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You have robots that form co-ed "unions." You have a hero that's kind of boring, plain and just wishy-washy. You have the girl that every one likes for whatever reason who happens to be completely useless and you have the girl that actually does something but is rejected. You have a confusing story with more plot holes than Mix can fill (you'll get it if you watch) and you have a generic and boring ending.

Amata is an idiot as generic a hero as you could possibly find. Kagura (Amata's what...darker half? I don't even know) is a weirdo who spends an entire 26 episodes ... obsessing over the same girl and then gives up on her when he sees the power of "love." Well, ok. Mikono, Mikano, whatever her name is... there isn't anything special about her and she's not useful in any way- even in her final attempt to do something she fails. Zessica, who is head over heels in love with Amata, gets no love despite at least being useful and capable and having an actual personality with emotions and opinions.

There were far more interesting couples in the show, such as Andy and Mix, and I wouldn't have minded if the main characters had fallen into obscurity while these guys, as well as a few other characters, took the main stage. All in all, yes, there are "orgasmic" power-ups. If that's your cup of tea, which it probably is, then watch. But don't expect a lot of things to make sense apart from that. Though to be honest... that doesn't make much sense either. But I didn't watch the first anime this one is based on/sequel of, so maybe I missed something.

This is a nice anime if you're not looking for a lot of depth of story or character. The characters themselves are nothing special, it's the character interactions that really make the difference, as they are heartwarming and honest. The real star of the show bar none is Dera. He's the source of pretty much all that's funny and he adds a "magical" flair to the show. The story itself is "there" but not really. What I mean by this is that, while the reason of Dera's presence (and later on Choi) influences the overall theme, it doesn't really have a presence in the episodes ... themselves (it doesn't even really come into effect until the last two or three episodes). Rather, they are about Tamako and the residents of her little market and how they interact- and Dera. There is no real resolution and most everything, other than just one thing really, is left open-ended, as is to be expected with this kind of show. I would recommend this anime to anyone that has some free time and is looking for something cute, funny and heartwarming to watch.

Ok....here's the thing about this here manga...

It starts off with a decent (though unoriginal) story, introduces good characters and puts a somewhat interesting 'obstacle' in the main characters' relationship...

But then it kind of goes down hill...

Nene and Jun's interaction is adorable at first and though you sense there will be some hardship, you can't help but cheer it on. Then as a certain character begins to show her true colors and becomes a total &*^%*(# you start to think 'what's wrong with her??? And what the *^%%$ is wrong with that %$#% for putting up with her?!' Then you start to get annoyed that ... _____ is such an idiotic person.... and then by the time the story is over, you don't want it to end the way it did because the whole vision you had for that character is gone and you don't want to cheer for that relationship anymore...

It's really sad because it starts off super promising and super cute, but the decisions made by _____ as well as what _______ does in certain situations (or more like what ______ DOESN'T do) piss you off to the point you're not happy with the ending and you're thinking 'why did I just waste an hour reading this???'

I think it's the fact the manga was so short... after all it is only two volumes. I think if it had been longer, then the characters could have been fleshed out a lot more and then you'd be able to enjoy the story.

When you come up with something that at first makes the reader feel like 'KYAAAHHH!!!' and ends up making them think they'd rather make a side story of another pairing in the story because they hate the way it ended up...you know it's FAIL.

One thing though, the art work is SUPERB. It's really beautiful to look at and it's mainly the reason I gave it a 6...it would have been lower otherwise. As far as story, it got a 6 only because the plot itself wasn't that bad, it was just the characters themselves that messed things up, hence why characters gets a 4. Enjoyment.... 5.

Read at your own risk. Disappointment guaranteed.

Ah...Skip Beat...what can I say about you, except that you're probably THE most enjoyable anime I've ever watched. If you've ever jumped into an anime, not expecting much of anything from it, so ready to drop it (I was NOT a big fan of the art at first) and yet after watching a few minutes of the first episode you knew you couldn't for any reason pull away? Well that's how I felt watching Skip Beat! I saw this a while back, but I've currently started reading the manga, so I thought I'd give it a review.

Story:
The story is one of revenge. Kyouko is devoted ... to her childhood friend Shou and thus tries to help him out on his quest to become famous. But Shou is a jerk of epic proportions and he mistreats Kyouko to the point she can't take it anymore. She decides she'll get revenge on him for all he's done and how he's made her 'lose her youth.' She decides entering show biz and becoming an even bigger star than him is the way to go. Along the way she learns a couple of important lessons, growing and changing as she tries to make it to the top. It's really not the most outlandish story line out there but I don't think it's the most common either. Even if the story line wasn't solid, it's the trials and tribulations of Kyouko and her UBER awesome personality that makes this anime solid.

Art:
I was a bit turned off by the art to the point I almost didn't watch it, but I decided to at least give the first episode a look-see and I was hooked. I've learned to feel comfortable with the art and I've come to feel it fits the characters just right.

