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

Freezing

Genre: Drama/SciFi
Age Appropriate: Adult
Emotional Response: sad and confused
Notable Features: pandoras, limiters, evil monsters, high nudity
Language: English
Length: 1 season, 12 episodes (plus extras)
Overall Recommendation: not for me

"I would be honored if you would come to my room tonight." - Satellizer

There are Pandoras and their limiters in the world of Freezing. Pandoras are genetically modified girls with "sacreds" implanted in them. These give them powers and weapons to battle Novas, energy pumped beings that are terrorizing the world. The Limiters are the Pandoras' counterparts who "freeze" the surrounding battle areas during Nova fights. This is meant to diffuse some of the power and give the girls a change to bring down the Novas. This is the background that brings together the main characters of the series.

Kazuya is a young boy who has transferred into Genetic West academy. He is attempting to follow in his sister's footsteps, who was a super powerful Pandora. Unfortunately, she died in a battle against a powerful Nova, and it seems now Kazuya is intent on following her path somehow. He chooses the academy specifically because it was the school she attended before joining the fight.

At this school, he literally runs into Satellizer, known as the Untouchable Queen. She was the first ranked second year student, until his bumbling interrupted a ranking battle. She has a terrible reputation as a troublemaker because of her standoffish attitude, but somehow Kazyua manages to squeak past her personal barriers. His determination leads him to choose her as his Pandora, despite the personal issues she has with cementing her bond, and the series explores how that works out. However, the main focuses turns quickly to the Nova battle at hand, and there are some serious twists to find.

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This series reminded me of Master of Martial Hearts. It's all battling, and girl bitchy attitudes, and boobs. Lots and Lots of boob. With every battle, at least one per fighter strips the other of her clothing. Actually, it's very much like Master of Martial Hearts - instead of battling girls for a fake wishing jewel, everyone is training to fight mysterious alien robot things. I don't mind nudity, generally at all, but I appreciate it in comedic scenes, or even incidental nudity - this just irritated me after awhile.

I hated the first episode, but I realize only because I was looking for something else at the time. When I started it again, I wasn't that disappointed actually. There are a lot of anime series that have random nudity, so I wasn't bothered by it much, but I eventually hated how much and in what circumstances the nudity occurred. Freezing may not be as much of a mind screw as MOMH ended up being, but I hated it. It was well done, I suppose, because I have some strong feelings about it. I can even think of a few friends who would appreciate it more (even aside from the nudity), but I wanted more out of it. Maybe a sprinkling of comedy, or better emotional relationship development, maybe some actual friendship...I don't know. This was definitely not for me.

Re: extras - Wow. Loads more inappropriate than the series itself. Just wow.

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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

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

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

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!

Heaven's Lost Property

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

Master of Martial Hearts

Genre: Action
Age Appropriate: Adult
Emotional Response: O.M.G., speechless
Notable Features: actions, fighting, high nudity, shocking messed-up-edness
Language: English
Length: 5 episodes
Overall Recommendation: WTF

"What the hell is going on!?"  Aya

There is a supposedly magical heart that will grant the bearer any wish. This heart is the Martial Heart. Generally, it's considered some sort of local urban myth but young women everywhere believe in its existence. The way to obtain this magical heart is through trials and battles. It was thought to have disappeared but some time recently it resurfaced and now women can be found secretly battling each other for the chance to have their wish come true.

Aya is a teenage high school student who stumbled upon one of these fights with her friend. The fight was between a priestess and a stewardess, and the girls were shocked to see two random people fighting. Aya steps in a certain point, being a good person, and beats the stewardess enough to get her to back off. It is revealed that she has a good amount of martial arts training because he mother used to compete. The girls make a new friend, Miko, as a result. She explains to them how she entered the battle via text message and her wish was to make new friends.

The girls become her new friends and she decides to drop out, somehow this means that Aya is now in the fight and Miko has disappeared. The stewardess returns, holding Aya's crush hostage, and Aya beats her soundly, cementing her fate to enter the contest. The series follows Aya's desire to figure out what is going on, and how to save Miko from her mysterious fate. There is a giant, unexpected twist at the end!

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The series is messed the hell up. The high nudity is a little extreme. Every point of contact in a battle means some piece of clothing is damaged or outright destroyed. Really, a punch to the face shouldn't end up with someone's shirt tearing off, but that's how it goes. Generally, this isn't that unexpected. It almost reminded me of Sekirei in that respect. It's also a bunch of women fighting for some sort of prize, also very like Sekirei. The big difference is that there is no comedy in this series whatsoever. It's almost as if the nudity is supposed to be some sort of smoke screen for how messed up it really gets.  It isn't nearly as bad as Rin: Daughters of Mnemosyne, but it Rin is one of my favorite anime series, and this is not.

