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This review is going to contain minor spoilers regarding the plot development and characters. (in other words, you’ll be fine)

Before I started my review, I had the obligation to read about what other people thought about the show and see if I can conclude with an unbiased review and just tell you really what the show is for what it really is. However, I learned that such a case wasn’t viable to reviewing a show that instilled so much emotion. It wouldn’t make sense for me to tell people that the show was objectively good or objectively fun, it just doesn’t make sense. Take it ... for what you will, but this review is going to simply be about why I thought this show was great and why you should give it a try:

I decided to start with the shows greatest strength because I personally found this to have higher precedence than the story because the story’s simple enough already. What TNKK did that most other slice of lifes I have seen in my life didn’t was make the characters genuine. Each character cares about something that people can relate to and aren’t merely tools to move the plot forward. In fact, it becomes the other way around.

“Shizuku is a girl who finds happiness through studying which inevitably leads her to becoming this objectively straightforward person.”
“Haru is a boy who couldn’t make friends most of his life due to his violent behavior in the past.“

If one were to read these sentences alone, you’d get the most generic characters that are no different from most kuuderes and tragic characters in mainstream anime. But put these characters together and you’ll get the complexity essential to kickstart a story from their genuine relationship. One of the central themes of Shizuku when it comes to the relationship is whether or not she should embrace it over studying, which differs from Haru’s willingness to simply be loved. It casts aside the rigid dichotomy of “who’s right” and “who’s wrong”, but rather “how will it work?” The show’s core objective is different from many slice of lifes and relates more to shows like Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Comedy wa Machigatteiru where characters are everything. It’s a show about genuine people coming together and developing from mere exposure to each other.

What makes it even better is that this trope isn’t restricted to the main characters, but the supporting characters just as equally. What TNKK likes to do is give each character an interest or way of life that they cherish like anybody else. Shizuku loves to study because she found that hard work pays off in the end, Natsume finds consolidation on the internet because it’s hard making friends in real life, Sasahara likes soccer because it’s fun, Yamaguchi adopts an elitist mentality to not try too hard since he comes from a rich background, and Haru does whatever he does to make friends simply because he wants to.

It is with this that the characters becomes easier for us to sympathize and makes us more inclined to take part in their decisions as well. Characters are seen constantly asking themselves a series of genuine questions on how they should behave, act, or think when interacting with other characters or just clashing in general, especially amongst Shizuku and Haru. We see that each character is its own person that you can’t help but support or disagree with because they’re relatable. It is also through these genuine interactions that we also get a lot of really really funny moments, which got me cracking up and grinning for a good hour each episode. The characters just made it easier to laugh, smile, and cry with them once you realize that they’re not merely tools for your enjoyment, but symbolically people in their own right. No one breaks out of character, they simply are their characters.

With that in mind, the show did not need to have a plot full of complicated twists, overdramatized themes, or fantastical elements to make it compelling. It simply just gave its characters the room to be themselves - to let them be the characters they were written to be.

The soundtracks are also very, very fitting for the show. It’s mellow, but memorable. It doesn’t try too hard to be something fantastic as it did not want to detract the importance of the scene itself. Once the song gets implanted into memory (which isn’t hard because there aren’t many) it will make you think back to the last significant event where the song played, indirectly piecing each scene together as something of intrinsic value to character development. I agree that the opening and ending songs weren’t that great, but I didn’t find that to be all that important if you were to only care about the show itself.

Strangely, the same thing could be said about the art itself. Mellow, but memorable with a heavy focus on the characters before anything. I really enjoyed the minimalist style of the show, though most people can argue otherwise it’s just my personal taste. The art is color and sometimes reminds me of paper mache. The best part about the art, for me, was the body language in that each facial expression or body movements embody what the person is feeling or thinking. This tied with passionate and awesome voice acting by the cast makes for comedic moments to its maximum potential. Faces will contort, stretch and swing with the character’s voices, so every joke doesn’t come off half assed. This also applies to when they’re nervous, scared, sad, energetic, tired, etc. Though It wasn’t anything special, I was very impressed with the studio’s creativity and passion to adapting what the manga strived to do.

Now to finally address the elephant in the room. If there’s one thing that was extremely disappointing about this show is that it ends less than midway through the manga itself. It literally stops as the characters are developing and we’re left with unanswered questions and no sign of a season 2 (which is probably 100% by now). Personally, I found budget to be the only reason this was a failure, but still enjoyed the ride nonetheless.

I think this show would be perfect for you if:
You don’t care that it stops midway
You are more focused on characters than the plot itself
You don’t care if it’s not anything extravagant
You are a big fan of slice of life anime and want to try something different
Don’t care about fan service
Want to laugh
Are my best friend :^)

Take it for what you will, it’s just my opinion based on what I’ve felt and what other people felt when I showed this to them.

All in all, I found TNKK to be an indescribable experience that I can easily rate a 10/10 by merit and respectable writing in general. It doesn’t rely on cute characters, fan service, “accidents”, cliches, or miracles to be interesting and does so in a very concise way that is easy to follow. If that isn’t good writing, then I don’t know what is. My favorite character overall was probably Haru just because of the purity in his actions and Natsume when it came to the comedy because her voice is just so funny.

I feel that many people, regardless of my view and tastes but rather for one’s interest in slice of life anime, should definitely give this show a try. MAL is an amazing place for people to share and exchange ideas, so I’m glad to be one of the few people that gave a 10/10 review for this show.

