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When looking at a series, is it better to start strong but end weak or start weak but end strong? I believe a strong finish is better than a strong start because while it won't hook people immediately, it will allow for people to have something to look forward to while watching. The problem with 5D's is that it follows the latter, being a disappointment after the first season, which ends at the end of the dark signer arc. The unfortunate truth behind this is that the director for the fortune cup arc left to work on Symphogear, leaving behind notes for the dark signer ... arc. The new director followed these notes, but once the dark signer arc finished, he unfortunately screwed up a lot of things. If I could rate the seasons seperately, I'd give the first season a 9 and the second season a 5. So let's delve into some of the best and worst yugioh has to offer.

The story for the first season is structured pretty well. There is little to no filler and you can feel the progression. At the start, Yusei just wants to get back the card that symbolizes his bonds, Stardust Dragon, but then he gets stuck in Godwin's plan and becomes a signer. While the plot doesn't stand out, it also doesn't falter, allowing for strong character development. The second season has a convoluted plot where all the problems are solved because of Yusei suddenly becoming overpowered. It just sucks when the solution to every plot related problem winds up being Yusei. Another major issue is how there are 6 signer dragons when the original plot wanted 5. It felt like they wanted to give a character signer status just so he could stay with the main cast instead of a legitimate reason. It all just felt like so much of the original intent spiraled down into a cesspool of absurdity.

The art and sound are pretty spot on, with the soundtrack containing some of the best vocal pieces in the yugioh franchise with songs like CROSS GAME and Clear Mind. The structural and artistic design of each D-wheel definitely shows each character's personality. The duel disks are designed to look like their respective D-wheels, as the motorcycles are a hybrid of transportation and a dueling machine.

The biggest divide between the seasons is how the characters are handled. The first season had some of the best character development, delving deep into what makes each character and how they all overcome their mental and physical barriers to become stronger and better people. Overcoming the darkness in your heart is a prevalent theme within the dark signer arc, and it made the development even better. Unfortunately, the second season throws much of the development out the window and streamlines every character's personalities and emotions. There could have been so much more done with the characters introduced in the second season to make them meaningful and not just a bland sideshow.

I heavily enjoyed the first season, and it became one of my favorite parts of yugioh. It's a engrossing and fulfilling experience that you should experience. The second season, however I didn't enjoy so much. I did manage to watch through it all, and it was about the same as Zexal 1. I recommend only watching the first season while completely ignoring the second season, unless if you want to laugh at the problems it has. Remember kids, you can turn off the monitor whenever you want.

You know what's great? Cute girls. You know what's even better? Playing a game filled with them. Even better? The fact that they all have good artists and VAs. The best part? The diversity of girls makes it so anyone can find a favorite. You'd think it wouldn't be difficult to make a Kancolle anime considering there are anime with similar kinds of situations such as Strike Witches and Girls und Panzer, but instead of having a healthy balance of slice of life and battles, Kancolle just jumps around everywhere, making for a jarring experience.

The story is heavily divided, with multiple parts with their own ... plot. The parts are segmented into episodes 1-4, 5+7, 6 , 8-9, and 10-12. It winds up being all over the place, tending to be a repeating pattern of slice of life, preparations for sortie, sortie, miracle, and end sortie. Kancolle also tends to tunnel vision on whatever the current episode's plot is and forces the issue. The only overarching drive in Kancolle is Fubuki striving to become one of Akagi's escorts. Honestly, it's how the slice of life elements and combat elements are thrown into the pot together that really inhibit the anime as a whole.

Fortunately, the lead designer is great. He really brings to life the ships of so many different artists in one cohesive style. The best part is that the faces are drawn similarly enough to where you can look at both the anime and game styles and see how they correlate. The music is also solid and features a wonderful op and ed. The battle music doesn't quite pack a punch, but still fits thematically.

The biggest issue with the Kancolle anime is how the characters are handled. For some reason the writers decided that having all of the characters keep saying in game lines and slightly modified versions of in game lines was a good idea when it actually destroyed life from the characters. Look, I understand that the lines were probably put in because they wanted an easy way to convey the character's personalities, but it's possible to do it without resorting to such an uninspired method. I don't want to continually hear Hibiki's Russian one liners all the time. I want her to speak full sentences, and if Russian words want to be added in at that point, that's fine. Also, the fact that the admiral is never seen and never talks bothers me a lot. It just makes it feel like it's that way for self-inserting purposes, which just saps any joy from interactions with the admiral.

