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I wasn't expecting such a great movie especially with the slow start this one has. But there's definitely a sincerity and theme of what idols are being all about that makes this anime really moving. The art's quite unique but the two reasons I enjoyed this anime so much was because the compelling stories and themes and the characters. It's a movie about Girls trying to become idols- the movie moves fast but the great thing about that is there isn't any downtime at all. Once the plot starts to accelerate it just piles on the enjoyment from the dilemmas and struggles, the individuality of ... all the girls, and coming together at the end. One of the best nicely paced little anime movies I've seen. I don't think you'll realize the impact of the story, art of them dancing, sound of their music until the climax hits you like a freight truck. Wish I could say more without spoiling it. xD Watch it and enjoy what has been pieced together into Wake Up, Girls!

I'd have to say out of all the movies that I've seen thus far this was probably one of my favorites because it wasn't a completely different universe or theoretical country we never heard of but rather an extended development of the on-going TV series.

The strong-points of this movie focuses entirely on that development regarding Minato and Kushina. If you enjoyed watching episodes including backstory on them because of the powerful emotion involved than you'll definitely enjoy this movie.

The story was predictable in it's outcome from beginning, middle and end. So there wasn't really nothing of note. The art and sound were actually pretty ... good at times and I loved some of the dramatic parts and emphasis they created with the art style and animation and sound. I'd have to say the worst part of the series was the characters..not necessarily because they sucked..but this movie's take on the characters were amusingly average.

Overall I enjoyed the anime, for some of the good art and sound but mainly because the plot elements at the end and character development was good for the two main characters.

Servant x Service is another example of great characters creating great comedy using the most oddest setting I've seen yet, the health and welfare division of a government ward office in Hokkaido. With such an odd premise, I was extremely skeptical if they were gonna be able to execute a slice of life anime in an office setting and still be entertaining, especially after the influx of school-club-slice-of-life K-on copycats the last couple of years that couldn't deliver. However, Servant x Service was able to execute the comedy with flying colors, using mainly the awesome characters but also hilarious plot to create overall enjoyment that ... was consistent throughout the series, no matter which character they followed, where they followed them to, or what happened.

The story was quite enjoyable and I really loved how they tied everything together from beginning to end. The comedy was always consistent, and I'd laugh pretty loud at some of the antics of this creative cast of characters, no matter where they went, who they followed, or what happened. The story mainly focuses on Lucy but the anime developed all the characters quite well and maintained the comedy no matter which character they focused on using a fly-on-the-wall approach to the narration that actually worked quite well.

The art didn't seem to be anything special but was definitely well executed and the sound was pretty good. The opening and endings were probably the most interesting aspect to the art, using some live-action clips and clearly real-life photos with added cg and anime art. The music was really fun and light and I loved the opening, ending, and background music throughout the entire episodes. For some of the transitions and background they used what I think sounds like a recorder and bells, an excellent choice for establishing a very light and non-serious mood to the series. I also found the opening song to be really clear at conveying the craziness of a busy workplace as well as the comical theme of the series.

Besides the opening and ending art, I really liked the background colors used in the scenes as well as the character colors because it went with the light humorous mood that was present throughout the series. You couldn't really take any of the characters seriously except for maybe Miyoshi and Ichimiya due to their less eccentric personalities compared to the rest of the characters. The rest of them all had their strange quirks like the cowlick, squinty eyes, or wardrobe that set them apart.

Besides the music the voice actors were simply outstanding and are probably the main success of the comedy in this series. The characterizations for Hasabe, Lucy, Miyoshi- all of the voices in general were just perfect. They all had their own style and quirks that matched their personality. Without such amazing voice acting their personalities wouldn't have come through as well and the comedy would've suffered. I found all the characters cute and it's really hard not to fall in love with their special quirks. Hasabe had his constant slacking and talked with such an amazing monotonenasal-sounding voice that just clashed superbly with his smile with closed eyes. Lucy- you just gotta love her innocence, clumsiness, and cuteness but above all her cowlick and glasses. =) The only character I can't really put in words but loved was Chihaya. She's got a sorta diminutive quiet look to her that so contrasts her personality it really makes the things that come out of her mouth that more outrageous. They made her voice quiet but it clashed so much with the things she said as well as her enthusiasm for cosplay costumes. xD

Overall though this series was really good. I'm glad to see that slice of life comedies even as what might seem as repetitive and boring as the workplace can still be hilarious in that repetition and when done with the right characters, right cast, and with decent art and story, makes for a highly enjoyable series that does slice of life comedy right.

I really loved Gin no Saji. In a phrase, this anime was able to take a multitude of themes and balance them beautifully to create a series that is thoughtful but light-hearted. That describes the story, the characters, the music, and the overall experience.

