Back to SincerelyShania's Profile SincerelyShania's Profile

For those of you who don't feel like reading through an entire review just to get my overall, general thoughts of this anime, I'll go ahead and say this: It was good, but nothing special. Honestly, more than a few times, I found myself thinking, "I'd rather be watching Inuyasha". Now, that isn't to say I didn't enjoy my watch-through of this anime, but again, it didn't stand out in any significant way to me; the humor earned a few giggles here and there, my eyes got mildly watery at just a couple of points in the story, and although I was looking forward to ... seeing the relationships between the main characters blossom, I never found myself getting super hyped up over any one moment. This anime was a fun way to pass the time, but if you're looking for something to really get invested in that has a unique storyline, characters, art, or music, you may want to bypass this show. If you're looking for a short, decent romance anime to pass the time, I'd recommend Otome Youkai Zakuro! Now to go into specifics for those who are still on the fence. Of course, these are just my personal thoughts and opinions, and I'm sure there are others out there who will appreciate this anime much more than I did!

Story: 6
The story followed an extremely basic formula to me, on multiple levels. Firstly, although there are several romances budding over the course of the show, each of them are founded on typical stereotypes and cliches of the genre, such as tsundere type development or misunderstand feelings. You know, the good ol' stuff. I will admit that there were a few times that I was surprised at the direction the story *seemed* to be taking, but it was like each major plot point was an after-thought in getting the story where the creators wanted it to end up. I'm hesitant to go into detail for those of you who are genuinely interested in a watch-through, but I do want to say that some of the more prominent plot points appeared forced and ultimately of little significance to the overall story (which can honestly be said for some of the characters as well). I suppose some aspects of the story just seemed rushed, but I don't hold that too heavily against it, as I haven't read the manga and can't speak on if the pace of the anime adaption was solely due to something like time constraint or budget restrictions. All of that being said, despite the progression of the tale seeming a bit off and it being nothing out of the ordinary, by romance standards it is a solid story that offers its fair share of sappy moments (and having come for that, it was pretty enjoyable).

Art: 7
Again, nothing special, but definitely crisp and appealing. My biggest complaint was the frequent (and noticeable, in my opinion) re-use of animation in certain scenes. What made it a little less tolerable was that the bad habit got even more common toward the end, making it difficult for me to take some of the later climactic scenes as seriously as I would have liked to. This is just a pet-peeve of mine, but even so, it wasn't unbearable. I was still able to enjoy the art and the events that were unfolding throughout the series despite that apparent laziness in animation; all in all, the art was one of the highlights of the show, as it remained consistently well done.

Sound: 6.5
The opening was one of my favorite parts about the show, not because it was anything out of the ordinary but because it still did a good job of hyping up the show, which I believe is the most important thing for an intro to do, whether it have the goal of making people feel mellow, restless, pumped up, etc--as long as it represents the anime and gets the viewer invested in some way, I think it's fulfilled its purpose. Moon Signal definitely did that for Otome Youkai Zakuro. The endings were also very enjoyable, and I liked the way they didn't seem to play in a specific order so you never knew which of the three you would be hearing once the episode came to an end. For a short anime with only one intro, it was a nice touch. Now, the actual soundtrack during the show was what I found to be a bit lackluster. There were not many choices in the melody or sound effects you could expect to hear, but the ones that were present were at least decent. I don't necessarily have any complain except for the lack of variety! Overall, the sound was solid!

Characters: 6.5
The characters were about as basic as the story, but likewise, it was enjoyable to follow their development and personal plots. Most of the cast is rather one-dimensional, and even the individuals who aren't don't have extreme complexity or depth to their profiles; however, each of the main characters fulfill their roles well and are at least somewhat interesting/entertaining in their own ways. I honestly don't have too much to say about them, bad or good, except for that they are pleasant to follow despite abiding by the same stereotypes and cliches of the story.

Enjoyment: 6.5
I know I have used the rating of 6.5 a lot, but to me, that just reflects how I felt about this anime overall. I got enjoyment out of it by watching it one time through, but I don't see myself coming back to it because once the end is reached, it doesn't seem to me like the kind of series that was still have enough substance for me to watch it back over.

Overall: 6.5
To sum things up, did I like Otome Youkai Zakuro? For sure. Do I think it's anything special? As you've probably gotten by now, no. I believe it had a lot of promise that it never really added up to, but at the same time, the series got its point across well enough for me to have fun watching it. I would definitely recommend it for anyone looking to relax with a solid romance anime that delivers what it should (although not much more), but if you're looking for something more that has a similar story archetype, well... Inuyasha is still where it's at!

