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?!  

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.

Love, Chunibyo, and Other Delusions Anime Review

LOVE, CHUNIBYO, AND OTHER DELUSIONS SCORE: 9.75

INTRODUCTION & SYNOPSIS

Love, Chunibyo, and Other Delusions starts out as a light hearted, comic, and animated romance series, which in later episodes develops into a feels-fest sure to touch anyone’s heart! I absolutely adored this anime, and recommend any rom/com fan to watch the series promptly. However, I want to make clear that this review will be reviewing the first season alone. I’m doing this because the first 13 episodes were wrapped up with no loose ends. There is a very clear ending; heck, it even brings in a narrator like the end of a movie to wrap things up and say “The End.” Additionally, Season 2, “Love, Chunibyo, and Other Delusions: Heart Throb,” introduces a new major character, and it seems like they are going to do a love triangle which I don’t think will turn out great, so I don’t want that to ruin my love for the series; thus, I want to write this review now before my heart is potentially shattered by a bad second season.

Our story begins with a boy named Yuta. It’s Yuta’s first day of High School and he wants to forget the embarrassments of his 8th Grade years. Like anyone else, right? Wrong! Yuta had a serious case of what is known as “Chunibyo.” Chunibyo is a syndrome in which an 8th Grader believes that he or she possesses magical powers. They dress up, talk in a strange manner, and create their own reality. To get away from this, Yuta has picked a high school far away from his middle school so not to run into any old classmates. However, on the night before his first day, a cute girl with an eye patch and elaborate dress comes down on a rope to land on his apartment balcony. The mystery girl, Rikka, ends up having Chunibyo still even in high school, and as it would turn out she lives above Yuta and they end up going to the same school. From day one, Yuta is stuck with Rikka since they travel the same path to school and have the same homeroom; thus he is forced to constantly feel embarrassment about his past. From then, the pair band together with a few different students to create a club dedicated to Rikka finding the “Invisible Boundary Line.” As time passes, we learn what that really means to her, as well as secrets of other members in the group in comedic, dramatic, and sometimes ridiculous fashion. Yuta and Rikka forage a bond, growing closer as friends and possibly more?

PROS

In my opinion, the best thing about this series is the chemistry between characters. I felt like the entire group worked great together and bounced off of each other perfectly. There wasn’t any one character that I thought didn’t belong or work well with the others. The group consists of varying personalities to create a well-blended and dynamic mix. Every character had their own personality, and none of them were one-dimensional or flat. Even the side-characters had vibrant personalities; particularly Nibutani and Dekomori. Dekomori is an 8^th grade girl who calls herself Rikka’s loyal servant. She has long pigtails to the floor and a book of magic. Nibutani is an ex-cheerleader and the class president who has something (which I can’t reveal due to spoilers) against Dekomori, so the two are always fighting and it makes for some really hilarious moments. You can really see how well the cast shines together in the “extra episode” that comes after the last episode. They all visit Dekomori’s “base” (AKA Huge Mansion of a House) for a Christmas party. It was the perfect light and fluffy ending after such a serious “Last Episode.”

Speaking of, the Last Episode was superb. This series timed everything perfectly. They didn’t throw any emotion in too soon before you become attached to the characters, but rather just when you completely fall in love, they hit you right in the heart with the emotional back story and suddenly it all makes sense. I’m not gonna lie, come episode 11, I definitely shed some tears. That’s when you know the character development was well done. Rikka’s character, by far, gets the most development, and you truly understand and feel for her character by the end. I just found her to be the most adorable female lead I have ever seen. Rikka and Yuta’s relationship completely melted my heart. It was definitely the sweetest relationship in an anime that I’ve witnessed; it’s so pure and innocent, and you can feel how much they care for one another. Just thinking about the two of them makes me so happy!

Lastly, the animation was on point. It was perfect for this type of anime, even a little bit more upgraded than it needed to be – which is in no way a discredit. It was so beautiful to look at. All of the character designs were great, and the fight scenes were well done too. Upon different occasions throughout the episodes, we got a look into the Chunibyo world, and got to see what they were imagining, which was totally awesome. The animation especially shines in the Extra Episode, when they go into the Candy Land Fight Scene. The opening was serene and the ending was creative, good on for this animation!

