Anime Review - Pokemon Origins

"Pokemon Origins" is a 4-episode action-adventure anime that got released on October 2nd. Directly adapted from the very first Pokemon games ever: Pokemon Red and Pokemon Blue, it retraces the steps of a boy named Red, a Pokemon Trainer who goes on a journey around the Kanto region. A short, but wonderful name filled with nostalgia, for the gamers.
Let's get to it!

Story
The story takes place in a world where humans and Pokemon co-exist peacefully, more specifically, in the Kanto region. We follow our protagonist, Red, in his adventure on becoming a Pokemon master. Red is a cheerful, kind and adventurous 10-year old boy, who, after his 10th birthday, goes and gets his first Pokemon from the famous Professor Oak. He chooses the fire-type Charmander, with which he quickly develops a strong bond. He soon meets Green (or Blue if you prefer), Pr.Oak's grandson, who becomes Red's rival. Then, they separately go on their journeys through the region. Their goal is to defeat all the Pokemon Gym Leaders in Kanto and obtain Gym Badges from them. After having obtained all 8 of them, they can take on the Pokemon League, the toughest challenge for any Trainer. Meanwhile, both were given the mission to catch and obtain information on all 151 pokemon in the region. That is possible through a small machine called the Pokedex, which automaticaly saves all information on any pokemon caught. We follow Red in his adventures, as he collects badges, captures Pokemon and stands against an organization named Team Rocket, which mistreats Pokemon and uses them to gain money and power. Red's goal is to catch all 151 pokemon of Kanto, beat the thoughest challenge of a trainer, being the Pokemon League, and become the Champion.
Now, since 99,5% of the people who will be reading this are gonna be Pokemon gamers, I guess I can go into more detail...
As I said, this anime has 4 episodes. So how did they manage to convert the whole Kanto region into just 4 episodes? Simply by skipping many parts of it.
The 1st episode covers Red getting Charmander, starting his journey, meeting Green, battling Brock (the first gym leader) and getting his first badge. The 2nd one covers the famous Lavender Town, the Pokemon Tower and everything associated with it, from the ghost to Team Rocket. The 3rd episode covers the Silph Co. stage, where Red stops Team Rocket and drives them away from the building. Finally, the 4th episode, resolves around the final gym battle, the Elite Four, the battle against the Pokemon Champion of Kanto and the completion of the Pokedex. [...] Yeah, lots of things have been skipped. Well, they are mentioned, but not focused on at all. This could be seen both as a good and bad thing. I personally don't mind. What "Pokemon Origins" wanted to do, was make a short show in which are focused the most important moments in the original "Red" and "Blue" games. And that's exactly what it did, in a very good way... And, let's be honest, if you had to choose the most important moments of the games, would you really have taken Erika, Blaine, Mt. Moon, the Safari Zone and the Cycling Road? No, you would have taken the exact same ones; and I really prefered they actually did it like that.
Of course, this show is mainly meant for Pokemon gamers of the first pokemon games and to bring up a lot of nostalgia. But, anyone can see it. Even people who have never ever played any Pokemon game could find some enjoyment... even if at some points they may not really understand some scenes, because it's directly taken from the games.
Overall, it is a very good show, which is well-made. A must-watch for all Pokemon fans.

Characters
There aren't many character in this anime (which is pretty normal, since there are only 4 episodes), but the ones we care for are there.
First of, we have the protagonist, Red. Red is a 10-year old boy, who decides to go on his own pokemon adventure and complete the Pokedex, as Pr.Oak's request. He is kind towards both Pokemon and people, is cheerful, caring and adventurous. Although kind of weak at first, because he doesn't have any experience, he quickly become stronger, as his journey continues. Next, we have Green, the proud and overestimating grandson of Prof.Oak, who eventually becomes Red's rival. Even though he could be quite annoying, he is 50 times better than Gary **********ing Oak; at least, he isn't that much of a d***! He actually cares for Pokemon - well, not as much as Red, sure, but still! There's, of course, Professor Oak, the gramps who gives to Red and Green their first Pokemon and Pokedexes; Brock, the 1st Gym Leader; Mr. Fuji, an old man who takes care of lost and abandonned Pokemon; and Giovanni, Team Rocket's boss. And that's pretty much it for the important characters.
Now, where they good? Hmm... well, yes, they were. They follow the personalities of the same characters in the games very closely and they managed to make them livelier in a very good way; I mean, they don't look stupid. They get pretty good development, even in just 4 episodes, especially Green, who understands better how to trully treat his Pokemon friends.
My favourite character is, hands down, Giovanni. I already liked that guy in the game, but with Origins, I like him even more; I definitely don't agree with his plans, but the way Giovanni was presented was very good. He has a very strong development, too, as he does the same thing he does in the game, for a good reason.
The others weren't that much important, but they were overall ok. A good main duo and a well-created villain. We really needed that, after the incompetence of Jessie and James from the animated Pokemon series. *Sigh*

Sound
The music used in this show was overall great. Most of it, was tracks from the original Pokemon games that were remixed very well. The excitement someone would get from playing the games with this music, was the same as when I was watching this show. I was hyped and rooting for Red in his battles. I felt the nostalgia and the feelings come to me and it definitely was a good experience. All these amazing themes used in "Origins"... The feels!! The voice acting wasn't bad, without being memorable either.

Animation
The animation was done by OLM (the producers of the Pokemon series), Production I.G. (a studio tha helped for many series and games) and Xebec (Shaman King, To Love-Ru). The animation was done well, even if I personally wasn't a fan of it. However, the battles were epic and amazingly well-done and the whole show had a lot of good coloration, appropriated for each scene.

Final Verdict
Story: 8.8
Characters: 8.7
Sound: 7.9
Animation: 8.9
Enjoyment: 10
Total: 8.86

Note
"Pokemon Origins" is, by far, much better than the original Pokemon series. Finally following a COMPETENT Pokemon Trainer, who actually manages to catch 'em all, and has a good balance of win-lose, feels very good. Because Ash Ketchum is NOT an amazing trainer. He barely catches any Pokemon, is extremely annoying and never won any tournament. Red, on the other hand, is a real good and competent pokemon trainer. In the beginning, he may not be strong, since he just began, but he quickly learns how to battle efficiently and even surpasses Green. Red >> Ash.

