Loveless

Genre: Sci-Fi-ish? Shonen Ai? I have no idea
Age Appropriate: Teen
Emotional Response: Interested but confused
Notable Features: magic, tragedy, coming of age, yaoi/shonen ai
Language: Japanese
Length: 12 episodes
Overall Recommendation: Pretty Good

"I don't really understand what's going on at all." - Ritsuka

Ritsuka has a very complicated past. Two year previously, Ritsuka turned into a different personality. It happened due to the gruesome murder of his brother, Seimei. Now, he's started at a new middle school, but has no tolerance for people. He's become a bit separate from everyone, and desperately tries to hide his pain. The story becomes wildy more complicated with the addition of his brother's "Fighter," Soubi.

In the battles between Fighter/Sacrifice duos, there is one person who fights for the other, using magic  instilled in words. The Sacrifice takes the physical pain and damage of the fights. Those duos share a "real" name. Soubi insists that he's Ristuka's fighter, despite Ritsuka's complete ignorance about the things happening around him. It seems that Soubi was actually sent by Seimei, to follow Ritsuka as his fighter. Ritsuka doesn't know what to do in the situation and is more hurt by learning that his real name is "Loveless" versus his brother's "Beloved."In between all of this confusion, it appears that Soubi might be a bit in love with Rituska despite their huge age gap. He promises Ritsuka that he'd so anything for him, except give him the answers he's looking for. The questions always remains, at least for Ritsuka, whether or not this love has more to do with Soubi's actual feelings or feelings instilled by Seimei.One of Ritsuka's most difficult battles is deciding who to trust in this his search for his brother's killer.

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Loveless is actually pretty good, and sad. There are definitely a few comedic bits here and there, and they're certainly needed. The only drawback is how much you may be turned off by Soubi's love for Ritsuka. On that level, Soubi seems to recognize that it's a little bit wrong, never does anything about it - and it's questionable about it being "love" or "affection," - and his roommate gives him no end of grief about it.  It didn't bother me too much, because nothing ever really happens, but I've heard it's bothered others. Enh.

I like this anime. I kinda wish there was more of it, but the manga was sadly short as well. I just think there was room for more character development in there. However, since I feel the same about the manga series, I imagine that it has more to do with following the series more closely than anything else. I really want Ritsuka to find all of the answers that he's looking for, and have a more satisfactory ending. I guess we can't all get what we want, though. I'd hesitantly recommend this. I should say, there is a number of people I would definitely recommend this too, because I understand they're appreciation of other shonen-ai/yaoi/weird stuff. Everyone else might find some interest in the idea of going outside their comfort zone, but I'm not sure how I might present it. This is one of those anime that I've seen multiple times, but I have to be in the mood for it - hence "pretty good."

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Next up: Campione!

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.)

Junjou Romantica

Genre: Romance
Age Appropriate: Adults
Emotional Response: Girlish, inappropriate giggles
Notable Features: yaoi, high maintenance boys, comedy
Language: Japanese
Length: 2 seasons, 25 episodes
Overall Recommendation: Top 10

"We're Japanese. Can't we just play it a little vague?" - Misaki


Junjou Romantica follows three new romantic couples that coincide with Sekai Ichi's three couples. There are subtle hints between the two series, if you can find them. Each of the three couples have individual problems, and there is a new love triangle in the mix. Misaki is a young student looking to test into college, but he needs help. He ends up connecting with his older brother's best friend as his tutor, and then it becomes complicated. His new tutor is Akihiko Usami, a famous author and an uncontrollable fiend interested in corrupting Misaki at every turn. When Misaki's brother goes away with his new bride, Misaki stays in town to start school, and ends up free-loading off of Usami by living in his condo and paying rent in cooking and chores. Much as Misaki protests, he ends up in consistently compromising positions with Usagi-san. As the story progresses, Misaki ends up in a terrible complicated mess that includes Akihiko's brother, Haruhiko. Their story revolves around this sibling-rivalry and Misaki's resistance to love.

One day, Hiroki finds himself crying on a park bench, lamenting his unrequited love for an old friend. Nowaki, a much younger man, sees him and drags him along to a mini-rocket launch with a bunch of old guy friends. Despite many his protests, Nowaki drags himself into Hiroki's life by begging for school help and forward declaring his love. Somehow, the large age difference and difference in status becomes a huge issue for them both in their own story of complicated love.

Another complicated romance, including a large age gap, is Miyagi and Shinobu. Shinobu fell in love with Miyagi long ago, before realizing that Miyagi was marrying his sister. He returns from studying abroad on the news that they divorced and seems to think that it's fate. His battle for Miyagi is not only against age and status, but also against Miyagi's long lost love - a former teacher who has passed away. Only when Shinobu is about to give up does Miyagi consider that his old love is ready to be replaced with a new one.

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I love this anime. I'll say right now, though, that you really have to be interested in yaoi to appreciate it. If you're not into yaoi at all, stay away. I completely love the funny antics that show up, particularly in the Misaki/Usagi storyline. The others are big more serious, but also smaller in their character development. There is an additional one-episode story, but it's just a little add-on that was kinda fun.

