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Go! Princess Precure was a hard thing to pick up given that my preferences - while being variant with genres like Horror, psychological, comedy, slice of life, mecha, sci-fi, sports, shounen etc prominent - never really had the Mahou (magical) part. However Princess Precure is more than just pretty girls being super powerful and awesome. But before I tackle what is the anime's theme (I don't mean the story/synopsis) I would like to convey one thing strongly. Go! Princess Precure is not targeted towards a mature audience and so don't expect it to appeal in such a manner.

The anime is meant for a younger ... audience, regardless of gender and should be appreciated as such. That doesn't mean a grown up CANNOT enjoy it (I am 23 and I loved it) but one has to keep in mind what the anime is about and for whom does it deliver. Which brings me back to my main discussion. Princess Precure is saturated with positive themes. It's basic premise would be to follow your dreams no matter how hard it is. Alongside it gives many other valuable lessons regarding friends, family, and understanding people. It shows us that the struggle for our dreams may be tough but still we struggle because we dream. And that is the beauty as well as the crux of the anime.

Now since it is for kids, it does not border on themes that are surely part of real life but may be hard for kids to understand or might have a negative impact on them and so we have no adult style jokes, no deliberate sarcasm, no politics (back stabbing and what not). And of course we have a long transformation. However that doesn't mean we have a bland story with no ups and downs. There is tension, there is anticipation, there are rather quite thrilling scenes.

The pacing is well done - it doesn't move the story too fast for it to confuse or too slow for it to bore. The animation is good - it is over all a vibrant and smooth display and where the anime wishes to deliver, it delivers beautifully with intense fighting scenes (no blood or gore though). The sounds are complimenting though I didn't find anything excessively outstanding about it. The characters do adhere to certain specific traits but honestly, given that it was for kids, excessive 3-D personality build would be unsuitable. That is not to say that the characters are just dumb projections - they play their part well.

So if one understands that the anime is in essence a lesson targeting mainly kids, then anyone can enjoy it. It has a lot to offer and plot wise it handles things very well leaving a memorable experience. I hope you enjoy it!

Robot Carnival an anime that before starting I was a little hesitant about. It wasn't the art work or age that worried me (I saw it a year back or so) but the fact that each episode was completely independent and that meant that while some episodes will be mediocre, some will be amazing however regardless, there is no story to look forward to. But then again each episode has a fresh feel to it, and since their length varies from 4 mins to approx 20 mins, we are not wasting too much time experimenting. However these conflicted views were before watching the anime. For ... Robot Carnival is a lucid experience that I would recommend to most people who don't have a stiff lip when it comes to different genres or old art work.

As pointed out earlier each episode is a unique story however each has certain appeal for different viewers and I for one enjoyed almost all episodes. Some are simple single themed episodes with a not-so-deep yet appealing execution, others are deep, well expressed representations of humanity and its different aspects - others have both a side for normal viewers and thinkers alike (examples would be 2nd and 4th episode notably). The art is interesting - appealing in most instances though of course the fact that it is from 1987 should be kept in mind. We have various forms of character designs and sceneries. Different atmospheres can also be found through the series. The characters are like the story, some simple - others extremely complicated and some hard to judge. However that is the beauty of the series - its variety of themes and perspective. A unique aspect to this series is the fact that most of the episodes are silent - with music, but no dialogue but that actually adds to the experience.

In a nutshell, I would recommend this to most people - yet I would specifically call out the older and more mature audience that can analyze various aspects of an anime.

Ace wo Nerea! Translated to Aim for the Ace is an underrated 1973's anime and that probably brings the first doubt to mind: The animation. Now before we move ahead, I'll tackle the animation as quickly as possible so it is easy for animation critics to decide whether to watch it or not.

The animation of course is old. It lacks the luster and details, and fluidity of more recent animes. The colors are dull and at times the character features are seriously out of shape. Plus, there is a lot of sequence repetition. However - and this is important, the animation has its positives. The ... char features and build are consistent and the facial art style is somewhat unique and at times even attractive. They have repetition, yes - however they do manage to pull of unique sequences when required as well. And as someone who has followed a decent few recent animes, the animation is bearable. It is needed at this point to be understood that it is not an anime which features amazing graphic tennis but a story about a personality and a player strengthening separately and their journey through many hurdles.

