Title: Ore no Nounai Sentakushi ga, Gakuen Love Comedy wo Zenryoku de Jama Shiteiru
Genre: Comedy
Aired: October 2013 – December 2013
Review Score: 8
Review (By: Blue)
Erabu:
1. Read the review and watch the Anime
2. Go read a different review
3. ???
4. Profit
(Story) – The plot of the story is simple; you have your main character Amakusa who suffers from “Absolute Choice”, in which two or three random options will show up in front of him. The only way to get rid of it and the pain that comes along with it is to pick one of the options. Each options ranges from doing something perverted or humiliating. His only wish is to get rid of this curse and try to have a normal high school life. One day, an absolute choice pop up where a beautify girl fell from the sky. It’s her task to help him get rid of his curse.
You shouldn’t expect much of an in-depth story line from a comedy Anime such as this one. And like all comedy Anime, it’ll only appear to a certain type of audience. I personally enjoyed this and laugh in every episode from the main characters’ misfortune. I find it funny when someone has to pick between squealing like a pig on the teacher desk, or taking off all of his clothes in front of everyone. All of the characters add some kind of misfortune when the “Absolute Choice” starts to add them in it and finding a way to get rid of the curse becomes harder. (and funnier) There is a bit of fan service in this one but they come off as part of the comedy and it’s not just “There” for no reason.
(Characters) – The characters in this Anime are great. They are your typical Tsundere/Childhood friend/Air head blonde but offer more than that. The characters are really funny and you’ll end up laughing throughout the whole Anime.
Personally I love the character Chocolate because she’s funny, cute, I eat everything in your fridge, and just so simple minded. Yukihira the tsundere, really insults Amakusa throughout the anime and adds more to the comedy. Yuuouji the childhood friend is a wacky, weird character.
(Art) – Can’t say much except that the art is good, the colors fit well and there were no signs of the quality dropping throughout the series.
(Overall) – If you like comedy you should really give this a shot, I really enjoy watching this Anime. The comedy was solid throughout the series and show very little signs of it becoming dull. I did not go through a single episode without laughing at some misfortune that happen to fall upon the main character. All in all I think the Anime is solid, I found almost nothing wrong with it and would recommend this to anyone wanting a good laugh.
Title: Freezing Vibration
Genre: Action / Ecchi / Sci-fi
Aired: October 2013 – December 2013
Review Score: 6.5
Review (By: Rising Sun)
Kazuya Aoi is a young boy who has enrolled at an elite school that trains girls to be powerful weapons called pandoras. These pandoras combat a powerful alien species called Nova who threatens humanity. The pandoras also have a male companion called limiters who have a special power called freezing to defeat these novas. Kazuya meets this powerful pandora called Satellizer El Bridget who runs solo, but later on lets Kazuya become her limiter. In Alaska in the main pandora base the E-pandora project is being developed. The E-pandora project uses regular human females and infuses them with the power of the pandoras. The E-pandora project also has the risk of transforming a E-pandora into a Nova.There is some strange and fishy happenings that causes Kazuya, Satellizer and their friends to grow suspicious.
Freezing Vibration is very different compared to its prequel freezing. The first season focused more on the relationships between all the characters especially the relationship between Kazuya and Satellizer. Vibration focuses more on the story especially the E-Pandora project. I did enjoy some of the battles in this anime. The action was well animated. There were also times when some of the humor fell flat.
The biggest difference between both seasons is the characters, the story, and the atmosphere. The first season of Freezing had a wider variety of characters. It was also a bit more on the light side compared to the more darker Freezing Vibration. Freezing Vibration has some tragic moments where a few characters face a tragic fate by participating in the E-pandora project .
There was a good amount of ecchi in this anime just like in the first season, but it is toned down a lot compared to the prequel. There was a really disturbing episode that involved Satellizer’s past abuse that I didn’t like. I also didn’t like how some of the characters introduced in the first season were nowhere to be seen in the second season. I felt that by the end of the show there were also more questions than answers and not to mention there was not much progress between Kazuya’s and Sattelizer’s relationship.
I highly recommend that anyone who plans to watch this show should watch the first season to get in tune with the anime. This is only a one time viewing for me but I had a decent time watching it in spite of the flaws. If you liked Sekirei you might want to watch this.
Title: Aoki Hagane no Arpeggio: Ars Nova
Genre: Action/Sci-fi
Aired: October 2013 – December 2013
Review Score: 7.5
Review (By Rising Sun):
In the not so distant future, global warming has caused most of earth’s due to the rise in sea levels. One fateful day an extremely powerful and mysterious group of ships called “The fleet of fog” appear out of nowhere, taking control of the world’s oceans. These ships were very powerful and decimated all of the earth’s naval forces. 17 years after the fog took control a boy named Chihaya Gunzou comes into the picture. He is a student of the Japanese National Marine Academy.
One day he finds a mysterious submarine named I-401 that looks very similar to the fog ships. As he approaches it, a human-like female avatar named Iona appears to him. She is the mental model of I-401. Mental Models are the human avatar of any fog ship. They are responsible for the functions and controls of their own fog ship. Iona then tells Chihaya that she has been sent to follow his orders. Chihaya Gunzou then gets a crew and with Iona and the sub they battle the “Fleet of the Fog”. They find blueprints of a weapon that can control the tide of the battle with the fog. They must deliver the plans to the U.S. from Japan while evading the fog, the military, and government. They also make important allies that help them overcome all of this adversity.
Aoki Hagane No Arpeggio was a hidden gem in the fall anime season. I really enjoyed watching it. In some ways it was pretty deep. The anime had a lot of great action. The ship battles had my blood boiling because they were pretty intense and fast paced. The characters were also very likable. Chihaya was a very mature, firm, and strong character in the show. He was the perfect leader for his crew and Iona(I-401). I also liked Iona. She would always be there for Chihaya, and she always cared about everyone including her enemies.
There are some moments in the anime that has a great subtle message for friendship. The ending was really touching and heartwarming so don’t worry, there will be no sad tears shed. There are moments in the anime where former enemies become friends and allies of the I-401 crew. I really enjoyed the mental models of the submarines in this anime. The crew encounters and battles several of them throughout the anime. They each have a unique and distinct personality.
