Showing posts with label fantasy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fantasy. Show all posts

Thursday, January 30, 2014

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!

Friday, December 20, 2013

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.

Thursday, November 21, 2013

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


Friday, October 11, 2013

Legend of Legendary Heroes

Genre: Fantasy/Adventure
Age Appropriate: Teens
Emotional Response: funny, suspenseful, heartbreaking
Notable Features: heroes, relics, magic, friendship
Language: English
Length: 2 season, 24 episodes
Overall Recommendation: Great!

"I just want to take a nap." - Ryner


In a land, far away, there are two nations fighting - Roland and Estabul. Ryner Lute is a magic recruit for Roland, with a special magic ability called Alpha Stigma. There is something dark, and mysterious, about his magic, and it's all hidden in his eyes. For the most part, this magic helps him in little skirmishes in training, but if it gets out of control things can go terribly wrong. As a young man, he's trained in magic, but his dark powers make him a target in the end. There are others in the world with the Alpha Stigma, and they're persecutes as monsters. He's imprisoned, and it's only when his dear friend Sion attempts to rescue him that we realize the depth of his personality.

Ryner is a bit of a lazy bum.  On top of that, he's a pacifist. He believes war is useless and terrible. His "manifesto," written while he is imprisoned, reaches the new king. The new king is his old friend Sion. As part of his friendly release, Sion sends him on a mission with a sword-wielding lady to find magical artifacts that may help their cause. While Sion believes in a peaceful existence, he cannot find a way to get it without war and violence. Ryner helps Sion out of loyalty, and forms a strong bond with his partner, Ferris, that spurs him to act when he can, despite his constant desire for a nap.

The series follows the conflicts between Roland and the neighboring hostile territories, and the effect that have on the characters in the story. Ryner has difficulties reconciling his abilities and his personal beliefs, especially in the face of society. Sion finds himself following a path against his feelings, and Ferris fights for them and for her beloved dongo. Along the way they all meet others who greatly effect them personally, but in the end it comes down to their bonds with each other.

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The Legend of Legendary Heroes starts out intriguing and funny. It's a great start, and it sucked me in pretty well. All in all, it's a pretty amazing story. I don't know exactly how high it would be on my list, but it's no where near the bottom, that's for sure. It's a great adventure tale, with some heavy personal development and strong emotional pulls. The only difficulty I had was dosage. I took a break from it for awhile because the fun adventure drops into heavy, darker storyline and that was hard for me to do quickly. I suppose that's a mark of a good series, though. I became invested in some of the characters, and I was pissed off anytime someone hurt them. Since they all face emotional, and personally difficult choices, with heartrending obstacles, it's not something you can easily sit through marathon style.

I both loved and hated Ryner's whining about naps. Near the end, it's was all I wanted to hear because it meant that he was in a moment where he was feeling himself. I constantly wanted to punch Sion in the face, for his poor decision making skills, but I admit that I wouldn't know what to do either. I'd like to think I wouldn't make his choices, but who knows? Ferris has a great obsession for dongo. It's a huge signifier about her emotional state when she either wants tons of dongo or none at all. It makes me want to try some.

I'm sorry I keep writing about this one. I recommend it. Highly. The violence level is fairly high, with a little gore, but nothing too terrible, I guess. It's a bit like Tears to Tiara in it's epic story-ness, but the feel is different. I'm not sure I could talk a second viewing anytime soon, it's certainly pushed me in the more comedic direction - if you haven't noticed - but one day I'll probably watch it again. I'll sucker someone into watching it with me.

