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Spice and Wolf is a peaceful journey through a stylized, medieval Europe. The story follows Lawerence Craft, a successful merchant, as he travels a winding path North to take his companion, the wolf-god, Holo, back to the home she has nearly forgotten.

Art – 7
Artistically, Spice and Wolf succeeds in its panoramic intake of the various environments Lawerence and Holo travel throughout the series. The show is very drenched in the authenticity of its time, from the rickety wagons to the stone inns. The colors are mute wheats, somber blues, cloudy grays, and lots of brown, a palette that sets the show apart ... from most other series. With that in mind however, the show becomes a bit of a bore when the focus is not on new sights, but on the bland character design, or even once the town of the moment has worn its welcome. None of this is helped by the very stagnant sense of animation that contributes to a bit of Spice and Wolf’s mustiness.

Sound – 8
As with much of the natural, and researched feel of the art, a lot of the music helps contribute to the realism of the time period. A score of wonderful strings and woodwinds greatly contribute to filling in the emotional backdrop of Spice and Wolf. Music aside, the aural focus of the show is clearly in the performances of stars, Jun Fukuyama, and Ami Koshimizu. In an almost traditional male/female comedy pairing, the two perform their roles with more charisma, wit, and depth in one episode than most casts manage to accumulate over a whole series. For all intents and purpose they are the shining focus of the show.

Characters – 8
So, of course, because of the skilled performances of Fukuyama and Koshimizu, Lawerence Craft and Holo are brilliantly characterized solely because of the nature of their interactions. With very little to go off of from the script—Lawerence is a crafty merchant with lofty goals while being a bit inexperienced in meaningful human interactions; Holo, a wizened and free spirited wolf-god, has lived so long she can’t manage to remember her roots—the two are fully realized because of their relationship with one another. This is enhanced by the clever and flirtatious dialogue use to dance circles around each other, the hallmark of Spice and Wolf. That aside, every other character introduced seems wooden and unnecessary compared to the partnership of the leads.

Story - 6
Perhaps the main weakness of the show is that the story is an uninspired adventure that is ultimately very forgettable. Craft and Holo travel from town to town and encounter some sort of problem that, with high school level economics, they must scheme their way out of messes. Insert a twist and a mysterious young girl for the sake of strengthening Holo and Lawerence’s relationship, and you have the jist of the plot. That said, I think the show was successful once in combining those elements to create an entertaining amount of tension. Beyond that, as a viewer, I tended to yearn more for the fantastic dialogue and a stronger sense of development in Holo and Lawerence’s relationship than what was witnessed onscreen.

Enjoyment – 7
Though the on-screen team of Lawerence and Holo is one of the best relationships this side of Banner of the Stars, it wasn’t enough to carry a lot of the staleness of the overall production. In conjunction with a heartily disappointing ending, the viewer is left either totally mystified by the luminous performance of Fukuyama and Koshimizu, or with a slightly bitter, “That was all?” taste in their mouth. My feelings are of the latter.

Overall - 7

Detroit Metal City is a rapid fire comedy about the rise of the death metal band, DMC to prominence. It is also about the protagonist, Negishi, coping with his placement in a style of music unlike that of what he dreams to perform--Scandanavian Pop.

Animation - 7
The animation itself was pretty lacking, but the art style I really liked. It seemed quite clearly inspired by Mike Judge and Beavis and Butthead. It's a little crazy to me that I think this is a good thing, but it really does add something special as a bit of a frame of reference. As a ... matter of fact, I think that the animation was rather rudimentary in that mid 90's cheap way also. Things were jerky and lacked a lot of fluidity, but on the flipside, this style is a perfect match with the pace of the comedy. Because this is a series of OVAs, it's hard to tell if this was a conscious artistic decision or budgetary restraints. With that said there was really no drop in the animation at all, so I'd wrack it up to a bit of the both.

