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Story: 8/10
--It started VERY SLOW. I couldn't even get into the manga because of how long it took to get past the annoying introductory phase of the main character, Rikuo, which is why I started the anime to get some faster progression. After maybe...7 episodes in, you finally start to get past his indecision and see that, even though he denies wanting to be the successor, he still does all the work anyways because he wants to protect his friends. His friends are also practically in every episode. While they're there to be some sort of comic relief, I feel that they held back the ... story from moving forward in a faster pace. When you FINALLY get into a real arc, that's when you can actually watch without rolling your eyes. That's when you can take it seriously and watch because of true interest, and not because of getting through the BS to get to the goods.

Art: 10/10
--This is what initially got me into the series in the first place. The art is just great. Some would say it's not, but the representation of those demons are all pretty good, and they get better in the sequel. Coloring is very bold, and details were graced upon the background when it counts.

Sound: 7/10
--For the most part, the soundtrack is supposed to be reminiscent of ancient feudal times in Japan. Not unlike Inuyasha's sountrack. It's also very similar in style to the game, "Muramasa: The Demon Blade". It sets the mood well enough, but I don't think it matched quite as well as it should have since the setting was more modern and the music was very old fashioned.

Character: 7/10
--I wished they touched on some character history more instead of putting nearly 100% focus on the main character, who is rather annoying when he's just a normal human. They touched on his romantic interest a lot through the show, but I can't stand how utterly dense she is. All of his "friends" have something quite annoying about them, which I suppose is meant for humor's sake, but it failed in my opinion. Antagonist characters are all obsessive. There isn't any depth to those characters at all.

Enjoyment: 8/10
--As much as there were a lot of times in which I just hated the stagnant flow of the anime, it did become more amusing later on. Progression is SLOW. Once and if you get past that, you won't have too much of a problem other than some irritating characters.

As much as I personally love this anime, I'm going to write this review unbiased...or try to.

Know this: Alongside the anime are two mangas out. "Memories of Red" which is basically a memoir of HOMRA that comes before the anime, and "Stray Dog Story" which is Kuro's life before the anime. You don't need to read either of them to start the anime at all, but it is interesting for those who truly follow the franchise.

Story: 8/10
--It mainly follows three groups: Scepter 4, HOMRA, and Shiro's ragtag group (Shiro's being the absolute focus). It starts out very vague, and the very beginning may be a ... turn off to some people because of the extremely broken English script, but once you get past that, it does pique your interest to see two feuding groups, and for no explicitly stated reason. The transition into the next episode is very vague. Rather, the whole anime happens to be vague a lot, but that may be a reason to keep you hanging on until the end, which isn't that far away considering it's very short (only consisting of 13 eps). A lot of times you will be left with a cliff hanger at the end, and even by the time you finish the whole thing, you're left with wondering questions. It's rather rushed, and we don't know the whole detail for anything really...

Art: 9/10
--The CGI incorporation is pretty amazing. The level of FX in this is above the standard for anime, which is what I really like. The art of the characters aren't too unique, but I do prefer the style to others. The coloring kind of threw me off. It's very bright in a lot of the scenes. So much so, you lose the details of some characters. The background art is amazing, while some things are rather bland, they did put a lot of extra details into the buildings, if you have an eye to pay attention to it. There are a few inconsistencies that can be spotted, but nothing too big or attention grabbing.

Sound: 10/10
--The soundtrack is very calming for the most part, but when the mood changes, it usually matches well. The soundtrack is also very limited. You'll notice that the anime repeats the same tracks in multiple episodes, but at least it's not annoying. It's rather intense. It's light sometimes and easy to listen to, and other times it's rather heavy, but nonetheless it does matches the mood quite nicely. I personally hated the OP and ED, but I don't usually count either of those when I rate the sound. The FX sounds were pretty good. I would say that they would make great ringtones as notification sounds. The voice acting: 100% right. I felt that all the characters were truly matched well with their given voice actors. Nothing felt awkward about their voices to the characters at all.

Character: 7/10
--Some people will say that there are a lot of characters, but it's not hard to fish out which ones are actually important. Pros: The characters strongly have their own personalities that sets them apart from one another. Those that get enough screentime definitely leave their mark. Cons: Some characters that should have gotten more screentime, didn't. We don't know enough about certain characters when we should. I'll tell you right now, reading the mangas won't tell you much even still. I did find one particular character to be intolerable, and that's Neko. It may just be how useless I thought she was, or how annoying she ended up being. Nonetheless, she happens to be a key character. By the end of this anime, you'll probably remember maybe 7 characters top and that's because they happen to get the most screentime.

