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Genre: Drama, Military, Tragedy.

Studio: Production I.G.

Director: Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell, Patlabor 2)

TSC takes place in what might possibly be described as mid 20th century Europe (more specifically Britain) in an alternate timeline. It is an era where the majority of the population lives in peace, with wars being mainly a plaything between different mercenary groups in the name of their respective contractors. These so called mercenaries, who engage in the dance of death in the sky, pre-eminently consists of teenagers who ‘never age’ and are known as ‘Kildren’.

It is under this context we are introduced to one half of our central characters, Yuichi ... Kannami, who arrives at a small military base, where he meets the enigmatic base commander, Kusanagi Suito and a bunch of other notable side characters. Despite its ‘military’ tag, the actual battle scenes are few (albeit brilliant and will be readily relished by any action enthusiast), with the bulk of the storytelling focusing on the interactions between Kannami and the other characters. But what separates TSC, or rather elevates it from the majority of other slow paced shows is its, for the lack of a better word, fragility. Despite the lack of urgency of any degree whatsoever, one gets the feeling that something’s off right from the start. As the story rolls on, bit by bit of light is shed on various aspects of the Kildren’s; the purpose of their existence, on Kannami, and more so on Kusanagi, all of which invariably keeps the viewer on edge right until the final quarter, ensuing in a thrilling, and unquestionably haunting climax. That TSC ironically pulls off the elements of mystery a whole lot better than the plethora of mystery shows is a thing that Oshii can certainly be proud of.

The characters, for the major part, carry the same feeling of fragility that the story possesses right from the get go. The Kildren’s, on account for their apparent lack of growth after a specific stage, remain as teenagers for the rest of their lives. The existence of this gulf between the progress of the mind and the lack of progress of the body is what defines our protagonists and the relationships between them. Kannami’s actions are readily conflicting; he’s unwilling to accept of him being anything but a child, and as such, fails to understand what it means to live, given the fact he (as well as others) could die in the very next battle. He’s curious about his predecessor, but only to an extent where he would drop the subject first hand if he’s denied an answer. His apparent lack of will to know more about his surroundings and that of himself brings forward to what is probably the most important thematic feature of the movie: the eerie, and almost frustrating lack of change in anything. Kusanagi, haunted by her past actions, is significantly more tragic. Standing on the edge of child and adulthood, she desperately looks for a way to get out of it, to be free from all burdens that being a Kildren presents, even if it means by taking her own life. As fate would have it, the relationship between the two leads is merely a facade, fragile to such an extent that one needs to stop the other from pressing the trigger even while seemingly kissing each other.

The remaining characters mainly act as a reminder to the viewer as to what pain being a Kildren brings. They look isolated for the most part, desperately trying to fill the void in their lives and as such, play no such major roles compared to the two lead characters. While development of the said characters is pretty much non-existent, they play their given roles with precision and fulfills what the story expects from them.

Production I.G. is well known for consistently producing aesthetically pleasing stuff, and TSC is another notable addition to that list. The very first thing that strikes you are the beautifully colored backgrounds. The various aspects of the countryside, coupled with the intensely blue, partly cloudy skies (particularly in the fight scenes) dominate a handsome portion of the movie. However, more telling is the amount of detail present in the finer portions. Interiors of houses and restaurants are filled with various objects, from colorful vases to chinaware plates to other personal belongings. One odd feature, however, is the rather gargantuan doors compared to the people going through them. Similar amount of precision is attained in the designs of the fighter jets and other vehicles. Whether they are valid from an engineering point of view or not is a question I’d rather leave to the people associated with it.

Almost in contrast are the minimalistic designs of the characters, to the point one might call them lifeless and unattractive. However, it could be easily seen that the supposed lack of vitality in the character designs as compared to their surroundings is an indication of how directionless their existence is in particular. (Fun Fact: Ghost in the Shell fanatics should find no trouble to be able to point out at a drunk Kusanagi looking extremely similar to one of Innocence’s gynoids).

Kenji Kawai, at this point of time, should be a rather well-known figure to anime fans; so it’s nothing surprising to find his work in TSC to be among his best. Many of the tracks are subtle, poignant, drawn out to the point for optimum effect. The action scenes are very well accompanied by sharp and fast paced violins that manages to bring out the desired emotions. Additionally, a wonderful feature in TSC is the use of silence. At places, long scenes are accompanied by an eerie silence which actually captures you and keeps you on track. A special mention to the voice acting, particularly to the VA’s of the two lead characters, who successfully manage to maintain the delicate balance between the conflicting emotions and otherwise.