There are so many things wrong with this series, and I didn't seem to care with all of the funnies and romance. It seems like Usagi is taking advantage of Misaki at every turn, and he does for the most part. The only real comfort is that there are episodes where it is clear that Misaki is totally in love, but too afraid to see it for what it is. Also, he doesn't seem to have too much of a problem in most of the morning-afters. I wasn't strongly attached to the other characters, though. In hindsight, I think most of the cameos between Sekai Ichi and Junjou are more easily recognized in Sekai Ichi. They're certainly easier to notice if you watch them back-to-back. I always felt a little clever when I saw them, though.

This is one of the few anime that I will watch when I'm having a terrible time. I can't really put my finger on it exactly, but it's good for my sanity. So yeah, basically if you enjoy yaoi, you'll enjoy this. If you're not sure, try it anyway.

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Meowmeowmeow: ANIME MILWAUKEE

I'll be attending Anime Milwaukee this coming weekend. Since it will take a good chunk of three days, I'll not be able to really catch up on any new series. As such, I'll be posting a review of the convention itself! Have a good weekend, everyone! (Maybe I'll see you there??)

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

Servant x Service

Genre: Comedy
Age Appropriate: Teens
Emotional Response: 
Notable Features: civil servants, work relationships
Language: Japanese
Length: 1 season, 13 episodes
Overall Recommendation: Okay

"My name is Lucy Kimiko Akie Airi..." Lucy.... Yamagami

Servant x Service is a simple work-place anime. It follows a small group of three new additions to the welfare office of the city. They each have different positions, but only in minor ways. Lucy (who has the world's longest name after the Lucy part) is awkward, shy and obsessed with her goal of revenge against a different worker from when she was born. Hasebe is a slacker/ladies man, who has somehow managed to fall in love with Lucy. Miyoshi is a recent college grad who is soft spoken, and a huge pushover when it comes to clients who talk to long. Added to this mix are a supervisor who is too shy to make a different, a cosplay obsessed woman with strange attitudes, a high school student, and a boss that leaves so much room for what-the-hell-is-going-on. There are no strong plots, but mostly just a series of encounters in a comedic view of civil service offices.

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There isn't anything particularly special about Servant x Service. It's not bad or anything, but I probably wouldn't recommend it. I've enjoyed catching up on episodes as they were released, as a way to pass the time. I've been watching some other series that I enjoy more, but this is fine. The characters are a bit charming in their own little ways, but the main boss guy is my favorite. If you decide to give it a chance, you'll see why. I wouldn't stop anyone who wanted to give it a try, but it might be a waste of your time unless that's what you really want at the moment. At least the last episode was pretty cute!

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Right: Free!

My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU

Genre: Comedy
Age Appropriate: Preteens
Emotional Response: mild amusement
Notable Features: high schoolers, awkward kids, social navigation
Language: Japanese
Length: 1 season, 13 episodes
Overall Recommendation: Decent

"I told you we can never be friends." - Yukinoshita

My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU is a high school drama/comedy focused on the school's Service Club. The main character is Hikigaya, a social outcast guy who seems to like being alone. He's forced to join the Service Club after turning in a smart-ass essay to his teacher. The club only has one member, another social outcast, Yukinoshita - a beautiful girl who thinks she's a little better than everyone else, and holds back nothing in conversation. The two realize that they have something moderately in common with their inability to related to others, but have a hard time reconciling that with each other as well. Enter Yui, the first person to ask for help from the Service Club, a pseudo-popular girl who only wants to fit in. After her request is completely, she attaches herself to Yukinoshita (dubbed Yukinon), and joins the Service Club. Despite the harshness owned by Hikki and Yukinon, Yui seems to find them better friends, in some respects, that the people she'd attached to in class. 

Other characters join in during each episode to help with whatever project comes up. The series itself primarily uses the service projects as the individual plots per episode, but the real storyline is about the relationship of the three new Service Club "friends," through the eyes of Hikigaya.  As a high school drama, the storyline is generally pretty standard, with some minor plot twists, and some relational issues that could reach out to an audience. 

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My only real fandom would be attached to the adorable Saika Totsuka. I was a little in love with him the whole time, and I adored Hikiyama's reaction to him every time he was in an episode. Of, if only this was shonen-ai. I think it would've been adorable to have more episodes so I could see the cute awkwardness. Still, the beginning on my review holds true. To add more really could've ruined the series as a whole. He's just so cute!

My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU was generally pretty fun to watch. I wanted a little more out of the story, but that really wouldn't have fit very well with the series. It suffered somewhat under my love for Say I Love You. It was enjoyable, though. A bit like Servant x Service, there wasn't anything particular of note in the series. I think it would only get a recommendation from me beacuse of Saika Totsuka, or for someone of a high school age looking for something like it. It certainly wasn't negative in any way.

