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Simply put... this anime is a mixed bag.

The story revolves around a girl just entering High School and explores her delusions of grandeur and lack of common sense regarding simple things. The MC is dense beyond imagining and has a very warped sense of reality due to what I can only surmise is an undiagnosed mental illness. On top of that she suffers from severe depression. Needless to say, this MC is unique... and that isn't a bad thing necessarily. The appeal of this series is the MC interacting with the world. It is like watching an alien from 3rd Rock from the Sun and ... there is hilarity to be had.

HOWEVER... this series is incredibly depressing. It was hard to get through. The torment this girl goes through in just wanting someone to accept her, acknowledge her, talk to her, hug her... is really hard to stomach. Her episodes into exploring her misunderstandings about the world leave you cringing as you watch as everything goes awry. You should be warned... this anime is not for the light hearted.

The character that surprised me was her friend. Out of the blue her middle school friend calls her, a few episodes in, and wants to hang out. The way she is remembered by the MC is as a geeky, unattractive girl. The reality is that her friend bloomed into an attractive and popular girl entering high school... but retained all of her qualities from when she was unpopular. This makes for a unique character. I will be honest, I was expecting the friend to either bail on the MC or have something happen... but she was just really nice. It goes to show you that you can't judge a book by its cover.


As a side note... the MC has the same eyes as L from Death Note. Just Saiyan.



The art style is rather unique and does an amazing job of expressing the many moods of the MC.

The soundtrack to this is amazing. The intro and outdo fit perfectly and it sets the tone for the show.

The parts where this anime really makes it worth watching are the moments like the end of episode 11, where she gets a hug... and other heart warming scenes that make you go "awwww." Trust me, in the right context, you will understand the power of a hug from someone in a bear costume.

Would I recommend this anime? Well..... no. Probably not. It is worth a watch if you have some free time and want to see a 12 episode show. Its on Hulu. While it isn't bad and Im glad I saw it... it just isn't one I would be like " OH MAN, YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS SHOW!" As it stands it was a mediocre show with some great moments sprinkled in. Virtus Signum gives this a 6/10.

This anime was something I watched on a whim on hulu's recommendation. i had never heard of it before and would most likely would have never seen it otherwise. I am so glad that I saw it! This is an amazing anime that is worth a watch. Its only 12 episodes so there is no reason not to give it a once over. Its free on hulu.

The reason why I liked this anime so much is because it managed to get all of its characters, situations and components working for its desires effect. Typically a male MC living in a house with multiple women ... is riddled with "OOPS" perverted scenes where the idiot MC fumbles over himself but gets clobbered, incomprehensible misunderstandings due to feelings and the MC being so dense that it hurts. This anime partakes in none of that thankfully. Instead what we get is a MC who, while not super intelligent, is aware enough of his surroundings to not be a total klutz and isn't dense about feelings. The relationship between the MC and "Senpai" is perfect for what it is and made me appreciate that love comes in all shapes and doesn't require the conventional formula. Just walking home with the girl you care about without saying a word may seem weird but it works for him and is endearing in it's own way.

This show really excels at the supporting characters. You have Mayumi who is an unmarried, 30 year old hot chick who drinks and has a huge issue with the fact that she is single. Typical anime stereotype on paper but they manage to make her more memorable with an actual character that made you see that she just wanted to be loved. There is Sayaka, she is deceptively cute. You ever know that person who seems perfect? They are so sweet and nice that you just marvel? Well thats not her. She uses that to facade to entice people in and then plays with them. "She is a lady spider who brings in unsuspecting men and then feeds on making them do her bidding." Hahaha she is very enjoyable. Shirosai... he is Usa's roommate and one of the funnier characters. His gimmick is that he enjoys pain and BDSM and is a major pervert. This leads to some very funny scenes. Typically characters want to AVOID the beatings that the female MCs give them in animes but this guy gets off on it. Awesome.

The thing that made this anime for me were the scenes like the one where the MC is at work at the cafe and has his "friends" from middle school walk in with some new high school friends. Basically the new HS friends are total jerks and stuck up... they make fun of him as he tries to take their order. His "friends" don't say a word in his defense and just sits there taking it... until "Senpai" shows up and delivers a rather wonderful rescue. Then the rest of his housemates join in and deliver some delicious and hilarious justice. "It's a bug!" Haha.

