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Typically, I write off most horror genre animes as lame attempts at an animated ghost story, however the depth of this one has far exceeded my expectations so far. Not only has the plot felt thick and sticky with depth as each episode seems to painfully pull away to one layer at a time, but the characters with their own fears play right into the mystery spreading vastly throughout as Kouichi searches for the truths which no one will tell him. Furthermore, this is not a horror anime without guts, by the 3rd episode it becomes apparent that as the truths become revealed ... bloodshed will occur (let me tell you its a good final destination one too :D).

I highly recommend this anime to anyone that can stomach some blood, and is into mystery / horror genre. You will be PLEASANTLY suprised and, like me, look forward to every minute of every episode, and wait impatiently for the next release.

@Gamejok3r

R-15 is pretty much an average if not slightly under average slice of life, school life, anime series which only excels in bringing a new level of Ecchi. The art is decent, characters are okay, story basically non-existant at times or quite weak. I typically at this point would go into more details about the series but that really about sums up this series unfortunately. I highly doubt that I will recommend this series, unless someone is really looking for some Ecchi school girl anime.

Rating 4/10

Posted by @GameJok3r

Phantom: Requim for the Phantom is an emotional and action packed roller coaster ride which keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout the series. Depicting the unsightly underbelly of the American Mafia and following the story of two assassins which work for them this anime depicts some strong emotions from rage to love and everything in between. The great plot keeps you thinking while the art and characters gives a grasp of realism to the world depicted in the story.

The plot deals with a wide variety of subjects but integrates them together neatly and never feels rushed or forced. There ... is a constant undercurrent constantly moving the story forward all while small story lines are finishing at the surface which keeps you waiting for the next episode. The anime keeps you guessing and does a great job drawing you into the story throughout as the action, deception, and depth constantly crescendos to the finale.

The art on the series has great depth down to the small details, the backgrounds and the scenaries. As you watch the anime you feel at times as if you are seeing from the eyes of the specialy trained assassins, constantly scanning the surroundings and picking up small objects and information that comes into play later. The characters are also well drawn, and the physics are portrayed evenly throughout the scenes.

The characters are balanced, well written, and progress throughout the series. As the plot moves the characters grow with the constantly moving plot. Though often showing a facade on the surface typically, this is what the series seems to be deep rooted in, that nothing is surface deep. The characters are each peeled back slowly revealing their true natures, wants, desires, and then once they are all used up they realize their mistakes, but maybe not always in time.

All aspects of this series was great, and the entertainment value was through the roof, however for me, the last 30 seconds of the final episode almost ruins it. Though it seems to be a foreshadowed event, it was just not my cup of tea. I would still HIGHLY recommend this series, and even have it on my watch again list.

Rating 9/10

Posted by @GameJok3r

Xam'd: Lost Memories

Overview

Akiyuki Takehara is a high school boy, whose biggest problems are his seperated parents, and his constant tardiness.  One day as he is, as usual, running late for the bus he comes in contact with a strange white haired girl who is trying to get onto the bus to the main city on Sentain Island.  Akiyuki helps the girl get on the bus, however it was that decision which would change his life forever.  Unknowingly to Akiyuki the girl detonates a strange devise and bestows a power upon him which is unlike anything else.  Unable to come to terms with this power, and ... loosing himself in the process Akiyuki has to find his new path in life as an Xam’d.

Review

Xam’d: Lost Memories is a compelling story which engroses the watcher in a constant barrage of science fiction, war, romance, and drama.  Though a large aray of elements present the series does an exquisit job of seemlessly blending them together for a Very Good series, however in my opinion not magnificent.

The plot is steady and constantly adjusting as the series progresses.  As the hero becomes more aware of what Xam’d is his journey in life begins to change, and you are dragged along for the action packed ride.  I felt that the writing and the directing were marvelously done allowing the watcher to become fully emersed in this great story.

The art was craftly exquisite from the futuristic sci fi vehicles, to the transformations, from the action packed fighting sequences, to the beautiful scenery and lighting.  I would have to say that it was graphically astounding from an anime standpoint.  I would of like to have seen a little bit of originality from the artist, though this being a more action, drama, romance series it probably would of felt a bit out of place so in this instance I think the artists went the right direction.

The characters were each unique and never lost themselves or their characters.  Each character was well written and played key roles in the unfolding of the mysteries of the Xam’d, and as Akiyuki progresses forward in his journey so does everyone else along with him in their own ways.  I do have to say however that in the english sub version their were a few characters that were very hard to even listen to as they acted out their lines, the emotion in their voices often not matching the feel of the scene or just general poor delivery of lines.

