Honey and Clover Anime Review

HONEY & CLOVER SCORE: 10.0

INTRODUCTION & SYNOPSIS

Honey & Clover is a slice of life (comedy/drama/romance) anime with characters that over time unveil their inner feelings and backgrounds, peaking your interest to hear more about the next character until it all finally comes full circle to create a masterpiece. If you want to laugh, to cry, to root for something, and above all else, to feel something, Honey & Clover is the anime for you.

Our story begins in a College for the Arts in Tokyo, where a boy who is trying to find his way in life, Yuta, resides on campus with his two roommates, the zany and mysterious Shinobou and the reliable and persistent Takumi. One day, their favorite professor Shuji brings a family friend to the Art School to get her out of the countryside to explore her brilliant artistic tallent. Her name is Hagu. Instantly, Yuta and Shinobou fall for her creating a little bit of a love triangle as the story rolls out; more characters are introduced to create even more fun, drama, and romantic webs. The story follows the group of friends from freshman year to graduation as they grow together and become who they are going to be.

PROS

This anime is amazing at portraying life, and that’s its stand-out quality throughout. From start to finish, the characters share moments and make memories together in a realistic fashion that creates a genuine feel to the anime. It’s this sincerity that made me so invested in the characters dilemmas and in their hearts. Speaking of, the characters are brilliant. All of them blend together perfectly to make for a funny, smart, and earnest cast. My favorite characters were Shuji and Shinobu. Shuji is the most selfless and genuine character I have ever seen in an anime. The way he cares for Hagu, and takes her in so that she can go to school in the city and develop her talents is amazing. He cares about all of the characters, and acts as a voice of reason as they try to find their way in life.  Shinobu, in great contrast, is the most over the top, hilarious, yet mysterious characters I have ever seen in an anime. For pretty much the entire anime we have absolutely no idea what he does for a living, but he is super loaded (sort of like Barney in How I Met your Mother). He disappears for weeks at a time and comes back with tons of cash in his pockets, dead tired, and passes out. It’s truly comical to see him try and make money off of anything he can and all of his wacky antics. On the flip side, how he acts around Hagu is much different and it’s really intriguing to see that as well.

While the characters were all amazing, what carries this anime for me are the stories and how they weave together. I loved how each character’s background was fully fleshed out, so we get to understand why they are the way they are. The anime even had excellent timing; knowing the order of which stories to reveal when, building in intrigue and saving the juiciest details for last. Speaking of, the ending. The ending blew my mind, and I didn’t expect it at all. I did not see these two characters ending up together at any time throughout, but when it happened, it all became clear. It was so beautiful and well done, yet in a realistic way. I loved that Honey & Clover stayed true to its tone throughout the entire anime. Many anime of this genre will completely change the tone at the end of the series and come out of left field in a bad way, or the ending will be all too predictable. On the contrary, I never knew what was going to happen in Honey & Clover and stayed interested the whole time. The characters remained true to their core and I can’t say enough good things about it.

Additionally, the animation was welcoming and artistic as you would expect for an anime set place in an art school; they really nailed the changes in animation for dramatic and comedic moments. I also thoroughly enjoyed the musical score of this anime, it was kind of indie and that fit the tone just right. I’ve never heard that style of music in an anime, so it really stood out to me.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I didn’t have any serious or minor cons for this anime. I became enthralled in the story and it ended perfectly.  I’m sorry I couldn’t say too much about the storyline, but it would spoil the experience for anyone who hasn’t seen it yet. I would recommend anyone go watch it, especially if you are college age, I guarantee it will speak to you as it includes themes that people at this age go through of unrequited love, being lost in life, and more. Honey & Clover is a 10 out of 10; I highly recommend you check it out!

Watched on: dubs2go.net

How to Order from a Japanese Shopping Service (Treasure-Japan Review)

Do you want cool Japanese goods or cute Japanese clothing, but live overseas? The answer for you is to utilize a Shopping Service. The term “shopping service” had connotations of expensive and sketchy in my mind before making my first order through one. I was worried I’d be paying tons of money for things that would never arrive, but luckily I found a few trustworthy services that I will let you all know about as well as tips and tricks on how to know if a service is safe, and a step by step process of how I went about placing my last order that arrived yesterday. 

