Back to seekster's Profile seekster's Profile

I signed up for a charming one season anime about people clearing debris in space. I got that and SO much more. Planetes is a masterpiece of an anime that starts off simple but gets very deep later on. If you enjoy space as a setting or realistic romances or just good anime in general then I highly recommend Planetes.

Story: 10/10 - Without spoiling anything, lets just say that Planetes pulls an Evangelion. By that I mean it starts off making you think its a simple slice of life but in space anime with a will they, won't they romance subplot. However as the show ... goes on things get much more complicated and deep. The early episodes focus heavily on character development and Planetes shows off some amazing writing in several spots. As the anime goes on you slowly realize that almost everything in the anime has a purpose that is brought up again later. It is very clear that the writers of the show knew what their ending was going to be and built up towards it deliberately because everything comes together by the end. I will talk more about character development in the Character section so instead let me talk about the setting. Planetes takes a more realistic approach to space overall and its clear that there were some experts involved with the show. While the overwhelming majority of the show takes place in low Earth orbit or on the Moon the show does occasionally visit Earth in a few episodes too. The world it builds is believable and the motives of the main actors make sense given their setting. All in all the story of Planetes is far better than most people will expect it to be going into it.

Art: 9/10 - I was surprised to learn that this show came out all the way back in 2003 and I have no idea how I missed it all this time. That being said the art design of the show is still top notch though visually there are better anime's out there, Planetes is still better than most. The background art is particularly noteworthy and there are a number of little easter eggs and details that are a very nice touch. In fact even small details in the opening sequence change every few episodes to reflect changes to certain characters. The animation is also quite crisp and there are a lot of very subtle and deliberate character movements during emotional scenes that really work well. Speaking of characters the show does a fantastic job on character design. This is especially important since the characters are the clear focus of the show. The art style is pretty unique with each character looking more realistic than stylized (no fan service here). All in all the art of Planetes isn't exactly stunning but it is very deliberate.

Sound: 8/10 - This was the lowest category but it was still very good. The soundtrack fits well with the setting but since the setting is space there is a lot of silence, especially during important scenes. The music isn't bad but I don't remember it very much and I don't have any strong desire to go look up any of the songs and listen to them again. That being said the sound design in Planetes does its job well enough. Before I forget, I watched the dubbed version and the english voice actors did an amazing job. Fans of the early seasons of Digimon are in for a treat as the english voice actors for T.K. and Kari are both supporting characters (Nono is an awesome character that I wish we got to see more of).

Character: 10/10 - If you enjoy extensive character development then you will enjoy Planetes. Most of the main cast gets some backstory and character development over the course of the show. Even some of the side characters show development over time. The main two characters in particular have character arcs that can best be described as a rollercoaster. Appropriate enough for the setting, some of the character development for the main cast take them to some pretty dark places but the show handles it extremely well. I will say that by the end of the show some of the characters are doing things that you would never expect to see them do after watching the first half of the series but their actions make sense given their character development. I am also pleased to say that Planetes doesn't go for stereotype characters in its main cast very much and each individual in the main group is shown to be complicated with their own motivations and conflicts to deal with. A theme of the show is how everyone is connected and nobody can go through life completely alone because we are influenced by those around us. The show knows what it is going to do with its characters from the get go and there are a lot of little details that might not seem significant early on that come back up later on and most of these affect the development of the main cast. I can't say enough about how well Planetes handled the development of its characters so I will just stop here.

Enjoyment: 10/10 - Since the anime does such a good job getting you to invest in its characters it is a joy to see what happens to them next. The early episodes are slower in pace as we are introduced to the backgrounds of different characters but the second half of the series really picks up the pace with many episodes leading directly into each other. The last few episodes are especially good at forcing you to binge watch them just to see what happens next. Once again the genius of this show is how much it gets you to care about its complex main cast of characters who are all lovable in their own ways but each of them also has their own flaws and conflicts that makes them much more relatable and believable than your standard anime characters. The setting is also used perfectly with mankind's place in space being a reoccurring theme of the show that is explored quite well. Overall I found myself getting more and more hooked on this show as I watched one episode after another and that is a sign of a very enjoyable anime.

Overall: 10/10 - In summary, Planetes is a true masterpiece of an anime that really deserves more exposure. I for one will highly recommend this show to anyone who is looking for a good anime to watch or anyone who is interested in space.

Jigoku Shoujo Futakomori or Jigoku Shoujo Season 2 does some things better than its predecessor and some things worse but in the end I think Futakomori is a worthy successor to the first season. I am still not sure myself if season 1 or season 2 is better but maybe at the end of this review I can make up my mind.

Story: 8
I gave the first season an 8 for story and given that the general formula does not change in season 2 I see no reason not to also give Futakomori an 8. Once again an episodic format is used and once again it ... is largely done well. In fact I could almost liken a season of Jigoku Shoujo to a season of Walking Dead in that there are many good episodes, some meh episodes, and a few really great episodes. In retrospect I think season 1 had more great episodes than season 2 but Futakomori still held its own. One criticism that I do think is warranted though is that there is slightly less variety in Futakomori as there was in season 1. What I mean by that is that many episodes have very similar set ups with things like neglect, selfishness, greed, and rape being repeated themes among the villains. Also some of the episodic characters feel recycled but I will save that for the character section. Overall the stories in Futakomori as well as the finale are not quite as strong as those in season 1 but are still good enough to warrant an 8 in my opinion.

