Avatar: The Last Airbender

Genre: Adventure
Age Appropriate: Any age, really
Emotional Response: Excited in a kid way
Notable Features: adventure, action, friendship, elemental magic
Language: English
Length: 3 seasons, 61 episodes
Overall Recommendation: Great!

"Shush chatty monkey." - Sokka

Aang is a young boy trapped in a block of ice. Katara and Sokka find him while floating around in the water. Finding him and setting him free sets off a complete 3 season series of action and adventure. The three teens live in a world where people have elemental magic, separated into kingdoms of people will like abilities. Katara and Sokka are from a water tribe, and Katara has inherited the ability to manipulate water. With the arrival of Aang in their lives, Katara uses his need to find more about himself as the escape she needs from her set destiny. There is no way that Sokka would let her leave without him and so the trio goes off on a mission to learn more about Aang.

There is trouble, however. Aang is an Avatar - one of the chosen few who are reincarnated over and over with powerful abilities that stretch over all elemental boundaries. His job is to bring balance back to the land and there is a huge obstacle in his way. The Fire Kingdom is ruled by a tyrant who wants Aang out of his way, or within his power. So, now the three are looking for more clues into Aang destiny while working hard to avoid capture by the Fire Kingdom. Their journey takes them through the Air, Water and Earth kingdoms, meeting new people and obstacles along the way. The plot becomes a coming-of-age story coupled with saving the world.

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I love it! I'm not always a fan of younger age range animated series. This one was a lot of fun. I'd seen a few episodes of the original when it was on Nickelodeon but it wasn't until it showed up on Netflix that I sat down and watched the whole thing through. Seriously, I watched the whole thing through, in great big gulps (bites?). The characters are really compelling, and the little mini-romances are adorable. It's also really kid friendly. I mean, come on, it was aired on Nickelodeon.

Aang and the gang include a flying lemur and an air buffalo! I want both, kinda. The buffalo might be hard to care for, though. Aang does a bunch of air tricks too that I wish I could manage. I would also like to be able to use those tricks to fly. It completely brought out the kid in me. I highly recommend it - especially if you want something to watch with the younger crown. Don't let it stop you if you don't!

There was only one negative about the franchise. The movie. It was so awful I wanted to cry and rage at how the ruined the story. Don't see it. After you finish this sentence, just pretend it doesn't exist.

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Let's try some more!: Samurai Harem

I couldn't become a hero....

Genre: Action - or lack thereof
Age Appropriate: Teens
Emotional Response: Ok, Ok, ROTFLMAO
Notable Features: comedy, demon king, hero, magical appliances
Language: Japanese
Length: 1 season, 12 episodes
Overall Recommendation: Great!

"I'm respected!" - Fino

Raul wanted to be a hero. He was even in a training school to become one, but then the worst (or best?) happened. The demon lord was defeated and there was no longer any need for heroes. The school closed, weapons stores closed and the heroes were forced to find work in different ways. Some attempted to go into security firms, but Raul had no such luck. He ended up as a clerk in the Leon Magic store, selling magical appliances to the general public. Despite having reluctantly
taken the job, when a new employee joins the team, Raul suddenly has a bit more purpose before.

The new employee is Fino-chan, shockingly also the demon lord's daughter! Despite his misgivings, Raul finds himself becoming more and more involved with her. He starts taking his role as her trainer more seriously, and finds himself enjoying her presence, annoying as it may be. Given his role as a former hero-in-training, and her position as the demon lord's daughter, one might think tension would rule the day, but their unlikely friendship makes for some interesting times - both in an out of the store.

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Since the series is only 12 episodes, with no likely sequel in the works, I don't want to share too much about the story. It was a lot of fun, though. There is a point in episode 11 that I was literally laughing out loud. I'm sure I sounded a little crazy, but it was worth it. Part of the show was a little slow, but by the time everything was finished it all seemed to be necessary. I could possibly see this lengthened a little bit with additional character development, but it wouldn't have been necessary.

I really enjoyed it, and I'm glad I gave it a try. Sometimes, it's hard to watch anime after anime, but I don't want to take real break. This series was lighthearted enough, short enough, and easy enough to keep my attention without worrying about anything. It would definitely be a good choice for someone looking for nothing in particular. I don't think I would set it up for a 12-year-old, but otherwise it's fine. I recommend it!

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What's next?: I have no idea, but I'll figure it out. (That's not a title. I really have no idea.)