After having filtered out people who had issues with animation - the question pops up - is the anime good in the rest of the aspects? As far as story goes - it is a present cliche of "talentless protagonist going the distance to be one of the best" which wasn't as big a cliche then and even if it was, it is executed at a really good pace. You sort of know the ending and direction, but you watch for how it is executed. Each event - which is 1 to 2 episode long, manages well to keep your attention and doesn't let the show get too slow and boring or two fast and exciting to put you off.

As for characters, well - for one, I love the characters in it. The main chars at least are pretty believable, their cues, expressions, and dialogue truly reflect an average school life. Meaning, moods just don't 'appear' or 'feelings' don't just develop out of nowhere. Plus, the protagonist isn't the total cry baby that just loses hope. And if that IS your first impression about her, it does change as the anime progresses. Some may rightly claim that certain chars are 1 dimensional however the anime does hint that they are showing a certain 'aspect' of their life, or their personality as they wish to show and their intentions, thoughts may be different and/or they may act differently given different situations. That is NOT shown for every single char, but it did help enough to keep me happy with the chars.

There is one issue after watching many recent animes perhaps and it is that there are instances where you can guess which character to pop up to boost/demoralize the protagonist or add tension in the storyline, however unless one is overly critical about such matters, it is something that can be overlooked.

The sounds are old, quirky and seem like something my parents might like. But they do manage to compliment the anime considerably and that is their purpose in essence.

So over how would I describe it? An anime with old school, yet bearable and at times 'good' animation, believable progression of a tennis players skill and personality build with certain embarrassing, certain comical, and certain frustrating events that one does face in real. The episodes progress in a well thought manner, nudging you to see further and when I finished it, I was certainly happy to pick this up.

It is a recommendation to all people who like sports, and good char development, and rather then looking for an extremely unique story are more satisfied with good execution and story line.

Thank you for reading and feedback - positive or negative (not random insults - FEEDBACK) is always welcome!

Top wo Nerae 2! Diebuster is a hard anime to review. Basically because it is hard to analyse it without comparing it to its prequel. However: that isn't wrong, considering it IS a sequel and it does connect with the original OVA. Furthermore, it tries to conclude with various references to Gunbuster so rather it would be futile to look at it as a stand alone work and it couldn't be appreciated without the comparison either.

Having said that - the story of Top wo Nerae 2! Diebuster isn't sublime. For one, it lets go of the realistic, more scientifically organized orientation that the first OVA ... set and picks up a rather far fetched fictional approach. That is mainly a neg as a sequel. Pushing technology ahead is one thing, but just coming up with ideas that seem to be written at a drinking party doesn't suit the anime as a sequel. Gunbuster set the universe as a futuristic approach to our present universe where technology had advanced, not a magical realm of superhuman races. That also reduced the attribute of tension that was prevalent in Gunbuster and brought the possibility of doing 'magical' stuff that doesn't suit the plot line of mankinds survival.

Secondly, there were plot holes. There were ideas poorly connected - there were ideas that spawned out of nowhere as if the story was not thought out properly in the start and at times there was no good transition from one event to another. And furthermore, small internal plots and politics that was added, brought little appeal to the show - they seemed like excuses to make the plot deep with a lot of stuff going on. This further gave little room for the main characters to interact and give off a more 'emotional' show that would have saved it some face. And just to add - the plot gave too much a feel of "Outlaw Star". The Serpentine Sisters seem like the Mcdougall brothers. The ending fight seems similar and there is a more of the 'chi'/power concept making it look like an Outlaw Star universe.

As a standalone plot, it would save more face - we would have to accept that it is a universe with certain abilities and fictional elements however it still doesn't deliver. There are still many more negatives like plot ones mentioned above - even as a standalone anime, it lacks a very good unique or well executed plot.

