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Dec 21, 2016
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is the more recent anime adaptation of the manga titled Fullmetal Alchemist, and it follows the events of the manga much more faithfully than the original anime. It has a little bit of every, from a good plot, great characters, exciting AND humorous moments, which is why I think it is beloved so much. Do I agree with the praise it gets? Absolutely.
STORY: 10
The plot in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood kind of seems like it isn't going anywhere for the first few episodes, except for episode 2, which gives us the backstory of the two main characters, but after
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a little while it starts picking up... and it DOESN'T STOP. I'm serious. This show keeps getting better and better and better as it progresses. The pacing is stellar throughout, and some of the plot-twists are REALLY well placed. Serious and humorous moments are placed carefully, so as not to interfere with each other. There will still be the occasional joke in the middle of a battle, but they still work well, particularly the running gag of the main character being so short. I don't want to spoil too much, but just know that no matter how much you like this show at any point during it, it will still manage to get better from there.
ART: 9
The animation during battles is excellent. It's fluid and easy to understand what's happening. The alchemy looks cool, especially for people who like flashy battle scenes, but it still manages to not get too overwhelming. The art is great for the most part as well, but I feel like there were some scenes where there was too much contrast between colorful characters and dull backdrops. Generally, I think a dull scene should represent a serious or sad moment, while colorful usually indicates upbeat and happy. Both of these types of scenes are present in FMA:B, but there are a few cases where the art doesn't completely adjust to compensate for the mood of the scene.
SOUND: 8
I liked all of the opening theme songs in this anime. Personally, from best to worst (although not bad), my order would be 1,4,5,2,3. This show is known for its openings (among many other things) and for good reason.
The ending theme songs were mostly forgettable to me. I really liked the first one, and I thought the fourth one was decent, but the rest of them didn't really stand out.
The OST is very fitting, but there were not very many tracks that I would actually listen to on my own. The main theme and "Crime and Punishment" are my personal favorites.
And what about voice acting? As to be expected, the Japanese version is not bad, BUT... the English dub is PHENOMENAL. It's the best I've ever scene. Every single actor fit their role and was enthusiastic about it, and they definitely knew what they were doing. I don't hate English dubs. In fact, I usually prefer watching them unless they are absolutely unbearable, but FMA:B is the ONLY show where a majority of the fanbase will agree that the dub is good, even some of the people who refuse to think so about any other dub at all. In fact, a considerable number of people agree that the dub is better than the original, me included!
CHARACTER: 10
This may be Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood's strongest suit. EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER plays a MAJOR role in the story. They are all developed and all get their own time in the spotlight at different times. There are a LOT of characters but they are all memorable. Anything from the main characters, to the soldiers, or the random side characters, to the freaking characters who show up in only a SINGLE episode. They are all extremely well written, unique, and elaborated on and it is going to be REALLY hard for any anime to top FMA:B in the characters department.
ENJOYMENT: 10
I really loved this show. It was exciting, emotional, and funny, all at different times. It seriously had something to satisfy just about every anime fan (except people who only watch hentai). I can recommend it to you wholeheartedly based on your interests... and I don't even know you! That is pretty incredible.
OVERALL: 10
This show is going to be remembered as a true classic for years to come, and it very well should be. Although it is not my number one favorite, I can say that it is definitely one of the few anime that I can honestly say deserves the number one spot and MAL's list of Top TV Series.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Dec 12, 2016
Going into Your Lie in April, I kind of knew I would like it to some extent, because I really love music and I especially enjoy playing the piano. It seemed like it would be a fun anime for me to watch. Little did I know that this would become one of the most memorable anime that I would ever watch.
STORY: 10
Although classical music is the theme of Your Lie in April, the plot has so much more to it, which is why I think it is better than other shows about a certain talent or hobby that all the characters possess, whether
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it is a sports anime or other music anime. It does not just focus on people playing in competitions. It is an emotional story about a boy who loved his mom but never understood why she was so brutal to him sometimes until it was too late, and all of his friends are there to try to help him get back in the swing of things while dealing with their own troubles as well. Fans of music, comedy, drama, and romance will all have something to enjoy about this anime.
