Genre: Action/Adventure
Age Appropriate: Teen+
Emotional Response: Excited followed by disappointed
Notable Features: gods, magic, fan service
Language: Japanese
Length: 11 episodes
Overall Recommendation: Disappointing
"I'm his wife!" - pretty much all of the girls
Godou is a young man who is sent on a delivery run by his grandfather. With nothing better to do, Godou goes out to return something to his grandfather's acquaintance and ends up falling into a bizarre world of girls, swords and gods. After running into a swordmaster girl, Erica Blandelli, and managing to defeat a strange god, he is now the Campione. His new job is to defeat evil gods as the show up in the world, attempting to take power for themselves. Through his defeat of Verethragna, a Persian diety, his new status of campione comes with special abilities to help his cause. Each of these abilities is gained through different means and they all are attributed to 10 different representations.
In this harem adventure, Godou collects young ladies interested in fighting the good fight. They all have different personalities and different motivations, but they have one thing in common. They all fall for Godou. This is completely despite his awkward fumbles of accidental impropriety. The series ends with a cliffhanger as to where the group will go next (but it appears the manga keeps going).
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There is a good reason that the series ends in a cliffhanger. It didn't get enough viewership to bother with a second season. I was really excited when I first started watching. If there was anything I was into when I was younger, that wasn't vampires!, it was mythology. You can blame TV for that one (yay Hercules!). I did jump into mythology quite quickly and it carried all the way through high school ancient history. So, when I found this anime, I was really curious about how it was going to work out.
I was sorely disappointed. I don't usually expect a lot out of a harem anime. I've seen a number of really engaging ones that simply use the awkward boy/pretty girl thing as a good comedic vehicle. This one had so much potential! For me, it fell short. Basically, I don't recommend it. I was sad when it was cancelled, but only because I hoped it would find a way to redeem itself. I may consider giving the manga a chance though. I suppose it's possible that it could be better in print.
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Kid fun!: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Showing posts with label girls. Show all posts
Showing posts with label girls. Show all posts
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Cosplay Complex
Genre: Comedy
Age Appropriate: Older teen+
Emotional Response: Kinda funny
Notable Features: cosplay and dirty jokes
Language: Japanese
Length: 3 episodes
Overall Recommendation: Not so much
"Well, doesn't it look like I'm making love to the cameraman? "-Ranko
Cosplay Complex is a short series of only 3 episodes. They focus on a small school group of girls (and one guy) who are interested in cosplay - particularly in cosplay competitions. The primary character, Chako, is a bit of a spaz and has a strange relationship with a strange fairy (and an owl?) who can magically become any outfit needed - provided her dear friend is willing to pay her in tasty treats. Despite the cosplay premise, the series is generally a comedy with a wealth of dirty jokes and fan service. The various members of the cosplay club all have outrageous personalities, that are highly focused on absurdity.
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Um, I can't really say much positive about this series. The jokes are okay, I suppose. I got a few giggles in there, but otherwise I wasn't super impressed. It certainly wasn't the worst anime I've seen, but I wouldn't recommend it. Well, that's not entirely true. If someone asked me for an anime that was pretty stupid and maybe funny, this one would be on the list. I think the owl was probably my favorite character, although the younger girl, Athena, is pretty darn cute. So, yeah, not exactly a productive use of anime viewing time.
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Something different: Diabolik Lovers
Age Appropriate: Older teen+
Emotional Response: Kinda funny
Notable Features: cosplay and dirty jokes
Language: Japanese
Length: 3 episodes
Overall Recommendation: Not so much
"Well, doesn't it look like I'm making love to the cameraman? "-Ranko
Cosplay Complex is a short series of only 3 episodes. They focus on a small school group of girls (and one guy) who are interested in cosplay - particularly in cosplay competitions. The primary character, Chako, is a bit of a spaz and has a strange relationship with a strange fairy (and an owl?) who can magically become any outfit needed - provided her dear friend is willing to pay her in tasty treats. Despite the cosplay premise, the series is generally a comedy with a wealth of dirty jokes and fan service. The various members of the cosplay club all have outrageous personalities, that are highly focused on absurdity.
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Um, I can't really say much positive about this series. The jokes are okay, I suppose. I got a few giggles in there, but otherwise I wasn't super impressed. It certainly wasn't the worst anime I've seen, but I wouldn't recommend it. Well, that's not entirely true. If someone asked me for an anime that was pretty stupid and maybe funny, this one would be on the list. I think the owl was probably my favorite character, although the younger girl, Athena, is pretty darn cute. So, yeah, not exactly a productive use of anime viewing time.
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Something different: Diabolik Lovers
Friday, August 2, 2013
Kanememo
Genre: Comedy
Age Appropriate: Older Teens/Adult
Emotional Response: A mix between awww and seriously?
