Card Games Are Serious, Serious Business - Selector Infected WIXOSS Review

Anime has long been a medium for creators to flex their muscles and pull out new storylines and concepts that break the mold. It is just like any other kind of fiction in which you have your groundbreaking staples of the genre and the large number of knock offs that then try and ride the hype wave. One theme that has been catching on in just about everything is that dark and edgy is the only kind of cool. We honestly have an obsession with things being dark (myself included) to the point where we shunt anything that doesn't have those properties to the sidelines. This unfortunately leads to a lot of shows trying to be dark just for the sake of being dark; attempting to grab the limelight in any way that they can. This unfortunately brings us to the topic of today's review of the anime Selector Infected WIXOSS, a show with enough zetsubou to make even the most hardened of souls cry. However, is there more to this show than misery? Let's find out.

Our story takes place in modern Japan where a new trading card game called WIXOSS is sweeping the country. The show also makes sure to note that the game is especially popular among girls and that trading card games aren't just for otaku boys anymore (which makes me even more conscious about being Yu-Gi-Oh! player). Our protagonist is a girl named Ruko who is a quiet girl who wants nothing more in life than she already has: a loving home life with her grandmother and older brother. However, her brother is worried that in her new school she isn't making any new friends and so he buys her a WIXOSS deck so that she has a way to meet new people. It's truly a loving gesture because as a TCG player we all know that its a self-destructive habit...thanks bro. Getting back to the plot, it turns out that Ruko's WIXOSS deck is not exactly ordinary. Her LRIG (think of it like a card playing avatar) is alive within her own card which makes Ruko freak the hell out. After running into another player with the same problem named Yuzuki, Ruko learns that she has been chosen as a Selector. Win enough games of WIXOSS as a Selector and one becomes an Eternal Girl, one capable of granting the Selector's most desired wish. On the other hand, lose three games and one loses their right to be a Selector and will never see that wish granted. Ruko's problem is that she doesn't have anything that she longs for and thus has no wish; she just likes playing WIXOSS because its fun to battle. However, Ruko along with her friends Yuzuki and Hitoe eventually find that being a Selector isn't all fun and games leading them down an extremely dark path.

Time to duel

What you get is a cross between Yu-Gi-Oh! and Madoka Magica. The show starts off rather slow but if you can stick it out for about 5 plodding episodes you begin to get into the real meat of the show. Like Madoka Magica, Selector Infected WIXOSS hides truly broken people behind the cute facades of Japanese schoolgirls. It actually does manage to get into some really dark material and I can tell you already, these girls get put through hell. It isn't the best paced storyline, like I said, the first few episodes are really boring to be honest but do a good enough job setting up the characters. The show spends zero time actually telling you how to play the card game. This means that whenever the Selectors get whisked off to a duel you really have no idea what is going on. You're not even sure if there are rules to this game...so basically its the first season of Yu-Gi-Oh! You'll see that the card game is hardly the central point of the anime which sounds counterintuitive because WIXOSS is a real trading card game which this show was made to promote. Strangely enough, the card game is more of a walking plot device rather than the focal point. It is used solely to bring the conflicts to a head which usually aren't even card game related and more of two girls needing to just beat the stuffing out of each other. That being said, even without the rules, the games are still at least cool to watch, sort of. The action of the LRIGs fighting is cool but the games consist of the girls just sitting at desks and yelling at each other for the most part. Like I said, don't worry about the game just focus on the bigger issue of each battle.

The main problem with Selector Infected WIXOSS is that it is trying so hard to be like Madoka Magica. Now, this goes without saying that no show should really be slammed for being "inspired" by another show. However, WIXOSS doesn't even try to hide its Madoka-ness to the point where I can hear the the creative team's discussion. "Hmm, are we going to promote this excessively complex card game? Ahhh wait! I know! Remember that show back in 2011 that was all about magical girls and got super dark and despressing and it made everyone want to cry? Remember how popular and well-liked that show was and still is? Let's do that!" I mean, as soon as the whole Selector business began I already knew where it was going. Hell, even the musical score goes with a medieval leitmotif that just has Madoka echoes all over it and just screams out a similar tone (I unfortunately can't find the exact song I'm referring to). The real problem with this is, WIXOSS wants to have that deep dark, plot twist filled plot that Madoka has but it doesn't do it nearly as well as Madoka. In Madoka we had a deconstruction of the entire genre as well as the idea of heroism with plenty of Faustian themes floating around. WIXOSS' plot gets going, you start to get into it and then the big twists come and it leaves you just saying...well...that's it? They feel like twists just for the sake of having them, rather than serving some greater purpose. I won't lie, I was really intrigued by the plot and was honestly hooked by episode 5 or 6. The first big twist I think was actually really well done. However, after that the show just dicks around for a few more episodes before realizing "OH CRAP, WE HAVE A FINALE TO DO!!" It isn't that what WIXOSS goes for isn't interesting and dark material. Its just that other shows have done similar things and have honestly done them a hell of a lot better. I'll be honest about the final episode too, it's pretty great mostly just on a "what the hell just happened" sort of level. I'm hoping the second season (currently out and completed) will answer those questions because the ending of this first season was pretty mindblowing.

Used to it, there's a lot of suffering in this show

The characters of this show are lucky that they're carried by an intriguing plot because the cast of characters is rather unremarkable. I was more attached to than plot because I wanted to know what the deal was with the Selector game rather than how it would impact any of the characters. Ruko as a character is extremely underwhelming essentially being Madoka without any of the redeeming qualities. She just sort of reacts to every situation and is indecisive about literally everything. Now, Madoka was hardly perfect but she made up for it in spades. Ruko's character never really goes anywhere. Her big conflict is the fact that she doesn't have a wish, she just likes playing WIXOSS. Now, this bothers a number of other Selectors because they see her indifference as her simply just being a huge jerk. Then it tries to sell us on that Ruko secretly enjoys beating down other people to a near sadistic intent. That would have actually been a cool storyline and a good path for Ruko to go down for her character development. Instead her character, like the show's plot stays stuck in neutral for the show's last 3-4 episodes. In fact, Ruko, despite being the main character, feels less like a main character when it comes to her gung-ho friend Yuzuki. Now, I'll try not to let this get too out of hand but...Yuzuki's character motivation is rather cringe worthy. Let's just say that anyone who finds the subject of incest uncomfortable might want to avoid this show. My issue with it is that while the other characters seem to condemn it, the show really really wants you to want it which didn't entirely sit right with me. I get that love is love but it was rather difficult to wrap my head around this one. Our third main character is Hitoe, the glasses girl who, to be completely honest, totally sucks. She's a walking cliche and only seems there because the creators clearly were too lazy and were just like "WE NEED A MOE GLASSES GIRL". The LRIGs do function as characters as well but only seem there to provide exposition or in the case of Ruko's LRIG, named Tama: to be annoying as all bloody hell. They felt more like walking plot devices rather than their own unique characters. The villains aren't much better either. Akira is extremely shallow and we're never given any reason as to why Iona acts the way she does. Simply put, you don't watch this show for its characters.

From an audio and visual standpoint, WIXOSS cleans up rather well. It's well animated, there isn't anything egregiously bad, and the characters are all rather inoffensive...well except for this dude. The biggest complaint would be that it all feels very uninspired and reads, we made this show simply to sell cards. The music is another average part of the show filled with a mix of upbeat electro tracks and some more downtrodden ones that seem to have been left off the Madoka soundtrack. The opening and ending themes aren't anything especially amazing either.

