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A Certain Magical Index Season One (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : November 23, 2014
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A Certain Magical Index Season OneTitle: A Certain Magical Index Season One

Director: Hiroshi Nishikiori

Writer: Masanao Akahoshi

Studio: J. C. Staff

U. S. Distributor: FUNimation Entertainment

U. S. Release Date: Nov. 18th

Format: DVD/ Blu-ray / 600 Minutes / 24 Episodes

Genre: Fantasy, Harem, Action, Supernatural

Age Rating: TV 14

Overall Personal Rating: B+

Synopsis:

Kamijo is a student in Academy City, where people use science to develop supernatural abilities. The guy’s got a lot of heart – luckily for a young nun named Index. She’s on the run from a sorcery society that covets the astonishing 103,000 volumes of magical knowledge stored in her memory.

When Index stumbles into Kamijo’s life, she finds a faithful friend and protector, and while Kamijo’s easily the weakest kid in Academy City, he’s got something else going for him: the Imagine Breaker, an unexplainable power stored in his right hand that negates the powers of others. With scientists and sorcerers attacking from all sides, the Imagine Breaker will definitely come in handy – but it’s Kamijo’s loyalty to Index that will be his greatest weapon in the fight to keep her safe.

Commentary:

A Certain Magical Index is one of those Harem series that falls under a odd anti-harem frame of mind. Of course Kamijo does have his uncanny ability to collect girls, but he still stands out as less of a womans man than most male protagonist in most harem series.

The aspect of this series that stands out for me is the way that they setup the basic plot line. There is also the development of the characters. In most cases they allow the main characters to have some light or comedic aspects but as the series moves through its paces each of them become much darker and richer. In the first season the doors to the complexity of the series open and platy of questions ask left unanswered.

The animation is rather typical and not what makes the series stand out and in many ways it is average at best. The essence is the writing, which not only create several rememberable characters but also gives us a story that is strange, funny and filled with a deeply interesting sub plot that may be darker most of us may expect.

 

Overall Grade: B+

A Certain Magical Index season one if 24 episodes of real fun. There is a large and broad cast that is giving more and more as the series develops. It is easy to see why there was the off shoot series A Certain Scientific Railgun. A Certain Magical Index does have some rather typical harem aspects, but it seems to care more about the supernatural slant. I like Kamijo as a simple character who knows something deep about himself, but there is something very special about him that I am very interested to find out.

Come on Season 2, I’m ready. Thanks Funimation for taking season one and making it affordable.

High School DxD New: The Complete Second Season (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : November 20, 2014
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High School DxD New: The Complete Second Seasonreview provided by Katie and Andrew

Title: High School DxD New: The Complete Second Season

Director: Tetsuya Yanagisawa

Studio: TNK

Author: Takao Yoshioka

U.S. Distributor: Funimation Entertainment

U.S. Release Date: November 11, 2014

Format and Length: DVD/Blu-Ray Combo / 12 Episodes / 321 Minutes

Genre: Action, Comedy, Demonic, Ecchi, Romance, Harem, Shounen

Industry Age Rating: TV MA

Overall Personal Rating: B-

Similar Series or Titles to Check Out: High School DxD or Rosario + Vampire

Synopsis:

Issei Hyoko and the rest of the Occult Research Club are back, only this season Issei has more power than ever before. The Excalibur swords and Michael the Archangel join Issei and the rest of the gang in battling against the deadliest of foes yet and only time will tell if the Occult Research Club will continue to thrive or if new leadership is needed to usher in a new magical era. Will Issei be able to survive these battles or will everything crash down around him? You will have to watch High School DxD New: The Complete Second Season and find out for yourself.

Commentary:

*Fair warning to those who are wanting to watch this series but are still on the fence about it…there is a large amount of fan service / ecchi scenes. However, High School DxD New: The Complete Second Season can actually pull off this amount of fan service and still have a decent plot line to be considered a good anime.* Also, why is it always an Occult Research Club?

