Bakemonogatari (or Ghostory) is based off the light novel series by Nisio Isin and illustrator Vofan. The series seems to focus on Koyomi Araragi, who we suspect to be a vampire, and Hitagi Senjougahara, a weightless girl who rarely speaks to anyone. A brief encounter between the two, in which Koyomi discovers Hitagi’s secret, sets the plot in motion. Hitagi doesn’t want any trouble and threatens Koyomi with a plethora of school supplies, where we eventually learn that he isn’t quite normal himself. The story itself didn’t grab all that much, but instead all of the subtle touches the show has.

First off, amazing work once again SHAFT. I knew they were in charge of this show without even looking it up, the style is completely unique to the studio and has that slight Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei edge to it. Secondly, awesome effect with the first person perspective. Having the voices and sounds muffled (? hard to describe) really immersed me in the show. One last effort to call attention to itself is in the fact that there are 15 episodes, 2 more than the normal quarter of a year 13. This might be one where I’ll collect it all and marathon it when I get a chance as I’m still quite behind on what I already have on my plate.

Another World, Kyou Chapter is to Clannad: After Story as Another World, Tomoyo Chapter is to Clannad. Everything you know and love (or hate) about Clannad is still here, but just in an alternate world. Instead of going for Nagisa, Kyou Chapter focuses on the two Fujibayashi twins Ryou and Kyou. Don’t be fooled by the title of the episode though, this isn’t just some Kyou fanboy fanservice shlop. In fact, unlike the Tomoyo Chapter, the viewer doesn’t see the happy relationship flourish until the final few minutes. In a way I was sad because I am one of those dirt Kyou fanboys. But on the other hand I liked the build up, it was very characteristic of Clannad. A lot of emotion was crammed into those short twenty-four minutes, which is definitely something I can appreciate. If you’ve watched all of the previous Clannad material and want one last taste be sure to check this out. Also, if you couldn’t stand the Nagisa side of the story but liked everything else about the show I urge you to give this one a go. Fantastic episode that I just wished didn’t end right as the two became a couple. 9/10

My journey with Hatsukoi Limited started a while back when I was itching for some romance manga to read. I had just recently finished Ichigo 100% and felt I wanted something similar. Looking up the author, Mizuki Kawashita, brought me to this short little four volume manga. It only took me two days to finish, and even then that’s only because I started fairly late at night and needed some sleep. The phrase “short but sweet” worked quite well when describing Hatsukoi Limited. Fast forward a few months to where I’m looking at upcoming spring season shows, and to my delight I see Hatsukoi on the list. I can appreciate manga for what it is, but if a show is done correctly it is much more effective than black & white still pictures.

Hatsukoi Limited is a pretty safe watch, nothing here is necessarily new, but then again at this point in time it’s pretty tough feeling “new” in a romance anime. What works in Hatsukoi’s favor is that the show is comprised of short stories. While everything is connected in an overall story, each episode tends to focus on a certain girl and her troubles. This means that the show can feel fresh by combining many popular themes in romance anime without  a sloppy mess centered on two people. The emotion and drama was there when you needed it, but the comedy was around to keep Hatsukoi Limited feeling light.

As I said before seeing something in fluid motion with sound is a lot more engaging, and in Hatsukoi’s case, greatly enhances the overall feel. The colors are soft, but at the same time crisp and glossy. I never noticed any significant drop in animation quality over the series, which is a plus in my book. If you want pretty girls to look at this show won’t disappoint (just remember most of them are in middle school) and the fan service is there but not overwhelming. As for voice acting I would say everyone did a great job. Of the seven main girls only three of them have a pretty expansive career (with the most noticeable being Tanaka Rie). The guy’s side has a lot more experience behind them including Sakurai Takahiro (good ‘ol Suzaku of Code Geass).

