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Shion no Ou's description painted a picture in my head of Hikaru no Go + (a bit of ) Death Note, and it delivered on that promise...Kinda...

If you don't know what shougi is (like I didn't at the time of watching) it's practically Japanese chess...Not knowing ANYTHING aboot Shougi/chess, I was rather hesitant to watch, but I figured I gave Hikaru no Go a shot, why not?!

What's start out with a rather dark opening, devolves into a half and half story...On one side you have Shion and her friends playing through tournaments and up the ranks ofshougi in order to better themselves...On the other side, ... you have a couple of detectives trying to unravel the mystery of Shion's parents murder 8 years ago...

So the Death Note portion isn't as deep as I would have liked and the ending seems rushed and the motive of the killer is bizarre to say the least...Overall, I liked it, but felt it wasn't as interesting as I thought it could be, though I enjoyed watching it...I bet if I knew more aboot shougi, that would have helped the intensity of the matches...

Still, good series, worth checking out for a 22 episode series, check it out!!

So what was probably the biggest series no one really talked aboot of last season, Tokyo Magnitude was rather intense for its short length...What I would describe as a "disaster movie done right," TM delivered on all the emotion and impact a disater movie SHOULD...

The series is slow but done well enough that you;'re never bored...Locales are meticulously detailed and then destroyed shortly after they're introduced...It's almost wherever the main characters go, destruction follows!!
The bulk of the series is getting from point a to point b and staying safe the entire time...

Around episode 9/10 (IIRC) the twist hits and it is INSANELY sad...It didn't hit ... me as hard as say Grave of the Fireflies did, but damn, it sucks...No spoiler here folks, no worries...

While I can't say much and not spoiling anything, TM was enjoyable from start to finish and while the main character got on my nerves every now and again, she IS 11 or 12, so she plays her young/immature self really well...

For all intents and purposes, Samurai X will be called "T&B" for the remainder of the post)

If you have ever seen or read the Ruroni Kenshin manga/anime, you were probably wondering about Himura Kenshin's past, and incredibly bummed that no real explanation was ever discussed/given...

Well, no more will you have to sit in wonder of how the legendary Battōsai came to be...

Set before the events of the Ruroni Kenhin anime and manga, "T&B" chronicles the events of Himura from young boy to adult and everything in between.
From his early training days, to how he becomes a stone cold killer, to the decisions that led him ... to create his infamous, sakabatō (reverse-blade sword).

With beautiful animation and absolutely amazing characters and a stunning story that is rather cliche but still told well, "T&B" is an absolutely breathtaking tale that any anime fan should include in their library.
Even if you have never seen/heard of this series, I guarantee you will want to watch the anime from start to finish shortly after watching this OVA.

An instant own for any anime fan/collector!!

So the Spring/Summer season has come to a close this past week for most shows, and it was one of the more memorable seasons in recent memory IMO...However, there was one show that stuck out to me that just seemed to do everything right: Canaan

With a concept from the writers of the Wii game: 428: Fūsa Sareta Shibuya de, the plot of Canaan has a lil' bit of tie-in but enough ground to stand on it's own...Basically, it's a scenario from the game written specifically for the anime...

With a deadly virus poised to breakout across the world, the titular heroine (Canaan) must step in and ... prevent it...While it may sound mildly cliche, the story is rather complex and with lil' twists and turns throughout the course of the 13 episode series, it satisfies...Though I did require a lil' insight for some things mentioned, I was able to comprehend the majority of the story and was completely happy with the conclusion...

The characters are what really stood out for me in this series. I can't remember the last time I have really cared for this many characters in a series at one time...The antagonists are not necessarily "bad," they just have their own motives/reasoning and it's rather hard to hate them...By the end of the series, I was rooting for them a little...Well, most of them, there were a couple I did wish to die...

Canaan is a great character overall and her "relationship" with the cute/friendly Maria was a great development over the course of the series and while it kind of left off with unfinished/unsettled business, it's just enough too not upset anyone...

The only complaint I really have for the series is the music, it's not that it is bad, it's just not memorable...Save for a couple of songs in the finale, I don't see myself listening to the OST upon it;'s release...The OP was rather "blah" to me and the ED I never watched except for the first episode...

While this isn't the most in depth review/impression (it's 5:49 AM and I'm f'n tired) I urge people to check it out...The action, while rather limited, is incredible the animation is some of the best this season, and the plot is enjoyable enough for a short, 13 episode series...

So I really don't expect anyone to know what this series is cause no one knows what this series is...But you should, it is one of the best underrated mecha shows available.

Set in a Maihama (Urayasu, Chiba, Japan) our main character, Kyo Sogoru, is the leader of the swim club, and is determined to keep it part of Maihama High.

One day, he stumbles across a young girl preparing to dive into the pool, anxious to think she wants to join his dying swim club, he approaches her and she utters something unintelligible and dives never to resurface.
As the day continues he asks others of the ... girl atop the diving board, his peers assure him she doesn't exist and with video proof further proving her non-existence, he confides in his neighbor and best friend, Ryoko Kaminagi.

Later that evening he his transported to alternate dimension and forced to pilot a giant, fluorescent colored mech named Zegapain. At first he is hesitant but quickly finds himself incredibly comfortable and familiar with controlling and piloting the mecha.
After his first mission is a success he is returned to his world and his life is changed forever...

Driven into a world reminiscent of his own and he is his stricken with memories of the people he met in the other dimension, he need to piece all this together as well as protect one world to protect the other...

Reviewers will say nothing but great things about this series, basically: "...Matrix in anime form..."

I couldn't agree anymore with this statement, it really hits the mark. With quite a few twists and turns and incredible character development for a short series, it's a rare gem, in an already dominated genre. If you can find it, please watch it and share in the brilliance that is, Zegapain...!!