Higashi no Eden (Eden of the East)

Higashi no Eden (Eden of the East)

    On November 22, 2010 ten missiles strike Japan. However, this unprecedented terrorist act, later to be known as "Careless Monday," does not result in any apparent victims, and is soon forgotten by almost everyone. Then, 3 months later... Saki Morimi is a young woman currently in the United States of America on her graduation trip. But just when she is in front of the White House, Washington DC, she gets into trouble, and only the unexpected intervention of one of her fellow countrymen saves her. However, this man, who introduces himself as Akira Takizawa, is a complete mystery. He appears to have lost his memory. and he is stark naked, except for the gun he holds in one hand, and the mobile phone he holds in the other.

***The blurb wasn't complete, so I just added what's in purple.

General Info:

Episodes; 11.

Language; Japanese with English subs, English dub (?) <--- It seems only for the first two episodes on animefreak.tv.

Review:

    Higashi no Eden was a little confusing at first, but nonetheless very interesting. It was funny and romantic, and very dramatic. Strangely enough I think all of the aspects (Mystery, Drama, Comedy, Romance, Si-Fi) were all equally prominent, but in different parts of the story. More so at the beginning it was romance and comedy, then around maybe episode 4 or 5 it dipped into the more Si-Fi/mystery aspect, and there was a coating of drama just overall. It was nicely done. Differing the feeling of the story kept it more watchable, if you will, but more or less just kept it from getting old. There is only so much confusion and seriousness you can take before you get bored of it. 

    As for the actual plot line, I liked it quite a bit. I'm going to add a little summary of the phones - to my understanding at least, feel free to correct me - hopefully to help people if they are still a little lost. Also a note to those who don't know, a NEET is someone who is "Not currently engaged in Education, Employment, or Training". So basically someone who isn't able or to lazy to get an education and/or a job.

    The series didn't seem very conclusive to me, but after looking around a little bit I discovered there are movie sequels. Here are the links; Higashi No Eden: Gekijouban I The King Of Eden and 

Higashi No Eden: Gekijouban II Paradise Lost. The title of the first makes sense after you watch the anime, and I'm sure the second after you watch the first movie. If you want to watch this anime on animeseason.com, the follow this link.

    The characters personalities differ which is also nice. Some animes like this most of the characters act the same, very serious and such, but you have characters like Ohsugi, Panties, and Akira himself. They all sort of act as comedic relief which is nice. There is the one kid that hides in the cover of the desk - I cannot remember his name! Kasuga maybe? - who also serves as comedic relief.

    There are also some things that make you chuckle, or at least make me chuckle, like the pun with Mr. Outside's name. Overall it's a cute and interesting show. It is rather prominent of the romance side, so if you like mystery romance genres, then you will like this one. If you find romance annoying, then you may not like it as much.

Rating:

    I would give Higashi no Eden 4.5 out of 5 stars. * * * * ½*

Explanation ***Spoiler***:

   Okay, from what I understand  12 people were given a phone with 10 billion yen on each phone. They are told to spend the money to help make Japan into a better place. These are the Selecao. They can die four ways that I know of;

1.  If someone else reaches the goal of helping Japan the most, the others will be killed. (So number 11 reaches the goal, numbers 1 to 10 and 12 will be killed.)

2. If they just spend the money on their own desires they will be killed.

3. If they simply throw away the phone, they will be killed.

4. If they use up all the money on the phone, they will be killed.

    Then there is person who has set this whole thing up, and he goes by Mr. Outside; later found out to be Ato Saizo. Among the 12  Selecao there is the 'Supporter'. The Supporter also has a phone, and it is their job to kill those who break ways (listed above)  2  and/or  3  and/or  4.

    Also, as I mentioned earlier; a NEET is someone who is "Not currently engaged in Education, Employment, or Training". So basically someone who isn't able or to lazy to get an education and/or a job. It's a term commonly used in Japan, though it was used elsewhere during a certain time period.

There you go, if there is anything else you're confused about, let me know and I'll see if I can help.

EDIT:

I has been wondering about this for a while myself, and I finally found it. The bike Akira has is called a ビックスクーター which is translated to 'Bick Scooter' - according to this thread. Here's a Google search: link.

Ghost Hunt

Ghost Hunt

    Taniyama Mai is your everyday high school student, who has the pastime of telling ghost stories with her friends. Much to her surprise, she meets a mysterious ghost hunter, Shibuya Kazuya, the 17 year old head of Shibuya Psychic Research, sent out to investigate strange phenomenon occurring in Mai's school. Accidentally interfering with their investigations, Mai unintentionally causes the injury of Shibuya's assistant, resulting in Shibuya demanding Mai herself to aid him in his investigations. Based on the novel by Fuyumi Ono and Shiho Inada.

