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If I were a millionaire, I would buy a copy of Fireball Charming and send it to every single anime screenwriter and demand that they watch it. Because it's just that good. Most writers start off with a great concept. It's unique, it's captivating and it's ripe for the picking. But they just don't know how to use it, and you get a mess of something that should have been fantastic(this review was spurred on by that regret from SAO). And in my opinion, Fireball Charming is the perfect example of how not to make a mess of that idea, even if it's a not ... so great idea to begin with. In simply 2 minutes of comedy and wonderful scriptwork, Fireball Charming can convey nearly any emotion in any way, and leave you wanting more.

Story:
Through the past millennium, robots and humans have evolved to a point of separation, and have eventually declared war on each other because they can no longer coexist. In the middle of this battle is the Tempest Tower, essentially a robotic Tower of Babyl, where the great robot duchess Drossel Von Flugel and her servant, Gedächtnis reside, weathering the ongoing war and attempting to uncover the past through ancient pieces of human and robot technology. The best part? This all plays the background to a much simpler and lighter comedy. Essentially, you get slice of life comedy with 2 clueless robots and the occasional guest. Some people may be turned off by this decision, but it works amazingly, it manages to be deep yet superficial at the same time. An air of absurdity accompanies every joke, the feeling that greater things are at stake, but then you realize, these are robots, which live forever and have no need for a sense of urgency.

Art:
It’s CGI Anime. Take of it what you will, but while the original Fireball was mediocre even at the time of its release, Fireball Charming is a vast improvement. Visual flourishes are everywhere and the environment of the Tempest Tower has a serene beauty accomplished only from its massive size and repetitive nature.

Sound:
Because each episode is less than 2 minutes long, you won’t ever be hearing more than the main 10 second theme. But it’s a nice short tune and actually surprisingly memorable. The robotic sounds are a bit stock-effect sounding but they work. The voices are great, but the superior part is the way that the voice actors speak in a nonstop, fast stream of words. Robots like Drossel and Gedächtnis do not need to spend the time a human would analyzing each other’s speech and considering a reply, they talk immediately after each other, as quickly as a computer can process. Absolutely perfect.

Character:
Here is where Fireball Charming excels the most. Despite having only 2 main characters, and a small cast of random visitors, each character is memorable and enjoyable. Somehow, these robots are just as lifelike as humans. Drossel seems to be your typical snooty 14 year old anime princess, yet she’s got an entire range of unexpected personalities and emotions that are surprisingly consistent for her character. Gedächtnis, who acts as her loyal and often abused elderly servant, is the ground for Drossel’s sanity and the one who explains the outside world. Both are immensely charming(no pun intended) and truly great.

Enjoyment:
The comedy in Fireball Charming is top notch. The original Fireball had excellent puns, wordplay and irony that made it an intellectual comedy that could still make one laugh out loud. Fireball Charming has added a range of slapstick to the mixture, without lowering the overall level of intelligence. The polar opposite ends of comedy go hand in hand in a way you’ll never have thought possible. The banters between Gedächtnis and Drossel are easily the most memorable duo lines made in anime and every word has been painstakingly arranged for maximum comedic relief. Make sure you get good subs, because they will make a major difference if you don’t speak Japanese.

Overall:
A true masterpiece. Don’t let the Disney production tag, short run time or CGI aspects fool you. This series is a wonderful gem of comedy that everyone should watch. And with the small episode lengths, you’ll only be wasting 30 minutes of your life for a whole season instead of 12 hours. Each bite sized episode is small but brimming with flavor and personality, one can only hope Disney will treat us to another season sometime soon.

Sword Art Online[SAO] is a tricky anime to review. While I usually keep my reviews personal, I think SAO is something that should be approached only after you've researched it, because if you haven't, you may end up disappointed. Badly.

I'll start off by saying that I am an avid fan of the .hack/// series. I grew up with it, and even though it's not the first or best "Virtual Reality Game" anime, it always brought something new to the table in all of it's branches and reboots. My initial reaction to SAO was mixed, I knew it was trying to ride off of .hack///'s success, ... but I was really intrigued by it's greatest feature- the fact that ALL players who die in the game die in real life.

