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Namaikizakari. The new Maid-Sama...?!

Right. Even by just checking this manga out, you are wondering if it can satisfy that empty hole in your heart that Maid-Sama ripped open. Or you're not. But one thing's for sure... yeah, Namaikizakari has it's flaws but it's damn entertaining. Something special? Only in the comedy and the characters.

Story: 7
Love, love, love, y'all! Though, you've probably already guessed that's what it's about. Even so, the female MC's continuous denials and the male MC's determination lead to a boat load of sweet, cute, and hot moments.

Art: 7
Nothing special. There's a ton of yummy boys for female readers though ;)

Character: ... 8
Lovely characters. Their personalities are incredibly fleshed out. It does go along the common shoujo route (with yer MC, yer lover, yer beach, yer rival, and the under-developed friend) but this manga varies a bit. The other characters are more subtle, the "underdevelped friend" actually becomes well-developed, the main character and her lover are strong and unique... even the rival gets some me-time and realizes it won't work out. And then, of course, the beach isn't even a beach. They're people — actual, real people — and not used stick figures that have popped up before in other mangas of the same kind.

Enjoyment: 8
Right. So, I may be biased on this one... but hear me out! This is among the first mangas I have ever had the will to actually finish. Even the more popular mangas out there that have it all don't appeal. Since I'm more used to anime with its bright, flashy colors and, of course, animation... yeah, mangas never sit too well. No, Namaikizakari isn't something special. No, it won't earn an award for having good life lessons. The romance isn't utterly realistic and nor is the plot in general. However. It has to be very special to hold my attention throughout. And the author may not have a talent for unique plots, but damn the humor makes me laugh every time. Sometimes, manga isn't about teaching life lessons and shattering your heart... sometimes it's purely for the enjoyment. I think Namaikizakari is one of those manga, and it did its job well.

Overall: 8

Here comes the comparison you've been dying to know: How does it compare to Maid-Sama? While Maid-Sama is more slicey-lifey (has more slice of life elements), Namaikizakari still has it's fair share. However, Maid Sama focuses on Misaki's development toward males and Namaikizakari doesn't have a clear development toward... well, anything — except accepting one's feelings. "*GASP* well there goes another manga! Just going to delete this one!" Please don't. Because although Namaikizakari isn't a deep tragedy slice of life, the story is well executed. And even though absolutely nobody can hold a candle to Usui, Namaikizakari might be the first step to letting that go anyway.

Hana to Akuma: The typical powerful and terrible bad guy whose heart is warmed by the protagonist's love. Not bad, but there are plenty of issues with this manga that might irritate or annoy anyone who's already wary of the shoujo genre.

Story: 6
Having read about half way through at the time I'm writing this, from what I've gathered, there's no big plot. Mr. Demon doesn't have any dark background or centuries-old curse that he must solve. Each chapter, consisting of 30-45 pages, is a story within itself; that is, the conflict is introduced and solved within 1-3 chapters. I will say that some of these ... conflicts I did not enjoy in the least. Most of them were shallow, trifle matters which spent an entire chapter or so getting solved. Basically, don't expect this manga to involve any action. There's no fighting, no set antagonist, no violence or psychological problems. The setting is not very realistic, and nor are the character's actions. It's obvious this manga was intended for younger audiences, what with the plot and all. Since I didn't absolutely loathe this

Art: 7
Keep in mind that I haven't read many mangas. That being said, the art didn't particularly annoy me or enchant me either. Shoujo mangas tend to emphasize on detail, but this one was more vague. I'm a stickler for character art though, and while I wasn't impressed, the character design was alright.