TIPS & TRICKS: SERVICES I TRUST

When shopping around for a Japanese Shopping Service, there are a few things you should look at to ensure the safe exchange of your money for the goods: payment method, calendar of operation, and reviews. First, does this service accept PayPal? It’s really important that they do, as PayPal will protect your money and give you a full refund if you do not receive your goods. Next, do they have a “calendar of operation?” If they do, it would be best to stay away. I’ve seen a few sites that seem to constantly be on vacation and only accept orders certain times of month/year. Likely, if you do receive your order from one of these sites, it will take ages. Lastly, please research the service you are thinking to use through honest/non-sponsored reviews (such as this one) that give a thorough explanation on how a service is good or bad. In this step-by-step I will be showing you how I made an order through a shopping service called Treasure-Japan as it is the only serviced I have personally used. The process was easy and quick; the support team kept in contact with me the whole time, and my goods arrived neatly package and on time. I have a few friends that have ordered through a service called Samurai Buyer who had good experiences as well; I might be wrong, but you may only be able to order from amazon.jp through Samurai. Either way, if you use the tips listed above, you should land in the arms of a trust-worthy service. 

STEP BY STEP: HOW TO ORDER FROM TREASURE-JAPAN

Create an Account: this can be done by clicking on the Log In button at the top right of the homepage, and then selecting the “Sign Up” button on the right half of the Log In Screen.

Shop: go to the Japanese website you want to order from. (I ordered my items pictured above from Ank Rouge.) Once you find an item you want, copy the URL that links to that item into the first shopping order form box. Next, copy and paste the item’s name into the second box. Then copy and paste the price into the third box (it should be in yen – to know how much you will be spending in US dollars multiply the number by .0083). Next type in your quantity as “1” or however many you would like. Last, fill out your comments box by saying the size and color you want the item in (if applicable). Below I have a screen capture of the blank form, and an example of it filled out. Once you have filled it out for your first item, select the orange “Add to Cart” button. You can continue adding items from your website and the “your cart” section will start to fill up.

Place your Order: Now that you have filled up your shopping cart with whatever items you wanted, double check that everything is correct by looking over the cart section of your shopping screen. You cannot cancel your order and you cannot change your order after this point. When you’re ready, scroll down to the bottom of the page. There will be a question on how you want 'out of stock' items handled. Once you’ve made your selection click “Proceed to Checkout.” At this point PayPal will load, and you can check out as a guest, make a free PayPal Account, or log in to your current PayPal Account to choose a card and process the order.

Shipping Invoice Request: After you have processed your order, support will contact you to let you know when they have purchased the items from the site, and give you an ETA on when it will arrive to them. Once they have received your things, they will update you again, and ask that you complete the shipping invoice request. I have not included a screen shot for this as it includes personal information; however, you will click on the tab “My Page” and scroll down to “Shipping Invoice Request.” Fill this out and select your shipping method. I selected EMS and my items arrived in 5 days. Once they have confirmed your invoice, your items will be on the way to your home!



I hope this informational post was useful to you. If anyone has ordered from a shopping service before post your experience below!

Kaichou wa Maid-Sama! Anime Review

KAICHOU WA MAID-SAMA! SCORE: 8.5

INTRODUCTION & SYNOPSIS

Maid-Sama! is an adorable, funny, and romantic shoujo rom/com anime that I thoroughly enjoyed. While watching a sweet and dynamic relationship kindle, we explore maid cafes, high school life, and interesting characters in comedic fashion.

We start out at Seika High. Once an all-boys high school, Seika has recently become co-ed; however, boys still mainly run the school until Misaki becomes student body president! Misaki is ruthless against the boys and protects the minority population of girls, while trying to boost the female admission numbers for Seika. All of the boys believe she is a manly ball-buster until one day three trouble-makers find out Misaki's secret... She works at a Maid Cafe! Maid Cafe's are a place where girls are dressed as cute maids to greet and serve their "masters" drinks and food - very out of character for the Misaki they know. One of the popular boys at Seika, Takumi Usui, finds out her secret too, but rather than exposing her, Usui keeps her to himself by regularly visiting the cafe and developing a relationship with her.

PROS

Starting off with the obvious, Maid-Sama! had great animation and unique character designs; animated in a natural shoujo style with a welcoming feel inviting you in to enjoy the world of Maid-Sama! I loved the anime's use of chibi versus detailed animation styles to create comedic and serious moments; this worked brilliantly. The musical score was also well done and be-fitting of the anime. The ending themes really stood out to me as I enjoyed them both. 

Not only did the characters look good, but they all had unique traits and lively personalities that created a dynamic and hilarious cast. The three boys from Misaki's high school that know she works at a Maid Cafe and visit her frequently were super entertaining to watch, and I loved how they would fawn over and fight for Miaski's attention; I also loved how anytime they could get their hands on money they would spend it all right away at the Maid Cafe. My other favorite side character was Aoi. Aoi is the owner of the Maid Cafe's nephew who cross-dresses as a girl; she is internet famous as a beautiful lolly and idolized by many unknowing male characters for comedic effect. Finally for characters, the most important part, our two leads: Misaki and Usui. They nailed it. Their relationship was dynamic, funny, intimate, and a perfect contrast. Usui is smooth and loyal always staying by Misaki's side even through her tsundere ways. Misaki is rough and constantly in denial of her feelings, yet truly cares for her "Stupid Usui!" I completely bought their relationship and got so excited at every moment they shared.