High School DxD New: The Complete Second Season picks up soon after the end of the first season with hardly any change. This season focuses on the conflicts and interactions between the devils, angels, and fallen angels. I felt the plot was more interesting than the first season and the comedy undertones continue to reappear frequently. I did not notice the fan service as much as the first season because the story line kept my attention. This season was split up into two arcs, the Excalibur of the Moonlit Schoolyard and the Vampire of the Empty Classroom. I felt that the first arc, the Excalibur of the Moonlit Schoolyard, to be the conclusion to the first season and it was quite dark. The second arc, the Vampire of the Empty Classroom, really leaves the story line open to a third season and also includes the required beach episode that is needed in harem animes. I thought this arc went a little bit out there with all the mecha-like fighting that took place.

We finally see the character development that was missing in the first season and we also get to meet a few new characters. We learn how the characters were turned into devils and how their lives were prior to that. The new characters add to the story and created some interesting subplots. Plus they really added to the shenanigans between the girls and Issei. And yes, Issei is still obsessed with creating his harem, very much obsessed. Of course, it is slightly annoying for every female character to randomly fall in love with the main character for little to no reason but he is unable to act for whatever silly reason he comes up with.

The art work was average and they really focused on drawing the female characters. However, that is to be expected in this genre. They did a great job animating the fight scenes though. The voice actors brought the characters to life with their very real and refreshing emotions. The music was okay. By the end of the series I did find myself humming along with the opening and closing songs.

Extras:

High School DxD New: The Complete Second Season includes Yoko Hikasa’s Voice Acting School, clean opening and closing animations, promotional videos, Funimation Entertainment trailers, commercials, New Material from Ichiei Ishibumi! Fantasy Full-blast Gentleman’s Disc Club Promos and Not Seen on TV! Deleted Scenes as special features. This release is available with both English and Japanese with English Subtitles as language options.

Overall Grade: B-

High School DxD New: The Complete Second Season is a good anime for the genre it is. Just take the above warning to heart and give it a shot.

My Mental Choices Are Completely Interfering With My School Romantic Comedy: The Complete Collection
 (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : November 2, 2014
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My Mental Choices Are Completely Interfering With My School Romantic Comedy: The Complete Collection
review provided by Katie and Andrew

Title: My Mental Choices Are Completely Interfering With My School Romantic Comedy: The Complete Collection


Director: Takayuki Inagaki

Studio: Diomedea

Author: Hiroko Kanasugi

U.S. Distributor: Sentai Filmworks, Section 23

U.S. Release Date: November 11, 2014

Format and Length: Blu-ray / 10 Episodes and 1 OVA / 275 Minutes

Genre: Comedy, Romance, Harem, School

Industry Age Rating: 14 and up

Overall Personal Rating: B

Similar Series or Titles to Check Out: Date A Live, Excel Saga, The “Hentai” Prince and the Stony Cat

Choose…

Synopsis:

Thanks to a very strange curse called “Absolute Choice,” Kanade Amakusa’s life has turned into a “choose your own adventure” game from the depths of Hades. A series of options that seem designed to cause him the maximum amount of duress and/or public embarrassment randomly appear in front of him, and if he does not choose one he suffers agonizing headaches. Due to his bizarre behavior because of this curse, Kanade is branded as one of his school’s five worst social misfits, and things get even weirder when he chooses one of the strangest options yet: “have a beautiful girl fall from the sky.” Not only does the sweet and adorable Chocolat drop on him like a bag of rocks, but she seems to have been sent to help remove the curse! However, she cannot remember how to because she has amnesia. But it has something to do with the missions this flippant God has him perform, and if he fails to achieve the objective of any of them he will be stuck with the curse for life! Will Kanade be able to complete all his missions and get rid of this cruse for life? You will have to watch My Mental Choices Are Completely Interfering With My School Romantic Comedy and find out.

Commentary:

My Mental Choices Are Completely Interfering With My School Romantic Comedy is a story about choices. We make them every day. Some we put a lot of thought into, and some we do not. Imagine if you are issued the choices for you to choose from. You cannot deviate or severe pain will result. Now imagine that your choices are absurd, and any one of them will damage you some way or another. That’s what you get with this series. It falls into the over the top comedy category, which really does not have many choices, because they all usually range from “meh” to “why am I watching this stupid….” This one chose to be better than that. Combining an absurd storyline, absurdly cute girls, and an even more absurd situation, picking up this one is a choice that you will not regret.

