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This review is based on both seasons of Spice and Wolf.

For such a shameless furfag as myself, it certainly took a long time before I got to watching Spice and Wolf; an anime where one of the two protagonists is a cute wolf girl complete with bushy tail and pointy ears. Ending the procrastination paid off, for besides indulging a geeky fetish Spice and Wolf (or Wolf and Spice, ha ha) offered some semi-educational dialogue, intriguing characters and interaction and, perhaps most importantly of all, plenty of heartwarming and easy-going entertainment.

To start off, folks who've usually preferred cyberpunk-, scifi-, or any such anime with modern ... milieu will find themselves challenged in case they decide to pick up Spice n Wolf, for a tower clock and a simple scale are among the most hi-tech inventions you'll see in this show. Set in a rural world where church is the highest authority and deities the trusted insurance for good harvest, most of the shows atmosphere indeed leans on the classic feel attached to any tale set in the past times. How well would've Horo's charm fared had she dressed in a miniskirt and a top instead of the archaic and more concealing attires she wore? Or hid her ears with a flipped baseball cap instead of the granny scarf and hood? What would've become of the shows emphasis on hers and Lawrence's long and time-consuming travels together had they been done with a sports car instead of a horse cart? To fully appreciate the overall languid nature of the show is to either like the type already or bite the bullet and see if you can stomach it. My place is in the former category, so no need to guess whether I consider the slice-of-life-ishness good or bad.

Those of you who enjoyed works such as Death Note, Eden, and FMA because of their fascinating storylines will have to prepare yourselves to try and find something else enjoyable in Spice and Wolf. As most of you propably deduced from the previous paragraph, S&W is yet another one of those shows that just doesn't have a single storyline that'd last throughout the whole show, unless you'd like to count wolf girl's and Lawrence's constant traveling as such. The two of them travel to one place, deal with whatever conflict they encounter there, move someplace else and repeat. It's as simple as that, and if this kind of plotline (story arcs following one another) hasn't appealed to you before, it likely won't do so this time either and vice versa.

So, with the show clearly not trying to make too much of an impression through plot or an exciting genre, it is only natural that the series's main spice should lie in the characters. Namely, Horo and Lawrence. Even more namely, the chemistry between the two. The towns that they visit change, the people they meet on their journey change, the only constant is their interaction. Be it friendly bickering over matters more or less trivial, bitter arguments when differing opinions collide more drastically, or, on the rare case, completely serious discussions ranging from pure business to deeply personal issues. Whatever it is, the two are always going at one another (though sadly not in the more physical sense), and ever so slowly, unsuspectingly under their very noses, their relationship begins to deepen. It does so through hints subtle at first yet obvious later on, resulting in no sexual encounters nor outright confessions, for better or for worse, that is left for the viewer to decide. Personally I found myself missing some romance past the awkward fumblings and perhaps some sort of continuation after the discovery of their mutual feelings. Perhaps the original light novels, manga, or possible future anime projects may offer gratification on this issue; it is left for those interested to find out.

The aforementioned "semi-intellectual dialogue" steps into play in the aforementioned rare cases of serious business talk. I doubt any PhD level economic science is discussed (though I can't be sure since I'm no professional), but Lawrence's occupation as a merchant and the resulting trade thematics in the show are not to be downplayed. Rarely an episode passes without the viewer witnessing at least one in-depth analysis of a specific trade technique, the importance of good relations, the gravity of knowing currencies and their values and the foul play associated with them and anything else trade related and...well you get the point. Some might find these little lessons fascinating, others will be bored to tears. I stood somewhere in the middle ground, though generally the longer the talk, the less I focused.

A bit of a checklist at the end. Slice of life? Check. Story centered around two main characters and their interaction? Check. LOTS of dialogue? Check. Crapton of action a la Black Lagoon and Gurren Lagann? Sure Horo and Lawrence stumble upon conflicts that escalate beyond a little disagreement between bestest buddies, but otherwise, no. Drama rivaling that of top ten western soap operas combined? Sure they have their small quarrels with even some love triangle thrown in at times, but beyond that, no. What Spice and Wolf is essentially about is two people slowly finding one another through time and talk, and that's that.

Oh, and perhaps most importantly of all, a cute furry girl with a wicked attitude? CHECK! ;)

How many times have you accused someone of not having an open mind when they judge your obsession with japanese cartoons, or anime action figures, or 2-D little girls, or whatever? I sure have a few times, yet even my supposedly "open" mind was put to the test right from the very first minutes of Kemonozume.

Its not just about the fugly art, mind you. Weird little monkeys, tower-sized detectives, man-eating monsters that look like right out of some simple children's picture book with their overly round and stubby shapes. I began watching the show all like "dude, finally an artsy and refined piece for such ... a mature and elite anime viewer like myself" and ended up almost dropping the show after the first episode. Why? Because it caught me completely off guard and didn't match my usual tastes at all.

Good thing I gathered my wits to go on watching, however, as Kemonozume showed me that "unique" isn't always an euphemism for just plain "shit".

