Rate the last anime you watched out of 10

[Yakumo]

Demon King Daimao vs Majikoi Oh! Samurai Girls vs Samurai Girls

So I went on something of a fan service binge and watched these three titles in rapid succession. And at least in terms of premise they are not dissimilar. The checklist for each title broadly reads as follows:
• Unassuming central male protagonist…
• In an academic setting…
• Surrounded by a bevy of nubile female superpowers…
• Who somehow fall under his spell…
• And who have no qualms in shedding their garments in front of the camera…
• And who become key players in a local, national or global crisis that entire governments cannot control.

Be that as generic as it may, there may be some entertainment to be had. There may even be a pick of the bunch.

That pick is not Demon King Daimao. Oh it starts off strong enough. The main character is not a comic milquetoast, the Greg Ayres character – though still on goofball detail – is kind of cool and effective, and lastly the jiggle factor is high. At least it is for the first half, after which the show inexplicably develops a sense of modesty and stops with the fan service, hoping that the story can carry it the rest of the way. Which it can’t, because it was terrible to begin with and in losing the fan service it has lost its crutch. The lacking animation doesn’t do it any favours either.

Is Majikoi Oh! Samurai Girls the pick then? The answer is no, but not for lack of trying. It’s better animated, with some battle scenes bordering on very good. One scene in particular sees an enemy successfully fend off all the main females in lucid slow motion. The characters are also more distinct, the Greg Ayres character can actually win a fight, and the female designs are simply gorgeous.

But whatever this does, Samurai Girls does a little better. It’s setting is unique, the story –at least in this company – is good in that it fully establishes the main conflict from the start instead of shoehorning it into the final episodes. And unlike Majikoi… this takes itself quite seriously. Animation is good, and the art style with its muted palette is appealing. Out of the three, this is the one I’d choose.

 

[Lutga]

Working through some more of my backlog:

Silver Spoon - 8/10

I put this off for ages thinking 'What could I possibly like about an anime about farming?' - How wrong I was. This feels very much in the same vein as stuff like Shirobako in that it absolutely aces the slice of life/working makes you feel good aesthetic and balances comedy, factual info and coming of age themes wonderfully. Yes, the art style is pretty basic, but the pacing just sweeps you up in the main character's journey from zero to hero, and the pals he makes along the way. Stuff like this makes you wish you could go back to college again (or move to the country).

Hanayamata - 8/10

And speaking of slice of life, this was just divine. For starters, it looks utterly gorgeous, and the dancing choreography is top notch (as is the central theme music the girls dance to). I've always been a bit so-so on the whole 'cute girls' genre, and didn't enjoy K-On as much as the hype made out, but I absolutely adored this. All the girls were well characterised, and the show even managed to throw in some real dark teen angst in halfway through. Yes, you could argue that although the characters are fleshed out well, they're merely tropes, and never 'realistic', everything is done with such charm and cuteness, it's hard not to fall utterly in love with a show like this.

 

[qaiz]

Genmu Senki Leda: Review (1985, OVA, 1 Episode)

Genmu Senki Leda (Leda: The Fantastic Adventure of Yohko) is a 1985 OVA directed by Kunihiko Yuyama, who is best known for his work on the Pokémon anime series and movies. This very short but sweet story revolves around Yohko, an ordinary high school girl who composes a song in order to express how she feels about a boy that she’s fallen in love with. Up until this point however she hasn’t had the courage to let her feelings be known, but with this song by her side she hopes to be able to confess her love to him. While taking a walk one day she bumps into the boy, but lacking the courage she walks past him while listening to the very song that she composed, and at that moment she is transported to another dimension, a world simply known as Ashanti. Things get weird as she tries to return back to her home. At an hour and 10 minutes, this is a short but very entertaining OVA that I enjoyed more than I expected. Also, did I mention that she meets a talking dog along the way?