CONS

I have really searched in my soul for negative things regarding this anime, and it was difficult. After completing this series, I simply felt great about it, feeling as though it was 100% worth the watch. So the cons that I have gathered here clearly didn’t disrupt the watch experience for me at all. With that said, the only thing I can think of is possibly a lack of development for side characters and Yuta. They developed Rikka really well, which was perfectly done, but Yuta is also a main character. We don’t see much at all of his past or why he became Chunibyo, and we never understand what pulled him out of it. This could have really added to the anime, yet somehow, his personality still comes across well even with little back story and he never seems flat. Same goes for the side characters, they aren’t given much development or backing, but it doesn’t ruin their depth or personality whatsoever; you will still feel like you know them. Last to note, the musical tracks didn’t stand out much, with no one song being worth downloading; however, the music selection fit the pace of the anime fine.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Love, Chunibyo, and Other Delusions is worth a watch. The title totally describes it all, this is a series literally revolving around Love, Chunibyo, and Other Delusions. This series spoke to me, made me laugh, cry, and fall in love with the characters. Therefore, I give thee a 9.75 out of 10 - You should certainly watch this series immediately! There's even a great English Dub for the Dub fans out there.

Watched on: Dubs2go.net

Toradora! Anime Review

TORADORA! SCORE: 8.75

INTRODUCTION & SYNOPSIS

Toradora! is one of the more popular school life rom/com anime, and one of the first I viewed due to its presence in the community. Needless to say, it was quite hyped to me before watching it, so I remained on my guard and critical. Nonetheless, I found it to be quite the enjoyable anime. It follows some classic tropes such as the beach/pool episode, the tsundere female lead, and the fact that it’s set in high school of course, yet still its unique non-trope qualities seemed to overpower that…

Our story begins with a boy named Riuji. His prominent characteristics include being a neat-freak, being an excellent cook, and… looking like a criminal. That’s right folks, sweet and kind Riuji has the looks of a criminal, making for great comedic scenes. When he walks outside people even hand him their wallets and run away screaming! He lives across from, and goes to school with, a short, but feisty flat-chested girl (yes, I just described a tsundere) named Taiga or the “pom-top Taiga.” What’s clever about her, is that despite looking like a cute little doll, she is actually a foul-mouthed girl with a ton of rage. Do you see what they did there? So we have a boy that looks evil but is nice, and a girl that looks sweet but is actually bitter. What begins our plot is when the two end up discovering a deep dark secret about the other. Riuji has a huge crush on Taiga’s best friend Minori, and Taiga has a big crush on Riuji’s best friend Yusaku. Due to this, they decide to make a pact to help each other out with their love interests. The four end up frequently hanging out, the group later to include Yusaku’s childhood friend turned popular model Ami. The five get into fun antics, try out comedic flirtations, create love triangles, and develop friendships. The story focuses on Tyga and Riuji’s perspectives, and through twists and turns of events the two discover their true feelings.

PROS

This show has many things to commend. First, role-reversal. This is a shining quality of the anime that gets pulled off well. The stark contrast between Tyga and Riuji’s personalities is what makes them so dynamic and fun to watch interact. When an anime’s characters are done wrong, the main characters come off as stereotypical and the side characters seem more interesting; however, here it’s just the opposite. Taiga and Riuji are the most interesting thing about the show, which is great because they are our main focal point. Any episode that center-stages one of them or their relationship together was a great episode.

Another surprising, yet good thing that this anime installed into its series is the use of parent child relationships. The vast majority of time, parents are not around, we have no idea why, and yeah let’s just ignore it because it’s not real life anyway! Contrastingly, In Toradora they actually took the time to give stories to the parents, giving us at least an understanding of why the parents aren’t there. We get to understand, and even see firsthand, why Taiga lives alone, and why Riuji lives only with his mom. Riuji’s mom is even in the series quite a bit, mostly as comic relief, but hey, we’re getting somewhere; high schoolers should probably have parents, right?

Lastly, I really enjoyed the latter half of the series. Many people say the first half was best saying the last half got too dramatic, but I can't understand why. That’s what I loved the most about Toradora. We get to see the character development put to the test when drama happens, will the audience feel the dilemma and care? I certainly did. To go along with the more dramatic second half came the most amazing track: Lost my Pieces. It’s a beautiful and sad song that fit the sadder mood to perfection. The rest of the music in the series was average, but I do remember really enjoying the ending theme. As for animation? It passes. I especially loved the way the Christmas episode was animated. They stepped it up to create a more special feeling for the episode, and because of that it was definitely my favorite episode of them all.

CONS

As for cons, I think I will start with a character con: Minori. Minori, Riuji’s crush and Taiga’s best friend, is just plain irritating. I didn’t like her character at all, I couldn’t understand what Riuji saw in her, and she was so unrealistic. Towards the end when she had some sort of emotions coming out for Riuji, I just plain didn’t care at all. She had some funny moments, but I feel that the amount of time spent on her was a total waste. Same for Taiga’s love interest, he was pretty one-dimensional, and when they tried to give him some depth it either seemed forced or confusing.  Ami was the only alright side character in the group, but in the beginning I kept confusing her with the student council president – their character designs were way too similar.

