Anime (Incomplete)

2

7?

22

8.3/10

Reminiscent of those stylish, cool yet incredibly gritty future-noir type films such as Blade Runner and Minority Report, Psycho Pass is an anime that I found provocative, intriguing, and at times, electrifying. While the story itself is not entirely complex, it is incredibly detailed and (having had the luxury to watch the extended versions) populated with 3-dimensional characters. The concept on its own, drawing influence from Phillip K. Dick stories, is quite original. Although Psycho Pass is a little slower compared to some of the other techy thrillers out there (or maybe it was because I saw the extended version), it makes up for its pacing with vibrant animation, sleek action sequences, and in-depth examinations of the characters, the world, themes, morals, and human psyche in general.

8.0/10

Death Note is a hard anime to judge because I want it to be good. To me the plot was amazing, as well as its concept. The main character is now one of my most favorite characters of all time. Most of the first half of the series was unrivaled in its sense of thrill and suspense. It could have been perfect, but it definitely isn't. Some badly rushed characters kind of ruined the story a bit, since they were placed in so quickly, without buildup or anything. Then some characters and plot devices that seemed important once were forgotten. The plot starts off as a super-charged electrifying thriller then slows down at a snail's pace. The story is so good, yet it's left with an abrupt ending that wraps the main plot up but not all the little details. That's pretty much the bad. The good news is, it's still an interesting watch. First off, the story was designed for the viewer to see both the perspective of the main character, an antihero, and the forces that seek to thwart him. The viewer is aware of how much of an A-hole the main character is and so is free to choose which side he/she is on for the duration of the show. It allows for the ending to provide either satisfaction or disappointment, depending on which side one chose. Next, the ideas the main characters come up with are inhumanly genius--and that made the story complex and fun to watch. Finally, there's just a great deal of work that was put into examining the human psyche; most of the anime dealt with human perspectives on life, death, deceit, treachery, and more. And I like that stuff because you see the dark side of human nature in its finest. Either way, it was a good run that could have been better--although I think it was also the best it could have been.

8.9/10

Everything pretty much falls into place in this final season of Code Geass. I think it was a brilliant resolution that pretty much encompassed the themes, morals, and final development of the characters began in the first season. Again there is lots of action, tactics, politics, and other similar complexes as before, but in this season they delve more into the characters' emotions, motives, and such even more so than previously. Of course they aren't going to be able to develop every single one of the characters perfectly, due to the highly complex nature of the plot but I think it was well-orchestrated to put together a cohesive story and mythos. Also, the concept of perspective and shift plays a huge role in this anime, and it will cause your allegiances to certain characters to change--characters you once loved, you will hate, vice versa, and even back again. This is truly a great anime that, even when it lacks some emotional aspects found in other successful animes, is able to unfailingly pull its own weight.

8.5/10

This anime is large in scale in scope, with a wealth of characters, a constant and flowing plot, and setting. The action is very good, writing, story, and dialogue is very carefully orchestrated. This is a great example of an anime with dynamic characters and allow the audience to see from their perspectives. In the end, it seems that every primary character is imperfect--and that's what makes the show so interesting to watch. The story itself is solid--although the reason why I stopped watching it before was due to slowing down in the middle of the show--it's few pacing issues don't drag the rest of the anime down. I also think this anime develops its characters enough, even if there's so many of them--and it can't be helped to find characters that are likable and unlikable; they are all here. Anyways, the season ends with a big cliffhanger. Excited for the next season.

7.9/10

Definitely what that movie, San Andreas should've been. This was a gut wrenching exhibition of what would happen during and after an earthquake. For this type of anime, character development is a must, and Tokyo Magnitude did a fine job on character. The protagonist was dynamic, and the others were likable as well. This anime surprised me with an emotional component--at first the anime was more on the suspenseful side, then it turned full on emotional. The one thing that irked me was the emotional aspect came in abruptly, it was a bit unoriginal, and I could see through it pretty easily. Eventually, it did hit me (Sorry if I'm vague, it's to minimize spoiler). Other than that this was a pretty solid disaster-genre story that makes for a fine watch.

Note: They pulled a Grave of the Fireflies on me. I cried.

