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"If there's something strange, in the neighborhood, who you gonna call?"

Bad news everyone, your parents lied to you (it's OK, mine did too). The Boogeyman does exist, there are things that go bump in the night, and yes, there probably was a monster living in your closet when you were a kid. No worries though, for when the bumps in the night start to get a little louder (don't get out of the car you fool!), you've got somebody watching your back to send the creatures of the night back to their holes in the ground. Sam and Dean Winchester, brothers who ... have faced it all: ghosts and vampires, werewolves and shapeshifters, witches and demons, even cannibalistic killers clowns (better watch you back IT). Based on the (fairly) popular American television series, Supernatural: The Animation isn't the most exceptional anime out there, but it is a faithful adaptation and a solid addition to the genre of horror anime.

Story:
Traveling from town to town in their '67 Chevy Impala, the brothers hunt what lives in the shadows while searching for their missing father and the yellow-eyed demon who killed their mother years before. The anime takes plot points and even whole episodes from the television series' first two seasons and arranges them into a 22 episode format. While the story may be somewhat confusing at first for newer viewers, it does start to get stronger and more focused as the series goes on, eventually tying up the story where the second season of the TV series ends. Anime-original episodes are also present and help to keep things fresh for older fans, even if they don't bring much new substance to the table. Unfortunately, with half as many episodes as the seasons it is based off of, the anime is forced to lose or change around a lot of details, which, while not affecting a newer viewer's experience, may peeve fans of the show. Overall however, Supernatural: The Animation does a good job of getting it's foot in the door with newer viewers looking to see what the show is about, but for those looking for a richer experience in the world of Supernatural, I recommend watching the television series instead.

Character:
Our two main characters of course are Sam and Dean, who viewers follow throughout the entirety of the brothers' hunt for both their father and the yellow-eyed demon. Strong emphasis is placed on the relationship between the two and their development over the course of their journey. Ultimately, although it may sound cliche', the series ends up being less about killing monsters and the hunt for revenge, and more about how the bonds of family can get one through any sort of Hell they might face. Side characters like Bobby, the boy's father, and of course the yellow-eyed demon also make the transition to 2-D, but don't get too much fleshing out. Aside from that, characters are pretty much limited to one episode without much significance to the overall story.

Art:
Madhouse really delivers with this one. The art style used with S:TA is unlike any other series I have seen, alternating between darker color palettes and bright, vibrant backgrounds with ease. The animation is pretty clean and never really seems to drop off in quality. Additionally, the character designs match the characters from the series well (although for some reason they decided to make Bobby look like a bloated frog) and have a certain feel of realism about them in spite of the fact that it is animated. The creatures look just plain freaky and there is actually a surprising amount of well-done blood and gore in the series as well.

Sound:
While the anime unfortunately lacks the classic rock that really serves as the soul of the TV series, it does manage to snag the vocal talents of Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles who play Sam and Dean in the television series (the Japanese version also features the voice actors of Sam and Dean in the Japanese dub of Supernatural). I watched the English dub and, while it certainly was by no means bad, it never really stood out either. The best part of the sound section for this anime though is that the producers managed to snag Carry On Wayward Son, the series unofficial theme song, as the ending (Kansas haters will just have to deal with that). In that aspect, it shows how big of fans the Japanese are of Supernatural, and for that much, I am thankful.

Enjoyment:
Despite having already seen the TV series, I still managed to enjoy the anime. The change in format allowed for things not possible in a television series to come to life through art, and it also reminded me how much I loved the first two seasons of the series.

In the end, despite the fact that my bias may be showing, Supernatural: The Animation gets an 7/10 from me. Although it does lack the depth and length of the television series, older viewers still are met with a fairly fresh viewing experience while newer viewers can get a taste of what the television series is all about. S:TA is a solid addition to the disappointingly small genre of horror anime, and in spite of not being perhaps "jump in your seat" scary, it does have some pulse-pounding moments and will please fans of well-done (not over-the-top) gore.

Knowing that Sam and Dean are out there on the lookout, all I have left to say is this:
"I ain't afraid of no ghosts!"

Ladies and gentlemen, Birdy is back! And this second entry (or third depending on if you include the original OVA series) in the Birdy franchise certainly is a much different entity than the one that viewers encountered in the first season. The second season kicks off with a bang and a surprisingly high amount of gore not seen in the first season. These first few moments end up setting the tone for the rest of the season, which is much darker and more mature than the first.

