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

Alternative Name: ×××ホリック
Years of Released: April 6, 2006 – September 28, 2006
Episodes: 23
Genre:  Supernatural, Horror, Psychological, Comedy
Favorite Characters : Watanuki
My Rating: PG-13
Grade: B+

Summary:  The series' plot focuses on Kimihiro Watanuki, a high school student plagued by yōkai and ayakashi, spirits with a strong attraction to him. The spirits are invisible to others and encounters with them are extremely troublesome. When he stumbles into a shop that grants wishes, however, events in his life promise to become more unusual. The shop is owned by Yūko Ichihara, a mysterious witch of many names and esoteric renown. For a price, she offers to grant Watanuki's wish to be rid of the spirits. The price, according to Yūko, must be of equal value and so, as payment, he temporarily becomes Yūko's part-time employee.

My review:  Well, where do I start? First of all, I'm a big fan of forklore and Japanese forklore in particular so I loved watching each new episode telling a new legend or revealing new character. I loved the overall dark and mysterious atmosphere of the series. However, I'm not the fan of the art and grasshopper long limbs. But in this case I could get over that fact. Nice watch.  


Recommend: Yes


Where to watch:     RUS Here                                    ENG Here

Alternative Name: The Agent of Death
Years of Released: 25 February 2006 – 12 August 2006
Episodes: 23
Genre:  Cyberpunk, Thriller, Suspense, Mystery, Supernatural, Psychological
Favorite Characters : Re-l
My Rating: PG-16
Grade: A++

Summary:  The story begins in a futuristic domed city called Romdeau, built to protect its citizens after a global ecological disaster thousands of years prior. In this utopia, humans and AutoReivs (androids) coexist peacefully under a total management system. A series of murders committed by robots and AutoReivs infected with the Cogito virus (which causes them to become self-aware) begins to threaten the delicate balance of Romdeau's social order. Behind the scenes, the government has been conducting secret experiments on a mysterious humanoid life form called a "Proxy." The Proxy beings (described as God-like and Immortal) are believed to hold the key to the survival of mankind.

My review:  I have been putting off watching this anime for a long time. It was one of those hard to get into and hard to get out ones for me. There are many things said about Ergo Proxy already so I won't be very original is I say that the story was well planned and thought through. Different unexpected plot twists let the mask of shallowness of the characters fade away, beautifully transforming their personalities, making them easy to understand. I will watch Ergo Proxy again and probably not just once, because it's one of those shows where the more you watch, the more you understand, see something you hadn't noticed, some new little detail that you missed. To make it short, great piece of art.            


Recommend: Highly recomended


Where to watch:                        RUS Here                                    ENG Here

Alternative Name: K Project
Years of Released: October 5, 2012 – December 28, 2012
Episodes: 13
Genre: Supernatural, Action
Favorite Characters : Kuro
My Rating: PG-13
Grade: B-

Summary: Yashiro Isana has lived a relatively ordinary, simple life. He lives in the technology-advanced Shizume City and attends Ashinaka High School, a notable high school that is located on an island just outside the areas. Yashiro is friendly with everyone. Nothing ever seems wrong about him, except perhaps his habit of forgetting where his school-issued PDA is. However, nothing normal has been happening since the recent murder of Tatara Totsuka, prominent member of the infamous HOMRA. No one knows who exactly killed him but the man responsible bears an uncanny, identical appearance to Yashiro. Seeking vengeance, the Red Clansmen of HOMRA set out to get Yashiro and kill him. Everyone suspects that Yashiro is the murderer. But whether he is guilty or not is unclear.

My review: Frankly, I practically made myself finish this one, hoping there will be some depth to the story or the characters but.. alas! The characters wouldn't go far from typical stereotypes, the story and the world was not very well explained either in my opinion. On the bright side, there were some really cool fight scenes, especially with the guy on the skateboard. That deserves a special praise. Would I watch it again? No. Will I watch the next season? Only if I'm bored out of my mind.

Recommend: No, there are much better series out there

Alternative Name: サイコパス
Years of Released: October 12, 2012 – March 22, 2013
Episodes: 23
Genre: Cyberpunk, Dystopian, Science fiction, Thriller
Favorite Characters : Kougami
My Rating: PG-13
Grade: A

Summary: Psycho-Pass is set in a future where it is possible to instantaneously measure a person's mental state, personality, and the probability that a person will commit crimes, all through a device installed on each citizen's body called a Psycho-Pass. When this probability, measured by the "Crime Coefficient" index, is too high in an individual, they are pursued and apprehended—with lethal force, if necessary.

My review: Great representation of cyberpunk. Although it is not my favorite genre but phycho-pass turned out to be a great watch for me. It was a rare case when I watched every episode with great interest and wanted to know how this all was going to end. The ending didn't dissapoint me either by the way. Very realistic and believable. The idea of having phycho-pass reminded me of "Minority Report" movie. I would watch it again.

Recommend: Absolutely

Alternative Name: Hotarubi no Mori e

Years of Released: September 17, 2011
Episodes: 44 minutes
Genre: Romance, Supernatural
Favorite Characters : Gin, Hotaru
My Rating: G
Grade: A+

Summary: The  story of a six-year-old girl named Hotaru Takegawa, who gets lost in a forest inhabited by a yamagami, or mountain spirit, as well as youkai. She is found by a mask-wearing, human-like entity named Gin, who informs Hotaru that he will disappear forever if he is touched by a human. Gin then leads Hotaru out of the forest.Hotaru returns to visit Gin in the forest over the next few days and they become friends despite the limitations on their interactions. Although at summer's end she must leave Gin to return to the city and her studies, Hotaru promises to return to visit him every summer holiday. As the years go by, Gin hardly ages while Hotaru physically matures and grows closer to his apparent age. Upon reaching adolescence Hotaru begins to struggle with their budding romance and their uncertain future together, while Gin wishes he could touch and hold the young woman that Hotaru has become. When Hotaru reaches high school, Gin takes her on a date to a festival in the forest hosted by the spirits. The night ends in tragedy when Gin mistakenly touches a young boy who sneaked into the spirit festival, though before he disappears, he and Hotaru embrace and confess their love for one another.

My review: That was a great short film. I loved every minute of it. It was one of those rare cases when I actually almost cried in the end. I consider Hotarubi no Mori e is one of the best romance anime out there. Touching and bittersweet.

Recommend: Recomended

Alternative Name: Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun, The Monster Sitting Beside Me
Years of Released: October 2, 2012 – December 25, 2012
Episodes: 13
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Favorite Characters : Kenji
My Rating: PG
Grade: B+

Summary: My Little Monster focuses on the relationship between Shizuku Mizutani, who has absolutely no interests except in studying and her plans for the future, and a boy named Haru Yoshida, who sits next to Shizuku in class but rarely attends school. After Shizuku is tasked with delivering class printouts to Haru's home, she meets Haru, who immediately greets her as a friend, starting their new relationship.

My review:
Sweet little story. There are many of those out there and for me My Little Monster doesn't stand out much from the rest of similar shoujo anime. But I'm not implying it in a bad way, God forbid. Those types of shows deserve to exist. And I do enjoy watching them from time to time, when I need to relax and just enjoy the sweet romance without over thinking about deep storyline twists and deep meanings behind them. Nice watch.



Recommend: Recomended