8.0/10

Fun, engaging action anime. Gave me feels of FMA since it is quite comedic, has a wealth of likable characters, and is also quite serious when it needs to be. Honestly has the potential of being as good as FMA, but they werent able to develop each and every character due to its short runtime of 25 eps. I guess I have a bias towards these kinds of animes because they are really enjoyable to watch. Other than some after-story loose ends, it was pretty much fulfilling and wholly satisfying. TBH since they wrapped up the main story, it's all good. I wish it was longer.

7.9/10

I love how dark it is yet how it gives feels. Great characters and I really enjoyed the concept. I thought it was a great foray into the human condition, despite it being in a supernatural setting. I wish there was a bit more explanations to some of the world's rules, but I feel there's going to be a second season or more anyway to fill in the gaps. Additionally, after the first couple of episodes, it was a bit difficult to grasp on the story and then it ended with season-1-loose-ends (until perhaps the very end, which can be frustrating to some), but ultimately it is quite satisfying. The colors were beautiful and animation, top-notch, I should say. I also like Decim. He's a good guy, albeit inexperienced--I like those characters. Overall strong start to an anime that has potential to be one of the better ones out there.

Additional Notes: Due to short 12-ep season, many of the characters didn't get enough screentime, but I thought I had enough time to connect to some of them without being too draggy; pacing was good.

7.7/10

It's a very down to earth anime, one that concerns itself with real world problems of psychological nature: depression, anxiety, paranoia, schizophrenia--even Freud and Jung are mentioned here. I liked how only a few characters were focused into, allowing for rich character development. Each character has a distinct personality and a distinct flaw--no one is that static, incorruptible, and seemingly perfect character. That being said, the characters are interesting, but I didn't find any one of them to be thoroughly likable. Additionally, the story has its high points, but I didn't find anything that I would remember after watching several more animes. I think I expected a little more. In the end however, it's still a good watch that's quirky, charming, and gives a fresh outlook on the human condition.

7.9/10

When I first heard about Elfen Lied I was reluctant to actually see it, despite being intrigued by it. I've heard it was controversial due to being ultraviolent and explicit concerning gore and nudity. Now that I've seen it, it didn't disappoint. Additionally, I was surprised that it wasn't as messed up as I thought it would be. There are recurring themes of abuse, alienation, and brutality, but these bloodcurdling themes never strayed too long to deter me from watching the rest of the anime. What I discovered was an emotional, somewhat sweet quality in between the horrific storyline. I think the anime did a good job in developing the characters within the 13 episode-span which I usually critique for being too short. On a less positive note, this led to an ending that had some pretty big loose ends. Despite that, I think it was the shock of how good the rest of the anime was that offset my disappointment of the unfinished story. To be honest, I thought the ambiguity of the ending was solid and very Nolan-esque. I didn't care for the loose ends afterwards. Other than that, pretty good anime.

Just beware the gore and nekkid people. Lots of that. and very explicit.

Season 1: 7.5/10
Season 2: 6.9/10

Reminded me of Parasyte; one of the main aspects of this anime is the transformation of the main character. I'd say it was successful: from a weak, indecisive boy into a full-fledged badass ghoul, Kaneki proves to be a worthwhile protagonist. Additionally, I really like the design of the ghouls, with their red and black eyes and grotesque but somewhat beautiful kagunes. My concern with this show, however, lies with the storytelling. I felt it wasn't strong enough; the story jumped places and felt rushed at some parts, and some characters were left undeveloped at this point in the anime. I mean, it was a short season 1, so that's understandable. I feel there's still plenty unanswered, so I can't really give a completely positive impression of this anime. Nevertheless, it was solid and action-packed, full of guts and gore, how I like it.

Season 2: the storytelling still is messy; the switching of perspectives muddles the feelings towards the characters. I often found myself asking who the hell I should root for. Additionally, the pacing can get draggy at certain episodes, and despite that, character development still feels rushed. The action is satisfying as ever, but the storytelling really gives off mixed feelings for the anime.

9.0/10

Beautiful anime with an amazing, detailed plot rich with character development. The thing with time travel stories is that usually they are prey to loopholes, and an important aspect that needs to be taken cared of is character development. Steins;Gate doesn't fall short in its story-telling department, and its characters are some of the most memorable in anime. The development of each and every character, all with their own distinct personalities separates Steins;Gate from all other animes. In essence, it is extremely well-done, and its pacing and build-up suits it very well.

