Breaking the Boundary

Title: Clannad
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Romance
Rating: 8.9/10

Summary: Tomoya Okazaki is a third year high school student resentful of his life. His mother passed away from a car accident when he was younger, causing his father to resort to alcohol and gambling. This results in fights between the two until Tomoya’s shoulder is injured in a fight. Since then, Tomoya has had distant relationships with his father, causing him to become a delinquent over time. While on a walk to school, he meets a strange girl named Nagisa Furukawa who is a year older, but is repeating due to illness. Due to this, she is often alone as most of her friends have moved on. The two begin hanging out and slowly, as time goes by, Tomoya finds his life shifting in a new direction. (ANN)

Review: First comes first, this anime is not one you generally watch with other people. Why? Well because you will probably fight each other for the tissue box because this is quite the heartwrencher. Clannad is one of the best romance animes I have seen, and I couldn’t stop watching until I literally collapsed from exhaustion. It is one of the longer romance animes (54 episodes including the second season “After Story”), but it really helped get you attached to the different characters. The first season introduces the main and support characters very well. Quite a few of the episodes actually show where each individual came from, some being quite surprising. I have to admit though, no one seemed to have a happy past. In fact, most of the pasts either had to deal with deaths or injuries. The anime is leaned heavily toward the drama side, which is very rare for me to like, but it is the hopeful stories and endings that really kept it bearable. The characters are hard to hate considering each has their own faults and pluses. Like most romances you tend to see where it is leading, seeing people get hurt while others are happy. Clannad really brought the moral of friendship into play so you don’t get the uncontrollable urge to punch a wall when something doesn’t go perfectly. As I said before, the characters are all likable and the drama was very well done. Even if you find yourself feeling the lowest of the low the anime still gives you that beacon of hope that you can hang on to. This anime really brought out a very real life feeling, but kept you distant enough with a couple fantasy events. Character relationships develop gradually and nothing is quite “out of the blue”.
I could rave about the characters all day long, but alas I don’t want to make this too long. The art work was beautifully done, giving captivating backgrounds and scenery, but focusing on the characters by having them stand out. The soundtrack unfortunately wasn’t great, but the times they set up background music fit well and brought out the emotions of the characters and viewers.
Season two really deserves its own review, but I figure most people who watch Clannad season one will definitely want more. The second season, After Story, focuses more on the two main characters: Tomoya Okazaki and Nagisa Furukawa. Although I did enjoy second season for all the same reasons as season one there was a bit of a “problem” (not sure if I want to really call it that). After Story is the poster child of emotional rollercoasters. Throughout the season the director really hits you hard with overly joyful scenes to the most melancholy situations. Although you have a feeling of satisfaction in the end, I warn you that it is a tough struggle to keep trucking on episode after episodes. In all honesty, I wish that the ended season two a little sooner than they had. This isn’t to say that the ending wasn’t well done, but I feel that it could use a bit of altering. However, when it comes to endings I want to leave it up to you, the viewers, to decide good or bad.

Final statements: Combining seasons one and two of Clannad I would recommend this for anyone who enjoys a good romance anime. I could see Clannad easily becoming a classic of its genre. If you don’t want to sit through an endless river of tears then this anime probably isn’t for you. All things considered this anime is very well done and overall a high priority watch.

Title: Kämpfer
Genre: Action, Romance, Comedy
Rating: 6/10

Summary: The plot revolves around Natsuru Senō, a normal high school boy with blue hair. One day he wakes up to find himself turned into a girl. A stuffed tiger “Harakiri Tora” comes to life and tells him to fight as a female psychic fighter “Kämpfer”. Having no idea about what’s going on, Natsuru is involved in many battles against other female Kämpfer.

Review: I think everyone can tell from the image above that this anime is basically fan service. Kämpfer isn’t really meant for anyone who is looking for a storyline, although it attempts to make one. Most of the episodes were just seeing the different girls in bikinis, on dates, and cosplaying. The school where the Kämpfer’s are found also is rather strange. It is supposed to be a co-ed school but a giant wall was built in the middle of it that separates the girls and the guys. That’s… strange? And for some reason their advance technology blocks any guys from going to the girls side. This being said, the guys are ridiculously horny (or desperate to even talk to a girl?) and the girls have all turned lesbian. The fan service for this anime is rather funny, but kind of awkward when you realize the main “girl” character is actually a guy that only turns into a girl when fighting Kämpfers. The story that was attempted actually seemed pretty interesting. However, only 3 maybe 4 episodes actually revolved around the story. It isn’t until the last couple episodes you actually learn what Kämpfers are meant to do, but still don’t get a real reason “why”. To be honest, I actually did enjoy the story they had going and wished to see more of it (possibly in a season 2). Unfortunately I knew that this was pretty much a fan service anime and a season 2 hasn’t even been announced yet. The manga progression is also very slow, and still needs to catch up to the anime. I could see this anime having a really good season 2 also, since it left the viewers with such a cliffhanger. The artstyle was pretty nice, nothing eye popping but not an eyesore either. The soundtrack was actually pretty cool and I enjoyed the “Ode to Joy” use in the final battle. The character models were really what got me though. Every Kämpfer had such a different personality but they all meshed so well together. It was a little strange that personalities can also change when turning into Kämpfer form, but that just made the anime funnier and much more entertaining. Comedy wise I would give this anime an average rating. Romance was pretty strange considering the main character was very dense but still had a harem going, and the girls side falling for his girl form. The action scenes pretty short but interesting to watch.

