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If you're expecting a, beautiful, nearly flawless horror masterpeice...watch something else. However, if you need to satisfy that itch for bloody violence, chilling stories and adorable little girls who are actually deranged psychopaths, [i]Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni[/i] may be exactly what you're looking for.


The style of storytelling is very unique. Basicly, it's a series of different "chapters." Just about every chapter ends with several people dying, many of the main characters going insane, and at least one person dying a horrible, bloody death. However, when a new chapter begins, everyone is alive and well as if nothing ever happened. This style, although original and ... usually intriguing, is bound to leave you confused. It feels especially jumbled and thrown together when they bring up events from previous chapters that, given the events in the [i]current[/i] chapter, make no sense whatsoever. And when they realize this, they come up with the most ridiculous, unbeleivable excuses.

However, as we've seen in shows such as [i]Junjou Romantica[/i] and [i]Hanasakeru Seishonen[/i], director Chiaki Kon has a real knack for delivering her works in such a way that you don't realize their flaws while you're watching them. I give her, and the series, props for this.


The art was really nothing special. Although the characters look pretty great when they've completely lost their minds, the animation during the happy moments is mediocre.


The voice actors were at the top of their game. I thought that Mika Kanai (Satoko) and Satsuki Yukino (Mion and Shion) were especially talented in this series. As for the soundtrack, nothing too special. The right tracks were used at the right times, but none of them really blew me away.

From what I've seen of the English dubbing, I say stick with the Japanese. Most of the English voice actors were either trying too hard, or not trying hard enough. The only person who I really thought did a good job was Jean Smart as Rina Mamiya, a character who only appeared for one episode.


As much as I wanted to get to know the characters, I never felt like I really understood any of them. Keiichi, the main character, is about as dull as they come, despite his few moments of triumph. While the rest of the main cast did intrigue me, I can't say I really got who they were and where they were coming from.


Despite all of the flaws I've listed, I can still say that I thoroughly enjoyed watching [i]Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni[/i]. It made me laugh, it gave me chills, and it pretty much satisfied my horror craving. As I said before, Kon delivers her stories very well. Even though I had seen many of the bloodiest scenes on YouTube before watching the series, they still scared the crap out of me in context.

[i]Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni[/i g]ets a bit more credit that it deserves, but definitely deserves credit. It is a very flawed and jumbled, yet very interesting and disturbing horror story that it is, overall, satisfying in the end.

I think we all know how painful it can be to love someone who doesn't love you back. I certainly do, and I don't think I've ever seen an anime series that depicted the loneliness--and very rarely the joy--of one-sided love as well as the shojou ai romcom Sasameki Koto did.

I began watching Sasameki Koto at the very beginning of the year, around the same time I started Junjou Romantica. I could not have picked a better first shojou ai series. Although it is basicly about the love between two girls, it is way lighter and more fun then some of the more dramatic shojou ... ai series out there, making it a perfect introduction to the genre.

Sumika Murasame is an intelegent, tough as nails highschooler with a big problem: she has fallen in love with another female, her best friend, Ushio Kazama. The problem isn't that Ushio doesn't like girls--in fact, she's absoluely crazy about them--the problem is that Ushio only likes "cute" girls. Small, weak, shy girls that one would feel compelled to protect. Sumika, being unusually tall and a martial arts expert, does not at all meet this description.

Sasameki Koto presented a very simple story, and was able to do a lot with it. Something different happened every episode, and they managed to bring in very satisfying romantic scenes and wonderful comedy without being too unrealistic. The only problem was that some episodes had no real significance, and could have been skipped over in order to make room for a decent ending. Note before you watch Sasameki Koto that the ending is very abrupt, and will probably leave you unsatisfied and thinking 'That's it?'

The characters made this series what it was. Each character was unique and quirky, and you pretty much had to love every one of them. We start out with the two mains, Sumika and Ushio, and their friend, the happy-go-lucky Kiyori. Later, we are introduced to Akemiya, a dorky boy with a huge crush on Sumika, Tomoe and Miyako, a lesbian couple who hopelessly attempt to start a school club for lesbian girls, and Aoi, a passionate fan of a series of yuri novels. The characters are all very well developed, and it's very entertaining to watch them in their everyday lives.

