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Please don't read if you don't want anything spoiled.
I'll do my best to keep from revealing some twists and turns, but I will hint at things.

Well, I'll start by saying this-- I like to check out strange anime. Usually, when something seems odd, it's worth a shot, and sometimes I'm rewarded for my time. It turns out to be a good series no matter how crazy it initially seemed. I'm sure all romance-watchers out there have seen human + vampire and human + demon. I've seen those, and also a human + alien. Just when you thought things were crazy, I'm now watching a human ... + zombie show. Odd, right? Well, maybe you wouldn't think so, but I did.


Story~
The first few episodes were what caught my interest. I'm the "dark twists and turns, depressing backstory" sort of person. When we found out that the main girl, Rea, is from a very odd and broken home, it snatched my interest. I was intrigued. We have the main guy, Chihiro, who's overly-obsessed with zombies trying to revive his dead cat, and a sheltered girl from a very "different" family. It's fun, right? Right. And so when some dramatic stuff happens (to be precise, Rea's overprotective father found out she was with Chihiro)... Well, all right, long story short she falls off a cliff and dies. Let's skip back slightly. Chihiro needs a potion to bring his cat back to life, and he needs a certain plant. But all he knows about this plant is that it's poisonous. He tries a bunch of different things, until finally, he decides it's not going to work and he gives up. But Rea had snuck some of the potion and drank it in the hopes it would kill her, since... you know, she's depressed about her life. The potion later ends up working, and Rea is revived, thus becoming a zombie.

If that didn't make sense, go watch the show. I don't know how else to explain it.

After this happens, some cliche things ensue. Rea goes with Chihiro to his house, where she stays. Some dramatic stuff happens, and she realizes she needs to eat hydrangea leaves to stay alive. It's another long story. After this, a love triangle ensues, and I can't say there's anything special about it. It seems stereotypical, and sometimes I wondered why I was even watching this. It was entertaining, though, so I couldn't seem to stop clicking the link for the next episode.

And then episode 10 comes on. Warning-- this might be slightly spoiler-y. To me, this was one of the best episodes (along with the first few), because it was so dramatic and, to me, different. (Or maybe I just haven't seen that many anime.) Aria, Rea's mother, reveals some secrets about her marriage with Dan'ichiro (Rea's father, if you didn't know). The entire story caught my attention very well, and my eyes wouldn't move from the screen. It was a depressing and very odd flashback episode, but I personally enjoyed every minute.

Now that we have an overview of how I feel about the plot, let's move on.


Art~
Well, the art is well-done. It's a bit unique in its own way, but is bright and eye-pleasing. However, the backgrounds are pretty good at setting moods. It'll be dark when it needs to, giving an air of sadness or mystery. Then, other times, it will be bright and joyous. The characters themselves are rather interestingly-drawn, and it did take a while for me to get used to Chihiro's cat-ear-like hair.

All in all, the art is quite good-- happy and shiny when it needs to be, darker when the show calls for it. It doesn't seem jumpy or poorly drawn to me, but there is fanservice here and there. It isn't super ecchi quite yet, but it does have jiggling boobs and the occasional glance up some girl's legs. I hate fanservice, personally, but I can deal with this because it's occasional and isn't used when it isn't needed.


Character~
Eh... they're ok. They're different in their own way, but I wish they'd develop a bit more. Perhaps they will, so I'm waiting to see. Chihiro seems to be the somewhat-sterotypical anime guy, except that he has an insane zombie obsession. Just this alone drew me into his character, wanting to know more. He's a decent guy, and seems sweet and helpful sometimes, but he's not overly considerate of those around him when he's watching a zombie show or reading about them. He's got his interesting quirks, but I'm hoping they'll develop him enough to peel away just a few of his cliches here and there. Maybe he needs them, I dunno.

Rea is interesting enough. She's your average naive, sweet girl type, who doesn't seem to know much. I would have been irritated and given this show up if it weren't for the reasons behind that. Of course, she's sheltered... overly much, and her father is a maniac who takes nude pictures of her. She used to think it was normal, but as she matured, she realized it wasn't. She struggles, and hides it behind a facade for the most part-- but she is truly a little naive, and sweet to those she cares about, I'd say. She isn't too bad of a character at all.

Ranko is Chihiro's cousin, and she likes him. As in like like. Yeeeah. She seems to be your utterly stereotypical teasing-strong-girl type, with a soft side she doesn't want to show (but she does anyway, whether she likes it or not). And she has big boobs, which is a large cause of fanservice in this show. I'm hoping they'll flesh her out a little and make her different, but so far she's just the same as all the other "part of a love triangle, has unrequited love" girls I see so often in anime.


Soundtrack~
Well, I heard it in there somewhere. Every time I start a new series, I bug myself about remembering to listen to the soundtrack so I can write a review on it. And yet I always forget to. I do know that the music matches the mood pretty well, and brings out the actual happenings on-screen more.

The voice actors are rather... average, but they do fit their roles. They don't do a terrible job at voicing their character, which is good-- but Rea's voice seemed way too high for me in the beginning of the show. Either that has changed through the course of the series or I just got used to it.

The opening song seems pretty average, nothing special, but the animation that goes along with it is just... odd. It reminds me of some stupid dream I had when I was seven about a magical world with fluffy, sharp-toothed bunnies. Not that there are any fluffy, sharp-toothed bunnies in this (I think) but the setting of the theme song just reminds me of it. It's weird, and that's all I can say. And I haven't listened to the ending song yet.


Overall, this show is very entertaining and intriguing, though it has its cliches. It is fun to watch, and will pass the time very nicely. I'm excited to see the next episodes. It's good overall, but if you're not a romance fan, I don't know what to tell you. It's not amazing enough to recommend, but I will tell you to at least try it and see how you feel. It's the type of show romance-lovers might find very interesting, but not the type I'd go around telling everyone I know to watch it.