Notable Features: girls, yuri, adult content
Language: Japanese
Length: 1 Season, 13 episodes
Overall Recommendation: Not so much
"But if it were hamster aliens..." - Kana
When Kana's grandmother dies, she jumps to the wild conclusion that she will be taken away with her grandmother's things when the movers come. Her response is to pack everything she can into her backpack and run away from home. After wandering the streets for awhile, she doubles back to a strange newspaper, with strange employees, and takes a job as a newspaper girl. The position doesn't offer much in pay, but does offer room and board. The assistant chief, or "Chief," is a grade schooler with a strong arm and a secretly soft heart. She allows Kana to work there after hearing she has no family, despite being underage for working without permission.
The other employees are comprised of four other young ladies, all significantly older than Kana (around college age). Two of the young ladies are in a odd, yet loving, relationship - with one being a bit obsessed. The third is a bit tomboy-ish but lots of fun. The fourth is a creepy moe pervert obsessed with getting her hands on Kana and/or the boss. Frequently, their shenanigans lead to a pay cut. Combined with her school friends, a competitive newspaper girl from another store, and her memories of her grandmother, Kana navigates her new independent life while learning a wide variety of life lessons.
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Kanamemo was a mix of funny and disturbing. There was a lot of potential in the beginning. I
particularly enjoyed Kana's strange moment of obsession with hamster aliens. While I enjoyed it at the beginning, mostly by ignoring the wierd parts, eventually the story just got kind of old. At least, what there was of a story. I tried to ignore the pervy, pedophilic Haru, and was successful for the most part, but there were times when I just wanted to punch her in the head - much like the other girls would do. It's not so much the perviness as the creepy choice of girls.
At first, I did think I was going to like it. Unfortunately, there was nothing in the story except the minor plots per episode. I can definitely appreciate a coming-of-age story, but there is usually come sort of conflict/resolution part of a story, and this seemed to be missing everything. Maybe it would've been different if the show was longer than 13 episodes. I guess, I wasn't that impressed. The final episode was really cute, so I'm glad I suffered through it so I didn't feel like it was a total wash. I don't think I would stop someone from watching it - and while the characters are a bit tasteless, all nudity is covered by funny censor bubble animals - I just wouldn't recommend it to someone.
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Eeeee!: Maid Sama
Age Appropriate: Older Teens/Adult
Emotional Response: A mix between awww and seriously?
Notable Features: girls, yuri, adult content
Language: Japanese
Length: 1 Season, 13 episodes
Overall Recommendation: Not so much
"But if it were hamster aliens..." - Kana
When Kana's grandmother dies, she jumps to the wild conclusion that she will be taken away with her grandmother's things when the movers come. Her response is to pack everything she can into her backpack and run away from home. After wandering the streets for awhile, she doubles back to a strange newspaper, with strange employees, and takes a job as a newspaper girl. The position doesn't offer much in pay, but does offer room and board. The assistant chief, or "Chief," is a grade schooler with a strong arm and a secretly soft heart. She allows Kana to work there after hearing she has no family, despite being underage for working without permission.
The other employees are comprised of four other young ladies, all significantly older than Kana (around college age). Two of the young ladies are in a odd, yet loving, relationship - with one being a bit obsessed. The third is a bit tomboy-ish but lots of fun. The fourth is a creepy moe pervert obsessed with getting her hands on Kana and/or the boss. Frequently, their shenanigans lead to a pay cut. Combined with her school friends, a competitive newspaper girl from another store, and her memories of her grandmother, Kana navigates her new independent life while learning a wide variety of life lessons.
-----
Kanamemo was a mix of funny and disturbing. There was a lot of potential in the beginning. I
At first, I did think I was going to like it. Unfortunately, there was nothing in the story except the minor plots per episode. I can definitely appreciate a coming-of-age story, but there is usually come sort of conflict/resolution part of a story, and this seemed to be missing everything. Maybe it would've been different if the show was longer than 13 episodes. I guess, I wasn't that impressed. The final episode was really cute, so I'm glad I suffered through it so I didn't feel like it was a total wash. I don't think I would stop someone from watching it - and while the characters are a bit tasteless, all nudity is covered by funny censor bubble animals - I just wouldn't recommend it to someone.
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Eeeee!: Maid Sama
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
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.
-----
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 20, 2013
Haganai
Genre: Comedy
Age Appropriate: Teens
Emotional Response: LOL, feel good
Notable Features: high school, social ineptitude
Language: Japanese
Length: 2 season, 26 episodes
Overall Recommendation: Definitely
"Poopy crappy hag!" - Sister Maria
A geek, perverted scientist, dirty blonde thug, and a prima donna girly-girl walk into a common room...and The Neighbors Club is formed. Kodaka is a young man in high school who has transfered in as a Sophomore. His dirty blonde hair, and stern features have created rumors around school that he is a hardened thug, with various exploits under his belt. The other students hide in fear from him, and take every situation out of context. The beginning of his friend-less salvation starts with stumbling onto Yozora, a social outcast girl, who has an imaginary "air" friend named Tomo. After a conversation about their mutual inability to make friends, Yozora creates the Neighbors Club, putting a subliminal-type message on the flyer. The point of the club is to practice being "normal" and making friends for later.