Art: 8
It felt like there was some sort of slight budget upgrade between season 1 and 2 because Futakomori's art and animation is slightly improved over season 1. Background and landscapes see the biggest improvement along with slight improvements to character animations. Honestly the art improvements are hard to notice unless you watch season 1 and season 2 back to back (like I just finished doing) but it is there.

Sound: 8
I remember griping about the music and soundtrack of season 1 for not being as good as it could be. For the most part all of these gripes were addressed in Futakomori. The opening and closing credit songs are well done and fit well with the show. Also the background and incidental music compliments the mood in each episode pretty well. However nothing in the soundtrack really wowed me. The voice acting as usual is excellent and the voice actress for Kikuri should be especially proud of herself for creeping me the heck out in almost every episode that she speaks.

Character: 8
The biggest area where Futakomori is inferior to season 1 in my opinion is character. Futakomori wins some points by fleshing out the backstories of Ren, Wanyuudo, and Hone Onna as well as introducing the delightfully creepy Kikuri, but there is a cost to this. The episodes that add backstories for Ren, Wanyuudo, and Hone Onna were, in my opinion some of the weakest of the season because the writers tried to tell their stories in parallel with a modern day story which for the most part did not work. When the plot is stretched between backstory and trying to have a traditional Hell Girl episode then it starts to tear and we end up with some shallow backstory along with cookie cutter episodic characters who could have been more interesting if the episode devoted more time to them instead. Frankly it would have been much better to have each of Ai's three assistants get their own episode and make up the space by cutting an episode or two out of the finale which does tend to drag on just a bit too long. Without spoiling the finale of Season 2 it is excellent and very heartening however it isn't quite as strong as the finale of Season 1. Besides being a few episodes longer, the Season 2 finale attempts to do a modern recreation of the events that led to Ai becoming Hell Girl but doesn't quite drive this point home as well as it could. Also the character of Takuma (while tragic) is not nearly as interesting as the duo of Hajime and Tsugumi. Takuma is himself just a tragic innocent who is used as a scapegoat. Hajime and Tsugumi were both strong characters with deep backstories who argued about the morality of revenge and finally had their plot lines more or less resolved. Takuma's plot line just sort of ends. Furthermore as much as I loved Kikuri the final episode reveals something that raises questions about how many of her antics were her own.

Enjoyment: 8
I think in retrospect I enjoyed season 1 a bit more than I enjoyed season 2. Season 1 had a large variety of episodic plots that ran well in parallel with an overarching plot. Season 2 in contrast had a smaller variety of episodic plots and an overarching plot that was crammed into about 5 episodes instead of being stretched out over the course of half a season. Also less time is spent asking deep questions about things like revenge than in season 1 and overall there were too many characters that were just evil because someone needed to be the villain.

Overall: 8
While season 2 isn't quite as good as season 1, Futakomori is still a very good anime series that fans of season 1 will definitely still enjoy. It is almost like someone consumed season 1 of Jigoku Shoujo, asked for seconds and got seconds...yes the meal isn't quite as good the second time around but its still good.

<Note that this is a Review of Jigoku Shoujo Season 1 only>
Jigoku Shoujo is one of those animes that you really have to be mature enough to appreciate fully. I watched it when I was younger and enjoyed it but having watched again years later I appreciate it even more for how it analyzes very dark topics, most notably the idea of revenge and the price one pays for it. Is Jigoku Shoujo a great anime? No but it most certainly is a very good one that is head and shoulders above anime that may be more popular.

Story: 8
The good news about most of the ... series is that its episodic so you can watch most episodes out of order and not miss much. The bad news about this series is that its episodic so if you grew up hating "monster of the week" series then you might not enjoy Jigoku Shoujo for its stories. That being said even if you don't like the episodic format I highly recommend you watch the show in small doses at least because a number of the stories in this season are very clever and leave you with some troubling thoughts. Although for most of the stories there are fairly obvious villains tormenting poor little girls (yes most of the time it is little girls) there are also a number of episodes where the villain isnt that clear or there is no villain or where in the end the victim gets punished by the villain. In fact some of the best episodes in this season feature last second twists that make you question how worth it vengeance can be sometimes (the answer is very much worth it in some cases). Season 1 also subtly builds up to a confrontation between Ai and Hajime, one a vengeful spirit, and the other a man seeking to convince people that what Ai is doing is just wrong. The fact that we get to see Ai's origin story unfold in the last 3 episodes of the season are also very rewarding.

Art: 7
While the art and animation in Jigoku Shoujo is completely fine it probably wont win any awards for artistic design. There are a few nice shots of beautiful scenery and the artists deserve credit for coming up with pretty unique looking new character designs for each episode, the art of this series is good but not great.