Fairy Tail

Genre: Fantasy
Age Appropriate: Teens
Emotional Response: LOL that was pretty funny!
Notable Features: mages, magic, flying cat, dragons, mass destruction (oops!)
Language: English - so far
Length: 3 seasons, 84 episodes (again, so far) - 100+ if you're impatient
Overall Recommendation: Great



"Aye, sir!" - Happy

In a place called Magnolia, there is a wizard guild that is known throughout the world for it's strong (and strange) wizards. The wizard guilds are a place for wizards to meet and find jobs, requiring their individual skills. It's also supposed to be a place where you can meet up with other for bigger jobs, or just to have that sense of family. In Magnolia, that guild is Fairy Tail.

Lucy is a young woman who seems obsessed with joining Fairy Tail. As a Celestial wizard, her power lies in using celestial keys to bring forth constellation beings. While walking on her way, she runs into someone claiming to be the most powerful wizard of Fairy Tail!, only to be disappointed with the results. This momentary bummer is quickly remedied when she meets the destructive Natsu, and his happy sidekick, Happy. Natsu is a Fairy Tail wizard, and bring Lucy to the guild hall, and has her promptly added to the roles (with the Master's permission of course). In the guild, Lucy meets many interesting characters with many interesting powers. After many episodes of destructive comedy, it appears she's joined a team of some crazy people: Urza - requip powers that allow her to change armor with a thought, Natsu - Fire-breathing Dragon Slayer and Gray - Ice wizard with a problem keeping all of his clothes in place. None of them particularly get along with each other, but more in a sibling way. Being only done with the third season, there will be a lot more to come.


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I'm definitely enjoying this one. It's very friendly, in many ways. There is some drama, and some sadness, but the emotional levels aren't devastating. There is certainly a lot of coming-of-age and personal growth involved in each episode. Personally, I'm waiting for everything to be released in English. It's not that I don't like Japanese (obviously) but I do prefer to watch in one language all the way through. So far, so good. It's pretty fun to watch a number of episodes in a row, but I wouldn't say that I could watch them all in one or two sittings.

There are key points that I think are important to the plot. I feel sympathy for Natsu every time he thinks he's found his father-figure dragon. It seems like the other Dragon Slayers who appear have similar stories. There is also the loss of friends that permeates different epsidoes. However, I'm always very amused by the groups' inability to finish a mission without blowing something up, crashing it to the ground, or picking up a stray member that used to be an enemy. They're a relatively even mix, thank goodness. I would definitely recommend this one, particularly if you like Hunter X Hunter or things in that group.
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Coming up: Guest Review!

High School DxD New - Season 2

Genre: Fantasy/Action/Comedy
Age Appropriate: Teens
Emotional Response: Yeah! You can do it!
Notable Features: demons, angels, fallen angels, fan service
Language: Japanese
Length: 1 Seasons, 12 episodes (+ OVAs)
Overall Recommendation: Great!

"I don't ever want to see her cry." - Issei

Season two is a continuation of the story from season one (duh). There are some new characters added to the mix, however. Rias' brother, Sir Zech's, joins the story as one of the three big hitters. Azazel, leader of the Fallen Angels appears slowly until the end where he makes a nice little entrance, and Michael shows up with a game changer to everyone's surprise. After some shocking news and more action-packed battles, we learn Kiba's story and a new devil joins the group - a former Angel named Xenobia. Also, new battle pieces are revealed! An adorable cross dressing first year is taken under Issei's perverted wing, and the bonds of friendship become strong.

Aside from Issei's magical arm issues, there are now Holy Swords. They become a focal point for a number of episodes, as they have the power to seriously wound demons and a full blown search occurs when one ends up in the wrong hands. Somehow, through everything, the three factions end up together on a single team trying to defeat a common enemy. 

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It's hard to write a full synopsis for a second season. I don't need to fill out all of the character details the way I usually would. The personalities of the main characters haven't changed much. This series held a lot less dopiness, and comedy, than the first one, but that's pretty par for the course in a second season. I will say that it was a lot of fun. I haven't really loved the last few I've reviewed so it's nice to be back to something "Great!" It was so much fun, and I actually cared about what was happening to the characters. I can't decide if I want Issei to meet his dream, though. I mean, he's the good-hearted, dirty-minded protagonist, and I want him to succeed, but then I'm agreeing with his ideas of having a harem and groping girls all over the place. Okay, that made me laugh despite the naughty.

Season 2 did not disappoint. If you enjoyed the first season, I definitely recommend the second. They did a really good job with just making it a continuation instead of trying too hard for something else. I had to watch it in Japanese, though, because it hasn't been released in English yet. Sometimes, I  have a hard time transitioning, but with enough time between the seasons it's not a problem. Watch it.

Special note: While I recommend watching the OVAs, they are highly inappropriate and didn't have any censorship. I would most definitely not recommend me for children. Well, the fan service is enough that I wouldn't anyway, but the OVAs are worse.