Sound - 8
The voice actors all do a very good job of capturing the comedic essence of their characters and don't ever disappoint in delivery. The best job is by far done by the actor for Negishi (not Krauser) not just because the nervousness and anxiety in his voice was always hilarious, despite what he was saying; but also because of his singing voice. What is ultimately very interesting about the music to me was that the parody pop music was so undeniably catchy that I found myself really liking everytime that Negishi would bust out his acoustic guitar. The metal is not my cup of tea, so I really can't say left or right whether or not it was good. What I will say is that the crafting of one of the pop songs into its metal counterpart was very well done.

Characters - 8
The characters are archetypes that aren't found very often in anime, much less comedy, so the use of them especially as main characters is very refreshing. That said, because the show is about Negishi as Krauser, there is little to no development done for any of the supporting characters. For a slapstick comedy, I think that there is a good bit of development for Negishi who struggles with being tossed into the opposite genre of his choice. There are a couple of episodes that hilariously yet poignantly deal with his resolve to hold the mantle of Krauser, and they were quite unexpected. Beyond that the characters serve their purpose well, if not a little to redundantly.

Story - 7
The story is basically this: Negishi makes a fool of himself differentiating Krauser from his daily life, often in interference in his romantic aspirations for Yuki; Krauser has crazy antics onstage and with fans; and here and there, the double lives that DMC fans lead. Most of the story in each episode is focused mainly on the first element, which is a shame, because certain jokes quickly got old after the third episode, and could have had the edge taken off of it by the third element, which went rather unused despite having some very funny moments.

Enjoyment - 9
Had it not been for the blatant overuse of jokes, this could have been a ten, but I specifically remember wanting to fast forward through certain parts because it just felt like a copy/paste of dialogue with different scenery. Despite that, I laughed good and hard through much of the show, and for a comedy, this is rare.

Overall - 8
Detroit Metal City is a very good comedy series that I hope has redefined some of the conventions of anime in the execution of comedy. The pace never really let up for a second with quick dialogue and running through gags and punchlines at rapid succession. It never relies on the expectations of jaded viewers for moe fanservice or generally overused gags (even if it did overuse some of its own). DMC may be remembered and copied for years to come.

Animation - 4
Touch has that signature, old school character design. Big hair, pretty natural to exaggerated bodies, and big, blank, stupid eyes. With that said though, I will say that Touch has the most expressionless faces I've ever seen in any show. The face is completely the same whether or not the character is crying, stunned, happy, or angry. From scene to scene, body proportions change from heads being proportionally larger to smaller to natural. The animation is terrible. For eyes that aren't the type that normally catch lots of mistakes or shortcuts regarding the execution of animation, mistakes ... are very obvious. One easily catches recycled scenes all over the place, be it gymnastics, baseball, or just running to school. Even for this time period, I'm not so sure that this was acceptable.

Sound - 6
I could be wrong, but the music used during the show was overall, anachronistically ludicrous. One of the main songs "My Girl," sounds like it belongs in a 50's sockhop. But what's worse is that the song is used for almost every occasion, be it training, mourning, victory, or romantic sequences. The opening and endings were all suitable for the show, but ultimately forgettable. Foley effects are pretty on par with what was available during the time, so I didn't really see anything wrong with that. Overall, I believe the cast did a really job of creating characters (especially the supporting actors who were given very little to work with). Voice actors for the main characters were especially charming and added engaging emotion where the animation failed.

Characters - 8
For characters that were integral to the story, the writing did a good job of making memorable characters. The leads, Tatsuya and Minami, aren't very original characters in their type, but because of very strong characterization and fine development, they come off as some of the most natural high schoolers I've probably seen in anime. Though they are prodigies, and there is a bit of a disconnect there, there is no doubt ever that they have go through much of the same thoughts as their classmates. Tatsuya is by far the most interesting character because all of his personality and actions all come from the same place, and except for one occasion, he never felt like he was going out of character, which is very important and amazing considering the show covers the most significant years in human development. Rivals such as Kazuya, Akio, and Yuka are also either well developed or characterized and efficiently play their roles as foils of either Tatsuya or Minami. But of those rivals, Yoshida Takeshi is by far the most well-executed character, with development rivaling that of Tatsuya. He goes from a pitiable tertiary character to a loathsome rival in such a short, yet natural amount of time, that his presence on screen becomes magnetic.

