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*