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Lucky * Star is about highschool girls and.. ummm, well, that's about it. It basically revolves around the lives of four girls (later on, more people are given some time) and the random conversations they have.

Story
This series is not incredibly plot filled. Actually, there really is none. It's not even really character driven. This anime, however, doesn't need much of a story. It still works out in a cute way. However, the rating IS for story, and in all fairness, there really was none. I think this is a fair, if not quite high rating for what was presented.

Animation
The best animation is definitly ... in the opening sequence. Everything flows nicely in it, and it throws money around to give a flawless performance. Once you get to the actual show, however, there is basically no movement what so ever, save the talking.

The art style isn't top notch. It is kept with the original 4-koma's style, but I still think they could have coloured it a bit better. Maybe make the girls atleast look more their age.

Sound
I did really like that opening song. Quite catchy. The in-show music was also fairly well done, aside from the fact that I didn't really notice it. The music just kind of melted into the background. That's the only reason why it's not higher on my rating. It was good, but nothing to write home about.

Character
This was my biggest issue. The series had INCREDIBLY 2-dimensional characters. They did not develope, they did not change. We did no see any different sides to them. The closest to this was with Konata, and... whatever her name is. The older of the twins.

This may have been alright, because this would seriously screw up the nature of the anime, but because of the 2-D element to them, I couldn't really connect to any of them. Except maybe Konata. I'm a big nerd too.

Enjoyment
While I did have a few giggles, I did not either really like this series, or really dislike it. I can see why people like it, but I don't understand the overwhelming popularity. I was told it was funny, but it wasn't a comedy. It was slice-of-life. I was told it was meaningful. That was a load of bull. I watched the series with no expectations, and I ended it with none. I don't see myself rewatching this anytime soon.

Overall / My Comments / My Feelings
I know people will be angry, but it wasn't an overall amazing show. It has no story, the art was pretty boring, the sound disappeared, and the characters were 2-D. The only thing this series had that I liked was the otaku jokes. Other than that, I couldn't relate. Highschool isn't like this for me. Not at all. And I don't know people who are so stereotypical. I was a little disappointed, I think.

I can't say anything but, sorry fans. I just couldn't get myself hooked. I atleast pulled through all the episodes, but it was becoming a little draining towards the end. I had no real drive to finish it...

Harukanary Toki no Naka de ~Hachiyo Shou~ is a dating sim-gone-anime type story, that leads any fangirl into a world of hot men, and engaging story. This anime, though only 26 episodes, I can easily see as an instant classic.

Story
Harukanary Toki no Naka de ~Hachiyo Shou~ is the story of a modern day girl, Akane, and her two friends Shimon and Tenma. On the way to school one day, Akane is called to the world of Kyou as the "Priestess of Ryuujin" in the country of Kyou. Shimon and Tenma attempt to stop her from being pulled in, but fail, and join her as ... well.

Akane must gather the eight hachinyou of the four gods to help her protect Kyou from Akram, an evil demon out to take control of the world.
The purpose of my rating is though as the story goes along, it gets better, the basic plot reminded me way to much of Fushigi Yuugi.

Animation
The animation style fits the series well. While it\'s not the most top notch, it does have well done colouring, and nicely done backgrounds and landscapes. While some of the colour scheming seems a bit odd in the clothing, the show is based off an game, so they did remain true to the original style.

Sound
I enjoyed the music in this series quite a bit. The opening theme is incredibly catchy, with a good ending theme that matches the opening. The in series music was well done, and I did enjoy the occasional snippets of character image themes.

Though we did not hear Akane\'s song, or for that matter, two of the four villians, it did give us a taste of the characters themselves, because they occured in their \'special\' episodes. All the characters were decent singers as well, which is always a bonus.

Character
This is where the series truly ranks above and beyond. While the series makes me think of Fushigi Yuugi, it is above and beyond in the character developement. All the characters got an episode or two to themselves, and they did their best to keep no one from disappearing in the shadows.

While I was reminded of other anime characters (Tenma was lovingly nicknames \'Kyo\', Shimon was for awhile known as \'Shimizu\' and Akane by \'Kahoko\') each character did develope well, and had their own personality. While Tenma bugged me with how much he looked and acted like Kyo from Fruits Basket, I suppose he was a necessary character since many of the other characters had a bit more toned down personalities.

The anime also favourited Tenma, and Yasuaki, I found. Tenma was favoured as a possible love interest, while Yasuaki was favoured as a simply cool character. Even though these two were favourites, everyone else did develope still.