Although there are great and good characters in this show, there were also very bad and useless characters to go along. Tatsuya's parents were absolutely useless in the show. They are used only as comic relief, so when the most serious turning point happens, they are rendered as useless as puppets without an owner. Moreover, there is really no apparent reason for them to have treated their sons with such differing affection. Their actions were always baffling. Another character that deserves mention is Tatsuya "seemingly" best friend, Harada. After having finished the show, one is left mistified at his purpose besides framing what Tatsuya is going through. Aside from that he is a delinquent who isn't really a delinquent, and that's all that the viewer knows. Another character strangely one note character is Eijirou Kashiwaba. He's basically only introduced to catalyze Tatsuya's talent for baseball, but once he is given a story of his own (that of a distorted mirror of Tatsuya) it fails. I don't really know what to say about it, but it just fails. Much time was wasted on giving this man a reason for his actions, but ultimately he could have been just as effective had he been simpler.

Story - 7
The story is very transparent: it is a high school romance between Minami and Tatsuya set up around baseball. For about the first half of the show, the sports aspect is wholly inconsequential to the main plot. Though the plot development is very obvious, there are a few times where, as a viewer, you don't want to be right in anticipating the outcome, which speaks very highly of how engaging most of the story and characters are. There is a wonderful simplicty and innocence in the tone of the show that is carefree and relaxing (in much of the nostalgic way that adults who have good memories of high school tend to look back) adding to the overall enjoyment of Touch. The building up of emotions is where this story shines.

But with the good comes the bad, and when Touch is bad, it can be rather droll. The writers don't have a flair for drama at all, so when it comes to important scenes where a character needs to express his or her feelings, the writing just doesn't know what to do with itself, so for the romantic element of the show, it just about fails in delivering that climax. Also, regarding the main turning point in the series, the aftermath is terribly executed. Rather than show how the characters cope with the situation, we get a time skip of about two weeks, and everyone's practically acting normal. Finally, as I have mentioned before, towards the end, the show tries very hard to force drama into Tatsuya as a character while juggling the difficulties of making sense of Kashiwaba as a character, and wrapping up the story as a whole, managing to over-complicate the plot, and knock the wind out of the main climax of the story, Tatsuya and Minami's relationship.

Enjoyment - 9
Overall, I really enjoyed this show from episode one. Though many events in the plot and characters left me dumbfounded, with everything that went on, I think the show was very successful. For those that hate the look of this time period as much as I do, I must say that it is a testament to the quality and the tone of the show that I didn't give the art that much of a thought. Watching Tatsuya come into his own despite himself was a very enthralling process. Much of his humor alone is the reason why I thoroughly enjoyed Touch. This show really is for anyone.

Aria the Origination is the marvelous conclusion of Akari, Alice, and Aika’s journey as undines in training while retaining all of the charm and glorious pace of its predecessors.

Story - 10
Origination masters the art of telling simplistic, straight forward stories while giving great insight into the characters and the setting. What were problems in length, use of time, the annoying cats, and introduction of character in Natural and Animation, become the third installment’s strengths. Every episode in Origination showcases something undiscovered in the series’ previous episodes, whether it be a new occupation, place or characters. Each episode serves as piece of development ... for one of the undines, and in the case of the single, even manages to give the viewer a better look at how they grew to become the women they are in flashbacks. Most importantly, the story manages to make use of all the development, leaving no moment squandered for emotional resonance.

Art - 9
Aria: The Origination is the reason why moving to widescreen is such a wonderful idea. The show was already known for its use of panorama and sprawling set-up shots, but moving into widescreen with the added quality of detail in the art made this show stunning visually. The art design is so original that the viewers instantly know what they are watching and where the action is set. Character design has improved a little because of the change in proportion from standard to widescreen, so the super sugary edges are rounded off a little bit. What I love most about the character design is the execution of everyone’s super deformed counterparts. They are quirky and a little childish, yet very expressive and kind of distill the quality of the character in one look.