The pacing is good sometimes and a bit slow at other times. There is a LOT of monologue during performances. It's almost like the monologue was written around the music pieces just so we could hear the whole piece, but some of these classical music pieces can get pretty long, so it gets to be a bit excessive. If I recall, there is a concert that lasts like two whole episodes, albeit several performances are included and they each give us very important details on characters' backstories and motives.
ART: 9
The art in Your Lie in April is pretty amazing, the animation even more so. The characters are just animated so smoothly when playing their instruments and it is REALLY impressive. There were a few points throughout the show that looked a little off, though, but otherwise the character designs and backdrops were all really good looking.
Another thing to mention is that it might seem like the art is all bright and happy even during scenes where it should not be, but when Kaori is part of the scene, it makes a little sense. She is definitely and optimist and always tries to cheer people up, sometimes just by being there.
SOUND: 10
Other than Clannad, Your Lie in April might be my favorite anime OST ever. Honestly, it's pretty close between those two series. The soundtrack ranges from sad to silly, and even the simpler pieces really shine. The classical music is hit or miss depending on whether you like that kind of music. Personally I think it's decent (although I really love Clair de Lune) but not nearly as good as the OST itself.
Both openings and both endings are great in my opinion. Personally I thought that the first opening was a little better than the second, and the second ending was a little better than the first.
The voice acting is great also. The English dub is good, but it is relatively new, and dubs have only been getting better and better. All of the voices fit their characters and the actors execute their roles really well, regardless of the mood of the scene.
CHARACTER: 9
Let me take a time out to say I might be a BIT biased with how much I like the main character, Kousei Arima. He is basically anime version of me. He looks like me, acts like me, has a similar personality to me, plays the piano like me, was the same age as me when I first watched the show, and is even show wearing the same two freaking belts that I wear. Pretty crazy stuff. I still think he's a good character even without the similarities though. For his backstory to fit his character, I think it is good that he is introverted and pessimistic.
Kaori Miyazono also looks just like my violin playing cousin. At this point it kind of freaks me out so I'm not going to elaborate on that, but she is also a good character for the role that she plays. Her personality is drastically different than Kousei's, but they both like music so they get along fine. She always tries to cheer Kousei up and encourage him, but she gets a little overwhelming at times which is pretty funny. She is the cause of what some people might call unnecessary humor (as in, it kills the mood during sentimental scenes) but I think that's because she is trying to make the best of the situation that she and Kousei are in, and that situation is not a very good one. It's kind of sad when you think about it more. She's just trying to make everyone happy during the toughest of times.
I gave the character score a nine because there were a few characters that could have been expanded on a bit more, particularly Kousei's rivals, Takeshi and Emi, and maybe Tsubaki and Watari to some extent, although I feel like they both fill their roles nicely.
ENJOYMENT: 10
I enjoyed Your Lie in April immensely because it was a beautiful, emotional story, but it was also something I could relate to, mostly because of Kousei. My passion for music also made it even more enjoyable.
OVERALL: 9
There were a few slight pacing issues and some side characters that were not in depth as I would have liked, but overall Your Lie in April was definitely a great anime and one of the best of all of its genres. You should definitely give it a try if you like music, romance, drama, or even comedies. I don't think you will be disappointed.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Dec 12, 2016
This review of Clannad: After Story will be spoiler free until the very end, and I'll be sure to warn you when that is approaching.
Clannad: After Story starts out similar to the first season that covers the School Days portion of the visual novel that the anime is based on. Once this show picks up, though, it stays amazing until the very end.
STORY: 10
This is, as you have probably heard, a very tragic story, but it is also a very moral one. The struggles that the characters deal with in Clannad: After Story are all very real, which may hit some viewers
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even harder if they have had first-hand experience with some of life's rougher areas that are presented in this show. I really can't say much about the story without spoiling it, but it is definitely one of the best "coming of age" stories I have ever experienced. What makes it so unique compared to other spice-of-life anime, is that it goes beyond high school and into the real world. Everything was fun and games before, but now, the darker side of life begins to become more and more apparent.