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Seriously!?: My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU



Thursday, October 3, 2013

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

Thursday, September 26, 2013

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

Thursday, September 19, 2013

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




Thursday, August 22, 2013

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

Thursday, August 15, 2013

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

Thursday, July 25, 2013

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

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Air

Genre: Drama
Age Appropriate: Any Age
Emotional Response: Depressing
Notable Features: Dreams, mental health issues, dancing puppet
Language: English
Length: 12 episodes
Overall Recommendation: Nope

"I had another dream last night." - Misuzu

Air begins with a young, vagrant man looking for food and attempting to use his puppet show to earn some money. Mostly, he's rejected because his show just isn't that exciting. After wandering some, he takes a quick nap on the rock wall of a beach, and wakes up to a strange girl standing in the breeze. Her presence triggers a memory from his mother, and he ends up following her  as the story of the series.

Misuzu takes Yukito home with her, with a promise of food, and ends up keeping him around - despite his arguments that she shouldn't trust random strangers. He ends up staying with her, and her aunt, in t he shed and finds a job in their small town, helping around the office at the local clinic. The story is somewhat split up by two episode mini-dramas, each following a different character. While Yukito participates in each story, for the most part the people in town don't seem to have much of a personal connection with each other. In the end, each mini-drama adds a small piece to the end result.

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I really enjoyed the theme music for this series. It was pretty, and often triggered an emotional response. Unfortunately, that was pretty much the only thing I liked about the series. I can't say it wasn't well done, in some respects, but it was so slow. I think I liked episode 8. I've been through plenty of stories that are sad, melancholy, depressing...etc, but there is always a little something here or there to help me through the pain.

I don't expect, or want, happy endings and cheery stories every time I watch a new series, but I also don't want to force myself to watch something because there is no relief from the oppressive sadness. I've had Air on my list to watch for weeks, and it kept getting pushed aside for something more bearable. The writing was fine, the music was nice, the art was normal, but I just couldn't handle it in any constructive way. I'd be willing for someone to disagree with me, I suppose, and I won't argue that it's "bad," as much as not worth the effort. I just don't think it should've taken me over three weeks to force myself to finish. The final episode did strike a chord with me, but I would've survived without seeing this. Not recommended.

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Um: Uta No Prince Sama




Thursday, June 13, 2013

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

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Heaven's Lost Property - Mirror Review

Here is the mirror review I promised you! Below is a review of Heaven's Lost Property from a completely different perspective. I think he did a pretty good job!


Genre: Sci-Fi, Action
Age Appropriate: Late Teen, and Adult
Emotional Response: LOL, OMG, and sadface
Notable Features: Awesome battle scenes, astronomical levels of fan service
Language: English dub
Length: 2 seasons, 26 episodes, 1 feature-length film
Overall Recommendation: What are you waiting for?!


"This smells like tasty!" -- Delta (Astraea)

Tomoki Sakurai craves only one thing in life: peace and quiet. So when Ikaros, a type Alpha Angeloid, falls from the sky and comes crashing (quite literally!) into Tomoki's life, peace and quiet are nowhere to be found!

The series follows the adventures of the New World Discovery Club, a group of Tomoki's friends and classmates, as they deal with the daily challenges of high school and seek to unravel the secrets of the "New World," a mysterious black hole that appears in the sky. Ikaros falls from the black hole and imprints upon Tomoki, who becomes her "master." Tomoki, who is quite the little pervert as we soon find out, quickly manages to get himself in trouble with Ikaros' power to grant his every wish. More Angeloids eventually show up, and we find that each one has a different personality, special powers, and abilities -- and they're on a mission to kill Tomoki!

As the series progresses, we find out more information on just who (and what) the Angeloids actually are, the truth about the "New World," and what it all means for the New World Discovery Club.
Action, adventure, and many more Angeloids await in Heaven's Lost Property, Heaven's Lost Property: Forte, and Heaven's Lost Property: The Angeloid of Clockwork!