A major theme in TSC is that of repetition, disillusion and the resultant resolve required to break from it. The Kildren’s, on account of the curse they are born with, live in a world devoid of any passion and sensation whatsoever. Being edible is enough, because they can’t feel the taste. Being alive has no such meaning, because they don’t know what it means to be in the first place. Fighting for their lives is of no consequence to them, because their existence doesn’t have any other purpose. In a metaphorical sense, the Kildren’s represent people who are stuck in the cycle of life. They represent people who can’t overcome the hurdle from childhood to adulthood, who believe the only way to escape from their grim reality is by taking their own lives. And just as Kannami tries to stop Kusanagi, TSC has a message for us too: ‘You must live until you can change something’. That with the required perseverance and will, anyone can and will surely be able to move forward. The desire to bring a change in our lives is what makes us human, and as such, elevates Kannami’s resolve to fight against his destiny, even if it did ultimately lead to his downfall. The Kild, who all but merely floated all his life, devoid of any desire and will to struggle, ironically was at his magnificent best, flying as high as he ever did in his final moments. In a world and era where suicide has turned into such a grave issue, TSC’s message is certainly admirable.

TSC impressed me with its direction, use of themes and quality storytelling. Its cynical commentary on the nature of war and that of the people involved with it certainly puts it a step above than most other shows under the same genre. As with most of the slow paced shows, one needs a good amount of patience, and keeping in mind the themes portrayed, probably needs a requisite amount of maturity as an adult to enjoy TSC to the maximum. All in all, TSC is, without a doubt, one of the best things I’ve had the pleasure to watch in this medium and it gets a 4.5/5 in my book.

As an avid horror fan, I am a sucker for horror anime when done right.The world of anime has not really seen a good horror one since the Higurashi series.
So, when I first heard of Another getting an anime series, I had really high expectations from it.
So, quitting all the blahblah's, here goes my review~
Another starts with the male protagonist, Kouichi Sakahibara, coming to the dreaded class 3, in the summer of 1998. Soon he grows suspicious of the fearful atmosphere and the fact that his classmates are hiding something from him. Meanwhile, he ... finds a beautiful and lonely girl named Mei Misaki and learns the fact that she might have something to do with the mysterious deaths occuring to the students of class 3 each year.
Plot- 5/10...The story is somewhat unique, however flawed. A lot is left unexplained, like how does the dead one really come every year? How can Mei see death if her eye is just that of a doll? Also, towards the end, it basically becomes a boring survival bloodfest.

Characters- 4/10...arguably the weakest part of the show. Another has a large set of characters, and so no one gets the time to develop much over 12 episodes. A couple more episodes just to flesh out the side characters would have made it more enjoyable.The standout part was the budding relationship between the two main characters, which was nicely done. Misaki's backstory gives the character some depth, but Kouichi was really the weak link. Often stoic and bland, in the final episode he was basically talking in phone calmly being surrounded by fire, which doesn't make much sense.

Animation- 8.5/10....the strongest part of the show. Nicely drawn characters makes the gory scenes a tad easier to watch.

Soundtrack- 5/10....meh, nothing really to talk about this, was average at best.

Overall- 5/10....Another fails miserably as a horror series.At certain points, it tries too hard to scare the audience, by showing random images of dolls and using a scary soundtrack. The death scenes, though gory, are really laughable (not to mention most of the deaths are of piercing something through the neck).
However, it succeeds in the mystery part, and with a decent plot twist, keeps you right on the edge. Also, the side characters were interesting, a fact non existent in most other anime.The ending is decent enough and gives the series a proper closure.
So, despite its flaws, and the fact that it should have had more episodes, you will enjoy this anime if you like good,old fashioned mystery elements. However, if you go into this anime for the chills, you may feel disappointed to some extent.

okay...this took me a long time~~

* If u haven't watched the first season yet, i feel sorry for u *

Umino Chica's masterpiece,Honey and clover is a slice of life revolving around the life of 5 college students, revolving around their lives, as each search for their respective four leaf clovers.

STORY- The second season starts off right where the 1st ends, as our 5 main characters try their best ... to find that elusive happiness. The second season has more melodramatic aspects, the comedy got considerably toned down from the 1st season. Season 2 deals more with the emotional fallout, as they are cruelly pushed to the realm of unrequited love.

