Inu X Boku SS (Secret Service) Anime Review

INU X BOKU SS SCORE: 9.5

INTRODUCTION & SYNOPSIS

Inu x Boku SS or Inu x Boku Secret Service (12 episodes + 1 OVA) is one of the better anime I have seen in a long time. I have been looking for something, specifically, with comedy, a fresh take on romance, a unique story, and clean art style - this is that anime to a T. One thing I want to clear up before delving into it's premise is the type of show that this is. Most everywhere I have seen this show talked about, it is told that this is a shonen and sometimes it's depicted as a reverse harem. This show is neither of those. I would sooner classify it as a shoujo, since it's main themes are drama and romance, and it's certainly not a reverse harem. None of the other male characters are romantically interested in the female lead aside from the one male lead. So, if you were hoping for an action packed shonen or a reverse harem, keep looking!

The story follows high school age Miss Ririchiyo Shirakiin, part of the elite Shirakiin family who posess yokai powers. On episode one, her elite living quarters are introduced, a modernly styled tower with everything one could ever need - this is the main setting of the show and what everything revolves around. Very few residents stay at this mansion, as it is especially for those with powers and is protected by a force-field. Each of the residents have their very own secret service member that has powers as well. Miss Ririchiyo does not have a secret service member until she is approached at her door by an overly obedient gentleman, Mikitsukami, who begs to be able to serve her. 

What's most interesting about this show is that the powers and unique characters are all kind of just a side plot. The true story lies within the connection between Mikitsukami and Miss Ririchiyo. I can't say more about it, to avoid spoiling it for you. However, it's very good the way it all comes together if you can have patience to see it all finally revealed. 

PROS

As you can probably tell from my rating, this show mostly has positive aspects. First, it goes without saying, the animation and soundtrack are superb. The opening theme for this show is amazing, and I even downloaded it. I love the sound effect that happens on the commercial break sections - just perfect! All of the scenes were relaxing and serene, and the character designs were excellent. Speaking of characters, all of the characters were really quirky and unique, which added a lot of enjoyment to the show. Even very small side characters had distinct personalities; not one character came off as flat or uninteresting. The two side characters I enjoyed the most were Karuta and Watanuki. Karuta is an adorable girl with candy pink hair who is always off in the clouds with a vacant expression eating food. Watanuki, is a blonde boy with striking blue eyes who constantly trains to try and impress Karuta; even though he can never be stronger/ braver than her, she loves him the way he is.

Moving on to our two main characters, Mikitsukami and Miss Ririchiyo. I can't say a lot about Mikitsukami without ruining the plot, but let's just say... he is in fact a very interesting character. He turns into a nine tailed fox Yokai when defending his mistress, his normal character is designed as a dreamy Bishounen character with one golden eye and one sea blue eye. For the first half of the series his overlying character traits are extreme attention to detail, and over obedience. He appears very mysterious and polite to the audience as well as Miss Ririchiyo, but has an interesting back story that is revealed at the end describing his connection to and reason for being so attached to her. Miss Ririchiyo on the other hand, is a small loli style character with a cool attitude. When using her powers she has wings and small horns. She comes off as sarcastic and rude, but she instinctively acts this way, while feeling differently inside. Some might classify her as a tsundere, but if she is one, she is a much more played down version of one - seeing as she isn't feisty really. She is a mature and logical thinker, and it's fun to watch her accidentally fall for Mikitsukami. For the first half of the show, she truly believes she has an "irregular heartbeat" that needs to be checked out because of the way he makes her feel.

Lastly, for pros, the comedy and drama in this show are really well done and balanced. A lot of people don't categorize this as comedy, but I found it really funny! Especially the OVA episode, I was cracking up. As for the drama, none of it felt melodramatic; I enjoyed watching it play out and the mysteries beneath being revealed. I felt like the show had a lot of interesting content going on.

CONS

There really aren't a lot of cons with this one in my opinion. The only thing I can say is that I wish it had a second season so, so much. I don't think there is any plans for one though, so that's disappointing. I'm considering reading the source material for this because I really enjoyed the characters, which brings me to the next con. I wish there was more screen time for some of the side characters, but with a twelve episode show it's to be expected. 