Overall... this anime is great for what it is. Sure, I would have liked to see more character development and more of the relationship between Usa and Ritsu develop past what was shown in the last episode... but I feel satisfied. Viritus Signum gives this anime an 8/10. Go watch it!

It's a mobile suit... IT'S A GUNDUMB!

That is the best way I can sum up this show in one word. GUNDUMB. This anime is one that revolves around a main character named Ichika who can pilot a mobile suit called an IS, an Infinite Stratos. The twist is... wait for it... ONLY WOMEN CAN PILOT THEM! But for some reason so can this lone high school age boy. Why? Anime logic. So... naturally... this boy begins attending an all girls academy for IS training. I know what you are thinking "How can a boy go to an all girls school?" Well... anime logic. Thats how. ...

This anime is lacking in every aspect... except the obscenely ample breasts that most of the characters have. How do these units work? Why can only women pilot them? How are the seemingly random abilities determined? Why does every girl in the school seemingly want to date this incredibly boring, incredibly dense, incredibly bland, incredibly uninteresting and unremarkable boy? These questions and many more are some that will never be answered. Anime logic.

Now, I have come down harshly on this anime. You may think I didn't enjoy it. You would be wrong. I did like it. Certain aspects of it. Its just that I have experienced exceptional mech animes like Gundam Wing which set the bar for what a mech anime can do with the material. I liked Charles, I liked the dynamic they shared. I liked their bond, I thought that whole thing was rather enjoyable. I liked some of the fights... I liked the oversized boobs... I liked some of the mech designs... I liked the anime style... mostly. The battle scenes were amazing and the natural visuals were some of the best I have seen... but its just that I saw the potential they had and I felt it was wasted.

If the main character had only had a character. He was so stupid and clueless that as a man it hurt me watching this at times. Heero Yuy, again for Gundam Wing, while not saying a word was more interesting and dynamic than this guy. Sheesh.

Anyway... the anime was alright. Worth a once watch as a time waster. Nothing to write home about and nothing to hate on too much either. Virtus Signum gives this anime a very meh 5/10.

I very nearly dropped this anime after the first episode. The animation style threw me off, the characters and story didn't seem interesting and I didn't really like it. I decided to watch one more episode and if I didn't like it, I would move on to something else. Well I did watch that 1 episode after... and the one after that... and the one after that... and the one after that... until I had stayed up to 4 in the morning to get to episode 20. Yeah, boy how wrong was I.

The story centers around a girl who is 170 cm tall and a ... boy who is 156 cm tall. This dynamic is directly contrasting the typical formula where a man is taller than a woman. The "lovely complex" is the complex both of them have about their height, both tall and short. As Risa is taller than most of the boys, she considers herself unattractive and undesirable. This belief is reinforced when the guy she falls for happens to fall for her friend who is much shorter. Conversely, Otani falls for that same girl... but she doesn't see him as a potential romance because... and I quote... "Otani is easy to talk to, its probably because he is the same height as me that I don't see him as a guy." Ouch. So its clear where both of them get their issues from.

The thing about this anime that I was confused by, as much as I did end up liking it, was just how many times Risa went back and forth. "I like him... now I'm giving up on him... now I like him again... now I'm giving up again... now I like him... now I'm giving up again... now I like him... now I'm giving up again... now I like him..." Its like GEEZUS, make us your mind. That aside, it does lead to some pretty funny scenes.

Overall, this anime is spectacular and definitely worth a watch. It is hilarious and at times very moving. Nothing too deep here, no tragedy or huge depressing thing... I'm looking at you Clannad... >__>
Its just a fun romantic comedy that manages to hit all its notes well with a cast of characters that while, mostly forgettable past the blonde girl, are still very likable.

Due to the lessons learned about not giving up on an anime and the amazing nature of this series. Virtus Signum gives this a 10/10. Watch it.

When people mention Highschool DxD, it is usually referenced as a harem / ecchi anime... and while it does have those elements, Highschool DxD manages to be more than the sum of it's parts and transforms into something truly special.

Issei Hyoudou is an ordinary teenager who happens to be bad with the ladies. He and his friends spend time watching the girls do P.E. and fantasize about having a girlfriend. As Issei is contemplating his plight of being dateless... suddenly a beautiful girl, Yuuma Amano, asks him on a date! To which he emphatically, if cautiously, accepts. He takes her around the town, takes ... her to dinner and finally they are alone in the park. Finally Issei is going to get what he always wanted..... or.... not.

