snivets

What a cute short! I really enjoyed Tonari no Seki-kun! Seki-kun sits next to Yokoi in class. She always notices him playing around (and the ridiculous games he invents are dee-lightful), and thinks she should be scolding him...but then she gets sucked into his games and ends up being just as distracted as him. So, yeah, hilarious. And not long enough to become annoying. If you like shorts and comedy, this one will be a solid choice.

Action-driven yet human-focused, Teppou Musume does a fantastic job of keeping the tension high in this tale about a group of part-human, part-beasts who are terrorizing Edo. The story is fairly basic, driven by a hunter girl who moves to Edo to join her brother. There, they participate in the hunt for the "Fuse," half-human, half-dog beings who are eating human beings. Along her journey, she inadvertantly makes a connection to one of them. I thought the story was good, yet sparse, and not terribly deep, but certainly interesting in a "touching-on-themes" type of way. The characters... See full review

If I had to use one word to describe this anime, it would be, "Delightful." Story: Uchouten Kazoku did a great job of showing rather than telling its story. It has a "chaotic comedy" appeal which is underscored by sad and serious moments. The story has an intricacy that reminded me of Baccano!, although the genre is completely different. Lots of characters, interacting at various points throughout the story, gradually revealing a bigger story. It does well with bringing up past events by focusing on the parts of the past that are relevant to the story without using drawn-out... See full review

Love Lab is pretty average in terms of characters and production values, but it is quite a cute show. This will just be a brief review. Brief Summary: At an all girls' school, Maki, the student council president, is secretly interested in how to attract a boyfriend. Riko discovers this secret, and is forced to join the student council because of a misunderstanding: Maki thinks Riko is a "love expert." Story: The story itself isn't anything new or unusual, but the misunderstanding about Riko's "love expertise" persists until it becomes a roadblock for the characters' relationships with... See full review

Despite the fact that KyoAni never intended for Free! to be anything more than a 30-second studio promo, I think they did an excellent and interesting expansion of the original clip. After the attention it got online they'd've been dumb not to take advantage of what was clearly a potential market--but it's still great to see a studio delivering such a grand product purely because the fans asked for it. Brief Summary: Childhood friends Haru, Nagisa, and Makoto realize that their other childhood friend, Rin, is back from Australia. Rin doesn't seem to want to relive their glory days of swimming... See full review

This will just be a brief review to kind of collect my thoughts about Kin-iro Mosaic. Light on content (a la K-On or Tamako Market), thin on plot, and heavy on high-pitched moe and friendship, Kin-iro Mosaic is a fairly average show. There's no overarching plot except developing the girls' friendships, but even that seems light and full of silly jokes. I think my biggest complaint though, is that I never really believed that Alice and Karen were from Great Britain. Sure they had blonde hair, but they never really acted like Europeans. I can't criticize this point too much, because the show never... See full review

As I watched the final episode of Silver Spoon, a single word came to mind to describe this anime. "Thoughtful." But also thought-provoking. Brief Summary: A "smart kid" who has trouble fitting in at his traditional middle school is encouraged by a teacher to apply to an agricultural high school. Once there, he learns a lot about how food is produced, as well as learning how to make friends. Themes: Making friends, business realities, the difficulties of being in the agricultural industry, how food is made, the value of hard work, the value of struggling with large moral issues (for... See full review

UtaPri is an extremely light series. It was very pleasant and easy viewing, and didn't have any glaring flaws despite its very stereotypical reverse harem nature. Basically, a plain girl with no obvious talent makes it into prestigious school for idols and entertainers, actually has lots of talent, makes friends with a bunch of hot guys who all try to get her to be their exclusive composer, eventually causing them to form a 6-man idol group. Story: I ranked the story 4/10 for predictability and cheesy moments, the kind where I rolled my eyes and said, "Am I really watching this?" Don't let that... See full review

In comparison to some of the other works to come out of the Young Animator Training Project, Ryo's story is somewhat vague, takes place in a historical era (which probably requires prior knowledge of Japanese history [which can be assumed when writing for a Japanese audience]), and doesn't really have a lot of meat or development. I was kind of surprised by how weak the story was, and I didn't really think the animation itself was all that special. I wouldn't go as far as to call it a waste of 25 minutes, but if you're not a history buff, you might consider skipping this one.