Overall this series (too long to keep naming) does touch into several other genres other than romcom, but it never really looses that romcom feel. I know it can be classified as a harem, and that is its second strongest category, but falls short of it in feel. The humor is strong with this one and looking for something other than the humor would be a poor choice. The characters were developed as much as you would expect. Some were developed better than others, and most fell into the standard archetypes like tsundere, kun-dere, dere-dere, imouto, etc., nothing too unexpected. It even makes fun of itself and this very issue in the later episodes. One thing that was different was the main character, Kanade, who seemed a bit underdeveloped at times. If it were not for the curse, he would have been a very boring main character. Another thing this series was strong in was the ‘moe’. If the three main female characters got any cuter, it would have hurt. With such characters, a series usually dives deep into the fan service, but this one kept it light. A few shots here and there and most had a point that related to the story, not just for the sake of exhibitionism.

The art was nothing special, with exception of character design of the named females. They chose to take special care in making them sickenly cute and colorful. Outside of that the scenes where normal. The occasional CG worked in was annoying, but I always find CG worked in with regular animation annoying, and the overall backgrounds were nothing special. Sadly as I write this, I cannot really remember the opening and endings themes, so they were nothing special either. Your standard J-pop with character scenes. But those are not the reasons to choose this anime. You choose it for the comedy or the moe, or if you want to rile the flippant god, choose it for both.
Extras:

My Mental Choices Are Completely Interfering With My School Romantic Comedy: The Complete Collection includes clean opening and closing animations and Sentai Filmworks trailers as special features. This series was released with Japanese with English Subtitles as the only language option.

Overall Grade: B

My Mental Choices Are Completely Interfering With My School Romantic Comedy: The Complete Collection is a weird series but it is also very funny. Be advised though that there are a few dirty moments in some episodes. Watch out for episode nine especially.

I couldn’t be a hero, so I reluctantly decided to get a job. Yusibu (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : November 1, 2014
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I couldn't be a hero, so I reluctantly decided to get a job. YusibuTitle: I couldn’t be a hero, so I reluctantly decided to get a job. Yusibu: The Complete Series

Director: Kinji Yoshomoto

Writer: Masashi Suzuki

Studio: Asread

U. S. Distributor: Sentai Filmworks, Section 23

U. S. Release Date: Nov. 18th, 2014

Format: Blu-ray / 13 episodes / 325 Minutes

Genre: Harem, Supernatural, Action, Adventure

Age Rating: TV 14

Overall Personal Rating: C+

Synopsis:

Raul Chaser never wanted to work in retail, but when the war against the Demons ended unexpectedly, the Hero Training Program he was in shut down. But although combat-trained Raul may feel out of place dealing with customers in a department store instead of dealing out death with hardened steel, his newest co-worker’s culture shock is even worse. While Fino Bloodstone is ready, eager, and willing to please, she’s also the daughter of the now-deceased Demon King!

Not only are her social skills a little challenged, but it’s going to be up to Raul and the staff to teach her the finer points of the human concept of a “pleasant shopping experience”… not to mention when it’s proper to wear what kind of clothes and whose bed you can sleep in. And they’ll have to do it quick, because there’s a sinister major retail chain moving into the area with plans for global domination.

Commentary:

First of all I want to say that I feel like the rating on this series is off the mark. I honestly believe that because of the amount of nudity that Yushibu should be rated TV MA. It is not just the fact that there is some partial nudity, the issue I have is that in almost every episode there are fully developed undressed breast showing and it is not like the old days when the breast were just round bumps, these are as realized as possible and meant to arouse the viewer not just an teasing prop.

Now that I have said my peace regarding the rating I can get into the series. I think that the plot and story line are a fun and light approach to a classic fantasy genre. The idea that the demons have been subdued and that there is no longer a need for heroes is a great idea and then add in the thought of what they would have to do with their lives. This is also approached in the popular series The Devil is a Part Timer, but for Yusibu the main characters haven’t lost their magical powers they just have to forget that they have them and adjust to being a normal work-a-day person. Then they through in the mix of demons and humans having to learn to live together without being at war is a great play on a very real subject that our world has to deal with all too often.