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Oh, dear: Phantom Thief Reinya

Zettai Boei Leviatan

Genre: Adventure/Action
Age Appropriate: Preteens
Emotional Response: Excitement, Feel Good
Notable Features: girl power, magic, dragons, evil insects
Language: Japanese
Length: 1 Seasons, 13 episodes 
Overall Recommendation: Great

"My name is not Syrorin!" - Syrop


Leviatan is a young lady with water magic, who lives in a small town of others just like her. She lives alone because he brother has gone off somewhere, and her existence in fairly lonely. Her only reminder is the staff she carries. It was her brother's and it helps her focus her magical abilities. Like Leviatan, the other women in her world had magic and wings. They are descended from dragons. While the men usually don't have much in the way of magic, they're all born with immense strength. Leviatan's journey begins when she meets up with two other young ladies - Bahamut and Jorgumund. Each of these young ladies also has magical powers. They comes together under the slight, humorous manipulations of Syrop - a mischievous fairy with grand ideas about creating the Aquafall Defense Force!

There are evil creatures that have landed on the planet Aquafall. These evil creatures come in the form of large monsters, called Lucasites, and their smaller minions, Toripos. They are the direct result of terrible meteorites and want nothing more than to destroy Aquafall. The series follows the girls on little journeys to save/retrieve their weapons that are continually lost and regained in battles with the Lucasites. They also become friends with guardians in the world who will come to their aid if they're able to contact them. Together with these new friends, the goal of the Aquafall Defense Force becomes defeating the terrible evil beasts and helping others as a result. If only their battles in town would stop destroying the inn...

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I thoroughly enjoyed this series. I'd like to think that if it were to take off, it would be similar to Sailor Moon. There are fun magical transformations included. My biggest hope is that this is only season one. There haven't been any announcements that I've seen, but the last episode was just aired at the end of June. It's probably to early to tell. It wasn't as exciting as Magi, but it was nice enough. It was also completely family friendly. It's probably a great series for girl power-minded individuals. I really appreciated that the story has friendship, coming-of-age and fun without being blatantly obvious about the message. The review portion is a little short, granted, but I'll simply recommend it as something fun to do on a rainy day, or to watch with the young women growing up in your life. Go Girl Power!

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Transform!: Chihayafuru

Is This a Zombie?

Genre: Comedy
Age Appropriate: Teens
Emotional Response: LOL, I can't believe he/she just said that
Notable Features: zombies, vampires, magical girls, demons, bad humor
Language: English/Japanese
Length: 2 Seasons, 24 episodes 
Overall Recommendation: Great!


"Don't worry! I'm a zombie!" - Ayumu

A young man runs in front of an oncoming truck to save a tiny kitten about to be squished. There is no way that he can make it across without being squished himself, but it's ok. He's a zombie. That's how Is This a Zombie? opens, and it's basically the humorous theme throughout the series. Ayumu is attacked by a rampaging serial killer and is revived by a strange, non-talking, young girl he had met moments before at a convenience store. She is Eu, the Necromancer, and her overflowing amount of magical power has made her able to make Ayumu into a zombie. During the trials and tribulations, Ayumu's undead status is one of the main reasons he's able to achieve anything - no matter how many times, or how many ways, he's dismembered, he's able to brush it off and move on.

Is This a Zombie? has an interesting cast of characters. The first person he meets is a Magical Garment Girl, Haruna, who cuts him in half with her magical chainsaw. Somehow, because of this wonderful zombie powers and connection to Eu, he steals some of these powers and becomes a Magical Garment Girl himself - pretty pink outfit included. This happy group of fun is shortly rounded out with two vampire ninjas: Seraphim (Sera) and Maelstrom. All three new girls have a special disdain for Ayumu and his harem-loving ways. Often, he gets in trouble for wrongs he hasn't actually committed. Regardless of how the ladies might feel about him in any given moment, they become an inseparable group of magical kicking butt friends. The series itself ends up focused on the importance of friendship and Ayumu's caring side.

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The first season of Is This A Zombie? was great. It was absolutely hilarious, and the misunderstandings surrounding Ayumu's interactions with the female cast are pretty excellent. It reminded me of Heaven's Lost Property, except Ayumu isn't purposefully putting himself in awkward situations. You won't see him turning himself into a floor at any point. I suppose that would take away from his Magical Garment Girl action. Eu was probably my favorite character. She's totally cute, but a little more mature than the others. I also appreciate her silent nature. I managed to get my favorite person to sit down and watch the series with me - even more impressive with the second season being in Japanese.