Lastly for cons, I want to state that this show might not be for everyone. I loved it, but I understand that some people may find it boring or to niche for their tastes. I can't really point out why, but I think that will be the case for some people with this series.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I will always look back on this show with fond memories, Inu X Boku SS was stand out and highly enjoyable. I have awarded this show a 9.5 out of 10! If you think it would suit your fancy from my description above, I think you should watch it right now! There is a solid English Dub, for dub fans, and it's only 12 episodes - what do you have to lose?!  

The Devil is a Part-Timer! Anime Review

THE DEVIL IS A PART-TIMER SCORE: 8.25

INTRODUCTION & SYNOPSIS

The Devil is a Part-Timer is a unique, fun anime that I really enjoyed watching. I would classify it as comedy, slice-of-life with a bit of action and small doses of romance. It had all of the elements necessary to make a great story; however, it was cut short a little soon. Rounding out at just 13 episodes in length, with no second season out yet, that was a bit of a let-down. All of that aside, I still think it’s worth a watch, especially if you consider yourself a casual anime watcher.

Satan, from the underworld, king of evil-doing, is sent through a gate warp from his kingdom of Ente Isla into modern day Tokyo with one of his faithful generals Alciel. The two wander about the streets of Tokyo in human form trying to make sense of their circumstances, when they get mistaken as rambunctious cos-players and get taken into custody by the cops. Through a turn of events, the duo decide to put down roots in Tokyo, as they will be here for the foreseeable future. Satan himself, going by Sadao Maou in this world, gets a part time job as “Lord of the Fries!” at Mc “Ronald’s.” Thus, the title, “The Devil is a Part-Timer.” If I had to compare the concept of the show to something else, it’s like the comedy “Coming to America” with Eddie Murphy. People from a totally different world coming to the modern world and trying to get by. Heck, they even both get part-time jobs at McDonald’s!

PROS

The Devil is a Part-Timer made me laugh. It was a funny show and the characters were quite comical. Each character displays their own unique type of comedy whether it be dry humor, sarcasm, slap-stick, rude humor, dumb accident and even cutesy humor, which makes a well-rounded cast perfect for a comedic and casual show such as this. Additionally, most of the characters were very like-able, which makes you care enough about their plights to watch the show.

A lot of the humor also came from the circumstances the characters were put in. The situation of coming to modern day Tokyo, being Satan, being an angel, being a devil’s general, etc, humor comes from that. The setting and circumstance make for a unique show. Especially since things go in such a way that you don’t expect. The devil turning out to be a nice, happy-go-lucky guy who freaks out if he is even a little late to his part-time fast food job.

Lastly, I want to commend the animation and voice acting. I think it was superb. (I watched this in English Dub) Particularly, the language that they used for Ente Isla, while it was a fake language, it sounded extremely convincing!

CONS

As for cons of this series, I don’t have a lot really. Most tie in to the show’s length. I’m aware that the show is originally a light novel, so I know there is probably more content than what we were given. I am hoping that there is a season two! For example, the love triangle (ish) thing that forms between the Hero Emi, Satan, and one of his Mc Ronald’s employees Chiho was really interesting and I wanted to see how it all played out. That said, the show had a satisfying enough ending, but I wanted to see more.

Lastly for cons, the intro was super boring, and I skipped it every single time. It could have been better selected.

FINAL THOUGHTS

All and all, The Devil is a Part-Time is a solid comedy anime. All things considered, I have awarded it an 8.25 out of 10. If you are looking for a casual and fun show to watch by yourself or with friends, I highly recommend The Devil is a Part-Timer!

