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Ok, to be honest I've only seen the first episode of this series. I had heard a lot of good things about it and wanted to see what all the hype was about. Needless to say, I was very disappointed.

The first episode of this anime was full of everything that I hate about anime. It starts out with an obscene amount of violence and gratuitous nudity and then segues into one giant plot device riddled with cliches. Even having seen just the first episode, I can already tell where the story is going. It's obvious that the crazy psychic chick killed the main character's ... family and that he has conveniently forgotten. It is equally as obvious that he will fall in love with the crazy girl and continue to love her even after he remembers the truth. This poor storytelling combined with the inevitable fan service and harem overtones made it impossible for me to even consider continuing on with the rest of the show.

Maybe I'm being shortsighted about this anime, but I have honestly never watched anything that I dislike as much as I dislike the first episode of Elfen Lied. There is nothing that could convince me to watch the rest of this show. Nothing about it captured any portion of my interest whatsoever.

I would not recommend this anime to anyone. Ever.

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann is a coming of age story. Not of just one person, but of humanity as a whole. Equipped with the spiraling power of evolution and a mysterious robot, a young boy and his badass "older brother" burst from the depths of the Earth and set out on a journey to change the universe.

It's hard to say too much about this anime without giving away parts of the story, so I'll just tell you the most important thing, this anime is perhaps the most epic thing ever created. Period.

Story-10
Gurren Lagann's story is a thing of beauty. This is a story that ... would be entertaining in any form, any form at all. It's just a huge bonus that someone decided to turn it into an anime. The plot has everything: action, humor, romance, grief, mechas, hot anime girls, super-manly men, and super epicness. It also has some of the best dialogue that I've ever heard. Trust me, you will be quoting from this show.

Art-10
The art for this show can seem pretty crazy at times. There's speed lines and distortions everywhere, but the style really fits the story and adds to the feeling of out of control action. I loved the character designs and the mechs looked amazing. This show is a real eye pleaser.

Sound-10
Ok, sound is not something I really pay too much attention to when I watch anime. Aside from the opening and ending songs I'm usually to engrossed by the show to worry about sound effects and the like. However, Gurren Lagann really made me sit up and listen. The opening and ending songs are the same through the whole series, which is pretty rare for a 27 episode production. Both songs are great, but what really caught my attention were the in-show songs, for the characters and for the background music during important moments. This is an anime that you definitely want to really listen to.

Character-10
This is probably the area where Gurren Lagann shines the most. While some of the characters are over the top and there are even some that I downright abhor, for the most part the members of team Gurren are an inspiring bunch of people. The show really does a great job of showing the development and relationships of the characters. The main character especially undergoes an amazing amount of character development. It should be almost impossible to not like at least one character in this show.

Enjoyment-10
Obviously I really loved the show. Gurren Lagann had me shivering with excitement almost the entire time. The pure epicness of this show forced me to come write a review about it as soon as I finished it, just to get down all the intense feelings that were felt as I watched it. Unfortunately it's hard for me to convey how amazing this anime is. Needless to say, if you haven't seen it you should go watch it immediately. Like now.

Overall-10 (Obviously)

This is my first review blah blah blah...

Kiraboshi!!

Star Driver: Kagayaki no Takuto is a story about a bunch of high school kids with crazy colored hair fighting fighting each other with giant robots. Takuto, the fearless red leader fights the evil circus show called the Glittering Crux to stop them from taking over the world and ruining the Island Maidens lives. Using his super overpowered, unbeatable mecha (and support from his theater club friends) he fights a different reject Crux member every week; defeating them in glorious bishounen fashion. Despite its obvious story flaws I found comfort in the "monster of the week" approach that ... the series took. It reminded me of a super steroid filled version of power rangers.

Story 8
As I've stated the story is slightly repetitive and the first time I watched the series I found the it hard to follow. It leaves many unanswered questions until the very end. However the answers to these questions are somewhat surprising and create good character development. I'm not a huge fan of the ending to this anime, because it seems to reach a resolution so fast and because it is pretty predictable. I did enjoy much of the show's humor when it was there and the show's serious side was never too melodramatic. There are a few anime cliches and some yaoi fanservice, which is kind of a turn off, but for the most part the plot flows fairly well and creates an interesting story.

Art 9
I really liked the art in this series. Everything from character design to backgrounds was amazing. The action sequences were also very well done and flowed smoothly. Emotions and body language are also portrayed well. I especially liked the use of color and tone to set the mood for a scene.

Sound 9
Openings and Endings for Star Driver are great. Gravity 0 by Aqua Timez is a great song and it went great with the animation. There are also 4 in-show songs sung by the Maidens. These are normally sung preceding an epic mecha fight and serve to set the mood. I really enjoyed all four Maiden songs and thought they were a great addition to the anime. The voice acting is also very well done though there are some pretty ridiculous sounding voices, particularly in the Glittering Crux.

Characters 9
The characters of Star Driver aren't particularly unique. There's the main character that all the girls love. He's outgoing and you can't help but like him. Then there's the female lead who's super happy and beloved by all. The villains start out as typical bad guys, out to rule with world using their giant robots. However, the anime does a wonderful job of fleshing out many of the villains by showing their everyday lives and motivations. My favorite character by far is Shindo Sugata. He's the main character's friend and a super badass... watch the anime and you'll agree with me, he's a beast.

Enjoyment 10
Star Driver is show that sucks you in. Not with its story but with everything else it does. The first time i watched it was for the two minutes of epic mecha fight every episode. The second time was for the story. And guess what? It was great both times. I would recommend this anime to pretty much anyone. It has something for everyone and it's wonderful show.

Overall 9