Enjoyment
I at first was a bit unsure of this series because of my obvious bias towards it being a Fushigi Yuugi rip, the series, in my opinion, developed better in many aspects. The characters in this all developed, while in Fushigi Yuugi, some characters pretty well disappeared. The music in both series\' are well placed, but I feel the this series did better in their use of it\'s mood effecting power. Though I did have one fairly major issue with this series, I do feel my enjoyment was at its highest by the end of the series.

Overall / My Comments / My Feelings
Overall, it was a well thought out, and developed story. I enjoy the characters Eisen, Yasuaki, and Shimon the most, but of course I can\'t think of anyone I truly didn\'t like (other than their annoying mascot-like friend..)

My major issue with the series is the four gods. In actual history, they were known as \'The Genbu Turtle of the North\', \'The Azure Dragon of the East\', \'The Red Bird/Pheonix of the South\', and \'The White Tiger of the East\'. In Fushigi Yuugi, Yuu Watase CREATED the names Genbu, Seriyu, Suzaku, and Byakko for the Gods. This series used those names, which... I suppose is okay, but are technically the rights of Watase. Oh well, no real harm done.

The one thing that hindered my enjoyment of the series at the beginning however, was Tenma. He looks, and acts SO much like Kyo, I always referred to him as Kyo as I watched the series. I didn\'t know his real name for a while because I was calling him Kyo. Also, Shimon and Akane look similar to Keiichi Shimizu and Kahoko Hino of La Corda. Another ehhhh...

However, some of the character similarities I embraced. Such as Yasuaki being like a completely personality-less Chichiri. Or perhaps Eisen reminding me so strongly of Amiboshi at first because of his flute. Should I mention Yorihisa looking so similar to historical pretty boy Ranmaru Mori when shown in his flashbacks? (I\'m referring to the Koei interpetation of Ranmaru).

As my sister had mentioned, I greatly enjoyed the lack of \'friend gone evil rival\' in this series that most teleport to another world stories seem to have. Though Ran\'s appearance kind of turned out to be like that, she wasn\'t half as bad as some other stories (*coughYuicough*).

All in all, I reccomend this anime to anyone. I do mean that. It\'s not so overly Shojo that a guy will be scared off, and it\'s not so overly Shonen that some girls will loose their attention span. Their is a good mix of fighting along with a bit of sexual tension (though nothing comes out of this in the end). I personally think any guy will simply enjoy the coolness that is Yasuaki, he is also very appealing to us fangirls. The series brings a bit of both worlds into a good mix, and is being delivered for us to watch. So do it.

Originally written by Daisuke Moriyama, Chrno Crusade (sometimes translated to Chrono) is an excellent action anime, that is possibly the saddest one I've ever seen.

I created this review, because unlike the one other CC review, I've seen the whole thing, and I appreciate it. Sooo, here's my opinion.

Story
Rosette Christopher, and her little brother, Joshua, two little orphan children, are exploring, when they come across a mysterious cave. Within, a devil named Chrno was living, but the two young children befriend Chrno easily.
One day, Joshua is driven insane by the powers he had already had, and the horns on Chrno, given to him by Aion, ... and puts all the other children of the orphange into a temporal stasis, where they are frozen for four years. Aion than takes Joshua away, as one of the 7 apostiles.
Rosette, devestated by the loss of her brother, makes a contract with Chrno. She is given a mysterious time-piece, where when she opens it, Chrno feeds off her soul to gain power.
As Rosette and Chrno try to find her brother again, Rosettes life is ticking away from her pack with the devil.

Animation
There is something I love about this animation, I can' even explain it. Unlike a lot of other action anime, this one does not cut corners with the shakey-screen effect. It's beautifully designed, with vibrant colours, and flows so nicely. I can't even explain it, as I said earlier. The best animation is definitly in the opening sequence, though.

Sound
Again, I just love the music. It's hard to explain. The ending and opening fit the series so well, it's perfect. The music within the series is awesome, with it fitting every scene perfectly. I especially love one of the songs, that usually occurs after commerical breaks in the first few episodes. It gives off a very mystery/horror sound, which I feel the series has a bit of, deep down.

Character
I love the characters. All but one.
Chrno was my personal favourite. He is a cute little devil, but can change into his awesome true form. He is such a nice little thing, and I can't possibly see anyone not liking him.
Rosette, while being a typical annoying female, I still loved. She is emotional, yes, but she's not helpless like so many other leads. For the first few episodes, she is doing the majority of the fighting. Of course, towards the end, she gets a bit helpless, but it's not like she didn't try!
I like Azmaria, for some odd reason. Just a cute little girl that admires Rosette. And I swear, that song she sings, I've hear somewhere... J
oshua was so adorable as a child, and just cool as a nut-job.
Aoin was pretty neat, having more layers than the "I want to destory the world" thing.
The only character I wasn't fond of Satella, and it was probably because I watched it in English, and I could barely understand her accent. It hurt.