The second season really pulled away from the focus of Ayumu's zombie abilities and focused more on relationship building and the hilarity that is Ayumu in drag. The fights were a little less epic, but at that point I was emotionally engaged enough to not care so much.
Really, the only disappointment to the whole series is the ending. I wanted more out of it, and now I'm hoping that there will be a third season though it seems unlikely.

All of the nudity is censored, so it's really not that bad. There are some head-smacking naughty jokes, but nothing I found offensive. I'm pretty sure a teenager could handle it just fine. There is some blood but no guts, which I appreciated, and the monsters are all pretty ridiculous - animals in school uniforms!
It was great fun. It wouldn't win any awards, but I would definitely recommend it for someone looking for a supernatural, harem, comedy.

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I'm not really a zombie: Kanamemo

Heaven's Lost Property

Genre: Sci-Fi
Age Appropriate: Older Teen/Adult
Emotional Response: LOL, that's just so wrong
Notable Features: angeloids, girls, awkward teens, new world
Language: English
Length: 2 season, 26 episodes (plus extras if you want)
Overall Recommendation: Great

"No way, dude. Fishing is bullshit." - Tomoki

One day, after talking to a strange geek friend, a young man finds himself nearly pummeled with a beautiful young lady with WINGS! He drags her away from the following barrage of bizarre debris falling from the sky, and when she comes to, he finds out that she's a "Pet Class Angeloid Alpha" named Ikaros. Tomoki, a typically perverted teenage boy, is surrounded by some very interesting friends - a number of which are fan service busty. His next door neighbor, and closest friend, Sohara is beautiful, a bit awkward, a little in love with him, and has a tendency to respond to his inappropriateness with brutal karate chops. Those karate chops, whether from something he said or as a result of uncontrollable jealous, happen at least once per episode. The other friends introduced are the strange pair, Sugata (a young science geek obsessed with the "New World") and Mikako, a busty sophisticated girl with a little bit a evil mixed in. They're almost always found together, but their relationships status is usually vague. When Tomoki says all that he wants is a peaceful existence, he counters that with keeping Ikaros around and ending up in funny situations with her, and her new frenemy, Nymph.

The story actually focuses on the reason for Ikaros being on Earth. Tomoki has had angel dreams for as long as he can remember, but they'd been growing in frequency when Ikaros appears. Ikaros also mentions that her abilities and powers stem from being connected to "the Synapse." So, there appears to be a more science/technological theme (rather than a religious one).  There is a deep, dark secret about the angeloids, however. The conflict of the story surrounds that secret being revealed bit by bit throughout the later episodes. Why is Ikaros on Earth? What is the relationship between her and Tomoki's dreams? What's up with the other angeloids? Is Nymph a good guy or a bad guy? Each question poses a new episodic mystery.


*Note - Heaven's Lost Property is not finished. Season Three is likely coming sometime soon.

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Heaven's Lost Property is horrible. Well, horribly naughty. Tomoki is probably one of the most perverted characters I've seen yet. It's hilarious. Everything is basically censored, which is good, but it doesn't take away from what's going on. His schemes include using angeloid tech to turn into a girl, pool, floor, underwear...really anything that would get him close to a girl in a variety of states of undress. If the series need some series comedic break, it involved Tomoki's obsession with naked women. I was caught between banging my head on the table, and laughing until I cried. Shameful. Absolutely shameful - and well done.

The story had some really intense, emotional points that really hit home. Despite the inappropriateness, the creaters really did some amazing character development. So, when the story lead to the serious parts, I was really invested in what was going on. I actually had to watch an extra episode once just so that the episode I'd finished wasn't the last thing I saw before I went to be. It wasn't gross or disturbing, just potentially heartbreaking. It was a sign of a job well done. For once, I didn't have a favorite character because I found myself connected to them all in some way, big or small.

Overall, I loved it. This isn't for the kiddies, though. It's way too naughty. Probably one of the best things was the little cloud with wings that they use to cover Tomoki when it's his turn to run around naked, but he's still running around naked. I wouldn't really have a huge problem with older teens watching it, though. It's all about funny perversion more than "adult content." I can't wait for the next season to air!

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Special!: Heaven's Lost Property - Mirror Review!

Basically, I watched  this series with someone else and he will be writing up his own review. I thought it might be fun to give two different perspectives on a series. I think this one will, in particular, give a little something extra based on genre and subject matter. 

More importantly, this is Memorial Day Weekend! And my sweetie's 30th birthday. No post on Monday. Have a good bbq.

Listen to me girls, I'm your father.

Genre: Comedy
Age Appropriate: Any age
Emotional Response: Sad followed by happy
Notable Features: family committment, adorable kids
Language: Japanese
Length: 1 season, 12 episodes
Overall Recommendation: Great

"Twinkle, twinkle, little star...." - Hina & Co.

