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"No one can be completely sure of their own will. Everyone is worried and confused and influenced by the ideas of people around them."

What if you stopped trying to meet your family's and society's expectations? Could you be sure you wouldn't end up just finding other impossible expectations to be met? That's what happens to Yukari Hayasaka in Paradise Kiss--she's unable to meet her family's expectations, and when that's too much for her and she finds an alternative life to live, she finds herself new expectations that she'll never be able to live up to, forcing her to change from within. She struggles to understand ... whether what she does is done of her own volition, or because it's what's expected of her.

I love this manga because it shows that there's so much potential in life. You really can just quit everything you're doing right now and find a new path. It's alarming how quickly Yukari's life changes, and it's scary to think about the repercussions of her leaving everything behind and gambling with her life. It's easy to get so caught up in everyday life that you don't even consider the richness of the world and the many choices in front of you. But there's this thing I've heard people say about solo travel or moving away from your hometown: no matter where you go, you're still you. She's still Yukari and still has to deal with the same identity problems she had before, even if she ran away from her past life and is in a different one now. She's still going to have problems, and she's still going to have to deal with them.

Yazawa's characterization of Yukari and those around her makes a rich, character-driven story. It's the characters that move this plot, and this plot moves at a startling pace. It's a short series that makes for a quick read, but the themes (self-actualization, familial and romantic relationships) will be staying with me.

"Don't think you can try to understand me. For some reason, humans try hard to understand others. But remember this: people will never completely understand each other." (Gendo Ikari to Shinji in ch. 29)

It's already hard to understand one's own heart. In the midst of all the confusion of war and terrifying revelations about his own role in carrying out that war, Shinji must figure out how to find the courage to pilot the dang Eva, but also the courage to try to understand others, despite the hurt it may bring him. The winding path to his self-understanding is enthralling--at least it was for me, ... because I love seeing freaky robo-monsters fighting freaky alien-monsters.

I'd recommend giving this a read if you want to understand the world of Evangelion better, especially characters' motivations that aren't totally clear or explained in the animated series and movies. Plus, it's one more alternate ending to the story of Shinji and the many other characters--and a lot of characters' relationships are very different compared to the animated versions! The world of Evangelion is so complex and there's so much to explore, so I think it's worth it to learn more about. The art is beautiful, the story struck me in a different way than the animated versions did, and for me, personally, this version offers the most satisfying ending. The themes of the story are explored more deeply and give a better understanding of what Hideaki Anno wanted to say with this story.

I still think that, like the animated versions, each read of this manga will leave you with a different impression, or different things will strike you differently each read. The original series can be a slog, but this was a pleasure to read.

Stories of survival are among those stories that Made in the Abyss is all about. Those stories like the Donner party, where you know it's bad to stare, but it's just so disgusting and so inhuman that you can't help but want to know more. It seems like every installment of Made in Abyss tells a story even more disgusting and unsettling, but even more enthralling that you can't look away.

This story is amazing and the new characters are involving, again the backgrounds are gorgeous and our main party's relationships deepen. The episodes flew by so quickly with how much I was interested in how ... it would end. The way the story was told, the story in the past paralleling the story of our current heroes and then having the two stories intersect, is one of my favorite ways of storytelling.

Again, we have the recurring theme of tortured loli trapped in a strange body. I'm wondering if season 3 will give us some new tortured loli trapped in a new horrifying body--if that does happen, the rest of the story better be damn good, because it's getting tiring and I don't feel so much empathy for the lolis anymore. But I looked past it last time and I'll look past it again because I love the main characters and the Abyss is such a neat backdrop.

It was a fun watch.

You can get through the first season of Made In Abyss still questioning why so many people are outraged by the show. This is where I start agreeing with people that something's up. It feels like cute little girls are invented, brought into this world and introduced to us just for them to suffer. It would inspire emotion, but it's so obvious that Prushka was invented just to suffer that I didn't feel much of anything at all. I liked the character, but come on. Enough. Enough loli torture.

That said. The movie was really good. The character of Bondrewd is very interesting, and so are ... his powers, and his motivations. At times he seems genuinely good. You can tell that like the real people who do bad things, he's convinced that what he's doing is right and good.

