Campione!

Genre: Action/Adventure
Age Appropriate: Teen+
Emotional Response: Excited followed by disappointed
Notable Features: gods, magic, fan service
Language: Japanese
Length: 11 episodes
Overall Recommendation: Disappointing

"I'm his wife!" - pretty much all of the girls

Godou is a young man who is sent on a delivery run by his grandfather. With nothing better to do, Godou goes out to return something to his grandfather's acquaintance and ends up falling into a bizarre world of girls, swords and gods. After running into a swordmaster girl, Erica Blandelli, and managing to defeat a strange god, he is now the Campione. His new job is to defeat evil gods as the show up in the world, attempting to take power for themselves. Through his defeat of Verethragna, a Persian diety, his new status of campione comes with special abilities to help his cause. Each of these abilities is gained through different means and they all are attributed to 10 different representations.

In this harem adventure, Godou collects young ladies interested in fighting the good fight. They all have different personalities and different motivations, but they have one thing in common. They all fall for Godou. This is completely despite his awkward fumbles of accidental impropriety. The series ends with a cliffhanger as to where the group will go next (but it appears the manga keeps going).

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There is a good reason that the series ends in a cliffhanger. It didn't get enough viewership to bother with a second season. I was really excited when I first started watching. If there was anything I was into when I was younger, that wasn't vampires!, it was mythology. You can blame TV for that one (yay Hercules!). I did jump into mythology quite quickly and it carried all the way through high school ancient history. So, when I found this anime, I was really curious about how it was going to work out.

I was sorely disappointed. I don't usually expect a lot out of a harem anime. I've seen a number of really engaging ones that simply use the awkward boy/pretty girl thing as a good comedic vehicle. This one had so much potential! For me, it fell short. Basically, I don't recommend it. I was sad when it was cancelled, but only because I hoped it would find a way to redeem itself. I may consider giving the manga a chance though. I suppose it's possible that it could be better in print.

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Kid fun!: Avatar: The Last Airbender

Attack on Titan

Genre: Action/Drama
Age Appropriate: Teen+ (a bit gruesome)
Emotional Response: Noooooooooo!
Notable Features: creepy pseudo-human looking evil titans, humans
Language: Japanese
Length: 25 episodes
Overall Recommendation: Definitely

"I'm a human being!" - Eren

Eren Yeager watched as a large, creepy Titan picked up his mother and ate her. The Titans have been the enemy of humankind for over 100 years, and they've managed a minutely peaceful existence by building huge walls with cities around the gates. After nearly 100 years, a new Colossal Titan has torn down Wall Maria and opened the way for a new wave. With the town destroyed, the few remaining survivors run to Wall Rose and hope to find some safety there. It only lasts a little while, and the Titans have advanced to a new level, breaching a new wall.

Together with his friends, Eren swears to defeat and kill the Titans to avenge the deaths around him. He joins the recruits for the military teams, and enters 3 years of training, hoping to join the Scout squads in ventures out into the unsafe zones. He makes more friends, and loses more friends, in his quest to find answers about himself, the Titans and how to save what is left of humankind when all is said and done. Each step of the way, there are huge complications with the characters and a staggering death toll in soldiers and civilians. Eren & Co. might be their only hope. There are new variants of Titans, something very odd is happening to Eren's body and every soldier's life hangs on his ability to fly through the trees (almost like Spiderman).

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This isn't in my Top 10, like SAO, but it's up there with emotional craziness. Actually, I think Attack on Titan is a much harder story on one's emotions. There is so much more tragedy and pain involved. There was some hope and normality to save people's sanity in SAO, and there is none of that in this anime. I had a hard time consuming it quickly, and the people I watched it with were pretty gung-ho about the whole thing. It's really well done, and I agree that it's excellent story-wise, but it was brutal and bloody. One friend likened it to Game of Thrones in that regard and I don't think he was wrong about that.

I highly recommend it to anyone who wouldn't for-sure hate it - basically someone only looking for fluffly stuff. This has no fluffy stuff or much humor. Most of the humor is fairly dark - and half of it is probably around the potato-loving character, Sasha. My only other recommendations is to avoid pushing yourself, and don't watch it right before bedtime. The Titans are this odd mix of blank, stumbling, ginormous baby, sexless, mindless people eating machines and it seems that the smallest ones are probably 5 meters tall. It's disturbing. The best part? Eren closing the door slowing on a bad guy (human bad guy). Heh.

Also, by the end of the season I had a crush on Captain Levi. Go figure.

Side Note: If you can find the special chibi episodes, they are totally worth it! Heehee.

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Disturbing in a different way: Loveless

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!

Maoyu

Genre: Fantasy
Age Appropriate: Teens
Emotional Response: A little sad, a little inspired
Notable Features: humans, demons, technology vs, faith
Language: Japanese
Length: 1 season, 12 episodes
Overall Recommendation: Great

"I dislike insects." - Head Maid

Maoyu is a story with a strange mix. The main characters have no real names, only Hero or Scholar or Mage...etc. Hero is basically just that. He's the hero of the realm who went to battle the Demon King in order to save humanity. In the beginning the story reveals that in his efforts he was joined by friends and left them behind to finish his battle. It is the result of that battle that is the reason behind the story.

Hero has fallen in with the Demon King. Surprisingly, the Demon King is actually a woman - though her title is not Demon Queen. It appears that she wants to bring the human world and demon world together in some sort of harmony. Her desire for peace affects the Hero and he agrees to join her cause. Being the Hero, with special powers, and her being the King, with her own special powers, they enter the human world and start a path of scientific enlightenment. Her goal changes her title to Scholar within the human world. She brings new things to the world, like potatoes, meant to help serfs and common people help themselves without sacrificing their well-being to those above them. It's like an intellectual rebellion. Of course, this is not without consequences, and this is the conflict of the story.