Sound - 10
The music is just as wonderful in Origination as it has been in the Aria series. Incorporation of the music is always appropriate and the quality of the music achieves much of the same notes that the tone and presentation of the show have always tried to create: a calm, inviting sense of wonder in which something new can be found every time one listens. Athena’s songs are well done as always and Alice’s song was performed very well considering the constraints of her character’s abilities. The voice actors really dig deep to properly portray the gamut of emotions their characters go through. Nothing ever felt forced or contrived from their performances.

Characters - 9
The characters in Origination take the front seat in care much more so than in the first seasons. Because of the story, and the decided direction in creating closure for the series, Origination pulls no punches in characterization and development. Characters once thought of as clumsy and aloof are actually perceptive and doting. The harsher characters are softened by immaculately exploring their insecurities, and the almost woodenly perfect Alicia is given such a degree of well-executed characterization and development that the distance that Akira as the main character created for the viewer by placing her on a pedestal is slowly brought down making Alicia much more human than I had expected. Perhaps the only disappointment with the characters is that there is little growth with Akira. This is most likely because she is a girl so honest in her motives and accepting of all he faults and flaws that there just isn’t much to be done besides rattle her confidence a few times.

Enjoyment - 10
I loved it all. Everything just absolutely worked in Aria the Origination. This is definitely a show where the whole is vastly greater than the sum of its parts. What I especially loved is that somehow the show gave me everything that I wanted so succinctly and so beautifully. Also, for the first time in a show I think that I rooted for every character and didn’t want any of them to fail. This of course to me is a feat in and of itself, especially because I did not warm up to Akari at all until about halfway through this show. I just embraced all of the characters for what they were and enjoyed watching the growth of everyone by the shows end. For a brief moment, I wanted another series before I talked myself out of it.

Overall - 10

Art - 10
Kaiba is visually stunning and creative. Sometimes they trade in dynamic quality of images for free animation, and it’s not a bad thing. The art design is very Seussian, especially in architecture. There is a wonderful roundness to everything, with nary a straight line in sight. Despite the character design, there is an unexpected expressiveness in the facial animation. There is a thoughtfulness in each character’s appearance that is underscored by the fact that characters don’t look anything alike unless they are twins. The direction utilizes light and shadow brilliantly to keep the eye focused on the ... important, active pieces. Computer animation is good, and well integrated into the show, allowing a freedom of movement in both character and cameras that many should take note.

Sound - 9
I don’t want to say perfect, but the music was so well done that I really can’t say enough about it. The ending and beginning themes really help to create this other-worldly, exploratory feeling that the viewer has while watching the show. The most amazing part of the sound track, though is “The Tree Song.” It’s a masterpiece. There are three versions of the song used throughout the show and it is always implemented beautifully. It’s varied enough that it gives meaning to many different scenes, and distinctive enough that you remember the song as a whole. Voice acting is good on the whole. I don’t think there was anytime that I question choices in the acting, but no one really left an impression besides Vanilla’s voice actor. The voice actor for Popo also does a good job, giving a certain amount of depth and quality to such a badly handled character. Some of the foley was very funny and charming. Much of the sounds of spaceships flying, guns firing, and hitting target were quirky and added character to the world

Characters - 6
The characters are just ok. Unfortunately the viewer learns so much toward the end that it becomes very overwhelming to feel like you actually know and understand each of characters and their thought processes. Popo was interesting in the beginning, but once his motives are revealed, he is abrasively two dimensional and overexaggerated. Kaiba is quite empty. Part of this is necessary because of the role he plays in the beginning of the show, but after a while, it becomes clear that there is no real depth to anything that he does. While he is in Chroniko’s body he is astonishingly unconcerned with Vanilla’s feelings, and kind of mindlessly strings him along without a second thought. Vanilla, though, is easily the best character in the show. He is clearly conceived, and believably makes all of his decisions, no matter how vile or dumb the viewer may find them. Kichi isn’t a bad character, but again becomes important so late in the series that it’s a shame a lot of time was wasted on other, less important, subjects. Neiro just flat out wasn’t competently executed, bland, and a slave to the plot 90% of the time. The only thing notable with her was an encounter she had with Chroniko-Kaiba while she was in the body of another man.