General Info:

Episodes; 25.

Language; Japanese with English subs, English dubbed.

Review:

    This is freaky, cute, and funny all at the same time. Of course, this may freak people out more or less than myself, but I only found a few of the cases skin-crawling creepy. What's nice about this anime is that they don't maintain the super heavy horror atmosphere at all times - the fill-in's between some cases and at the beginning and ending of the episodes are rather cute and funny. 

    I like the love-triangle between kimono girl (I can't remember her name), Mai, a Naru. I actually liked John and Monk as well, men wise anyways. 

    The discovery of Mai's powers throughout the show was interesting a freaky. I'll say now that the freakiest one to me was the second to last case with mansion. Just...shiver. I was watching this show until about 8:30 in the morning, and I literally could not stop watching because I had to know that it was solved. Ugh, but I love this feeling, so anyways it definitely provides that.

    I'd like to mention the mystery solving horror bit is more prominent than the romance bit, in case your worried. It truly is creepy, I promise.

    In the middle of the episodes there are a few comic relief ones - I believe it's episode 11. Also, 12 and 13 are also fairly light, but really sad. Poor Kenji! I was so sad at the end of it!

   To be honest I don`t have much to say about this one, other than I enjoyed it. I would definitely recommend it if you liked to be creeped out.7

   Also, compared to the written, the anime is much more beautiful. The dub is nicely done as well, though I did find Mai's voice slightly annoying when she was yelling.

Must Watch Episodes:

    I liked file 7 "The Bloodstained Labyrinth" which is episodes 18 - 21. I also liked episode 11 "File 4: Ghost Story in the Park!?", and episodes 12 - 13 "File 5: Silent Christmas".

Rating:

   I would give Ghost Hunt 4.5 out of 5 stars. * * * * ½* 

Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi

Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi:
***WARNING: This is what is considered yaoi or shounen ai; in other words, man on man love.***

    Even though Ritsu Onodera hates to rely on family connections, he winds up taking a job as an editor at his parents' company, Marukawa Books. To his chagrin, he's assigned to the shoujo manga department in spite of having no interest or experience in it. And on top of that, he has an awful first impression of his high-handed editor in chief, Masamune Takano. What comes after is a story of first love full of tears and laughter.

General Info:

Episodes; 12.

Language; Japanese with English subs.

Review:

    Yes, another yaoi - I know, bad me, but they are just so cute! Whether it's man on man or man on woman (this sounds more dirty to me for some reason) I don't really care, as long as the plot line is sweet. I wouldn't watch woman on woman, though, not my style. 

    Now that that's out of the way, I shall start my opinion-ing. I actually found this one really cute and I enjoyed every episode! In this one there wasn't as much sex, or if there was it sort of just faded out before it got to explicit. I personally appreciated this mainly because I don't really watch them for the sex scenes.

    Also, I just have to wonder about the logic in this - they are working as editors for a shojo manga - okay, I understand. But really, all of them are gay? Plus people from other departments?? This is what I'm looking to get into (literature), should I expect to be surrounded by homosexual co-workers?? Or perhaps the majority of Japan is gay...? I know I'm being picky, but I can't help it, I have issues with a reality-ish thing being completely unlike reality.  Sorry, but it had to be said.

    Now characters development. Of course, seeing as this one was created by the same people as Junjou Romantica, you have three couples you center around. In fact they give you a touch of relation from Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi to Junjou Romantica, which I sort of giggled and smiled at. If there wasn't a second season for this series I think I would be pretty pissed. Yes, the last episode had some major development and kawaii-ness, but it felt very inconclusive, but this is in a sense hinting at the second season.

     The side couples develop very fast because they only get a couple episodes each, but I like how it's about the other editors. It sort of made them more relate-able when you from Onodera's view point. I especially liked Hatori, Chiaki , and Yuu's relationship because I really liked the Chiaki's personality.

      One thing that annoys me about the animation style is that I could not tell the difference between most of the characters. I knew Onodera because of the green eyes, but I kept getting Ciaki and Kisa confused, and = Hatori, Yokozawa, Takano, and Isaka confused! So a lot of the time I was wondering from whose perspective I was viewing it from, and especially with Onodera whether he was talking to Yokozawa or Isaka...

Must Watch Episodes:

    Agian, I forgot the write down episodes (shame shame), but I remember liked episode 5.

Rating:

    I would give Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi 4.5 stars out of 5. * * * * ½ *

Other:

    At this time the second season is only at episode 5, and assuming it will go to 12, I will wait for it to be completed before I review it. If you want to watch the second season, though, click here.