To start with the art of which everyone seems to have an opinion when it comes to this show: yes, it's "unique". Yes, in that euphemistic way. But as someone with a way better way with words than me once said, you get used to everything except an icicle up in the ass ('cause it melts before it gets comfy), and such is the way with Kemonozume's art as well. Or perhaps it isn't as much about getting used to the crappy art is it is about realizing it's grotesque genius in this very anime? For just like Kemonozume's story and characters vary in their nature, the art varies from raw, murky, surreal, and sketchy to light, joyful, and truly beautiful.

Character-wise, Kemonozume is a treat for anyone tired of angsty teens all across their usual anime. Not a single character under 20 years of age in this show. The average year count ain't the only mature aspect about the characters either, for the chemistry, dialogue, and interaction they have with each other all clearly depict we're not talking about a middle-school drama here. Instead of the stuttered "I like you" and a hesitant, clumsy peck on the cheek, the two lovers in Kemonozume meet each other on a dark beach, exchange not a word, meet again, and fuck. While perhaps a highly romanticised setting (a beach, a girl literally falling from the sky, and BANG [get it?], love at first sight), it is a rather realistic portrayal of young love's carnal nature.

The story of Kemonozume manages to be both simple and multi-layered at the same time. "Simple" meaning that the viewer can easily grasp what's going on instead of having to endure pointless overphilosophicalpsychologicalwhatevermindfuckshit, whereas the plot's different aspects can be seen how, on one hand, it's a conflicted love story about two people so obviously representing two opposite sides, a story about the characters who all have their own goals and ambitions and trying to find their place in their environment, a story about the distinction between man and monster, and so on. Yet even with all these different sides, Kemonozume's story feels like a whole in which the varying aspects support and fulfill each other instead of annoyingly pulling it into a myriad of ways. Which, in turn, makes the story that much more enjoyable and intriguing, and unlike with many other animes, it doesn't end with a more or less horrendously disappointing conclusion.

Unlike with some of my previous reviews, I think I'm going to skip the part about how unnotable I found the soundtrack and go right to the ending rants. Overall Kemonozume was very much an enjoyable show once the eye got adjusted to the unique artwork and I learned to swallow the mindfuck-ish aspects which I usually hate with vehemence. A fair word of warning here, btw, if you're generally of the same mind and would prefer your anime withOUT any overt surrealism: prepare your...selves. Kemonozume does twist and turn all sorts of laws of physics and logic but worry not, it's not about bombarding you with lame philosophy as much as it's just another aspect of the artwork where, just like in Kemonozume in general, all sort of groundbreaking is abound.

They say 95% of all anime is complete and utter shit, with the remaining five representing those titles even relatively good. And among that 5%, Seirei no Moribito belongs into whatever number of shows it is which are not just relatively, but genuinely good.

Seirei no Moribito is a fantasy adventure story which mostly focuses on the characters of Balsa and Chagum, a prince of a powerful Empire whose forced to exile due to the continued assassination attempts on him conducted by his own father, and their journey together. Those who prefer complex storylines with intricate twists and turns may look elsewhere; the travels of Balsa ... and Chagum, their struggle to dispel the pursuit sent after them, and how they deal with the water spirit's egg that's laid within Chagum are indeed the plot's most prominent elements.

Not to say the story's simplicity is a shortcoming, quite the contrary in fact. It is for once pleasing to see a storyline you can actually understand at first glance instead of having to take guesses or be completely lost in the mock artistry of the show's creators. Not to say simplicity would be the story's main attraction either, for the careful and thorough way Balsa's and Chagum's life together on the run is depicted, Chagum's transformation from a sweet and pampered prince to a smart street kid, and how the relationships between the main characters develop and deepen is plenty to keep the viewer entertained.

The characters are another of the show's strong points, especially, with the way how they seem to shatter almost almost all of the major clichés and all. Balsa is without a doubt one of the strongest female characters in anime of all time, she being pretty much the most capable warrior in the whole show and able to handle everything short of magic on her own. To top it off, she's noble-minded (yet not naive) and lack's arrogance (yet not confidence). Perhaps, by putting all of this together, one might notice themselves watching also one of the most shameless mary sues as of late, but amidst Balsa's pure coolness, one is also easily bound not to care.

All of this saying almost not a word about Chagum, the boy prince of Yogo Empire who's forced to flee his home with Balsa. He carries the water spirit's egg that's said to keep the lands from drying over within him, but unlike almost all the other young male characters in anime shouldered with a heavy burden, he's not constantly whining about his fate. In fact most of the time he deals with his lot, of leaving behind his comfy life as a prince and carrying a capricious spirit egg within him with easy enough acceptance and even enthusiasm.

Other characters deviating from the norm are Tanda, a doctor who's actually the one to tend to the reckless female warrior's wounds instead of the other way around, and the prophets at the Imperial Court who, although proud, aren't arrogant and conservative enough not to learn from their mistakes nor ignore good advice.

Production I.G, a quality anime studio responsible for such acclaimed titles as the Ghost in the Shell movies and TV-serieses, makes sure that the art and animation in Seirei no Moribito earn their place among the other aspects that make this show so great. Even the most intense battle scenes flow fluently, the beautiful sceneries clearly depict a world untouched any industrial revolution, and the character designs are as much a treat to the eye as any of the aforementioned.