TL;DR (for the lazy) The show is driven by the complexity of the characters than the story itself, which is what makes TNKK a genuine and respectable piece of work. It doesn’t try to do anything too over the top, but will always do something different to get the viewer’s attention, whether it’s the art, music, comedy, or the characters themselves.

This review turned out really long so I apologize in advance. Also, don't expect any specific details as I tried my absolute best to not spoil even in the slightest of what's going to happen.

Psycho pass has almost everything an anime needs: good characters, a strong story, powerful bgm/ost, and sensational artwork. I'm actually kind of surprised a lot of people still don't know about the series, especially with the second series airing right now. Although there are several cons to this anime, it does not compare to the pros that makes this brutal detective-themed, crime drama a masterpiece to many people today.

Bad introduction? ... Read on and find out.

Starting with the story, (TL;DR) I gave it a 9/10 because of the pacing, script-writing, and the originality.

It's very original. A world in which crimes are being predicted based on a person's "psycho-pass", or psycho-meter basically, is one that's unheard of. Taking place in the future, we follow the joint detective work of both law-abiding criminals called Enforcers and the Inspectors take on both brutal and shocking cases throughout the story. What makes this story interesting is the main character, Akane Tsunemori, an innocent and intelligent student that just becomes an Inspector in the midst of all this madness.

The criminal cases are so well-done and the brutal things the criminals do are very original and unheard of. The script-writing and pacing is also very well done. It's one of those animes that hops into action very frequently and doesn't spend a whole episode just investigating. The explanations, the events, and the actions that follow from the characters all act accordingly and really flows the story well. Nothing doesn't happen for no reason and each episode builds up to something greater.

Overall, in terms of story, Psycho-pass does a very good job in getting the viewers on the edge of their seats at times and, on other occasions, on the end of your seat contemplating "how does all this make sense?" and "what's the criminal going to do next?".

Characters - (TL;DR) I give this a 9/10 because of the main character, character development, and cohesiveness of all these characters.

This is one of the more stronger aspects of this anime. Each character has his or her own philosophy and usefulness in this detective story. We have:

1. Shion - the database who provides back-up behind the computer.
2. Kougami - the badass who breaks down the clues
3. Ginoza - the prideful and cautious detective
4. Kagari - the sly second badass who does the dirty work
5. Masaoki - the father figure of the bunch
6. Kunizuka - the well-rounded enforcer
and finally...
7. Akane - the deducer

The characters develop heavily on the way, especially Akane because I mean.. who wouldn't change after witnessing all this crap?! Nothing is more fulfilling than seeing a character change from the sheltered asian student into the detective everyone needs. This doesn't apply to just Akane, but many other characters, especially the criminals.

Backstory to backstory, almost every person becomes a lovable character who act on reason rather than pure psychopathic tendencies. No character is created for one sole purpose and that's something very appreciative of an anime.

Sound - 10/10 because it's just THAT GOOD! (Lyricism, catchy, voice actors are awesome)

What do you get when you mix a rock band, techno, dubstep, electro, and an orchestra in the future?
You get psycho-pass music.

Psycho-pass probably topped it off in BGM and OST out of most of the animes in its time (which is pretty impressive). Each BGM perfectly matches the scenario and the songs only improve as the story progresses. It's epic, sad, catchy, and captures the whole feel of futuristic cops & robbers very well. What I'm truly impressed with are the lyrics of all the OPs and EDs. They actually capture the concept of the anime well. They all relate to either a person's piece of mind, whether an act is right or wrong (justice), or "the perfect society" which really got me going when I finished this anime.

==== skip this if you don't really care (it's okay if you do; you won't miss anything) =====

OP 1 - Abnormalize (English Translation)
"My head is full of things
that I can never tell anyone about.
In this perfect world,
I roam; a lost being."

ED 1 - Namae no Nai Kaibutsu
"Behind the black cell bars
I was born
Go wish for the price for your malice
Well, I’ll give you that justice
as much as you desire it"

OP 2 - Out of Control
"I would like to show
Cut open my skull
Look into my head

I don't
know why I'm so harsh
I could be so brash
I'm going to clash"

ED 2 -
"You'll never walk alone
I'll go with you
No matter your sin, "
===================================

Other than that, don't even get me started with the voice acting. Kana Hanazawa did a really good Akane Tsunemori (not that im surprised) and perfectly captured her personality. I was really surprised when I heard Tomokazu Seki's voice as Kougami ... cause for god's sake you're trying to tell me Daru from Steins;gate is Kougami??? Superb work by the voice actors especially to the main antagonist. One of the best literate psychopaths I've ever heard.

Art - I give this a 10/10 because of its mastery in depicting the wide settings of Psycho-pass and the portrayal of the future.

The art is magnficiently done. I will admit, Akane 90% of the time looks like she's about to fall asleep LOL. But other than that, every character is done so magnificently well that you can easily differentiate the two. AND FINALLY NO CHARACTERS WITH REALLY OVER-THE-TOP COLORED HAIR (like red, green, blue, the rainbow). From the drawings of the city, to the gore, everything is done with high-quality detail. Psycho-pass' use of dark colors truly captures the dark theme it tries to portray and the animation of the futuristic technology is very fluidly done. Animations are fluid and it's truly badass seeing the Dominator transform into the Lethal Executioner or the Nonlethal paralyzer. CGI is a little eh.. but it was really well done.

Enjoyment - I give this a 10/10 for personal reasons - philosophical, intriguing, and addicting

Though it may seem all the badassery in this anime seems gratuitous like the fan-service it looks, this is not what this anime is about (but it's still cool). It actually takes a much more philosophical approach. We're talking about an anime in which detectives kill people just because a person is stressed out or going mad. At first, it seemed really dumb and I personally thought that the story was set up wrong, but as you continue watching, you truly get to understand why the story is set this way. This dystopian society questions morals, asks viewers what they think a "perfect society" is, and puts characters in a situation where even they don't know what they're getting themselves into.

