Air

Written by: Key
Directed by: Tatsuya Ishihara
Developed by: Key
Studio: Kyoto Animation
Aired in Japan: January 6, 2005 - March 31, 2005 (excluding specials)
Length: 13 episodes + 2 specials

(9.3/10) Summary: Air is a fantastic anime centered around a man named Yukito Kunisaki. He travels from town to town as a performer to earn enough money to survive. You see, he's actually searching for the winged girl in the sky. Now, I know what you're thinking, " What? -_-; " … I know it sounds pretty lame, but it really is amazing. Anyways, he carries around a doll with him that he is able to make move without any strings attached. Most people are amazed, and they pay him for the show. Once again, " What? -_-; " … Don't worry, because by the end, everything makes complete sense. However, when he arrived in this one town, nobody was interested in his show. He was starving and alone, but that's when he met Misuzu Kamio. At that moment, his life was changed forever.


Characters: (10/10)

Yukito Kunisaki - Cool; irritable.  Pretty funny to watch.

Misuzu Kamio - Sweet; innocent.  A big klutz.  She's alone and is ill with a strange sickness.

Kano Kirishima - Sweet; high spirited.  Has some strange connection to the supernatural.

Minagi Tohno - Smart; clam.  She's very kind and is even the president of the astronomy club!

Kanna - The last one. (Watch to find out what I mean)  Alone; afraid.

Ryuya - Brave; kind.  Kanna's personal bodyguard.

Uraha - Kind; mischievous.  Also protects Kanna.

Haruko Kamio - Very intricate.  Watch to learn about her. (My favorite character)

Hijiri Kirishima - The older sister to Kano.  Protective; shrewd.

Michiru - Energetic; playful.  She's best friend's with Tohno.

Potato - Kano's pet dog.  As you can see -> very cute.

Sora - ??? Very important.  Must watch to find out about.

I apologize for the minimal amount of information on each character, I just don't want to give anything away before you see it.

Art: (8.5/10)
This show is very well colorized, and almost everything seems well done. However, some characters have some pretty large eyes that might seem annoying to you. Another thing is that the characters' eyes are very low for an anime. Now, this didn't bother me, but it might bother some people.

Overall, this show was definitely worth watching. At first, it seemed a little strange, though. However, as I previously mentioned, by the end, everything in the story made complete sense. The plot was especially very well thought out and very creative. In fact, right now this show has the potential to stand up against CLANNAD, my favorite anime. I definitely recommend watching this. Thanks for reading! ^^

More info here. Read more!

Slayers

The Slayers franchise is a long-time running series consisting of 52 light novels, 5 anime seasons, 5 movies, 2 OVA's, and various video games, manga series, and radio dramas. The light novel series first began in 1989, with the first season of the anime series released in 1995. In 1996 and 1997 two subsequent seasons followed season one: Slayers Next and Slayers Try (left) respectively. In 2008, the Slayers franchise added a new installment to its then dormant anime series, Slayers Revolution, which took advantage of new animation techniques, including cell-shading, that were not around during the creation of the series' first three seasons. A 5th season, Slayers Evolution-R, was produced in 2009. Currently in the U.S, Slayers Revolution and Slayers Evolution-R are being aired on the Funimation Channel-- Funimation having dubbed all 5 of the series' seasons in English.

I could describe the Slayers franchise as a fantasy-magical-world version Dragonball Z. The series follows Lina Inverse and her unlikely gang of friends as they defeat...evil. Pretty much. In terms of plot, the series is certainly no Code Geass but in its own right it is very entertaining. I find that the English dub is a bit more geared towards teenagers than say, the Dragonball series dub, both being produced around the same time. In general, the series is mostly comedy-action. In fact, it entirely is, but like say, One Piece, the uniqueness of the characters make for an interesting and fun story to follow. Please excuse the excessive references; this is the only way I know how to describe this series. Haha.