There is a lot of bizarreness involved. People disappear after losing and no one ever hears from them again - the myth says to a mysterious "Dark Realm." Not only that, but it seems that others have no idea that the person in question remembers their existence. It's also a little strange that Aya's sidekick friend follows her to almost every fight as her cheerleader. The messed up part is actually hidden until the very end and then o.m.g.. I mean, if you like this type of series, go for it. I'm sure it's a good one. Personally, I watched it in the light of day. Of course, I can sometimes be a little bit of a wuss.
Don't let your kids watch it.
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Turn around: Blue Exorcist

The Mystic Archives of Dantalian

Genre: Horror/Gothic
Age Appropriate: old enough
Emotional Response: uhhhhh
Notable Features: demons, magic, books, dark
Language: Japanese
Length: 1 season, 12 episodes
Overall Recommendation: Sure, why not?

"...are you humanity?" - Huey / "No, I am the world." - Dalian

Huey received a letter from his grandfather that he's inherited his estate. This estate includes his very extensive library, with the condition that he take care of Dalian. He's actually under the impression that Dalian must be his grandfather's dog. It's not a dog. It's a girl! Dalian is one of Wes's (grandpa's) friends, who often enjoyed his library and seems to now be under the care of Huey. She has a haughty attitude, which likely comes for her real age and wealth of knowledge. While he seems a little weirded out by the whole situation, he takes on the role with a certain amount of grace.

Then the real action begins. They go to visit the rival of his grandfather, hoping to find clues that this rival actually had his grandfather murdered (rather than just a burglary gone wrong). In the process, they discover the household virtually slaughtered and under attack by a strange demonic-looking creature. It is the result of a Phantom Book.

There are a number of Phantom books, that if read by something "not worthy," create havoc and death around them. With the help of some acknowledgement and magic, Huey and Dalian are able to work out his role as keymaster and open the Mystic Archives of Dantalian, the magical library of everything that is hiding within Dalian, to pull out new books to defeat whichever book is causing problems. Their contact and subsequent defeat of these Phantom books is the driving force behind the series.
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Before I say anything else, I need to warn you. However weird and dark the series can get, nothing can match the end credits. They're creepy and nightmare-inducing. The music stays in your head. I played Devil May Cry (bought after the series because I wanted to get the story), as a way to get the music out. That's right. I played a game with creepy marianettes and sin scissors to wipe out the end credits....followed by a musical. Stay away. Far, far away. Unless you like that kinda thing, then more power to ya.

Mystic Archives is just plain weird. It wasn't weird in a can't watch it kind of way. It didn't completely turn me off, but I think I kept watching it out of a compelled need to see what was next. It was a bit like watching a car wreck. Or pringles. I just couldn't stop. I think that actually might have been the creators' goal, and if it was they succeeded. I didn't really get involved with the characters, but I did want to know what the relationship between the little boy and girl was going to turn out to be. It took awhile for there to be a reason for the story, a plot to appear. ION, the music is quite pretty (minus the creepycreep at the end).  I found myself watching the opening credits purely to hear the theme song alone.

I would actually recommend it for someone specifically looking for something of this type. Definitely not for girly-girls who run away from wierdo-magic-pseudo-bloody stuff. It might actually be better to watch in the fall. Yeah.

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More fun to come!: Vampire Knight (season 1)

Sekirei

Genre: Sci-Fi/Romance
Age Appropriate: Adult
Emotional Response: LOL, WTF, GO TEAM
Notable Features: busty ladies, super powers, there can be only one!
Language: English
Length: 2 seasons, 26 episodes
Overall Recommendation: YAY!

"What did I say..." - Miya

The Sekirei Plan is essentially a big game created by a strange genius to screw around with Sekirei (beings with elemental/physical super powers) and their Ashikabi (partners that bring out their powers). There is a scientific backstory revealed throughout the series that explains the reasons and origins of the characters, but it only really becomes important in the second season. It all begins with Minato, a young man who failed his college entrance exam twice, and in his brooding has a busty young lady fall on him. Literally. From the sky above. Her name is Musabi, and he pulls her away from other young women chasing her down to battle as Sekirei. She kisses him and she emerges with her new, stronger, Sekirei powers, and now they're connected.