I don't know about you guys, but I really like watching animes that gets me thinking. What is right ? What is wrong ? What is justice ? How do we create the perfect world ? Questions like these continue to boggle in my mind today and it's something that will have me coming back to this anime anyday.

Overall - 9/10
Though I didn't mention any conceivable flaws, this anime is still far from perfect. Giving it a 10/10 would be gratuitous, especially since the second series is still airing, it's difficult to see how the whole story would be encapsulated.

If you guys enjoy dark themes, futuristic settings, dystopian societies, characters that change, some really philosophical occasions, and bodies blowing up when pointed a laser at another person, then this is definitely something I recommend. If you already watched this and didn't start on the second season? What the heck are you doing!? go watch it!!!

If you watched the original series for this anime and are expecting some sort of plot-related material, definitely don't even consider watching this.

It's literally just a side episode entailing Neko, Kuroha, Kazumi, and Kotori competiting in a competition to win and become the perfect bride for Murakami.

Well, since I got 5 minutes and there are no reviews for this episode, why the heck not?

To put it simply.
Story - 3/10 Just an OVA of the girls just fooling around with the main protagonist like a harem. For some reason this OVA had the most ecchi than the entire original anime itself. "You must wear your ... apron while being naked!" sure why not because that's what it takes to be marital material.

Art - 5/10 Contains uncensored tits.

Sound - 8/10 just because I can never really get over the intro song.

Characters - Poorly developed in this episode just because the story "forces the characters" to strip down and carry out the ecchi moments. Yeah, let's just have Murakami go with all this reluctantly. sure..

Overall - Very disappointed. I thought after 4 months that they do make an OVA for this, it was going to be an additional episode possibly leading to a season 2 or establish the cliffhanger in the last episode of the original anime. Maybe I was expecting too much? I don't know. It just wasn't worth the watch since the first episode I watch after finishing this anime did not reflect well back to what was happening before.

Tada Banri..? TADA BANRI???? TADA BANRIII!!!???
Well that's definitely a name I will never forget after watching this anime. Golden Time is truly an enjoyable anime that really takes the whole "amnesia" element to a whole new level.

This anime is dramatic, hilarious, nerve-wrecking, heartbreaking, nostalgic, and, most importantly, satisfying. It was truly an emotional roller coaster for me, especially since this anime is directed alot of its attention towards the whole "Who am I?" element.

Story/Characters :

For story, I give it a 9/10. Unlike most romantic comedies, this anime does not focus on the development of characters into a relationship, but rather a development of the ... relationship of the characters. Typical romantic comedies like to end the story with the main character and the girl getting into a relationship, but this anime focuses more on how Tada Banri develops his relationship with his girlfriend throughout the rest of the anime. What makes it truly climatic is how the "old Tada Banri" gets in the way of the "new Tada Banri" as if they are two totally different people. To me, this was where the nervewrecking aspect comes in because, knowing that this anime will eventually choose which Tada Banri would win, another Tada Banri would also lose.

The characters in Golden Time are who truly and successfully add on to the enjoyment and drama, which is why I give them a 10/10. Tada Banri's relationship with all the characters in the university he had worked so hard to get into all have some sort of connection with either the old or new Tada Banri. Golden Time is one of the few animes where I put more pressure on the side characters than the main character himself. Knowing how delicate and fragile the main character with amnesia is, entrusting the side characters to accomplish the viewer's mission and make this story end well for everyone was the only resort, which makes the story 20 times more dramatic, especially for the girlfriend. (the reason why I'm calling her "the girlfriend" is because even though it's obvious, I don't want to spoil it since they don't happen right away... so bear with me on this). I guess you could say that Golden Time is like a dog race to me because instead of cheering for the dog (main character) specifically, I put more emphasis in how fast the artificial hare (side characters) was moving because I knew eventually the dog would follow.

Delving more into Tada Banri as a character now (God I can't stop saying Tada Banri.... it just has that ring to it), Tada Banri (I did it again..) still has some control over the story, after all he is still the main protagonist. It is the fact that he goes through this identity crisis that makes it much more difficult to see him as someone who is "in control". Tada Banri takes the viewers on a ride because like all stories about memory-loss, amnesia is only temporary. Oftentimes, there are scenes when the Old Tada Banri's high school temptations will take control and then steer back to the new Tada Banri, the university student. The fickleness of when he changes is what makes it scary because whether you want the new or old Tada Banri to take over the story, you know that sometime and somewhere, he will change and throw the whole plot off again. In short, Tada Banri's enemy IS Tada Banri. DUN DUN DUN...

Now for the rest of this review:

Art (7/10) - The art is nothing real special, the characters all look the same and there's no real change. What is beneficial of the art to this anime is how they make it obvious when Tada Banri is referring to a flashback or not because the old Tada Banri is a crybaby and given the weak, scrawny posture, whereas the new Tada Banri is mature and given a more manlier look. This goes for the other character (I won't mention who).

Sound (8/10) - The music is absolutely amazing. Most of the time, I didn't really paid attention to in the heat of the moment, but by taking the time to actually listen, I realize how well it fits with the whole dramatic and romantic feel to it. (On a side note, the slap sound effects are really like "BAM"... as if we were getting slapped too..). I found it painful how the first intro was something really lovey and dovey and the ending songs that followed was something feelzy and nostalgic. It like makes you reflect on the episode you just finished. A beautiful starting point to a b'awww and feelzy finish each episode was just too cruel of a stopping point and made me watch more just to get that relief I had in the beginning.