Sound: 7
While the voice acting in this series is generally very good (impressive given the need for different voice actors each week for the non-leading roles), the soundtrack is hit or miss in season 1 (if memory serves they did a better job with the sound in later seasons). First of all the opening and closing songs really do not fit in with the tone of the series (yeah how often does that happen in anime *sarcasm*). At the same time though the soundtrack picks up during certain parts of each episode...especially the music that plays when Ai is summoned following a string being pulled off a doll and the music that plays right as Ai is about to condemn someone to hell. There are unfortunately a few parts where a musical cue or change in the soundtrack could have made a shocking moment even more impactful but these opportunities are occasionally missed...not often but often enough for me to notice.

Character: 9
The writers deserve a lot of credit for coming up with both interesting lead characters and mostly interesting weekly episodic characters. Enma Ai herself is deeply complex. She is a vengeful spirit forced to ferry people to hell based on the desire for vengeance held by other people but at the same time she herself is forbidden for acting on her own desires for vengeance and she must take people to hell regardless of if they deserve it or not. One particularly tear jerking scene near the end of the season has Ai taking a clearly good and innocent young woman to hell as she pleads for Ai to stop. We get to see just how complex Ai is at the end of the series.

Sadly Ai's assistants are not that complex in season 1 but this is rectified in season 2 so it doesn't hurt the series too much. Also interesting are Hajime and Tsugumi. Though individually the two sometimes get in the way of the weekly drama (sometimes on purpose) together they have a very thought provoking debate about what Ai is doing and whether vengeance can sometimes be justified or not. Also Tsugumi is sometimes quite adorable in how she acts despite being a little girl.

Finally lets not forget the episodic characters. In Season 1 most characters outside the main cast never show up for more than one episode. This means that every week the writers have to come up with new and interesting characters (including villains) for a new and interesting story. For the most part they succeed in this. While a few episodic characters are basically stereotypes (see bratty schoolgirl bully in episode 1) most of them are quite interesting and some of them are actually amazing (if you like dogs there are one or two episodes where you yourself might feel actual feelings of hatred towards an anime villain).

Enjoyment: 9
Maybe I am a bit messed up for saying this but overall I enjoyed Jigoku Shoujo even more than other anime including some that are objectively better than it. The episodic nature means you can come back and watch just your favorite stories if you want without missing much in the way of an overarching story (there is one but it doesn't really reveal itself in full until the last 3 episodes). If you like watching character's struggle with difficult questions then you should enjoy this series. If you are looking for something lighthearted or action packed this is not the anime for you.

Overall: 8
While Jigoku Shoujo certainly has its faults, they are but cracks in a remarkably engaging and thought provoking facade. As a series I am happy to see it get so much attention in terms of 4 seasons and an honest to God live action adaptation. Jigoku Shoujo is one of those shows that proves anime isn't just for kids and you can also make mature anime without resorting to language, super violence, or sexual content...so won't you try dying this once?

If I can use two words to describe Usagi Drop those words would be simple and heartwarming. The premise promises a nice slice of life anime about parenthood and that is exactly what it delivers. Much like Rin herself this anime is short and sweet.

Story: 7
Usagi Drop handles a very interesting topic in single parenthood but with a single father rather than single mother (because come on how many anime protagonists live in unconventional households like that). I will say that I came away from this anime wishing it were longer, maybe showing Daikichi before meeting Rin or maybe ending with Rin growing into adulthood ... with Daikichi reflecting on the memories of her growing up that he got to share in. Really though I feel like this anime isn't trying to tell a long story. Instead each episode focuses on rather mundane life experiences and I feel like the writers did their research on how children behave because this part of the story was very believable.

I do have to criticize Usagi Drop from not really moving past its original premise. Its a single 30 year old guy raising a six year old girl...and thats all it is. The story advances to about 1 year and then just sort of stops. Also much is made about the relationship between Daikichi's grandfather and Rin's mother Masako. Sadly story never really wraps up that plot line (which I wished it would because the age gap in that relationship is the least believable thing in this anime). In the end if you look at Usagi Drop as just a short and simple slice of life anime then you get what you came for...nothing more and nothing less.

Art: 7
Nothing about the art style stands out really except for this childish art style that is used before the opening credits in each episode. Its a subtle shift and serves little purpose but the style itself reminds me of a child coloring with crayons. As for the main animation style...its good...that's about it. Nothing artistically spectacular here but the animation does the job.

Sound: 7
Much like the art, the sound does the job. The music complements the mood of each scene well enough and the voice acting is actually very good. I almost gave this section an 8 but stopped short because the soundtrack stayed in the background and supported the story which is just what it needed to do.

Character: 8
The strongest aspect of Usagi Drop is its characters which are mostly realistic and have their own wants, dreams, and flaws. Upon reflection though I was surprised to realize that some of the best characters are the supporting cast. Rin herself is adorable and acts much like a little girl in her situation might but as the anime progresses she is just a sweet little girl...which again is really all she needs to be. Daikichi talks alot about how he has changed since Rin came into his life but sadly we never get to see this so the audience never sees him grow. To me the most interesting characters are Haruko, Yukari and their children Reina and Kouki. These characters, along with other parents that we meet later, really show the sacrifices parents make for their children whether it means staying in an unhappy marriage because you know you can't support your child on your own, or sacrificing your own career for the sake of raising your child. The career sacrifices parents make is actually a reoccurring theme in Usagi Drop which is why Masako is such an interesting character. Early on we learn that Masako chose her career over her child though later on she shows some signs of regretting this fact. The fact that we never really see Masako's story arc pan out, along with a few other things is what keeps this category at an 8 instead of a 9.

