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This is one of the most wholesome and non-toxic relationships I have ever come across in BL comics. So, our protagonist Saegusa Issei lives a 'boring' life as a high school senior. He doesn't have any motivation to do better in his academics despite knowing that he has the potential. Here comes the new transfer student, Arochi Tooru, who stands out because of his unique hair colour and facial expressions. What initially started as a curiosity on Saegusa's part of wanting to know more about Arochi turned into something more as they spent more time with each other. They motivate and support each other to ... achieve their dreams while being deeply in love with each other.

What I really liked about these characters is how vocal they are about their problems and thoughts. Their relationship is consensual and balanced, not like most BLs these days where one overwhelms the other both emotionally and physically. These kinds of stories reinstate my belief in love and mutual affection.
From a critical standpoint, I guess the only field where people might find it lacking is art. The art is great but not extraordinary. The characters look like high school seniors and suit their personalities very well.
I highly recommend this manga to all the BL readers. It's also a good one to pick up for beginners. This is the kind of manga that is capable of lifting your prejudice against same-sex love. It's beautifully written and illustrated. I hope it gets adapted into a drama or an anime sometime. I will definitely read more of this author's works.

This show is actually so ridiculously absurd, it's hilarious. Yes, it's extremely problematic right from the very beginning. Starting from the age gap to the harrassment to the imaginations lmao. This show is not meant to be taken seriously. I really hope the author wrote the manga as a satire because if they weren't, they are seriously mentally ill. Anyhow, I won't recommend this show to anyone. I was still able to sit through the two episodes because the premise just got absurd progressively and I found it utterly hilarious.

P.S. Chad Shunsuke actually scored a friend's dad! 🗿 DILFs are only a dream for many.

If you're here because you thought the synopsis was intriguing, you made the right choice. This offers a lot more than what you initially expected.

STORY (10/10)
Oooku: The Inner Chambers is set in the Edo period or the period in medieval Japan marked by the Tokugawa shogunate's reign. The male population is reduced to 1/5th of the female population due to a fatal disease that affects only males. The anime starts with the appointment of the eighth Tokugawa shogun Yoshimune who goes on to uncover the secrets and the origin of the Oooku, or the residence of the 'harem' of young men for the shogun through ... the journal maintained since its creation "The Chronicles of the Dying Day."

ANIMATION/ART AND MUSIC (8/10)
The animation was satisfactory. It remained true to its source material, i.e. manga. The music however wasn't remarkable or memorable. The voice acting was amazing. Great choice with the castings. Every voice actor involved in this project did a wonderful job of bringing the characters to life by aptly conveying their thoughts and emotions.

CHARACTER (10/10)
Oooku has many characters and each of them is complex and interesting in their own ways. Only a few characters are fleshed out thoroughly but I guarantee you that the supporting cast does a wonderful job in driving the circumstances of the plot or bringing about notable developments in the main characters. The author does an incredible job at making the watchers/readers empathize with the characters.

ENJOYMENT (10/10)
Having read and immensely loved the manga, upon receiving the information about its anime adaptation, I was greatly surprised and elated. It wasn't very popular despite it winning several awards in Japan (or at least that's the impression I got because it wasn't known in the manga forums). I enjoyed this anime a lot and the fact that there's so much more this series has to offer makes me even more thrilled.

From a critical standpoint, I give it a 9/10. But, coming from a fan whose expectations were met satisfactorily, it's a masterpiece 10/10. All I hope is that more people watch this show to experience peak fiction.

A collection of one-shots with independent plots.
The art is really good. All the stories are completely fucked up in their own ways. Honestly, after finishing this all I could think was "What the fuck did I just read!" But as bizarre as it may sound, I didn't dislike them.
The first story is messed up and confusing. It is narrated by a dead man. :/
The second story was kind of cute, I guess. A divorced man while waiting for his daughter meets a long-haired young man instead.
The third story was heavy and dark. TW: deals with rape and death.
The fourth story is uh ... well, an ugly space captain being flattered by a rival captain, who resembles a man he both loves and envies. It has a major twist, which is absurdly funny and disturbing.
This is not something I'd recommend people to read. You need to have a high level of tolerance to bullshit to be able to read this, in my opinion. But then again, as I said earlier, I didn't dislike it, so if you do read it remember it's a work of fiction. Just appreciate the art and the fact that the author has such a morbid imagination to be able to come up with this collection of stories. XD

First off, let me start by saying that I enjoy Given. I like it enough to read the manga every time there's a new release. I liked the first season and the movie, but this OVA, I felt was lacking in a lot of aspects.

