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You know, I never though a series could get away with relying on one character for the series to succeed. Seems kind of impractical to me, and would most definately lead to failure. You need character interactions, you need dramatic relationships, you need romance. Well, apparently Dante could give a s@#t less about that, because he's just gonna kick some monster ass and let you watch.

Story-wise it suffers. Why? There isn't one! It is an episodic series, which isn't bad by any means. The series basically follows the jobs that Dante is employed with at his office, Devil May Cry. Him and Patty, a young ... orphan who hangs around the office as the female of the company, take any jobs they can get to get some money to pay of Dante's enormous debt and get on living through the next day. This formula was mildly successful, since Dante is utterly awesome and who doesn't like seeing him kick ass. However, I can only watch so many Bruce Lee movies before I go "I think this is getting old". And unfortunately that is what happened. The other characters had little importance in the series and thus did not add to the story much.

Art-wise, it was exactly the kind of animation you would expect from a horror action series. Dark, sharp, and very detailed gore. The design of the series as a whole was well done. The character design is what it was for the video game, but seeing t in animation was a real treat as a fan.

The OP was quite intense seeing as though there was absolutely no vocals. It was one of the best instrumental OPs out there. The ED was nice, but not as good in my opinion. The BGMs did a good job keeping the atmosphere dark and suspenseful, and was actually quite impressed.

If you've played the video game, watch it. Trust me. As a fan it was a great treat. However, I can't say that you can only watch this if your a fan because that means that the anime failed to please the rest of its audience. Even though it pleased me, I'm not sure I can say the same for someone new to the series, as it does nothing special or out of the ordinary to stand out from others in the same genre. Overall, its a good series, but I cannot promise it will please everyone.

Anikuri 15 was something that showed up on an accidental search and I stumbled across it. And long behold I was quite happy with the outcome, because what I had come across was a showcase piece of some of the most talented artists in anime in which each one puts together a 1 minute short to see how fast they can create an atmosphere, a character that people can connect with, and a story or work of art that people can understand. It was quite a fascinating piece, and although I would've wanted more character development and story, for god's sake man, it one minute ... an episode. Overall I sincerely enjoyed this series, and if you are looking for something short, sweet, and includes the work of artists like Satoshi Kon, Makoto Shinkai, and Shinji Kimura, pick this sucker up. You will be humbly pleased.

Kaze no Stigma got my attention with its Airbender-esque story and seemingly cute heroine. However, I went into thinking that it was going to be like every other action romance: the guy is going to be a complete pansy trying to impress the heroine through being reckless and stupid, and she will somehow fall in love with him. I was actually quite mistaken and was quite pleased with what actually did happen, but there were some things I was not quite hip on.

Lets start with Ayano. She is the cute heroine I was talking about, except I was a little naive. She actually is not ... cute at all, and is quite rude. A tsundere, if you will. I figured the main hero would be a boy of a man that does whatever he is told because he's scared. NOPE. Enter Kazuma, one of those cool guys you just wanna slug. He's good looking, smooth, has ladies all over him. He is everything I wasn't expecting, and this turned the story into something different. She begins hating him like they usually do but as she starts to fall for him, he could seriously give a rats behind. He's frickin Kazuma! So even though the story centers around him most of the time, the romance comes from Ayano wanting him instead of the other way around, which is a nice change in pace for me.

The action side of the series is okay, but nothing special. Kazuma is a powerful wind user while Ayano and his girly brother Ren are powerful fire users. The fighting scenes are acceptable, but it struck me as those kind of scenes that are only used to lead into the drama, not necessarily to be the selling point. The drama however was quite good at times, and the final arc for me was actual quite entertaining. However, the presentation and storytelling was lacking the excitement I was craving, and most of the time it felt empty.

The art is good, but not really eye-candy. Everything is just right so there's no complaints, not any compliments either. The character designs are decent as well, with nothing out of the ordinary that I would call special.

The OP and EDs were actually very good. The OP was very nostalgic and set the mood very nicely, and the multiple endings fit the closing situations successfully. The BGMs however were not memorable for me, and nothing comes to mind as a gem. But it does its job for moving the story, so I have no complaints.