In closing, there is a decent bit to like about Selector Infected WIXOSS. It could have just been a mail it in show meant to sell cards but the creators actually put the effort in to create something of higher quality. Unfortunately, it still fails to hold itself up to the standard that it is clearly trying to emulate. I guess the bottomline is that it is just a distinctly average anime, good enough that I can't tell anyone that they shouldn't watch it but not good enough to wholeheartedly give it the "add to list right now" recommendation. If you like shows in the same realm as Neon Genesis Evangelion or Madoka you'll find some stuff to like here but even so, there are still shows even from this past year that handle the material this show handles in a better way (see. Death Parade). With all of that said, Selector Infected WIXOSS is better than your average anime fare and even merits a watch of its second season but you shouldn't be in a rush to watch it.

My Score: The most 3/5 show I've reviewed yet...

Maybe Getting Friend Zoned Isn't the Worst? - Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun Review

In my time as an anime watcher, I have never been one to watch a show in season, unless it absolutely cannot wait. Recently however, I have been more open to watching newer shows and actually expanding my boundaries as to what kind of shows I find myself watching. This brings me to my newest show, Gekkan Shounjo Nozaki-kun, one of the funniest shows that I have watched in a very long time. It has an extremely simple premise but actually turned into the best parody of the shoujo genre since Ouran High School Host Club did it.

Like I said before, this show has a very simple premise. The opening scenes introduce us to Chiyo Sakura, a young school girl who has a crush on schoolmate Umetarou Nozaki. However, when Chiyo attempts to profess her love to him, Nozaki mistakes her for a fan and gives her an autograph. Confused, Chiyo tries to convey that she always wants to be with him which prompts the oblivious Nozaki to bring her back to his apartment where he asks her...to help him out with some drawings. Yes, Nozaki is actually a famous shoujo manga artist. Chiyo agrees to be his assistant in order to get closer to her beloved and so this ridiculous story begins. On the surface, the premise of this show sounds rather boring, we have a couple essentially paired off in episode 1 and these characters seem almost too dense for words. However, Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun manages to be something absolutely fantastic. You see, Nozaki himself has never actually experienced anything close to love which makes his role as the author of a shoujo manga questionable at best. How he has managed to succeed is because he uses his schoolmates as inspiration for his work. This leads to hilarious adventures where Nozaki goes to the most absurd lengths in order to find inspiration for his work. In the process, the show manages to evoke and then subvert all of the traditional tropes that shoujo manga and anime employ. Chiyo spends most episodes reading into just about everything Nozaki does and finds herself in the usual shoujo manga positions. For example: "Nozaki-kun is sitting next to me!!! We're sharing an umbrella!!! He made me lunch!!!" All of these situations end up with Chiyo realizing (hilariously) that Nozaki is simply using those situations as inspiration for his manga. This show lives and dies off of constant creating and subverting your expectations.

Nozaki goes for the gusto when it comes to subverting shoujo tropes

Despite the ridiculous tone of the show, there is actually a few bigger themes at play here. Because the driving force of the plot is Nozaki's manga, each character is looking for romantic situations. However, each character has a different idea of romance which makes the situations even more accurate and makes the comedic effects of the parody even better. Nozaki bases his manga off of his friends from school. One we have Mikoshiba, who on the outside appears to be the slick casanova, cool and popular on the outside but instead is extremely insecure and feels the pressure to live up to everyone's expectations. In a nutshell, he is every shoujo protagonist ever which is why Nozaki decides to base his protagonist, Mamiko, after him. Then we have Yuu Kashima, the "Prince" of their high school. Kashima acts exactly like the traditional love interest from a shoujo manga; cool, athletic and commands the attention of all the girls in school. However, Kashima is actually a girl. So as one would expect, she is Nozaki's inspiration for the male interest of his manga. Yes, Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun actually takes all of these stereotypes and gender flips them. We have the completely oblivious and passive aggressive boy, who turns out just to be a girl who is ignorantly blunt. Nozaki himself is clueless to the point where it is questionable why exactly Chiyo is even interested in him.

The fun of Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun is to see how exactly these characters interact on screen and Nozaki's mad attempts to break away from the cliches of shoujo manga. For example, the first episode takes a crack at the cliche of having a girl ride on the back of her love interest's bike. Nozaki asks Chiyo to ride on a bike with him, which of course makes her unbeleivably excited, only to find that he wants her to ride a two seater bike. Nozaki then tries to figure out every way that he can possible make this bike romantic which of course, leads to hilariousness. Mikoshiba and Nozaki play a dating sim in which they find out that none of the girls interested them because they couldn't get over the fact that the in-game best friend gave up three years of his life to help you get with the girl you wanted. This show made me laugh out loud at certain points and my experience with shoujo anime and manga is rather limited. The cast of characters is phenomenal and I found that I loved the episodes where every character was involved. Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun is one of those shows that despite its ensemble cast is able to involve just about everyone and it does it with regularity. The show easily could have focused on just Chiyo and Nozaki but instead has entire episodes that feature them as side characters. I particularly loved the episodes that focused on Kashima because she was my personal favorite character though being completely honest it was hard to pick one because every character was just that lovable.

Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun loves to subvert traditional shoujo tropes. Having a female character, like Kashima, be so princely is just one example.

<Spoilers are in this next paragraph>

The only real negative thing that I can say about this show is that there really is no resolution...to anything. There are definitely pairings, weird as they are but by the time you get to the final episode, nothing actually happens. However, while this aspect of the show bothered a lot of people, I actually found the ending to be perfect. This is a show that is parodying aspects of the shoujo genre and has subverted those tropes for its entire run. Having it end in a cliched way would not exactly suit this show. Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun's success comes from how it distorts those tropes so evoking them in such a way by the end would be a disservice to everything that came before. Therefore, I like the idea of the anime being Chiyo gets hilariously friend-zoned for 12 episodes rather than a cliched ending.

From an audio and video standpoint there wasn't a whole lot that really stood out. If anything, the show was great at using extremely cliched shoujo anime music in the most comedic of ways. I can't exactly say that anything really stood out. However, I did find the opening really really catchy and rarely ever felt like skipping it. The ending song however was extremely underwhelming. Visually the show is at the level that you expect from any anime nowadays. It doesn't do anything especially new or creative with the designs of its characters but I guess that's actually the point. Regardless, the show looks and sounds fine which is really all you can ask for.

Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun is probably the most surprising show I've watched in a long time. I knew going in that it was going to be a fun, laugh out loud show but I don't think that I expected myself to enjoy it as much as I did. It is a comedy, plain and simple and never tries to be anything else. If you're looking for a show that will make you laugh (I guarantee it), then this one is definitely for you. Don't be scared off by the fact that it is a shoujo anime because there is much more here than meets the eye. Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun is one of the best shows from 2014 and it would be a disservice not to give in a shot.

My Score: 5/5

The 20ish Anime That You Must Watch

Back to school once again, I have found that posting to this blog is one of the harder things to do (school, ugh, who needs it). However, I came across a bit of inspiration lately. I am definitely pegged as "the anime guy" among people that I know. Many times I get asked the question "what should I watch next?" or "I want to watch an anime but I have no idea where to start!!!"Well question no more my friends because I have come to your rescue with a neat and tidy list with 20 anime that you (in my personal opinion) should absolutely watch. I am guilty of stealing this idea from one of my favorite anime YouTubers, Arkada aka Glass Reflection, but I have always believed that imitation is the finest form of flattery. If you want to see his list, which I can guarantee you will be very similar in structure and content to mine, I'll leave the link right here.

