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*This review contains minor spoilers for the sake of humour*

China strikes again!
But seriously, there are more and more Chinese animations that are coming out lately and managed to capture an overseas audience which is pretty interesting to see to say the least. So we really should find a better one word representation of this because “Chinese Cartoons” is 1 word too many for my mouth. That aside, let’s actually get on with the review.

Sound: 10
We are going to start with sound because ear-gasms are apparently a thing. The music and sound effects are really well done and are used perfectly; melding together the ... art, characters and story into a piece of stunning visual entertainment. Suffice to say, without this the movie would definitely not be as spectacular as it could have been. Also the movie is dubbed in Mandarin Chinese, so if you really picky with your dubs, then you are going to miss out for sure.

Art: 9
The animation is great, there is no doubt about that. However, some parts of the movie is CG (like one object in one scene) which might put you off the magnificent art style and animation if you are a hardcore “ALL CG IS BAD CG” fan. Character design is also unique, since it is a fantasy film expect to see many different Chinese mythological creatures (many nekos).

Characters: 8
You shall meet three mains: 1 male, 1 female, 1 dolphin; let gender equality reign (unfortunately no apache attack helicopters in this film, since the setting isn’t in the modern world).
Female main is called Chun (not cousins with Chun Li), and the story is told through her point of view for most part of the movie.
Male-chan is called Qiu (good luck pronouncing that), and he will be accompanying Chun in her endeavours.
Dolphin-kun is called Kun (no seriously, I’m not lying), 他 is the drive of the plot of the film, so fairly important.
Now the development of the characters is not bad, particularly Qiu undergoes monumental changes from one end of the spectrum (cheeky and selfish) to the other (selfless and super saiyan) in the name of 爱. Chun on the other hand doesn’t change very much which is not surprising if I’m honest since there really isn’t too much of her to change. Kun is a dolphin, that’s ample development.
One last thing before moving on though, the side characters do what they needed to do, none of them were there to “fill the numbers” and all of them has a particular personality associated with them. Chun’s granny is a phoenix for goodness sake!

Story: 7
Ah, the minor pitfall of this movie.
Generally the plot flows, with powerful themes of life, death, love, reincarnation, family, rebellion… as well as philosophical questions like how much are you willing to lose to gain a certain thing. However, some parts of the film was slightly confusing, as it would make you question “why?” or “how?” or “wait, what?” but these don’t detract you from the entire plot point and many are explained/revealed down the line, it’s just the spur of the moment confusion might put some of you off the plot a minute or two. This is coming from a person who understands Chinese to enough of an extent that don’t use the subs so the effect might vary depending on your viewing experience.
All in all though, the plot made sense in the end and it does make you question your existence.

Enjoyment: 8
It’s a very stunning looking piece of visual and auditory entertainment. There are only a few minor chips and dents in the plot but otherwise everything is great. It might take you a bit of time to understand everything fully but it is well worth your time to watch it.

Overall: 8
Da Yu Hai Tang is like a Ghibli film, but instead of Japanese it’s Chinese, instead of No-Face it’s dolphins but otherwise it’s very similar to Spirited Away and explores many deep themes. So don’t be fooled by the visuals and concept, the film definitely makes you think.

Toradora. What can I say exactly? To me personally it was an anime that was just done right. Everything felt right, everything felt good and everything worked.
From the first look on the cover you can’t really infer much from it other than it probably is another anime set in a high school and five students in particular are important, because they are on the front cover.
[Luckily for you, after meticulously researching (watching the series over and over) I have concluded that this anime is a shounen, harem series about a redhead tsundere who wants to bring justice (as well as embodying it) with ... her trusty dude companion to down a blondy. Wait what? Wrong series? You sure? Shi--]
Even if you understand the name “Toradora” it still doesn’t really tell you that much. “Tora” being the Japanese word for tiger and “Dora” being a shortened form of the Japanese “Doragon” which as you can probably tell means dragon.
However the fun starts once you break the cover and watch an episode or 2 or 5 or 10 or 25, because once you start, it’s not particularly easy to stop (first hand experience).

Without further ado, let us begin.
[If you can’t be “bovered” to read the entirety of this (essay) review (I don’t blame ya), go to the end and there’ll be a short TL;DR section. Baka. (jk jk)]

Art and Animation:
To be brutally honest, the art is SH- (jk jk).
To be brutally honest, I don’t know where to start this review, so might as well be alphabetically at this stage. Right, going to the nitty gritty, the art style and animation isn’t anything out of this world, but then again it doesn’t need to be. From the prospective of the environment that the series is set in (yet another high school), it’s pretty mundane and overused, hence it is fully justifiable; why go all out on making the generic high school (not the focal point of anime) looking like a f**king painting by Mashiro from Sakurasou, it wouldn’t make sense. That said, when the art and animation needs to be good, it is blooming fantastic. This is shown throughout the series on the character’s faces, and once they got that nailed down to a T, the rest of the anime just fitted in perfectly. Animation is great too, especially the subtle details on the character’s faces and body language, and how easily it can be used to infer their emotions and reaction to a situation.

