- Last OnlineApr 18, 2018 4:21 AM
- GenderFemale
- BirthdayMar 13, 1997
- LocationJapan
- JoinedJan 14, 2012
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Feb 9, 2018
Might pick this one up again if I can find the next volume secondhand at Book Off, but I'm not 100% sure considering the beginning of the story was really bizarre/confusing for me. I had a hard time following it, though it did start to make a little more sense after a few chapters. It just didn't grab my interest enough.
Again, I'll probably pick it up another time because it comes highly recommended to me from SO many people and I have a friend that absolutely loved it so I feel a little bad marking it as 'dropped' but... I'm just not motivated right now
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to finish the series.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Feb 9, 2018
I'm thinking I might pick this up again in the future when it's been completed because the art is just too beautiful, but I felt the story + characters were really lacking, especially after volume 2. I loved the first two volumes and was expecting that, if it continued the way it was going, it'd become a new favorite. But Kurose's behavior from volume 3 on really turned me off, and I felt that Shirotani was a really flat character that had far too many stereotypes.
But, like I said, the art was beautiful and I'm a sucker for that, so I might pick this up
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again when the final volume comes out in Japan and try it in Japanese the second time around.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jul 30, 2016
As most have already said: this review will be pretty biased, because I LOVED this anime. I binged it in 5 days and put lots of life things on hold just to finish watching it (seriously - my room is a mess). I stayed up way past a proper bedtime just to get one more episode in every time, but it was worth it.
I started Haikyuu!! with pretty low expectations. I knew most sang its praises, but 1) I don't like sports, and 2) I'm not a big fan of testosterone-fueled stories...which is exactly what most sportsball stuff is. There's just a lot of
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"proving you're a man" and other bullshit I don't care about. So I was worried Haikyuu!! would be everything I don't like in a story, but was willing to stick it out for at least 5 episodes.
It didn't even take 5 episodes for me to be hooked on the show. Just the first two episodes roped me in, and from then on I wasn't capable of stopping.
STORY // The story behind Haikyuu!! is fairly basic. There isn't this elaborate plot happening during games or practices. For the most part, it's pretty straight forward. However, the simplicity of the story is what makes it so much fun. There's more of a focus on the characters and how they become a team, and the lack of a complex story narrows the show's focus directly onto the matches, which are some of the most important moments. I think some sort of mystery or "greater motive" would ruin what makes this anime's story so fantastic. Haikyuu!! focuses on its characters and how they interact, and that's my weakness.
ART & SOUND // The art is fantastic, I love the music, and the sound effects are really well-done. They're also well-timed to pull the right emotions out of the viewer in prime moments. This is particularly clear during the matches when you're already on the edge of your seat as it is!
CHARACTER // I loved every one of the characters. Hinata and Kageyama are my favorites, but the supporting cast is brilliant! Like Asahi, the gentle giant with amazing power, and Yuu, the fireball short stuff who's always cheering his teammates on and trying his hardest. Tanaka was one of my favorites for his personality and fierceness, and Tsukishima for his quiet sarcasm. But really, the team's dynamics and the various personalities in every character make it very hard to pick an absolute favorite.
ENJOYMENT // I thoroughly enjoyed every episode, and I was on the edge of my seat during every match. I got chills, laughed out loud, smiled when they won, and was so proud what Kageyama and Hinata continued to shock everyone with their "god-like" quick. I finished this and immediately started season 2 because I needed more!
I'm fairly certain this will remain in my top 5 favorite anime for some time. I loved everything about it and while that might sound biased, it's true. I can't think of a single problem area for me, and that makes it a masterpiece in my eyes. I definitely get why everyone has been rallying behind this series. It's also inspired me to give other sports anime a chance, so I can't wait!
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Jul 21, 2016
I really enjoyed Kiss yori mo Hayaku (Faster Than a Kiss), and it was one of the first mangas I read online (woo translations). It's about a 16 year old girl (Fumino) who loses her parents and is left on her own with her younger brother, Teppei. One day her English teacher, Ojiro Kazuma, offers to marry her and provide her and Teppei a stable home in exchange for nothing.
This leads into a really adorable and slow love story as Fumino slowly falls for Kazuma, and Kazuma slowly begins to fall for Fumino. There is still a level of respect in their relationship, though, and
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I thought that was a neat touch (even though I spent 99% of the manga wanting to smush their faces together). Though Kazuma knows he loves Fumino and wants her to remain his wife, he doesn't want to kiss her until she's of age to properly marry him.
Anyway, Kiss yori mo Hayaku is a really light and enjoyable story. It has its moments where it's a little more serious and there's some angst thrown in to make it interesting, but for the most part it's just a lot of fun to read. It wasn't without its faults, but overall I'd give this an 8/10 because it was thoroughly enjoyable, well drawn, and the characters were a lot of fun.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jul 21, 2016
I don't have much experience with shounen-ai, but it's a genre I'm interested in and enjoy. I've watched Nakamura Shungiku's other series, Junjou Romantica, and enjoyed it. I happened upon Sekaiichi Hatsukoi while checking out Junjou Romantica's anime page on MAL, and was pretty excited to find a new story in the same "world."