     

Edit:

    I had totally mixed up the name in this, so I fixed them up. Those who were confused shouldn't be confused anymore - gomen gomen!

Junjou Romantica (2)

Junjou Romantica (2): (The two meaning the second as well)
***WARNING: This is what is called yaoi or shounen ai - in other words, man on man love.***

Junjou Romantica

Junjou Romantica 2

    Misaki is suddenly having some unexpected and odd problems. What started as a need for some college entrance exam tutoring has somehow led him to being romanced by a suave older man who also happens to be his big brother’s best friend. Confused by all of his brand new emotions, Misaki struggles to deal with his suddenly very odd life. And if that wasn't enough, his suitor, Usami, has plenty of issues of his own. A man-child who decorates his room in giant teddy bears and toys, Usami is a famous novelist who also writes steamy boys’ love novels on the side. When Misaki cracks open one of these books and reads sentences like "Misaki licks every inch of Usami's hot body" ...well, let’s just say that all hell breaks loose.

General Info:
Episodes;
First Season - 12.
Second Season - 12.
Language; Japanese with English subs. (Both)

Review:
    Yes! I know! I reviewed two separate seasons together, shame shame. I apologize, but I completely forgot about this (bad) and ended up finished both of them before I realized I was supposed to review them... So of course now I don't know what happened in the first season compared to the second, just one jumbled lovely mess.
    As for the anime, well, well indeed. I am not some pervert or anything, yaoi is good for a girl every once in a while. There are definitely sex scenes - every episode basically, but they aren't very long and they don't just show you them having sex for the sake of showing you them having sex, they only show you bits while they are talking and that actually contributes to the story - but they are only for a couple minutes or so, and opposed to them being there for 'ooo! sex!' they actually do develop the story.
    As for the actual story, I actually quite liked it. Because they were only 12 episodes per season and THREE couples, it doesn't take long until the couples are in a relationship - I mean they have to move it along, right? Even so, all the couples have their problems, but it focuses mainly on Usagi (Usami) and Misaki and their relationship. And of course being the stereotypical person I favoured them over the others.
     I suppose the other two couples were for fillers, but I found it slightly annoying at times, because I didn't really care about Hiro and Nowaki, I cared about Misaki and Usagi!! I did like how they were all connected slightly, but not in a major way. Hiro used to be in love with Usagi, and Hiro works with Miyagi who's with Shinobou, so the college is sort of their connection.
     Either way, I enjoyed this series a lot, and thought it was quite cute and funny!

Must Watch Episodes:
    Again, gomen, I completely forgot about having to review this, so I actually didn't write down any of my favourite episodes, but I would say any that centered on Misaki and Usagi (which was most of them save a few).

Rating:
    I would give both Junjou Romantica and Junjou Romantica 2 (space, no connecting the two and four) 4.5 stars out of 5. * * * * ½ *

Samurai Champloo

Samurai Champloo:

    Mugen's a buck wild warrior - violent, thoughtless and womanizing. Jin is a vagrant ronin - mysterious, traditional, well-mannered and very strong as well. These two fiercely independent warriors can`t be any more different from one another, yet their paths cross when Fuu, a ditzy waitress, saves them from being executed when they are arrested after a violent sword-fight. Fuu convinces the two vagrant young men to help her find a mysterious samurai "who smells of sunflowers." And their journey begins. This is a story about love, friendship and courage... NOT!

General Info:
Episodes; 26.
Language; Japanese with English subs, English dub (very good English dub, the voices suited the characters.)

Review:
    Everyone needs to watch a good action anime once in a while, and I absolutely loved this one. Good action animes can be a little hard to find because they can just turn out with several episodes of accomplishing nothing (cough cough Bleach), but this one was quite the contrary. Yes, because they are travelling there is quite a bit of the same sort of thing - finding a shelter and eating - but it's never boring.
    This is rated +18 for good reasons, there are several suggestive things and 'red light district' sort of stuff, but I think the rating is mainly because of all the blood and whatnot. There is definitely a lot of blood-spraying and limb-chopping fun, but I actually quite enjoyed this. I don't mind gore and whatnot, but I mainly liked the fight scenes because they were cool to watch. There were a couple guns, but it was mainly about katana use (thus the 'Samurai') which pretty much kicked ass. I like!
    Along with the explicit scenes are gore, there was a reasonable amount of swearing, so I wouldn't watch it if you are sensitive to any of those things, are just young in general. Either way, the plot line is good, and lots is added onto it throughout that don't make it too heavy emotionally, but definitely increases the danger.
    I have to admit, and I don't really like how the very end was, but then again is sort of suited everything, so it was for the best. There is a touch of romance in it, but not really within the three main characters. It is there, just not prominent. More subtle, there if you want to see it, but easily overlooked.
    This is by far an action anime, and I wouldn't say it has much romance at all. Considering I only have a 'Romantic Action' tab, that is where it will go. Perhaps if I get into more genres, I'll make more separate tabs and just make 'Romance' a tab of it's own. We'll see. If I had to sum up this anime though, I would say it's basically a Samurai gang fight. There's even graffiti, beat-boxing, and rapping, so who can say otherwise. That and the fact that there are actually gang fights....

