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What the fuck did I just watch? Close your eyes and step away slowly from this anime, kids, cos this one ain't for the faint of heart. It plays out more like a horror than a romance anime and I would seriously recommend the tag be added (case in point, the rain and thunder creepy atmosphere as episode 1 draws to a close with a disturbing scene which cannot be unseen). Despite all its grotesque shortcomings, for some reason which I cannot fathom, this anime somehow has quite excellent production quality, especially for its time (made in 2010), with a great showcasing of animation quality, ... artstyle, voice acting, direction, and OST. None of it however makes up for the atrocity which makes up the content of Yosuga no Sora.

Yeah, this anime sucks. But props has to be given to the production team's balls for going ahead with that crazy ass ending. I don't know if this was the writer's intention, but I like to think of this anime as an artistic satirical criticism on the generic-ness of anime rom-coms back in the day. The anime starts off like all generic rom-coms, being so predictable and cheesy that you could practically time it with a clock. Then, we get to the ending and shit goes haywire. If nothing else, this anime deserves kudos for originality and balls.

Coincidentally, or not so coincidentally, generic anime ... school-setting romcoms underwent their downfall in popularity around the same year this anime was made, ushering in a new age of anime ideas. Not to say that School Days was directly responsible for this, but it's safe to say that this anime has its part as a building block for advancing anime creativity. My advice is to skim through the first ten or so episodes, and only watch the last two, if you really plan to watch this anime.

OP edgelord MC done right. Kaze no Stigma is what teenage wet dreams were made from in the late 2000s. Kawaii tsundere gf, overpowered too-cool-for-school MC, magic, monsters, and plenty of justice porn involving one's childhood bullies (including family and friends), objectively speaking there is nothing remotely ground breaking or crtically aclaimed about this anime. Yet it does what it was created to do well -- that is, to be a teenage self-insert in a world of magic and monsters.

Plot 7/10
The plot is sectioned into 4-5 episode subplots that pretty much continues from start to end of its 24 episode length. Credits for being ... consistent and not veering too far off course from its main story.

Characters 7.5/10
The pain of disappointing one's parents is something that resonates deeply with many people, especially those of Japanese/Asian descent where childhood expectations are high. It is with this thorn that forms the basis of MC's character.

Production 7/10
Nothing wrong with the animation, but the fights are pretty disappointing (could be just because it's an old anime). Also, the opening and ending themes are quite subpar especially when compared to a similar anime of its time like Shakugan no Shana (which coincidentally also has a red-haired flame welding sword user tsundere).

Overall 8/10
Bonus points for being one of my childhood favourites.

A yakuza mermaid with more pride and honour than the toughest gangsters in all of the Western hemisphere put together.

Seto no Hanayome is a senseless romantic comedy with high production quality (awesome soundtracks, character songs, animation, direction, etc) that focuses on the fun-fueled relationships and interactions between its loveable characters, whom have enough originality and chemistry to set this anime leagues ahead of its peers for decades to come.

However, it is the crazy superb voice acting (Japanese) that truly pulls this anime from great to legendary status, whether it's Sun's cute rural dialect or all the over-the-top yakuza screams, the voice acting is the sparkle ... that brings characters to life and truly shows that all the cast are just having the time of their lives, utilising their vocal ranges to their full extent and not holding back. It's like being in a room with all your favourite friends and just sitting there, watching and laughing along to the chaos and fun.

Keep in mind that this anime was made almost 2 decades ago, and it was already touting strong independent female characters even prior to the theme becoming mainstream. None of the female characters in this series are looking for a prince charming to save them, in fact Seto no Hanayome even turns this trope around on its head, having characters like Masa charming the boots off the male lead, Sun's thematic honour monologues, or Lunar's battle with Sun taking centre place in one of the arcs (also, being one of the best song fights in anime).

Some may complain that the jokes are repetitive, but there is honestly enough twist and nuances each time that make the jokes different enough to work each time, for example, the monkey best friend going into a Dragon Ball Z artstyle scene with the male lead, and then later, gets rekt by another character in the same style, etc. The repitition is moreso just the anime expressing its flair, rather than repetition for the sake of repetition. So this is really a non-complaint.

All in all, Seto no Hanayome is comedic genius in the form of unbridled writing talent allowed to run amock and write whatever the writer deems funny without any restraint. Loveable characters, relationships, superb voice acting, and high production quality (especially the soundtrack) are all factors that combine together to result in this supremacy of rom com anime.

