To Aru Kagaku no Railgun

Description

The To Aru Kagaku no Railgun side story is based on Kamachi's original story set in Academy City, a city where about 80% of its 230,000 citizens are students. The story deals with the adventures of Misaka Mikoto, one of the Level 5 psychics in the To Aru Majutsu no Index light novels.

Action, Comedy, Science Fiction, Shoujo-Ai, Supernatural

24 episodes + 2 special (season 1)

Misaka's Superpower! Level5

Review

Story - 3 (Average)
The story takes place in Academy City where a majority of the students study to acquire their paranormal powers (they become known as Espers). Everyone has a special power of their own and they are graded on the scale of Level 1(being the weakest) - Level 5 (strongest). The main character, Misaka, is a pretty famous person in the school as she is one of the few Level 5 being able to manipulate electric current and blasting it at a high velocity which is the reason why she's acquired the nickname Railgun. The other support main character is her partner Shirai who works for an organization called Judgement, which works odd jobs in solving citizen problems to solving larger cases that are a threat to the city.

The story flow is more of a roller coaster as it switches from the everyday lives of the girl and their friends to the more exciting bit of solving cases that threat the safety of the City. The fighting scenes can be pretty cool and interesting to watch as you want to see what everyone's power is and the many ways they can manipulate it. As you get further, the story also starts to build up for the main focus in which they try to stop a serious threat... the typical end of the world kind (except in this case, the end of their city instead lol).

If you really love the characters though (as I did) then you'll mostly be hooked the whole way through.

Music/Sound - 5 (Great)
The introduction songs are great :D and so are the ending songs. Even though Shirai's voice sounds a bit weird at first.. it does seem to fit her personality. ;p

Art/Animation - 5 (Great)
The graphics look really nice, smooth, and shiny. Love it!


Character - 5 (Great)
I think they did a really good job on developing the characters. You get to learn a lot about the four friends Misaki, Shirai, Uiharu, and Saten where you'll obtain a very good sense of what they are all like, how they would probably act, or what they believe is important. Even some of the minor characters have their spotlight for one episode so you can know a bit about them too. I really enjoyed this anime because of the characters :) .. you can feel that the four friends are very close. I love the Misaka-Shirai pair too lol (yes there is yuri.. but it's not serious, as it seems to be used more for comedy than an actual romance). Oh and this anime's main cast is full of girls.. there is only one minor guy that doesn't even appear much.

Humor - 5 (Great)
I thought the comedy was very good, it made me laugh and smile a lot as I watched. Especially how Misaka is constantly fighting off Shirai's perverted advances lol. Saten and Uiharu also have funny quirks of their own, in that Saten is oddly always having to check that her friend wears her underwear everyday. Misaka seems like such a serious person and yet she loves cute/childish things. The character reactions are also incredibly funny since they use a lot of exaggerated looks and noises. I'll have to say that the most comedic character in this anime would have to be Shirai :P she is such a panther! I think Misaka puts up with Shirai because she knows that despite her perverseness, Shirai has many other good qualities that make her a great friend. So she probably just accepts Shirai the way she is, warts and all lol.

Misaka compliments Shirai.. which encourages her

Shirai unexpectedly hops onto Misaka's lap making a ruckus

Overall - 4 (Good)
It's a good anime to watch if you like to watch supernatural powers and some fight scenes! Mostly if you're interested in watching about the lives of a group of girls getting close and having fun. If you're a yuri fan you'd probably like this too. Most likely, if you enjoy the comedy in the first episode then you'll end up enjoying the series!

Gunslinger Girl 2: Teatrino

Description

When the Social Welfare Agency investigates the disappearance of an operative, their inquiry leads them right into the lair of their rival, the Five Republics. The assassin Triela infiltrates the hostile organization, but her search is cut short when she finds herself staring down the barrel of a gun...

Action, Science-Fiction

13 episodes

Review

Story - 3 (Average)
The story in the 2nd season of gunslinger girl is definitely more interesting and better. Like the 1st season, it still focuses on accomplishing missions, but there is a greater goal to the story as well. Along with the previous two bombers there is a new antagonist, Pinocchio, who is loyal to Cristiano (leader who is part of the terrorist organization known as RFR which the government is targeting). When Tietra encounters Pinocchio(who is also a skilled assassin) she fails to take him down .. from then on, she swears that she would not lose to him the next time as she trains harder. As the story progresses, you will get a sense that somehow the government and terrorists are somewhat alike, perhaps even the people.

