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Story:
Black Rock Shooter is, for the most part, a simple slice-of-life story. What makes the story unique is the juxtaposition between the real world and the world of Black Rock Shooter. This creates a sense of mystery and breaks away from the more traditional style of linear storytelling. The downside is that this makes certain points in the plot quite confusing, and more than likely you will have to watch a second time in order to pick up on some of the subtler plot points.

The main drawback of the plot itself is the rushed feeling it gives; it becomes quite obvious towards the second ... half of the OVA that 60 minutes is not enough time to develop the story effectively. However, the merits of this OVA should not be considered on its own; it is but the beginning of what appears to be a continuing storyline.

Art:
The art style and animation are superb. The art has been upgraded since the Pilot edition trailer. Every scene has been rendered with exquisite detail. huke's unique art style has been well conveyed by Ordet Studios rendition of Black Rock Shooter and Dead Master. The actions scenes are particularly well animated, with a nice mix between detail and speed.

Sound:
The soundtrack for the OVA, composed by ryo (the composer of the orginal Black Rock Shooter vocaloid song) is excellent and effectively evokes the emotions of each situation. From the slice-of-life moments to the action moments, each scene has an appropriate accompanying piece of music (or lack thereof). Perhaps the only complaint would be that the song Black Rock Shooter itself does not actually appear (although parts of the song do appear instrumentally within the soundtrack).

Character:
The characters in the OVA are well-designed, but are quite cliqued and predictable. In terms of personality, both Mato and Yomi are quite plain, with no real unique or special characteristics. Mato is your typical sports-oriented girl with average grade and Yomi is your typical sheltered rich girl. However, these plain character designs do not detract from the overall story.

Pverall:
Black Rock Shooter is a unique, well-designed OVA that is a definite watch for those looking for something a little different. Just remember to consider the OVA as simply part 1 of what will mostly likely be a much bigger story.

Once again Kara no Kyoukai has managed to score a 10/10 in all departments from me. Why? Because once again it has pulled off the story in absolute brilliance, leaving very little out from the original story and using a superb soundtrack combined with the brilliant animation to create another masterpiece.

In terms of chronological order, this movie is first in the timeline, therefore it is much more accessible than the first movie. The movie focuses much more on character development and allows the viewer to understand more about Shiki. Once again Nasu's work has been done justice in this outstanding movie adaptation.

For those who ... haven't seen the first film, I would suggest watching it. Although it is possible to watch the second movie without seeing the first, it is much easier to understand Shiki's character if you have seen the first film. Overall I believe that this film is excellent, and would appeal to any Type-moon fan or fans of series with complex undertones.

Amazing! Excellent! Outstanding! This anime movie is one of the most brilliant I have ever seen. The beautiful animation, the superb soundtrack, the powerful story, everything plays together in an epiphany of sheer brilliance. Nasu Kinoko's story is done justice with this adaptation, leaving in almost every last detail from its original source material. In my ten years of watching anime, I have yet to see an anime that ever deserved 10/10 in every category... until now. Kara no Kyoukai is a very rare find; an anime that does not slip-up once in its 60 minutes of pure genius.

The characters themselves are extremely well designed, ... with much effort put into matching their look exactly with the original designs. Aozaki Tohko was the only major change in design for the story, most likely to make her to be closer in appearance to her sister, Aozaki Aoko (A key character in another of Nasu's works, Tsukihime).

The music is well suited to every scene, and the majority of the music is simply a different mix of the same theme, giving the film a sense of unity, with only the change in musical instruments and tempo occurring between most scenes.

The overall story is brilliant, however, for those who know nothing of the storyline, it should be noted that, in terms of chronological order, this film is NOT the first in the series. It is, in fact, the fourth in terms of chronological order. Due to this, relationships between characters are already assumed and the film jumps straight into the story, with very little being explained to the audience. For those who are confused, or are just wanting to know more, fan translations of chapters 1-4 do exist, and can be easily found with a little effort.

I recommend this film to any anime fan. Every part of it screams brilliance and will keep you on edge until the final moments

Rebuild of Evangelion: 1.0 You are (not) alone is an excellent anime movie that keeps in line with the original series, whilst making additions in many areas. Unlike the original series, the themes and ideas of the movie are slightly different, exploring hope, self-awareness and our duty in life, as opposed to hopelessness, the human mind and the other deep philosophical ideas Evangelion is so famous for. I was slightly disappointed at the lack of philosophy in the movie, but with the compression of the storyline, along with the slight shift in themes, implementing the philosophy is something that is just too much to ask ... of a 90 minute film. I recommend this to anyone who has seen the original series, and has yet to see the film (sorry purists, you will get upset), or those who haven't seen the original series but have an interest in sci-fi/mecha anime.

Shingetsutan Tsukihime is an anime that I would definitely stay away from. I am slightly biased in reviewing this, since I played the Visual Novel 'Tsukihime' before watching this series, and was disgusted at the injustice done to such a brilliant story. The anime compresses the storyline heavy, makes unneeded changes and completely wrecks the original characters. For anyone who is curious enough to want to watch this series, I have but one thing to say. Don't. If you are that interested, track down the Visual novel, install the mirrormoon english patch and read it instead. Alternatively, read the manga, which does some justice to ... the story, otherwise stay away from this pathetic excuse for an anime

CLANNAD is a series that took me by complete surprise. At the time I began viewing the series, I had not heard of the visual novel, I only had a recommendation from a friend to watch the series. After watching the first thirty seconds, I immediately became hooked on the series. Unlike most high-school romance series, CLANNAD focuses more on drama as opposed to comedy, and although many light-hearted moments appear throughout the anime, the main focus is on the drama.

Kyoto animation have pulled off yet another spectacular anime, with high quality animation. The amount of effort put into the production does justice the the ... beautiful story of CLANNAD. The superb animation, combined with a brilliant soundtrack and a excellent story, make for an overwhelmingly great anime experience. For those who haven't watched CLANNAD before, and enjoy the romance genre or 'high-school life', I definitely recommend this series.