The thing is, the first eight episodes are kind of irrelevant and NOT what this series is known for. That's not to say that they shouldn't exist, because they are in fact important in explaining some of the show's more supernatural elements, but they took a little bit longer than they needed to. Honestly, they probably should have been part of the first season. They would have fit much better there.
ART: 8
The art in this season of Clannad is pretty much the same as the last, but I will note that as time progresses, the characters do become noticeably older and more mature. Well, at least most of them. That is definitely something that not many series can accomplish this well.
SOUND: 10
Clannad: After Story features the same OST as the first season, but we hear the more emotional songs much more than the upbeat goofy ones, which is the opposite of Season 1. The OST is still my favorite of all time, rivaled only by "Your Lie in April". The opening theme song is also very good and pretty catchy. I liked it better than the first one. The ending theme, on the other hand, is forgettable, probably just because of its competition, "Dango Daikazoku", from the first season.
The voice acting is just as good as the previous season. The actors are all probably a little more comfortable with their roles by this point, but they were never bad to begin with, so its not a very noticeable change. Now, if I recall correctly, Sanae, Nagisa's mom, has a different voice actor in this season, at least in the English dub, but it is pretty well executed and sounds pretty similar to the first voice.
On the topic of English dubs, like I said in my review of Season 1, it is not a bad dub, but if you get used to the Japanese voices, it is going to sound very off-putting indeed, because some of the voices are VERY different, particularly the male ones.
CHARACTER: 9
The characters are obviously more fleshed out in this season than they were in the last, because they have had more time to develop. Because of the story's setting beyond high school, we see some very unique character interactions that are not seen in most other spice-of-life anime. The biggest improvement over the last season in terms of character, at least in my opinion, is the bigger focus on the main characters. This story is about their struggles and the support they receive from the side characters. Any story arcs revolving around less important characters are over and done with by episode 9.
The biggest change, bar none, however, is the mood of the interactions between characters. They are much more serious, though there is still some well placed humor here and there, so if you did not enjoy the sarcasm and slap-stick from the previous season, you won't find nearly as much in After Story. If you did enjoy the humor, you'll still get to see some, but I doubt you will be bothered by the shift to a sad and serious tone. That is, after all, what attracts most people to Clannad. This is what you have been waiting for.
ENJOYMENT: 10
I enjoyed every bit of Clannad: After Story, but for different reasons than the first season. Instead of being hilarious, this is now an unforgettable, emotional story, and I loved it.
OVERALL: 9
There are a few pacing issues in Clannad: After Story as well as some things that could have been explained better, so my overall score is a nine. Now, I made a blog post about some of people's most common complaints about Clannad and why some of them are a little unfair, but I want to settle the big one right here, right now. So..... IF YOU HAVE NOT FINISHED CLANNAD: AFTER STORY PLEASE STOP READING RIGHT NOW!!!! THIS IS LITERALLY THE BIGGEST SPOILER IN THE ENTIRE SERIES!!!! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!!!!!!
***SPOILERS BELOW!!!***
Alright, people need to quit complaining about the ending. It was complicated, but if you were paying attention AT ALL, you should have been able to get the just of it. It is not a cop-out at all. Nagisa's death was not meant to be a permanent thing, or Ushio's for that matter. It was the event that was meant to lead to Tomoya being able to sympathize with his own father, and finally be able to understand the hardships he had to go through first hand. Because of Tomoya's kindness toward everyone though, he gained orbs of light, which have been prevalent throughout the series, and he was able to get a second chance to raise a family and have a better relationship with his dad. Even though the five years after Nagisa's death were erased, Tomoya's character development was not, and that was the whole point. This is why I said that this is a moral story. You reap what you sew. In this case, Tomoya sewed kindness, and he received that happiness in return. Could this literally happen in real life? No, of course not, but it is a metaphorical lesson in the form of a beautiful story.
So, if you weren't a fan of the ending, that's ok, but please try to understand the meaning of it properly, and maybe you can give it another chance.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Dec 10, 2016
While Clannad: After Story is pretty universally acclaimed by anyone who was paying attention enough to understand the ending, the first season of Clannad has much more mixed reviews. It will definitely be a hit or miss series for you depending largely on your sense of humor, patience, and overall enjoyment of slice-of-live comedies. For me, it was a hit, and yes, that's right. Clannad Season 1 is a COMEDY. Don't go into it thinking you are going to get the most emotional show ever that you have been hearing about. All of that happens in Season 2. Without
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further ado, let me begin.