I really enjoyed the cg animation in this anime. It was interesting to see the characters drawn in cg form instead of the traditional hand drawn way. The CG also fit with the direction and the story of the anime because of the naval based battles, the advanced technology, and the ships of the fog making good use of it. The opening “Savior of Song” was performed by Nano was amazing. All in all if you liked Full Metal Panic!, any military anime, or just action in general then this is the anime for you.
Title: Meganebu!
Genre: School / Comedy/ Slice of Life / Glasses
Aired: Oct 7 – Dec 23
Review Score: 6.5
Review (by: anime-nympho)
If you know a little Japanese you would know that “megane” means glasses. So just like the title says, this anime is about glasses or more accurately, the love of. The story is centered around a group of glass wearing and glasses loving bishi boys. Meet the Himaraya Third Technical School Glasses Club: President and fonder Akira Souma; and regular members Mitsuki Kamatani, Takuma Hachimine, Yukiya Minabe; and provisional member Hayato Kimata. To be a member of the club you, of course, have to wear glasses; this is why Hayato is only a provisional member because he does not need to wear glasses for sight like the other members do, which is something all the other members never fail to point out. Aside from getting together to share in their passion for glasses and obsession with wearing glasses, these boys are also trying to develop x-ray glasses. The x-ray glasses are supposed to be for checking out the girls, but all their failed attempts create glasses that allow them to “see” many different things.
And like in every attempt of achieving greatness, it is never reached before making few enemies. And the glasses club has made the worst enemy possible—the student council. For the much of the series, the student council tries their best to bring the glasses club to their knees. However, Souma will not yield to the council threats, and uses his charismatic flair and willfulness to bring a little fun and happiness to the school. Oh, and did I forget to mention that this is an all-boys school.
This show started slow for me. It was actually on my second episode chopping block. Luckily the second episode was better, funnier, snippier… Let’s just be honest here. No one is going to be watching this anime for the plot. And that’s a good thing because it really does not have one; its slice of life. It just jumps from one random topic to the next. So if you’re someone who’s looking for a not at all serious bishi anime to watch, this is for you. It was done by Studio Deen, so if you are an advent shounenai fan, you are already well acquainted with their work. But if you actually want depth and purpose in your boy watching, you might want to get looking elsewhere.
Overall: Plot – not much; Boys – nice; Colors – nice; Art Style – nice; Sub Textual Eroticism – Very nice 😉
Title: English – Unbreakable Machine Doll (Japanese – Mashin-Dōru wa Kizutsukanai)
Genre: Action, Fantasy, Romance, Robots
Aired: October 7, 2013 – December 23, 2013
Review Score: 6.5
Review (by: anime-nympho)
The world is in England during the industrial revolution. However, in this world the most revolutionary inventions are not the trains or large mechanize factories, but instead are “auto-matic” magical fighting dolls used for war combat. It brings great prestige to be one of these elite puppeteers, human magicians who control the dolls. Though not everyone trying to become an elite puppeteer is in it for the esteem. Raishin Akabane, a young Japanese man who is only interested in revenge. He and his automata, Yaya, travel to England to attend the exclusive Walpurgis Royal Academy of Machine Arts, which only accepts the most remarkable up-and-coming puppeteers.
Upon admission Raishin is nicknamed “second last” because of his placement scores on the entrance exam. But he wastes no time in trying to become one of the “top 100” to participate in the Wiseman Challenge. Soon after arrival Raishin and Yaya get involved in top-secret military missions at the request of his mentor and Yaya’s maker, Shoko Karyusai, a famous puppet maker. Shoko ever reminds Raishin that Yaya is one of her masterpieces and is unbeatable. Even though they are new to the school, Raishin and Yaya find themselves in many difficult underground battles. One of which surprisingly earns them a ticket into the Wiseman. But being part of the top 100 only bring Raishin and Yaya farther into the scheming underground world of automata.
First off this is not the normal type of anime I would watch, and it caught me by surprise that I actually liked it. The story and concepts were really interesting. Well there still were a few too many pantie shots for my liking but not so much that took away from enjoying the show. Even though it does turn into a haram type anime, it does not become the main focus of the show—which was also helpful with not making me throw my hands up and quite. It was funny at times with Yaya’s obsession with Raishin and wanting him to marry her despite her being an automaton. I think one of the other things that pulled me in was the animation style. It used quite a bit of CGI mixed with traditional looking animation to create a unique appearance.
Overall: Intriguing because of difference to the norm.
Title: Non Non Biyori
Genre: Slice of Life / School / Light Comedy
Aired: October 2013 – December 2013
Review Score: 8
Review (By Dash):
Nyanpasuu! Ichijou, Hotaru is a transfer student in a small town in country after living her life in Tokyo. She finds out she is only one of five people within the class. The small town places all of the children in the same class even though they vary by age and grade due to the small nature of the town. This is a story about their life and adventures in the countryside. The story opens with the adorable Miyauchi, Renge (Renchan) making her way to school while meeting her classmates (and friends along the way). From there on out you get a cute introduction to the world you will be “watching” for the next twelve or so. I define this anime as cute and easy going. They discuss a few topics like “If they truly live in the country” due to Hotaru finding things a bit off. The idea of “cattle crossings” and “not locking doors” is not a common thing in Tokyo (apparently).
Non Non Biyori (NNB) was one of my favorite anime to come out this fall for one simple reason, easy to watch. I was not in a super drama or action mood this past season and I have always loved simple slice of life comedy based anime. NNB did a great job of delivering everything I had wanted in an anime (mood wise). The characters are adorkable and easy to love, with no deep background just straight face value (for the most part). Additionally there is not much to follow (character wise), as it focuses on five girls and a few of their friends/teacher interactions.
The animation is simple and so is the character design. There is no deep plot beyond Hotaru adjusting to life in the “country” and various misunderstandings between the characters. NNB is both funny and cute, It is extremely laid back and can run as a bit slow at times (matching the pace of the area they are in). I did feel this “matched” pace was a good play. The humor is mainly dialogue based shots or simple reactions keeping it light and simple.