"Pokemon Origins" is a must-watch for all Pokemon fans. Even if didn't grow up with Gen 1, you will most likely enjoy this show. It does a good job in all areas and represents very well the experience we had playing Pokemon when we were kids.

This ends my 10th anime review. I hope you enjoyed it. Feel free to comment in the comment section below, if you want to express your opinions on this anime. Thank you for reading.

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Anime Review - Kuroshitsuji

"Kuroshitsuji" or "Black Butler" is a 24-episode anime, produced by A-1 Pictures, that aired between October 2008 to March 2009. It falls under the genres of: black comedy, action, dark fantasy, supernatural and drama, while having some historical moments. Black Butler is in my opinion a very good anime, with a well-executed set-up and an interesting environment. This review will be only about the first season of this series. By itself, the 1st season makes it to my 15th spot of my favourite anime.
This is going to be a long review. Let's get to it.

Story
The story follows our protagonist, Ciel Phantomhive, a 13-year old egotistical and business-savvy boy, who is at the head of the Phantomhive family and the Funtom company - a manufacturer of toys and goods - after the death of both his parents. He lives in a large mansion together with his 5 servants, in the Victorian-era Europe (when Queen Victoria was the queen of England). The Phantomhive family is a secret executive agency, controlled directly by Queen Victoria herself and has a lot of influence, as it has served as the Queen's Watchdog for generations; their task is to eliminate criminals, solve cases and hide many dark secrets of the country and the royal family, while remaining in the underworld. By itself, this is pretty interesting and promising. I mean, something like that must have happened in real life, too. The whole environment and atmosphere of the show fits perfectly with that time; and to choose Victorian England was, I think a very good decision; especially since I find this era very interesting and mysterious.
Back to the plot, Ciel has a lot of power thanks to his rank. However, he is not just any 13-year old boy. Aside from his rank, he has something that certainly not many people have: a demon. Yep, a demon. One of his servants is Sebastian Michaelis, a demon disguised as a butler. With the death of his parents and due to some more unfortunate circumstances, Ciel made a contract with Sebastian Michaelis, which consists of the demon to help him take revenge on the people who harmed him and his parents. As a result, Sebastian disguised himself as a butler, and serves Ciel; on a masterwork level. However, the contract has something in return: in exchange for Sebastian's help, after the revenge has ended, Sebastian will eat Ciel's soul, killing him in the process. This, by itself, is very interesting. Ciel's right eye is covered by a black eyepatch. On that same eye, is the seal that proves the contract between Ciel and Sebastian. When Ciel is in trouble, he activates the seal and Sebastian will quickly come to the rescue.
For about the first half of the show, the story resolves around the different important characters, and Ciel accomplishing missions and solving a few mysteries. It also has a lot of comedy, some of which some people will not enjoy, though. Most of it resolves around the goofy failures of three of the servants, the very common food-shots and another character named Lao; out of which the most annoying for most people, is the food part. For quite a while, when the characters are talking, at a moment or another, they will focus on the food and the drinks, describing what each of them is. I personally didn't mind it, even if it was becoming a little boring after 4-5 times. The other comedy relief however, is good.
As the story goes on, it slowly becomes darker and darker as more secrets are revealed, both on Ciel's past and royalty affairs. The characters have to face off these revelations and it's not always easy; and it doesn't always end well. I won't say more, otherwise it would be major spoilers, but I can't ignore that it becomes even better than it was in the beginning, especially with the atmosphere that follows the darkness of the story.
Finally, there are a few filler episodes in the first half. They weren't great, but were still enjoyable. I do have one problem, though: the random changing serious-comedy. They were some moments when it was all-around serious, and then suddenly, they added a comical situation, coming out of nowhere. It annoyed very quickly. Stick with seriousness or comedy, but don't switch between them constantly, damn it!
Overall, it is very good and has enough unique and interesting traits to make it worth watching.

Characters
The characters of Black Butler are, in my opinion, another strong point of this anime, even if there are some problems, that I will mention later.
First, we have the protagonist, Ciel Phantomhive, this serious, egotistical and proud 13-year old boy, who is at the head of the Funtom Company. He already acts like a businessman and is merciless when dealing with enemies and competitors. He is mischievous, clever and competitive, doing whatever it takes to win a match. His harsh personality is due to his past misfortunes, but he will sometimes still display the side of a child, as he is fond of games and sweets, and gets annoyed when treated like a kid, while he thinks he is on the same rank as adults. While he got a bit on my nerves at first, I steadily liked him more, as we learned more about his past and everything he had to go through. He is also a character who views everything very realistically, even to a point of pessimism, which however is not totally wrong considering all the existing dark sides of the world.
Then we have Sebastian Michaelis.
<Wave of fangirls screaming>
So Sebast...
<2nd wave of fangirls screaming>
SHUT UP!
Sebastian Michaelis is the demon with whom Ciel made a contract with in order to fullfil his revenge upon the ones that harmed him and his parents. Now, I have to admit: Sebastian is really a very cool and handsome character. Everything he does reaches a level of perfection, from housework to taking care of thieves and murderers. He is bound to Ciel via that contract and he will obey to every single order of his, his primary mission being to keep his master alive. To put it simply, if Ciel and Sebastian are in the same room, there is absolutely no way Ciel will die. [...] While having this handsomeness, he also gets some comical moments, but most notably, he emanates a dark presence (pretty normal for a demon) and can sometimes be a bit creepy. If you are against him and he's smiling, then you are fucked.
Another important character that has to be mentionned is Grell Suttclith, a red-haired Grim Reaper. Here come the problems I mentionned earlier: in the form of Grell. This hot-chick looking dude is very annoying. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed him. His personality though is both to be enjoyed and to get annoyed. He is ruthless, crazy, bloodthirsty, cunning and sometimes sadistic, and he is also a very good fighter, being able to hold on his own against Sebastian. The problem is not there; actually, these are pretty great, but... the problem is his role and appearances in the story. The producers were constantly switching his role between a creepy, crazy and strong Grim Reaper, and an overly stupid comical relief. This switching is 5 times more annoying than the food!!! They completely wasted the potential of this character! Making him have a gay crush on Sebastian and transforming him into a potential yaoi material in the most annoying way imaginable, is definitely wasted potential, when he could have been more serious and creepy, adding more dark elements to the story.
Rest of the cast include: the 4 other servants of Ciel (mostly used for comical relief); Elizabeth Midford, the cousin and fiancee of Ciel (she is kinda annoying, but I didn't dislike her); Madam Red, the aunt of Ciel; Soma and Agni, an Idian prince and his very powerful and skillful servant (equal to Sebastian); Angela Blanc and Ash Landers, who are...quite something; and my two favourite characters of Black Butler: the Undertaker (6th favourite male character) and Lau.
The Undertaker, whose real name is not revealed in the anime, is a former Grim Reaper, who is now a funeral director who is a little bit too obsessed with his job. Whenever I saw him, I never really knew whether I should be laughing or scared. He has a very strange personality, making him very mysterious and unpredictable, ans also funny and creepy at the same time; and THIS is a good example of taking advantage of a character. The producers used his crazy nature to slowly introduce new dark matters to the story; he was almost a sign of misfortune everytime he appeared and I loved that.
Lau is a Chinese nobleman and a friend of the Phantomhive family, who, behind his title of president of some Chinese trading company, is the head of the Shanghai Mafia and runs a large opium den. He serves as a big comical relief, with his carefree and easy-going acting, and as he agrees to do things even before he knows what is happening, later stating he has no idea what is going on. However, there are a few times, where he is seen to be coldblooded and uncaring. He is always with his personal doll-like girl assassin, Ran-Mao, who I like simply because she is a beautiful, cute and silent character.
Overall very good characters, who are very balanced (except Grell).