To begin, I'd like to say that this review will only be considering the first season of this anime (the first thirteen episodes). I just got done watching Hiiro no Kakera a few moments ago, and I thought I should go ahead and review what I've seen so far before moving on to the next season. I will not include any spoiler content. With all of that being said...

Before I move onto actually critiquing different aspects of the series, there are a few points I would like to bring up. For one, Hiiro no Kakera, as far as I've watched, seems to be an anime ... that caters almost exclusively to its main genre--romance. In other words, be sure not to watch this show expecting it to have much action, drama, or any other element; the romance aspect of the story is focused on almost entirely, leaving every other aspect to amount to little more than background noise. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. If you came here looking for a decent romance anime, this one gets right down to it. Another point to take note of is that, yes, the series progresses very slowly throughout the first season. Even the actual "climax" of the story up to this point is pretty tame. Personally, I did not mind the slow progression of the story, as I began watching Hiiro no Kakera with the sole purpose of wanting to kill some time with a cheesy romance, and it offers that and then some. So, if you're still interested in watching up to this point, I'll move onto the ratings I gave to the anime.

Story: 6
It is nothing special as far as romance anime goes. The plot is pretty straight to the point throughout the first season. A high school girl learns that she is actually a princess due to her lineage and ends up being guarded by five individualistic and extremely good looking men. There aren't many twists and turns, but plenty of hot guys and cutesy moments to enjoy. As I've stated previously, the simplicity of the show (up to this point) does not necessarily mean it is bad. I would be lying if I said I didn't get a decent bit of entertainment out of it. All in all, the plot is sturdy but not a diamond in the rough as of yet.

Art: 8
The art is one of the highest points of the series. The 3d animation used has been hit or miss so far, but otherwise, it is beautiful--very crisp and fluid.

Sound: 7
Now, honestly, the thing about the audio that earns sound a 7 is not the voice acting. In truth, the voice actors seemed to get kind of lazy as the story progressed. Fairly often, some of them would even slip out of their usual speaking voices (notably Ohmi). The voice acting is decent, all in all, and in itself, it could probably earn sound a 6 or so; however, what earned sound a 7 from me is the music. From the amazing opening melody to the traditional riffs that play here and there throughout the show, the music was great, in my opinion. It set a tone for the show all on its own, and might almost make up for the voice actors' semi-frequent slip-ups.

Characters: 6
There's nothing wrong with the characters at all. I only gave them a 6 because they have portrayed themselves to be pretty one-dimensional and not anything out of the ordinary, especially as far as characters from a romance or a reverse harem anime goes. The main group of young men includes the aggressive but protective type, the mature and intelligent type, the meek but considerate type, the cool and collected type, and the hot-headed but secretly sensitive type. The villains are what I'd consider to be the lowest point of the characters; they're just boring and stereotypical. I did enjoy watching most of the characters on screen, although they weren't groundbreaking. There is a hot guy of every flavor, though, so I'd say the options are nice. There's someone for almost anyone, haha!

Enjoyment: 7
Again, if you begin watching this anime expecting it to be what it actually is--almost STRICTLY a simple romance/reverse harem--then you will probably be able to enjoy it. I know I was! I like it enough to be moving onto the next season once I finish this review, at least!

Overall: 6.5
I couldn't really settle on a 6 or 7 for this because I truly believe that the anime has potential despite how simply the plot is set up to the point I've watched. It has cool basic concepts and was enjoyable, if nothing else, despite the downfalls of it. It is a great choice for anyone looking to check out a relatively lighthearted (in the sense that none of the drama or plot devices get super intense in this season), straight-to-it romance/reverse harem. I feel inclined to bring up the fact that I've seen a lot of reviews bashing the female protagonist, Tamaki, for being useless and taking too long to awaken her true potential. In my opinion, the slow buildup to her gaining her powers has been pretty entertaining, albeit she's realized them fairly marginally so far. Every now and then, I can appreciate a show that takes things slow in order to focus on developing characters and character relationships. Do not expect much action-wise from Tamaki, but I wouldn't consider her character anything extreme like completely annoying or useless. She has a lot of room to grow, and I'm excited to see where her story goes. Hiiro no Kakera is an anime that is good at what it is supposed to be doing, but not much else. Despite that, it is a fun watch with a lot of potential to develop into something much better than it already is!

I hope to write a review for the second season soon, so if you are still wondering if you should waste time on this anime, there may be more persuasive answers (whether that be for better or for worse) there! Hope this helped!

In all honesty, I was, personally, not very impressed with this manga. There was a severe lack of conflict, both internal and external, and the plot was as basic as it could have been without being completely senseless. That being said, it is an extremely fluffy type of story, and the art is pleasing to the eye. If you are searching for a manga with a very simple story, impressive art, and decent sex scenes, then I would recommend reading Aishiteru over, especially since it is so short. Although I personally did not care much for it because I prefer a little more complexity to ... a plot when I am reading over a manga, Aishiteru offers a "breath of fresh air", in a sense, as it does not seem to aim to elicit any particularly strong or taxing emotions in the reader--only a sense of, "Aw, that couple is cute and compatible!"