But despite being a show remarkable in it's quality, Seirei no Moribito does leave a few lingering regrets in its wake. A fantasy show as this is, we could've learned a bit more about those elements in this one. We hear of "star diviners", of other worlds that seemingly exist paraller to that which is mostly shown in the series, we see some magic, and so on. But all in all the fantasy elements in Seirei leave me more confused than fascinated, for all the supernatural stuff is either explained too briefly or not at all. A bit deeper thoroughness in this department would've been in order.

Another point of some chagrin in Seirei no Moribito is what I'd like to call beating around the bush with the characters' relationships. From the early episodes on we see that there's something going on between Balsa the fighter and Tanda the healer, with the two being childhood friends of opposite sex and all. The romantic tint in their relationship is obvious, yet _NOTHING_ concrete happens between the two in the show. An honest, full blown romance between them could've done much in the way of bringing some good extra drama and maturity to the show, for the platonic nature of their relationship despite the obvious hint at a love story-setting gave the series an ever so slightly childish look at times. Later in the show Chagum also becomes friendly with a girl his age in a village just happening to be on the path of his and Balsa's (and Tanda's) journey, and the crazy shipper in me says they shouldda hooked up as well ;P.

Though not necessarily much of a gripe, since anime music failing to impress me is more of a rule rather than the exception, a bit more ambitious musical investment from the creators wouldn't have hurt the show either.

Putting side to side the good and the bad, the end conclusion is what I've (hopefully) let you readers understand throughout the review; that this is one damn great of a show worth chalking up to your to watch-list no matter what genre of anime you'd usually prefer. Because even though an action-adventure-fantasy wouldn't sound like the killer combo just for you, Seirei no Moribito holds such a cast of characters and story to it that it is sure to reach the hearts of many viewers regardless of their usual appetite.

"Today, with the same smile as always, with the same outfit as always, with the same partners as always, I'm happily heading off to the same training as always."

These words, spoken by none other than Akari Mizunashi, the protagonist of Aria, reflect just about perfectly the core theme in Kozue Amano's quiet and serene story about three young undine trainees.

In a world and culture highlighting constant action, adventures, and excitement as the correct way of life, Aria is like a deep breath of fresh, calming air. In Neo Venezia, where the manga's story is set, one's fulfilling daily dose of excitement can just as well ... be a thorough walk through town instead of a thousand bungee jumps in a row. Whereas a travel around the world could be considered to meet the definition of an adventure in "real life", a quest through shadowy sidewalks and a trip to the underground world fit the same bill well enough in the life of Akari Mizunashi and her friends. And if with action one usually associates a car race, gallons of alcohol and rough sex, a simple day at the beach or a gondola practicing session seems to do the trick just fine if you ask any of the girls in Aria.

Let it be known, if it isn't clear by now, that Aria isn't any no-brainer action flick you watch on Saturday night to unload the stress of a rough week. Rather, it is a soothing breeze you allow into your consciousness to cleanse away the burden that's built within you due to the hectic days were accustomed to. Whereas the world might sometimes promote "life" to be something for which you must constantly be on the move to have, to never stop to actually look around you, Aria takes exactly the opposite approach on the matter.

Through her creation Kozue Amano carefully guides us to see the value and richness in what we have and that which surrounds us every day. A breath-taking sunset seen from the highest point in town, the feeling of sharing a precious moment with all your loved ones, the sensation of drawing your lungs full of air on a clear, crisp morning, and so on. Aria is like an altar for all these seemingly mundane things, and if you're a person who hasn't earlier appreciated them much earlier in your life, Aria will make you wonder why you haven't.

But Aria is not just about watching a group of girls sipping tea and chatting. Though appreciating the quiet moments is a clear corner stone in the series's overall atmosphere, there are enough obvious fantasy elements to keep all sorts of readers interested. Cats intelligent enough to interact with humans on some level, vivid dreams and visions of events filled with otherworldly magic, some real and some not. These fantasy elements are carefully kept in control from stealing the show entirely, giving it a tasty spice instead of becoming the actual meal. And it is good to be so, for the occasional touch of fantasy helps accentuate the manga's more mundane magic; something which would be lost if Aria was a constant parade of the sort of stuff you see in spades in any fantasy fiction.

A drawn work as this is, one cannot go by without giving a word about Kozue Amano's visual achievements. The artist's handiwork is simply gorgeous, with clear and smooth character designs, a tremendous amount of care and detail put into the sceneries, and overall well-flowing drawings instead of the sprawling panel arrangements and such so characteristic for many other mangas. Serene and easily viewed images for a series meant so be serene and easily taken to, one cannot argue with the sound logic here.

I might've gotten carried away a bit when I said fantasy elements are scarce in Aria. Aria is a fantasy fiction through and through, even though no dragons and wizards and whatnot are there dancing around day and night. Fact of the matter remains that most of the time the manga tries to show us just how magical plain daily happenings can be, those scenes are highly romanticised. Be it through extremely groomed scenes ("scenery porn" one might call it) or actual fantasy elements, there's always the feeling you're just watching a very sweet dream. Knowing real life will never be as simple and beautiful almost adds a touch of melancholy to the story. But if you can accept it, if you can stomach the childish naivety radiating throughout the series, Aria has many valuable and very real lessons to teach you in that dream.

I'm one of those guys who usually read the manga before watching the anime. You can imagine, then, what my sentiments were like when I began watching a 25-episode-anime of which I'd read 300+ chapters of manga. To clarify, I was preparing for a completely unripe anime-draft of a manga praised to the heavens that'd actually been worth it, and then some. To my pleasant surprise I discovered the anime adaptation of Berserk lost to its original version in nothing but length and detail.