After reading a synopsis, I was really looking forward to watching Kaze no Stigma because it sounded like The Last Aiirbender with a bit more drama and romance. I'm not quite sure I'd say that's what I got from the show. If anything, it lacked the drama and romance it needed, making it someone of a bad copy of something we've seen before, and nobody likes that. It is utterly average, and if you want to watch something you have no intention of becoming a favorite or think I may be wrong, by all means watch it. But in my opinion, the series fell short when its potential had the means of taking it farther then where it went.

Now I hated Sailor Moon. And I HATED Tokyo Mew Mew. I was just not a fan of the whole magical girl thing. It was boring, corny, and the powers were usually not that great. Needless to say, when Madoka Magica aired, I almost didn't watch. And after the first couple episodes, I almost dropped it. It's a good thing I did because if I did, I would have dropped a fantastic series.

If you were asked to sell your soul as a magical girl in exchange for one wish, how long would it take to answer? What wishes would you debate in your head? Would ... it be worth it? Just that alone is a dramatic scenario, and it peeked my interest, but only slightly since it seemed to me like it might end up like another mahou shoujo anime. However, three episodes in to Madoka Magica I'm basically smacked across the face with something I didn't expect (you'll know when you see it). Basically, the girly giggly anime is nowhere to be found. Instead, a first class action drama is in its place. The story goes deeper than many anime I've see, and who would've thought that it would come out of an anime that looks like a kid's cartoon. A dark atmosphere combined with a top-notch scenario, however, couldn't be further than childlike.

The art is quite unique compared to other series of the genre. When the characters are fighting witches, the art is both impressive and disturbing, yet simple in its concept. That kind of art has been seen before such as in Tsumiki no Ie, but not in such a way that involves fast-paced action. The character designs are quite simple, but are effective none the less. However, this is not neccessarily an eye-candy series, so don't go into hoping for visuals that blow your mind. If that's the case, look elsewhere. Otherwise, expect above average visuals but nothing more.

The soundtrack floored me. Within the first minute, an insert (which also becomes the ED) sucks you into the action. In contrast, the OP conveys and innocence, and yet a sadness that matches the show perfectly. Also, the seemingly Celtic/Sacred feel of the BGMs is something the likes of which I've never heard before, and am impressed still. The soundtrack for this series is easily in my top five I've heard.

The characters are quite believable given the circumstances. Not only that, but when it all comes down to it, a human is a human. When something happens that affects them all, they all feel the same. Showing it, maybe not. But feeling it yes, and Madoka Magica shows this nicely. When faced with a decision that can change your life, how will you act? If you have trouble figuring that out, think about the characters of Madoka Magica. In half-assed anime, their decisions would be immediate with no emotion, but in this case, it is how it would be in real life, which is impressive. Madoka takes a cautious and somewhat cowardly approach. Homura takes a more friendly approach by accepting to be accepted. Sayaka takes a selfish approach by doing it for someone she loves. Mami takes a desperate approach because declining would result in death. And Kyouko takes the more thoughtful approach and accepts in order to better her dads career. Different people, different reasons, different outcomes.

Madoka Magica will be an anime that will remain with me for a while. Compared to anime from the present, it is among my top 10. I would recommend this to absolutely anyone who watches anime for a deep and dramatic experience, and I promise you will receive it.

There are anime that you watch because you want the stories to take you away to a place where your emotions can run wild, and when they bring you back you feel like a different person. Then, there are anime that you want to f@#k with your mind and make you roll on the ground with laughter. With that, this my review of FLCL.

Unless you do your homework, be prepared to watch it several times if you're looking for plot satisfaction. While the show itself is one of the funniest anime out there, its so confusing that you can't help but wonder what exactly ... its about. But in the same breath, who needs plot? FLCL is more entertaining than I could ask for, and plenty of fast paced action. For six episodes, this was a brilliantly constructed comedy/action anime. Story-wise, however, it neither explains itself nor does it really want to be. I found myself not caring about why Haruko was there, why thing were coming out of Takkun's head, or why Mamimi was such a whore. It didn't matter because it was awesomely entertaining and satisfying.

The art is amazing even in today's standards. The action sequences are amazingly choreographed and not dated in the slightest. You watch some anime that make 10 years ago seem like 20, but FLCL makes it seem like last year.

The soundtrack is simply awesome. The inserts are fantastic, and fuel the action in the show as well as cause you to lose yourself in whats happening (remember Canti on the abandoned school building). It is different from most soundtracks in that its all rock songs, and I personally dig the heck out of that. By music standards, one of the best OSTs you will ever hear in anime.