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I'm going to break from the traditional plot summary part of the review and focus on what I actually thought of the series as a whole:

First off, there is a LOT of fan service throughout this series. And by a lot, I mean gratuitous amounts in almost every episode, so be prepared for that. Tomoki is quite the little pervert -- something this is definitely reflected in many of the running gags in the series, from an airborne flock of panties to a panty-clad robot that can transform into a motorcycle, to Tomiki's various plots to see the inside of the girls' changing room. The end result is hilarious and sooooooooooo bad at the same time. I felt guilty for laughing at first, but when it quickly became apparent that the series wasn't about to tone down the level of fan service, I gave up and just went with it!

Moving on to less perverted aspects of the show, the music in this series is absolutely phenomenal. It's a great mix of quiet and introspective melodies along with supercharged battle themes that literally made me bounce around in my seat.

The storyline for the series achieves a nice balance between laid back episodes that focus on comedic aspects and themes along with the more plot-driven "serious" episodes. Each and every episode has its place, and they all add up to the benefit of a greater payoff in the more climactic scenes. There is some great character development for many of the characters (especially the Angeloids themselves), although some of the secondary characters remain pretty two dimensional -- however, that isn't something I noticed at the time, and doesn't detract from the series as a whole. I found myself very emotionally invested in the characters, to the point where I had to watch "just one more episode" (and another, and another!) when it came to cliffhangers.

Final thoughts:

- Made me wish I'd taken home economics in high school
- You'll never look at a watermelon the same way again

Overall, I loved the series, and can't wait for Season 3!
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How did that work for y'all?: Time of Eve

Monday, May 13, 2013

We Without Wings

Genre: Comedy/Drama
Age Appropriate: Adult
Emotional Response: So. Confused.
Notable Features: Fan Service, MPD, alternate universes - maybe, kinda
Language: Japanese
Length: 1 season, 12 episodes
Overall Recommendation: Pretty Good

"May peace prevail in the world" - A number of male characters

We Without Wings has an extensive cast that seems to go through a complicated "normal" life, with little romances and day-to-day happenings. The complications all seem to surround four young men, all who seem to have a very cool demeanor - except for the one dorky/pervy, yet decent, guy. There is an extra wildly inappropriate bartender, and a bevy of busty girls in the bar - who all get eyebrow-wiggling attention. There are also a number of younger ladies who follow one of the guys around with starry-eyes love in their eyes. At the bottom of the totem pole is an adorable young girl, Alice, who seems to have little ability with the Japanese language, and can't seem to keep herself from trying to make one of the guys from sounding like a pervert - though, in reality, he's not.

Aside from the funny interpersonal relationships, there is a secret story hidden behind everything. There are two little gangs running around beating their chests at each other. Everything changes when one of the peons brings a gun to a fist fight. Then, there may be another universe for some of the characters, but it's fairly unclear in the beginning if it's real, or an internal fantasy. Then again, it seems to maybe include more than just one character. The series quickly turns into a maze of questions to be unraveled.

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We Without Wings started out hilarious. I don't know how many times I ended up laughing out loud (literally). I was almost in tears within the first episode. Then, it got kinda weird. Probably because of the description, I expected something a little more "normal." It was anything but normal. I didn't really get let in on the big secret until episode 7. I guess that's pretty normal timing for a short series, but I was brain-hurting confused by then. This wasn't weird/creepy like Amnesia, just head spinning. Obviously, I eventually figured out what was going on. I'm glad that I wasn't going insane, but it was a little bit depressing when you figure out the answers.

Generally, I think the fact that I cared was a pretty good indicator that the creators did a good job. There were some good funny bits thrown in with the confusion - probably saving my mind and motivating me to keep with it. There was also a LOT of girl shots. Everything was creatively blocked by censorship tape, or steam, but it was definitely adult in nature. I wouldn't let any kiddies watch this one, and I certainly wouldn't watch it with my parents. I made the "Adult" part green because it's not messed up like Rin or Elfen Lied, it's just sexual. I think Girls Bravo could be sort of considered worse because it was uncensored nudity, but it was so incidental in nature that it wasn't a big deal. This was not incidental at all. Either way you look at it, definitely not for youngsters. Overall, I though it was pretty good. I would probably recommend it to people, but carefully considering the relationship I have with that person.
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Fly Away: Listen to me girls. I'm your father. (At least, that's what I found it named as...)