The pacing of the story, which was somewhat slow and drawn out in the first ... series, feels a lot tighter and more focused this time around. The plots initially feels similar due to the continued central focus on the Ryunka, but as the series progresses and with the introduction of Birdy’s childhood friend Nataru, a lot more focus is on the characters and their development. The fights and intense action that appeal to adrenaline junkies like myself are thankfully still present and still play a pretty significant role, with the action being much grander and surprisingly violent and gory at times this time around.

While Tsutomu clearly was the main protagonist of the first series, this time around it is evident that attention has greatly shifted over to Birdy, with Tsutomu’s actions and relationships taking a back seat. This ends up being a lot more unique and engaging as the viewer is treated to a significant amount of fleshing out of Birdy’s character while also getting a lot more insight on the inner workings of both her role and development as a Federation officer and the Federation itself (in the end though is it really all that surprising that the story of “your average male high school student” is less interesting than the story of a super-powered intergalactic police officer?).

The show’s writers did not forget the events of the first season, with the sight of the Ryunka-decimated Roppongi ruins being a constant reminder of the friends, family, and homes lost during the conclusion of Tetsuwan Birdy Decode, further contributing to the more serious overtone of the second season. This is not to say that the second season is entirely depressing and dark. The lighthearted and comedic moments that were more prevalent in the first season do surface from time to time and are just as enjoyable, they just don't occur as often.

In spite of my above praise for the more developed plot in this season, there was one facet of the story that I have an almost unforgivable problem with:

The ending

Now this is not to say that I have a problem with the direction that the story took, I actually quite liked it. What I am talking about here is that Tetsuwan Birdy Decode:02 has quite possibly one of the most open-ended conclusions of any series that I have ever seen, it really felt like the story just sort of dropped out at the end. This is mostly due to the fact that the source material at the time was not completed, thus there was no more story to be animated. However, this leaves only a few questions that were raised during the first season sufficiently answered and the apparent main villain, Christella Revi, has yet to make an appearance for longer than 30 seconds. Seeing as how it as already been over two years since this season aired, it is becoming more and more unlikely that a third, conclusive series will ever be in the works. Even though I really enjoyed Birdy, if you desire solid conclusions in your anime, then you may want to stay away from this one.

As I said before, characterization is much more present in this second incarnation and it really does serve to drive the story almost as much as the action does. By means of “flashbacks,” the viewer is finally given the opportunity to see a lot more about the events and people that shaped Birdy’s character and how, despite being a biologically engineered war machine, she still has normal thoughts, desires and emotions like any person. For the most part, Tsutomu gets pushed toward the back of the action this season much like Birdy was in the first and thus plays a much smaller role this time around. Those times when he does resurface and give his two cents though, it’s amazing to see how much he has matured and grown as a character. As for significant character development, that is about it I’m afraid. The introduction of Nataru and the Ryunka escapees does keep the rest of the cast from feeling stagnant and uninteresting as it seems that, along with Tsutomu, most of his friends have also become pretty insignificant to the story and do not add much this time around, despite still being featured pretty heavily.

I found the art for the first season to be absolutely amazing and this second season certainly did not disappoint. The artwork this time around is much more refined and the artists work the darker tone very well. The characters are all drawn beautifully, the backgrounds were detailed and interesting and the fight scenes looked spectacular. The one criticism is that, much like the first season, there are periods of clunkiness and a marked drop in quality for some of the fight scenes. This clearly was intentional, as a certain distinct impression was supposed to be left on the viewer during these moments. However at times it worked for me and I really enjoyed the contrast that could be made, while at other times I desired the cleanliness and attention to detail evident throughout the rest of the series. In spite of this, Birdy is still hands down one of the most visually appealing series I have ever seen.

Musically, Tetsuwan Birdy Decode:02 also has a much more mature tone. Not that I didn’t enjoy the music of the first season, it is just a matter of that it was more lighthearted and peppy, while the new opening and ending themes were much more in line with the smooth, refined feel of the second season. The opening theme, “Kiseki” by Nirgilis was delightfully grand sounding and the accompanying animation meshed perfectly, while the ending theme “Tane” by pop trio No3b sounded smooth and uplifting.

