Breaking the Boundary

Title: Asura Cryin’
Genre: Fantasy, Mecha, Action
Rating: 7/10

Summary: A semi-serious school action story revolving around the main protagonist, Tomoharu Natsume. He is haunted by his childhood friend, Misao Minakami, who became a ghost ever since he barely survived an airplane accident three years earlier. Tomoharu Natsume takes the opportunity to live on his own when he enters high school in his new place of residence, Meiou-tei, and starts enjoying a carefree high school life. His life changed when a beautiful girl named Kurosaki Shuri appears with a trunk which she claimed Tomoharu’s brother, Naotaka Natsume, asked her to deliver to him. The presence of the trunk causes the appearance of Takatsuki Kanade, a girl dressed like a shrine maiden who is after the trunk. Tomoharu is in possession of the trunk, which reveals secrets about the world they live in.

Review: Asura Cryin’ turned out to be far more interesting than I originally thought. The story itself was pretty solid, but can be a little hard to follow considering it jumps through different worlds. Explanations are also a bit fuzzy and really saved up until the end (though I felt some of the explanations came out of no where). I did have a couple problems with the anime, like how people could see their ‘future’ selves. The anime strongly revolved around the idea of sacrifice, and without giving too much away I suggest you get used to saying, “That sucks” if you plan to watch this anime. Though I found the idea of balance interesting it is a bit over played. Another cliche` about this anime was having the constant sympathy for the devil atmosphere, because bad people aren’t really bad they just need a warm hug and someone to tell them it’s going to be ok. Even when the bad guys were defeated they sort of…faded out. Despite having depressing point about sacrificing the battles seemed a lot more half-assed. Even toward the climax of the anime the feeling of epic didn’t really strike, keeping the same level of intensity as the rest of the anime. The fight scenes were cool, but taking them seriously was a struggle. Next, the character models, which were surprisingly good. None of the characters were annoying or out of place, for a semi-serious action anime each character had a very good balance of drama, comedy, and bad-assery. I didn’t get very attached to anyone though, possibly because I couldn’t relate. This is a little strange considering the anime was 26 episodes. I believe that if you can’t get attached to anyone within that time span no one was that great. Understanding that being an action anime it wasn’t their intention for viewers to like anyone in particular I don’t dock them too much on it. The music was probably the best trait of Asura Cryin’, the techno opening was pretty addicting. Other than that though none of the fight scene music was all that memorable. The art style wasn’t horrible, very standard and got the job done. The only thing I would change is cutting that annoying strand of hair Tomoharu had dangling off his head.

Final statements: The anime is pretty cliche` when looking at the bare bones and nit picking at it, but isn’t a good reason to not watch it. Story is pretty solid and characters are decent. Pretty good curve balls too. Low priority watch.

Title: K-ON!
Genre: Comedy, Music, Slice of Life
Rating: 7.5/10

Summary: It’s Yui Hirasawa’s first year in high school, and she’s eagerly searching for a club to join. At the same time, Ritsu Tainaka, a drummer, and her friend Mio Akiyama, a bassist, are desperately trying to save the school’s light music club, which is about to be disbanded due to lack of members. They manage to recruit Tsumugi Kotobuki to play the keyboard, meaning they only need one more member to get the club running again. Yui joins, thinking it will be an easy experience for her to play the castanets, the only instrument she knows. However, the other members think their new addition is actually a guitar prodigy.

Review: I actually finished watching this anime quite some time ago but until now I couldn’t really decide what to give it. I really enjoyed watching the episodes, seeing what crazy antics the band got into and getting a good laugh now and then. After some hard thinking, I feel like I came up with my final decision. The anime is clearly based only to put the viewer in a good mood with virtually no drama. They did a good job trying to mix story with pure comedy. Although it does get a little tiresome knowing exactly what is going to happen, you can’t help but smile. I enjoyed seeing the characters get closer as friends and a band. The art style is very simplistic, characters and backgrounds. Although it is a little disappointing that they didn’t spend much on the art it wasn’t a complete loss. Scenes where the band plays together finger movements are taken into account. It isn’t eye candy, far from it, but at least they tried, right? The character models are just as expected, good. Since there isn’t any drama, the characters are made to be fun loving, warm-hearted people. The girls range from shy to outgoing, stupid to brilliant, and calm to hyper. I would be surprised to find anyone who can’t find at least one girl that they like in this anime since there is such a variety in personality. The soundtrack is another expected good trait of this anime (I mean come on, it revolves around music). I enjoyed the opening/ending and in-between. Watching the sudo music video was pretty cool too .

Final statements: Not much to say about this anime other than pick it up if you have time or want to get out of a  rut in your life. Low priority watch.

Title: Hand Maid May (HMM)
Genre: Action, Comedy, Romance, Science Fiction
Rating: 7/10

Summary: Saotome Kazuya is a computer whiz. One day his friend Nanbara, threatens him with a computer virus. Trying to stop the virus, Kazuya ends up making a special order. May is a cyberdoll that arrives at his door a few minutes later and she is 1/6th the size of a normal person, which makes for many awkward situations. Not to mention the fact Kazuya can’t even afford to keep May. Cyberdyne is not satisfied with Kazuya’s non-payments and will do anything to retrieve CBD May.