As the flyer is seen by other stranger teens, the most popular girl in school pops up, with great drama, wanting to learn how to make friends. Apparently, her issue is being so popular that no one actually wants to like her. The pervy scientist is a girl Kodaka saves from a faint, and a young man joins the club after deciding that Kodaka's reputation means he's awesome. Yozora, being the evil prankster that she is, convinces Yukimori (said young man) that in order to be more manly, and therefore closer to Kodaka's example, he must learn to brazen his manliness out through counter-intuitive actions - basically, she convinces his to dress in drag for the entire series. The club advisor, Sister Maria, is a super-genius Sister who didn't really know what she was going into, and her arch-nemesis ends up being Kodaka's younger sister who is obsessed with a vampire anime character. Haganai follows a variety of interesting situations that occur as a result of their misguided activities for being more friend-friendly, and the interactions between the group's various frenemies.
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Haganai was a feel-good, funny series that really lifted my spirits a little bit. I'm glad that I decided to give it a try. After watching the first two episodes in English, I was disappointed to find that it was seriously only the first two episodes that had been dubbed. It was funny enough to keep moving, though. The series was fully of awkward characters, and in that way it reminded me of when I was around that age. I don't think I specifically identified with any of them, but the feel was just right. The series itself didn't seem to have any major developments, or conflicts, which may make this review portion a bit boring, I suppose. It was pretty much solely focused on character development. So many high school series have odd attachments to them, and this was straight-up comedy without magic, androids, or gratuitous nudity.
There were a few great LOL moments. There is one scene where the group is on a roller coaster ride that made me cry with laughter. It was in season 2, though, so you'll just have to wait to get there. There was some incidental fan service, but after High School DxD it was practically childish. I have so many favorite characteristics for each character, but I think I really enjoyed the middle schoolers the best, probably followed closely by the cross-dressing cross-dresser. I'm not sure it's really up to a re-watch status, but I would definitely recommend it for someone looking for an easy laugh.
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NEXT!: Air
Age Appropriate: Teens
Emotional Response: LOL, feel good
Notable Features: high school, social ineptitude
Language: Japanese
Length: 2 season, 26 episodes
Overall Recommendation: Definitely
"Poopy crappy hag!" - Sister Maria
A geek, perverted scientist, dirty blonde thug, and a prima donna girly-girl walk into a common room...and The Neighbors Club is formed. Kodaka is a young man in high school who has transfered in as a Sophomore. His dirty blonde hair, and stern features have created rumors around school that he is a hardened thug, with various exploits under his belt. The other students hide in fear from him, and take every situation out of context. The beginning of his friend-less salvation starts with stumbling onto Yozora, a social outcast girl, who has an imaginary "air" friend named Tomo. After a conversation about their mutual inability to make friends, Yozora creates the Neighbors Club, putting a subliminal-type message on the flyer. The point of the club is to practice being "normal" and making friends for later.As the flyer is seen by other stranger teens, the most popular girl in school pops up, with great drama, wanting to learn how to make friends. Apparently, her issue is being so popular that no one actually wants to like her. The pervy scientist is a girl Kodaka saves from a faint, and a young man joins the club after deciding that Kodaka's reputation means he's awesome. Yozora, being the evil prankster that she is, convinces Yukimori (said young man) that in order to be more manly, and therefore closer to Kodaka's example, he must learn to brazen his manliness out through counter-intuitive actions - basically, she convinces his to dress in drag for the entire series. The club advisor, Sister Maria, is a super-genius Sister who didn't really know what she was going into, and her arch-nemesis ends up being Kodaka's younger sister who is obsessed with a vampire anime character. Haganai follows a variety of interesting situations that occur as a result of their misguided activities for being more friend-friendly, and the interactions between the group's various frenemies.
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Haganai was a feel-good, funny series that really lifted my spirits a little bit. I'm glad that I decided to give it a try. After watching the first two episodes in English, I was disappointed to find that it was seriously only the first two episodes that had been dubbed. It was funny enough to keep moving, though. The series was fully of awkward characters, and in that way it reminded me of when I was around that age. I don't think I specifically identified with any of them, but the feel was just right. The series itself didn't seem to have any major developments, or conflicts, which may make this review portion a bit boring, I suppose. It was pretty much solely focused on character development. So many high school series have odd attachments to them, and this was straight-up comedy without magic, androids, or gratuitous nudity.
There were a few great LOL moments. There is one scene where the group is on a roller coaster ride that made me cry with laughter. It was in season 2, though, so you'll just have to wait to get there. There was some incidental fan service, but after High School DxD it was practically childish. I have so many favorite characteristics for each character, but I think I really enjoyed the middle schoolers the best, probably followed closely by the cross-dressing cross-dresser. I'm not sure it's really up to a re-watch status, but I would definitely recommend it for someone looking for an easy laugh.