But the main elements, the magic that made the epic manga what it is are all present in the animated version. Guts, ... The Black Swordsman, is still the hapless avenger wandering in search for revenge and peace of mind. The world in which the story is set is still that medieval realm right down to the brilliant castles with their greedy landlords, the disadvantaged common folk, and the never-ending wars. And, perhaps most importantly along with the characters, the story is still the same tragedy of fate, friendship and love.

Perhaps one point of criticism for some could be the outdated artstyle. Having aired more than ten years ago, the art and animation will inevitably seem rough and simple for those (like me) who've discovered anime rather recently, through recent shows with more high-tech appearance. Upon closer look, however, I'd say that instead of a shortcoming, Berserk's old-school animation works exactly in the shows favor. The story is, after all, rough by nature and set in an age long gone, in which case the ancient animation actually accentuates the overall mood quite nicely. I wonder if the series's impact would've been the same had it been done in the 2000s, closer to this day. I dare doubt it.

An avid listener of music though I am, I rarely pay much attention to the tunes played in anime. But whereas most shows fail to catch my admiration with their musical score, Berserk did so in spades. Far more than once I found myself being chilled to the bone as the horror scenes rolled in, aided by terrifyingly fitting ominous sounds without which the anime's horror elements would've lacked greatly. In comparison, the joyful tunes of bonfire festivals, the musical elegance of the upper class's dances, and the emotional pieces of the more waffy scenes all help to highlight the sentiment of each situation. 10/10 score for this department; a true rarity given by me.

One might wonder why I've so far mostly talked about aspects many would consider minor in comparison to an anime's story and characters. Well for one, both animation and music contribute so much to the show's overall score that there's nothing minor about them in this instance. As for the other reason, if I'd start to go on detailing bit by bit what makes the story and characters of Berserk so unfathomably excellent, we'd all soon be looking at a review of more than 10,000 words. And since reading all of it would be that much more away from your Berserk-watching (or reading) time, I'm going to keep it simple. Just imagine a story so compelling and layered you'll truly find yourself gasping at times, a cast of characters so real you actually start to care for them though they don't even exist, and a high-fantasy medieval world so immersing you can almost feel the reality around you blur away.

But an adaptation from a manga as this is, there's no way to escape the shadow of the original work. An no matter how excellent an anime this is even forgetting the manga, fact of the matter is that Berserk is the greatest MANGA ever made, and the anime is just a colorful side-kick next to it. At the beginning of my review I said the anime loses to the manga in nothing but length and detail. True. But ponder on this: the anime is one of 25 normal length (a bit over 20 minutes) episodes. The manga is one of over 300 and still going on chapters. The conclusion being, Berserk anime loses A LOT to the manga in length and detail. I didn't even care to count all the scenes an details of the original work that didn't exist in the anime, and now as I'm doing so for the sake of writing this review, I can't help but note that, again, A LOT is lost when such a number of details that helped understanding the characters in the manga, for example, are nowhere to be seen in the anime. To refrain from writing a novel-length review, again, let's just say that even though Berserk manga had nothing but text and black and white drawings to reach me, I never felt nearly as immersed by the anime as I did by the original.

Be that as it may, Berserk is truly one to deserve the title "epic" in the history of anime. It is an obligatory watch for anyone who likes Japanese animation. It is a classic right there among Evangelion, Miyazaki's works, or any other anime one might deem ageless and undying. It is right there among them, shining in their midst as the bloodiest gem of them all.

Finally giving in to the hype, I picked up Bakemonogatari, the most discussed anime of '09, on the very first day of this year. The show's appeal was lost on me during the first few episodes, but after a while the reasons for this anime's charm on so many became apparent. As to whether that charm worked on me as well, that's something I'm going to explain a bit more thoroughly further on.

The story of Bakemonogatari may at first seem confusing with the odd events of the show's beginning. Soon, however, the plot's structure comes clear enough as new characters (all female) are introduced, with ... each of them having their own arc consisting of a few episodes at a time. Amidst the weirdness of Bakemonogatari's characters, artwork and animation, a simple storyline like that is a welcome asset. Of course, on the occasion you're not one to enjoy a storyline based on a few episode-arcs, it'll be exactly the other way around for you.

Despite each story arc concentrating on a new character each time, the story of our main couple, Araragi and Senjougahara, flows along nicely as well. The relationship between the two is somewhat the core of the entire show, with the story-arcs functioning either as a means to deepen their chemistry as they go about solving the encountered mysteries together, introduce new characters, or bring more depth to our main hero, Araragi. This I have no qualms of, for I quite like the way a clearly harem-esque series has the most prominent love interest set in stone instead of the guy tinkering on edge until the very end about who it is that he loves.

Be not completely turned off yet, all you who despise everything which has the word "harem" attached to it, for even though I dubbed Monstory as "a clearly harem-esque series", this show isn't an average one in that category in the least. Yes, it's yet again a series where a single guy is surrounded by attractive females (sans the loli character), and yes, all of them are expressing more or less of an interest in him. But they're not brainlessly-unconditionally-helplessly or otherwise idiotically in love in him, nope. In fact some, if not most of them are having open and cheeky banters with him _AND_, unlike in most of your typical harems, the guy isn't actually an utter retard with no redeeming qualities.