Lastly, my personal favorite thing about this anime is it's underlying theme and setting. I didn't know much about maid cafes until I saw this, and it's a really unique and cool concept that just doesn't exist in the West. I love when I can learn interesting things about Japanese culture from anime, and Maid-Sama! does this well. 

CONS

I have a few cons for this anime, but they aren't too bad as it nailed all of the major criteria for a good rom/com. First, I have a small personal gripe about one of the animated quirks they would do for comedic effect: sweating when nervous. For some reason, the way the sweat was drawn it looked like the character had lots of pimples or an uneven face, and it just bothered me. Next, one of the episodes had nothing to do with anything. One episode towards the latter half of the show was super unrelated and unnecessary - you'll know what I mean when you see it. Lastly for cons, I just wish I could have seen a continuation of episodes with Misaki and Usui actually together. Just like many romance anime, we don't even see them kiss until the last episode and then it's over. I enjoyed the slow build of their romance, but I'd like more episodes to kind of see more of the pay off. 

Okay, I lied, there is one more thing. This didn't really bother me too much, but I could see it bothering a fair few. Towards the very end of the series, a character from Misaki's childhood is introduced to create a melodramatic and unnecessary love triangle. The reason I don't mind it is because I feel like it helps Misaki realize how she feels, but one could argue the anime would be better without it as the ending is quite obvious from episode one.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Kaichou wa Maid-Sama! maid me laugh out loud and say "awweee how cute" the whole way through. I would definitely recommend it to any rom/com fan. Because I truly enjoyed this show - I give Maid-Sama an 8.5 out of 10! The flaws that existed just didn't bother me/ didn't detract from the show, and I think anyone with a heart would find the relationship sweet as pie! 

For more anime reviews and related Otaku fun, subscribe to my blog by typing in your email at the top right!

Watched on: Dubs2go.com

New Let's Play Series - RPG Visual Novel: Metro PD - Close to You

Hey guys! So I decided to start a Let's Play series for a Voltage App RPG/ Visual Novel over on my Youtube Channel. As we get into the actual chapters of the story, there will start to be choices we can make that will determine the outcome (whether or not we get a good or bad ending). I hope you all enjoy this chill style of play-through video, and let me know if you'd like to see more like it!

<3<3<3

Thank you (✿◠‿◠)

Ouran Highschool Host Club Anime Review

OURAN HIGHSCHOOL HOST CLUB SCORE: 9.25

INTRODUCTION & SYNOPSIS

A bit of forewarning, Ouran Highschool Host Club is an anime that I absolutely loved every minute of, and it may be difficult for me to find a lot of fault in it since it is (in my opinion) one of the best rom/com anime I have ever seen. The anime made me laugh out loud, feel great bonds between characters, and just gave me this inexplainable pleasant feeling the whole way through. I was probably sitting there with a stupid smile on my face every time I was watching it because I enjoyed the characters and situations they would get into so much. 

Our story begins with Haruhi Fujioka, a poor and tom-boyish girl who tests her way into an extravagant high school for only the wealthiest students - Ouran Academy. Amazed by its size and grandeur, Haruhi looks for a quiet place to study. She opens up the door to an abandoned music room, shortly thereafter she knocks over an extremely expensive vase. At that, six handsomely dressed boys appear to introduce themselves as the "Ouran Highschool Host Club." Because Haruhi has knocked over their vase, she must join the Host Club to repay her debts. In case you didn't know, a host club is a place in Japan that young women go to be served tea and food by handsome men, and to receive personal attention such as being smiled at, listened to, and talked to. So, herein lies the issue, Haruhi has been mistaken for a boy! Shortly after, the boys all find out that Haruhi is a girl, but have her continue to dress as a boy and work at the host club - comedic situations ensue.

Many episodes open with a great description that will set the scene for you:

"Only those with excellent social standing, and those from filthy rich families, are lucky enough to spend their time here, at the elite, private school, Ouran Academy. The Ouran Host Club is where the schools handsomest boys with too much time on their hands, entertain young ladies who also have way too much time on their hands. Just think of it as Ouran Academy's elegant playground for the super rich and beautiful."