I think where it falls apart for me is that they try to hard to make it funny and sexy at the same time. I think that the focus was more on the bouncing boobs rather than the story. At times the sexual humor was funny, but most of the time it felt like pandering to a very specific fan base. I know that this is not unusual and that there is plenty of money to be made appealing to this fandom. Shows like Sekirei, Ikki-Tousen and Tenjo Tenge have proven the viability of this approach to story telling.

Overall Grade: C+

When I get right down to it I would have to say that this may be a funny and inventive series, but the overall focus on fan service overwhelms the rest of the story. It really want until the end of the series that I began to really connect with several of the main characters. This help bring my opinion of the series up a little and would now like to see how the series would develop now that stability has been established between the Demon King and the Hero.

There is one other series that pulls the female Demon King and Hero together and the story take a completely different approach to how the two realms can co-exist. That series is Maoyu, but if you want funny and bouncy breast then I couldn’t be a hero, so I reluctantly decided to get a job: Yusibu is the series for you. I id find it better than other series like Sekirei and Ikki Tousen.

 

Uta no Prince Sama Season 2

Posted by :Patches On : August 24, 2014
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uta no Prince Sama 2Title: Uta no Prince Sama Season 2 (maji LOVE 200%)

Director: Yuu Kou & Yuki Ukai

Music: Elements Garden

Studio: A-1 Picutres

U. S. Distributor: Sentai Filmworks / Section 23

U. S. Release Date: Aug. 26th, 2014

Formt: Blu-ray / 13 Episodes / 325 Minutes

Age Rating: TV 14

Genre: Romance, Harem, Idol, Comedy

Overall Personal Rating: B-

Synopsis:

After the amazing high note that capped the first season, would it be fair to expect Haruka and her hunky harem of beautiful boy singers to be able to top themselves? What if they had a little more help? Yes, believe it or not, now there are even more gorgeous guys lining up for the attention of the song-mistress!

Fortunately, since she’s moved into the dorms Haruka’s available for even more music making. Only now StArish has some real competition, as the new golden-throated warblers from the Senior Master Course make it their job to show the first six what it really takes to become a J-Pop star. And what about that mysterious seventh member of StArish? He’s back as well in his own catty fashion! But does he plan to take Haruka to fantasyland? Will the boys get kicked to the street if they can’t stay in sync? And will Haruka stay composed and keep composing when the sophomore slump hits her writing?

Commentary:

Uta no Prince Sama season 2 surely takes of where season one began. With it being based on a visual novel / game it clearly carries with it the personality of a product make for the female early to mid teem market. Pop music with the heavy sexual and romantic overtones that only romantic daydreaming young ladies might enjoy. It was decently made for my market (middle age male). With that in mind I tried to approach this series with the mindset of someone who would really enjoy it and be looking for this kind of action. The character development does help make the boys somewhat more romantic and provides a personality for everyone to latch on to. The role of Haruka on the other hand comes across a little flat and more than just naive, she is exceptionally dim from time to time. I not sure it is just that she is so wrapped up in her single minded goal of becoming a great composer or rather it was the intent of the creators to make her this way as to not interfere with the fans attachments to the boys. No matter what the cause I really found Haruka to be a though away character which made the series somewhat lack luster for me.

It is very obvious that the music and the boys are at the center of things and yes the music was really the star. I can see why the series found its place and how it built a fan base. The music is catchy and rather sappy which make for great pop hits. LOVE 2000% is just as silly a sentiment as the purely romantic ideal that love will concur all. It is at the core of all of the tween pop hits that have every made it the chart toping hits. I know, I know, the music in uta no Prince Sama are not chart topers and will never be, but the ideal projected by the series is 1000% percent correct. It is all about the heart when it come to a highly romantically inclined young woman.

Overall Grade: B-

I have to hand it to the thought processes put into the series and the effort put toward creating the music, but I still came out of this feeling a little disappointed. I get that this series is really about the tween culture and their love of pop idol music, but I also felt like there was too much played on and Haruka’s character was really left in the dirt to rent for herself. Maybe just maybe, if I was a 12 year old girl dreaming of becoming a great composer of boy band music I would find this a home run, but alas I am not and find it hard to stand up and applaud uta no Prince Sama for its efforts.  Anyway, don’t take my word for it, you can always check it out for yourself. You just might find me wrong.