Overall NNB is very simple and cute. It is definitively not for everyone, but I would classify as a “mood” anime. Since I am a fan of this genre it carries good re-watch value, but any action/drama/romance fan may stay away. It is virtually an all girl cast (minus the big brother who never talks), another factor that could effect if you watch NNB (in my mind). I would say if your curious to watch the first episode. The overall flow of anime doesn’t change much from there. Personally it delivered exactly what I got from that point onward. All in all it was a winner in my book and I enjoyed the daily interactions of the NNB cast to put smile on my face.
Title: Yozakura Quartet: Hana no Uta
Genre: Supernatural / Action / Shounen
Aired: October 2013 – December 2013
Review Score: 7
Review (By Dash):
Sakurashin, a town where “Beasts” (Demons) and Humans are able to co-exist, partially due to do the Hiizumi Life Counseling Office. The four members of the HLCO use their time and powers to work to bring peace to Sakurashin and fend off any evil doers who may come along trying to ruin the moment. Yozakura Quartet: Hana no Uta (YQ) is a rehash of the Yozakura Quartet that aired back in 2008. Episode one opens with the viewer following a lost little girl, Lily. Lily is used to introduce to you the cast of characters that make the Yozakura Quartet and their friends. There is a festival in town and every one of the HLCO is doing their part by patrolling the streets or taking care of the “Lost Child” area. Lily is a lost child and discovered first by Isone, Kotoha. Kotoha spends some time with her eventually leading to the introduction of the “mayor” Yaruzakura, Hime. They take Lily back to the lost child center were you will mean Ao and Akina where Ao will attempt to get a visual on Lily’s parents. During their “mind read” lighting rains down from the sky and the goldfish from the goldfish stand get zapped in giant bouncing fish of doom. From there you will see the HLCO go into action to fight, locate, and defeat the giant goldfish. This is also used to introduce the villains of the series who are watching from the sidelines.
The original VA team also come back to reprise their roles in this semi-alternate tale for YQ. This is a big win seeing they have done a great job in the past and the character chemistry is there. Moving from there, as a fan of the YQ series, I was thrilled to have this addition released this fall. The animation and overall quality upgrade was a big plus for an anime that had been silent for the past few years.
I would define this more of a “partial alternate telling” rather than a reboot or different story. A lot of what happens in the original YQ is “assumed” and does carry into this anime (without being told). That “assumption” hurts the overall quality in my mind. I feel bad for viewers who are not aware of the original and missing out of nifty details about the characters. Sadly it didn’t just end there, there is a bit of a “jump” where a new character comes along that someone “warns” them about who just appears on their side. This is a reference from the OVA. This “skipping” or “assuming” you watched all of the original I felt hurt the coherency of the anime.
Minus this “character” inserting, I still really love the anime. I am a big fan of the original and watched it all, so those jumps were noticeable but not nerve racking. The plot was laid out ver well in my mind and the way some of the powers work were cleaver. (I still love “Powerspeak” no matter how many times I watch Kotoha do it.) I would love to see this series run a bit longer and give a bit more depth to the powers and characters (something I don’t always say…) which I feel would really help viewers understand the world. YQ feels a like a 24 run show getting compacted into a single season (which could have happened.. thus the jumping).
All in all I really enjoy YQ. I know it sounded like a good bit of bashing, but it really is a fun anime. I love demon/magic world anime for the most part and even though i wasn’t in an action “mood”, I still watched this every week. The final concept of creating a town where demons and humans (and halflings) can all live in peace isn’t new, but well executed. The music, art, and VA were amazing. YQ can run a “simple” by design, but great execution. If your looking for a fun cast and overall enjoyable tale modern humans and demons existing in one place – pick this up (and watch the original!)
*VA Notes*
You probably have heard all of their voices at some point another so I was pleased to hear the voices of Sawashiro, Miyuki [Kotoha] (Yomi – Black Rock Shooter, Daichi – Devil Survivor 2, & Celty – Durarara!!), Fujita, Saki [Ao] (Mahiru – Working & Ayano – Yuru Yuri), Fukuen, Misato [Him] (Rika – Boku no Tomodachi, Yoshika – Strike Witches, & Yami – To Love Ru), and Kaji, Yuki [Akina] (Yoh – Deadman Wonderland, Shu – Guilty Crown, & Youto – Hentai Ouji).
Title: Gingitsune
Genre: Slice of Life / Supernatural
Aired: October 2013 – December 2013
Review Score: 6
Review (By Dash):
Saeki Makoto has been able to see the fox spirit that protects their shrine ever since the pass of her mother. Gintaro is a messenger for their Inari Shrine who has been living their ever since being saved by a priestess of the temple. Gingitsune will Makoto and Gintaro (Gin) as they aid their community using his powers and her desire to help others. Gingitsune opening with a pretty somber feel. You see the young Makoto walking around with a red umbrella at her mother’s funeral not really aware of what has happened (or so you feel that way). As she wandering around she sees a giant grumpy looking fox demon, Gin. The story will jump to a high school Makoto now living with her father. Your pulled along at Makoto’s goofy pace of focusing on one thing only to forget another.
The first episode will give you a short intro into the problems and prayers that Makoto and Gin will undertake. Gingitsune gives you a solid duo for a story that is going to be built on clashing protagonist personalities. Makoto is cheerful, easy going, and has a strong desire to help people (often not hearing things through), while Gin is serious, lazy, and a bit grumpy (but loves oranges). You get a good take on their opposing viewpoints regarding faith and duty during this conversation, which is short but I felt was a good “setting” for the stories to come.
The artwork is simple, but Gin’s design well played. His overall design impressed me and is backed up by voice actor Miki, Shinichiro (Urahara – Bleach, Roy Mustang – FMA, & Takumi – Initial D) who really sells the character to you. The plot is simple and easy to watch. Gingitsune does time to go into a little background for the main characters, but for the most part avoid any serious drama. I think the Satoru episodes added just enough serious take without turning the anime heavy (this is a good thing for me).
All in all I enjoyed the light hearted anime. They do address a few points here and there to keep it moving, but never pull you into the “Drama Void”. Gingitsune does not have heavy action, hard comedy, or deep story to move you. I would define this more as a slice of life with a kick of supernatural that tied together for an easy one watch story. The “one watch” is a key point for me. I didn’t feel a good bit of “rewatch” value but I do think there might be a “mood” or time you pick it up again. Gingitsune is worth the time if you’re looking for a simple, but enjoyable story of a girl and her herald.