The voice actors were outstanding. From the arguing to the lovey-dovey stuff, the Japanese voice actors did a really good job in conveying and expressing the characters. You just have to watch it to understand what I mean by this.

Enjoyment - Overall, I give this a 10/10 in terms of enjoyment. I could never end an episode without wondering what would happen next. If you are a fan of super dramatic scenes that would tear your heart and then sew it back up CONSTANTLY...then this is definitely something for you. Now I mentioned before that this anime was satisfying and it's because by the end of this anime, you have nothing much more to ask. The story arc is closed to a clean finish and there are almost no critical holes that you felt needed to be filled.

What I really liked about this anime was the fact that it's taking place in a university in Tokyo this whole time. Finally.. an anime that does not include high school for once... The characters are so mature that even when there is ecchi, the concept of sex is seen as an aspect of love rather than just being a dirty pervert like most animes would do. ("The Night in Paris" ;P ). There's a lot more things that I would love to babble on and on about, but this review is getting way too long, so I'll end it here.

I hope this review was helpful to those that don't really understand what Golden Time is all about and how much of an impact it had on some of its viewers, especially me.

If it didn't then sorry about that. I hope I at least helped you realize it's not your style ^^. As long as I helped why not.

This is going to be a really difficult anime to write a review on. Not only because of all the different criticisms and hate it gets, but also because the topic of "being stuck in a game" hasn't really been a recurrent element despite animes like Log Horizon and No Game No Life. Sword Art Online had been one of the first animes for me that I felt was more enjoyable than quality material. Again as many people have heard about this series, (And I know I'm going to get a lot of both hate and support from saying this but) Sword Art Online is ... faaaar from being a masterpiece.

I'll try my best to outline both the pros/cons of this anime based on the order of importance and also clear up all the controversy/bad attention Sword Art Online has been getting. I'd also like to give you a little bit of my feedback and perspective on this anime as well. It's going to be really difficult to explain without spoiling anything and it might get REALLY LONG so I hope you can take this time right now to sit back, relax, and read this anime with a calm state of mind. Forgive me if it gets a little complicated, I'm trying to explain as much as I can without spoiling anything:

Story - The story envelopes around a character named Kirito who gets stucked in an VRMMORPG (Virtual Reality Massively-Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) because the creator of the game he is stuck in, Sword Art Online, for apparently no reason. With this synopsis itself, I already had two things in my mind during the first episode: 1. Whoever trapped them in the game, must be the main antagonist in the series. 2. This anime is most likely going to have a lot of characters (10,000 people trapped in SAO). However, after watching SAO, I just want to say that this anime is not very straightforward and tends to not pay attention to expectations.

One thing that people did not like about this anime is that 90% of the characters Kirito meet serve almost no purpose in the story. The reason for all the hate is because viewers like me tend to dislike getting attached to unimportant characters. It's a waste of time and it's ridiculing. I'm not going to lie, I really hated how the first character Kirito meets when he is first trapped will not be seen until 5 episodes later. Also, the way Kirito meets some of these characters can be a little confusing and random as well (SMALL SPOILER: Kirito meets Yui in a forest and there is no real explanation why she was there, but it just kind of happened to a point no one cared anymore).

Another thing and probably the most important element that people HATED was the fact that the anime shifted themes from survival/action into romantic/slice-of-life. This could just be because viewers are not used to sticking to more than multiple themes, but what I, personally, thought was the problem with this transition was how it made the anime feel really unpredictable and as if there is nothing developing at all. Kirito is introduced with an antagonist and a situation that he cannot handle. Yet, instead of showing Kirito training or plotting a way to get himself out of the game, the anime had viewers spend at least 4 episodes revolving around romantic themes. Although the famdoms have a point in that action animes with romantic themes are not wrong, you have to admit that most viewers may take this shift as an insult for wasting the viewer's time on what they expected to see.

The last thing people did not like about this anime is how the "Sword Art Online" piece of the 24-episode timeline takes up only 12-13 episodes. The rest of the episodes focuses on another game called Alfheim. The reason why people hated this new theme is because viewers were so used to how Sword Art Online's theme was that when it shifted to something totally different, it was frustrating to try and re-adapt again.

Now that I cleared up a big portion of controversy of this anime, I'll now talk about the pros about this anime in terms of story.

Sword Art Online does a good job at creating an antagonist. And what I mean by that is that this anime creates a character that you want Kirito to completely destroy in the most satisfying way possible. Not only was the first main antagonist, Kayaba Akihiko, ruthless, merciless, and intelligent, he was also mysterious. Especially when the story is mixed with a lot of tragedies and characters, it makes the viewers think Kabaya Akihiko is the only antagonist that deserve a ruthless death, or is he really the only one? who knows.

Another thing that I liked was how Kirito was a lonewolf. Unlike most survival-themed animes such as Shingeki no Kyojin, Deadman Wonderland, and Gantz, characters are usually banded together and fight towards a common goal, whereas Kirito fights for a goal of the masses. It's unconventional for main characters to deny the partnership (even Azuna at times) of other side characters, especially when it feels they can achieve a lot of things together. This not only shows how bad ass Kirito is, but also makes his goal much more personal.

