Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso (Your Lie in April) Series Review

Year: 2014 - 2015 
Studio: A-1Pictures 
Genre: Drama, Romance, Music

Tokyo Ghoul √A (2nd Season) Review

Year: 2015
Studio: Pierrot 
Genre: Horror, Drama, Supernatural, Action

Psycho-Pass 2nd Season Review

Year: 2014 
Studio: Tsunoko Production
Genre: Sci-Fi, Action, Dystopia 

Zankyou no Terror Review

The Wind Rises (Kaze Tachinu) Review

Year: 2013
Studio: Studio Ghibli
Director/Screenplay/Creator: Hayao Miyazaki
Music: Joe Hisaishi

Ping Pong the Animation - Review

Year: 2014
Studio: Tatsunoko Production
Genre: sport, drama, slice of life

Nagi no Asukara Review

Year: 2014
Studio: P.A Works
Genre: fantasy, coming of age, slice of life, romance, drama

Noragami Review

Year: 2014
Studio: Bones
Genre: supernatural, shonen, romance, action

Inari, Kon Kon, Koi Iroha Review

Year: 2014
Studio: Production IMS
Genre: comedy, romance, supernatural

To Aru Hikuushi e no Tsuioku (The Princess and the Pilot) - Review

Studio: Madhouse

Year: 2011

Director: Jun Shishido

Screen Play: Satoko Okudera

Original Creator: Koroku Inumura

Synopsis:

" As a beautiful daughter of the noble family del Moral, Fana was proposed by Prince Carlo, who is the crown prince of their country Levamme. However, since Levamme is at war with Amatsuvian, the marriage had to wait until the war ends. Meanwhile, as a bestado, the lowest caste in Levamme, Charles had always dreamed of flying and eventually became the ace pilot of the air force. Although he was often mistreated, a glorious chance came about when the Amatsuvian bombarded del Moral's home in order to get rid of the future empress. Charles was then entrusted with the top secret mission of delivering the princess to the prince."

Black Lagoon (two seasons + OVA) Review

Year: 2005 (2010 OVA)
Studio: Madhouse
Genre: Action, Drama

Synopsis: [ANN]
Okajima Rokuro is a Japanese businessman…in a town full of Japanese businessmen. His normal day consists of social drinking with clients and being kicked around by his bosses. He finally gets a break though, as he’s sent by his company to the tropical seas of Eastern China to deliver a disc…only his boat gets hijacked by a band of mercenaries that were hired to steal it. “Rock” (as he is newly dubbed by his captors) catches the interest of the only female merc “Revy” as she thinks he’s worth a ransom, taking him hostage. However, the disc turns out to be more trouble than its worth, and complicates things both for Rock, and the mercenaries known as Black Lagoon.

Paradise Kiss - Review

Studio: Madhouse
Genre: Josei, Romance, Drama
Year: 2005

Synopsis:
"Yukari is a typical high-school student who listens to her parents and attends school everyday. As she starts to question her way of life, she encounters a group of fashion design students who has a clothing label known as "Paradise Kiss". The group needs to find a model to showcase their designs in an up-coming fashion show and decides to pick Yukari instead. Initially, Yukari was reluctant to be associated with this seemingly eccentric group, but eventually, she realises that they are really nice people. Furthermore, their passion and enthusiasm to follow their ideals and dreams make Yukari realise that she has not been enjoying her life and this motivated her to pursue her own dreams."

Free! - Review

Studio: Kyoto Animation
Year: 2013
Genre: Sports, Drama

Synopsis: [ANN]
"Four boys named Haruka, Makoto, Nagisa and Rin all participated in a swimming tournament shortly before graduating elementary school and later parted ways. Years later, they reunite when Rin challenges Haruka to a race and wins. Not wanting to be defeated so easily, Haruka gathers Makoto and Nagisa and a new recruit named Rei to form the Iwatobi High School Swimming Club."


Afterthought 
This was not originally part of my review plan, but because I got several requests so here I am, humbly giving you my thoughts on KyoAni's latest effort. 

Hmm..I'm not sure where to start, all I can say is this is a niche anime, either you hold a rave party celebrating the chiseled abs or you could care less about it, and I place myself closer to the latter category. Sure, it was amusing to see KyoAni going in a completely opposite direction and actually trying to please the female population (at least a portion of it), but if you are not someone into fanservices, regardless of which kind, it probably doesn't have much in store for you. Mind you, KyoAni is extremely coy with the way they presented this, nothing is explicit and everything is implicit but no less obvious. You could try your hardest arguing this is a story purely about beautiful friendship between men, but don't expect too many people to believe you. Fan girls have a mind that could twist all male relationships into something romantic in nature, so with Free!, where the bromance vibe is borderline shonen-ai, forums are bound to overran with "pairing" discussions. I remember there is one scene where Rin pushes Haruka against fence, all I can think of at the time was damn, so much sexual tension. Yeah, you totally see where they are going with it. 