Gin no Saji is all about first-experiences. From Hachiken's first taste of raw egg on rice, freshly steamed corn on the cob, to riding horses, and baseball games this anime is all about the experiencing new things and learning a new perspective of things that is both thoughtful, incredibly insightful, educational but still funny.

Hachiken experiences so many new things, including about ... the characters around him, the farming industry, as well as about himself. The thing that amazes me about this anime is that it was able to pull off touching on so many different themes while still moving the story forward and never losing it's light-hearted comedy without hurting the seriousness of themes. Themes like raising animals we eat, working hard, making mistakes, discovering what we want in life- were all touched on in ways that brought me some admiration about the farming way of life in general. For that the story has to be a 10. For the innovative and artful blend of comedy and seriousness this anime was able to pull off something other writers and directors could not.

The art wasn't super unique or great but was extremely conducive for the light-heartedness of the series. The coloring was bright and the characters personalities really shown through in just the character design itself. One of the reasons the art was a bit innovative was because of it's detail to preparing food, from the butchering and skinning of animals to the steam rising off freshly steamed rice. The animation, color, and drawing of the food prep and cooked food was amazing. I always got hungry whenever they showed them eating things. I gotta say seeing the freshly melted cheese is probably one of the most delicious looking art I've seen. xD About the only negative thing was I did feel whenever they stir-fried the meat it tended to look the same golden-coated browned pieces. Other than that though, the art helped bring me into the story and food as well as fall in love with the hilarious personalities in the series.

The personalities for the characters were quite unique and I really enjoyed all the different classmates Hachiken had. They really made for a hilarious show and taught a bit about different types of farming styles and philosophies as well. The characters also were a great contrast to the main character in their dreams and perspective in life. Without the characters this show definitely would not have been as funny.

Lastly, the sound was great. I never once thought any of the animal sounds was fake. And found the sounds of the cooking food to be absolutely tantalizing. The voice actors did a wonderful job of closing the jokes with the timing and expressive natures of their characters and the music always did a great job of bringing back the thoughtfulness of the show while still keeping that light-hearted feel that was so prevalent in all aspects of Gin no Saji. The opening and ending songs were great, and I loved the ending song especially. I never once great tired of the song and listened to it every episode. The use of the banjo and the vocals of the main singers just created such a perfect country-fell to the song.

Overall, I immensely enjoyed this anime. For it's comedy, it's light-heartedness, it's educational value about farming, food processing, and ability to balance the two together makes this show a jewel. I can't wait for the 2nd season. =)

Ginga Kikoutai Majestic Prince doesn't invent anything new. It isn't controversial nor is it innovative but it DOES tell a decent story. With Majestic Prince's plot, animation, music, and character design and development I definitely enjoyed this anime consistently throughout the series. I'll be using the last episode as my starting point and expanding to the series as a whole.

Many of the reasons involve the final episode but are illustrative of the series as a whole. I never felt the story was lacking in explanation or depth. All the characters were expanded on well as well as some of the background behind the pilot and ... mecha origins. Overall the background and plot created good immersion into the series and provided the proper settings to allow the characters to develop. This character development allowed me to grow fond of certain characters and affected my enjoyment of the plot. Towards the end of the series, there really was an emotional stake in the main and side characters each time they went out to battle, making the problems more dramatic. The battle development was also pretty interesting and not that predictable. Every time I felt comfortable with the dilemma, some new development came along to escalate the stakes. I also never felt cheated when the characters/plot came up with a solution. I really loved how they used all the characters to add to the excitement at the end. The finale really was an epitome of teamwork and synergy of efficiency.

Besides the story and the characters, the music, especially for the last episode was epic. The use of the brass and drums had a great sound to them that didn't sound like it was stolen from anywhere else but had a star wars sorta feel to it, in it's conveyance of the excitement of fighting in the expanse of space (brass) and the excitement of battle (percussion, string, and brass). This was used throughout the series whenever they were fighting. Although there was nothing really unique or key to the songs it supported the plot and the battles perfectly. The singing vocals was excellent for the end, though has been a constant theme from the opening song throughout the whole series as well.

The animation for the fight scenes were always consistently well animated. In the beginning I didn't really like the CG of the suits but after awhile I got used to it. It really also allowed the animations of the fighting sequences to be that much better. The fighting of individual mechas, called AHSMB, have always been excellent. The use of their arms and legs and of the weapons systems always look smooth and crisp but extremely fast and sometimes with amazing ferocity. The animation goes well with the mechanics of the suit, the "JURIA system," because of the use of instincts to pilot it.

About the only negative thing I can say about the art was the diminutive colors and style of character drawing. Personally I felt the style was fine and won't count it against it but it didn't really do anything great for the series either. The use of lasers and background cruisers could've probably had greater detail but that also didn't really take away from the story or enjoyment in my view.