This series is something every anime fan must and needs to watch. It is something that you will compare to, refer to, and re-watch to laugh to. FLCL is a comedy anime that is almost unrivaled in the genre, so if you want to laugh and take a break from brain-mashing stories, pick this up.

Don't get me wrong, I love me some bloody horror anime. Honestly, anime of the genre scare me more than anything that has been made in America. Elfen Lied had a chance to be one of those anime that truly struck fear in my heart, and after an onslaught of fans saying it was one of the most disturbing things out there, I quickly picked it up. Why not, since this was the first anime I've watched independent from Toonami, and change is nice. But why I got was a series that had a lot of potential to do wonders in the horror genre but ... falls quite short in my opinion. In the same breath, however, it did succeed in drama with flying colors. But what good is that when the drama of the series is hidden under a pool unnecessary and ketchup-looking blood.

Elfen Lied had a plot that really worked in my opinion. I am a big fan of threats the Earth in anime, and not necessarily ones that can be dealt with. I know it sounds bad when I say that, but there is something about not only whats on the line. but the fact that good conquering evil is so overused. When bad overcomes good, it comes with a form of acceptance from the viewer, as if we know there is going to be a bad ending, so let us take what good we can out of the series. That way, any good we find is that much more satisfying. Unfortunately, Elfen Lied is pretty dry when it comes to happy moments. In fact, the world ending and being taken over by a new species was one of the more happy thoughts. I still think of puppies differently....(that probably sounds so weird, but you'll understand if you don't yet)

What did not work for me was the somewhat forced nature of the horror element. To me it didn't belong and had a story good enough to go on without it. Or a darker tone in the art and atmosphere that makes the series take a definite jump into the horror genre, because as of now it doesn't strike me as anything more than a very gory drama.

The art in Elfen Lied did not impress me. The art was way to bright for a series relying so much on disturbia and horror. It could be argued that the fact that is bright is part of the disturbia factor but I disagree. It simply felt to me like something was lacking. A darker pallet would've been fantastic, but it didn't go that way. I mean, how good is fan-service when its too dark, right? I rest my case.

Now, I'll give credit where it is deserved. Elfen Lied a respectable soundtrack. The opening sequence is quite possibly one of the greatest you will find in anime. It is not so much an opening as it is a work of art leading to the series, which was simply beautiful still images and paintings put to a beautiful Latin piece The ending is much more traditional, but the contrast is quite nice. The BGMs are decent in that they don't ruin anything the story is trying to do, but doesn't do a whole lot to enhance it either.

Kouta is your average main character. Oblivious to peoples feelings and apparently has an infected sinus that is enhanced whenever boobs appear. His behavior is a bit too annoying for my tastes, and I honestly didn't think of him as the main character. Lucy was it for me. She is also what redeemed Kouta for me. Lucy is fascinating, and whether it be her normal brutal and bad-ass self or her gentle and clumsy "Nyuu" self, she was unpredictable and the one character I couldn't wait to see on-screen. The rest of the characters (for the most part) were very well done. Nana's character as well as Kanae's character were both lovable and tragic, Bando was sadistic yet strangely compelling to watch, Yuko was the relief from the heavy drama, and Chief Kurama is in my opinion one of the best supporting characters in anime due to his complexity as such a character.

Elfen Lied is dramtic, and very much so. There are moments that are done brilliantly. But then, the element of horror comes in and taints it. I honestly believe that if either the gore was significantly reduced or the art were darker the series would've been a home run. But hey, nothing is perfect. Elfen Lied's story line is more than enough reason to watch, but if your scared of a lot of blood maybe this isn't the series for you. In the same breath, if your looking for a satisfying horror, this isn't the series for you. However, if you can take blood and want a satisfying dramatic experience, this is perfect for you.

A crush is a strange thing. It can start when someone shows kindness or sympathy for you, or it could happen with no more than a glance. "Love at first sight" they say. But in the same breath, they say "Love is blind". When you fall for someone, there's not much you can do, even if they are a complete and utter b@#ch. Enter Suzuka, a sports/"romance" anime that will take you on emotional ride. That is, if that ride were on a unicycle over a long, gravel road...