This brings us to what I believe is commonly praised as Bakemonogatari's greatest strength, which namely is the wonderfully wicked and excellent character chemistry. As I stated before the characters actually have more intricate interaction between them than your usual scenario of a bunch of chicks loving on an idiot with an attraction level somewhere around -9000. The verbal battles between Araragi and co. (and especially with Senjougahara) are indeed the shows most prominent and refreshing aspect.

But whereas "a bunch of chicks loving on an idiot" can be seen as one frustrating extreme of character interaction, at times I felt as though Bakemonogatari presented a polar opposite no less frustrating. All too often it seemed like the heavy dialogue was there just to accentuate the girls' excellency over Araragi as the poor fellow always appeared to get the short end of the stick in their interactions. A feature meant to be humorous for sure, and I do remember smiling at times, but I certainly wasn't as entertained as I guessed I should've been.

Another fracture burdening on the show's enjoyability is the usage of still-images with text which I suppose were there to support the story. I can't remember if there was a single episode where there wouldn't have been a series of stills flashing on the screen so fast it was impossible to read the sentences on them without stopping your media player to read them. You can guess if I myself cared much for doing so. A hint: I didn't. Surely I didn't miss anything of importance when I opted to roll my eyes in annoyance instead of stopping to read each time when a still featuring either a sentence or a meaningless word like "red" or "black" appeared on the screen, but it certainly didn't add to my viewing pleasure either.

That's about it from me this time, really. Other factors you'd usually pay attention to while watching, like the music and art, fell into the vast category of "alright". The theme songs let alone the rest of the soundtrack left no impression on me whatsoever, and just like everybody else, I did notice the artstyle in this show was a bit funny at times. Surely nothing which folks familiar with Gankutsuou, Zetsubou-sensei, and SHAFT in general can't handle. Characterization, relationships, and intriguing story are the plusses, somewhat questionable humour and stupid stills the minuses. Sounds like yer cup of tea? Then drink up. It doesn't? Then go look for another one - but not before sampling this.

The 1000th Summer sure was one of dramatic events, intriguing people and gorgeous landscapes.

That pretty much sums up the three greatest aspects of AIR, yet another anime that'd been on my personal to watch - list for years before I actually got down to it. Better late than never, as is once again proven in this case.

I was rather sceptical at first when I began watching the show, despite my initial belief I'd like it since, you know, I'd planned on watching it in the first place. My fears were reinforced as what I was bombarded with during the first few episodes were things I've ... grown to dislike very muchly in anime: moe characters, overcute faces, irresponsible parents and other lame cliches of Japanese cartoons. Thus my willingness to watch the show dimmed to the point I almost gave up, watching only an episode every now and then almost solely for the sake of finishing what I'd started. Ultimately I ended up marathoning the last seven episodes in one night; a feat which speaks for itself for someone who's used to watch that many episodes in as many weeks.

No, the irritating moe-ness of the characters didn't go anywhere. No, the über childish faces with gigantic eyes and tiny mouths didn't grow into tolerable proportions at any time. No, the careless parents didn't develop into Mr. and Mrs. guardian of the year overnight...quite. But the better qualities of the show which became more prominent as the series went on overrode almost completely any and all disgust I have for such superficial issues.

The gorgeous artwork of the anime is one of those qualities that is evident from the very beginning. Lush colors of the deep blue sea and sky, the green of the forests and the yellow of the fields all together reach the goal of showing us an ethereal summer at it's very peak. Something which surely comes in handy in a show where one of the main motifs is that sunny and warm season of the year. The show's highlighted summery atmosphere is not exclusively limited to the daytime sceneries either, for the brilliant sunsets where the world seems to be in fire and the hot nights alive with festivals are depicted so captivatingly one can almost feel the summer through the screen alone. No wonder so many have recommended this anime to be watched precisely in this time of year.

The plot, as many have become accustomed to with the combination of Key and Kyoto Animation, is filled with mysteries. On one hand it arouses interest to go on watching the anime and find out what's going on. On the other it evokes frustration and anger as not all of the storyline's oddities are so easily comprehended in stride (or at all). I for one had to go over all the MAL summaries and character profiles to be sure I'd gotten _most_ of it correctly. Patience is a virtue here.

Characterization was one aspect of AIR which I was pleasantly surprised with later on. On some occasions I truly felt like the show was taking distance from some of the most typical character cliches seen in anime: Haruko, though a single-parent female, ain't your typical loving and all-can-do big sister for Misuzu, instead exercising in behavior both jerk-ish, cowardly, and cruel at times. Misuzu's father, though having "abandoned" his daughter a long time ago, isn't presented as an all-around dickhead with no compassion or other redeeming qualities whatsoever. For what little he's got screen time anyway.

As for the main couple, Misuzu and Yukito, I can easily recognize their charm as well, even though they weren't quite my favorites. Misuzu is this very young, sweet, and lonely girl who's desperate to make friends yet is unable to do so for the special conditions she has. I suspect there are very few anime fans who cannot identify with her in that regard. Yukito on the other hand is a fine specimen of the relatively small group of tsundere males seen in anime, though I confess I didn't feel any connection with him at times - I couldn't have declined Misuzu's pleas to play with her the way he did at all. ;-; The more minor characters Minagi, Michiru, and Dr. Kirishima had their own, well-done story-arcs, but the characters themselves remained rather thin and generic to me. Props for Kanna, Ryuuya, and Uraha, though, their own small story was very warm and touching.