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So Cute: Brothers Conflict

Astarotte's Toy

Genre: Comedy
Age Appropriate: Teens
Emotional Response: equal parts cute and disturbing
Notable Features: succubi, friendship and human "toy"
Language: Japanese
Length: 1 Seasons, 12 episodes 
Overall Recommendation: Okay

"That's not what I want to hear you say!" - Astarotte

Astarotte (aka Lotte) is a young succubus princess in the Monster Realm. She's reaching her adolescent years, and as such she's expected to start building a harem. In order to survive, she's expected to retrieve the "life-seed" from males, otherwise her magic will disappear and she'll die. There are a few complications however, the foremost being that she hates all men. Her top servant, Judit, is obsessed with fixing the problem, and is putting a lot of pressure on everyone to get Lotte started on her harem and moving toward her maturity. In order to combat this pressure, Lotte makes a wild assertion that she would only consider giving in if they were to find her a human male. The gates between the realms through the World Tree have been sealed, so Lotte thinks herself safe. 

Somehow, through someone's magic, the gate opens and Judit falls through. She ends up in the World of Man, stumbles upon Naoya - a young man on his way to work - and offers him $500,000 pay to come to a "new job." The little girl, Asuha, with him barges her way into the bargain and raises it to $600,000, with neither knowing what the job is! Shortly thereafter, Naoya ends up pushed through the gate into the unsuspecting arms of Lotte and the drama begins. Completely freaked out by the situation, Lotte  acts cold and decides Naoya will be her "toy," and being competely freaked out at the concept on being in this young girls harem, Naoya goes along with everything. Even more drama, and comedy, occurs with the arrival of Asuha and the mysterious connections everyone has between the two worlds. 

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I did get a good amount of enjoyment out of this series, but I couldn't helped but be disturbed at least once per episode. Lotte is a ten year old expected to start her journey of maturity, mostly under pressure from princess expectations and the high strung Judit. It's obvious that she has no real interest in that area. Naoya doesn't really understand why he's brought to the World of Monsters right away, and more information makes things extra complicated  The one saving grace is that however the story line goes about this weird relationship angle, it obvious that Naoya is not a creep at all, and the tide turns toward Lotte's feelings versus Judit's ideas of obligation. It gets a little weirder near the end, but I guess given the plot it's not so bad. 

Asuha is probably my favorite character. She's the same age as Lotte, but her personality is so outgoing she ends up making everyone around her smile. Now, if only Naoya could convince her that underwear are a necessity...haha. The budding friendship between the girls is nice to see, and I really was pleased to see that Naoya wasn't super icky. The comedy bits were pretty cute, too. I don't know if I would really recommend this to someone, unless it were to somehow come up in conversation or something, but I do think it was pretty cute. I guess between the weirdness and the cuteness, I'm giving it an Okay rating, based on what I think others might feel. 

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It feels so free!: Aoi Sekai no Chushin De

The Devil is a Part-Timer

Genre: Action/Comedy
Age Appropriate: Preteens
Emotional Response: excitement and laughter
Notable Features: demons, heroes, magic, alternate realms
Language: Japanese
Length: 1 Seasons, 13 episodes 
Overall Recommendation: Pretty Good

"Is this really the Devil?" - Bel

In the other dimensional world, Ente Isla, the Devil has started a war to take over the four directional countries in a bid for world domination. However, he's met his match in the Hero Emilia, and they both end up in modern day Japan, traveling through a Gate. Upon arrival, Satan and his general, Alciel, find themselves in a place where they have no more magic, a different language, and without any resources. Emilia has followed them through said gate, and they meet up on a street in the rain. While the story revolves around the situations presented between Emilia and Satan (and co.), the center of the comedy is the fact that Satan has become a part time worker at MgRonald's, and originally believes that this will be his path to the top of his new world, Earth. Everyone from Ente Isla has changed their names, and ages, met new people and started some sort of job situation - except Alciel who is tending house and researching ways to replenish magic.

At some point, there are new Ente Isla characters added to the story, often people from either side betraying our favored protagonists. There is also a young lady character who works under Satan and has managed to fall in love with him. His commitment to protecting those "under his command" often leads him into situations where he becomes the heroic character, and confuses those on the other side in the process. The series has mini-battles, some emotional flashbacks and a comedy element that makes this series more modern day vs. fantasy genre.

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I throughly enjoyed this series. There weren't any points where I was teary eyes - either from hilarity or sadness - so the emotional components weren't that important, but it was fun. I got a big kick of out Lucifer's character the most, I think. He has a rather small part in each episode, but I could totally see him in a lot of guys I know. I wish there had been time for a little more character development, but I'm happy with what there was. I also think there could have been a little more to the potentially epic battles, but it seems they wanted to keep it to 13 episodes and with that amount of time I think they did a really good job. There is a part of me that wouldn't mind a second season, though I've heard nothing about it, but I'm pretty satisfied without one. I guess, if they'd done more it would change the overall feel of the series, and I don't know that it would've been a good thing.