The first season introduces the main cast of characters, and it has a rather straightforward plot. Lina and her gang have to find Rezo the Red Priest and defeat the dark lord Shabranigdo. The next season and the third season dawn a more intense plot but keeping with the basic action-comedy theme. The newest installments introduce a new interesting character, and bring back some old characters from the original three seasons. I've been watching Slayers Evolution-R (right, showing the new cell shading) recently and I'm quite enjoying it having watched the earlier seasons. All in all the series is enjoyable if you're looking for a more straight forward action-filled and fun plot.

The theme songs are excellent. The first seasons' opening and ending are performed by Megumi Hayashibara, who voices Lina Inverse, and major anison singer Masami Okui. The subsequent seasons' openings are all performed by Megumi Hayashibara, including their endings excluding the ending of Slayers Next which was performed once again by Masami Okui.

Overall, the series gets a 7 out of 10 (7/10)
The theme songs get a 10 out of 10 (10/10). Freakin' awesome XD Read more!

Arakawa Under the Bridge

Directed by: Akiyuki Shinbo

Studio: Shaft

No. of Episodes: 13

(9/10) Arakawa Under the Bridge was a great anime.  Of course, it's not for everyone.  This anime is probably the weirdest one that I have ever watched.  Now, I know that there are probably a lot of even weirder animes out there, but for me, it was strange.  It's basically about this guy named Kou Ichinomiya, who can never owe anyone anything.  He's actually the CEO of a major company, and he was very valuable.  He was raised with that strict rule where he couldn't owe anybody, however, and he was frowned upon by his father if he ever broke it.  So, he had lived his life without owing anyone anything, until he was 21.  He was chased down by a bunch of teenagers and his pants were ripped off of him.  The teenagers flew his pants like a flag up high on a bridge.  He needed to climb up the beam and get his pants down, without anyone's help.  He was just about to grab his pants, when all of the sudden his boxers started falling off.  A girl named Nino saw him and told him that if his boxers fell off anymore, it would be a public offense.  She offered to help him get his pants, but then he would owe her.  So, he continued on, hoping that his boxers wouldn't fall.  Instead, just as he grabbed his pants, the whole beam from the bridge fell.  He fell with it off the bridge and into the river.  He was being dragged down by the weight, and he thought that he was going to die.  Until, Nino jumped in after him and rescued him.  He was happy, but also very frantic.  He owed her more than anything, his life.  So, he offered her everything he could, except one thing.  She didn't want anything, except for him to become her lover.  Going by his rule, he had to accept.  Even worse, he had to live under a bridge with her and all of the other bridge dwellers.  This was looking like an adventure he didn't want to go on. (9/10)


Characters: (10/10)

Kou Ichinomiya - Serious; business-like -> caring & just plain ridiculous

Nino - Oblivious, forgetful, kind, strange (says that she's from Venus)

Village Chief (Mayor)- Thinks he's cool, very ridiculous, thinks that he's a Kappa

Sister - Kind, scary, A MAN

Star (Hoshi) - Can be cool & chill, or overdramatic

Whitey (Shiro) - Kind, can be business-like, but not productive

Metal Brothers - Hyper, playful, easily amazed

P-ko - Nice, dramatic, and a huge klutz

Maria - Cruel, harsh, uses her looks for manipulation

Stella - Cute, scary, mean


+ some more not AS IMPORTANT characters.  Overall, this anime was definitely worth watching.  The second season is airing right now, but I haven't had the chance to watch it yet.  I'm sure it will be worth it too, though!

More info HERE.

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Fortune Arterial: Akai Yakusoku First Impression

Fortune Arterial: Akai Yakusoku is an anime that follows a teenage boy named Hasekura Kouhei. All of Hasekura's life he has been switching schools and moving to new places. He eventually decides to go back to an island that he once lived on, named Tamatsu island. Once there, he meets many of his old friends and discovers that some members of the student council members are vampires. I will admit that coming into this anime I had very low expectations, mainly because vampires are a bit cliche. Although, to my surprise, so far I have found the series to be pretty interesting. This anime has a unique plot for a vampire anime and almost no violence. So, it is really nothing like I expected it to be. This anime seems great so far and if you are at all interested I recommend checking it out.