Before we start this list however, there are a few things that should definitely be addressed:

• This list may be numbered but it is not a traditional ranked list. The first few may be some classics that every anime fan should watch but overall you are free to pick any of the shows on the list and watch in any order that you want. I'll make a few comments about ones that I personally place priorities on but overall, you have freedom here.
• The reason that I include the "-ish" in the title is because this list will not only encompass singular series'. Most of the time I will be referring to the entire franchise, studios, or creators because often times you'll find that just about everything they make is fantastic.
• This list is about the anime that I think just about anyone will enjoy. Yes, there are animes that I personally enjoy more than some entries on this list but I don't think that those are as accessible to people who haven't had a lot of experience in anime. This includes parodies like Ouran High School Host Club or ridiculous shows like Kill la Kill. Sorry to disappoint but neither of those shows will be on this list even though I love both of them. (Same goes for something as wildly popular yet divisive like K-On!) There will be some more "out there" stuff on this list but I consider those to be more like gateways to the more crazy stuff.
• On whether you should watch these shows subbed or dubbed, I honestly couldn't care less. Watch them however you want though there are a few shows that I will say you definitely need to watch in Japanese.
• Lastly, this is MY list, if you disagree with anything I list here you are more than entitled to voice your opinion or even make your own list. Just make sure to respect my opinions because I'd love to respect yours.

Without any further ado, lets get on with the list (and the first show that literally everybody knows is coming).

1.) Cowboy Bebop

I honestly cannot express enough how essential Bebop is to understanding not only what modern anime has become but what anime is capable of when it is used to is maximum. Bebop was so influential that watching it is absolutely required if anyone wants to consider themselves an anime fan. It has incredibly well written characters; some may complain about how little the overarching plot comes in to play but I have yet to see a show capture the same level of artistry that Bebop did its episodic storytelling. It is the one anime that I can recommend to anyone and know they'll enjoy it because there is something for everyone to enjoy. The only reason why I can see anyone not liking it because they hate things that are popular. Seriously, I can't really say anything more about this series, it is the best anime ever released and if you haven't seen it you should watch it as soon as possible.

2.) Neon Genesis Evangelion (Franchise)

Evangelion is quite simply my favorite anime of all time. It has incredibly well written characters, a fascinating plot, downright terrifying on a psychological level, and was the first anime that deeply impacted me and changed the way I lived and thought. However, when you talk about Evangelion you have to mention how divisive the show really is. Some really love it, some really hate it but either way, like Bebop, it is one of those shows you really need to watch to claim credibility as an anime fan. The number of copycats that have followed Evangelion is a testament to its influence and its quality. If you want an anime that really pushes boundaries, this one is definitely it. In addition to the series there is tons of other ways to get your Evangelion fix after the series: End of Evangelion, the manga, and the Rebuild films. Now, since I'm a huge Evangelion buff, there is a specific watching order. Watch the series before the Rebuild movies, trust me. The new movies are really pretty but your enjoyment of them will be higher if you've seen the series prior.

3.) Revolutionary Girl Utena

Where do I even begin to explain what Revolutionary Girl Utena is, how do I even begin to explain the genius of such a piece. Utena is another example of what anime is capable of. Of the three that I have listed so far, it is definitely the most abstract (which is saying something because Evangelion is on here), often times called "Evangelion for girls". But Utena is what happens when an anime transcends the sum of its parts and becomes something else entirely, art. It is a beautifully animated deconstruction that through all of its roses and bright colors is terrifyingly dark and deconstructs the entire nature of heroism. It pushes the boundaries to such an extent (the movie is a prime example of this) and despite its inherent weirdness, manages to be wildly successful. The creator, Kunihiko Ikuhara is an anime legend, known for making remarkably abstract animated pieces (like the wonderful Maworu Penguindrum). Aside from all the philosophical talk, sex themes, and dark undertones, you also get the best female protagonist (and one of the best protagonists in any medium) in all of anime, Utena Tenjou. Seriously, watch this show.

4.) Anything by Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli

I'm going to be honest, I have never been as fond of Miyazaki's films as some are. Of course, this does not make me oblivious to the massive impact that the man has had on the anime industry, its expansion to the West or the sheer quality of the films. Like the other three entries on the list, having seen at least 3-4 Miyazaki films is essential for your credibility as an anime fan. There are few better at world building than Miyazaki as he creates colorful and flowing worlds with characters you cannot help but love. There are no "bad" Ghibli films, it really just depends on what you're looking for. There are the more fast-paced action adventures of Princess Mononoke or Nausicaa and the Valley of the Wind or the more innocent and fun tales of My Neighbor Totorro or Kiki's Delivery Service. Ghibli's universe is vast and there is something here for everyone. I've always been more attracted to his more innocent adventures because they feel like Miyazaki tapping into his inner child. The hardest part is just finding a place to start and in truth, there is no bad way to do so.

5.) Steins;Gate

Time travel is really risky business when it comes to fiction. Most times it is simply used as a convenient plot device or deus ex machina to get the characters out of danger, opening up a whole swiss cheese load of plot holes in the process. So for a series to do time travel, establish rules for how the system works, tie it in to an awesome plot, and manage to make me laugh and cry while doing it...is extremely impressive. Simply put, Steins;Gate is the best anime to come out in a very long time for it is an example of fantastic storytelling and is the best I have ever seen time travel be implemented in any work of fiction. It even manages to work in real life conspiracy theories into its plotline. While revolving around a concept as vast and wacky as time travel, the plot manages to stay grounded and hits you emotionally on such a real level. It uses time travel to explore some of the most real parts of humans themselves and it turns into a really powerful work. Also it has some of the best dialogue that you'll find anywhere incorporating some great otaku humor. Another series that I cannot rate highly enough.

6.) Ghost in the Shell (Franchise)

One of the trends on this list is you can see that I'm a massive sucker for the anime of the 90's as it was a golden age in innovation for the medium. It's a level of creativity that unfortunately the industry has only been able to sporadically reach in recent years. Ghost in the Shell changed science fiction in anime forever, in fact you could even say that it changed genre as a whole. I mean, the film was one of the major inspirations for The Matrix of all things. It's another one of those films that you should see just to say that you've seen it. If the movie was awesome but still not enough for you there is also the amazing series that followed the movie, Standalone Complex, which can still visually stand up to anything that comes out now. Just watch it, stop reading this and watch it.

7.) Yu Yu Hakusho

Simply put, Yu Yu Hakusho is the absolute best shounen around and I'll honestly dare anyone to argue otherwise. Shounens are not always known for depth of material as most of the action revolves around yelling and fighting. Yu Yu Hakusho however managed to create a really good story with extremely well developed characters and some of the best villains you'll find anywhere. You also get treated to the best shounen protagonist around in Yusuke Urameshi, who was really the first protagonist of his kind. Unlike other shounens, this one is actually streamlined and without filler, making every episode worthwhile. Its only weakness is that its final arc was rather weak in comparison to the first three but its worth watching to see how it all resolves. The Chapter Black arc is a blueprint for how a shounen should be written. This is one of the more hefty shows on the list, topping out at over 100 episodes but what other shounen are you going to watch instead? One Piece? Give me a break.

8.) Akira

Akira was not just one of the most groundbreaking pieces of animation ever, it is a cultural phenomenon that like the later-to-come Ghost in the Shell, changed the science fiction genre forever. Akira is another example of what anime has the capacity to be, dark, gritty, and downright violent at times. It broke conception that you could not translate mature content to animation and that anime was not just something for kids. The above movie poster is extremely iconic and the film has been parodied many times over (you may not have even realized). The animation even holds up for the most part even though the film came out in 1988! Now of course, I do have to make the disclaimer that this film is something that you definitely should not watch under the influence of anything. If you're squeamish you may also find it hard to watch. Even so, its worth it to understand how exactly anime got to where it is today.