STORY: 7
There isn't really much of a main plot in the first season of Clannad. Instead, we see multiple arcs that develop different characters and set up for After Story. This is why you might get bored if you don't enjoy the slap-stick humor and sarcasm in this show. Personally, I did, but if you don't, it might be a little bit tough for you to get through this season, but please try. After Story is well worth it.
This season does a good job at what it is supposed to do though. The pacing is a bit slow, but it sets up perfectly for After Story and develops all of the characters very well. I really enjoyed some of the characters' backstories, especially the main character, Tomoya's. That one gets expanded much more on in After Story, though.
ART: 8
Clannad features the love-it-or-hate-it big-eyed girls. It didn't phase me at all, but I know that some people have some very strong opinions on this type of art style. Other than that, though, Clannad is very colorful which is definitely a plus for the humorous tone of the show. The animation is good for what it needs to be, also. It can adjust perfectly to suit the exaggerated slap-stick humor or the more sentimental scenes. I liked it.
SOUND: 10
Yeah, Jun Maeda is a genius. The music in Clannad might just be my favorite anime OST of all time. There is a HUGE variety of tracks and almost every one of them is memorable. I'm not going to list my favorites because there are just too many. They sound great by themselves and fit the scenes they are played in very well.
The opening theme song is pretty catchy and happy, but it's the ending song that's just plain awesome, not just because of the song itself but because of what it is in relation to the show.
As for voice acting, the dub is not unwatchable if you don't get too attached to the original voices. I thought it worked pretty well, but it wasn't superb like Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Death Note, or anything like that. The voices all fit their characters' personalities, but the execution could have been a little bit better.
CHARACTER: 8
Clannad Season 1 is much more character orientated than plot driven, and it does this pretty well. Some of the characters seem a little stereotypical at first, but not too may stay that way. Some characters are a bit useless, but the ones that are not are developed very well.
I would also like to add that I LOVE the relationship between the two main male characters, probably because I can relate to it so much. The main character is a sarcastic, cynical prankster, and his "best friend", Sunohara, is a little bit oblivious to it at times. He gets fooled or lured into a situation where he will tick someone off (usually due to his own stupidity more that Tomoya's intervention) and get his butt kicked in my favorite kind of animated slap-stick humor. There are not too many scenes like this, so they don't get old, but there are enough to keep things interesting... IF you like that kind of humor; a mix of sarcasm and slap-stick. Every single joke played on Sunohara by Tomoya was hilarious to me, but it may or may not be for you.
ENJOYMENT: 10
I enjoyed Clannad immensely simply because of how funny I thought it was. I never got bored and didn't care that I would have to wait so long to get to the tear-jerking second season. This is just me, though, so maybe Clannad will not be your thing. You'll just have to give it a try to see if you like it. I sincerely hope you do, because After Story is something everyone should see, and I don't want you missing out on it just because you couldn't make it through this first season.
OVERALL: 8
It is unfortunate that Clannad can't be for everybody, because After Story is truly amazing, but you can't justifiably watch that season without watching this one first. All the impact would be lost. Even though I thought Clannad was hilarious, if you don't, some of the more stereotypical characters and lack of a central plot might stick out more to you. Overall, if you like a comedy spice-of-life, this show might be your new favorite. If you like more romance and drama, After Story is for you, but you should watch this season first. If you don't like anything even CLOSE to those genres, I would just avoid Clannad as a whole.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Dec 5, 2016
The most annoying thing about so many time travel stories is that they have gigantic plot-holes and paradoxes that the writers somehow missed and/or ignored. Yeah, you don't have to worry about that with Steins;Gate. Not one bit.
STORY: 10
This is by far the best time travel I've ever seen, because everything just works. It all makes sense and if time travel were to exist, I bet you this is how it would work. Maybe the methods of time travel are a little bit far-fetched, with the whole miniature black hole thing, but the ideas of multiple world lines and the
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butterfly effect make more sense than any other time travel series. The idea of sending text messages back in time to change the past and then realizing that brains store data just like cell phones do, thus sending consciousness back in time is really well thought out and I like it.