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Koihime Musou - Shin Koihime Musou

Genre:Fantasy/Comedy
Age Appropriate: Adult
Emotional Response: OMG, I can't believe they just said that. HAHAHAHA
Notable Features: travelling fighters, pseudo-nudity, yuri
Language: Japanese
Length: 3 seasons, 36 episodes
Overall Recommendation: Heck Yeah

"Fight with Rin Rin!" - Rin Rin

Koihime Musou is a comedic historical fantasy, centered around a time when travelling fighters roamed the land. The series follows a small group of ladies travelling with Kan'u (Aisha), the Black Hair Bandit Killer. She runs into different girls at different times and they frequently travel with her for a few episodes or so, before going their own way, and eventually show up again later. The primary exception to this rule is Rin-Rin, her little sister sidekick. Rin Rin appears in the first episode as an orphan in a small town, who tweaks Kan'u's heartstrings. They make a vow of sisterhood and agree to travel together for all time.

As the series progresses they pick up some very important friends, many part ways, and some seem to stick around for good - particularly Sei (aka Butterly Mask) and Shuri (a child genius obsessed with knowledge). The groups interactions frequently involve the lords of the land in a variety of situations (most of whom are very interested in the ladies for multiple reasons). Every once in a while, the stumble upon a male character who effects the story in some way, but never becomes a main character. This series is all about the ladies - both their relationships, and their ability to kick butt.

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This series is ridiculous!...in a good way. The outrageous yuri is hilarious everytime it comes up. As long as a little girl love isn't an issue with you, watch it. It took me awhile to get through all three seasons, but it was worth it in the end. It was totally unexpected. I thought it was going to be some sort of martial art epic fighting drama-type story, and what I got was a historical fantasy yuri comedy. No complaints, though. I'm always up for a good laugh. So much for attempting to squeeze a little variety in what I was watching.

I highly recommend it if you need a laugh. There is some pretend nudity, with carefully placed steam and light streams, and some "omg I can't believe they're showing that even if they're not really showing that" moments, so this is not for the kiddies. I certainly wouldn't feel comfortable watching it with my parents. I might blush. Still, worth it. I'm smiling right now just typing this because of the funnies running around in my head.

Not all of the storyline is important, so don't expect some emotional breakthrough drama that changes you life, but that was fine with me. Unfortunately, as with all series with sequels, the fun goes down a little bit. A lot of the yuri jokes fade away, which is okay but they don't replace it with anything. The third season has the real action, if less fun comedy. It wasn't a struggle to watch, so I enjoyed it tot he end, if at varying degrees.This series gets my stamp of approval.

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Where am I?: Amnesia



I'm going on a camping trip this weekend! There won't be any internet available, though, so, I won't be posting anything for Monday. My bad.


Monday, April 1, 2013

Disgaea

Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Age Appropriate: All Ages (generally)
Emotional Response: Ugh
Notable Features: kids, demons, angels
Language: English
Length: 1 season, 12 Episodes
Overall Recommendation: Not so much

"Feed Me!" - Prince Laharl


Prince Laharl woke up after an inadvertent two year nap, after being jostled awake by an angel-trainee. Flonne, said angel, was sent as a trainee-angel assassin to take down Laharl's father, and stumbles upon Laharl's casket in a trash heap. His irritation with her presences starts with his understanding of her mission, and increases as the show goes on. Her attitude of love grates against his demon self. A few new characters pop up, including an intergalactic human group sent to save the world against demons, a vassal named Etna, and an irritating demon of love. Etna shows herself to be completely committed to helping Laharl take his rightful place as Overlord, but has some sneaky intentions behind his back. This all-ages cartoon series has traditional morality lessons, and an emphasis on love and friendship.