PROS

Stand out best part about the anime: The characters. Every character was lovable and intersting, and they all had unique back stories that brought them to the host club. First, there's the twins Hikaru and Kaoru. They are both energetic and fun characters with an emotional backstory involving the fact that no one can tell them a part. Then we have Mori and Honey Senpai. Honey Senpai is one of my favorite characters; he plays the "lolly" type, and I love the fact that he gave up being a badass to eat cake and sugar all day. Mori Senpai is his best friend who carries him around all the time. Then we have our main male character Tamaki. Tamaki is the French ladies man of the group who can't seem to put the charms on Haruhi. I love how we get to see the depth in his character in the later episodes and how he banded together the Host Club. Lastly, as the narrator of the show and the manager of the Host Club, we have Kyoya. He's the cool type that cares deep down, and is always looking out for the club. All of the boys have episodes and moments with our main girl Haruhi, like in any reverse harem, but this one does it in such an enjoyable and comedic way that is not too often seen. I love that they didn't take the stereotypical route of a happy, sweet, girlish lead with no personality, but instead made her a hard-to-get tom-boy who isn't charmed by anyone's appearance. It contrasted really well with all of the guys personalities.

Another big pro for this anime was its comedy. Most of the comedic elements just worked brilliantly in my opinion. I was always laughing and enjoying myself from episode to episode. I think one of the funniest situations was when all of the boys met Haruhi's dad; I won't ruin the surprise, but it was a crack up. I also found Haruhi and Tamaki's relationship to be really enjoyable and fun; when they were interacting with each other, I was always laughing.

Something else that I didn't expect, but really enjoyed was the setting and atmosphere. The extravagant academy is somewhere I think everyone would dream of going and it lets you live vicariously through Haruhi; seeing her get the chance to be surrounded by all these amazing things and experiences.

Finally, The animation had a welcoming and light-hearted Shojou feel that I loved. It was simple, yet detailed, and at the same time completely natural. The voice acting for the English Dub really added to this anime, Funimation did a superb job with the casting. To go along with that, the sound tracks all complimented the anime well, and the opening theme song really grew on me!

CONS

I do not have many negative things to say about this anime because I think it did it's job really well. I will say that the ending was slightly over dramatized and didn't match the tone of the rest of the anime; however, I was still satisfied enough with the ending. I know it's difficult to pull off a perfect ending to a light hearted comedy, so I can't knock it down too much. My last gripe is that it kind of creeped me out when the twins were pretending to be romantic partners for the girls at the Host Club, but I found it a little quirky and funny as time went on. 

FINAL THOUGHTS

I really enjoyed Ouran Highschool Host Club; it was easy to watch, I didn't have to think too much, I was consistently laughing, and it had a welcoming vibe that I loved. Flaws were few and far between, leaving me with an overall score of 9.25 out of 10. I would recommend you watch Ouran Highschool Host Club!

Watched on: Dubs2go.net (free source)

Guide to Japanese Name-Enders: How to Use San, Senpai, Kouhai, Chan, & Kun

If you have ever watched Anime or Japanese Dramas you may have noticed that everyone is always saying these strange words after a name. Maybe you were thinking that tons of people have the name “Senpai?” Nope. Actually, in Japanese culture there is a high importance set on hierarchically placement and respect. These ‘name-enders,’ as I will be referring to them as, are indications of a person’s age and skill level, and they also are used out of respect. To just say someone’s name plain without anything on the end is actually rude, and would be considered lowering that person (exception: extremely close friends will sometimes not add anything, but most of the time still will); adding an appropriate ending is respectful. In fact, the only time not adding one is necessary is when you are introducing yourself.   “わたし は カエラ です” (Watashi wa Kayla des). In the Japanese culture the focus is always on humbling yourself and raising up others. That aside let’s jump into the name-enders! I will be going over six, which are the most common: San, Senpai, Kouhai, Chan, and Kun.

San (さん):

San is a staple; if you can only remember one – remember San! San is neutral and polite, if you aren’t sure of their age, you have just met, can’t tell their gender, don’t think any other addition fits, or all of the above, address them as “____-San.” To make this more formal for a boss, boy/girlfriend’s parents, etc., you would say “____-Sama.” If you are addressing boy or girl teacher/doctor it would be “____-Sensei.”

Senpai (せんぱい):

Senpai is a gender-neutral term attached to a person who is either above your grade in school, or a workmate who will be working above you/ been at the company longer than you. We will use the name John for an example. John is a 3rd year college student and you are a 2nd year college student. How would you address him? John-Senpai. Now, let’s say you have been working part time at your job for the past 2 years. John gets hired at your workplace, and today is his first day. As you are training him, he will then actually address you as Senpai, and he will become Kouhai (explained next section). So as you can see, work experience and position comes before actual age. Senpai may also be used towards someone with a greater skill level than you in a particular field. For example, if your friend is an architect major and you recently switched to it, even if you are the same age/grade, you would call her/him Senpai.