9.) Puella Magi Madoka Magica

Don't let the above poster fool you, this show is definitely not as cute or fluffy as it appears. What Madoka Magica turned out to be was one of the best deconstructions that I have ever watched, not only of the magical girl genre but themes that are commonplace in fiction. I'm a sucker for deconstructions of heroism and altruism so this show fits my tastes completely. If you don't believe me, watch the first three episodes and tell me otherwise. The writing is phenomenal, the animation superb, and it has a musical score that you can't help but love. Also, the series is only 11 episodes and is on Netflix Instant, so there it is easy to access in HD. Once you've finished the series you can move on the the movie Madoka Magica: Rebellion which quite simply was one of the best anime films I've seen, smashing sales records in Japan and was even submitted for an Academy Award (not nominated because of stupid reasons that I won't get into). Its a beautiful and tragic work that needs to be seen to be believed and believe me, it doesn't disappoint.

10.) FLCL

FLCL (pronounced "Fooly Cooly") is definitely the weirdest anime I've ever watched but makes this list because it is completely unlike anything else that I've watched. What you do find through all the wackiness is an absolute gem of animation that really pushes the boundaries of what animation can do. To put this in perpective, the show largely revolves around a Vespa-riding alien who gets her kicks out of whacking the protagonist over the head with a bass guitar. This wackiness is also made even stranger by the fact that it was produced by the same studio that made Evangelion. For some people, FLCL may prove to be too weird but I implore everyone to give it a shot, don't take it so seriously, and just strap yourself in for a wild ride. There are few shows that will entertain you more. Also, big shout-out to the amazing soundtrack.

11.) Anything by Mamoru Hosada

Saying any Mamoru Hosada film will do is a bit of an exaggeration since the man has directed only four films so far: The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Summer Wars, Wolf Children, and one classic favorite of mine: Digimon: Our War Game. All four of the films that I listed are phenomenal films and you can't go wrong with any of them. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time might be my favorite though Summer Wars is one of those films that resonates with me with its themes on family. The guy has a really simple, yet elegant approach to his films and often puts an emphasis on the more monotonous parts of life that we take for granted. Hosada's films are always well scored, look great, and have real, relatable characters. With Miyazaki's retirement, Hosada might be the face of the anime film industry at the moment.

12.) Baccano!

Baccano! has gangsters, immortals, alchemists, and a train known as the Flying Pussyfoot. It has three different and yet connected storylines that each take place in a different year. It has a cast of named characters so long that it feels the need remind you every opening which character was which lest you forget. It all comes together into one of the best anime experiences I've ever had. Baccano! is yet again one of the stylistically great pieces that comes equipped with everything you'd want. There also isn't a forgettable character in the show; from the bumbling thieving couple Isaac and Miria to the tattooed bootlegger Jacuzzi Splott, there will be at least one character that makes a lasting impression on you. It also manages to combine its "on the surface level" jumbled plot into a wonderful storyline that manages to incorporate every single one of the characters to great effect. If you haven't gotten around to watching this show, which came out 2007, you should get on it quickly.

13.) Full Metal Panic!

Sometimes you just want to sit down and enjoy a good, old-fashioned mech anime. Unfortunately, that is not exactly what Full Metal Panic! is. In fact, you would not be crazy to think that you're just watching a high school slice of life/romance show after the first few episodes. However, stick around a bit longer and you actually get one of the best experiences out there in terms of mecha anime. One of the big reasons that I put this show on the list is because of its absolutely outstanding second season. The first season of Full Metal Panic! is definitely good but inconsistent. The second season is outstanding, period and is something that honestly should be viewed by all. Like most shows on this list, there is something here for everyone. There is humor in watching the socially inept mercenary Sousuke Sagara try and pass as a high school student while protecting Kaname Chidori, who manages to morph into more than just fanservice by the show's end. Its good, its simple, you won't be disappointed.

14.) Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion

Those looking for an anime about a genius who is too smart for their own good have two options: Death Note or Code Geass. If you're smart, you'll choose the latter and treat yourself to one of the best shows of the past decade. Lelouch is often that genius, most of the time finding that even the most well laid plans are often spoiled because of the irrational and unexpected behavior of human beings. The first season of Code Geass is absolutely thrilling with twists and turns being thrown your way. The second season has its detractors but is worth watching because this is one of those series' that actually manages to end the perfect way as opposed to giving its fans some dud. If you're looking for a show that manages to combine great mecha combat, smart dialogue, and a weird amount of fanservice than you've found the show for you.

15.) Psycho-Pass 

In addition to being a big sucker for deconstructions of heroism, I am also a huge sucker for anything that deconstructs what exactly justice is. That is where Psycho-Pass lies, in a world where a system can determine whether you're a criminal or not, the system itself must have some sort of formula for passing down judgement. What you get with Psycho-Pass is an excellent cyberpunk detective show where nothing is ever black and white, just about every confrontation feels like a high-stakes psychological battle. You also get treated to some of the best music in any anime out there right now, especially that second opening. Quick disclaimer, if you are squeamish this show might not be for you. There is a pretty high level of body horror and gore but I can assure you that the rest of the show more than makes up for it.

16.) Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann

If Neon Genesis Evangelion is considered to be the deconstruction of the super robot genre, than consider Gurren Lagann to be the reconstruction. Where Evangelion is angsty and psychological, Gurren Lagann supplies hot-blooded action and one of the most unique art styles to come out of any anime. While typically its one of those shows you watch to really earn your man card, its also surprisingly deep and touching in its own special way. The directing team for this show then went on to one-up themselves by producing Kill la Kill, one of my favorite animes that didn't quite make this list (Gurren Lagann is a bit more accessible). Gurren Lagann is a fun ride that never gets old no matter how many times I watch it. Quite literally, this show kicks logic to the curb and does the impossible.

17.) Trigun

Part of the Western anime boom of the 90's, Trigun is one of those shows that turned out to be way more popular in the West than in Japan. If you can stick with its ridiculously slow start you'll find that Trigun is a much more complex show than meets the eye. It's hero, Vash the Stampede is a pacifist criminal with a massive "double dollar" bounty on his head. What you get with Trigun is a show that manages to dig up Vash's troubled past and it quickly turns from a comical show to one that gets darker and darker leading up to its climax. Trigun is a very accessible show, similar to Cowboy Bebop, making use of a lot of Western cinematic devices. Storytelling is always a massive selling point to me for any anime and Trigun's story is deep, dark, and complex in so many different ways alongside a diverse cast of characters. If you want a show with some awesome action and storyline to match, this is a show for you.

18.) The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

I'll admit, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya was one of those shows that was ridiculously popular at the beginning of my re-immersion into anime back in high school. I quickly dismissed it as a stupid slice of life show and didn't understand why people were so obsessed with some random schoolgirl, doing some ridiculous dance at cons everywhere. I'm not entirely sure what changed, but I found myself watching this show in the past year and found myself not only pleasantly surprised but actually understanding the hyper. Haruhi can be an intimidating show because there is so much hype around it and there is always the worry that it won't be able to live up to it. Don't you worry, this show is one of the most unique and creative shows out there. From its wacky viewing order (there is a perfect playlist on YouTube that has the right order), to its eclectic blend of genre and episode types, you really do not know what to expect each episode. This list definitely values anime that offers a variety of different attributes and Haruhi checks the boxes on each one. The show plays with a whole number of anime tropes as the entire SOS brigade does their best to keep their god (literally), Haruhi, from rewriting the universe. This is one of the most unique shows out there.