The loli torture is bearable--only because the rest of the show is amazing. I would urge people to look past the sh*tting and pissing and sad little girls being put through hell, but I completely understand why some people are unable to do so.

This is one of those shows where it's tough to recommend to others because of a few questionable scenes and lines. There's some controversy around presenting children as the main characters of stories with complex themes that can become mature themes, as well. I think the show does a really good job of reconciling the fact that children exist in a mature world, a dangerous world, where they can and will be subject to hardships and difficulty, just as adults.

The world of Made in Abyss is rich, verdant and bright--but just as much as it is beautiful, it is cruel. The Abyss gives and takes, ... and is a major character in this story, being the subject of many legends and sayings, and treated as a living being. The mystery surrounding it and its treasure which is only accessible to those ready to give themselves up to the Abyss' curse are huge components to the story and make the fantasy world of this anime so much fun to learn about. I can't wait to learn more about the Abyss' curse and see how the characters will handle it in future additions to the story.

A really great adventure anime, beautiful art, great character relationships.

Okay, so this is definitely a harem, but that doesn't mean it's bad to enjoy it. The apparitions and demons and such are interesting, and how Araragi and Oshino get rid of them is fun to watch. The fanservice is cringe and it's really obvious that every girl exists either to fall in love with Araragi or to turn him on, but I'm willing to let that go. The animation is beautiful, and I liked the story.

I didn't enjoy it as much as I did when I had watched it when I was younger, because now I'm painfully aware of the fanservice and the lack ... of additional male characters.

Senjougahara is not my favorite character, I don't think she's very interesting after the first few episodes in the series and I don't find her relationships with other characters to be convincing.

If you want to enjoy this anime, much like many other shows, you're going to have to be ready to overlook some things--the fanservice (unless you're into that), the motives behind why characters do what they do, etc. It's still very enjoyable and visually interesting. The voice actors also did a very good job. It's not the masterpiece that some people make it out to be (in my opinion) but I enjoyed it anyway.

How can computers "fall in love" if they're programmed to obey? Is that love? Chobits is visually beautiful, light enough that it doesn't feel heavy to watch, and has likeable characters and interesting side-plots that help you get to know the world of the series. But it leaves so much unanswered and instead takes the easy and simple route, choosing a romantic ending.

This is definitely a series for men, especially uncritical men who want to see a beautiful girl (not that it's a problem, I enjoyed the beautiful girls too). Every female character is attractive, but they do have some depth, mostly through their back ... stories, not through their personalities. But a show with such beautiful animation and music is a show to be watched and loved. This is my third or fourth time seeing it and in the future I'll probably come back to it, even if the ending is unsatisfying.

The art style is so beautiful, and you can tell that Ai Yazawa knows her stuff when it comes to fashion, because the outfits are phenomenal. Each character, not just the female characters, has their own sense of style and dress really well. This is one of the few romance anime I've seen with any sort of suspense around the plot. I was sincerely worried for the characters' fates, and I had no idea what would happen! It was a feeling I'm not used to when it comes to romantic anime.

There are things I don't agree with. I really dislike that the anime didn't treat ... George and Yukari's relationship like the manga did. I very much dislike stories that depict men treating women badly, and women being so desperate for an abusive man's love that they forego their own human dignity, their own likes and dislikes, their own lives, etc. Abusive men deserve to be shown in a negative light. George was hot, but he was abusive, and there's nothing that can change that.

Whatever. The anime is so beautiful to look at that I really didn't care if George was a butthead. The voice acting was very good, as well. Please watch it in the original Japanese if you can; the Japanese voice actors are talented and play their characters perfectly.

It didn't give me the same heart-melting sweetness that a true shoujo romance would give, but it also had an element of surprise and a mature outlook that only a josei could get away with. I enjoyed watching, but if I ever do feel the need do revisit these characters and their story, I'll do so with the manga. I'd rather have it the way Ai Yazawa wanted it than in this way, where George gets to gracefully exit stage after being a jerk, and we don't even get to see Tokumori (Who I greatly preferred!) with Yukari.