Still, it's worth a shot, and my time was not wasted on this show.

If you expected me to hate this, then just read the rest of my review.


Story~
It isn't divided into separate arcs, but rather, the two stories blended together with each other. The first plot, which is pretty much your average love triangle-- just that. Average. Though the way they executed it and the way the characters developed was at least a refreshing love triangle, compared to all the other crappy ones I've been watching. It really irritated me in some parts, but for the most part it was better than your cliche love triangle. The second plot that blended in with it was another matter ENTIRELY. ... It was so beautiful in every form that I really found no fault at all with it. It's been a while since I've seen such a dramatic romance that I've actually enjoyed. Some people in anime have disabilities, which makes a romance difficult. But this disability was one I've never seen before. Maybe I haven't watched enough romance, but this was beautifully unique, and perfectly dramatic. I liked it so much more than the other plot. In fact, if it didn't have the second plot in here, this anime would have only gotten a 6 or 7 maximum.


Art~
The style itself seems somewhat cliche-- the big shoujo eyes and shiny hair. But the way it moved so smoothly was amazing-- but the camera angles and different styles they approached were gorgeously refreshing. They'd take a black background and draw the character's image into it, then fill it with something in the background, like the ocean waves or the sky, or anything else. It very much fit the mood when it needed to, and never detracted from the feeling. Text is constantly popping up on the screen, in a sort of way to portray what's going on in the character's head, or even just foreshadowing something. It's all very enthralling and well-written.


Sound~
Most of the time, I noticed the sound. Granted, some of it was a very cliche style for romance anime, but other pieces were just so beautiful that I couldn't help but notice them playing. Some of it was simple instruments to cast a spotlight on the mood, while others had just a slight voice in the background. The opening song was a rather interesting one, and did a good job at portraying the characters all in their unique ways. It's hard to explain. And... Well... I was so excited to move on to the next episode that I never listened to the ending song, so... Anyway, voice acting. Each character was brought out perfectly, and their voice actors did a good job when it was needed. They started out filling a sort of cliche-sounding character, but delved much deeper into it when it was good for the series. It was all very nice.


Character~
Oh my. The characters from the first plot seemed like your typical shoujo characters, but were later fleshed out. They all had their own unique quirks, I suppose, but they started out too cliche for my liking. Even though they were fleshed out, some remained more on the average side than the unique one. Overall, they were still good characters, and made for an entertaining(ish) love triangle. The characters of the second plot started out the same, seemingly (sort of) cliche, but with their unique quirks. They were a bit fleshed out, but for the most part they grew and developed beautifully and dramatically. Chihiro's development was rather dark and depressing, but I suppose it all ended well. Renji's development was sort of based around Chihiro, bit even through all his confusion and conflicting feelings, he stayed himself. It was all very interesting, but sure depressed me...


All in all, I'd recommend this anime with pride to any romance/shoujo freak. It really is one of the gems in its genre, and I'm simply delighted I stumbled upon it. The overall confusing and seemingly tossed around plot may turn some people off, but I stuck with it since I could only hope it would end somewhat decently. My expectations were exceeded, and I'm just delighted I found this.

It's definitely one of the best romance I've seen, and though it is refreshing, it's not calming by any means, since I did find it rather dark and depressing-- but there wasn't anything wrong with that. No, the drama was gorgeous, and every moment kept me enthralled.

I'd definitely pass on this title to almost anyone.

WARNING-- before reading this review, please take into account the fact that I disliked Vampire Knight. If that one statement offends you, please do not read onward. I do not assume any responsibilities for broken monitors, laptops, or mobile devices.

Also, if you like dark romance or any romance dealing with vampires, I recommend this to you. See if you like it. Though, if you prefer adventures or are not a fan of things dark, or of soap operas, this is not recommended.

..:::..:::..

No matter what anime it is, the very first question that ever comes to my mind when writing review is this-- ... "Where do I start? What do I say?"

With Vampire Knight, that question never occurred. I know instantly where to start. Since I'm such a freak about certain things, when I write reviews I have to write them in this order-- Story, Art, Sound, Character, All in all. but with this anime-- JUST this one-- I'm going to start with Character, because that is where I know to start and where I feel I need to.


Character~
Yes. Here we go. /deep breath/ Vampire Knight's characters are... awful. Hate me if you wish, but honestly, they're just annoying. This show isn't *insanely* popular, but it is well known, and I have a large share of romance anime-loving friends, and each one of them referred me to this. I don't see why. The characters all have their own tortured pasts and this makes it pretty much uninteresting. It's ok if people have a hard enough past to make them interesting-- and not to mention STRONGER-- but Vampire Knight does not do this. They just get weaker because of how hard their past is. I'll... show you.

Yuki~
The supposed heroine, an amnesiac with the only memory of when she was being attacked by a vampire when she was littler. Anything before that, she does not know. She carries around a weapon and is a night guard of sorts, keeping the Night Class and Day Class separate. Does she do a good job at this? ...No. Yuki must always be saved, and whenever she cries someone's name they will come. The plot and characters were all so predictable that, when Yuki fell over and dropped her weapon, the next thing she'd do would be call someone's name. That person would then come and completely kick the butt of her attackers. Yay. I predicted this every time, and every time it happened just as it happened in my mind. Yuki was not a heroine, but was nothing more than a weak girl who supposedly wanted to help Zero by sacrificing some of her blood to him. People regenerate blood, vampire (...probably) or human, so it's not too much of a sacrifice. They'll just get it back later. Nothing special there. And in return for giving her red liquid to him, Zero would come save her. Her weapon's only purpose was to be flung around or dropped when she was surprised or something. She irritated me so much that-- ...No, I won't say.

