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This is possibly the worst anime that I have ever watched. I'm not even sure it deserves a two, but here it goes.

The plot and characters have little to no development. The plot is actually pretty stereotypical and run-of-the-mill, and as it is, does not completely offend me. The art too is probably one of the redeeming qualities about the anime. It is well-rendered, and I certainly have no complaints about the male characters in terms of looks. However, this is where this review is going to take a downturn so be prepared. Let me just start off by saying borderline and implied rape, molestation, ... and anti-feminism. Okay, so while most shoujo animes and mangas aren't exactly very pro-feminism, this anime takes the cake in regards to anti-feminism. Each episode is progressively even worse than the last episode.

In spite of all this, I kept watching, and I regret doing so. I hoped, practically prayed, the female protagonist would fight it, but instead, she only strikes out every episode after episode. The problem is, the protagonist lets all the of aforementioned happen to her. Other than crying out words like "no," she doesn't even try to escape. Just at least give me a knee to the groin, for goodness sake, anything would have done honestly.

Kudos to her for trying to run away, but completely failing. Even so, I didn't find this to be redeeming enough to save the anime. It still remains on my worst anime ever list, and I will happily try to never think about this anime again after writing this review.

Warning: Spoilers

The Synopsis:

This shoujo manga is about a female protagonist who falls in love with a local police officer in her city after meeting him at a mixer posing as a twenty-two-year-old with her friend. Although the feelings appear mutual, he rejects her when he later discovers she is considerably underaged and is still in high school. After she protects him in a fight, stepping in and taking a hit from a gun to the head, he finally admits his feelings, but he realizes the only way for them to be together is by marrying. After marrying, the rest of the story follows their domestic ... lives and unique relationship.

The Art:

In my personal opinion, the art is well-rendered. While at first I didn't like the art, especially the way the male protagonist was drawn especially concerning his hair, I later found myself actually liking the artwork. Like all mangas, different art and styles can always be a little surprising at first somehow, but this art was actually a pleasant surprise!

The Characters:

In terms of character development, this manga is especially strong. I like the personalities developed immediately in the first volume. The heroine is not a wimp, and I really struggle to get through mangas with wimpy characters, and I have read all five, and going on six, of the manga installments, so that's is saying something in regards to the heroine of the story. The male is a little less developed for me, but he is later fleshed out in the upcoming volumes after the first.

The Plot:

This is where I start to have troubles with this manga, but most are eliminated after the first volume, so that is the good news. First, I honestly felt the story was only supposed to be one volume. I say this because everything is neatly tied up in the final chapter of the first volume by the characters marrying. And also, speaking of marrying, I thought this was an extremely unrealistic solution to their not being able to have a proper relationship. The characters know each other so very little and rush into marriage too fast. I personally think rushing into the marriage also releases a lot of the good tension developed in those first few chapters, and I would have liked the tension to last a little bit longer. In terms of the plot after the first volume of the manga, I give a thumbs up though! It turns out to still be very interesting!

Summing Up:

I recommend this manga. I'm already looking forward to the next chapter! Though the manga has its imperfections, most do, and it's all pretty subjective anyway. I hope everyone has as much fun reading this shoujo manga as I did!

This manga is perhaps one of my favourite shoujo mangas of all times. It starts out as a classic boy meets girl. The female and male main characters meet for the first time beneath a sakura tree... surely fated to never meet again. And then of course, they meet again! The female protagonist finds out, that in fact, the boy she kissed is her "uncle" (not blood-related though), and she would be his "niece" and her parents ask her "uncle" to take care of her while they're away. Before I say anymore about this manga, you should know a couple things:

-The age difference between the ... characters is quite wide. I would presume the guy has at least 15 years on her. So if you're not comfortable with large age gaps, this is not the manga for you. However, if you're A-okay with that kind of stuff this is definitely your kind of manga.

-While they aren't blood-related, it would technically still be "incest" I suppose... they know from the get-go that he's adopted and they aren't related... so it's not like anything bad can really come from them coming together other than breaking some rather serious taboos.

If you don't have a problem with either of these things, this is definitely a great manga that I would highly recommend. It has quality art, and decent character development. Overall though, what I love about this manga is the overall feel and impression it left me with at the end. It's a gentle, romantic, but mold-breaking manga. It may seem like the common shoujo from a glance, but I assure you it's not!

The Cat Returns is my ultimate favorite Studio Ghibli film. Of all their work I honestly think this is their finest. Everything from the character development down to the music is just right. But now let's get into more of the nitty-gritty details.

Story:

The story is about a girl in high school, Haru Yoshioka, who saves a cat from being hit by a vehicle on the street. Haru had unknowingly saved the cat prince, Prince Lune, of Cat Kingdom. As thanks, the Cat Kingdom showers Haru with many "fabulous" gifts like cat tails in her lawn and mice in her locker! She demands they stop, but ... they refuse, informing her she will be taken to Cat Kingdom and married to the cat prince! Haru is greatly distressed hearing this, but not long after she is told this information she hears a voice in her head telling her to go the Cat Bureau. Here she meets Baron Huber von Gikkingen who offers his services to help Haru from being forced to marry Prince Lune. If you want to know what happens from this point you'll have to watch it!

Art:

The art was wonderful in my personal opinion. The town Haru lives in seems to have a rustic European yet modern Japanese feel. The Cat Kingdom itself is very imaginative, from the walking and talking cats to the eyeball video cameras that watch over them. It's just so wonderfully creative!

Sound:

The music is my favorite bit about this film. The waltz song between Haru and Baron at the Cat Kingdom's event is my absolute favorite piece. In general though, the voices are well done. Anne Hathaway stars as Haru!

Character:

I will forever cherish these character. Baron Hubert von Gikkingen is absolutely adorable, yet such a gentleman! Haru herself is also a strong-willed heroine, first losing herself at Cat Kingdom and then re-finding herself with the help of her friends.

Enjoyment:

I thoroughly enjoyed this film. I would recommend it to anyone. Even if they don't like cats! :-P

Overall:

If you like Studio Ghibli, give it a try! It's a bit older, but it's a wonderful film! I've watched it so many times with my best friends! All three of us really love this film!