Anime Reviews

 

Alternative Name:  Free!
Years of Released: July 4, 2013 – September 26, 2013
Episodes: 12
Genre:  Sports, Comedy
Favorite Characters : Rin
My Rating: PG
Grade: B

Summary: Free! starts with four boys—Haruka, Makoto, Nagisa and Rin—before they graduate from elementary school. They all participated in a swimming tournament and won, though they parted ways. Years later, Haruka, Makoto and Nagisa reunite when they enroll into high school. Not long after, Rin, who was thought to be in Australia, turns up and challenges Haruka to a race and wins. Afterward, Nagisa suggests creating a swimming club and using the run-down outdoor pool. Haruka, Makoto, and Nagisa, and later on, Rei, create the Iwatobi High School Swimming Club and work together to make the club a success.

My review:  Very easy to watch, colorful, and uplifting anime that is full of bishounen characters - the paradise for the fan girls. The plot wasn't heavily oriented on the swimming itself but rather on the relationships between the characters, not that I minded. Nice watch.

Recommend: Yes


Where to watch:     RUS  Here                                          ENG Here 

 

Alternative Name: Kuroko's basketball
Years of Released: October 5, 2013 – March 29, 2014
Episodes: 25
Genre:  Sports, Comedy
Favorite Characters : Kuroko, Daiki
My Rating: PG-13
Grade: B-

Summary:  The basketball team of Teikō Middle School rose to distinction by demolishing all competition. The regulars of the team became known as the "Generation of Miracles". After graduating from middle school, these five stars went to different high schools with top basketball teams. However, a fact few know is that there was another player in the "Generation of Miracles": a phantom sixth man. This mysterious player is now a freshman at Seirin High, a new school with a powerful, if little-known, team. Now, Kuroko Tetsuya, the sixth member of the "Generation of Miracles", and Kagami Taiga, a naturally talented player who spent most of middle school in the US, are aiming to bring Seirin to the top of Japan, taking on Kuroko's former teammates one by one.

My review:  To tell the truth, I was more impressed with the first season. Too predictable to be thrilling. Unnecessary fan-service was also bothersome.

Recommend: For the sport genre fans.


Where to watch:     RUS  Here                                          ENG Here 

 

Alternative Name:  Kaze no Tani no Naushika
Years of Released: March 11, 1984
Time: 117 minutes
Genre:  Distopian, Sci-fi, Action
Favorite Characters : Nausicaa
My Rating: PG
Grade: B

Summary:  One thousand years have passed since the Seven Days of Fire, an apocalyptic war that destroyed human civilization and gave birth to the vast Toxic Jungle,[Note 1] a forest swarming with giant mutant insects in which everything is lethal to humans. Scattered settlements exist wherever the Toxic Jungle relents. The Valley of the Wind is one such settlement. The Valley's settlers have a prophecy about a person, "clothed in blue robes, descending onto a golden field, to join bonds with the great earth and guide the people to the pure lands at last".

My review: As one of the early works of a master Hayao Miyazaki, The Valley of The Wind lives up to glory of its legendary creator. However, for me, as always, it was a little hard to watch an older anime, where the imperfections are more умшвуте due to the lower lever of technology development thirty years ago. But putting that aside, great story, nice character development, and Miyazaki's spirit are all present here no doubt. Great watch for true connoisseurs of old school animation and fans of Miyazaki's works.

Recommend: Yes


Where to watch:                RUS Here                                    ENG Here

 

Alternative Name: Shingeki no Kyojin 
Years of Released: April 6, 2013 – September 28, 2013
Episodes: 25
Genre:  Dark fantasy, Distopian, Tragedy
Favorite Characters : Mikasa, Levi
My Rating: R
Grade: A

Summary:  After the wall which protects Eren's hometown is breached by Titans, including the 60-meter skinless Colossus Titan and the abnormally intelligent Armored Titan, a young Eren suffers the death of his mother at the hands of a Titan. Once Eren and his friends are evacuated from the district to safety, he vows revenge against all Titans and later enlists in the military, accompanied by Mikasa and Armin. After a period of grueling training, the three elect to join the Survey Corps which would allow them to leave the safety of the walls and fight the Titans one-on-one.

My review: Disturbing but extremely addicting.  
At first I was as skeptical as ever. Frankly, the show didn't look that appealing or sound very original to me. I thought I was going to be just the next cliche distopian anime, as there are a lot of similar anime out there. Demons, aliens, gigantic insects, you name it are attacking the human race and poor pathetic humans are fighting against them. Sounds familiar? Well, dah! So what makes this show so special then? Good question.
It might be the agonising suspence that is carried out throughout the whole series, or the cliff dropper episode endings, making you click the button to watch the next episode immedietly, or maybe it's unbearable desire to find out the truth, because the further you watch there more questions you get. As I was watching the characters to take one step forward but to meet only defeat I couldn't help but cheer for them. There is a lot of blood, violence, and death in the Titans. Waching another unfortunate fellow be eaten by a titan was making me wince. But I learned early on not to get too attached in this show.
I'm looking forward to the second season hoping it will meet my high expectations. It would be such a waste to ruin this great show.


Recommend: Highly recomended


Where to watch:              RUS Here                                         ENG Here