Sound
The sound in Black Butler has many dark soundtracks of different sorts, that add to the already dark atmosphere of the show. It also has a few easy-going soundtracks for the comical moments, but the best part is definitely the dark ones. "The Dark Crow Smiles" is right now my 10th favourite anime soundtrack. Aside from the very dark tone of it, a big reason I like it, is the same as in "Sis Puella Magica": it has latin in it... more epic! The opening theme, "Momochrone no Kiss" by Sid, is simply amazing! It is one of my favourite openings; every single moment of the opening matches the series. Something interesting is that, in fact there are 2 openings, but for both they use the same song. The 1st opening uses the first half of the song, while the 2nd opening uses the second half of the song. I personally prefer the 2nd one, both in song and video. It fits very well for an action anime, while having a certain dark tone to it. The first ending theme, "I'm alive", by the american Rebecca Hollcraft, is quite energetic and catchy and the video shows the daily activities in the Phantomhive household, where the characters are chibi-ed. The second ending theme is "Lacrimosa" by Kalafina. I really like her songs, and this one is no exeption. It has an dark and somewhat... hmmm, let's say "ecclesiastic" and ancient tone... Anyways, it matches perfectly with the atmosphere of Black Bulter.

Animation
The ones in charge of Black Butler were A-1 Pictures studio. Black Butler was their first big production... and they handled it perfectly! The environment is very realistic and I felt fused with the Victorian-era. I give them a lot of credit, as it wasn't a very easy task to make 19th century England look so nice and realistic. Most of the animation is quite dark, but there are also some other lighter styles of animation used, which added diversity and richness, mostly used for the comedy parts. There also put a lot of effort into the details and items around the places, and the characters as well, both in action and their expressions.

Final Verdict
Story: 9.3
Characters: 8.7
Sound: 8.9
Animation: 8.7
Enjoyment: 9.3
Total: 8.98
Despite its name "Kuroshitsuji", it's far from being shit. It is an extremely good anime, with a great story with many dark elements, amazing characters, beautifully dark animation and has some very good soundtracks. Some may not appreciate the fillers and sometimes random comedy - either by the food or Grell - but you most probably enjoy in one way or another. Its unique setting and the era in which the story takes place, adds to its greatness.
Remind that this was a review of the 1st season ONLY.

This ends my 9th anime review. I hope you enjoyed it. Feel free to comment in the comment section below, if you want to express your opinions on this anime. Thank you for reading.

Youtube account: http://www.youtube.com/user/scorpy163
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Anime Review - Puella Magi Madoka Magica (TV Series)

Puella Magi Madoka Magica (PMMM) is a 12-episode magical girl anime, that aired between January and April 2011, and was produced by Shaft, known for the Monogatari series. It falls under the categories of magical girl, supernatural, dark fantasy drama, tragedy, psychological and thriller. You read right: tragedy, thriller and drama. In a magical girl anime? Is that even possible? Hell yeah, it is. I consider this anime as one of the best ever, not only in 2011, but in the whole history of anime. It is actually my 6th favourite.
Let's get to it.