Zero~
...Oh heck. He's just a suicidal guy who has a "secret". He's a vampire. Wooooo. Who knew that was coming? /sarcasm/ All he does is regret his past and be all pathetic over it, and instead of developing he just sits and sighs sadly. Oh, and when Yuki calls out, he rescues her. I think he's rather torn between liking Yuki or not, or maybe it's just his oh-so-pathetic-feel-bad-for-me past, but he just bugged the crap out of me. Perhaps I am being much too critical for anyone's taste, but I feel I need to agree with some of those that gave this a bad review, and point out why. There's really no character development here, and when the characters are supposed to develop, it actually just makes them more annoying. There are so many things to dislike about this overused type of personality that I won't even point them out, or nobody would read my review because I could make a book out of it. But I'll share a few-- as I've stated earlier, he's suicidal, yes, but he's also a bit cold and unsociable and fights with his own emotions. Doesn't he have another side to him? He never really reveals one. At least not in this series. So far, I don't think even Vampire Knight: Guilty could bring to life this pathetic show, but I have high hopes for it...

Kaname~
Do I HAVE to talk about him? Auuugh... He's just your average super strong, top of the class, well-liked guy with a "soft side" for the protagonist, Yuki. It seems that Kaname and Zero's roles are equal-- to "provide drama" (yeah, great job at that.) and save Yuki all. the. freaking. time. Yes, he's a vampire, and all this other purely annoying stuff, so why does he like Yuki so much? She's cute? She's helpless? She's "kind"? I don't know, I'm hoping it will be revealed in Vampire Knight: Guilty, but I really don't know. Though, I'm sure it will, because how could an anime go on like this? He seems so obsessed with Yuki (and Yuki so obsessed with him) that it's just stupid. Why? I want answers, and I want them in the next season. If I don't get them, this show will be in my list of "Worst 5 anime I have ever seen". So, yes, if they reveal some of their secrets, I'll be... uh, happy. I guess. But for the most part, Kaname is a guy who doesn't make sense, and he's too much of a mystery. Mysteries, yes. But I can only take so much of "I'm keeping everything to myself and acting cool yet obsessed with this girl for no reason". Auuuugh. I just... no. Never mind. If I go further, I'll be ranting for the entire day, which I don't have time to do, so let's move on.

Other characters~
Wait, there were other characters? Wow! I hadn't even noticed! Oh, now that you say it, I do remember some of them. they were Kaname's followers, right? And they had such cliche personalities that I could die? Yeah, them! Right... If your brain is working properly, you should already know my opinion of the supporting cast by now.


Story~
It seemed to be just slightly unique, and it had many places it could have gone, but it decided to stay as a stupid soap opera. It never really got deeper or darker than that, and the bad guy was sort of non existent until the very end. Weird. I like to be introduced to my antagonist at the very beginning, if possible. This was just one of the thousands of things that disappointed me in this show. Why everyone loves this is just something my brain can't grasp. I dunno, maybe your brain can't grasp why the heck I love Higurashi or Death Note, so let's leave it at this-- it's an opinion. The end.


Art~
All in all, it was typical, yet with a darker sense of feeling. It really made me wonder how the heck the creator(s) did this. I mean, how do you take cliche art and give it a darker feeling to it? all in all, it was nice and enjoyable... but then the fight scenes came on. I mean, really? Just because it's a supposed romance doesn't mean the movement of the battles has to be completely awful. And trust me, ohhhh-- when mistakes in a frame are made, it was dang obvious. Most of the time in anime, I can tell when a mistake is made yet I can't always place it, but I know it's there. With Vampire Knight, that never happened once. I always knew where the mistakes were-- Yuki's face was too long. Her mouth was in the incorrect place. Zero's eye shape is wrong (and no, not because he's making a different expression, his eye shape is literally wrong). So many other things. So, when it is bad, it is very bad.


Sound~
I enjoyed the opening, and... I actually have the ending on my iPod. I loved it. I have no idea why. There was something creepy yet mysterious and beautiful about it. It's not super special, but I liked it, and that's my opinion. The overall soundtrack for the movie was actually very nice, and I noticed *most* of it. It kind of helped enhance the mood, but most of the time it made it cheesier and more annoying. On its own, though, it's a fairly good soundtrack. The voice acting for the Japanese isn't necessarily anything super special-- each voice actor fits their role. And you know my opinion on the characters, so sometimes the voice acting was really annoying too. They sulk in the darkness of their rooms, softly calling out the name of the other character, their heart aching-- yeah, yeah. It gets annoying. If there's an English version, I didn't watch it, so...


All in all, Vampire Knight to me was very annoying and cliche in some of its parts. I hoped that it would go in a different direction since the overall setup of the plot was enthralling, but it went absolutely nowhere-- and I could only groan at the screen and slap my forehead.

Depending on your taste in anime, you might or might not like this. I'd say, just to be safe, read the other reviews and build an opinion of your own before you watch this anime. Mostly, read as many reviews that give it a bad score, then read a few that give it an 8 or above. Decide what you want to do, and watch or don't watch this. If you've already seen it, then... good for you. Write your own review. If my review upset you in any way, please read the statement at the very top of this review. :P

Overall, I just disliked this anime, and I'll stick with what I usually like. There were so many ways it could have gone, and so many twists it could have taken-- but it stayed annoying, predictable, and just... Ugh.

(Scroll down for my... second review.)

I don't know how to rate this anime. I feel guilty for even liking it all. Everything is so cliche. If you based a drinking game on this show, where whenever someone or something cliche came up, take a sip. You'd be sick for the rest of your life. So why did I even like this as much as I did? I don't know! As a reviewer, it frustrates me not to know what I even sort of liked about a show, so in this review I'll be attempting (probably in vain) to find that reason.


