We're up to episode 7 with Yona of the Dawn (Akatsuki no Yona) and it has been one of the most pleasant surprises for me this season. Yona of the Dawn is being animated by Studio Peirrot and I know that they got a lot of flack for Tokyo Ghoul (among other shows), so I was a bit hesitant to start this. However, so far the pacing has been great and Peirrot has stayed faithful to the manga. The ancient setting is pretty cool and immersive, and later on adds an interesting fantasy element that gives Yona of the Dawn its own unique world. There is also a solid romantic element (and quite a struggle involving it along with many will they/won't they moments), very well-animated action & fighting scenesn (Hak is a beast), drama/feels, and some nice comedic moments spread throughout.
As I said before, the gradual pacing of the show has been great. Because of this well-done pacing, the main characters of Yona, Hak and Soo-Won have gotten great opportunities and scenes to shine, develop and uncover some deeper feelings and emotions that allow us really connect a lot more to their situations and struggles. Yona has been one of the better versions of an estranged princess that I've seen, and Hak has served as an excellent foil to her (while being a complete bad ass and a gentleman and scholar at the same time). Soo-Won has been portrayed as a deeper and more conflicted antagonist so far especially due to his childhood friendships with Yona and Hak. I really hope that they keep him that way instead of going full classic bad guy.
I believe at the moment, Yona of the Dawn is set to be at least 2-cour. I've greatly enjoyed the adventure that Yona and Hak have set out on so far and I'm really excited for the future characters and developments (can't spoil it) to come. Definitely check this show out if you are looking for a new adventure anime with a splash of romance, an ancient setting, a bit of a fantasy element, and plenty of strong characters to bring it all together. Here's hoping that Studio Pierrot doesn't screw this up.
Skip Beat! is one of my absolute favorite shoujo anime and manga series out there that seamlessly integrates comedy, drama and romance into one unforgettable story. Skip Beat! and Glass Mask (Glass no Kamen) are two of the best anime/manga series imo that give us a compelling story and set of lovable characters that really have been able to tackle and effectively portray something that wouldn't normally interest most: the world of "acting". While Glass Mask takes a more serious and reserved approach to its story and characters, Skip Beat! loves to embrace the "craziness" of the industry and infuses humor at just the right times. Kyoko is a great female protagonist (flaws and all) that carries the show with her energy, passion and joy. The secondary characters are no slouches as well as you eventually end up loving almost everyone (even the antagonists).
The only downside of the anime was that things were left incomplete at the end of the first season with no second season in sight... However, if you delve right into the manga afterward, the magic continues especially as we learn a lot more about the secondary characters of Ren, Shou and many others. I highly recommend watching this show even if you aren't normally interested in the "idol" or "acting" genre of anime as the humor, characters and relationships are so well-done that it serves as a great introduction into this genre of anime.
J.C. Staff (yes, THEM) did a great job with the Railgun series and created a very complementary side story to A Certain Magical Index which I think surpasses the original (particularly the second season, Railgun S). Mikoto Misaka aka "Biribiri" is one of my favorite anime characters and Railgun gets her front and center in the action, which is never a bad thing. I watched the first season of Index before this and I think that is the best way to truly enjoy this series. Railgun can definitely be watched without seeing Index first, but all the Touma (he is such a boss in Railgun vs in Index) cameos (and other characters allegedly) really lose their impact. And while Index was purely an action shounen, Railgun is more of a girly slice-of-life where the chicks also kick ass during their time off. This is particularly true of the first season which is about 50% SOL episodes. The second season is beyond epic and there are only a few fillers there.
The biggest strength of this series is without a doubt the protagonist, Misaka. I love her. There is so much to her than just a tsundere with unspeakable esper powers. But it isn't until the second season, where her character really gets a chance to develop and go through some truly difficult hardships. Shirai is hilarious with her yuri love for Misaka and Uihara and Saten are there to be cute adding to the girly SOL part of this series. I wish that there was more Touma in Railgun (like in every single episode) but when he does appear, he comes off so much better than he does in Index (so much less preachy). The action scenes are animated very well and give us a great variety of esper powers especially in the second season. The soundtrack for Railgun is fantastic filled with great BGM tracks. I loved the OPs and EDs from both seasons (especially Dear My Friend and sisters noise).
As I said earlier, the first season of Railgun is much heavier on the girly SOL. I didn't mind this that much but there were a few too filler episodes for my tastes. However, the second season of Railgun is epic and really cuts down on the filler. The first 16 episodes of season 2 cover the "Sisters" Arc which is hands down the best arc of the Raildex series and J.C. Staff knocked it out of the park. Even though Index covered it for a few episodes in the first season from Touma's perspective, Railgun really delves into everything Misaka had to go through especially her suffering and depression. I absolutely loved every moment of it, in particular the final battle, even though I kind of knew what was coming. The final arc is not as good, but I'll let it slide since the "Sisters" arc was so epic. So, I'd give the first season a 7/10 and the second season an 8/10 (a 9/10 for the Sisters Arc).