The main reason I like Sasameki Koto is that you can feel the characters' emotions as if they are your own. There are several scenes in this series that will make one think "I've felt that way before." The series manages to perfectly execute the drama of one sided love without being melodramatic, and seeing as this is a Highschool story, this is a major accomplishment.

How the hell did I get wrapped up in Junjou Romantica? I will never really know. But one way or another, this series managed to gain my interest

I started watching Junjou at the very beginning of the year. It was actually my very first (and so far only) shonene ai* series. I'll admit, however, that this was not a very good series to start with because...well...err...there was sex in nearly every episode. (not graphic, mostly implied) However, once I got used to those scenes, I was able to enjoy this series through all of its ups and downs.

There's not really a main story for Junjou. ... The series centers around three odd gay couples and their relationships. The main couple is Misaki and Usami. Misaki is the little brother of Takahiro, a man Usami was madly in love with. When Takahiro gets engaged, it almost seems as though Misaki has become his replacement. Despite his internal struggle, he can't seem to deny the fact that he just might be falling under the seductive Usami's spell.

Hiroki has been in love with Usami for several years. Apon discovering that Usami will never feel the same way, heartbroken Hiroki runs to the park to be alone. There, he meets Nowaki, a kind young man who has fallen for Hiroki at first sight. Hiroki tries to remain cool and nonchalant, as he usually is, but something in Nowaki brings out a side of Hiroki that he doesn't recognize, and certainly doesn't like.

35 year old Miyagi is Hiroki's coworker. He is recently divorced, and is going through a lot in his life. Things get much more complicated when his ex-wife's brother, 16 year old Shinobu, (umm big age difference much?) claims to be madly in love with him, and ends up living with him in his apartment.

So what's so special about these stories? To be honest, not very much. Every episode seemed to be basicly the same thing. There wasn't really anything original; anything we hadn't seen before. However, the way the stories are delivered somehow pulls you in. You don't really think about the lack of originality while you're watching Junjou Romantica. I give this series major props for so cleverly hiding these uninteresting storylines behind amazing delivery.

I felt like Hiroki, Nowaki, and Miyagi were the only three characters with any real depth. The rest of the cast, though entertaining, seemed rather generic and flat. Usagi was the steryotypical seme, Misaki, the classic uke*, and Shinobu...some kid trying to force himself onto a middle aged man. It's not that I really disliked any of the characters in this series--they were all very diverse and interesting--I just wish I had gotten to know them a little better. In the course of 26 episodes, (2 seasons, 13 episodes per season) I think they could have done much better.

The art was probably the weakest part of the series. I can honestly say nothing good about the art style. I constantly found myself confusing characters with other characters. There were literally only 3 hairstyles for male characters in this series, and 2 hairstyles for female characters. It felt like they picked a few hairstyles and faces, and tried some different combinations to come up with their characters. I know, it could be a lot worse, but the art was still pretty lame.

Now about the sexual content...like I said, it's mostly implied. You only see faces, hands, and sometimes upper bodies. The sex scenes in Junjou Romantica were actually very tasteful. You don't really see "sex" here. You see two men in love giving themselves to each other. The only problem I had with the sex scenes was that, although they were pretty at first, they got old very quickly. The sex was just excessive. As I said, they put one at the end of nearly every episode. Had they put only one every five or so episodes, it would have been easier to appreciate the beauty of these scenes.

So why did I like Junjou Romantica? Because, despite its many flaws, it has been the most passionate shonen ai series I have seen to date. I've realized that the reason I haven't had the desire to continue any of the other shonen ai series I have tried is because, on episode one, I always find myself thinking "Junjou Romantica was much better." This series made me love it for reasons I myself don't even quite understand.

Looking at the synopsis for this series again, I'm actually wondering the exact same thing. Whatever the reason, I am so glad I watched B Gata H Kei, as it was surprisingly one of the best comedy anime series I saw in 2010.

Brace yourself for the synopsis, because, as I mentioned before, it's pretty crazy. The story centers around Yamada, (first name withheld for whatever reason) a high school girl with the face and body of a model. Apon entering high school, Yamada decides on a crazy goal: to have casual sex with 100 boys. However, being self concious of the fact that she is ... a virgin, she decides she needs to start by targeting a boy who is a virgin as well. She soon crosses paths with Kosuda, the most generic, uninteresting boy she has ever met, who, unfortunately for him, meets Yamada's criteria perfectly.

