Anime Reviews

 

Alternative Name:  Shion's King
Years of Released:  October 13, 2007 – March 22, 2008
Episodes: 22
Genre: Sports, Thriller, Drama
Favorite Characters : Shion
My Rating: PG-13
Grade: A

Summary: Shion no Ō centers around a young junior-high school girl named Shion Yasuoka who witnesses the murder of her parents as a child. At the time of the murder, the killer takes the king piece from her father's shogi board (a Japanese strategy board game similar to chess). This leads her to believe that the murderer may be a shogi player. The shock of the incident renders Shion unable to speak, forcing her to communicate by writing on a pad. After being adopted by her neighbors, the Yasuoka family (where the husband is also a shogi player), Shion takes up the game herself, both for the love of the game and to possibly learn who killed her parents.

My review: A worthy anime, with solid plot, well developed characters, and one of the toughest female lead characters I've ever seen. Don't miss this one.


Recommend: For everyone


Where to watch:     RUS  Here                                          ENG Here 

 

Alternative Name:  Sukitte ii na yo
Years of Released:  October 6, 2012 – December 30, 2012
Episodes: 13
Genre: Romantica, Shouje
Favorite Characters : Shion
My Rating: PG
Grade: B-

Summary: Quiet and unassuming Mei Tachibana has spent her high school years without making friends or getting a boyfriend because of a childhood incident that left her believing that people will betray each other sooner or later. When she encounters a popular boy named Yamato Kurosawa, he becomes interested in her, and it is through their tentative friendship and blossoming relationship that Mei ultimately begins to branch out and befriend others.

My review: I don't watch shouje very often but one day I was in the mood and I stumbled upon "Say I Love You." It wasn't terrible, but I have seen a much better pieces. There are a lot of romance anime out there and there are much more worthy shows to enjoy. However, if you are into Romance in general, don't miss this one.

Recommend: For Girls who love romance


Where to watch:     RUS  Here                                          ENG Here 

 

Alternative Name:  Mushi Master
Years of Released:  October 23, 2005 – June 19, 2006
Episodes: 26
Genre: Mystery, Supernatural, Drama, Fantasy
Favorite Characters : Mushi Master
My Rating: PG-13
Grade: B

Summary: he story features ubiquitous creatures called Mushi that often display what appear as supernatural powers. It is implied that there are many more lifeforms more primitive than "normal" living things such as animals, plants, fungi and bacteria, and Mushi is the most primitive of all. Due to their ethereal nature most humans are incapable of perceiving Mushi and are oblivious to their existence, but there are a few who possess the ability to see and interact with Mushi. One such person is Ginko, the main character of the series. He employs himself as a Mushi Master , traveling from place to place to research Mushi and aid people suffering from problems caused by them. The series is an episodic anthology in which the only common elements among episodes are Ginko and the various types of Mushi.

My review: I really liked the feel of the show, the music, the calmness it carries with it, however I wished there was more of the plot line throughout the show and not just random advantures of the master.

Recommend: Need to be in a curtain mood.


Where to watch:     RUS  Here                                          ENG Here 

 

Alternative Name:  Thriller Restaurant
Years of Released:  October 13, 2009 – June 8, 2010
Episodes: 23
Genre:  Horror, Mystery, Supernatural, Children literature
Favorite Characters : Ghost
My Rating: PG
Grade: A

Summary: There is a loose theme throughout the series of the "Thriller Restaurant", which is introduced in the first episode. The remainder of the series is a collection of ghost stories reminiscent of the Scary Stories anthology and Kwaidan.

My review:  Even though I'm way above this show's target audience, I found myself enjoing the series very much. I was looking for some scary anime to watch and found Thriller Restaurant - a fine find. Love the structure of each episode as they present each story as a restaurant menu (with a sweet and blood chilling desert in the end of course).
Recommend: Deffinenty


Where to watch:     RUS  Here                                          ENG Here 

 

Alternative Name:  (モノノ怪
Years of Released:  July 12, 2007 – September 27, 2007
Episodes: 12
Genre:  Mystery, Drama, Horror, Thriller
Favorite Characters : Medicine Seller
My Rating: PG-16
Grade: A++

Summary: Mononoke follows a wandering, nameless character known only as the "Medicine Seller." The series is made up of individual chapters in which the medicine seller encounters, combats and subsequently destroys mononoke. The "mononoke" are a type of ayakashi, unnatural spirits that linger in the human world. The Medicine Seller always proceeds in the same manner, using his knowledge of the supernatural to fend off the mononoke until he can learn the spirit's shape (Katachi), truth (Makoto) and reasoning (Kotowari). Only then can he unsheathe his sword and exorcise the demon..

My review:  The best watch I have had in a long time. From the first seconds I was washed away by the variegated colors , traditional patterns, bold shapes, and  Japanese music. It is a very unique, intriguing, artistic, captivating work of art. There is no other way to describe this piece. I will definitely watch it again. I can't even find anything I didn't like about Mononoke. Although I wish such a delicious dish would last a little longer than 12 episodes

Recommend: For sport anime lovers


Where to watch:     RUS  Here                                          ENG Here 

 

Alternative Name:  ジャイアントキリング
Years of Released:  April 4, 2010 – September 26, 2010
Episodes: 26
Genre:  Sports
Favorite Characters : Tatsumi, Tsubaki, Gino
My Rating: PG
Grade: A-

Summary: East Tokyo United, ETU, has been struggling in Japan's top football league for a few years. It has taken everything they have just to avoid relegation. To make matters even worse, the fans are starting to abandon the team. In an effort to improve their performance, ETU has hired a new coach, the slightly eccentric Tatsumi Takeshi.

My review:  jr I enjoy sports anime in general and I really enjoyed watching Giant Killing in particular. Why? Maybe because I was made for more grown up auditory with no super-powerful-physically-impossible moves. I was just about football plain and simple. Of course not without a pinch of fan service and a little humor. 

Recommend: For sport anime lovers


Where to watch:     RUS  Here                                          ENG Here 

 

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