Suzuki is supposed to be a high school romance drama, but...was it supposed to be romantic? Every ... episode felt like I needed something happy to happen before I could go to bed, and 26 episodes, 5 cups of coffee and one broken portable dvd player later I was no where near satisfied. Now, I'm not saying nothing good happened, but the sad and depressing HEAVILY out-weighed the other, and not in a good way.

Yamato Akitsuki is a little bit better than your average harem-idiot, but not much better. The thing that made him better was that he is somewhat realistic. However, when it comes to be being a high school boy obsessed with his crush, he's a little too realistic. His actions made me go "Come on dude, really?" more times then I care to count. He even joins his high school track team so he can spend more time around her. Why track? Well, she happens to be a promising talent in the world of high jumping. Who you ask? Well, the title says it all.

Suzuki, one of the rudest, coldest, and despicable heroines you'll ever see in an anime. Now, there ARE characters like Taiga and Shana who are quite the same way, but they actual care for their men, and they admit to themselves that they have feelings for them. Suzuki on the other hand never ONCE admits she likes him to anyone, including herself, until the very end. And by end I mean the last five minutes. That would be okay with me if there was actually some hints or signs that she cared for Yamato, but it ends up being the opposite. In fact, she is so cold to him at points it becomes hard to watch, and makes you wonder why he is even trying. This in itself makes it hard for the viewer to want Yamato to succeed.

Then there is Honoka. Oh, Honoka. The only reason I continued watching, and probably why others did to. Honoka is the sweet, caring, and cute childhood friend character, and is genuinely in love with Yamato. I honestly wanted her to succeed, but this in itself led to another reason that the series became hard to watch. We all no there's no hope. Its named Suzuki. Its named after the one character that we want to succeed the least. Its heart-wrenching to watch her try only to get her heart broken.

Overall I was upset with the way the story turned out, but I can't ignore the fact that it got me talking about it. It definitely succeeded in bringing out the emotions in the viewer, so for that reason I didn't believe it was below average. and at some points was quite impressed with how the drama was done.

The art on the other hand was BAD. This is sad to me, because it starts with a promising scene with Yamato walking down the sidewalk looking through the fence. It looked very good. And....that was the last I saw of those scenes. Still frames were used, ventriloquism was performed, and a scene was created where Suzuki looked like she was 7 feet tall. These affected the drama at points because I didn't trust the art. What I mean is how can I trust that Suzuki's emotions are being portrayed correctly when Yamato turns his head only to have his hair stuck in the fabric of space for some reason.

However, I was humbly surprised by the soundtrack. Very pretty piano track accompanied the dramatic and "romantic" scenes, and was a big reason I kept watching. It added an element that was important to the drama itself, and if the soundtrack were poor, there is no doubt I would've dropped the series.

Well, if you want to take your chances on an unpleasantly heavy drama with very little satisfying moments, by all means go for it. It has fans for a reason, so it may very well be what your looking for. But personally, besides heavy drama and an above average soundtrack, it isn't worth sitting through 26 episodes.

We as Americans have a different sort of drama preference. And of all these preferences, there is one that sticks to my mind. Shawshank Redemption, Prison Break, Green Mile, all these fantastic dramas have one thing in common: prison. Prison is naturally going to pull American viewers in, but why, I don't know. Perhaps its the despair people feel when they are stripped of everything, even their dignity, and how they struggle to survive in their hostile environment. Or maybe its the strong bonds created through prisoners holding on to hope by sharing it with prisoners who understand the pain and sorrow. Whatever the case ... may be, Rainbow is nothing short of a great prison drama.

The story follows six youths sent to prison for multiple different reasons. After being violated by the prison doctor Dr. Sasaki and assulated by the psychotic guard Ishihara, they are thrown into a prison sell with a man named Sakaragi. After picking a fight with him and epic-ly losing, Sakaragi and the boys begin to build an unbreakable bond as they struggle to survive, since underneath the surface a horrible secret is being kept by Dr. Sasaki and Ishihara that Sakaragi knows, and if they let him escape alive it would them who are prison. The story is quite graphic and harsh, and may take a mature person to watch. Other than that, the story does wonders in the drama category providing very touching moments as well as tragic. However, every dram should have comic relief, and although Rainbow has it, its very minimal in comparison to the point where it becomes very depressing. This is not a big deal, however, since its so dramatic. Now, the show slows down a little early in the second half, but this doesn't mean it lacks any nice moments.

The art is very nice and has an old-fashioned feel to it for me. Its very clean and simple, and dark tones are used throughout in order to intensify the "darkness" of the story.