I was very entertained by this series and as mentioned above it performed very well by my main tenants of judging anime.  I would also like to say that the opening credits song must be one of, if not THE, best that I have come across so far.  Despite some few misses with me, that being, originality of artwork and poor voice overs, I still rate this very high.

Score: 8/10

Posted by @GameJok3r

Kamisama No Memo Chou is a very well written series, which exceeded my expectations in plot, art, and its characters. Though I was wowed by my original expectations based on plot summaries on MAL and Countdown.Mandragon, there were still a few draw backs to the series in the aspect of emotional attachment to the characters themselves.

The plot seemed pretty straight forward, however like any detective type series it was quite easy to get drawn into the story as you attempt to figure out the mysteries and root for the protagonists as they attempt to undo what they discover. It was well written as ... the series crescendo nicely as the characters grew, the action increased, and the stakes raised to a dramatic conclusion.

The art was good, and well drawn though it lacked orginality and flair. As you watched the series you will see the solid skills of the artists in their characters and their backgrounds, however it is missing that special something that could of made it a masterpiece. It is easy to get lost in the mix of the other animes out there as far as the art aspect goes.

The characters have a realistic relationship as their bonds grown stronger and stronger throughout the anime. This applies to all but Alice, as her hikikimori like condition was able to start a NEET detective agency, but as typical I digress.

Despite a few knit picky issues I had with this series I have to reitterate that it was surprisingly entertaining as well as a solid series, which I looked forward to weekly.

Rating 7/10

POSTED BY @GameJok3r

Ro-Kyu-Bu was an entertaining enough series though the plot was lack luster, and the humor was a bit hit or miss. The artwork was typical of a slice of life anime and lacked originality, though the quality was good.

The plot was straight forward enough and lacked depth, though the direction was good and made for a heart warming story at times. However, as the series progressed it became apparent that the linear direction of the series will cause viewers to lose interest, and I doubt I could sit through more than a few episodes at a time before becoming bored with lack luster ... plot. It seemed to me the ecchi aspect, panty shots, and awkward situations the characters are caught in is what the writers seem to think that those aspects would bridge the gaps where boredom arrives.

The art as mentioned above was of good quality, including the lighting, scenary, and fast motion animation. All seemed clean, crisp and fluid, however the originality was lacking. From my point of view there are a handful of slice of life animes which can compare or exceed this series graphically, and because of the lack of originality in this series it just seems to fall short of masterful in this area.

The characters are key in any slice of life anime and Ro-Kyu-Bu did not disappoint to capture the spirit of a harem. Though the harem was heavy on the younger sister type, that was completely due to circumstances laid out in the plot. The characters seemed to work well together, and you were able to see a little bit of Suburu’s personality in each of the other chacters making the relationships realistic.

All in all Ro-Kyu-Bu was an average series, I could recommend it to a few select people which are into loli, harem, and ecchi but aside from that it is a very selective fit.

Rating 5/10

POSTED BY @GameJok3r

The overall feel of this anime is similar to “Code Geass” in the personel struggle with the main character bridging the line between good and evil, black and white. Now that being said Kurogane No Linebarrels is a much shorter series with less twists and turns, a more simplified plot, and a less complex lead character. Nonetheless the series had a good entertainment value and pretty good action sequences.

The plot though pretty simple does keep its interest through a twist or two, character growth, character relationships, and the looming battles between mechs (Machinas and Armas). I found myself looking forward to Hayase’s ... growth in particular as he grew through his relationships, and battles, though as a character he was on the dumb side his nature to never give up somehow keeps you rooting for him and looking forward to his conquests. Due to these reasons the plot was overall average.

The art was clean and had good depth, however lacked orginality. Orginality to me makes all the difference from a good anime to a great anime, that being said I was not turned off by the artwork, it just wasent a masterpiece in my opinion. I was quite happy with the battle sequences and the clean transitions of lighting and affects. To me this made the artwork good overall.

The characters each had their own appeal, however their ability to truly connect to the audience and Hayese greatly lacked. As I watched the series I felt that Hayese was an outsider, even though they worked together and had relationships he did not match up with the other characters. I would site more specific examples however it would lead to spoilers for the series.

Despite its flaws I was very entertained in the simplicity of this short series. Due to this fact of sheer entertainment value I would still recommend this series…if other similarly related animes have already been watched that is.

Rating 5/10

POSTED BY @GameJok3r

No. 6 has a little bit of everything to appeal to many crowds, whether it be action, romance, suspense, or drama. This series had an entertaining plot, smooth art, unique characters, and strong emotions. I looked forward to every episode and am sad to have it come to an end.

The plot had a few twists and turns but followed a very focal point the intire series, although Shion constantly was analyzing his options the plot was focused. This gave the intire series direction and allowed the audience to generate opinions and scenarios to their objective. To me this gave more depth ... to the anime as you feel you are constantly looking at each situation and bit of information and relating it to No. 6.