The general consensus to Leda is that it’s a pretty decent OVA but nothing special, so I was pleasantly surprised when I ended up thoroughly enjoying it. The animation in Leda really had me spellbound at just how great it looked and moved, reminiscent of a time gone by. Although in no way full of fine, intricate details, the very painterly visage that encompasses the entirety of Leda makes way for a welcoming aesthetic that’s a joy to look at. The cast of Leda is small but full of many distinct and interestingly designed characters that are equally as fun to watch. With many exciting set-pieces, married with dynamic cinematography that captures the action perfectly, Leda is in no doubt a great looking and very fun to watch OVA from a visual standpoint.

Leda actually surprised me by containing some more artsy scenes that make use of contrasting colors in order to represent different time periods, dreams and memories. Leda is a very pretty OVA and the visuals alone warrant a viewing. The art can be simple, but it’s just really effective and interesting to watch, and although the story can be equally as simple and slow, the visuals really draw you in.

The character designs are again; both distinct and appealing, all encompassed by a very intriguing movement that makes them interesting to watch. It’s hard to describe, but again in terms of character animation, they’re very fascinating to watch, and while viewing Leda I noticed that this strange animation only exists during the scenes that take place within Ashanti, the other dimension and thus felt that it was purposely done in order to capture the other-worldly feeling, being alien and dreamlike in nature, and it does this successfully. The character designs themselves are done by the talented Mutsumi Inomata, who’s worked on character designs for all of the Tales Of series of video games as well as other anime such as the film Windaria. The character designs are charming, cliched and fun.

Speaking of designs, mechanical designs were headed by Takahiro Toyomasu, who although is known as a key animator these days, was a main animator for Leda as well as well as mechanical designer. The designs are pretty interesting here all in all.

Along with the animation, the highlight of Leda is the brilliant soundtrack. With a few vocal tracks littered throughout the OVA, it helps create this music video vibe that I thoroughly enjoy, and helps make each and every scene memorable and enjoyable. Both the music and fluid animation really conjured up the same feelings I got when playing old JRPG’s and such, and I think that’s the best way to explain something like Leda. The story is simple, the villains are one dimensional, but the whole thing is fun to just watch and listen to as the main character whizzes by at high-speeds on her bike through a forest and into a desert. You just become entranced with this sense of wonder and joy and in all honestly OVA’s such as this have a huge place in my heart. Very fun and peppy, it contains a very simple story that actually contains some unique bits here and there, especially on the visual side as it conveys certain feelings and emotions with unique visuals that catch your attention. And like the story itself, the script is also very simple; being written by Junki Takegami (worked on the script for series such as City hunter, Inuyasha, Maison Ikkoku and Pokemon) it’s charming, silly and stilted in an endearing way.

The music, done by the great Shiro Sagisu (Neon Genesis Evangelion) is as equally as mesmerizing as the visuals themselves, both memorable and catchy. This is without a doubt a high point of the OVA and a soundtrack that I’ll be listening to for a long time to come.

Containing many tropes, it’s both silly and stilted, and yet very charming and fun to watch, again reminiscent of an old 16 or 32 bit JRPG, transporting you to this other world for a little time while you quite literally escape this reality if just for a little while as you watch in awe as the pretty visuals and fun, catchy, cheesy and yet heartfelt music pulls you in, further into the world of Ashanti. It’s definitely something that I enjoyed and straight up my alley. If you have a place in your heart for a one hour romp, a world with a talking dog, a time traveling Walkman and magical girl warriors in scantily dressed armor, then Leda is for you.

Overall: 8/10
Very enjoyable, with great animation and a fun soundtrack, characters are simple and full of tropes and cliches, and yet enjoyable and fun to watch, all wrapped up in a simple, but entertaining story.
Story: 6
Animation: 9
Sound: 9
Character: 7
Enjoyment: 10

 

[sanji no 1]

One Piece Film: Z
6/10
Meh. Just another generic One Piece movie. New villain turns up, does villainy stuff, Luffy and friends fight, you know the drill. You seen one movie, you seen them all pretty much. One thing I really dislike about these movies is that, Luffy, Zoro and Sanji are the ones that have major fights and the rest of the crew are just there. I understand that those three are the strongest fighters, but I'd like to see the rest in a big rumble for a change. I did however like the very impressive fight scenes and Z. I actually felt quite bad for him, and thought he was a relatable character. Apart of me was rooting for him more than the Straw Hats.
Overall, One Piece film Z is just your basic One Piece movie. Only for diehard fans

Dragonball Season 3
9/10
Much better than season 2. Better action, greater arcs and the characters are still lovable. The General Toa and Fortune teller Baba arcs are fanastic! It still surprises me how good the animation is considering its age.