Now it may be my personal choice but the extremely vibrant, and girlish outlook of the characters didn't appeal to me. That however is a comment due to the comparison with Gunbuster; if we overlook that I did like the art in general, the fluidity, the backgrounds and color schemes. I would still say I find more appeal to the art style and execution of the original but picking on Diebuster at this point will be a very biased approach.

The characters were another weak thing about the show - Nono lacks much personality integrity - much like Luffy. And that doesn't sit well. Her wish from the start, her affiliation with "Onee-Sama" and her philosophy changes further down the show are lacking in several ways. Lal'c seems to be more well defined, more well crafted but that is only in comparison to Nono. Otherwise she also develops either too quickly, or conveniently for the plot. This is of course comparing to WELL developed characters. The rest of the characters don't require much attention - most were added for 'plot details' and 'politics' that was again lacking because either it didn't get too much time to develop or it seemed too cliched to appeal. More like a poorly developed cliche which makes it have little to no appeal.

So in the end did I enjoy watching the OVA? No. To fans of the original, watching this is a huge disappointment. To people just watching it for the sake of it, you shouldn't think too hard and enjoy what is going on otherwise you won't really like it.

Gugure! Kokkuri-san is a 'good' anime where the term 'good' surely requires a lot of explanation. For while I enjoyed it to some extent, I won't be extremely eager to recommend it to someone else. Let me explain. Unlike some animes that might not mess up in various ways but their positives are not so appealing either to get them a 9 or 10, Kokkuri san has both positives and negatives.

Plot wise, there isn't much except the appearance of the different ghostly characters in the anime and how interact with Kohina - the protagonist of sorts around which the entire story revolves. Thus it is ... an episodic anime, other than the characters popping at intervals, there is no bigger plot. And honestly the plot here doesn't matter as much as the characters and the entertainment they give. However there are certain themes tackled in separate episodes that are well developed and rather appealing to watch. They can be given credit.

The art is good - the scenery's are nice, colorful, the anime gives off a happy vibe to it and most of the characters are also drawn well. And the music was good - it was complimenting, setting the mood and over all I was fond of it.

The real critique starts here: As with episodic animes, the entire anime boils down to the enjoyment. Did you enjoy it? Did the previous episode make you want to watch the next? And the entertainment in such episodes depends greatly on the characters. How did THEY tackle the episode. It isn't a matter of plot - they could be going to a theme park or beach, or cleaning the house, but how they manage to execute it - and since this is a comedy anime, how many laughs did we get out of it.

Keeping in mind those criteria, the two characters that are introduced since the start of the anime (and I consider those two as the 'main' characters since one is Kohina - the girl around which the anime revolves and the other is the one after whom the anime is named), Kokkuri-san and Kohina are first to be discussed. And these two strike off very well together.

Kohina - a girl self believing she is a doll who goes off with philosophical monologues that even depress the aged spirit and the aged spirit (that doesn't look aged) that despite craving to be feared finds the unstable state of Kohina too pitiful to leave her alone. She depresses him, he gets over it, she eats cup noodles, he disposes off them. She and he... they just develop a chemistry that compliment each other very well. Her retorts and his retorts work well with giving the viewer good, light, family comedy.

However when the rest of the spirits start pouring in, the anime turned from very good to mediocre. The characters are also in one way or the other attached to Kohina (except Shigaraki who is just there for fun - but he too is perverted) but their attachment is forced. Now that in itself doesn't seem like a bad trait, the show is comedy, there is no reason to stick to extremely believable progression as long as we get comedy right? But that is where the show loses appeal. The punch lines/events associated with the other characters all seem forced in contract to Kokkuri-san and they just don't hit the nail. And you see them trying to be funny but they just can't get it right mot of the time. At times, yea - they manage to get a comical flurry - but rarely. Furthermore, they made the rest of the characters way too 1-Dimensional to like. Yes, Kokkuri-san is no Kurono from Gantz either - he isn't the best example of a 3-D char but his traits shown are not excessively questionable - or you don't find the reason to question them. For the rest of the characters, they just seemed like medicore fillers in a decent anime.

