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Skip and Loafer is a delight.

From the start, I fell in love with the opening sequence. It was unbelievably endearing and pleasing to the eye. It made me smile and got me a little sentimental for some reason. Most importantly, it actually was representative of the whole series. I would know because I went and read the whole thing after episode three.

Many people may associate Skip and Loafer with shoujo romance because of its synopsis and appearance. I would say they are quite different. Demographic-wise, Skip and Loafer is being published in a seinen magazine. Genre-wise, there are elements of romance, comedy and drama but ... at its core, Skip and Loafer is a slice of life, coming of age series that genuinely portrays personal growth and human connection. What really sets it apart isn’t the story but rather the unique execution and well-crafted characters.

Skip and Loafer is a high school journey of Mitsumi, Sousuke and their friends. Mitsumi is a hardworking, charmingly naive girl from the countryside. As she experiences life in Tokyo, there are moments that warm your heart, make you laugh, tug at your heartstrings, hit you with a wave of nostalgia or even teach you something about life. The story is lighthearted in nature but knows how to hit hard emotionally in the simplest way.

Skip and Loafer treats its audiences and characters well. Even with certain conventional school romance tropes and archetypes, the cast are portrayed very realistically. Subtle characterization makes them all feel human and relatable. They have charms and depths that get you invested quickly. Their dynamics and interactions, which are the heart of character-driven shows such as this, are very authentic and refreshing. So much that just watching them go about their day is a joy.

Another remarkable aspect that elevates this adaptation is the excellent production. Episode by episode, I could really feel how much effort and care went into this project. Director Deai Kotomi (Natsume Yuujinchou, Gin no Saji) and P.A. Works (Shirobako, Paripi Koumei) are truly perfect choices for Skip and Loafer.

A simple art style, more realistic character design and pastel palette beautifully complement the show’s aesthetics. The storyboards fully capture the essence of the original manga panels and add flavors to them. The animation is crisp, detailed and doesn’t stagnate. The voice cast, led by Kurosawa Tomoyo (Kumiko, Phos), sound very natural and expressive. The music fits the story perfectly, especially the opening theme. The quality is consistent throughout.

Simply put, Skip and Loafer is a perfect anime adaptation of an incredible manga. It is simple and genuine. It is a slice of life at its best. I would definitely recommend this series to anyone.

I came to know the original version of HxH years ago. At first, the only thing I cared about in the series was the Hunter exam. I just wanted to know what kind of test it was so I tried watching it and surprisingly, I loved both the story and the characters after a few episodes. Years later, I was delighted when I heard about the reboot and from start to finish, Hunter x Hunter (2011) doesn't disappoint.

The story starts with Gon, a 12-year-old boy who sets out on a journey to find his father and his first step is to become a Hunter. A ... Hunter is an individual who has enough luck and talent to pass the Hunter exam. A Hunter specializes in something, can be practically anything, you name it. A Hunter lives by a power system called Nen in a universe that cleverly reflects the dark side of our real world.

Essentially, being a Hunter isn't special but when it's combined with a well-designed power system and universe, it means infinite possibilities and I have to say Yoshihiro Togashi brilliantly executes that.

This series has all shounen elements but doesn't follow generic shounen patterns. It begins simply but gradually gets more complex and very unpredictable. The journey of the protagonist and his friends to achieve their goals is as reasonable and realistic as it can get. It has many details, takes time and consists of both success and failure. The MCs don't get the privilege of having special powers or suddenly getting stronger for no reason. They train and evolve as the story progresses. On the other hand, the antagonists don't just act out of pure evil. Their reasons are justifiable from different perspectives.

HxH has 7 arcs. Each one is related but has its own conflict and uniqueness. My personal favorite is the Yorknew arc from episode 39-58. After each arc, the concept of Hunter is explored bit by bit and you will keep getting a bigger picture of the whole Hunter universe. The atmosphere varies from a light-hearted shounen to one of the darkest seinen to fit each arc so it keeps things fresh and intriguing. Each fight is mostly strategic-based and relatively short. It's clever and never defies the logic of Nen.

Apart from the story, the best thing about the series is the characters. For me, characters make or break the show and HxH characters are top-notch. They really make the series shine.

Most, if not, all characters and their relationships are realistic because they are imperfect. Not only the MCs, many supporting characters have also undergone a substantial amount of development through the course of the series. Most of them are round characters with distinctive personalities, appearances, backgrounds, powers, ambitions and the ability to think. Their actions are driven by their own judgment as an individual, not what the plot requires them to do so it's very easy to sympathize with them, even the antagonists.

In terms of production, HxH has a unique art style with great and very consistent animation for a series that has over 100 episodes. The pacing is satisfying because there are no fillers at all. Voice actors and actresses are suitable for each character. OPs, EDs and OSTs are good even if there is only one opening song.

As for the negatives, there isn't a major problem in the series and all the minor ones i.e. change of narration style and slow pacing in 6th arc, repetitive op song, the long absence of a character, etc. didn't bother me as much. If anything, I think the only reason you shouldn't watch HxH now is because the manga is still ongoing. Despite a somewhat satisfying conclusion, you could call these 148 episodes a season one and honestly, you will not get a season two, not anytime soon considering the hiatus history of Togashi.

All in all, Hunter x Hunter (2011) exceeds all my expectations. I would recommend this series to anyone, especially a shounen fan because I think it's one of the very few anime that is truly remarkable, well-executed and very enjoyable. Watch it and you will understand why this anime deserves its rank.

Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun is about a high school girl, Sakura Chiyo, who has a crush on her schoolmate, Nozaki Umetarou, a shoujo manga artist. She tried to confess to him but was mistaken as a fan of his manga and ended up as one of his assistants. Then, revolving around these two, the story goes on.

Sounds a lot like a typical shoujo romance, right? Let me correct that, GSNK is all about comedy. Bits of cute moments here and there but mainly comedy and it's done right.

While the plot is simple enough to be summed up in mere sentences, the characters are definitely the strongest ... point of this anime. The main cast consists of seven. There are four guys — the mangaka, the self-proclaimed playboy, the drama club senpai plus the basketball kouhai. And three girls — the heroine, the oblivious Lorelei and the prince of the school. Yes, prince. You read it right. Individually, they have their quirks and are so likable you'll have a hard time picking a favorite. (In case you happen to hate all of them, fear not, there are also lots of tanukis)

The best parts, however, are their relationships and their interactions. Thanks to the creativity of the author, this group of characters plays off of each other so well you can randomly throw any two or more of them in a normal high school life situation, add some shoujo manga-related topics, think from their perspectives, let them converse for a while and get a laugh or two out of it.

Basically, that's what GSNK is all about.

The animation is what you would expect from a 2014 anime and the art style is faithful to the original manga. OP and ED songs are very catchy and fit the light-hearted atmosphere of the anime. I actually like the opening song a lot. As for other OSTs, I honestly couldn't catch them because I was busy laughing. The VAs are great. There're many famous names in the cast (Miyano Mamoru is the protagonist of Nozaki's manga, mind you) but my favorite is Ozawa Ari. She portrayed Sakura perfectly.

For enjoyment, I didn't read the manga before and I enjoyed watching the anime very much. I also prefer this anime version even after reading.

Overall, Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun is fun, refreshing and very easy to get into. Personally, I love it so if you're looking for something different, if you like comedy or if you want a shoujo version of Gintama, I highly recommend this anime.