Enjoyment: 8
Once again I was really hoping this anime would be longer and explore the theme of parenthood from raising a child to seeing them grow into adulthood but I understand that is not what the writer was trying to do. The show focuses on the mundane and the plot takes place over about a year. I came into this anime looking for something heartwarming and thats just what Usagi Drop served up but I could really go for seconds.

Overall: 7
I really wanted to give Usagi Drop a higher score but looking at what else I have on my list I couldn't justify an 8. The 8's on my list include things like Azumanga Daioh and Itazura na Kiss, shows that take their starting premise and run with it until their character's have developed completely within a certain timeframe. Usagi Drop is far less ambitious and though it does its job well, as I said Usagi never moves past its original premise. Still I would recommend Usagi Drop for anyone who wants a short but sweet heartwarming story.

Let me just say that this was not the movie I signed up for. The movie I signed up for was about a high school guy living in Tokyo and a high school girl living in the country who switch bodies and have to adjust to their new lives. The first half of the movie does do this but then...without spoiling anything...the plot throws a rather dark curve ball that nobody seeing this for the first time could have seen coming. The film is an emotional roller coaster but unfortunately the most common parts of the ride were confusion mixed with disappointment.

Story: 6
The weakest part ... of Kimi no Na Wa is its story. Apart from the aforementioned "not what I signed up for" aspect, the movie feels like 3 plots in one. I almost feel like the writer(s) of this movie couldn't make up their mind where they wanted the plot to go and so had it go in multiple directions. Now while everything does tie together nicely I personally felt myself let down by the whole experience. Perhaps had I gone into this movie completely blind without reading what it was supposedly about I would feel differently but then again I probably wouldn't have seen it then. Its very hard to talk about the plot without spoiling anything so let me just say that the storyline isn't really bad so much as indecisive and the tone shifts dramatically between all 3 acts. I do give the writers credit for some neat ideas and twists on the whole body switching thing but I felt like they decided that wasn't enough for their movie and...well can't say that because of spoilers.

Art: 10
As disappointing as the story is the art and animation is just straight up eye candy from start to finish. I have seen animation this good before...but much like the main characters in this movie I honestly can't remember where that was. The landscapes and scenery in particular are very detailed and well drawn (which they should be considering their importance to the plot). I will say that the animation of characters themselves leaves a bit to be desired but I will save that for later and just say that the art is just a pleasure to view in this movie.

Sound: 7
There are some movies I watch and quickly look up a song so I can get it to listen to because it was awesome in the movie. There are also movies where I feel the soundtrack or voice acting actually drag the movie down. Kimi no Na Wa falls into the 3rd category of films where I remember thinking that they did a good job with the soundtrack and voice acting but not so good that anything stuck out as being amazing. The voice actors do their job well enough and the music fits the emotion of the scenes fairly well but nothing about the sound in this movie blew me away.

Character: 5
Along with the plot, the characters in this film are actually quite disappointing. First off the opening parts of the film make it seem like Mitsuha is going to be the focus of the plot but then part way through the movie Taki takes over. Ill admit it was funny the first time we see Taki in Mitsuha's body (and he does the first thing that any boy in that situation would do to verify being in a female body) but Taki is actually the biggest character flaw in the film. Early on we see Mitsuha's life and how she is unhappy living in her small town, this makes her a complex enough character to be believable and we want to know what is going to happen to her in the film. Unfortunately most of the rest of Kimi no Na Wa focuses on Taki who can't really grow because we never see much of his starting point. The audience is never introduced to Taki before the switches start and so we don't know how he feels about his life in Tokyo, we don't know much about his problems or family or ambitions before he met/became Mitshuha. Its similar to how Assassin's Creed 3 introduced an interesting character at the beginning of the game but then spent most of the game focusing on a rather bland character and that, sadly, is Taki.

Also I should mention that Kimi no Na Wa glosses over its supporting cast hard. Outside of the main two character the rest of the characters in the movie are basically stereotypes that include the following: girl's little sister, girl's best friend, girl's guy friend, guy's goofy friend, guy's serious friend, strict father, etc. All these characters look and behave exactly as dictated by their stereotype. Honestly the only minor character who was at least partially interesting in this film was Mitsuha's grandmother.

Enjoyment: 7
A funny thing happened while I was watching the 3rd act of Kimi no Na Wa...I said to my self "This sort of reminds me of 'The Girl who Leapt Through Time'. Looking back on it I have to say that Girl who Leapt Through Time is simply a better movie than Kimi no Na Wa. Other than having a much more grounded plot (which is saying something given the sci-fi time travel thing) the film is also more enjoyable to watch. Its odd that we want movies to surprise us but sometimes they can surprise us in disappointing ways. I was all set for Kimi no Na Wa to set up the body swap plot trope and then use the rest of the movie for the main characters to learn more about each other by living each others' lives and then growing as a result. Since that was simply not the movie I got I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought. Again maybe I would have enjoyed the movie more if I went into this movie completely blind but well I at least like to know a movie's premise before I decide to watch it or not. All that being said, the ending of Kimi no Na Wa is good enough to merit the film a 7 instead of a 6 since it ties up its main plot well enough.