Will the terrorists get away, or will the Fratello units accomplish their mission? Will Tietra win against her rival the next time she encounters him?

Music/Sound - 5 (Great)
I really liked the intro and ending song :).. they also added a nice melody for the times when someone is reminiscing about something.

Art/Animation - 5 (Great)
If you watched the first season, you'll notice that the art/animation has totally changed. However, it still looks great, just a bit more cutesy, and less shiny than the previous. :) (I did like the first artwork more though!). There's also much more action in this series.

Character - 5 (Great)
The character development is still great :) You get some more info about some of the girls and handlers.. but this time, they seem to focus more on Triela's character and the terrorist bombers Franco, Franca, and Pinocchio. After learning about the terrorists more and their background.. it even made me feel a bit more sympathetic to them. I wasn't sure which side I was cheering for anymore ;p since I liked all the characters so they did a great job on that. It was sad to see the fratellos and the terrorists go against each other! Triela and Pinocchio are the star characters in this season though. Oh and Pinocchio's name has a lot of symbolism to what his character is like and where he came from.

Humor - 1 (Bad)
Same seriousness as the previous season.

Overall - 4 (Good)
If you enjoyed the previous gunslinger girl, then you definitely need to watch this one! It's a great continue as it adds onto everything from the last season and more. You can still watch this as a stand-alone though since they give flashbacks of the past and you won't miss anything (since the previous season was mostly about the fratello relationships). Having knowledge season 1 will just make your viewing of this even better :) because you have a sense of what all the characters are already like and get to learn more about them.

Love Hina + Love Hina Again + X'mas&Spring Specials

Description

Keitaro Urashima is trying for the 3rd time to get into Tokyo University, the most prestigious University in Japan. Why? Because of a promise he made to a girl when they were both children. But that was long ago, and he has forgotten who the girl was. His parents who only see him as loafer, are constantly nagging him. So when his grandmother invites him to visit her home, the Hinata apartments, he figures he can crash there.

Comedy, Ecchi, Harem, Love-Romance, School-Life

Love Hina - 25 episodes + 2 special episodes
Love Hina Again - 3

Review

Story - 2 (Below Average)
Overall the story is about Keitaro trying to get into Tokyo University to fulfill his promise to a childhood love. After constantly failing his exams, he suddenly ends up being a manager at the Hinata Apartments.. but the trouble is, is that it's strictly an all women's dorm! So the story jumps around relating to Keitaro and his crazy encounters with the women who live there. For instance, he's always getting beat up by one of the tenants Naru Narusegawa for being so perverted and clumsy, wacked around by a serious swordswoman who has men phobia, and a carefree girl who likes to attack him with missiles and other contraptions. As Keitaro tries to survive at the inn, he continues to try and pass his exams and to confess his love to the person he likes. If you're one of those people who wants a goal-oriented story, this anime may get on your nerves since it can be so random and the characters can be so indecisive lol. The point of the story can get lost as you encounter such ridiculous and random events.

Love Hina Again has somewhat of a similar story relating to a promise Keitaro has to fulfill. Everything is pretty much similar to the series but with even More Ecchiness.

I just gave the story a below average rating because it almost feels like the story isn't important and isn't always the main focus.... (Keitaro trying to fulfill his promise but he doesn't even remember who it is! yet they keep bringing it up, and another goal would be confessing his love). Sometimes the story may hook you because you want to find out who the mystery lover really is.. but overall it's the characters and comedy that make the story instead.

Music/Sound - 5 (Great)

Art/Animation - 4/5 (Good/Great)
The Love Hina series as good graphics. It seems like they improved the graphics for Love Hina Again though. But overall :) both are nice to watch.