Are our roles in society pre-determined as part of destiny? Should it be? Etc. This is the core theme and namesake of the show that Gundam Seed Destiny is trying to tell. Unfortunately, it doesn't manage to quite get the message across amidst the many other concurrent themes and ideas that gets swept along the series -- this I mostly blame Bandai, as they severely limited the budget/cost cut for the series for the sakes of corporate profit (see below).

Seed Destiny is a divisive and controversial anime, probably one of the most ever for a Gundam series, and the reason for that is probably ... because of it's potential. No one gets seriously mad about a bad anime. They simply stop watching and move on. It is when a show that builds up a lot of potential and manages to waste it, that people often get very angry.

But first, let's start with the good before we go onto the not-so-good.

Good:
The first 10 episodes / start of Seed Destiny is amazing and demonstrates superb story writing. Within episode 1, Seed Destiny manages to set its tone, introduces its core characters, establish its theme and show the antagonist's (Shin and Gil) thoughts and motivations all in one go. Its exciting, fast-paced, and raw. We literally see Shin's entire family obliterated in episode 1 in one of the most gory and war-raw scene in Gundam history. There are casualties in war. We often don't think about them as all we see as viewers are the epic gundam fights happening on screen, but it's there, in the unshown background, and Shin's family was the perfect example.

Shin's family is given only brief seconds of cameo time, and yet, it is heart-wrenching to watch Shin play over and over again his dead sister's voicemail, using her pink phone as the only item left of her in the living world.

Bad:
Characters never get fully developed despite the anime being 50 episodes long. As such, viewers are left feeling alienated from Shin as the antagonist/anti-hero. With each passing episode, Shin sinks deeper and deeper into the horrific nature of Gil's schemes, and yet we as viewers do not sympathise with him, because of the rushed and lazy storytelling that becomes gradually more central to Seed Destiny's nature.

I attribute much of what went wrong with Seed Destiny to Bandai who had probably severely limited the budget for production -- clearly evident through their abundant reusing of animation (e.g., Zakus pulling out their axe from shield, Impulse slashing twice with beam sabre following a unit, even characters talking animation like Shin shouting whilst cutting down an enemy, etc.). This blatant reuse of animation, hefty long flashbacks (to save animation budget), etc. all contribute to the downfall of what initially started off as a promising Gundam series.

In the end, this culminates into one of the worst Gundam endings ever, where the reuse of animation, hefty long flasbacks, etc. ascend to a crescendo at its apex, and the viewers are left angry, shaking, and feeling very rightly so 'ripped off'. Despite this, I give Seed Destiny a good rating here because of its clear potential that was evident throughout the start of the series and the themes/motifs that never really managed to get to the finish line, but were built so strongly that I could just close my eyes and imagine the finish line in my head.

An underrated rollercoaster that many have rated poorly and left the ride, before even reaching the apex. At its core, this series is a true gundam series with similar themes to its predecessors and successors. However, the creators have tried to be creative and throw in new elements not common to the Gundam series at the time that appears to have disgruntled long-time fans of Gundam, namely comedy, slapstick, zaniness, and lighthearted fun.

As such, the series was bombarded with undeserving negative reviews for straying from the typical Gundam atmosphere which has historically carried serious tones and a heavier focus on war themes.

Looking past ... all that, Gundam ZZ is a good anime that I would encpurage all fans of the series to stick out and watch at the very least the first 20 episodes before deciding whether to drop it or not (yes, it takes a while to pick up, but in my opinion it's worth it).

Gundam ZZ takes a fresh approach, introduces some much welcomed light hearted fun and slapstick comedy to create a show that is much more focused on the characters, their development, than the overarching war themes.

As a result, we see strong and unique characters like Judau, Ple, etc. coming into the field. No longer the typical whiny Gundam MCs like Amuro and Kamille, Judau enters the show by establishing his strong convictions and morals early, being a likeable MC that knows what he wants and where he's going.

Another great (and my favourite) character is Elpeo Ple. She does suffer from being pushed into the same tragic Cybernewtype archetype that the Gundam series is infamous for, but everything else about the character is superbly well done to the point that this single character manages to create an entirely new character archetype based around her that future animes continue to use to this day. Adorable, cute, mentally unhinged, and sporadic, Ple is a bundle of unrestricted fun in the same sense as seeing the genuine and innocuous smile of a child in real life that has yet to face or see the cruelties of life.

