Guilty Crown Review

Ouma Shu

Understanding people could be really difficult but will you think if you have powers to pull out people's hearts? Guilty Crown, an anime made by Production I.G, pretty well sums up how people could really understand each other through certain circumstances. The protagonist, Ouma Shu, is just a normal student wanting to live a pretty normal life but as she met Inori Yuzuriha (An internet idol from the band Egoist) his life began to collide with the fight for the world's survival.

Inori Yuzuriha

Never knowing what he will encounter, He joins Inori who turns out to be one of the members of the rebel group called the undertakers who fights the government unit called the GHQ. Eventually Shu became acquainted with the leader of the Undertakers named Tsustugami Gai who is soon to have a bigger part in Shu's life as an Undertaker. 

Gai Tsutsugami

The tides changed when Shu tries to save Inori from the assault of the Endlaves (Mechanical robots in Guilty crown). He did not know that he carries the void genome a gene that could grant the user the power of the Kings or should I say the power to draw out the people's hearts. The gene container was shattered by the Endlave's shot and suddenly a burst of energy like thing bursts out from Shu He then puts his hand of Inori's chest and slowly pulls the thing called the "void". What came out of Inori's chest seems to look like sword with a strong color of silver and using this "void" he was able to defeat the Endlave thus starting his battle against the GHQ as an Undertaker and his battle to discover what lies beyond living a normal life. 

Pulling out the Void

Shu with Ayase Shinomiya a Member of The Undertakers

People would say that this anime seemed to be a ripoff of the anime Code Geass as it also shows elements of Mecha Robots and Supernatural powers but I could say that this anime shows a different kind of feel. The protagonist Ouma Shu might be a simple reluctant hero who climbs up the plot with the use of his powers but   what makes Shu a unique one is that he is able to change for himself through the circumstances he face and through learning what is inside people's hearts with the use of the power of the Kings.

Shu in the Second half of the Series

All the characters are very interesting but as the plot goes on it seems that Shu gets further and further into the mystery surrounding his family, himself and the apocalyptic virus, he doesn’t seem to develop in a way that we hoped he would. The first half of the anime will truly make the watchers breathless as the twist in the plot would leave the watchers in great anticipation but for the second half i think it weren't  as breathless as the first one but it did give us good back story about the other significant characters such as Gai and how he came to be the leader of the Undertakers and his connection to Shu, Inori's true identity and many other more characters. The series concluded well enough to say that it covered the good development of the plot though there were some poor character development and that if you watched the conclusion you may say that it is a bit rushed.

"Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown"

Overall I could rate this anime with an 8 out 10. Good animation plus the addition of the soundtrack that is to die for really made it into an anime worth watching so now my question to you guys are you ready to pull out people's voids? 

Guilty Crown Opening Theme 1- My Dearest

Guilty Crown Ending Theme 1- Departures

Guilty Crown Opening Theme 2- The Everlasting Guilty Crown

Guilty Crown Ending Theme 1- Kokuhaku

Katekyo Hitman Reborn Review

Studio : Artland

Length : 203 Episodes

Year : 2006

Genre : Shounen - Comedy

Synopsis :
Tsunayoshi is an average boy in junior high that doesn't do too well academically. His mother tells him that he's going to be tutored, by someone named Reborn. It turns out that Reborn is actually a baby-sized hit man. Skeptical, Tsunayoshi continues his way to school when suddenly Reborn fires a "will" bullet at him. Tsunayoshi's last words before death was "I wish I confessed to Sasagawa, Kyouko". With these words, the power within the will fire emerged a passionate, powerful Tsunayoshi. With all his potential strength surfacing, he dashes toward Kyouko to confess, sporting nothing but boxers.

and Kyouko runs away scared...