The best part about this story though is how emotional and well-planned it is. I won't spoil anything, but I will tell you that EVERYTHING that happens in this story matters. EVERYTHING.
The pacing is probably the most criticized aspect of Steins;Gate. The first half of the series is intriguing, but could have seriously happened in like half of the episodes that it did, and then the next few episodes seem super fast in comparison. Eventually things even out, but I would like to point out that at one point, Okabe says something about everything just seeming like a blur. Well the drastic shift to fast pacing really put us in his shoes. I have no idea if that was intentional or not but it worked really well.
ART: 8
The art is great, for what it is. What I mean is that it doesn't even really have many opportunities to shine. At no point will you noticed something is poorly drawn or animated, but there aren't going to be any massive battles that will make you go "WOW!" and that is simply due to the premise of the entire anime itself. The one thing closest to being particularly impressive is the little animation that happens whenever a time-leap occurs. It gets the point across and looks really neat with the divergence number bouncing all over the place.
SOUND: 10
The music in Steins;Gate is awesome. It just is. The opening is great, the ending is good, and the OST is amazing. My favorite tracks are Gate of Steiner (all versions of it), Believe Me, Promise, and Farewell. That's definitely not to say they are the only good ones, though. The music is really well varied and ranges from creepy to epic to sad. You will almost certainly be spending some time listening to Steins;Gate music after hearing it for the first time.
The English dub is also one of the best I have ever seen. All of the main characters' voices really suit them and most are executed wonderfully.
CHARACTER: 10
The main character, Rintarou Okabe, or as he calls himself, Hououin Kyoma, or as his friends call him, Okarin, is extremely unique. He is what I like to call a genius-idiot. We see people like this in real life all the time, but maybe not to this crazy extent. He is very intelligent, but has virtually no common sense. He has a reason for being such a nut-job which I won't spoil, but it is funny how he has gotten so used to it and does it even when he doesn't need to. The things he does never cease to amuse.
Makise "Christina Zombie Assistant Perverted Genius Lab Girl 004" Kurisu, our other main character, is really well developed as well. Some people call her a tsundere, but I disagree. Tsunderes are characters that are mean and hot-headed at first, but show an emotional side after warming up to someone. Makise Kurisu was never rude and never really had a temper. She just constantly gets ticked off by Okabe's shenanigans.
Hashida Itaru, or Daru is also an entertaining character, and is a BIT stereotypical, but the show capitalizes on that really well and makes everything even more funny with his one-liners. He actually does play an important role, so don't completely write him off as useless.
Shiina Mayuri, or Mayushi, is a little ditsy and weird, but I still find her funny. She is also super important, do give her a chance.
There are some other characters like Suzuha, Ferris, Ruka, and Moeka, but they are better left for you to see on your own. There's not really much about them that I feel like I need to say.
Enjoyment: 10
The first half of Steins;Gate is hilarious and intriguing and the second half is a suspenseful, emotional roller-coaster, to say the least. I enjoyed every bit of it. Needless to say, I am REALLY hyped up for Steins;Gate 0! (Don't Google what that is or anything, because the mere concept of it will majorly spoil the original series for you.)
Overall: 10
The Steins;Gate anime adaptation is not as detailed as the original visual novel, and questionably left out a few scenes, but it isn't something you would notice unless you've already "played" the visual novel. Regardless, you should still watch it. If you love it like I did, then try out the visual novel for an even more detailed experience!
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Dec 5, 2016
Fun fact: When I first heard of a show called "Monster" where the main character was a doctor, I immediately thought of something akin to Frankenstein. I was so far off it's funny.
Anyway, this show is fantastic, but I can't imagine it is for everyone. It does not prioritize flashy battle scenes or anything of the sort. This story is pure art. It is emotional, suspenseful, exciting, and everything in between. Even if it does not sound like your cup of tea, you should definitely give it a try.
STORY: 10
Monster's story is obviously its priority, and it should
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be. It is symbolic and moral, but is not scared to show us the ugly side of the world. Like I say in my other reviews, I won't explain the general story because that's what the synopsis on this website is for.