Sword Art Online also made the gaming-theme very relatable to today. The whole mmorpg feel and nostalgic themes we still play today makes certain routes and opportunities this anime takes a lot more interesting. I won't say gamers would love this anime because it's about a game since it defeats the whole purpose of the story being important, but I will say that this anime not only takes into account gameplay, but also incorporates the programming, graphic design, and game-like themes into the story itself.

In all, Sword Art Online's story is treacherous, yet entertaining. The anime will make you believe things you want to believe, but the outcome will always be something different. However, the way Sword Art Online potrays the unexpected is done in an entertaining manner. Sure, the romance was super random and stupidly transitioned, yet it did play an important role in the story and made you love the characters more. And yes, you will wish that one character did not die, but you will not regret how the characters move forward from it either.

I gave the story a 7. Unexpected, sometimes ridiculing, yet very interestingly set-up. Expect the unexpected and try to bear with it.



Characters - The characters in Sword Art Online is where a lot more confusion comes in. There have been a lot of random characters that have done almost nothing yet still live on to Sword Art Online II, and there have also been a lot of characters that could've done much more to the story but just haven't. However, what is good about Sword Art Online is how they put most of the pressure on the main character, Kirito. Kirito is the character that is truly driving this anime. There are no side stories or filler episodes of random people, the focus is only Kirito.

Again, because of this, there is a lot of confusion. Because Kirito's actions drive most of this anime, whether it's choosing to meet another character or fighting bosses, etc., you don't expect anything much from the other characters to truly take a stand and push the story a different direction. Because there are just too many side characters to list, I will simply say that the side characters are going to be nothing but side characters. They will be shipped, loved, and remembered by viewers and famdoms alike, but they will never truly "take the wheel" and turn the focus to them.

One topic of controversy everyone has with the female characters is that they all seem to find an interest in Kirito (and I mean ALL of them). There has not been a female character that Kirito has not flattered or presented a likable appeal to. Many people consider this anime to be a harem in some way and I can only say that that claim is justified. It won't bother you too much, but because I, personally, find it unrealistic, it wasn't preferable.

Delving more into Kirito's character, Kirito takes on the persona of a bad ass, a fragile little child, and a victim. He is a character that you cannot truly idolize yet hate. He is simply a boy trying to survive the game with his past experiences with the game and avoid death at all costs. Even though this anime portrays Kirito in all emotional states and forms, you cannot truly say you can relate to him. Unlike animes like Naruto, Death Note, and Code Geass that explain to viewers what's going on in the main character's head, this anime does not make that similar approach for viewers to understand how Kirito's mind works because this anime is created in 3rd person. Viewers do not know what Kirito is thinking or what he is going to do next. Our reliance on this anime on what Kirito may do is if he says "I'm going to the hospital" or "I'm going to kill him!", etc.

In short, I can only say that this anime made me feel very distant to what's going on. Most of the things that were occurring before me were not personally shared with the audience or at least not from Kirito at most. The side characters are very interesting but not all of them play important roles in the story. Because Kirito is driving this anime, the side characters are nothing but supporters or simply characters that have some correspondence with him (yes, I even consider Azuna a side character, especially in Sword Art Online II). I still gave the characters an 8/10 only because each character is unique and do not represent themselves in bad light or cliches. Though they lack the importance of "taking the wheel", they are all well-designed characters and differentiate in unique ways that make them all so lovable and unforgettable even though it feels they should be.

Art - The art is really impressive. The characters are designed in such unique ways (especially the armor and weapons) that you can immediately tell which character is which by looking at them (for example, Silica and her pet dragon). What I find very interesting is how the artists/illustrators don't lose track of the differences between virtual reality and reality itself. Whenever Kirito is in the game, you can tell based on the fantasy-like themes and the bright vibrant colors only a game would exploit, contrasting to the boring reality Kirito is in when he takes off his NerveGear and flashes back to the real world.

One flaw to this art is the 3 dimensional CGI, it's not as impressive as the 2 dimensional approach, but it won't bother you as much.

Sound - I really liked the music in Sword Art Online. It's nostalgic, feelzy, bad ass, and well-paced. The music always matches the situation and I have little or no complaints with it at all. The style of most of the sword art online music, especially the OPs, move towards a beautiful, graceful, and melodic approach rather than something fast or action-y as reflected in its genre. Even though there is so much tragedy and death going on in the anime, the music always suggests beauty and happiness rather than regret and despair. I guess one can say it's relief to what goes on in the anime.

Overall Enjoyment - Like I mentioned before, Sword Art Online prioritizes entertainment over anything else. The action scenes were epic, the romance was sentimental and b'awww, the enemies were bad ass and crazy, and the side characters were lovely. There is nothing in this anime that was executed horribly. Every scene was well-done to its full and maximum potential. Although the foundation of the anime and the direction it was moving itself was horrid and confusing, the way they went about with it made up for it every time. I don't understand why this anime got so much hate, it was still an enjoyable anime. I zoomed by these 25 episodes so fast that I immediately went straight to Sword Art Online II and already caught up with that one as well. Every episode was interesting in its own way (yet not as satisfying - there's always some annoying cliff hanger or unnecessary scenes) and made me want to know what was happening next every time. No matter how annoying it was, it was indeed very bearable. I sincerely recommend watching this anime if you are not as critical or taking it way too seriously. This anime is meant to be something to enjoy - a definite sit-back-and-relax type of anime you would watch when you're bored on a saturday night doing nothing but typing anime reviews all day and rotting away the weekend. (ha...)

I hope this review not only helps you understand what Sword Art Online is like, but also clear up all the hate/controversy about this anime for you.

