Howlorihara

I wanted to love this anime.  From moment one I was drawn in by the intriguing story and the understated characters.  I wanted to like it but… there were a couple of aspects that did not shine so brightly.  When you have a show that does so much brilliantly, it’s hard not to feel a little cheated when certain aspects fell so flat.  This is why I understand how the fan community is reacting.  Half the reviews I read are giving it a 10/10 and praising it as a masterpiece and the other half are giving it a 1/10 and saying it's horrific.  As is obvious from the rating... See full review

“Death Parade”, at the time of its release, was one of my most anticipated shows of the season.  Material based on a single episode entitled “Death Billiards”, the full 12 episode show follows “Arbiters”. These are beings of the afterlife whose sole purpose is to judge humans who have passed on and determine whether they should be sent to Heaven or Hell (later clarified to be closer to Reincarnation and the Void.)  On the surface, this is a fascinating concept. Furthermore, having watched Death Billiards first, I already knew that I liked the style of the... See full review

When the first episodes of Zankyou no Terror were released, I was prepared for this to be the best anime of the year.  This was an anime that I was anticipating for well over a month before its release.  The plot looked like it was taking on difficult subject matter in a mature style.  After watching the last episode, I conclude that it did handle many elements with great skill but it is not the masterful work that I expected. Story:  Zankyou no Terror begins with Lisa, a girl bullied at school and the victim of a mother whose obsessive tendencies cross the line into abuse.  She... See full review

This show is incredibly frustrating for me.  This isn't because it's poorly done.  It isn't because it's badly written or the characters are flat or the animation is shoddy.  No... It’s because this anime could have been so much more than it turned out to be.  What frustrates me more than anything is the untapped potential of this show.  It just needed a little more polishing and focus to achieve brilliance.  Allow me to elaborate further. Story: This show is about a young Japanese girl, named Yune, who travels to Paris in order to intern in a metal works shop with an... See full review

I have difficulty putting into words my utter disappointment in this show.  I watched Soul Eater years ago and really loved it.  When I heard that Soul Eater Not! was coming out I was not expecting good results.  I even had a friend of mine warn me not to expect Soul Eater when watching this show.  Even then I was still disappointed.   Story:  The story follows a young weapon new to the DWMA named, Tsugumi.  She finds and befriends two other meister students: the ever forgetful Meme and the Royal Anya.  We witness these girls lives in a new academy... and that is 85%... See full review

AnoHana was one of those series that has been hovering on my recommendations list for a while.  I've had just about everybody tell me that it was one of the most heart wrenching series they had ever watched and that I would definitely like it.  In the end, I was really torn about the result.   Story:  The premise for the story is quite mature.  It's about five teenagers who were once friends when they were little but drifted apart after the death of a sixth member of their childhood group named Menma.  One member of the group, Jinta, has been seeing her ghost/ a visual... See full review

A friend and I decided that we wanted to watch an anime together and, due to the great reviews we had seen for this, we decided to give it a go.  I was completely let down and I genuinely expected more from this anime than a bunch of heavy handed metaphors that were the base for each episode.   Story:  The concept the story started with was pretty fun.  At its core, this show is about the numerous people that come into a bar, Eden Hall, and leave with a lesson well learned from the Bartender who works there.  The creators didn't have to push the concept as hard as they did... See full review

Story:  I will admit, I started this anime with high hopes.  Created by Shaft, Maria Holic has the same creators as Bakemonogatari which I found to be brilliant.  However, what I encountered was utter disappointment.  Maria Holic is the story of Miss Miyamae who transfers to Ame no Kisaki, an all girls school, so that she may seek true love with a beautiful girl.  Miyamae has a deep seeded hatred for boys and breaks out in hives whenever she is touched by a member of the opposite sex.  The day before school starts she meets a beautiful girl from her school named Mariya... See full review

The story is simple, yet beautiful.  A young girl named Hotaru comes across a spirit named Gin while lost in the forest.  Every summer, she comes to visit him and their relationship develops, complicated by the fact that Gin will disappear if he ever touches a human.  I wish I could rate the story higher.  The simplicity of the story is so charming but I don't believe it was drawn to a proper conclusion in 40 minutes.  There are so many parts to their relationship that I wanted to see explored.  The concept of age is brought up a lot, for good reason.  Hotaru is growing... See full review

