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I have seriously been following this manga off and on for about 4 years now (due to scanlation errors, time constraints, etc.), and I felt like that I grew up with these boys and Kawato-sensei....

This serious is what first got me into the sports genre, and I had originally picked it up because the baseball team consisted of a bunch of delinquents! All of the characters were enduring, and the struggles that they overcame were immense.

There were numerous times that I laughed, I yelled at the computer, and my heart couldn't and wouldn't stop pounding as I read through their games.

I actually find ... myself incredibly sad to have finished the series; it was great in almost every way possible. And it might have been that I felt a strong connection to these boys, or that it took me so long to finish it, but I actually teared up as I read the last panel.

I encourage anyone to read this manga. Even if you aren't a sports fan or a delinquent fan, you still need to read it. You won't help but to cheer Nigoku on.

Go Nigoku go! Never give up on your dreams!!! ;;;____;;;

I had been watching a lot of gory and heavy anime as of late, so I thought I would take a change of pace and go for a nice harem school life sort - you know, just to sit and enjoy. ‘Bonjour’ was just what I needed to clear my mind before I delved into darker and murkier waters again. And with the series having just finished up this last Friday it made it easy to binge watch it.

Story: 6/10
Now if you’ve played Otome games before or have watched other anime based off of an otome game then you wouldn't be surprised by the plot ... of the show. I’m not going to dive very much into it, but for those of you who haven’t watched/played one before here’s the gist of the plot: Cute girl goes to a specialty school, she meets all the boys who will eventually come to like her, there is a rule in the school that disbars relationships, hijinks and fun times ensue with each boy getting their own special one on one time with the girl. Needless to say, the plot was standard at best.
It basically felt like you were watching someone playing the game and experiencing standard dialogue and comedic scenes (and making pastries!). This isn’t a bad thing, but it brought nothing new to the table. The upside is though that the episodes are only 5 minutes long, so you could easily watch the entire series in an hour and a half, maybe even an hour if you skip opening and ending themes.

Sound: 6/10
Just like the story, the music sounded like it came straight from the game - so it was nothing spectacular. The opening and ending themes were short and to the point, which I especially liked. It comprised of the main male cast singing, which was pleasant to listen to. All the voice actors did a good job in their roles, playing their respective characters well. My favorite out of the cast though was Ran Mochizuki , who I thought was hilarious, and always made me laugh every time that she spoke.

Art and Animation: 8/10
The show was bright and colorful, and the deserts absolutely looked DELICIOUS. The scenery was beautiful too with the coloring setting the ambiance of the show very. However, I thought the characters looked somewhat generic. Granted, there are only so many different ways you can draw the heroine and her band of good looking love interests. And there’s nothing wrong with the heroine looking generic, because you are supposed to be able to insert yourself and become the main character. What made me sad was that I didn't particularly find any of the guys that appealing looking. Yes, they were pretty (I guess), yes they had great and eye catching hair color, but they didn't look DIFFERENT compared to any of the men that I have seen in similar series. If I had to pick any one of them on looks alone it would probably be Ryou.

Character: 7/10
Once again we see standard otome game character dynamics. Sayuri is a classic Mary sue who tries her best at everything and has a real talent for pastry making, but is of course insecure about her abilities. She is wildly popular, except by for the one mean girl and her backup possy that dislike her for no good reason. Ran is the best friend that tags along and encourages Sayuri, while staying out of the spotlight. Tsubaki is the mean girl who self declares herself Sayuri’s rival as a chef; her purpose is to provide comedy.
Mitsuki is lovable and good natured, Gilbert is foreign and of course ignorant of Japanese ways, Yoshinozuke is quiet and can be serious but has a gentle side as well after you get to know him, and Ryou is the tough guy and can be scary but is the one who ends up showing the strongest feelings for Sayuri. Like I said - pretty standard. Their backstories are lightly touched on and have just a tad of drama/sadness to give them a darker side without ruining the general light and fluffy feel of the show.

Overall: 6/10
Overall the show was just standard. There was nothing about it that broke away from the basic reverse harem/otome game genre. Now I’m not saying this is a bad thing because it’s a staple for a reason. It’s familiar and comfortable and easy to get into right away. Like I said, this was a nice show to start spring break with and to get away from the dark stuff and from the stress of exams. But if you are trying to find something that’s new or exciting or has a little flair, then this show might not be for you.

I will admit I have a thing for outlaw type stories. I like reading and watching anything that has to do with thieves and assassins. I saw the name and decided to give it a try from the name along. I recalled seeing the Jing’s character design once in the distant past, but other than that I went in blind. I wasn’t really impressed in the beginning, nor was I particularly satisfied when the last line of credits scrolls on the final episode.