Soundtrack and Voice:
Alright on second thought, alphabetically suck, so we are going to jump ahead and come back to characters.
The soundtrack can only be described as right. There music always compliments what is happening on screen and unlike a lot of other animes out there, Toradora’s soundtracks always feel fresh and add another layer of emotion and feeling. This is especially seen as some parts of the story where music takes more of the centre stage than the actual dialogue, and I can safely say that even without some of the dialogue, you can perfectly understand exactly what’s going through each of the character’s minds and the mood of the situation. Now, I would suggest that if you could, you should buy the entire OST for Toradora since it’s just beautiful and of course one of the more notable songs is “Lost my pieces” which alongside what you would have been witnessing on screen at the time that it’s playing, you would have felt an unusual stuffiness in your chest and your vision blurring (not a heart attack). OPs and EDs are also noteworthy; catchy, eccentric and suits the anime well. Right what’s next?

Characters:
So development’s dead right? I mean who doesn’t want 1-dimensional soggy cardboard cut outs of the most clichéd animu tropes, am I right guys or am I right! I’m not right? Well thank f*ck for that, it’s good to see most of you are still sentient.
If you like character development, then Toradora won’t disappoint you to say the least. As I have mentioned there are 5 main characters and a few more not so main characters, but the interesting and definitely one of this show’s strong points is the fact that by the end of 25 episodes, you’ll know their names and what they’re like pretty well and yes including the supporting cast (because hey guess what supporting characters are also important, without them, there would be no such thing as a main character).
Of course the main focus is going to be on the five I’ve already mentioned (they spent FIVE episodes on introducing the characters, now THAT’S dedication); now I won’t spoil any character at all, not even going to tell you their names, even though you probably know what their names are. Toradora’s development is subtle and big at the same time; subtle in the sense of going from episode to episode, you can’t really make out any change, but if you compare what the characters are like at the beginning versus the end, you would be shocked at how different they are. That said, it’s completely unfair to compare just the beginning and the end, since the entire journey is also very important. After saying this, I would recommend you watch the series at least twice, once to enjoy the story with no worries, and once more to witness the changes and development.
Favourite Character: Obviously the short, pettanko girl, I stick true to my name.

Story:
Up till now I haven’t mentioned what exactly is Toradora in terms of genre. Well if you haven’t read the tags yet, Toradora is a romantic comedy. So right away you should know what to expect right? Nuh uh, this romantic comedy is not like any other. The story doesn’t exactly follow two people and their interactions as lovers/friends soon to become lovers. No, this series follows two people and their interactions as practically frienemies, and their love for another two completely different people. So already breaking convention.
Obviously if you’ve seen the anime, what I’ve just said would be simplification beyond what is deemed acceptable. This anime is set in the basis of a romcom, but the actual message goes much MUCH deeper.
Warning, may contain some “spoilers” (nothing from the actual anime, just the deeper meaning behind the anime, which I hope you want to enjoy and discover yourself and not read up on it prior to experiencing it. If you don’t know what I’m trying to say, go watch the anime first then come back to see if you agree with me).
Firstly, the anime explores is the idea of love itself, and its difference from the more common lust or obsession. Throughout the anime the main characters will think they are in “love” with a particular person but as the anime goes on they slowly realise what their true feelings are. It is this learning what love truly is for themselves and how they change/react in turn to it that is the real highlight of the series and one of the most unique portrayals of love as a concept than other romcoms. Because the show’s characters realise (eventually) that love itself is not simple as they thought (unlike most romcom animes) and is a mystery that only they can solve and the answer only applies to themselves, that makes this all a bit real since that’s how it works in this what we call reality too.
Secondly, the anime acknowledges the fact that love is not always what we associate with love. This can be seen during the first time the OP plays, “love is something that’s bittersweet”, this sentence basically sums up what I’m about to say. The anime acknowledges the fact that yes love is sweet like what we normally associate it with, but also it can hurt and in most cases, it will and does hurt both parties. But the anime the continues with this idea and shows to us that despite all the hardships, those who love each other stay together because they understand why sometimes it hurts and they become more appreciative of the time together that is sweet.
Thirdly, the anime acknowledges the difficulty of forming a relationship. Many times, we have seen that two characters who aren't lover, aren't lovers, aren’t lovers and bang suddenly, lovers, lovers, lovers. Toradora acknowledges how untrue that really is. The anime depicts many aspects of what most people would have gone through during high school/any period of their life, liking someone but not knowing if the other person feels the same way or not knowing how to break it to them saying that you like them. Of course then you would try many different methods to try (emphasis on try) to tell them but most of the methods would end in disaster and your embarrassment; the anime depict these as well to horrific accuracy.
I will stop myself here for now, but you get the idea.
So the story is definitely a good one (such an understatement) and I feel like most people that want to watch it will enjoy it.