Sound:
I don't pay much attention, so either way, good or bad, I wouldn't know XD

Character:
Kyouko is the solid lead of this anime and by all means it stands on her shoulders alone. She's not your typical weak, crybaby, shojo anime heroine. She's strong, independent, hard-working and strong-willed. Plus, she has a wicked vengeful, 'I'll kick your ---- any day!' kind of attitude. But at the same time she's pure-hearted and deep down she's really just someone who wants to be loved and accepted, whether she understands that herself or not. Plus, she's hilarious. The first episode alone has her whipping out like 100000 facial expressions that are just drop dead funny. That's another thing that makes her great, she's sooooo expressive. You're never at odds about what she's thinking. YOU JUST KNOW. The other characters are great as well, each having a personality that, although seems very shallow, is in fact quite multi-faceted. But one thing is always evident, it seems Kyouko is always the one bringing out the best in everyone.

Enjoyment:
I don't usually laugh out loud at anime... to be perfectly honest, even if it's actually funny, I'll laugh on the inside. BUT I couldn't do that with Skip Beat. It was non-stop LOL-ness, to the point people were staring and thinking I was weird. I can truly say, if you're into this sort of anime, you'll be laughing your tail off too. It's just a fun anime. And you can't help but relate to Kyouko and feel everything she's feeling.

Overall:
I'd say, for shojo anime lovers out there, this is the best I've seen. And I'm sure you'll enjoy it, even if not as much as I did.

Well, this is one eccentric show. And even calling it that seems to take away from the eccentricity of it all. I do know this, it had me laughing like a maniac the first episode through and if an anime can do that, it's worth watching to the end. I like that it's really just weird and the characters ae weird, but behind everything it's just a kind of oddball romance and it's cute to see the interaction between Rec and Nino, especially how Nino teaches Rec a few things without her even noticing. I think this is going to be a cute comedy with ... a nice romantic underlining. I can't wait to see it develop further. Plus, it can be funny as hell.

Story: 8- Oddball comedy with a romance lining. FUNNY.

Art: 7-8- I'm on the fence here. Some shots of Nino are stunning, and some scenes are beautiful. But it's not consistent. And Rec looks odd most of the time, though he has his fair share of 'good' shots.

Sound: -- Again, not paying much attention. The OP is cute though.

Character: 7-8- They've already introduced a good bit of weird characters, and Rec gets some back-story right off the bat, but really I'm curious to learn about all the other characters! Especially Nino, who is she really? Where did she come from? Why is she there? Why won't she leave the bridge?? And...what's wrong with everyone else??! But maybe (if this is that kind of anime) we'll never get an answer to those questions.

Enjoyment: 8-9- Super funny. 'Nuff said! But really, it'll make you laugh out-loud like a little kid most of the time (though other times it's just weird). I'm waiting for the romance to kick-off though,

MAID-SAMA! I'm a total fangirl and I love me some shoujo romance. Maid-sama is a cute anime with some interesting aspects and some formulaic stuff thrown in.

First off, I enjoy the play of personalities with Misaki and Usui, they seem like total opposites but their personalities click, even if there's some denial on Misa's half. Usui comes off as an odd character to pinpoint at first. You don't really know what's going on in his head or how 'deep' the rivers of his personality really run. He'll surprise you with some of the things he does and his amount of insight into the world ... around him and into Misa. Misa herself isn't all that interesting. Basic plain-Jane, hard-working, man-hating (semi), overachieving character as many. She can come off a bit strong at first and maybe you won't like her all that much, but as the story progresses, you get to see her softer side and they interplay of her and Usui's personalities and you know that he's responsible for her growth in many ways so it makes you want to root for them as a couple even more. I love this kind of stuff, so for me this is fangirling heaven :D

Story: 7- Man-hating president goes undercover as maid, cute guy finds out, she has to keep it a secret. Lol. Yeah. Ok, not the best story ever, but it's cute! And it works!

Art: 6- Ahhh...the art... well, what can I say here? Sometimes it's awesome looking. At certain close-ups and during some scenes, it's down-right pretty (in a basic shoujo romance way) but then most of the time it gets ugly and is VERY inconsistent.

Sound: -- Must admit I haven't paid much attention to it. I will talk about the ED and the LOLness that ensued. It's just one of those WTF LMAO kind of things.

Character: so far...6-7- It's not that I don't enjoy Usui (because I do!) and it's not that I dislike Misaki (because I don't, I just hope she's not like Hikari from SA). I'm just waiting for some in-depth character development or some back-story or SOMETHING!

Enjoyment: 8- Laugh out loudness in the form of shoujo goodness. I love it all. You might too.

Ahh, Yumeiro Patissiere... your very basic, formulaic shoujo anime.
Cute, klutzy shoujo = check
Magical element = check
Bishounen to drive your heroine crazy = check

Although it's pretty basic and very innocent, it's what makes it such a cute anime! If you love feel-good, learn life-lessons, shoujo anime, you'll love Yumeir Patissiere. You have your klutzy heroine who learn important lessons in friendship, perseverance, being true to one's self and maybe even love! You have loads of characters with the Sweet Princes and the spirits and the episodes and cute and endearing, if not overtly innocent. The main comedic relief would have to be Ichigo. She's clumsy and ... all but her blurts and sarcastic lines are actually quite enjoyable. But hey, I kinda like the innocence of it all. One thing I always look forward to is the desserts! The illustrated desserts are beautiful and you actually learn a good bit of things on baking and making sweets. You see sweets you've never even heard of and it may drive you to explore and get into it as well (I know I googled opera cake, got a nice recipe and am ready to make one!). Overall, again, if you're into shoujo anime and love cute things, then you'll love Yumeiro Patissiere.