SoniAni: Super Sonico the Animation Anime Review

SoniAni: Super Sonico the Animation Score: 8.00

INTRODUCTION & SYNOPSIS

Super Sonico the Animation is a light-hearted, kawaii, slice of life, comedy series spanning just 12 episodes that was released last year. The show surrounds around Super Sonico, basically depicting a year in her busy and fun life. Most episodes begin with her over sleeping, finally to be woken up by her six little kittens; she dashes off to University on her bike where she is a Marine Biology Major. After school, it's off to her part-time modeling gigs, where the photographers near always try to take advantage of Sonico's naivety, leaving her mysterious yet over-protective manager to have to step in. After that, she helps her out at her grandma's restaurant serving beers to the lively regulars. Finally, she ends the day with band practice because she is, of course, the lead singer and guitarist in First Astronomical Velocity with her two best friends. Wasn't kidding when I said busy right? Now throw events, helping others, and mishaps in the mix for a real whirlwind of a day!

PROS

This series really took me by surprise, as it was surprisingly quite enjoyable! Let me preface this by saying I typically find it difficult to enjoy a series with no romance. This series was straight up fluffy, slice of life, comedy with no romance, and it was still quite good! I also find it hard to get through series with fan service, and this show pushed it a little bit in that respect - yet it wasn't a road block for this series in my opinion! To me, this was easy-going entertainment. My favorite thing about this show was just watching it's super kawaii-ness.

The lifeline of the show is its interesting characters, and that's all you really have to go off of in an SL/comedy since there isn't a clear story line. Each one had a unique and dynamic personality that was never one-sided. Everyone had angles and more to them than an arch-type. Of course, there is the main character Sonico who is the cheery and fun type of girl. The show is seen through her eyes, and I did like her a lot. I found her to be very amiable; We definitely get to see her grow, which is great. Some stand-out side characters I will mention are Sonico's band mates, her manager, and the upperclassman who gave Sonico her guitar. Sonico's band mates are Suzu and Fury; Suzu is the super confident bassist and band founder who always looks out for Sonico and Fury, while Fury is the food-obsessed drummer always eating pork buns and providing comic relief. All three of them had great chemistry when together, especially in the zombie episode! Then, there is Sonico's manager Kitamura, who we never see the real face of, as he is always wearing a demon mask. I found him to be particularly funny and kind-hearted. His best moments being in the Okinawa episodes. I also really enjoyed the episode where Sonico receives her guitar, Daydream. She receives it from an upperclassman who is really cool and in to rock and roll. She gets Sonico to be who she is today and brings out her confidence. It was very heart-felt, and I think any guitar/ music fan would enjoy it. Also as honorable mentions, the few people Sonico meets throughout the episodes and helps have really interesting mini stories and personalities.

Last, let's talk animation; stellar. The colors were popping off the screen, but not too much so. The character designs were on point, and the intro and endings were great. Specifically, the endings, as they were quite unique. At the end of each show, it was a different full blown music video for one of Sonico's songs. Some of my favorites were when she was a giant walking through Tokyo, and the zombie apocalypse one! On that note, the music was really nice, and voice acting on par. I will note, if you watch the English Dub, her speaking voice isn't going to match her singing voice at all as they keep the music the same, sung in Japanese. I liked the music that way, so it didn't bother me, but just as a heads up.

CONS

As for the cons, there are only a few. First, I would have liked if there was more of a story-line, so that a season two could be feasible. Many of the episodes were quite random, lacking in backstory and connection. For example, there is one episode in which Sonico takes a "soul searching" journey with no real destination in mind, and it comes totally out of the blue. You're left confused, and it was honestly a pointless episode, which is really bad if the show is only 12 episodes long. Sometimes episodes came out of the blue in a good way, but not always. 

Additionally, there are a few cons with Super Sonico herself. For one, why does she sleep, bathe, and live every waking moment with head phones on? It makes no sense. I don't mind it; however, it would have been nice to be given an explanation. I think, it's because she is a vocaloid, but this is never determined; no one even seems to notice. The only other issue I think people may have with her is that her life, and she herself, are a unrealistic. I think that's part of what makes it fun though.

Lastly, because I am a die-hard romance fan, I was super disappointed that there was nothing between her and her manager Kitamura. I felt like there was something when he protected her in the Okinawa episode, but nothing ever resurfaces after that. Big let down.