Story - 5
Had Kaiba been just a visual exploration of the world, rather than tethering itself down to an overall plot, then I think the creators would have had a better time with the story. It’s very clear that the show was bound by the main plot in the last half of the show. Kaiba is centered around the title character who has amnesia, the only notable thing is that he has is a hole in his chest and a locket of a girl. This story starts as an simple idea, then leaves that thought to explore worlds in a variety of vignettes, then coming back to the main plot cashing and burning in convolution. Characters who play an important role in the show are completely eschewed at the beginning, and are haplessly stuffed into the end leaving no room to breathe between character studies and plot twists.

Enjoyment - 6
I was absolutely engaged with every moment of Kaiba in the first half of the show. The worlds were lush, beautiful and captivating, with the focus characters of each episode enticing and conflicted. I especially loved the dark mature tone and themes present in the series. However, after that first half, as well put together as everything was, it was equally off kilter in the latter half. Connections didn’t quite read on screen when they needed to, and the ending was honestly one of the worst in my opinion.


I just finished Kaiba. I actively avoided this show last year, and after completion, I'm quite disappointed that I did. The discussion I would have had while watching it would have been fun. This is an exceptional show, yet very flawed, and I actually had to look back in the comments section after certain episodes to see if I was the only one confused with certain character/plot developments, and I wasn't. I don't think Kaiba is something you watch unless your taste level has reached a certain point, so enjoyment will definitely sway because of that. I'm torn between a 7 and an 8, but the story was just so terrible at the end that I can't give it an 8 in good conscience.

Overall - 7

What happens when you take the "No one win's but I" attitude and you place it into the hands of a bunch of desperate, shameless losers? Why, you get Kaiji of course!

Art - 7
I understand that the art style was supposed to echo the tone and content of the story. Many will say that the character design is supposed to depict “real-life, gritty” characters. I would disagree. I think that Kaiji is a very stylized, over-exaggeration of “gritty, real-life.” If this is supposed to indeed be a more realistic art style, I just don’t think everyone has pointy chins, noses, ... and eyes, even if you are Asian. What especially throws everything over into the hyper stylized corner is the very harsh, thick, black lines and angular nature of character designs. It just wasn't my cup of tea. However, I will give it credit for being consistent within the show, and throughout various body types. That is a difficult style to maintain across characters, shows that strive for such quality in execution, such as Bleach, should take note. I also have a problem with the bad integration of CG in this show, some of it was needless, like fountains and light fixtures, and it was a distraction in a show that was otherwise well directed.

Sound - 6
Honestly, I don’t remember, good or bad, anything about the music in Kaiji. What I will say regarding voice acting is that it matches the exaggerated tone and style of the show, so that is a plus. The degree of “badness” of a character is mimicked in the “evilness” of his voice. This goes double for the wimpy voices of the “pathetic” characters.

Characters - 5
The title character of the show, Kaiji Itou is a bit of an anomaly. Utterly unlikable, he is a character crafted for the viewer to pour copious amounts of sympathy onto, thereby making the viewer feel much better about himself. The execution of characterizing Kaiji is a job well done. After a couple of episodes, the viewer clearly understands his motives and can predict his reactions. The problem however, is that he is so predictable and starkly characterized that he quickly becomes a parody of himself with his over-emotional reactions by about halfway through the series due to a lack in growth. Kaiji himself is a horribly progressed character who fails to learn from any of his mistakes. Even if the point of the show were to paint the portrait of a deluded loser, I don't think that writing for Kaiji supported his journey at all. Unfortunately, because ultimately, this show is about Kaiji, the supporting characters are quite bland, forgettable, and one-dimensional. Everyone is sharply one personality type, with no nuance or depth to differentiate themselves from one another.