Story: 4/10
So I found out pretty quickly that the whole story is basically a teen with his feathery partner going through a ... city to steal whatever valuable items are there; and winning the heart of some lady along the way! This happens every.single.episode.
Now repetition is fine for children’s shows, and when you only see an episode about once a week or so. This is because the story doesn’t get as old as quickly. However, binge watching this show was extremely hard for me because it had the same pattern for the entire 13 episodes. The show was episodic as well, meaning that the episodes had no connection with each other, with the exception of the last 2-3 episodes, as the last heist of the series was told throughout those episodes.
Needless to say I just got bored with it halfway through, and I really got no enjoyment out of it in the end. It played off the same mechanics, with a bit of comedy thrown here and drama thrown there.

Art and Animation: 6/10
If I could give just one word to describe the art in Ou Dorobou Jing it would have to be “outdated”. The show was released in 2002, and it clearly looks like it. This isn’t a particularly a bad thing; the style is pretty classic for a shounen of the time (and it makes me feel nostalgic). However, it’s not aging well nearly 13 years later with the rigid lineart and bright colors. The animation is nothing special either, pretty stagnant scenes throughout the show. If you are a person that is really into art and animation then this won’t give you a very great aesthetic experience.

Sound: 5/10
I honestly can’t remember a single moment while watching this show where I stopped and appreciated the sound quality of the show. The background music in the series was pretty forgettable; the opening was a classic mild jrock that was appropriate for the show in my opinion, which was carried over to the ending in style and essence. They both had recognizable and somewhat catchy beats, but again it was nothing impressive.
As for the voice acting - I only watched the english dubbed version. 2002 was when dubs were still pretty bad (but improving) so if you watch it dubbed you’ll notice some misportrayal or underemphasis of emotion, annoying voices, and overacting. That being said I thought that it was translated well enough and the recording quality was better than some other shows that I have watched.

Character: 5/10
The characters were pretty bland throughout the show. Everyone in the series with the exception of Jing and Kir were only covered in one or two episodes, which didn’t allot much time to background stories. In every episode there was one girl that had her own backstory and was supposed to be the “love interest” that always ended up liking Jing by the end of the episode. These girls were basically all the same in my opinion, and I just did not care about a single one of them.
Jing and Kir are the protagonists of the show, which means you would think that you would watch them grow and develop. Well you would be wrong. I will admit that there is something to a lack of backstory for a protagonist - it makes them mysterious, and we must accept Jing is a well known bandit king and take it with a grain of salt. This frees up time to show off what Jing and Kir do best: steal valuables and do it well. However, the two never grown beyond more than a quirky and comedic duo who are good at stealing. They run into mild conflict in every episode, but nothing that creates a lasting impression of Jing or Kir as characters. This left me a little disappointed.

Overall: 5/10
It wasn’t good, it wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t what I was expecting. The show felt more or less “filler” - esque and about halfway into the show I was just done with the repetitious story. There was nothing in particular that made me want to continue it other than the fact that I didn’t feel it was bad enough to drop completely. This combined with a lackluster ending left me feeling almost cheated out the time I could have spent watching something that I really would have preferred to watch.

Now Afro Samurai was on my to watch list not really because I actually wanted to watch it, but for the fact that it was pretty popular in United States when it came out. It was to be one of those titles that I had to watch just to say that I actually watched it; and I really had no intention of watching it anytime soon.

That was, until my friend (who is still new and fresh to the world of anime) was flabberghasted that I had watched so many different series and have not watched Afro Samurai. All my attempts to explain to him that ... I had a set list that I wanted to complete first fell on deaf ears, and I was promptly plopped in front of his computer and watched the first episode. My first thought was ‘oh God….*sigh*’ and it didn’t quite leave me even as I watched the last episode.

Story: 6/10
It was said that the original Afro Samurai manga was severely lacking as Takashi Okazaki didn’t really have a talent for storytelling. And from what I’ve seen from the animated adaptation of it, I’m inclined to agree.

The story is pretty straight forward -- we’re set in a world that’s mixed with a modern day inner city feeling with sci-fi elements in a feudal Japan theme. And in this world there are two headbands that symbolize the greatest fighters in the world; Number 1 is considered a God, and untouchable. While Number 2 is the only one who can challenge Number 1, but cursed to fight everyone seeking their headband.

We start out as 1 and 2 are about to fight. 1’s son watches as 2 kills his father and takes the headband and title of Number 1 for himself. He challenges the young boy, telling him that he’ll be waiting for him at the mountain of the Gods when he feels like he’s ready to fight him. And so the young boy grows and fights as the new Number 2, vowing to seek revenge against 1 for killing his father and becoming the legendary and feared Afro Samurai.