When you first see the cover or synopsis of this anime, most people would probably think it's the typical romantic comedy with the main guy character being surrounded by typical, beautiful two female characters. You'll probably expect some love sequence to pop up now and then and for some confessions to take place. I just want to clear this up to the people who are thinking of watching this anime that this is not your typical "romantic" slice of life anime.

It's going to be very difficult for me to try and explain without having to spoil anything so please try to bear with me. ...

Story - I don't understand why this is labeled under romance and comedy. Despite all the little jokes that happen now and then, this anime does not make humor nor romance ever an objective. Typical romantic comedy animes (like Toradora, Sakurasou no pet na kanajo, and Clannad) always cling onto the typical cliche "boy meets girl" and "boy and girl get to know each other and fall in love". Although this anime doesn't seem to make an effort to try and diverge from the set up of this cliche, what's different about this anime is that it's actually realistic. This anime pulls a middle finger to all of those frustrating dramatic scenes and all the heart-wrenching confusion by simply not letting any of those situations occur at all. Have you ever been so angry at the characters for making stupid choices? Have you ever been frustrated at how some characters just won't confess? Or have you ever been annoyed at how stupid and pointless most of the confusion occurs from? If you answered yes to all these, then this is definitely an anime that will satisfy you by eliminating all of those annoying elements (even though it's fun to watch sometimes).

The reason, however, I gave the Story a 7 is because there really is no story. This is an anime about a high school club called the Service Club with only three members, a loner named Hachiman, a beautiful perfectionist named Yukino, and an awkwardly pathetic girl named Yui, trying to help people at their school "change". For those who have not watched this anime yet, all I'm going to say is that "do not let the synopsis fool you". What may happen will not happen and what may not happen will happen. It was awkward for me the first time I watched it, but after seven episodes, I realized "this definitely is not your typical anime".

Characters - This is the strongest thing that makes up a big portion of this anime. The main characters are very realistic and surprising in their own way. This is one of the first animes I have ever seen in which the "social outcast" cliche has actually been nailed spot on. There is no other character as cynnical, pessimistic, yet so intelligent as Hachiman Hikigaya. Though his indifference to a wide number of things tend to be disinteresting the first few episodes, as each episode goes by you get to truly understand why he acts the way he is and how his mind works. He may just be one of my favorite slice-of-life animes just because I've never watched a character so honest and realistic as him. Everything he says is either painfully true or painfully wise either way there's a sad kind of pain that comes with it. It's entertaining to say when the other main character, Yukino, always argues with him since they're both so intelligent. What's even more fascinating is that even though Yukino and Hachiman are so wise in their different ways, Yui is the only one with friends and a regard for true friendship. It is these kinds of values each character has that differentiates the quality of the story and teaches a painful lesson about the way society works. In short, realistic characters tell a realistic story.

Art - The art isn't as different as you expect. It's not marvelous and it's not boring. What is somewhat different is the way they do the character's eyes and I find it impressive how it totally signifies how each character looks. Hachiman has got this dead eyes and oftentimes was thought of as a ghost or "dead" frequently in the anime. It shows how indifferent and observant he is to the things around him. Yukino's eyes are that of determination and somewhat overbearing cockiness. She knows she's perfect and talented and never had her eyes showed a sense of weakness (or have we?). Yui's eyes are big and round and symbolize her optimism and cheerfulness in the world. She tends to always be the one having fun when Yukino and Hachiman aren't. The banner itself is what's also interesting to me. Hachiman is the only one facing the other way as definition of his lonely nature, whereas Yukino takes up half of the poster with her overbearing confident look, while finally there's Yui, keeping up her cheerful look. Even though the art is not perfect, I truly feel that the artists kept in mind more of an objective approach rather than an aesthetic one.

Sound - I didn't really pay much attention to the sound effects or anything, but as for the voice actors, I think each character did a good job in playing their roles perfectly. The intro song is pretty good and catchy, yet the lyrics doesn't seem to encapsulate the anime's theme or synopsis (I could be wrong).

Enjoyment - As for the enjoyment, I guess you could say it was good watch. In all honesty, I zoomed by these 13 episodes real fast and I don't really have a reason as to why that is. It could be the quirkiness or the characters that just tend to entertain me. I really enjoyed Hachiman and Yukino as characters because they're so unconventionally different and progress the story by just being themselves. Hachiman has his badass moments and when you watch this anime you'll know what I'm talking about. Another thing I really enjoyed were the various scenarios the Service Club had to go through to meet and help new people. As much as I want to say I really really enjoyed this, as you can tell, I can't really give one solid reason. You just got to watch it yourself and take what you think was very enjoyable.

Overall I give it an 8.
Awesome characters, super unique, and totally changes your views on what you expect of a romantic comedy anime, even if it may be a misnomer.

Hope this review was helpful to you guys and gives you a sense of what kind of anime "Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Comedy wa Machigatteiru" is!

No Game No Life:
The story of two unstoppable pro gamers, or NEETS (Not in Education Employment or Training), named Shiro and Sora are transported into a virtual world by the 'Game God' himself in which every dispute is settled through games. Winning almost every game under the alias, 'Blank', the two venture into this new heaven stomp out any obstacles that get in their way in order to defeat the Game God, a challenge Shiro and Sora strive to win together.

Now this synopsis itself should tell you many things:
1. "Unstoppable gamers put into a world of games? This is going to be epic"
2. "I ... love games! This is definitely my kind of anime"

If these are the things you had in mind before watching this anime, then you are indeed correct. NGNL is definitely for you. I will do my best to outline this anime and hopefully give you a good idea on what there is to expect in this well-hyped TV series.