Title: Walkure Romanze
Genre: Romance / Harem / School
Aired: October 2012 – December 2012
Review Score: 5
Review (By Dash):
Walkure Romanze follows Takahiro Mizuno and his begleiter training. He was previously a knight, but do to unknown circumstances (as of Episode 1), he has retired and taken to caring for the horses and aiding in knights training. Takahiro will need to choose one of the young maiden knights at the school to serve as a begleiter and work together to win the school tournament. It is pretty hard to get a grip on the show after reading “show synopsis” vs what they show you.
The first episode does the standard harem character introduction route with a minor story lead in (I doubt Bertille has much purpose) to pull in the viewer. The actual plot seems “ok” and I am curious the route Takahiro will go by the end of the series. Walkure Romanze falls into the harem “Moe” category giving you a large amount of boobage and panty shots, granted it’s not High School DxD over the top. Minus the pretty hard “moe” factor the whole “dense” guy plot device is being used once again for a harem anime. The difference is that Takahiro doesn’t have a comedy factor to him, he runs off as dull and “emo” to the point where his character could crash this anime for me. Regardless of the main protagonist not having any appeal to me right now, the support female characters seem interesting.
Their design remind me a bit of Agamami SS meets To Love Ru, which design wise is a win in my book. The background artwork seems grounded, but not setting any “new” grounds or above the ordinary. The jousting CGI work looks appealing, but I worry about animation re-use coming into play. I have no real qualms about the execution production wise and will probably enjoy that aspect.
Walkure Romanze was just to “run of the mill” plot wise. It felt like a weaker Infinite Stratos dense guy harem, but lacking comedic value and probably pushing it in the romance category. The story was simple and “just good enough” in my book for a watch if you like the super “moe boob” anime. Walkure in concept could have gone a good bit further in my mind if they carried the primary idea of “jousting” a bit further (think a change to make an anime of First Knight with cute high school girls), but opted for run of the mill – not so original anime. In the end I got exactly what I expected… If you like boob anime with a light comedic touch it will probably catch your interest, otherwise if you’re looking for the next To Love Ru keep scrolling.
Title: Sekai de Ichiban Tsuyoku Naritai!
Alternate Title: Wanna Be the Strongest in the World
Genre: Action/ Ecchi/ Sports
Aired: October 6, 2013 – December 22, 2013
Review Score: 6
Review (By Happypiccolo):
Hagiwara Sakura is the center vocalist of famous pop idol group Sweet. While shooting a wrestling demonstration for publicity with her rival Miyazawa Erena, Erena is injured by pro female wrestler Rio Kazama. Sakura gets upset when Rio insults pop idols as “bimbos” and challenges her to a pro wrestling match. Rio responds by accepting the fight on her terms, Cabellera contra Cabellera. After an embarrassment in front of all of her fans, Sakura decides to make pro wrestling her new career. This show has an interesting mix of cute scenes and ecchi scenes. The action is reasonable and the animation holds up well but I worry that Sekai de Ichiban loses watchers from lack of a flowing story. Although somewhat random, the concept may be a little to loose for viewers. Of course, fan service is always appreciated but I have trouble seeing too much more than that in this show. I would say this is a watch for fans of straight ecchi anime or those with an obsession with women wrestling. Otherwise, I would say hold off on Sekai de Ichiban Tsuyoku Naritai! until a rainy day with nothing to watch.
Title: Outbreak Company
Genre: Fantasy / Comedy
Aired: October 2013 – December 2013
Review Score: 6.5
Review (By Dash):
Kanou, Shinichi is a former shut in who now lives on his own. He applies for a job online and amazingly gets a call in. He scored the highest of all otaku proving he has a true knowledge of all things “Moe”. He lands up getting offered a job with the company and passing out. He wakes up in an unknown room to a super cute maid! Where is he? In a top secret alternate dimension that was discovered recently and he now has the task of being the “Manager” in charge of marketing anime, manga, and all things moe to this new world! Outbreak Company sounds like an action packed army like anime, it is not. Action may come later but for now the first episode focuses on character introduction and the duties Shinichi now has on his plate.
Overall this was a solid watch for me. Initially I thought it was going to be a bit too ecchi or a bit too goofy, but they did a solid job of delivering a semi-solid take with this anime. The overall cast matched up well and carries a high “moe” factor for most guys out there.
They did a great job of addressing Shinichi’s views as someone from our world (with an otaku mindset) going into a castle age world. What really surprised me is the way they inserted the political aspect of what really happens in feudal type worlds, which is very different then modern first world thinking many of us have. The play of caste system and races really are strong points to the development of the characters as well as the story, albeit noticeable but not dis-likable which often happens when politics can come into anime.
The easy overlook is the mentality of “oh using anime and otaku culture” as influence, but in reality anime does address and tell stories of overcoming various structures all the time (for love or war). The other factor was that they kept it a really fun and enjoyable anime with large doses of comedy and cute love that made me appreciate the composition as a whole.
Honestly marks came off for the simple animation style and backgrounds, but the overall anime was a solid watch and even carries some re-watch value in there. I do think this one will go under the radar for many fans probably due to the concept of the title or what they think it will be. You can really watch this anime to just enjoy the “otaku shut in dropped into a new world” take or the more serious nature of cultural influence. By the end of the anime you’ll understand the title (light bulb sound). Honestly this one caught me by surprise, I did not think this was going to be a “solid” anime. I landed up watching it every week it came out which is saying something and the dual nature of the anime (not too serious – not too stupid) made it an easy to get into one season anime.
Final Thought: Pick up and watch the first three episodes and than choose.
