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The trend of crossover anime seems to be a hot topic this year since many famous shows took it up on themselves to share their screen time with their maybe a bit less known or popular counterparts or rivals in the vast sea of anime. Some good examples would be Toriko and One Piece or Gintama and Sket Dance crossovers, witch were both in my honest opinion very good and gave both starring shows enough room to distinguish themselves. However the Itsu-Ten and DenYuuDen crossover seems a bit, well, lacking in comparison to the previous shows. How ? Let´s see here:

Story: 7
Well the story of ... a one episode OVA isn´t really what most people come looking for, but never the less, it is there, or at least in a way. Most of the OVA concentrates on a familiar concept of body-switching, which ultimately leads to some comedy moments, however the setting of it all is focused purely on the Itsu-Ten world which is kinda disappointing, considering this is (or at least should have been) a crossover between two different anime. And despite the cheap laughs the fans of the first show will definitely get, the same can´t be said about the DenYuuDen part of the crossover (though I guess you´ll get cheap laughs too), since the DenYuuDen part takes up pretty much the last 5 minutes of the whole OVA, which might bring some people (me included) to question, why did they even bother making a crossover when one show gets a whole episode and the other is just filling up time till the credit-roll. Personally I´d ditch the crossover and make 2 separate OVAs for both series which would probably please way more people than what the authors did here, but hey, not my call.

Art,Sound,Characters: 8-9
Yeah, not going to get deep into any of this, why ? Well, pretty much because both shows kept their respected features and thus criticizing something here won´t really make a point now would it ? (If you want detailed descriptions, go read reviews on the actual shows themselves ;) )

Enjoyment: 7
Pretty good really. The OVA itself was funny despite the fact that the nature of body switching plots is kinda over used already. However it was portrayed well in the Itsu-Ten part so, pass. As for the DenYuuDen, well, as a fan of DYD I´m disappointed they got only such short screen time but at least they made it worth it and made the OVA go out in a bang, kinda :D

Overall: 7
Comparing this crossover to those that came before it would be really cruel to it´s final grade since I think it lacked a bit (or a lot) on the whole “crossover” concept. One could easily see the DYD part as one of those short, leftover-time-consuming, mini shows that the old anime used to have at their end, which is not bad, but if you plan to watch it for the DYD part, you´ll just enjoy the last 5 minutes, while those who watch it for Itsu-Ten get the rest. But if you don´t care either way or you like both shows, it´s a win/win.

(P.S. NOTE: I know this is considered (and called) a Itsuka Tenma no Kuro Usagi OVA thus the show should logically get priority in screentime BUT they branded this as a crossover thus I treated it that way in the review ;) )

I am invincible. My shadow skills are unmatched. The power of my blow has no equal. With these words Shadow Skill – Eigi enters the arena to determine whether it really is what it claims to be... An anime worth your time.

Story: 8

The story of Shadow Skill – Eigi takes place in the land of Kuruda, which is one of four lands that protect the Holy City of Julianess. (Each land has its own unique fighting style but only Kurudan is actually looked at beyond just name and one move.) Among the four, Kuruda is known for its long history of invincibility due to ... their elite warriors known as Sevalle/Sevar. The main heroin, Elle Ragu is one of these warriors, namely the most recent one, and thus maybe not that well known at first. Along with her step-brother Gau Ban, whom she took into her care once his family was killed, they face various adventures in Kuruda. Along the way hey meet some old friends like Fia Arcana, who seems to have a history with Elle, or some new ones like Kyou, who is a member of an demon-beast hunting group. The first “half” of the series is in a bit lighter tone, concentrating more on the adventuring and so, rather than doing anything too deep. Testimony to this are the various comedy moments which are not rare for fantasy anime but here comedy does not play a major role. This however changes after a while when the real plot starts to unfold. All the seemingly unimportant things start to matter as they begin to play their main role in one man's plan to annihilate the so long managed peace. The ending is nice and fulfilling despite the fact it leaves some questions unanswered. Maybe a sequel in some distant future ? Who knows. (doubt it ^^)

Characters: 8

The characters in this anime are diverse and in tone of the old days of fantasy anime. Elle is the strong type that acts lazy but when push comes to shove she is dependable and acts mature. She earned her title and it doesn´t get to her head. She is quite protective of her little brother but in her own way. Gau, the second of the two main characters, is Elles adoptive little brother. He trains hard and does his best to be of any help to Elle. He is portrayed as the weaker individual climbing his way to fame and strength thanks to the support of his surroundings. However, he has his own inner demons whom he has to face so he can become like his older sister. This though, becomes more apparent in the second half of the story. The other characters are also done very well but they are a bit neglected. Indeed Fia and Kyou got some attention regarding their personal backgrounds and so on but the rest is either minimal or shrouded in mystery at best. We have many characters whose past has been hinted a few times however the line ends there and we are left to ponder who or what they really are.