Even with all of its problems, I did enjoy watching Kancolle; however, I wouldn't recommend it to everyone. It is definitely something that you have to enjoy from the start, otherwise you would just be bored. If anything, episode 6 was the most consistent episode thematically and consequently the most enjoyable. As someone who has loved playing the game for almost a year and counting, this was definitely a disappointing experience. If you are curious about the anime, give it a shot, as you might enjoy it still.

So now you're lean, what's next? You need to make sure you're refueling your muscles and supporting your body by consuming carbs and protean. You start the feel the bulk, those rock solid abs and delicious muscles. Guys and gals both look good with muscles, except when they start to look like they're Graveler, then it's just disgusting. But the good muscle look is what we're going after here, the wonder of Zexal 2. I can't stress enough how good this is, as it's easily one of the best parts of Yugioh. We shall begin the road of the opposite of Zexal 1, the cesspool ... of disappointment.

Even though the story's objective is still the same, the presentation is significantly better. We get to see the objective and troubles of both the Astral world and the Barian world. While both worlds want to kill the other one, it becomes surprisingly complex with different groups with different affinities have their own objectives and methods. There are a few plot twists, but they honestly make sense. The events that conspire throughout the characters' journey only makes the emotional attachment to them that much stronger. The one issue I have is the numeron code and its existence. To continue any more would spoil some key moments.

The art and sound are pretty much the same as Zexal 1. A new thing though is the design of the Astral and Barian worlds as well as their denizens, and I must say, they did a fine job in their designs.

The characters are significantly better in Zexal 2. Out of Yuma's crew Yuma, Astral, and Shark all get a lot better with Shark being the biggest improvement. Shark's sister Rio also becomes part of the group and is more fleshed out than the other girls in the group. The Barians are all unique and great characters, and in all honesty are the best characters in Zexal 2. Unfortunately they are all surrounded in spoilers, but just trust my word. Kaito is still a great character while Haruto becomes more open and Orbital 7 remains just as witty as ever. To really know how these characters are, watch it. There's only so much one man can say before spoiling everything.

Zexal 2 was a much more enjoyable experience than Zexal 1 due to its improved plot handling and characters. Zexal 2 is one of the most memorable parts of Yugioh that will leave you at your seat getting exciting, feeling the character's emotions, and wanting more. At the end of the journey through a disgusting swamp is a hidden village of wonder and excitement known as Zexal 2, so what are you waiting for?

Working out when you're fat and out of shape sucks. You realize how weak you actually are and you can't even put weights on the bloody bench press bar. But after a while, things change. You start to feel better: you feel energized more often, your body feels less toxic, you can actually do physical labor without collapsing within the first five minutes. It's a wonderful feeling, and it's what the Zexal experience is. The first part is pretty mediocre, with some of the better episodes keeping it from being truely bad, while the second part is pretty damn good. We're not here to talk ... about the good of Zexal though; it's time to delve into the reason why I find it hard to recommend to people.

First and formost, the story. It's basically, "YUMA HELP ME FIND THE NUMBERS TO GET MY MEMORY BACK KTNXBAI" Even when it gets to the point when Yuma and crew try to stop Tron's machinations, it's all very shallow. It's still all about collecting numbers, with a pinch of stopping the astral world's destruction on the side. Even the true antagonist sucks, as it just feels like a last minute desperation attempt to try to get some semblance of story in existence. Everything just feels empty and nothing gets explained.

The art design is pretty damn good, as expected of the Yugioh franchise. Heartland looks vibrant and futuristic with the duel disks looking at home. Seriously, I could rip a wall off a building and call it a duel disk and it would work. The D-Gazers actually are nifty and allow for holograms of cards to work anywhere with real environmental interaction. Once again, all of the characters have their own memorable look and are easily identifiable. If I posted a picture of Kaito, you would instantly know who it was, provided you watched this.

The sound design is also great, as the music really conveys the mood of a scene. From the casual tunes when watching the characters interact, to the heated soundtrack of an intense duel, Zexal nails it. Why are you reading this segment still? LISTEN TO THE SOUNDTRACK.

Here is the odd part, the characters. There are a decent amount of characters in Zexal, but they don't have any magic to them. None of them are very fleshed out nor enjoyable except for a small few. This doesn't include Yuma and his merry gang, as they're all annoying at this point in time. III, IV, and Kaito are the only characters worth anything in part one. Without talking about why, just remember that duels they are in are the more enjoyable and worthwhile ones to watch.

The whole thing is an arduous process to get through, as it's too flawed for its own good. Just watch the important plot episodes and start watching Zexal 2 because part 1 just isn't good. Luckily there's an image that's a decent guide on how to watch it. Zexal is like panning. At the start you find nothing, but eventually you'll find the gold nugget, so remember to eat your vegetables kids because Zexal 2 is one wild ride, being one of the best seasons of yugioh.