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Since Maoyu is only 12 episodes, I'm trying to avoid giving too much away. I really did enjoy the series. It shows an interesting view of the terrible Demon King working to make the world populations independent beings. Of course, part of this is defying the Spirit of Light's church. The somewhat romantic connection formed between Hero and Scholar is part of the demon and human story. They're belief in each other makes some of the good things possible.

I have other favorite characters, though. In particular, the little girl serf who joins the household with her sister. She's cute and lively - excellent lighthearted relief. While their story is a sad one, it's part of the beginning of the series social commentary. I have mixed feelings about who to recommend this to, but I'll say probably best for those who don't mind a little thought mixed with some standard demon weirdness. There is a character who seems very interested in Hero, and also breathes fire. Merchant certainly likes to look at her. So, yeah, not in my top 10 or anything, but enjoyable .

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Woosh: HOLIDAYS - I will return in 3 weeks after the Holidays. I hope you all have fun and safe holiday fun.

Sword Art Online

Genre: Fantasy/SciFi/Action/Adventure
Age Appropriate: Preteens
Emotional Response: heart warming and heart breaking
Notable Features: swords, video games, love, evil scientists
Language: Japanese
Length: 2 season, 25 episodes
Overall Recommendation: Top 10 (Fine, Top 5, but don't tell my cousin)

"Kirito-kun will save me" - Asuna

In a time far, far from now (not that far), in a land far, far away (not that far either), a VRMMORPG comes online with 10,000 new players. These players are a mix of beta testers and new players, trying out Sword Art Online. The game is set up to use NeverGear equipment that intercepts brainwaves and makes it a full-dive gaming experience. Something is wrong, though. While there seemed to be no weird occurrences in the beta test, the real game has a terrible problem. There is no log-out function! The game's creator reveals his dastardly plan to use the game as a new world. The only way to release the players is for someone to finally beat the 100 level game, but climbing the tower and defeat the bosses. The even more terrible catch: because the game is linked to all players via their brains, anyone who dies in the game will die in real life. 

The protagonist is Kazuto, but his game handle is Kirito. Kirito is a beta tester who commits himself to surviving, and winning the game. The world develops into a real world out of the real world. Guilds are built, teams made, and battles won and lost. Kirito chooses deliberately to be a solo player, especially after tragedy strikes in his first guild foray. Through his grueling journey to beat the game, he meets people and makes important, life altering friendships. The series follows Kirito's journey and relationships as he carries on his mission to survive.

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My little cousin is probably going to make me eat my words. I'd been avoiding this, solely because I didn't think I would be in the mood. I think I got back into the adventure mood after finally finishing Legend of Legendary Heroes. This, by far, surpassed LOLH. Frankly, it surpassed a lot of anime series I've seen. I watched all 25 episodes in less than 48 hours, and I loved every minute. I will recommend it to everyone.

This is one of the few series that I've watched and nearly had me in tears. It's rare for me to get the sniffles at anything, and there were just a few episodes where I admit I teared up. The emotional investment was huge. It might take a little recovery, but I will watch this again. And possibly again. I'm floored by my feelings at the moment. There were some parts that were unsatisfying, but I'm pretty sure they were supposed to be. I mean, not every story is supposed to be exactly the way you want it to be, right? I'm glad for some of the more traditional elements, though. I might replace Tears to Tiara with this, with the sole exception of the fact that TtT was much funnier. That's not to say this didn't have funny moments, but they weren't a focus.

Seriously, unless you have some unknown hatred for Adventure/Fantasy/SciFi, you will not regret watching this.

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Dumbfounded: Freezing

Aoi Sekai no Chushin de

Genre: Adventure
Age Appropriate: Teens
Emotional Response: well, that kinda sucks
Notable Features: video game references
Language: Japanese
Length: 3 episodes
Overall Recommendation: Decent

"...you've been defeated by a pervert with dirty jokes." - Tejirof

In the world of Console Wars, the two countries Segua and Ninteldo are in constant conflict. The story follows a new recruit who has finally come down from his mountain hiding place, with his sister. Gear is a young man who shows incredible strength and speed. In a test with the general, Ramses, he defeats the 50 best army members in the room when he arrives. Travelling with him is his younger "sister," Nel. She eventually discovers some interesting skills of her own. Gear, and Nel, become members of the Special Forces. They're joined by Opal, a skillful archer, and the mercenary Tejirof. Tejirof comes from the same school as the general, and agrees to train the new kids in the four days prior to their first mission. Their mission is to save General Alex, the Segua hero who has been captured by the enemy. With the pervy Teijrof's instructions, each character learns new skills and embark on their mission with a little more confidence. 

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It's hard to write a synopsis without giving too much away when the series is only 3 episodes long. There was a little room for more episodes later, maybe, but they probably wouldn't be necessary. All in all, it was pretty decent. I enjoyed the episodes that there were, but I feel like I missed out on a lot by not being as obsessed with old school video games. I think my older brother probably would've gotten a lot more out of the references. Some of them were really easy to see - Gear = Sonic! - and others I didn't understand until I did a little research.

I think this has some potential if they decide to expand, but I won't be looking for it. I think Tejirof was probably the highlight for me. Every naughty thing he says is terrible, but a few moments later he's describe what he actually meant, and it's not dirty at all. It's like playing that Dirty Minds game. He knows that he's doing, though. It's the best comic relief available. Otherwise, some of it is just plain sad, emotionally. I would recommend this to people that I think would enjoy figuring out the references, or maybe people who want something super short (like a car ride or something), but it's not the best thing out there.

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Zoom: Legend of Legendary Heroes

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