As for the story, it's about a guy who has too much pride to just admit his love for his swim buddies. No, really, I think I summed it up pretty well. The angst comes across as more comical than angsty, because you know exactly what's going to happen eventually – Rin gets his mind out of the gutter and come to terms with his feelings. It helps that Haruka and Rin have opposing personalities, Haruka being the reserved eccentric, and Rin the hotheaded tsundere. It seems that in the realm of anime, the theory of "opposite attracts" never fails. If you think about it, each of the five guys in Free! embodies a well-known stereotype, aside from the two I already mentioned, there is also the shouta, the glasses, and the gentleman. The creators clearly didn't have to think hard on it. I really don't have too much to comment on the plot, it couldn't get more conventional even if tried. 

Yes, then there is the collection of sculpted abs and utterly ridiculous looking swimsuits, which are more memorable than anything else in this show. Though I suppose that's the point. Why haven't anyone thought of using swimming as a plot device for fanservices?  It's pretty damn convenient if you ask me, it's really one of the only situations where the characters can constantly strip down to bare chest for a good reason. Smart move, KyoAni. The animation quality is what we have always seen from the studio - clean, crisp, and detailed, but nothing too special considering their designs are similar across the board.

All in all, it's been an enjoyable ride, nothing more and nothing less. If you like fanservices and bishonen in ridiculous swimsuits, Free! is the thing for you, just don't expect a deep plot that ponders on sophisticated philosophical questions, you won't find any here.

Overall Score: 7/10

Shingeki no Kyojin - Review

Studio: Wit/Production I.G

Year: 2013

Genre: Action, Military, Post-Apocalyptic 

Synopsis: [ANN]

"Several hundred years ago, humans were nearly exterminated by giants. Giants are typically several stories tall, seem to have no intelligence, devour human beings and, worst of all, seem to do it for the pleasure rather than as a food source. A small percentage of humanity survived by enclosing themselves in a city protected by extremely high walls, even taller than the biggest of giants. Flash forward to the present and the city has not seen a giant in over 100 years. Teenage boy Eren and his foster sister Mikasa witness something horrific as the city walls are destroyed by a super giant that appears out of thin air. As the smaller giants flood the city, the two kids watch in horror as their mother is eaten alive. Eren vows that he will murder every single giant and take revenge for all of mankind."

Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi (Sunday Without God) - Review

Year: 2013
Studio: Madhouse
Genre: Mystery, Supernatural

Synopsis: [MAL]
God abandoned the world on Sunday. As a result, nobody in the world can die or reproduce. A little girl, Ai, is the gravekeeper for a village. She has prepared 47 graves for the eventual deaths of every member of the village. Later, a man who identifies himself as "Hampnie Hambart, the 'Man-eating Toy'," which is coincidentally the name that Ai's mother left behind as the name of her father, arrives in the village and slaughters everybody. Just what is going on?"

Suisei no Gargantia - Review

Kotonoha no Niwa (Garden of Words) Review

Towa no Quon - Movie Series 1-6 Review

Otona Joshi no Anime - Kawamo wo Suberu Kaze

Some rant and comment on Rurouni Kenshin

As the title indicates, I'm just using the space to vent some of my frustration after revisiting Rurouni Kenshin (the anime and the manga) for the Nth time. Where is my Jinchuu arc anime?! And better yet....where is my faithful remake?! With RK's 15th anniversary in 2011, I was hoping to finally receive the news I had been waiting for, but what I got was a bunch of side projects that accomplished little more than bringing about another wave of nostalgia that reminded me just how remarkable the series is – and the grim reality that we probably won't see a reboot anytime soon. It's disappointing. Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful that the industry still remembers this wonderful story and is showing some effort in preserving the public interest, but with so much that could be and should be done for this franchise, I am simply not satisfied with the result. 

I am a passionate RK fan and has been for almost 10 years. This is one of the first series I've watched after being introduced to anime, and curiously, my love for the story and the characters only grew deeper and deeper with each revisit. The TV series has 95 episodes; the first 60 episodes follow the manga faithfully, but the last 35 episodes are fillers due to the fact the last arc (Jinchuu arc) of the manga wasn't finished when the anime was in production. Well, this is a pretty big deal given the length and significance of the last arc – it spans roughly 100 chapters, and the entire manga is only 255 chapters in length. The Jinchuu arc explores the titular character Himura Kenshin on a profound level, connecting his past to the present, and thus bringing everything full circle. Perhaps to compensate for the lack of closure in anime format, two OVAs were produced after the manga concluded. The first OVA (Tsuioku Hen - Trust and Betrayal) details Kenshin's life amidst the revolution as the feared Battousai and more specifically, his encounter and ensuing relationship with Tomoe that ultimately ended in tragedy. It's told beautifully – poetic in narrative and in style. The second OVA (Seisohen - Reflection) recounts the manga story with a self-invented ending for the MCs. Adopting the same art style and atmosphere as the first OVA, it leads to an conclusion that's overbearing and simply too heartbreaking to accept – this is another reason why I want the last arc adapted, to see Kenshin getting the happy ending he deserves. Now, I want to talk about Himura Kenshin, the titular character.