Okay here’s the TL;DR section for those who can’t be bothered.

Art and animation:
Good mostly, Great the rest. The characters have the best facial expressions.

Soundtrack and voice:
Music is catchy, emotional and played at the right times. The music significantly enhances the emotional events that you’ll experiencing. OPs and EDs are nice too. Voice acting is top notch.

Characters:
Deep, multi-dimensional, and developed really well from start to finish. Each of them has more than meets the eye and the supporting characters aren’t left out either.

Story:
Romcom by name but nothing standard. The story goes deep to explore many ideas about love and its meaning whilst giving you a lovely complex and developing storyline.
TL;DR over, continue to read the next sections.

Enjoyment:
Well, I gave it a 10/10 for a reason.
Although I would say one thing, if you don’t like tsunderes at all, like you can’t tolerate any sort of tsun and practically allergic and would require significant medical attention upon seeing anything tsun, I would suggest you take a step back and watch a girl with autism (I’m serious) and her beautiful love story in Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo.
But if you aren’t the sort of person I’ve described above, I would suggest you give it a go at least. If you make it to episode 10 and don’t like what you see, then I can’t blame you for dropping it.
If you are concerned about the tsundere, don’t be. The trope is what you can describe as tsundere, but it’s nothing like what you’ve seen before, it’s not repetitive and it adds to the story development as well as the character development. (The tsundere’s voice actor is really famous for her work, so that’s always reassuring.)

Overall:
Toradora is one of those animes you watch, you laugh, you cry, you laugh again, you smile and you remember. I have to say it’s something special not just as a romcom but as an anime in general. And oh my the ending.

Appendix A:
Thank you for reading everything I have to say, hopefully I have convinced you to watch the anime. Hopefully you found this review useful and happy viewing!
[See Appendix B for what to do after you finish the anime]

Appendix B:
Okay so if you are here I will assume you have finished the entire series at least once. Here are a couple of things I would recommend you doing if you wish to see more Toradora;
0 – There’s an OVA, about bento lunches, so go ahead (#NotShokugekiNoSoma). Includes more character development! Yay!
1 – Didn’t like the ending of the anime? Want to ship the MC with one of the other girls? You can do that with the “Toradora! Portable” PSP game. You can purchase the game off Amazon and use either a PSP or an emulator to play it.
2 – Want to see the source material? Toradora is an adaptation of a light novel series, so you can always check those out if you want to see the story in its original detail, also there’s a manga too so, more money to spend!
3 – If you haven’t brought the OST, I would suggest doing so, since the music is varied, fun, and emotional, just like the anime.
4 – See Appendix C if finished all of the above.

Appendix C:
Okay no more material on the actual story and such, but merch is still a thing! Posters to stickers to figurines to plushies to body pillows, if you want to splurge then that’s what you could do!
If you are really desperate for more story, fan fiction is the next best thing I’m afraid.
(Doujins too if you are into that)

So, here's the gist of it. This is the OVA that happens directly after the end of der Film. I'm going to assume (although that will make an ass out of u and me but I digress) you have watched the Film before coming to this OVA and review.

Okay, let's get down to it. From the title it's obvious who the OVA is focused on, so not big surprise once you get inside.
Like the OVAs of the original TV series, there isn't too much of a particular plot point, but this OVA does serve as a pretty nice and rounded end to the entire ... Film and actually do lead on to have some character development as we find out a tad more about Arisu as a person as well as development of Miho too.

Obviously, from my name, I might be slightly biased when it comes to ratings but objectively speaking there isn't particular anything to hate or dislike.

And of course, in good old GaruPan tradition, there are some comedic moments that I won't spoil it here. (Senpai~~)

Overall, I would definitely recommend it, especially after watching the film.