Story~
Nothing new. We've all seen ... it before. When I first started this, I wondered why I was bothering. The religious subjects could have gone deeper, and then that would be my reason for liking it-- but did they? No, I think they purposely tried to keep it stereotypical. Why? There were so many dang good directions they could have gone. After I finished this, I just sat down and thought about it. I wish they could have taken this to a better light, but nah. Oh well, what's done is done I guess.


Art~
Me oh my. What to say here? Typical style for this genre, but still done very well. The movement for the fight scenes was definitely not skimpy, and was pleasing to my eye. Just because the style is a bit cliched doesn't automatically make it bad. I still think they gave us a nice bit of work of art to watch. But oh dear... When the animators DO skimp out, it's apparent, at least I thought so. Sometimes the quality takes a dip, but then raises later on. Erm... One problem though. This was supposed to be a shounen fighting anime right? Or was it? With the lack of fighting it makes you wonder. I hate drawn out fights where that's all the anime is about, and they last more than one episode-- it just bugs me. But this just didn't have enough fighting. Oh well... The art was still good when they did fight, though.


Sound~
...Good. The voice actors give a lot of emphasis to their roles, though sometimes way too much, which... sometimes ruins the mood. The openings and endings were present, but not memorable by any means whatsoever. I likedsome of the orchestral music that really built upon the mood when it needed to, but for the most part it went... unnoticed. But it's still overall good.


Character~
They were very cliche, even when fleshed out. Some developed more than others, but nobody really grew up too much. They all stayed their same old selves, with their same old goals and things. But they were entertaining somehow. I kept slapping my head while watching this show, hoping my brain would wake up and tell me the truth-- these are just cliche characters. But it never did. I still somehow enjoyed them, and though a lot of humor was dry, it sort of... mademelaugh. I know, you're going to kill me. But the characters were still somehow fun to me despite being so... well, unoriginal. But because of that, I can't give them a high score, no matter how much I sort of enjoyed watching them supposedly "grow" in whatever way they did.


All in all, Ao no Exorcist does a decent job, but nothing above that. The show itself takes a darker and stranger turn which was... to me, expected in a way, yet unexpected. I don't know how to explain it. I can't find what it is I liked about this show, but I did enjoy it very much as it was on-screen. Other parts were much less enjoyable but I still had fun watching this as a whole.

Depending on your taste, you'll either love it or hate it. Maybe I liked it because I watched all of it in one day and finished at about 4:00 in the morning... so if I give it another try while my brain is less asleep (the darn thing) then I can give it a more accurate review. Overall, it's entertaining but it didn't escape its cliches, and could have gone an entirely different and better direction-- but didn't. Yet somehow it was still so much fun. AGAIN-- I'll watch this one more when I'm actually awake, and maybe I'll re-review it with a more accurate score.



..:::..:::..

SECOND REVIEW

All right. As promised, I watched Ao no Exorcist a second time, and my rating hasn't dropped TOO much, but it still has lowered. I'll show you why.


Story~
I don't want to go into this again. It's cliche. It takes a few twists and does this and that, and the religious themes can be fairly enthralling-- but it's just cliche. That's all.


Art~
Yes, yes, if you read my first review you know what I think here. It's again-- cliche, but smooth and cute, and I thought very nice. The movement was eye-pleasing, but when they made mistakes it was... very apparent.


Sound~
...The review for the soundtrack remains the same. Please refer to my first review above.


Character~
The characters for Ao no Exorcist seemed as if taken out of "Anime's Book of Cliche Characters". The first time around, I actually enjoyed them, though they were admittedly cliche. Even when fleshed out they were still rather... overused. The second time around, my enjoyment didn't actually go down one bit-- except for Izumo and Paku's small arc. For some reason, the enjoyment there went down considerably, and I almost couldn't stand it. I pointed out every dang cliche thing about them and could only groan at it. For the rest of the series, it was still entertaining until episode 22. There's something about the ending (I have NO idea what) that just angers, irritates, and annoys me. I just dislike it, and I have no idea why. The characters are developed enough but still... yes, cliche.


All in all, Ao no Exorcist is actually very entertaining the first time around, if you don't mind cliche shounen and don't mind shutting your brain off for just a little bit of action and random yet cliche twists. I have a hard time knocking the enjoyment level down, because it's still fun for the first time around-- but the second time, I had to force my way through some parts.

If you love shounen genre, you will love this. I highly recommend this to you if you're like that. If you like a good, unique twist or something deeper, then maybe *maybe* try this if you just want to shut your brain off and not care about what happens on-screen. If you're hardcore mystery, dark plot twists, unpredictable things happening, and deep characters, don't try this at home. Just... Oh, I don't know.

Overall, I think it's another addition to the cliche shounen thing, but at 4:00 in the morning I was highly entertained the first time around. The second time-- I... wasobsessedwithRin'stail-- I mean, it was all very old and cliche. .../shiftyeyes

Basically, this entire show depends on your opinion, but the second time around I hated Yukio even more, disliked Paku and Izumo arc-thing, and hated the ending. Everything else was equally fun as the first time around. Do whatever you feel like based on this review (and some of the others).

Oh... where to start. This anime is a little bit of dark romance genuis, I will admit that... but... there was something about it that didn't please me. I'll dig deeper into this anime and my personal opinions to give more light on the subject.


Story~
I have a friend who loves dark, gory, horror anime. Although I am a fan of mystery/horror stuff, I don't like mindless gore (where gore happens for no reason except to show guts flying everywhere. It doesn't contribute to the plot in any way). However, my friend does-- if it's blood, she likes it somehow. And then she told me that ... the liked this anime-- And I was SHOCKED. I had to check it out, and at first I didn't see how someone like her could like such a stereotypical romance.