If you've watched Index at all, Railgun is a must see if you liked Misaka in any capacity. One can never get enough of Biribiri. It is definitely a step up in quality from the Index series. And you don't have to watch Index before this (or at all) in order to enjoy Railgun but it definitely helps. Anyway, if you like watching girls doing girly things and kicking ass with crazy esper powers, this is the show for you.
This was a great adaptation to one of my absolute favorite games of all time. It's been a little while since I played the game, but its glory was all starting to come back to me as I was watching this first movie. While I enjoyed P4 as a game more, P3 definitely has a better and darker story which is more suited to an anime adaptation like this. And I think that from the first movie alone, the P3 movies have already shown to be better than P4 the Animation. Also, how can a movie with Mitsuru not be awesome?
I do think that Yuki Makoto (the name of the MC) was a bit too anti-social to start but I guess that it leaves a lot of room for him to develop in the next movies. We were beginning to see glimpses of it in the last quarter of the movie. The visuals were top-notch (much better than in the P4 anime series) and I think that the battles played out pretty well and never got too repetitive. While some may say that too many of the social links were cut, I thought that the creators did a great job with the pacing of the movie and were able to still flesh out the main characters with the little time given without things feeling rushed. And the music... Wow. Shōji Meguro is a based god amongst men. When I started to hear the high school and the dorm theme music, I just about lost it. All I need to hear is "Living with Determination (Iowato Dormitory Arrangement)" and my life will be f'n complete. If you haven't heard it, play the link below on repeat for the next 2 hours.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRYSk12SZvw
I am a complete Persona homer so I may overlooked some of the flaws of the movie. Still, I'm completely pumped for the next set of movies and I'm interested if the creators will still go with the same dark ending as in the game (perhaps with FES material added in) or make an anime-original ending. I'm kind of hoping for an original ending just to experience something different but the original ending is epic itself. Anyway, I can't wait for the next movie (and Persona 5!!) to come out and get some more Mitsuru action.
#Persona4eva
While I can see why people would complain about there being a "new Seventh" due to where the anime (and the first volume of the LN) left off, it is actually handled amazingly well in the Light Novels right afterward and on (like almost immediately). It actually adds a lot more to the story and mystery, and does not get old. I questioned at first for a little bit but it has not gotten played out. The mysteries and situations in the next volumes of the LN are much better than the first volume's imo.
I highly recommend reading the next volume (which is my favorite so far) if you liked any of the mystery and drama aspects of this first season. The villains, situations and conflicts are way more intense in the following volumes which honestly blow the first volume away. It's one of my favorite LN series.
Anyway as for the anime adaptation, it was very nicely done. Animation was a bit suspect in this last episode and Rolonia ended up looking as busted as she did in the LN illustrations (literally a cow). Still, it got me hooked to the series.
Please god, let there be a second season or have the light novels become officially licensed for translation...
Seirei no Moribito (Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit) is just a fantastic series and one hell of a fulfilling adventure. After watching this series, I know one thing for sure and that is that Moribito is the definition of an anime journey. From start to finish, I was completely absorbed into the diverse and intricate fantasy world and mythos that Moribito created along with all the lovable and deep characters that were fleshed out over 26 strong episodes. And the driver behind all this was without a doubt the sensational developing relationship between Balsa and Chagum which correlated with and paralleled the realistic growth of Chagum from a naive and sheltered young prince into a hero truly worthy of leading an entire country (much more so than his clown of a father and mikado).
I particularly loved how this show had a little bit of everything. Action, a well developed fantasy universe, fantastic characters, romance, and slice of life aspects. The list can go on and on. While the pace was a little inconsistent at times, you can't expect every episode to be full of excitement like the beginning or end of the series. Moribito is definitely an underrated series and should be watched by all fans of quality fantasy adventures.
If you love infinite panty shots, uncensored breasts and hundreds of tentacle scenes (with a splash of spectacular raunchy comedy), then To Love-Ru is the perfect ecchi show for you. To Love-Ru and High School DxD are probably the two best ecchi anime that I've seen and if you're a fan of the genre at all, this is a must watch. To Love-Ru is an ecchi comedy SOL harem that involves aliens and creatures of all sorts who lead our fateful protagonist, Yuuki Rito, into countless jaw-dropping and cringe-worthy situations over and over again. I never got tired of Rito falling headfirst into the breasts of an unsuspecting female student. And thanks to Lala's countless inventions (and the help of many alien friends/foes), the scenarios keep coming and always seem fresh. The greatest strength, by far, of the series is the cast of female characters. This is one BIG harem. There are easily 10+ women at the end (each with varying affection levels for Rito) and I can honestly say that I love them all. Each girl has a very distinct personality and ability along with different motivations and background. And they interact marvelously with each other as they try to chase Rito or fend off his unwitting sexual harassment. My personal favorites are definitely Yui, Yami, Momo, Lala, Mikan and Oshizu.