Note: As you get to know your Senpai it can also be used on its own, and can be considered a term of endearment. “Senpai - will you help me with my project!?" Also, if you become close with your Senpai they may allow you to use different terms that show more of a closeness. However, even after graduation, some people will still address their older peers as Senpai even as time goes on.

Kouhai (こうはい):

Kouhai is basically just the opposite of Senpai. It’s a gender-neutral term for someone that’s lower in grade level, skill level, or career experience than you. Kouhai isn’t as commonly used as Senpai because it is more formal, while Senpai can be both formal and casual; often you will notice the Senpai calling the Kouhai by their name with San or Chan after it. This may also be that the new generation in Japan is more lax on the particulars of traditional social rules (as is the case with most cultures). Senpai and Kouhai kind of reminds me of “Biggs” and “Littles” in American Sorority Life, so you can think of it like that if you’re familiar with Sorority terminology!

Chan (ちゃん):

Chan is commonly used amongst friends, peers of the same age, Senpai to Kouhai, and towards little kids. It is most of the time gender-specific, referring to mostly females, but with younger teens and adults, when you are close to each other, males can be called chan. There’s really not a particular reason for this. It could be considered more endearing, fit someone’s personality better, or just sound cuter/better with certain names. If you’re just learning this, you can keep it to chan for girls and kun for boys, for simplicities sake; just keep in mind that it isn’t the end-all be-all and it will be used in reverse at times for whatever reason.

Kun (くん):

Kun is used for boys mostly either among peers, from senior to junior, or for male children. Teachers will call their students –kun, an older sibling would call their younger brother –kun, and male friends would do the same. Another little exception for this is that a girlfriend who is younger than her boyfriend, could still call him –kun out of affection. In very rare cases, girls who are tom-boyish or “gangsta” might call other female friends by Kun. Just in case you hear it and wonder, that’s what’s going on.

Well there you have it! I hope this little guide was useful. If you enjoyed this post, you can subscribe at the top right corner by typing in your email. Feel free to comment any other less common name-enders and their meanings below! 

Kokoro Connect Anime Review

KOKORO CONNECT SCORE: 7.8

INTRODUCTION & SYNOPSIS

Kokoro Connect is a comedy, romance, drama anime centered around the lives of five high school freshman and a strange phenomenon that occurs to personally intertwine their lives. When each of our five main characters find themselves in a club together, something very strange starts to occur... They all start switching bodies! The spirit/being behind the mystery takes over one of their teachers bodies to inform the group of what’s going on, explaining that this is happening purely because he finds it “interesting to watch,” and if they try to make it not interesting by staying home from school there will be “consequences.”

As the story progresses, due to the body switching and other phenomenons that occur throughout the story, secrets start to be unveiled, love triangles form, and resolutions are reached. As the title suggests, their “Kokoro” or in English, their heart(s) are connecting; they can start to feel the feelings of one another and know the innermost thoughts of each of their friends. If I do say so myself, this makes for quite the interesting story.

PROS

My favorite thing about Kokoro Connect was its story. The story line was enigmatic, emotional, funny, and romantic. I laughed and felt many of the characters dilemmas of unrequited love, fear, regret, and more. Speaking of characters, somewhere along the line it becomes clear that there is a main protagonist – Taichi. They are all main characters, but Taichi seems to be the focus and glue that holds together the group, and I really liked his character for it. He was a selfless and kind person that helps almost every other character along in reaching their resolution. Additionally, I loved the OTP (one true pairing) element the characters had in this anime. With the various character relationships you root for certain ones to develop and grow, which makes for an interesting and engaging watch. I personally, really loved the connection between Innaba and Taichi the most. I wish they would have focused a bit more on the development of their relationship, but we'll get to that in the cons…

Another pro for Kokoro Connect is it's great balance between drama and comedy. The show was never weighed down by the drama, and was never too silly from having too many jokes. It's hard to have that perfect balance, but this anime pulls it off. There's even a nice balance of male and female characters.

Lastly for pros, I really liked the opening theme; when I say that I’m actually not talking about the song – the song was pretty forgettable. However, the colors and animation in the opening theme were far better than in the show, and I liked watching them soar through the vibrant sky; very serene and fun to watch. The opening reminded me a little of “Love, Chunibyo, and Other Delusions.” Kokoro Connect's tone and feel actually reminded me of that anime a lot at times, and they even share some of the same voice actors.

CONS

As for the cons, I did actually have quite a bit for this anime. First off, the animation side was slightly disappointing and to be frank, lazy at times. The simple style works better for a comedy only. I felt as though the animation couldn't handle some of the more serious moments. The opening theme is the best animation you’ll see for the whole show. Secondly, I really don’t remember any OST’s from this show at all – it could have benefited from a better soundtrack to create atmosphere for some of the scenes.

