The Beginning is the first installment of Tiger & Bunny movie. The second movie will only be shown in Oct next year. Sigh... it's gonna be a long wait. I quite enjoyed the anime series and unexpectedly, I enjoyed the movie more. I'm definitely going to watch the second movie next year. Story: (8/10) – Good Since around 60% of the movie are recaps of the first few episodes of the anime series (shown from a new perspective), even if one has not watched the anime series before, I believe one should be able to enjoy it without feeling lost. The new content is quite interesting too. Characters: (8/10) – Good The new villain character is not as badass nor mysterious as Lunatic but his power is quite interesting and creative. Art/Animation: (9/10) – Very Good The animation is really good, as expected of Sunrise. Music: (9/10) – Very Good I really like the Ending theme. Though I've only heard it once during the movie, it left a big impression on me. Enjoyment: (9/10) – Very Good I like the new depiction of the first few episodes of the anime and it was awesome watching it on big screen in high quality animation. Overall: (8/10) – Good Like the anime series, the movie too has a good mix of humor, action and drama. It's definitely worth the money and time to watch.
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I was excited to know that 3 anime movies are showing in my local theaters. Out of the 3, I've watched 2 - Tiger & Bunny and Fairy Tail. I'm still deciding whether to go and watch the Naruto movie. Hmm... should I? Anyway, I shall talk about Fairy Tail movie first. Personally I really like Tiger & Bunny movie but I can't say the same about Fairy Tail movie. Since I watched Tiger & Bunny movie first and Fairy Tail movie a week later, the high quality of Tiger & Bunny animation makes Fairy Tail pale in comparison. Story: (6/10) – Fair The film revolves around a mysterious girl named Eclair who appears before Lucy. She lost all of her memories, except for the imperative that she must deliver two Phoenix Stones somewhere. The stones may spell the collapse of the magical world, and Natsu, Lucy, and the rest of the Fairy Tail guild are caught up in the intrigue. Frankly, I'm not impressed with the story. Since Mashima Hiro sensei is involved in the story writing, I was expecting more out of it. I felt that he's trying to create a grand finale but disappointingly, not only did it not look grand, it actually felt boring. I was not very touched by the ending too. Characters: (7/10) – Fairly Good There's nothing special about the new characters. The villains are also not very impressionable. Among all the characters (including the main cast), I'm most amused by Erza in the movie. (*Spoiler Alert! She actually wants to be a bride badly! LOL) Anyway, there's TOO MUCH of Lucy and that's a big turn off for me. Art/Animation: (7/10) – Fairly Good I'm more used to the animation in the anime series. The animation in the movie feels a little off and the quality is just average. The new character designs are ok, except for the yellow bird. It's not cute and it's like a Tweety Bird ripoff. Music: (7/10) – Fairly Good Frankly, I can't quite remember the themes but the impression I had wasn't too bad. Enjoyment: (6/10) – Fair To be frank, I regretted watching the movie. It was a waste of money in my opinion. Overall: (6/10) – Fair Given the quality of the story and animation, it felt more like an anime filler than a movie.
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What's the hype behind Kuroko no Basket? I'm not saying this because I don't like Kuroko no Basket. In fact, I like it but I still don't get the hype. The characters may be really cool but I think the plot is too predictable, the power-ups are too ridiculous (particularly for Kuroko) and the action is getting more and more unreal (referring to the manga). I'm a big sports anime/manga fan so I'm really particular about it. I hate it when the story has references to real life players or setting but yet the moves performed by its characters are no where near realistic. I expected the anime to end after the Aomine vs Kise match and I'm glad it did. I really like the inter-high arc and I also find the unrealistic basketball moves and hawk eye/eagle eye thingy acceptable but the action just keeps getting more and more ridiculous in the winter cup tournament arc (manga). Sigh... My feelings for Kuroko no Basket manga is really mixed now. At this rate, it may have more unreal action than Tenipuri. Many fans are hoping for a second season. Though I don't quite like the ongoing winter cup tournament arc, I do want to see Murasakibara and Shiba in action (mixed feelings) -.