Yuuta is a first year college student who is interested in joining the SS club at school. Well, he's kidnapped by said club, but there is a beautiful girl involved, so he dicides to stick around. Then he gets a call from his sister. She scolds him for not visiting. It turns out that his older sister raised him when their parents died, so she became closer to a mother. Now she has three little girls, two from her husband's previous marriages, and one of their own. His sister bullies him into a visit, and has a secret plot - a test run for having him stay with the girls for a time when she and her husband have to go out of town for his work. He does have fun with the girls, and despite being reluctant about it, agrees when the little girls guilt him into it.

Their first night home alone, tragedy falls for the family. The airplane with the parents crashes and now the girls are orphans. At the funeral, the families agree to split the girls up, so that each family only has to take one. Yuuta flashes back to his parents funeral and his sister's response. He jumps up and declares that he will take the girls - despite being poor, having a small apartment, and not much at home. The girls jump at the chance to be with him. They don't really understant what they're in for, but they'd be together. So begins the story of Yuuta being the father of a preteen, a 10 year old, and a toddler.

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I loved this series. It was bittersweet, but engaging. After the past few confusing, multiple personality based series, I was really looking for something straight-up normal. No magic, sci-fi, psychological factors, but just something "normal." This series really nailed it.

I love all of the characters. Yuuta is so sweet in his struggles to meet the needs of the girls, while being completely oblivious about the actual day-to-day necessities. He really wants to make them happy (but forgets to think about their emotional states and the stress of being mini-homemakers). Sora is sweet, and takes on something closer to the "mom" role. Maybe it's just being a really good older sister, but she has to deal with her major crush on Yuuta. He's pretty oblivious to that, too. The only negative about it is that Sora is kind of annoying with it sometimes. Miu loves to torture her sister about her crush. She's pretty nice and a little mischevious, but in a good-hearted kind of way. She's stuck between being the older sister to Hina, helping Sora and wanting to just be a kid, and not wanting to cause anyone any trouble. Hina is just cute. Seriously. CUTE. I squealed a few times when she was on screen because she's so freakin' cute. C.U.T.E. I don't know if I would need to rewatch the series, but Hina might make it nice to do so.

It's really those characters that make the series. The story is nice, and uplifting despite the sadness of what they face, but it's really pretty great. I'd recommened it to someone looking for it, hands down, and there really wasn't anything inappropriate. I liked it.

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Roll over!: Heaven's Lost Property

Sukisyo

Genre: Comedy/SciFi/Romance
Age Appropriate: Older Teen/Adult
Emotional Response: Giggles and frustration
Notable Features: high school, split personalities, yaoi
Language: Japanese
Length: 1 seasons, 12 episodes
Overall Recommendation: Great

"Waiting is a sort of sorrow, too." - Matsuri



Hashiba Sora mysteriously fell four stories and landed without a scratch on him but lost all of his memories. Now he's back on his feet, attending an all-male boarding school, in an all-male world. The school has some old friends around, but the story shows that he's had to remember them. He remembers Matsuri, after a certain amount of prodding, but gets a good punch in the head when he doesn't remember Sunao. Sora's first experience waking up in his dorm is having Nao crawling onto his bed with him and saying strange things. Turns out, Ran lives inside Nao and has been looking for his long-lost love Yoru - who apparently lives inside Sora! So begins the drama that is Sukisyo. Underneath the crazy comedy and tension-filled love story is a deep dark secret to be uncovered hiding between all of the characters.

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Sukisyo is so full of comedy in the beginning that there isn't much room for a full-blown plot, but what is there is really well done. The series is all fun and games with a little evil foreshadowing, but the turn is pretty drastic when the real story comes to light. I actually found this to be a good thing, because it really made the "real" story more important. Sometimes it is hard to pull off that same level of emotional involvement with characters in a short series. At first, I expected it to be a lot more relationship drama based, but despite the relationship development, this really was more focused on the story itself.

I would really recommend this to someone looking for a mix of lighthearted comedy and a tiny bit of psychological thriller. It's not that complicated, but it makes for a good drama without being super messed up like some of the ones I've seen. I would rate it for older teens because of one particular scene in episode six that is a little bit adult. There is one part later that is "implied" but not in a way that might bother someone really. I have to say, though, no matter what else i might think, Sora's tantrums are the cutest thing I've seen in quite awhile. Overall, I was really pleased with the series.