When watching the first episode of B Gata H Kei, I had incredibly low expectations just from reading the synopsis. Needless to say, I was dead wrong to assume that this series wouldn't be any good. I found myself cracking up several times, sometimes to the point of tears. What makes this series so hillarious is that, as determined as she is, Yamada has no freaking clue what she's doing. She chickens out of her supposedly "brilliant" plans, and when she actually gets the balls to do something, she has no clue where to go next. Admit it: it is so much fun to watch people screw up.

The characters...well they're all idiots. There are several points in the series where you wonder what kind of moron actually does shit like this. Some of the better supporting characters in the series include Tachibana, Yamada's best girl friend who is often rather annoyed with her one-track mind, and Kajenou, a gorgeous American girl with a severe brother complex. But if you've seen this series, you will probably be surprised with my answer. Her name is Misato. She can't really even be considered a supporting character...more like a background character. She is flat chested, short, and generally unnatractive in the eyes of men...which isn't so good considering she likes to follow hot guys around like a lost puppy and drool all over them like a bulldog. Although she only made about one, short appearence per episode, I had to smile every time she appeared.

Flaws? Oh yeah, very many. First of all, like many animes in the comedy-ecchi genre, it fails when it tries to be dramatic. The more sentemental scenes were just boring, and when you watch them, you want them to skip to the comedy as quickly as possible. Second of all, the characters, although very entertaining, were not very well developed. There are several points in the series where the characters do things that, as far as you know, are completely unlike them.

The main problem I had with B Gata H Kei was that if you're going to do a series like this, the comedy has to get better with every episode. With this series, the laugh-chart kind of moved in a straight line, and it got a little bit old after a while.

Overall, I am very glad I gave this series a try. Although I would never say it's the best comedy series I've seen, I can say that it is most likely the best ecchi. I was very sad to see this series come to an end, and I still find myself hoping for more.

*please note that I am writing this review after not having seen the series for quite a while*

A lot of people go into Chaos;Head expecting the second coming of Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni. Those people had better brace themselves for major disappointment.

The story centers around Takumi Nishijou, a teenage shut in who basicly spends all of his time playing RPG games, watching anime, and chatting online. He has heard through the grapevine about a series of murders, known as "New Gen," occurring in his town. However, he dismisses this, as it does not apply to the "two dimensional world" he lives in…that is, until ... he witnesses an awful murder at the hands of a pink-haired girl, who then becomes his classmate and claims they are best friends.

The thing that pisses me off the most about Chaos;Head is that they actually had a really great idea for what could have been a very successful anime. All of the supernatural elements are based on the theory that if the majority of people can perceive something, it is reality. They introduce a secret organization that plans to bend reality by sending images into the "blind spots" in people's brains, and "giglomaniacs," who use the same power to try and stop them. It started out as an amazing mystery, but quickly took a turn for the worse when they started bringing in all of these stupid sci-fi elements. Also, the back stories of the characters made absolutely no sense. Basicly, they just didn’t give reason for any of the events. So your mother was tortured…okay…can you tell us why? No, you just needed a back story to add more trauma to the life of your already generically angsty character.

Speaking of the characters, the only one who seemed to have thoughts of any kind was the main character, Takumi. The rest of the characters were so flat, it almost seemed that Takumi was the only character in the entire series. They all had very generic and uninteresting personalities, and barely any presence at all. Also, there was almost no development. The characters were pretty much exactly the same from the beginning to the end. Nobody grew, nobody learned, nobody seemed to gain anything from this journey. These characters were clearly only around to be looked at.

That’s really all that needs to be said about the disappointment that was Chaos; Head. Avoid this series at all costs. Believe me, it is NOT worth your time. It took a brilliant idea, and made it into a sloppy, generic, and overall terrible series.

“The you within me is always crying. I have always wanted to wipe away your tears, but I cannot imagine the tenderness of wiping the tears from your face.” – Shinichiro Nakagami

I’ve actually just watched True Tears for the third time, (I have the DVDs) and my opinion on the series has varied with each viewing. The first time I saw it, I thought it was breathtaking and heartwarming. The second time, cheesy and forced. After watching it a third time, I realize that although this series is definitely not for everyone, it displays a very interesting mixture of dream and reality that you don’t ... find in a lot of anime.