FINAL THOUGHTS

All and all Soni-Ani: Super Sonico the Animation was quite the enjoyable anime. It especially impresses me because of it's genre. Thus, I have awarded it an 8 out of 10! If you like girly, fun shows, and are okay with no romance, then give this a watch! I hope that they make a season two!

Shuffle! Anime Review

SHUFFLE! SCORE: 8.5

INTRODUCTION & SYNOPSIS

It's actually rather quite difficult to say what Shuffle! is actually about. It's one of those shows that episode after episode, you really don't see what's coming and just have to be along for the ride! I will say the obvious about it, it's ecchi at times and a classic Harem anime in which all of the girls magically love the main male protagonist, and it is basically his destiny to have story archs with each of these girls. There was a bit of a unique twist to this show though, in the world that our main character Rin lives in, gods and demons live among the humans. However, the odd part about this is, that this isn't really even a focal point. It's just kind of the way it is. The show starts out as a happy-go-lucky show about adorable girls infatuated with the average but sweet male protagonist, but slowly transitions into a dramatic romance series with an intensely dark side to it. I can promise you this, by around episode 18 or 19, you won't know what the hell just happened.

PROS

As I touched on in the intro, Shuffle! has the element of surprise on its side. It's not done in the typical shocking way, but rather, it's just very unexpected. This is something truly enjoyable about the series, and not to be overlooked. It's honesty what made me want to keep watching the show, since harems aren't super interesting for girls to watch normally.

In addition to that, I also really enjoyed the setting, character designs, and character growth in this anime. The setting of a normal everyday school that also happens to have gods and demons, was quite cool and it almost made it seem like this was a feasible thing. I actually liked how they down-played this aspect and focused on comedy, romance, and drama instead. Additionally, the character designs were top notch. All of the girls were super cute looking, and I wanted all of their clothes! You have Sia, the spunky and girly Princess to the Gods who is always hitting her father (king of the gods) over the head for saying stupid things and embarrassing her "Dad shut up!" Narine, the Princess of the Demon world, was also a fun character who couldn't cook anything other than an omelet, and makes Rin omelets all the time; she had a really interesting back story too! Then we have, Kaede, who has lived with Rin since her parents died and always cooks and cleans for him, and the reason why and her back story, blew my mind, it was really unexpected! Then, there is Asa, the sort of Yankee-ish girl who is good friends with Rin, but is always sick; again, when we find out why she is sick, that also will blow your mind. Then we have Primula (Rimu), my favorite girl! She is the loli type. She is a little bit younger than the rest, she's a demon, and a secret experiment in the demon world. She's just so kawaii! It is really surprising to see how much development each of the girls get even with only 24 episodes. The character development is seriously commendable, as all of the girls have inner conflicts resolved and change as people by the end.

I also want to add, that as the series continues, you can see why all of the girls like Rin so much. Once they get to Kaede's story arch, I really saw it. I thought, wow, this guy really is a great person. &They actually have him pick a girl! I gotta say, I was surprised.

Lastly, I appreciated the touches they gave the show that added production value and detail. For example, in between scenes on happy and fun episodes, there was an adorable little cat that shot a beam out of his hands, while on more dramatic episodes they had an ecchi/drama type scene divider. The music in this anime also stood out to me. It wasn't anything crazy, but the opening song and filler songs were all really nice. One of the elevator music type songs I even downloaded. It also goes without saying that the artwork was really good. I enjoyed the art style a lot and it was consistently good excluding the last episode's animation which I will get to in the cons. 

CONS

First off for the cons, this show was a tad bit all over the place. I couldn't decide whether I watched something light-hearted, or impossibly deep. Whether I watched a happy and cute show, or a dark and depressing show. It skipped around between the two, and it confused me. Pretty much the whole first half of the show is very fluffy, ecchi, cute, nice harem, and then BAM deep dark storyline ensues; then, it does a little tango between light and dark the rest of the way. It even has some lulls of boring, which is never good for an entertainment medium.