And then I watched further. I realized this isn't the cutsy happy determined romantic little girl. She started like that, but-- Well, we shall discuss that in the character section. The plot delves deep into emotions, suicide, sickness, character development, etc. As I've stated in other reviews, I love love love character development. But this development was... Interesting. Ok, basically the story IS the characters, so I'll talk more in that part of my review.


Art~
Uhhhhhh... I dunno. I like the whole big-eye cute happy face art (sometimes), but this was just... different. Maybe it's because I watched Death Note literally right before I watched this, so the stark contrast of going from realistic, dark art style to bright, happy shoujo just killed it for me. As I watched more, it grew on me though, and certain uneven parts smoothed all their bumps later. You could tell the animators were getting better at what they did. All in all, it's cute and it gets darkwhenitneedsto later on, but stays bright where it should. It starts out stereotypical and bumpy, but seems to grow more dark and unique all while keeping the same style. How do they do that?


Sound~
It went unnoticed for me. The soundtracks sort of... well, they just weren't there most the time. Sure they improved the mood, but they did just that and nothing more. They were stereotypical and that was that. Voice acting for the Japanese version was again, stereotypical, but the actors did an amazing job at really coming out believable with their emotions later on. It improved from just another romance (that I would have given a 4 or 5 by the way) into the... Er, 7 I think it deserves. I'll explain that rating later. Anyway, the songs that were sung by "Full Moon" were very nice and pretty. The first one was sweet, but Eternal Snow just sticks out in my mind. It's just pretty yet so sad to me, perfectly displaying the emotion of the show at that time. It was just amazing.


Character~
Oh me, oh my! The characters were quite the annoying beasts for me. You have the sweet little girl who wants to be with her love again. A girly... Shinigami who is just jealous and protective of her "guy". And then that same "guy" who is obviously falling for the cute girl who is in love with some other guy. Soap opera, much? I hate soap operas. I don't know why. Maybe I find them stressful and just plain dang annoying. I gave up on this for a little but came back to it after about maybe a month or two. Unfortunately, I had left right before the characters' true feelings deep inside were fleshed out, and their personalities were exposed then seemed to be torn to shreds through some kind of evil depression. It's hard to explain, but I found myself both enthralled and slightly disgusted at their changes. But then it occurred to me-- just because she's the heroine doesn't mean she can't falter. She doesn't have to stay on the perfect path all the time. Look! We're humans! We falter all the time, we give up, we become afraid, we fall depressed. We are people with emotions. That's why these characters enthralled me in that dark yet saddening way. One of the reasons I gave the series a 7 is because of how dark it turned out. Yes, dark anime is fine. Things that go from bright to depressing are fine. But there was something different about this... yes, it was genuis how they did it, but it wrenched my mind and almost my very soul. It was just odd, and even though it's amazing how the creators did this, I was still a little turned off. I had to take a little break to avoid the depression. All in all though, the characters are interesting and, for the most part they change in a very realistic way... Yes, most the time. But when they do change, I warn you, you might be confused and saddened. But it all works out... Erm, I think it does.


That brings me to my overview. All in all, Full Moon wo Sagashite is engrossing and takes an unexpected turn for the dark and cruel, yet surprisingly realistic. But that ending? I've heard a lot of people like it, but it's too abrupt. I can't describe it without spoilers, but I will try to do my best.

In that very last part, there was a hint that a certain person recognized a certain other person. But did that person really, or was it just a fading memory they couldn't place their finger on? And how did Full Moon return to her... you know, position? It all confused me, and if you think about it think you'll know why it confused me. If you have an explanation, by all means send it to me. I just thought the ending was abrupt and rushed, though agreeably cute.

All in all, this show was hard for me to get through, since I'm not a romance fan too much. But the twists and turns this took were totally unexpected, and took me for a depressing ride that... I'm not sure quite how it ended out. I definitely don't regret watching this, but it somehow isn't my taste either. I guess I'm just too picky?

Anyway, if you enjoy shoujo but also like a nice peek into those dark human emotions, watch this by all means. Even if you claim not to like depressing shows, give it a try anyway, since it really is a small gem in its genre. I enjoyed it for the most part, but for some stupid, insane reason I couldn't give it anything above 7 overall. But I hope you enjoy it, at least more than I did.

Ahhhh, Soul Eater. Despite being an anime fanatic, I have a strange habit of being reluctant to try a series. Most of the time I'm disappointed when I finally do try a series out. Occasionally I'll be super pleased when I do try something out. Soul Eater was one of these anime that was pure enjoyment.

First, I'll tell you why I was so reluctant to try this series. When I first read the plot, I was completely uninterested. I don't really like series that are too long, since they tend to get really repetitive, lose pace and plot, and I lose my patience. I honestly ... thought Soul Eater was one of those series like Naruto or Bleach that has a solid, simple plot and then just goes on and on and on. No, I did not want to even try this. But under cliche, typical circumstances, I collapsed-- I got bored. I watched it.

And boy, was I thrilled.


Story~
Yes yes, it sounds so cliche. A bunch of random kids want to be powerful so they attempt to "level up" their weapons to get there. This is the main plot of the series, and it's centered on this. Or... So you thought. Later on, it takes a twist. And I don't mean that some random guy comes out of nowhere and tries to take over everything. No. The plot is well thought out and very enthralling, and actually becomes more and more unique as it progresses. Everything in Soul Eater is interesting, entertaining, and very fun to watch. And no, there aren't a lot of episodes like I thought there would be. I never got bored or impatient with the episodes. There are fillers, but they're mostly fun, and they're only in the first part of the series. After that, they stick to the intense plot.


Art~
Soul Eater's art really caught my eye. Not only is it unique and very cartoon-ish, but it's fun and gothic-looking when it needs to be. When it needs to be bright and happy, it is... which... doesn't happen too much. It isn't a depressing series but it does a good job of balancing the two. The movement is very good, and each scene is fluid and fun to watch. The camera angles can be sort of unique sometimes, which really helps add to the mood.