The Devil is a Part Timer (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : July 18, 2014
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The Devil is a Part TimerTitle: The Devil is a Part Timer

Director: Masahiro Yokotani

Studio: White Fox

U. S. Distributor: Funimation

U. S. Release Date: July 22nd, 2014

Format: DVD / Blu-ray / 13 Episodes / 325 Minutes

Genre: Harem, Comedy, Romance, Supernatural

Age Rating: TV 14

Overall Personal Rating: B+

Synopsis: 

When Satan is run out of his infernal kingdom, he finds himself virtually powerless in modern-day Tokyo. Stuck in a feeble mortal body and desperate for cash, there’s only one way for the dark lord to survive: by getting a job manning the deep fryer at “MgRonald!”

As Satan flips burgers and tries to regain his evil magic, he’s pestered by a righteous hero who tracked him to Earth, a video-game-loving fallen angel looking for a way back into heaven, and the most unholy of enemies: a rival fast food franchise. Will he figure out a way to reclaim his homeland and throne? And if not, will this demonic burger king at least sell enough featured menu items to be promoted to shift supervisor? The devil can’t survive on minimum wage!

Commentary:

The Devil is a Part Timer follows in the path of many light comedy harem series, but in several ways it stands out on its own for humor and pointed parody. The story is rather simple with the Devil being upon the verge of having his butt handed to him in battle by the righteous Hero and in order to be able to fight another day he and one of his powerful generals escape through a demential portal and end up in Tokyo. Of course the Hero is able to slip through the portal and also end up in Tokyo. Simply put they all end up loosing most of their magical powers which forces them to become regular humans and struggle through life having to make money just to survive. This basic plot is not what makes the series special, it is the character development and the way in which the story makes the viewer start to root for this unlikely group.

First of all the Devil somehow ends up making some rather monumental changes that make him a very likable person without making him overly sappy. The Hero is a bitter young woman who never seems to want to see the change but it is easy to see that she really see him for what he has become but still keeps her position of his inevitable slayer. This interplay between the characters keeps the story alive and also ends up being much if the humor.

Overall Grade: B+

Devil is a Part Timer has many elements that more recent stores like I Can’t Play H and Maoyu where there is a link between the human and demon world and in essence the connection between the two is at it core and proves to be very necessary.  All three of these stores use that interplay to their fullest and also make the connection something that stands out in the forefront, not a thing that must be discovered later in the series. The ting about The Devil is a Part Timer that makes it special is the writing and character development. I really enjoyed the way the each of these characters puled their own weight and how the persona of the devil ended up making them all stronger.

There was some simple and somewhat unobtrusive fan service in the series and I’m sure it was there just to please a special segment of the fan base, but overall I didn’t see anything about the series that made me want to turn away form it. The only flaw that I have is that it ended up being too short and the ending doesn’t feel complete. I’m not saying it can’t end there I just feel like I would like to see the devil and the hero really get together rather than just leave them in the place they are at the end. I also got a feeling like there is still much more to the story, I am not sure why there was a 13th episode if it wasn’t there to open the door to more. Maybe we will see an OVA come out in the future in order to close the gap between them. Anyway, The Devil is a Part Timer is a fun series that promises to give you plenty to enjoy and keep you smiling throughout the entire 325 minutes .

Date A Live Complete Series (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : June 11, 2014
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Date A Live Complete Series

review provided by Luther

Title: Date A Live Complete Series

Director: Keitaro Motonaga

Writer: Hideki Shirane

U. S. Distributor: FUNIMATION

U. S. Release Date: June 10th, 2014

Format: Blu-ray / 12 Episodes + 1 OVA / 311 Minutes

Genre: Comedy, Science Fiction, Harem

Age Rating: TV 14

Overall Personal Rating: B

Synopsis:

In a world devastated by mysterious Spatial Quakes, Shidoh isn’t what you’d expect in a hero. He’s an average Joe who gets bossed around by his adorable little sister and mocked by the popular girls at his school. You’d definitely pick him last for dodge ball, but when it comes to saving the planet from imminent destruction, Shidoh’s got one thing going for him: intergalactic hotties can’t keep their hands off him!