This willpower doesn't last forever, just a mere five minutes. What Tsunayoshi also discovers that he is in the bloodline of the Mafia and is a candidate for the 10th boss of the Vongola Family, which means that Reborn's real purpose is to train him to become a great Mafia boss
Link(s) :

Official #1 : Ani TV's Reborn Website (Japanese)
Official #2 : Official Reborn Website (Japanese)

Source :http://www.anime-source.com/banzai/modules.php?name=Anime&rop=showcontent&id=1785

Now that the anime had ended, I decided to do a completed review on this show. Well it has it’s ups and downs along the way but it still remains as a great franchise to anime fans far and wide.

Here is what it is about, a teenage boy attending Junior High whom everyone calls “Tsuna”. He is known to be bad physically and academically and top of that, he is unpopular and had no friends. His life however, takes an extraordinary and sudden change when Reborn, an infamous hitman from the Vongola mafia family, takes a flight to Japan and trains Tsuna into becoming the 10th boss of Vongola.

One thing I noticed in Hitman Reborn is how the author just writes whatever comes to mind and it’s like there’s not much planning. Unless there’s some specific reason, that’s the only way to explain how Hitman Reborn’s story changed drastically over the years. First, we have normal everyday school life with humors and styles that could certainly proceed to the harem comedy plot if they wants to. Then, it started to become more action and shounen orientated from arcs like Kokuyo Arc and Varia Arc (no more underwear transformations! Yaaay!). At this point, the plot is starting to build up and gets more technical. And for the most recent one, it now turns into a bizarre arc which even involved time traveling on a large scale. Ironically, it seems this franchise gotten more known just when the actions started kicking in. And I myself, also prefer the more technical and bizarre plot too, with all those time traveling, guardians, rings, boxes and deathperation flames, in contrast to the former.

(The Arcobaleno true forms)

Hitman Reborn is very good at character developments. Out of all the characters, Tsuna is probably developed the most. From one who had no friends to someone who has his own mafia family (although he denies it), from one who is physically weak to someone who can fight bravely, from a wimp to a 10th generation mafia boss. Basically, he turned from zero to hero. For the other characters, I found them a bit annoying at first but after learning more about them, I grew to love them and each of their special traits the characters possesses.

Hitman Reborn has a big character cast and I can’t help but find that some of them are nothing more then just plot devices. Besides, some of the characters could even be removed and the show would have been perfectly fine too. Especially when it’s nearing the end, there’s the main character and his guardians, the Varia, the Arcobaleno, Mukuro/Chrome and the rest of the gang. In a way, it’s like Nanoha. After some epic fights, the bad guys are defeated but they usually don’t die. Then after a while, the bad guys return and help the protagonist. Rinse and repeat and that explains the huge character cast. Having so many characters made viewers lose focus on the main characters, namely Tsuna and his guardians. Nevertheless, Hitman Reborn still has some good characters. I eventually found myself liking all the guardians and some of the supporting characters like Xanxus and Squalo.

For an anime that started in 2006, it has pretty good art and animations. I found their battle animationsmay look a bit stiff at some points but that is nothing to fret about as most of the elements are illustrated thoroughly. The art styles is well designed and the characters and settings did not lack too many details from the original artwork.

(Vongola primo's family)

Hitman Reborn has a lot of great openings and endings. One of my favorite is LM.C’s BOYS & GIRLS. I also like LM.C’s 88, CHERRYBLOSSOM’s DIVE TO WORLD and Ame Ato by w-inds. The voice acting is good too. I think the only voice acting I don’t like in this show is Gokudera. He sounds too forced, especially when he had to shout during battles, doing tsukkomi or when he had to show sincearity in his voice. I do like Mukuro’s distinctive “fufufu” and Hibari’s “kamikorosu” and Squalo’s “VOOOI!!!” Lastly, I applaud Ryohei’s with his ‘extreme’ voice acting. Kiuchi Hidenobu certainly did a fine job in delivering the ‘extreme’ qualities with his voice much needed for Ryohei. Both the sound effects and background music are good but seems reused a lot as you watched the more later episodes.

Now that this anime had ended, some people found that it’s good since they don’t want Hitman Reborn to turn into another Naruto/Bleach. Yet, some miss the show and wish for more. Well certainly, Reborn had a good run and it did a good job coming so far. If you don’t like the beginning of this show, give it a chance. The plot starts to build up later on and that is when this show starts getting more interesting and exciting.