- Story: (8/10) – Good The Teiko Middle School Basketball Team: The class that produced three perfect seasons in a row, with five once-in-a generation players, called "The Miracle Generation". However there was another player who all of them respected... A legendary 6th player. An up-and-coming power player, Kagami Taiga, is just back from America. When he enters Seirin High School, he meets the super-ordinary boy, Kuroko Tetsuya. Kagami is shocked to find that Kuroko isn't good at basketball, in fact, he's bad! And he's so plain that he's has very little presence. But Kuroko's plainness allows him pass the ball around without the other team noticing him, and he's none other than the sixth member of the Miracle Generation. Kuroko makes a pact with Kagami to defeat the other members of the Miracle Generation, who are now playing basketball at different schools. A battle of light (Kagami) and shadow (Kuroko) begins! I personally like the inter-high arc. The finale, Aomine vs Kise, was really cool but it's sad to see Kise lose to Aomine. The match-ups between Kagami and Kise, Midorima and Aomine were interesting too. Character: (9/10) – Very Good The characters are what I like best about Kuroko no Basket. Even though their basketball moves are getting more and more super unreal, their looks and personalities are really cool! Favorite Characters: Kise - So cool and cute!! Aomine - He looked so cute and innocent in my middle school and now he looks really badass! Love the gap!! Kiyoshi - We actually only get to see more of his coolness after the inter-high arc in the manga. He's a really nice senpai!! Kasamatsu - He's such a great captain! Kagami - His stupidness reminds me a little of Sakuragi from Slam Dunk. He also has great jumping power like Sakuragi. Frankly, Sakuragi is much more charismatic as a main character but Kagami is pretty cool and cute too. Midorima - Disregarding his super unreal 3-pointer shooting rate, he's a really cute tsundere. Takao - He makes a really nice combination with Midorima. Art/Animation: (8/10) – Good The art and character designs are really cool whereas the animation's just average. Music: (8/10) – GoodI like the Opening themes and find them very apt. The Ending themes did not leave much impression on me. Enjoyment: (9/10) – Very Good The interaction between the different characters is a joy to watch. Overall: (8/10) – GoodIf you are not as fussy as me about sports anime, you may love Kuroko no Basket. It has action (unrealistic), humor and likable characters.  
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It's sad to see Sket Dance end but knowing that it's Gintama that's taking over its time slot, I can't help to be happy! It would be perfect if it's Shirokuma cafe that has ended and we have Sket Dance and Gintama back to back. I was hoping that the last episode will be on the graduation of the third year students but sadly it's not. It turned out to be a series of small stories with the purpose of bringing out all the characters. Even though it felt a little rushed, it's a pretty heartwarming last episode. Story: (7/10) – Fairly Good At Kaimei High School, the Sket Dance was organized to help students with problems big or small. Most of the time, though, they hang out in their club room, bored, with only a few trivial problems floating in every once in a while. In spite of this, they still throw all their energy into solving the worries of their school mates.  Helping people in need is the motto of Sket Dance and also the running theme of the series. Sket Dance has many comedic moments and some touching stories. Not all the jokes are funny but there are some really funny ones. Character: (9/10) – Very Good Despite Sket Dance's school setting, it has an interesting cast of characters. My favorite characters: Switch - Ikemen otaku!! I love his stupid inventions! Bossun - He has a really cute personality! Tsubaki - He's also really cute, especially when he's angry! Agata - I felt sad when he retired from Student Council. I love his laid back nature! Katou - He looks damn cool!! It's sad that the anime has to end shortly after his introduction. Dante - GACKT!!!!!!!!  Art/Animation: (8/10) – Good The art and character designs are nice whereas the animation's just average. The animation did get better over time. Music: (8/10) – Good Some of the themes are nice but some are just average. My favorite song from Sket Dance is neither an Opening theme nor Ending theme. It's Dante's (JardiN's) song "Iki toshi ikeru subete ni tsugu". If you haven't heard it, listen to it here. Enjoyment: (9/10) – Very Good I enjoyed almost all the episodes. I personally really like the Sket Dance vs Student Council moments, GintamaXSket Dance, Roman's shoujo antics and Dante's (Gackt!!) visual kei antics. Overall: (8/10) – Good Initially, the tempo of the anime wasn't very good but it got better over time. It's a must watch for all who likes school life comedies.