The read more at the end of this post does nothing. 


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Shugo Chara!

A rather popular anime in Japan from 2008-2009, Shugo Chara!, is not your average magical girl series (but, it still is). The story revolves around Hinamori Amu, a 5th-6th grader at Seiyo Elementary who's struggling with a rather backwards problem—the kids at school think she's "cool and spicy," but alas, that is not her true self. After wishing to be her "would-be self" one night, she wakes up the next morning with three patterned eggs in her bed of three colors: red, blue, and green. The eggs hatch into Amu's guardian characters (shugo kyara): one a sporty, peppy cheerleader, one a soft-spoken artist, and the other a girly, housewife-like girl. When Amu is invited into the Guardians, her school's student council, things get interesting when they reveal their own guardian characters to her, and Amu is named the Joker, as the only member of the guardians with the ability to perform a character transformation (sort of a fusion with a guardian character) and purify X-eggs, children's eggs of the heart that have been tainted by sadness or by forced means. And so Amu and the Guardians fight Easter, an evil organization bent on finding the Embryo, the legendary egg that will make one wish come true.

Aside from a slightly repetitive storyline, the plot focuses on Amu's relationships with Tadase (the King, leader of the Guardians, and the boy Amu likes), and Ikuto (a loner, and member of Easter that constantly bugs Amu). Although rather obvious who Amu will end up with, the anime's romance is actually quite enticing, if you're into rather cute-ish love stories (XD). The fanbase takes very radical standpoints. Either you're a diehard Amuto fan (Amu x Iktuo) or a diehard Tadamu dan (Amu x Tadase), and there are much more Amuto fans, much to my dismay. Yes, I am a Tadamu fan. In fact, Tadase is my favorite anime character. But anyway...

Overall, the manga is much much better than the anime. After season one, the anime strays very far from the manga and gets extremely repetitive. I suggest reading the manga if you were to dive into this series. It really is a good series, combining elements of magical girl, innocent romance, comedy, and a pretty good storyline (the whole concept is really great though). I would rate the anime's first season a 7/10, the second season, Shugo Chara Doki!!, a 5/10, and the manga a 9/10 (but I'm kinda biased). The theme songs are extremely poppy, and all are done by Hello!Project units formed specifically for the purpose of the anime. All of the endings are by Buono!, a 3-member H!P unit, and all of them are simply amazing in my opinion. I'm into the cute-pop songs though (although Buono! adds some rock), ahaha.

I recommend this manga series strongly. It ended, and is only about ten volumes long, so it's a quick read that is definitely worth it. 9/10. Read more!

Bakuman. First Impression

Plot Summary: "Moritaka Mashiro, a junior high school student, content to live out a relatively normal life as any other does, is persuaded by his classmate, Akito Takagi, to become an aspiring mangaka when the latter realizes his natural talent as an artist. However, Moritaka is reluctant to pursue his dream as his uncle, once a mangaka with his own serializations, died from overwork trying to regain his lost status. With Akito's help, Takagi gets another classmate and his school crush, Azuki Miho, who is an aspiring voice actress, to voice in the anime adaptation of their future manga once it is completed. However, Mashiro also proposes to Azuki, who surprisingly accepts only on the condition she will marry him when both of them have achieved their dreams. With a goal set before him, Mashiro begins a long and struggling path to become a famous mangaka."
-AnimeNewsNetwork

First impression: Just from watching the first episode of this new anime, I really enjoyed it. I am looking forward to watching the rest of the series and you should be expecting a full review after it is finished airing. So far, I really like the idea of the show. It seems very original and very promising. I hope you check out the show too, I think it's worth it.