And that’s what we see him do through the entire 5 episodes, making his way to the mountain to fight Number 1. Each episode appears to be separate from one another as a new enemy comes to try and kill him, with a little bit of his life as a youth as Number 2 is revealed in every episode. We soon realize that his past is not only tied in to the present, but it serves as a key component near the end.

But other than that, it’s just a story about death, and not much else.

Animation: 8/10
Now the art is where Mr. Okazaki shined. Apparently in his youth he liked to draw African Americans and was inspired by hip hop. We see a style that is mixed with the Boondocks and Samurai Champloo. It’s all exaggerated and stylized, which I found to be fitting for the show. None of the men are good looking, they either look plain or look like thugs which adds a certain realistic feel to the art despite the stylization (that being said the women are beautiful, which is always a staple in these sorts of adult themed shows apparently). The animation is also stylized and exaggerated, which again works with the art that makes it look good rather than makes it an eyesore.

As odd as it is to say, I didn’t really notice the background that much. I was too busy paying attention to the characters and their dialogue. The purpose of the background isn’t meant to take over the entire scene, but to help set the mood of the scene as well as give the characters room to interact with it and with each other. In this sense the background served its purpose well.

The color scheme is also similar to the Boondocks and is somewhat opaque and dark. It’s also due to the time in which it came out, as the early 2000’s produced a lot of anime with a dark and dreary color scheme. You won’t really find a vibrant color in the show, save for the sunset orange.

One last thing I would like to mention. There is a TON of blood in it. However, this is to be expected since the story just has Afro killing a bunch of people.

Sound: 6/10
I’m sorry to everyone who likes hip hop and rap in their anime! The music score was composed by none other than RZA of the Wu-Tang Clan, which is sort of a big deal considering how popular they are. You will find him rapping throughout the anime as well as through the Opening and Ending theme songs.

And who else to play a better Afro Samurai and his alter ego Ninja Ninja than the man Samuel L. Jackson? Right from the moment you hear Afro speak (or perhaps if you haven’t heard his voice that often, you’ll better recognize him when Ninja Ninja speaks) you know who the voice actor behind the animated character is. At first you might think that this is impressive, but then you realize that Samuel L. Jackson doesn’t say no to anything…..and you still might think that this is pretty cool.

Unfortunately, I didn’t really care for such flare or stardom incorporated into the show. Don’t get me wrong, the music fit the theme and Mr. Jackson’s acting was fine - it’s just not my cup of tea. But at least you can tell that this show was definitely made in America!

Characters: 5/10
The characters are about as straightforward as the storyline is. We really only see Afro’s background getting the focus of the story, which shows how he grew in strength and resolve. Personality wise we see him stay as stoic and revenge driven as ever. The other characters aren’t touched on at all, and the bulk of who Afro interacts with wants to kill him for his Number 2 headband. This serves its purpose to the story, but if you’re wanting deep character growth then I suggest you check out another anime.

Another thing I’d like to mention -- even though the characters are pretty two dimensional they act as though they are ‘gangster thugs’. Well, they are -- but what I mean is they act like modern day, inner city thugs. This makes the show a little more comical, I will admit. Also, there is A LOT of cursing in this show. So keep this in mind.

Overall: 6/10
Sorry everyone! I just couldn’t get into the show, but at least I can say that I watched it. This is a very adult show, so I don’t suggest watching this with children nearby. I wouldn’t even recommend young teens watching it since there is seriously a huge amount of cursing and killing and blood. On the other hand, if you just want to kick back and have something to watch where it will entertain you without heavy thinking or story involvement, then I would suggest Afro Samurai because it’s only 5 episodes of death and bad assery.

I can't tell you how much I enjoy reading sports manga and watching sports related shows. I was also a competitive swimmer way back in highschool, so when I saw that an anime was coming out about SWIMMING?! Oh yeah, I just had to watch it. Right from the get go I was mortified, the first episode was pretty much showing off the 'eye candy' cast and establishing the background that sets up the premise of Free! It was a major struggle to get through most of it, but I made it through and here I am to tell the world about it.

Story: 6/10

Man, if ... people think watching competitive swimming is boring, then most of the anime fits right in along with the sport. It's a sport anime in the sense that the boys actually swim in a couple of meets and train for said meets, but it's not quite like other sports anime.

For one, the characters grow outside of training and competitions unlike in other series where much of the game time is focused on inward self reflection or coming up with strategies. Now there's nothing wrong with this, in fact it makes sense. Swimming is a rather quick sport, with the longest single event lasting only 15 minutes max (relatively). There's not much time for reflection, not much time to think, and no way to strategize. So it's perfectly fine that the boys will be spending down time together outside of the sport to build up their characters and progress through the story.