Title: White Album 2
Genre: Drama / Romance / Slice of Life
Aired: October 2013 – December 2013
Review Score: 5.5
Review (By Dash):
Kitahara, Haruki is the last member of the dissolving Light Music Club and also a member on the school fair that is about to start. Haruki loves playing the guitar and one reason he has been able to play by himself is due to a mysterious piano player who plays along with him from the music room next door. This is his one break from having to face the reality of him not being able to play in the school festival and losing the top idol from being in the popular Miss Houjou contest. Does fate have different plans in mind for Haruki before he graduates in less than half a year? First things first, I The first episode will opening with what looks like “mid season / end of season” scene than cutting back to the “current” Haruki as his lead singer walks out of the group. As his day goes on, Ogiso, Setsuna (the most popular girl in the school) , decides she doesn’t want to be in the beauty pageant. After hearing her out Haruki supports her decision and learns a bit more about her as the episode moves along. Faced with everything going on he retreats to the music room to play (what he believes) is his last performance. After starting out alone and believing the piano would not join him he hears the sound of keys matching is “not so great” guitar… but also a voice…. and so the story began…
White Album 2 fell right into “run of the mill”, but visually appeasing for me. The show is a bit more adult in nature by the end (at least older teen by the end) and is a pretty accurate tale of high school love at times. There are few reasons I had a hard time watching White Album though. This is a straight romantic drama. Two I didn’t really get into the anime due to the “you can guess the story from the episode for the most part”. It never really changes from that point on. You are simply watching the story leading up to “that moment” and the after shocks of what is to come.
As stated before, I do feel it does a pretty good job of young love. We often would think, “Oh in high school… or that age?”, but in reality that is where a lot of first happen for people. The ending wasn’t disappointing, but I could see some viewers not happy with the outcome. I would say Ogiso is a bit extreme at times character wise and honestly would scratch my head thinking “why?”, but who am I to question a teenage girl in love.
All in all, it wasn’t bad nor was it great. Its a solid love triangle anime with a serious take and some solid music. I enjoyed the depth of characters, but with only three main characters to focus on I would only hope you could execute that aspect. I wouldn’t straight recommend White Album to any anime fan, but if you like a romance drama and understand one person’s happy ending is another person’s bad end in love you should appreciate it. I would describe it much akin to a visual novel.
*Production Notes*
Already I am a fan of Setsuna (Voiced by none other than Yonezawa, Madoka the VA of Yui from K-On!) and her somewhat interesting personality, more so the take Haruki has on her. The artwork is a win for me. I love this style of character design which can keep me with an anime I may only find so-so. The background art is standard for a school anime. Not super detailed but fitting to the current standards of anime, although they did a pretty good job with the lighting effects. There is a good bit of music associated with the anime almost giving the feel the music you get in several visual novels. “White Album” by Madoka (Setsuna) is very soothing and cute song.
Title: Little Busters ~Refrain~
Genre: Drama / Romance / School
Aired: October 2013 – December 2013
Review Score: 7
Review (By Dash):
Little Busters ~Refrain~ follows Riki Naoe as he and his friends (The Little Busters) work together to build upon the bonds of friendship aiding each person in overcoming tragic pasts that effect them. Riki himself suffers from narcolepsy and until meeting Kyousuke was afraid to go outside. Since then Riki has been with the Little Busters and been given the task of expanding the group by the current leader Kyousuke. Kyousuke appears to be preparing Riki to become the new leader of the Little Busters as he prepares to move forward with life (and perhaps his own personal issues as well). Little Busters ~Refrain~ picks up right after the baseball game of the last season. Rin, Kud, and Komari are all preparing a “Hotcake Party” in celebration of their game (even though they lost). The rest of the Little Busters gather together to setup, eat, and be merry. This first fifteen minutes is used as a minor introduction to the cast that is the Little Busters. The second half of the episode is used to open up the first arc for Yuiko and a little about her past. This comes to light through the actions of a vengeful classmate and effects the Little Busters. This arc device is also used to open a bit of “memory” for Riki and some insight to his clouded past (and the story to come).
I was a fan of the first season of Little Busters. It strikes me a bit of Clanned or Shuffle addressing a dark past for each of the supporting characters. LB carries a bit of drama and to warn you the comedy will die off pretty quick. If I had to compare it to a show, I would say it closely resembles AngelBeats.
Unlike AB, LBR does a great job of character building. They do a great job of giving you a short arc for character so you can connect to them and know them (putting you in the shoes of Riki). I won’t lie. LBR is pretty over the top when it comes to the “drama” for each character through the end and also felt it dragged a bit there in the final three episodes. The good news is that the show does give you a solid ending, which seems to be a rarity today.
Almost every character type general in anime is addressed leaving no “moe” group untouched, however the drama nature brushes the character types away fast in my mind. One big thing that bothered me in the second season is the quick shift in character focus. I did want to know more about Riki’s group of friends from the start (of LB S1), however I came to accept them as support characters. LBR shifts back into their stories to the point of erasing the first season group of girls (which is intentional for the story) to the point of “non importance”. I found that annoying.. very annoying since I really stared to like them.
Aside from some standard arc types, they did a pretty good job of concluding a story that will pull you in and truly give that character option of “Good / Bad” End. Prepare some tissues in advance as the full Little Buster story can pull some tears. Full marks for overall composition especially considering anime is starting to run very “run of the mill” at points for me. I don’t think this is a show with high re-watch value, but an great one shot worth noting down on your list.
Title: Yuusha ni Narenakatta Ore wa Shibushibu Shuushoku wo Ketsui Shimashita
Genre: Comedy/Ecchi/Fantasy/Romance
Aired: October 2013 – December 2013
Review Score: 7
Review (By Rising Sun):
Raul Chaser is a young man who is working in a magic item retail store named Leon. Raul originally went to the hero academy to become a hero. He was the best of the best and was on his way to graduate the academy but the demon lord of the demon empire was defeated. The demon empire then ceased to exist which shut down the job market for all heroes. Raul was then forced to find a regular old job. He found work at Leon, and is a valuable associate there. One day while working there a young girl named Fino walks in the store and causes a small scene. Later it turns out that she was there for a interview, and she was hired. To make matters worse, Raul finds out that Fino is the demon lord’s daughter. He is then put in charge of training her and watching over her which leads to a ton of hilarious situations.
Yuushibu was kind of similar to Hataraku Maou Sama in some ways. One way is in both shows the main character is forced to work a regular job due to some unfortunate circumstances. The show was pretty funny. it was also light-hearted mixed wiith a good amount of ecchiness. I also liked all the characters for this anime. Raul was your basic normal regular Joe working a regular job. Seara is the sweet manager that likes to put Raul and Fino in uncomfortable situations. Nova is the clumsy and innocent coworker of Raul.