The soundtrack was a bit weird for me. The BGMs were the main reason. It didn't really match with the story for me, and although they were nice by themselves, for some reason it ruined the mood for me. HOWEVER, the OP and ED are a completely different story. The OP was badass, and during the chorus you instantly get a feel of sorrow and almost a foreshadowing of what's to come. The ED sends you off in a way that says that they are "never givin' up", and the vocals themselves leave a singer like me pissed off for being as sucky as I am.

The characters are phenomenal. Each character (except for Soldier...) has a big part somewhere in the show, and back stories are explained nicely. Honestly, there isn't anything to complain about, it was a superb job.

This show is a personal favorite of mine is a must-see for drama seekers looking for a different kind of drama. Rainbow pulls the curtain off a hidden reality of crudeness and evil in the world, and how, ironically, the young men in prison struggle against it despite their differences in power and wealth. Its truly a great show, and I highly recommend it.

I for one find death metal quite funny. So much hate and on-stage disturbia, with low growls and dangerous mosh-pits...how cute:) But seriously, death metal is one musical style that I never thought would make a good topic for an anime, but apparently I was wrong. As a matter a fact, I was quite wrong.

DMC (Detroit Metal City) is about a young man named Soichi Negishi who longed to make a living in the world of music. However, even though he had a love for Swedish pop and liked playing similar music, he instead found himself fronting one of the hottest indie bands, DMC. He ... takes on the name Krauser, and him and his death metal companions put on shows for an onslaught of misfit teens. Krauser is the polar opposite of his normal self, and the series is his very amusing struggles of keeping his alter-ego out of his personal life. This concept is brilliant in itself, and immensely entertaining. I would've personally liked a little more dramatic element, but the comedy is so good, it honestly doesn't matter.

The design for the series is pretty much normal. You would expect something way darker, but it isn't a huge setback. The design for Krauser is pretty cool, but it is the only character in my opinion that looks interesting.

The sound is what you would expect in a music anime. The OP is pretty cool and sets the mood nicely, and the other metal tracks are good as well. The tracks I love are the pop tracks, because they are so girly in contrast. Every time they come up it's naturally funny.

The characters are fantastic. Negishi is a very well written character obviously, but the other characters are interesting as well, including the metal devoted drummer, the communist-pig who is a masochist but has a struggling personal love life, and the vulgar manager (who is my favorite character of the series.)

This series would extremely enjoyable and I have re-watched it many times. Its offensive and vulgar and I wouldn't want it any other way. Why? Because its funny as hell! I recommend this to anyone who is attracted to dark humor and funny characters. NOW....music wise, I wouldn't recommend it over other music anime, because when DMC performs, its not really music. DMC is about a band and there success, but personally I don't believe it is a music anime. So watch this for the humor, do not watch it if you're looking for a music devoted anime. Saying this, humor is where this series shines, so watch it for what it is: a gem in the world of dark humored anime.

As part of the Call of Duty generation, I admit that I love shooting and killing virtual people. I don't even mind watching other people do it. I also don't mind watching bunnies and camels shoot each other....yep....

Cat Shit One is about...well...about the Iranian war basically. Iran is a bunch of camels. U.S. are bunnies.....yep....um, why the hell are we bunnies? You know what, who cares, we kick ass anyway. But essentially that is all this short ONA is about: U.S. bunnies kicking camel ass while saving two hostages. Besides that, there isn't anything to set the story apart from others or better yet, make ... it an actual story. It relies on special effects and action for the entertainment, while the story is quite poor.

The 3D animation is actually quite impressive. The characters are very detailed to the point that I am convinced that camels and bunnies would look like that if they were combined with a human, honestly. The scope views are also a nice touch at points.

The soundtrack is exactly something you would hear in a war video game. It only added to the excitement subtly. The thing that impressed me with the sound was the gun shot effects. They are timed almost perfectly, and it was very realistic for an anime full of animals.

Characters....I can't really say anything. There was no description or elaboration on the character, so it was poor in that aspect.

Even with the poor story and ok sound, I found this series EXTREMELY entertaining. Something about fuzzy animals killing each other was incredibly satisfying. So if you want to watch something quick, adorably bad ass, and something that you don't need to think to watch period, check it out. If you're looking for something for a story that is satisfying, look elsewhere.