Additionally, I would like to mention that for those of you viewers out there who are fans of good English dubs, Birdy has one of the best ones to come out in recent years. And for those of you fans of the original Japanese version, it is also one to be applauded. In particular, Saeko Chiba does an rather great job as Birdy and her pop idol counterpart Shion Arita.

Despite an incredibly open-ended conclusion, the more focused storyline of the second season and the excellent artwork are good reasons to give this title a try. If you disliked the first season’s slow, easygoing pace or are unfamiliar with the Birdy franchise I believe that you will be in for quite a treat, at least visually if nothing else, if you give this one a chance as it has some sort of appeal for all viewers.

This is itsthatguy signing off, saying you stay classy MAL users

Amagami SS was an initially intriguing series for the reason that it tries to set itself apart from its peers in the popular "harem romantic comedy" genre by taking out the "harem" aspect and applying it in a way not typically seen in anime. With a touch of realism added in, Amagami does do a fairly good job in its endeavor, however this isn't to say the show isn't without its flaws.

In harem anime the main focus of the story often times ends up revolving around the question of "Who exactly is the protagonist going to end up with?" Amagami SS does completely ... away with this question by simply answering "All of them!" In doing so, Amagami removes all of the love polygons, misunderstandings, and unrequited feelings common in harem anime and instead presents the viewer with six different stories of a boy and a girl meeting, getting to know each other, and then further developing their relationship into perhaps something more. And in the long run, these shorter stories are much more realistic than their 24 episode counterparts. It's far more believable that, as opposed to our dopey male protagonist having five or six girls fawning for him at once for ridiculous reasons, he instead has to actually put some time and effort into getting to know each girl and developing a relationship with them before romance can occur. Additionally, each storyline differs a pretty fair amount from the other ones so that each feels fresh and the viewer isn't left watching recycled material.

There is one problem with this format however. With six girls and only 25 episodes to develop relationships in, each arc consists of only four episodes. Unfortunately four episodes turns out to be not enough time to really flesh out the characters or make the plots exceptionally deep. And with a portion of each episode set aside for superficial cameos by the other main, arc-irrelevant girls, even less time is available. There are nice romantic developments and the comedy for the series was actually a pretty good feature, but there isn't ever much drama or deep emotional issues or problems. Even by cutting one character's arc (viewer insert least favorite girl here) and giving the other girls one more episode, a lot more meat could have been added to the stories. Of course this show is something of an advertisement for the visual novel so removing one of the heroines was probably a no-no to begin with.

Now I've never played a visual novel before, but the animation in Amagami certainly did a good job at times of really giving off that first-person visual novel feel to it. The overall animation was pretty good as well. Granted there weren't exactly many difficult scenes to draw, but the animators did do a great job of making the day to day scenes look bright and visually appealing. My favorite part of the animation however, was the character designs. Amagami as a whole was refreshing for me because it was presented as a more realism-based series and the designs fit the theme well. We don't have girls with doe eyes or hair the color of all of the crayons in the box here, but typical browns and blacks. Their hair styles are different to help aid with identification but for the most part the viewer is actually required to get to know the girls' personalities for identification as opposed to just hair colors.

As for the girls themselves, they were just as diverse as their stories and hair styles. We see variance in age and demeanor and thus variance in each girl's interaction with our male lead Junichi who, aside from perhaps being slightly more perverted than other leads and having no interests of his own which allows him all the time in world to help and interact with each girl, is nothing special. It really is interesting to see the differing interactions between each girl and Junichi and watch each girl's character development as the arc goes on. Unfortunately, the multi-story approach does limit the amount of fleshing out of each character and it becomes more than a little frustrating to continuously finish an arc and then begin a new one with completely reset characters.

(Off the record, I won't say who my favorite girls are but my favorite pairing has got to be Hibiki and Haruka. In the other arcs their background interactions and Odd Couple feel provided my favorite humor in the series.

I was a fan for the most part of the music that was served up in Amagami. The opening themes were both fun and relaxed while the endings were as mixed of a bag as the girls. Some were more energetic and loud while others were slower and more refined. They all were quite distinct and for me ranged from "meh" to "really good." The voice acting was also good, with a pretty nice combination of veterans and newer voices.