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NEXT!: Air
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
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." - IsseiIssei 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.
-----
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
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)
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
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How did that work for y'all?: Time of Eve
Friday, May 24, 2013
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.
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.
-----
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!
-----
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.
Monday, May 20, 2013
Listen to me girls, I'm your father.
Genre: Comedy
Age Appropriate: Any age
Emotional Response: Sad followed by happy
Notable Features: family committment, adorable kids
Language: Japanese
Length: 1 season, 12 episodes
Overall Recommendation: Great
"Twinkle, twinkle, little star...." - Hina & Co.
Yuuta is a first year college student who is interested in joining the SS club at school. Well, he's kidnapped by said club, but there is a beautiful girl involved, so he dicides to stick around. Then he gets a call from his sister. She scolds him for not visiting. It turns out that his older sister raised him when their parents died, so she became closer to a mother. Now she has three little girls, two from her husband's previous marriages, and one of their own. His sister bullies him into a visit, and has a secret plot - a test run for having him stay with the girls for a time when she and her husband have to go out of town for his work. He does have fun with the girls, and despite being reluctant about it, agrees when the little girls guilt him into it.
Their first night home alone, tragedy falls for the family. The airplane with the parents crashes and now the girls are orphans. At the funeral, the families agree to split the girls up, so that each family only has to take one. Yuuta flashes back to his parents funeral and his sister's response. He jumps up and declares that he will take the girls - despite being poor, having a small apartment, and not much at home. The girls jump at the chance to be with him. They don't really understant what they're in for, but they'd be together. So begins the story of Yuuta being the father of a preteen, a 10 year old, and a toddler.
----
I loved this series. It was bittersweet, but engaging. After the past few confusing, multiple personality based series, I was really looking for something straight-up normal. No magic, sci-fi, psychological factors, but just something "normal." This series really nailed it.
I love all of the characters. Yuuta is so sweet in his struggles to meet the needs of the girls, while being completely oblivious about the actual day-to-day necessities. He really wants to make them happy (but forgets to think about their emotional states and the stress of being mini-homemakers). Sora is sweet, and takes on something closer to the "mom" role. Maybe it's just being a really good older sister, but she has to deal with her major crush on Yuuta. He's pretty oblivious to that, too. The only negative about it is that Sora is kind of annoying with it sometimes. Miu loves to torture her sister about her crush. She's pretty nice and a little mischevious, but in a good-hearted kind of way. She's stuck between being the older sister to Hina, helping Sora and wanting to just be a kid, and not wanting to cause anyone any trouble. Hina is just cute. Seriously. CUTE. I squealed a few times when she was on screen because she's so freakin' cute. C.U.T.E. I don't know if I would need to rewatch the series, but Hina might make it nice to do so.
It's really those characters that make the series. The story is nice, and uplifting despite the sadness of what they face, but it's really pretty great. I'd recommened it to someone looking for it, hands down, and there really wasn't anything inappropriate. I liked it.
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Roll over!: Heaven's Lost Property
Age Appropriate: Any age
Emotional Response: Sad followed by happy
Notable Features: family committment, adorable kids
Language: Japanese
Length: 1 season, 12 episodes
Overall Recommendation: Great
"Twinkle, twinkle, little star...." - Hina & Co.
Their first night home alone, tragedy falls for the family. The airplane with the parents crashes and now the girls are orphans. At the funeral, the families agree to split the girls up, so that each family only has to take one. Yuuta flashes back to his parents funeral and his sister's response. He jumps up and declares that he will take the girls - despite being poor, having a small apartment, and not much at home. The girls jump at the chance to be with him. They don't really understant what they're in for, but they'd be together. So begins the story of Yuuta being the father of a preteen, a 10 year old, and a toddler.
----
I loved this series. It was bittersweet, but engaging. After the past few confusing, multiple personality based series, I was really looking for something straight-up normal. No magic, sci-fi, psychological factors, but just something "normal." This series really nailed it.
I love all of the characters. Yuuta is so sweet in his struggles to meet the needs of the girls, while being completely oblivious about the actual day-to-day necessities. He really wants to make them happy (but forgets to think about their emotional states and the stress of being mini-homemakers). Sora is sweet, and takes on something closer to the "mom" role. Maybe it's just being a really good older sister, but she has to deal with her major crush on Yuuta. He's pretty oblivious to that, too. The only negative about it is that Sora is kind of annoying with it sometimes. Miu loves to torture her sister about her crush. She's pretty nice and a little mischevious, but in a good-hearted kind of way. She's stuck between being the older sister to Hina, helping Sora and wanting to just be a kid, and not wanting to cause anyone any trouble. Hina is just cute. Seriously. CUTE. I squealed a few times when she was on screen because she's so freakin' cute. C.U.T.E. I don't know if I would need to rewatch the series, but Hina might make it nice to do so.