The set up to this show is flawless. I do also have to mention the music. It is so damn epic and fits the scene perfectly.

Now, I will admit... this anime does have nudity and boobs. Lots of boobs. BUT... it is usually pretty restrained and doesn't go TOO overboard. It manages to walk a fine line like no anime I have seen before. It actually managed to compliment the story, unlike some anime. If you can't handle a little naked female... then look elsewhere for an anime.

Issei's powers.... These have got to be the most awesome and at the same time HILARIOUS powers I have ever seen of any character ever. His "DRESS BREAK" is just incredible... the tactical advantage of this move is immense. The perverted responses are just too much. I was left having to pause because I was laughing so hard.

The Characters... Rias and Akano are my two favorite anime heroines, hands down. It isn't just because they both have the biggest boobs of any other character... but their personalities. That also isn't to say I don't like the other females in the group either. Koneko doesn't add much sexual tension like the first two, but she adds hilarious comic relief through her ridiculous strength and cold and merciless demeanor when Issei does something perverted. Asia is also a truly likable character. Again, not there for sexual tension... just there to be adorable and add some opposite comedy to Koneko. Asia is sweet, innocent and nice.

All in all, Highschool DxD is a masterpiece. I realize how this series is seen by the slack jawed mouth breathers who focus on the fact that it has some nudity over anything else and then pronounce themselves as "better" because they call anything with nudity as beneath them... but really it changes nothing. This series is awesome and deserves your viewing.

"BOOST!"

STORY: Nothing too complex... but it manages to hit all of its notes with excellent precision. This is the perfect blend of comedy, romance and action elements.

ART: The animation is top notch. Really quite amazing.

SOUND: Love it. Simply love it. The epic and amazing music makes me watch to buy the soundtrack. Seriously. Its that good.

CHARACTER: The best part of the series. Issei is one of my favorite male MCs. The main cast is all fun and likable.

ENJOYMENT: Very high.

REWATCHABILITY: High. I've watched this series a few times and I even bought it on Blu-Ray. Well worth it.

OVERALL: An incredible anime that is more than the sum of its parts. It manages to be a lot of things and it does them all brilliantly. Virtus Signum gives this a 10/10.

This is definitely not the best anime in the harem anime genre, but this series does have many elements that make it worth watching and appreciating.

In harem anime, it has become a staple to have a clumsy, awkward and... well... stupid male MC who is, for some reason, likable in some regard which attracts girls to him. When I think of a harem anime MC, I think of Keitaro from Love Hina. This anime however takes a step back from that and gives us... the most generic "nice guy" I have ever seen. This character doesn't have a personality. He is just... nice. He gets ... verbally taunted or abused... nice. He gets kicked or punched... nice. He gets labelled a pervert due to a typical "misunderstanding"... nice. He is too generic and nice for my liking. My "perfect" harem MC is Keima from The World God Only Knows. This is because Keima has a personality. A very distinct one and not usually common among the genre. A brilliant strategist with no desire to meet girls or have friends. He is cold, ruthless and dedicated to his craft... but he knows his stuff and it creates an interesting dynamic when he is introduced to different character types and elements because he can adapt. This guy in Mashiroiro, is the same no matter who he encounters or what he is doing... nice, nice, nice, nice, nice. The truth is that this anime is like pandora's box... you open it and all the good stuff flies out immediately and all you are left with is hoping that something interesting occurs. "Oh I know, lets have the entire group release a squirrel that we never knew the story of or cared about... lets make it last like 6 minutes." Bah I say. The premise of them being transfer students and the attempt to fit in is dropped nearly entirely about 4 - 5 episodes in. Instead we focus on naming cats, a girl who runs away and cries a lot... while abusing the boy she "loves" verbally and physically... and then we have lots of pointless "nice" talking. Boring. It is enjoyable however. Just don't expect anything to blow you away. No school dance or festival... just worrying about cats.

The fact that the main character cares for everyone around him makes it uninteresting as he is nice to everyone. I could just as easily see him confess his love to the cat... thing... as I could a female character. While he does try and help everyone... a character that just helps people without any reason or backstory as to why he has to help others so much is... again... boring.