Must Watch Episodes:
    I actually stopped keeping track of my favourite episodes....I sort of was to engrossed in what was happened to care much... I would definitely say you have to watch the last three or so episodes though, very good!

Rating:
   I know I have been giving out a lot of 5 stars lately, but this one definitely deserves it, I can't really find anything I didn't like about it. So 5 out of 5 stars. * * * * *

Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge (Wallflower)

Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge (Wallflower):

    Kyouhei, Ranmaru, Takenaga, and Yukinojou are beautiful, handsome, young men living in a huge mansion. One day, their landlord, whom they call "Auntie", asks them a favor: to make her niece, Sunako, who's going to be living with them, into a respectable young lady. She agrees to make their living expenses free of charge if they succeed but, if they fail, she'll triple their rent. Due to their confidence in knowing how to deal with women, they agree but, once they meet Sunako, they begin to realize that their lovely living arrangements may soon be in jeopardy.

General Info:

Episodes; 25.
Language;  Japanese with English subs, English dub (I've heard, couldn't find it).

Review:
    I have had this on my 'To Be Watched' list forever, but I was reluctant to do so because the animation style kind of freaked me out; Yuki being the scariest - gomen! I was searching for another to watch and it just kept popping up, so I went ahead and watched it. I was the first episode or two, and if I don't like it, stop. This one had me hooked from the first five minutes. The freaking intro song is beautiful, and the characters are actually quite attractive.
    Once their moving around their better, and also they are kind of in that white no-distinct-facial-features form a lot, so even if their looks did bother me, I wouldn't have to see it all the time! I actually love it when characters go into that sort of form, showing you that sort of slip-stick comedy without the looks.
    I found this anime to be 100% hilarious! There wasn't an episode where I didn't laugh out loud, and I was almost always smiling. I watch anime late at night too, so I learned that slapping your hand over your mouth is a truly defective muffling technique.
    There was romance in this show between Kyouhei and Sunako, Tomao and Ranmaru, and between Takenaga and Noi. So there's plenty to go around, it's just not the main thing.
    Regardless of that, I regret putting this anime off for so long. I don't really have any complaints because the strange anime style actually suits the anime more than if it was what I would classify as more 'normal'. Fantastically done!

Must Watch Episodes:
    Honest to god I truly did love all of the episodes, but here are the ones that stood out more than the rest. There were some between 13 and 20, but I forgot to jot them down....
-Episodes  5,  7,  9,  10,  12,  13,  20,  22, and  25.

Rating:
    I would definitely give Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge 5 out of 5 stars! * * * * *

Skip Beat!

Skip Beat!:

    The story revolves around a young girl named Kyoko who went with her childhood friend, Shou, to Tokyo to pursue his dream of becoming an idol. Despite of supporting him, she overhears him dismissing her as boring wallflower. Furious, Kyoko vows to get her revenge to defeat him by entering the entertainment world.

General Info:
Episodes; 25.
Language; Japanese with English subs.

Review:
    Skip Beat is hilarious! The romance is there and prominent, but not the main thing. I haven't watched the anime in a long time, but I'm currently with the manga which develops the story quite a bit more, so I'm hesitant to say much of anything about Skip Beat.
    Because of this, I'm not going to talk about character development to much and I'll only touch on bits of the story that I know are in the anime.
    My only half-hearted complaint would probably be the animation style. At first it freaked me out a little bit, but I'm quite fond of it now. Regardless, if you do watch this anime, after a while the fact that they have weird shaped heads won't bother you anymore.
    I also find this anime extremely funny, I don't know how to describe the humour, but it will make you laugh. I remember now when Kyoko is trying to avoid Ren, and he's following her (to an elevator? Don't know the episode...) and he's sparkling away, and she looks like she thinks she's going to be murdered - bad explanation, but this was hilarious. Also, in the manga I remember on one page Kyoko was really happy about something, so they did the zoom on her face with all the flowers an sparkly bits floating around to show her happiness. Well she was sparkling at Ren and Yashiro, so in the next frame the flowers and whatnot were stuck to them. I don't know why, but this made me cry I was laughing so hard.
    Either way, my point is that I found Skip Beat funny in it's own way, and I enjoyed it very very very much! Sorry I can't write more, I just don't want to accidentally ruin anything. If you haven't watched Skip Beat, it's a classic must watch. If your interested in manga, then this is definitely a good one!