The worst con for me is one of the main characters - Iori. I just didn’t like her. Her voice and character design were not good in my opinion. I like her voice actor as other characters in different shows, but as Iori it came off annoying and a bit screechy. Her character design was way off base; the whole first part of the show people would comment that she is the prettiest in her grade, she’s popular, so good looking, and all of that, yet her character design was (in my opinion) the least attractive of all of the girls in this entire anime. I didn’t feel for her because her problems seemed, for lack of a better word, kind of dumb. What’s worse, for the greater part of the second season the anime totally focuses on her, and our main protagonist Taichi is smitten with her for the greater part of the show. Innaba was the focus of the first season, so when it switched over to Iori, I was left confused. They shouldn’t have wasted so much time solving Iori's piddly problems, and rather focused on Innaba and Taichi’s relationship. When they do circle back to Innaba and Taichi, their connection loses its charm because of the fact that they cut Innaba off and switch focus to Iori for so long. We end up with a cheap and forced relationship that could have been really captivating had Iori not ruined it. The anime would have benefited greatly from a total change in Iori's personality, back story, and place in the anime altogether.

Another major con was this show's ending. After all of the buildup, and everything the characters went through, we don’t get answers as to why they had to go through this. It just kind of stops and everyone moves on, The End. What is that?!

FINAL THOUGHTS

Kokoro Connect was an enjoyable anime to watch, and the situations the characters got into were interesting. Although I had a lot of issues come up with this anime, it didn't outweigh the positives and I would still recommend it to a friend who likes Rom/Com Anime or someone who enjoys the supernatural element in anime. Thus, I have come up with a score of 7.8/10. Let me know if you have seen this anime, and what you thought in the comments! Did Iori bother you as much as she did me?

Watched On: dubs2go.net (freesource)

Fruits Basket Anime Review

FRUITS BASKET SCORE: 9.00 

INTRODUCTION & SNYOPSIS

Fruits Basket is one of the most serene, comical, and just plain adorable animes I have ever seen. This anime cheered me up every time I watched it. The story revolves around the cheeriest, kindest, and sweetest anime character of all time - Tohru Honda. Although she has recently lost her mother and is living with her grandfather, she remains bright and spirited. When her grandfather's home becomes a renovation and construction zone she ends up residing in a tent out in the abandoned woods. These woods end up not being so abandoned after all when a popular boy from her school Yuki Sohma and his older girl-crazy brother Shigure find Tohru while wandering about outside their house one day. They offer her to stay in their home so she is not left out in the open, and Tohru becomes their housemaid in exchange. Shortly thereafter the fierce and disgruntled Kyo Sohma is sent to Sohma House too, to live there against his will. So we have sweet Tohru living with the three Sohma boys Yuki, Kyo, and Shigure... but it doesn't stop there. 

As it would turn out, every member of the Sohma family is cursed to turn into whatever zodiac animal they are when they come into physical contact with a member of the opposite sex who is outside of the Sohma bloodline. Yuki is the rat, Shigure is the dog, and Kyo is the cat. Because the cat isn't a part of the original zodiac due to a legendary trick played by the rat, Yuki and Kyo are sworn enemies. Due to this family rivalry, Yuki and Kyo begin fighting and consequently stumble into Tohru causing her to find out about the shocking curse in comical order. The show focuses on the emotional back stories of different members of the Sohma family along with possible budding romances between Yuki and Kyo with Tohru through comical and fun adventures in Shoujo fashion.

PROS

Starting off with animation and music, both pass with flying colors. The animation's simplistic style fits the tone perfectly, and it switches up to match comedic moments well. The music is so soothing and relaxing, putting you in the mood to watch Fruits Basket. The voice acting was also very well done (Eng Dub).

The characters are the life force of this anime; they are all very likable and the kind of people you want to see interact. Even if they are just hanging out at home - it's fun to see. Tohru with her overly sweet nature, Shigure always singing about "High school girls, High school girls!" and Kyo acting kind of like a male tsundere. Even the side-characters were lovable, particularly Momiji Sohma; he has a really sad back story that makes you fall in love with him even more later in the series. There is one episode where they all go to a bath house and he sings the most adorable song - "Who's in the forest strolling? The birds and the bees sing Momiji."

Additionally, the love triangle between Tohru, Kyo and Yuki was really well done. It was entertaining, funny, and a mystery. Kyo was my favorite; if I could date an anime character it would probably be Kyo. Him and Tohru had the better connection of the two, and you really felt like he needed Tohru; they complimented each other. However, I had no idea who she would end up with, and by the end.. well we will get to that in the cons. 