And when the fillers are there for more than half of the anime - it gets boring. True, there are certain comical moments combining all the chars but the expectations given by the duo in the start did leave me a little disappointed till the end.

So, if you are looking for a decent, light comedy anime that you can watch with someone who doesn't have a very specific taste, then it is a good choice. However, if you are looking for a really good attempt at comedy that definitely delivers epic fun, then sorry - it has its moments, but I won't recommend it to you on those basis.

Thank you reading and whether you agree or not, I am glad to discuss so any constructive feedback or discussion is welcome!

Never before has a title been so satisfactory, so engaging, so complementary to the anime it came along with. We have catchy titles like "Deadman Wonderland" or "Le Portrait de Petit Cossette" (though some find it grammatically incorrect) but no, never before have I watched an anime with a title that makes me nod and clap in my room, staring at a screen carrying the credits.

"Your Lie in April" brings a very different concept - classic music. We have seen guitars, we have seen drums, we see the rock and pop now and then. We see glimpses of metals at the appropriate times as well. ... We do see the piano, we do see the violin but normally tucked in the background. And basically that idea was pulled out of the background and brought to the front. But that is not all.

Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso is an anime with in essence a simple plot: The journey of the protagonist - his return to music. But how is that journey tackled and the characters involved, and their contribution to the story is what makes this anime so good. The anime paces itself so well, it frustrates you - wanting you to know more without denying that the episode you just watched did justice. The plot line is kept simple and detail is added - no side stories, no fillers, nothing in this anime is in essence 'stand alone'. It all connects, and fluidly, crafting a story that provides very well crafted humor - embedded within the anime, not bulging out with unnecessary punch lines or repetitions that sound funny for the first three times and bore you for the next twenty. Alongside it has romance; soft, touching and it has sorrow. It combines these all in its plot, without making any of the themes out of place, it builds anticipation without the requirement of cliched twists. And all the while it keeps you engaged while building towards a finale that was truly amazing.

There is no question about the art - it doesn't seem to lose charm for a second, as if the producers knew that this was not a show to mess up by slacking off. The colors crisp, shading beautiful, details vivid - motion, VERY fluid, character designs very well crafted with small variations in expressions prominent that combined different facial traits rather than a the curve of the lips determining happy or sad emotions.

And I did wonder when watching this anime - how would it be discussed, critiqued, observed on the basis of sound? The anime basically builds the background music with soft music, the piano and violin very prominent at times and since the anime itself revolves around music, it is good.

However at this point I would like to point out something more - music is music - the one is "Cossette no Shouzuo" was amazing as well (especially track 15 - Silent Ceremony) but in this specific anime the music, art, and production are all combined in such an amazing way that if they want to bring escalating emotions, the angles shift accordingly, the music takes on a revving rhythm and the art stays awesome - just saying - to not only justify the anime as a good 'musical' but it becomes one of the most powerful traits within the anime. There are various performances that I watched again and again due to the appeal the held for me.

And trust me - despite all the musical goodness, one needs to relate to, acknowledge, or be involved with the characters in any way to appreciate the entire sequence. Bring Kohina in front of the Piano and all you'll be hearing is "nano des, nano des, nano des. des... des... des..." Many animes are ruined due to at times a single character being utterly bad, out of place, unrealistic. Here the main characters were given A LOT of development. The story in a way revolves around arima's character; his experience, his perspectives, alongside with him is Kaori who again is given a lot of background, a lot of development and in a way these two define the basic plot. And the rest of the characters add the detail to the basic plot.

The characters, both main and supporting are well crafted, 3-Dimensional in most places and while yes - their personalities are not exposed in different scenarios/environments (like say - going for a trip - with family), one cannot complain that they lack proper justification to be who they are.

So how to put this all in a nutshell? This is an anime that will make you replay musical pieces played within it, and let you enjoy the way different characters interact alongside, with your eyes following the fingers, the movement, swaying alongside at times, just to applaud alongside the audience many a time.

Thank you for reading the review - feedback is always welcome!