19.) The Big O

This is one of the entries on the list that definitely makes this it my own. The Big O carries a whole load of nostalgia for me and a rewatch of it reminded me of how good of a show it is. This is a show that absolutely bombed in Japan but found itself wildly popular in the West because it ran late on adult.swim and Toonami. In fact, its second season was released solely in the West, with Cartoon Network taking a production credit. Roger Smith is the top negotiator in Paradigm City, a place whose citizens have lost their memories. When negotiations fail, Roger is there in his giant robot or "megadeus" Big O. Like Trigun and Cowboy Bebop, Big O is episodic by nature and is one of the best shows out there in terms of tone. Everything is set up brilliantly, the atmosphere, the music, the scenery; this show is enjoyable to sit back and enjoy it. The Western influence on this show is also incredible. I would say that the closest Western show to Big O is Batman: The Animated Series which is known as one of the best adaptations of all time. Big O's style of episodic storytelling is excellent with each episode being strangely powerful. In addition you get treated to some excellent characters including R. Dorothy Wainwright whose chemistry with Roger, is one of the best parts of the series. The second season is where things get, how do I say, cerebral which can be a bit of a jarring switch. However, if one sticks with it, they'll find a really extraordinary piece of work here. An extremely underrated series and must watch. 

20.) One of the Fate series'

Quick disclaimer; no, by a Fate series I do not mean the terrible original Fate/Stay Night series that this infamous little number came from. No, I'm talking about the newer works such as the prequel Fate/Zero and this past year's Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works. The latter show has not even been finished yet but I will tell you this right now, start watching it or at least start watching Fate/Zero. The slow pace may put you off at first, but you're in not only for a visual treat as well as a really intriguing plot. For those who like their action pretty, these shows are definitely for you. You might as well call the new Fate/StayNight something along the lines of Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Budget Works for how damn good the whole thing looks. As I said before however, these shows are not all about the budget. If you're looking for something on the cutting edge of what animation is capable nowadays, these shows are definitely what you're looking at.

So that is pretty much it for my list but don't expect this list to remain like this for long. As I continue to watch more anime, the list will change as well. However, let us say that you, the reader, have watched every single one of the shows on this list or none of them appeal to you, let me be the one to supply a few tips when it comes to what you want to watch next:

• Step out of your comfort zone: It is very easy to fall into the trap of simply watching the same kind of shows over and over again. Why? Because watching anime, like watching just about anything else, can be a big commitment and often it is easier to attach that time commitment to something you know you'll like. However, instead of just firing up another shounen immediately after finishing one, let me offer something to the contrary. Anime has so much to offer and it is a resource that should not go to waste. Revolutionary Girl Utena was one of those big risks that ended up paying off, as someone who had previously just been watching nothing but shounens. You don't know what you'll like until you find it, so go ahead and take risks.
• Don't let review scores influence you: Be aware that just because one person thinks a show is absolutely amazing, doesn't mean that you will love it. I may think everything on this list is the bees knees but you may think otherwise and that is great. However, review scores only tell part of the story and by their very nature are biased. At the same time, shows with a lower score also deserve your attention because there may be something you like there. If a show looks cool and has piqued your interest, go for it regardless of what others say. Don't judge anything until you've seen it yourself. Of course, you should still continue to read this blog. 
• Avoid the long shows: You know those shows: Naruto, Bleach, One Piece, etc. These shows are so long, too established, and so bogged down with filler. Why watch a show that has over 300+ episodes when you could wrap up several shorter (and higher quality shows) in the same amount of time? However, like I said in the upper point; if that is really want you want, go for it.
• Spread the joy: The most fun that I have had as an anime fan has been discussing it with friends and introducing people to shows I think they'd like. So I encourage you, spread your love of anime to others, make your own list of things you think people should watch, Sit your friends down and fire up some Bebop; I guarantee you'll have a lot of fun. 

It's ART Dang It! - Bakemonogatari Review

As one of my favorite anime reviewers, Gigguk, has said. It is very easy to determine what a certain anime will be like based on the show's fanbase, more specifically its most diehard fans. For a show like The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya you'll often find a group of otaku's who worship a 16 year old girl and whose only joy in life is to perform a perfect Hare Hare Yukai at an anime convention. There's the die hard Neon Genesis Evangelion fans (which includes myself) who have probably all written college level thesis' on the significance of Shinji Ikari's pinky in that one scene. For a show like Bakemonogatari, you get the most hipster fans of the anime genre, those looking for shows that push the boundaries by more stylistic means (I'll come back to these fans later because I'm not done). Getting on to the real point of this article, the kind of reviews that I had read about Bakemonogatari told me the story about this series before I really got started; get ready for a dialogue heavy, push your mental limits, philosophical HAREM ANIME. Buckle up...

As far as plot goes (and believe me there is not much to go on), Bakemonogatari is about Koyomi Araragi, a regular, lazy, high school student who turns out to be one-tenth of a vampire. One day while walking up the stairs, he manages to catch Hitagi Senjougahara, a beautiful high school student who, it turns out, has had her weight stolen from her by a crab god. Seeing as Araragi has already had dealings with the supernatural, Senjougahara accepts his help in order to get her weight back. The rest of the episodes form themselves into story arcs which follow a simple formula: Araragi meets girl with supernatural problem, he hangs out with them for a bit, it gets solved. There really isn't that much more to the plot that needs to be explained. To be perfectly honest, the plot of the show is the least important part of this show. In fact, if you sit down to watch this show, you had better buckle up to prepare yourself for the lack of anything really going on. Most episodes feature the characters just sitting around and talking, most of the time about absolutely nothing. I could probably count the number of true action sequences on one hand, most them involving Araragi either beating up of sexually harassing a grade schooler (I'll elaborate later). So those looking for a fast-paced action packed show would be better off watching the show I last reviewed, Akame ga Kill!. However, what Bakemonogatari manages to do is make this into something really cool. The show is incredibly clever and the writing follows a mix of snappy humor, pop culture references, and a whole lot of other good stuff. I always found myself pleasantly surprised by the writing, often making me laugh out loud in my seat.  So yes, most of the episodes are around the characters doing absolutely nothing which reveals itself to be both a good and a bad thing. The slow pace can make it hard to watch more than 2-3 episodes at a time, which is good, since each plot arc is about that long. The "camera" is always changing perspective, at a rate of nearly every second, as if trying to keep your brain from getting bored.

These characters will not leave this area and will talk to each other the whole episode...get used to it.

 Before I continue with this review, there is one thing that I definitely need to mention. Bakemonogatari is made by Studio SHAFT and if there is one thing you could say about SHAFT is that they're a studio which can be very divisive. Bakemonogatari is so SHAFT all of the time. What does this mean exactly? It means loads of establishing shots, constantly changing perspectives, surrealism, loads of dialogue, loads of color everywhere, seems like the characters are the only ones who live in the city etc. It isn't hard to spot a SHAFT piece when watching an anime. This is the same studio that gave us Puella Magi Madoka Magica which should give you some perspective on what Bakemonogatari is like, though saying it is exactly like Madoka is a huge exaggeration. Bakemonogatari pushes stylistic barriers and honestly I can't say that I've ever watched anything like it. Being a SHAFT piece means that you are going to get a series that is absolutely beautiful and Bakemonogatari is no exception. This is one of those times where anime truly becomes an art form and I would say that Bakemonogatari succeeds in creating a stylistically beautiful and elegant piece of art.

