound.

Character:
I liked the characters and their antics, but I wanted to see more character development. Even though Yui is an adorable air head, I didn't feel she should have been the lead character. I feel like it would have been more story driven if it wasn't focused on her so much. There isn't much appealing about her, and I found I liked her sister much better.

The other club members were much more interesting. Mio and is a shy girl that often made you laugh about how ridiculously frightened she would get over mundane things. But she wanted to play bass more. She was easily my favorite.
Azusa was my second favorite, and the main reason was she almost quit because the band hardly practiced. I was hoping this would lead to more music oriented story, but it didn't go very far. She was cat girl fan service. Cute, but I feel tricked yet again.

Enjoyment:
I enjoyed it to a certain extent. I liked to watch for the art, and it was something you could stew and think little about. This is good if you want something to put on to relax too.
I had a lot of ups and downs with this anime, making this an average experience.

Overall:
It was okay. Nothing impressive, but nothing incredibly bad if you get over the fact that they don't play much music as you would have hoped. I have little use for re-watching or buying this. It was "just there." I'm hoping the second season will prove better, but I have to day I am hesitant to get back into this show. But if I prepare myself with a series with mostly fillers, maybe I won't be as disappointed I was the first time through?

I decided to watch this anime because a couple of my friends really enjoyed the series. I honestly did not know what I was getting myself into, but I'm really happy I picked it up!
This is a series that I will need to rewatch, though. There are so many things that can be missed, and this is meant to be analyzed. If you want to start watching it, make sure to not take it at face value...!

Story:
As you may have heard, everything is extremely symbolic. You will start to notice this after a couple episodes in, and start to learn to read things as metaphors. ... If you don't you may have trouble liking it, and be disappointed and confused. This is not some type of magical girl series you might be looking for.
The story is divided into four parts: Student Council Arc, Black Rose Saga, Akio Ohtori Saga, and End of the World Saga.

I noticed I really enjoyed the last saga the best, followed by the first. The middle can drag a bit because of a couple of fillers. Some even felt like fillers, but they are important if you want to get the full sense of the rose colours and matching side characters.

There are incestuous and sexual themes throughout the series. Most are key ideas, but you will start to notices that swords, cars, flowers and towers are referring to this. But it aims to show you the transition from childhood to adulthood.

After finishing it, I feel l will need to revisit it in a later time to fully appreciate the intricate underlying plot. If you don't like psychological anime, this probably isn't for you.

Art:
The art has aged well, but you can tell it is made in the mid 90s.
Personally, it's not my favorite, and I prefer the newer, polished version in the movie, but I don't think it matters much in terms of story. My favorite style was during the retelling of the prince and Utena and the boarders they often put around the characters with spinning roses. It can be distracting for some, but its very distinct.

Sound:
I absolutely LOVE the music in this series.
The opening and first ending is spectacular as well as the music played throughout the episodes. The second ending was just okay, though.

But Zettai Unmei Mokushiroku, which is played before a duel begins, is an amazing piece, and I don't mind watching reused animation just to listen to it again and again.

Character:
The characters and their relationships with others is what drives this anime.
Utena is my personal favorite because she defies the norm that a prince should be male. She also wears a male high school uniform, which adds to her loveable charm that questions what how she is suppose to act and feel. She also seeks to protect Anthy no matter who her opponent is. She is truly noble and true to her feelings.

Almost all characters receive development thanks to episodes dedicated to sub-plots. The characters themselves are symbolic.

The characters will take your traditional ideals and twist them into a postmodern fairy tale.

Enjoyment:
About half the episodes were truly outstanding, and kept me on my toes, wanting more. The last ten episodes I couldn't put down.

But to be perfectly honest, there are some that will make you want to put this series down because they are too slow, or you aren't particularly fond of that character's episode. The middle does drag, but it is worth it in the end. After letting the themes and plots sink in, you will realize you probably missed some type of metaphor and find that they are more important than you first thought.

You will get intrigued by the beginning, but push though the middle because it is worth it to see the end!

Overall:
This is a series you will learn to appreciate more over time, and as I said before, you will want to rewatch it. I really enjoyed it and loved the uniqueness it brought to the table. This is a story about shedding the innocence and breaking the barrier of naive fairy tales. It pushes ideas of sexuality and gender roles, which is refreshing. I enjoyed the surreal atmosphere along with the raw emotions. Let yourself be immersed and enjoy the ride!

Favorite Main Character: Akiko Oohashi
Favorite Minor Character: Satoko Sugiyama

I recently bought these books while browsing the manga section at Barnes & Noble. The reason I picked it up, to be quite frank, is that I'm interested in yuri genre as of late. I found both volumes as an omnibus, so I could get the series as a whole.

-- Story --
The overall story was pretty good, but it often got lost in the day-to-day antics of school days.
The romance is very raw and new to both characters who are struggling with their identity, so it is easy to relate to even if you ... haven't personally been in a same sex relationship or ever had those feelings. It was interesting how the evolution of their relationship blossomed: From friend to lovers.

--Art--
I love this type of anime style!
I honestly think the art inside is better than the colored covers, which isn't necessarily a bad thing when you see more of the inside anyway. I would give it a higher rating if there were more scenes that required intense details and showcased complex backgrounds... But then again, there wasn't necessary a need for either.

--Character--
The main characters and interactions were a tad predictable, though this should not downgrade their complex internal struggle to understand the other girl. I liked when the point of view shifted to Akiko the best. It's fascinating to read the thoughts of a girl who can easily make friends and ended up choosing a quiet girl for her best friend and eventual lover.

To be honest, the minor characters weren't that memorable, with the exception of Satoko Sugiyama. I think it's fun to see a girl player.

--Enjoyment--
I had a fun time journeying with the characters and turning the pages to find out what is to come next. I honestly wanted to get to the heated moments, but took my time to cool down with the comic relief as well. The big intimate scene near the end was not overly done and tasteful.

--Overall--
I found it an enjoyable read and I didn't regret buying it.
There were no real mind-benders or plot twists, but it's a heart warming story for anyone interested in a romance manga. It is a good, light read.