I knew what to expect of the story from the OVA and it is indeed a faithful adaptation of the manga.
My criticisms are mostly technical. Some scenes felt very awkward. They could've been executed better with background music where and when required. I wish they'd use proper angled shots when the characters are conversing. Even a trivial scene can ... feel impactful if it's properly paired with music, dialogue delivery, and cutscenes or the character's movements and expressions. Here, many significant moments, due to the lack of these factors failed to deliver the impact that they should have. Also, I am upset that they didn't show us even a glimpse of Hiiragi and Shizu's performance.

The art is consistent and decent. There's not much to the characters and their relationships in this OVA. But this isn't a problem of the OVA, it's the story itself. Mafuyu and Ritsuka's relationship develops in the shadows so I can't empathize with them. You know, how in a fictional show, when you can just feel the love between the characters, understand their circumstances and empathize with them? This doesn't happen in their case. Even Haruki and Akihiko got better relationship development than the supposed main pair.

Summing up, I was quite disappointed with the OVA. I hope the plot is executed in a much better way in the upcoming season(s).

Having finished the manga just a short while ago, I am writing this review still high in feels and spirit. It might be a but informal however I think if I delay writing, all my thoughts regarding it will go astray or I might lose the motivation to review this outstanding manga that I binge read and enjoyed till the end. Thus, this is going to be quite long and I have tried my best to not include any major spoilers.

STORY
Akihito Kuze, at the young age of nine is forced to take over the duties of a Viscount after the death of his father. ... As dictated by his father, Tomoyuki Katsuragi, the young and capable butler, will act as his guardian and take charge of the Kuze household until Akihito comes of age. Despite being an excellent tutor, Katsuragi always remained cold towards Akihito, maintaining a steady distance. However, things start changing once Akihito starts taking control over the Kuze household and responsibilities, thus coming into direct conflict with Tomoyuki. This is a story of how these two individuals mature, influence each other, discover their true selves and motivations as well as pave their future paths.
10/10

ART
The art is amazing. I am not an expert and can't speak for the technical details. Yet, I think everything including the character designs and expressions, background details, paneling, etc. were well done. I can't point out any flaw with the art.
10/10

CHARACTER
This is one of the aspects where I think Yuuutsu na Asa excels at. It has quite a large ensemble of characters who are well written and distinct.

Our main characters, Akihito Kuze and Tomoyuki Katsuragi receive exceptional development throughout the manga.

Tomoyuki Katsuragi is charming and smart, a capable man who knows his way around things and can pull off anything even if he has to resort to underhanded practices. "Everything is for the Kuze family", he says quite often. His loyalty is linked to his past, which is something we unravel as we read on.

Akihito Kuze, the young viscount, is a fine fellow. He is smart and kind. He disregards the class system, understands that it won't last and is thus always "looking forward".

We have a bunch of other important characters like Soichirou Ishazaki (Akihito's best friend), the Katsuragi family, the many people in the nobility, etc.

The characters are consistent, individualistic and unique. These characters won't fit into the animanga archetypes we know.
Here, I'd quote the mangaka "...the characters of Akihito and Katsuragi basically never did what I wanted them to. And if Katsuragi did this, then Akihito had to do that. But, it's not very Katsuragi-like for him to accept that so..."
The consistency in their characterization is what made them realistic and likable to me.
10/10

ENJOYMENT 10/10 (Need I say more?)
OVERALL 10/10 (Yes, a masterpiece)

I had read and liked Hana wa Sakuka by the same creator (Shoko Hidaka), thus I had expectations from Yuuutsu na Asa, that it certainly lived up to. Yes, it's a love story at heart but there's so many things going around you won't feel like it. There is no cheesy romance, in fact, it's quite dramatic and dark in several aspects. The characters argue (they almost always do) however it's not immature rambling. Things don't miraculously fall into place, we see the characters working on their plans to make things work. The manga is dialog-heavy and there is a lot of monologuing by the characters. Both our main characters are quite logical and have incredible insight which puts them into conflict because their approaches or ideals don't always overlap. What I am trying to say is that the dynamic between the MCs is very interesting. If you enjoy character-centric dramas, then you will quite surely enjoy this.

Coming here to review the donghua after completing all 11 episodes.

Preface: I am stating beforehand that I have not read the novel of Tian Guan Ci Fu, thus, all my opinions are based on whatever the show depicted. Despite being familiar with the main characters for a very long time (since knowing about MDZS about 2 years back), I didn't have much ideas about the plot of TGCF. All I had been hearing about it is that it has angst and a very emotional setting.