Must Watch Episodes;
    I watched this anime a long time ago, but I loved love loved it! I've read all the latest of the manga and am hungry for more! There were three episodes that I do remember liking which were; Episode  5,  6, and  7.


Rating;
I would most definitely give this 5 out of 5 stars. Skip Beat is one of my most favoured animes out there. Love it! * * * * *

Pretear (Shin Shirayuki Hime Densetsu Pretear)

Pretear (Shin Shirayuki Hime Densetsu Pretear):

    Himeno Awayuki was a normal sixteen-year old girl until her father married a woman who happens to be rich. Since then, she has been perceived as an outcast by both her new stepsisters and her classmates. Later Himeno finds out from seven men called the Leafe Knights that she is something called Pretear, a girl who has the power to merge with and control the nature of the elemental-oriented powers from the Leafe Knights and stop an evil being called the Princess of Disaster.

General Info:
Episodes; 13.
Language; Japanese with English subs.

Review:
     I very much liked the idea of this show, the Leafe Knights and how she transforms, for lack of better word, into these different power-ed versions of herself. The animations were very pretty, and at times I would literally giggle to death, especially when Hayate runs away from angry Himeno (4).
   Depsite this, there are a couple episode in there where it is just Himeno being useless and feeling afraid for her life. I'll admit it's probably to show that we all have flaws, but it was sort of drawn out to me, it didn't seem as much like a fault as it did a 'look at poor me' sort of thing.
    Even so, Sasame's sexiness makes up for it. Ha ha. In all seriousness I actually enjoyed the artwork of this one very much. The characters had very good facial expressions, and if you pay close attention you can see people in the background who aren't paricularily significant have changing facial expressions. Or even when you look at one character, than to another, if someone is standing behind them their facial expression changed very smoothly. This, and the characters were very attractive overall.
    The romance in Pretear is both obvious and subtle, and I enjoyed it very much! This one belongs in the 'Magic' tab for apparent reasons.

Must Watch Episodes:  
     There weren't many because this was a short series, but here are the ones I took note of:
-Episodes 4 (I laughed so hard at this episode, especially when Hayate ran away at the end),  7,  8,  10, and  12.

Rating:
   I would give Pretear 4 out of 5 stars. I would have given it 5, but there were a couple episodes which were Himeno was just pitying herself, and I always hate that sort of thing. Normally it wouldn't be such a big deal, but considering the anime is only 13 episodes long, a couple is quite a bit. * * * *

Puchi Puri Yuushi (Petite Princes Yucie)

Puchi Puri Yuushi (Petite Princess Yucie):

    In the distant past in a faraway land, Yuushi is a 17-year-old girl that has been put under a spell -- her body stopped aging ever since she was ten years old. Cheerful and optimistic, Yuushi doesn't let the spell bother her. Especially because Yuushi has been selected as a candidate to become the next Puchi Puri Princess. The girl selected to be princess will receive a magical tiara which grants the wearer anything she wants. This means that if Yuushi becomes princess she can wish her spell away! But the competition is stiff and Yuushi still looks like a 10-year-old girl.

General Info:

Episodes; 26.

Language; Japanese with English subs.

Review:

   I definitely liked the plot line, but for me it was a little to drawn out. Several episodes in there had no real significance at all, and seemed like they were there for the sake of making the show longer. I didn't start really enjoying the series until episode 6, and I was not fond of the six that followed. Once it got passed 16 it was better, but still was sort of boring.

   Now I will hand it to them, the last two episodes literally made me bawl. Audibly at that. So I will say I really enjoyed those episodes. The actual animation bothered me a quite a bit - Yuushi's hair style freaked me out. Mind you it did add to the story somewhat, but Arc's hair was equally freaky. During these times you wonder how freaking long it toke to do that.

   Another thing I really appreciated was the commercial break outro (made up term?) and intro they were all different and all cute! I liked that it related to the story as well, sort of prompting  you to notice the development of characters.

   I also liked Arc quite a bit, and I will not take points off for her freaky hair. He truly was a hottie - and even though his looks were not top notch, he won me over with that personality. Of course I did actually like all the personalities off the characters excluding Erumina. 

*I just want to make an off-topic note, but they really f***ed up the name translations and Wiki. Cocoloo? Kokoru! Prince Arrow? Prince Aru! Ha ha, I find this quite amusing.*

    The ending made me cry a lot, and I love it when an anime can make me cry. I guess without knowing it I got attached to the characters.