This installment of Oto na Joshi no Anime time brings us 3 episodes and 3 stories, each about a Japanese woman and her life. We are shown a day or two in the life of each one, and watch her interact with the people around her, while we listen to her thoughts, which are often different from what she says and does. Through each story, we touch on social issues, all of which are of pressing concern for contemporary Japan and particularly women. Story: Fabulously done, the stories follow each woman through her daily life. We are shown how their life seems normal, and as the episode develops, we find out that... See full review

I liked the first season of this show. I intensely disliked the second. Story: I felt this season lacked a strong central theme/story thread. Last season, the central theme was "finding acceptance for Kirino's weird hobby." And it worked well. This season's theme seemed to be fanservice. The stories were lame, disjointed/unrelated to each other, cobbled together, and lacked coherency. Characters: Annoying/10. Didn't really develop any further, except Saori, but she turned out to be boring. Too many tsundere chars, and way too much arguing over Kousaka. Lamesauce all around. Overall: Too... See full review

An otherwise boring high school boy, Kasuga, is tempted by the left-behind gym clothes of his crush. Startled by a noise as he picks them up, he runs off, only to find that he has inadvertantly stolen them. Terrified, he hides them at home. Shortly thereafter, he finds out that Nakamura, a rebellious member of his class, saw him steal them. Using his secret as leverage, she blackmails him into a "contract," though what it is or what she wants remains ambiguous until the end of the series. Story: Basically involves Nakamura continuing to be a busybody, Kasuga trying to normally date the girl... See full review

I keep waiting for a confession, but Chihayafuru 2 is a big huge tease. The focus, as in the first season, was on the competitive karuta aspect--making it more or less a sports show--with just enough hints of developing relationships between characters to string you along and leave you wanting more. Gah! Story: Chihayafuru's story is typical of any other sports show, highlighting aspects of training and spending a lot of time battling weird opponents. The only distinguishing feature (and the feature that puts it solidly in the shoujo category) is the romance, but it's so light it's barely... See full review

RDG: Red Data Girl: the story of a shy girl with a goddess living inside of her. Suzuhara wants nothing more than to be normal, but the goddess' powers keep making that difficult to achieve. And she has a crush on her protector, who only seems to dislike her. Story: As you can see from the above synopsis, the plot isn't terribly interesting. With more interesting characters, there would be plenty of potential here, but the characters were timid and more willing to hide their emotions than give in to them. Animation & Sound: Pretty standard, and the pretty art enhances the light-on-content feel of the... See full review

It really doesn't get much better than this. Makoto Shinkai has knocked this one out of the park--every time I watch one of his movies, I wonder if his art can get any better. Hold on to your hats, because somehow, every time, he manages to produce a work of quality that completely overshadows his earlier works. And that, my friends, is no easy task. *Spoiler Alert* Story: Keeping it simple, the story is a bittersweet romantic tale of a boy who meets a stranger in the park on rainy mornings, when it is his rule to skip first period. He has a dream to become a shoemaker; she drinks beer, eats... See full review

Mayo Chiki is about a boy who is afraid of touching women who discovers that the butler of the richest girl in school is actually a girl masquerading as a boy. He is forced to keep their secret, and ends up growing closer with both girls. Story: Not terribly original, standard fare, typical run of beach/school festival/hot springs/etc episodes. The plot is never annoying, and what really keeps you going is wondering if Konoe and Jirou will ever confess to each other. Animation: Nothing special, nothing terrible. Characters: Very solid and entertaining. Definitely the driving force of the show. In... See full review

Marie & Gali is about a young girl who finds herself transported into Galihabara, a magical land where famous scientists of days past are alive and thriving. She meets Galileo, Madame Curie, and others, learning about science in order to go home. Story: The story provides a frame for Marie to learn about some scientific principle or another. Usually involving a ridiculous problem which must be solved, the comedy manages to be both clever and stupidly slapstick. Don't watch this one for a complex plot. Animation: I gave this a slightly higher score because I love love love Pet and Marie's character... See full review

I almost gave up on this one because of the characters' propensity for making long-winded speeches about Exodus/Genesis/time travel/twisting logic/bizarre Shakespeare references. Ultimately, I would consider Zetsuen no Tempest very, very average. The characterization is fairly strong, but the particulars of the world ending are annoying vague and feel contrived. Too much in the story exists because you know the author thought it was cool. Take it or leave it: it's not a drop-it-like-it's-hot show, but neither is it a must-watch show.

This was a trainwreck of an anime. All-around epic fail. The one exception was the character design, which was simply sumptuous and was the only thing that kept me watching. Utimately, the art was completely a waste given the content. Wait, was there even content? But I digress. Story: The story didn't make sense at all until the last episode, and even then it made hardly any sense anyway. The characters were flatter than cardboard and about as flavorful. The main character was a nameless airhead and couldn't even make a decision without relying on the (male) characters around her. Characters... See full review

This is a very typical KyoAni piece. It is light and enjoyable, fairly average with just enough quirks (aka talking bird) to be interesting. The premise is completely silly, and if you take it seriously, you are doing it wrong. Haters gonna hate, but there's really nothing bad about Tamako Market. Recommended for K-On! fans, and fans of other light slice-of-lifes.

