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This is my first manga review. I stumbled across Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryokou for the first time with its great anime adaptation, reaching for the manga out of pure curiosity. If you already watched the anime, you will notice that there are no great plot twists and just (what it felt to me) one or two major events. The formula for both is the same; exploration, finding something to philosophize about, heartwarming moe moments, and so on. I've read a small number of mangas till this moment, but this is the first one that gave me a strange dichotomous sensation of both sorrow and excitation while ... making you feel like those two sensations are the same. The progression helps greatly to improve those feelings, as in every chapter they tend to find something new to interact/think to, but also to say goodbye.

Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryokou has a unique identity. While being simple, it works well with all its elements. The connection created between both protagonists, despite their modest personalities, is believable and well-made, there is no forced emotion or unnecessary drama. It's a great manga to read in one sit also as it is not complicated and fairly short. Also, being simple doesn't mean you can't stop to analyze what you've just read; some of their ramblings cover existentialism, religion, human behavior, thoughts about war, etc. You can start reflecting on those things or just have fun seeing both girls squeezing their innocence through the unknown.

The art style is simple and sweet; it suits well with our heartwarming-post-war-apocalypse setting. I'm not kidding, it really does. It's appropriate and enjoyable at worse, nothing much to be said about that.

I would recommend this manga for people wanting to enjoy an easy and unique ride; for those wanting something different from moe clichés, or that just like to think about the small things in life.

First, as I'm reviewing a movie from 1985, I'll set a handicap here for this decade standards. The most exciting thing about Vampire Hunter D is by far it's setting, that just screams "RPG" at your face (and not the explosive one). It has been some time since I have seen something close to traditional vampires in media, and of course i would find some reminiscence of it in an 80s vampire/action themed movie!

For the art and sound direction, I would give it a 2 out of 3. The OST fits really well in the setting. The animations match the 80s quality, an average quality ... at most. The combat scenes are generally good, but nothing really out of this world, at least it doesn't abuse of action stripes and lazy parallaxes all the time. It has some cool character designs that, again, fits nicely into the setting. The scenery is really cool and well drawn in most of the parts.

I can go with 1 out of 3 for the writing. It's very cliche even for this era standards, typical mysterious hero that have to destroy some villain in order to save the girl, but then we have some predictable plot twist regarding him and so on. The movie could really have benefited better from the world around it and explored more of the characters. Speaking of the characters, some have good potential (like D and the main antagonists) and others are just more of the same or unexplored.

For uniqueness and enjoyment, I would give it a 3 out of 4. I love vampires, it's a really cool theme that fits nicely in a fantasy/gothic setting; I feel like Vampire Hunter D mixed the exact right amount of futurism in between. I just can't stop imagining how many possibilities a Vampire Hunter D RPG would have, covering everything the movie didn't explore. In its duration we could see different types of monsters, weapons, an unexplored world lore and more. And I can't go without saying that all these characteristics reminds me greatly of Castlevania, which I didn't search prior to this moment, but I think that it might have inspired the authors somehow.

If you're a retro anime fan, I would totally recommend giving Vampire Hunter D a try, I'm pretty sure you would like.

This is my first review, im not a native english speaker, but i will give my best! It may have minor spoilers too.
I was attracted to Gunslinger Girl by my interest in guns. I really like animes that display good action and some "gunporn". While Gunslinger Girl provided this, it was not the prominent focus. In fact i could highlight other nice characteristics it brought, like the care in reproducing Italy, the controversial plot and the beautifully produced ost.

I give the Art Direction at 3/3. Aside from some "cookie faces" and distance broken models, you can notice a good effort being put into the scenery, ... clothing, characterization, OST etc. Speaking of OST, its vast and beautiful, mostly made of classical themes. Again, the details for clothing, scenery representation and general animation are above good for a 2003 anime.

The writing is a 2/3. The central plot sets up a dreary mood to the series, however the cast is rarely upset about it, and when they are, they are not willing to do something to show they really care about little girls being used as murdering cyborgs. It lacks explanation on technologies being used to transform these girls, and very little information is given regarding its functionalities, but honestly it isn't a bad thing. I feel like less focus on these details gave more importance to other factors.
I could say that it's a non-linear plot and the character backgrounding is ok, nothing too deep. The only character i could feel some noticeable development was Henrietta. Aside from that, the stories are enjoyable and bring some ethical questions to the table. The penultimate story is thrilling, bringing an investigation with different perspectives from opposite sides and gives a good idea of what the second season could be about.

For uniqueness and enjoyability i would give a 3/4. Gunslinger girl is a good anime based on it genres, made with noticeable effort for 2003. it is more drawn to the psychological side and the setting representation. Totally my fault to expect fast paced action while its themes differs from it. Of course there is a little, but its not this series focus.
I don't know anything technical about photography or cinema, but i dare to say that someone with a background on it would really like these factor in the anime. Without giving spoilers, for some reason the angles and timing fit really well in some scenes, it feels cohesive and well made.
As I said, this is my first review and I am totally open to constructive criticism! If you want to scold me that's fine too XD

Score : 8/10
Art Direction : 3/3
Writing: 2/3
Uniqueness and Enjoyability: 3/4