Kirito is your average MMORPG nerd- terrible in real life and completely absorbed in his video games. Fortunately for him, SAO offers the chance to transition to an almost real world where he's unbeatable. A beta tester for SAO, he rises to the top and when the game opens to the public, he's ready to do it again. Except this time, there is a new challenge. Players are unable to log out of SAO until someone beats the game's 100th floor(the equivalent of a level) because of an insane Game Master. Also, they die in the game, they die for real. Trying to avoid as many spoilers as possible, Kirito continues his typical behavior and becomes one of the most important, although not well known, players. With the help of Asuna, an ally from when he first started the game, he may very well be able to save everyone.

This is where things sound great. There are so many truly wonderful and new ways to handle the story from here. Perhaps a Game Master who desires the chance to play God? How glitches or government interference make the situation worse? A mystery on who you can actually trust in a game where you'll be backstabbed by anyone?
By far, the biggest and most salivating premise would be a study on human psychology. How would players react in this situation? The anime is really eager to answer that question. Actually I spoke too soon. It isn't. Throughout the anime (and light novels) we see some really genius moments. Some players form coalitions to save the rest. Others just hide in the beginning town, where they'll be safe. Beta testers use their advanced knowledge to grab the best training spots and compete. Some PK'ers question the truth of the game, believing that killing other players will actually liberate them from the system without frying their brain. Characters even begin to wonder whether the real world happened and if they'd really want to return.
But this genius is hidden among the most terrible, convoluted and twisted plot pacing/story I've seen in almost all of modern media. You'll see these great ideas hidden behind pretentious filler and useless romance scenes. I've heard the comparison of SAO to a young otaku's wish fulfillment fanfiction. And that's pretty much accurate. There is so much harem in this anime that a wonderful setup is completely lost.
SAO's pacing and arrangement is just so awkward I had to make a section for it. In the original light novels, thing skip around to level 78 after the beginning. That really isn't too bad once it happens. There are some cute side stories later. But the producers of the anime decide to show those first. And there are a lot of those episodes. In fact, episodes 2-7 could be considered entirely unnecessary. Again, more harem. Nothing else. Then, once important and slightly enjoyable content rears it's head, we get more harem. And what, due to the childish look of the protagonists, could very well be an underage creepy marriage. Oh, and an .Hack/// Aura clone that is somehow even harder to care about because she's just so dang annoying.
Unfortunately, the second arc doesn't solve much. Without spoiling too much, it's a very very very disappointing move, and while some may not mind, it's a terrible trope that ruins an already faltering storyline.
Despite this, the first episode is possibly one of the most well composed and addicting openers in an anime. It explains just what it needs to, it doesn't give too much but it sets everything you need to know and really captures MMORPGS and the human psyche perfectly. Watch that even if you don't watch the rest because really, it's nearly perfect.

Characters. Ughhhh. Kirito is a badass Gary Stu. What tries to be character development is rushed and not character development but just extra sympathy for a character we already love. So Kirito is awesome and terrible as a character. Asuna is simply adding to the breast count, she's a straight up Mary Tsundere and also lacks emotional development. Every other character is pretty much pointless and in only 1 or 2 episodes, with no time for emotional attachment.

The art is a moot point. The backgrounds are truly great at times and really show the expanse and varying floors of SAO. But the art is just standard if slightly better than average. I will admit though, the menu screens for players that hover around them are really neatly done and very consistent. Don't ask why I love them so much, but they get the art score an entire extra point. Character designs are great, although when you're doing designs for characters for an MMORPG, that's not hard. I have small issues with how the producers tried to make the game seem like an MMORPG, because when they do it right, they succeed really well with AI messages and drop down menus. But they just don't do it often enough. Sound is good, not much to complain about. The MMORPG sounds are all really well done and quite modern.

And well, there is the real issue with SAO. Both the light novels and anime ruin a fantastic premise, but the anime does it even worse(the later novels of the light volume, uncovered by the anime, are surprisingly experimental and are more like science fiction than your typical adventure light novel; I highly recommend reading the series just for them). In a conceptual phase, this anime is godlike. When actually produced, it's a sad specimen. But really, don't let that failure get in the way of your enjoyment. Because while SAO doesn't do everything right, it's still a nice anime. It's not as effective or compelling as it should be, but if you liked .hack/// you'll probably get something enjoyable out of it. Maybe one day, a reboot will come and fix everything. Until then, Sword Are Online is a piece of milk chocolate with just 3 decadent hazelnut flakes mixed in. When you hit one, the taste resonates. When you don't, it's just chocolate. But chocolate isn't bad, it's just... chocolate.