Shinsekai Yori really surprised me by developing some pretty heavy themes throughout the last two seasons. If you're a sci-fi fan, read on. Story: Set in a utopian/dystopian future (depending which species you belong to, I suppose), it is about a girl named Saki growing up, being confronted with problems of her society's own creation, and then piecing together the truth of her people's history while solving the various issues that crop up. The issues start small and ramp up, and the foreshadowing and doomsy, creepy vibe seeps into every nook and cranny of the story as it progresses. The storyline is... See full review

Sakurasou was an anime which managed to hold my interest despite its fairly average storyline. It never made me bored, but I never went beyond feeling lukewarm about each week's episode arriving. Something was missing in it for me, and I'm not quite sure what that was. Not a bad show by any means, though. Story: Basically, a school/slice of life story about some pretty crazy characters, most of whom have talents that set them apart from "normal" people. It utilizes typical plotlines [school festival, foreign friend arriving to take someone home, threat of their home being shut down] to explore... See full review

My first impression of Psycho-pass was that someone was trying to recreate Death Note. It gew on me, however, and I've ultimately decided that it is a quietly good show which really tears into questions of morality and society. Good Points -Really meaty themes: justice, controlling society, morality, good vs evil, etc. -Never crosses over into cliches. -Beautiful atmosphere, really fits the themes. -Intriguing characters who wrestle with holding a complicated position in society/the story. -Interesting end which was believable, resolved and yet didn't resolve. Good balance. Bad Points -Some... See full review

This OVA is a short snippet of Natsuiro Kiseki's four main characters four years after the events of the TV series. It shows them meeting up at Rin's shrine for the first time in a long time, where they have a short conversation about what they've done since the events of the main series and what they will be doing with their futures. I hate OVAs that are purely fanservice or are unrelated to the original storyline--this is definitely not either of thoes things. It is short'n'sweet, and adds to the storyline by giving us an idea of what came after.

Natsuiro Kiseki is about four childhood friends who get involved in a series of strange events (including flying and bodyswitching) after they accidentally wish upon a sacred stone at the local shrine. These events serve as the backdrop to the main conflict, Saki's imminent move to Tokyo, and allow the girls to explore the depths of their friendship while making new memories over summer vacation. Story: The story is episodic, and is driven by the four characters who each have a very distinct and strong personality. It goes through many typical "summer vacation" events, but also adds in some... See full review

I watched 10 minutes of this movie and decided it was showing more or less the same events as the TV series, and didn't feel like watching it again. I liked the TV series a lot (and I'd encourage you to check out my review of it) but suspect I would prefer the show to the movie. Either way, it's worth your time.

Suki-tte Ii na Yo is a very simple shoujo anime with a mellow and realistic setting. A lot of people compare it to Kimi ni Todoke because of the very similar premise for both shows, but by the end, I felt that KnT took an entirely different direction, focusing on the chase, rather than the post-formation relationship dynamics. Also the side characters are completely different and make the atmosphere completely different, but I digress. Story:  A basic story about a shy, plain girl with no friends, Mei, and a popular boy, Yamato, who fall in love with each other, Suki-tte Ii na Yo has a very... See full review

Although I only give this 6.5/10, I really did enjoy watching Kamisama Hajimemashita and would love to see a sequel that goes into more detail about the previous shrine owner and what his motivations are. Story: Nanami loses the house she lives in after her father disappears. While contemplating her situation in the park, she saves a treed man from a dog. He gives her his home as a thank-you gift, but that home turns out to be an abandoned shrine. Nanami must work to gain the trust of Tomoe, the shrine's pretty main familiar with a tragic past, and you have the beginnings of a supernatural love... See full review

I almost dropped this show after the first episode, due to Sakura's exceedingly awkward behavior. What this show had going for it was the whole "limits of justice" theme, and I was hoping it would develop more strongly in that direction. After all, first episodes are tough to pull off (a good example of a good first ep would be Ouran HSHS). Story: Well, I definitely wished I had dropped it early on (and the only reason for continuing was hope and the fact that the subbers released it during my few slow days for the season). What a crock of crap. In fact, it was so hokey and fakey and... See full review

To add to my bafflement over this series, I heard today that a sequel has been green-lighted. What the actual fuck? (Unless it's a sequel that is actually a prequel, in which case it should have come first, because this show was confused). Story: The "plot" was an absolute fustercluck. It's like Nanamine from Bakuman got in on the scriptwriting, along with 50 of his internet advisors, and then everyone also had caffeine-induced ADHD on top of it. It felt like someone tried to throw in everything that was cool into one place, stirred the pot, and then spun it around in circles. From the... See full review