Character - 4 (Good)
You'll get to know a bit about every character who lives at the Hinata Apartments. They all have their own stereotypes and they pretty much remain consistent through the series. Although some characters may change a little because of what they have learned from previous episodes.. but they all still have their same quirks and such. There are several episodes that focus on developing one character's personality and background too (so it's like.. there's no real story but just about getting to know that certain character). Since the characters are all so different, it's fun to see them all interact and cause chaos for each other. Although you don't get to deeply learn about each character, you know enough about them to enjoy the anime :)

Humor - 5 (Great)
This is the best about Love Hina. The comedy in this anime is absolutely hilarious. I've laughed out loud many times when I watched through.. mostly because of just how bizarre and random some of the encounters were and how the characters react. Some characters are just so amusing as well.. like Mutsumi who is constantly daydreaming and absent-minded that everyone has to worry about her or the aunt who hates being called old. Everyone is just so silly. Although, some of the humor can be repetitive (like Keitaro always being beat up and blasted around) it can still be funny because you expect it and the character themselves expect it! ;p. Most likely.. If you were to watch this, you must be open-minded to the randomness and absurdity or you may not enjoy it. It's not supposed to make sense lol. The humor is really exaggerated as well, like people getting punched all the way to the stars or bouncing around on the walls and such. Character expressions/sounds are funny too.

Overall - 3 (Decent)
If you're looking for pure comedy with harem/ecchi humor (one guy surrounded by many girls) and don't mind random craziness, then you may have fun laughing along with this series. It's not going to be an anime that hooks you unless your sense of humor matches. Just a fun one to watch if you want something easy-going and funny on your free time.

Gunslinger Girl

Description

Officially, the Social Welfare Agency is a government sponsored corporation that's in the business of saving lives. At least, that's the ruse. In reality, it's an agency on the fringe of technology. They give terminal patients another shot at life using cybernetic implants. This conditioning process then shapes the patient into an efficient machine for handling all of the government's dirty work.

They've been given a second chance at life, but at what cost?

Action, Science-Fiction

13 episodes (325 minutes)

Review

Story - 1 (Bad)
The story is basically about a secret organization that conditions children into becoming skilled assassins. Each child must take orders from their handlers and protect them at all costs, even if it means their own life. There isn't really much of a story to follow as it revolves more around the characters backgrounds and relationships than reaching an actual goal. There are several missions the girls take on though that they try to accomplish and the action is pretty good :) but other than that.. I don't think there was an actual goal of a greater cause. Maybe just considering if these child cyborgs are perfect weapons or not..

Music/Sound - 5 (Great)

Art/Animation - 5 (Great)
There is a lot of violence and blood during the missions. The graphics look really nice, smooth, and shiny! All the girls look cute/adorable as well.

Character - 5 (Great)

I think they did a really good job developing the characters since I'm guessing that was their main focus ;p. You get to learn about each of the girl's past, how they feel in the present, and the issues they deal with. The relationship between them and their handlers are also explored pretty deeply and you get to compare how they all differ from each other. Although, Henrietta's character will be examined more closely than the others so you will really get a sense of what she's like. These girl's stories can be very sad :( so you might want to have some tissues handy! Because they do such a great job at developing the characters, you'll really start to question the morals of the organization and if the girls are really just weapons of destruction, merely tools to be used, or are they just normal girls? How should they be treated? What about the handlers? and perhaps other questions will pop into your mind as you continue to watch.

Humor - 1 (Bad)

I don't think they used humor at all. If you're looking for something funny, this isn't it. It's a serious anime even though ;p it's about a bunch of little girls with weapons lol.

Overall - 4 (Good)

If you don't mind an anime that focuses on character story and relationships then you may enjoy this. Especially if you want to see little girl assassins in action! And want to find out more about them. :p

Princess Mononoke

Description
In order to satisfy their own needs for land and resources, Man is encroaching on their sacred territory, cutting down the trees and destroying everything else that stand in their path. As a result, the gods became angry.

While fighting to save his village from the attack of a demon-god Ashitaka comes in contact with it and is inflicted with a deadly curse. In his search for a cure he is forced to leave his village forever and journey to the forest inhabited by animal gods. There he finds himself in the middle of a war between the forest gods and a village led by lady Eboshi.

Not far from the heart of the sacred forest where the great Deer God dwells, a new town called Irontown is founded. Conflict seems inevitable.