This anime suffers from ADD. For one part, you have the story centered around Sena and the MC. They make a big deal out of this... a lot of episodes... and then out of nowhere she vanished. Literally. She is just... gone. Only seen in a few passing by shots. All that build up for that?! At least have her fade out gracefully. Geez. I understand that because harem anime now have a reputation for being "by the books" that they have decided to try to throw the viewer for a loop... and while I don't mind who he ends up with. It is another case of wasted potential for the sake of a plot twist. Another anime I saw did that. It was called Shuffle!... it had an amazing premise that they flushed down the toilet in order to change pace halfway through to try to be "unique." Garbage. Don't drop a premise that works in an attempt to be even more clever.


STORY: Very cool premise. Well executed at first... then it dissolves into a boring but enjoyable experience.

ART: I liked it. Smooth. Looked good.

SOUND: Good opening intro and I like the piano throughout.

CHARACTER: MC is a super swell guy. Other characters are interesting and fun.

ENJOYMENT: High. It is boring... and the characters are a bit lacking but it is enjoyable.

REWATCHABILITY: Zero. I will never watch this one again.

OVERALL: Its good. Virtus Signum gives this one a 7/10. Give it a watch.

I like this anime. I do. It has a lot of elements that really work... and some that really don't. The main thing I love about this anime is the main character and his whole attitude. He is like a dog, lovable and loyal... until you piss him off, then it is all fangs. One of my favorite scenes is when a group of upperclassman kidnap the girl they see him hanging around with and take her to their classroom to "get back at him." They are nice enough to her and really don't want to cause her trouble. She asks if she can study ... and they say "sure." When the MC gets there and bursts in... all hell breaks lose. He goes crazy. The main girl tells tries to pull him away before the fighting and tells him its alright... but in a rage he actually hits her in the face by accident. Hard. It was both funny and gave great insight into the character and that his protectiveness was a double edged sword.

One of the main problems with this anime is the amount of wasted potential and the lack of depth. For example... the way the older brother acts is one built up and portrayed as a villain. It could EASILY have been a very interesting relationship and dynamic. Say... if his brother were the head of a gang and he made his little brother fight and do all kinds of terrible things to hurt people. It would add some context to why he is so adept at fighting and explain his bursts of unbridled rage. Then this girl comes along and changes him and the older brother doesn't like it so he has some of his goons kidnap her and the little brother has to save her while dealing with his past demons... instead what we get is a wishy washy love story with some really ridiculous turns. The amount of times they go back and forth with "loving each other" is dizzying. Just stick with it already!

Overall, great anime. Worth a watch! Virtus Signum gives this an 8/10.

Yahari Ore is a romantic comedy that centers around an anti-social high school boy that has no desire to interact with the real world or make friends. Instantly the main character reminded me of Keima from The World God Only Knows... and he even plays a PSP. The reason why this anime managed to capture my attention was the main character and the situation around him, as it should be. I was interested to see how it would progress and I was not disappointed. This anime I wouldn't TECHNICALLY qualify as a harem anime, although there are two girls in the group and I could ... see him going for either one... but really I could see them also going for each other as well.
The female characters are great and likable. Very likable and each is completely different. You don't need a harem of 10 girls, 2 great ones will do just fine.

The point where this anime loses some of its momentum is the story. While the opening premise is excellent and its execution is flawless... the series suffers from ADD and doesn't know where it wants to go. The other major issue I had was that there was no confession or romantic conclusion. I wouldn't have minded that if they hadn't set it up that there would be more explanation. He was supposed to take one of them out to dinner, I wanted to see that and how it went but it never happened as the show ended without mentioning it again. I also don't like that they didn't give enough backstory to the characters. The main female is anti-social but they never show specific examples of times she was picked on, only mention them in a sentence. She has no friends... because she just doesn't. That doesn't work for me, I expect more.

The redeeming aspect of this is the MC. He is cool when he needs to be, funny when he needs to be... and completely calm and detached 99% of the time. Nothing seems to fluster him... and that I like. There is also the matter of his amazing ability to be completely logical and incredibly cold. I got IMMENSE satisfaction from watching him completely destroy that (censored) (censored) lazy good for nothing (censored) (censored) of a (censored) (censored) (censored) chairwoman for the cultural festival. That verbal asswhooping was so good that I felt that it should have gotten its own spin off show.

STORY: Good but could have been better with more focus on the romance between the characters and exploring what happens. I want more.

ART: Fabulous. Fluid. Smooth.

SOUND: Loved the music. Intro and outdo were great.