Overall: 7
At time of writing Kimi no Na Wa is the topped ranked anime on MyAnimeList and I cannot for the life of me understand why. Yes its good, I am not disputing that, but its certainly not a masterpiece in any way except maybe visually. I read some of the more recent reviews (after I wrote the other sections of this review) and found out that many people are starting to seem to calm down about the movie and look at it with more perspective (sort of like how people stopped freaking out about Frozen after several months...though to be fair Frozen did live up to its initial hype). Hopefully overtime the ratings on Kimi no Na Wa will come down into the low 9s or high 8s but as for myself I give it a 7 out of 10. On my list it has the same score as things like Fate/stay night, School Rumble, .hack//Sign, Ouran Host Club, and Suzumiya Haruhi.

Shingeki no Kyojin or Attack on Titan is one of those animes that is depressing and hard to watch but you keep watching it because its just so good. A good analog would be the Neon Genesis Evangelion series and like Evangelion, Attack on Titan will need more than one season to wrap itself up properly (though hopefully not with just a movie like Evangelion did).

First things first, the Story attached to Attack on Titan is very original and pretty unique as far as animes go. Unique doesn't necessarily mean it is great though. The plot honestly reminds me of Starship Troopers of all things...at ... least for the first few episodes of the series. A group of young men and women are thinking about their future when a disaster pushes them to join the military to fight back against the force that shattered their relatively peaceful world. I honestly think I would have enjoyed Attack on Titan more if it had continued in this way and didn't suddenly start throwing up needless plot twists. To be fair the unpredictability of the series is probably one of the reasons it is so popular but after a while the plot seems to lose its direction and then leaves us with a rather unsatisfying ending that basically demands a season 2 (and it will probably get one but its not ok for Peter Jackson to leave us with cliffhanger endings then Attack on Titan doesn't need to anyway). Yes I know I can just read the manga but I am not reviewing the manga. An anime season should be able to stand on its own and at least come to some conclusion even if it leaves room for another season. In this at least Attack on Titan fails despite its interesting and unique plot.

Now the area where Attack on Titan really shines is its art. Everything visual about the show is spectacular from the stunning wild vistas to the harsh stone walls of the city. The character design is also done very well and allows individuals to be identified fairly easily which is good because there is a very large cast of characters to keep up with. The titans themselves are massive and intimidating not just physically but visually. The anime also does a great job with fast paced animation sequences, particularly with combat. A few times I caught myself rewinding saying, "Wait did I just really see that...yes I did!" Especially near the end of the season the combat and death sequences start to get really fast and creative. Speaking of death, there is a LOT of it in Attack on Titan and much of it is very messy (another thing the show has in common with Neon Genesis Evangelion).

While Attack on Titan looks great it just sounds good. Really there is nothing at all wrong with the music, sound effects, or voice acting in the show which I suppose is the best compliment you can give it. The only really memorable thing in regards to the sound was the opening theme in the first part of the series. For most animes I skip opening themes after seeing them once but for the "You are the prey and I am the hunter" openings I played them each time because it really got you pumped up for the show. I have no idea why this opening is abandoned part way through the show as it suits the tone of the anime perfectly.

As I said earlier, Attack on Titan features a huge cast of characters but fortunately the character design allows you to distinguish between individuals fairly easily...though you will forget a lot of names because many characters do not feature prominently in most episodes. Early on you get the feeling that we will get a core of about 6-8 characters who will be friends cause they went through training together. For most of the show though the focus is almost exclusively on Mikasa, Armin, and Eren so I will be focusing much of this section of the review on them. Fortunately this trio is compelling enough to hold attention as each seems to struggle with their inner demons and feelings of self-doubt. Each is given at least some back story and each is likable and sympathetic in their own ways. Even Mikasa, the shows resident silent badass reveals just enough humanity to keep her interesting. Armin's conflict between his own intellect and his self doubt is a very interesting storyline that endures throughout the show. Eren manages to do what Naruto could not; be motivated by your own force of will and NOT be annoying all the time as a result. I can't really say more about Eren without revealing a rather early but major spoiler so I will just say the he does work out as a protagonist. As for the supporting cast, most of them fade into the background, only popping up occasionally on screen but otherwise are ineffectual with a few exceptions. A few like Sasha "Potato Girl" Blouse could have done with more screen time as they are interesting (and in her case funny as hell) characters in their own right that could have livened up the show and made is slightly less depressing.

Which brings me to the enjoyment part of the review. Once again much like Evangelion, Attack on Titan is for the most part a depressing as hell show that I really would not enjoy watching again. You can make a show gritty and harsh and still make it fun to watch, Jigoku Shoujo and Death Note did this in their own ways. Attack on Titan has no rewatch value that I can see other than to try and see it again to check and make sure the plot twists make sense in retrospect. Other than being depressing though what really kills the enjoyment of this show is the way it ends. Now obviously I can't tell you any spoilers but let me just say that the show doesn't pay off the way it seems to promise it will. As far as I can tell only one major plot point is wrapped up and at the end of the show the audience is left with more questions than answers. This itself is not necessarily a bad thing except the show poses most of the questions early one and hints that they may be answered but after stringing the viewer along fails to provide an answer. Again yes I know there is a manga that answers the questions and I am sure this show will get a second season (and it deserves one) but in my opinion too little was resolved in this season for the show to have a satisfying and enjoyable ending and thus I mark it down.