The quality definitely differs from each season by getting better and better. The first season is by far the weakest and has the least to do with the manga. It's still funny and a good introduction for most of the characters but don't drop the series just because you think the first season wasn't that great as there is plenty of quality to come. The first set of 6 OVAs after the first season revert back to the manga material and this is where the comedy starts to get good and we finally get introduced to the full set of characters (for the most part). The second season (Motto To Love-Ru) swings into full force and adopts a different format from the first where each episode is broken into 3 separate independent sections that are different stories entirely. I thought that this format really allowed the comedy to come alive and keep things fresher and interesting. Also, the ecchi really starts getting pumped up in this season. The third season (To Love-Ru Darkness) is absolutely fantastic and the best of the bunch. While Motto didn't really have an overarching story, Darkness does a great job incorporating that into the fray especially by delving into and really focusing on the characters of Yami and Momo (who are two of my three favorite characters). Also, Yui Kotegawa starts to get more and more screen time (which I love). And my god... The ecchi reaches borderline-hentai levels here and it is glorious. And the last set of Darkness OVAs just keeps on bringing the same goodness.
If you are an ecchi fan, you better watch To Love-Ru and don't drop it just because you think that the first season was a bit weak. Power on through. It only gets better. As the Darkness OVAs have just concluded, I hope that they announce a new season in the near future because I need my fill of the best harem in the universe getting caught up in tentacles.
The first episode/movie of this show was spectacular. It really sets the stage for the rest of the series. I just watched it and couldn't resist so I read ahead in the manga. I'm 85 chapters in (and will catch up) and unfortunately it's tough for the story to really live up to the highs in that first volume (where we reached at the end of this long episode).
We'll see but the anime has done a very good job with the adaptation from the manga. They haven't skipped much (if anything) and I've liked the little details and pacing elements they've added so far. It gives a bit more emotional impact to some of the scenes in the manga. I'm not sure exactly where the show will end in terms of finishing which arcs, but hopefully we get more seasons of this in the future and a more complete adaptation as the pace definitely slows down after this rollercoaster episode.
The ratings for this show are very high right now and imo definitely inflated due to how amazing the first episode/movie is/was with a #1 ranking in MAL currently. I think that it'll definitely go back down to Earth a little as the rest of the story at least in this first season will not be able to top those early moments seen in this first episode. Still it is a fantastic show and adaptation nonetheless and I'm very much looking forward to this every week.
One outs is a freaking riveting sports anime unlike any other that I've seen so far. I got completely addicted to this series and was left wanting more after I marathoned this baby. This is literally a fusion between Death Note and baseball as the protagonist, Toua Tokuchi, is literally Light Yagami incarnated in a baseball pitcher with awesome hair. The battle of wits, banter and tactics here are very unconventional and go far beyond just basic to advanced baseball strategies. Toua doesn't have a godly fastball or ridiculous pitches so he has to use his mind to get things done. Cheating, psychological warfare, petty tricks and any back-alley knowhow are all utilized by Toua to get into the minds of his opponents (and his teammates) in order to win. And boy, does Toua like to gamble (you will realize this once you start watching the show). The craziness just never stops at any point.
I will say that the situations and conflicts did tend to get a bit too ridiculous towards the end (especially with the money-hungry owner) but it still added to the suspense, drama and overall excitement of the show. The only thing that I would have really liked would be a sequel or further continuation of this series because, honestly, things don't progress very far into the championship run. However, we do get very intricate and deep matches between opponents in the 25 episodes due to multiple episodes being focused on a single opponent. Unfortunately, a sequel doesn't seem too likely so I'll probably read the manga and become addicted to this One outs once again. This is a definitely a fun watch even for non-sports fans because a lot of the mindgames and strategies lie outside baseball. And Toua is just a god damn boss. Enough said.
This was a fantastic series and Ufotable (of The Garden of Sinners fame) was really able to show off their animation skills to the max here. This prequel to Fast/stay Night (which was made by Studio Deen) was leaps and bounds better than its predecessor in every aspect from story and pacing to animation, art and choreography. I watched Fate/stay Night first as I was told that watching it after Fate/Zero would just make it pale in comparison and I think this may be the best option (of course if you have the time, play the visual novel of Fate/Stay night instead). Even though I knew of some of the events to happen, Fate/Zero still kept me on my toes with unexpected twists and surprises. I also learned a lot more about the Fate universe and things from FSN made A LOT more sense after watching FZ as Ufotable did a much better job of explaining things than Studio Deen.
All the masters and servants get their fair share of back story and development and over time I really started to emphasize with each one of them. The dialogue and writing is fantastic in both the dub and sub versions. I loved the soundtrack too especially the first OP, "oath sign" by LiSA. Everything moved at a great pace and I couldn't wait to watch the next episode. Most importantly, this probably had the best action scenes that I've seen in any TV anime series (the Eva Rebuild and The Garden of Sinners of movies are on similar levels) so try to watch this on a big screen.
This show is definitely a must watch for anyone that enjoys a deep and compelling action-adventure anime. I'm really looking forward to Ufotable's remake of the FSN series (following Illya's arc I believe) that will be released in 2014. And definitely watch The Garden of Sinners movies as ManicB says. You won't regret it.