It's really those characters that make the series. The story is nice, and uplifting despite the sadness of what they face, but it's really pretty great. I'd recommened it to someone looking for it, hands down, and there really wasn't anything inappropriate. I liked it.
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Roll over!: Heaven's Lost Property
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.
----
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.
----
Fly Away: Listen to me girls. I'm your father. (At least, that's what I found it named as...)
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.----
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.
----
Fly Away: Listen to me girls. I'm your father. (At least, that's what I found it named as...)
Thursday, April 25, 2013
My Little Monster
Genre: Comedy
Age Appropriate: Any Age
Emotional Response: Ha.
Notable Features: high school, socially inept students, a chicken
Language: Japanese
Length: 1 seasons, 13 episodes
Overall Recommendation: Great
"You can't be lonely is no one is around." - Yamaken
My Little Monster is a romantic comedy starring an awkward young freshman girl, Shizuku. She is cold, and brainy, and believes that studying to get the highest marks to be the center of her world. One afternoon, a teacher asks her to bring some worksheets over to a student who hasn't been in school since the beginning of the year, and despite her immediate rejection, ends up doing it anyway. Somehow, she stumbles into the young man, Haru, and ends up in a bizarre friendship with him - mostly made bizarre because he is bizarre all by himself. His overwhelming desire and enthusiasm to have a friend drives Shizuku up the wall at every turn, but she seems unable to separate herself from him.
Part of it seems to be an interesting take on interpersonal relationships, and part of it seems to be from a confusing misunderstanding about Haru's declared feelings for her, or not declared, or taken back, or maybe just friends, or definitely friends but not love in the same what that the other persons feels...etc. The whole series includes various mini-situations, but all stem from Shizuku trying to figure out what is going on, and how her controlled lonely existence has turned into this weird mess. Include a handful of additional brand new friends, including some delinquents, another smart guy, and awkward pretty girl and a baseball player, the advice for the two kids becomes varied and often wrong.
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This series reminds me a lot of Say "I Love You." Despite being a comedy, the characters remind me of each other - or at least Shizuku does. The two female protagonists have the same level of awkwardness between them. My Little Monster is not quiet, however. It's crazy, and amusing. The best part, I think, might be the chicken, and I don't mean that in any derogatory way. The chicken is pretty awesome. I found it interesting for myself to actually be rooting, at some points, for not the obvious couple. I kinda wanted Shizuku to end up with the other person who is interested in her at some point.
The series is a little open-ended. So, maybe one day they will make a sequel. The series was just released, so there hasn't been anytime to figure that out. It does feel like it might be the end, though. I did enjoy it quite a bit. I think for a good amount of time I was just confused, but I also thought the whole mess was kinda sweet. There wasn't much character development shared between the secondary characters, which I think might have worked well, but when a series is only 13 episodes, I supposed one can't expect much. I would still recommend it, especially is you liked Say "I Love You." They're similar without being the same. There really isn't much else to say on this short series. It's definitely a chick-flick.
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Something new: Witch Hunter Robin
(Guest Review! I've had a friend do a review for me. You can read his thoughts next time - I'm sure it will be a treat to have a geek BOY do a review.)
Age Appropriate: Any Age
Emotional Response: Ha.
Notable Features: high school, socially inept students, a chicken
Language: Japanese
Length: 1 seasons, 13 episodes
Overall Recommendation: Great
"You can't be lonely is no one is around." - Yamaken
My Little Monster is a romantic comedy starring an awkward young freshman girl, Shizuku. She is cold, and brainy, and believes that studying to get the highest marks to be the center of her world. One afternoon, a teacher asks her to bring some worksheets over to a student who hasn't been in school since the beginning of the year, and despite her immediate rejection, ends up doing it anyway. Somehow, she stumbles into the young man, Haru, and ends up in a bizarre friendship with him - mostly made bizarre because he is bizarre all by himself. His overwhelming desire and enthusiasm to have a friend drives Shizuku up the wall at every turn, but she seems unable to separate herself from him.
Part of it seems to be an interesting take on interpersonal relationships, and part of it seems to be from a confusing misunderstanding about Haru's declared feelings for her, or not declared, or taken back, or maybe just friends, or definitely friends but not love in the same what that the other persons feels...etc. The whole series includes various mini-situations, but all stem from Shizuku trying to figure out what is going on, and how her controlled lonely existence has turned into this weird mess. Include a handful of additional brand new friends, including some delinquents, another smart guy, and awkward pretty girl and a baseball player, the advice for the two kids becomes varied and often wrong.