In order of importance:

Story - The story for NGNL is very typical. Gamers getting stuck in a gamer world? Yeah, we've seen that in Log Horizon. We've seen that in SAO. What makes NGNL so different?
What makes this anime much more different is that its main focus is not on the situation of being "trapped" but more on how the protagonists are going to progress through being trapped. The main protagonists of NGNL embrace being stuck in a world where they specialize in and don't seem to want to leave. This makes the story much more interesting because not only is the series going to be much more unpredictable, but also very character-oriented. What's also very unique is how the story does not have a main antagonist and that the pacing is much more straight-forward. Every episode has something surprising to show.

(Spoiler)
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The creators of the anime introduced more than half of the most important characters for the entire series within the first episode and also had Shiro and Sora reveal the objective of the whole anime: Defeat the Game God.
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One big complaint of this anime that I do warn critical viewers about is the amount of distracting ecchi that is involved.
Sure, boobs and ass are great. But sometimes this anime takes the ecchi scenes to a point where it's actually important to the story. It's something that you can't just skip over it like nothing. The reason why this is distracting is because it happens way too often at times you would not expect it. It's even more awkward because the ecchi scenes include the eleven year old Shiro as well. I mean, did they really think that no one's going to bat an eye when a naked Shiro sits on Sora's lap? (which actually does happen in the anime) No, they probably knew. It's just something you're going to have to deal with. If you can deal with the ecchi, then this would not be much of a bother to you.

Characters - Shiro and Sora are a badass duo that deserves the attention they get. Both of the main protagonists approach the world with confidence and ambition and have no complaints of being stuck in a virtual world for the rest of their life. Out of all these traits, their cockiness is probably the most important trait in this whole anime. Despite being unpredictable as it is, there is one thing that this anime cannot stress over when it comes to the protagonist's abilities and that is "Blank NEVER loses". And they will continue to win as long as Shiro and Sora stays together, which is actually a cute and funny thing in this anime. Shiro and Sora cannot be separated no matter what because of the anxiety attack each of them gets when they are not accompanying each other. Though it may seem weird, it is actually a siblinghood that is meant to be. Shiro's specialty is her superintelligence that surpasses any computing device and her reaction time to certain problems. I don't want to say she is a tool, but she does play the tool when it comes to carrying out Sora's master plans. Sora is slick and deceitful in the way he achieves victory. It's his wittiness and ability to trick others that makes him a remarkable character. It is this relationship that Shiro and Sora have that makes them the perfect team. Without each other, they cannot function, literally.

Although they seem very admirable, what makes them much more fun to watch is the fact that they have a lot of weaknesses. Sora is a perverted 18 year old boy who cannot stress about getting a girlfriend and spends most a good portion of the anime pulling some perverted stunt in an attempt to satisfy his lust. Eleven year old Shiro, on the other hand, is vulnerable in a childish way. She is the typical little sister that needs to get fed, bathed, and tended to in order to keep her in line with what's going on. Shiro and Sora do almost everything together, which plays to be another weakness when they get separated as mentioned before.

As for the side characters, there is nothing much to say other than that they were victimized to the power of Blank. Blank's influence in the anime is so strong that it's impact on other characters add on to how awesome they are. Stephanie Dole is probably one of the most useful characters in the anime. She plays the commentator and is most likely playing the role FOR the audience. She asks questions that eventually get answered, expresses doubt when the impossible situation comes, and reacts to each situation is in just as we would. I won't go in depth as to how, you're just going to have to watch it yourself. Side characters that represent each part of this virtual world including Jibril the Flugel and Izuna the Werebeast are also entertaining for their differences and unique powers. You cannot wait for Blank to meet more people, not only to kick their ass in a game, but to also explore this virtual world that they know little about.

Art - The art is very colorful and loud. I have never seen such complex colorations in an anime except in Miyazaki's films. The art is significant for its stereotypical representation of a the gaming world - a wide range of hues and coloration adding onto the dream-like fantasy of a new world. One thing that is truly bothersome for me was that the colors were too bright. I found it very difficult to watch the bright colorations. It just wasn't my cup of tea. However, it truly is a distinctive style that stands out as an anime. It's overused pallette of bright purple, blue, yellow, and red suggest that dream-like world that digresses well with the previous world they lived in which was so bland and boring. As for the looks of each character, it does a good job in making every character stand out in their own way. Shiro's white hair, Sora's yellow shirt and spikey red hair, Izuna's werebeast tail, and Jibril's wings all play as signatures of difference. Overall, it's not the best art, but it is REALLY different.

Sound - The music is probably one of the best I've ever heard. The whole techno, orchestra combination truly fits that game-themed virtual world. It also does its best to match the intensity of each scene. It's not only catchy, but also intensifying to the gaming experience. Fast paced Like any movie, game, and especially an anime, the sound makes up the experience. There's more I can say but listen to it for yourself. Words cannot really explain how great it sounds.

Enjoyment - This anime got me so hyped because it's so intense. Every episode had me going and had the right amount of action, drama, and plot progression that makes it so addicting. Not only that, some of the games they play in this anime is also really creative and unique. It makes you want to enter the anime and play the games with them. I liked animes like Code Geass and Death Note because of the intense strategy battles that take place. Likewise, whenever Sora comes up with a plan, you know it's going to be really complicated and brilliant.