Kill La Kill Part 1
9/10
This totally blew my expectations away! This was marvellous! The animation is great, the fights are amazing and the characters are hilerious! Ryoko is such a likeable character! I just hope part 2 and 3 are just as good!

 

[IncendiaryLemon]

Kill La Kill Part 1
9/10
This totally blew my expectations away! This was marvellous! The animation is great, the fights are amazing and the characters are hilerious! Ryoko is such a likeable character! I just hope part 2 and 3 are just as good!

Even better IMO.

 

[Professor Irony]

Re: Genmu Senki Leda: Review (1985, OVA, 1 Episode)

Genmu Senki Leda (Leda: The Fantastic Adventure of Yohko)

Having just come back from an '80s-themed viewing day, I feel annoyed that I'd forgotten about the existence of this one. I've heard of it before, but never actually had a chance to see it. Maybe next time.

 

[qaiz]

Re: Genmu Senki Leda: Review (1985, OVA, 1 Episode)

Having just come back from an '80s-themed viewing day, I feel annoyed that I'd forgotten about the existence of this one. I've heard of it before, but never actually had a chance to see it. Maybe next time.

I too have been going on an 80's OVA binge as of late. Leda was pretty cool, and as you can tell I really enjoyed it, but I hope it came across well in my review that its silly and not something to be taken seriously, it's the anime equivalent of a popcorn flick, just a bit of good fun with great animation and music

 

[IncendiaryLemon]

Paranoia Agent (Dub)-8/10

I was quite conflicted how to score this show. I was going back and forwards between an 8 and a 9 and in the end I settled on an 8.

The first thing I want to talk about is the art and animation for the show. Personally, I really love the look of the show. It has a very cinematic feel to it, which is no doubt down to Satoshi Kon. It looks and feels almost exactly like Perfect Blue, which is great. I'm not sure how high of a budget this show has, but it feels high. In both animation and cinematography, every episode felt like a movie. It was fantastic, and I haven't come across a series with that kind of feel before. The character designs weren't anything too great or memorable but they weren't generic either, quite middle of the road.

The story in this show is definitely the main attraction although I found it quite hard to follow. I'm not sure if I'd consider this a bad thing or not since I'm pretty sure that was the intention. Paranoia agent is a very psychological show, and that element is done very well. It often switches back and forth, sometimes in the same scene, between reality and what I assume is in the character's heads. However, this element being done well is what makes the story hard to follow, as you're not sure what is really happening or not. This also can create some plotholes sometimes. For example, there is a character who gains crucial information towards the end via some anime figures coming to life and helping him. How this occurred in reality is never explicitly said or even hinted at, yet he retains this information. There is also the fact that the story leaves a lot of questions unanswered, which could be seen as a positive or a negative. Some people like being left to their own devices and to fill in the gaps themselves where as others like to have definitive answers. I'm definitely in the latter category, so the ending didn't really satisfy me. This is one of the main reasons why I was conflicted on score. There may be some things that are answered that I just missed and may catch upon rewatches or may find answers to online. One negative thing I will say about the story is there is quite a few filler episodes. I can understand the need for them, but when the show is only 13 episodes long, having about 3 episodes in a row of almost pure filler is really pushing it. These episodes aren't even bad (Episode 10 in particular I really quite enjoyed) but they don't progress the story any, and when they're all in a row it can be quite frustrating.

The characters in this show were also quite well done but could be improved. The only characters that get any real development are Tsukiko and Ikari, and that is only towards the end. Many of the other characters are only really prominent in one or two episodes, meaning they aren't as fleshed out as I'd like them to be. If the show had used the episodes they wasted on filler to flesh these characters out more, I might have liked the show a bit more.