The Sekirei Plan game is basically set up as a battle royale situation where Sekirei, and their Ashikabi, are meant to battle each other individually, within the city, to become the last one standing. As a reward, they will be allowed to live happily ever after with their Ashikabi. This is the driving force for Sekirei, as their Ashikabi become their reason for being. Minato, as an Ashikabi, finds himself in interesting situations which lead to him adding Sekirei to a collection. The only one who isn't some level of busty is a young girl, probably 8 or 9, named Kusano, who has amazing powers over plants. The main series plot is the end result of their battles and working around, with and against the system. The crazy leader of the Sekirei plan, Minaka, has a ego problem that leads him to start this whole game, and the series is driven by the cast dealing with his gameplay.

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Sekirei is probably one of my favorites. There is a lot of humor in the beginning, and a lot action in the end. There is also a lot of casual nudity - near the end it didn't even phase me. It was just a part of the characters and it was barely noticeable. Aside from that, it was a fairly typical anime in that there is an originally dopey, socially awkward young man, who through his relationships with the other characters gains confidence in the end. I had a lot of fun cheering for the girls, and pouting for the sad parts. I also had a good sniffle in one of the last episodes of the second season. There were a few storyline bits that really weren't necessary - like the barely there story aside about Minato's sister, and some parts that were just unfortunate, but as a whole it was pretty awesome.

This isn't really a serious series (say that 5 times fast), or completely fluffy, but rather a nice in-between. I had no problem watching in a nice big bites. I would definitely recommend it! It's not quite to Top 5 status, but it's pretty close. It's mostly only an adult rating for the nudity. There isn't a lot of gory blood, or tons of swearing, so as long as you're fine with that you should enjoy it. I'll watch it again. There is, however, one very significant drawback to Sekirei 1 & 2: There's no season three yet!!! There is a huge cliffhanger with a "to be continued..." and there is no official word on when the next season may appear!

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Ok, go!: Devil May Cry

Aria the Scarlet Ammo

Genre: Drama
Age Appropriate: Pre-teen
Emotional Response: um, okay
Notable Features: guns, historical characters, spy agents
Language: English/Japanese
Length: 12 episodes
Overall Recommendation: Good

"I'll pump you full of holes!" - Aria

Aria the Scarlet Ammo refers to a high school student named Aria. She appears when the main male protagonist is stuck in a Speed-like situation on a motorbike and saves him from segway-riding machine guns. Kinji, the young man in question, is a high school student at Butei High School - a high school for training special agents in weapons/strategy/hacking along side traditional education. He actually want to transfer out of the school, but through his interactions in the series never meets this goal. Part of his life includes his childhood friend, Shirayuki, who is in love with him and dotes on him in a way that annoys him. Still, he puts up with it - especially when she brings him food. After Aria saves the day, she decides that Kinji will be her slave (read: partner), and badgers him into working with her on  one case, which turns into the whole series. As part of the comedic side, she has frequent arguments (with weapons) with Shirayuki about their relationships with Kinji.

Aria's goal is to save her mother from her consecutive life sentences, given to her as a result of being set up by IU, a mysterious organization. This revelation brings in new characters to defeat as part of their end goal. These characters are also distantly related to historical figures. Through the process of learning their ancestral motivations, it is revealed that Aria is actually Aria Holmes Kanzaki. The Holmes is a nod to Sherlock Holmes! While it appears that Kinji doesn't have such a famous ancestor, this story does involve his brother, and his brother's death as a Butei.

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Aria the Scarlet Ammo is generally pretty good. I like some of the story line, and chuckled at some of the comedy. I don't think it was a waste of my time or anything. The addition of the historical ancestries wasn't necessary though. You'd really have to understand something about those figures (for the villains at least) to actually care about why it's been added, and even then the information doesn't seem to have any bearing on the situation at hand. It's nice that VillainB is a descendant of HistoricalA, but who cares? I thought I would like it more, but it was just "good."

I might have liked it had it been longer than 12 episodes. It could've used the time for a little more character development. It might be good if they end up doing a second season, although I haven't read anything about that being a possibility. It seems to be fairly new, though. Aside from some embarrassing moments (blushed included) there isn't anything inappropriate. There didn't even seem to be any innuendo type jokes, which wouldn't have worked anyway. However, the last episode was a little dark at one point. I did actually enjoy some of the weapons work, though! I also enjoyed Kinji in his special agent-type hysteria mode. It was funny. So, yeah, it was good. It's not at the top of my list, but I wouldn't stop anyone from watching it.