Story
PMMM starts by following the protagonist, Madoka Kaname, a 14 year-old normal girl, who, besides having a strange dream with a dark environment and a lone girl fighting a sort of monster in the middle of a ravaged world, leads a normal life with a normal family in a normal ultra-futuristic house, goes to school to a normal ultra-futuristic school that looks like a mansion made of glass and has normal friends. As everything seems normal like always, a transfer student named Homura Akemi, who is definitely TRULLY normal and definitely NOT interested in Madoka, appears. After Homura saying some slightly creepy things about family, friends and shit to Madoka, the latter and her best friend, Sayaka Miki, go shopping in a music store. Suddenly, Madoka hears a voice in her head asking for help. She and Sayaka follows the direction of the voice and find a strange extra-terrestrial cat-like creature named Kyuubei, which is as unsuspicious as a rapist drug dealer. The unsuspicious cat is hunted down by the unsuspicious Homura. After Madoka and Sayaka get trapped in a strange and creepy world with mustached clouds, walking butterflies and flying scissors, they are saved by the golden-haired Mami Tomoe, who persuades Homura to leave. We then learn that Mami is a magical girl, whose mission is to hunt down witches that break the balance of the world, and that Kyuubei can make girls transform into magical girls. In exchange for hunting witches, the girl has the right to make any wish she wants, absolutely anything, and Kyuubei will grant it. Mami shows to Madoka and Sayaka how a magical girl lives and the nature of their mission. Every magical girl has an object called the Soul Gem, which works as a power source. However, every time they use their powers, the Soul Gem gets tainted with darkness. To solve this problem, they can use Grief Seeds, an item that drops out of witches after being defeated; by using them, magical girls can restore their magical energy and transfer the taint from the Soul Gem to the Gried Seed.
Despite the bizarre and creepy worlds the witches create to hide themselves, everything seems fine and the two girls get very enthusiastic about the whole idea of saving the world from evil witches. At that point, we already know that PMMM is not going to be like any other magical girl show, but until these parts, there's nothing extremely different from the others. The whole idea remains the same... Until THAT scene. The famous moment referred to as "That scene", is THE true changing point of the entire anime... and the entire genre. I won't say anything else about the story, otherwise it would mean major spoilers. From that point on, the anime turns into a very dark, dramatic and psychological show that I personally didn't see coming. After that moment, the story gets more and more twisted as we slowly learn more about the true meaning of being a magical girl, the secrets behind the contracts and see the different characters completely change; in one case, the changing goes180 degrees, and it gets very creepy and demented. The more the anime went on, the darker it was becoming. We were feeling the emotions and despair of the characters; I was getting closer and closer to them, because of the constant darkness and drama that this show had.
This anime really is something else. Normally, magical girl shows are cheerful, with bright light colors, happy endings and good vs evil fights with multicolored sparkles all over the place. PMMM is the complete opposite: dark colors, drama and tragedy, despair, tears and harsh reality. This is the pure example and definition of "genre deconstruction"; everything we knew about magical girl shows has been oriented to a completely different direction...And it is the reason why I consider this anime to be a masterpiece.

Characters
The characters of the show don't get into my favourites, but that certainly doesn't erase the fact that they are freaking amazing. We get to follow 5 magical girls, their ideals, intentions, personalities and backstories. Everything was executed to a level of perfection.

• Madoka Kaname, the main protagonist of the show. She is a very kind, gentle and caring girl from a loving family, who dislikes fighting, and would prefer magical girls to help each other, instead of competing over Grief Seeds. She sees herself as someone without any special qualities or talents, and aspires to become a magical girl and help people, after encountering Mami. According to Kyuubey, Madoka has one of the biggest potentials in becoming the strongest magical girl. While being very excited in becoming one at first, as the story and world become more and more twisted, she grows uncertain and hesitant. A big part of her character is her debate of becoming a magical girl or not.
• Homura Akemi, the black-haired girl, who acts cold and indifferent. She is harsh and is constantly trying to prevent the two girls, especially Madoka, from becoming magical girls. She doesn't like Kyuubei for... very understandable reasons. She seems unlikeable at first, and I even thought at a point that she may have been an enemy. The truth however, is very different. This girl has, imo, the saddest story out of all 5 girls, more than Sayaka, more than Mami and more than Kyoko. Everything she had to go through is so sad and depressing, it almost made me cry. She is a great character.
• Sayaka Miki, the tomboyish best friend of Madoka. She is an energetic and lively girl with strong ideals of lawfullness and love. She is protective of Madoka as a good friend and dislikes Homura from the very beginning. She builds a strong bond with Kyoko, even if they hated each other at first. She plays a very big part in the points of view of Madoka... and the way it's done is... wow, just wow.
• Mami Tomoe, the golden-haired big-breasted kind and cheerful girl, who however feels very lonely as she has no friends. Her primary resolution is to help others as much as possible, as a result of her past. She is a veteran magical girl and guides Madoka and Sayaka through her world. She became very close to Madoka who proposed she becomes her partner.
• Kyoko Sakura, a red-haired veteran magical girl. She is almost always seen with food, as she has a voracious appetite. Because of her past, she only uses her magic for herself and never shares anything with others. She clashes a lot with Sayaka when they first meet, but she gradually changes and accepts others through the influence of Sayaka. She was a honorable magical girl.

Then we have some supporting characters, like Madoka's mother, the love interest of Sayaka and the other friend of Madoka, Hitomi. All three of them have their roles on the story and provide to the development as well. All the characters in this anime are extremely well-done and built up. They have very fitting personalities, act logically to their ideals and emotions, and at no moment did I think there was something wrong with them. The character development is amazing and the interactions are executed at master level. Nothing is pushed, everything is placed at the characters' pace which is defnitely good. And finally, we have motherfucking Kyuubei, the bitch king itself. This cute little creature and its round, hypnotic red eyes have made many people dislike him, including myself. It's not that this character was done badly; it was actually very good, just like the others. But what he does and plans to do made me want to throw him into a pool of lava, after stabbing, shooting, crushing, smashing and cursing him with a voodoo doll. Yeah, I love him so much...

Awesome characters, certainly some of the best anime casts.

Sound

The soundtracks of PMMM was composed by the one and only Yuki Kajiura. Just by hearing this name, the compositor of the music in Fate/Zero, Tsubasa and Sword Art Online, someone should know that the music is going to be fantastic. And once again, she did a fantastic job. Every single music matches each scene perfectly, either it shows joy or drama or insanity or hope or crisis. One of them, "Sis Puella Magica" is right now my 5th favourite anime soundtrack ever; because the voice in the music is latin! It's not that I'm a fan of latin (I actually don't really care), but here is different. I am pretty sure that 85% of the time, anime soundtracks don't have voices, and when they do they are mostly japanese or english. But this one has latin! And it makes it that much more unique, deep and beautiful. The other soundtracks are amazing as well. The opening is "Connect" by ClariS, while the ending theme is "Magia" from holy Kalafina, whose amazing songs were also used in Kara no Kyoukai and Black Butler. I really liked both the opening and the ending. For the most part, the opening shows some generic-to-happen things, but towards the end of it, we see Madoka running with all her strength under the rain and after that, Madoka is facing Homura. The look on Madoka's face while she's running shows that real shit is happening now and that despair and dramatic events have taken over. The Madoka vs Homura scene at the very end shows the clash of ideals and goals between these two, even if at the final point they both want the same thing. The ending is much darker, both in music and visuals. Kalafina made, once again, a fantastic performance with this song; as it goes on, we follow Madoka passing by the other 4 girls and slowly penetrates into total darkness with no escape: it portrays very well the extreme dark fantasy and drama of the show. Finally, the voice acting: it was superb. Each voice actor really put a lot of effort into making the characters sound as the should, varying the tone of the voice, depending on their mental state and the situation they are in. Aoi Yuki, Chiwa Saito, Eri Kitamura, Kaori Mizuhashi and Ai Nonaka voice the 5 girls in the same order as the Characters part. Five great voice actresses for five great characters. It is perfect.