Sound~
Soul Eater has a wide variety of soundtracks. Each one improves the scene and the mood you're supposed to feel. Some of them weren't oh-so-memorable, while others were. But the opening theme songs? Actually, those were really dang memorable if you ask me. They're catchy, awesome, and the animation is brilliant. Anyway, onto voice acting (which... I've totally neglected in my other reviews...) The Japanese is always the one for me. They do great work with their roles, and each character is delivered perfectly. But the dub... It's average-ish. Some voices stand out a thousand times more than others, either because they're good or just plain awful. No offense, but Crona and Medusa's voices in the dub are... almost painful to listen to. But that's just me. If you're a dub freak, watch the dub. If you prefer Japanese, by all means, please watch the Japanese version...


Character~
Ah, the characters. Each one is unique. Though they do have their own cliche attributes, there's much more than what you see on the surface. Much more. Maka may seem like a smart bookworm, but she's strong, determined, and kind. (Though she does haveher moments, like the rest of us.) Soul seems like the cool, sort of unsociable type, but he's actually a really fun character and has a ton of soft spots. There are a ton more characters than that of course, but why don't you watch Soul Eater yourself? Anyway, they're really all enthralling, and all the side characters are fun, and the main ones are just amazing.


All in all, Soul Eater is something I could recommend to almost anyone. Again, it's a matter of taste (just like any other anime on the whole planet) but I think it's really worth your while. This was actually the fourth anime I ever watched, and at that time I deemed it the most unique. It really is a treat to watch.

Well... my friend introduced this to me a while back. She said it was fun and really well-made, but with all the L and Light shipping by fans, I thought, "Another piece of yaoi crud. Joy." I mean... To those of you who like yaoi, good for you! But it's just... Not my type. I'm sorry.

Finally, out of my utter boredom, I got desperate. "I'll watch it just so I can make fun of it, and point out to all the fans out there that this show is awful!" ...And then, I watched episode 1.


Story~
This is my favorite of all time. I have to ... admit. I know that in my Higurashi review, I really praised it, but Death Note is my number one. I know, it's not the best thing, so it's my guilty pleasure, I guess. I lost count of the times I've seen this. Um, 10? Maybe 9. Basically, I watch it when I'm bored or I want a good thrill. After I finished it the first time, I IMMEDIATELY started it over (literally, immediately) just so I could pick out the plot holes. I found a couple, but then I realized they were quickly resolved after and/or explained. In my third time through I found some holes that weren't really resolved, but they are so small that it's almost impossible to notice-- and they really don't even matter or even hurt the story. Overall, it's great, and every little fine detail is so important to the overall show that I swear-- your mind might explode at some point in Death Note. Yes, some people think it's stupid, but my opinion does not change on my favorite anime. Sorry! Anyway, it's THE best mystery/fantasy/cat-and-mouse game ever. The second arc which takes place after episode 25 (I won't spoil anything) is sort of less exciting, but is still very good and enthralling.


Art~
Oh, the gorgeous art! Honestly, like 80 percent of Death Note is pretty much them talking to find out the mystery, but the art style itself is PERFECTLY dark, modernly gothic, and gorgeously realistic. And when they do move around, or an action scene comes on? They go all out, and never skimp on anything. It almost seems like they have eternal budget to make each scene amazing. Hehe. Anyway, all in all the art is amazing. One of my friend's hated anime, saying that "it's for children and the art is stupid". I forever converted her using this show, Death Note. It's just awesome.


Character~
Amazing. They're all unique in their own ways, but the most enthralling and notable characters for me (WARNING-- this will sound cliche) are L and Light. Ugh, you've heard that a trillion times... but is it my fault that the creators made such unique, such interesting characters? They're just genius! L seems like the cool, smart type, but he's not strong in some areas, and has more weaknesses than you might think. He isn't rude, but he does show a softer side later on nonetheless. He's a really hard character to sum up. Light, on the other hand, is immature. An image of your little brother just popped up in your head, didn't it? Stupid, annoying, cries when he doesn't get something he wants, everyone has to give him everything, and he's such a baby. NO. Light is immature in a different way-- yes, he's a freaking genius. He is a master of logical reasoning. He acts mature in public and always has a trick up his sleeve. But he's immature in his mind, I guess-- his idea of justice isn't the most mature, and killing people doesn't make you God, Light. Just thought you ought to know!~ Anyway, it's sooooooooo entertaining to see him change. I can't remember the person who said this, and I can't really even remember the saying-- I just remember this. "Power doesn't change a man but unmasks what's been there all along." (Yeah I can't remember it really, sorry, but you get the idea.) Yeah, it's fun watching him go from genuis, well-mannered high school kid to psychotic mass murderer who thinks that killing people will make him God. All the other characters are good, and it doesn't really have too many characters but not too little either. And each has their own personality. They're all interesting. A certain character in the second arc seems like a wannabe of a certain character in the first arc, but overall they're fun.


Soundtrack~
...Wow. I mean wow. Some of the orchestral music is just rearragements of slightly older pieces, but does that ruin the mood? LOL. No. I have never laughed so psychotically at someone's death in my whole life. Not even in Higurashi. That astonishing music along with the perfect animation is just... Woooooowwww. The tracks that aren't orchestral are good, but not super noticed. The more I watched the show the more it stood out, but my first time round, only the choir chanting along ominously with the perfect set of instruments really stood out. And I mean REALLY. The first opening and ending were good, but not super memorable. The animation that went with them was epic though. The second opening and ending... Erm, I'm not a death metal fan. Let's leave it at that.


All in all, Death Note is my top anime, no matter how much you make fun of me. It's just genius, and when I finished watching it I was delighted. It's pretty much everything I ever wanted in an anime, or anything for that matter. Fantasy, SLIGHT horror, mystery, psychotic characters, an... interesting ending. Gorgeous!

