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partial disclaimer: this was the season that got me interested in duel masters. i am by no means an expert on the franchise, nor a fluent japanese speaker. this is based on basic verbal comprehension alongside occasional auto-translated subtitles.

with that out of the way, here's an abbreviated review of duel masters!!

i personally find this show to be underrated; of course, a lack of english following gets in the way. but even among those who enjoy kids/toy anime, i find the discussion of duel masters to be lacking. i'll be upfront: this is by no means a masterpiece, nor is it as serious/deep as ... a lot of other kids shows (ie danball senki or inazuma eleven. of which i highly recommend checking out) but what stands out are the designs. duel masters!! has a plethora of incredibly cute characters; alongside a creative design approach to monsters/creatures. there's truly something for everyone here; whether it be the main character joe's childlike drawings, to aquatic-themed robots and technological dragons. the CGI used for these monsters is pretty good, too. definitely a treat for the eyes, especially in regards to more complicated designs like each character's respective ace monsters.

as for story, i will say that its fairly decent. it seems to follow a gag approach to storytelling, with heavy underlying tones. joe kirifuda is a rather young, immature protagonist; but he grows throughout each season he's in. duels become more and more dangerous, and the looming threat of enemies makes his choices all the more permanent. despite the lighthearted exterior, this season does deal with potential death alongside an overarching conflict between numerous civilizations. while it may be a bit difficult to follow, the lore is surprisingly interesting, connecting directly to the card game.

as for the duels; i don't have much to say here. i don't play the game (apologies for that), but i will say that the more intense/serious duels DEFINITELY have weight to them. this season introduces new mechanics into the game as well, making things a bit more interesting. you're able to grasp the idea of whether or not someone is losing, and sometimes, that has mortal consequences. this iteration of duel masters separates duels into play duels and "true" duels; the latter of which has the ability to harm or kill the loser. this addition, albeit extreme, adds a needed severity to a show that tends to be a bit TOO lighthearted at times.

as for artwork; it's standard. like i said, CGI looks pretty good; but the animation itself is average. there's a lot of cute scenes with the main characters, though (bolts, kira, cap, and joe). you'll find a lot of beautiful stills or unique facial expressions for sure; but a majority of the high quality animation is reserved for special card draws (when a character summons their "ace", so to speak).

music is great. the openings and endings are legitimately high quality, as well as the BGM for the show itself. my favorite has to be the ending "i'm your joker" preformed by KPOP group IN2IT. kira hikaru's theme is stellar as well. openings are engaging in both tone and visuals, often changing as the season progresses to reflect the story/additional characters. despite the low budget of the show, they appear to truly care about making things engaging and unique, so props to them for that.

all in all, duel masters!! is a spinoff of a long forgotten franchise. remarkably enough, said franchise is still MASSIVE in japan. designs are solid, music is great, and the story isn't half bad. i recommend this to fans of kids/toy anime, especially those who like kaitou joker (in terms of comedy), and yugioh (specifically zexal) in terms of design and over-the-top character acting.

6.5-7/10

with all due respect, buddyfight ace is decent, it really is.

...but, if im being honest, i can't really recommend it unless said person enjoys the following:

1. kids anime
2. card / game anime
3. buddyfight as a series

this is because, while ace/shin branches off in terms of prior continuity, its characters and storyline are rather basic and rushed. unlike prior seasons where the main cast got plenty of time to develop, ace focuses SOLELY on 4 main characters: masato, yuga, ranma, and subaru. two of these characters can be summed up with basic applicable tropes; masato is the generic sports kid while subaru is the genius. ... other characters exist, but rarely impact the story directly.

this doesn't mean theyre bad characters, it just means they arent exactly memorable. a problem with buddyfight after the events of season 2 (buddyfight 100) is that characters are often shoved into the story with little to no background. ace is the biggest offender of this, shoveling in an ENTIRELY new cast only to have many of them appear once and then never again. its understandable for one-off characters to exist in shows, especially for ones aimed at a younger audience, but MANY of these characters were implied to have larger roles in the series (half of them are even directly in the opening. of which never changed for over 40 episodes... odd)

but there is, of course, ranma and yuga, the two true "main" characters. i'll have to say that this is where the season truly shines - ranma's betrayal is the result of jealousy towards his best friend yuga, of whom hes known since childhood. the two are obviously very close, but as time progresses, ranma finds himself wishing for yuga's defeat during buddyfights. without explicitly spoiling things for potential watchers, ranma gets corrupted, but this 'corruption' is interesting due to the fact that he is sentient the entire time. his actions are a reflection of his innermost feelings, of which waver greatly throughout the season.

so, if its an overall interesting premise, why such a lackluster rating? its because of how rushed the final product is. getting into specific details would mean mentioning bushiroad as a company alongside buddyfight as a game with the intent to make money. please keep in mind that a majority of what i say here is mere speculation, but the truth of the matter is that this season has an incredibly low budget. animation errors an re-used frames are more apparent than EVER before. on top of this is the blatant disregard for a majority of the cast, almost as if the team planned for them to be used later on, but never go around to it.