CHARACTERS- Honey and clover has always given preference to the well fleshed out characters than the plot. Takemoto's coming of age, Hagu's determination,Yamada's unwavering love for Mayama...everything has been beautfully potrayed. Also.S2 gives the spotlight to Morita's past, rather than just using him as comedic relief (as was in S1). Also we see the resolution of Mayama/ Rika/ Yamada arc. All in all,HnC has a set of the believable characters you will ever find in any form of entertainment.

ART- visually pleasing,use of soft water colour palette gives it almost a dreamlike effect.

SOUND- Op is innovative as usual, ending is one of my personal favs. The use of songs of Spitz, Suga Shikao, in the episodes proves successful yet again.

All in all, HnC is a perfect example of an anime where u do not need overly complicated plot to make it amazing, all u need is the perfect harmony of music, feelings and really believable characters. Its quite sad to see its not as popular as other slice of life anime like Clannad, Toradora, as it is simply the best slice of life anime u can ever find. Save your moeblobs, generic shounens, harems, and go watch Honey and clover...for it surely will have some meaning, and will continue to revolve forever in your heart as your bittersweet memory.

"A disease called self consciousness..
An unavoidable part of life called bring true to yourself,
Indeed,everyone has eighth-grade syndrome all their lives."

A major period of one's childhood is occupied by fantasies of the unknown,magical world.As a child,one has countless times wondered if they could fly,believed that real magic does exists.As one grows up,these feelings die,for fear of embarrassment in public..for being left out from the realm of the so called normal world.
The japanese word "Chunnibyou" ... refers to teenagers or upcoming adults who are bound in the fictional,fantasy world..ones who see things different to those of normal people.Majority of them are left out of the society..just like our male protagonist "dark flame master" aka Yuuta.

Story: The story has two main parts--
Yuuta,a previous sufferer of this chunnibyou syndrome,now attempts to lead a normal high school life.To him,his lonely past was nothing but full of embarrassment,so as so he tries to deny his "dark flame master" status,and,
The female protagonist "the tyrant eye" aka Rikka.who is unable to face the reality of her father's death..as she uses her chunnibyou alias to escape from the painful reality.
When these two meet,along with their daily chores,fun and share of laughter,they face conflicting emotions while keeping in terms with the normal life.

Characters: The whole anime is basically centered around the two main characters,as the other supporting characters get little to no development.One major flaw of this anime was the misuse of the supporting characters..Nibutani,also a sufferer of the chunnibyou syndrome,at first appeared as an interesting character,but was soon pushed away and given much less preference. Also the inclusion of Kumin and Isshiki was meaningless as both of them practically do nothing over the whole anime.

Art: Kyo Ani strikes again,a visual masterpiece.

Sound: not among the best.but really effective during the more serious parts.

What really made Chunnibyou great was its character interaction.visual beauty and depiction of comedy.During the second half,the comedy part fell a tad,and more melodramatic aspects were involved.However,the romance between Yuuta and Rikka was really great to watch,as well as the serious plots when the anime goes deep into Rikka's past. And this is Chunnibyou's greatest credit,that despite its moe and cliche elements..it still manages to stand out than most other romance anime due to the good presentation of the serious moments.
Overall,Chuu2-byo has its flaws,but it still is very enjoyable to watch and definately stands as one of the best of 2012.

Mirai Nikki..one of those anime shows which starts off in the right track,then completely gets out of point...and finally attempts to partially redeem itself...resulting in a "DEAD END".
Initially having high hopes for the series,i felt quite satisfied in the first few episodes...however since then it went downhill,resulting in an absolute trainwreck.

Story- simple enough..the god of space time (Deus Ex Machina),gathers our protagonist Yukiteru,his obsessively stalking girlfriend aka psycho Yuno Gasai and 10 others to engage in a battle of death,each having their specific future diaries.The last one standing gets to be the next God.Thus began yukiteru and yuno's attempts to kill the other contestants and ... making yukiteru the new God of space time.

Characters- i almost hated all the characters,except Akise and Minene...
Yukiteru was a crybaby all the time,probably the most whiny character i've seen after obviously Shinji Ikari . Gasai yuno,whose insanity topped the charts..was enjoyable at the start but then was so annoying at the end of the series.All the other characters practically got no development.

Art- mediocare,not really mindblowing.

Sound- the op and ed were good.especially liked the "happy ending" theme.

Overall,mirai nikki showed a lot of promise...but the middle part was really pathetic.Even though i liked the ending,i expected a lot more.
So if u are a fan of the horror/gore genre..watching Higurashi or elfen lied is a better prospect than Mirai nikki.