-----
This series reminds me a lot of Say "I Love You." Despite being a comedy, the characters remind me of each other - or at least Shizuku does. The two female protagonists have the same level of awkwardness between them. My Little Monster is not quiet, however. It's crazy, and amusing. The best part, I think, might be the chicken, and I don't mean that in any derogatory way. The chicken is pretty awesome. I found it interesting for myself to actually be rooting, at some points, for not the obvious couple. I kinda wanted Shizuku to end up with the other person who is interested in her at some point.The series is a little open-ended. So, maybe one day they will make a sequel. The series was just released, so there hasn't been anytime to figure that out. It does feel like it might be the end, though. I did enjoy it quite a bit. I think for a good amount of time I was just confused, but I also thought the whole mess was kinda sweet. There wasn't much character development shared between the secondary characters, which I think might have worked well, but when a series is only 13 episodes, I supposed one can't expect much. I would still recommend it, especially is you liked Say "I Love You." They're similar without being the same. There really isn't much else to say on this short series. It's definitely a chick-flick.
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Something new: Witch Hunter Robin
(Guest Review! I've had a friend do a review for me. You can read his thoughts next time - I'm sure it will be a treat to have a geek BOY do a review.)
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.
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.
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
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.
-----
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
Monday, February 11, 2013
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
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.
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!
-----
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
Monday, January 7, 2013
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
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.
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
Monday, December 3, 2012
Baka & Test
Genre: Comedy
Age Appropriate: Teen
Emotional Response: LOL
Notable Features: avatars, education and cuteness
Language: English/Japanese
Length: 2 seasons, 26 episodes
Overall Recommendation: Great
"I don't want to be your doughnut!" - Akihisa Yoshii
Fumizuki Academy is a high school that is highly focused on academic achievement. The better the test scores, the better the students' equipment. Each student takes an entrance exam at the start of each year, and based on those scores they are placed in a class with students who have similar scores - ranging from Class A to Class F. Class A has laptops, a kitchenette, comfortable desks, recliners...etc. Class F starts out with kindergarten tables and deflated seat cushions. The classes have the option of challenging other classes to Summoner Test Wars. The purpose is to trade up for better equipment if the lower class defeats the high class. Any class can challenge any other class. Students have avatars that represent them in the Wars, often reflecting that student's personality. Their starting scores reflect their most recent test scores, and the battles are usually in a specific topic. These rules make for important strategic battle plans between classes.
Yoshii, a student of the academy, starts his year in Class F, along with his friend Himeji. Himeji is actually a Class A level student, but because she fainted during the entrance exam she was given zeros and begins with nothing. The other students in the series all begin in Class F, and they all seem to be friends from past years in school. Yoshii's desire to help Himeji begins a class war, because he wants to get her back to where she should be academically. His friends help him because they want to rebel against the system, or just kick some higher class butt. The friends have varied personalities, from a pervy teen boy with a camera to a psycho girl obsessed with her elementary school crush. Throughout the wholes series, despite the battles, the real story focuses on coming of age issues, teen romances, and teamwork.
Season two starts as a summer vacation episode, but it returns to the school based shenanigans pretty quickly. This season, however, has no overwhelming need for battling and is much more focused on friendship interplay and embarrassment comedy. There are also a few episodes centered on flashbacks of the friends' first year. It also delves straight into the romance part of the story.
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I watched the first season in one day.
Baka & Test is hilarious and just what I needed. It's ridiculous. I also want a battle avatar. They're super cute and super awesome. Yoshii's avatar is probably my favorite, and I appreciate the special abilities that come with his being an idiot. I also learned a lot of interesting little educational tidbits that I'll probably never remember, but it was fun.
I admit that the second season was not nearly as good as the first season, but I still watched it in about a day. Unfortunately, this caused the overall rating to go down a bit. The multiple-episode battle of the teachers/girls vs. stupid boys is quite epic, though. Both seasons have a really good flow, enough that I didn't actually realize that I'd seen 5 episodes in a row before taking a break.
It was silly, and while there were some head-shaking tsk-tsk moments, there was no serious nudity, swearing, or blood that would usually prompt a higher appropriate age rating. It didn't rate a Top 5, but it was simply fun. No serious plot, no super-drama, no heartbreak, but all in a good way. The only thing that might have made it better would be to have a real ending. It seems incomplete and I'm hoping they're planning on a third season. I would still recommend it.
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Summon!: Canaan
Age Appropriate: Teen
Emotional Response: LOL
Notable Features: avatars, education and cuteness
Language: English/Japanese
Length: 2 seasons, 26 episodes
Overall Recommendation: Great
"I don't want to be your doughnut!" - Akihisa Yoshii
Fumizuki Academy is a high school that is highly focused on academic achievement. The better the test scores, the better the students' equipment. Each student takes an entrance exam at the start of each year, and based on those scores they are placed in a class with students who have similar scores - ranging from Class A to Class F. Class A has laptops, a kitchenette, comfortable desks, recliners...etc. Class F starts out with kindergarten tables and deflated seat cushions. The classes have the option of challenging other classes to Summoner Test Wars. The purpose is to trade up for better equipment if the lower class defeats the high class. Any class can challenge any other class. Students have avatars that represent them in the Wars, often reflecting that student's personality. Their starting scores reflect their most recent test scores, and the battles are usually in a specific topic. These rules make for important strategic battle plans between classes.