Hatsukoi Limited may not be anything special, but I do feel it brings something to the table. It successfully (as in, not straying far from source material) fits the stories of seven girls into a mere 12 episodes without feeling rushed. If you haven’t already seen the show and are in the mood for some romance give it a shot. Hatsukoi can be digested as a marathon or watched at leisure without any drawbacks due to the short story setup. A solid watch. 8/10

I’m going into this show blind, like usual. In fact I only heard about it just a few weeks ago, and even then I have yet to look up a single thing about Umineko. All I know is that it’s made by the same people who did the Higurashi series, which means I am totally down. For some strange reason I’m thinking to myself that the summer season is coming way to early, but looking at the calendar makes me realize just how fast these months have been melting away. Umineko no Naku Koro ni gets to pop the ‘ol summer season cherry for ’09, so how did it fare?

Overall it went pretty well, not as griping as the beginning of Higurashi, but it definitely ended on a better note. It’s also nice to know that I am literally unaware of how things will pan out, unlike Higurashi that had the arc ending as the beginning of said arc. Needless to say I found myself disappointed about halfway through episode one of Umineko. I don’t care much for what seems to be two of the main characters (Battler and Maria) which I think will come back to bite me later when people start dropping dead. It’s much more intense/emotional if someone you like gets the axe. Battler seems like a sleazeball, and his boob comments did not help his case. Maria, well, she’s just downright annoying. I’m all for speech quirks in the name of “moe” but UUUUUUUU does not cut it, especially at the UUUUUUUU’s per minute she was dropping. The laundry list of characters was also a bit daunting for a first episode, especially when they decide to have talks of heirs and money between one another. Someone please make a road map of this family so I can understand it a bit better. The last third or so of the episode is what really gave this show the glimmer of hope it needs. Things started to take a turn for the dark and Maria met a good friend I like to call “five to the face.”

-Testing New Banner-

To be honest I hate the fact that Bleach has gone on for 150+ episodes. With the amount of filler, and recap, and even filler arcs Bleach has been so watered down that I don’t even look forward to new episodes much anymore. I feel as though these long ass shows would benefit from something called seasons and sequels. Let the manga get a full arc done and then start making new episodes. I really think filler crap hurts a show more than a year or two break. Call me crazy or stupid; I just feel some shows need a new outlook on things.

Remind me to never start watching shows like Naruto, DBZ, One Piece, Inu Yasha, etc… 100 episodes or less please.

Story [7]
Zombie-Loan is an anime about a high school girl, Kita Michiru, who has the ability to see rings on people’s necks. These rings represent life and once it becomes completely black that person will die soon. She is shocked to find that two of her classmates have these rings and are not dead. Through a series of events Michiru finds out that these two boys have already died and are currently living on a zombie loan. She ends up helping them rid the town of “illegal” zombies. The problem with this show is that it tries to fit too much content in such few episodes. I felt as though the first couple episodes that led up to what the show was really were rushed and choppy. Once the show tried to start an actual plot it ended too fast. I think it would have been much better if the show stuck to one of main bad guys and fleshed it out completely.

Characters [8]
The characters in Zombie-Loan are each unique, but none of them are really compelling. I did like the clash of personalities between Chika and Shitto though. Even though this show was about dead people, in a way, I felt as though many of the characters didn’t have much life to them. The voice actors didn’t sound very believable at times, and it sounded much more scripted than it should have been. The supporting cast didn’t offer much except for two things: the split personality of Koyomi and the hand friends of Yuuta. The evil-doers were decent, but they didn’t do much for you to actually hate them and want them to die/lose. I think this had to due with the fact that they tried to cram too much content into little time, which resulted in underdeveloped characters.

Animation [8]
The animation in Zombie-Loan was good, but nothing that really sticks in my mind. The characters and environments were clean, but produced a sort of dead feeling. Yes, yes… it’s a show about zombies, and maybe it’s to set a certain mood to the show, but I just didn’t find it all that appealing. The worst part for me was when they had scenes in Michiru’s regular school. It felt more like an old castle than an actual place of learning. I also wasn’t a big fan of the amount of green they used for the building either. Other than a few awkward colorings and a lack of life the animation was good. The fight scenes were fluid (the few that were actual in the show) and nothing looked too out of place. There were some interesting character designs as well, I just wish that they used the same creativity while dealing with each character.

