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Full Moon wo Sagashite was one of those animes I started on a whim. I had already read the manga, and decided to give the anime a try to see how much I liked it in comparison. To my surprise, I <i>loved</i> it, possibly even more than the manga version. The changes it makes from the manga were actually ones I (for the most part) preferred.

---Story---

While Full Moon wo Sagashite may not see like much on the surface -- little girl has a life-threatening disease, wants to sing, and becomes sixteen years old with the help of two friendly shinigami -- it ... becomes so much more deeper as the series move on. This anime doesn\'t shrink away from the uncomfortable subjects of death and suicide, and that is wonderfully refreshing. While initially cutesy on the surface, Full Moon wo Sagashite has a deep, moving storyline that touches upon every human emotion. I don\'t think I\'ve ever cried so much while watching an anime, and I doubt any other can truly touch me as much as Full Moon wo Sagashite did.

Many people complain that the first half of the series is comprised of filler episodes. While this may be true when first watching them, I don\'t think the second half would come off nearly as well without those \"fillers\". They developed the characters, showed you who they really were and what they were looking for, and prepared you for the emotional roller coaster that is the second half of Full Moon wo Sagashite. So, even if you\'re bored during the first half, I implore you to see the series to the end. You won\'t regret it.

---Animation---

I initially didn\'t like the character designs all that much, particularly that of Full Moon. After a while, however, the art smoothed out and became even pleasing. So, not the best, but not the worst either.

---Sound---

There\'s only one way to describe the music of Full Moon wo Sagashite: absolutely astounding. Every song (most of which were sung by myco, Mitsuki\'s seiyuu) was wonderful in its own way. While I didn\'t particularly like the two OPs, they grew on me after a while. Still, nothing can touch the four EDs this show has. My personal favorite is New Future, although Eternal Snow is heartbreakingly beautiful.

---Character---

Another plus of Full Moon wo Sagashite are the characters. Meroko and Izumi have become two of my favorite characters, although Izumi doesn\'t really come into his own in the anime. His soft side is only shown in the last episode, but that moment is definitely worth it.

The one quibble I have concerning the characters is that their back stories aren\'t as fully explained as they were in the manga. Meroko and Izumi\'s pasts are barely brushed upon, which is a real disappointment. Still, Meroko comes off as one of the best -- if not THE best -- characters in the entire series.

---Enjoyment---

I will never forget watching Full Moon wo Sagashite. It is certainly an experience, especially for the last fifteen or so episodes.

One thing that really struck me was the ending. I\'ve never come across an anime with such a perfect ending. Everything was tied up, and the emotions that came across were just... mind-blowing. I think I actually sobbed the entire last episode.

So, as a parting note, I urge you to give Full Moon wo Sagashite a try. I did, and it became one of my top five anime.

Pros: Incredible story, characters, and music; best anime ending EVER

Cons: So-so character design at times, not enough back story

Samurai 7 is the anime remake of Akira Kurosawa\'s Seven Samurai, one of the most influential films in Japanese history. I\'ll be honest and say that I\'ve never actually seen Seven Samurai -- although I do know the plot very well -- and picked up Samurai 7 because it just looked so interesting and I\'d heard quite a few rave reviews.

I was pleasantly surprised by the first four episodes, and it just kept getting better. I will say I didn\'t enjoy the ending, despite how well it fit for the series. It was extremely bittersweet, and I was hoping for a bit ... more closure on Kambei\'s end. Still, the series was very enjoyable overall, and I\'m certainly glad I watched it.

---Story---

To me, the story of Samurai 7 is its strongest point. I love the melding of mecha and samurai; it makes for incredibly interesting settings. Everything was well thought out, even when the anime departed from the original film\'s storyline. In fact, my favorite arc was actually after the battle for Kana village.

As stated before, the only part of the story I disliked was around the last two episodes. I think, however, that this was more of a personal opinion than anything. I do appreciate the ending -- considering everything that had happened before, it fit beautifully -- but my romantic, happily-ever-after heart was disappointed.

---Animation---

Ah, and here we come to a love/hate relationship for me. I <i>adore</i> the CG and backgrounds of Samurai 7. In fact, I don\'t think I\'ve ever come across better. The mechanical aspects were beyond amazing, and the cities jaw-dropping. However... the character designs, at times, were less than pleasing. Sure, the faces were beautifully rendered. However, it seems the artists took some liberty with the bodies of some of the samurai (Katsushiro, Gorobei, and Shichiroji in particular). It\'s not a huge thing, but it is rather disappointing after such pretty backgrounds. No matter how much I love Shichiroji as a character, I always wince the first time we meet him at the Firefly House.