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I don't know what I expected, but it wasn't this. I guess in my search for different series ideas, I stumbled upon a recommendation to give this a try. It was a terrible idea. I used one of my usual mediums for watching anime, and I assumed that it meant that everything available would be what I usually find, but I found myself watching what seems to be very "Saturday Cartoon." Honestly, I'm just not that interested in this type of cartoon anymore. I probably would've liked it more if I was ten again.

That's primarily how it got an All Ages rating. I didn't see anything anywhere that might be offensive. There is some illusion to one of the satellite females being well-endowed, so maybe screen it first, but enh. Actually, I might recommend this to that age group, parents included. It just wasn't for me. I had to grit my teeth to get through it. It may have been relatively well done, kinda, but it also wasn't something that made me forget that it was what it was. I've seen younger-style anime, and they were good enough that I just didn't care, this however was not.

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Now!: La Corda D'oro

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Aesthetica of a Rogue Hero

Genre: Action/Sci-Fi
Age Appropriate: Older Teens
Emotional Response: Yeah! Get 'em!
Notable Features: Magic, typical teen boy, heroism
Language: Japanese
Length: 1 season, 12 episodes
Overall Recommendation: Pretty Good


"Eeeeeeeek!" - Any Girl

Akatsuki Ousawa is a true hero is Alayzard. He's defeated a dark lord, subsequently defeated the previous hero, and saved this new world. The series opens with him running from royal maids, using their magic to try to subdue him from his present course. Akatsuki's goal is to get back to Earth, his own world, with whatever he carries with him. He easily evades the magical maids, but is stopped by Queen Listy in the end. She only wants to know why he's abandoning her, and Alayzard. He never gives her a real answer, but promises to return if she ever calls for him. This is all in the first episode.

The season is all about the package. Akatsuki has smuggled in the Dark Lord Garius's daughter, Miu! He promised to look after her when he defeated Garius, and now he's stolen her away to Earth to protect her. They enter the Tower of Babel school, as Class B students, and pose as brother and sister. It appears that Akatsuki's plan is to hide in plain sight, acting as normal students, and feeling safe because no one should be able to follow him back due to some sort of magical Otherworld gate rules. The storyline is a mix between their unique sci-fi battle/magic-based education, and the behind-the-scenes workings in both Alaycard and Earth realms. The two characters make some good friends on the way, and become integral pieces of the end of the season battle.

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I wasn't entirely sure about this one when I started it. I really chose it because it was a 12 episode series, and I wanted something short. It seemed good enough at the time. I enjoyed it, even if it wouldn't be on my WATCH THIS NOW list. The most bothersome part of it was realizing that there was no real end, and after feeling unsatisfied for awhile, realizing that this was clearly meant to be only the first season.

The way it's meant to a "continuation" of some unknown heroic story was a bit unique, but the hero-saves-the-day part was very traditional. This isn't a problem, but my understanding was that it was going to be something other than just pretending to be unique while actually using the idea as a vehicle for any other hero story. Still, it was pretty good. I'll happily watch the second season if it ever comes out. I have hopes for the series at this point. I won't wait with bated breath or anything, but I'll be happy to watch more. I suppose that's really the review, right? Go ahead and watch it, might be fun. I only made it for "Older Teens" because there is a lot of censored nudity and a little bit of pervi-ness from Akatsuki. Definitely not for youngsters. So, yeah, pretty good, watch it if you want. I won't cry if you don't or anything.

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Alright!: Disgaea

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Pretear

Genre: Fantasy/Romance
Age Appropriate: Pre-teens
Emotional Response: cute, annoyed, interested
Notable Features: magic, transformations, good vs. evil
Language: English
Length: 1 season, 13 episodes
Overall Recommendation: Good


"Prete with me!" - the Leafe Knights

Pretear is all about the Leafe. Leafe, of course, is the life force of all things, and it must be saved from the evil Princess of Disaster, Fenrir. The princess and her demons suck the Leafe out of living things to hoard the power for her nefarious purposes - generally, to destroy the world. The only person able to stop this horrible event is the Pretear - a chosen human girl who can merge with the Leafe Knights to defeat the demon larvae and ultimately stop the evil princess.

