Title: Azumanga Daioh
Genre: Comedy, School Life, Slice of Life
Anime Rating: 8.6/10
Manga Rating: 8.5/10

Summary: It’s not manga, it’s Azumanga! − smart, fun and totally addictive. Created by the iconoclastic Kiyohiko Azuma, Azumanga Daioh is strongly character driven, taking the reader through the daily tribulations of Miss Kurosawa, Miss Yukari, the wild Tomo, hair-triggered Yomi, ditzy Osaka, brash Kagura, cute Chiyo-chan and athletic (but girly) Sakaki.

Review: Azumanga Daioh is one of those typical random comedy manga/anime. A group of girls getting together and just living the somewhat-normal high school life. So what makes the anime so great? Well the comedy of course. I can’t say it is unique, but it sure brings a good laugh. I wasn’t looking for an in-depth story, major character development, or moral message. The series does well at what it is best at, making the audience’s day a little brighter. It does have some touching moments, but doesn’t that make their friendships all the better? The characters all play their respective roles from the misunderstood to airheaded. Probably the only “downside” (if you could call it that) was the art. Although it wasn’t fancy, or eye catching, it did fit the atmosphere of the anime well. If anything having a fancy art style would only pull away from the comedy. The funny faces would be lost in the world of pretty shading and detailed backgrounds. Probably the only reason I can’t give this anime is a better score is because you don’t get too attached to the characters. At the end of the series I did have a feeling of “Aww it’s over already?” but I figured any longer I may grow tired of it. As for manga versus anime? Well they are exactly the same except one is animated/colored while the other… isn’t. The anime followed the manga exactly, but I liked it just a tiny bit more because the animations seemed to make it better. Actually watching the girls fly away due to pig tails as opposed to imagining it through the still picture manga made me chuckle a little longer.

Final statements: Would I suggest the manga or anime? Either or to be honest. I know quite a few people who prefer reading manga because they can stop at any time and listen to music while reading. So if you like manga more than anime, read the manga. If you prefer watching anime, watch the anime! Whichever you choose both are a high priority for any comedy lover.

Title: Karin (Chibi Vampire)
Genre: Comedy, Romance, Supernatural
Rating: 8.8/10

Summary: In the 21st century, a family of vampires settled down on the grounds of Japan and lived a modest life whilst sucking on the blood of humans discreetly. However, the eldest daughter of the family, Karin Maaka, has an embarassing secret which cannot be revealed to anyone. Even though she is a vampire, she does not lack blood like her family members. Instead, she overproduces blood to the extent that she transfuses the excess into her victims, hence increasing their blood levels. Despite her troubling body characteristic, she attends school like any other high school student, that is until a new transfer student, Kenta Usui, enters her life.

Review: This anime kind of came as a surprise to me in terms of enjoyment. On one side it is a romance comedy, a genre that I have really fallen for and enjoy reviewing. On the other side it is supernatural, specifically dealing with vampires. And with a name like Chibi Vampire one could only imagine what I was going through my head *cough* Twilight *cough*. To me a vampire is a ruthless killer with only self-preservation in mind. I don’t really believe so much in the cute/kind/loving vampires that seem to be the new hit craze among tweens (and quite possibly older women). Though I do think vampires should be suave and charming, their motives are quite a bit darker. Well the anime did just that. In some aspects it could be considered a horror in regards to some of the situations the characters are put in, or the character models of the brother and younger sister. It probably wouldn’t be the first genre you think of after watching this series since ever episode opens with Karin saying “I’m so embarrassed!” Which was strangely addicting, not sure how I feel about that. The character models are what really got me into this anime. As I said before, the younger sister and brother had a darker, more vampire-ish feel to them. Whereas the main character Karin was cute with a dark secret. The anime overall was pretty upbeat and cheerful, so don’t worry about it being a complete drama-fest, but it didn’t hurt to add a little spice in the mix. What really made me like Karin was the fact Kenta wasn’t a complete idiot. He was down to earth and had a normal thought process. He even came with a hint of chivalry, helping Karin whenever he could. The worst character was possibly the foreign exchange student Winner. Not only was his idiotic behavior and oblivious nature getting on my nerves, the voice actor made my teeth grind. I’m not saying that the voice actor himself was bad, the director probably wanted an irritating voice to match the character set. In terms of story Karin wasn’t perfect. I did like the idea of a vampire having an opposite problem of overproducing blood than lacking. It led to quite a few funny scenes and kept things interesting. The reason vampires seek specific victims was also explained. I mean, humans like certain foods, why can’t vampires like certain types of blood? The fairy tale ending could have used a little adjusting, but the back story was far from pretty. So for that I give it quite a high score. The art style seemed average. Some characters seemed really thought out and detailed while others were completely bland. The shading and lighting weren’t half bad though.

Final statements: In terms of a romance comedy this is a high priority watch. I actually had really high enjoyment watching the whole series. I believe I completed it in 3 days or so, which shows you how eager I was to click ‘next episode’.