To begin, I would like to say that Yokujou Climax had an extremely interesting basis for its plot-line; however, on top of the story feeling as though it progressed too quickly, it also felt as though there were too many elements being added to the plot. As I read the manga, it seemed to me like the plot was made to be unnecessarily complex. Complexity can, of course, add a lot of depth to a story if it is gone about correctly; however, Yokujou Climax got confusing at times when, if the plot had not taken extreme turns that seemed completely out of the blue, ... it could have made for an interesting, yet easy enough to comprehend, tale. In addition, another complaint I have with this particular manga is that the characters' emotions seemed out of reach and unnatural at most points. They did not remain very stable as the story progressed--their personalities and emotions being inconsistent--which made it difficult to become involved with the characters.

All of that being said, Yokujou Climax does offer beautiful art, great explicit scenes, and it keeps the reader guessing on what crazy scenarios will come about next! It was a decently enjoyable read despite its negative aspects.

This is the first time I have given a manga so many 10s across the board. I literally just finished Sojou No Koi Wa Kido Haneru a couple of minutes ago, and I knew that I had to write a review encouraging others to read this beautiful story right away. Of course, read the prequel (Kyuuso Wa Cheese No Yume O Miru) first because you have to have the backstory to fully appreciate this sequel, not to mention that the prequel blew my mind as well, but wow... Sojou No Koi Wa Kido Haneru literally left me crying and my heart pounding. This story is ... not just a gem amongst the yaoi genre (although it would be an understatement to say that it is) but it is a top-notch story compared to any other manga in general. The feelings portrayed were so real and raw; it left me wanting more, even though I was left with more than I could have hoped for. I don't even really feel the need to write anything other than "READ. THIS. MANGA. SERIES". If you're anything like me, it will teach you something about your own life, even though it is just a well-done piece of fiction.

Whether you are into yaoi or not, this story is an excellent read, so definitely give it a chance!

I am pretty tough with how I rate, so the overall score of '8' that I'm giving this manga is extremely high up and well deserved. Doushiyoumo Nai Keredo is a gem in the yaoi genre, in my opinion; it is a solid mix of sex, romance, humor, and conflict. The characters have strong and consistent personalities, and although the art is, admittedly, not my favorite, it is still decently clean, incredibly detailed, and appealing to the eye. My favorite things about the manga are the progression of the plot and the pace that it goes along at. From the yaois I have read so ... far, it is very common for emotions to progress too quickly, such as characters saying they love each other after only a short time of knowing each other. Doushiyoumo Nai Keredo does not mix sex with love to begin with, and the reader is able to see the two protagonists' feelings grow for each other as the story continues. This is definitely one of my favorite yaois I have come across so far, and although it contains quite a few cliches typical to the genre, it handles them well; I would recommend it to anyone who wants a good yaoi manga that includes sex, romance, and a solid plot.

I would recommend Rutta To Kodama to anyone seeking out a simple, heart-warming read under the category of yaoi manga. The story completely centers around the relationship between the two male protagonists, and any other aspects of the story are left relatively unexplored if not in relation to the main subject; while this could possibly be a make-or-break with many stories, Rutta To Kodama finds a way to keep the reader enthralled in the manga without focusing on any true external conflict. Actual feelings of being in a relationship are explored exceedingly well, making it easy for the reader to resonate with the emotions being ... portrayed by the characters. Personally, art style is extremely important to me, and Rutta To Kodama was beautifully illustrated. A unique trait of this particular manga is that unlike most plot-lines, which explore the circumstances that lead up to the forming of a relationship, an existing relationship is pre-established during the exposition, leaving the story to focus on the growing of the bond between the protagonists. It was a different but very pleasant change in pace. Although the story seems to progress too quickly for the first few chapters, the plot settles in after that, and readers are left to enjoy a sweet, steady tale over the span of a few years.

All in all, Rutta To Kodama was a great read, and I actually enjoyed it so much that I finished it in a matter of hours. It is a decent enough length (21 Chapters) to leave the reader feeling fulfilled but still wishing there was more. If you are searching around for a more realistic, amply plotted, sexual (but not raunchily so) yaoi manga, I would HIGHLY recommend this; as far as that genre goes, this is my favorite story that I have read to date.

Side-note: Although I would give this story a 9/10 or so in regards to the yaoi genre specifically, I rated this manga while considering the overall spectrum of things I have read to make the review of Rutta To Kodama's quality as accurate as I could.