Final statements: Like I said, the anime is a fan service and most likely wont continue. I didn’t hate watching it, and actually enjoyed it for the little story that it had. I hope that they come out with a season two and give a little more story. Low priority watch.

Title: Ookami Kakushi
Genre: Action, Mystery, Horror, Psychological, Thriller

First Look: When I first heard about this anime I was really looking forward to it. However, after watching it I’m not really sure what to think. I do like the mystery behind the anime, and the fact that they didn’t just give it away in the first 4 episodes. The problem is the character models really. The characters don’t really seem all that great, and most of them are just creepy. I understand the creepiness factor needed for a supernatural, horror, mystery anime but sometimes it just goes to a level of weird that I just don’t want to watch. The other less creepy characters seem normal and are nothing special. I don’t dislike or like any of them, which isn’t such a good thing. I rather I hate a character than feel indifferent if they play a main role in an anime. The art style isn’t that great either, attention to detail seems to be lost in this anime. The backgrounds also seem low budget compared to many I have seen this season. The anime can still take a lot of turns which is great because a mystery shouldn’t be solved so quickly. After watching four episodes of this anime I’m still wondering if I should keep up with it or let this one drop.

Final statements: For a horror, supernatural, mystery I can see this one turning out pretty well. The characters for me aren’t that interesting so it is hard to get attached to the anime. I’m not really sure what to think of this anime, the genre leaves it hard to have a solid opinion in only four episodes. On the fence.

Title: Hanamaru Youchien (Kindergarten)
Genre: Comedy, School Life

Summary: The story follows the life of a young kindergarten teacher Naozumi Tsuchida. He is inexperienced and the only guy kindergarten teacher in the school.  Naozumi struggles to keep his students happy, and get closer to one of his colleagues Nanako Yamamoto. When starting his first day of teaching he runs into a young girl named Anzu, who ends up being his student. Due to a series of events Anzu develops a crush for Naozumi. With the help of Anzu’s classmates Hiragi and Koume quite a few adventures stir up in this little school.

First Look: Hanamaru Youchien is actually one of the funniest animes I have seen this season. Though unexpected, I found myself laughing quite hard Anzu’s attempts to impress Naozumi, and Naozumi’s attempts to impress Nanako. The series is very “cutesy” and not the type I tend to watch, but I have had a change of heart. The little fights or drama that occur really puts a smile on your face. Jokes can range from Anzu trying to be more grown up and “acting like a women” to little things like Anzu struggling to climb up on a table. The support characters always play a role to help Anzu get together with Naozumi. For all of you out there judging the setting of a kindergarten give this anime a chance. I was skeptical at first but I’m actually looking forward to where they take this anime. The series is short and told to be only 12 episodes long, but we’ll see. I can’t really say much about this anime other than it puts a smile on my face. The artwork is average, the soundtrack too.

Final statements: Seems like a pretty solid comedy, and suggest people to at least check it out. It might be for everyone, but it doesn’t hurt to watch an episode or two. On watch.

Hey guys and gals just wanted to throw you a quick update about what is going on. The reviews aren’t going to be occurring too often (i.e. daily) because of school which interferes with my anime watching. And besides it’s hard to watch 24+ episode series in one day! But don’t worry that doesn’t mean I have ran out of animes to review. There are still a few that I hope to get to ASAP, and I will keep you guys updated on my currently viewing anime list so you can look forward to new reviews when the season is over. For now here is a quick list of what I have in store:

Incoming Reviews

• Kampfer (anime)
• Clannad (anime)
• Air Gear (anime)
• FLCL (anime)
• Perfect Blue (anime movie)
• Ouran Host Club (anime)
• Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (anime)
• Love Hina (anime vs. manga)
• Read or Die (anime/anime movie)
• Hand Maid May (anime)
• To Aru Kagaku No Railgun (anime)
• Nodame Cantabile (anime)

Incoming Second Looks

• Durarara!!
• Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu
• Bakemonogatari (hopefully)
• Sora no Woto

Incoming First Looks

• Hanamaru Youchien
• Ookami Kakushi
  

The second incoming reviews will happen when the animes have reached a good number of episodes, just to let you guys know if my opinions have changed. As for my incoming reviews list I have quite a few to get through and some I plan to revisit just to jog my memory a little. The incoming reviews list is not all the anime I have seen. There are quite a few more series that I wish to cover, but the list is top priority. Why might you ask? Well I do want to try and do reviews on not-so-popular (and ones that are still fresh in my mind) anime because a lot of main stream anime such as Cowboy Bebop and Trigun have been covered multiple times and most anime viewers already have opinions about them. This is not saying that I will never write a review on them, but they don’t hold as high a priority as others.

Moving on! I have noticed a study number of visitors to this website and I hope that I keep seeing old and new faces! Please make sure to leave a comment about any of the animes I cover, whether you disagree or agree I really wish to hear you opinion. Also, if you would like to help me write anime reviews make sure to send an e-mail to szaveri@breakingtheboundary.com. I check my e-mail daily so I will get back to you ASAP. And trust me I could use the help! For anyone who writes a review don’t restrict yourself to only anime, I want to see manga reviews as well. Don’t forget that we do have a forum. I hope to see you soon!

-Sid