The newest Pretear is Himeno, a young high school student in a new, complicated family situation, who hasn't figured out her place in the world yet. Her mother has passed away and her father has remarried to the richest woman around. She's also picked up two step-sisters in the bargain. Her relationship with the sisters adds to each episode in little bits and pieces. Himeno is discovered by the Leafe Knight, Hayate (Wind), and despite some bumps in her confidence and his initial attitude, Himeno throws herself into being the Pretear as well as she can. She meets the other Leafe Knight, each with different personalities and powers, and learns how to fight against the princess while learning about herself. Her relationship with each individual knight effects each battle that she's in, and eventually fuels her final battle against the Princess of Disaster.

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Pretear is kinda old school. It reminded me a lot of Sailor Moon, actually. Clearly, there are huge differences, but the overall feel was the same. There is a young lady who's kinda dorky, clumsy and weird, but who becomes a stronger person as she becomes her other identity - which includes some fun, shiny transformation moments. While in Pretear, the protagonist is the center of a bunch of guys - rather than girlfriends - there is still a little romance to be found. There is no secret identity, though.

It was a nice little series. I'd probably let just about anyone watch it, actually. Himeno, while odd, is a good example of an awkward teen girl, and it creates some smile-quirking amusement. I did want to push the romance here and there, but I can acknowledge that it would be lame if it all happened at once.   Even the ending was pretty good. I wouldn't hand it to someone off the shelf and demand they watch it, but it would go on my list of acceptable for those looking for something fluffy. Fluffly is definitely a good word for it. I probably would've loved this when I was younger.

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I'm going. I'm going.: The Wallflower

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Kamisama Kiss

Genre: Romance
Age Appropriate: Pre-teens
Emotional Response: smiley, romantic
Notable Features: familiars, gods, clueless girl
Language: Japanese
Length: 1 season, 13 episodes
Overall Recommendation: Yay!

"Don't touch me, human." - Tomoe

One day a young lady saves a strange man stuck in a tree afraid of a dog. After going through a difficult time with her father, Nanami ends up homeless, and as a result of saving said strange man, she ends up with a new home at Mikage Shrine, the shrine of the local land god. Apparently, as part of a thank you kiss on her forehead, Nanami is now the land god. Mikage has left behind quite a mess with his twenty year absence, upsetting his familiar Tomoe and leaving the shrine in disrepair. When Nanami arrives, Tomoe, a kitsune yokai, takes this to mean that his time as a familiar is over and runs to "over yonder," to lose himself in being the "wild fox" that he was before stumblig on Mikage. Nanami's reaction bothers him, and as she runs away she's cornered by another yokai (read: demon) Tomoe has to save her. Thus begins their newfound familiar/god relationship.

In this short series, Nanami must battle her own teenage feelings of inadequacy along with Tomoe's obvious resentment at being dragged into his new familiarship with a lowly human girl. Joined by new supernatural friends - Mizuki, a white snake and Kurama, a pop idol/tengu - Nanami struggles with being a god and trying to make a real teenage life for herself. She never quite feels like the god she's supposed to be, and Tomoe's attitude makes everything harder for her. On top of that, she begins to develop romantic feelings for him as the series moves along. She makes baby steps of progress as she meets new characters, friendly and not, in this coming-of-age story with a supernatural twist.

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I am so upset with this series. They totally could've gotten more than 13 episodes out of it. It would have been pushing it to try to get more than 24, but really there wasn't enough. I was surprised that I liked it so much. I really didn't think that I would, but I randomly picked it out of a small list I was trying to make, and I'm so happy that I did. I have a total girl-crush on Tomoe. It was adorable. Not in that sickeningly sweet chibi way, but more of a awww kind of way. I was totally cheering for Nanami the whole way through. The way the story goes is pretty standard and not surprising, but I enjoyed it anyway.