7.1/10

It was solid and heartfelt, and the characters were very distinct and each had a very important place in the story. Something about this anime made me expect much more, however. I felt it was quite sad, with a nice bittersweet ending, but it lacks buildup and perhaps a little more development for me to become emotionally invested with the characters. Perhaps these types of anime need to be longer; nevertheless the story was simple and easy to follow, perhaps maybe relying too much on the feels and development that would've been much better served on a longer run.

8.4/10

Straightforward action story with themes surrounding humanity, nature, and evolution. First thing that caught my eye was the monster design--highly reminiscent of the alien parasite from The Thing. Not a bad thing, cause I really love those kinds of monsters. Next thing is the intense action scenes with gruesome and grotesque gore moments. That was bloody brilliant. haha. I made a pun. Anyways, the action scenes were very stylish and detailed, and I liked it. The character development focused on the main protagonist and his parasite ally, and I thought that was fitting for the anime. The only weak point I see in this anime is I found the story and some of its themes a bit cliche ("humans are the virus"). Not to say all the themes were bad. I liked the whole, parasites and humans comparisons. Overall, very solid awesome anime.

8.2/10

Great anime that focuses alot on the mythology, makeup, and story of its world. I particularly enjoyed the detail that came into crafting the different monsters and environments of the anime. Additionally, the plot, while straightforward and direct at times, was interesting, had great depth, and was quite inventive. One thing that the anime lacked however was character depth. For many of the non-primary characters, not much backstory was given to them (some weren't given much screentime), and so it was hard to care for some of them as the bodies were rolling. There was hardly an emotional aspect to the anime, just a philosophical outlook upon mankind's greatest fears. With the addition of a detailed, believable world, this anime is very solid, culminating to an intense finale that left me on the edge of my seat. Great anime with a story and world, but lacking a bit of character.

9.0/10

Probably really biased towards this, since this anime is the first TV series or movie to make me cry like crazy. It was the most emotional story I've ever seen, a tale of life, love, sadness, and hope that arises from it. It's full of miracles and stories of the sort. It's not just miracles that work to provide the ultimate happy ending, but real miracles of birth, redemption, and love. I cried really hard at certain scenes, and I've never felt as emotional as that. The characters are lovable, the pacing completely suitable to the story and genre, and the musical score fully complimented the scenes. Spectacular anime as a whole.

Note: You must watch season 1 on Clannad. It's nothing compared to After Story, but it's essential to the development of the characters

7.4/10

It's charming and cute, and you get to like the characters. Comedy is good, pacing is aight, better than I expected. The story isn't a focused point of the series, but it's all good. I got feels eventually, more than I had anticipated. Excited for after story.

8.5/10

That was one hell of a ride. Great story, characters, action scenes, and pacing. As of now, the darkest, most thrilling anime I've seen. It's a highly unpredictable mix of genres action, horror, comedy, romance, and drama--and they combine beautifully. There were so many memorable scenes, some of which I thought were cool, others really messed up. In terms of enjoyment, I did so thoroughly, despite how dark and messed up some of the material was (14 year olds committing murder and having sex is a little too crazy for me), and the finale wrapped up enough, more than I had expected.

EDIT: Saw the OVA and it wrapped up the romance story loose ends :)

7.3/10

Solid anime. It wasn't high on action (which I had thought due to the first few episodes), but it was high on emotional moments. I liked the development they had with the main characters, but due to the shortness of the series, they couldn't develop some of the other characters better. Still, I liked how well done this anime was--the music was sweet, the humor delightful, and the overall message of the story heartwarming, charming, and lovable all around. I wish they could expand on the story more in the future, such as the mythology behind the world--unless the intention was to leave it that way. I just thought this anime was a bit short on development.

6.9/10

Hauntingly beautiful, mysterious, full of gruesome and gory deaths. It was good--up until the really messy, unnecessarily violent finale. I really wanted to like the anime, but I feel towards the end, it descended too much into its chaos and madness that it totally screwed up its own potential. That being said, the rest of the anime is what got me to like it still: complex plot, decent characters, and the creepy horror element. Sadly, it really falls short of what I had expected.

7.4/10

What started out as what I thought was just fan service, nods to hentai, and just plain dumb fun turned out to be an epic, satisfying anime. I loved the lightning pace of the series, the vivid characters, and glorious action sequences. The plot wasn't too complex, but offered enough to keep me interested. Overall, very solid anime, once one gets used to the fan service, and the fact that there's practically nude people everywhere haha.