Angel Cop. The title to a not so appreciated anime that could be really misinterpreted in various ways though I won't go into needless detail. However, no - the title doesn't revolve around a female that takes the shinigami (Angel of Death) role nor is she called 'Angel' because she portrays the angelic beauty.

No, what this anime is about is a political scenario much like those that one might expect from Ghost in the Shell; a terrorist organization, an anti terrorism organization and how they tackle a situation. Seems too similar to GitS perhaps but Angel Cop differs enough that the background being similar adds ... to the appeal since it doesn't feel like a rip-off - at least not to me. Yes - both have dominant female chars and similar organizations structure but the execution is very different.

We have the politicians, we have the organizations, and we see how the clashes between these three parties are sorted out, which side gains in on the other and so on. The anime does a fine job of giving details alongside that makes one understand the situation a little more - the six ep length does not allow for extremely intricate chemistry anyways. And inching to the last two episodes we do get a decent finale.

I like the anime. It is not one of the best, but certainly something I'd recommend to people knowing their interests. However, with its positives, there ARE certain negatives as well.

The story is more or less discussed above - I don't want to give spoilers so yes - no lengthy synopsis. Providing analysis: It is a fine paced story, with a definite and well defined plot that is suitably covered in six episodes. It doesn't have a lot of plot twists, scenes that make your mouth gape for seconds but it doesn't bore you and make you wonder "what the hell is happening?" either.

And that is what I feel as the reason people don't rate it decently. No, it is not going to give you a mouth watering twist, or a super suspense ending, or just bring things together so that they make your heart throb for the finale... no. It has a conclusion, yes. But will it make you jizz in your pants? No. That is not their purpose. Having said that, it is not as if they didn't work on the ending AT ALL. I'd say it is a matter of taste but people portray it as far too less.

The art is old. If you are expecting a combination of crisp art, vivid colors and perfectly fluid animation like Shigatsu wa Kimino Uso then sorry, you are looking in the wrong place. HOWEVER, no one is saying the animation is BAD. The color scheme is dull, yes - the backgrounds monotonous at times, but the character designs are good, the animation is fluid and detailed at times where it needs to be. Fighting sequences are not over the top and the over all anime doesn't irk you (as some people do when seeing the original "Berserk" after the remade movies). The best comparison to this animation would be '8 man after' another similar classic. So, keeping in mind the time it was released, I'd say the animation is really good.

And it is a little hard to put the sound category... it isn't outstanding, but it works well. The sound effects are good, the music is old school - which I really like and complementary to the scene playing. So over all fine music.

Now the main reason I kind of enjoy these kind of shows is how they managed the character development. The char's are good - those in the anti terrorism unit seem professionals, capable, each having their own personality, their own traits. They didn't give us the time to see much into their background, what coffee they like, had they trauma's in the past but the anime didn't fixate the personalities to 'muscle man' 'hacker' 'thief' which in my opinion is good! Angel especially is given time to develop from the typical bass ass female (that I don't honestly dislike) to a more considerate female; her personality changes perspectives which is good. However they did give Raiden - the other main char, a personality that was... erratic. Not a taboo, but it felt a little hard to digest in the start. That might make me not give it a perfect rating in the category perhaps but it did yea, the anime did have some good chars.

So good professional chars, a political story that is well wrapped up and starts well and ends well... an anime that I enjoyed watching and again, while not on the top of my recommendation list, it still has its place. If you don't like the 80's atmosphere, catch phrases that sound too funky or childish now (which were very acceptable in their time) and are expecting something very fresh, then this anime will disappoint you. HOWEVER, IF you are looking for an old school anime with entertainment through a mature plot line, and believable chars that captures the environment and ambiance of its time, then yea - I'd say you watch it.

Thank you for reading and feedback is always welcome!

Accel world, the anime that ran parallel to Sword Art Online, shares the same manga creator and also the same universe in different time settings - Accel World staging a few decades after Sword Art Online. While there are no connections in the story line's, I feel that the author has a plan to connect the two. I hope that is how it goes.

Now coming to the anime itself, there is a sure sore reason to avoid watching it for many people - namely being incomplete akin Claymore and so many other names that come to mind. However it ends well - more like Claymore ... again, ending at a sturdy arc rather than leaving things totally open like Deadman Wonderland graciously did.