That being said, it doesn't really feel like the characters grew that much. They stay pretty much the same as when they started except for the main conflict in the story, which had been resolved by the end of the series. Most of the episodes gave tidbits on Haru's and Rin's relationship and why they grew apart, but to me it felt like time wasting filler and I believe that the show could have yielded the same results with a shorter amount of episodes.

The second thing was, there was a lot of drama. So much so that I actually laughed at the climax, where all the emotions and baggage were on the table. Again, this is understandable since the target audience is supposed to be teen females. Not to stereotype and whatnot, but girls tend to enjoy stories that enrich character backgrounds, makes a deeper and more emotional connection to the characters, and a storyline that emphasizes friendship or a relationship through events. However, once again I felt most of the drama was so unnecessary and exaggerated that it turned me away.

What I did appreciate though was the fact that the sport was explained in depth. This isn’t unusual in sports anime, because it’s assumed that the audience doesn’t know the rules or the terms of the sport. Perhaps I enjoyed it more because I knew what they were talking about.

Art: 10/10

If there's one thing that this anime did right it was the art and animation. Oh boy did they know how to animate water. Considering that this is a swimming anime, to would be expected that the water would look pretty. However, you can tell from the quality that the animation budget mostly went to the water. I also appreciate the time they spent on the actual swimming itself, the movements were fluid and the boys had good form. This is where the show truly shines.

Sound: 7/10

Unfortunately the sound wasn’t as great as the animation, which is pretty disappointing because the sound can make the animation truly outstanding. Most of the soundtrack was pretty average which nothing much in particular standing out. The one bit I liked was the dub step/techno used during the meet, which I thought was a nice touch considering dubstep was and is still pretty popular. The opening theme song is pretty typical as well, which makes the sport look edgy and cool while at the same time dramatizing the relationship between Haruka and Rin. The ending theme is catchy and refreshing, with the voice actors for the characters singing it themselves. I’ll admit, I was really into it for awhile, listening to it on the 4 hour loop on youtube back this last summer.

Characters: 6/10

On top of the lack of character growth, I believe the characters didn’t have much personality to grow on in the first place. In Free! we see some pretty common character tropes with a little quirk added to them to make them more comical. Haru is your ‘tsundere’ who seems to have a romantic love for water; Makoto is the ‘big brother’ who’s actually easily frightened; Nagisa is the ‘shouta’ who’s pretty dense; Rin is the ‘cool guy’ until he talks; and Rin is the ‘Sporty’ guy who gets discouraged easily. I’ll admit the troupes worked well with each other and they served as perfect fuel for a good chuckle here and there. But in my opinion all of them were pretty two dimensional that relied on their quirk to keep the ball moving.

Overall: 6/10

Now even though my rating and my comments might sound harsh, I actually had a good time with the show -- after I got past the hump and made myself watch it. It gave me a good laugh nearly every episode, and it was a bit heartwarming to see the level of friendship that existed between everyone. It’s just I could have done without the filler esque episodes as well as all the drama. If it were up to me it would have been more about the swimming, but I suppose it does well as an introduction to sports anime for those who find that watching an anime on a sport would be boring.

That being said I don’t think I’ll rewatch the series, as it has been licensed in North America and the dub is currently in production. Nor do I foresee myself watching the second season or the OVA. For me, I stop here and that’s fine by me.

Death Billiards is a rather unassuming title. It is a short that only has a ½ hour episode going for it with an interesting name but a lacking synopsis. What story could possibly be told in a half an hour that could engage you? Well this hidden gem not only told it well but left me wanting more.

Unlike my other reviews, this one won’t be as lengthy. This is because it is only one episode and thus does not need a lengthy review.

Imagine, you suddenly find yourself in an elevator that leads you to a strange bar. When you try to recollect just how you ... got there you suddenly can’t remember. Another person also comes into the bar, you shake hands for the first time and introduce yourselves. Then the bartender tells you that you two will play a game against each other, the prize is your life.

This is the story of death billiards. It appears simple enough; an old man is paired against a young man in a game of billiards to fight for their life (sounds a lot like the MAL summary, hm?). But as you progress further into the episode more of the story is revealed. it’s an enriching story about life and death that weaved very nicely with how human beings come to terms with both.

As expected of Madhouse the art and animation were absolutely stunning. The characters were simple in their design, made to look normal in their peculiar environment. This combined with the matte, purple color scheme of the show you, as the audience, know that you are in for a dark and unnatural ride.