I wrestled with giving this show an 8 or 9 (10 was out of the question as I've only ever given a 10 to three things, one is Evangelion and the other two were by Hayao Miyazaki and Attack on Titan is not in the same league as those though it badly wants to be Evangelion). I originally gave it a 9 which was the same score I gave to Death Note and Code Geass. After further thought though I bumped it down to an 8 because unlike Death Note and Code Geass there is no resolution at the end. Now to be fair both of those shows produced more than one season and if Attack on Titan manages to resolve itself I may consider bumping its score up to a 9 but as it stands Attack on Titan is currently a Very Good Anime that has potential to be a Great Anime if it can sort out its convoluted plot and actually resolve a few of the questions it poses.

Persona 4 The Animation should be mandatory study material for everyone who is tasked with adapting a video game into an anime or tv series because THIS is how its done. Persona 4 is arguably the best of the Persona series and this animation of the game is hands down the best video game adaptation anime I have ever seen. So why did I only give it a 7 out of 10? Well Ill get to that.

Story wise this anime deserves major props for the near perfect job they did adapting a video game plot to an anime. Most adaptations of video games follow the ... narrative of the game only loosely and end up doing a sloppy job story wise. Persona 4 stays extremely loyal to the video game's story, diverging only when it is necessary to do so (for example the long trek to dungeon bosses are usually glossed over in favor of an immediate confrontation with the boss). I was lucky enough to finish playing the game just before I started watching this and was amazed at how close the anime story is to the game story. In fact some scenes take the dialogue from the game almost word for word. Now despite all this praise its worth pointing out that as a J-RPG, Persona 4 is a heavily story driven game anyway so you would think it would be easy to just cut it up into 25 episodes right? If its that easy then how come other adaptations like the Xenosaga anime keep screwing up their game's stories so much? As I said before, the story is near flawless so 9 out of 10.

In terms of the art, I have to give props to the animators for apparently studying the game religiously and making sure ever visual detail of both the characters and scenery are reproduced accurately in the anime. A lot of video game adaptations are thrown together in order to make some extra money off the game's fans but in Persona 4's case its clear a lot of effort was put into making this anime an extremely loyal adaptation visually as well as story wise. The anime even takes it a few steps further by showing us scenes that were never present in the game. While they went above and beyond on the animation, I give Art an 7 out of 10 because honestly the art style in the game is a tad stale since the anime uses the same art style it doesnt quite measure up to the art styles in other animes. Its still good though so once again, 7 out of 10.

Sound wise, no surprises, the soundtrack is lifted almost verbatim from the game and if you liked the music in the game you are in luck cause the anime uses it too. However the opening and closing titles are (as far as I can tell) original and the soundtrack from the game is inserted with attention to context in the anime. Personally there was only one song on the soundtrack that I kinda liked, the rest were ok enough and the anime uses them responsibly so you never really get tired of one that is used too much. 7 out of 10.

If you are seeing a trend then it continues with the Characters. The personalities of the anime characters match up almost perfectly with those in the video game and the anime actually takes every opportunity to expound on them, providing even more background than we get in the game but does so in a way that seems meaningful and not just tacked on. On top of this the voice actors are (in both the Japanese and English versions at I believe) the same ones used in the game and just as in the game everyone does a great job bringing their characters across, better in the anime in fact than in the game given the animation limitations of video games compared to anime. One key difference between the anime and the game is that the main character is mostly silent in the game but in the anime he speaks...quite a lot actually. The problem is that the Main Character in the anime is inconsistent and in some scenes just comes off as too robotic and less real than the other characters, however these scenes are few and far between and they do a good enough job with the Main Character and an excellent job with all the characters. Of particular note are Rie Kugimiya (Shana from Shakugan no Shana and Taiga from Toradora!) as Rise and Kappei Yamaguchi (L from Death Note) as Kuma. Ryusei Nakao (Frieza from DBZ and Mayuri from Bleach) even voices an important character in the last episode. All the voice actors and actresses do a superb job really but if I talked about each one this review would never get submitted. For characters, 8 out of 10.

The most important question with any anime or video game is "did you enjoy it?" With Persona 4, if you liked the game you will like the anime, if you didn't like the game then you don't like J-RPGs or anime so you wouldn't be watching the anime anyway. Unlike most video game adaptions, Persona 4 does everything right and delivers an experience just as, if not even more, enjoyable than the game itself. The only problem is that if you watch the anime first then you have spoiled the game for yourself and if you play the game first you know kinda whats going to happen in the anime. Personally I played the game first and enjoyed the anime a lot so I recommend you do the same if you havnt played the game or seen the anime yet. 8 out of 10.