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  Area no Kishi refers to the striker. Football has been gaining popularity in Japan over the years and even though Japan has done pretty well in the recent Olympics and the World Cup last year, Japan football is more well known for its defense than its offense. Japan has good defenders and midfielders but the strikers lack finishing touch. I guess the purpose of this anime is to motivate japanese strikers to shoot more and score more goals. Anyway, I'm very surprised that Area no Kishi ended at episode 37. Why end at episode 37 - the middle of the winter tournament arc? They should either have ended right after the inter high arc or finish the winter tournament arc. Story: (8/10) – Good Area no Kishi tells the stories of middle and high school students as they grow up through their soccer clubs, compete in national tournaments, and strive for world titles. Main character Kakeru, his respected elder brother Suguru, and childhood friend Nana, along with all the teammates, rivals from other schools, and world class soccer players around him radiate their own brilliant light as they face adolescence with all their strength. Area no Kishi reminds me a little of Major. Like Major, Area no Kishi started off with the death of a character and that helped to push the main character forward. Character: (8/10) – Good The main character, Kakeru, is a striker who is not exactly proficient in dribbling but does his job (scoring goals) well. At the beginning, he's really wimpy and negative and he only got better after his brother's death (v.v) Even though he's more confident and positive now, I still don't quite like him. He only looks cool when his brother "possessed" him. I have no issue with the heroine, Nana, but I don't quite like the idea of introducing Nadeshiko Japan (Japan's women football team) into the story. It's boring and the character called Mai (supposedly one of the idols of Nadeshiko Japan) is freaking irritating. I also find the commentators from the different schools, in particular Enoshima High School, really noisy and their commentaries are not interesting. There are many schools introduced in the series and other than Enoshima High School, I really like Touei High School and it's captain! My favorite characters: Asuka from Yoin - He looks really cool and cute! He has great leadership skills too! Onimaru from Yoin- He's cute too and he forms a great combination with Asuka. Oda from Enoshima - I love his serious nature! I enjoy watching his quarrels with Araki too. Araki from Enoshima - It's amazing how he can lose and gain weight within short periods of time (almost unreal). Araki, please don't get fat again! Suguro - As much as I understand how important it is for him to die in the story, it's still sad to see him die. Art/Animation: (7/10) – Fairly Good The art is quite nice and fits the story but I can't say the same for the animation. The animation for the football moves looks quite awkward at times. Music: (8/10) – Good There's only one theme throughout the entire series and it's quite a nice song for a sports anime. Enjoyment (8/10) – Good The football matches are interesting enough for me to disregard the awful commentary. I also enjoy the interactions between the different characters. Overall: (8/10) – Good Overall, I quite enjoy watching Area no Kishi. Though I'm not very impressed with the supernatural theme (Suguro possessing Kakeru (?)), I like the football action and love the characters, in particular the side characters.
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Hakuouki Remeiroku is the prequel of the first 2 series. It shows what Shinsengumi was like before it became officially known as Shinsengumi. In Hakuouki Remeiroku, the main character is a guy (yea!! No Chizuru!!) and no, Hakuouki did not turn into a BL game. It's still an otome game. Story: (7/10) – Fairly Good The year is 1863 and as Japan's long festering wounds of political discord erupt into violent waves of street clashes and murder, the Tokugawa Shogunate sends a new force of masterless samurai called the Roshigumi to the aid of the Aizu forces in Kyoto. However the new "police" are anything but a cohesive force and assassination has already split them into two opposing factions. The stronger is led by the brutal Serizawa Kamo and the lesser by the more honorable but less assertive Kondo Isami. It is into this pack of wolves that Ibuki Ryunosuke is dragged by the rabid Serizawa. Forced to be a virtual slave by blood debt, he hates the samurai and everything they stand for. But as he sees how the other half of the samurai live, he begins to believe that there may still be a chance, for both himself and Japan. Before Shinsengumi was known as Shinsengumi, it was known as Roshigumi and other than Kondo, there were another leader in the group. His name was Serizawa and he was the reason why Roshigumi had a bad reputation. The prequel also shows how the whole Rasetsu saga started. I like the prequel as it shows the past of some of the characters like Hijikata, Souji, Saitou and Kondo. Character: (9/10) – Very Good The prequel does not focus on Hijikata as heavily as the first 2 series. It shows more of the other characters, in particular Souji, Saitou, Heisuke, Harada and Shinpachi. The main character also has some really nice interaction with the Shinsengumi characters. Art/Animation: (9/10) – Very Good The male characters are really drawn very beautifully. The animation is also well done. Music: (8/10) – Good The themes are nice and fit the mood of the series but not as nice as that of the 2nd series. Enjoyment: (9/10) – Very Good Without Chizuru, Hakuouki is indeed much more enjoyable to watch. Overall: (8/10) – Good It's really nice too see the young Shinsengumi in action and a healthy, cheeky (and slightly sadistic) Souji!!