Characters: So far I really like the characters. As of right now, my favorite is Akito Takagi because he is a very prestigious student, who happens to love manga and anime! He is very persistent, bold, smart and determined. The other characters have many unique features too, but he just stands out to me. I am excited to learn more about the characters and can't wait for the next episode.

Check out this show, and tell me what you think (comment). I really hope you get as hooked to it as I am. ^^ Read more!

MM! First Impression

This is the basic information about the show.

It's about a high school freshman boy who is a masochist. He is kind of sick though because he loves being beaten up by girls. He does want to cure himself of this illness though, so he decides to go to a club called "The Second Volunteer Club" for advice on his problem. The president after that point tries to help him with his illness. The rest of the story basically just builds from there.

Some side notes about the show:
Fanservice: Not a lot, but it's present sometimes.
Characters: I personally don't love the characters so far, but they're not bad.
Art style: It looks very modern, and not very original. The art style is nothing to brag about.

Overall, my first impression was not great. I will not continue to watch the show, but if it sounds interesting to you, go ahead and watch it. It doesn't seem bad, but it's just not my type of anime.
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Gakuen Mokushiroku: High School of The Dead

Director: Tetsuro Araki
Written by: Yosuke Kuroda
Studio: Madhouse
No. of episodes: 12

WARNING: CONTAINS A LARGE AMOUNT OF FANSERVICE

Gakuen Mokushiroku: High School of The Dead is basically an apocalyptic zombie anime. This anime has a great storyline and most of the characters aren't too bad. One thing that really, REALLY brings the anime down is the amount of fanservice. Basically, it is filled with it. Almost if not every episode has many "fanservicy" parts in it. If you can look past that though, the concept is great and the anime really plays out very well.

Plot: (9.5/10)
The plot in this anime was really amazing. I wasn't too keen on watching it at first, but as soon as I saw the first episode, I was hooked. The story revolves around a group of 5 teenagers and 1 adult. It's basically how they learn to survive in a world that has already ended. The anime is pretty intense, but somehow they manage to fit in so much fanservice. If the anime did not have that factor, it would be much better in my eyes. Overall, the plot is great and if you're wondering if you should watch it, you should. Of course, if you can't deal with the large amount of frequent fanservice, don't watch it. I personally loved the anime, but just for the story.

Characters: (7/10)
(Marked down for fanservice)


Takashi Komuro - Quiet, depressed -> strong, protective. He was apathetic at first, but he grew into someone worth relying on.


Saeko Busujima - Tough, mysterious. She was the kendo club leader at the high school and is a master with swords.


Kouta Hirano - Nerdy, brave. He is the geek who sits at home and plays shooter games all of the time. He knows everything about guns.


Shizuka Marikawa - Bubbly, innocent. She is the nurse at school who is all over the place and can't get anything together.


Miyamoto Rei - Sensitive, strong. She is a character that is mostly depressed in the beginning of the series, but becomes a great companion to everyone.


Saya Takagi - Brilliant, annoying. She basically thinks that she is better than everyone else. She turns out to be okay in the end, but she was quite annoying in the beginning.

Animation: (7.5/10)
(Marked down for fanservice)
The actual art style in this anime I like. The fanservice is very annoying, but the art style and the movements seem pretty good. I liked the unique art style in this anime, and I hope that you do too.

Overall: (8/10)
The show was great, but the ending really disappointed me. If you end up watching this show, please tell me your opinion on the ending too. Other than that though, it was a great experience and I hope to find another anime soon that's just as good without the fanservice!

Another source of info here Read more!

Kaichou wa Maid-Sama!

Director: Hiroaki Sakurai
Studio: J.C.Staff
Kaichou wa Maid-Sama is based upon the popular manga titled Maid Sama! throughout the series, you meet the following three main characters:
Misaki Ayuzawa - the first female president of the student body.
Usui Takumi - a male heartthrob notorious for breaking almost every girls heart.
Hinata Shintani - Misaki's childhood friend who has had a crush on her since he met her when they were younger.