Enjoyment: 10/10
--Despite there being a lack of a solid foundation, it does show promise. I enjoyed following what would happen between the two feuding kings, and now I still wonder what happened by the end of it. There was an announcement saying that there will be a second season, but I wonder what they will do since at least three key players that made, what little of the plot there was, the series continue.

Key things to note:
--It's a short. (xx mins < 30 mins.)
--It lacks dialogue.

Story: 10/10
--It's quite a unique take on telling a story of nostalgia. There is never a reason stated for why there is rising sea water, but that aside, it is a wonderful story that very much reminds me of the opening of Pixar's "UP," but rather a reverse telling of the tale. It does start of a little slow, but considering that the whole short is about 12 minutes long, it get's by pretty quickly and once it does you're left feeling warm and a little achy--because it kind of forces you to ... remember your own forgotten but fond memories.

Art: 10/10
--I have seen very few animations quite like this before. This is definitely unique and for anyone who didn't know of this tale's origin, you might even think it was made by a western artist. It definitely incorporates true aspects of art that most of us wouldn't even care to know the details of. Anime is not all about wild hair, big heads, and big eyes, you know.

Sound: 8/10
--It's quite wonderful. It's very fitting for the drawing and it sets the mood quite nicely. It's vague enough to make you wonder who the composer is, but general enough to make you feel like you've heard it before. It's very calm for the most part but the key thing to note is that it is most absolutely nostalgic.

Character: 8/10
--It really does remind me of "UP," in many ways. An old man who lives his life, now, alone. At first I thought he was grumpy but as the tale continues, you learn of his life. I'm a sucker for old people, and it broke my heart that he had to work on his house at his old age. Nonetheless, it just reminds me that he's a hard worker. His tale of falling in love and creating a family is just heartbreaking.

Enjoyment: 9/10
--If you loved the opening for "UP" (I cannot make anymore references to this) then you will LOVE this. It's eerily similar but it also stands on it own. The ending just about breaks my heart--but in a good way. It's just too lovely and almost sad. Don't judge a show by the length. This little short speaks volumes.

(SPOILERS)

Key things to note before even watching:

It's a short ( xx mins. < 30 mins.)
It lacks dialogue (mostly...)

Story: 9/10
--Despite the short having less than 5 sentences, the story is told through the journey of a little handmade toy that was left behind by his owner in a rush to board her plane with the parents. Daru, the toy, ventures to return to his beloved owner and along the way he travels to many countries, searching for her by asking various other objects and animals. He even manages to make a small companion friend, a caterpillar, whom he protects from the elements when he finds that ... it turns into a cocoon.

Art: 7/10
--It's not amazing, but it is charming and very cute. In some scenes there was a lot of thought and details put into certain objects. Sometimes the art/animation is absolutely outstanding; one such case is when they showcase the night sky with the clouds (Around the 2 min. mark). Since Daru is traveling around the world, it is easy to note where he's has gone to by paying attention to the background.

Sound: 9/10
--Charming. It's very simple and relaxing and in my opinion, the music suits the mood of the scene wonderfully. From the excitement to the hopeless moments, the music is a perfect match without being too overpowering for the scene, but neither lacking in emotion either.

Character: 10/10
--There are really only two characters to focus on, and though while neither really talk much, there is a lot of heart they both have. The owner and Daru both display loyalty and love for one another in their remembrance of each other and determination (In Daru's case) to reunite.

Enjoyment: 10/10
--While others have expressed lack of interest or enjoyment from this short, perhaps because it IS short and they think it lacks a story, I find this little anime to be quite charming and thoroughly heartwarming. It most definitely reminds me of pixar's shorts--little to no dialogue, but a story behind the actions of the characters and emotion that can be felt. I suppose it takes a certain kind of person to find this enjoyable. It's quite quaint, but it is very cute. If you're anything like me, if you can relate to and understand the message without it being thrown in your face, you'll like this. I quite like this little anime a lot. I love the simplicity of it, as well as the ending. It's nothing powerful and amazing but it's simply the same as enjoying a beautiful day. It's not so much what you did with your time, but just enjoying it for being what it is. Though it looks quite childish, I do believe that a mature audience can take pleasure from this sort of piece.

Overall: 9/10
--It's simply very cute and charming. It tells a great story given the time frame. The music is wonderful. The art is simple sometimes and amazing other times. The characters truly show heart for one another. I thoroughly enjoyed this, and because it's so short, it's worth sparing 10 minutes and enjoying it for what it is.