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Let's see...: We Without Wings

La Corda D'Oro

Genre: Romance
Age Appropriate: All ages
Emotional Response: Eeeeeeeeeee!
Notable Features: music, high school, coming of age
Language: Japanese
Length: 1 season, 26 episodes (+2 extras!)
Overall Recommendation: Great

"Just making sound come out is different than playing it." - Lili

La Corda D'Oro is about a young woman's journey into the world of musical performance. Kahoko has no musical talent, but finds that she loves music immensely. She stumbles into a school statue, and a fairy magically appears, asking her to take on a magical violin and enter the school's music contest. This violin will allow anyone to play wonderfully, and Kahoko denies her desire to play despite the assistance. It takes a little while for her to submit to the fairy Lili's request.

Kahoko and one other general studies student get wrapped up in the contest where all of the other students are from the music side of their academy. Each person has a different personality type, from shy young lady to popular guy (in sheep's clothing!). Kahoko makes friends with everyone through the series, breaking down barriers between everyone, and learning more about herself in the process. Her new interesting musical happiness can't be perfect forever, and despite the successes she has in each episode with building friendships and experiencing coming-of-age issues, Kahoko has to take her lessons and admit reality to herself - at risk of losing everything she's built for herself.

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So, you see, I'm a musician at heart. Therefore, this struck a particular chord in mean (harharhar). It's a difficult series to watch, though. It's really good, and I definitely enjoyed the relationships between the members and Kahoko - it's pretty typical nice reverse harem type. I was a lot more interested in the music than the guys, however. The music is beautiful, and I want to find a soundtrack. I always wished I could play the violin, but I ended up doing other things. So, I really enjoyed those parts.

It was only difficult because I don't always like conflict, especially emotional conflict - give me explosions and evil doers any day, or emotional pain. Unfortunately,  most of my favorite anime is really that good because of the emotional connections made. I also enjoyed the different personalities represented. I'm glad that they threw in a shy girl, too. Often I find this type of series to be all one girl focused. The shy girl didn't have anything to do with the story in that regard, but I think it made things more realistic.

I totally recommend it if you're anime and musically inclined. I found nothing really in there that I would hesitate to let the younger crowd watch, other than actual interest in the content. Aside from one scene where a guy accidentally falls on a girl and they blush, there isn't any questionable. Go ahead and watch it. I thought it was pretty great.

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1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and: Okami-san and Her Seven Companions

Say "I love you"

Genre: Romance
Age Appropriate: Teens
Emotional Response: indulgent smile, lovely
Notable Features: high school, young love, sweet
Language: Japanese
Length: 1 season, 13 episodes
Overall Recommendation: Great

"I love you."

Say "I love you" is about a boy and a girl who fall in love, and it includes all of the misunderstandings that come with it. It all starts with a roundhouse kick from the least popular girl to the face of the most popular guy. He becomes intrigued by her because she doesn't seem to care that he's popular and beautiful - therefore not throwing herself at him every five minutes. A few episodes in, she gets sucked into being his girlfriend - because he's nice, beautiful and persistant. He stole her first kiss while saving her from a creepy stalker-like guy, and she has to battle in her mind to try to make it not a big deal. The series becomes a look into her mental state as she struggles against trusting him, and then falling in love; learning to have friends for the first time and battling her new, difficult issues with unfamiliar feelings of jealousy. While, the two seem to come through each new situation a little stronger, the process is painful.

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Usually, I try to be a little varied in what I'm watching. Black Butler episodes aside, I seem to be on a romance kick. Good thing it's my blog, huh? Say "I love you" was sweet, and maybe a little bittersweet. I found myself jealous of the female protagonist, Mei. It wasn't because she ends up with the hottest guy in school, necessarily (because what girl didn't want that when they were in high school?) but because in the short season, I got to watch her battle through new friends and becoming a little popular herself. I had friends in high school, but they always felt a step outside. And, yes, I'm a little jealous of Mei for dating the cute guy, but less because he was "the cute guy," then the fact that there was a guy interested in her in the first place. I was not, however, jealous of all the drama she had to deal with. Every episode had a least one moment where my heart hurt for her. It's quiet, I suppose, like Mei. No flashiness, no comedy, no throwing of object extreme drama. Just quiet.

The team who made this anime series happen did a fabulous job. I'd been avoiding this one just because I wasn't in the mood and I knew absolutely nothing about it. I'm also glad that I was in the current romantic mindset because it would've been hard to jump from Black Butler right into this. I don't know if I would watch it again, but if they manage to come out with a second season, I don't think I would hesitate. It's a new release, and while I was a little unsatisfied with the random ending, I won't cry if a new season doesn't happen. I would recommend it to a lot of people. There are a few subtle adult themes, so I would wait until someone was at least in high school, but nothing blatant. My best review for this series: I kept thinking about it, like a fond memory, for days afterword.