(sidenote: buddyfight's anime is currently on hiatus, said hiatus came to light after the OLM team behind buddyfight's animation got bought out by another company. this leads me to believe that there may be some inside discussion on the future of the series and whether or not the anime will continue. but again, all of this is speculation)

music, however, is stellar. all buddyfight seasons have amazing, memorable soundtracks. though the opening could've used a change halfway through, i'm not going to complain much here. (again, most likely due to the budget, as every other season got 2-3 openings and endings)

fights are pretty good too, albeit a tad predictable due to the rushed plot. you know the filler characters arent going to win, for example; but this is more or less a staple of a card-game anime than anything else. i did enjoy the world variation though, not nearly as diverse as earlier seasons, but you can tell they tried to utilize a variety of decks alongside introducing an entirely new one (lost world). concepts and monsters are solid, but im getting a bit tired of seeing dragons all the time...

all in all, ace is alright. its okay, but not something i'd recommend unless you're a fan of the series or love this kind of content to begin with. the two main characters have a very interesting, personal dynamic, but the remaining cast leave a lot to be desired, as even their character arcs feel rushed or nonexistent. designs are solid and creative, as with every other season of the series. music is catchy and unique, albeit a bit overused, but like the length of the series, ace doesn't overstay its welcome - but it doesn't push boundaries or showcase particularly unique development, either.

if you're interested in buddyfight, i recommend watching the first two seasons instead; much more memorable and developed cast. there's a tad more filler, yes, but the characters feel more quirky and unique. almost everyone makes a second or third appearance in some way (and if not, they tie directly into the overarching plot/provide support for the main team)

but hey, some people really liked ace/shin buddyfight, and that's fine. give it a try if you're into the game or characters, just don't expect a high level of development and seriousness.

... with the exception of ranma, of course.

6 - 6.5/10

megaman starforce is an a very underappreciated, and often criticized, series among megaman fans. many call it a battle network clone, or state that it has a poor plot/development as a whole.

however, i respectfully disagree - moreover, i'm going to review the anime adaptation of the first game. although i have a different approach to this series, being an avid fan of its characters, i really do suggest playing the game before watching the anime. the game is far more enjoyable.

but with that out of the way, here's my initial take on the starforce anime:

character: as far as character development goes, the anime ... adaption is fairly poor. the main character, subaru, is still given his respective treatment of depression after the loss of his father - however, his trauma is a bit downplayed in comparison to the game, making it less realistic and more so annoying at times. his companion, the class president luna shirogane, is terribly stereotyped - in the games, luna has an obvious crush on subaru, but this does not define her. whereas in the anime, she is almost ALWAYS trying to win over 'megaman's' affection, she even creates a rivalry with harp note/misora hibiki, someone she respects and BEFRIENDS in the games.

as for the side characters, nothing really changes, since there not as important to begin with. however, misora hibiki, the popular pop-idol and roll/zero/protoman mix of the series, is drastically changed. although shes still enjoyable in the anime, her backstory is heavily toned down. (spoilers: her original reasons for becoming an idol deal with the loss of her mother. whereas the anime states that she just wanted to sing. which is fine on its own, but my point remains). however, like in the games, misora has more of a independent streak to her - she's able to hold her ground pretty well, and is willing to join the fight whenever she can. despite her slight flaws and somewhat forced romantic interest with subaru, shes still a good character.

story: the adaption is rather... lacking in this aspect, but keep in mind that this is a kids anime primarily used by capcom to promote their new product/game. in essence, the story is changed completely from the game. subaru still has to fight the FM-ians, space beings that threaten to destroy earth, but instead of defeating them once, he faces them multiple times. in addition, the final antagonist is changed to (spoilers) gemini spark, an EM being that has taken control of tsukasa futaba, a young boy who befriends subaru.

it should be noted that in the games, tsukasa is a FAR more complex character, as he suffers from multiple personality disorder. this is never mentioned in the anime, but is a major plot point in the games. tsukasa is also manipulated by gemini spark, but still has his own will, whereas the anime version has made him one being with a lack of empathy.

in the end, its obvious that subaru, AKA megaman, saves the day - its your typical episodic kids show with a handful of filler episodes in-between, but in a way, it does develop characters such as the FM-ians. the game has never really provided these characters with personalities (exceptions obviously being warrock, subaru's partner, and harp, misora's partner, and gemini spark). its interesting to see characters interact in different settings, especially if these characters interested you while playing the game.

art and sound: the art is, well, mediocre. its nothing impressive at all, and at times, looks rather bland. however, shingo adachi, one of the character designers for megaman battle network and sword art online, has animated or created the story-board work for some scenes. so you can look for some high-quality animation/art in between all of the basic animation. if you're a fan of the games, its something cool to see.

as for the music? the openings are catchy as hell, albeit short. the music in the anime itself is also very good, but nothing too memorable. there's a few tracks i'd love to get a hold of, but sadly an OST CD was never released. (due to the show being so low in ratings).

verdict: megaman starforce is a gem for its fans, but its nothing outstanding. while there are major differences from the core material, it is still enjoyable to watch as it expands on the personalities of its minor characters. the art isnt top notch, but you can REALLY tell when some of the animators pour their hearts out into some of the scenes.

this series isn't for everyone, but its worth a try - each episode is about 9 minutes each, and if you're looking for some megaman action, its a pretty cute show with interesting designs. and, as a bonus, the second season has a lot of beautiful fighting scenes.