Well, apart from Satan actually being a bit of an idiot most of the time. I found a lot of fun in each of the other characters, when I didn't want to throttle them. I just wish I'd been able to get a little bit more. I really liked the few moments when he shows how not-stupid he is, as much as I liked when Alciel acted like an irresponsible fool. There was a small book-by-uts-cover moral to the story, but not so overt as to be irritating. I'm really glad that I decided to give this one a try. I would seriously recommend it.

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Crazy, yo: Astarotte's Toy

B Gata H Kei

Genre: Comedy/Romance
Age Appropriate: Adult
Emotional Response: um...omgwtfbbqlol
Notable Features: high schoolers, eros deities, wacko chicks
Language: English
Length: 1 Seasons, 12 episodes (+outtakes)
Overall Recommendation: Pretty Good

"I wished for the same thing you did!" - Yamada

Yamada is a nice young lady looking to fall in love. That's a lie. Yamada is a misguided teen obsessed with having sex with 100 guys before she graduates. The catch is that she's never done anything sexual before and had no clue how, or who, will accomplish the task. The only determining factor she seems to have made is that her future partner should also be a virgin. Through a chance encounter, Yamada falls off of a bookstore ladder right onto a plain, boring looking guy - Kosuda. She has no idea who he is until they start school and he ends up being at the desk next to her. Yamada thinks that because she's the prettiest, most popular girl in school, that this should be a piece of cake. Unfortunately, while she's right about Kosuda thinking she's hot (since she really is the most popular girl in school), she frequently gets in her own way by being awkward and attempting to force situations when she has no idea what she's doing.

Yamada and Kosuda have an interesting group of friends that each have their parts in the story. Yamada's best friend suffers from constant awkward questions about her own love life, and how Yamada should proceed. Kosuda has a long time childhood friend for a neighbor who is harboring her own secret crush on him. There are boys in the class who are total dorks but often engage Kosuda in awkward boy talk. Enter the most dramatic character - Kanejo. She enters the school as a transfer student and begins a competition storyline with Yamada, only broken up by her obvious love-obsession with her own brother. Each episode shows a new step forward, or back, in the relationship between Yamada and Kosuda, and their awkward dance around the topic.

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This series didn't grab me too much when I started it, but it did do well enough for me to be interested in finishing. It had a fairly even mix between head banging shame, and tummy tightening laughter. It was just awful, but in that way that's funny and you know it shouldn't be funny, because you're an adult now, but it's funny. It had a high school class cast, so I'm inclined to say it would be funny for high schoolers, or college students, but since the content is 75% sexual, I still labeled it Adult. There is a little nudity in the last episodes, but given the subject matter, it's fairly tame. I just don't want someone letting their kids watch this without fair warning.

It really is a comedy of errors. Every time the couple in question makes a move, things go wrong. Kosuda is a typical geeky-awkward high school boy, and when faced with aggressive but ignorant Yamada, he ends up confused. I mean, no high school girls are that interested, right? At least, that seems to be his internal monologue. It doesn't help that she's completely obsessed/oblivious about how to proceed. If you're looking for a little light, but dirty, humor, then I would recommend this. It's only 12 episodes, but it really is a great fit for the series. So, go watch it for a good time. (hehe)

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I don't know if I'm ready for this: The Devil is a Part-Timer

Chihayafuru

Genre: Drama (high school)
Age Appropriate: Any Age
Emotional Response: suspense, victory, disappointment
Notable Features: karuta, high school, love triangle
Language: Japanese
Length: 2 Seasons, 50 episodes 
Overall Recommendation: Pretty Good

"I know I'm greedy." - Chihaya 

When they were young, three middle schoolers found mutual fun in competitive karuta. Karuta is a poem/verse card game between two people that requires strategy, skill and speed. Chihaya knew Taichi growing up together in school. One year, she meets Arata, and stands up for him despite being a stranger transfer student. Through this connection, she finds her love of karuta. They compete together as a team, but after a short year, they are separated by different family circumstances. The series finds Chihaya, the main character, in high school, desperately trying to form a functioning karuta club. She bumps into Taichi accidentally, and through a little pressure and guilt, manages to get him to agree to help her start the club. Her aggressive, yet airheaded nature, brings in the last three teammates needed to make it an official club.

Chihayafuru refers to a specific card, that Chihaya has marked as her own. Each member ends up with something similar for themselves. In the first season, the team fights through some difficult battles, and not all of them are successes. In the second season, some new characters join up and they move together back to the finals to compete. Each character brings a specific skill set to the team - a geek, a poet, a lazy bum, the pretend hero, the love sick boy, the love sick girl and the favored airhead heroine. The rivals are not to be trifled with, either. Chihaya's goal is to meet and beat the Queen, the highest ranked female player in Japan, and this goal drives a good amount of the storyline.

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Chihayafuru was a lot of fun, and full of suspense. I found myself watching episode after episode to see what would happen next, at the detriment of my sleep cycle. It's not that the story or presentation were phenomenal, but the story was paced pretty well. There were a few times that I wished more was happening, quicker, but it worked to suck me in. In general, I'm pretty satisfied.