Art: 7

Well, as expected from a show that is over 10 years old, the graphic side to this anime is nowhere near today's standard. Be it characters, locations or misc. For me however, that is not a negative. Sure, it may not be so detailed or the colours aren´t so vivid but I still think it stands on equal ground with its brethren form the days of old. It certainly has its own unique ring to it but if you aren´t a junky for modern anime art styles then this will hardly play a role in your enjoyment.

Sound: 7

OP and ED were nice but hardly memorable. You might listen to them a few times but then it´s fast forwards from a certain point on. The rest of the sound department is good at best. VA is done very nicely and that´s about it for sound...

Enjoyment: 8

I personally enjoyed this anime quite a bit. It has all an anime needs to keep its audience entertained throughout the entire run without having to worry about too much fillers that can bore you to death. The story isn´t ground-breakingly innovative or anything and yet it´s not unoriginal either. It has many elements of your ordinary fantasy anime but tied together by a entertaining story and nice characters. What more can one ask for ?

Overall: 8

Shadow Skill – Eigi is definitely worth watching for any fantasy anime fan out there and even for those that aren´t fans, since it still manages to be entertaining. They might not find it as great but at least they won´t be let down either. This is one of those anime where you can sit back and relax while watching the story unfold without having to worry whether you are or not just wasting your time. In short, if you are a fantasy fan watch it and you´ll be pleased. If you aren´t but have the time, give it a try, who knows, you might like it even more. ^^

Re-watchability: 3/5
(5)- Anywhere, anytime, as many times as you like!
(4)-Definitely worth seeing more than 3 times…
(3)-Once for regular viewer, 2 (or even 3) times for a fan.
(2)- Seeing once is more than enough.
(1)- Impossible to even reach the end…

Ruin Explorers are just like the name states: Something you look at in hopes of finding a treasure but you need to first search it in order to see whether you´ll find a treasure or just piles dirt. So what does this 4 episode OVA hide inside ?

Story: 7
The story takes us to a fantasy world where people called Ruin Explorers do their work in order to either stay alive by finding at least something valuable or they search for mythical treasures of immense power. In this world Ihrie and Fam are on a search for the “Ultimate Power” in order to fulfil their wishes. ... Along the way they meet a few other characters with the same idea on mind as them, a prince who wishes to avenge himself for the demise of his kingdom and you can pretty much guess how it all turns out. By now you may already think that there isn´t really much of originality in the story or the settings but the way the story is told and how it all unfolds is a rather refreshing return to the good old days when fantasy anime were still all about magic and monsters rather than fanservice and commerciality. But I would also lie if I said that this show is perfect. It has it´s minor setbacks and not all things are cleared or explained in the end but the ending is nice and satisfactory never the less.

Characters: 7
The number of characters in this show is rather low but who´d need more in a 4 episode OVA, right ? The main duo Ihrie and Fam are done nicely, each having their own distinctive personality which only contributes to the old days of fantasy anime. Ihrie being the headstrong tomboy with mild temper and swords flying around while Fam is the gentle and innocent type that would never hurt a fly and is the main source of “accidents” which put a smile on your face. The rest of the supporting characters are pretty much as you´d expect them to be. You have the rivals, the greedy merchant, the arch-villain and a handsome prince looking for revenge. The downside (more or less) is that none of the characters is actually looked at deeply. Meaning that aside from a glimpse of Ihries´ and the princes´ background there isn´t almost any character development.

Art: 7
The art is the same as the entire anime – old school. The character models, the backgrounds, the depth of the colours or the details. Everything is as it should be considering the age of this anime. It all smells of nostalgia and the good old days of anime like Slayers or Gokudou-kun Manyuuki. Of course, it´s no eye-candy like today's shows but it has it´s own ring to it and if you aren´t an addict to the modern looks of anime this will hardy be a distraction or a negative for you.

Sound: 7
The OP and the ED are nice but you´ll probably skip them after the first time hearing them. They too are in the tone of the old ways but that doesn´t mean they´re bad, just that they aren´t that good either, but how can you judge until you hear it for yourself, no ?

Enjoyment: 8
It was rather nice to once again see a fantasy anime that actually is a fantasy anime. Don´t get me wrong, I have nothing against modern fantasy anime but it´s just that the old ones seem to be a bit more true to the genre than the modern ones. All in all, the show was entertaining despite how short it was so I don´t see a reason why not give it a try.