Throughout the show we see that Raul misses the days when he was training to be a hero with his friends. As the show went on, I noticed that Raul seemed to enjoy his job a bit more. He also cared for Fino and looked out for her. I really liked Fino. Due to her father being the demon lord she has a really spunky personality. There are a few hilarious moments where she makes demon references to customers while Raul frantically tries to change Fino’s personality at work.
It was a really cute anime for the most part. There was a good number of fan service moments, and a few unnecessary ones. The opening theme Extra Revoulution by ZAQ was also pretty catchy. The one thing that was missing was more romantic depth between Raul and Fino but hey this is an ecchi show. If you like ecchi anime like To-Love-Ru, then this for you.
Title: Infinite Stratos 2
Genre: Mecha / Comedy / Ecchi
Aired: October 2013 – December 2013
Review Score: 5
Review: (By: Blue)
I did enjoy Infinite Stratos and saw some potential in it. That was until the second season came out and crushed all my hopes.
(Story) – There is very little story and plot advancement in IF2 and what little glimpse you get that seems as if the story will advance, is quickly cover up by a random episode that has nothing to do with said glimpse. All in all IF2 is just fan service with the occasional Mech battles, and almost no plot advancement.
(Art) – There is not much to say about the art in IF2. It’s what I would call standard art and unlike another Anime that I review there were no signs of laziness. I like the Mech suits and the details of them.
(Characters) – There is nothing much to expect from IF2 characters. It’s your typical harem where every girl is trying to get Ichika’s attention but he’s so dense that you need a pick axe to get through to him, and the moment he does something wrong every girl within a 10 mile radius will be mad at him. You have your typical I can’t cook to save my life, childhood friend, I pretended to be a boy but I’m actually a girl, the quiet girl that came out her shell when Ichika talked to her, and your Tsundere type of chracters.
(Overall) – As comedy being one of my favorite types of genre in Animes, I did enjoy it in IF2. Sadly, I wish there was less of it and more plot development. There was enough of it to keep me till the very end, and the battle in the last two episodes was not bad at all. However, I don’t recommend watching IF2 if you are a Mech fan, It’s not worth it to wait 11-12 episodes just for a decent battle. As a matter of fact, I don’t recommend watching IF2 unless you just want fan service which there is a lot of.
Title: Coppelion
Genres: Science Fiction / Action
Aired: October 2013 – January 2013
Review Score: 5
Finial Review (By: Blue)
In 2016 a nuclear melt-down devastated Tokyo leaving heavy amounts of radiation which normal radiation suits will not protect you from. 20 years later the Self Defense force sent in 3 high school girls on a mission to search and rescue any remaining survivors. These 3 girls are not any normal girls, being biologically engineer they are naturally immune to radiation and each has their own special ability.
When I started to watch Coppelion it pulled me in with its beautiful and detail art style. The first three episodes are great, but it goes downhill from there on. It slowly crumbles like the decaying buildings in the Anime with lack of character development and a genetic story line. These girls who were genetically engineer are call dolls and it’s easy to sympathize with a characters’ feeling when they don’t feel as if they are human. But the Anime seems to pound that into your head and with the constant crying from the characters you start to lose interest with them. Each girl seems to have an ability unique to each of them, but I’ve only remember them using it once per character and they were pretty worthless in an apocalyptic type settings. It took 11 episodes for me to see Aois’ ability. Also, their schoolgirl uniforms are only there for fan service. These girls were train for 17 years to go into the radiation zone to rescue people, but were only given schoolgirl uniforms and a gun… I know I’m using my brain but whoever ok this idea is a genius! (Sarcasm)
If I had to look for things that I like about Coppelion is its beautiful art work however, even this let me down. At times it seems like they got lazy and decided not to color everything in. Haruto, who is introduce later on, is the type of character who just does things instead of crying for two minutes before deciding what to do. As far as music goes the opening intro is fairly decent and the bgm for the battles are fair.
Over all while watching Coppelion I didn’t really feel interested after the first six episodes. It went from “I want to know what happens next” to “There’s still more? Ugh..”. As much as I like an apocalyptic type setting I would recommend staying away from this. That’s pretty much all Coppelion has going for it.
Title: Kyousou Giga
Genres: Fantasy / Science Fiction
Preview Score: 6
Preview (By Storm):
Koto accidentally stumbles into this mysterious new world with her brothers. While here she stumbles onto a new life in itself. Koto and her two brothers get taken in by a monk until they can find a way home She know that this new world she is currently in is called “Mirror Kyoto” but with humans and spirits are living side by side in this strange city, there is clearly a bigger story here that we are just starting to scratch the surface of. From the very beginning of watching this anime I was quite confused as to what was going on. Naturally I just assumed that it would start making more sense as the anime went on. Needlessly to see in this first episode that did not happen at all. I am actually into this preview after watching the second episode as well but will only critique in terms of the first one. That being said it was confusing and was not really sure what the plot was, other then that the kids needed to find a rabbit in order to return to their world. However I held out hope the the second episode would help me understand it better, and it did not disappoint in the slightest. This music and visual art work on this show are really great. I love the way the spirits are done and how the world just works naturally with them. I also love Koto’s massive hammer that seems to be just a bunch of random colors that is very visually striking and leaves an impact the first time you see it. This as well as the mirror world itself is just brought together very well and definitely keeps you interest there. While the first episode is hard to get into I would say give it a try for the nice look of it alone. The second episode, in my opinion was great, we got a lot of back story and are able to understand Mirror Kyoto a bit better, as well as is inhabitants. As much as it seemed hard to watch the first episode the second was so pleasant and fun to go through. However I would partially recommend people to wait at least till the series is halfway finished to get started, because I believe that this show will be one that will take us by surprise.
Title: Miss Monochrome
Genres: Slice of Life / Comedy / Music / Short
Aired: October 2013 – December 2013
Review Score: 6
Review (By: Dash)
The story opens with two girls promising to meet each other again “beneath the waterfall”. It jumps to Miss Monochrome sitting in her castle admiring another idol and wondering how she too can become that popular. She is seen with her friend Mana-chan who tells her she needs a manager to become an idol and help become famous. Mana-chan tells her she needs all of her yen and disappears. Out on the street Miss Monochrome runs into a “manager” of a convenience store and says she needs him to get her work (Miss Monochrome has no common sense and is clearly a program/A.I.). She starts working at the store… I do not follow Miss Monochrome and what made her popular as a 3D virtual singer, so this anime is a bit lost on me there (at least I know…).