Looking back, considering it was two seasons, I really liked how they moved the story from the academy all the way to the ending battle. The progression, especially of the main character but also the other Team Rabbit characters were paced well and I thought some the character development made good use of the story to see the members mature as a team but also in personality as well.

Though it didn't do anything new, overall Majestic Prince was well executed with the furious fighting animation, exciting music, plot and character development to make a satisfying story.

This anime has one of the most off-the-wall premises I've seen since Girls und Panzer and executes the comedy beautifully but only in the beginning. Being stranded in Japan from their original world of demons versus anime made for some of the funniest moments. In fact, I'd say the characters were outstanding and made this anime as enjoyable as it was and potentially even more enjoyable if the story hadn't fell through. The pacing and timing of going from high ranking top officials of the other world and regulating them to two single men struggling to make it by in an single room apartment made ... for some hilarious themes consistently throughout the entire series. Their penny pinching and struggle to adapt to their new home and assimilate into life in Japan was very amusing.

About the only thing I was disappointed with was the lack of resolution for all the bad guys and the conflict between the main characters. I hate when stories don't resolve anything, more so than crappy endings, which is why I'm giving the story a rating of 5. All of the elements they introduced in the story, like the motivations of each character, the conflict between the characters and the church, and conflict with each other and their previous rivalries- none of it gets touched on or resolved. Only introduced.

The last couple of episodes somewhat lost it's direction on what made this anime such a great series. What made this anime great was the characters awkwardness adapting and fitting into normal lives when they clearly are not normal.

In conclusion, this is definitely a great anime to check out for it's laugh and minor romance but for its lack of follow-through to the end, even great ingredients can't make up for a lack of a good story.

I was really hard-pressed to decide what to rate this anime. I've known about this anime for more than 10 years but never came around to watching it. The thing I find amazing about this anime is how much it pulls you in to the story. Everything is executed perfectly. I admit, especially from watching it now when CG is so much better than it was almost 20 years ago, that the CG kind of turned me off but overlooking this anime because of that reason would be a big mistake. This anime manages to create excitement, intensity, great comedy, compelling romance and wonderful character ... development.

I'm not into cars nor am I into racing but this anime somehow pulls me in anyway? How?? I can only speculate that the characters and execution of the plot and story is just too well done. Even when ignoring the racing aspect, the setting of having a character completely un-interested in racing grow as a character was so entrancing. All the characters see the main character Takumi grow. The interesting thing is even when the story focuses on other characters in the story, I didn't lose any momentum or interest in the show. All of the character were well-rounded and all had their own worries, goals, and ambitions in the show. Each racer was striving to become better and find their own identity. This anime, consistently manages to introduce to people with no interest in racing or cars, and keep glued in anticipation to the outcome of the race, and the outcome to the character's problems.

The soundtrack was very great. And I've become hooked on the ringtone that Sayuki used on her phone. If anyone finds it leave me a comment on my profile. xD I thorougly enjoyed this anime not only because I learned about racing and the racing culture but I discovered some good romance in the story as well. Part of the reason for this is the way they executed the drawing of the girls as well as they used, and the plot made the romance engrossing and personal. Despite their blocky like heads, the artists managed to capture that moment when you see a girl that just makes you drop your jaw and heart skip a beat. Being able to create a mood like that especially when I'm biased against older looking anime just speaks of how well the animators created mood using the art, costume, character, and music. It just does everything right.

The climax and situation reversals were logically well-thought out and never have I been unsatisfied or bored with the characters in the show or the outcome of the races. The characters are all utilized to their full effect for the main plot, racing, comedy, romance, or some combination thereof. Despite some of the technical nature of racing itself, the show feels really authentic and still manages to pull off some great comedy and romance as well. The reason why I've decided to give this a 9 (Great) versus an 8 (Very Good) is not all anime can pull in an audience that have no interest in the sport of racing or race cars and this anime manages to pull that off by having an amazing story. Initial D: First Stage is not only an example of how to do things right but how to introduce audience to a world completely foreign to them and suck them into the story. This isn't an anime about racing alone but about racers, a racer's identity, and the people's stories surrounding them. A studio could've done everything the same, the races, the plot, the music, the art and with different pacing and transitions executed poorly. But Initial D: First Stage from racing to comedy, comedy to romance, romance to racing, gets it all right, all the way till the finale.

This review comes minutes after finishing the last episode. I highly recommend this anime to anyone, as long as they're ok with darker and more violent themes. The reason why is because this is one of the few anime that breaks away from the pack of anime and tries to be different not for the sake of being different but to challenge the viewer to ask questions about society and about themselves. Think of Minority Report and Law and Order: Special Victims Unit combined into one show.