Story - 3
Initially, the show does a great job of setting up Kaiji and the overall tone of the show. There is a natural sense of humor that mixes well with the more adrenaline inducing gambling scenes. After the first round of gambling is over, however, thing go at a slower pace, and proceed much more predictably. Too much time is spent explaining the rules of the each game, and because a proper job is never done, the rules regarding strategies have to be reiterated. There’s always a twist, and Kaiji always manages to find someway to claw himself out of total defeat. Kaiji continuously attempts at forcing the viewer to empathize with the bevy of “tragic” characters by making someone cry in virtually every episode. This is a problem because none of the characters are well developed enough, besides, perhaps Kaiji, to fully empathize with. There are a wide array of emotions at the writers’ disposal to add depth and meaning to the cast, so with the varying backgrounds and personalities of the characters, I felt it was hopelessly shallow of the show to only display frustration or despair through crying and bitching for every character in the same way. Everything seemed to suffer under the gimmickry that is the gambling set up. However, byy far the biggest problem that I had with Kaiji though was the terrible visualizations of metaphors. They aren't any axioms or sayings that one hasn’t learned by freshman year in high school. As a viewer, I'm not so stupid that when I hear the narrator say that "Death was breathing onto the napes of each competitors' neck" that I need to see it play out on screen, that is the point of figurative language. The narration was quite useless, and 9 times out of ten insulted my intelligence by regurgitating what is very clear on screen.

Enjoyment - 4
I really did enjoy this show at the beginning. It had a great mix of familiarity and unabashed ness (very much like it’s main character) that worked very well. Though I did enjoy seeing a lot of losers plummet to their doom, unfortunately, it couldn’t sufficiently maintain any of the momentum it had accumulated in the first few episodes, and suffered under the weight of its flatness.

Overall - 4
At the very end, yes, Kaiji is a bold and courageous attempt at an anime. This show was very disappointing for me because of what I saw as promising early on. I think that the creators at almost every step second-guessed that what they were doing would actually read across clearly on the screen, leading to much of the redundancy in imagery and writing, and in attempts to herd the viewers to a certain “emotional space.” Kaiji just tries so hard to be different that it suffers in style over substance.

Animation - 6
It' the same character design as we've all seen in Air and Clannad. Big, glassy eyes, with proportionately large tears. It's nothing new, but it is polished. Animation wise, it's what we know of from Key. Hair whipping through snow, blades of grass, and orbs of light. No striking animation sequences, or dynamic animation at all except for a fight that Mei gets into, but nothing special.

Sound - 6
Kannon is rife with pseudo-ambient music and music box themes that would make Enya decry the milquetoastness of it all. The opening and ending are forgettably familiar. There ... was one good jazzy piano piece that seemed to show up when an obstacle was revealed that was quite good. If only the rest of the music had that charm and added that much texture.

Characters - 4
As has been said these characters are stock. We've seen them all, the sick girl, the loli, the comedy duo, the rich girl, the blond-only-other-guy-in-the-whole-show, the relative with a crush, and on and on. It's all so bland. Mei (quiet girl), gets it right, Yuuichi (the main character) is a weak person that pretends to be strong, hurting everyone around him without a modicum of self awareness. His selfishness disguised as selflessness knows no bounds and no one ever dares to call him out on it. In fact, everyone loves him for it. This phenomena results in the show having no character development for the main character at all. In fact, I only think that one character "develops" and it was just her behavior suddenly changing. Shiori's (sick girl) lack of knowing the name of what's ailing her is the main example of the lack of thought and depth that writers put in characters. Of course, they only want viewers to shed tears, so the most superficial of characters is all that's needed if they can make you cry, right?

Story - 4
Wrong. If Kanon were a horror story, more would make sense, because, just like every other Key series, Kanon systematically tries to murder every focus character in the male protagonists' Messiah Complex wake. Except that they don't even have the ball to stick to a single death in the show; moments later the writing backtracks (once it scored the tears from viewers hearts) and magically brings characters back to life.

If I took this show seriously, I would think that this was some horrible misogynistic fantasy about a boy who is the only person capable of saving all these girls lives within the span of what? Two months? Once Yuuichi has saved the girl of the arc, we don't hear of them ever again until the end when, of course, we have to have the pussy parade to show how much the protagonist has accomplished. Kanon is the worst offender in the Key series of trying to have some pseudo-metaphysical lore intertwine with the plot in that it directly affects these characters in the most mindboggling plot twists. Faith healers, fox spirits, girls with magical wishes? Furthermore, the overall plot development is set aside for the gir of the arc stories so that, by the last four or five episode they try, in futility to make the story work.
To confess, accept and lose someone you love all in the same episode, without any buildup whatsoever, what is that supposed to do? Am I supposed to feel bad? The writing doesn't let characters organically grow with one another in exchange for the "mystery" factor so that, once the leads are together, you ask yourself, What makes her more special than the others?...you forgot about all of these girls, and didn't remember them until it was too late. It's the same with her. Why is she special? Ridiculous.