So in the end I have to say that Amagami SS is actually a pretty unique and entertaining "harem" romance comedy. It's only drawback is that it focuses more on being savory than having sustenance, so while each arc will go down easily, the series as a whole won't leave a lasting effect of satisfaction on the viewer. Despite this, it does have some nice romance, some pretty odd but above standard comedy, and is an enjoyable watch, so I thoroughly recommend it.

When it comes to watching anime, I really consider myself more of a marathon runner than a sprinter. Usually I like to take my time and watch a couple of shows simultaneously, so 24 episode series usually take me like 3 or 4 months to finish. Therefore it’s something of a testament to how much I liked Toradora! that I wound up finishing it in a mere 12 days.

Admittedly after watching the first episode I wasn’t overly impressed with the prospects for Toradora! It seemed like it would be a show with a slightly unique take on the rom-com if nothing else ... and be pretty good. And the first few episodes in the series were very funny and enjoyable but didn’t particularly stand out. It’s a slice of life/school life series so there isn’t really much in the way of a linear plot but as the series goes on you see the character interactions start to become more significant and the comedy takes a backseat in order for more serious issues and developments to be brought up. The more I watched, the more interested I became in watching how the characters interacted and how the story progressed.

What was great about Toradora! then was that it started off as a light-hearted tale of two misunderstood love-struck teenagers but developed into a great story about growing up and finding your place in the world, even if you are a dragon looking for understanding and acceptance in a world where people think that you want to eat them because of your intimidating appearance. Personally I love shows that start off with a comedic tone and get more serious as they progress so this was a huge plus for me, plus it had some of the most touching and (Tora)dorable moments of any anime I’ve seen.

For a slice of life/romance story with a fairly tried-and-true plot to stand out, there tends to be a need for a strong base built in your characters in order to set yourself apart. This was probably the best aspect of the show because all of the characters were unique, flushed out, and on the whole very likable. All of the characters were stood out in this anime and I can even say that down to the supporting characters I enjoyed everyone in Toradora!

In order to see a prime example of why the characters are so great and unique in Toradora!, all we need do is take a look at Ryujii, one of our love-struck protagonists. Although he has the eyes of a delinquent, which leads people to think that he is a bad person, in all actuality he is one of the kindest, most caring people you could ever meet. This theme of initial superficial appearances being different from what lies beneath is eventually applied to all of our main characters as the story progresses, which becomes the most interesting, realistic, and gripping part of Toradora! As we are given characters who, over the course of the show, have good development and display a wide range of motivations and emotions.

The best example of this would probably be a tie between Minori, Taiga’s best friend and Ryujii’s crush, and Ami, Kitamura’s childhood friend and a stupid Chihuahua (at least in Taiga’s eyes). Minori started off as the sunshine of the show and brought about some of the best comedy in the series. As the story progressed though, she became gloomy and distant, and her actions seemed totally out of character. This total change of character and the reasons behind it was one of the aspects of the story that made me frustrated and confused but also kept me interested and made me want to keep watching to discover the reason. As for Ami, when she was first introduced I figured that she was there to be the bitchy, prissy, “everybody look at me girl,” which she was for a while. Once again though as the story progressed she showed that she was the most emotionally perceptive character and that even for someone who seems so mature and has the world figured out, it turns out that she’s just a normal, confused high school kid trying to find her way in life like the rest of them. The only person who really didn’t seem to stand out to me in terms of character growth or development was Kitamura, Ryujii’s best friend and Taiga’s crush, who seemed mostly to be there for comedic effect in the end.

Moving on to the main protagonists I have to say that they were also very unique and showed some great depth as well. Ryujii’s struggles with managing school, household chores, while at the same time trying not to be perceived as a delinquent were very realistic and I liked his generally kind and caring personality. In addition to that his growth and maturity over the course of the series really developed nicely and he certainly impressed me as a character. In regards to Taiga initially I have to say I was not very thrilled. She seemed like she was going to be your typical tsundere with the whole “I’m your master so quit being a perverted dog” relationship with Ryujii for 25 episodes (her being voiced by Rie Kugimiya certainly didn’t help this case either). Yet as the story went on you see that perhaps she is just socially awkward and doesn’t like her life of being feared and alone. When you hear about some of the stuff that has happened to her you really have to sympathize. Not since watching Fruits Basket have I seen parents be such assholes to their children like Taiga’s were to her. Her developed background over the course of the series really made me like her more and her relationship with Ryujii grew and developed nicely from what it was at the start of the series. Plus, she loves Christmas. My stance is that anyone who like Christmas is alright with me.