Yet again, I find myself in that difficult position of having to wait for a third season. I'm not sure that there will be one, but there better be. There is a lot of unresolved story that requires one, but since this season was just released, I think it's pretty reasonable to expect more. It probably won't happen until 2014 at the earliest, though. Sadface. It was exciting, and actually pushed me to download a couple of apps to practice my Japanese. Well, they're to help me learn some characters. I'm not really sure if I would recommend this to everyone. If it's something you would be interested in genre-wise, then I would definitely recommend it. There isn't any real comedy, though. It's very slice-of-life. I enjoyed it.

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Slice!: You and Me

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

Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic

Genre: Adventure
Age Appropriate: Preteens
Emotional Response: Excitement, amusement and a little sadness
Notable Features: magic, kings, dungeons 
Language: Japanese
Length: 2 Seasons, 24 episodes 
Overall Recommendation: Definitely


"You see, you are a courageous person." - Aladdin

The story begins with a little boy gorging himself on watermelon, and the ruffian/worker who stumbles upon him in a caravan. Aladdin and Alibaba become quick friends - after a certain level of annoyance on Alibaba's part - and travel through their first adventure in the first episode. In that first episode, they meet a slave named Morgiana. Aladdin, clearly being out of touch with the world, breaks her chains, assuming that this would make her immediately free. While this is definitely not the case, that first action on his part seals their fate, and friendship, later in the series.

Alibaba's main goal in the first season is to defeat a dungeon and take that wealth and power to better his situation. Throughout the dungeon he learns some things about himself. At the same time, Aladdin starts his journey of self-discovery. While he's learned that he's a "Magi," he has no idea what that really means. Along the way of their journey, he meets many people who help him learn who and what he is - including kings, slaves and Djinn. The Djinn are magical creatures held within special items, and they're part of the deal when you defeat a dungeon. Their magical powers are transferred to the winner, and this assistance becomes a huge part of the battle between good and evil that heroes face. Each story arch includes an epic battle that moves the characters down their own paths of destiny. While friendship is certainly a major theme, this series seems to focus more on personal development and understanding with friendship as a helping hand. 

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This was so much fun! I rediscovered how much I adore fantasy. I've been very hung up on high school dramas, of various sorts, that I haven't really been watching anything else. I remember seeing this when it first starting being simulcast, and turning away because it wasn't over yet. I have a hard time dealing with instant gratification. I have to say, though, that I'm glad I waited. I devoured this, and the idea of waiting week-by-week sucks. I pretty much adore Aladdin, too! I also want super Djinn powers. I'm not sure how far up the list I would put this, but it's definitely one of the better anime I've seen lately. So much fun. It's not entirely fluffy, either. I definitely had an adventure with this one. It actually reminded me a lot of The Last Airbender, which I also enjoyed immensely however long ago.

There were two disappointing things about this anime. The first being that I now have to wait for season three (or two, depending on how you count things). It's not coming out until October 2013, I guess. The second being that I wanted a little more out of the budding romance that is starting between two characters. I'm sure that I'll be more satisfied when I can see the next part. CAN'T WAIT. I definitely recommend this to pretty much anyone, especially if you enjoy adventure anime. I'm seriously upset that I have to wait. October can't come fast enough. My only hope is that it's still as good as what I've seen so far.

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Open Sesame!: Zettai Boei Leviatan

Maid Sama

Genre: Romance/Comedy
Age Appropriate: Preteens+
Emotional Response: hah.
Notable Features: high school, girl power, maid cafe
Language: Japanese
Length: 2 seasons, 26 episodes
Overall Recommendation: Pretty Good

"Hey! This ship is very flammable!" - Pirate


Misaki is a no nonsense high school class president whose goal is to make the school better for potential future female students. She's considered a bit of a devil woman because she's strong and stern with everyone around her. She seems to dislike guys, but it's really all about her desire to help the school. The first season focuses on the different activities the cast goes through in her effort to be a good president. Misaki has a deep, dark secret, however. Her family is quite poor after being abandoned by their father, and Misaki helps by working at Maid Latte, a maid cafe in a neighboring town. Half of the conflicts in the story stem from her attempts to keep her part time job away from the students at her school. She's afraid that it would take away from her reputation. There are a few students who know her secret, but since they're frequent patrons of Maid Latte, and desperately in love with her, they've decided to keep her secret.

The underlying theme to the series is her tumultuous relationship with Usui, a super-cool classmate who has taken an interest in her. While he's originally intrigued by her forcefulness as the school president, he turns into more a creepy stalker as the first few episodes go by. Their relationship flips between Misaki being annoyed with his stalker ways and her back-and-forth about her true feelings toward him. Everyone around them seems to understand the feelings between them, except for Misaki. Each episode features some sort of comedic fumbling by Misaki, and her annoyance with at least one male in the cast.