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Move Over!: Ozuma

YuruYuri

Genre: Comedy
Age Appropriate: Pre-teen
Emotional Response: goofy girls, girl crushes
Notable Features: young girls, school related comedy, lack of presence
Language: Japanese
Length: 2 seasons, 26 episodes
Overall Recommendation: Ok, I guess

"Akarin!" - Everyone

YuruYuri opens with a storyline about Akari, a young middle-schooler starting a new school year. She comes with new friends and old. Right away, the series goes into her lack of presence. There is a new girl, who is a first year, who describes her as invisible. As the series moves on, it becomes apparent that the series is more about the friends as a whole. The four main friends Akari, Yuki, Kyoko and Chinatsu - are a part of the Amusement Club - a club that has no real focus outside of hanging out. There is the occasional attempt at doing something, but it often just leads to comedic situations. The series is primarily shenanigans, in and out of school, between the girls. There is some rivalry between the VP of the School Council and the Amusement Club, but turns out shortly that it has more to do with a crush and/or competition than anything malicious. The key to YuruYuri is the Yuri part. The series is full of girl crush triangles, including two fantasizing twins. There aren't any male characters at all! At the bottom of the storyline, and girly fun, the series is really about Akari and her battle with her self-esteem.

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YuruYuri is cute. There isn't any real substance at all, though. This is part of the reason the synopsis isn't very long. I don't really mind watching something fluffy after a few serious anime, but this was too fluffy. I didn't get enraptured by it at all, and had to force a few episodes down my throat. Actually, that sounds a little harsh. It really was cute. And the comedy bits where they're expression their crushes for each other are pretty excellent. There is plenty of innuendo and sparkly fantasy moments, but nothing blatantly inappropriate. I didn't have any laugh out loud moments, but maybe a headsmack or two. Things I did enjoy: Yui's little sister. She's adorable. It wasn't really to my taste, but if you don't mind the girl-girl crushes, it's probably not a bad series for a middle-schooler. If there is any type of moral to this story, it's about self-esteem. In general, though, I probably wouldn't recommend it to anyone, unless they specifically asked for something like it. It was ok, I guess.

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Here fishy-fishy!: My Bride is a Mermaid

Canaan

Genre: Action
Age Appropriate: Adult
Emotional Response: Confused, impatient, and painful (emotionally)
Notable Features: rampant super virus, bioterrorism, cover-ups, genetically altered superhumans
Language: English
Length: 13 episodes
Overall Recommendation: Good

Canaan is a girl whose village was burned to the ground during Middle East conflict. Finding her under some rubble, Canaan is rescued by a military man, who trains her in combat abilities as a child. She has synesthesia and uses it to pinpoint enemy targets.  Her enemy is an organization named Snake, and it is now run by Alphard, with Ua virus survivors, or borners, under her control. The plot focuses on the battle between Canaan and Alphard in Shanghai, the location of their current operations. The underlying plot includes a complicated past between Canaan and Alphard.

While Canaan is the main protagonist of the series, each episode focuses a significant part of the story on her friend, Maria. As some point in her past, Maria was infected with the the Ua virus, but doesn't remember what happened. She does remember befriending Canaan at some point, and teaching her Cat's Cradle - an underlying activity that brings them together. Canaan, though a bit detached, seems her most "normal" when she's with Maria, clearly making the effort for Maria's sake. She holds their friendship precious and often has to save her from situations perpetuated by Snake. Maria is wanted both for her status regarding the Ua virus, and as bait for Canaan. A good portion of those situations are a result of her desire to be a photographer, and the relationship she has with her partner, Minoru, a journalist interested in the happenings of the Shibuya incident and the cover-up including gathering information about the strange mark that appears on those who've been exposed to the virus.

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Canaan was a surprise for me. It was mixed, though. When I first read the description, I thought I would like it more. When I started the series, I thought I was wrong. It's slow. The problem is committing to watching the whole thing, but in the end I found it to be worth it. It isn't really my typical genre, but it was a good change. In my efforts to be more inclusive with this blog, I've challenged myself to watching anime that I normally wouldn't. I'm glad that I did in this instance. Unfortunately, the slowness of the series doesn't let up. I struggled to finish it on time, and I had an extra day to get it in. It is definitely one of those series where you really should keep it to one episode per week.