Art: 7- Good sometimes, but really odd other times.

Story: 7- Cute shoujo story and it's got a nice pacing. Nothing hard-core, but realistic and entertaining.

Sound: 7- I know I have the OP stuck in my head.

Character: 8- A good few characters, each is developed considerably and I'm sure there's more development to come.

Enjoyment: 7-8- Very cute and the comedy is nice also. A good time, no doubt about it. If you're into this sort of stuff.

Since this is a new anime and only four episodes are out so far, it's a little hard to write a full blown-review. But it's a funny show, so I thought I'd give it a try.

Basically, the only relatively normal characters in the story are Takanashi and Sato, and the other blue-haired guy who's name escapes me. Takanashi is actually very funny to watch, his reactions to the other employees (Such his fear of Yachiyo and his annoyance towards Inami and her brutal ways) is most of the comedy anyway. Taneshima is cute and bubbly and really does remind you of a middle-schooler, which ... is sad considering she's 17. Yachiyo seems like a bit of an air-head but it's semi-tolerable, but then again it's part of the wackyness of the show. The only character that really annoys me is Inami. I just want to punch her (hehehe).
Overall, the show provides a good set of main characters and eventually, each character gets a bit of story time and they get developed, although if you're expecting a whole lot of depth and character development, you're watching the wrong anime.
The comedy is oddball and it can be VERY funny at times, but it can also be very annoying. Overall, I enjoy it as a slice-of-life and it's really a nice distraction where you can just enjoy it and let the time pass you by.

Art: 8- Very good, consistent.

Sound: 6- Nothing out of the ordinary here.

Characters: A good well-rounded cast. I'm sure you'll find a character to like, one to hate and one that you're on the fence about :D

Story: 7- Basic slice-of-life with odd characters. Don't expect anything with depth.

Enjoyment: 7-8- If you're into slice-of-life comedies, you'll enjoy it. Again, the humor is a bit off sometimes, but overall, worth watching for a easy, feel-good time.

Hayao Miyazaki's work is and always will be outstanding. Although some may complain because Ponyo wasn't up to par with some of his more serious work, we do have to keep in mind that Ponyo is geared to small children. With this knowledge on hand, it's a heart warming movie that is meant to showcase the innocence and purity of a child's heart. At least that's what I gathered from it. I've seen the Japanese version and not the Disney dub. These are my own opinions after all, sorry if they disagree with anyone's. Enjoy!

Story:

The story itself is kind of like a loose interpretation of ... the little mermaid, sans evil octopus witch. There is no clear "villain" to the story, as with many of Miyazaki's other works. The closest thing I'd have to say is Ponyo's father, a sorcerer who believes humans are vile creatures who destroy the ocean. It's really a lighthearted story about a fish and a boy who share a really pure and innocent love for each other. These days everything is tainted and complicated and blah blah, so it was a nice break to see Ponyo, which really showcases how beautiful a child's heart and emotions can be. The movie wasn't really in-depth and complex, but I think that's part of it's charm. Not everything has to be super complex, full of plot-twists and deep, revealing moments for it to be a good and enjoyable story. Ponyo tells it's story in a simplistic manner, calling for an emotional response rather than a rational one. If you're expecting Matrix level depth, look elsewhere...

Art:

As always, Miyazaki's works are visually dazzling. From the very first scene to the last, you'll be amazed at all of that hand-drawn magic. From the calm scene of thousands of detailed sea creatures to the action-packed, awe-inspiring waves of giant fish clashing against the roads and mountains, you wont be able to believe how beautiful the world that was created in Ponyo truly is. The characters are lovable and endearing in the way they were drawn, especially fish-form Ponyo and her little sisters (you'll certainly be screaming "KAWAII!" more than a few times). As always, Miyazaki's work is an animation masterpiece.

Sound:

Unfortunately, I don't pay attention to sound as often as I should! Ponyo's sound went along fine with each of the scenes as a complement rather than a distraction. The end song was pretty cute also!

Character:

Ponyo and Sousuke as the main characters certainly achieved a heartwarming sensation on me and the rest of the viewers. They're lovable characters you instantly take a liking to and as far as Ponyo goes, you cheer for her all the way. Even Fujimoto is a likable character, and as stated before, he's as close to a villain as you'll get in this movie. You are introduced to a few other characters, each with their own amount of appeal. I don't believe that the movie achieved any super in-depth look into the characters but I also think that because of the audience it was aimed to and the story itself, it was best this way.

Enjoyment:

Simply fantastic. It's a fun movie that everyone in the family can watch and enjoy. It's not something that will cause you to have an epiphany or that will reveal some sort of universal truth, but it'll definitely show you something about what we all once had and unfortunately lost along the way.... and kids will certainly love it!