Character: 3
Ooh. This section really strikes a nerve. While the humor of the characters never failed to at least pull out a smile or two from me, they were extremely irritating.
Take the main character for instance. You would think a fifteen year old would be at least a bit mature, but the main protagonist Hana speaks in third person. Her drawings are as artistic as a two year old's, and she has about the equivalent IQ of one too. Most conflicts that pop up are due to Hana accepting some potion or pill from a complete stranger and getting some spell of some sort; or getting lost; or getting willingly captured; or whining about wanting something or other and having her caretaker lover-demon Vivi sacrifice himself to get it for her. Speaking of Vivi (what kind of name is that anyway? It's cringey af), he's the son of the demon king, heir to the throne. But since he was fed up with life, he decided to leave hell randomly for no reason and not come back ever. He's unaware of his feelings toward the protagonist but does whatever she wants anyway. And you think, aw isn't that sweet? But trust me, it won't be that sweet when she coos him to do this and that, buy her pretty dresses and then demand that he return them.

Enjoyment: 6
Hmm. I was a bit torn over this one. It's not like the manga was bland all the way through but more like it got worse and worse as it went along. The beginning made me excited; I thought I would see some character development from Vivi (cringe) because he seemed more dark and brooding. It was less of a character development though. Plus, as Hana became more and more like a whiny girl, you could say my "enjoyment" plummeted.

Overall: 5
Would I recommend this? Ehhh...not really. I'm a bit hesitant to recommend this manga but one of my mottos is that every manga is worth a try. Because while I may have hated the characters and lack of plot flow, it may be your cup of tea. Who knows?
And on an end note, I've decided to recommend some other mangas that I found much more well-executed but hold some of the same elements as this one (or lack some of the elements that may make you hesitate to read this manga). So if a particular part of this review stuck out at you as, "this is definitely a pass" or "but is there anything else with this element in it that's better written?" or you tried this manga and had one of those moments, then have a quick glance at my list.

Note: All mangas on this list are suited for the audiences of this manga and also have similar tags. Enjoy!
If you want more action/better plot execution/stronger female protagonist try:
-Noragami
Perhaps the best manga I've read ever (so far), it's not shoujo but I would absolutely recommend it for both male and female readers. Shoujo readers tend to lean more toward romance, and the romantic hints in this one are fangirl-worthy. The art is exquisite, and the non-romantic sections of the plot are still addicting enough that you can't flip the pages fast enough. The action in this one is superb, as it's the main protagonist's job to slay Ayakashi (monsters that come from tangled human emotions). Plus, it has an anime adaption of two seasons (so far) which is also well-done (and is perhaps my favorite anime as well).

If you want a stronger female protagonist/better or smoother plot execution/more action try:
-Yona of the Dawn
This is the shoujo manga with the strongest female protagonist I've read so far. Really, the character development is amazing too. In the beginning, she may act timid but if you keep reading you can see her grow stronger. The character development for all characters in this manga is also glorious.

If you want a better or more focused romance/higher quality art try:
-Kaichou wa maid sama
Really, there's none other like maid-sama. Honestly. This one is an absolute gem. The romance is slow (spanning around 50 of the 80 or so chapters) but it's there in every single chapter. I highly recommend for shoujo fans, because shoujo fans-male or female- will never fail to squeal and swoon. The protagonist is in denial of another boy's love toward her but it isn't frustrating that she keeps shoving him down; rather, her personality makes it all the more satisfying when she finally gives in. The art in this one is also beautiful; all the characters are gorgeous and that makes the romance even better. It also has an anime adaption.

Truly magnificent, Noragami is a manga fit for praise. The story is smooth and unique, the art is clean, the characters are all deep and 3D, and overall I was gripped by it to the end. It's hard to come by such a gem, especially one whose story connects from the very beginning. Many authors have a wobbly beginning that smooths out a bit at the end, but this one was polished the entire way.

It was successful enough to receive an anime of currently two seasons. Like most people, I watched the anime first, and while that's not the subject of the review, the anime ... is excellent and I highly encourage you to watch it, if you haven't already.

However, some details in the manga are left out in the anime. It does not take away from the anime in the least, but the manga has those rich details that really make the characters pop. Also, the main character Yato undergoes a bit more of character development than in the anime. In the anime, he goes from indifference toward the heroine, Hiyori, to heartwarming friendship. In the manga, he develops from his violent nature.

