Dear Boys

Category: Shounen, sports, basketball
Episodes: 26
Year: 2003


I wanted to like Dear Boys. In the beginning it had some potential. The main character, Kazuhiko Aikawa, is a truly endearing character. He has just the right amount of 'You can do it!" without the emo lack of ability many other characters with the same attitude have. This could have been a great sports anime. It wasn't.

The synopsis is as follows:
Kazuhiko Aikawa is a transfer student to Mizuho school. Aikawa is interested in joining the basketball team at Mizuho after leaving the elite basketball school, "Tendouji". The basketball team at Mizuho is on the verge of disbandment, with only 4 member remaing. What craziness will ensue?
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The character models for the boys in this anime were decent, with an emphasis on longer limbs and enhanced physiques. The girls just looked plain strange and awkward. The animation fluctuated from bad to criminal. Although there was some CG, it was pretty awful. I can't help feeling that the anime felt like they were running out of production money as they got near the end of the series (reference 2 minutes of still shots in episode 24 during a pivotal game that weren't even fully colored). Just terrible animation. I'm proud I made it to the end, though, because the last episode has a truly fantasticly awful 3d CG scene that really brings home how bad CG can be. It's like they rendered the anime in 12 fps or something.

If this anime were to succeed, it would need to flesh out the relationships between the boys and girls, go a little bit deeper with character development and the animation needs to be kicked up 6 to 700 notches.

NOTE: it did have some good music and I found the end credits to be amusing.


I'd give it a D+

Here's the breakdown

Animation: 3
Story: 6
Music: 8
Char. Models: 6
X Factor: 1

Kamisama Kazoku

Category: Comedy, Fantasy, Light romance, Semi-Ecchi
Episodes: 13
Year: 2006


A somewhat generic Anime with a decent enough message and a somewhat creative way of going about it. Overall a harmless and semi entertaining and forgettable experience.

The synopsis is as follows:
Kamiyama Samataro is the son of god. His mother is a goddess and his sisters are also godesses. He is often spoiled by his father and has lead a life of getting whatever he wants. this is the story of him learning to handle the responsibilities of his family as well as learning what it means to be a god and not a devil.
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The character models were average and the animation fluctuated between way below average to slightly above. The story dragged at times, but it did have a set track and did manage to take the viewer to most of the destinations it tries to.

Overall, when viewing this anime I personally got the impression that there wasn't a whole lot of effort put into character development or dialogue. there are plenty of better anime's out there, I wouldn't waste my time with this one unless you're running out of other more worthwhile anime.



I'd give it a C-

Here's the breakdown

Animation: 7
Story: 6
Music: 7
Char. Models: 7
X Factor: 1

Moyashimon

Category: Comedy, Coming of age, College, Boy/Cow situations
Episodes: 11
Year: 2007


A smart anime which has good points it tries to get across as well as its own style to do so.

The synopsis is as follows:
Sawaki has been able to see and communicate with germs since a young age, an ability which has often given him a lot of trouble. Whether it's simple disbelief or people shunning him, the ability has made his life tough. Sawaki is now older and is attending an agricultural university, being taught by a professor which was an old friend of his grandfathers. This story is about his time at that school and the friendships he makes.

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You know, I was a little worried about this anime when I first started watching it, especially after seeing the opening. My fears were quickly dispelled and I was pleasantly surprised by the refreshing character models and good integration of CGI. The voice acting was excellent and the anime took itself just serious enough to get its serious points across.

I would reccomend this anime to a 13+ crowd because of its content, but I think the appropriate age to understand most of it should be 18+. Like most good anime I think that this one will give you something different if you watch it at different stages of your life.

I'd give it a A-

Here's the breakdown

Animation: 9
Story: 9
Music: 7
Char. Models: 9
X Factor: 2

Score: 7.75

Hitohira

Category: Shoujo, Coming of age, Com-dram.
Warning: do not attempt to view when dehydrated as it may lead to dry sobbing.
Episodes: 12
Year: 2007


While the anime as a whole isn't very impressive, it shines in rare moments and manages to evoke a certain sense of nostalgia. This is an anime about growing up and coming to terms with the changes that are consistent with that.

The synopsis is as follows:
Asai Mugi is a Freshman high school student who is a complete introvert. Whenever someone talks to her, she freezes up and is unable to communicate. Due to serendipitous events, she ends up being a member of the Drama Research club and is forced to act. Can she overcome her stage fright and put on a great performance to save the drama research club?