    Like I said before, I did get bored part way through, but that doesn't mean I didn't like the idea of the anime. It will be docked stars for boring me, gomen gomen!

    Due to the awesome other-worldliness, this anime belongs in the 'Magic' tab.

Must Watch Episodes:

    I picked quite a few, but keep in mind I didn't especially enjoy the episode not listed here. Also keep in mind this is my opinion and my opinion alone.

-Episodes 6,  10,  12,  13,  15,  16,  20,  25, and  26.

Rating:

   I will give Puchi Puri Yuushi 3.5 out of 5 stars. * * * ½*

Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne

Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne:

    Marron seems to be a normal, ditsy kinda of school girl when in actuality she is the reincarnation of Joan of Arc. With her angel sidekick Fin, she attempts to seal demons which are hiding in pieces of art and possess weak-hearted people. However with sealing the demons the art disappears leaving the police and her best friend Miyako, the police chief's daughter, to suspect her to be nothing but a common art thief. More strange twists occur when a smooth talking new boy in school moves in next door along with the presence of a new "art thief" Sinbad, who races against Joan to seal demons. Now Marron must race against the police and Sinbad to seal the demons and manage just to make it through school and a strange homelife.

General Info:

Episodes; 44.

Language; Japanese with English subs.

Review:

   I actually was quite fond of this series, though I have a couple complaints, but their fairly minor compared to the big picture. You really do have to like magic girl animes to enjoy ones like this. They are all fairly similar in context, so you can't really just look at the big picture.

   My first complaint would have to be how Jeanne became so much more girly and vulnerable after Sinbad started protecting. It seemed like now that she has someone there for her, she no longer needs to be a super strong women. Also, because they actually need to put Jeanne in situations where Sinbad needed to save her, she fell for a bunch of stupid traps.

   Another thing that annoyed me was the second version of her transformation - not the actual over-all thing, but the little clip that they put in while they transfer. The thing was a freaking minute long! I always skipped it because it was the same thing over and over again, I was just annoyed. The first transformation this was quick and interesting enough because they background would change to fit her surroundings. Also, it was just her enveloped in pink fiery stuff, in which she leaped out of, transformed. Luckily, the long transformation was only for the last 14 episodes or so.

   That was pretty much it for what annoyed me aside from a couple of the developments that I won't discuss to save the story for everyone; though it's not exactly un-guessable.

   I quite liked the overall story - the hero's actually being theives. I actually quite liked how they made the police seem antagonistic, but also important to the protagonist. Of course the real antagonists were the deamons and the 'Queen', and of course Satan. 

   I also liked how Jeanne (I don't call her Maron, but they are one in the same) and Chiaki developed, but also how Miyako and Iinchou (I can't remember his real name, bad me) developed along with them. I wasn't a big fan of Noin or Himiji (not to sure about his name, either, but I think this is close), but I quite liked Myst. She was f***ing fantastical. I always loved the evil-ish people, but for some reason I toke a special liking to her. Perhaps because she contradicted child-like innocence with evil; how her candy was deamons, and she killed them by crushing the candy. 

    This goes under the 'Romantic Maigc' tab by default, but I would probably stick it under the 'Drama' one otherwise. Yes, it centers quite a bit on the comedic aspect and does a good job of it, but the drama with Jeanne's parents, Chiaki, Miyako, Fin, and even Iinchou out-weighed the comedic bits. Both were still prominent, though. The ending was also quite good!

Must Watch Episodes:

   I had a list on my computer, but I didn't save it, and then I stupidly deleted it. I went through the episode on Wikipedia, and picked out the ones I could remember.

- Episodes 9,  13,  15,  16,  19,  20,  25,  29,  33, 38,  and 44.

Rating:

    I would give Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne 4 out of 5 stars.

Ginban Kaleidoscope

Ginban Kaleidoscope:

    16-year old Sakurano Tazusa is a Japanese figure ice-skater who considers herself to be worth $10 billion in beauty. While executing her moves in the Women's Figure Skating Grand Prix, she stumbled and landed badly, hence resulting in her loss in the competition. At the same time, in the same city, a Canadian youth by the name of Pete Pumps was performing an air stunt when his plane crashes and he dies. Tazusa starts to hear a strange voices and realizes that the Canadian ghost now resides in her body. After futile attempts to get rid of Pete, Tazusa decides to get accustomed to his presence and in the meantime, improve on her techniques in order to get selected for the Olympics.

General Info:
Episodes; 12.
Language; Japanese with English subs.