The story centers around high school student Shinichiro Nakagami, an aspiring artist who lives with his mother, his father, and the love of his life, Hiromi Yuasa, (left) who hasn’t shown much happiness since she came to live with Shinichiro and his family. Loving Hiromi, chasing his dream, and being pressured by his family is tearing Shinichiro apart inside. Everything changes when he meets Isurugi Noe, (center) a very odd girl who claims that she has “given her tears away.” She tells Shinichiro that she must collect someone else’s tears in order to be able to cry again, and he is, unfortunately, the prime candidate.

I feel like the entire storyline is a ton of metaphors thrown together. This is not necessarily a bad thing, nor is it a good thing. If anything, this series adds originality to every cliché you would expect from a romantic harem drama. There are certain things that go unexplained, and certain things that seem to be tossed into the story in hopes of intensifying the mood. But overall, the way it was presented worked very nicely.

The art, especially the scenery, was probably the best part of this entire series. It was wonderfully animated, and most of the facial expressions of the characters were quite realistic for an animated series. I can vividly remember almost all of the background art in this anime. The scenery was so detailed and well-drawn that it’s kind of hard to forget. The only problem I had as far as the art and animation was the excessive use of certain elements. There was a lot of fan service, (mostly from Hiromi) as well as an overuse of colored pencil freeze-frames and extreme close ups on people’s lips. Sometimes it worked, but most of the time it was just kind of distracting.

The characters in the series were very unrealistic, but in a way that makes you love every one of them. These are the kinds of people you only wish existed in real life, in that their emotions are more powerful than most people’s, and these emotions are outwardly expressed through their actions. Sometimes, however, the characters personalities did seem a bit forced. It often seemed like the writers were trying too hard to make us feel sympathy for the characters.

The most well-done character by far was Isurugi Noe. Noe has a very childlike, free-spirited personality that’s pretty much irresistible. Not only is she a very likeable character, but she is probably one of the only characters, other than the protagonist, that we actually get to watch grow from the beginning of the series to the end.

I think you have to be a certain type of person to really enjoy this series. The main flaw in this series overall is that it was very, very cheesy. Therefore, in order to enjoy this series, you must be able to overcome the cheese. You have to be the kind of person who can relate to the characters, understand the metaphors, and apply the messages the anime portrays to your own life. If you’re not the kind of person who connects to the shows you watch, this series is not for you.

True Tears is definitely something special. It’s a very lovely drama about struggles that a lot of teenagers have to face. This series can either be viewed as a powerful love story, or a melodramatic high school series. If you look past the all its flaws, True Tears can be viewed as one of the most unique dramatic harems to date.

Risa and Tomoko are best friends, but recently, Risa’s feelings have grown into something more than just friendship. Ever since she had a dream that Tomoko kissed her, she’s felt a strange sensation every time Tomoko came around. She can’t deny that she’s in love, but she can’t help being ashamed of herself. Then one day, Tomoko invites Risa to a secret stream that only she knows about, and the relationship between the two girls changes forever.

STORY (6/10)
The story was very vague and general, as well as clichéd. The girls talk about “washing their dirt away” in the stream, a phrase which I feel I’ve ... heard in several other stories like this one. Also, the very last line, “all that remained was our love,” was very sappy and cheesy, and the first and last lines are crucial in a good manga.

On the bright side, it did deliver a good message: that we are all filthy, and therefore, we are all clean. The way the author twisted the story at the end, although unrealistic, was very clever.

ART (6/10)
I base a lot of my art judgment on the way tears are drawn. In The Secret Stream, the tears had almost no detail and looked like white lines running down Tomoko’s face. Not much detail was put into the eyes, the hair, or the faces of the two girls. In fact, other than the general emotion on the two girl’s faces, Risa looked almost like a short-haired Tomoko.

I think the mangaka focused on the scenery rather than the two characters, because it was very detailed and beautiful. Water is very hard to draw, but this mangaka did an excellent job of drawing the stream, and during the climax, Tomoko almost seemed to be melting into it, which was very fitting at that time.