Enjoyment
I watched this series in 3 days. I couldn't pull away. When I wasn't watching it, I was thinking about it. I was obsessed. I was Chrno Crusade sick. When I finished it, I cried. The ending was sad, and it was over, so I cried. Than I went to work, and I told everyone about this awesome anime I discovered. I proudly told them all I cried. I hummed the theme, until I went home. I am listening to the theme now.
I think that could qualify as I enjoyed greatly.

Overall / My Comments / My Feelings
I love this series, and I've owned it for 4 days, so far. I am a sad, sad girl. The ending was such a depressingly happy ending, that I cried. Sure, they... umm..
Anyways, I highly recommend this series. I love it for reasons unknown (maybe just Chrno? He is named after a game I love...) but anyways, I suck terribly at explaining the story, but believe me, it was awesome. Awesome, I say. Go out and buy this series, don't just download it. It needs to be enjoyed from your cozy couch, where you can cry into some blankets.

Fushigi Yuugi, originally a manga written by Yuu Watase, is a classic anime, that became so popular, it inspired 3 OAV series', and encouraged Watase to write the prequel to the series, more than 10 years later.

Story
Fushigi Yuugi: The Mysterious Play, is about a 15 year old girl Miaka Yuuki, and her best friend Yui Hongo. Miaka and Yui are in the library when Miaka sees a mysterious bird lead her to the restricted room of the library. There, Miaka finds a mysterious book, and her and Yui are pulled into the world. Miaka and Yui meet a mysterious man who saves them from slave ... traders, but Yui is thrown back out of the book, and the man has left, leaving Miaka all alone in this Ancient Chinese world. Miaka meets with the man again, and they end up at the palace, and through circumstances, Miaka is charged with the duty to gather together the seven senshi of Suzaku, and save Konan from destruction!

I know that makes no sense, but in a nutshell, Miaka fell into Konan, an Ancient Chinese world, where the whole world lives on the idea of the Four Gods in Chinese Mythology. Miaka is in the south, where Suzaku, the Red Bird (Pheonix in some translations) protects the country. Each God has 7 constellations (or in this case, the 7 senshi). So the constellations have taken the form of 7 warriors, and Miaka needs to gather them to summon Suzaku, who will grant her 3 wishes.

Animation
The animation itself is smooth, and well done, until about the second season (ep 27+) where the animation seems to take a bit of a plunge at times. The colouring is also very vibrant at times, but others, it's very muddy looking, and monotone, because everything seems to be in the brown colour tone, except the hair of Miaka's senshi. The most remarkable thing in the animation, however, is the eyes. When the animators but their mind to it, they draw some beautiful, bright, colourful eyes.

Sound
The music in this falls into an olden style theme, mostly Chinese sounding. However, they have their theme, and ending theme that do not fit that theme. And one thing you need to know about Fushigi Yuugi, is if you want to hear more of it's music, be prepared for trumpets. Lots of trumpets.
Anyways, the theme song is fairly slow at first, but then seems to almost have dance feel to it. It's nothing remarkable. The ending theme, however, is a dance song, but also has a fairly sad tone to it, fitting the series well, I feel.
The voices, English and Japanese, I have to mention, are wonderful. I love it in both languages. The voices fit the parts perfectly.

Character
There is a whirlwind of characters. Be prepared to remember some names. The main characters are essentially Miaka, Yui, Tamahome, and Nakago, but you have the supporting cast (that consists of atleast 12 senshi, only including the Suzaku and Seiryuu), and about 13 more characters I can name off the top of my head.
While most characters have well-done development, because of the mass amount of characters, some of these character appear almost personality-less, most notably two of Miaka's senshi, Chiriko and Mitsukake, and two of the Seriyuu senshi, Tomo and Miboshi (I'm not counting Ashitare because he practically never talks, and well... if you want to sure, he has no personality I suppose). Watase herself never really developed these characters, so they continue to suffer, even onto OAV's, and even in their songs. But for the characters she does focus on, they are all very different, and it's not hard to pick a favourite.