When the secret to stopping the Spatial Quakes turns out to be romancing the extraterrestrial Spirits responsible for all the chaos, Shidoh the loveable loser becomes the hero of all humanity. For every Spirit he makes out with, mankind breathes a little bit easier. Kiss the girls – save the world. That name of the game is driving the space babes crazy, and nobody does it better than Shidoh!

Commentary:

At its core Date A Live is a harem anime, in which an unsuspecting dull male protagonist spontaneously attracts a horde of eccentric women. In many ways Date A Live is just a standard harem, for even the heroines are common character types. So the show does have a somewhat generic feel to it, however that does work to its advantage in some ways. With the show being as short as it is, having characters that are very distinguishable and easy to connect with, I was able to get a relatively good understanding of who the characters are with the limited episodes available.

One thing that Date A Live does have that sets it apart from other harem anime is that the protagonist, Shidoh, goes on actual dates with all the girls. While this may not be a revolutionary concept, it’s definitely not something I’ve seen in a lot of harem anime. There is also a lot of action in this series, for these dates will explode in to fantastical fights between super powerful girls. Though the change in action can be sudden and drastic, the transitions are well done and work well with the setting of the story.

Overall Personal Grade: B

Although Date A Live isn’t anything outstanding, it has bold characters in a memorable story and a good mix of action and romance. If you are a fan of harem anime, this series should not be missed.

Samurai Bride (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : June 7, 2014
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Samurai BrideTitle: Samurai Bride on Blu-ray

Director: KOBUN

Studio: Arms

U. S. Distributor: Sentai Filmworks / Section 23

U. S. Release Date:  June 24th

Format: Blu-ray / 12 Episodes / 300 Minutes

Genre: Harem, Fantasy, Comedy, Fan Service!!!!

Age Rating: TV MA

Overall Personal Rating: C+

 

Synopsis:

Things seemed to be going so well for Muneakira Yagyu. On top of dealing with Jubei, the immortal samurai warrior who fell out of the sky and into his arms and lips, he used his ability to awaken the latent power of a female samurai with a kiss to successfully juggle a handful of very powerful, very female master samurai, AND led them all to victory against the minion of a great evil. So was it too much to ask for a little break in the routine of saving Japan?

Apparently it was, as another great evil has appeared in the land, this one even stronger than the last. However, that’s the least of Muneakira’s problems, because with all the women he’s kissed in order to awaken their latent samurai powers, the inevitable has finally happened. Someone’s taking the long walk down the aisle with a samurai girl! It’s going to be a really old-fashioned wedding and any resistance by the groom will be totally feudal!

Commentary:

Ok, all you fans of Samurai Girls here comes the next installment. All the bouncing women parts are making their way through this simplistic story of light vs dark. Of course the series characters take on the names of famous historical figures, but all of these figures must be rolling in their graves with the depiction of their famous personas. I doubt seriously that the great Yagyu, Jubei was ever interested in being depicted as a rather  simple young woman, but this is not the first time his should has found its way into a rather bountiful young women. The thing with this series is the fact that it is really focused on the fan service.

Studio Arms has done its best at what it does best Samurai Bride. That is depicting the female form and showing to off from opening credits throughout the entire series to the closing credits. On the other hand the male characters much less developed and they clearly are secondary figures and represent a vessel for that viewer to use as a conduit to the women.

Overall Personal Grade:

Samurai Bride is not a series for everyone and in fact it has a rather narrow audience in the U. S. When putting the series together I can tell that the target audience is males between age 17 to 30 and it is put together just for them. I guess there can be some cross over, but seriously doubt if it will find a place in many other collection. For the harem, Fan Service crowd this one will hit a home run. This one is a classic of the idealized female form and does have its moments of real comedic relief that makes it fun. So, if you are looking for something that will arouse and humor you at the same time then Samurai Bride is just the thing you are looking for!