The art for Toradora! was absolutely fantastic. When at first I wasn’t particularly impressed by the story, the art kept me coming back. Throughout the series it was always consistently great but then at times it seemed like the animators said, “You know what? Let’s make the next scene look awesome,” and would then proceed to do so. Sometimes it was only subtle effects but it was enough to make me love Toradora! for, if nothing else, how unique and impressive it looked. I have seen other J.C. Staff works and I have to say they really brought their A-game for this production because it looks like none of their other works I’ve seen or anything else I’ve ever seen for that matter.

The voice acting in Toradora! was really fantastic as well. It’s a pretty experienced and well-known cast who I felt all did great, although I particularly enjoyed Yui Horie’s performance as the super-weird and energetic Minori. When it comes to theme pieces in anime I’m pretty easy to please. But surprisingly for a show that I loved so much I did not like the theme music at all. Once again the show was unique in this aspect because the music was like nothing else I’d ever heard before. Unfortunately for the most part this meant that I just skipped over them or blanked them out, with the exception of the first ending, “Vanilla Salt” sung by Yui Horie, which is actually one of my favorite anime pieces of all time now.

In the end all I can say is that I couldn’t possibly recommend Toradora! any more. If you’ve dropped it I say go pick it back up. If you plan on watching it I say go start right now. There are some things about it that people aren’t going to like, it’s going to be the same for all media and I for one can acknowledge what some of these aspects might be. However for a show that I enjoyed so much there is no possible way that I couldn’t completely recommend it. Worst case scenario you waste a few hours of your time and walk away with a nasty taste in your mouth. However it seems like there's a good chance you’ll walk away after finishing Toradora! having watched a great series.

I watched this OVA before I saw season 2 of Birdy: Decode so I was helped out as I entered into the second season. At the time I watched it though I didn't know how helpful it was actually going to be when making the transition.

The story seemed to lack any real punch, like it knew it was just supposed to bridge the first and second season and didn't have much real substance, which is fine for an OVA. A few season 2 plot points got set into motion which was nice and it did somewhat answer my question of how relevant Nakasugi ... would be in the second season, which is seemingly not very relevant at all. A couple of new characters got introduced but nothing along the lines of antagonists. I will say however that it was nice that this was an actual story-related OVA, those seem to be few and far between these days.

The animation was good as usual. Also I will say that the new opening was pretty cool and I really enjoyed the ending song sung by "Shion Arita."

Overall it was a pretty good OVA and was actually story-related yet entertaining.

I have never seen the original Birdy OVA so I cannot possibly compare between the two series. Therefore this version is going to be reviewed on its own merits.

I actually found this show when it was recommended to me on Netflix. It looked interesting so I gave it a shot. Birdy had a pretty original premise and that was what initially got me hooked. It seemed like it was going to be mostly an action-based series with aliens thrown in, which is exactly what it is at times, but a lot of the fight scenes are pretty intense and fun to watch. ... The story didn't focus entirely on the intergalactic alien hunter aspect of the series though which was nice, call it a pleasant case of Multiple Personality Disorder. It added a little bit of comedy, mystery, and some romance from Tsutomu's part in the series. This worked out to be a nice balance as it gave enough to satisfy the cravings of those action junkies out there while providing general entertainment for those other viewers.

The show climaxed nicely with everything that had been building up and the ending was so bitter-sweet that it actually made me like the series more. However, the ending was far from conclusive for the Birdy franchise as a whole. The last episode left with more questions and mysteries left unsolved than when the season began, working as a nice setup for season 2. Unfortunately I will say that the show has a tendency to drag its heels at times, moving the pace to almost a crawl occasionally. And while no episode is truly filler as something important to the story always happens, there still were a lot of moments that served only to slow the series down.

I thought that the art for Birdy was pretty good, actually really good, which is most likely the result of it being a newer title. There was a pretty nice mix of CGI and animation which helped when combined with the overarcing theme of sci-fi and aliens. The fight scenes were always nice to watch and were nice and dark and gritty. On the flip side when the animators wanted to they came out with some really nice looking peaceful and artistic scenes and some nice everyday animation.