CHARACTER (5/10)
The characters were the weakest part of this story. They were very vague, and seemed almost like dolls created just to fit the storyline. It is clear that Risa is more shy and Tomoko is more blunt, but that’s pretty much all we know about these two characters other than the fact that they’re best friends.

However, Risa and Tomoko’s relationship was very clear and strong, and the two played off each other emotionally in a way that captures the hearts of readers. Also, the fact that they are vague and not described in much detail makes it easier for readers to relate to the story itself.

ENJOYMENT (6/10)
This story seemed very rushed. It is a one shot, so it is supposed to be short, but the mangaka seemed to only take one, vague idea and try to create a story out of it. It was very repetitive and predictable.

But it was indeed sweet and cute and captures the hearts of its readers. The symbolism, metaphors, and the beautiful relationship between the two girls made this story a must read for any shojou-ai or yuri fan.

I would reccomend this to any girl who feels ashamed of their love for another, like the characters in this story. Even if it's a guy instead of another girl, this story is very easy to relate to and will definately win your heart.





*this is my first review, so if you have any feedback, please PM me. Thank you! ^_^*

Just FYI, this is my first review :P

OVERALL RATING: 8/10

Kyohei, Yukinojo, Takenaga, and Ranmaru are town celebrities purely because they are stunningly gorgeous. They live in a mansion with their beautiful landlady. But then, she makes a deal with the four boys: if they can turn her neice, Sunako, into a beautiful lady in 3 years, she will let them live in the mansion for free! But if not they're rent will tripple. How hard could it be? Nearly impossible seeing that Sunako is a scary, pale skinned "creature of the darkness" who giggles at horror movies and has nosebleeds whenever she sees someone beautiful! ... Can the four beautiful boys turn Sunako into a lady, or will they be sucked into the darkness?

STORY: 8/10

The story was very intriguing and was a great idea for an anime. It didn't really have a specific timeline, but it really didn't matter and was good in some ways. There is a lot of symbolism behind the events in this story, and although you may not be stunningly gorgeous or incredibly unattractive, I feel everyone can relate to this story.

ART: 8/10

The art was...average. It wasn't incredibly good, but not horrible either. It was as good as you would expect from a comedy series.

SOUND: 6/10

The sounds in this anime were lacking. They didn't do a very good job matching the music with the scenes. The music they used for their dramatic scenes usually ruined the mood.

CHARACTER: 9/10

Amazing, likeable characters. I don't think there's one character in this anime that the audience couldn't like.

Sunako: Sunako was a very loveable character. Not only is she laugh out loud hilarious, but I think every girl in the world can relate to her in some way. We’ve all classified ourselves as “ugly girls” at one point, and we’ve all tried to avoid having to compare ourselves to other girls.

Kyohei: Kyohei was a bit hard to get along with in the beginning due to his aggressive, seemingly heartless nature, but as you get to know him, you begin to warm up to him. He did constantly make us laugh, however, and his relationship with Sunako is definitely cute.

Ranmaru: Ranmaru was a lot of fun. Many of the viewers may find his comments “sexist,” but that’s the way he is and adds to the humorous aspects of his character. His obsession with girls and his dramatic nature made him a very funny and lovable character in this series.

Yukinojo: Everyone loves Yuki. He’s the “cute one,” which is usually essential for a comedy anime. I love that he was always ending up in drag. It just made you love him that much more. He made me laugh my ass off.

Takenaga: Takenaga was a bit…dull. He doesn’t stand out too well. But he did have some good moments. And his relationship with Noi was definitely cute.

Landlady: The landlady’s flamboyant nature made me laugh my head off. She doesn’t get too much screen time, but when she was on the screen she was a very enjoyable character.

Noi: Her obsession with Takenaga, her beauty, and her positive, cute attitude made Noi a very fun character.

Goth Loli Sisters: I know they’re not even close to being main characters, but I’ve got to give them props. Whenever the Goth Lolis show up, you have to smile knowing they’re gonna do something totally random and funny. They kept me laughing through the entire series.

ENJOYMENT: 7/10

I had to give it a 7 because it ended very abruptly, as if in the middle of the series.

I definately reccomend this anime to any girl who's ever thought of themself as "ugly." This is a very heartwarming, laugh out loud hillarious, and fun anime for pretty much anyone. Check it out!