Sound [8]
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. Some of the voice acting sounded completely uninspired. Other than that the voice actors did a pretty good job for their characters. I will say that the highlight of the voice acting for me in this anime was the way that Koyomi’s split personalities had that big of a difference in them. The main characters all were done nicely and didn’t seem out of character too often. The supporting cast felt cheap at times though. Background music was used to help set and create moods and did a pretty good job at it. The opening theme grated me and I had to skip it most of the times.

Overall [7]
Zombie-Loan wasn’t a bad anime, it just fell short of what it could have been. The whole story seemed rushed and choppy, which could have been fixed with more episodes or if the amount of arcs were cut down. The animations and voice acting felt dead at times as well. For being an anime about killing zombies for money I also found that there was a lack of actual action overall in the series. Zombie-Loan did have some good action when it got down to business though. For me it was the main characters that really made this show what it is. The conflicting personalities created interesting situations that all-in-all made the anime worth watching if you have nothing else to watch.

Story [8]
Shuffle! is an anime about a high schooler, Tsuchimi Rin, who is surrounded by many girls that like/love him. Pretty basic formula for a harem anime, and while it doesn’t sway that much from many others it does have its moments. The world of Shuffle! is based on the real world except for the fact that portals have been opened to allow gods and demons to live amongst normal humans. Both of the daughters of the Kings of these worlds previously met the main character and have returned to try and become his bride. Throw them into the mix with long-time friends and housemates and you have yourself one big cat-fight in the making. Each girl has their past with Rin which is pretty typical, though some of them had some interesting history. While the show can be predictable at times there were a few twists that really had me surprised. The show progressed nicely, but I feel as though some characters were pushed aside and forgotten about when they shouldn’t have. Shuffle! actually was able to wrap things up pretty well at the end which is something I find uncommon in many animes. While the story may not be ground breaking it does offer a few twists that make it an enjoyable experience.

Characters [9]
The thing I liked most about the characters in Shuffle! is that each have their own history. Many animes that I have seen fail to really flesh out the past of their characters. By having these histories brought to life every character has a deeper connection to one another. I also liked how each character had similarities in their past, yet differed greatly form one another. Some were happy while others were downright saddening. Another thing that I liked about the characters in Shuffle! is that it displayed a wide variety of “cliches” so to say. You had the smart, the dumb, the shy, the bold, and so on. The girls also reacted somewhat realistically to one another, becoming jealous when Rin would start to favor someone else. I just liked the depth and variety of them all, and it didn’t hurt that all the characters were lovable as well.

Animation [7]
The characters were done nicely in this one and each one had their own unique look. Most movements looked pretty natural as well. The backgrounds and settings were also done with the same level of quality and often helped set a certain mood for a scene. While overall the animations were good I do have some gripes about it. First of all, while the characters were nice, they often suffered from inconsistency. Sometimes the face would change in little ways, or the angle of the drawing would result in awkward shapes. One of the biggest downfalls is that characters would sometimes suffer from the huge chin syndrome. Another thing that got on my nerves was the amount of fanservice this anime had. Yes I know it’s a harem about girls being in love, but unnecessary panties and nudity can sometimes kill a show for me.

Sound [8]
The sound in Shuffle! was pretty good. Most of the characters were able to display a wide range of emotions and most were pulled off pretty well. The voice actors fit the characters well, but I will admit that having to listen to Nerine could be annoying at times. I’m not bashing the voice, since it was done well; I just didn’t like the sound of it at times. The music in the anime was done decently to help set a tone to certain scenes, which can be pretty powerful at times. The opening and ending songs were nice, but easily forgettable for me.

Overall [8]
Shuffle! doesn’t really bring anything new to the table that I have seen, but it does do a good job at what it does. The animation and sound are pretty good with just a few grievances, but these are easily overlooked in the long run. The story was mostly predictable but it was able to pull off a shock or two during its course. I also feel that the story had some good depth that can often times be forgotten in anime. The characters all went together well, each with their own intertwining histories. If you are into the whole romance/harem thing and don’t mind a hint of fantasy then Shuffle! should definitely be a show to check out.