Lastly, I want to applaud Fruits Basket for being an anime that everyone can enjoy. Even though it's shoujo, I think guys would still like this anime if they like romance or comedy genres.

CONS

While I didn't have many complaints, I do have one major one: The ending. Now, the ending is not terrible, it's actually quite good. There is great emotional climax and secrets unveiled/ questions answered - everything you could ask for in an ending right? Wrong. This anime is in the romance genre and their was a prominent love triangle in the story; while yes, you could make your guess as to who she ends up with, and I'm pretty sure she ends up with this person.. we just don't know for certain. It's ambiguous. Even though she helped this one guy with his struggle and ran after him, the way the last scenes are it's like everything is as it always is - she doesn't appear to be with him or not with him. Simply put, I would love to see another season of this although I know it's not happening.

My last con is a character named Akito Sohma. He is the leader of the Sohmas, and he is a complete jerk. He sits holed up in this dark room and hurts the characters we all love so much with no reason and no resolution. I feel like the anime would have been fine without his inclusion.

FINAL THOUGHTS

All and all, this anime is highly enjoyable. It made me laugh, feel its emotion, it cheered me up and relaxed me all at the same time. I loved how it wasn't overly Shoujo, and I wish I could watch more. Therefore, I give Fruits Basket a 9 out of 10, a near perfect anime with minimal flaws.

Watched on: www.dubs2go.net (free source)

Amnesia Anime Review

Amnesia Score: 6.25

INTRODUCTION & SYNOPSIS

Amnesia is a rather short anime based off of a visual novel coming in at just 12 episodes long, focusing around an average young girl who wakes up in several parallel worlds as an amnesiac. It’s actually a really complicated plot that doesn’t get enough explanation. To sum it up the best I can she wakes up every August 1st in a new parallel world not knowing where she is or how she got there (and we the audience have no clue either). A floating spirit/boy with green hair named Orion is there to greet her and be her guide as they figure out what’s going on together. They travel through the life she has in whatever particular world she is currently in, and try to understand the meaning of what’s happening. Throughout each world, or story arc really, the characters all remain; however, they have a different place in her life. I think it classifies as a reverse harem because in each parallel world a different guy in her circle is either her boyfriend or trying to win her affections. While the story definitely needed more of an explanation and left me utterly confused at several points, something in me made me want to keep watching it…

PROS

Starting off with the quick stuff, I did really enjoy the anime style and color pallet for Amnesia. It really fit the tone. The music was befitting too; I enjoyed watching the opening theme and rarely skipped over it.

The major pro that I have for this anime is its story line. I thought the concept was really good and intriguing. A lot of people have a problem with the way it was executed, and I agree things could have been done better. However, when I am analyzing the way that they did choose to execute it, there are things that work and are done well within that. For one, the fact that we had absolutely no set-up or back story. When you start watching this anime, you are going in blind and will have no idea what’s going to happen next. I actually kind of liked this – the enigma of it kept me wanting more. 

The next thing many people complain about regarding this anime is the hollowness of the main character and her lack of personality. Although, when I think about her situation, it makes sense to me and it works. She doesn’t have a personality because she has lost her memories; she has no idea who she is or why she’s even here. Another reason they did this (in my opinion) is to make it so that you can put yourself in her shoes and actually be her character. While I was watching it, I could imagine myself trying to figure out where I was almost like a visual novel! In fact I don’t even remember the protagonists name because I just imagined her as me. I really liked that aspect, and it makes me want to play the actual visual novel. If she would have been overly one way or the other about things it would completely lose this element. 

CONS

Although Amnesia has a great plot and I enjoyed its reverse harem visual novel style and enigma, the anime unfortunately suffers from many flaws. It was interesting that we didn’t get any information up front and made for a good mystery, but when we don’t get answers even after it’s over... that’s bad. I felt like everything was up in the air. We figure out why she is being transferred between these parallel worlds, but we just don’t learn enough about the background to feel like it’s legitimate. I know that seems vague, but I don’t want to spoil it for anyone. Basically, the answers we get aren’t satisfying thus the ending is a bit of a letdown. 

Another con, is the lack of character development. Through each arc, you would think, you would get to know each character better and better, but you don’t. You don’t even learn enough about the main guy for each arc. There was one arc where the guy became a little psychotic and started treating her like his doll, which was fascinating, but I didn’t understand what brought him to that point... So by the time his arc is over, we are again left with no answers. Most of the fulfillment I got from this show was purely situational. The characters were set up to be in an interesting situation, but the characters themselves weren’t all that interesting.