The first 8 episodes or so felt a little boring, but they were necessary to set up the conclusion in the final 4. Overall, this anime made me laugh a little, cry a little and made me reflect on my own changes and growth over the past 10 years. Although this isn't the best anime that I've ever seen, I would reccomend it as something to watch to pass the time.

That being said, the story is pretty good, but the animation is a little lacking from what I would expect in 2007. Sometimes good, sometimes bad, but never terrible. The character models were interesting, but nothing really 'new' was done with them. I was tempted to reduce my grade to a 7 because they included a blonde girl with pig-tails and I'm reaaaallly getting sick of that character model, but I let it go.

I'd give it a C+

Here's the breakdown

Animation: 6
Story: 8
Music: 7
Char. Models: 8
X Factor: 2

Score: 7.75

Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni

Category: Horror, Drama, Blood, Gore, Disturbing Content, (Too scary for witty category)
Episodes: 26
Year: 2006


So... I'm a 28 year old law student at the time of this review. This anime gave me nightmares so extreme that I woke up in a cold sweat for 2 nights running. Enjoy!

The synopsis is as follows:
Hinamizawa village has a secret. The secret revolves around an incident involving a damn that was supposed to be built nearby which, if built, would have flooded the village. Due to verious circumstances, the damn couldn't be built, but a mysterious new tradition is born: every year during the wataganashi festival, 1 person dies and one person disappears. this is the story of the villagers of wataganashi.


I love that picture up top. I mean, it makes it look like this anime is all nice and fluffy, right? Maybe a little drama? Yeah... not so much. there is drama all right, but it's mostly horror. It has the kind of horror which attacks the mind. I'm not much of a horror fan, but I truly have to give a nod to the writers and artists involved in this project. Be prepared to handle a lot of actual blood and gore, but also be prepared to get that sinking feeling in your gut from the kind of horror that only words can bring.

I'd give it a well deserved A-

Here's the breakdown

Animation: 9
Story: 9
Music: 8
Char. Models: 8
X Factor: 2

Score: 9

Najica Blitz Tactics

Category: Action, Ecchi, Panty-plethora
Episodes: 12
Year: 2001



While this anime isn't Ecchi in the conventional sense, it makes up for it in the fact that you can see the main characters underwear in pretty much every scene.

The synopsis is as follows:

Najica is an undercover agent who fronts as a perfume technician. Her mission leads her to the recovery of a human like robot. Her missions continue to involve recovering more and more of these robots as she has to come to terms with her new partner who is one of them.

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I don't want to say that this anime had potential, but if the writers actually tried, I think that whatever they put together would have potential. The action wasn't the worst that I've seen, but was way below what I would expect to see in 2001. Character models felt a little dated and the dialogue tasted a little stale.

I'd give it a D-

Here's the breakdown

Animation: 6
Story: 6
Music: 6
Char. Models: 6
X Factor: 0

Score: 6

Yakitate!! Japan

Category: Comedy, Slice of Bread
Episodes: 69
Year: 2004



What can I say, it's funny. Well, I suppose any review worth reading would have to say more than that, right?

The synopsis is as follows:

Azuma Kazuma is a boy from a small rural area of Japan. His family are rice farmers and he has been raised to believe that rice is #1. After a fated encounter with a local bread maker, Azuma realizes that he has a gift known as the "solar hands" which are perfect for baking bread. Azuma sets out on a mission to create the bread that will represent Japan, the Ja-pan.


So yeah, doesn't look like it would be too funny, right? I guess this really goes to show you that the devil is in the details. The comedy from this show comes from four basic areas. Puns, "reactions," parody, and slapstick. Normally, I'm not the kind of person who really laughs at japanese pun jokes, but when the pun jokes get combined with the 'reactions' (reactions when someone eats bread or an ingredient), it's hilarious.
Later in the series, parody kicks in when things start getting a little monotonous and it helps to pick things up.
If I have one complaint about this anime is that they took their damn time to get through everything and then the last couple episodes are RUSHED. So rushed in fact, that the characters even help you out by saying, "yeah, the scene changed, we need to make it shorter" or some such thing. 69 episodes should have been enough (certain 'battle' scenes could have easily been condensed.

I'd give it a solid B+

Here's the breakdown

Animation: 8
Story: 8
Music: 8
Char. Models: 8
X Factor: 3

Score: 8.75