Haifuri, one of the WORST promoted anime of all time. Okay that might be exaggerating, but not a lot of promotion is of this anime I have to say this season and to be absolutely frank (not Dave, we don’t talk about Dave), it was infuriating. Why? Because it’s completely the opposite to what people think it is and it was in my opinion absolutely fantastic.
Okay, short rant over, let’s get down to it since I’ve been itching to write a review but I wanted to finish the anime first and now that’s happened let’s get going with the review.

Story: 8
Unlike some people’s first ... impression of “this anime is a slice of life, loli anime with no plot (in both senses) at all”, Haifuri actually has an over arcing plot and story and it is introduced to the audience in the most dramatic way possible in the first episode. Now what is interesting about the story is the fact that it’s a semi-mysterious-esque plot line which is fairly fresh compared to say Girls und Panzer (I recommend that anime as well) which was a tournament based anime or KanColle, which has the generic story of “fight the bad guys because the narrator said so at the beginning”. Now there’s obviously the ideas of friendship power and team work in this anime as well which isn’t surprising but it’s not intrusive to the plot but rather helps the characters to overcome certain problems, which most of the time they can't overcome regardless of the friendship power and it’s these plot twists and subtle differences that make the story unique and interesting. However, I have to mention the fact that there are a two “filler” episodes in that there’s not really too much naval action and breaks the tension generated by the other episodes but they weren’t intrusive and helped to develop the characters so can’t complain too much.

Art and Animation: 9
The ships are really well animated and they do feel like the girls are on board a real ship with all of its related equipment and weapons. Explosions are also eye candy and pairs well with the sound effects. The ships move realistically, shakes and rides the waves like a ship would. The water animation is of note as well and makes you feel like they are at sea. If you just came for the battles and fights, you’ll be pleased as the weapons are also fairly well animated (torpedoes especially). If you came for the cute girls then you won’t be disappointed either. 31 cuties each with a different style to match their persona and all of them will leave at least some impressionable image in your mind. Although for some reason, it might just be me, but the ships seems to be in a higher resolution than the characters sometimes. However, it’s nothing too significant that can affect the enjoyment of the show.

Sounds: 9
OP is catchy and gets stuck in your head, ED is soft and calming. Both fits the theme of the sea very well. The sound track during the anime isn’t used to fill the silence but rather used to great effect adding lots of tension to the scenes. Those sound tracks can really get your heart racing during the fight scenes and your heart throbbing in some of the more emotional scenes, and trust me, the feels will hit you like a truck. Other sounds worth mentioning is the sound effects which are pretty good. You can hear the whistle of the shell getting louder as it get nearer to the ship, the heavy explosion during impact, the creaking of the ship under stress, the echo of detonations of torpedoes in the water and the list just goes on. All these sound effect adds more excitement, tension and action to the scenes and boy they feel satisfying.

Characters: 7
Now you might be asking why the low score with characters after the praises I’ve sung for in previous categories? Well it’s simple, the problem with casting 31 girls is the fact that there is definitely no way every single one will get developed to a significant degree that you can remember their names and their personas in a 12 episode season (hence this needs a second season please!). So some the supporting cast had very little to say and aren’t presented to us fully which is a downer. However it’s understandable and unavoidable with such a huge cast, but credit to where credit’s due, they did at least try to make every member of the crew memorable in the second to last episode. Now the positives is the fact that those characters that we do see often and remember more are developed very well. The MC, Mike-chan, goes through a series of transformations from slightly clumsy airhead at the start to full blown determined captain by the end, whilst the also uncovering some of the back stories behind her which was “interesting” (used “interesting” to avoid spoiling the feeling, go watch to find out). Shiro-chan, the deputy-captain, started off strict and harsh, but we all knew she was a soft person inside and eventually she shows it as the relationships between the characters grew. To name but a few more; Tama-chan, Rin-chan, Maron-chan, Mei-chan, all these had much differing personalities and each developed and grew in their own way as the story progressed and it really made the series lovable. Also there are two cats. (Personal favourite: Tama-chan)

Enjoyment: 10
The entire series was enjoyable to me. Each episode made me yearn for more. The tension was brilliant and the story flowed nicely. The action scenes and battles were the highlights for me and was full of excitement and a joy to watch. The characters are definitely lovable and undoubtedly cute. The series was definitely the highlight of the season for me and I want a second season so bad!

Overall: 9
If you like cute girls, this anime will be your piece of cake whilst also be surprising.
If you like military and battles, this anime will still be your cup of tea since that is the anime’s focus which is different from say GirlPan.
If you like moe, give it a shot, but it won’t be the main focus, but I think you’ll enjoy some parts of it at least.
If you like suspense, well I wouldn’t say it’s very suspenseful but there are elements of it.
If you don’t like cute girls, then turn around and leave via the door behind you because there’s no way I can convince you.
If you are looking for FANSERVICE, this anime WILL DISAPPOINT you to no end! So follow the cute girl haters out as well and go watch Strike Witches instead.