A young girl, raised by wolves, and a warrior bearing a curse inflicted by the hatred of a dying Boar God are trying to make things right. Will they succeed?

Action, Adventure, Fantasy

Review

Story - 5 (Great)

This anime has a great way of getting you interested quickly and wanting to find out what happens next. Very close to the beginning you already get some action in which the town gets attacked by a demon god boar and the main character Ashitaka gets cursed. He is then sent on a journey to understand the origin of what caused the boar's death in an effort to possibly cure his curse as well (instead of just sitting there and rotting to death, might as well try to do something about it right?!). Further into the story, Ashitaka finds himself between the war of humans and the forest animals. This story will really make you think about the morality of what's right and wrong. But sometimes things aren't so simple as you will find out. What about San who is human but believes she's a wolf and stays with the animals? Overall the story is great, it'll make you want to find out what Ashitaka will do to resolve the conflict between the two sides and if it'll be solved at all without great loss. The animal gods are really cool too ;p

Music/Sound - 5 (Great)
The hymn sounds really beautiful.. I bet it'll get stuck in your head or you'll be humming it after watching.

Art/Animation - 4 (Good)

There are some blood and gore scenes like body parts flying off in battle. You might squirm a bit when you see the demon gods ;p spurting bloody all over. But if you're okay with that stuff then no problem :) Don't worry it's not as bad as it sounds lol.

Character - 3 (Average)

Well personally I thought the characters were static from beginning to end. You have the pragmatic Lady Eboshi of Iron Town who does what she must to survive and protect her people. Then you have the opposing side which is San(half wolf girl) and the animals who despise and want to kill the humans for destroying their forest. Finally, you have the good guy Ashitaka who is the mediator and stays neutral. He doesn't fully take either side but constantly switches between helping one side and then the other. He just wants to do what's right and have peace! :p Oh and you have the greedy hunters too. You get those hints pretty early into the anime so it sets the story up... but I didn't think the characters changed much or at all so that's why I gave it an average score for development.

Humor - 2 (Below Average)

This anime is a bit on the serious side but it also tries to use humor throughout the movie. There weren't many parts to laugh at besides the people of Irontown and maybe the wolves. If you think the forest beings look funny too I guess.

Overall - 5 (Great)

If you like fantasy, giant animals, nature and wolves ;p, or looking for a thoughtful story then you'll want to watch this. I recommend to everyone.

The Twelve Kingdoms (Juuni Kokki)

Description

Yoko Nakajima, an unhappy high school student, is one day suddenly faced with a strange man who swears allegiance to her. After a battle with demon-like beasts, he then takes her to another world along with two of her classmates. There, her appearance has changed and she can understand the language even though her classmates cannot. But their status as "Kaikyaku" (people who come from Earth) makes them hunted fugitives, so they wander the land of the 12 countries, simply trying to survive and to figure out the reason why they were brought to this world.

Fantasy, Adventure, Drama, Novel

Review

Story - 5 (Great)

For Twelve Kingdom, there isn't really one story. There are many stories that branch off of Yoko's story and converge as the episodes continue. So you can think of this anime having multiple stories that focus on different characters and situations besides the main character Yoko. Being able to view so many perspectives of the story will give you a better understanding of what's happening as well and how things came to be(which can lead to very good twists!). Even though it's 45 episodes long, it really is interesting enough to keep watching through.

I think sometimes certain stories were suddenly held on pause as it skipped to a new one (sometimes a completely stand alone story that doesn't contribute much to the main story at all).. which can sometimes be confusing or irritating for others if they want a one-goal kind of story to follow. But if you're patient and don't mind an anime that loves to philosophize and storytell about the many different ways a kingdom could be ruled, and how this mystical world works with it's magical kirins and the destiny they carry.. then this may be the anime for you.

I think it's one of those anime that can suck you into their world because it's so unique. Basically the story revolves around the existence of the twelve kingdoms, each having their own Kirin (a heavenly being). The kirin must chose a ruler to make their kingdom and people prosperous. Many problems arise when there is no ruler on the throne...