6.5 or 7/10

for those who do not know, the darren shan manga adaption is derived from a series of english novels known as cirque du freak. the original author shares the name of the main character, while the manga art is done by takahiro arai.

story:
[spoiler free]
the story starts off with two young boys, darren shan and his friend steve leonard. darren has an infatuation for spiders, while steve is obsessed with vampires. the two of them wind up going to a traveling circus known as the cirque du freak. within this circus is a vampire by the name of larten crepsley, whom steve recognizes. steve wants to ... become a vampire, but is rejected due to his 'evil blood', foreshadowing his destiny. in the end, darren ends up becoming a vampire in order to save steve, but is forced to leave him and his family behind.

however, this is only the prologue to the story. i am leaving out some details to avoid giving too much away, as the story takes many unexpected turns. what you can expect from this point on, however, is darren's journey as mr. crepsley's assistant. there are also a handful of time skips, so you'll be able to see the characters as they age and mature.

now, getting into some nitty-gritty stuff
in essence, darren shan is a story about vampires, which can either be an automatic interest or turn-off, depending on who you are. however, i can assure you that this manga takes an interesting perspective when it comes to the supernatural.

for starters, vampires in this series are fairly docile, and only feed when they need too. however, there are some cliches, such as them being unable to withstand sunlight. the great part about this series, though, is that the existence of vampires is not the focus - you'll find yourself forgetting that the main character himself is no longer human, except for when he mentions it directly.

however, there is a subdivision of vampires known as the vampaneze. vampaneze are rogue vampires who prefer to kill humans they feed off of. although their customs may be similar to regular vampires, they are much more aggressive and hostile. their appearances are also very different, as they are most commonly described as having purple skin and black-red eyes.

along with a cast of vampires, there are also several 'freaks' that darren befriends at the circus. many of these characters play important reoccurring roles in the series.

character + art:
now, the art for this series is far from top-notch, and can be VERY wonky at the beginning, but this improves drastically over time. if the art style is not favorable to you, you'll have to sit through it for a few books - or perhaps the entire series. i personally liked the artwork from the beginning, and loved it towards the end.

in my opinion, the last 6 volumes have amazing artwork. expressions are on-point and dramatic, and the shading of panels adds a horror-esque feel. a lot of the mediocre anatomy and fighting sequences are heavily worked on, and you can see the effort the artist has put into the series.

the characters, although not being written by the artist himself, are also very well represented through the artwork. i absolutely loved the designs, as i thought they fit the personalities of each character perfectly. takahiro arai has successfully retold a story from his own perspective, making it much more interesting for those who prefer to visually experience a novel. the main characters have obvious flaws and realistic qualities. the cast overall is varied, from personalities to appearance. i found myself becoming attached to the characters for this very reason.

overall:
i'd recommend this series to anybody, as i have enjoyed it immensely. it breaks away from typical vampire and shounen stereotypes, and introduces a variety of characters in a refreshing art style. although the original novels appear to be aimed towards children/teens, the manga adaption adds much more emotion. the art progresses along with the story, and main character is constantly thrown into new environments, meeting new friends and enemies along the way.

i'd honestly love to see more people read this. its a shame that most people don't know about this manga - or the artist behind it. takahiro arai has also written and drawn his own manga known as arago, which is heavily influenced from his work on darren shan. both are great reads, and deserve more recognition.

to be completely fair, if you aren't willing to watch through the first season of zexal to get to zexal II, then this yugioh series isn't really for you. zexal tends to have a slow 'childish' start/feel to it, but trust me, this improves a whole lot.

as for zexal by itself, i would say its a decent series (trying to be unbiased here). however, there are evident problems such as yuma's companions aside from kotori, shark, astral, ect not having much development - making them unlikable or forgettable. as for yuma himself, i believe he undergoes a lot of development, starting off as ... one of the worst dueling protagonists of them all.

however, i have to give the original zexal some credit - for example, the introduction of kaito is probably one of the most serious elements of the series. in addition, a lot of character backstory is provided in the original which is only implied/not evident in II. duel carnival was interesting (imo) in a comedic aspect as well, but the final 'villain' (dr. faker) left something to be desired.

this show gets a lot of bull for not being 'serious/in depth', but like i said, if youre willing to watch this first season, you will be thoroughly pleased with zexal II. it has numerous improvement with art, character development, soundtrack, and plot depth.

td;lr i'm a HUGE fan of this series, but the beginning is pretty rocky/uninteresting for most, especially those who are long-time yugioh fans. if youre willing to get past the beginning, the end and second season are very rewarding.