Animation

The animation was done by Shaft, well-known for the Monogatari Series. It was very clear and beautiful and a lot of effort was put into the details. The way it is done was something I hadn't seen before, so I was a bit surprised at first. But I need to say that this type of animation matched PMMM very well. The characters are cute, while they are surrounded by a dark reality. The most interesting part though, is the world of the witches. They are very interesting, mysterious and even at times creepy I mean, there are a lot of bizarre "creatures" in there; the witched themselves are strange-looking and creepy. Everything is these small worlds looks like it was made out of collage, from the monsters to the surroundings and environment, something which adds a lot to the dark aspect of the anime. The animation is extremely well done, both beautiful and dark at the same time, except the witches, which are creepy and dark.

Final Verdict

Story: 9.8

Characters: 9.5

Sound: 9.7

Animation: 9.6

Enjoyment: 10

Total: 9.72

Puella Magi Madoka Magica is at 100% a masterpiece, with perfect scores in everything. It is completely different from other magical girl anime and is the pure definition of "genre deconstruction". The only similar things are the transformations and the magical animal, and even that is not lovey-dovey happy bullshit. The story is very dark and dramatic with many psychological and tragic aspects, the animation is amazing, the music is marvelous, the voice-acting is superb and characters are very well-developed, each of them having their own specific personality and role in the story, even the mother.
This really is an anime that absolutely everyone has to watch: you will enjoy it, in a way or another; guaranteed.

This ends my 8th anime review. I hope you enjoyed it. Feel free to comment in the comment section below, if you want to express your opinions on this anime. Thank you for reading.

Youtube account: http://www.youtube.com/user/scorpy163
MyAnimeList profile: http://myanimelist.net/profile/GoldenPincers

Anime Review - Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi

"Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi", "A Bridge to the Starry Skies", "Hoshikaka" is a romantic harem 12-episode anime that aired between April and June 2011, produced by Dogakobo. Hoshikaka is a very good definition of <breath of fresh air>, as it was very relaxing, calm and beautiful. Nothing was special or unique, but it still was enjoyable through its relaxing setting and beautiful environment.
Let's get to it!

Story
Hoshikaka follows our male protagonist, Kazuma Hoshino, a teenage boy who moves into the rural town of Yamabiko, together with his younger brother, Ayumu. Ayumu's body is weak and it was decided by their parents that living within the clean air of the village would him help a lot to get better. After realizing they took the wrong bus, they wait for the one in the opposite direction. After going into the forest to retrieve Ayumu's hat stolen by a monkey, he meets Ui Nakatsugawa, a cute, cheerful and very air-headed girl who helps him get out of the forest, to go back to the bus station. BUT! As they are crossing a small river by jumping from rock to rock, what was meant to happen, happened. Kazuma slips on the last wet rock, loses balance, falls on Ui, they both fall down, aaaaaaaand... kiss! And, of course, there had to be a witness. Right at that moment, a wild tsundere appears and, after tsundereing like she is supposed to, Kazuma leaves to meet up with his brother. After that eventful moment for their first day, they arrive at the inn they will live in, meet the owner, have dinner, and go to sleep, after Kazuma being seen naked by another girl who's working part-time at the inn. Ayumu goes to middle school, Kazuma goes to high school, and obviously, Ui and the tsundere have to be in the same class as him. After getting friends with the usual "perverted best friend", they walk around the town to show Kazuma; and a normal school life - with many girls - begins. It is pretty generic, and it would be very understandable some people to dislike it for that. However, what I really liked about Hoshikaka is its relaxing nature. It is a show that takes its time and makes you feel comfortable and relaxed, without thrusting anything onto your face. The whole romantic part is simple, enjoyable and cute, matching the pace of the anime. It is not rushing and instead provides some episodes to slowly make the characters get closer to each other.
Overall, it is very generic, both in the way it is and the way everything happens, but the calm atmosphere around it and the beauty of its simplicity and touching moments make it something worth watching.

Characters
Being part-harem, it is obvious there will be many girls, eight to be precise.

• Ui Nakatsugawa, a cheerful, carefree, kind, cute and very air-headed girl, who loves to eat a lot. She is probably the most memorable character of the show. Romantic interest #1.
• Ibuki Hinata, the small-chested tsundere, who witnessed the kissing scene in the forest. She is Ui's best friend. Good in grades and good in sports. She can be tough and difficult, but also has a cute and shy side. Romantic interest #2.
• Madoka Koumoto, a very shy, bashful and delicate shrine maiden, mildly androphobic, who enjoys reading books at small children. She has known Kazuma for a long time, because he stayed at the village when they were very young. She has big breasts and purple hair, because why not. Romantic interest #3.
• Hina Sakai, a tall, calm and peculiar third-year, who's admired at school by both genders. She is serious, not showing many emotions, but she actually has a huge weakness for cute things, Ayumu included.
• Tsumugi Toudou, the golden-haired, huge-breasted country girl. She is kind, gentle and pleasant girl, very respected at school, but also in town, for her personality and love for nature.
• Koyori Toudou is a headstrong, energetic and often loud first-year student, younger sister of Tsumugi. Completely unkind to Kazuma at first, she gradually accepts him.
• Kasane Toudou, the youngest Toudou sister. She is a sweet, cheerful and playful middle-school student, who is one of the first to know the rumors and everything that happens in the town.
• Senka Yorozu is the owner of the inn the boys live in. She is friendly, giving and considerate, but won't tolerate nonsense. She often teases Kazuma, enjoys drinking and sometimes interprets things into perverted things.

Kazuma is your typical main male lead, who is a kind, good-intentioned teenage boy, who gets all the girls' kindness and affection. The best friend, Daigo Minamikokubaru, is also your typical single perverted and energetic-eccentric boy. (Who the hell decided to name him Minamikokubaru? Seriously?). Finally, there's Ayumu, the very kind, innocent, friendly and - I have to mention that - adorable and cute younger brother of Kazuma.