Personally I felt the story was kind of incomplete, making me think "what, that's it?" at the end. There were still a lot of unanswered questions and not all the kingdoms were explored. It definitely had a lot it could have continued on besides Yoko's story but it'd be incredibly long I guess ;p The ending was still okay though.

Music/Sound - 5 (Great)
I tried the english-dubbed for this anime as well and it's pretty good.

Art/Animation - 4 (Good)

Character - 5 (Great)

This is the greatest aspect of this anime. You really get a great sense of what the characters are like and they are all unique and different from each other. They all have their own problems that they must overcome and these trials are deeply explored. Individual character stories are shown to see why they were the way they are and how they suddenly changed. The story shifts from the main character Yoko, King En, Keiki, Enki, the servant girl Suzu, the spoiled princess Shouko, Rakushin, Kouya, and many more.. and each has a meaningful/interesting story to tell that can enrich the main story or the interactions between the other characters.

I think the best thing about this anime.. is that it really explores the negative and positive aspects of the human emotions. You see how some characters are affected by greed, perfection, jealousy, or ignorance.. and how some are able to redeem themselves. You really can gain a lot of insight and learn things from each of the characters themselves. Most likely, you'll end up with a favorite character.

Humor - 1 (Bad)

This anime definitely is more on the serious side of storytelling so don't be expecting to laugh so much. It rarely uses comedy, although sometimes they may say some things that make you smile or chuckle a bit. But humor is definitely not this anime's main focus.

Overall - 5 (Great)

I recommend this anime to people who are looking for a philosophical anime (lots of talking along with some action). If you like fantasy and kingdom stories then this is right up your ally.
-This is one of my favorite anime.^^

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

Description

When 17-year-old Makoto Konno gains the ability to, quite literally, "leap" backwards through time, she immediately sets about improving her grades and preventing personal mishaps. However, she soon realizes that changing the past isn't as simple as it seems, and eventually, will have to rely on her new powers to shape the future of herself and her friends.

Fantasy, Drama, School-Life

Review

Story - 5 (Great)

I thought the story was very well done. It kept me wanting to find out what would happen and interested the whole way through. It's amusing to see what happens to Makoto and those around her as she keeps trying to change things to the way she wants it to(for herself and her friends). It'll also start to make you wonder if what she does starts to have any consequences. The story has some good twists too.. the only thing I had a problem with was the ending solution, but I guess it can be overlooked considering how good everything else was. Besides some unanswered questions.. the ending was pretty decent and fulfilling.

Music/Sound - 5 (Great)

Art/Animation - 4 (Good)

Character - 4 (Good)

The character development was done pretty well for an hr 30min movie. You actually get a sense of what kind of person Makoto is because of her actions and the way she cherishes her friends so much. You also get to learn a bit about her two friends Kousuke and Chiaki and how she feels about them. The three characters have their own personalities that stand out and it's fun seeing them interact. If you compare Makoto from the beginning and the end, you can see that she probably became more mature from her experience.

Humor - 4 (Good)

This anime had a lot of humor in it and I thought it was pretty funny. Not the laugh out loud, can't stop kind.. but it has it's cute moments, and the friends always throwing sarcastic remarks towards each other, and not to mention how Makoto is constantly rolling around and bumping her head on things and appearing out of nowhere to scare people. Probably will get some smirks out of you at least ;p. It has a easy-going feeling and uses humor to appeal to the viewer a lot.

Overall - 5 (Great)
I really recommend everyone to try watching this! It's great.. and you may learn something from it :) and it's just a fun easy-going anime to watch.

How I Rate my Reviews

These are my own personal opinions/thoughts on the material that I'm reviewing.. so keep that in mind. You might not have similar tastes as me so take these ratings as just a different perspective if they don't coincide with yours. If your tastes are similar to mine ^^ then hopefully my reviews will be helpful in finding movies/anime you'd enjoy too! And I Try NOT to include Any or Too much SPOILERS


Story

I'm going to grade the Overall story. So if a show is great in the beginning but gets bad towards the end.. or has a very un-fulfilling ending, the score might go down. I'm going to grade the story as a whole. For it to have at least a good rating, it has to have what every story needs.. beginning, middle, ending with a climax and resolution. It needs to have a specific goal.. what is it that they are trying to accomplish? If it doesn't have those basic elements, it will be graded on the low scale.