Review:
   This was sort of a filler anime for me while I was trying to find another anime. I basically watched it in a day. The episodes fly by and each, as with most short animes, had interesting bits sprinkled in. I didn't particularly like nor hate this anime, it was sort of just blah for me. The ending which would normally be sad didn't touch me as much as say .... Fullmoon wo Shagishite, but it did make me feel a little sad.
    I actually was not a big fan of the animation, come to think of it. For some reason it seemed scary to me. The actual plot line, they boy possessing a girl, was actually quite funny and a very good idea, but her actual day to day life wasn't terribly interesting to me, and sometimes it seemed as it was repeating the same thing over and over again.
   I would put this under comedy for sure, but it was also pretty dramatic at some parts. If you're looking for a quick anime that won't totally absorb you, than this is probably a good one for you.

Must Watch Episodes:
    I actually did have a list at one point, but I lost it! *tears* There were a couple episodes in there that I quite liked, sorry I can't share them with you!

Rating:
   I would give it 3 out of 5 stars. * * *

Yumeiro Patissiere Professional

Yumeiro Patissere Professional:
** this is the sequel to Yumeiro Patissiere, click here for Yumeiro Patissiere's review.**

    After 2 years studying abroad in Paris, Ichigo returns to Japan and St. Mary Academy as a 1st year high-school student. Together with the 3 Sweets Princes, Kashino, Andou and Hanabusa, she will once again form Team Ichigo in other to reach new heights in the art of the pâtissière. Or so she thought. The truth is, in the interim, the 3 have gone their separate ways in pursuit of their own ambitions. Ichigo is greatly shocked to learn that Team Ichigo is no more. Before she can come to grips with this development, she is summoned to a meeting with Henri-sensei regarding a project assignment. The project: To establish and manage her own "Sweets Shop"! Furthermore, the members of the project team includes certain persons she knows quite well...

General Info:

Episodes; 13.

Language; Japanese with English subs.

Review:

    I definitely like that this is a continuation of the first, but a couple years later. Our characters are older and appearances have changed a reasonable amount. Except for Ichigo, of course, she will always remain her clumsy self.

   Now, in all honestly I was very disappointed with the anime until about episode 10 or so. This was mainly because the beginning credits (opening theme?) is suggesting a much more romantic series - but it only really gets into anything like that in the last episodes, the others are about them helping Andou and Tennouji-san. I was sort of upset about this, and very pouty through-out these episodes. 

   It's not that I didn't like these episodes - I actually liked them quite a bit - it's just not what I was expecting it to be about. I wanted the drama between Johnny and Kashino! I wanted all the lovely girliness that follows that freaking opening theme!! If you want to watch the opening theme, but only do it if you have watched Yumeiro Patissiere, click here - otherwise, DO NOT.

    In the last episodes they concentrate more on their own project, and this is when I started to enjoy it. Don't get me wrong, I did actually enjoy the shows, it's just not what I was expecting.

    How far the characters have developed, physically and mentally, or how little they have developed since we last left them is somewhat remarkable. They, being the anime-rs, take the old characters that we have fallen in love with, and tweaked them. They are still the same, but different in different senses. Hanabusa seems more mature to me, and Andou seems more childish in my opinion. It's like they both softened into more realistic beings instead of these outrageous, albeit hilarious, characters. I have to admit I do love Kashino a ton, and I think he changed the least out of all the characters - but all his changing takes place during these 13 episodes. It's nice and a good idea because you always warm to the characters that you watch change, opposed to ones who have already changed. 

    I actually also really like Johnny - if they had utilized his playboy-ish-ness a little more, then I would be all over this anime. Mainly because someone would be very jealous. 

   

Must Watch Episodes:

    The episodes I have written down that I seemed to have liked are;

-Episodes 3,  5,  11,  12,  and 13.

Rating:

    Unfortunately I'm going to have to give Professional a lower rating than Yumeiro Patissiere because of the 'false advertiseing' so to say. Nonetheless, Yumerio Patissiere Professional still gets 4 out of 5 stars. They saved themselves with the last few episodes. If this series had been a little longer, I think they could have made this a 5 out of 5. * * * *

Note:

    Yumeiro Patissiere Professional is the sequel to Yumeiro Patissiere.

Yumeiro Patissiere

Yumeiro Patissiere:

    Adaptation of Natsumi Matsumoto's shoujo manga Yumeiro Patissiere (Dream-Colored Pastry Chef). The manga, which premiered in September 2008, tells the story of 14 year old Ichigo Amano, a clumsy girl who dreams of becoming a pastry chef. She draws closer to fulfilling her dream when she enrolls in the St. Mary Academy culinary school and meets a tiny "spirit of sweets."

General Info:

Episodes; 50.