It's complicated, and messed up. If you can get past the beginning parts, and get into it, you'll eventually hit the deep emotionality. You just have to be willing to sit it through. The messed up parts, including one messed up, insane sister, I found a bit tough. It's emotionally painful, and I suppose that makes it a success. Also, there is no comedic relief past the first episode or two. The end takes a little bit away from having to sit through it. This series isn't that messed, but it's rough enough that I would definitely not recommended it for anyone younger than an adult. It's a guy anime, with the violence and military leanings that remind me of certain video games, but good. I won't watch it again, but I would seriously recommend it to someone I thought would appreciate the genre/subject matter.

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For your viewing pleasure: Uraboku

Murder Princess

Genre: Action
Age Appropriate: Teen
Emotional Response: seriously, wtf
Notable Features: spiritual transmigration, princess, bounty hunters, evil cyborg little girls
Language: English
Length: 1 season, 6 episodes
Overall Recommendation: Not so much



Murder Princess is about a young woman, Princess Alita Forland, who must run from her castle as it is attacked by a traitorous scientist who feels he would be a better ruler. In the process of her escape, she ends up running through the woods until she meets a cliff, and a bounty hunter. In her fear, she falls of the cliff, bringing the bounty hunter, Falis, with her. While falling, they have managed to switch bodies in the supposed process of spiritual transmigration - which occurred when both women felt they were about to die and when their spirits realized this was not the case, they accidentally returned to the wrong bodies. After realizing their situation, with input from Falis' helpers - Peter and Dominicov - Alita begs Falis to take her place on the throne and protect her kingdom. Falis only helps for a price, in this case Alita has offered her everything that she is, to act as Falis' service until the kingdom is safe.

In the altercations with the evil scientist, and his android-girl helpers, New Alita has shown to be strong and deadly with a sword. She defeats the monsters in public also, gaining the nickname Murder Princess. Old Alita - now Milano, her servant - helps Falis/Alita become a better princess and queen by instilling in her a sense of responsibility and teaching her the little aristocratic things a noble woman should know (including submitting to having servants). In the end, it all comes down to the battle for the protection of the kingdom against enemies, likely and not, trying to take over the power controlled by the Forland family.

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There were some redeeming qualities of this anime, really. The story isn't really terrible, the end was typical, and there is some interesting parts of the plot. However, I was not a fan. Perhaps, it was more to do with the fact that the series was only 6 episodes, but I had really no emotional investment in the characters at all. Actually, I had to force myself to get through the first three episodes. The last three were decent. I was able to finish the end without much trouble, but I don't think an anime is too successful for me when the only motivation factor to finish it was to write this blog post.

Most of the enemy characters are some sort of misguided or misunderstood. The story behind the story feels like it was just thrown in there so that there was a reason things were happening, even though there was no foreshadowing involved. Normally, I'm happy for a good plot twist, but this wasn't a twist. It was more of a "Oh yeah, we need a point..." It's a bit frustrating. Honestly, I think the series could've handled a little good humor. I probably wouldn't recommend this to anyone. I'm sure there are a few anime that would be lower on a list for me, but this one is pretty stupid.

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Run, doggie, Run!: Inu X Boku Secret Service

Girls Bravo!

Genre: Romance
Age Appropriate: Adult (High Nudity - Not for Children)
Emotional Response: LOL, LOL, huh?, LOL
Notable Features: nudity, aliens, girls, innuendo
Language: English
Length: 2 seasons, 24 episodes
Overall Recommendation: Top 5

"...IN HELL!" - Kirie

Girls Bravo! is a series featuring Yukinari, a young man allergic to girls, and Miharu, a young woman from a planet of woman who shows up through a portal in Yuki's bathtub. Within the first sixty seconds there is some nudity, which essentially carries through the whole series. The whole story really begins with Yukinari accidentally walking in on Kirie, his neighbor and friend, in the bathtub. She kicks his ass - part of what would show to be her personality. This assault on Yukinari puts in motion his meeting of Miharu, when he is mysteriously transported to her planet and he realizes that she doesn't make him break out into a rash (he's literally allergic to girls).

Yukinari is a bit of a runt. Miharu is a bit of a ditz. When they meet on her home planet, she's naked and excited to meet him. Yukinari is just confused and panicked. It seems that Miharu knows exactly what's going on. On Seiren, there are no men and Yukinari's presence creates havoc (particularly with her big sister, Maharu). When he finally returns to Earth, Miharu follows shortly thereafter and the story really begins. Miharu opens Yukinari to a whole new world, both literally and figuratively. She also eats everything, everywhere, every time she can.

