KiraRin

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Type, select all, delete. Rinse and repeat. That has been my experience of trying to write this review as I try to make sure full justice is bequeathed upon the epic series that is Gintama. Some may take offence to my mild fangirlism, others may nod their heads in agreement to virtually every word that spreads across the page; either way, this is merely one persons view of the show and will certainly not agree with every single AP’er out there. Sorry!

With so many completely unrelated and varied tales, it is difficult to pin down a single... See full review

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You’d think I’d have learned my lesson by now that anything Chii recommends that is followed by “bwahaha” is a *bad* idea. Firing up Apocalypse Zero on a whim after an indirect recommendation, I knew it was going to be bad; the first scene opens with a bespectacled guy wearing nothing but his glasses and a loin cloth whilst battling a deformed bear in the midst of a snowstorm. What makes things worse is that the show only goes downhill from here. Set in a future world one may call apocalyptic (hey, maybe that’s where... See full review

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Zombie Holocaust, Dawn of the Dead, 28 Days Later and Resident Evil: all standout zombie entertainment in their respective media, however none of these (bar the distinctly average Degeneration movie) have crossed into the anime world. Enter stage right Highschool of the Dead, a slick Romero-esque translation of a manga that has had otaku tongues wagging for a while and seemingly for a good reason. As a salute to those that came before it, there are numerous nods to the masters of the genre. Most are... See full review

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What do you get if you parody every single ecchi anime under the sun? Answer: the bizarre sounding Macademi Wasshoi. But can blatantly plagiarised ideas hold up an entire 12 episode series? After initial scepticism, I can safely say the answer is a resounding “yes”. My list of recently watched anime has included the terribad, perverted OVA Homeroom Affairs and the inexcusably trite Akikan. As I expect the trail of mundane to continue, Macademi... See full review

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I have a guilty secret. Actually, scratch that – I have numerous guilty pleasures. However, what I need to confess to here is not that I cannot get enough shoujo-ai or detective anime series; one of my more recent professions has to be for a surprising love of shows based upon board-games. The passion was ignited by the powerful Hikaru no Go and now I have a definite soft spot for watching the rise of the underdog due to the somewhat captivating Shion no Ou. Focussing... See full review

Story It’s been a bit of a wait, but here it is folks, the latest “it’s so bad, you *have* to watch it” ecchi anime title! As usual, I find these little gems on the behest of sothis in an attempt to cover as many titles as possible in the anime database since I would definitely not be watching them by choice. But the plethora of terrible and forgotten ecchi shows have become a major source of amusement for both me and those friends who get to laugh at the atrocious screenshots produced. And believe me, Homeroom... See full review

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After a recent trip to Thailand, I learned about the intricacies of Buddhism, including the finer points of Karma. I guess I built up a significant amount of negative energy after forcing Anime-Planet’s reviewer, therik, into watching as many loli-centric shows as I could think of. This time, sothis decided it was *my* turn to be watching my least favourite genre and reviewing it. And so Dual! Parallel Trouble Adventure found itself at the top of my watching list. Damn, payback is a bitch. With most people comparing it to... See full review

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Those who know the real-life me roll their eyes when I gush about cars. Many of my most treasured possessions in the world have been four-wheeled wonders; a spunky rear-wheel drive MX5, or a Subaru Impreza STi 7 that was loud, obnoxious and most of all fun. So, putting together my love for rice-rockets (Japanese cars for the uninitiated) and adrenaline fuelled anime, you couldn’t go wrong. Right? Well, kind of right. Close to the start of my obsession with anime, Initial D had me hooked from the get-go. Telling the story of a nobody rising... See full review

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Ahh, Japan. You're built on a diet of raw fish, have a love of whaling and a seemingly unhealthy obsession with panties, but we love you anyways for your endless good ideas about anime. Unfortunately, it seems you've reached the bottom of the intellectual barrel and served up Akikan, a title whose name is as bizarre as the content is scummy. Now, 'scum' may seem harsh, but cursory glance over the synopsis alludes to the tripe that lies within. Kakeru is a dislikeable and generally perverted youth who spends his days fantasising about finding a sexy... See full review

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From my childhood years, I remember unfortunately stumbling across a video entitled Magic that would haunt me forever. Being a little naive, I had no idea that puppets were capable of mass homicide, but I now know better. So, was watching Ayatsuri Sakon, an anime series based around both murder and mystery... and a lifelike doll, really a good idea? Investigating mysterious circumstances surrounding various instances of mass homicide, Sakon moves from town to town with his obnoxious and vocal puppet Ukon. Playing out as a typical... See full review