All of the characters match generic predecessors, without adding anything new to the table. I think they are very simply, likeable characters, who makes the viewer feel at ease and relax, once again.

Out of the bunch, my favourite characters are Ibuki, Madoka and Kasane. (I love playful little sisters.)

Sound

The music is Hoshikaka doesn't stand out and is more like the common romantic anime music. However, it plays a big role is the beauty and relaxing aura of the show, as well. It is simply beautiful and nice to hear. I didn't like the ending theme much, but I liked the opening theme. Just from it, we can already say and imagine that the anime is going to be peaceful and calm.

Animation
The animation was done by Dorakobo, which produced some other anime I personally never heard about. Please don't crucify me! I have to point out the animation; it was done very well. It was colorful, beautiful, was filling me with peacefullness and energy, felt light and freeing. A good work was put into making the characters and environment detailed, clear and beautiful. They were even moments when it looked gorgeous, especially with the sunset and rainy scenes. Very good job.

Final Verdict
Story: 6.9
Characters: 8.0
Sound: 6.3
Animation: 8.6
Enjoyment: 9.7
Total: 7.90

A really nice and beautiful, that made take it easy, relax and enjoy myself calmly. A beautiful animation and environement with likeable and cute characters and good romance. Romance lovers, check this one out! You will very probably like it.

This ends my 7th anime review. I hope you enjoyed it. Feel free to comment, if you want to express your opinions. Thank you for reading.

Youtube account: http://www.youtube.com/user/scorpy163

MyAnimeList profile: http://myanimelist.net/profile/PureShadow

Anime Review - Black Cat

Black Cat is 24-episode anime series produced by Gonzo. It is an action, adventure, comedy shounen, released between October 2005 until March 2006. Black Cat is a very entertaining anime, with great comedy, something most shounen don't execute well. It is right now my 9th favourite anime.
Let's get to it, with as less spoilers as I can.

Story
Black Cat takes place in a different world from ours, where we follow our 2 main male characters, Train Heartner and Sven Vollfied. The difference from other cases like that (ex. Naruto & Sasuke), is that the characters share nothing at all in the beginning; the stories are separate.
Train Heartnet is a young assassin under the order of a powerful organization bent on world peace, Chronos. Because Chronos rules over 1/3 of the world's economy, it is essential. In order to protect the organization, 13 special elite assassins were trained harshly; they are called Chrono Numbers. Train, known as "Black Cat", is a heartless and cold person who kills anyone he was ordered to, with no exception or pity. One day, he meets a Sweeper - a.k.a. bounty hunter - named Saya Minatsuki. Unlike him, Saya is cheerful, kind, carefree and disapproves killing. After Saya meeting with Train a few times, he starts changing and slowly leaves missions unfinished; he even starts completely disobeying orders from his superiors. Meanwhile, another member of Chronos, the slightly insane Creed Diskenth, who idolizes Train's murderous aura, does not really agree with Train's change of presonality, and what he does is enough to make you hate him for the rest of your life.
Sven Vollfied is a calm middle-age man Sweeper, who follows a scrict code of chivalry, as he always calls himself a gentleman. One day, he hears about a young girl who has been used for experiments, and has become a kind of monster. Later on, he meets that girl, Eve, at a park and talks with her; and he discovers that she isn't like she was described as. She looks like, and almost is, a normal girl, but who was abused by a rich weapon dealer by having her body filled with nanotechnology, something that makes her able to transform any part of her body as a weapon.
Both stories eventually come together when Sven tries to save Eve, while Train tries to kill her by order of Chronos, which he fails. After Train left his organization through the influence of Saya, he joins Sven and Eve on a wandering journey, as he becomes a Sweeper himself. Two years pass as they travel together. Then, aside from some small side stories about doing Sweeper jobs, the main plot resolves around Train getting revenge on Creed for what he did in the beginning, who by the way has become the leader of a powerful revolutionary group of people with supernatural abilities, the Apostles of the Stars.
We follow Train, Sven and Eve - and sometimes a fourth character, Rinslet Walker, a world-famous thief - as they go on their journey, meeting new people, accomplishing missions, and coming closer and closer to Creed and his subordinates.
The anime was extremely well done. I've heard that, compared to the manga, the anime is not that good. But as someone who hasn't read the manga, I can't tell, so I go with how I felt with the anime alone. The story is great and follows an interesting path, the main characters are enjoyable and likeable as I felt attached to them, the animation is good and the soundtrack is great. Like I said before, the comedy in this show is, unlike other shounen, hilarious. I was laughing almost at every single funny scene that was happening, which were mostly centered on Sven; but the other three also get their share of funny moments. Another interesting thing about the story, is that unlike most "revenge-seeking" journeys, Train decides to stop Creed and bring him to justice, instead of killing him, something which would have served nothing, except changing Train back to his old self he now hates.
There is however, a flaw, too. The world in which the story takes place. It is very confusing and seems to have no laws. It has magical powers, japanese high schools, nanotechnology and bounty hunters with guns, all at the same time. I was kind of illogical how all of these were in the same world, and they never explained anything about it. At the same time, the world itself doesn't play such a big role, so it's not that important, but I would have definitely liked it more, if they actually took the time to explain.
Apart from that, it is a very good anime.