STORY → 9/10
I enjoyed the stories in Sekaiichi Hatsukoi because a lot of them were really entertaining to watch, even if I sometimes wanted to shake the characters because they were frustrating. The anime opens with Onodera, the son of a literary publishing house CEO. Frustrated that his coworkers think he's only
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a hotshot editor because of his name, he quits and goes to work for Marukawa Publishing - and ends up in their manga department, where his boss happens to be his long lost love from ten years prior, Takano.
I enjoyed Onodera's character. I felt that his internal struggle with Takano was more believable than if he'd fallen at Takano's feet and proclaimed his love for him. While Takano bothered me sometimes (incapable of leaving Onodera alone, sometimes pushing himself on him even when Onodera said no), this also comes with the territory a bit (there are similar dynamics in Junjou Romantica).
Later on in the series we're introduced to another couple: Hatori ("Tori") and Yoshino, who are childhood friends turned editor and mangaka. Hatori is connected to Onodera and Takano because he is another editor alongside Onodera. There's also Kisa (an editor alongside Onodera and Hatori) and Yukina, who were my favorite (I'm a sucker for age differences okay). There is a fourth couple, but there is only one episode devoted to them and they're not seen again.
Overall, I just felt the story surpassed Junjou Romantica because these characters were more connected, so you got to see their relationships happening at the same time. I thought that was really sweet.
Also: no one in this anime is straight. Except the girls, ha.
ART → 8/10
My only real issue with the art was that the characters all looked very similar except for hair and eye color. The only noticeably different looking character was Yukina, and that was because he had bright orange hair instead of a shade of black/brown. Otherwise, the art is lovely. I just wish there was more difference in the appearance of each character.
SOUND → 6/10
The voices of the characters are pretty similar, too. If all of the characters were to be put in a room and say the same lines without showing their faces I'm not so sure it would be easy to pick them out. The main song was fun but not memorable, and I can say the same for the end song.
CHARACTER → 9/10
I really, really liked the characters. I mentioned this above in STORY, but I really felt like they were easy to like. Of them all, Kisa and Yukina had my favorite relationship because, though they had their moment, they ultimately communicated their feelings in the end without going through TONS of trouble to get there. Despite Yukina being 9 years younger than Kisa and seemingly immature, he wants Kisa to confront him head-on instead of hiding. So I just felt their relationship was a lot more mature, even though it had its moments.
Hatori and Yoshino were my second favorite because their relationship was just really cute. There's a bit of a love triangle in their episodes that frustrated me sometimes, but in the end it works out (because, hey, it always does in Nakamura's stories).
While Onodera and Takano weren't horrible, there were problems with their relationship that I can't overlook. Number one being Takano constantly forcing himself on Onodera, even though Onodera had said NO more than once. Yes, as an audience member we know that Onodera really does love Takano and that's why he doesn't immediately fight him, but it was still...eh. I could've done without it. The other two couples didn't have to go through that in order for their relationships to work out, so it was just a bit irritating sometimes. Plus, it took TWO SEASONS for Onodera and Takano to work out their problems. I would've rather it taken a season, and then the last season was them navigating their relationship. #butthatsjustme
ENJOYMENT → 10/10
I watched Sekaiichi Hatsukoi in like 3 days. I couldn't STOP watching it, honestly. I binged all 24 episodes in that time period, and I was watching 5-6 episodes a night! So while I had some issues here and there, at the end of it all I can definitely say my enjoyment was a 10 because I really couldn't stop watching, and I was sad when it ended.
OVERALL → 9/10
Sekaiichi Hatsukoi is not without its faults, much like Junjou Romantica isn't without its own. But when it comes down to it, I really enjoyed this anime, its characters, and its relationships. I binged all 24 episodes in a matter of days and would probably rewatch it in the future. Nakamura writes interesting stories with a lot of drama and angst, so if that isn't your thing I wouldn't recommend it, but I really enjoyed this series and would recommend it to someone looking for more shounen-ai anime!
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jul 17, 2016
Here's the thing: Vampire Knight is the first anime I ever watched (if we're not counting Pokémon, that is). I watched it years ago and it was the anime that got me IN to anime and manga. I just fell in love with the story and the characters, and even though I'm not a fan of love triangles or complicated romances I couldn't help but love the way the Zero/Yuuki/Kaname triangle is done in this series.
I can recognize that Vampire Knight is not perfect; it's full of tropes and things that have been done before. Since watching Vampire Knight I've watched "better" anime. But
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at the end of it all, I think my enjoyment and deep love for Vampire Knight outweighs all of those tropes and problems. To me, it's a perfect anime BECAUSE it comes with such strong emotional attachments.
I love Yuuki and her determination, even if sometimes she's unbelievably and unnecessarily stubborn. I love Zero and his tortured soul because he's just trying, really. I mean, it pretty much sucks to know you're probably going to lose your humanity at some point. And I love Kaname because he's smooth and charming but beneath that he's dark and even a little cold.
Characters are really important for me, and I love the characters in this anime too much to let them go. I've watched it a handful of times over the years and each time I still love it a little more than the last time.
So I understand those of you that find the story less than stellar or the characters annoying, but I think (for me) this anime is too close to my heart to NOT love. It's the first anime I watched and it's what got me into anime. So, really, this is a masterpiece because it's timeless for me and important to me. And I think that's important!
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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