I'd recommend this anime to ANYONE... Um, unless you're a raving romance-loving person, there is no romance in this. Protest all you want, but Light doesn't love Misa. He's only using her and that's all he ever did. So if you like bright, happy, lovey-dovey anime, this may not be for you.

But truly, this is art and genius.

You just may want to try it.

Oooooookkkk...

Let me start off by saying, I had *high* expectations for this. I had about 4 or more friends tell me that "Itazura na Kiss is beautiful! It's exactly like Clannad: After Story! I'm sure you'd LOVE it!"

Sorry, but what is there to love? And how the dang flying crap is it in ANY WAY like Clannad: After Story? HOW? I don't see the similarity at all! Most of the time I wanted to vomit because of how utterly gross this idiotic junk was.


Story~
Ughhhhh... more cliche romance. This is why I dislike romance-- it's very annoying to me. Mainly because the only ones I can ... find are crappy ones like this. It's soooo stereotypical... A girl falls in love with some random guy for no reason, and spends the rest of her life chasing him for no reason, then he pretends to like her for no reason, and he tells himself he likes her for no reason, but then he acts like a total jerk and treats her as royalty would treat a convict. There's nothing more to say... That's all the story has to it.


Art~
OK, it was fine, I admit. It was sorta cute, and the movement in some scenes was better than others. It was good where it needed to be, and Irie didn't look like one of those weird girly-guys... I think. XD So yes, the art was fine, but all in all, it's just...average. I guess.


Sound~
Wait, there was soundtrack? Where? I had no idea! Wow! Anyway, since I didn't even notice it, I won't give it a good or bad review-- it was just... there. Or was it? Erm, I'm sure it was. Just... I totally didn't see. I was too focused on the utter stupidity of every moment that frankly, I didn't hear or even care.


Character~
If there was a 0, I'd choose it. The characters in Itazura na Kiss are just AWFUL. Hate me for giving a "bad review", but it's my opinion and it won't change. Forgive me if I sort of compare to Clannad characters here, but I was referred to this FROM Clannad: After Story in the first place, so I'll point out why this anime is inferior garbage compared to the beautiful masterpiece that is Clannad.

First off, in Clannad, Tomoya is loving and only cares for Nagisa... but not in a stupid way. He just wants to support and help her. He can get... over-excited, but he's kind and caring.
Now, onto Irie-- he DOESN'T care. No matter how much he claims to love poor pathetic Kotoko, it just won't work. Love shows itself. Irie doesn't even show any. He just kisses her one moment, tells her he loves her, then ignores her and verbally abuses her (and occasionally physically) for the next few weeks. Then we get a tiny "romantic" moment only for him to return to his normal jerk self. He DOESN'T care for Kotoko, he DOESN'T love her, he DOESN'T only want to help and support her and make her happy. I'm not sure if he's incredibly and unbelievably naive (if he's THAT naive, maybe he's a robot) or if he's sadistic. This whole show is watching Irie make fun of his "beloved", and then he tries to convince himself he loves her, which he does not. This is REALLY annoying and makes me want to brutally murder him with many different weapons.

Next... ok sorry for comparing Clannad but ok. Nagisa is sweet, yet a little strange, but is actually believable. She loves Tomoya but not in a fangirly "I MUST DAYDREAM ABOUT HIM ALL DAY" thing.
The previous statement is Kotoko's entire life. All she does is sit and "fangirl" over a guy who doesn't even care, a guy who has nothing good about him, a guy who would rather read a book or go... somewhere than talk to his so-called "beloved". Her entire life revolves around a cold, cruel, abusive man with nothing good about him. She just sits there with unrequited love for YEARS, until he "pretends" to accept her later on. And then she remains exactly the same. Fangirly, stupid, ditzy, uncaring-- without a BRAIN in her HEAD. I think she's masochist! She's not even believable, in any way. I'm a girl, but do I sit and stare at my crush while blushing, dreaming, and my entire life revolves around impressing him? NO. Nor do I know ANYONE like that in the whole world. If there is anyone like that, she's been watching too much of this crappy show.
I mean really. Kotoko thinks about this useless guy through the entire series, and nothing else... ever. One day, she begins searching for a career, and I finally thought, "WOOT! There's something ELSE on her mind for once!" Then, 2 seconds later, I realize she's pursuing that career just to be by her "beloved's" side. FAIL.


All in all, this is a disgusting show that didn't provide an ounce of enjoyment for me, ever. It teaches that all girls should be entirely devoted to a guy, no matter how much he abuses you. Honestly? Woooow... Being devoted is great, but only to a good guy, not a complete rusted, smelly, awful, old garbage tin. There's a time when girls need to realize to GET UP and MOVE ON, because there are better, non-abusive guys out there.

When I'm embarrassed, I laugh, loudly, and turn away from the situation, flustered at how embarrassed I am. That's the ONLY time this show ever made me laugh-- it was never because it was funny. No, not ONCE. It's because it embarrassed me so dang much I could have exploded.

I should have probably finished the show before reviewing it, but nah.
I got 2 minutes into episode 20 (because in episode 19, there was a hint that Irie might become a better person at some point) so I continued. But then he reverted to our neighborhood ignoring, idiotic guy, and with that, I exploded. I give up. And no matter how you try to convince me otherwise I will keep the opinion I have of this sexist, stupid, pointless, PAINFUL show.

Let me start by saying this-- I dislike romance anime. It's just too annoying for me, and I can't seem to stand it. Sometimes I watch it anyway, hoping in vain to find a rare gem that will impress me.

Next off, I'll say that I found Clannad actually a while back. I watched it and actually enjoyed it slightly-- more so than any other romance I've seen. But it still wasn't anything impressive, or anything to write home about. I didn't understand why it was so popular with the romance anime fanatics out there.