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I have finally found time and mood to watch Hakuouki Hekketsuroku, the second series of Hakuouki! I really wanted to watch the prequel, Hakuouki Remeiroku, as I heard there's no Chizuru in it and so I decided that I have to finish watching Hakuouki Hekketsuroku first before I watch the prequel. It's been some time since I finished watching the first Hakuouki. Chizuru is still as irritating as ever!!! If only Hakuouki is not an otome game. Even without Chizuru, the story would have progressed very well. Anyway, like the first series, Hakuouki Hekketsuroku follows the events that happened to Shinsengumi in history. The second series covered more events and thus, sadly, we have to see the deaths of some characters. Story: (7/10) – Fairly Good The Edo Era has ended after 260 years of history and the Meiji Era begins. However, bitter strife still continues between the soldiers of the new government and former Tokugawa retainers. This is the stage in which the surviving members of the Shinsengumi find themselves upon their return to Edo following their defeat at Tobafushimi.  As mentioned, the story mainly follows the history. The main difference is of course the existence of Rasetsu and Chizuru. I personally don't quite like the concept of Rasetsu but well Rasetsu is less irritating than Chizuru. Character: (9/10) – Very Good The male characters are still as cool as ever. Though it's sad to see Hijikata, Souji, Sanosuke, Heisuke, Kondo and Sannan die, since Hakuouki follows the history of Shinsengumi quite closely, their deaths are inevitable. As for characters like Hajime and Shinpachi, according to history, they survived so it's safe to assume that they have survived in Hakuouki too. Art/Animation: (9/10) – Very Good The art is without doubt very pretty and the animation did it justice. Music: (9/10) – Very Good I love the themes, in particular the Ending theme, "Akane Sora ni Negau" By MAO. It's a very nice romantic song. Enjoyment: (8/10) – Good For the second half of the series, I cried in almost all the episodes. Even though I knew who would be dying, it's really sad to see them die. Also, if Chizuru is not around, I would definitely have enjoyed the series more! Overall: (8/10) – Good I'm a fan of Shinsengumi and it's really nice to learn about its history. The male characters in Hakuouki are really cool but it's sad that the female lead character is damn annoying. The romance at the end was redundant in my opinion. Frankly, the only character I can see having a love relationship with Chizuru is Heisuke. But well, in order to show the whole history of Shinsengumi, Hijikata's love route was being shown instead.
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Frankly, Binbougami ga! is one series I wouldn't have watched if I haven't known that it's made by the same people who made Gintama! Though this is not the kind of series I usually watch and I hate the fan service (for male viewers), I don't regret watching as it's actually quite fun watching the characters doing silly things. Story: (6/10) – Fair At the expense of the people and things around her, Sakura has absorbed so much "happiness energy" that she has caused an energy imbalance in the world. In order to return balance to the world, Binbougami (Poverty God) Momiji sets out to take away Sakura's ability to absorb this energy. Will Momiji be able to put a stop to Sakura's absorbing abilities, or will Binbougami succumb to her happiness? I seriously do not like the story concept. But well, since this is a comedy series, I shouldn't take the story too seriously even though I really don't like the premise of the story! As a comedy series, it's pretty funny and the characters are quite unpredictable. Character: (7/10) – Fairly Good The male characters in Binbougami ga! are either perverts or masochists. The only decent one is Tsuwabuki. As for the female characters, most of them are really bitchy and the only exception is Ranmaru, who is really cool. Art/Animation: (8/10) – Good It seems like the mangaka makes more effort in designing the female characters than the male characters. (v.v) Female character designs are pretty nice but male character designs are just average. On the other hand, animation is really good. Music: (8/10) – Good Very catchy Opening and Ending themes. Enjoyment: (8/10) – Good I enjoyed the second half of the series better than the first half. My favorite parody is the Prince of Tennis parody in episode 9. Binbougami ga!'s tennis is as unreal as the one in Prince of Tennis! ^^ Overall: (8/10) – GoodI wouldn't say all the jokes are funny but there are enough funny ones to keep me entertained. The weird antics of the characters and the parodies make Binbougami ga! fun to watch.