CHARACTER: This anime really suffered from lack of backstory and lack of character development past the main characters... and even they didn't get much. There was an episode where they help a character and she is almost never seen again. Her unique appearance would indicate that she should probably have been in more episodes and a bigger part of the show. Fail.

ENJOYMENT: Very enjoyable. Some things wrong but still a great time.

REWATCHABILITY: Honestly? Zero. As good as it was, I won't watch it again.

OVERALL: Watch it. It is worth every episode and makes you have a good time. I just wish there was more. Virtus Signum gives this an 8/10.

This review will be short. This anime was entertaining but ultimately left zero impact on me. I will never watch this again, never talk about it again and I think that is the show's biggest issue. It isn't that the show was bad, it wasn't... but for all the elements that the show got right, it seems to use some of them incorrectly. There is also no resolution for any of the established romances. None. Not a kiss, hug, confession, nothing... from anyone. I was expecting more all around TBH. Loved the premise, loved some of the characters but the execution of pacing and story ... left much to be desired.

Story: 4/10 - Packed with potential, ultimately it doesn't deliver on what could have made it a must see anime. As it stands, its not bad... just very forgettable.

ART: 7/10 - Good solid animation but nothing that I would write home about.

Sound: 6/10 - I really liked the opening theme. I don't know how appropriate it was to the theme of the show but I can't complain. Very nice.

Character: 7/10 - I liked the characters in this one... though the main female was totally wrong for her type. She is oddly violent for the established "mother figure" character. I would have pegged the blonde sister to be more violent when those awkward situations arose. I can't help being a sucker for Kagome, who is just so cute and fills the "Shinobu" class as I call it... the quiet, shy, sweet girl who is good with domestic stuff.

Overall: While I liked this and don't have anything overly bad to say about it. It lacks a few elements which could have made it so much more. Virtus Signum gives this show a 6/10. Decent.

Shuffle! is a harem anime that suffers from ADD, depression and drunken incoherence. The original opening concept is actually pretty interesting. This universe has your standard Earth and humans but also openly welcomes Gods and Demons which are basically elven looking humanoids. The King of the world of the gods and the King of the world of the demons each have a daughter and the one who marries them will become the ruler of the gods or ruler of the demons. Naturally, these girls are in love with a Japanese loser from highschool. Yeah, that makes for a pretty interesting concept right? not super original ... but damn entertaining... throw in some additional girls and you have a recipe for an amazing anime, right? Wrong. While the premise is good, its execution fails so spectacularly that it is almost hard to believe.

The whole entire premise that would make it interesting is almost instantly dropped. It becomes a simple "confused feelings" anime and this main character manages to literally ruin several lives in the process. I have never EVER seen a main character who I hated more due to his thoughtless and selfish nature that they wanted to come across as innocent. It was hard to stomach. I wont say who he ends up with but needless to say that the whole "Becoming king of the gods or king of the demons" is almost never mentioned again and the kings are rarely seen past the opening episodes. What a damn waste.

If this anime wanted to be what it ended up being, then fine... but why introduce the element king of the god or demon world at all? I have no problem with the main character ending up with whoever but it could have been done much better.

This anime tries very hard to be as ridiculous as possible with the character personalities. You have characters who start to go insane, literally, out of the blue... and degenerate into a completely different character, doing things uncharacteristic of their pre-established personalities and then by the end going back as if nothing had happened.

There is also a lot of pointless drama. I don't mind drama, hell I like it if its done right... but here it is not... at least not towards the second half. I guess that is what it comes down to thought. The series gets progressively worse, to the point where it seems like one director was fired halfway though and another took their place and wanted to re-write the entire story.

You can find better.

And if you liked Shuffle! fantastic. I didn't. My review is based on that basis.

STORY: Great concept. Unforgivable execution.

ART: The animation was pretty good. Nothing to write home about but overall it was fluid and nice. I don't have any complaints but it didn't blow me away or anything. The thing that stood out were the eyes... in a good way.

SOUND::The opening theme is awesome. I liked it a lot. The rest though isnt memorable. you will forget it in T-minus 30 seconds.

CHARACTER: Uhgg... no. Just no. I have never seen characters that are more all over the place in terms of personality.

ENJOYMENT: Very little but what little I did enjoy, I enjoyed quite a bit.

OVERALL: I personally found little enjoyment out of this title, but the stuff I did enjoy was pretty good. I couldnt get passed the fact that they managed to be so all over the place with the story. Virtus Signum gives this a 4/10. Below Average.