Yoshii, a student of the academy, starts his year in Class F, along with his friend Himeji. Himeji is actually a Class A level student, but because she fainted during the entrance exam she was given zeros and begins with nothing. The other students in the series all begin in Class F, and they all seem to be friends from past years in school. Yoshii's desire to help Himeji begins a class war, because he wants to get her back to where she should be academically. His friends help him because they want to rebel against the system, or just kick some higher class butt. The friends have varied personalities, from a pervy teen boy with a camera to a psycho girl obsessed with her elementary school crush. Throughout the wholes series, despite the battles, the real story focuses on coming of age issues, teen romances, and teamwork.Season two starts as a summer vacation episode, but it returns to the school based shenanigans pretty quickly. This season, however, has no overwhelming need for battling and is much more focused on friendship interplay and embarrassment comedy. There are also a few episodes centered on flashbacks of the friends' first year. It also delves straight into the romance part of the story.
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I watched the first season in one day.
Baka & Test is hilarious and just what I needed. It's ridiculous. I also want a battle avatar. They're super cute and super awesome. Yoshii's avatar is probably my favorite, and I appreciate the special abilities that come with his being an idiot. I also learned a lot of interesting little educational tidbits that I'll probably never remember, but it was fun.
I admit that the second season was not nearly as good as the first season, but I still watched it in about a day. Unfortunately, this caused the overall rating to go down a bit. The multiple-episode battle of the teachers/girls vs. stupid boys is quite epic, though. Both seasons have a really good flow, enough that I didn't actually realize that I'd seen 5 episodes in a row before taking a break.
It was silly, and while there were some head-shaking tsk-tsk moments, there was no serious nudity, swearing, or blood that would usually prompt a higher appropriate age rating. It didn't rate a Top 5, but it was simply fun. No serious plot, no super-drama, no heartbreak, but all in a good way. The only thing that might have made it better would be to have a real ending. It seems incomplete and I'm hoping they're planning on a third season. I would still recommend it.
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Summon!: Canaan
Thursday, November 15, 2012
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
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
Monday, October 8, 2012
Negima!?: Master Negi Magi
Genre: Comedy/Romance
Age Appropriate: Pre-teens/Teens
Emotional Response: Awww. How cute! Go get 'em, team!
Notable Features: cute girls, mages, vampire, 10 year old teacher
Language: English
Length: 2 seasons, 26 episodes
Overall Recommendation: Pretty Good :)
"...in a good way." - Matsu
Negi Springfield is an apprentice wizard sent to Mahora Academy to teach a class full of pre-teen girls (31, actually). He is working on his magic apprenticeship with the goal of finding his father, The Thousand Master! The twist? Negi Springfield is 10 years old. However, he IS a wizard. There is a prohibition on him showing his magic at school, but the series basically follows how much he doesn't succeed at this. In order to avoid the wrath of the Academy of Magic, Negi goes into "probationary contracts" with the students who discover that he's a wizard. Each contract comes with "Pactio cards," which determine the form that each girl will take when called upon. The drama twists more because the only way for the girls to enter into a probationary contract is by kissing Negi! It helps that most of his class think he's adorable.
The Academy of Magic keeps their eye on him with the help of two funny looking characters: Shichimi and Motsu. While they look like a cartoon cat and a badly drawn frog, they're surprisingly adept at popping up at just the wrong moment for Negi. As Negi doesn't willy-nilly show off his magic, his magic failures only really happen in emergency situations while fighting/saving girls from whatever villian is around. This leads to the unending line of girls that end up on Team Negi - who masquerade as the Chupa(cabra) Club.The villains range from a vampire stuck on the island to and evil fairy who takes over minds. There is a desperate search for the pieces of a magical crystal, a mysterious baron and a shady professor friend who is obsessed with ramen. There is even a ferret-looking "fairy" companion with a dirty mind.
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First, two words: HARRY POTTER
Moving on:
I actually re-watched this one to write the review. That wasn't the best idea. There are some things you can watch over and over again and enjoy and some that just feel redundant. That aside, I really do like Negima!? It's sweet and innocent - certainly more innocent that Ouran High School Host Club! A lot of this series involved head-smacking situations and comments by the girls - who show a great range of stupidity to keen intelligence and compassion. If you can think of a "typical" stereotype tween - geek to popular girl - they are likely represented...in a good way. Seriously. There are so many little things for each girl that are entirely amusing that I can't actually write them all down and have this end up being a pointless review.
It starts a little slow. Usually, I'm wishing for more episodes, but this one is a little too drawn out. Or, maybe, this is just one not meant for immediate consumption. There is a certain amount of light dirty humor, but a lot of it would probably fly over a younger person's head - frequently either the overly dramatic narrator or the dirty little ermine. Key Note: The are hilarious references to pop culture that should be watched for (e.g. Rocky Horror Picture Show), if you can find them. The music is fun, though. The opening theme starts out sounding like an old school video game. I would say this is a great follow up to a serious drama anime. The best though? The writing on the wall. Literally. There is writing on walls, chalk boards, signs, floating in the air...etc, and it's always hilarious and bizarre. I enjoy watching Negima!? just for that! It's all just a bunch of cute. Not my favorite anime ever, but a nice diversion nonetheless.