9.3/10

Beautiful anime. This is the first "legit" anime I've ever fully and truly finished, and it was really epic beyond measure. I liked the scope and scale of the story and how deeply they delved into character and plot. The pacing of the show was damn near flawless. The action was pretty decent, and definitely tied it up. It had those heartwarming moments, and those twists and turns, glorious musical score, and everything one would expect in a good TV show. It was a pleasure bingewatching this.

7.9/10

What got me into anime. Contains some of the best fight scenes in anime; the only problem with this is the extremely slow pacing which drags the story down imo. I don't think the type of pace suits the anime (the manga moves much faster, which is much better).

9.2/10

People don't consider this anime, but I kinda do. It's in the same style. That being said, it's one of the best out there too. The seasons were a bit unbalanced at times, with season 1 starting off nicely then season 2 taking a step back. Ultimately, season 3 and 4 showed the best TV had to offer. Great characters, story, lightning pace, comedy, and some of the greatest action scenes in TV history. This and its prequel belong to one of the most memorable series of all time.

9.3/10

The OG TV series in anime style (Some people don't consider this anime, but I somewhat do). This was my childhood. It had some of the most memorable characters, action scenes, and plot developments in TV.

7.0/10

It's old but not obsolete. The mystery and suspense is great, and it usually is pretty creepy too (The music and visuals are much creepier on screen than on page). Genuine classic and I actually watched this before all other animes before they were mainstream ;) Only downside is that all the episodes are pretty formulaic, and they play out in a certain order. (it's like the manga though, so makes sense)

IN PROGRESS: episode 8 (7.3/10)

So far, it's pretty fun, only think it's pacing is a bit off for my taste and the story seems a bit disjointed. The main plot is obscured by the side stories, and the characters could be developed more, but so far I'll wait if it gets better.

IN PROGRESS: ep 3 (6.9/10)

So far not much can be determined from the first two episodes; I find it a bit rushed, and a little far fetched that the protagonist is already a badass (he's just an otaku). I can see the influences from traditional dungeons/dragons type material as well as Game of Thrones. The animation is top notch and the action score is epic: the show has promise; the concept is similar to my dreams of merging modern weaponry with ancient eras. Still, nothing much has truly shown if this show truly will be any good. As soon as the plot and characters develop, we shall see...

8.5/10

Fitting end to the Steins;Gate series with a story that's only slightly subpar to the original. I appreciated how the same atmosphere, humor, and feel of the series is retained in the movie. Additionally, some extra plot points were refreshing and certainly helped with the formation of this plot. While the original series already had a sweet ending to it, this film presents a new problem to the characters and then resolves it yet again, so one does not technically need to watch this movie for a resolution. I absolutely recommend it if you enjoyed the series, otherwise, you can skip it.

PS. I liked some of the plot points that occurred in the movie. :)

7.9/10

Large scale story and world with strong female protagonist and solid themes on the preservation of nature and its retaliation against man's cruelty. It's pretty solid with a nice soundtrack and unique world design, the plot is good, but nothing spectacular--however makes for some good popcorn viewing.

7.1/10

Cute little tale with some memorable characters; compared to some of Ghibli's other works, it doesn't stand out as much. The other film I would compare this to is Totoro for being a kid's movie, though Totoro is more of the classic. Still, the movie makes for a different art style that makes it unique.

8.4/10

Great Ghibli adventure type film. It has a mystery, action, a forgotten kingdom. Great pacing and characters make this one of Ghibli's better films.

7.6/10

Another solid Ghibli film; I remember really liking this film for Kiki, since she was such a likable character. And that damned cat. I wish there were more background to her magic though, as it mostly focused on her life during the story.

7.6/10

Solid ghibli film, I thought it was cool because from the perspective of a small character, our world is a much larger, vast universe in their view. Nonetheless, I liked the protagonists and the musical score. I had some quirks with the villain though; I thought the motives to be a bit too unclear.

6.9/10

Art style was unique, and I appreciated it. I thought the narrative was not as solid as other Ghibli films, however. I felt characters were lacking compared to the others, and I thought it wasnt too memorable in the plot department. Years later, I'll probably only remember this film as the Ghibli with the cool visual style. Nothing more.