Enjoyment - 3
So Kanon left a bad taste in my mouth. I actively avoided this show, because I already knew what was going to happen once I read the synopsis, and guess what? I was right. I couldn't even get behind the one character that I should have liked, Jun, because he was so randomly placed, and had little impact on the story. If anything, I had to drop my score of Clannad, because whatever originality I saw in it vaporized the moment I completed this show.

Overall - 4
In the show, the writers try to draw a comparison between Kanon and Pachabel's Canon in D. If only Kanon could be so groundbreaking; instead it comes off as merely derivative and uninspired. It is clear that Kanon was a testing ground of ideas, characters and setting for the more thematically tight (if also anemic) Air and Clannad. Kannon forgoes plot, character, and logical development for trite gimmicks intended for the emotionally immature to shed tears of empathy, leaving the show is thematically vacant and lacking ambition.

Animation - 7
Ehh, not much to say, for a show that is as action-packed as Great Teacher Onizuka is, it relies heavily on terrible CG anachronistic for its time, and flashes of still frames with speed lines and directional slashes galore. The character design is kind of uninspired, yet executed very well. The most interesting thing visually about this show is the fantastically conceived opening.
Sound - 6
The same goes for the sound in this show. Out of the entire cast, only two voices stand out as well done, that being of Onizuka, and his student, Kunio. The ... first theme song is undeniably fun and sets a good tone, but the subsequent op and all of the ed are quite forgettable.
Story - 6
The tale is familiar, teacher comes in and changes the lives of his impossible students for the better, inspiring them to have goals and live happily. However, given the character of Eikichi Onizuka, this story is infused with undeniable shounen ecchiness that fans of such genres would find irresistible. Each arc focuses on one of Onizuka's students and how he manages to sway their notions of how a teacher acts, thereby instilling his trust in them. While these arcs progress, the overall narrative painting a picture of Eikichi, the man, slowly comes to the fore. Actually in retrospect, while I found the show quite formulaic, and very predictable, the story is well crafted, and decently paced.
Characters - 6
Well, this show, like many others has its parade of overused stereotypes...blonde guy with a kansai-ben, check, "perfect" love interest, check, dumb bobble head, check, glasses guy, check, diva bitch, check, angry gag man, check. I could go on, but I'll stop there. To me, the show didn't really excel in creating characters that felt distinguishable from any other in their type group, and instead tried to rely on the comedy to make them likable, so for me, I only found Kunio an enjoyable character, since, for whatever reason I don't understand, I find these bleached-blonde misfits to be hilarious. Interestingly enough though, I didn't find Onizuka to be charismatic, likable, or comedically enjoyable at all. I found him much too annoying, and much of his actions far too perverted even with the mantra of "willing suspension of disbelief." He was just a flatly outrageous character with no depth.
Enjoyment - 6
Any scene with Kunio was enjoyable to me, so I especially liked the little arc that he had towards the end...even if it didn't really have to do with him. Other than that it was pretty unfulfilling.
Overall - 6
Overall, I give the show a 6. Though the narrative was well-crafted, the show was very shallow and could have easily been done with probably 10 less episodes.

Legend of the Galactic Heroes is an epic tale of the rise to power of two men born at the right time on opposite sides, leading to a clash of brilliant spectacle that could only be executed with care in as an animated original.

Animation- 9/10
Though Legend of Galactic Heroes is 20 years old the visual quality and care is quite priceless. As a viewer who is reluctant to watch series over 40 episodes or over 10 years old, I was taken aback by the engaging art ranging from Ancient Rome, to Victorian England, to Blade Runner-esque futuristic set-pieces and costuming. Both factions, The Free ... Planets' Alliance and the Galactic Empire, had its own distinctive look, engaging the eye in nearly every direction. Add to these looks, the numerous space battles waging between the two factions and you have a piece of art that is timeless.

