CaptainSlow

What I Liked: The character designs were simply cute yet diverse. The Closing Theme is spacey and adorable. The set designs, especially the missile-strewn landscape of Ogikubo. The character development in some of the later episodes genuinely impressed me, as did the general unfolding of the plot. It was perfectly cast in every way - Mayumi Shinitani is great as the nasily delinquent Midori and Testu Inada is brilliantly hammy as the General Manager Over Justice. Nova. What I Didn't: Some viewers may be put off by the sheer amount of jokes and throwbacks to previous Trigger works. Lalaco Godspeed's... See full review

What I Liked: Characters are memorable and interesting, presented as complex but flawed individuals. The interpersonal relationships felt real despite dramatisation. Soundtrack was perfectly emotive, eclectic and nearly always utilised to its full potential. Animation was smooth, with great attention to detail in character movement especially in the rakugo scenes. Great set designs. Skillful cinematography and direction throughout. Akira Ishida and Kouichi Yamadera gave some of the best vocal performances I've heard as Kikuhiko and Suteroku respectively. Both the Opening Theme and Closing Theme. What I... See full review

What I Liked: Animation is decent and clean, with good character designs and nice contrast between the Rockies and the other characters. The Rockies all had distinct and funny personalities. The Enka singer. The fact that some of the jokes were allusions to the Rockies' mythologies. The Ending Theme, which was nicely incorporated into the plot. What I Didn't: Much of the content was rather forgettable, running on a few scant running gags. Suffers from Penultimate Episode Mood Whiplash. Final Verdict: Totally hilarious from start to finish, Sekkou Boys takes the concept of literal idols making it big... See full review

What I Liked: Strong visual storytelling in the first three episodes. The amazing bait-and-switch first episode. Yuki, and the way her worldview and coping mechanisms are depicted. Megu-nee, and the way she's incorporated into the story. Everything about the animation is clean with few off-model moment and shows a skilled use of colour to depict mood and atmosphere. Pacing is good, for the most part, and really ramps up towards the end. The somewhat realistic and varied reactions from characters to their situations. The upbeat opening theme, whose animation changes per episode. Great soundtrack from... See full review

What I Liked: The backgrounds, for the most part, were quite beautiful. The soundtrack was quite emotive, and I liked the slow tempo of the ending theme. Character designs were interesting, especially in regards to the characters from Heaven. Battle scenes are the strongest point of the series, with some great CG and SFX used. Pacing is quick, with lots of things seemingly happening. What I Didn't: Character animation was woefully uneven and made worse by the fact that this "series" is just a padded-out broadcast version of a two-part OVA. The integration of new footage with old footage is too... See full review

What I Liked: Otose. Pretty character designs. Interesting premise.   What I Didn't: Mostly everything. Typical character designs for the genre. Badly-implemented CG. Poorly integrated anachronisms mess with the (attempted) historical feel of the series. The "beautifying" of famous historical figures beyond recognition makes it so the series never capatalises upon the rich histories behind the character's real-world counterparts (or even the period said characters come from). Commits the Cardinal Sin of Rock Music: Auto-tuning. Each band has only one or two songs, making the... See full review

What I Liked: Interesting cast of characters. Good character designs. Great world-building and setting. The audience-friendly economics lessons. Strong first half. Beautiful opening theme and cute (and surprisingly un-kitschy) closing theme. Horn and fiddle-heavy soundtrack adds to the medievel fantasy feel of the series. The dynamic between Craft Lawrence and Holo.   What I Didn't: Second half takes a little while to get interesting. Average animation, with the occasional animation gaff here and there. Final Verdict: With an excellent (if not unconventional) story strengthened by its... See full review

What I Liked: Great soundtrack fits the mood of the movie and is dramatic when needed. Consistent and colourful animation. The children, of all characters, are expanded upon and fleshed out. Interesting interpretations of religious figures. The dynamic between Jesus and Buddha is well done, it's fun watching them bounce off each other. Gen Hoshino and Mirai Moriyama are brilliant as the Enlightened One and the Son of God.

What I Didn't: The festival section drags its feet a little. Most of the "researched" religious jokes that make the manga brilliant are absent.

Final Verdict... See full review

What I Liked: The colour schemes. Great premise. Set design for Ortus. Animation itself was above average (aside from inbetweening - average marks there) and quite stunning. Final episode was engaging, and involved one successfully executed twist.

What I Didn't: Where do I start?! The premise wasn't fulfilled. The Gravekeepers were a let-down. First story arc could've been longer and less full of holes. Logic holes in every simple damn arc. Also invoked the "Pistols have Unlimited Bullets" flaw. The Goran Acedemy arc was a superfluous diversion. The OP and ED. Ai was almost... See full review

What I Liked: The clean colour palate, the design of the OZ MMO, writers managed to create believable characters out of a huge extended family, the soundtrack was excellent. It was easy to become emotionally invested in this film. What I Didn't: Nothing except for the fact that it was easy to become emotionally invested in this film. Final Verdict: While this is mostly a family movie about families (or a family, in this case), the Science Fiction elements make it interesting and engaging.

What I Liked: Some of the characterisation (bar Saiga and Kagura), the setting, the mixture of sci-fi supernatural (?) and corruption, Ginza. The plot was interesting enough. What I Didn't: Soundtrack - while appropriate - got repetitive, Episode 16 was unnessecary, Saiga and Kagura were too static characterisation-wise, animation was inconsistent and - at worst - lazy. Final Verdict: Despite being a gritty look at the vices of modern society with well-executed science fiction elements, the characterisation and animation sometimes let this otherwise well-thought out series down.

What I Liked: Consistent animation, bright simple visuals, good (but plain) character designs, great voice acting (especially from Hisako Kanemoto, the VA for Ika Musume / Squid Girl, and Rie Tanaka, the VA for Chizuru), unique characters (in terms of personalities, anyway). The squid puns. What I Didn't: The pacing of the final episode was a bit off-putting (i.e. going from the Volleyball skit to the "Pinch Jyana-IKA" 2-parter seemed a little jarring to me), but it wasn't enough of a problem to warrant a mark against this series.

Final Verdict: Shinryaku! Ika Musume is one... See full review

What I Liked: Consistent animation, bright simple visuals, good (but plain) character designs, great voice acting (especially from Hisako Kanemoto, the VA for Ika Musume / Squid Girl, and Rie Tanaka, the VA for Chizuru), unique characters (in terms of personalities, anyway). The transition from silly to serious in the last episode was less jarring than in the first season. What I Didn't: Slight quality drop in animation, but not something that annoyed me too much. Opening theme was grating and less likeable than the first season's cutesy OP.

Final Verdict: While it brings nothing new... See full review