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 & 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

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

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)