A light-hearted coming-of-age slice of life that you will either fall in love with or shun in disgust -- the path depends on whether you are one that can separate fiction from reality or someone that gets triggered in spite of the intentions of the offender. What I mean by this is that this show is evidently clear that the premises is based of a adolescent boy being transformed into a girl and his experiences dealing with the changes ranging from the social, physical, sexual, emotional, and the mental. The show is written with no ill intentions and this is conveyed through its light-hearted atmosphere ... and wholesome vibes maintained throughout every single episode (although, yes, there are 'fan service' scenes which you will have to look past and understand as just being part of a different culture).

If you can look past all that, then yes, you will find a fluffy chill anime that feels you with good moods and leaves you a happier person.

Story 8/10

Characters 8.5/10

Art & Animation 9/10

Overall 9/10

Courage is not about not being afraid, it's about the strength to face your fears, swallow your doubts, and make a decision.

If that sounded generic to you, that's probably because it is. But generic themes can still be good if explored deeply enough in a narrative, especially if you manage to delve into somewhere less travelled. Unfortunately, this is not the case for Boku no Hero Academia in my humble opinion. But hey, animes can still be enjoyed without taking them so seriously. The problem here is that Boku no Hero Academia is an anime that does take itself quite seriously and as such ... we as an audience are forced to view it from that same lens. Regardless, if you're a viewer who hasn't encountered much media with the theme I outlined above before, then there is a higher probability of you enjoying this show as opposed to more seasoned anime / media viewers that have came across this trope in abundance.

Story 7/10

Characters 6.5/10

Art & Animation 8.5/10

Overall 7/10

Dark, psychological and at times hard to understand, Freesia is a manga not for the faint of heart. At its core, it's a psychological journey diving into the mind of the author, his characters and the bleak world of those living with mental disorders. Hallucinations, apathy, PTSD, a wide range of conditions are covered and touched on in this manga that are portrayed both realistically and figuratively.

Story 8/10
Engaging and unpredictable. In Freesia, the story doesn't drive the characters. It's the characters that drive the story. And because the MC suffers from a multitude of mental disorders, there really is no way to predict what ... he will do next or consequently where the story will go. As a result, the story will naturally deviate from plot structures that most people are used to. If you don't mind stories that will take you for a rollercoaster ride that may explode at the end, then you'll like this. If you enjoy stories that are familiar, follow a format, and comes together nicely at the end, then you'll hate this.

Characters 8/10
The mental conditions affecting the characters are portrayed realistically and the author isn't afraid to show readers scenes that may be disturbing or politically inappropriate. Both the good and ugly of human nature is shown throughout this manga. Even someone as initially detestable as Keiko is given some redemption as the story progress albeit to a tragic end. Other characters I particularly liked were the Phantom due to the interesting skills given to him, as well as his duel with the MC in a clash that almost feels as epic as an action manga, although never really conforming to the structure of the latter.

Art 7.5/10
It ain't afraid to show gore yet only shows when necessary in the telling of the story rather than shoving it in the readers' face.

The first episode created a lot of controversy but one thing for certain is that the anime tried to do something different and that in itself deserve props (unless you're someone that hates creativity). I myself loved how it started off because it took the typical generic shounen at the time and flipped it completely upside down, destroying all expectations that the viewer initially had on episode 1 and eliciting interest and a sense of awe as to 'what the hell was going on' to keep viewers hooked for more episodes.

It was a badass, original and captivating way to kick the anime off and it ... wasn't as though the start was completely for waste as it still served as a precursory introduction to the world of Ga-Rei: Zero, how the government agency was structured, the nature of the monsters, etc.

Story 8/10
I loved the story but to be frank, asides from the startling beginning, the rest of the anime progresses like a typical shounen however with the author's own flair added on which made for an entertaining watch. Exorcists has been done countless times in animes, and the author evidently tries to mix and spice things up with some interesting weapons (e.g., a god damn iron) but it still quite cookie cutter in terms of the general plot direction. But this anime isn't about the story. It's about relationships. Specifically the relationship between the two female leads which I think was done amazingly well and what really made Ga Rei Zero such a good anime.

Characters 8.5/10
The characters are not completely original nor are they individually memorable (that's not to say they aren't lovely characters), but what I am awarding stars here for is the relationship between the two female leads. In a time where yuri was frowned upon, Ga Rei Zero is one of those daring animes that teases the trope, but more importantly, focuses and delves into the relationship between 'sisters' of different blood. Ga Rei Zero successfully (at least for me) conveys the strong emotions between the two female leads as their relationship progresses, resulting in a tragic tearjerker that fans will remember fondly for being one of the few animes created to delve so deeply into this space.