All in all, Paranoia Agent is a good, if not a little hard to follow, show and I'd definitely recommend it if you haven't seen it already.

 

[HdE]

The last show I finished was Last Exile - Fam, The Silver Wing.

Man... the show's already reviewed for AUKN's database, so I can't cover it. And that's a good thing for the show.

The original Last Exile is a classic - the sort of thing that should rightly be looked back on in ten years and fondly remembered by masses of fans. This sequel is just... messy? Bland? Ill judged? I dunno where to begin.

I mean, there's 21 episodes, making it a bit shorter than the first series. And yet it still takes an absolute age to go anywhere interesting. It flat out fails to explain a lot of key details properly, or at all. HOW is Dio still alive after the end of last series? WHY is Claus in a wheelchair in the season finale? And why is it never clearly and properly explained exactly which planet the show is set on?

These problems are made worse by the fact that the characters aren't even sufficiently interesting enough to pick up the slack. They feel so static, having no proper arcs, for the most part. Why is Giselle even in this show? What is it about Fam that justifies her lead character status? And bringing back certain characters from the previous series just marks them as the elephant in the room. Because our new central cast are so lifeless, attention immediately goes to the returnees from the first series in the hopes that they'll do something interesting... and mostly, they don't. The result is that everything feels a bit inconsequential, even when some pretty major story stuff is going down in the last third of the show.

I think the fudging of the characters is probably best represented in the title sequence. We get to see a really exciting action scene with Fam sprinting down the hull of a huge vanship to rescue Princess Millia, while Dio fights with... some guy who looks like one of Dio's lot, but isn't interesting enough for me to remember his name. It's all terribly exciting and promises great things. But NOTHING in the show matches that level of vision. And then, in the dying seconds of that OP, we go from all that high stakes, gravity defying heroism to a quick shot of Super Annoying Unfunny Comic Relief Teddy, proponent of one of the dodgiest British accents on film, embroiled in a life or death struggle with... a cup of tea.

Seriously. THAT'S your hook for this character, Gonzo? Your chosen imagery to sell me on the thrills and spills this series offers? We just saw school age kids leaping across the hulls of massive flying vehicles in mid-air... and you follow that up with a kid desperately trying to keep his grip on A CUP OF TEA?!

Despite all this, I actually didn't hate the show. It's disappointing as a sequel to Last Exile, but it's watchable enough, depite flaws. It looks absolutely gorgeous, Greg Ayres is superb as Dio (even if the dub's mix is terrible) and the nods to the first series are interesting even if they don't really work properly.

But, I just can't get away from this: when the most resonant episode in the entire run is a clip show using almost entirely footage from the first series - and even uses its opening sequence - something is very, very wrong. I wondered halfway through if perhaps I needed to stop and start watching it again later with slightly lower expectations. But some of the problems with this show are just way too serious to wave away.

I hate giving scores on a numerical based system, but here goes: 6 / 10.

This one gets by mostly on its visuals and brand recognition. Unless you were NUTS about the first one, you can probably steer clear.

 

[Lutga]

Love Hina - 7/10

AKA, the Repeated Domestic Abuse of a Hot Springs Manager.

I had semi-fond memories of Love Hina based on what I'd seen of it in the past, plus I'm a big fan of Akamatsu's other work (Negima), but finally sitting down to watch the whole thing in one go, you can really start to see the bloat and faults in the series. For starters, while the animation holds up incredibly well for a show that's 15 years old, the comedy really doesn't - I mean, seriously, there's only so many times Keitaro getting battered by Naru is actually funny. Meanwhile, Sue comes off like some bizarre proto-loli that may or may not actually be seriously mentally ill, while Naru herself doesn't even have enough nice moments to be a Tsundere.

I suppose the main problem I had with the show is that compared to harem shows these days, in Love Hina, none of the other girls really seem to stand a chance, and never really get much development beyond their basic tropes. And that might even have been fine if Naru was actually likeable, but she isn't. There's all the standard teasing and joke gropes, but it never reaches the tension modern harem shows have down to a fine art.