Language; Japanese with English subs (shouldn't be watched any other way)

Review:

    In the first couple episodes I wasn't sure how I felt about the anime. The concept was interesting, but I wasn't exactly captured. As I continued to watch, though, I found myself falling in love with the characters. This is an odd thing to say, but I felt I was with them while they were competing and going on their adventures. I have always loved baking, and I completely forgot about until this anime woke me up to it. I tried making Caramel Flan after watching that episode, and I followed their advice about caramel colour and such and it turned out perfect!

   It's so inspirational to see someone who believes they aren't anything special, to find that special something that makes them so happy. Très bien!

   I found myself clasping my hands and bouncing on my seat several times throughout. My hands were sweating and my heart was pounding. Like I was there with them.

   There is romance in this, but a very subtle amount. Enough that it makes you smile slightly and your heart warm, but not enough to make your heart beat so to say. There were a lot of cute moments, though. The little bits of romance don't kick in until around episode 20, so it leaves room for the characters to develop a little before they change further from their feelings.

   I have always loved baking shows as well, and this makes me, the girl who wants to be an editor, want to be a patissiere. Of course I don't really have the know-how, but again this anime shows that your really can achieve something brilliant if you really set your mind to it. No one starts off 'good', they practice until they get there, and then practice more, always trying to improve themselves. It's quite humbling, actually. 

   Other than the romance, there is a tad bit of drama. Whether it's because I'm dense or not, I found this one to be a but more of a comedy than anything. There were times when I was snorting away - especially when Richardo (I think this is right, Richard maybe? The guy with blue hair - ha ha) and Hanabusa meet at the subway - the whole war with rose petals and stars, loved it!

Must Watch Episodes:

   I did like all of them except for one, which I actually can't remember so that means it wasn't to bad.

-Episodes 5,  7,  9,  16,  19,  23,  26,  27,  30 (I wrote down 'lol' next to this one, so it must have been funny...),  33,  34,  35,  40,  41,  43,  47,  50.

Rating:

    I would give this anime 5 out of 5 stars, I really enjoyed it! * * * * *

Note:

    There is a second season called Yumeiro Patissiere Professional which is introduced at the end of the last episode of Yumeiro Patissiere, along with a very short scene in which I like very much - ha ha. I think the second season will contain a lot more romance *hint hint*.

Kobato.

Kobato.:

    Kobato is sweet and perky girl, but also extremely naive about the world around her. She has a "mission", which is to fill a mysterious bottle of hers with the suffering from people's hearts so her wish to go a certain place that she desires to go can be granted. However, she must not fall in love with a particular boy she works with and whose heart she must heal.

General Info:

Episodes; 24.

Language; Japanese with English subs. (If it had English, I would punch the dub-ers, this anime needs to be watched in Japanese).

Review:

    This anime is going to be quite hard to review because the ending completely changed my feelings about it. I cried, I will admit, and I love it when I can cry.

    Just....wow. To be quite honest, I'm sort of speechless. I don't really have much of anything to say against it in the slightest.

    There are only two things that I can think of that bothered me. One, the little clip scene where the commercial should be, the sort of half-way mark I suppose, was sort of boring and seemed overly long. The other thing would be they didn't quite explain Loryogi's situation enough to satisfy me, and maybe they didn't explain the whole various world's thing to what I might have liked. This just a tiny sliver of the Kobato cake, though.

     I know I have said it before, but I'll admit I was wrong about the others, this truly is the best anime I have ever watched. Not only is it emotion-invoking, but it foreshadows the end in little ways that seem confusing and mysterious until the end of the series. It clicks and you understand, and the little things make up a bigger part than what you originally think. I really love the relationship Kobato and Fujimoto, it's so sweet and gentle.

     I....I can't really explain how much I liked this. I loved it. I loved it. I loved it. Never have I not wanted an anime to end, never, and this is one that I definitely wanted to last forever. Despite having supernatural aspects, it seems so true to life and more than anything realistic. They don't cover up the troubles in life with sugar, but nevertheless it's sweet and warming.

     If you happen to come on this blog, and you see this review, but you are unsure about the actual show - stop right there. You better damn well watch this. I'm even leaving a link; Click me. Please.

    I do want to mention that there are no kiss scenes, but I see this as a bonus. A kiss scene would ruin the innocent sweetness of this show.

Must Watch Episodes:

    Watch them all!! Do it!! I am a good person, and I jotted down the ones that especially stood out to me. There wasn't an episode I didn't like, not one.

-Episode 10

-Episode 19

-Episode 20

-Episode 22

-Episode 23

-Episode 34

Rating:

    I would give Kobato 5 out of 5 stars. I am not kidding when I say I love this anime, Clamp always does a fantastic job, but I have to hand it to them. * * * * *