My only problem with the animation was that sometimes things looked TOO nice. It kind of reminded me of watching the special effects that you see from movies in the 70's or 80's in that things didn't look right with the rest of the scene. Sometimes the animation would be so intricate and detailed that the scene or one aspect of the scene would look clunky or awkward in regards to the rest and that took away from the overall experience at times.

All of the characters had extremely unique appearances so there was no possible way of confusing one character with another, I'll chalk that one up to a plus for the animators and animation. The development of these characters was not quite as refined however. Most of the character development in our main twosome is through Birdy by means of various flashbacks and references from other characters, but these are usually left untouched and are a part of the slew of mysteries that were left at the end of the series. Birdy's alter ego Shion Arita, while not making many appearances, served to add a dash of humor to the series at times too. Tsutomu was a pretty average male anime lead but he grew up a bit over the series, apparently dying does that to you, or maybe it's just puberty, I can't say for sure, and there were definitely times where he showed some balls throughout the series.

On a side note this reminds me of another point I wanted to make. Despite the fact that this show is about a teenage boy sharing a body with a hot alien girl, Tsutomu always remains a perfect gentleman and doesn't act weird when he's riding around in Birdy's body. The series refrained from using that plot point as an excuse for having weird ecchi moments with Tsutomu and Birdy for cheap kicks. This show was about as un-ecchi as you can get. Birdy takes like 20 baths over the course of the series but not once does Tsutomu try to say or do something weird or perverted with their body, which makes me give major props to the director of this show for not tailoring to those who only picked up the series because there was a hot alien girl as the main character.

Some of the background characters have important roles in regards to the main story. Others have absolutely no relevance to it at all. And still others appear to have some role but that role is unknown for now and the viewer won't know for sure until...you guessed it, season 2. As for the primary antagonists, they aren't really given a good amount of devlopment either but it doesn't particularly hurt the story in any way.

The opening theme "Sora" wasn't anything unique but it was still pretty good and I liked it while the ending theme "Let's Go Together" is just a fun and peppy "just don't give a fuck" kind of song that was always pretty enjoyable.

This was a pretty good action show. It was a pretty good sci-fi show. It was also a pretty good looking show with some good characters and a good plot. Basically what I'm saying here is that Birdy the Mighty: Decode is a solid show all around and if you don't mind it being a bit slow, I don't see why anyone wouldn't enjoy it. It's diverse in the genres that it throws at the viewer, it's a unique story, and it leaves you wanting more at the end. Overall I would highly recommend this series for action, sci-fi, and overall anime fans in general.

Kore wa Zombie Desu ka? was certainly an interesting show. What initially attracted me to the show was that the main character was in fact a zombie and after seeing that it was labeled as a harem story I was interested to see where it would go.

Story: 7/10
Ok, personally I really enjoyed this show. However I would say that the story was the show's major weak point. The initial premise of the story is extremely unique and interesting. Main character and normal high schooler Ayumu Aikawa is murdered by a serial killer, is then brought back to life as a zombie ... by a necromancer and now is trying to discover who killed him and why, certainly a somewhat dark and unique idea. However with the introduction of Masou-Shoujo Haruna, the story takes a turn for the weird and comedic. After being cut in half by Haruna's chainsaw during a battle, Ayumu accidentally absorbs her magic and must now take over her role of fighting demons as a Mahou-Shoujo, complete with transformation sequence and frilly pink dress. And that basically is how the rest of the show proceeds. It constantly walks the line between "wow this is a dark bloody action anime" and "boy in a pink dress encounters harem hijinks." This results in the pacing of the show being somewhat off and at times I felt as if I was watching two completely different shows. Most of the time there was no particular reason for why the story progressed the way it did, things would just kind of happen and then the characters would respond.

This having all been said though, the comedic aspect of the show was great and almost every episode something would be said or happen that would provoke a laugh out of me and the show does tell a compelling and unique story when it decides to get serious. Despite also being labeled a harem genre, this is only a minor detail in the events of the main story and the overall feel of the show.

Art and Sound: 8.5/10
The animation in the show was very good I felt. The scenery was good, the landscapes realistic, and the character designs were very unique and fresh. The fight sequences and gore were extremely well done yet equal attention was given when dealing with the more comedic and ridiculous aspects of the show (flying whale monsters for example). The sound was also excellent, the opening got you hooked and the ending theme was just plain fun and both were very original. The voice acting was good as well, everyone delivered a great performance and fit their roles to a tee. Plus Yuu's plethora of different voice actresses contributed to a great part of the series' humor.