Enjoyment
For all the bad things I have said, this series has an amazing fanbase, and I personally think it has high replay value. Everytime you watch the series, you find something you missed, but I remember the first time I saw this, and I was an addict, most literally. I couldn't wait for them to release the next VHS (and boy did they have alot... 14). I know of people that do dislike this series, but for the most part, everyone has something about this they liked, and it usually lies in the characters themselves, particularily the senshi.
C'mon, for a series that spawned so much merchandise, character songs, OAV's, etc, how can it not be enjoyable?
Well yeah, the OAV's aren't enjoyable, but the series itself is fun to watch over and over again.

Overall / My Comments / My Feelings
The story is a bit different from the manga, and justifies this beginning a bit more. Miaka and Yui are pulled in to the book world, but they both return (in the anime, it's only Yui). Miaka gets in an agruement with her mother, and runs back to the library, getting pulled into the book again to set her free of the pressures of her real life. The manga honestly has a stronger beginning, and gives you more sympathy for Miaka as the protagonist.

Even though my above comments aren't the best, this is me looking at it critically. If you don't, and just watch it for enjoyment, I can guarentee anyone who loves the romance genre of anime will like this.

Yes, Miaka and Tamahome can be terribly annoying. They are my least favourite characters after all... But the first time I watched the series, I LOVED those two, it's just been 9 years since my first watching, and I've developed a series dislike for their constant crying for each other.

I know I sound negative, but I do recommend this series to anyone. Anyone. It's a classic, and for it's time, it was an incredibly original plot. (Yes, we know in Inu Yasha that Kagome travels between worlds, however, Fushigi Yuugi predates Inu Yasha quite a few years. Fy being originally published in the '92 region and manga, while Rumiko was making Ranma 1/2 still at that time (she published the first Ranma in '93) so it's not possible that InuYasha could be more original than FY, because it wasn't made at the same time. It's possible Rumiko could have gotten ideas at that point (I can't find the year for InuYasha)).

ANYWAYS, just watch Fushigi Yuugi. I'm going so off track here, because I like talking about how original the series is, and how much I love the characters. (Me? I'm a Tasuki fangirl)

Master of Mosquiton is a short OAV, that inspired the Master of Mosqution '99 TV series. This OAV is not very well known, but is definitly well-worth a watch.

Story
The story of Master of Mosquiton is a young girl named Inaho, uses her blood to awaken a vampire that her grandmother had told her about, so she can obtain the O-part. The O-part is said to give eternal life, and Inaho dreams of being young and beautiful forever - for Mosquiton, apparently. She's starts this mission at the age of 17, and as the years go by, she gets increasingly more desperate.

Animation
The animation is top-notch. OAV's ... are usually pretty good for this, and the characters all have good designs, as well as movement. The colouring is perfect for the dark settings, not to bright, but not muddy. It's very well done.

Sound
The opening music fits perfectly. This anime takes place in the early 1900's, so it has an old-style music feel, which helps set the mood. The actual in music is very well done, and fits every scene almost perfectly. As much as I adore the ending theme, it's a tad out of place, and prevents this from being a 10. However, it's a beautiful song, with pretty lyrics.

Characters
Inaho, our main character is quite simply, an annoying, vain little girl, who wants to be young and beautiful forever. Mosquiton himself, if what makes the show. He is a bumbling vampire, who is quite silly, and has a hilarious English voice. However, when he takes blood from Inaho, he becomes a full vampire again, and is a killing-maniac. After he kills enemies, he usually turns on Inaho, who has to stake him through the heart, revert him back into dust, and then start the whole process all over again, of a drop of blood on the ashes.
Mosquiton also has two cliche spirit guardians. But cliche is only in appearance. Yuki is (as the name states) the ice guardian. However, she appears as a little girl, and cannot use her full powers until she transforms into a grown woman. Hono (also as the name states) is the fire guardian, who like Yuki, needs to transform to use his full powers.
Finally, there is Camille, Mosquitons over sexed ex-fiancee. Camille alone manages to bring up the rating to this show, so just wait for her, she's a fun, almost-always-naked character.

Enjoyment
This series has serious replay value. The first viewing might leave you a little confused, so it makes you watch it again. About the second time around (unless you are VERY observant, or watching with someone who has already seen it all) makes it all very clear, and I can practically guarentee you'll fall in love with the series as well.