Overall: 7
Ruin Explorers is a nice yet short anime that isn´t that great and doesn´t really stand out that much yet it still manages to bee good enough to entertain you for the entire run of the 4 episodes. The story is nice (yet maybe not so original), the characters are likeable, the art is nothing to be afraid of and the sound is also nothing horrible. So, what are you still waiting for ? ^^

Re-watchability: 3/5
(5)- Anywhere, anytime, as many times as you like!
(4)-Definitely worth seeing more than 3 times…
(3)-Once for regular viewer, 2 (or even 3) times for a fan.
(2)- Seeing once is more than enough.
(1)- Impossible to even reach the end…

Basically put, Tenjou Tenge: The Ultimate Fight, is a rather short though at times nice continuation of the original Tenjou Tenge anime series. The OVA is way too short for there to actually be anything mind-blowingly awesome yet like the original it does a really good job at staying true to the manga.

Story (Continuation vs. Ending): 7
The story practically continues where the prequel left off, but since it still follows the manga you won´t really get an long-awaited conclusion but rather two nice little episodes that add a little bit of something to the original story yet they once again leave you yearning either ... for more or an “real” ending, like the prequel did. All in all the story can hardly play a major role in a 2 episode OVA but that doesn´t mean it´s not there or it´s not worth watching.

Characters/Art/Sound (Old vs. Old ?): 8
Airing approximately a year after the original series the OVA retained pretty much all of the previous characteristics. Everything is more or less the same so if you liked how things were in the prequel you´ll be happy to know nothing changed and if you didn´t, well, tough luck. ^^

Enjoyment:(Love vs. Hate) 7- 8
Not much to say actually. I liked it as I did the prequel and the fact that nothing really changed aside the story that goes forward a little bit there isn´t much to either like or dislike. Simply put, it´s nice but nothing to go OMG about.

Overall (Devotion vs. Originality): 7 (objective) / 8 (subjective)
Well, in the end the versus between staying true to the manga and actually bringing something new to the series ended pretty much in a draw. I doubt many people that read the manga (myself included) would enjoy a forced make-belief ending while on the other hand those who never read it will probably always long for that little bit of something to tie it nicely all up in a pleasant ending. To sum up. Until the manga finishes and they decide to continue the trend of being true to its story and finish the anime series in that manner, Tenjou Tenge: The Ultimate Fight will remain a promise of something to come or a remainder of what could have been but wasn´t.

Re-watchability: 2-3 /5
(5)- Anywhere, anytime, as many times as you like!
(4)-Definitely worth seeing more than 3 times…
(3)-Once for regular viewer, 2 (or even 3) times for a fan.
(2)- Seeing once is more than enough.
(1)- Impossible to even reach the end…

Well, how to begin... Let me start by words that this OVA was rather disappointing. It isn´t bad, NO ! I enjoyed it quite a bit but, I enjoyed the original series a lot more and once I watched this I just felt like this OVA should get a second title: The deleted Scenes or The Alternative version. Why ? Let me explain...

Story: 6-7/10
The story of the OVA is set after the happenings of the original series but you´ll rarely get the feeling it really is taking place after everything because except some small differences the whole OVA looks more like something that didn´t ... fit into the original story rather than its continuation. Testimony to this argument is the fact that only a half of the entire OVA has actually something to do with the story and its “continuation”. The other half can be described with one word: “filler”. Approximately 5 of the 10 episodes are fillers portraying individuals in either everyday life or describing their backgrounds. It´s not necessarily bad, but it kind of confuses the whole feel of the entire OVA. Were they trying to continue the story or bring depth to the characters? Looking at the OVA one might think both but that proves to be not the smartest solution if you ask me. The OVA would be a lot better if they went only with one of the two possibilities and concentrate on it, rather than having both but each being half-assed. The worst part of it all is the fact that like the original series, even the OVA ends with a cliff-hanger but unlike the original where the ending could be interpreted as a kind of “open ending”, the end of the OVA literally demands another season that would continue where the OVA left off (but let´s be frank, the possibility of there ever being a continuation is nearing absolute zero so the OVA leaves a certain feel of incompletion thus disappointment).

Characters/Art/Sound: 8/10
Aside from the story, not much has changed. The characters kept most of their traits (with some changes here and there but nothing major) and even the sound and graphic quality remained on the pretty much same level considering how old the show actually is. Even the humour remained. Maybe not so much of it as in the original but you still can find yourself smiling at some parts.