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And now....: Neo Angelique Abyss
*SPECIAL NOTE: In an effort to be less crazy, I'm going to be more consistent. Reality being that I really can't watch that much anime at once with limited overlap. SO, I'll only be posting reviews Monday and Thursdays.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
High School of the Dead
Genre: Action/Drama
Age Appropriate: Older teens+
Emotional Response: gross, sadness, anticipation, GO TEAM
Notable Features: ZOMBIES
Language: English
Length: 1 season, 12 episodes
Overall Recommendation: Not bad
"I like turtles" - Hirano
High School of the Dead is essentially what it sounds like. It's an anime series about a group of high school students battling the living dead, aka ZOMBIES. You can't have a review of anime series without zombies, right? The zombies are traditional, stumbling, bumbling, mindless creatures who only respond to sounds. The infection/disease is spread through bites. The transition doesn't take very long, actually. The only difference between this anime series and a typical zombie movies is live action vs. animation.
There is a set of main characters that meet up in the first few episodes; primarily focused on Rei and Takashi - a set of friends with an unbalanced romance. Each group member has a specific role to play: geek weapons guy, kendo captain, school doctor...etc. They attempt to make their way to safety outside the high school while picking up stray survivors along the way. The main focus of their travels is to reach each other's families in the hopes that their parents are still alive, and throughout their journey they ride on motorbikes, drive an SUV, jump fences, and have multiple group battles agains the evil dead forces.
I'm shocked, really, at how much I ended up liking this series. I admit my primary decision to watch it was because I realized that I've pretty much liked everything I've reviewed and wanted to give myself a chance to delve into something I wasn't sure about. Oops. I'm still not a huge fan of zombie movies, but if I had to, this would work for me. Perhaps it's just live action zombies I don't enjoy.
The characters are actually pretty intense, and when they're not brooding and yelling, they're doing ridiculously inappropriate things. Sometimes the timing felt a little off for shenanigans but they were definitely necessary to make it through. There are quite a few T&A shots, in true anime fashion. Good anime for typical guys actually.
While I felt that it started a little slow and depressing, by the end I was shouting encouraging things at the characters - because, you know, that helps. Some of those fight scenes were pretty cool. Given the zombie battlegrounds, there was plenty of grossness, but not as much as you might expect. I've definitely seen worse. I think my "Older Teens" rating is much more for lewdness than violence. Recommended for zombie fanboys and girls with zombie fanboy boyfriends - or zombie fangirls.
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Next for Mini-Geek Girl: Elfen Lied
Age Appropriate: Older teens+
Emotional Response: gross, sadness, anticipation, GO TEAM
Notable Features: ZOMBIES
Language: English
Length: 1 season, 12 episodes
Overall Recommendation: Not bad
"I like turtles" - Hirano
High School of the Dead is essentially what it sounds like. It's an anime series about a group of high school students battling the living dead, aka ZOMBIES. You can't have a review of anime series without zombies, right? The zombies are traditional, stumbling, bumbling, mindless creatures who only respond to sounds. The infection/disease is spread through bites. The transition doesn't take very long, actually. The only difference between this anime series and a typical zombie movies is live action vs. animation.
There is a set of main characters that meet up in the first few episodes; primarily focused on Rei and Takashi - a set of friends with an unbalanced romance. Each group member has a specific role to play: geek weapons guy, kendo captain, school doctor...etc. They attempt to make their way to safety outside the high school while picking up stray survivors along the way. The main focus of their travels is to reach each other's families in the hopes that their parents are still alive, and throughout their journey they ride on motorbikes, drive an SUV, jump fences, and have multiple group battles agains the evil dead forces.
I'm shocked, really, at how much I ended up liking this series. I admit my primary decision to watch it was because I realized that I've pretty much liked everything I've reviewed and wanted to give myself a chance to delve into something I wasn't sure about. Oops. I'm still not a huge fan of zombie movies, but if I had to, this would work for me. Perhaps it's just live action zombies I don't enjoy.
The characters are actually pretty intense, and when they're not brooding and yelling, they're doing ridiculously inappropriate things. Sometimes the timing felt a little off for shenanigans but they were definitely necessary to make it through. There are quite a few T&A shots, in true anime fashion. Good anime for typical guys actually.
While I felt that it started a little slow and depressing, by the end I was shouting encouraging things at the characters - because, you know, that helps. Some of those fight scenes were pretty cool. Given the zombie battlegrounds, there was plenty of grossness, but not as much as you might expect. I've definitely seen worse. I think my "Older Teens" rating is much more for lewdness than violence. Recommended for zombie fanboys and girls with zombie fanboy boyfriends - or zombie fangirls.
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Next for Mini-Geek Girl: Elfen Lied
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