All in all, a very pleasing manga. It truly deserves "Outstanding" across the board. Completely original, dark enough to be mysterious but not enough to be gross, Noragami is not a manga you would want to miss.

You are probably wondering why this show is so popular. It's not pinpointed to the characters or plot, but rather, the strange and unique setting. I'll explain.

I will be frank here. Every time I rate an anime well (7+), I'm extremely critical. And every time I rate an anime badly (6-), I emphasize why I chose the score so any viewer who happens to have different tastes and would take those points as a good thing instead of something that hinders the show will have fair insight as to watch it or not.

For this show, I will start with the good points and then switch ... over to the things that bothered me.

I will say this: No Game No Life is clever. Forget the plot. Forget the personalities of the characters. By now, assuming you've read the description of the anime, you know that the show is about games — but really, specifically, it's about solving puzzles. The main characters are constantly faced with deception and manage to overcome it in the most bizarre ways. I'm guessing that's why people found it so intriguing and why, despite being constantly irritated by a few aspects, I somehow can't stop watching it. No matter how pissed you are at this anime — and I was totally pissed — the one thing it does not lack is something interesting.

Ok. There you go. I've done my good deed for the day. On to the bad part.

Deep breath.

Characters:
There are two main characters, and a few side ones. But the two main ones are Sora, a sly and arrogant guy whose quirky and fun side does not quite make up for his OP-ness and confidence; and his sister, Shiro, who I will get to later...because I've got a lot I want to say about her.

Why does Sora piss me off? I'll split it into 3 reasons, which I will describe my best, so if you aren't as pissed, you won't miss this otherwise pretty good anime.

1) Sora is too OP
No, as of right now I have not finished this anime. But as of right now, I'm far enough (10/12 episodes) into the show that I can say there is just no character development. Sora is completely flat throughout the entire show. The writers or whoever made up this character decided that as long as he wasn't a complete douche, as long as there was some ecchi to make up for it, they could cover it up. Normally, I wouldn't mind a shallow MC, as long as they had a painful past that could be expanded a bit or they lost once or twice to their opponent; but Sora never does that. Not once does he lose his cool and not once does he stop being arrogant enough for me to want to punch him.
At first I found this attitude likable. I mean, he represented humanity and went against the other races to climb to the top. But then he never changed and his personality went from confident to arrogant to cruel.

2) Ecchi
I'll be blunt: I hate ecchi and harems. So if you don't mind or you like it, just don't bother reading this.
I usually go out of my way to watch shoujos, not because I particularly liked the genre, but because harem squads are almost never present in female-targeted audiences. I made an exception because this anime happened to be in the 101st spot in the Top Anime list and it didn't have explicit violence or nudity scenes, which I was tired of. By that point, I was desperate, so I eagerly picked it up. That being said, while the ecchi is light and comedic to give some leeway to people like me, I still don't like it. It's forced, it's dirty, and it's disgusting. The MC abuses females despite this being PG-13 and while the interesting plot tries to make up for it...it just doesn't make up for it. The women shove themselves on top of him like dogs (with one of them even being portrayed as a dog in one episode), and I just about reached my limit when I decided to let off steam on this review.

3) Shiro
And here it comes: The ultimate finish.
Shiro.
Shiro is one of those quiet, kind-of-tsundere-but-not-really girls who somehow wiggle their way through every problem. Talk about a flat character. The writers or directors or whoever tried to make her better by giving her an episode to prove herself but she's just...too bland. She offers a few remarks here and there, shows off her awesomely clever brain once in a while, and that's about it.

And that's it for the review. There's nothing more to say. You might wonder, then why did I rate it so high? Because I can see why people are attracted to this one. I can really see why. But, despite my addiction, it's just not enough.

Say I Love You is not the masterpiece I expected, but it's still a show worth watching. The characters and story were alright but in my opinion, the plot ran a bit too slowly.

I've never completed this anime because the pacing doesn't fufill my interests enough. Still, there are sweet moments here and there that make me smile and there's nothing off about the show. In fact, the show is pretty well done. It just didn't quite meet my standards in terms of drama.