Enjoyment: 7-8/10
Since I liked the original to the point of giving it a 9/10 I was really happy to see the old faces of Tylor and co. once again. Despite the problems I had with the story the anime proved to be not that bad as a whole but due to its nature I just couldn´t bring myself to like it as much as I did the prequel. In short, the OVA is enjoyable but don´t expect too much.

Overall: 7/10
Due to the rather weak story (and the way it ends) the OVA is far from home when it comes to comparing it to the original series but as the saying goes: “It still could have been worse”. It isn´t bad or anything but it definitely could have been better in more aspects than one. If you liked the original you might probably like even the OVA with its ups and downs and if you won´t put too much hope in it you might find it to be a not so good but still nice sequel.

Re-watchability: 2/5
(5)- Anywhere, anytime, as many times as you like!
(4)-Definitely worth seeing more than 3 times…
(3)-Once for regular viewer, 2 (or even 3) times for a fan.
(2)- Seeing once is more than enough.
(1)- Impossible to even reach the end…

Writers note: This is my first review so be “gentle” =D

Firstly let me start by saying that I´m not the biggest romance/school/drama genre fan there is but from time to time even I need to take a break and watch something just for the sake of seeing something “different” from what I usually prefer/watch and as luck would have it I managed to stumble upon a jewel that nicely surprised me.

Now that the intro is done let me get straight to the point. Shinkyoku Soukai Polyphonica (later only SSP) can be seen as your every-day normal romance/slice of life/fantasy anime with all the basic ... elements (via spirits, magic/abilities, school, romance etc.) but it also has something you won´t find in many (if any) anime of this genre and that is the concept behind it all. Sure, spirits, contacts, huge fights, lots of effects, love story, etc. that all has been here before but the idea of controlling a spirit by playing music is something "I´ve" seen for the first time and I must say it astonished me how well it was executed.

The story of SSP takes us to a world where spirits and people coexist mostly in harmony, with exceptions of course, and their relationship is based on a contact between a spirit and its “master” (contractor). The master plays a special kind of song for the spirit in order for it to attain additional power in battles or to do whatever the master desires. The songs played differ from person to person as do the instruments that the masters preform them on. Unfortunately that is as far as the “plot” of SSP goes since the story behind it is episode-based or in other words episodic (meaning each episode is its own story with its beginign and end, the only thing linking them together as a whole are the characters that appear in them).

Throughout the run of this 12 episode series you are introduced to a number of characters, some are more interesting than others (and are also treated that way). The main leads (Phoron and Corti) are done very well along with the rest of their main supporting characters. With their ups and downs they take you through the entire series leaving a smile on your face from time to time. The character development isn´t playing that much of a role due to the episodic nature of the series but there are hints of it if nothing else. Unfortunately though, the shows gives a feel that there could have been more to the characters and their backgrounds which is a bit disappointing (luckily this is more or less resolved in the Second season which is a prequel to this one).

The art of SSP is pretty much more on the average level. It isn´t bad b ut it´s also nothing that stands out for its greatness. The character design along with the backgrounds and all the other minor details are done pretty well but you´ll probably find some kinks here and there but nothing major. Like I said, nothing out-of-the-ordinary but you won´t be disappointed that much either.

The music in SSP is something that literally swept me of my feet and left a lasting impression of near-greatness. In anime, songs which are in the background are mostly unimportant to me, not because I don´t like them but I like to concentrate more on what is happening on screen rather then listening to the tunes that are being played (but I must also admit that sometimes there is a song that just won´t leave me impassive even if it is in the background). But back to the point. The songs and music preformed in this anime are really one-of-a-kind and frankly, they are AWSOME (at least most of them). Whether it is the instruments that are being played or the singing done by the characters, you can prepare yourself to be amazed. Of course even the OP and ED are quite nice.

I personally enjoyed the series really much and there aren´t many things I can complain about. It has it´s brighter sides (characters, music) as well as its darker ones (episode based, art) but that is still no reason why not give it a try.

All in all, as I mentioned in the beginning, Shinkyoku Soukai Polyphonica can be compared to an unpolished jewel. It doesn´t really stand out that much from its genre and it isn´t that well known but once you give it a try you´ll find out that you stumbled upon something quite unique that you won´t definitely see every day. Whether its for the better or for the worse ? That is up to you to decide...

Re-watchability: 3/5
(5)- Anywhere, anytime, as many times as you like!
(4)-Definitely worth seeing more than 3 times…
(3)-Once for regular viewer, 2 (or even 3) times for a fan.
(2)- Seeing once is more than enough.
(1)- Impossible to even reach the end…