Yui Hoire is the VA of Miss Monochrome (Eucliwood – Kore wa Zombie, Riki – Little Busters, & Nari – Love Hina to just name a few) which you probably know from several anime. The monotone computerized voice is cute (don’t ask me why). Seeing this is pretty much a one man show, I have faith in her ability to carry the VA for this. The ending theme is actually really catchy and worth a whole listen (granted she is a 3D idol already), “Poker Face” by: Yui Horie.
Overall I did enjoy these shorts as well, which caught me off guard this season as I normally pass them up. I would place this in the “dimwitted comedy” category, but did enjoy Miss Monochrome and her journey to becoming an idol. The music is catchy and it is good for a quick pick me up or laugh. I would say if your looking for 3 minutes of “I need something to cheer me up”, Miss Monochrome will do the job.
Title: Kyoukai no Kanata
Genres: Supernatural / Slice of Life / Comedy
Preview Score: 8
Preview (By Storm)
Akihito Kanbara is a half youmu, a strange creature the roams the human world freely. Some youmu are dangerous and like to eat humans, while others are simple and just appear as humans and are mostly able to live simply in the human world. Akihito meets Mirai, a youmu hunter, who has a strange ability to manipulate blood into a sword. Mirai is very timid and has not killed any youmu as of yet, so she sets out to kill Akhito. The problem here is hes is invulnerable due to his half youmu bloodline. So Mirai sticks around constantly fighting Akihito as she can easily harm him but not kill him. AKihito talks her into chasing down an actual youmu to get a kill that she can use to pay the bills. From the start I really enjoyed this show. From the actions scenes, to the pretty girls it really has something very most audiences. Since Mirai is so shy and to herself, Akihito is trying to make her more outgoing so she can kill youmu and stop stabbing him. These two make a great match in this show and easily compliment each other by their faults and strengths. Akihoto is the more outgoing type where as Mirai does not like joining in in school type activities or any activities for that matter. So to be able to see these two work together to accomplish different goals I think will make for a very good anime. The character designs as well as the youmu and sets are all done very well. This show strikes me as one that will have a lot of people happy this season. I can see this being an instant hit with a lot of people, as well as a pass for few others. Overall this show was great I would highly recommend checking it out to all anime fans. It is really simple to get into and the story is so cute and fun you just want to keep watching. Not to mention the action scenes are actually very well done, as well as how the story is written out so far being done very well. This will probably be my favorite show of the season and hope it all goes well for the two main characters. I mean after all who doesn’t love a girl in glasses.
Title: Super Seisyun Brothers
Genres: Slice of Life / Comedy / Coming of Age / Short
Aired: October 2013 – December 2013
Review Score: 7
Review (By: Dash)
This is a story following the lives of two pairs of siblings. Mao Saitou and his older sister Mako who are best friends with Chika Shinmoto and Chiko. Mao and Chika are in high school, while Chiko and Mako are over twenty (college – work). The shorts follow the conversations and brief glimpse into their lives and outlook on life.
Short and sweet best define this anime. I started with this anime realizing it was a short and decided to pick it up at the end, I don’t regret this choice. I do hope to get more these cute shorts. I would best describe it as a quick peek into the moments of our lives during the week that are amusing, but sometimes lost over time. Many of their takes are common looks for anime, I still enjoyed the humor and dialogue. I am a big slice of life / comedy fan and this season I was looking for “nil drama” to be honest. If your looking for a quick 40 minute or so time kill and some fun, pick up SSB.
Title: Diabolik Lovers
Genres: Shoujo / Bishi / Fantasy / Vamp
Aired: Sept 16 – Dec 9
Review Score: 4.5
Review (By: anime-nympho)
From the start Diabolik Lovers is your typical shoujo harem anime. The Main character is a teenage girl named Komori Yui who by the request of her father has to move to a new school and home because business has called him else were. So the young Yui finds herself arriving at a large mansion that she has never been to in her life. Upon arriving she meets with the sight of a teenage looking boy whom appears to be sleeping on a couch in the entrance hall. On further inspection, she discovers that he has not heart beat and immediately freaks out and tries to call 911. However the boy wakes up and all the trouble starts from there. He as well as all the other members of the house hold, which are male and also vampires, were told about her coming to live with them. At first thing seen like all other shoujo harem stories, but then things get really dark for none of these bishi vampires are thrilled to be having this strange girl in the house hold, except for maybe a quick bite.
And bite they do.
Each member of the house hold at various times during the series ensnares their new house mate in secluded locations for noting more than to claim their rights to their “sacrificial bride” by feeding on her blood, quickly establishing that the only thing deeply these guys want is to sink in to her flesh is their teeth. These male vampires have no qualms about all of them sharing her blood because to them, Yui is nothing more than a blood source and object for their amusement. And for the most part, this the plot for the rest of the show.
I have to say during the first five minutes I was thinking that I was most likely not like the show, and I was mostly right. The center of interest girl character, Yui, is the kind that gets on most fans nerves—well strong female fan—when watching these kinds of shows. She is so weak, helpless, and submissive that at times I wanted to cry for women’s rights movements everywhere. The only things that keep my interest in the show were the dark bishi vampire cast and a strange plot twist that developed late on. However, the end proved my initial forecast right and became your average run of the mill bishi harem where all the guy characters fond over the girl. Sadly though, it is out of jealousy of their uncle stealing their play toy and not out of love. It was a good thing that each episode only lasted 15 min with credits.
My finial verdict for Diabolik Lovers is a 4.5
Mid Season Reviews for Summer 2013 – Fall 2013
Monogatari Series: Second Season
Genre: Supernatural / Comedy / Ecchi / Romance
Aired: July 2013 – December 2013
Review Score: 8.5
Review (By Dash):
Following the life Arararagi, Koyomi (sorry I stuttered), Monogatari Second Season is the fourth installment of the “Monogatari Series” and third season in terms of full show. Araragi one day saves a dying vampire and in process becomes one himself. He is cured (of most his) vampire ways by Oshino, Meme. As life moves on he starts to encounter “oddities” and helps those afflicted by them with the help of Meme. Now that is a brief intro, I would strongly recommend watching the show as jumping in here would just be confusing. The story seemingly does not start up with Araragi, rather with Hanekawa and the Tiger. The “fourth installment” doesn’t feel as if the Monogatari Series has gone through 36+ Episodes honestly. The division of 4 Episode Arcs has always been a win in my mind for possible shorter lived anime series.