I prefer shows with comedy and drama or action and fantasy to spice up the non-romance portion, if there is implied romance. ... That being said, this show was sweet all the way. Despite implied sex, there isn't any harem or explicit fan service; not that you'd expect any in a shoujo.

Ao no Exorcist is about a guy who happens to be a demon spawn. As a result, everyone is extremely scared of him or wants to kill him, which is what makes it so interesting.

Story 8/10
No, it's not the most original thing ever. But this kind of outline story always leaves room for the author (of the manga) or director (of the show) to place their own twist on it.
One of my rules for any anime is, if I'm not enraptured by the first episode, I don't watch it. Yup, I'm picky like that. However, this one just yanked me right in. Forget the loopholes ... (which, by the way, there isn't any); every episode will make you watch the next up until the very end.

Art 7/10
The main aspect I want to talk about is the females. The female portrayal is excellent in my opinion; I've never seen a (relatively new) anime that has such a variety. Usually, the females are for fanservice so they all have that same cutesy look. And I'm talking about multiple animes, not just one show. But this show has more quality to it and it really shows. And not just the character art, but the other demons and the scenery as well.

Sound
I'm not one to judge for sound. When the music stands out, I can give it praise and a higher rating but this one was pretty normal as any show.

Character 9/10
Despite the MC being a demon and all, he's utterly realistic and has his flaws. Yes, ladies and gentlemen: flaws. He gets beat up all the time and every time he stands back up, you can see the character development. That's right! Character development! The other characters were developed as well as they warmed up to their strange friend.

Enjoyment 9/10
I will say: I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Is it the best? Well...no. But it isn't the show's fault. This was my first shounen, and it was quite interesting, but because of the target audience there were some things that were missing that I wanted more of.

Overall 9/10
If I were you, I would give the first episode a try. It's a good length, so if you like it the show will hold for a while. Every episode is equally as good as the last and despite some flaws here and there, it really was a solid 9/10 for me.

Right! Where to start? I've had mixed feelings about this show. Until this point (the time I write this review) it still hasn't been finished yet. That's because certain things are lacking while others are extremely annoying. But let's break it down, shall we?

Story: 6/10
I shouldn't really judge the story when I haven't seen the entire thing, but I'll be frank here: In the episodes so far, there hasn't been much going on. Of course, there was a goal mentioned but the characters have yet to achieve that goal. However, the entertainment values certainly makes up for it, keeping me as a viewer interested enough ... to see through the next episode.

Art: 9/10
Not the best I've seen but the fighting scenes in this action-packed anime are nicely done.

Sound: 9/10
Same as the Art category; it isn't good to the point I'll exemplify it but it isn't bad.

Character: 3/10
While the main character is tolerable, I find myself wanting to violently murder every other character I've met; and interestingly enough practically all those characters are females with plenty of fanservice to go around. I'm not one for ecchi, but I already understood it was a packaged set when it came to any show with romance these days. However, the cringe-worthy voices and numerous angles of fanservice were simply too much. Yes, this was the turn-off for me; girls with no backbone. Not even the one female worthy of a ship could resist whining to the main character. The original score was a 1/10 but a few of the males were alright so a 3 it is. I'm being generous here.

Enjoyment: 6/10
Terrible characters aside, this anime is quite shallow and doesn't hold anything particularly special to make up for it. I managed three or four episodes before my expectations plummeted.

Overall: 5/10
Alrighty! So! If you want an anime whose dominant tags would be ECCHI, ROMANCE, HAREM, and ACTION then you can watch this one with low expectations...or just forget it. I don't know, perhaps you're someone all for that but for something that was personally suggested to me, I was quite disappointed. The only thing that would come out of this nicely was that the action wasn't bloody and, cringe-worthy as it was, the romance was at least apparent (as in, despite the harem the MC actually CHOOSES someone). However, don't get your hopes up; it was still one of the most awkward, forced romances out there.