Drama is something you can never count out when dealing with KyoAni's adaptation of a Key-work, and drama is aplenty in AIR as well. On some points the show truly clutched at my heart nastily as I watched the characters struggling in their personal affairs - whether it was about them stewing in their own stupidity or desperately trying to do what they knew to be the right thing. Many a time I found myself staring at the screen mouth open, my mind either screaming of cheering at the characters. This level of viewer's emotional involvement with the story is always a merit in its favor.

AIR has also some powerful messages about life in general to deliver, ranging from the value of family to the art of appreciating what you're given. For the sake of keeping away from spoilers I won't go into great detail in this area, but there's one fitting quote that stuck in my mind which surmises quite well one of the show's themes.

"I wonder how many years it took us to get here. We had so many opportunities to see this beautiful scenery. What the hell were we doing?"

The musical efforts invested into AIR deserve an honorable mention as well. I recall no scene which would've lacked the proper background tunes to help it reach its full potential, and both the opening and ending songs are memorable with their soaring vocals, atmospheric lyrics and catchy melodies. Admittedly I'm personally in the habit of nearly always skipping both credits, but this time I felt a bit bad for doing so. Which speaks volumes of the series' musical score in its own way.

All in all, I believe AIR is a very good choice for the next short anime-series you might want to watch. It asks only for your patience and observation. In return you get a wonderfully animated show with candy for your eyes, touching emotions on your heart, and another memory for your summer.

If you haven't seen the original Evangelion TV-series nor the first Rebuild-film, go watch them now. If you would like to read a potent critical view on the newest effort by Studio Khara and Gainax, read Liberal's rant a few reviews below. And if you feel like you're up to hearing another fanboy declaring his newfound love for this legendary mecha-anime, then read on.

As I'm sure you know since you're reading this, You Can (Not) Advance is a follow-up to 2007's You Are (Not) Alone, the first installment in a series of four films re-telling the original TV-anime from 1995. And whereas "Not Alone" was ... more about making the fans acquainted with the fact that Evangelion is back (yet again), it does so with a series of theatrical films, and that it will be more or less different from the original, the second piece entitled You Can (Not) Advance violently shoves the scale of "more or less" down to more - in almost every way imaginable.

Story, animation, character, sound, enjoyment - five categories at none of which does Evangelion: You Can (Not) Advance fail to reach downright or near excellence. To begin with the story itself, Evangelion 2.22 kicks off with the presentation of an entirely new character to the Eva-universe, an Evangelion pilot Mari Makinami. Such a start for the movie was a wise decision on the creators' part, for it emphasizes the two key words when comparing the second Rebuild film to the original: new and different.

The differences ain't over with the new pilot girl, mind you. I could go on endlessly about the numerous things mentioned by the previous reviewers many times, about the characters' personalities, the angels, the events themselves, but for the sake of pinning down the one point there'd be talking about them again, suffice it to say that it's new and different in a good way. To put it mildly. I was practically squirming in my seat as I sat watching the characters I'd grown familiar with return, different yet still distinguishable, and placed in a story so altered from their original surroundings.

Animation-wise, I was yet again stunned silent. All glory to the first Rebuild movie that set this wonderful new version of Evangelion in motion, but the eye-candy we're treated to in 2.22 makes the flavor of the previous film seem almost bland. Every color, every scenery and all motion - they're all so superb you can't help but stare on in awe, almost to the point where it threatened to compromise the attention I paid to the storyline. Many and more words of praise I could spew here to waste your time, but let's just say that I felt like I could've kept on taking screenshots of every scene in the movie for future admiration and leave it at that.

I rarely pay any attention to the music in any anime, but Evangelion 2.22 caught me off guard in this department as well. And I have a feeling the fact I was watching the movie with headphones has little to do with it. All the familiar sounds and notes from the original series are there, now more or less revamped to fit the idea of overall upgrade of the 1995 anime. And what a revamp indeed, for many times I found myself paying attention to little but the wonderful tunes filling my ears. Be it a revision of an old song or an entirely new piece it didn't matter, each piece of music fit their respective scenes just perfectly. Perhaps my only gripe in this area would be the song sung by a typical childlike female voice at the scene depicting the destruction of Unit 03, but as even that failed to truly irritate me, I can safely say the musical score of You Can (Not) Advance is near excellent.

An issue many fans seemed to have with the original show was that the characters were almost too desperate to identify with. Seeing that the new four-part movie series is only halfway through one cannot say for sure, but the characterization in the first two movies, and especially this one, seem like an answer to those fans' prayers. Asuka is still the egotistical and bitchy redhead we all know and adore, but in Rebuild number two she comes around fast enough to suggest she won't be all screaming at everything and everyone till the bitter end. Shinji still has his daddy issues and runs away at times, but his cheerful and determined moments in the movie just may be a sign of a different kind of youngster in the last two installments. And Rei, probably the most iconic female anime character ever created, is showing us here more of that subtle emotional side of hers so many missed in the first anime series. The rest of the cast, from Ritsuko to Misato to Kaji and the rest of the NERV operators, are like old friends; pleasantly distinguishable yet with a few unforeseen and refreshing quirks of their own.