So if Persona 4 The Animation is a near perfect adaptation of a video game into an anime, why do I only give it a 7 out of 10? The simple answer is BECAUSE its a video game adaption. Video games are an interactive form of entertainment while anime and movies are not interactive. No matter how loyal you are to the game it doesnt change the fact that the story of a video game is (ideally) supposed to drive the plot and mesh with the gameplay. If you take the story and leave out the gameplay then even if its a good story its going to feel a little empty like its missing something. In the end you almost feel like you are watching someone else play the game for you (ok its more exciting than that I admit). Overall, compared to other video game adaptation animes Persona 4 is probably as good as it gets. However when compared with animes in general Persona 4 The Animation is good but not great, 7 out of 10.

To summarize my thoughts on this anime, Kannazuki no Miko is perhaps the most overly melodramatic anime I have ever seen. It has many many scenes which are long and painful to sit through and they culminate in an ending that to me at least was disappointing. I won't give away the plot twist but considering the opening title sequence strongly hints at what it is I would hardly call it a plot twist.

In spite of all this Kannazuki no Miko should not be considered a bad anime, just an ok one. It does have a few flashes of poetic brilliance in its story ... but these are too few and far between to make up for a set of inconsistent and annoying main characters and some sub-par voice acting/dialogue to go along with it (seriously, if you take a drink everytime the main heroine utters the name "Chikane-chan" you will be dead by the end of an average episode). Now I only saw the Japanese version with subtitles so I cant decide if it was the voice acting that was poor or the dialogue or perhaps both. Either way the main characters start out ok but swiftly become grating to the point where by the last episode you just want it to be over with.

Also one extra thing to note, do not go into this anime expecting scenes of Miko battling monsters with magic, there is little if any of it to be had (I think in the entire show there are maybe two scenes that technically count as that). I will say that Kannazuki no Miko is certainly one of the most unusual anime as it somehow managed to combine elements of a bunch of different anime genres into a blender and then tosses in some giant robot battles for go measure. Unfortunately none of these genres are handled well (unless you like Shoujo Ai, and I mean a lot of it). The romance is over the top and the characters are too bland to care much about anyway and the giant robots are really never given a proper explanation and the battles are forgettable.

In conclusion I would not recommend watching Kannazuki no Miko unless you are really really into Shoujo Ai and/or if you though the main character from Fruits Basket was completely likable.

Highschool of the Dead is a good anime that could have been a great anime if only it had taken itself seriously. Its story is solid and well paced, the art is fantastic, and the characters are introduced in a way that makes you care about them although very little background is given (though considering this is only a 12 episode anime thats fine).


Story: 7

When I first started watching this anime, based on what I had heard I expected it to be an anime about breasts and panty shots that just so happened to have zombies in it. While the anime does have enough panty ... shots and breast bounces to embarrass Dead or Alive Beach Volleyball, the story is all about the zombies. The way the zombies are introduced to the plot is nice. Almost each episode has the characters trying to accomplish a goal in an effort to reach their long-term goal of surviving. The plot is well paced and fits nicely in the 12 episodes of the series. Another thing I appreciated about the story is there are not a lot of plot holes left by the end of the season and much of the story is plausible (once you accept the whole zombie premise).

The main problems with the story is that at times it tries to get deep and you start to take it seriously from a psychological perspective...and then just when you are about to be drawn into a scene the animators go "LOOK BOOBIES!", and the spell is broken.

I wont spoil much about the ending but really I thought they could have done more with some earlier plot points to make the ending more memorable. Suffice it to say the way the show ends basically demands that it get another season or at least an OAV.


Art: 8

One thing I was not expecting from this series was the spectacular art. Computer animation is used really well in some scenes, particularly actions sequences. The scenery is pretty too and really adds to the whole "end of the world" tone of the story. One last note on the art...some of the breast physics really do put Dead or Alive to shame. Not only are most of the camera angles centered around showing of the guns that the women are carrying and those that are attached to their chests, there are some moments where the boobs look like they have themselves achieved sentience and are fleeing the zombies all on their own.


Sound: 6

The sound on the other hand was mostly so-so. The voice actors all did a decent job (including Eri Kitamura as Saya Takagi...what is it with her and characters named Saya). The opening theme had some neat moments but I found myself skipping it most of the time. The music in the show itself was forgetable for the most part. I mean it worked with the action scenes and the sad scenes and what not but there wasnt any time in this anime where the music really blew me away.


Character: 7

Like all good zombie apocalypse stories, each character in High School of the Dead serves a function that aids in the survival of the group:

-We have the main hero who starts out all whiny and emo and then starts to grow and mature towards the end while the others look up to him.

-We have the main heroine who made a promise to the main character when they were kids and then (for reasons that are vaguley hinted at late in the series) ends up with another guy...oh and she can use a spear really well.

-We have the typical mostly stoic but mature and attractive katana wielding high school girl who acts like a big sister by cooking meals (wearing ONLY an apron) and cutting apart zombies when she isnt doing that.

-We have the bitchy genius girl who its hard to like at the beginning but who grows on you by the end of the anime. (as usual Eri Kitamura plays this type of character very well).

-We have the Otaku who is useless in the real world but in the Zombie Apocalypse he is an awesome weapons expert who turns a nail gun into a nail gun gun (no literally, he adds a stock and uses it like a rifle to kill zombies in the second episode).

-We have the little girl who shows up about halfway through the series and whose three primary functions are to look cute, bring ammo to the otaku, and keep the main characters from making out when she is on screen.