And then there's all the bizarre, psychedelic flights of fancy (seriously, what is this show's obsession with turtles?) - which are a novelty to start, but then eventually go so off the wall that they just make your head hurt. The only ones that really seemed to work here were when they were about the girls' own development, so for example Motoko and her secret techniques, or Shinobu being worried about her first kiss.

 

[Smeelia]

Re: Genmu Senki Leda: Review (1985, OVA, 1 Episode)

Genmu Senki Leda (Leda: The Fantastic Adventure of Yohko)

I have mixed feelings about these reviews because they make things sound really interesting and fun but there's a good chance that I'll never get to see any of the shows and that's kind of sad.

Love Hina - 7/10

AKA, the Repeated Domestic Abuse of a Hot Springs Manager.

I watched Love Hina fairly early on in my anime watching career and enjoyed it quite a bit but when I went back to it a little while ago I found that it didn't hold up as well. I guess it's kind of a good thing because subsequent shows have built on the foundation of what went before and improved but I can't help feeling a little sad, as though something has been lost.

I think my favourite part of Love Hina is the vaguely implied Yuri potential between Motoko and Naru, which is probably mostly me desperately clutching at straws. That said, there's a moment in Love Hina Again that dials it up past 11 and gave me an insight into what certain Yaoi fans are so fond of.

The violence in Love Hina was always kind of annoying though. Still, if Naru's existence was an important step towards characters like Taiga then it was worth it. It's interesting that it's even commented on in the show a couple of times, especially in the Xmas Special (which is probably the best part of Love Hina altogether).

 

[Lutga]

Re: Genmu Senki Leda: Review (1985, OVA, 1 Episode)

Genmu Senki Leda (Leda: The Fantastic Adventure of Yohko)

I have mixed feelings about these reviews because they make things sound really interesting and fun but there's a good chance that I'll never get to see any of the shows and that's kind of sad.

Love Hina - 7/10

AKA, the Repeated Domestic Abuse of a Hot Springs Manager.

I think my favourite part of Love Hina is the vaguely implied Yuri potential between Motoko and Naru, which is probably mostly me desperately clutching at straws. That said, there's a moment in Love Hina Again that dials it up past 11 and gave me an insight into what certain Yaoi fans are so fond of.

The violence in Love Hina was always kind of annoying though. Still, if Naru's existence was an important step towards characters like Taiga then it was worth it. It's interesting that it's even commented on in the show a couple of times, especially in the Xmas Special (which is probably the best part of Love Hina altogether).

Can't say I really remembered any yuri potential between Motoko and Naru - which episode was that in? I really enjoyed the extra episode 25 where Motoko was basically the main character, as it finally gave her a decent shot with Keitaro.

And yeah, the Xmas episode is surprisingly good - definitely of a standard above a lot of the main series. I didn't enjoy the Spring special that much though.

I just found Naru such a weird character to buy into as a female lead - I mean, on one level she's certainly portrayed as the most attainable of the girls, but the sole reason for her being seems to be that she can't admit her feelings - we're never really told why, or given any more of an insight into her character beyond the core concept of will she/won't she.

 

[Smeelia]

I'd say Motoko was probably my favourite, she was a better Tsundere than Naru (she had actual dere, I guess).

There's a scene in the episode where the guy with Sarah turns up (I think it was that episode, 14 maybe). I don't remember the exact details but Naru is in a cheerleader outfit or similar and Mitsune pours water on Naru to distract her while Motoko is around, I thought Motoko's reaction was a little suspicious. It's probably something minor that I'm completely misinterpreting but I like to read Yuri into things even when there's little to nothing there. I'm not sure there was much else in any other episodes (aside from that moment in "Again", where Motoko seems to enjoy a certain incident more than you might expect). Actually, Love Hina might have been the first anime I imagined Yuri into and probably before I knew the term Yuri.

I guess Naru is kind of a victim of plot. The show even highlights that the only reason she won't accept liking Keitarou is because he's Keitarou, especially in the "glasses" episode. I think the official reason might be a combination of stubbornness and a bad first impression (which is kind of weak).