Anyways, back to the review, the issue with Bakemonogatari is not these slow scenes but more about when that thing called a plot rears its ugly head. Araragi helps all of these girls deal with their supernatural problems which in reality are just giant metaphors for deeper psychological issues that each of the girls have. Like I said before, the show is at its best when two characters are just talking. Then suddenly the plot jams itself in there and you get the supernatural expert, Meme Oshino, explaining what exactly is happening. The plot is not a bad thing by any means but it seems to take a bit away from the excellent dialogue and character development and it is hard to truly care about it. Like I said before, the best scenes are when the characters are simply talking about nothing so when it shifts to the actual plot, I lose some interest. Regardless, those scenes are some of the most elegant and beautiful in the entire series. What I liked most about these plot arcs was that Araragi actually ended up playing a very small role in these girls facing and solving their problems. Most of the time, the character he's "helping" will solve her problem by simply facing it and figuring it out by herself. I thought that this was one of the best aspects of the show.

The girls, like Kanbaru here, often solve their own problems simply by having the courage to face them, rather than any intervention on Araragi's part.

 The story is viewed through the eyes of Koyomi Araragi who is either the lazy and laid back protagonist or the one who occasionally erupts into a frantically yelling crazy man who takes pride in beating up a grade schooler. Yes, Araragi is certainly an interesting character. The real highlight of the series however is Senjougahara, his sharp tongued, absolutely nuts, and yet lovable girlfriend. She is by far the best written character in the show and has the right combination of character traits to make her such an enjoyable character. I found that the episodes that she was most heavily involved with were the best ones of the series. The rest of the characters however, aren't anything entirely new. Each of the girls that Araragi deals with can easily be summarized into a harem stereotype. Senjougahara is two types of dere; yandere and tsundere, Mayoi is a loli, Kanbaru a genki girl, Sengoku the moe one, and Hanekawa a cat-girl/meganekko. Regardless, this show is so well written that simply dismissing each character as such would be a disservice. I would say that there wasn't a character to dislike in the show but I will say that Bakemonogatari does not always make the best use of its best character, Senjougahara, as some episodes go by where she barely makes an appearance.

Finally, I have to bring up my most major gripe with this series. Before I do, I feel the need for a quick disclaimer. I really enjoyed this series because it was unlike anything that I had ever watched before. It is incredibly well written, the characters are enjoyable, and the art and the music were absolutely fantastic. The hardest part of this series to swallow is that at its core, this show is simply a harem anime hiding behind a shield of pretentious philosophical language. What takes away from the deeper themes of the series is the constant overload of fanservice and the harem anime esque antics of Araragi. Now I'm sure that somebody could give me an explanation of what exactly all of that fanservice means but to be perfectly honest, I found most of it shallow and unnecessary and to be honest, undermined many of the show's deeper themes for me. This leads me back into a discussion about how the fans of the series can often impact your image of a series. This a show that definitely attracts a certain amount of pretentious and snoody anime fans who claim this show is the best thing sliced bread simply because it is so different when in reality Bakemonogatari is simply a very good show. It sounds a little hypocritical coming from a big Evangelion fan like myself but while I enjoyed this show a great deal, I don't think I enjoyed it in the way its most hardcore fans do. While it has all the flashy art, it honestly felt like a show that was trying to stash away its more generic aspects by covering it over with nonsense that its fans would inevitably attach frivolous meaning to, call it art, and then fire expletives at whomever disagrees with them. That being said, I still enjoyed this show because it did take a unique approach to some played out aspects of anime and managed to do them very well.

Its ART DAMMIT

So where exactly does that leave us with Bakemonogatari? It is certainly not for everyone; the slow pace of the episodes, the heavy dialogue, and the graututious fanservice (not to mention the amount of scenes that make you say WTF) will turn off a lot of people. At its best, however, you have a show with excellent art, slick animation, snappy dialogue, and a lot of really great character development. It is also worth watching purely to see Senjougahara, since she is one of the best characters that I have experienced in my time watching anime. Bakemonogatari is certainly one of the best thought provoking animes out there, though perhaps not in the way its most hardcore fans see it.

My Score: 4/5

Who's Next? - Akame ga Kill! Anime Review

The shounen genre of anime has always been close to my heart mostly because it was those kind of shows that got me into anime in the first place. Racing home from school to watch Dragonball and Yu Yu Hakusho was my introduction into anime. Of course, the more anime I have watched, the more eclectic my tastes have become. However, I do enjoy a good shounen anime every now and then whenever I'm in the mood for some good, fluid, and kickass action. This past anime season, we were treated to Akame ga Kill! a truly classic shounen fighting anime that takes the classic shounen formula and pushes it into darker and edgy territory.

The plot of Akame ga Kill! is pretty straightforward; swordsman Tatsumi sets out from his humble village to the Capitol in order to join the military and earn money for his village. However, Tatsumi quickly finds that the capital is not the place he envisioned in his head. Instead it is a depraved and corrupt place which has been tainted by the rule of a corrupt Prime Minister who wield massive influence over its child emperor. After nearly falling victim to this corruption (Tatsumi gets taken in by a seemingly nice family who instead love torturing outsiders for sport), Tatsumi finds himself recruited by Night Raid, a faction of the Revolutionary Army made up of assassins who are looking to clean up the Capitol's corruption. While Tatsumi initially does not approve of how the group does their business, he decides to join up with them seeing this as an opportunity to truly help the starving people of his village. Each member of the group wields what are called Imperial Arms, special weapons that each have incredible powers such as: a blade that can kill enemies with just one cut thanks to a deadly poison, a belt that can turn its wearer into a beast and heighten their senses, a rifle that has power equal to how much trouble its user is in, and several other interesting armaments. The members of Night Raid are an eclectic bunch as well; the stoic Akame (the titular character), the ditzy Sheele, the powerful Bulat, the tsundere Mine, the brash Leone, the butt-monkey Lubbock, and their leader Najenda. Each of them have their own character quirks that make them stand out and make for some highly enjoyable dialogue. 

The members of Night Raid (Left to right): Mine, Najenda, Akame, Lubbock, Sheele, Leone, and Bulat 

What proceeds from this is some classic shounen action. Fights in the series are sights to behold as each member of Night Raid turns out to be awesomely badass in their own way. However, Akame ga Kill! is still largely style over substance. The overarching plot is that these characters are fighting in order to make things better in the Capitol, however, that plot seems more like an excuse to pit characters against each other and have them fight. Now, this isn't necessarily a bad thing because all of the onscreen action is fun to watch and highly enjoyable. In fact, its actually nice to watch a show that lets you simply enjoy what is going on. That comment is more to say that it is very easy to forget what exactly the characters are doing other than just fighting and dicking around. What sets Akame ga Kill! apart from other shounen series is that it takes a much darker tone and the level of gore puts it more in line with a traditional seinen show. One criticism that could be leveled against this show is that just because a show violence and gore doesn't mean one should rush to call it dark and edgy. That sort of thing is reserved for a show that makes that violence pointless and is only really there so that it can be viewed as some dark and mature anime series. Akame ga Kill! is a show about assassins, in a world with magical weapons, rebelling against a powerful Capitol. It is a dangerous line of work and the tone of the series reflects that. This is a very much a show that avoids the traditional shounen Plot Armor that ruins other shows. At any moment a member of the main cast could die and very often that is exactly what ends up happening. 