-And finally we have the designated driver, in this case a klutzy, borderline retarded nurse who does not actually have breasts but is in fact smuggling a pair of watermelon-sized marshmallows under her shirt. Her functions are to drive cars, provide comic relief, and to be in charge of fan-service...because if there is one thing this anime didnt have enough of, its fan service (heavy sarcasm).

Honestly I found myself liking most of the characters by the end and you do really hope that most of them live through the zombie apocalypse which is absolutely necessary for this kind of story. Also the characters are mostly believable too. Other than the Otaku, none of the other characters are able to pick up a gun and score headshots from the word go. In fact there is a lot of misses and fumbling around with ammo early on to remind you that these are high school kids. Of course then the katana-girl shows up and makes it look easy but I will forgive that because she looks so darn good while doing it.


Enjoyment: 7

This is a fun anime to watch. However its really disappointing that the anime fails to take itself seriously. There was SO much room for psychological twists or character growth but this was all filled in with breasts and panty shots. Now this being an anime, breasts and panty shots sort of go with the territory and to the anime's credit, these common shots do not distract from the story too much...MOST of the time.

One action sequence in particular I have taken to calling "booby-bullet time". The hero has to fire a sniper rifle off the breasts of another character (for a contrived reason that technically works but you know the only reason they did this was to cause the girl to moan every time the weapon fires). As the hero fires the rifle we get a slow motion sequence where the katana girl backflips to the side to dodge the shots. In slow motion we see her breasts flopping in mid flip and the bullet goes in front of the first breast and then behind the second one...that sequence all by itself kept this anime from getting a 8 rating. There is fan service and then there is not even trying.

Overall: 7

Like I said, this is a good anime and I recommend that you watch it if you like this kind of genre but it could have been a great anime if it had only taken itself seriously and toned down the boobies.

If you go into this anime expecting to be surprised by the plot or drawn in my the characters, expect to be disappointed. However if you are tired of watching anime that get too deep and just want to kick back and watch a solid reliable anime with some neat fights and good animation, then you could do a lot worse than Kaze no Stigma. This is an anime that does very little that is original but it presents itself well and hits all the right notes. It doesnt deserve to be called great but to call it anything less than good just isnt fair.


Story:

Without ... spoiling anything let me just say that I am not convinced that the original writer (I am assuming like most anime this started off as a manga) knew where he wanted the story to end up when he began. The ending, while fun and as close to epic as this show can get, doesn't seem to connect back to the beginning much. The rest of the show is told in short story arcs that usually only last about four episodes with the occasional single episodes that are more for comic relief (like the hot springs episode which nearly all animes are now required to have by law). You have your random assortment of baddies that have little to no connection to each other (for the most part you could actually see a show in the middle and pick up most of the plot). This sounds lazy and dull but it actually works well in this show. The enemies are for the most part fairly interesting and you usually end up with an entertaining battle. One final point to address with the plot. Everyone and their dog, cat, and goldfish, knows from the beginning that there is going to be a relationship developed between the main characters by the end of the show. To the show's credit it doesn't go through the usual cliche phases of the main heroine spending most of her screen time agonizing over whether she likes the guy or not. Instead the relationship is developed slowly until near the end where it speeds up a bit too much to be realistic even by anime standards. There is a humorous subplot near the middle with a character trying to play matchmaker but I wont spoil anything. 6 out of 10.

Art:
You have to give this show credit, it looks good. The backgrounds are fairly standard but better than most animes. What really sells the art here are the character designs. All the characters look good and are distinct enough to be immediately recognizable which is something some animes fail to do. The animations are pretty well done to and someone got creative with the battle effects during the fight scenes. Also one final thing to note, this show LOVES panty shots and I mean LOVES them. If you took a drink every time the heroines delicates are seen through the course of the anime, you will die from alcohol poisoning. The funny part is I think there are only a few times when a character seems to notice, like when they realize high kicking in a skirt probably isnt a good idea. 8 out of 10.

Sound:
Not much to say here. Like Art this show does a very good job with its sound. Everything from its music to the voice acting is great. I have seen better but not very often. Nothing to complain about really so lets move on. 8 out of 10.

Character:
As I mentioned before the characters are not especially deep. Only the main character's back story is ever explored in any detail and even then there are some fairly big holes left by the end. Even so all of the main characters are entertaining to watch and have a clear and distinct personality and I dont recall them ever acting out of character in the show. All of the main characters are somewhat stereotypical types on the surface but really they get their jobs done well and thats really all they need to do. Still a little backstory for the main heroine at least would have helped this show out a bunch. It also would have helped if this show had some more interesting minor characters. Other than the grandfather and the heroine's two friends, the rest of the supporting cast, including the main rival (which oddly enough is an American, because all people from America have blond hair, blue eyes, and an annoying laugh right?) are forgettable at best and get in the way of the plot too much. Luckily they dont do this enough to be grating but the writer could have done a bit better in this area. 7 out of 10.

Enjoyment:
Let me be clear, if you enjoy most anime, then you will enjoy this one. It wont leave you feeling like you just witnessed something amazing but if you are just looking for a decent solid show then this one will not disappoint. 7 out of 10.

Overall: 7 out of 10.