When it comes down to it, the major con for me here is the wasted potential. It’s sad to see such a cool concept get taken into the wrong direction. It didn’t get enough run time, and things plain didn’t go anywhere. I think they could have done wonders with this concept and made a masterpiece, but I have to now just accept that it didn’t end up working out that way. 

FINAL THOUGHTS

All said and done, the show is nothing to gush about. I personally enjoyed watching it and the mystery kept me going enough for me to finish it in just one weekend, but I don’t think it’s for everyone. I’m not sure a guy would enjoy it as much as a girl due to the reverse harem and visual novel style with a female protagonist. However, I did find it interesting so I have settled on a final score of 6.25. Not great, but I think some people would find it worth a watch.

If anyone has any recommendations for anime's like this with better execution, let me know in the comments!

Watched on: dubs2go.net (free source)

Golden Time Anime Review

GOLDEN TIME SCORE: 8.75

INTRODUCTION & SYNOPSIS

Golden Time is a highly enjoyable romance anime with comedic elements set on a college campus in Tokyo. Tada Banri is the main protagonist who moves to Tokyo after dealing with an accident that caused him to lose all of his memories from that point prior. On his first day he meets another male freshman student, Mitsuo, who he seems to have a lot of common interest with; however, as they start to bond and become friends a limo pulls up on the side of the street – out pops Kaga Koko with a bouquet of roses. She struts up to Tada’s new-found friend, repeatedly slaps him with the roses, and walks away. Leaving Mitsuo on the floor crying out in angst, and our lead character, Tada, love-stuck and in awe of the beautiful Koko. &So our story begins…

Throughout the series Tada and his group of friends go on different misadventures and form/break/grow relationships with one another. As this goes on, our main character Tada consistently struggles with the resurfacing of old memories as he tries to live a new life free of the restraints of the past. This is the overlying plot-point that is focused on; he has an internal battle – should he take this chance of losing his memories to invent a new person, or try to become who he used to be once more? This turmoil is manifested into his two love interests for the series Koko (representing the present) and Linda (representing the past), which are surprisingly both quite likable. The first time I watched the series I wanted him to be with Linda and didn’t really like Koko, and the second time I actually much preferred Koko - she is now one of my top favorite female anime characters. 

PROS

What Golden Time handles most excellently throughout the series is character development. Many a time have I seen a decent slice-of-life series that just fails massively in character development; each character is the same from beginning to end. That is not the case here, in Golden Time most every character (even side characters) are different people from episode 1 to episode 24 which speaks volumes for how well they developed. 

Another pro is that all of the characters are really enjoyable. They brought the show to life and made for an entertaining story. The side characters were also a lot more involved than in other romance animes. Some of my favorites were Nana, Tada’s rock star neighbor, and 2-D-Kun the nice bring-everyone-together kind of guy. I really loved seeing them grow and have the “college experience.” It’s actually kind of rare to see an anime set in college (normally being high school/middle school), so seeing them try to pick a club to join, survive nights with crazy college partiers, and live on their own was just plain fun to watch! 

Golden Time cracked the mold of standard romance animes and took some risks which I appreciated. The one that stood out to me was that there were two female characters that weren’t interested in our male lead Tada, yet still get good screen time and date other guys in the group. Other guys in the show can actually get girlfriends, and don’t just serve as comic-relief props, which was a nice change of pace. While they did follow some stereo-typical romance anime tropes such as the classic “beach vacation” episode, it kept things pretty original and was a breath of fresh air for me. 

Lastly, the ending theme for the first season was on-point! I really enjoyed it, and wish it was longer than 1.5 minutes. Character designs were all very good in my opinion as well. 

CONS

I really did enjoy this show, but it still has a couple of cons and annoyances in my book. First off, Tada and Mitsuo ("Yana") didn’t seem to be that close to me and they didn’t have enough friendship-building scenes for me to feel like they were authentic friends. This in turn made most scenes they did have together seem a little forced. Mitsuo doesn't really develop much either. 2-D-Kun on the other hand seemed to be the more natural friend and I wish he would have gotten a little more screen time. It interested me right away when we found out that he has given up on 3-D girls and wants to be known as 2-D-Kun; what is the backstory to that? 

Additionally, the show can get unnecessarily dramatic at times. I think the anime could have benefited from a more lighthearted tone in certain scenes. In particular, Kaga gets into a car accident at one point, and the way her father reacts is too over the top for the situation. Also, one of the characters cuts her hair short towards the end of the series, and she has her own kind of drama surrounding that, which I felt was really unnecessary.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Golden Time is an anime I would definitely recommend to a friend – guy or girl and all ages can enjoy. Even though it’s light and fun a lot of times, it still has weight and depth that you remember. This lead me to give Golden Time the score of 8.75 – an anime definitely worth watching!

Watched on: www.dubs2go.net (free source)