Characters
The four main characters are Train Heartnet, Sven Vollfied, Eve and Rinslet Walker. All 4 of them are great and well-developed, their actions are logical and they know how to be in each situation, depending on their personality and background.
Like I said, Train is a young assassin, who kills whoever is the target of his mission, without second thoughts. His cold eyes, his codename "Black Cat" and his well-known phrase "I've come to deliver some bad luck.", make him a very dangerous and unsociable person. He was changed by Saya Minatsuki, an anti-killing, carefree and cheerful Sweeper, who befriends Train, and even a slight romantic interest was hinted. After some events, he becomes a sort of "stray cat", being lazy, sleepy and hungry, doing whatever he wants, whenever he wants, however he wants. Together with him are, Sven, a middle-aged "gentleman" Sweeper, who almost constantly fails miserably at getting money, making him the biggest comical relief of the show; and Eve, a young girl who is curious about the world and has gotten into reading books after being abused all her life by a weapon dealer, who inserted huge amounts of nanotechnology inside her body. Sven has an eyepatch on his right eye, which has the power of seeing some seconds in the future. He also carries around a suitcase, in which he hides various items, like a machine gun, a net launcher, a grenade launcher and an electrical cable.
Eve, on her side, is amazingly powerful, as she can transform any part of her body into a weapon, at will. The fourth character, Rinslet, is a famous thief-for-hire, who constantly comes in and out of the main trio, which, by the way, is probably the best I have ever seen. She goes around wearing a blond wig to look more helpless, easily manipulates men - except Train - and was a helpful asset, whenever she was with the team. There are also, the other members of Chronos, from which the only really worth mentioning is No1, Sephiria Arks, who's the leader of the Numbers; she is a skilled commander, calm, shows little emotion, but can also be aggresive; she is also fixed with getting Train back into Chronos. (Once again, this is her personality in the ANIME, I know that her manga countepart is different, but here I talk about the ANIME, so please do not rage because of that...)
And now, the antagonists. While I didn't really feel attached to any of them and didn't care much about most of them, I have to admit that the members of the Apostles of the Stars are cool, interesting and strong. Each of them got their supernatural powers from a kind of potion. Their powers vary from fire breathing and bug summoning, to gravity and gun bullets with the power of anti-tank rockets, passing by wind & oxygen and blood. Their personalities, though not much developed for most of them, are well-made and match them. The ones worth mentioning are: Kyoko Kirisaki, a fire-breather energetic high school student who falls in love with Train, much to his anoyance; Charden Flamberg, the calm blood-controlling tall man, who is teaming up with Kyoko, who is more affectionate and less evil than the others; and of course the leader: Creed Diskenth, easily one of the most demented anime villains I have ever seen.
When I first saw him, I already knew he wasn't going to be a normal person; and I was so right. His idolization for Train is so extreme, it becomes creepy and kind of scary, like how he views Train's skill at killing people as some kind of art; and when he becomes the leader of the Apostles of the Stars, he becomes a crazed power-hungry maniac, who wants to become immortal and control the world by controlling the people he feals have the right to live. That type of villain is, in my opinion, the hardest to make interesting. Anyone could think that this is very common antagonist at first. But that idolization, mixed with his extreme psychotic nature, god and supremacy complex, huge power and uncaring for his subordinates, makes him extremely different, making the whole anime different itself.
A last thing worth mentioning is that a very strong bond is built between Eve and the two men, as she sees them as father figures. It wouldn't seem at first, but a relationship like that works as much and even better than love interest. Because of the past Eve, what she needs the most is a person who can guide her in life, something that, Train and especially Sven, do.

Music
The soundtrack for Black Cat is amazing. The music matches perfectly with the scenes, either they are dramatic, action, comical, touching or happy, and makes it even more entertaining and believable. I got pulled by the music and felt its intensity mixed with the different feelings emanating from the different scenes. "Kuroki Neko" in particular is one of my favourite soundtracks ever. The opening song, used for all 24 episodes, is very energetic and deep at the same time, showing all the different aspects of the show: action, sadeness, joy, laughs, drama and seriousness. The 1st ending was funny , but had nothing to do with the anime and the song didn't match at all. The 2nd ending, however, is very beautiful and portrays the sadness Train is going through, after a certain something, through the beautfil song. Great music, without being a masterpiece.

Animation
The animation was done by Gonzo. The only other shows I know it made, are Rosario + Vampire and Kaze no Stigma. The animation was definitely not the greatest. It was well done and it was changing at the different scenes of the show to add more reality to what happens, but it wasn't as smooth as others. It felt lacking at moments, while at other, it was too bright. I don't say it's bad, it just wasn't that great and I didn't feel a kind of bonus from it.

Final Verdict
Story: 9.2
Characters: 9.3
Sound: 8.3
Animation: 7.1 
Enjoyement: 9.0
Total: 8.58

Black Cat is a great anime and distinguish itself from other shounen with its very balanced, realistic and well-developed main characters, some amazing comedy, fantastic story and good music. It has both its good and sad moments and you will probably feel the characters' emotions during the different events. I personally did. I highly recommend to action/shounen fans, but to everybody in general, because of the variety the anime has to offer.

This ends my 6th anime review. I hope you enjoyed it. Feel free to comment, if you want to express your opinions. Thank you for reading.

Youtube account: http://www.youtube.com/user/scorpy163

MyAnimeList profile: http://myanimelist.net/profile/PureShadow

New Year 2014!

The year of 2013 just ended. A great year for me. Graduated from highschool and got accepted at the university I wanted the most: Statistics and Data Processing in Paris. I had my laughs and hard times, but overall, it was good.
2013 was also a great year for anime, both for me and in general. Many amazing anime in all genres. The new era of anie seems good and I hope it continues. Personally, I watched 50 full anime series (all seasons, OVAs, specials etc)
Let's hope for another great year for anime. Already some of them look great: Mahou Sensou, Nisekoi, Nobunaga the Fool, Nobunagun, Fairy Tail, 2nd season of SAO, Noragami, 2nd season of Chuunibyou. It begins well.
I hope to all of you: HAPPY NEW YEAR and GOOD HEALTH.
Bonne Année et Bonne Santé
Ευτυχισμένο το Νέο Έτος και καλή υγεία.

Good luck for whatever you want to do and achieve. Have a great time and year!

Top 10 Best Anime I saw in 2013

This time, I will be quickly commenting on the 10 best anime I saw in 2013. In my opinion, 2013 was a great year for anime; it had a lot of great ones! On this list, will be the best anime I SAW this year, NOT the 10 best that CAME OUT in 2013.

Like all previous lists, this list is totally opinionated, so if you don't agree, then feel free to comment your best anime you saw 2013, in the comment section below.

Now, before starting, I will say this: I have not watched Attack on Titan, yet. As a result, it won't be on the list. So, please do not rage.

Let's get to it.

10) The World God Only Knows: Goddess Arc (Release: 2013)

Following the 2 previous seasons, the Goddess Arc enters a new and different direction. The whole conquest idea still remains, but a more serious and emotional tone appears, which rises the greatness and uniqueness of the show even more. The animation is smooth and beautiful, the music is great, the characters are very nice, while the voice acting remains fantastic. I also liked the fact that Keima slowly becomes like a more normal boy. And the ending... the feels... the feels! So many feels! Great anime overall and the 3rd season made it even better.