The supporting cast includes a pervy upperclassman, his witchy sister, and personnel from Seiren running around Earth for various reasons. There are also some assassin-level servants, an adorable pet and a bevy of voluptuous confusing women. Both seasons are full of inappropriate jokes and slightly complicated plot twists.

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First off, let me just say that there is a high level of nudity. Probably some in every episode. It's all incidental or accidental, not necessarily sexual. Still, I certainly wouldn't watch this with a family member, but maybe a few friends. It really is hilarious. There are a few hearty laugh out loud moments that are completely worth watching the whole series. Yukinari is often is a situation not of his own making, but gets a sound kick in the face by Kirie. Kirie is set on sending every perverted guy she runs across TO HELL! There is nothing to match Miharu's hungry ditziness or Fukuyama's incredible perverted antics. I think Fukuyama's attitude is probably one of the funniest things in the whole series. It wouldn't be complete without him.

There is so much to say and so little space! It is actually a series that you can survive with only watching one episode at a time, but that doesn't mean you have to. Each episode is completely focused on shenanigans, and probably only half of them have any relation to the plot. I admit, it may not have needed all 24 episodes. The end was a little weird, but all good things must come to an end somehow. All in all, the whole series is pretty fun. Clearly, with a Top 5 rating, I liked it. So, go watch it. Seriously.

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Ready! Aim!: Brave 10

Rosario + Vampire (Halloween 2)

Genre: Comedy
Age Appropriate: Teen
Emotional Response: Amusement + Excitement
Notable Features: Vampires + Succubi + Witches + Humans + Boobs
Language: English
Length: 2 seasons, 26 episodes
Overall Recommendation: YAY

"Know. Your. Place!" - Moka

Rosario+Vampire doesn't actually have anyone named Rosario in it. It references a main character's rosary, which keeps her superpower self contained. The true main character is Tsukune Aono, an unassuming incoming (human) freshman who somehow -and by somehow, I mean his father stole the acceptance letter- gets enrolled into a high school for monsters. Within the first few minutes of the first episode he's hit by a girl on a bike, who then sucks his blood! Enter Moka, another freshman, who happens to be a vampire girl. The budding romance between the two is the vehicle which drives the series.

Within the first season, the other friends in this ragtag monster group are added. There is a succubus, a witch, a snow woman, another witch, a werewolf and the ever important Adult Moka. Adult Moka is the S-class supermonster vampire hidden within Moka. Adult Moka is bustier, bootier, and has an attitude. She comes out almost every episode when Tsukune removes Moka's rosary to save the day. All four of the females in their friendly bunch are obsessed with loving Tsukune - the snow woman takes the cake, though. She's a nice, shy, misfit stalker. No matter how much the girls fight over Tsukune, they all band together to fight the evil villain (sometimes faculty!) of each episode - frequently typical bullies with atypical powers.

Other important things to note: A narrating bat, that tells you the time that it takes to the end battle of each episode, explains all of the mythical creatures that come up and ends up as a minion for Moka's younger sister, Kokoa. Also, a bus driver with creepy eyes who transports Tsukune back and forth from the human world. Last, but not least, multiple references to b-movie culture and random uses of figures of speech.

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I loved it. Can you tell? Aside from the whole vampire thing, this series is hilarious. I think the bat is my favorite. There are also so many quotables in this show that it took me awhile to pick one for the top. There are a lot of boob and panty shots though. The stalking and peeping is pretty amusing, too. There is an overabundance of head-smacking humor involved, both the kind where you laughing at how dumb people are and laughing because of how inappropriate they can be. It's really the lighthearted sexuality that got it a Teen rating.

The only real negative that I see whole "Friendship fixes everything!" theme, but that's the moral of the story in almost every episode. Don't be a bully, friendship fixes everything, be yourself...etc. It's very shmoopy that way. I did find myself cheering the other girls on, versus Moka, though. It doesn't make sense since it's obvious that they are the couple of the story, but I thought she was a little one-dimensional. It's possibly because I see myself a little bit in the other girls, where I don 't feel much in common with Moka, at all. Adult Moka is pretty awesome, though. That said, I really recommend it for girls. The only part I can see a guy enjoying is the boobs. Lots of boobs. I wanted to stay away from writing things about that since they're so prevalent in so much anime, but I can't get away from it in this one. Watch it, if you dare. YAY!

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Coming Up: Trinity Blood (Halloween 3)