How would you act knowing that you had to play a game for your life? Even though we only get one episode with these two players; their life, their character, and their desperation paints a perfect and rather grim picture on the human psychology. Their true nature is revealed during the game, which is just so raw and true to us that I couldn't help but relate and sympathize with them. We don’t get too much on their backgrounds, but it’s just enough to understand their lives and how they ended up playing pool together, which is more than enough for the show.

Overall I was very impressed. Like I have stated, the art and animation was beautiful, the characters felt so real, and the story is entirely enthralling and rather refreshing. If you have a spare half an hour just watch it. And if you DO end up loving the show, or if you’re reluctant to watch a short never fear! Madhouse will be producing the anime ‘Death Parade’, which will be the adaptation to Death Billiards. It’ll be coming out along with the other winter 2015 season anime, and if staying true to 'Death Billiards' should prove to be a very good show.

One night as I was lying in my hidey hole of a room, I was searching through the Netflix titles to see what I wanted to put on my instant que to watch later. While searching through the anime I ran across Hataraku Maou-sama!, titled in English 'The devil is a part-timer!'. The title instantly caught my attention, and I thought I would give the first episode a try. I ended up loving it.

Story: 7/10
We are thrown into the fictional world of Ente Isla, where the humans are at war with the demons. King Satan, the ruler of demons controls the army with plans to ... conquer the world. The humans fought back, sending in a hero to kill Satan--and it was actually working. The hero cornered Satan in his castle and charged to kill, only to have Satan open up a portal to escape with his right hand man, Alciel.
Their plan went horribly wrong, however. Somehow Satan and Aciel ended up in Tokyo Japan and stripped of their powers, becoming human! With no way of regaining the magic that they lost they are forced to live as humans, getting jobs and an apartment.

This show is comedy from start to finish, making me laugh until the very last moment. It relies heavily on character interaction, name calling, and miscommunication. There is some action thrown into the mix, but I think the show was truly made to be a comedy.

The show seems episodic, but as more characters and background are introduced we see a plot forming, filled with antagonists that want to destroy Satan's bike and ruin his perfect attendance record at McRonald's (not really, but I don't want to spoil anything).

There are 13 episodes, but the story really concludes at 12, with the 13th shows what happens the next day, and ends on a comedic note. I know others have been disappointed with the ending, and I would be lying if I said that the ending didn't bother me. However, the last episode sort of suggests that there could be a second season. There hasn't been any talk of a sequel yet, but a girl can hope, right?

Art: 8/10
The characters are cute, especially the girls. The guys look pretty standard, with nothing standing out too much in their character design beside eye and hair color. But the boys don't really matter, it's all about the ladies. The art style suggests to me that the animators were leaning towards something like moe. But I can't be too sure. The backgrounds are beautiful, especially in Ente Isla; and it compliments the character designs well. The color is bright and cheery, utilizing a wide array of color schemes. Even the darker scenes are rich with color. This sort of color technique has been pretty standard in the industry for a few years, but such vibrance is more common in 'moe', cute anime (which is another reason why I think this is the direction the animators wanted to go with).
The animation is smooth and consistent, but the fight scenes are nothing special. This is okay because the show is more about comedy, rather than action.

Sound: 8/10
I'm giving sound an 8 purely for the English voice acting. Now I know there will be sub diehards that will snuff me for watching dubs (although I love subs too), but I have watched the show in both English and Japanese. Both are good, but I think that the dub better picks up on the emotion of the characters, and definitely catches the bickering between the characters better. In my opinion it's better than the original Japanese voice actors, and without it I probably wouldn't have enjoyed the show as much.
The music in the anime was nothing special, and I barely paid attention to it unless they decided to cut the music all together. The opening theme grew on me, and I ended up listening to it for every episode. I really disliked the ending theme however, and never listened to it after the second episode.

Character: 9/10
I absolutely love all of the characters. All of them are just very exaggerated and theatrical, which is so counter intuitive in the human world that they seem eccentric to normal humans. It's perfect because they try to blend in with normal humans, but if they get excited it all gets thrown out the window.
But what I really like is how Satan and Emelia the hero interact. For the longest time, they justify their actions due to their respective roles (Satan = evil, Emelia = hero). But we see that Satan has an easier time throwing away his role and becoming, dare I say, nice. Emelia has a harder time letting go of her role, but she eventually does. It shows that anyone can change, which is a pretty nice message coming from the king of demons.

Enjoyment: 9/10
I'm not really a comedy fan, but I truly enjoyed this show. There was enough plot to keep my interest. And while the characters were exaggerated, their human struggles were very real; and as a college student I can sympathize with their poor as dirt life styles.

Overall: 8/10
Overall I give this show two thumbs up! Seriously, give this show a try. You don't even have to watch the dub (although I recommend it if you speak English), just give it a try. It's sort of a hidden gem, filled with comedy gold. Once you finish it, you'll want a second season as well.