9) Utawarerumono (Release: 2006)

Entering 2014, Utawarerumono starts becoming a bit old, but the epicness of the show will never change. For a 2006 anime, the animation is very great and is quite detailed. The characters are amazing with great personalities, the best one being the protagonist, Hakuoro, hands down one of the most subtle anime characters ever. The story that this show follows is well-executed and compelling. I was eager to see more, as we slowly learnt more about Hakuoro. What I also love a lot about it, is that it contains a bit of almost every single genre: action, adventure, romance, drama, comedy, mystery, harem, sci-fi, mecha and fantasy. And it manages to balance them very well, so nothing stomps on another. Great show. I recommend it to everyone.

8) Black Cat (Release: 2005)

An even older anime than Utawarerumono, but the epicness is even greater. I consider it as my favourite and best shounen I've seen. It has the best anime main trio until now: Train, Sven & Eve. The main characters are entertaining, the main villains are amazing, the action is great and the comedy is funny as hell. The animation is well done and has many "color beams" that adds to the intensity of the dark and dramatic moments. The story is well executed and follows a nice direction. The last episodes were a bit disappointing for me, but it doesn't change the fact I loved Black Cat.

7) To Love-Ru / Motto To Love-Ru / To Love-Ru Darkness (Release: 2008, 2010 & 2012)

To Love-Ru is, in my opinion, the best ecchi harem comedy anime ever. I couldn't stop laughing throughout the show. Although the comedy mixed with the ecchi scenes feels and is generic, it is actually very funny and entertaining. I never got bored; I never had enough. Rito has SO MANY girls to choose from; Lala, Haruna, Momo, Nana, Run, Yui, Yami, Mea and even Mikan is a possible route. Very nice animation, great and likeable characters, amazing comedy, the ecchi has reached god levels, without being rubbed onto your face non-stop, which I definitely prefer. And... dat Momo tho. Momo is just amazing. For me, she is hands down the most entertaining character of To Love-Ru. Harem plan, go for it!!!

6) 11Eyes (Release: 2009)

I liked this anime the moment I read the description. And when I started it, I was liking it more and more and more, until I finally loved it. This anime is so underrated and disliked for reasons I still cannot understand. But anyways, I personally enjoyed it a lot. I liked everything: great characters, amazing skillfully constructed story and setting, great animation that switches fantastically well between the 2 worlds, some of the best music in anime ever, great character development and a good subtility; combined with an ominous atmosphere that worked very well with the twisted storyline. The suspense in this show was gold and I was always eager to see more, especially in the last episodes where a lot of drama/tragedy takes place.

5) The Sunday Without God (Release: 2013)

Aside from TWGOK, this will be the only 2013 released show on this list. Where should I start... Well, first of all, this show is simply put, unique. Unique! I haven't seen or heard any other anime do something like that before. Mixing amazing characters where almost every single one of them has a reason for being there, superb and unique story divided into 4 small arcs, breathtaking and beautiful animation, fantastic music and climatic and great dramatic moments that almost made me cry at some points, this show got a level of perfection. The ending made some people angry, but I personally liked it a lot, just like the whole show. Definitely a must-watch. This anime could be the gate to a new era of anime; and if it is, it starts very well.

4) Toradora! (Release: 2008)

Toradora! was the first anime I watched in 2013 and, it couldn't start in a better way. Toradora is, without a doubt, one of the best romance/comedy/slice of life/drama of all time together with Clannad and Sakurasou. The characters are very realistic and likeable and the relationships between them are well-executed. The comedy is great, the drama tearing, the animation beautiful, the romance amazing. The romance/drama is executed wonderfully and the characters' actions and reactions are realistic. Like I said in my review, my only real problem was that the drama was sometimes over-pushed.

3) Puella Magi Madoka Magica (Release: 2011)

The true definition of genre deconstruction, PMMM is of the best anime ever without a doubt. This anime is completely different from generic Mahou Shoujo anime. Instead of being cheerful, happy, with bright colors and a happy ending, PMMM is a drama, psychological tragedy thriller with much darker colors. The only identical things are the magical creature and the magical outfits. Everything else is different, which made me love it to no end. The characters are amazing and get through a real development, the animation is pure gold: dark and beautiful, the music is superb and story is very psychological, dramatic and dark, and made me think about the real meaning of a magical girl and how they should really be. Epic masterpiece: should be watched by everyone.

2) Steins;Gate (Release: 2011)

"El Psy Congroo!". "I am mad scientisto. Is so cool! Sonuvabitch!". "Kurisutina!". "HOUOUIN KYOUMA!". So many memorable quotes in this anime. IMO, Steins;Gate was, together with PMMM, the best anime of 2011. It seems rather normal at first, but it soon gets a very twisted storyline, with tragedy, drama and run against time. The time travel element is fantabulous and very well executed, adding to the whole dramatic aspect of the series. The animation and music were fantastic, matching each scene and situation wonderfully. An epic masterpiece with awesome characters, who all added elements to the story, even the Nyan-girl. Nothing can be said about the story, except that it is unmatchable and unique. Must-watch.

1) Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo (Release: 2012)

Sakurasou is my 3rd favourite anime ever and, by far, my favourite romance/comedy/slice of life/drama anime. For me, Sakurasou is Toradora! on a Mega Mushroom. It may seem a bit generic at first, but it soon turns out to distinguish itself from others, through its fantastic, likeable, enjoyable and amazingly well-developed characters and its unique slice of life theme: failures in life and the clash between hard-workers and genuises. The animation is not simply beautiful; it is GORGEOUS and unmatchable in romantic comedies. The music is so beautiful and completely matches every scene at perfection. The voice acting is sublime and adds to the greatness of the characters. A true masterpiece that should be watched by everyone, especially romantic comedies lovers.


This ends my fourth top 10. I hope you enjoyed it. Feel free to comment, if you want to express your opinion on this list or your personal strongest anime characters. Thank you for reading.

Youtube account: http://www.youtube.com/user/scorpy163
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