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One theme of ecchi that has never really appealed to me is traps; young, beautiful boys dressing as girls to deceive those around them and cause some utterly hilarious situations. Personally speaking, I like my girls with no padding in the mammary department or for them to be brandishing a “surprise inside”. And so it was with more than a little trepidation that I embarked on Maria Holic – a show that has long been a favourite with certain members of Club ISSUP (The International Study of Something Umm Perverted) because of what... See full review

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A few years ago, I settled down to watch Ikkitousen: a worthy recommendation with the perverted, martial arts classic Tenjou Tenge. It temporarily satisfied my urge for more panty-flashing, ass-kicking action. For some reason, Dragon Destiny has since been toward the bottom of my list of anime to watch, but maybe the four year delay was a misguided move on my behalf, as I lost track of the plot. Ultimately, the complexity of the ... See full review

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<+sothis> I STILL DONT KNOW WHAT THE PLOT IS WTF Somehow, I always find myself drawn by sothis into watching some obscure and frankly bizarre series. From Strange Love to 1+2=Paradise, no title is off-limits in the eternal struggle to add anime to the database. This time was different, though: it was time for a team effort to watch the very risqué Seitokaichou ni Chuukoku, leaving me with the short straw of reviewing it. Not quite knowing... See full review

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Spending a couple of years on my “want to watch” list, Tokyo Underground had been relegated to a growing list of forgotten titles. With a sudden (and misguided) urge to watch something dubbed whilst exercising, I dusted off the title and prepared for the unknown. Unfortunately, the show can be summarised as a promising premise that becomes wasted as the episodes drag by. Starting out like so many shounen series, Rumina is introduced as a somewhat clueless, yet spunky highschool kid. Suffering tortuous training under the watchful... See full review

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There is something humankind has never been successful with: Sequels. They are always terrible. Who can forget the adrenaline pumping Speed 2, the testosterone fuelled 2 Fast 2 Furious or the epic fail that is the Kanokon OVA? Despite the rare occasions where the follow-up formula does actually work, I had very little hope that Sleeping with Hinako would fare quite so successfully as Toy Story 2; it just sounds so bland. And guess what? It is. To be honest, you get everything... See full review

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As it was once again it was my pick for the “misery loves company” club, I (stupidly) decided that it was time for a card battles anime. Having already seen Yu-gi-oh and Duel Masters, I figured it would be “fun” to start with the worst-rated in the genre based on the current Anime-Planet ratings. Please bear in mind that this brand of fun is unfortunately the equivalent of repeatedly running sheets of paper between your toes just for shits and... See full review

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After being repeatedly slapped around the face by rabid fan boys and girls insisting that I *must* watch this show, my alabaster skin could take no more and so it was time to relent and finally watch Skip Beat. From my experience, a series that appeals to a wide range of anime fans usually doesn’t have the necessary je ne sais quoi to win me over. The mushy synopsis and average looking screenshots have never particularly grabbed me, but niggling curiosity made me want to find out for myself just what was so special to have set tongues a wagging at... See full review

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In my earlier anime watching days, a lot of shows that didn’t instantly seduce me were reduced to stalled purely because of my flippant nature and lack of staying power. A few years later, I have decided to revisit some of these mediocre series in the hope of finding a gem. Next to check off the list is Kiba, a fantasy anime that had remained on my stalled for four years. One of the first shows I ever watched (and bought, for that matter) was the deceptively dark Escaflowne. Chock full of violent action, the... See full review

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I’ve lost track of the number of shows I have been tortured with since starting the Chii/Kira watching club (aka the” misery loves company” crowd), and it’s really not getting any better. Subjecting ourselves to titles we wouldn’t normally watch and praying for the slim chance of finding a rare gem, it usually becomes nothing but a show to make you appreciate just how satisfying the real good stuff is. However, when it comes to Super GALS I should expect the worst after the “bwahaha” disclaimer... See full review

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Of all my reviews, the one to cause the most controversy is my abhorrent hatred for DearS. So as Sora no Otoshimono fired up and one of the first things to grace the screen was a top-heavy, vapid bint with a collar who insisted on calling the hapless protagonist “master”, I steadied myself for an entire series of panty-flashing bilge. And oh boy, did its pathetic little perverted dance live up to my expectations.... well, for the first 4 episodes it did. Playing on every single clichéd anime device... See full review