Overall - (TL;DR) Story is very unique and full of twists and impracticality. You will constantly be surprised what happens next each episode. The characters all serve a good purpose. Shiro and Sora are wonderful protagonists because they make such a great team when it comes to solving their problems. Their interactions with each other and side characters serve to progress the story in an enjoyable manner where one is able to truly delve into the virtual world. The art is very distinct and intense. Likewise, the sound does not fail to impress with its distinct techno, orchestra combination. It is truly an anime worth watching to those who enjoy distinct character development, unconventional story progression, and bad ass characters pwning noobs.

One of the most underrated animes ever. This anime will make you laugh so hard that the twelve episodes zoom by way too fast. I definitely recommend this anime to those that enjoy a protagonist who tries to act badass when he really isnt and really weird characters.

Story - In terms of the story, it is very weak as expected of a comedy.
It's focus is on the Game Creation Club and doesn't seem to progress anything further than that. There is some romance to it, but overall it is just comedy. Even though it sounds so bland and boring, you tolerate it because the ride ... itself is really fun.

Characters - The characters are all so lovable and funny. They each have their own way of telling jokes. The main protagonist is angry at everything because everyone acts so foolishly that it's cute. The members of the club have their own "types" (Fire type, darkness type, lightning type) and they take this sort of stuff so seriously that when someone as sane as the main protagonist approaches the scene, you can't help but agree with him. The fact that you can relate so well with the main character, who is in a situation in which every character he meets, including his best friends, is out of control makes it a soothing experience.

Art/Sound - I love the opening theme. It matches the humor of the whole anime. It's all about having fun. They also match the amount of energy that is put into this anime.
"We're a group of geeks with ambition, despair, and angler fish... just kidding"
It's really quirky too.
The art style is also really comedic. Characters make the weirdest facial expressions and in general it makes everything funny/cute.

Enjoyment - If you enjoy a good laugh, definitely watch this anime. You won't even worry about the plot, you just want something else to happen so they can just act themselves.

Overall - Story is obviously bad, but the whole comedy portion has been nailed. Definitely watch this for the sole reason of comedy.

This anime is outsanding, but I did not give it a 10 and here is why. I recommend this anime to anyone who enjoys falling in love with characters before getting punished for it, and to anyone who enjoys "feelz" moments in almost every episode.

I'll start with order of importance:

Story - It is very unique and very realistic despite the situation. It acts on its own and the characters are in control, which is truly admirable. The story does not try to sympathize with the fans and does not try to force anything based on what's cliche. Every question you had from the very beginning ... gets answered and there is nothing disappointing or worth not watching.

Characters - The characters are all so lovable. The whole protagonist/antagonist idea is faded and there is no fine line to draw. You truly delve into both sides of characters and their relationship with each other, which is why when the story progresses and dramatic scenes occur, you end up crying and praying for the characters. Even character does not get its own spotlight, but it does not bother you.
In terms of interaction with the story, the characters are very realistic and relatable.

Art - The art is outstanding. I fell in love with the heaven-like styles and loud colorations that truly created this anime. You can watch this anime in mute and still get to understand what's going on. The impact is in the art.

Sound - This applies to sound as well. Perfectly timed and well-set. Even the utilization of silence in certain scenes was satisfying.

Enjoyment - Probably one of the most enjoyable animes ever. You will have so many "feelz" moments because of the story progression and how the characters you fall in love with get victimized to it. The action is also enjoyable. Why do I give this a 9 though? Because I'm selfish. The ending made me feel so hard that I could not accept it. You WILL want more I guarantee it.

Overall - (TL;DR) Story is VERY unique and worth watching if you enjoy getting your heart broken. The characters are relatable and readable, you KNOW them. Art/Sound is outsanding, nothing more to say there. You will WANT more.

Toradora is one of the first animes that left me questioning whether I enjoyed the ride or not... In my opinion, I feel like the progression of the story and the way the characters are conflict in so many ways.

Starting in order of importance:

Story - It was very spot-on and unique. A story about a boy meeting a girl for the purpose of giving each other relationship advice is not the conventional anime. It does not go direct with the romance. Rather, it takes its time to establish the characters and their relations amongst each other. The pacing of the story was also great, each ... episode you learn something new. However, the reason I gave it an 8 was the ending. One thing I REALLY hate about this anime is how whenever a character talks to the main character of how they truly feel, the main character ends up not listening and the whole conversation just drops like a rock. This recurrent element made it difficult for me to get to know the characters. They, most of the time, introduce their problems and almost never finish off with how it ties to the story, The ending was

(SPOILER ALERT)
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also super rushed and it felt as if all their efforts from the very beginning had gone to waste. The ending was a big middle finger to all of the other characters within the last few episodes. They get cast out and the unfinished links with the main character remain unlinked.
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Character - The characters are very realistic. Every character puts on a mask in their own way. There is a large barrier between how the characters act and how they truly feel.
One big complaint I have, however, is that each character is frustrating to the plot in its own way. There are random potential scenes that could lead to something moving the plot, but in the end you learn almost nothing of the characters from that scene. The only time we get to truly know the characters is AFTER you go through all the frustration of the progression of the story.

Art - The art makes this anime. Each character is distinct in their own way and the colors they use is awesome.

Sound - It moves with the story well, especially the opening. Very beautiful and well-timed.

Enjoyment - The comedic scenes were really enjoyable and some really dramatic scenes hit me hard. Although this anime failed to meet a resolution, it does make unforgettable climaxes that occur amongst each character. In short, when shit gets down, it GETS DOWN.

TOO LONG DIDN'T READ?:

Story is realistic and complex. However, when you think something important to the story is going to happen, it won't happen. Each character is lovable and different in their own way. Art and Sound is beautiful. Very enjoyable, you will get hooked. When shit gets down, IT GETS DOWN.