The sum of all above factors combined with an overall feeling of change is what leads to the most important quality of the movie - its enjoyability. The response seen here and everywhere else you look for says that fans have watched the movie and very few have regretted even a second of it. A minority which I definitely am not part of. Most of the critique directed at the film centers around the point that this is too different from the original to hold any meaning as an Evangelion-anime. Which is a valid statement. The plot has a few extremely differing aspects comparing to the original, the characters act differently, everything is just too different. This is just a heap of fanservice in all its forms, they say.

And so it is. Evangelion: You (Can) Not Advance is almost everything many viewers longed the original anime to be: less about the characters wallowing in their psychological problems, less whiny Shinji, more awesome story, more epic battles, more visually breathtaking. To blame someone for enjoying an anime like that (i.e. 2.22) is to blame a cheese-lover for saying cheese is good. Or whatever else analog you wish to use, you get the point. And hey, it's not like the last two movies can't possibly turn out differently than this one, we're only halfway through here, folks. Maybe someone's gonna try to commit suicide. Maybe someone's gonna single-handedly destroy the world and then overturn their decision. Maybe someone's gonna go all spanking and wanking over a comatose girl and we're gonna see their cum-filled hand all over again. Maybe everything's gonna be just as fucked up as it used to be, and maybe then the haters gonna hate a bit less.

I, as one of the over 90000000000 fans though, hope we'll see another quality installment to the Rebuild-series that continues in the same vein as You Can (Not) Advance.

Neon Genesis Evangelion, the show that was the one to introduce thousands of otakus (including me) to the world of anime is back. It's not like this classic from the '90s was ever truly left alone, for the constant parade of upgraded DVDs, Blu-Rays and whatnot special editions has made sure the cashcow known as Evangelion hasn't been forgotten by us for a moment. Thus slight reserve and revulsion was the natural reaction of many cynical fans when the entire four-part remake of the original series was announced years ago. Suffering from the same inhibitions it was only now that I, a long-time admirer of ... the original work, finally took the time to watch and see what had become of my favourite show when presented with the technology of 2000s.

What had it become, indeed? Short answer: better than ever.

Everything we remember from the original work is there: a cast of compelling characters, a unique scifi-setting, and an underlying story dealing with the various psychological issues of Ikari Shinji, his ruthless father Gendo, his self-imposed guardian Misato Katsuragi, and all the other personalities you either remember from before or will become acquainted with soon enough.

But that's just confirming all the good qualities from the original are there, which should be obvious with the given overall grade of 9, right? So what's making this worth watching even for someone who has seen the original piece, possibly even multiple times? The fact that this is better. Better in animation, better in characterization, better in storyline. In everything.

Times sure have changed since 1995. As an un-expert of the more finer workings of animation, I suppose I'm not one to start blabbering about all the little technological aspects involved here, but that's fine. Me, you, no-one needn't be a professional to see the difference between what was then and what is now. To surmise it in as few words as possible, the animation seems so much more fluent and beautiful overall in this first installment of the Rebuild-series in comparison to the original one. The colors are more soft and natural looking (Misato's new near-black hair ftw!), the overall motion more graceful thanks to the moderate incorporation of 3D-technology, and the upgraded character design which makes Shinji, Rei, Misato, and co. look better than ever. Even the Angels have been modified here, now with bone-chilling superhuman sounds and wackier designs. An extra mention for all the sceneries as well; from the hilly forests to the urban vastness with its neon-lights and skyscrapers, everything looks fresh, new, and better.

Characterization-wise, no major changes have been done here. Shinji is still the psychologically unstable 14-year-old-boy unsure of what he wants, Rei the cold and distant commander's favourite, Misato the both cheerful drunk and tough professional, and so on. The slight difference for the better that can be seen is the way these characters have been given a tad more depth compared to the original series. Rei is just a bit more sardonic, Misato somewhat more daring in her ways, and Gendo...hoo boy. Let's just say that if there was anyone at the beginning of the original show who could've believed this man might prove to be even a decent father later on, there won't be this time. It's THAT strongly that this guy's bastardness has been underlined here.

When considering what's changed for the better since 1995, the renewed plotting of You Are (Not) Alone isn't either left in the shadows of animation and characters. The storyline that is set here in the first movie of the Rebuild-series seems to be a pleasant mixture of both old and new. Except for one or two glaring differences no drastic changes have been made, but the hour and a half the movie takes is filled with some fascinating makeovers that'll be interesting for the old viewers to spot - and easy for the new ones to grasp. And about those one or two glaring differences...yeah, they're already big enough to suggest we'll be in for one hell of a ride later on.

If you wished to complain about something, it would have to be the over-the-top pompousness in some of the details. As I said earlier the Angels' designs have been tinkered around to appear all-around more cool, which is nice all right. But the downright artistic shape-shifting the sixth (not the fifth as in the original) angel Ramiel does gets a tad ridiculous. The Christian symbology familiar from the 1995 series has been taken to the level where even most of the explosions are cross-shaped, and such toying does not work for the film's credibility in my book. The as of yet unexplained...redness of the oceans in Rebuild arises some questions as well.