Sound - 10/10
Legend of Galactic Heroes boasts over 100 individual voice actors with, I believe only one person, doubling up. This show is a veritable "who's who" of the time's voice talent, and many of these talents are still working today. The quality of performance from this cast is overwhelmingly great. The actors take to both comedy and drama with a meticulous sense of intelligence, and there are few, if any times I found an actor to have either over or under-played a scene. Musically, this anime uses very well-placed classical music as the aural backdrop for the series, and perhaps the only flaw musically are the opening themes, rife with pitchy, technically abominable singing, but because it is so little of the sound content, then I can personally overlook it.

Characters - 10/10
In this show you would be hard-pressed to find a character that does not serve a definite purpose. There is a large cast of characters ranging from princes and generals to whores and religious fanatics. Each character plays his part in the machine of this show, all believably true to their actions. The only flaw with the characters I suppose is names. While the show is good on giving viewers subtitles to serve as a reminder, because these are German names and those of nobility (which also includes titles) there is a double edged sword that both breeds authenticity and becomes mnemonically troublesome.

Story - 9/10
LoGH is a magnificent space opera that delves into philosophy and politics with an unmatched ease. It is clear where shows like Death Note, Code Geass and creators such as Clamp get their influence from when watching this show. While the writing suffers a bit in the final 15-20 episodes, the slack is picked up by the extraordinary momentum the writers and voice cast from the previous 90 episodes created. Even with those flaws, there are no instances of stagnation in the narrative. The show is always distinctively going somewhere, elegantly leading the viewer with excellently written narration to help with suspense. LoGH also manages to integrate fictional technology into the story with out it overwhelming the viewer, or being an excuse for trite deus ex machina.

Enjoyment - 10/10
For someone who is very picky about show length and characters, I was truly stunned by the way this show was tightly managed as a narrative. The pace is a very consistent and mild to help go back and forth between raising questions and finding resolution. LoGH was a highly satisfying experience, and its a shame it was never brought to English so that it could find a bigger audience. I think it's the type of show that Adult Swim, or G4 (when it was TechTV with Anime Unleashed) would have eagerly consumed at the beginning of their respective launches.

Overall- 10/10

Story- 8
Though jarringly slow in the beginning, the story plays off as a charming stroll in the park with a friend: Pleasant, fun, somewhat exciting, yet also a little anachronistic and forgetable. The story seems to fit in with lighter fare comparable to that of Someday's Dreamers, but it does pick up and adds an interesting sci-fi twist to the world the characters reside. And though the stories have a little trouble flowing from episode to episode, the fluffy narration helps guide the viewer to the themes of both the individual episode and the overall series.

Animation- 8
The art style is plain, but crisp, effervescent, and ... expressive. The direction very decisively uses wonderful pans and panoramas to give a unique sense of scope to Aqua. The water glitters with radiance, and there is a milky smoothness to the gondaliers' rowing. The animators clearly took time in their attempt to recreate Venice, and successfuly integrated futuristic technology by giving it a more rustic look.

Characters- 8
Though some of the characters are standard archetypes in anime, their interactions give them a distinct sense of depth.

Sound- 9
I thnk that this is the strongest component of the show. The score to Aria the Animation has a wonderful authentic Italian feel to it. The opening and ending themes are deliberate and flow easily into and out of the show. The voice actors are very expressive and compliment the gentle tone of the series. Finally the insert songs sung by Athena wonderfully contribute to the Venitian atmosphere.

Enjoyment- 8
Again, the inherent charm of the story and visuals captivates the viewer.

Overall- 8
While I rather enjoyed watching the series as a whole, this particular show suffered a little bit from having to introduce so many things of such importance to the series that it suffered a little. I was quite jarred by the slow pace of the series initiated in the first episode, but these flaws are also some of its strengths. Its a series like no other and I applaud it for maintaining that choice. Everyone should watch this series if only for Aria the Origination which excelled at nearly everything the series tries to accomplish while having to balance emotional investments in characters. And Alice is one of my favorite characters!