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I liked Maid Sama. It was a pretty easy watch, and I enjoyed the cute love story. My biggest frustration was watching Misaki fumble around with her romantic feelings, but that's how the love-story goes, right? I agreed with Misaki about the annoyance level I would likely feel toward Usui's persistance, but at the same time I can appreciate it. At least he's pretty cute. This is a pretty straight forward, traditional high school rom-com. Definitely a chick flick, but probably shmoopy enough for a guy to endure with his girlfriend.

Overall, it was just a fluff piece, but there's nothing really wrong with that. The only reason I gave it a preteen rating was based on interest level. There were some great things about it - I had a fondness for the cross-dressing middle schooler - and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a stress-free time. It was a nice chaser to Kanamemo's blah.

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BingBong: Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic

Kanememo

Genre: Comedy
Age Appropriate: Older Teens/Adult
Emotional Response: A mix between awww and seriously?
Notable Features: girls, yuri, adult content
Language: Japanese
Length: 1 Season, 13 episodes 
Overall Recommendation: Not so much

"But if it were hamster aliens..." - Kana

When Kana's grandmother dies, she jumps to the wild conclusion that she will be taken away with her grandmother's things when the movers come. Her response is to pack everything she can into her backpack and run away from home. After wandering the streets for awhile, she doubles back to a strange newspaper, with strange employees, and takes a job as a newspaper girl. The position doesn't offer much in pay, but does offer room and board. The assistant chief, or "Chief," is a grade schooler with a strong arm and a secretly soft heart. She allows Kana to work there after hearing she has no family, despite being underage for working without permission.

The other employees are comprised of four other young ladies, all significantly older than Kana (around college age). Two of the young ladies are in a odd, yet loving, relationship - with one being a bit obsessed. The third is a bit tomboy-ish but lots of fun. The fourth is a creepy moe pervert obsessed with getting her hands on Kana and/or the boss. Frequently, their shenanigans lead to a pay cut. Combined with her school friends, a competitive newspaper girl from another store, and her memories of her grandmother, Kana navigates her new independent life while learning a wide variety of life lessons.

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Kanamemo was a mix of funny and disturbing. There was a lot of potential in the beginning. I

particularly enjoyed Kana's strange moment of obsession with hamster aliens. While I enjoyed it at the beginning, mostly by ignoring the wierd parts, eventually the story just got kind of old. At least, what there was of a story. I tried to ignore the pervy, pedophilic Haru, and was successful for the most part, but there were times when I just wanted to punch her in the head - much like the other girls would do. It's not so much the perviness as the creepy choice of girls.

At first, I did think I was going to like it. Unfortunately, there was nothing in the story except the minor plots per episode. I can definitely appreciate a coming-of-age story, but there is usually come sort of conflict/resolution part of a story, and this seemed to be missing everything. Maybe it would've been different if the show was longer than 13 episodes. I guess, I wasn't that impressed. The final episode was really cute, so I'm glad I suffered through it so I didn't feel like it was a total wash. I don't think I would stop someone from watching it - and while the characters are a bit tasteless, all nudity is covered by funny censor bubble animals - I just wouldn't recommend it to someone.

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Eeeee!: Maid Sama

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

Special A

Genre: Comedy/Romance
Age Appropriate: Pre-teens+
Emotional Response: sweet, cute, funny
Notable Features: high school, overachievers, oblivious love
Language: Japanese
Length: 2 seasons, 24 episodes
Overall Recommendation: Pretty Good

"I'm here to formally challenge you!" - Hikari

Hikari Hanazono is an excitable, competitive overachiever obsessed with being number one in any rankings. It's less that she wants to be number one, but more the fact that she wants to beat Kei Takashima. Her rivalry with him began years ago as children when he first beat her at wrestling, and has only grown now that they're in high school. As part of the Special A class at their prestigious academy, they have access to a fancy greenhouse, nice uniforms, and perks for being at the top of the school.

Special A class is comprised for the top 7 students in the school. They are always the same seven students: #1 - Kei Takashima (Hikari's rival and heir to the Takashima Group), #2 - Hikari Hanazono (daughter of a carpenter), #3 - Jun Yamamoto (twin to Megumi, famous traveling parents), #4 - Megumi Yamamoto (twin to Jun, refuses to speak), #5 - Tadashi Karino (Addicted to sweets, son of school's chairman), #6 - Akira Toudou (obsessed with tea time and Hikari), #7 - Ryuu Tsuki (close with the twins, animal whisperer).

These seven make an unbreakable bond based on being in Special A class, but that actually extends into great escapades in each episode. As the story progresses, so do their relationships - both in friendship and romance. Special A is a pseudo-typical high school drama but with high class, overachieving students and appropriate situations to their status. Hikari, being the odd one out in status, creates the most havoc with her outlandish behavior and brings the group together often in her schemes to compete with Kei.