High school is sort of that akward time for us all where we try to find out place in the world and try to make friends that have similar interests as us. For some it can be worse trying to accomplish this seemingly impossible feat. The main take away for Yowamushi Pedal is this:

You can conquer any challenge.

Story 8/10

The story is about Onoda Sakamichi, a friendless Otaku who goes into high school with the hopes of joining the anime club to finally make friends. His hopes are crushed though when he finds that the club has been cancelled due to a lack of members. As ... he tried to revive the club he runs into Imaizumi and Naruko--first years like him who joined the bycicle racing club, and managed to convince him to do the same despite his fears that he really had no place in the world of sports. Here he meets the third years, who mentor them all to become the strongest, fastest, and best that they can be.

Many can argue that Yowamushi Pedal is just a copy of Over Drive (because the plot is very very similar), but to me Yowapeda brings something a little different to the table, a weak character. Most sports anime/manga have the MC be really good, and kind of know it too. Since Onoda is weak and self concious of himself there is a very realistic feeling to the story--mainly the struggles and determination to become something great. It inspires me, and it makes me more involved with Onoda.

The anime pretty much follows the anime to a T--which brings up a major flaw--The pacing. The bulk of this anime is taken up by the Inter-High competition. You would think that with 38 episodes you could get through a relatively big chunk of this 3 day race out of the way. Well....sorry to say, but there is a reason why there is a second season. The last episode was left on a major cliff hanger, and for many who watched the series right as it was coming out found themselves to be severly disappointed and upset when the season ended in July and they found out that they had to wait until early October to continue the series.

Animation 9/10

Now I definitely didn't get into Yowapeda for the art. The manga is rather brash with its art style and the characters often look disfigured when they are riding their bikes (Midosuji is a prime example). So I was really impressed with how well the animators did with cleaning it up. All of the characters are unique, with few characters being drawn to fit a particular stereotype (the three Sohoku first years are about it). My only complaint is that Imaizumi and Arakita are so similar looking that I had trouble distinguishing them in the manga.

The coloring is bright and colorful as is expected for it being made 2013-2014. However, it is not overly bright with "sheen bubbles" or a too exaggerated of a color scheme. It uses a straight forward color scheme to get the job done. The animation itself was pretty solid, which is always important in a sports anime.

Sound 9/10

The sounds was superb. It fit the moments perfectly, and was just enough to where is aided the emotion of the scene without overpowering it. Music has never gotten my heart racing as much as the soundtrack in Yowapeda. The three openings and ending themes were great too, which is unheard of coming from me. Normally due to time constraints I listen to the opening and ending once, unless one or the either was something special. I listened to all six theme songs without skipping them--I even have the soundtracks to listen to them all the time.


Character 9/10

When you walk into a sports anime you're just basically counting the seconds until you see a major sterotypical character. And while Yowapeda exhumes the natural talent, elite and hot-head archtype with Onoda, Imaizumi and Naruko (respectively) they have their own quirks that really do make them unique. And what makes Yowapeda really shine are the character interactions. All of Sohoku really supports each other and works together to pull the team along (now whether this is efficient or not is neither here nor there).

What's even more amazing with the close relationship they have with their rival school--Hakone High. They are supposed to be enemies, and I feel like with most sports anime I've seen, the rivals are just viewed as the bad guys to be defeated. In Yowapeda though the seniors all have a relationship with one another, creating the impression that these guys could in reality be friends--and even SHOW signs of friendship during the race. What's even better is that most of the characters in Hakone get their own little background story, so now not only do these guys have more demension to them, I actually care about them and feel for them!

I love all of the characters in Yowamushi Pedal, they all bring something to the table to make the series enjoyable. Yes, even Midosuji, for as fucking creepy as he is, he brings spice into the competition.Ugh....so creepy

Overall 9.5/10

Yowamushi pedal really is a great anime. Onoda is a very relatible character and the underlying theme is inspiring. Yes, the pacing is bad, but you'll soon forget it in the heat of the races, waiting on the edge of your seat to see who wins.

Now if you really dislike sports anime, then I would probably skip over this. Because with the genere they try to take the sport and make it as cool and as awesome as humanely as possible. Other than that you should give it a try.

So as a fan of the first Darker than Black series I was very happy to find out that there was a sequel, a continuation to a great series! I had jumped into it right away, without reading anything on it. I was confused, where was Hei and Yin? He doesn't show up right away? Okay I can deal with that...wait, he's a drunk? Why the hell does he look like that?!

And with disgust I had dropped the show after three episodes, vowing to never watch it again and pretend that it was never made.....until I decided to suck it up and watch it two ... years or so later.

I'll admit, it wasn't that bad.