5 - Excellent story and memorable. Either it was very interesting, great twists, or just had a great way of sucking you into the story and wanting to find out more. Climatic and fulfilling ending (even if it doesn't answer all questions, it should at least fit and have a good wrap up). Usually has morals and lessons that can be learned.
4 - Good story that can be memorable. Like rating 5 but not as fulfilling. There may be many answers left unanswered even with a thoroughly told story. Moral, lessons, or messages can be learned from this kind of story.
3 - Average story. It has the basic elements of any decent story. It doesn't really grab the viewers attention right away but it might towards the middle or end. It's more of a roller-coaster ride, where at times you'll be interested and into it and at other times in the show it'll slow down and get boring. Just doesn't have enough elements in the story to pull the viewers into the story but still good enough to watch and get enjoyment out of it.
2 - Below average Story. A very slow build up.. sometimes leaving the viewer confused as if there really is a story and where it's going. Or the story does not seem to build up and is not consistent. Is not very attention grabbing at all and feels random.
1 - Bad Story. Basically it has no story. It could also be confusing and random with no real goal.


Music/Sound

This will be on voice acting, sound effects and music overall. But it'll probably be graded mostly on the overall feeling and put together of the atmosphere and voice acting. How well they go together. How good the music sounds too and if they are used well to give the right moods for the moment.

5 - excellent
4 - good
3 - average
2 - below average
1 - bad


Art/Animation

Basically I'm going to rate according to how the graphics appeal to me.. simply, if it looks good enough to watch then it'll get a good rating. If the graphics look really screwy or makes me want to tear my eyes out.. then it'll get a bad rating.

5 - Excellent art/animation. Eye candy.
4 - Good art/animation. Better than average, has smooth graphics and feeling to it that is enjoyable.
3 - Average art/animation. Decent enough graphics to enjoy. May be good but have a few annoying/bad aspects.
2 - Below Average art/animation. Just graphics that aren't up to date and don't look good to me.. can be watchable but graphics may be a huge negative aspect to enjoyment.
1 - Bad art/animation. Like stick figures, choppy.. basically doesn't look like much effort was put into it and may be hard to watch.


Character

This is graded separately from the story. How well the characters are developed themselves.. whether you get to know more about the characters backgrounds or how well they are portrayed from the rest of the characters.

5 - Excellent character development. Character is usually the main focus and they stand out. Character's personalities are explored deeply and their backgrounds are explored to enrich the story further. You can sometimes get more out of the characters themselves than just the story. Memorable. Will learn morals/lessons from the characters.
4 - Good character development. Characters stand out from each other and become unique in their own backgrounds and personalities. This enriches the story further. May learn morals/lessons from the characters.
3 - Average character development. Character backgrounds are known but not thoroughly or deeply. You know enough about the characters to get through the story but not more.
2 - Very little character development. There is little focus on the characters and more focus on other aspects. May have many answers that aren't answered about the characters.
1 - No character development at all or not focused on character background. The characters don't seem consistent and don't stand out in any way.


Humor
This will be graded on how much comedy is used and how effective it was. I will include what kind of humor is used too. This score will tell you if it's a more comedy/laid back kind or a more serious genre.

5 - Excellent comedy. Humor is abundant and is used very well, an important focus. (usually makes me laugh out loud nonstop)
4 - Good comedy. There is a moderate use of humor that is thrown in every other scene. Which can be amusing and makes you snicker a few times.
3 - Average comedy. It's a mix of being serious and humorous. Sometimes it's funny and sometimes its not.
2 - Some comedy. It's not the main focus though, and laughs aren't that often.
1 - Not funny at all or it leans more towards being serious.


Overall Rating

This is a score independent from the rest of the grading. Just my overall opinion if it's worth watching or not.

5 - Excellent! I really recommend you watch it. You'll most likely enjoy it.
4 - Good! Recommended. If you're looking for something good to watch.
3 - Decent. You may want to try it. It might be good.
2 - Meh. not very good, but if you have nothing else to do.
1 - Horrible... I recommend you Don't watch it.