For the first 24 episodes, we get to see the journey of Dr. Kenzou Tenma experiencing misfortune everywhere but not ceasing to help others as he unravels the mystery of Johan's past.
Then, starting on episode 25, things get more complicated. In this show, you will go episodes at a time without seeing either Tenma or Johan; the two main characters! There is so much going on at a time in this story, which to me is a good thing, but that doesn't mean I don't miss seeing Tenma's perspective after a while of watching other characters. You will probably experience the same thing, but maybe not with Tenma.
The last five episodes are nail-biting and probably the most suspenseful thing I've ever watched. I won't say anymore but my goodness is it good.
ART: 8
Monster is old-ish. It was released in 2004, so compared to today's animation it is a little lackluster. That's ok though because the most complexly animated thing in this show is probably a gun being shot or a building burning. There aren't any major battles or anything that would require today's level of advanced animation to produce well.
The art is very realistic compared to most anime. The only problem I really have there is that some elderly characters' noses are a little bit big, which is ironic because usually, in anime, the opposite is true! It's NOT a glaring issue, though. Otherwise, I really love the character designs.
A lie that I would like to mention, is that the art style does a great job of making different races look different. Dr. Tenma definitely looks different, being Japanese, than the Germans, Czechs, Turks, English, etc. who all are different from each other as well.
The story in Monster takes place over a long period of time. Tenma's appearance definitely changes throughout the series as he becomes more rugged and dirty from his journey. I like the attention to detail there.
SOUND: 9
The opening and ending themes are NOT like other anime's. The opening sounds very suspenseful and makes me think of the word "desperation" which is a very good word to describe the characters' emotions in this show. The ending has two versions depending on where you watch this anime. One has lyrics and the other does not. Even the full version with lyrics has several instrumental portions that I enjoy a lot. Both versions are beautiful. The background music in Monster is pretty good and fits the scenes it plays in well. Some of the tracks definitely warrant listening to on their own, but no as many as I would like. My personal favorites are "Angel Hand", "Than One", "Cannot Hear", and "Faith". There's a couple more that I just don't know he names of. That's all not to say the rest of the soundtrack isn't good, it's just more atmospheric and doesn't really have very many melodies that stand out that much.
As for the English dub, I thought it was a very good one, except that some of the kids' voices and a few others are kind of annoying. For the most part it's great, though, especially the most important characters. The story takes place mainly in Germany and Czechoslovakia so maybe you will prefer that simply for the sake of immersion, even though TECHNICALLY they should be speaking German and Czech for the most part, English is more likely than Japanese. That may or may not make a difference to you, though.
CHARACTER: 10
Oh, jeez. There are a LOT of characters in Monster. I'll go over the main characters individually and the side characters as a whole.
Kenzou Tenma is one of my favorite characters ever. I myself am a Christain and his morals really reflect my own. He is kind-hearted, intelligent, and selfless, which I can relate to. That does NOT make him a boring character. He definitely has his fair share of moral dilemmas, and since he is such a good person, it is interesting to watch him have to make the decision to do something a little more morally gray.
Johan Liebert, the main villain, is an extremely unique villain and one of the best ever. He is often compared to Light Yagami from Death Note, but I don't think that is a very good comparison, even though the two anime are similar. Johan is psychotic for all that we can see of him, and I've never seen psychosis portrayed nearly as well in any fictional story ever. You actually feel bad for Johan, as you can tell he is not fully... there in his head. There is just something off about him no matter what he does. Light on the other hand, slips into a demented psych because of his power and situation. Johan's story is tragic and one of the best character backstories ever, but I won't spoil anything.
Some other notable characters include Detective Lunge and Anna Liebert. I'll let you experience both of their roles on your own, though. I'll just let you know that they make things very interesting.
There are several other side characters, and some are better than others, but they all add something to the story, even if you really hate their guts.
ENJOYMENT: 10
Monster is one of the greatest works of fiction that I have ever experienced. If I were to divide the series into thirds, I would say I enjoyed the first third the most, the second third the least, and the final portion in between, at least on the first watch-through. I'm currently re-watching it and it all feels a bit more equal to me now. Regardless, the whole show was a blast and might be my single favorite show, rivaled only by Death Note.