Next, I have a small problem with our leading man Rin. He is a bit clueless. It's almost irritating at times. He doesn't seem to even notice the way girls around him feel, aside from the girl he ends up choosing, which comes to the bigger problem - I didn't really like her all that much. She wasn't my favorite, and probably because she gets the least development. After he picks her and says he loves her, then she gets some development, but not really romantically with Rin, more inwardly. I just don't see how he fell in love with her so fast, when he spent so much more time with the other girls. Which leads me in to my next con.. All of the girls decide to continue to pine after him, even though he already chose one. What is that?! They don't get to move on with their lives? Irritating.

Lastly, I was sooooooooooooooo disappointed with the animation of the last episode. It's like all of the animation staff got sick, so amateurs did the whole thing. People would be talking without their lips moving. The art style was slightly less detailed and kind of had a different feel to it. It was a major let down.

FINAL THOUGHTS

All and all, this was a surprisingly good harem anime, with a unique take. I enjoyed myself watching it and would recommend it. It can get a bit dark towards the end, and sad, but if you like major drama, this show delivers! All said, taking it's shortcomings into account, I give Shuffle! an 8.5 out of 10! I'd say try it out, disclaiming you should be at least older than 16 and be alright with ecchi/harem style anime. It definitely is unique, and I haven't seen anything else like it.

Uta no Prince Sama – Serious Love 1000% Anime Review

Uta no Prince Sama – Serious Love 1000% Score: 7.0

INTRODUCTION & SYNOPSIS

Uta no Prince Sama was announced to have a 4^th season recently, so I figured it must be a pretty good reverse harem to get so many seasons! So, I watched the first season over the weekend and will give you my thoughts. I think it is a good reverse harem/ shoujo; it’s poppy and fun. The animation is bright and great for both romance and comedy elements of the story. However, the story line wasn’t at all what I was expecting from the title! I was expecting to see some Princes and a Princess, but wasn’t too disappointed to find out it was about students in a school for Pop Idols & Composers. The concept is interesting enough, though the story line be somewhat typical and unimaginative.

A young girl with striking yellow eyes has played the piano since a young age with her Grandmother. One day, she visits the busy streets of Tokyo; distressed and disheveled from all of the noise, a single voice seemingly calls out to her from the mega-tron above - Hayato. The famous Idol sings so beautifully, that she is touched and determined to compose music for him one day. Now college age, she decides to take a chance, and apply to a prestigious Idol & Composer school to fulfill this dream. Although she is late to her admissions test, several handsome young Idol-to-be’s plead her case to the guards, as they saw her helping a young girl on her way. With such a noble reason for her tardiness, she gains access, passes the test, and her new life begins!

PROS

The first thing I noticed, in a positive light, about this anime was the animation. It’s very bright and poppy, which fits the theme and premise perfectly. Then, it throws in comic relief animation changes for good measure. Additionally, the setting sucks you in; they were very smart about this. Since this is a shoujo, they clearly play on the fact that most girls dream about being near idols and going to fancy schools. Once they’ve established the brilliant dreamland, they suck you in further with quirky and fun characters. Typically, in a reverse harem or even a standard harem, the main character has a very typical personality, while in contrast, all of the counterparts she meets are very lively and unique – Uta no Price Sama is no exception. The guys all have dynamic personalities that draw you to them. For example, one of them loves cute things and drinking tea, but when you remove his glasses he turns in to a hardcore rage monster! In addition, side characters, such as the President of the school, also have fun and unique characteristics. The President has a very boisterous and slapstick personality, and they also had a teacher who is a cross-dressing popular idol. All of this made for an entertaining environment.

The show had a light-hearted feel about it that made for easy viewing and a good casual watch. They built bonds with each of the characters well, and I truly did feel like they were all good friends. By the end, you do care about the well-being of the characters, which says good things for the character development. Lastly, the opening and ending themes were well-done and catchy.

CONS

One of the major cons that I have for this show is the music. I know, I just said I liked the opening and ending themes! They were good, but as you would imagine from a show about Idols and composers, there was a lot more to the musical score than that. Sometimes the music was boring or unlikable, which is not good for a show revolving around musical performances. There were times that I felt “wowed” by the animated performances, but more often than not, it was lack luster.

