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Kids On The Slope is such a turn from Shinichiro Watanabe's two previous (amazing) animes, Cowboy Bebop & Samurai Champloo. However, it's no less of a masterpiece.
Honestly, when I started Kids On The Slope, I didn't know what I was getting into. I hadn't read anything about it, I didn't know what it was about. I honestly expected it to be another action-filled anime with some badass as the main character. But boy, was I wrong..
As soon as they started playing music, I immediately thought of Beck Mangolian Chop Squad (I reviewed that too!), which was a great anime. However, both has very, very ... different styles of music. Seeing as I actually listen to the kind of music (Rock n' roll) that was played in Beck and knew a lot of the artists that they talked about, I wasn't expecting to be as comfortable with the music in Kids On The Slope, which is inspired by a lot of Jazz musicians. But I love the music in Kids On The Slope just as much as I loved the music in Beck (if not more, quite honestly)! The music in it was very easy to love and appreciate. The music alone would've been enough to keep me watching it to the end, but the storyline and the characters were also brilliant.
The two main characters had amazing personalities that you'd fall in love with. They had this mind-blowing friendship between them that anyone would wish for. I loved that they would always get in fights (which showed realism and that even friendships as strong as the one between Kaoru and Sentaro were not perfect), but in the end, they knew they needed each other to be complete. It was just a very inspiring coming-of-age story that had the perfect ending, although it did leave me wanting more (12 episodes was just not enough!).

I'm writing this review for Code Geass as a series, not as its second season because both are directly related and just as mind-blowingly brilliant.

I understand that Lelouch Lamperouge, main character of Code Geass, is quite often compared to Light Yagami, main character of Death Note. This is because they're both very brilliant characters whose strategies are beyond anything we can imagine. However, Death Note and Code Geass are two very different series, despite having similar main characters. Now, it's all a matter of preference, but I personally prefer Code Geass to Death Note. In fact, Code Geass is one of my absolute favorite animes. ... This is because not only has this series stuck to its strategic plots and twists, but it also entertains you with suspenseful mecha action! Think of all the parts in Death Note that had you bored because some great plot was yet to unfold.. Well... In Code Geass, those parts are replaced with action that will keep you hooked! That's why I love Code Geass so much. It managed to have that brilliant characteristic complement its action-filled scenes.

It's definitely something to keep on your lists. Though it does get a bit confusing at times, it's an amazing anime, one that I've re-watched and can't seem to get over.

Oh, and just because I prefer Code Geass to Death Note doesn't mean that I don't think Death Note is amazing. Believe you me, Death Note is just as brilliant.

Beck moves pretty slow at first, and I think the only reason I really kept watching it was because a friend had been watching it with me, assuring me that it was good. And although it does move slow, you must persevere! Beck is one of very few animes that can entice you without really having anything suspenseful or thrilling to it. It's just very calm and makes you sit down and really appreciate music. It doesn't need to hit you with plot twists or shocking revelations like most anime do. It manages to be simple and really good at the same time. There are ... two things in this anime that I really appreciated. One is the main character, Koyuki, who is just this really awkward guy who's just trying to fit in, and the fact that his personality isn't particularly charismatic is what makes me love it so much. Let's face it, a lot of us are awkward and are just trying to fit in, and his personality makes it so easy for the audience to relate to him. And the character development is just amazing. It's definitely a coming-of-age story that differs from a lot of other coming-of-age stories in animes. The second thing that I really liked in this anime is its last few episodes. Because every episode before the last few is pretty plain and simple, I think the last few episodes, which leaves the audience on the edge of their seats, is an appropriate ending to Beck. Every time I think back to Beck, all I can picture is the music festival in the end, and I can't help but smile because that ending did not disappoint. Also, I think this goes without saying, the soundtrack is absolutely great. I watched Beck dubbed, and I know that the subbed version's music is pretty hard to understand, but I still enjoy listening to it. Quite honestly, my text tone right now is Maho singing Moon On The Water.

My 14 year old brother sat me down and insisted that I watch Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood. I was quite reluctant at first having not really enjoyed the first few episodes of Fullmetal Alchemist, however, as I progressed through the series, I began to see just how wrong I was. Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood takes you on a quite a journey that leaves you on the edge of your seat as it gets heated up with action. Not to mention the story is just brilliant and one of a kind. However, what I praise most of all about this series is its ending. What a perfectly executed ... ending. I could not have asked for a better one. It's ending understands that not everyone in this series can have everything they want, and that's exactly what they portrayed, leaving its audience with a content feeling in their gut that will last them for days after completing it.