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There is something endearing about old-school ecchi anime. Most of the time it’s so bad, you just have to see it to believe that something so bad could have been produced, and 1+2 = Paradise is certainly no exception. In fact, the show even has moments in which I rewound certain scenes to catch the utterly depraved hilarity once more. The sloppily thrown together plot revolves around a young boy, Yuusuke, who suffered a traumatic ordeal as a child at the hands of two mischievous twins. Let’s just... See full review

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Every now and again, I feel the need to put out the feelers and sample the delights of a genre I tend to dislike, and this week my anime palette was drenched with mech in the form of Gundam Seed. Now, not only do I usually hate giant robots with a passion, but I am also completely baffled by the Gundam fanboys who get moist as they reel off the names of each unit and their special features. So, prepare yourselves for a review from an anime fan that couldn’t pick out a Gundam in a line-up filled with the ... See full review

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What better way to spend a snow day than wrapped up in a slanket with a mug of hot chocolate and an unhealthy marathon of anime ready to launch. Catching up on some more recent titles, I fired up To Aru Majutsu no Index with great expectations, only to be sensuously teased for 6 episodes before being dumped unceremoniously shortly after. Well, at least work is still paying me whilst doing this... Sweeping the viewer off their feet with almost instant action, there is a brief introduction to the main protagonist, Toma Kamijo, and his ongoing... See full review

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When a series called Higurashi burst onto our screens in 2006, it changed the rules of anime. Instead of telling a linear story, a cycle of extreme violence repeated itself every six episodes and kept viewers on the edge of their seats, making the title an instant fan favorite. Now, three years later, the same animation studio and writers have given us Umineko no Koro ni - but does it live up to the high expectations its predecessor promised? Set in the year 1986, the remote island of Rokkenjima... See full review

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It’s Christmas Day, and as I admit I have a day of freedom to myself, the familiar call from Sothis pops up. “Can you help me add this one to the DB”, speaketh she, “its borderline hentai, so you make the call”. With the television being monopolised by gifted X-box games, I used my time wisely to watch a “quality” production from the 90’s that is heavy on the ecchi and low on production values. Strange Love is...well... strange. Whilst going for the typical hentai scenario of school teacher seducing his... See full review

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As the Chii/Kira club goes from strength to strength, the latest title chosen to amuse ourselves and our followers was the little known title, Kodomo no Omocha. With many people initially mistaking this for Kodomo no Jikan, the anti-lolicon brigade soon dissolved as the group warmed to the idea of a spastic comedy drama. Well, that is until I pointed out that at a rate of two episodes per day, the show would take two months to complete... Omocha is centred on the headstrong Sana, a young girl who... See full review

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Listen to the background noise in ISSUP (the international study of something umm.... perverted) long enough and you hear the same anime show names banded about after a while. From Strike Witches to Queen’s Blade, I usually end up watching them all for the “lulz”. One that really caught my eye, however, was the amusing sounding Nyan Koi: an ecchi romp that comes with more than its fair share of delightful cat ears. Telling the tale of the unfortunate Junpei... See full review

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Fangirls, hold on to your panties as five beautiful bishounen boys are ready to take to the stage to serenade their adoring worshippers! At least, that is what I prepared for as I launched into the latest good-looking hunk-fest from my hard drive. Expecting the usual issue with many shows aimed at females - that the story holds about as much depth as a teaspoon - I found something inexplicable that kept me coming back for more. Starting with the breakup of a band, Kaikan Phrase chronicles the journey of the newly formed Lucifer (or Λucifer... See full review

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Recently I've seen plenty of good shows, but none have kept me hooked from the get-go. None, that is, until I fired up Phantom ~Requiem of the Phantom~ and polished off every one of the twenty-six episodes in a week (not bad considering how little I have actually been at home recently). Early nights were cast aside and my much needed beauty sleep forgotten, as I felt the urge to continue the journey with the characters and find out what happens next. Trained by an unlikely waif-like killer, Reiji is an innocent bystander who is... See full review

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After accidentally mislabelling a folder as Ayashi no Ceres (don’t ask), I found myself wading into the untold depths of mushy, middle school romance instead of the darker angst I was hungering for. Perhaps this placed me in the wrong mindset to watch Futakoi, but this is one harem show that was definitely not for my tastes, especially not after so recently watching the sublime Shuffle. Nozumu is the typical harem protagonist – thrust into a situation in which he is surrounded by a... See full review