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Say it: Aesthetica of a Rogue Hero

Baka & Test

Genre: Comedy
Age Appropriate: Teen
Emotional Response: LOL
Notable Features: avatars, education and cuteness
Language: English/Japanese
Length: 2 seasons, 26 episodes
Overall Recommendation: Great

"I don't want to be your doughnut!" - Akihisa Yoshii

Fumizuki Academy is a high school that is highly focused on academic achievement. The better the test scores, the better the students' equipment. Each student takes an entrance exam at the start of each year, and based on those scores they are placed in a class with students who have similar scores - ranging from Class A to Class F. Class A has laptops, a kitchenette, comfortable desks, recliners...etc. Class F starts out with kindergarten tables and deflated seat cushions. The classes have the option of challenging other classes to Summoner Test Wars. The purpose is to trade up for better equipment if the lower class defeats the high class. Any class can challenge any other class. Students have avatars that represent them in the Wars, often reflecting that student's personality. Their starting scores reflect their most recent test scores, and the battles are usually in a specific topic. These rules make for important strategic battle plans between classes.

Yoshii, a student of the academy, starts his year in Class F, along with his friend Himeji. Himeji is actually a Class A level student, but because she fainted during the entrance exam she was given zeros and begins with nothing. The other students in the series all begin in Class F, and they all seem to be friends from past years in school. Yoshii's desire to help Himeji begins a class war, because he wants to get her back to where she should be academically. His friends help him because they want to rebel against the system, or just kick some higher class butt. The friends have varied personalities, from a pervy teen boy with a camera to a psycho girl obsessed with her elementary school crush. Throughout the wholes series, despite the battles,  the real story focuses on coming of age issues, teen romances, and teamwork.

Season two starts as a summer vacation episode, but it returns to the school based shenanigans pretty quickly. This season, however, has no overwhelming need for battling and is much more focused on friendship interplay and embarrassment comedy. There are also a few episodes centered on flashbacks of the friends' first year. It also delves straight into the romance part of the story.

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I watched the first season in one day.

Baka & Test is hilarious and just what I needed. It's ridiculous. I also want a battle avatar. They're super cute and super awesome. Yoshii's avatar is probably my favorite, and I appreciate the special abilities that come with his being an idiot. I also learned a lot of interesting little educational tidbits that I'll probably never remember, but it was fun.

I admit that the second season was not nearly as good as the first season, but I still watched it in about a day. Unfortunately, this caused the overall rating to go down a bit. The multiple-episode battle of the teachers/girls vs. stupid boys is quite epic, though. Both seasons have a really good flow, enough that I didn't actually realize that I'd seen 5 episodes in a row before taking a break.

It was silly, and while there were some head-shaking tsk-tsk moments, there was no serious nudity, swearing, or blood that would usually prompt a higher appropriate age rating. It didn't rate a Top 5, but it was simply fun. No serious plot, no super-drama, no heartbreak, but all in a good way. The only thing that might have made it better would be to have a real ending. It seems incomplete and I'm hoping they're planning on a third season. I would still recommend it.

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Summon!: Canaan

Brave 10

Genre: Action
Age Appropriate: Pre-teen/Teen
Emotional Response: Excited, a little confused
Notable Features: samurai, ninjas, swords, ninja magic
Language: Japanese
Length: 1 season, 12 episodes
Overall Recommendation: Great

"You are my one light in the darkness" - Isanami

Brave 10 refers to the ten brave warriors being assembled by Lord Sanada. His main goal is to assemble these warriors to serve him in a variety of ways. These warriors include fighters of multiple styles. While they are primarily some sort of ninja or samurai, they all have specific abilities that set the apart from each other. Some of them have elemental abilities, some are skilled weapons fighters, and one pretty lady is a warrior with heart.

The series actually follows Isanami, a priestess from a fallen village who seeks out Lord Sanada at the behest of the priest who raised her. On her way to Ueda, Lord Senada's home, she runs into Saizo, a wandering-type samurai who is completely apathetic to her plight, but battles the ninjas chasing her as an act of self-preservation. Due to Isanami's innocent pleas and her certain charm, Saizo takes her all the way to Ueda, and curiously finds himself staying with her and reluctantly agreeing to have Lord Sanada as his master. As the series progresses, new warriors are added to the mix.

Isanami has a hairpin, the Kushimitama, that is a relic of untold power. In the beginning, the hairpin is shown to have the power to destroy all life within the powerful bubble that seems to emanate from it when Isanami is highly distressed. The other lords during this Warring States period all want this power for their own gain. The Brave 10 end up protecting Isanami throughout the series, to keep her out of enemy hands and protect everyone, in general.