(Tsuna's Vongola gear)

Though the anime ended the manga still goes on and as the shimon arc progresses we will get to see more of reborn, vongola Decimo and his family and more importantly the long awaited appearance of the VONGOLA GEAR. Overall this anime is just too awesome!!!!!!! i ll give two thumbs up but i wanted it to be three but i lacked thumbs LOL.

Ookamikakushi

Genres: horror, magic, mystery

Theme: school

Synopsis: Kuzumi Hiroshi moves with his crippled sister and his father to the remote city of Jouga, which is famous for its hassaku citrus and the rumors that a species of enormous wolves once lived in the area. While some of the residents are more than friendly, when people begin to vanish suddenly, it becomes apparent that something sinister is afoot...
The storyline for this anime is very mysterious at first because not much detail and suddenly there is a masked girl with a big scythe. Her existence is questionable but you can guess that the town itself has its own mystery that nobody dares to talk about. It can be very hard to understand for those who don't like this kind of anime. Even though I love this kind of anime, but I have never guessed that I could predict the whole ordeal in this anime after watching 6 episodes and surprisingly enough, my prediction is right. I wouldn't expose it here so you should watch it yourself. If you use your head, the storyline can be easily figured out.

Ookami Kakushi uses much the same formula at its start: from its opening scene, we know that there will be a showdown between Isuzu (who has the red, wolf eyes), the scythe girl/exorcist of wolf spirits, and that Hiro will be caught in between. This seems to give too much away compared to the opening scenes of Higurashi–where we see Keiichi murder Shion and Rena with a baseball bat. We don’t know why, or what led to the insane gleam in his eye–whereas the essential problem and relationships in Ookami Kakushi are obvious from the start: Isuzu is some kind of supernatural being, as is the scythe girl, and they are opposed. The secret is largely out, because as soon as we find out more about the red eyes and the wolf spirits, we know just what is wrong with Isuzu and where all of her annoying cute advances are going to end, and we know who is going to fight her.

I always thought that the storyline for this anime might be as complicated as Ghost Hound because Ghost Hound also full with mysteries at first. What makes Ghost Hound different than this anime is you'll get lost in the middle of the storyline and finally able to understand at the end of the anime. Like I said, if you use your head hard enough, you can easily grab the whole plot even before the truth is revealed.

Overall, this anime is absolutely a must watch

Ookami-san to Shichinin no Nakama-tachi

One of the more enjoyable, and regrettably shorter, anime titles from the summer season has come to an end…

Though Ookami-san can be classified as a romance comedy that also has its moments of drama, there are a few things about it that make it charmingly unique.

Its most memorable element is its parodying of fairy tales and fables. Just about every episode and every character in the series is based off of some familiar story, from Ryouko herself being the wolf from “Little Red Riding Hood,” to minor characters like Momoko being based on the Japanese tale “Momotarou,” and even guest characters like Ringo’s sister Shirayuki being based on “Snow White” (the series’ Wiki article mentions all the characters’ respective fairy tales).

In addition to the characters simply being based on these old stories, their relationships and interactions match up to their respective stories quite well. To use the three main characters as examples, Ryoushi, being the hunter who sees through the wolf’s disguise in “Little Red Riding Hood,” captures the heart of the wolf, Ryouko, and “sees through” her fierce demeanor to the more vulnerable girl within. Also from “Little Red Riding Hood,” Ringo, who is Little Red Riding Hood herself, becomes drawn to Ryouko and first meets her while she’s in bed, just like the wolf in the story.

