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School Days is an infamous anime, which usually get a lot of hate. However, this show (unlike others hated anime, like Pupa or Hametsu no Mars) has a lot of fans. It's not my intention to convince people that this anime is objectively bad, and I have nothing against its fans. In this review, I just want to explain where I think that School Days failed not only as a deconstruction, but also as a piece of media.

Story: 4/10
The first half of the story is nothing more than your typical love triangle, but it's solid. However, the second half is terrible. Honestly, ... I can't understand if School Days took itself too seriously, or it was never intended to be serious. The second half of the story is that edgy, that it was impossible for me to take it seriously. The ending is satisfaying, but (I'm not spoiling) the way nobody of the characters cared about what happened in the end was really unrealistic. The yacht scene in the last episode was so absurd that I couldn't stop laughing.
Another problem that I have with this anime is that it flips into a completely different genre. It will be way better if School Days tried to be a typical but a good developed and realistic love triangle, than a bad, unrealistic and laughable deconstruction of a different genre.

Art: 3/10
The art style is mediocre, but the directorial choises and the animation are simply appaling. This show has the highest amount of weird camera angles I've ever seen. Also, it's understandable that this show had a really low budget, but it didn't even try to look decent. Look at the backgrounds in the first episode: when I first watched it, I felt like this anime tried to look awful.

Sound: 7/10
Probably the only thing I liked in this anime. The japanese dub and the OSTs are fine and the OP and the EDs are really catchy.

Characters: 4/10
The only good characters in this anime are Kotonoha and Sekai. Makoto is considered by many School Days fans a really good developed character, but I disagree. He's realistic and had a little development, however he's never fully explored and he's pretty bland. I feel like he's remembered by anime community only because of his actions, to be honest. However, my biggest is issue with School Days are the supporting characters, especially the female cast. They all have litterally the same development, the same characterization and they act in the same way. It's absolutely not realistic.

Enjoymenr: 3/10
The first half of the story is fine but really, really boring. The second half is still boring and it's also a lot worse in terms of story and characterization, but it's that absurd and unrealistic that it became somehow funny.

Overall: 4/10
School Days is a really boring and a too edgy and unrealistic show, IMHO. The idea of a deconstruction was pretty cool, but it was really poorly executed. Maybe the original VN is better.

"Hagane no Renkinjutsushi: Fullmetal Alchemist", aka "Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood" is the second anime adaptation of the FMA manga. Unlike the first anime series, Brotherhood follows faithfully the original material. It's considered a masterpiece and an amazing adaptation by many people, but I disagree.

Story: 8/10
The plot is really grandiose: in the beginning the story focuses only on the Elric brothers, but then a lot of new characters are introduced. There are no real plot holes, but sometimes the story can be really predictable, especially during the last arc. The ending felt artificial and saccharine. The beginning is pretty bad too: the first ... episode is a poorly written filler, and the first 14 episodes cut away two chapters. Also, the world building isn't as good as people say: in fact, we know nothing about all the countries introduced in the story (like Xing or Drachma), except Amestris.

Art: 7/10
The art style is similar to the manga one, but it didn't work as well as the original. It feels lifeless and the bright colors don't fit he dark tone of the story. The backgrounds are really bland. However, the animation is fluid and the CGI is fine for a 2009 anime.

Sound: 6/10
I liked the OPs and the EDs, but the OST is pretty forgettable and the same soundtracks (like Lurking) are reused in almost every episode. The japanese dub is really good.

Characters: 8/10
Like I said before, FMAB has a solid cast, but not as much as the manga. Also, there are too many characters, and because of that the main character doesn't have enough screen time to grow as a person. The brotherhood between him and Alphonse is never explored.

Enjoyment: 9/10
Despite it being inferior to the manga, I really enjoyed Brotherhood. It wasn't really emotional or anything and the themes aren't very well explored, but I just couldn't stop watching it. The only things that I really didn't like were the first and the last arc, the way the main character was left aside and the cheap comedy.

Overall: 8/10
FMAB is a very good anime, but it's not the best out there. It's vastly inferior to the original manga and it doesn't excel in anything. If you're new to the franchise I recommend to watch FMA 2003 + Shamballa first, and only then to read the manga or to watch Brotherhood.

Elfen Lied is probably the most controversial anime of all time. I first watched it years ago and loved it. After years, I decided to rewatch this show because I didn't remember that much about it. These are my impressions.

Story: 6/10
Elfen Lied focuses on the Diclonius, a mutated species. The main character, Lucy, is one of them. She manages to escape from a built for experimentation, but she's hurted in the process and she developes a secondary personality. Then she's found by Kouta and Yuka, two locals. The plot is really nothing special, nor unique. Things often happen just because the plot ... need it. Also, in the end a lot of things are left unexpleined: the manga wasn't finished yet when the anime was aired, and because of that the studio decided to stop the production and to make an anime original ending. However, there aren't many plot holes, and the story is pretty solid.

Art: 5/10
The art style is very generic, but the animation and the CGI are pretty good for such an old anime. I really liked the colorful palette: the use of colors is usually really good, especially near the end of the show.

Sound: 10/10
The soundtrack is easily one of the best I ever heard, and not only in anime. I recently started the manga, and the OST just comes to mind everytime I read it. Also, I loved the opening and the ending.

Characters: 5/10
The characters have an interesting backstory and good introspection moments, but they too often act weird. Kouta is a really bland, forgettable and unrealistic character. Also, a lot of characters are completely useless.

Enjoyment: 5/10
Elfen Lied tries to explore a lot of themes, but it never goes in depth. Sometimes, it feels edgy just for the sake of it. Some parts are really unrealistic, and I was often bothered because of that. Also, there are a lot of laughable errors in directing. At the same time, some parts are really emotional. Also, I loved every moment passed in Yuka's restaurant, when we can see the characters interact between each other and their life. Those moments of kindness and love are just so beautiful!

Overall: 5/10
Elfen Lied is far from perfect, but it's not terrible. It's nothing more than a pretty forgettable, average and edgy anime, in my opinion. I think that I still like it, mostly because of nostalgia. However, I still recommend Elfen Lied, especially to people who are new to anime. It's really controversial, and I think that everybody should watch it. Maybe you will love it, maybe not.