Basically, I watched Clannad and thought, "OK sure. That was ... sorta fun." And then I moved on and found other anime to watch. I had no idea there was a second season-- After Story, it's called (as you should already know...) At first I wasn't interested at all. "It's just more of the same romance. Probably boring." but everyone told me I HAD to watch it, so I gave in...

And oh heck...

This sounds cliche, but if you're going to watch Clannad, keep at least three rolls of toilet paper nearby... or, tissues. Whichever. I have never ever cried in an anime until this one. No matter how dang embarrassed I was, the tears still came gushing out. Woooowww... it was quite the show, and it exceeded any and all expectations I had ever had.

I'll delve into the review I guess.


Story~
Erm, it's actually sort of... not all that special. I mean, it's different from most romance anime because it tells the story of Nagisa and Tomoya in their marriage (and... up to that point in the first place), but it's still just a romance. But is this cliche, or bad? If you think that, get. frikkin. out. This anime is amazing, and I totally loved it. The story had a few twists, which made it very good, but SO. DANG. DEPRESSING. at the same time. Yes, I DID go through three rolls of toilet paper through the course of the whole series...


Art~
The art style itself is cute, but sort of average. It is nice, though. The backgrounds switch between bright and more of a dim color scheme to match the current mood. It does a dang good job. It seems like very background perfectly portrays what's going on and what the characters feel. The movement, I might add, is completely amazing. They time it so perfectly. They leave out excessive movement where it's not needed, but put in a lot of work where the movement of the characters is vital. This anime is beautiful and a visual treat.


Sound~
Sometimes the soundtrack is cliche, but it works well with the scenes. Some of it is just gorgeous, and though it may not sound all that amazing, it works sooooo well... and it will make you cry. Ugh. Anyway, the ending song isn't too amazing, but it's... nice. It works. But the opening for After Story? GORGEOUS. After finishing this series, I went on a wild search to find that song-- "Toki wo Kizamu Uta"-- and it is forever on my iPod. It's just a matter of opinion, but it's gorgeous to me.


Character~
This is where every romance anime should shine, right? Right! And this is where Clannad does everything perfectly well. The characters are cute, fun to watch, but they all have their own personalities, and deep down they may not be the person you thought they were. To each their own, but I love the characters. Tomoya makes a good main character, but he's realistic-- he isn't a perfect hero who endures everything with a cheerful heart. He's got emotions, and he breaks down sometimes. I won't spoil anything, but... this show didn't make me cry once until episode 16, and then every. dang. episode. after that. I cried so much that it was embarrassing. But it was worth it. I cried tears of joy and of pure depression. This anime has so many moods. It's just so beautiful that I can't even explain it-- you have to watch it to find out for yourself.


All in all, Clannad: After Story is an emotional piece of depressing joy. If that doesn't make sense, then just go watch it. This is a heck of a lot, coming from me, the romance anime hater. It's just amazing. If I say any more, I'll spoil it, so just watch it and get the idea for yourself.

You will not be disappointed. And if you are, then... I don't know what to say to you.

This is DEFINITELY an amazing series I'd re-watch.

I don't know where to start, so I'll just immediately delve into the review.


Plot~
Eh, the plot is really typical for a girly anime. The main character has sudden magic powers that she has to hide from her crush, who is the most popular boy in school and is very kind, sort of shy (I guess), and... Well that's pretty much it. Sound typical? Eeeeeyeeeeahhh... But it's sort of interesting that the main character got mixed in with a cat (and the other characters with other animals) so I guess that's... Sort of different?


Art~
All right! I give in. It's cute, but sort of typical...but still cute. ... It's shiny, happy, and colorful. Occasionally it looks like the artist might have gotten lazy, but it passes quickly, and gets so much better as the show passes. The movement switches between good and...decent, so it depends. Oh, but those infamous transformation scenes!-- Just like is any other review, I'll repeat what they have all said-- their transformation scenes, like any other magical girl anime, are repeated OVER and OVER again. If you can stand that, then it does get better as it goes on.


Sound~
Erm... It's ok. The opening and ending songs are *sort of* cute. The soundtrack works well with the anime, but it's typical, and for me it went somewhat unnoticed. For the Japanese version, the voice actors did sort of good with their roles. Some were better than others. For the English version, I wanted to slaughter the voice actors in the most brutal way possible. Ughhhhhh. Stick with the Japanese version ( plus the English version ends early in series).


Character~
For the first little while, the show is stereotypical, boring, and plagued with fillers. The characters are typical (even though it's fun to watch Ichigo when she acts like a cat). But they each get their own episodes, where, even though they're not as fleshed out as they could be, they all become more likable. For me, Aoyama was just too cliche, too perfect, but oh well. As the show progresses, it gets more and more unique from the typical magical girl genre, and I won't spoil anything, but Aoyama isn't all he seems. Maybe he's just "too nice" for a reason. I'll admit that the main focus is on Ichigo and Aoyama later on, and the characters seem somewhat like chopped liver over in a corner-- nobody in the show seems to care. Oh well, it's still decent. Anyway, it gets especially interesting when some of the characters have certain disagreements with each other, and they each have their own things they have to put up with. Trust me, it does get...slightly better.


All in all, Tokyo Mew Mew is your typical shoujo magic girl anime, but it takes a little twist later on. That twist was the only thing that saved it for me. If you like this type of genre, this is definitely for you, especially since this anime has its own slightly unique quirks that might be a nice change-up.
I enjoyed this anime near the end, and though the final battle was admittedly weird, it worked.
I don't know what else to say, except, maybe give this a try, or not. It depends on your taste in anime, I guess, whether you'll love it or think it's just ok. I'm on the side of...well, it was sorta fun, but in hindsight, it was just ok.