OVERALL: 10
More authors need to look at Naoki Urusawa and his masterpiece of a story that is Monster. Instead of giving us fan-service, focus on the meaningful parts of your work. This does not mean that shows cannot have epic battles if they are integral to the story, but plot and character development should always be the top priority.
Monster is a masterpiece, and you should definitely watch it. Give it four or five episodes before you decide it is not your thing. I don't want you missing out on what might be a life-changing story.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Jul 25, 2016
I'll just start off by saying that Death Note is one of my favorite TV series of all time. I can see how it would not be for everybody, though. It's relatively low on action, and instead focuses on brains over brawn. You can describe it as cat-and-mouse, chess without rules, or my personal favorite, a giant game of he knows that I know that he knows that I know that he knows that I know... BUT... does he know this?
Story: 10
I won't explain what Death Note is about, because that's what
...
the synopsis is for. I thought the plot was handled very well. When you look deeper into it, it kind of gets more and more depressing actually. A young genius with an extremely bright future gains a supernatural power, but it doesn't come without sacrifices. The story really kind of lets you choose who is right and who is wrong, which is really neat and definitely a plus for a psychological anime. No matter who you are rooting for though, they will both outsmart and be outsmarted many times. Both sides are balanced very well with their own strengths and weaknesses. I won't spoil the ending, but I will say that I like it more than most people. There's really only one aspect of it that I would change, but it is a fairly big one.
Art/Animation: 10
There aren't really any epic battles or anything of the sort in Death Note, so there really isn't any room for jaw-dropping animation. The art itself though, is really good. It's usually pretty dark and gritty rather than bright and colorful, which fits the mood of the series very well. I feel like the character designs were a bit more realistic and most anime out there. Whenever characters start thinking really hard, the background goes black, and their hair changes to their corresponding color, which I felt really amplified the situation. You also won't see much more symbolism in any other anime ever, if you like that sort of thing.
Sound: 9
It kind of goes without saying that the original Japanese voice actors did their job very well, but Death Note is one of the three anime where I think the dub might have actually been even better, at least most of the time. The voices themselves fit their characters, and the lines are spoken with the right amount of emotion for each character. By this I mean that some characters speak with lots of emotion and some speak with very little, but that's how it is supposed to be.
The background music is some of the best I've ever heard. Each character's themes definitely represent them very well. We get a good mix of orchestrated pieces, and more modern sounding pieces. There's not much else I can say because of how subjective music is, so I'll just let you listen and decide for yourself. However, I personally loved the first opening and ending songs, and hated the second ones. I'm just not a fan of heavy metal screaming at the top of your lungs. That's why I dropped one point.
Character: 9
There aren't a ton of major characters in Death Note, but the few that there are were phenomenal. Regardless of which main character you root for, you'll probably like them both. One of the main characters seems to slowly lose his rationality throughout the series, and the other one is just so mysterious for the first few episodes that when you finally get to meet him... well, let's just say you'll be pretty surprised. For the most part, the shinigami provided comic relief and new elements to the plot, such as more rules to the Death Note, but when they got serious, it was pretty freaky. Later on in the series, a couple of new major characters are introduced, and while they probably aren't super great by themselves, the way they compliment each other is awesome. I will still say they could have been elaborated on a bit more. Since they are so important to the series, this alone is what dropped one point of my character rating. I can't say much more without spoiling the series.
Enjoyment: 10
Again, Death Note is my favorite TV series of all time. The mind games and intense brain battles are very intriguing, and when there is action, it really gets you excited because of how rare it is. That's when you know stuff is getting real. Will someone be exposed? Will someone mess up amidst the chaos? I enjoyed how the series was able to feel dark and mature without being over-the-top gory, having a crazy amount of bad language, or throwing fan service around where it wasn't needed.
Overall: 10
I highly recommend this anime to everyone. I think even non-anime fans might enjoy it, because it doesn't fall under either of the two anime stereotypes; crazy action or mushy drama. Just make sure to avoid searching Google or YouTube for anything related to Death Note before your done. Spoilers are many. I have seen them.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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