Story: 7/10
Now I wouldn't say that the story in Ryuusei no Gemini was a direct continuance from the original. It's sort of it's own storyline with throw-ins from the last season with many of the same characters and names (IE The Syndicate). There is a two year gap between the first and second seasons and many things have happened to both Yin and Hei that are never directly answered (although there is a gaiden arc between the seasons, but I haven't seen it yet). Instead we are just left in the dark and are supposed to deal with it. Which may or may not be good, if you consider the fact that Hei comes into the show looking like a haggard empty shell of his former self that has a drinking problem, and WE DON'T KNOW WHAT MADE HIM THIS WAY.

If you're expecting a lot of Mao, Hei, and Yin action-- or any answers to questions you had in the first series then you will be sorely disappointed. Ryuusei no Gemini focuses on Suou, a 13 year old Eurasian/Russian girl; she is THE main character, the star of the show. Hei and Mao are kind of nothing more than mentors and guides for Suou to become the gun wielding emotional teen girl that she is. Yin doesn't show up until near the end, and she is incorporated into the plot in a way that you wouldn't expect.

This is rather disappointing because the first series had enough to go on to continue it, to try to answer some of the questions that it left unanswered. However, instead we get a separate story and a new main character that is vaguely (barely) connected at all. Ryuusei no Gemini is also considerably shorter too, which definitely gave no room to expand on anything but instead forcing us to gun through the plot.

Don't get me wrong, the story was good--on its own. If you let go of practically everything from Kuro no Keiyakusha then you should be alright. But if you are really holding onto anything from the first series, then you're going to be left feeling "what the fuck did I just watch, and what does this have to do with anything?" or at least, that's what I thought.

Art: 9/10
As always the art was great. Keeping true to the style of the first season Ryuusei no Gemini introduced some interesting looking characters as well as brought back characters that are easily recognizable. The animation was pretty great, but unfortunately not as heavily involved as in Kuro no Keiyakusha. This is because there are less actions scene compared to the first season. Mixed with the different color schemes and style, you can see just how tired and different Hei has become, and just feel when the mood is supposed to be dark or lighthearted (which the story/character interactions failed to complete) .

Sound: 8/10
In terms of heart pounding sound to get you pumped up for the upcoming scene, Ryuusei no Gemini did a great job with it's techno/electronic soundtrack, which seemed to fit the mood perfectly. The opening theme kind of didn't do it for me. I know I know 'but it was upbeat and refreshing!' you are telling me, I get it. I'll admit, it does have a certain charm to it, and I could probably listen to it over and over again.

But my question is- do I want an upbeat opener for an anime that is supposed to be dark, dramatic and mysterious? The opening for Kuro no Keiyakusha in my opinion, captured the overall feel for the show and how it would turn out. This on the other hand, made me feel like I was going to watch some dramatic slice of life/shoujo anime. Overall, I skipped the opener practically every time. I have nothing to say about the ending theme, as I most often skip those (because I'm binge watching, I don't want to waste my time on ending credits, dammit!) but I can tell you that it's by the same band (Abingdon boys school) that did the opening theme for Kuro no Keiyakusha-so there's that.

Character: 6/10
Hei! Why!? Hei was the single most reason I dropped the show in the first place. I HATED the fact that he had sunk so low, that the man known as BK-201, the Black Reaper, had turned into this drunken mope who slapped Suou around. But now that I came back I can see the importance of making Hei be like this. Even hero's fall, and anyone can hit rock bottom. Hei was our fallen hero, and it hurt to see him like that...but as the show went on, he became less and less of an important character and his problems were swept under the rug by the star, Suou. If Ryuusei no Gemini would have focused more on Hei and the Syndicate then him being the way he is would have been powerful.

Speaking of Suou, I kind of hated her. Yes, I get the fact that she's going through a bunch of tough ordeals in the series, and she's trying to struggle with who she is and how she's supposed to be. But it was because of this that I felt like I was just watching a girl go through puberty. And as we all know, puberty is never fun.

Other characters seemed rather unimportant to me. They were either there just to serve as a plot mover, a shit stirrer, or for cheap laughes (which there was a lot of). Many new people come and go in Ryuusei no Gemini, and a lot of them had potential to be great. Unfortunately, the time constraints of the show gave them no time to expand on any particular background story, leaving most of the cast two dimensional, and largely unsatisfying. Largely, I felt absolutely nothing for the vast majority of them.

Enjoyment: 7/10
This is a tough one for me to rate. I was holding onto Kuro no Keiyakusha for dear life, and ended up largely confused and unsatisfied with the ending. But the ride along the way was actually pretty great. I wish that they would have given Ryuusei no Gemini a longer season, because it might have made the show even better.