Overall / My Comments / My Feelings
When I first watched this OAV, I had rented the first VHS (of 3). It was the only one available, and I watched it a LOT. This series was so hilarious, and I just couldn't get enough of it.
As I got older, one year for Christmas, I was given the first VHS as a present. Not to long after, I finally found the second VHS for sale, at my local manga store. Camille was... a life-scarring character, but I honestly grew to appreciate her, and how she twists the plot.
I couldn't find the third VHS, until I searched on Ebay, and found it for 1 CENT, brand new, SEALED IN IT'S PACKAGE. Wow. So I bought it, and fell in love.
My sister than bought me the TV series for my birthday, which I only watched once, but those OAV's I've watched over, and over.
About grade 9, I joined an manga club at my local library, and I met a friend. She was drawing on the giant paper at the front of the room, and I commented that it looked familiar... kind of like, maybe Mosquiton? I was right, and we've been friends ever since.
She'd only seen the first VHS (she rented it from the same place as me. That explains why I couldn't always find it), so I lent her the other two. She also fell more in love with it.

In conclusion, this is an amazing series, that deserves more attention. It's not like it's something you'll be collecting forever, because my friends said that the OAV has been released on 1 DVD now. So go buy it. Right now. This series is definitly worth the few bucks you'll pay.

The story of Star Ocean EX is completely based on the first disc of the PSX game, Star Ocean: The Second Story.
In the game, you can pick to play from either the point of view of Rena, or Claude. The anime chooses to follow Claude.

Story
Claude C. Kenni is a young ensign on a mission with his father. When they arrive on a strange planet, Claude decides to prove his worth, and inspect a mysterious object on his own, against his fathers protests. When Claude comes into contact with this object, he is transported to the underdeveloped planet, Expel, where he mets Rena Lanford. Rena believes ... Claude is the Hero of the Light, here to save Expel from destruction. So our story begins with Claude and Rena embarking on a mission to destroy the Sorcery Globe.

Animation
There is nothing particularily special about this anime's animation. While it is full of battles, it falls back to the "single shot, shakey screen" method for attacks. However, the characters have great expressions, and it is a very colourful anime, with nice backgrounds.

Sound
The music is based off the soundtrack from the game. The game's music is (in my opinion) superior, but the nice remix of the music does fit well in the show. They use it to set moods, and it's not placed into a scene awkardly, so it keeps the story flowing.
There is some original scores, that are also very nicely done, and were also made by the same man who created the music for the game, Motoi Sakuraba.

Characters
Though I personally dislike Claude, this anime definitly benefits from a wide variety of characters. There is notably, 10 of the 12 main characters from the game, as well as atleast 3 original characters, and 3 NPC's from the game, brought to life with more personality (ie Yuki, Jam Shop Girl in Salva). The characters that they do focus on generally all follow the usual character personalities, but when hit with a character like Ashton (ie Possesed by Dragons Guy), you suddenly find yourself with some entirely unique characters.

Enjoyment
Enjoyment varies. If you played the game originally, you may be a bit disappoint with how the characters seemed to have developed, the plot holes, how they cut out some of the best aspects of the game (such as the game had it so that you could make ANYONE be with anyone. While Rena and Claude are the title lovers in the show, in the game, you can virtually make them with anyone), and the way they messed up some of the storyline. However, it's still enjoyable for the big fans, who love the game no-matter-what (such as I).
If you never played the game, or you are just an SO3 fan, this could be a totally new experience, that you may or may not enjoy. With the anime being recently translated into English, you can gain access to this anime anyway possible.

Overall / My Comments / My Feelings
To begin with, I honestly think picking Claude as the main-main character over Rena was an entirely stupid idea. I'm not saying this because I am a well known Claude-hater, Rena-fan, it's just Claude's story is weak in comparison to Rena's.

To begin with, even playing Claude's story, it all goes back into focus about Rena's mysterious past, and how it's her world they are saving. Even then, it might be a bit boring, because we can't really relate with Rena (since they made her act 5, instead of 17 like she is..) they could still do a flip-main character theme, where it's going between the two, and their point of views.
I also have an incredible dislike for all the pairings. I have always had my strong belief in Rena/Ashton. Though not a popular pair, I can't see him with Precis (which they make him adore), nor Celine (though she's better than Precis). I always imagined it as Precis/Leon, and Celine would be with practically anyone (I usually pick Noel though, who isn't even in the anime). They balant favouritism towards Claude/Rena really bugs me. I wouldn't mind so much if they made it develop, instead of "Omg Claude, it's episode 1, but I love you already!!" That just really gets to me.

A final bit is, this series ends in a HUGE cliffhanger. As in, it's in desperate need of a second season, but we'll never see it.
By this, I mean, the second disc is suppose to be season 2, but the creators cancelled finishing the series, and went on to better things (whatever the hell that might be).

Anyways, if you are a SO fan of any sort (be it 1, 2 or 3) you will probably like to see this. So1 fans, this is what happens after, So2 fans, this is what you all dreamed about, and So3 fans, this is why your game sucks.