Haganai: I Don’t Have Many Friends NEXT-The Complete Series (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : May 16, 2014
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Haganai I Don’t Have Many Friends NEXT-The Complete Seriesreview provided by Andrew and Katie

 

Title: Haganai: I Don’t Have Many Friends NEXT-The Complete Series

Director: Toru Kitahata

Studio: AIC Build

Author: Yomi Hirasaka

U.S. Distributor: Funimation Entertainment

U.S. Release Date: May 13, 2014

Format and Length: DVD/Blu-Ray Combo Pack / 12 Episodes / 300 Minutes

Genre: Comedy, Romance, School, Harem

Industry Age Rating: 17 and up

Overall Personal Rating: B+

Similar Series or Titles to Check Out: Mayo Chiki!, Oreimo, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Toradora!, and Haganai: I Don’t Have Many Friends

 

Maybe I do not realize I have friends…

 

Synopsis:

Kodaka and the rest of the gang from the Neighbors Club are back and up to their same tricks again in Haganai: NEXT.  From friendship to romance, things get a little more serious in Haganai: NEXT. New feelings are shown and the relationship between Kodaka and Yozora, Sena, and Rika reaches another level. How will Kodaka deal with that because he has never been in a situation like this before? Will he be able to face these new feelings and say what he really thinks about the girl or will he just run away. You will have to watch Haganai: NEXT to find out.

 

Commentary:

Haganai: NEXT continues where the first season left off, as the Neighbors Club is up to its usual antics. But it’s a little different from the first season. Haganai: NEXT focuses more on character development more than anything else, putting the comedy part of this romantic comedy as more a second concern than a primary focus. The story line is kinda episodic at first, mainly revolving around the activities of the Neighbors Club, but does start to come together after a few episodes and is not as disjointed as the first season. It also focuses on the characters actually dealing with their feelings instead of making fun of each other with the massive use of innuendo, sexual jokes and sexual harassment. Haganai: NEXT is a bit more serious than its predecessor, but humor is still a highly prevalent theme of the series. Haganai: NEXT is a fun anime and you can get caught into it making it very easy to absorb.

 

Haganai: NEXT did a wonderful job with character development and those developed characters endear you to this series more than ever. Of all the characters in Haganai: NEXT, Rika is the one that grew the most. Throughout the entire first season Rika played the part of the science nerd and acted very perverted because as she says, she would be a boring person if people only thought of her as the genius girl. In Haganai: NEXT the changes to her character begin slowly. Her hairstyle is changed at first and it takes Kodaka a couple of episodes to notice and then she begins to cosplay different anime characters to see if he notices the changes in her. Eventually she confronts Kodaka because she notices that he was just playing ignorant to the feelings of herself, Yozora, and Sena. It is very clear that Rika is the only one in the club who knows the most about Kodaka’s feelings and fears. By the end of this season, she finally has a friend for the first time in her life. Rika seems to be coming into her own personality now instead of focusing on how people want her to be. I also really like Kobato’s character. Kobato is Kodaka’s younger sister that he takes care of while his father is away working. She attends the middle school that is attached to the high school, Saint Chronica’s, and was able to join the Neighbors Club. She has a penchant for darkness, vampires, and the macabre and usually dresses as her favorite character from the anime “Full Metal Necromancer” that exists in the series unless she is at school. She also seems to have a brother complex due to her jealous behavior and clingy ways whenever she feels slighted because her brother, or An-Chan as she calls Kodaka, is not giving her the attention she believes she deserves. However, she is so adorable that you cannot help but say aww.

 

Once again for this season the voice actors and actresses were amazing. They really bring the characters to life along with the awesome art. The eyes of the characters are so big that you feel they can see right into your soul and draw you into the series. I really hope that there is a third season or a four to six episode OVA to wrap up the series. The ending was left wide open and a conclusion would be nice.

Extras:

Haganai: NEXT includes commentaries for episodes 7, 11, and 12, “Black Dragon: The Cries of the Damned,” clean opening and closing animations, Blu-Ray and DVD spots, T.V. Spots, U.S. Trailer, and Funimation trailers as special features.

 

Overall Grade: B+

Haganai: NEXT is an enjoyable anime that shines light on the characters from the first season and adds a few new ones. After watching Haganai: NEXT I feel more connected to the characters than after watching the first season. There is not as much fan-service as the first season but there is some. I loved the romance element in this season as well as the comedy.