Plot: (9/10)
The basis of this story revolves around the three main characters mentioned above. The series starts off with just Misaki and Usui being regular students attending high school in Japan. Yes, you're right. This show is a school romance, and a funny one at that! The school they attend was an all guy school notorious for wild students, but they recently switched to co-ed. It starts out with Usui falling for Misaki, while everyone else in the school cowers in fear before her. You see, she is a very strong person who lives with her mother and her sister. Her father abandoned the family and left them with nothing. Because of these troubles, she grew into a very independent, reliable person. She is not afraid to enforce the rules at school, hence the reason why everyone is afraid of her. Anyways, the event that really kicks the show into motion (and has Usui start falling for Misaki) is when Usui discovers that the president (Misaki) actually works a part-time job at a maid cafe in the next town over! From this point on, things become interesting, and just when you think you know what's going to happen, a twist appears.

Characters: (10/10)


Misaki Ayuzawa - Strong, reliable. Misaki is the head of the student body and is feard by most of the school. Her reputation is solid, but nobody knows that she works as a maid for a part-time job... at first.


Usui Tamuki - Cool, quiet. He is basically the master of everything, but the only one he goes for is Misaki even when he can have any other girl.


Hinata Shintani - Bubbly, hungry. Hinata is always hungry, and usually pretty content. He is persistent and there's more to him than meets the eye.

Animation: (9/10)
The animation in this show so far seems pretty good to me, but I've heard some people say that it looks too "2-D". This doesn't bother me, but just as a warning to all of the people who really pay attention to the art style, this one isn't unique. It looks a lot like other shoujos, so beware. Other than that, it's a great show and I hope you like the art style!

Overall: (9.3/10)
This show is great I really enjoy it. One downside is the ending. Sure, it's not bad, but it's kind of a let down that the show just stops after that. You'll know what I mean if you watch it. Still, I really enjoy it. If you want more evidence that it's a great show, check out Animeseason's highest rated anime list. As of today, it is number one! Read more!

Bleach: Story Arch 1 (Anime & Manga)

Manga:
Written by: Tite Kubo
Published by: Shueisha

Anime:
Directed by: Noriyuki Abe
Written by: Masashi Sogo
Music by: Shirō Sagisu
Studio: Studio Pierrot

The Bleach series really interested me, at first. I started watching the show a while back, and I got into the 2nd or 3rd story arch, but I just couldn't take it anymore. Frankly, the story line is very good, but there are way too many filler episodes. I personally loved the first story arch, and I recommend watching it. I also later read the whole first arch again, and I loved it just as much. It doesn't matter if you read it or if you watch it, but the first story arch is very good.

Plot: (9/10)
The story revolves around a teenager named Ichigo Kurosaki, who happens to have a high level of spiritual power. What does this mean? It basically just means that he has good connections with spirits, and can even see most of them. He happens to see a shinigami, or death god, named Rukia. Long story short, he is put in a situation that forces him to become a shinigami himself in order to protect his family. The 1st arch is all about his crazy adventure in the shinigami world trying to rescue someone dear to him.

Characters: (9/10)


Ichigo Kurosaki: Cool, chill. He is on the sarcastic side, but very serious. He can be a bit goofy at times, though. Basically, don't mess with him.



Chad: Kind, gentle hearted. He is very strong, but will not use his strength for anything that might harm another.



Orihime - Very bubbly, kind. She is the kind of person that could just become friends with you in an instant.



Uryu - Smart, dangerous, confident. He is a bit cocky, but he is also a genius and a warrior.



Rukia: Stubborn, but kind. She is very strong willed and will try to obey the rules.

Animation: (8/10)
I am not really the best person to ask about this. I personally do not care about the animation in an anime. I thought this one was fine, but that I've seen better ones before. There is nothing wrong with it though and I hope that you don't mind it either. One good thing is that the fight scenes look very cool. You get more out of the fight scenes in the anime than you do in the manga.
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