Additionally, because the first half wasn’t near as good as the second you may want to drop the series after the first few episodes- but don’t! It is worth it, my romantic drama fans. However, I will say that the ending disappointed me a little. It started going down this over the top path, and then all of a sudden it took a turn for the lack-luster. I don’t know how to explain it, but I was not satisfied and wish they could have took a happy medium route with the amount of whelm it had.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Toradora! is a highly enjoyable anime, and a rom/com fan’s delight. The lead characters were very unique and interesting with a relationship dynamic enough to be worth a watch. It’s considered a “classic” amongst rom/com anime lovers and I certainly agree. All and all, weighing the pros and cons I give it a solid 8.75 out of 10. Although it’s suffering from flat side characters and a somewhat unfocused ending, there are too many positive things about it for me to not recommend you see it! It even has a great English dub for the dub fans out there.

Watched on: www.dubs2go.com

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

Nagi-Asu: A Lull in the Sea (Nagi No Asukara) - Anime Review

NAGI NO ASUKARA SCORE: 9.5

INTRODUCTION & SYNOPSIS

This anime unexpectedly stirs the emotions within you through the use of relate-able characters, voice actors with great emotion, and an intricate and emotional story line. Simply put, If you want to go on a serious romantic feels trip, Nagi-Asu: A Lull in the Sea (Nagi No Asukara), is the one for you. 

Our story begins with a group of four middle school students who have been close friends since childhood: Hikari, Manaka, Chisaki, and Kaname. Seems like your basic feelsy-romantic anime cast right? Wrong! There is a twist. All four of them are from the sea; they live underwater in a beautifully animated sea town in which their middle school has been shut down, and they are all now forced to go to school up on land. In the first episode we discover our main male lead Hikari is in love with Manaka, but Manaka's bestfriend Chisaki is in love with Hikari, Manaka meets a boy on land Tsugumu and an attraction sparks, and Hikari's bestfriend Kaname steps in with a confession to make things even more complicated later on.. &So the plot thickens...

PROS

To start off with, something I normally don't mention, but has to be said for this anime: This anime is so beautiful to look at. The animation just kept me engaged and in awe the whole way through. This anime aired 2013-2014 so it would be expected, but Nagi No Asukara really stands out in this right. All of the backgrounds were serene from the schools, from land, to sea, and the characters all have unique and adorable designs that make you want to fall in love with them right off the bat. Not only are their designs well-done, but each character has excellent development to compliment this. I related with nearly every character and the relationships that would form between them.

Speaking of relationships, this anime has a lot of OTPs (one true parings) for romance fans out there. I have to give props to them for breaking the romance anime mold of all of the girls liking the main character, and instead spreading it out through a web of relationships amongst three male characters. The whole way through I would be rooting for different girls to be with Hikari, Tsugumu, or Kaname. My favorite female character in this story is Miuna. We get to see a lot of her development in the later half of this 24-episode series, and I loved seeing her romantic developments as well as her struggle being from the land and later forming "edo" and the mystery behind her being possibly from the sea as well. 

My last pro is the overall story-line and plot. I feel like this story and plot was so interesting and unique. I love when animes add a second element to romance stories to give it more depth and interest, which Nagi No Asukara pulls off excellently. The fight between land and sea was surprisingly enthralling, emotional and well-done.

CONS

Nagi No Asukara pulled off so many elements of this anime perfectly, leaving me with little bad to say. There are only a few things to mention that have to do with one of the characters: Kaname. Kaname is the lead's best friend, and we honestly don't get to learn very much about him. We learn hardly anything about him in the first 12 episodes, and we slowly learn a little about what's behind his feelings in the second half, but still just not enough. I understand there wasn't time to develop every single character as there were many, and they did through in a side story for him with Miuna's best friend Sayu which was cute to see. Still, this is a con for me, as many of the side characters interested me more than the main characters Hikari & Monaka. Lastly, not really a con, but a warning, the drama is laid on thick in this anime as it is a romantic drama. Be warned if you don't like emotional stuff you'd want to skip it.

FINAL THOUGHTS

This anime really exceeded my expectations for it. Originally thinking I would be watching a sappy story with a make-shift story line, I was blown away with what I got: a well-animated emotional and intricate story, interesting throughout, with love-able characters. This Anime is a 9.5/10 for me. Nearly perfect with little short-comings. 

Watched On: YouTube (free source)