Old-school fans might lean on the nostalgic value of the original Evangelion, claiming the show is legendary only as its mid-'90s version. But the honest truth is that modern animation technology, the sufficient budget to tell the story that was originally meant to be told, and no doubt the fresh ideas that have matured in the creators' minds over the past two decades have culminated in this first part of Rebuild and made it a start of what'll undoubtedly be a superior re-telling well worth the time of any old and few fans alike.

Blassreiter is not among the highest rated animes on MAL, and for a reason.

But that reason has nothing to do with any supposed inferiority of the series, nor is it about any glaring fault in the show - Blassreiter is a good anime. It's also understandable why many haven't considered it great, or not even all that good.

The biggest fault in the show is it's seemingly lack of any clear direction or plot. In the first few episodes we see a bunch of these weird, robot-ish, human-like creatures running around causing havoc, including turning a motorcyclist idol into one of them. Along with the infected ... Gerd Frentzen the other main cast of Amanda Werner, a hot pinkette with a cool and professional attitude, her hot-headed partner Hermann Saltza, and the dark and mysterious Joseph Jobson, whose unimpressive screen time at the beginning of the show wouldn't at first suggest him to be a main cast member.

As many of you may have already figured out from the short descriptions above, a cast of unique and compelling characters is not one of the show's merits. Amanda is again one of your typical strong female-type of character whose usually calm and collected at her job, but, oh so surprisingly, is capable of showing a good bout of defiance and passion when it comes to her loved ones and what she sees as just. Hermann is almost her polar opposite, doing his job with personal feelings constantly at the surface and always, quite loudly if I may add, questioning his orders when they contradict his sense of right and wrong. Joseph is there to heavily add on the show's gloom and doom with his brooding air of a misunderstood hero who secretly fights for the good guys despite everyone thinking of him as a villain.

A good portion of the show's dark air stems from the characters' feel of guilt and responsibility over, well, various things. Amanda feels she hasn't been quite the big sis she should've been for her adopted brother Malek (the angsty crybaby), Sasha for creating some pretty damn advanced technology that just got used the wrong way, Joseph for pretty much everything, and so on. The constant, over-the-top blaming for one's self over matters beyond their control is nothing new in fictional characters who're supposed to appear heroic; an aspect that sure as hell isn't any less annoying in Blassreiter. On more than one occasion I found myself cringing at the characters' angsty antics, which did little to help the show's enjoyability.

"Mature storyline", boasts the show's summary. As the show goes on it becomes evident that by mature, they mean shitty. Not the storyline itself, but rather the pasts and circumstances of each character. Shit seems to be the share of especially the poor and foreign folk in the show's fictional German society. We see this through Malek and Joseph, mainly, who both have been the target of some truly hideous cruelty for no other reason than that they're not as well-off as the people around 'em. The series does make a powerful attempt at gaining the viewers' sympathies for the characters by showing us in great detail and abundance the torment they've been through. Unfortunately some of this effort was lost on me, for the "harsh reality" card being played as clumsily as it sometimes was in this anime has a way of making me laugh rather than weep. Sure the poor have always been looked down on at some level, but come on. A poor kid getting beat up by a rich one time and again to ensure his church keeps getting donations, and in a modern society no less? Okay.

In the same vein of showing how crappy the world is for some, Blassreiter seems to take every chance it gets to jab at Christianity. Shit happens, people pray, and God does nothing. Blah blah blah. Never think of me as a vigorously religious person, but to me nowadays trashing religion is like most of black metal. Immature and silly. Perhaps I'm just too sensitive about the Japanese trying to depict the western way of life or something.

So why, after all this bitching, do I think Blassreiter was good, you ask? Short answer: it just was. The longer one? Well...

On the occasions I actually bothered to tune it on (I'm a rather lazy anime watcher nowadays), Blassreiter kept me entertained. It wasn't an anime that rushed through its plot 1000000mph, but let the events roll at their own pace. It's not like I would especially mind fast-paced anime (TTGL ftw), but I do tend to appreciate it when a story takes its time to tell whatever story it has to tell. And though Blassreiter went through its story at a moderate pace, it didn't exactly lapse into sluggishness either; there was something going on in each episode to keep the viewer on their toes. Also the complete turnover the series takes around halfway through was, though sudden, an interesting twist.

The artwork of Blassreiter is also worth mentioning here on the plus-side, even with the fact that most anime is a parade of eye-candy. The machinery depicted in the anime is generally really neat looking, though flying motorbikes and such quirks tended to appear more amusing than cool. A big hand to the character designs as well; I could stare at Amanda's shiny green eyes and luscious lips forever. Also, I hope you like cleavage shots. You'll be having a hard time watching Blassreiter if you don't.

Though I spent a good while beating on the show's forced realism with cruelty, the aspect does accentuate the fact that Blassreiter is not your heap of moe-blob BS. Which is always a plus in my book. And no matter how much I'd think that gluttoning with harshness is just plain lame, a scene of a poor boy confessing crimes he didn't do with his hand on a bible while the true culprits sneer around him did clutch my innards. Always a good sign for an anime to be able to do that.

So yeah. Wanna see a solid, serious anime that'll keep you entertained till the end but with which you don't have to fear it'll shatter the earth below you? Grab Blassreiter.