The fourth installment has done a great job of giving what many fans often desire, more on their favorite characters. This time it dives back into the characters Araragi has helped from the first season. I have personally loved how each character has grown in a short time frame from their first encounter with oddities to where they are now. Monogatari Second Season is now addressing the after effects of each arc presenting different takes and cases for each of the heroines (if you can call them that). Each take (has so far) gone in a different direction with each female lead (going any further on this subject will expose you to spoilers). Two other sells have been the addition of a mysterious new female character (Ougi Oshino) and the continuation of ever fun dialogue with Shinobu. Nothing has really changed in my mind from Monogatari First Season to now in terms of artwork, VA, or plot. They all remain amazing. The one big difference between the two seasons (which occurs in Nisemonotagi) is the talkative Shinobu. I love how Shinobu is VA’d (Sakamoto, Maaya) for the record. She has done several roles throughout anime, but her voicing on Shinobu is one of my favorites (KA KA KA). The opening and ending themes change as always depending which character is the lead for the current arc, they are always a great listen and an overall amazing soundtrack. I have virtually no negative comments (personally) about the Monogatari series.
The only peeve I had in the second season was the near full episode recap on the events dealing with Nekomonogatari which made me feel they were re-capping for those who missed the OVA (not always bad, but annoying if you know it). I love the art style and quick flashes of text personally. I feel it adds to the charm that is the Monogatari series. The style the show was done has turned off some people from watching this outstanding series, so I thought I would point it out. Overall I feel the Monogatari Series is well executed and written. I have a feeling by the end of the fourth installment I will upgrade it to a possible 10 (as an overall series), taking place with my all time favorites with Ouran and Cowboy Bebop. This is also the case with Railgun/Index group, however due to that one rolling from the Spring and this one rolling to Winter they fall into different categories when it comes to “Top 5” of a given season. I would recommend this series to most otaku, but not necessarily for the casual fan. It falls closer to the realm of FLCL when it comes to the love hate relationship fans can have for this anime. The reason for this is that it can be confusing, a bit fast paced with text, and the animation is not for everyone. I personally adore the wordplay done down to the title and the rich story that has created the Monogatari World.
Title: Pretty Rhythm: Rainbow Live
Genre: Music / Shoujo / Idol
Aired: April 2013 – January 2014
Review Score: 6
Review (By Dash):
Naru Ayase loves to decorate objects to make them “cute” using prism gems. She has a dream of one day becoming a shop owner or manager of a store like Dear Crown. One day she submits for a student manager position of a new store that is opening that is like Dear Crown. Ayase is honest and speaks why she is there only to discover she must also perform a Prism Show! (Prism Show is a dance / music / skating performance put on by the models and idols of the Pretty Rhythm world). Unfortunately Ayase has never been good at doing a Prism Show… she does however have a talent for seeing the colors of music. During this moment she hears a voice calling to her and she moves with the colors of the song, surprise she is picked! Now the real show will begin… How will she do as a manager? Can she learn what it means to put on Prism Show? Will she make friends? Some of this will be answer in episode two from what I can tell (lol)!
For starters if you don’t know this is the third installment in the “Pretty Rhythm” world, not that you have to watch it to fully grasp it. If you like the fashion equipping games or anime (Aikatsu! for example) or a fan of the previous two “Pretty Rhythm” shows you’ll be right at home. Pretty Rhythm is geared for younger girls and doesn’t even carry some of the same factors like Shugo Chara which would gain a slightly older audience. I will say that this and Aikatsu! are the only idol type of shows airing, sadly they are very similar. I hope this one has less reuse of Aikatsu! which I put on hold at (10/51). The animation is clean, the music was ok. I am not sure where this show will really go. I never personally followed the other “Pretty Rhythm” primarily as I didn’t have access to them. I am a little intrigued and will probably give the first one a try when I am in “waiting mode” which will probably come a little later. I have nothing against the show. It is very cute. The plot seems pretty straight forward, follow Ayase as she starts her journey towards her dream. Seeing this is a shoujo targeted anime, I was not expecting deep plot or character development. I expect an easy to watch, overcoming challenges, following your dream anime. This is definitely in the “cute” and “bejeweled” category. This show really isn’t intended for a “wide” audience and as an anime fan you have to like this genre, otherwise its more geared for kids. A solid “6″ since it is perfectly done in how and what the target audience is, however even reaching the audience I question overall re-watch. The show has gone a total of 102 episodes if you count the other two seasons, I don’t see what would stop it now.
Title: Gifuu Doudou!!: Kanetsugu to Keiji
Genre: Historical / Action / Martial Arts
Review Score: 7
Airing: July 2013 – December 2013
Review (By HappyPiccolo):
Gifuu Doudou takes place in one of the most dangerous times in Japan’s history, the Sengoku era. Although this time was dangerous it birthed some of Japan’s most legendary warriors. One such hero of legend was Maeda Keiji. Who, together along with the brilliant military mind of Naoe Kanetsugu, changed a time of fighting and war into a time of legends. Gifuu starts in a future where both Keiji and Kanetsugu are well known warriors. After a few minutes they settle down to drink together and reminisce. The majority of this show takes place in flashbacks of memories of the two old friends. Gifuu Doudou presents an enjoyable storyline filled with action, comedy, twists and turns. The eccentric Keiji’s personality makes a great pairing with the powerful but quiet nature of Kanetsugu. From their first meeting to Keiji and Kanetsugu meeting the emperor, Gifuu is extremely intense and suspense driven. This show does a very decent job of explaining the minute inner plans within plans of various protagonists and antagonists alike. The art style reminds me of Fist of the North Star with a Kenshin twist. If you are a big fan of historical anime this is right up your alley. Gifuu Doudou!!: Kanetsugu to Keiji is worth giving a try for the art alone, but the story does a great job of pulling the viewer in and fulfilling your desire for an interesting show. By providing two different but likable leading characters, Gifuu Doudou presents a great anime experience.