Now time for the Happy Panda and Sad Panda award; this is my little quirk where I point out the best and worst part in the anime and give them an "award".

Happy Panda goes to: Hei!
Even though his story had become overshadowed by Suou's I have to say I was deeply moved to see him hitting rock bottom and climbing his way back up. It goes to show that you can kick a hero down, but they will find a way and a reason to get back up.

Sad Panda goes to: Suou's gun transmutation scenes!
If you've watched the show already then you know what I'm talking about. The first time Suou's giant gun slides out of her chest it was kind of cool. But does that really need to happen EVERY TIME she uses it? I don't recall wanting to watch a sailor moon/shugo chara esque transformation sequence.


Overall:
37/50
7.6/10= 8/10

My advice is this:

DO NOT WATCH THIS IMMEDIATELY AFTER KURO NO KEIYAKUSHA!!!

You will be left disappointed and angry. Give it some time, let it cool down for awhile before trying to watch this. You'll enjoy it more that way. And keep in mind that you should look at this as a separate arc, rather than a direct continuance.

To be honest, I had heard mixed reviews about this anime. Some saw it's fantastic, a hidden gem of sorts. Others say it's awful.

But for whatever reason I decided to give it a shot. I mean, it was only one half an hour long episode after all.

Story: 6/10

Now I’ll admit, this wasn’t my cup of tea plot wise. Hoshi no koe is a love story about two teenagers who are separated between time and space-literally. The Earth is in the midst of an alien invasion and the heroine Mikako joins the resistance and goes on a mission to defeat their attackers. There’s just one ... problem though; she left her long time friend and love interest, Noboru, behind.

The separation does not shy the two away from keeping in contact with each other though. And here arises the other problem, the only way they can communicate is by text messaging each other on their cellphones. It would take months for them to get messages from each other, but as Mikako went further and further into space it began to take longer and longer for a message to send, eventually leading to years without contact. The story shows both sides, Mikako fighting the invasion 39 some odd light years away from Earth; and Noboru, who had vowed to never forget about Mikako and love her forever, even as he grew older.

There’s not a lot more going for it than that, it can’t have any more than that since it is so short. But I will admit that by the end of it I felt a little something, something in my heart. They are separated by such a long distance, but all they want to tell each other is that they love them. That was so sad and heart warming at the same time, that I decided to give it a slightly higher score.

Art: 4/10

Don’t let the cover fool you, the animation quality is pretty terrible. I don’t know if it was because it was only an OVA or if the budget was low, but I know for sure that I did NOT like it at all. I actually almost dropped it just because of the animation, but I thought that would have been pretty pathetic since it was only one episode. I’ll admit that I got used to it towards the end, but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t look like an amateur did it.

I do have to give credit where credit is due though, the scenery was just absolutely amazing. The color contrasts were pretty darn solid. Too bad the rest of it wasn’t as good.

Sound: 6/10

There wasn’t a lot of sound to base my judgement on. The opening and ending sequence was just a simple piano melody, and there wasn’t much beyond that besides space guns being shot, which I suppose was alright. It wasn’t horrible, it wasn’t spectacular, it was just kind of….meh.

Character: 7/10

Again, since the series is so short there isn’t a lot of time to develop character backgrounds and personalities. Hoshi no koe did a good job with the time frame in which they were given though. A lot more character development was given to Mikako however, since she was the one who actually went up into space; which I loved by the way, since it breaks the conventional way of thinking that in times of war the men go off and fight while the women stay home.

Both characters are so simplistic that I could actually relate more to them. There was no underlying dark past that a character was plagued with or anything. They just simply wanted to be together.

Enjoyment: 7/10

So did I hate this anime? No, did I love it? I wouldn’t go that far either. Hoshi no koe is just one of those series that you just sit down and watch. It’s something to take your mind away from your troubles; nothing more. It wasn’t the type of anime I would normally watch, but I didn’t feel that it was time waster either. It was fine for the amount of effort I had to put into to watch it.


Now time for the Happy Panda and Sad Panda award; this is my little quirk where I point out the best and worst part in the anime and give them an "award".

Happy Panda goes to: The Story!
Even though it received a lower score than the characters, there's something about 'never could be' plots that really stabs me in the heart and twists it. The emotional end is what made the anime for sure. I'm getting chills just thinking about it.

Sad Panda goes to : The art!
I almost dropped the episode just because of the art, need I say more?

Total Score:

30/50= .6
6/10

All in all if you’re just looking for something to quickly distract you, then watch Hoshi no koe. If you want to build up a collection of 'shit my friends have never watched’ then watch Hoshi no koe. If you want something more than that then I suggest that you skip out on this one and dabble in something else.