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. (:

Bonjour Sweet Love Patisserie Anime Review

Bonjour Sweet Love Patisserie Score: 9.0

INTRODUCTION & SYNOPSIS

Bonjour Sweet Love Patisserie or Bonjour Koiaji Patisserie, is a 24 episode series with episodes consisting of just 5 minutes in length aired completely online. The webisodes vibrantly animate the story of a girl named Sayuri who gets in to her dream pastry chef school Fleurir on a scholarship. The show follows her adventures with the friends, foes, and teachers she meets at the state-of-the-art school. Sayuri-san is greeted on her first day by a cute and competitive male classmate Ryo, as well as three heart-throb teachers Mitsuki-sama the Chocolate professor, Suzumi-sama the Japanese Pastries professor, and Gilbert the French Exchange professor.

This anime would be classified as a Shoujo with Reverse Harem, Comedy, and Romance qualifications as well. I would recommend this to the female viewer, or anyone who enjoys kawaii anime, of all ages. The show can easily be finished in one day, and is highly enjoyable!

PROS

Bonjour Sweet Love Patisserie stands out to me most in animation. The colors are vibrant and sweet, which is perfect for a Shoujo. Since the episodes were short, I figured they must not have had a large production budget, which leads me to be even more impressed at the animation. It was truly stunning. I thought the way they wrote the “Lesson” number on a piece of decorating chocolate for each episode, and the way they crafted the logo with a sugary pastry feel was really well done! I certainly appreciate the details they captured in this anime.

Another pro for Bonjour Koiaji Patisserie are the characters. Not only did they have unique and bright designs, but they also had lively and dynamic personalities that all worked well together. Even with 5 minute episodes (4 minutes if you exclude the short intros and outros), the characters still shined, and I actually felt a connection between the group. Some anime with full length episodes and two seasons can’t get this right, so I give definite props. Speaking of, I would adore a second season of this anime! Seeing Sayuri-san actually working as a patisserie would be a great sequel.

Lastly, I really loved the cute Maros! They kind of reminded me of Dangos from Clannad. I love how they did a whole episode dedicated to them. This show was just all around sweet as can be!

CONS

The only real con I have for this anime is, of course, its short length. Five minutes wasn’t enough! I understand if the budget was low, and to be honest, they made it work really well for the short screen time; however, we bonjour sweet love patisserie fans should at least get a second season since they had to make the first one so short! Any other con I could sort of even come up with for this anime was in relation to this fact, so I will leave it at that.

FINAL THOUGHTS

All in all, Sweet Love Patisserie is an excellent Shoujo/Reverse Harem short-style anime. I highly recommend it, and I really hope a season two comes soon! Additonally, this was made into a visual novel last Christmas, and if anyone knows how I can find it – Please let me know. I have tried searching in Japanese and in English, but to no avail. I have IOS. Anyways, this show rightfully deserves a 9 out of 10 – only lacking in run time.

Watched On: Gogoanime.TV

Brothers Conflict Anime Review

BROTHERS CONFLICT SCORE: 5.5

INTRODUCTION & SYNOPSIS

Brothers Conflict is a Reverse Harem Game-Based Series surrounding a girl named Ema (nickname "Chi") with a father who is often away traveling, so she is left alone with no family much of the time. Until.. One day she receives news that her father will be marrying a woman with thirteen sons! To make things even more unrealistic, eleven of them still live at home in a giant modern mansion while their mother and Ema's dad stay somewhere else and travel. So, rather than Ema staying in her dad's apartment, like she would if this was real life, she moves into the mansion with all eleven brothers and of course no parents around. She brings along her pet squirrel Juli, who can talk, and tries to protect her from the advances of her new brothers as Ema unsuspectingly tries to enjoy her new life with siblings. The show follows the brothers getting into conflicts with one another over their love for their new sister.

In order to enjoy the show, I'd say it's mandatory that you are a girl who is in the mood to watch a fluffy and unrealistic type of show. It has many faults, but I can't say that it wasn't okay to watch when your trying to fall asleep before bed or on a lazy Sunday morning with scones and tea. 

PROS

To start with, the animation is really nice. I enjoyed pretty much all of the character designs, backgrounds, house design, ect. Brains Base (the animation studio behind it) is known for this serene style of animating, which is perfect for shoujo anime. My favorite part about this series is, odd enough, the opening theme. The opening song Beloved X Survival was simply the right fit for this type of show and a great song in its own right I think. Another pro for Brothers Conflict were the two OVA episodes. The show consists of 13 episodes and two OVA's for Christmas and Valentine's Day. The Christmas Episode was fun to watch for me because I love themed episodes like that. 

Additionally, all of the brothers had unique and interesting personalities, hobbies, and quirks. They were dynamic characters/ arch types, and none of them were flat. Some of them, such as the one who cross-dresses, made for some really hilarious moments just by being in the scene.

Lastly, this show is just relaxing to watch. The music, animation, and voices all work together to create the perfect show for a lazy morning or late night. I liked watching the show for this reason, and that's where the real positive side of this show is.

CONS

Unfortunately, this show is clamored with flaws. For one, its plot. Wait, there isn't really a plot at all.. No storyline in sight! The episodes are just Chi's new brothers falling in love with her for no reason at all. Which I'm sure this concept would make some people uncomfortable as it is. This didn't really bother me too much because they aren't related in any way only by marriage, but I can see the moral failures clearly nonetheless. Either way, Ema/Chi's character design, personality, and everything is just boring, basic, and flat. There is no way that every single one of these guys who all have successful careers, dynamic personalities, and good looks would fall for her. It'd be believable if it was one of them, but all 13? 

In addition to Chi having no special talents or personality, she is a complete baka (idiot). She just allows all of the guys to flirt with her even though she doesn't like it, and she insists that after all of their declarations of love - they are all just family. She is always saying things like "It's so nice to have great brothers, we are a family." It's like she is completely blind to their advances. Which is so agitating. 

What's worse than all of that though, is the fact that she doesn't even pick one at the end. She doesn't develop a relationship with any one of the potentials. So therefore, the show ends up being a big waste of time. There is this one episode, where things start coming to a head and *SPOILER* her pet squirrel turns into a human in a dream-like reality, and they just brush it all under the rug. It goes nowhere. In the beginning of the show Chi is happy to have new siblings and insists there is nothing more, and it is the very same throughout and at the end of the show. 

FINAL THOUGHTS

Brothers Conflict isn't a masterpiece or really worth the watch at all, but if you are a girl looking for a fluffy and relaxing reverse harem type of show - give it a go. Other than that, you probably won't like it. I did enjoy watching it while bored, but I realize the small audience it has, so I have graded it as such: 5.5 out of 10. I think the show's lack of direction and flat ending caused it to suffer.

watched on: gogoanime.tv

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)