The story is well done - it, for me has a concise plot that has been defined in the first few episodes and all that is left for the story telling elements and character intrusions to define the anime. The setting is futuristic of the believable nature, not the super cyborgs or flying spaceships type, a big plus for me. Now what made it an enjoyable anime for me is that it connects story line elements well, most episodes themselves have a connection to the main story unlike Cowboy Bebop where many episodes can be considered from a standalone point. They give background but such that is relevant to the over all complexity of the universe. Not saying Cowboy Bebop lacks due to that trait, just saying I find it a plus in AW.

It has its share of light comedy moments, serious events and action, neither of the three overdone for me. The procession at certain points is certainly a little hasty for my taste however it does not compare how Sword Art Online messed up and it dismays me to see Accel World rated as it is.

The plot points were very intriguing for me, they build tension and there was a fair share share of plot twists given the length of the anime. There were of course a few shounen elements but for me they weren't that big a distraction. So, alongside the disappointment of no sequel, I felt satisfied in having watched the anime.

Art was good. The colors were bright with shading well done and shadows handled well, the scenes were crisp and beautifully depicted. The character design's were good - other than the main protagonists who seemed too far off believable proportions but the other characters stuck more or less to proper proportions and those proportions thankfully did not vary with camera angles.

The fighting sequences and the stages affiliated with Accel World itself were GOOD, each had its own ambiance with details properly handled and fighting sequences were equally well handled. There kept the fights flashy and vibrant resorting to style rather than the comparatively realistic scenes one witnesses in Requiem for a Phantom. Just to add a note, realistic fighting sequences can be tantalizing like in Shigurui - at least for me.

The sound also came as a big plus since they felt synchronized with the scenes, they reflected the mood at the moment and were not just fillers in the background. That for me made the anime quite enjoyable and added a certain charm to it.

Now before I comment on the characters, I'd like to say that if I based this around whether I like a char or find him/her pathetic then it would be a different story however I will judge whether a character makes sense, is defined properly with their traits believable and whether they are crafted as reflections of typical Shounen characters with no additional originality or have something good. To give an example I found Mayuri from Steins;Gate a... well not a well crafted character.

But I'll say it bluntly - the main character is pathetic, reminds me of Amano Yukiteru from Mirai Nikki which is not a good thing. Haru lacks self confidence and considers the situation from a pessimistic way when the matter pertains to any positivism related to him. However that is justified and while I hate such personalities, the traits are believable - there are people very similar to his personality.

The rest of the personalities fit well in as well - they each have certain traits to them, sarcasm, humor, manner of speech which make them not very interesting characters but in no way is that boring. They do have unique traits that make them stand out yet not too much. So over all the character development is well done - you see them not only as a couple of repetitive notions of justice or goodwill but see them in a broader light.

One another positive that relates to the art as well is that there are no super endowed women in the anime and especially the main females in the series are just... fine in that manner.

Over all I enjoyed the anime a lot - it kept me wondering what will happen next, got me angered, not as in making me hate the anime but making me anxious over how the story proceeds which is a good thing since animes rarely get me anxious. In the end I was wishing for more but not disappointed as I was with SnK. There were few draw backs to it that I wouldn't want to discuss since they will give spoilers.

So for people who like gadgets and are into networks, hacking and a little futuristic stuff, it is a really good anime if you can just accept the protagonist.

Hope you like my review and feedback is always welcome!

Blood+ was truly an interesting anime - it requires patience but once one starts to get accustomed with the pace and characters, it is an amazing anime.

Story wise Blood+ starts slow. It takes time to develop, to let the elements of the story, for the characters to interact naturally rather than forcing them into a swirling bog to just push the story ahead. And it starts with the basic anime form: The basic elements are put forth - Chiropteran and Saya. One can assume that with the progression of stronger foes and conflicting feelings, there is nothing more to the anime than the main character ... who is initially weak growing stronger to face all foes.