Another con for me kind of starts to spill over to the second season (which I have only seen 3 episodes of) so I can't count it too much towards the total score. However, towards the end of season 1, a magical god of music “Cecil” appears to Haruka in a dream-like state. It was weird, and didn’t fit with the show in my opinion. I could forgive it, except he ends up becoming a main character in season 2… and I really just don't like him. I’ll leave it at that.

Lastly, I was disappointed in the fact that Haruka doesn’t pick a guy. I have no idea if she does in later seasons (I hope so!), but there was this point where you really thought she would have to make a choice (I was rooting for Hayato or the red haired guy whose name I forget) and she just doesn’t. Instead it’s a happy dream-land, I pick all of you, kind of end. What’s worse, this is a game based anime. In the game, you would pick someone, so I feel like she should have to in the anime. This happened in brothers conflict as well, which irritated me so much!

FINAL THOUGHTS

All in all, I did enjoy myself when watching Uta no Prince Sama. Additionally, I have to think about the fact that this may be intended for a younger audience, which explains most of its downfalls. Therefore I have awarded Uta no Prince Sama – Serious Love 1000% a score of 7 out 10! Not bad at all really, but you would get the most enjoyment, I think, if you are a younger girl who fangirls over idols. (:

Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions - Heart Throb: Anime Review

Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions - Heart Throb Score: 6.8

INTRODUCTION & SYNOPSIS

 

Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions - Heart Throb, is the second season of Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions, which I reviewed last week [click to view]. The story follows the same characters as they go into their next year of high school and discover themselves further while forming stronger bonds. By a turn of events, Rikka ends up moving in with Yuta and his sister. Due to this, her upstairs apartment becomes up for sale, and who will move in? None other than the girl (never mentioned in season 1) that got Yuta into Chunibyo a few years ago. She, of course, used to be in love with Yuta, but gave it up so that she could keep her powers as the Magical Devil Girl! Wahahaha. The story line takes the exact path that you would imagine in your mind: love triangle. Honestly, this really disappointed me; however, not enough so that it completely killed the show. I still enjoyed it because I already loved the characters from season one.

PROS

What this season does, is give fans of season one a chance to see the characters they love interact again. The story line may be weak, but the characters are still strong. To go along with this, the character development in this season really shined. I actually, more than seeing Rikka and Yuta interact, enjoyed seeing the side characters develop in a much needed way, since they lacked a little in season one. They got a lot of development and attention in this season, which was super fun to watch! The character development was so strong in fact, that Sofia the Magical Devil Girl was even likable due to her development, even though she was already set up to be disliked due to the role she played.

Additionally, the animation stayed solid again; character designs were enhanced with some new outfits, which I appreciated. The comedy was still there, and at the same level as the first season. I can at least say a lot of the time I was laughing and enjoying myself throughout the season.

CONS

Unfortunately, this season suffered from a lame and basic plot line. If they wanted to add a new character, they should have made her another person who joined the club to add some more comedy and fun. I believe the focus of this season should have been furthering Rikka and Yuta’s relationship. They do try to make this a focal point, but by the end, the relationship is hardly furthered at all, so I don’t think it counts. Instead of this, they made Rikka basically a side character, and Sophia the Magical Devil Girl creates a love triangle that is obviously pointless from the beginning because Yuta only cares about Rikka. The whole thing is a major annoyance that cripples Rikka and Yuta from furthering their relationship in any way. It also creates a plethora of irritating mellow drama.

Lastly, I feel that the extra episode was really stupid. I didn’t like it at all, and it shattered my respect for Yuta. They should have made another Christmas episode that ended with a long awaited kiss. You’ll know what I mean if you see it.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions: Heart-Throb is a chance for fans of the first season to enjoy interactions between the characters they love once again; however, I do think that it could have been left at the first season. I wish they would have added some of the character development of the side characters into the first season and made that season a little longer. The poorly done love-triangle and pointless last episode was a grave disappointment. Therefore, I can only award it a 6.8 out of 10. It’s okay, but don’t expect anything ground-shaking or inventive like the first season was.


Watched on: Dubs2go.net