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La Storia della Arcana Famiglia is yet another anime adapted from an otome game (why are there so many recently??!). The appeal of otome games is that there are many good looking guys to drool at. However, more than often, the female lead is simply a damsel in distress and that's a big turn off for me. Like the other otome games, La Storia della Arcana Famiglia too has its own a good looking cast of male characters. As for the the female lead, she's ok... I guess. Story: (6/10) – FairThe Arcana Famiglia is a powerful organization that keeps the peace on the trading island of Regalo. The most unique trait of this prestigious "family" is their mastery of the Arcana - mystical powers derived from tarot cards. The current leader of the Arcana Famiglia, Mondo, wishes to choose a successor through a tournament called the Arcana Duello, and as an added incentive, the winner will take the hand of Mondo's daughter, Felicita. However, two young men among the family, impetuous Liberta and serious-minded Nova, are more interested in protecting Felicita's freedom than letting her be someone's trophy wife. The mafia theme and of course the cast of male characters were what attracted me to La Storia della Arcana Famiglia initially. Since I wasn't expecting this anime to have much plot, I was pleasantly surprised that it actually had one. Even though it wasn't an interesting one, it was decent enough to give some of the characters some development. Character: (8/10) – Good The male characters all look really cool, but the sad thing is that, other than Nova and Liberta (and the female lead, Felicita), the other characters get hardly any development. The good thing is that we did get a peep into the past of all the male characters. Nova and Liberta, being the 2 main male lead characters, get the most character development. As for Felicita, she's pretty cool throughout most part of the series. However, I can't quite stand her indecisiveness at the end. I like all the male characters. My top 2 favorites are: Luca - He's so adorable!! Liberta - I love his hot-blooded nature! Art/Animation: (8/10) – Good I have no complaints about the character designs. The characters and their outfits are really cool. The animation, on the other hand, is average. Music: (6/10) – Fair The Opening theme is pretty catchy and suits the mood of the anime. As for the Ending theme, it's sung by the seiyuu of Liberta and Nova (Fukuyama Jun and Yonaga Tsubasa). All I can say is... I like seiyuu's voice acting but I can't say the same about singing. Enjoyment: (7/10) – Fairly Good I wasn't expecting much when I started watching La Storia della Arcana Famiglia and it turned out to be more enjoyable than I thought. Overall: (7/10) – Fairly Good I'm not a fan of otome game anime series but I will usually still try to watch them anyway because I wanna see what the male characters are like. I'm not sure how otome gamers view this series but for me, I think it's entertaining enough for me to finish watching it.
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A continuation of Kimi to Boku. I wonder if it's my imagination but I thought that the pacing for the second season is slower than that of the first. But nonetheless, I still enjoy most of the episodes in Kimi to Boku 2, in particular the first few and last few episodes. Story: (8/10) – Good This season focuses a bit more on romance than the first. I don't really mind the romance parts, even though I'm not a fan of romance. However, some episodes, like the one featuring Shun's brother and his girlfriend, are really weird and awkward to watch. (maybe it's just me who thinks this way) Character: (9/10) – Very Good The character who gets the most development this season is definitely Chizuru. There's quite a few episodes on him and Masaki. Though I don't quite like Masaki, it's nice to see the other side of Chizuru. He's cute (sometimes annoying) when he's loud and active but he's even cuter when he's thinking about Merri. Shun is still very much a cherry boy (lol). His reaction to his brother's kiss is amusing. He's too pure and I doubt there's any 17 year old boy out there who's purer than him. He's perhaps purer than most girls. Yukki had his first part time job experience. As expected, he screwed it up and his brother had to cover for him. In that sense, he hasn't mature much. However, even though it's subtle, he's becoming more sensitive to other people. The best example is that he's actually the first one to realize Chizuru's love for Masaki. I don't think that Yuta has realized that yet. Yuta is the most mature and sensitive among the five. The episode on the twin's quarrel was quite interesting and showed another side of Yuta. He may appear mature but even he does quarrel with his brother over the silliest thing. It must be tiring being Kaname. He has to deal with Yukki and Chizuru's daily teasing, his mother's son-complex and unrequited loves. Art/Animation: (9/10) – Very Good I just caught up with the manga and I seriously think that the anime staff has done well in making the art look prettier. Music: (8/10) – Good I love the Opening theme but find the Ending theme bland. I still prefer first season's themes. Enjoyment: (8/10) – Good I probably will enjoy it much more if the pacing is slightly faster. Overall: (8/10) – Good Though this is not a series that will make one go 'wow', Kimi to Boku has it's own unique appeal. The characters are endearing and the story never fails to make me feel warm and fuzzy inside.
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