Full speed ahead! Steady as she goes!

I stumbled upon this anime randomly as I was trying to find a comedy to watch. Initially I thought it was a slice of life sorta thing with high school girls (again) which I never really minded nor be too impressed by. Then I saw each episode was only 2 minutes long give or take which intrigued me and off I went watching the first episode.
Half an hour later and I was in tears, because it was hilarious and because it has ended.
So to be frank and straightforward this anime is like a book of really good jokes and it's basically non-stop hilarity ... with all of its characters which to be honest, were developed more and had more personality than some of the other bigger budget productions out there.

Okay let's run down the scores because why not:
Story: 4
There is no over arcing story line or plot since it's about one off events and punchlines, much like lucky star in some sense.

Art: 8
The animation is nothing out of the ordinary, it's just normal and that's it. Although the style changes of the characters is pretty good and done right which adds to the overall comedy factor of the show.

Sound: 8
The OP and ED are pretty nice as soundtracks but otherwise the soundtrack in the anime isn't anything too memorable (no sh*t, each episode is only 2 minutes long, so not enough time to appreciated everything), but they do add to what's going on in the scene.

Characters: 9
For a series that has the same run time of a single episode in other animes, I have to congratulate on the VA on their work since they definitely brought out each unique aspect of the characters whether its the mains or the supports. Each character in this anime is memorable and unique and this show's main humour comes from these characters and their interactions. From Nee-san herself to Beautiful Person to Kuniki, each one will surprise you to say the least. Oh and my personal favourites Uno and Sano (they be too cute!)

Enjoyment: 9
Non-stop hilarity (yay!) until the show ends (awwn) but there's more in the manga (yay!)

Overall: 8
If you want a quick laugh or just on a quick break from something, watch this show and brighten up your day. Oh just a quick word of warning, there are pantsu and bras on display in this show, so be wary of people standing next to or behind you whilst you laugh your head off.

Before we start, let's just get the most important bit out of the way and that is GO WATCH THE MOVIE NOW. STOP READING and GO WATCH IT, otherwise you are definitely missing out.
Okay, now let's begin.

Story (8/10)
The story is not very deep at all. So why the high score you might ask? Simple, because there is enough to cover the background plot but not so deep that you drown in thought. The story is light and is definitely not the major focal point of the movie although some parts are pretty emotional, so if you came just to see a fantastic story ... unfold; you missed the point. If you came to see great tank combat, stronk girls, and comedy, you came to the right place.

Art (9/10)
Very much like the anime but better in some aspects so it's all good. If you already watched the anime your eyes won't take too long to adjust at all. The character design is good and the animation of them and their tanks are superb. The movie also include some high octane slow-mo's to really bring up your heart rate.
The tanks are animated very well just like the anime, you can definitely feel their weight on the ground as they trundle here and there. However, there are definitely physics defying moments with the tanks but even so it's enjoyable as the animation itself is so fluid and natural.

Sound (9/10)
The movie has great sound. Some people may feel like there hasn't been too many new additions to the tank sounds, but in my opinion there has been some changes and it was for the better. The relative firing sound of each cannon in the movie reflects their calibre superbly; 8mm - 600mm, they all sound right. The explosions I don't even need to go into, you'll feel your table shake.

Characters (8/10)
In terms of development, there are definitely a few points to be given as we are introduced to a new side in the characters and not just Miho and the gang, but other schools as well. Voice acting is great like the anime and each character's voice definitely reflect their personality. Also, we are introduced to new characters, albeit a bit sudden in the beginning of the movie, but for the main part, there's definitely a new fearsome (but UBER Kawaii) kid on the block. [Also, Finns]

Enjoyment (10/10)
The movie is serious when it needs to be serious, emotional when it is emotional and for the most part hilarious when it is undoubtedly hilarious. Watch Miho and the gang once again give you a roller-coaster ride (literally in some ways) of emotion, tension, teamwork and fun in this 2 hour spectacular.
Personally, from my background of tank fan, World of Tanks player, and lust for comedy, this movie was bliss. There are many references and surprises waiting for you and I feel you will enjoy it even if you don't catch everything the first time around like me.

Overall (9/10)
If you finished reading this review but you haven't watched it...
*sigh*
Go. And. Watch. This. Movie. Now. That. Is. An. Order!