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Special A was pretty good. I had no problem watching it all the way through, and it was definitely a feel-good series that I would normally like. It was just so cute, and amusing. I didn't have any laugh out loud moments, but I think that was just fine for this series. I really enjoyed the budding relationships between the friends, but I was a little frustrated with how the relationship between Kei and Hikari progressed. I totally understand that there is no instant gratification in a series when it comes to main characters realizing feelings, but still! Upon reflection, I don't think I had a specific favorite character, although I did enjoyed the episode with Sui (Kei's little brother).

Special A is a great series for anyone to watch. I only gave it a pre-teen+ rating based on interest level. I'm definitely glad that I took the time to watch it. I had no problem moving through each episode, but also didn't feel an awful compulsion to get through every single one in one sitting. It was just nice. It's a good anime to watch when you're just looking to relax with something non-stressful, and without purpose. I recommend it.

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Okey Dokey: Starry Sky

Uta no Prince Sama

Genre: Romance
Age Appropriate: Any Age
Emotional Response: Fun, giggly, YAY
Notable Features: pop music, boys, coming-of-age, happy pulse
Language: Japanese
Length: 2 seasons, 26 episodes
Overall Recommendation: YAY!

"You're so cute. I'm just saying hello." - Ren


Haruka Nanami is a budding composer who barely makes it in time for the entrance exam of the exclusive Saotome Academy. Saotome Academy is a music academy dedicated to putting out idols. 
Nanami's girlish goal is to write songs for her favorite idol, HAYATO. She's a country girl, who hasn't realized that her idol has turned into something of a joke, but she'd determined to write songs he would sing. With drama here, and persistence there, Nanami meets the top six boy idol-potentials and knocks them off their feet with key pieces of advice and comedy. 

Otoya Ittoki is the overly positive nice-guy who falls for her immediately after they work together on the terms major project. Masato Hijirikawa is a very serious young man from a major family, who only shows his soft side to Nanami. Natsuki Shinomiya is an interesting cutsey, affectionate-to-the-max guy who has a secret evil personality that hinges on his glasses. Tokiya Ichinose is a mysterious young man with a cold attitude that comes through his music, and it's blocking him. He also has a deep, dark secret. Ren Jinguji, another boy from a major family, is a seemingly care-free person who has made it a goal to romance every woman. He called Nanami "My Lady," and often teases her with heavy charm. Syo Kurusu is a firecracker shorty with a little manly temper. Anyone he perceives a threat to Nanami risks being on the wrong end of it. To top it all off, Cecil Aijima is added into the mix in season 2. A magical prince of a far away land who comes to Saotome simply to be near Nanami, after meeting her on a class trip. She simply has a bevy of attractive, caring, talented men at her composing disposal.

This series is about bringing friends and rivals together into one cohesive group, and the work falls on Nanami. It focuses on their budding friendships, the obstacles they face internally and externally, and the idol-creating music that results.


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What started out as a super cheesy, pop version of Corda d'Oro, ended as a heart-racing round of girlish excitement! I watched al 26 episodes in about 3 days. I just couldn't stop. It all started because a friend posted a picture on her Facebook, and I wanted to know who to cute anime boys were. I actually listening to the end theme/concert of season 2 as I'm writing this. I didn't really love Maji LOVE 1000%, but Maji LOVE 2000% will not get out of my head - neither with the booty wiggles. Insert squee here.

It's not that this anime is completely perfect. I don't know that it would graduated to a Top level. It's like most romantic comedies. It's awesome, and I'd buy it, but I"m not nominating it for an award somewhere. At episode 8, I did make a comment that if you make it all the way to episode 8 without any magic stuff, you don't really need to add a a magical cat. That one magical component aside, all other magical-type scenes are easy to pass off as emotional representations rather than some sort of magical reality.

It might be awhile before I watch it again, but it will probably happen. Seriously, I loved it. I really did get the Happy Pulse that they talk about. I really needed a good mood and I certainly got one out of this series. I caution you though, this is a straight up chick flick. If you don't like squeeling, giggling, YAY, girls chick flicks, don't watch this. If you do, watch this! Right now! Seriously! I'm going to go listen to 2000% some more via YouTube.

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::sigh:: Special A

Happy 4th Everyone!

Haganai

Genre: Comedy
Age Appropriate: Teens
Emotional Response: LOL, feel good
Notable Features: high school, social ineptitude
Language: Japanese
Length: 2 season, 26 episodes
Overall Recommendation: Definitely

"Poopy crappy hag!" - Sister Maria

A geek, perverted scientist, dirty blonde thug, and a prima donna girly-girl walk into a common room...and The Neighbors Club is formed. Kodaka is a young man in high school who has transfered in as a Sophomore. His dirty blonde hair, and stern features have created rumors around school that he is a hardened thug, with various exploits under his belt. The other students hide in fear from him, and take every situation out of context. The beginning of his friend-less salvation starts with stumbling onto Yozora, a social outcast girl, who has an imaginary "air" friend named Tomo. After a conversation about their mutual inability to make friends, Yozora creates the Neighbors Club, putting a subliminal-type message on the flyer. The point of the club is to practice being "normal" and making friends for later.