Another fun element of Ookami-san is that it’s not afraid to point out the cliches of its characters, mostly through the show’s sarcastic narrator voiced by Satomi Arai (who plays Kuroko from Railgun). In a mischievous way, the narrator constantly points out the emotions that the characters, especially Ryouko, are trying to hide. With this, Ryouko’s tsundere-ness, Ringo’s yandere-ness, and other typical anime traits become less stale

The majority of Ookami-san is comprised of episodic and often slice-of-life stories with sometimes subtle and sometimes obvious allusions to fairy tales. Though the constant fairy tale parodying throughout the series may seem like an easy gimmick for fan appeal, I find it quite refreshing. It’s fun noticing the different stories that are alluded to and seeing how they’re crafted into the characters and events of the anime.

Putting the fairly tales aside for a moment, for the characters themselves, though not incredibly unique as a whole, many of them do display excellent character development (and I assume the rest of them do too in the light novel stories that the anime hasn’t covered). Most of the episodes revolve around the development and backstory of a single character or a relationship between characters, from minor characters like Otsuu and Otohime, to main characters like Ryouko and Ringo. Even though at a glance, the characters seem like anime stereotypes – Otsuu being the typical moe maid and Ryouko being the tsundere for example – having entire episodes focus on their character development helps them stand out. The episodes themselves are either comedic, dramatic, or a little of both, but always enjoyable in my opinion. Some scenes are a bit silly, but as a whole, this show that’s full of fairy tale parodying ends up being surprisingly serious and emotional at times.

Aesthetic-wise, though a few action scenes looked a little choppy, in general the show has pretty good J.C. Staff animation. Popular seiyuu Shizuka Itou does the voice for the main character Ryouko, and others like Yui Horie and Rie Kugimiya do the voices for minor characters. But probably the most memorable voice in the series is that of the aforementioned narrator. And as for music, though I’m not a big fan of the ending song, the opening by Macross Frontier sensation May’n, called “Ready Go!,” is a great, upbeat song with nice lyrics that match the show perfectly.

In summary, Ookami-san is an above average romance comedy/drama with characters and slice-of-life stories that constantly parody fairy tales. The humor, though not hilarious by any means, is enjoyable enough, while the drama and character development can actually be quite powerful. It’s a good series if you like the genre and enjoy pointing out allusions in anime =) Apparently there are at least ten volumes of original light novels, so hopefully we’ll see more Ookami-san anime to cover the rest of the stories.

- by Pheebz (kuroitenshi)

Romeo X Juliet

Shakespeare: Quite possibly the most influential and, some would say, the greatest playwright that ever lived. His plays are near legendary for the impact they had upon drama and literature. Among those plays is what many think of as the quintessential love story, Romeo and Juliet. The classic tale of two "star crossed" lovers caught between their families' feud. So why did it take this long for such an influential play to be adapted into an anime?

The result of this adaptation is the very creatively named Romeo x Juliet, a 24-episode series that originally aired in Japan in 2007. The key point to keep in mind with Romeo x Juliet is that it is merely based on Shakespeare's play, not just "an animated Romeo and Juliet" - the show does a great deal to differentiate itself from its roots. The setting is still based largely on Renaissance-era Italian culture, with some fantasy elements worked into it. The bulk of the story takes place in a city called Neo Verona, which inexplicably floats in the air. For transportation, more affluent nobles use flying horses called "dragonsteeds," and the city conceals some sort of secret magical tree that apparently sustains all life on the planet. Despite that, the action is still very much like that of the play - don't expect anyone to be throwing around fireballs or summoning monsters - all of the characters' abilities are restricted to those of normal humans.

The story is also different enough that you'll never really be sure what's going to happen next. The Montagues and Capulets are still at war, and their respective children Romeo and Juliet still fall in love, but that's about it. The Capulets had been the ruling house of Neo Verona, and within the first two minutes of the series, the Montagues completely overpower the house and slaughter them in a bid for power, leaving only Juliet to escape.

Romeo x Juliet has a bit of everything - drama, romance, action, humor - and it's paced well enough that there never seems to be too much of one thing. Much like the original play, the anime spends a good deal of time (but not too much) developing minor characters, leading to a deeper background for the series. To be honest, there isn't much I can think of to not like about Romeo x Juliet. The animation is top-notch; all of the sequences - action or otherwise - are animated both smoothly and vividly. The English dubbing is also above average, and the English dub is even written with some early modern English that makes it sound that much more Shakespearian.