Character: 9/10
The characters were definitely (in my opinion) the best part of the show. They were modeled off past traditional character types but they were very fleshed out and there was a good amount of character development in the show across the boards. Ayumu is not your typical average harem lead ( for one he's a zombie). He's not overly perverted or boring in any way, he's just an average guy forced to deal with ridiculous situations and handles them accordingly, and unlike a normal harem lead he's got some redeeming qualities and is more than capable of being a badass when its crunch time. I thought that all of the characters were hilarious in their own way though. All of the rest of the characters in the show were mostly there for comic relief and fulfilled their roles excellently.

Enjoyment: 9/10
Despite its faults, I really liked Kore wa? The whole time I was watching it I was just thinking to myself "wow I love this show", even when I noticed plot inconsistencies or when I felt they went over the top with something. It was hilarious, the characters were crazy, the story was original, and while the romantic and the serious aspects of the show often clashed, I felt both worked in their own right and made the show amazing.

Summary: If you are looking for a show with great comedic value, unique characters, or just a different or ridiculous story, then I would highly recommend watching Kore wa Zombie desu ka?. It was always fun, with its fair share of serious moments and interesting characters. I highly recommend for fans of harems or offbeat comedies.

Story: 8
Alright if you're reading this you already know what Pretty Face is all about. That being said I have to admit that the set-up for the manga was more than a little bit ridiculous and highly unlikely (I mean c'mon Rina's parents had NO idea that they didn't have their real daughter?) But hey, it sets up into a pretty good and entertaining story. Randoh's continuing search to find the real Yuna and his adjustment to living trying to disguise himself as a girl certainly helps to drive the story. Additionally all of the awkward humor that arises from Randoh's ... new development as being the new "hot piece of tail" of the school and fighting off the advances of knucklehead guys and his trying to contain frequent nosebleeds while being around beautiful girls changing is absolutely fantastic. One negative was how iit seemed like every chapter Randoh would freak out and get into a fight with SOMEBODY. Not that I don't enjoy fights, it just seemed like they happened way too often. Overall I thought that the pacing and progress of the events in the story were well done although the ending left a lot more to be desired I felt but that is mostly due to the fact that the series was being dropped so the mangaka had to finish it quickly. Still, it leaves you with a warm and fuzzy, yet fairly satisfied feeling after reading.

Art: 8
The art for this manga was fairly good, nothing fantastic. However I will give praise to the artist' ability to create a set of unique-looking characters and the action and fighting scenes were also very well done. Plus some of Randoh's outfits were pretty sexy, which was awkward because I'm a guy...

Character: 9
Characters were the strongest part of this manga I feel. Randoh's development from arrogant karate hard-ass, to then realizing that everyone, with the exception of Rina, actually hated him when he was alive, to then developing into to a much kinder, friendlier, and sensitive character, even breaking into tears at the end of the series (read the manga if you want to find out why!). Rina, the main love interest, was a pretty good character although for the most part she seemed to be in the background. Although Rina's sisterly care for "Yuna" does provide a fair amount of humor as poor Randoh has to try to contain his romantic desires for her and keep from blowing his cover. Also Dr. Manabe, Randoh's plastic surgeon/doctor/advisor, was absolutely hilarious, probably one of my favorite parts of the whole series. Supporting cast kept their initial roles throughout the series for the most part, but they were so much fun that they contributed to the series without need for much development.

Enjoyment: 9
Overall I did actually really enjoy this manga. It took a pretty unique twist on the genderbender/genderswapping genre with some pretty good results. Even though the premise and some of the plot developments were a little bit questionable for realism, that didn't stop me from enjoying this manga a lot. The humor was always spot on and hilarious and Randoh's development as a character was fantastic. The ending, although rushed was still really good and, although I wish it would have ending somewhat differently was still good enough for me. After all it isn't about the end it's about the journey!

Overall: 9
Overall this is a pretty good manga which while bringing nothing outrageously new to the table, has one of the most original premises out there and executes its humor fantastically. A recommended read for fans of genderbending and also highly recommended for fans of comedy.