As the flyer is seen by other stranger teens, the most popular girl in school pops up, with great drama, wanting to learn how to make friends. Apparently, her issue is being so popular that no one actually wants to like her. The pervy scientist is a girl Kodaka saves from a faint, and a young man joins the club after deciding that Kodaka's reputation means he's awesome. Yozora, being the evil prankster that she is, convinces Yukimori (said young man) that in order to be more manly, and therefore closer to Kodaka's example, he must learn to brazen his manliness out through counter-intuitive actions - basically, she convinces his to dress in drag for the entire series. The club advisor, Sister Maria, is a super-genius Sister who didn't really know what she was going into, and her arch-nemesis ends up being Kodaka's younger sister who is obsessed with a vampire anime character. Haganai follows a variety of interesting situations that occur as a result of their misguided activities for being more friend-friendly, and the interactions between the group's various frenemies.

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Haganai was a feel-good, funny series that really lifted my spirits a little bit. I'm glad that I decided to give it a try. After watching the first two episodes in English, I was disappointed to find that it was seriously only the first two episodes that had been dubbed. It was funny enough to keep moving, though. The series was fully of awkward characters, and in that way it reminded me of when I was around that age. I don't think I specifically identified with any of them, but the feel was just right. The series itself didn't seem to have any major developments, or conflicts, which may make this review portion a bit boring, I suppose. It was pretty much solely focused on character development. So many high school series have odd attachments to them, and this was straight-up comedy without magic, androids, or gratuitous nudity.

There were a few great LOL moments. There is one scene where the group is on a roller coaster ride that made me cry with laughter. It was in season 2, though, so you'll just have to wait to get there. There was some incidental fan service, but after High School DxD it was practically childish. I have so many favorite characteristics for each character, but I think I really enjoyed the middle schoolers the best, probably followed closely by the cross-dressing cross-dresser. I'm not sure it's really up to a re-watch status, but I would definitely recommend it for someone looking for an easy laugh.

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NEXT!: Air

High School DxD

Genre: Fantasy/Comedy
Age Appropriate: Adult
Emotional Response: Hilarious and Exciting
Notable Features: high schoolers, demons, angels, high nudity
Language: Japanese
Length: 12 episodes
Overall Recommendation: Totally (but only if you like that sort of thing :D )

"Ahh...I wanna squeeze some boobs." - Issei

Issei is a young, perverted high school boy, obsessed with breasts. After entering a school that was previously a all-female institution, his two naughty friends and Issei find themselves surrounded by beautiful girls, but are blocked by their own sleazy personalities. When Issei is suddenly approached by an unknown young lady, asking to be his girlfriend, he can do no other than accept. Somehow, after a lovely high school date, his new friend Yuma is turned into a fallen angel! So begins Issei's involvement in a three battle between angels, fallen angels and devils. Issei grabbed a flyer that summoned Rias, the president of the Occult Club, who saves him from a mortal blow and she brings him back to life as a devil. He's now a servant of her house. In this series, Issei has to battle with his own high school hormones, his new powers as a devil, and the bad guy fallen angels and other devil houses.

After becoming a devil, Issei becomes friends with the rest of the Occult Club - a front for Rias' devil servants within the school. The members are a variety of female types with different personalities, and Issei enjoys them all. There is one other male in the group, the most popular pretty boy in school, who earns Issei's resentment for his popularity, but also earns his respect in battle together. Each member is representative of chess pieces in their abilities - Queen (Akeno), who has magical abilities, Knight (Yuto), who has amazing sword skills, Rook (Kaneka) with super strength and defense, and Pawn (Issei) who has virtually no chess-like powers but can "promote" in enemy territory. Near the beginning there is a new addition - Bishop (Asia). Asia is a former Sister, who is saved by Issei from a terrible battle between fallen angels, a stray exorcist and the team. She joins the team with Twilight Healing - the ability to heal even devils. With their team complete, the group is set up to battle anything thrown at them.

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Let me get this out of the way first - omg fan service. There is a lot of gratuitous breast appearances in this series. This is not the same as Girls Bravo, where everything was just

incidental nudity. This is pretty obvious. If that is something that you can't handle, just skip it. Otherwise, this series is great.

I really needed something comedic this week. I definitely got what I wanted. I knew it would be funny and after the first episode, I knew it was going to be full of nudity. What I didn't expect was to be so emotionally involved. After the first few episodes, it feels like they threw in the fan service because it was expected, not because it was a focal point. After seeing past that, the story is pretty excellent. I was cheering for Issei the whole time. It was at least in part cheering for the underdog. His abilities are pretty abysmal compared to his compatriots, but his enthusiasm seems to make up for some of it. The last few episodes I was clapping along, and at one point a little sniffly. Really, I loved it. I might scoot this up to at least the Top 10 (which now needs to exist). I really was surprised at how much I loved it. I know I enjoyed Heaven's Lost Property, but I didn't inhale it the way I did this.
Highly Recommended. I might even watch it again in the future. I cannot wait until Season 2 comes out later this year. I'm super excited to see where the story goes.

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Boost!: Haganai