However as the story progresses one finds out that it is not so. There will be additional elements which do not appear as a new boss might when the previous one dies. They actually develop a very intricate plot. And it's approach is slow. It takes four to five episodes to let the character figure his/her own weakness and then stabilize as they would in a real world scenario. Claymore on the other hand (ignoring how its story progresses) manages to do all that in the first episode. Gantz takes up to three episodes for that.

While this progression initially feels slow in contrast to animes like Mirai Nikki or Sword Art Online it becomes a positive because unnecessary character development and huge increments in power is avoided and there is time for small plot details to be handled. The story starts taking proper shape around the tenth episode and for a fifty episode anime that isn't too slow. There are various side stories and endeavors that combine together and connect (sometimes too big a coincidence) and keep the viewer up to date with all the characters. It is also a clever way of telling parts of the story from another perspective.

So all in all it has a very complex and well thought story and yes - if I want I can sit down and find faults like "did they close the gate or not" but it is a good thing that in the entire anime such frivolous events are taken for granted. Meaning thinking about the guards changing shift is not our business.

The art style isn't that bad for its time. The backgrounds are good and at times rather beautiful in terms of vibrant colors in contrast to dull underground moments. There isn't a fixed atmosphere, one will be able to see light slice of life like moments and one will see bloody sequences. And neither feel out of place.

The character designs are mixed - Saya and Haji and Solomon (regardless of his stereotypical prince look) are drawn well - they have their physical traits that show detail in their art work. However there are a few characters (Kai for instance) that just seem like a few lines under a scruff of hair at times. It isn't that distracting but at times I feel Kai lose expressions or originality other than his hair. However this is being critical - the characters are more or less consistent with real-life proportions and we have one piece as well in which some character faces are very basic (ignoring the unrealistic proportions they at times have).

The soundtracks in Blood+ Mostly left a positive impression on me - they had a nice gist to them and they were timed well. Emotions and scenario's are well expressed through suitable sound tracks. Fighting sequences were well complimented and so were the slice of life moments - much like the art they managed both sides well.

Character development was a big positive for me in this anime. Yes, we do have the hero that at times is swayed and needs memories and friends n family to go through tough times but there is quite some work put in the development of different characters - some subtle characteristics that one notices afterwards and also traits that make them less predictable in the anime realm.

Saya - as an instance did portray the typical shounen main hero (Ichigo for example) in which they are people who preach justice all the time and are against fighting (a better example would be Yuuto from Omamori Himari) however as the story progresses she gets stronger and mentally more mature and sees the situation from a different light - something that doesn't happen in a day or so.

Kai, as much as I find his art style in the start not too good - is a good character, impulsive and daring however he isn't the guy you would always expect to go haywire due to his personality, who butts into everything for the sake of protecting everyone. Wow... that kind of reminds me of Kato in Gantz... although he was also properly crafted, a little less multi faceted as he was.

Enjoyment wise it will take the anime about ten episodes to kick in - but then the believable characters, the complex plot, all of these elements combine to give what I'd say is one of the best animes I have seen. It is well balanced - not diving into a world of needless action, nor is it slow enough to bore you.

Thank you for reading and feedback is always appreciated.

Claymore was definitely a good pick and a fine watch despite the much repeated and disappointing fact that the entire manga hasn't been adapted and considering that the manga just recently ended it just makes one wish that they would continue.

Now to start off the review, the best way to describe this anime is... an amazing idea, a well executed anime but lacking in certain elements and those elements bugged me a lot. Just to state beforehand, I am not going to stress on it being an adaptation and bringing in the manga to quote everything - I'll consider the anime as an anime, not ... as a 'meant to be a faithful adaptation to a certain manga.'

The story of Claymore is intriguing. Its start gives off the air of Blood+ or Muv-Luv in that it portrays an issue and gives its solution - defining the universe in terms of those monster/hunter/prey and similar characteristics while the rest of the elements like the time era and the culture remains as secondary. It is a fine approach, nothing wrong with it but it does give the initial vibe of the mainstream anime story progression (won't go into details there) and does not keep attention as did Another, Deadman Wonderland and Mirai Nikki (for me) in their first episodes. However I always say that animes should be given certain episodes to develop - I know many people who dislike Code Geass based only on first episode.