It attempts to ask serious questions, and hence stays "dark" the whole time. This isn't like other anime that ... attempt to move from comedy to dark serious subjects and then back again. Rather it asks you a serious question, and never gives you a break, never lets up with a singular focus. Hopefully by the end of the anime, you'll at least know what those questions are.

For me those questions are how far am I willing to sacrifice privacy for protection. What makes something criminal? Would it be fair if I was judged by a psycho-scan to determine what job would I be happy with? That would tell me if I was prone to being a criminal before doing anything criminal? Would I be the detective or the criminal in this anime? This anime is so relevant in today's world of UAV's, cameras, cyber attacks, mass shootings, unrest, how we collect evidence and prosecute terrorists and even gun laws.

Personally, I've never had any movie or animation cause me to shake in rage but this anime did. I know many others in the forum felt the same way. Anger, rage, helplessness, a thirst for vengeance. The crimes in this show are dark, repulsive, like nails on a chalkboard that make you turn your head away. Yet they do so to demonstrate to the viewer unmistakably that a crime has been done. The question then, is how far are we willing to go to stop it. The anime is thought-provoking, philosophical, and relevant to today. That's a quality of anime that makes this a 10 in all respects.

Some might rate the characters lower maybe because of Akane but I think having a really cute character might've taken away from the tone of this anime. I think her character design fits with the mood of this anime as well as the personality the writer was going for. In the last few episodes, I think her personality and character development shined the most with how she looks.

The music was amazing and I've grown quite fond of the opening and closing themes.

Overall, this is an anime that can't be ignored. Watch it just because of what it tries to do and discover what you question. If you know the answer right away, then perhaps this anime isn't for you but for those that don't even know the question, this anime is invaluable.

Hmmm I can't claim that I hardly rate anime a 10 since it looks like I have at least 5. But my initial reaction after having just finished the episode is that this anime, like all the anime I rate as a 10, does one thing, and one thing well: Tell a great story. Something that sucks you into a world, immerses you, losing all thoughts other than the characters and the plot.

Accel World brought all the elements to tell a great story: the art, the music, the animation itself. The animation itself was really pretty as well as the character designs. Coming from ... a person that has not read the LN, and didn't know the events beforehand, watching this anime was an emotional roller coaster for me. The unique thing I found with this anime was that I found the guy characters cute and funny as well. They often times brought a comedic effect that often times helped lighten the very dark and depressing themes in the story. Although sometimes those same character made me wanna slap them a couple times myself from the view of their own self-worth and hurting others from that. I found myself laughing with them and crying with them, and being happy with them.

From the cliptime spent with each character you could tell it was important to the staff to spend just enough time to get the emotions across. I could feel the TLC. Noting seemed rushed. The music did a very good job of supporting the story and suggesting the desired tone at the moment. The art and fight was very well done. Most of all though, I loved how they developed the characters and the time they spent with each. I'm sure to someone who has watched the LN it might feel rushed or maybe even totally skipping out on relevant backstory or arcs but for me I felt they spent just enough time on the character and back-story to really observe these characters as all struggling with their own hopes and dreams and sadness. Time was spent when they cried, when they were happy, when they laughing. I really felt that they spent just enough time for someone watching to really start to empathize with these characters.

The only downside, I would say is the distaste with all the characters having dark pasts and insecure but I think it'd be unfair to say they were one-dimensional characters. The other reason I rate something a 10 is because whether you end up not liking the anime or not...it definitely is something worth watching to see for yourself. Hands down.

It's amazing that after this anime is over 30 years old but still excels in the quality of the animation even up to today. Macross Plus was my first exposure to mecha anime and I definitely enjoyed the tie-in between the two shows. Macross has some excellent animated sequences during fights in space and in their mechs as well. You can tell the animators really took great detail to making the action polished, the explosions delightful, and the destruction detailed. There was so much detail put into the fights you get sucked up into the epicness of fighting in space with all the war debris ... around and missles and lasers going back and forth between enemies. One of the more interesting things they animated were the perspective changes around characters and places during the fight.

Macross doesn't succeed by animation alone though. The music is really what sets Macross apart from other anime, and from the beginning to the end, the theme takes a central role in the story and character development. The classic feel of the songs make me nostalgic just listening to them. Similarly, the reverb effect by the alien forces was a very interesting touch that reminded you of the foreign origins and giant size of the aliens in general.

The war theme in this anime is taken seriously and dwelves into fighting, pacifism, killing, and losing family and friends. I thought it was well done and paced. People do die, some violently, and they use it sparing and to good effect for the story.

Overall, I loved the animation, the sounds, the music, and the story and character development. The climax of the whole series was totally worth it, and you see hard work of the animators really shine then. This is definitely a classic mecha anime worth watching if you enjoy fighting, music, and a serious story.