 

[Lutga]

I suppose the other thing that's sort of interesting about Love Hina is that Keitaro and Naru are university age, so they're in their early 20s, right? As opposed to the anime norm that usually seems to be somewhere in their mid teens - but I suppose you wouldn't guess it from how awkward they are around each other.

Likewise, when it comes to age, it's slightly worrying that Kitsune is apparently 'too old', yet apparently according to the official data, is actually younger than Keitaro?! (or am I getting confused here)

 

[st_owly (witch)]

At the start of the series, Naru is 18, and Keitaro is about 21. a plot point is that Naru nearly misses her high school graduation because she's so busy studying

IIRC, Kitsune is older than Keitaro.

 

[Smeelia]

I might not be remembering correctly but I thought Naru and Mitsune went to school together. I think Mitsune was a year or two older but probably not more than that. I have a vague memory of there being a flashback to them both sitting together in their school uniforms at some point. That'd probably make her slightly younger than Keitarou.

 

[st_owly (witch)]

No, I think you're right. I was getting Kitsune confused with Keitaro's aunt in my head.

 

[IncendiaryLemon]

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders-9/10

God damn, do I love JoJo and this was the part that cemented that for me. Whilst I did like the previous series that covered Parts 1 and 2 of the manga, this adaptation of Part 3 really sealed the deal for me in terms of coming around to the JoJo love. The JoJo community and fan base is very passionate and I didn't quite get it until now.

One of the aspects of JoJo that I like the most is it's very distinctive art and character design. You honestly couldn't mistake JoJo for any other show and the unique art style really is great. The art and animation in general is also very colourful and is very nice to watch. It's a show that is never visually dull and is always doing interesting things with it's visuals. The character designs are very distinctive and memorable, just like the art, especially for the main 5 characters.

The best aspect of JoJo, however, is the definitely the story. Well, not the overarching story, which is a little thin, but the stories in each individual episode. Calling them fights wouldn't be giving the show enough credit. Whilst the show is very action heavy, it's very different from other shounen action shows like Dragonball Z and the like as instead of having the characters become infinitely more powered up and just overcoming any villain with a new form or something, the heroes and villains are both given a defined set of powers and the heroes have to outwit their enemies most of the time in order to win. This makes the show a treat to watch as it's pretty unpredictable how the fights are actually going to be won. The villains in the show are plentiful and are all very creative in terms of what they can do, which, again, makes it very fun and interesting to watch. One negative thing you could say is the show definitely falls into a formula, something the previous anime didn't do, but it's a formula that works. Despite being 48 episodes long, it never gets stale or boring to watch, and you remain invested throughout the show, especially towards the end. The show is also quite funny in places and is often light hearted but manages to be intense and serious in the right places and gets a good mix that I found to be just right.

JoJo Part 3 is show that balances action and comedy very well and was an extremely fun ride from beginning to end. If you enjoy shounen battle shows at all, I'd highly recommend this show as it's one of the best there is. Bring on Part 4!

 

[YukiFan]

Tiger and Bunny 9/10
I have to say at first I wasn't a huge fan of this series. The first few episodes were kinda boring and uninteresting. From episode 6 onwards this series got very good. The series got a more consistent Antagonist (Lunatic) and the introduction of Ouroboros got the plot moving. The Characters were interesting and the supporting cast were characterized well (something a lot of series seem to be failing at recently). As a kinda affectionate parody of Western Superheroes it was well handled and used the aspects I like best about them. Overall this was a solid series I really like it.

 

[Animefreak17]

Index/railgun

Ok quick question.......why the hell hasn't this anime series made a season 3 or onwards because this series has something going for is.

When I first saw this ... the first episode I didn't know what to expect and when the first episode happened.. I was thinking.... oh this is a series that a boy meets a girl with mystic powers and they fall in love but no it's more complicated and more to do with magic vs science in index it's about magic and in railgun it's about science and these series sorta of clash with each other...... like one view is from another charecter and visa versa.

Railgun felt like a moe friendship series an it had alot of filler and the only time it comes in contact with index is in the second season.

I like it.. ok have to look up on the manga and novels but I think they should of. Continued the anime.

Railgun 7.5/10
Index 9/10
Index movie 8/10