---Sound---

The sound is very fitting for the scenes, and the OP is a personal favorite of mine (the ED is so-so). Chinese drums are employed frequently, but they never really get annoying. Overall, the sound is nice, although nothing truly spectacular.

---Character---

All of the characters of Samurai 7 are fully fleshed out, which is a huge plus in my book. I liked most of them, especially Kambei and Ukyo, but some of the samurai were just... strange. Gorobei in particular comes to mind. He seemed to have some sort of blood-letting fetish, which (while interesting) was just strange to me.

One of the most impressive characters in the entire series is Ukyo. I won\'t give anything away, but this man is definitely not all what he seems. For most of the last half of the series (the last episode being an exception), Ukyo is simply brilliant (both in brains and otherwise). Perhaps that\'s one of the reasons I enjoyed the last half as much as I did: he just made everything so <i>interesting</i>.

---Enjoyment---

Yes, I did enjoy Samurai 7 quite a lot. It\'s not my favorite series for a few reasons, but I loved watching it. Usually I dislike the merging of two time periods/genres, but Samurai 7 managed to pull it off splendidly.

I do recommend this series, although I urge people to watch it through to the end. Perhaps it\'s a personal opinion, but the second half simply blows the first half away.

Pros: Lovely CG, wonderful story, engaging characters -- in respect to both the heroes and villains (Kambei and Ukyo <3)

Cons: So-so character design at times, bittersweet ending (although some may consider this a pro, hah), annoying characters (I will never like Katsushiro or Gorobei...)

Spiral is one of those animes that gets a lot of mixed reviews. In my opinion, however, it is one of the greatest animes ever created for many reasons. It\'s not completely perfect, of course -- I don\'t believe anything is perfect -- but it comes pretty darn close.

---Story---

\"I\'m going to pursue the mystery of the Blade Children.\" This single line, spoken by Kiyotaka Narumi, is the premise for the entire show. Above all else, Spiral is a mystery anime, and it centers around what, exactly, the Blade Children are. It\'s a fascinating idea, that, most unfortunately, is never fully ... fleshed out in the anime (I won\'t give spoilers, but the ending is definitely... not the best). Despite its shortcomings, the plot is gripping, fascinating, and, on a level, horrifying (and no, I don\'t mean that it\'s just that bad, although some may disagree. :P). I would suggest reading the manga -- which comes out in October 2007 -- to fill in all the holes the anime leaves.

---Animation---

I was completely overwhelmed by the characters and story so, honestly, the art didn\'t really catch my attention the first time I watched Spiral. The character designs are all very pleasing, but there\'s nothing really spectacular.

---Sound---

The music of Spiral, without a doubt, always fits with the current scene. While I thought the opening song was absolutely horrendous, the ending theme is one of my personal favorites. The music definitely catches the mood, going from bouncy to dark and dangerous in a heartbeat.

---Character---

Aaaah, here\'s where Spiral really shines through. In all the anime I have watched, I haven\'t come across a single one that matches Spiral in terms of characters. Every single one of them is interesting, multi-faceted, and has both strong points and weaknesses. Spiral simutaneously holds my ultimate favorite character (Kousuke Asazuki) and my most despised character (Kanone Hilbert). At some point or another, every character in this show goes through some developement and revelation. Ayumu Narumi, the protagonist, is pleasantly different from most main characters you see in anime.

I must also give a nod to the females of Spiral. There are no weak damsels in need of a rescue here! They are resourceful, brave, and just as good as any of the guys. For those of you who are tired of wishy-washy, constantly-screaming females, Spiral is your answer.

---Enjoyment---

Obviously, I enjoyed Spiral very much. While there may be things about it I didn\'t particularly like, the sheer pleasure I recieve in watching it far outstrips those little quibbles.

So, my friends, I highly encourage you to at least give Spiral a try. If you haven\'t seen it, you really don\'t know what you\'re missing.

Pros: Amazing characters, theme-fitting music, engaging storyline

Cons: Less-than-satisfactory ending, somewhat corny dialogue