The art was good, but not spectacular. In this pristine world I had hoped to see a more drastic difference from the inside of No 6 to the outside, also the backgrounds were often lined against the large wall of the city which sometimes felt like a cop out on the backgrounds line. Yes, I realize it is situated around a walled city, however I still felt depth lacked. Ex: Darker than Black revolved around a walled city yet there was a more expansiveness feeling artistically. The character movements, panoramic scenes, and lighting was very smooth and had feeling of realism to most of the shots.

The Characters were unique and all being affected by one of the best well contrived protagonists of anime, though more of an entity, the city itself. This unique form of evil causes the characters to progress at their own paces as they are confronted with bits and pieces of information and generate their own thoughts. From revenge, to sadness, to confirmationists all different types of people are protrayed and it is interesting to see what each conclusion / solution is generated.

To me No. 6 was a very entertaining and suspensful series which I highly recommend. All aspects of the series were very well blended to make this a great series of the 2011 year. I think this will be an anime to take up ranks with Deadman Wonderland as one of the years greats.

Rated 9/10

POSTED BY @GameJok3r

Ikoku Meiro No Croisee is a beautifully told story which was matched by a wonderful artistic flair, and an emotional roller coaster between the characters.

The plot, posted on MAL, told that Yune was brought to help out in 1800s France, and though it was correct the story took a far different twist then I thought it would. Instead of focusing on the struggles with a language barrier, different beliefs, food, and more it instead focused on the people. It is not that the series completely ignored those facts, it just transended the obvious, glazing over them and diving into how people of completely ... different worlds interact and grow. This fact made it much more interesting on a social and emotional level then focusing on the struggles could have ever done.

The art work was masterfully done. It was light and elegant just like Yune the small soft spoken Japanese girl. It was as if the artist was able to draw from the prospective of Yune, and tell the story through her eyes with his drawings. The buildings which depicted marvelous works of western architecture were beautifully reconstructed as if new just like they would have appeared in the 1800s. The soft lines made a realistic yet almost dreamlike world which I could only assume is exactly how a person from such a different place would describe it in words.

In Ikoku Meiro No Croisee the characters were key, because this story depicted their differences and how they could interact despite the vast cultural divide covering, foreign, peasant, commoner, and even the wealthy aristocratics. All of the cast was well depicted and you felt how they felt as they took common courtesies and traditions for granted, and slowly they began to realize that their courtesies and traditions are not shared by the world. As they grew together I felt as though my eyes were being opened outside my world as well as I grew a bit with them through them realizing their differences.

I really enjoyed this series all the way through however the final episode though showing great character growth seemed to leave alot of loose ends especially with a few key characters. I will do without more specifics than that as I do not want to spoil this artistic work of art for any of you out there looking into watching it. If you like sweet stories of relationships you will definitely enjoy this series.

Rating 8/10

POSTED BY @GameJok3r

Due to the fact that this anime focuses primarily on comedy I was a little hesitant in starting this series, however I was greatly surprised when this series kept its interest up for me all while sticking to its parady basis.

The art for this series was surprisingly good for a comedy, let alone any anime for that matter. The artists did a great job on creating moving backgrounds which captures the eye of the viewer and draws you into the scene even more. However, the backgrounds were barely used as a majority of this anime takes place in the student council room. ... Fear not for the characters of the student council were each beautifully drawn and their movements throughout were fluid and seamless.

The characters were each unique and filled all the particular slots needed for a true harem to Kens approval I am sure. The relationship between the characters steadily grows throughout the anime despite the girls utter disrespect towards Kens goal of forming the student council into his own personal harem they still grow closer as a group as they realize each others passions and feelings.

The plot of this anime is souly focused around the student council and their activities with a side plot of Kens Harem. This plot is very weak, yet through humorous chatter, a multitude of paradies (Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Death Note, Clannad, and many more), and the over all want of Kens dream to come true this series remains very entertaining. I found myself quickly finishing this anime.

The comedy of Seitokai No Ichizon was hillarious. The main reason I feel is not only because of the jokes themselves but also that each character is so well concieved that their personalities become part of each joke. This is somehow seamlessly done within just a few episodes that it amazed me how I was able to feel connected to the characters in such a short time, without background stories and just by watching and listening to the endless banter.

Due to the sheer volume of entertainment this anime provides I highly recommend this series and I look forward to season 2 which has been confirmed :D (http://www.ani.me/zine/anime/article/709/). However despite the entertainment value it does lack substance in plot and character progression, but hey…its a comedy…deal with it :D.

Rating 7/10

@GameJok3r

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