I would totally recommend this for anyone who would enjoy a little supernatural teenage romance. It reminded me a bit of the last time I saw a similar fox (Inu X Boku!), but in a good way. This would probably be pretty awesome for a bunch of haggling girls, or a chick-flick enjoying mother/daughter duo type experience. I'm sad that there isn't another season, but I can at least appreciate that it isn't going to be ruined by one either. High marks from me!

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I'm to sexy for my fox-spirit: Shattered Angels


Monday, February 18, 2013

Blue Exorcist

Genre: Action
Age Appropriate: Pre-teens
Emotional Response: excited, surprised, entranced
Notable Features: demons, exorcists, high school
Language: Japanese
Length: 2 seasons, 25 episodes
Overall Recommendation: FTW

"Time, Stop! Thou art so beautiful" - Mephisto/Faust

Rin and Yukio are a set of 15-year-old twins who've been raised in a monestary by Shiro Fujimito, as his sons. While they know that he's not they're actual father, he is still their Dad. Rin is the troublemaker of the two, always getting into fights and refusing to grow up. Yukio is serious and wants to become a doctor, so he's more driven. He's gotten himself a scholarship to go to True Cross Academy - an elite school campus in their area. It is both a school for regular (read: rich) kids, and new exorcists-to-be.

Rin and Yukio are also the sons of Satan, who impregnanted their mother during a terrible event. This is how their father found them. At first, Rin seems to be a normal bumming high school-age student, but it turns out that he's been hiding his demon powers - until being accosted by a gang of teens including a demon, sets his powers free. His father saves him and drags him back to their monestary and gives him a brief talking to while they run from the little demons heading from them. During the attack, Shiro gives Rin a demon sword with instructions to never use it, and then locks him in an underground room to fight off the demons with the other priests. When Rin finally releases himself the battle seems over, until he gets upset at his father, says terrible things, and earns a slap in the process. That one action opens Shiro up to Satan's possession and thus is the beginning of the series story.

All of these events, lead Rin to join the Exorcist Cram School. It will include regular classes and cram school classes with hopes of educating all of the students to be exorcists fighting the evil demons that escape into Earth. There is no greater shock than to look up and for Rin to see that Rin's twin brother, Yukio, is his new teacher! Not only that, but Yukio is a full intermediate level exorcist whom Shiro had been training since age 7. With this new revelation, and the other students being annoyed with his presence, Rin's first days in class are difficult. His relationships with his classmates, his brother, and other characters as they enter the scene all lead up to the grand finale.

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I loved it! I didn't think I would. I'd been putting it off for awhile, because I wasn't too impressed by the synopsis where I found it to watch. After surfing around the internet for ideas, I decided it was time to watch it, anyway. I'm so glad that I did. I think that it's sometimes harder to get myself to watch anime in Japanese, because sometimes I'm too lazy to think about subtitles. If a series is new enough, Japanese may be the only option - or the easiest to find.

Anyway, I watched almost the entire two seasons in one day. I've figured out how to watch some of the Japanese series that I watch via the Xbox, which means I can enjoy them on the couch rather then on my iPad and it's has been awesome. Blue Exorcist just possessed me (haha), and I couldn't watch only one episode. It is highly likely that I will watch it again. After a little bit of time, and a lot more anime, I may consider promoting it up to Top 5 status. Per the usual note: No nudity, or swearing, some blood but not enough to make me cringe, so I think a mature pre-teen could handle it. Did I mention that I loved it? It was very exciting, and funny, and woooooooooo! Go Get Satan! Raaar! Also, I would like a familiar like Rin's.

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Surprise!: Kamisama Kiss