Where Akame ga Kill! really struggles though is when it tries to balance its darker and more serious elements with its comedic ones. For example, in the first episode Tatsumi finds out that the family who took him in actually tortured and killed two of his best friends, he even watches one of them die in his arms. It is one of the most well done scenes in the show and gives us a greater understanding into how depraved the Capitol truly is. Tatsumi has had not only his worldview shaken but has just lost two of his childhood friends. However, not wanting to let things get too serious, Tatsumi is quickly whisked away by Night Raid's Leone and Akame to the rest of the group, cracking jokes and suddenly turning into a comedic scene. Suddenly, a should-be-in-shock Tatsumi is the straight man to  Night Raid's wackiness. This isn't an exception to the rule either as this is merely one example of a serious moment being undercut by something silly. This dichotomy in tone can make the series hard to take seriously. Luckily the second half of the series is much better about letting its serious moments be, rather than reducing them to rom-com anime levels. 

May result in mood whiplash

A second point where the series struggles is with its "Anyone Can Die" theme. This is quite the double-edged sword. As said before, reducing the Plot Armor on the characters creates more tension and makes the odds of a tragedy happening much greater. It suits a show like Akame ga Kill! very well. However, it once again undercuts the emotional impact of each character's death because it only spends an episode on each character. About six episodes in was when the first character died and shame on me but it was hard to really feel anything because I hadn't been given much reason to care about the character. If anything, I was more shocked that the series killed off a major character so early since shounens are famous for having their characters survive everything (look at you Code Geass second season). Since the first two characters die without being developed beyond singular episodes it makes one wonder whether its worth getting attached to any characters if they could just be gone in the next episode. While this didn't heavily impact my enjoyment of the show, I will admit that this thought was present frequently in the back of my mind.

The good (or bad, depending on your perspective) is that Akame ga Kill! does feature a fun gallery of characters. Tatsumi, in my opinion, was a breath of fresh air. While many anime protagonists now seem to love the soft-spoken often emotionless protagonist (Aldonoah.Zero and Sword Art Online), Tatsumi subverted this trend. Most shows would have Tatsumi constantly whining about Night Raid's moral ambiguity, making him useless and annoying. Instead, Tatsumi is quick to understand that killing is necessary in order to achieve Night Raid's end goal. Since he embraces this, we are able to see Tatsumi develop into a stronger man and fighter over the course of the series. His strong sense of purpose is his best attribute and he refuses to let the superior abilities of his fellow Night Raid members deter him from simply giving up. The rest of Night Raid make up an enjoyable crew. Akame is the titular character but doesn't impact the plot any more than the other Night Raid members until the very end of the series. Despite this, I still found her to be a fine character on her own. For all the members of Night Raid (and most named characters in the series really), everyone can hold their own in a fight. Akame is probably the strongest of everyone in Night Raid and it was clear the animators had a lot of fun doing her fight choreography. Akame's charm comes from her comedic seriousness and despite her stoic nature managed to be one of the funnier characters in the show. The rest of Night Raid doesn't entirely stand out, mostly being character types that we've all seen before. However, I still enjoyed them a great deal. Bulat reminded me a lot of Kamina from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann in his relationship with Tatsumi. Leone even gets to take on a sister role similar to Yoko from the same show. Mine was the standard tsundere but manages to be charming at the same time. What Akame ga Kill! really does well is that it respects the strength of its characters. Characters lose fights because they were beaten fairly by their opponents and not because of "main character powers" or other deus ex machina. This show, despite its policy on character's lifespans, manages to give most characters the kind of respect that they deserve.

Esdeath was one of the most sinister and terrifying villains I've seen but good luck disliking her

The star character of the show however has to be the series' most present antagonist, the Capitol's General Esdeath. While the Big Bad of the series is the Prime Minister and the Emperor, they are still hardly the threat that Esdeath is. In fact, the series isn't shy about telling the audience that Esdeath is the biggest threat, not the Capitol's leader. The minister is often played for laughs and is ahrd to take seriously considering he's always eating and generally seems corrupt and clueless. Esdeath was truly a treat as a villain however. Many shows will try to humanize their villains and give them psychological excuses for why a character is so sadistic. Esdeath however simply loves killing and loves torture but at the same time has intense love for her subordinates and in her private moments can even be quite kind. However, her power on the battlefield was truly something to behold and she was truly a villain to be feared and at the same time loved. Her yandere obsession with Tatsumi, while first looking like it would detract from her appeal, ended up becoming one of her best traits. It is really an achievement to make such a chilling and strong character. Esdeath's team, the Jaegers, was also filled with likable characters. Seryu Ubiquitous however was a poorly developed character. Akame ga Kill! does an excellent job of giving us both sides of the conflict and just because Esdeath's group was on the opposing side they weren't necessarily evil, just people doing what they believe their duty. However, Seryu was the lone exception here. Her character is always seeking what she believes justice. In some appearances her character has a sweet demeanor but then switches to a manically cackling and bloodthirsty persona when she fights. It would be one thing if her character was meant to show how an extreme form of justice and how that can pervert a person but never are those aspects of her character mentioned. In one episode Mine calls her out for this hypocrisy but just because the show is self aware of how inconsistent Seryu's characterization is that doesn't mean its okay. Regardless, the Jaeger's are a great bunch that are meant to be parallels to Night Raid. Wave is similar to Tatsumi, Kurome to Akame, and so on.

As I said before, Akame ga Kill! is a slickly animated piece of work. The action looks great and the characters and world are well designed. Adding in magical weapons like the Imperial Arms really allowed for the animators to flex their muscles. However, the music wasn't entirely up to snuff. Both openings and endings aren't really anything special and the BGM, while it was passable, was hardly anything memorable. Ultimately, Akame ga Kill! was about the action and the bits of comedy, so as long as it looked good I was hardly going to complain.

Akame ga Kill! looks great and action scenes are incredibly slick

Overall, Akame ga Kill! is a fun ride and wildly entertaining. It isn't without his flaws and has the potential to frustrate people in the early going. Its habit of undercutting its own drama and at times shamelessly killing its characters may be a turn off for people. Despite these flaws, it still manages to poke its head into the upper echelon of the past season. I definitely recommend it for anyone who is looking for a good shounen that has great action elements while managing to avoid the Plot Armor trap that most shows in the genre fall into. While its hardly perfect, Akame ga Kill! is extremely entertaining and is almost worth watching for Esdeath alone.

My Score: 4/5

Reaching Out to the Truth - Persona 4: The Animation Review

As I have said in previous reviews; often times when a Japanese property becomes successful whether it be manga, light/visual novel, or video game, one can be sure it will get an anime adaptation. Persona 4 is no exception to this rule. This Christmas I received Persona 4 as a gift and proceeded to plow through it and I can legitimately say it is now one of my favorite games of all time. The Persona series is a real love of mine as I have stated before on this blog, however it took me a real long time to get around to playing P4. Regardless, having finished the game, I figured that the next logical step was to watch the anime adaptation, Persona 4: The Animation.

The Animation follows the plot of its source material right down to the finest details. The protagonist, normally silent and lacking a name until the player has named him, is named Yu Narukami in this incarnation. That name is now accepted as his canon name as evidenced by the Arena series. Yu arrives in the sleepy town of Inaba and is staying with his uncle Dojima and his cousin Nanako for a year while his parents are away. He adapts quickly to the town, making friends with Yosuke Hanamura, Chie Satonaka, and Yukiko Amagi almost instantaneously. However, his arrival also coincides with two murders, both of which done in a bizarre style. Yu also discovers that he has the power to enter another world through TV. He and his friends realize that the murders and their newly discovered powers must be linked and resolve to find the killer. Like I said before, the plot follows the game, though of course a game that took me around 70 hours to complete now has to be compressed into 26 episodes that are each around 24 minutes long. As a result, things move rather quickly, at a pace that might be disorienting to anybody who hasn't played the game before. Because of time constraints, the dungeon crawling is also stripped down. The formula is pretty simple for the first ten or so episodes. Person appears on the TV, the team deduces who it is and then goes to save them. What The Animation actually does better than the game at points is blending in character development with the dungeon crawling. For example, when the team goes in to save Yukiko, the episode is interwoven with flashbacks of Yukiko's past that give greater meaning to the events of the episode. Most things shown on the screen follow each character's arc in the game but because its fully animated this time, the characters feel more real than they did in the game.