Review: HMM was an average anime to say the least. There were only 10 episodes so it wasn’t exactly a waste of time, and it had a pretty unique story. As you can tell from the poster this is the definition of a harem anime. Though some might find it kind of strange that most of the characters aren’t actually human. I did enjoy watching the episodes, burning through them one lazy weekend day. The soundtrack wasn’t all that great, the opening theme was actually a little annoying to listen to.  The characters were actually really interesting. I enjoyed seeing their different personalities and “abilities”. The romance was a little depressing because nothing ever felt resolved. Though they did do a good job showing character bonds and attachments, it fell through by the end of the anime because nothing came of it. There were point scenes that really brought out the main characters. I could tell that the romance didn’t have much to do with the anime considering how short it was. So considering that my expectations weren’t very high they did a decent job. The comedy was again another average part of the anime. I had some chuckles, but nothing to memorable. The art was standard but probably the best aspect of this anime. I liked the backgrounds and focus art (i.e. when drawing one character very well). Unfortunately I have seen better animes. Although I don’t regret watching HMM in the least, I don’t feel like I will rewatch it any time soon.

Final statements: I have to say that this anime was nothing special but nothing horrid. Considering that the anime is only ten episodes I would say that it is worth watching if you have nothing better. It has it’s moments so pick it up some time. Low priority watch.

Title: Kaleido Star
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Rating: 9.5/10

Summary: Sora, a young girl from Japan, comes to America in search of her dream. She wants, with all her heart, to be a member of the famous Kaleido Stage, a combination of musicals, acrobatics and magical effects. With the help of her friends, she struggles to make this dream come true.

Review: Kaleido Star is currently my favorite anime and really deserving of it. The plot sounds like a very typical anime, probably giving most people low expectations. After watching the first two episodes I was hooked, and I couldn’t believe how epic it turned out. The moral of friendship, love, and motivation couldn’t have been done better. The anime’s comedy left you with a smile on your face hours after finishing an episode; and tears in your eyes during the harsh moments of failure. The balance between the two different genres mixed better than yin and yang. It was as though the producers took a little from Column A, a little from Column B to create a mesh of unspeakable beauty. I was in awe at the magnificent art style, coloring, and motions of the anime characters. The art was no less than amazing for this anime, and I couldn’t have been happier with it. Any other style wouldn’t fit the theme. The best part was how versatile the art could be. The characters didn’t feel unnatural during simple scenes like having a conversation; and the crisp, clean lines went hand-in-hand during tournaments with fast pace movements and tricky spins. The best part about it was that the anime wasn’t linear. Although overall the anime does have a more upbeat than dark atmosphere, that isn’t to say everything just works out. Audiences watch as the main characters work countless hours to perfect a routine, skipping meals, sleep, and even overcoming injuries. After watching the struggles viewers can only hope the main event goes smoothly, but you can’t always bet money it. Kaleido Star shows the darker side to competitive sports, like mental (and sometimes physical) harassment. Something that only strengthens the attachment to the characters. The back story for nearly every character is explained in great detail, but not the long boring flashbacks most animes do. The past doesn’t always stay in the past, in fact most of the characters had to face their problems head on to resolve anything. The series is split into two seasons, both of which ended in an appropriate manner. The first season leaves you craving for more, and the second leaves you pumped and ready to work toward your own goals. The soundtrack is very upbeat and admittedly a bit kid-ish. I don’t want to say that it was bad because it did fit the anime, but it wasn’t my cup of tea.  I didn’t go looking for the soundtrack like I have for other animes such as FLCL, but didn’t mind listening to the opening/ending either. Kaleido Star is drop-dead gorgeous and I suggest it to anyone.

Final statements: I have nothing but praises for this anime, and it is well deserving of the rating given. I believe that anyone who enjoys watching a long series that deals a lot with character development this is the best pick. Even for entertainment value don’t pass this anime up. MUST SEE!

Title: Kannagi: Crazy Shrine Maidens
Genre: Romance, Comedy, Drama, Magic
Rating: 8.8/10

Summary: An art student named Jin Mikuriya carves a statue from the wood of the Kannagi tree only to have the statue come to life in the form of a goddess, who has now taken over the statue. He and “Nagi” work together to destroy the impurities that are gathering in the town.

Review: This anime is perfect if you are looking for a good life with a stable amount of story. Kannagi had me laughing out loud every episode, keeping fresh new humor instead of the same repetitive comedy most series stick with. The variety in comedy was only complimented by the interesting storyline of goddesses trying to understand a little more about themselves. I loved this series and only wished that it were longer, or have an announced season two. The relationship established between Jin and Nagi felt perfectly done, stirring a little drama with Jin and his childhood friend Tsugumi Aoba. The character development was surprisingly well done considering how short the series was and didn’t feel rushed at all. The series does very well in bringing story and support characters into play. This anime probably had the perfect mixture of comedy, romance, and drama. The reason I haven’t given this anime a perfect score really was due to the simplistic art style and anti-climactic ending. Although I felt satisfied, I felt that there could have been much more. The producers left viewers with a, “that can’t be it”, feeling. Kannagi has high potential for a second season that wouldn’t be any less interesting than the first. If not a second season, the first could have been extended.

Final statements: This was a very well done anime and probably one of my top. I would suggest it to anyone who enjoys a good comedy. Although the art was lacking, the series really made up for it in story. High priority watch.