Romeo × Juliet tries to shines itself among the other adaptations by recreating its world. Romeo × Juliet takes us into a fantasy world where mythical beings exist and laws of science are defied. A floating land, Pegasi and enchanted trees that flourish the land enliven the world of Neo Verona where the stage of this romantic tragedy is set. The skillful utilization of fluid animation and crisp computer graphics further enhances the aesthetic prowess of the series. Furthermore, Korean veteran singer Lena Park lends her voice to sing a cover of Josh Groban’s famous sing, “You Raise Me Up”. She does so with such immaculate grace that it help shape the dramatic scenes and ambience.

Gonzo dared to make an adaptation of a literary work that many others have fallen into obscurity. While it did put up a brave fight, the weak plot and angst-driving characters dragged the series into mediocrity. True, there were shining factors about the series such as animation and music, but they are just secondary to what make or break a series - the plot, story and cast. Most significantly, Romeo × Juliet retells its ending from tragedy to fairy tale, which was what defines the original Romeo and Juliet. In the end, Romeo × Juliet is just an anime suited more for the orthodox viewers rather than the contemporary. “For never was a story of more woe / Than this of Juliet and her Romeo” is how the original play ended. It’s too sad it didn’t end like this in the series.

Overall It is an anime worth watching !! so all anizone members watch now to find out the real beauty of the plot of this anime!!! YA HA!!!!!!!!

Toradora!!!!

Toradora! is a high school anime and manga, largely about the usual stuff… confessing to the one you like, dealing with the hardships of getting along with people who don’t understand you, and trying to overcome the obstacles that your own weaknesses present. It dares to break away a little from the usual anime tropes, though, because while it does have the male lead getting abused by the female lead a bit, it’s not quite the same… he doesn’t just lay back and take it passively, nor are we just left to infer why she might be acting the way she does. We don’t have to wait and wait and wait for characterization payoff… who these people are and why they act the way they do is made clear very quickly, so that we can move on to seeing them interact rather than spending forever and a day peeling back the layers to get to know them.

Ryuji Taikasu is the main male character. He’s had a tough school life, because he’s a dead ringer for his father, who was clearly some sort of gang member or lifelong delinquent (whom it’s implied may have come to a rather messy end). Despite his fierce looks that inspire everyone to think he himself is a violent delinquent, Ryuji’s a fairly even-tempered person, who’s had to develop a strong sense of responsibility due to his mother; it’s not like she’s bad or neglectful or anything, but she works as a hostess at a bar and is, in general, just a free spirit who has no interest in settling down and acting like a stereotypical mom. Ryuji has a longtime crush on his classmate Minori Kushieda, but has so far not managed to work up the courage to confess to her.

While I stress the emotional moments and the depth of feeling, this isn’t a heavy series or anything. It’s mostly light and energetic, just that as is my wont I wind up looking at the depth of character that’s also going on, and these are the moments that show it off. But there’s plenty of goofy to go around, even in the midst of those, such as when Kitamura observes, during the confession, that Taiga’s been making a lot of interesting faces since she started hanging out with Ryuji, which causes her to… well…

There’s one more opposite aspect to one character Ami, as well, though it manifests in a weird way. When Ryuji and Taiga met, it didn’t take long for Ryuji to see through Taiga’s behavior and find this sensitive, hurting person that needed him underneath it, and to respond to it. When Ami meets Ryuji, she fairly quickly seems to realize that he’s someone that can look through outer appearances, and care about someone for who they are inside. Basically, she really hopes Ryuji would be able to love her for the condescending bitch she really is.


Anyway, I recommend Toradora! if you like romantic comedies (though I guess you could almost call this a romantic dramady). It’s got a good mix of comedy and seriousness, cute character designs, good animation, and a neat story. I do not recommend this series for people that prefer a series to confine itself to one genre, people who don’t like high school animes.