STORY
As the genres suggest, TGCF features cultivation, martial arts (xianxia) and romance (danmei).The show kicks off with our protagonist, Xie ... Lan, ascending to the heavenly realm for the third time! Considered a failure for being banished from heaven twice, the reasons behind it are mysteriously unknown. While working to build up his own shrine and reputation in the living realm, he meets a young man named "San Lang", who well, has secrets of his own. Together with San Lang and two subordinates, Xie Lan solves mysteries surrounding spirits and the heavenly realm itself.
8/10

ART
The art is beautiful. The backgrounds and the color palettes used are visually pleasing. The art in the opening is perhaps one of the best I have ever seen in all of animated media. The character designs are commendable, but my only problem is that they aren't uniquely distinguishable. Basically, if you swap Xie Lan's hair and outfit with San Lang's, you won't be able to tell the difference at first glance. Unique facial features, in my opinion, are lacking.
9/10

SOUND
The voice acting is well done. The voices suit the characters perfectly. I love traditional Chinese music so the opening and the two endings were like a treat to my ears. Apart from that, the background score also blends in gracefully with the visuals.
9/10

CHARACTER
There are a heck ton of characters, but the story focusses mainly on the dynamic between the two main characters, Xie Lan and San Lang, who are both very interesting and likable. Supporting characters like Fu Yao and Nan Feng are also uniquely characterized.
9/10

ENJOYMENT
I thoroughly enjoyed TGCF. I was always looking forward to Saturdays in anticipation of the next episode. I don't know how the novel readers feel but I felt that the pacing was decent and every episode was satisfactorily executed, keeping the viewers engaged.
8/10

OVERALL
8/10

I loved watching the show and I am very much excited for the second season, which I hear has already been announced. The plot is very promising and I am very excited to see the development in interactions and dynamics between all the characters. The first season raised many questions and there are many past mysteries yet to be resolved. With the next season (seasons?), I hope we'll get clarity and I'd be able to appreciate the series more.

Sakamichi no Apollon is a coming-of age story revolving around the life of teenagers, their relationships, their passions and most importantly the euphoria of music that binds them all.

STORY
The story primarily revolves around the main trio, Kaoru, Sentaro and Ritsuko. The mains themes of the story are friendship, love, heartbreak, loneliness and the rigor of youth. The development of a close friendship between Kaoru and Sentaro, despite all of their differences, is the driving force of the plot. A lesson to be learned from the story is that it’s not easy to find people we can connect to on a deep emotional level. We ... don’t know what the future holds for our friendships and relationships. We should confront our feelings, share them with our loved ones as well as cherish and protect our bonds.
9/10

ART
The art is decent. The character designs are very simple and plain. Considerate efforts have been done to make the setting similar to that of twentieth century Japan. The art doesn’t stand out on its own but it serves the purpose of depicting the story setting well.
8/10

SOUND
The opening, “Sakamichi no Melody” by Yuki is amazing. It perfectly sets the mood for the anime. The voice acting is done well. The Jazz sessions – the piano, the drums, the trumpet, the bass- sound beautiful. I am not particularly a fan of Jazz but the way it’s presented in the anime, one will surely like it. The OST is good. The ending, although a bit melancholic, is pleasant and appropriate for the anime.
9/10

CHARACTERS
There’s not a large ensemble of characters but the few characters present are well written. Our protagonist, Kaoru Nishimi, is an introverted academic and musical prodigy. His eventual best friend, Sentaro Kawabuchi is a delinquent but there’s more to him than it meets the eye. Ritsuko Mukae, Kaoru’s love interest and Sentaro’s childhood friend is a gentle and caring girl who keeps the boys in check but she has secrets of her own. There’s not much character development. The story is all about relationships and emotions. The supporting characters like Junichi and Yurika are also interesting in their own right. All the characters are unified together through their mutual love of music and jazz.
9/10

ENJOYMENT
While the various aspects of the show don’t stand out individually when put together, they create an amazing show. I watched all 11 episodes in one sitting and enjoyed the anime till the end. After finishing the anime, I was left with a deep feeling of content and gratification.
10/10

OVERALL
It doesn't add up but I'll be betraying myself if I give this anime anything less than a 10.

The show though predictable has an interesting build up. The suspense and thrill that the story aims to create is fulfilled. The use of Greek mythology is commendable.
The art is brilliant. The character designs are good. The animation was well done.
The soundtrack, the opening and the ending themes are befitting and great.

There is not much focus on developing the characters but that's okay because that's not what the show aims to do. It aims to tell a story in an interesting and thrilling manner, which it successfully does. Except for Nine, Twelve and Shibazaki, the rest of the characters were plain and ... basically serve no purpose, yes it includes Lisa. Lisa was there just so Twelve could like her, to be very honest. She was useless otherwise. Five was a little annoying and her intentions were vague and pretty non-sensical.

I don't know how other people interpreted the ending, but I feel like the themes of human identity and individuality are significant here. For the characters to grow up with no identity, affection or attention is what drives them to extremes. While their main purpose is for the world to find out about the truth behind the Athena Project, I think these factors also play a part.
Several questions remain like how were they able to live after their escape from the institution.

One can argue that there were better ways of obtaining their goal than gaining attention with mysterious explosions, but I can appreciate this approach as well.

Overall, a good show. I'd definitely recommend it.