Let me start out by saying that I did actually enjoy the story for Air Gear.  There is a point where something is so hilariously bad that I sort of love it.  It's like watching a car wreck you can't look away from.  The basic premise is that a boy named Itsuki discovers ATs (electric roller blades that allow you to do incredible tricks.)  This is his journey to build a team and become the most powerful roller blader in history.  The story has a bit of a Yu-Gi-Oh esque appeal to it in its utter ridiculousness.  I realize that some people do take roller blading very seriously... See full review

There is something genuinely shocking to me about how highly I think of this anime.  I stumbled upon it believing it would be fun for a couple of laughs.  Yet, I feel like I have actually stumbled onto one of my favorite animes this year.   The story begins with Houtarou, a boy with no other purpose in life but to conserve energy.  He eventually ends up joining the "Classics club", and meeting Chitanda, a girl so fascinated with all of life’s mysteries that Houtarou ends up having to find an answer to all of her curiosities.  At first, I thought this story would be... See full review

In the anime world, "Elfen Lied" is a popular name.  A great majority of the time, I have heard others speak well of it and I finally decided to watch it myself.  I could not believe how disappointing it was. Story:  The premise for the story was, in the beginning, somewhat interesting to me.  A horned girl escapes from a laboratory after slaughtering a lot of the people working there.  She then washes up on the beach with no memories to be taken in by two new friends.  It's not a completely original premise but this sort of story has the potential to go in so many... See full review

Story:  This anime has the most unique plot with so much detail.  Some people may cite characters as being one of the shows weak points (I disagree on this point) but its mostly because the show is more about the story than the characters.  The characters mostly exist as puzzle pieces to put together an intricate plot.  Ultimately, we have about eleven people that might be the main characters.  Over a period of alternating years between the late 1920's and early 1930's the characters unravel a massive secret to events occurring in 1711.  I will admit, this is an anime you have... See full review

I understand that a rating this low for Trigun is a bit out of the ordinary so I am not expecting pleasant reactions. The story for Trigun is that of a man who is always on the run because of the bounty on his head and ultimately seeking a way to resolve his past.  I had really high hopes for this anime.  I have had it recommended to me by a lot of people and it's reputation precedes itself.  I figured it was worth trying.  I was left dissappointed.  The entire series was always a reiteration of its key point that it is not for any one human to decide who lives or dies.  Yet... See full review

Bakemonogatari was a pleasure to watch.  The story is separated into five arcs where the main character Koyomi Araragi must help a girl who is being plagued by supernatural forces. When the plot was first described to me, I was not expecting a show this unique and intriguing.  I will admit that the story is not for everyone and I probably wouldn't recommend this for people new to anime.  It breaks a lot of "traditional" anime rules which, for me, made it even more intriguing.  I loved the fact that Bakemonogatari had no fourth wall.  There was a level of awareness that it... See full review

Story:  Mushi-shi is such a lovely story.  It tells the story of a man named Ginko who seems to be keeping the balance between human beings and spirit-like beings called Mushi.  The show has a delicate charm about it.  It doesn't need to slap you across the face to get your attention.  I just found myself facinated by the loveliness of every episode. Animation:  I frequently found myself pausing the show just to stare at a scene.  The art was lovely, detailed and nothing short of amazing! Sound:  The opening theme is one that was so simple yet so calming.  The... See full review

(Note: I have no idea what to call the separated stories in this series so I am calling them "arches" even if I know that isn't the most proper word to describe them.) Story: Aoi Bungaku Series is a compilation of multiple horror stories into one anime.  Thus, it is difficult to rate the story as a whole.  The first four episodes, which are all part of the same arche, are a 10 by themselves.  If all of the episodes had been that good this rating would be higher.  However, the second story arche was completely rediculous, in my opinion.  The entire style changed to become... See full review

Story:  The story for "Monster" is nothing short of fantastic.  There is something to be said about the fact that I marathoned through this anime and it's 74 episodes.  The story sets up the incredibly talented Dr. Tenma.  He makes the decision to perform surgery on a young boy with a bullet wound to the head and save the boys life.  The surgery is a success and the boy dissappears from the hospital.  The boy reappears as a young man and reveals to Tenma that he has become a killer.  Feeling responsible for the boys life, Tenma also feels that it is his... See full review