Covering a dense game like Persona 4 is no easy task, but The Animation is able to incorporate the look and feel of the game. Persona 4 is probably the most light-hearted game about murder that exists and The Animation really nails those feelings. The sections in the TV World certainly can get dark, boss fights are usually epic affairs. However, it is disheartening to see the way combat is done here. The characters just stand around while their Personas do the fighting while in the game each of them were capable of fighting on their own with weapons. That being said, it is still good to see the menagerie of Personas that Yu has at his disposal. Most of P4 is spent grinding through dungeons. Since the actual fighting is saved only for episodes where the team has someone to rescue, more time is spent outside the TV World (Not entirely unlike the game). The Animation then relegates Social Links outside of the main cast to filler episodes. In fact, two episode are spent covering about 5 of them and we are able to see the entire Social Link, albeit at an accelerated pace. While it is nice to see the show try and include more features from the game, sometimes it makes you wonder if maybe these filler episodes could have been spent on the more interesting main cast rather than these side characters that not everyone knows if they didn't spend time on each Social Link. It is also a lot of content to pack into one episode. Even so, The Animation is able to stuff a great deal of the game's content into a series. While it moves at a quick pace, it is still coherent and remains the well put together story that it was in the game. However, its transgressions and cut aways from the main plot will definitely frustrate those who haven't played the game before.

The Social Links with the main cast are done much better and are explored right before they get taken into the TV World. The show tries to capture the beginning and end of each Social Link, however it completely drops the ball on the middle. The characters reach these conclusions about themselves and if someone hasn't played the game they aren't really sure how the characters got there since there isn't enough time to develop the characters onscreen. Sometimes the resolution to their Social Link just gets randomly interjected into the main plot. For example, Yosuke's comes right at the pivotal moment where the characters deduce who the killer is. Then we're quickly whisked away to Yu and Yosuke beating the crap out of each other. Yosuke's Social Link was already the weakest of the main cast and its even worse here, especially since Yosuke is a stronger character in the anime than he is in the game. The rest fit it rather nicely even if their character development isn't as noticeable as it was in the game.

As said before, The Animation does capture the look and feel of the game. The anime retains the same calender as the game and there are plenty of familiar imagery and shout-outs to those who have played the game. Aiya Diner, the Timid Teacher series, the Social Links, the trip to Port Island; The Animation retains all of these little call outs and it is great to see them all fully animated. The plot moves along at its hustle and bustle pace and the most emotional moments of the show, like end, still pack their full emotional punch. The pace of the show definitely slows down in the final episodes which make them worth the wait. The confrontation with the killer and the final battle are done really well. However, the anime itself doesn't cover the True Ending over the course of its 25 episode run. There is a special 26th episode that does cover the True Ending, though its a bit too fast paced and tries to do too much. The very end of the show doesn't exactly have the same emotional impact as the game in which leaving the other characters was a real touching experience since you had spent so much time with them.

The real highlight of the show is its normally silent protagonist, Yu Narukami. In the game, Yu's personality and actions were entirely decided by the player through dialogue choices. Here, Yu has a full personality and speaks for himself. However, what makes him so good in The Animation is that he retains his comedically serious and weird persona (no pun intended). His actions in the anime largely reflect the choices that the player has for him in the game. His progression as a character mirrors his progression in the game, the show even cuts away at the mid-point of each episode to show his character traits and each episode they improve. By the end, the entire pentagon is maxed out and Yu is more expressive than ever. The Animation does a great job of also humanzing him whereas in the game he seemed more like a fly on the wall at points. You really feel how much he cares for his friends and their love for him back feels completely genuine. The show gives us a better idea of how much of an impact Yu has on the main cast's lives. At a certain point in the show, Yu has the most lines out of anybody whereas before the other characters were counted on for exposition and the "ra ra go team" part. Despite having a personality of his own, we are still seeing the action onscreen through Yu's viewpoint and many of the actions he takes are similar to how many players play him. Seeing him run right over to the girls side of the Group Date Cafe at the Cultural Festival, his role in the King's Game, his over the top exposition of the Mega Beef Bowl Challenge. All of these are things I remember making Yu do and I laughed just as hard. Yu has a funloving personality but he does everything so seriously that it makes him arguably the funniest character in the game. That is definitely reflected here.

Since Yu has his own personality, more time is spent towards his development instead of his observing the other characters grow. Still, until the very end he is mostly silent while his friends do the talking. The show, despite its limited amount of time, is able to replicate what made P4's characters so good to begin with. Yosuke, who was Mr. Exposition in the game, has a bit of a reduced role and seems to be more of Yu's bro for life here. I was glad to see that they made him less of a jerkass than he was in the game. Chie remains as awesome as ever and entirely unchanged from her role in the game as is Yukiko. Rise, Teddie, Kanji, and Naoto are pretty much exactly the same as they were in the game. However, the show makes a big deal out of pairing each of the characters off and Ship Teases way more than it really needed to. Yu and Yosuke are pretty much heterosexual life partners, same goes for Chie and Yukiko. Kanji and Naoto haves plenty of Ship Tease with each other. Only Teddie and Rise don't feel paired off and the latter character barely qualifies since she hits on Yu nearly every episode.  It feels like fanservice more than anything but I still didn't really mind. I think the real crime is that the show moves a bit too fast to truly get to know the characters. For most of the show they feel more like caricatures of themselves. Chie's love of food is taken Up to Eleven as well as her temper with Yosuke. Yosuke himself also suffers from this, since Yu is voiced and can truly lead the group, Yosuke is no longer needed as the de facto team leader and source of exposition. Instead, his bumbling personality is taken Up to Eleven. The rest of the cast also returns and fills the same roles they had before.

In keeping with the theme of retaining the game's feel, The Animation doesn't make any radical changes from the game's formula. The character's designs are all exactly how they looked in the game and it retains the same style from the game's animated cutscenes. Each of the characters look great revamped though the animators seem to have dropped the ball when it came to drawing Yukiko whose face seems to be lazily done as opposed to rest of the cast. The action sequences also have to be given some credit as well. The dungeons look as good as they did in the game and the boss fight sequences are truly gorgeous to behold. The soundtrack is largely unchanged from the game as well. Since the Persona games are known for having amazing soundtracks there was really no need to change anything. It was really great in the first episode hearing "Reach Out to the Truth" when Yu unlocked his Persona. The visuals and soundtrack are elite for any anime.

Persona 4: The Animation is a show that I feel that I'm largely split on. For those who have played the game and love the series, they will really get a kick out it. However, those who haven't played the game will find it hard to overlook the pacing and won't be able to forgive the strange filler episodes based around the Social Links. Despite this, The Animation is probably the best you're going to find when it comes to an adaptation of a video game. Not everyone is going to be entirely satisfied with it but you really feel that the studio made the best attempt possible at including everything they could. Like the game, The Animation is jam-packed with content, the characters are well-drawn, the plot is gripping, and soundtrack is great. It's a fun 26 episode journey that is well worth anyone's time.

My Score: 4/5