The Familiar of Zero: Season One Complete Collection (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : April 25, 2014
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Category: Reviews

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The Familiar of Zeroreview provided by Katie and Andrew

Title: The Familiar of Zero: Season One Complete Collection

Director: Yoshiaki Iwasaki

Studio: J.C. Staff

Author: Noboru Yamaguchi

U.S. Distributor: Sentai Filmworks / Section 23

U.S. Release Date: April 8, 2014

Format and Length: DVD / 13 Episodes / 325 Minutes

Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Magic, Romance, School, Harem

Industry Age Rating: 14 and up

Overall Personal Rating: A-

Similar Series or Titles to Check Out: Shakugan no Shana and Toradora!

Synopsis:

Louise Francoise Le Blanc de La Valliere’s name is so long and her spell-casting skills are so poor that everyone at the Tristain Academy of Magic just calls her “Louise the Zero”. Louise’s humiliation only increases during an important second-year test, where the other students summon up mythological creatures as their familiars, and she inexplicably summons a human named Saito, a totally normal teenage boy from Tokyo. Now she’s stuck with him and Saito’s stuck with the lousy life of being a familiar. Except, maybe there’s more going on than meets the eye, because Saito’s not prepared to accept the social inequities that Louise and other aristocrats consider the status quo, and he may not be quite as normal as everyone thinks. And the reason Louise is so bad at magic might just be that she has yet to figure out what she is good at. In fact, they might even have the makings of a great team… if they can learn to stand each other first, that is!

Commentary:

When first picking up The Familiar of Zero, at first glance it doesn’t look to be much more than a standard cliché love comedy, harem anime. It has all the usual suspects, and has kind of the same set up. The standard leads are the under-developed tsundere, the well endowed easy girl, the quiet bookworm that you know could kick butt if she has to, and the unsuspecting innocent girl. All these are old cliché character archetypes, all used over and over again, over many series. In all truth, these clichés hold pretty firm throughout the series. But it was not the cliché characters that made this series fun to watch, it was how well they were utilized. The first thing you will notice different from the status quo is the male lead. In most harem love comedies, the male lead is beta, shy, and socially inept, and we always wonder what the girls see in him. Saito does not properly fit that mold. He is hardly the mamma’s boy we expect. He’s a bit of a playboy, seems to have guts, and never backs down if he feels spited. Oh and he had no issues flirting with the ladies, a typical teenage boy, for once. Outside of that, the character development is a bit lacking. The story is based in a cliché setting, a school named Tristain Academy of Magic, seeming quite similar to a very popular children’s book about a boy wizard. You know the one. Of course this looks to be a standard middle ages european style setting. And the magic is based on basic elementals, nothing new here. But all the cliché stuff hardly detracts from the series. Its strengths are the character interactions and the comedy anyway. At first you will probably watch The Familiar of Zero with a bit of reluctance, but that will all vanish quickly as the story picks up.

Louise, a member of a high ranking noble family with a history of producing powerful mages, seems to be the odd ball of the family, having little to no magical ability. As a second year student, she must, as all the others must, summon a familiar, to be a lifetime companion. She is extremely worried, because she is so inept she couldn’t summon a hungry cat, standing in front of her with a piece of meat. As the others summon their familiars, she prays and cowers in fear, praying she will be able to summon anything. As she does, everyone watches in astonishment as she manages to summon a boy. A peasant boy. In a world where peasants basically are slaves to the nobility, can anything be more embarrassing than summoning a peasant boy? Anyway what is done is done, and she has to keep him. The rules forbid she do anything else. Saito, confused after being ripped from his world to this one, is quickly surprised when Louise seals the deal with a kiss. Saito is quite reluctant in his new role, as a familiar. He has no regard for the hierarchy that is in place, separating nobility from peasantry, and practically enslaving them. It does not help that Louise treats him like nothing more than a dog. Of course Saito seems to be completely useless, being a human and not a creature, he seems to have little to offer Louise as a familiar, until he insults a peer of Louise’s names Guiche, and does not back down from a challenge to duel him. The comedy quickly picks up and becomes the main stable of the show. The story line does have its good points, but at times you may find it predictable. But even so, you will laugh.

Extras:

The Familiar of Zero includes extended episode previews, Japanese promos, clean opening and closing animations and Sentai trailers as special features.

Overall Grade: A-

Even with all its clichés and predictability, The Familiar of Zero, is a well done comedy. Also a quick note to Sentai Filmworks, please release the seasons that follow this one unlike the last company that released this title. We beg you.