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Brave 10 is a great departure from the typical high school comedy/romance that I find frequently. In the Warring States period, which I'm not really familiar with, there are feudal lords, samurai and ninjas running around in conflict. Brave 10 uses that conflict as the foundation for the story. It's very interesting. I really wanted to watch a series that was apart from the usual. I'm glad I did, too. Brave 10 is great.

It reminds me, in some ways, of Neo Angelique Abyss. Some of the plot devices are the same, if in a different setting. The period part does remove the magic/technology post-Apocalypse parts. The ten warriors do have special "techniques" that essentially represented as magic. All ten also have strikingly different personalities. Those personalities play off each other really well, including a gruff samurai, a shy ninja, and a weird, masochistic-type potentially-transgender, weapons-master/thief. Say that 5 times fast.

The action is very exciting. There is some sort of battle (epic or otherwise) in each episode and I'm always cheering for the Brave 10, and laughing at the absurdity that is the womanizing Lord Sanada. The end has a few twists to it, but in a good way. I think this is a good anime for anyone. There is a pretty boy or two, a lovely young lady, NINJAS, and humor. I'm sure I'll watch it again in the future.

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Hai!: Murder Princess

Neo Angelique Abyss

Genre: Drama/Action
Age Appropriate: Pre-teen/Teen
Emotional Response: hope, heartbreak, devestation
Notable Features: holy magic, evil spirits, lessons, eye candy
Language: Japanese, English Sub
Length: 2 seasons, 24 episodes
Overall Recommendation: Great!

"Noblesse Oblige..." - Nyx

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Angelique is a young lady at an all girls school, studying to become a doctor like her parents. Nyx is a gentlman who happens to be the Director of the academy. When Nyx shows up at the school, there is a big commotion. Why? Well, he's pretty good looking actually, and they are young ladies.
The shock is when Angelique - who seems fairly immune to a pretty face (at least compared to her classmates) - is called to the Headmistress's office. It appears that Nyx wants something with her. And so, Angelique finds out that she is a Purifier. A Purifier is someone who possesses the specific ability to banish the Thanatos, an invading race of demon/monsters that show up from time to time and attach people, stealing their lives away, and causing damage to anything around them. The problem has been increasing and now Nyx has come looking for help with Angelique. Apparently, she performed a sort of miracle by healing someone who had been injured by a Thanatos. This signified that she must be the Queen's Egg, most obvliously because she's the only female purifier to ever be found.

Throughout the first season, the cast comes together episode by episode. A journalist, Bernal, dubs them the Orb Hunters after meeting Angelique and her friends: Nyx, Lein, Hyuuga and Jade. Each  man has a different weapon, and a different personality and each man has a different type of relationship with Angelique; althought it appears that some of them also harbor romantic feelings for her. Throughout her travels she uses the Sunlight Mansion has a home base (Nyx's home) and goes out into the world of Arcadia, to help with the battle against the Thanatos, until such time that she "hatches" and becomes the Prophisied Queen, about to save and rule the world.  Of course, minor characters show up to help her on her way, and they each leave her with specific lessons about who she is, and what she wants to accomplish - from dragon people to the Head of the Celestial Order (a type of Pope figure). There is also the Artifact Foundation, a research foundation that researches and experiements with Artifacts ("old" technology) to fight Thanatos. In the end, each experience leads her to her place in the world, and gives her the strength to carry on with her duties as the Queen.

I don't know how to express my feelings about Neo Angelique very well, I think. At first, there is a little bit of fun and lightness, but it doesn't really last long. She seems so happy in the beginning, to be useful in helping people. Although it's different from her chosen path as a doctor, she's found some purpose as the Queen's Egg, and helping on a much larger scale, if a less personal one. The relationships she builds with her companions are key to her growth and acceptance of her role.
She gives the people of Arcadia hope, and in turn made me feel that hope for the people. It was more of that low burning hope - augmented by the idea that it's anime and you know the protragonist will win in the end.

The series is tragic, heartbreaking and devestating. Every other step ends up painful for Angelique after that first few episodes of introduction. The further I got in the series, the more my heartbroke for her. She is betrayed personally, by the people at large, and learns that her chosen path of helping people of the world has a price that is nearly too hard to bear. That she does it anyway gives pride in the character, but it's so sad. It's really well done, and if it's a night where you can handle melancholy, watch this. ::sniffsniff::

On a happy note: the music can be very pretty. I might find the sheet music for the piano piece. Also, yeah, her companions are definitely some nice eye candy. It depends on your type, but the few times they end up topless, it's a little distracting. They don't really have any bit comedy to help, and it would ruin the series if they did, but the eye candy softens the blow a little sometimes. All in all, this is pretty Great!

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Working On: Samurai 7