And when the person gives time to this anime, then the culture, the environment, the physics of the universe slowly start to unravel in more detail, and in a more relevant manner. An example is that the initial "Queen's Blade" vibe of all female fighters is slowly shattered and the person emerges from a world of simple monster vs hunter to a much complicated and gripping universe. I do wonder how the story line elements hinted yet left out of the anime were tackled in the manga but the slight graze of the side story isn't a negative, it eventually gives the story a multi-purpose and while the anime concludes on ONE of these 'purposes', the rest are a well thought way to keep the viewer motivated to watch.

So basically the anime is a well developed story, complex and intruiging HOWEVER, the ending retracted back to typical anime-ish. Wish I could give a comparison but it would be near equal to a spoiler.

One of the very big positives in Claymore for me was the art. The art style was very impressive and enjoyable. Let's consider it a little more technically. The background was well managed, with detail where necessary and reflecting the over all ambiance of the time. The color scheme was suitable and the art was fluid especially in many fighting sequences. If we consider character art, the females certainly were similar in most traits, however they had believable proportions... not only in terms of the bust size but thighs, arms and over all stature. Yes, similar but they were all fighters and I suppose they could have varied the height a little but otherwise the physique should be more or less the same. The lips and eyes were designed very well - I loved many characters in how appealing they looked not due to a hanging cleavage but due to a decent art style. The basic monster art was also impressive, the lesser monsters were more or less generic but they still didn't look... bad.

I would say here that an all blonde congregation was not really the best idea.... especially since many gave the first impression of being 'elvish'... but ah well.

The sound however was a... 30/70 for me. 70 in the negative. The sound tracks were certainly unique and some did have quite the appeal but they were executed at very awkward moments making one confused for a moment whether they are interpreting the overall atmosphere in the wrong way. So not really a fan of the music however I enjoyed the voice acting and the sound effects reflecting actions or movement.

Now the character development was a roller coaster for me. Lets see... considering the main prominent characters... Clare, the protagonist, an emotionless warrior, brutal in her fights against the monsters but calm alongside, a balanced character with a clear vision that doesn't waver but needs to be reminded in between since there are slight 'additions' to her goals. There isn't much complex about her, she had a past that carved her present and if there are complexities to her personality that isn't shown in the present story. Her interaction with other characters is also justified and reasonable.

Raki... the... pathetic side kick that has... okay lets tackle him a little properly. When you are alone and helpless and are dependent on someone that has far superior intelligence, exposure, endurance skills than you and is mentally a lot more stable, you are supposed to... what? Depend on them. You stick around, give them company, comfort yourself and them. We see another relationship in the anime comparable to what he and Clare have and THAT was BEAUTIFULLY executed. His wasn't. Why? Raki has to impose his sense of helplessness every other episode, he has to lecture Clare every other episode over what is right or wrong, has to butt into every single situation when he isn't required... I mean... just stop being an annoying pest! I disliked that character a lot and the story line plus a few other major characters kept me watching.

TERESA, a secondary character that does have a huge impact on the story was well handled. The best handled character. You can understand her, see how she thinks and understand how it makes sense. Her interaction with other characters was very believable. I won't go into much details but she was easily my favorite character.

Miria and other characters too have a personality defined yet they are not so constricted to it that you find them completely 1-D. They have certain traits to them that keep them believable characters. Yes, there are certain characters you will be able to identify in other animes as well (like the typical fight crazed guy) but the over character development is good. Just ignore Raki and you'll like the characters.

Now... if we were to sum it up to enjoyment... then it was a certainly enjoyable anime that had me waiting to know more - more than was shown in the anime but it kept me on the edge, it kept me guessing in places and the only part that did piss me off were it being incomplete and where they ended. The way the ended it didn't justify the rest of the anime.

So a good anime over all with decent fighting sequences, a story with various elements and if you ignore the character Raki and just try to get over the ending than a VERY good watch!

Thank you for reading and Feed back is more than welcome!