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Sohma_Curse's Anime

What I'm currently watching:

Seen some
anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day (movie)
B: The Beginning (ONA)
Bayonetta: Bloody Fate (movie)
Berserk (TV 1997)
(The) Book of Bantorra (TV)
Cowboy Bebop (TV)
Den-noh Coil (TV)
DEVILMAN crybaby (ONA)
Drifters (TV)
Durarara!! (TV)
Fairy Tail (TV)
Fire Force (TV)
Gosick (TV)
High-Rise Invasion (ONA)
Hunter X Hunter (TV 1999)
Hunter × Hunter (TV 2011)
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (TV)
Kill la Kill (TV)
Kurozuka (TV)
Little Witch Academia (TV)
Made in Abyss (TV)
My Hero Academia (TV)
Paradise Kiss (TV)
Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- (TV)
Romantic Killer (ONA)
Samurai 7 (TV)
Scrapped Princess (TV)
Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun (TV)
Trigun Stampede (TV)
Yuri!!! on Ice (TV)

***WARNING: SOME COMMENTS MAY CONTAIN MINOR SPOILERS***
(I don't usually comment on OVAs or movies unless there is something worth noting)

Seen all Rating
009 Re:Cyborg (movie) So-so
009-1 (TV) Decent

Pros: Cool spy-thriller vibe, a few good action scenes and twists, ‘Calendar of the Past’ episode
Cons: Ugly character designs, stories are often dull and have vague conclusions

5 Centimeters Per Second (movie) Good

Pros: Nice style and artistry, has a genuine and real feel to it
Cons: Rushed pacing doesn't allow for a proper emotional impact

Air (TV) Very good

Pros: Great character development, just the right amount of emotion
Cons: Jumps from arc to arc too dramatically, doesn't flesh out some key events


Akira (movie) Decent

Pros: Has the right kind of atmosphere that many future-set titles lack, never boring, nice backgrounds
Cons: Odd moments of silence where noises should be occurring, soundtrack is love it or hate it, some story/character elements not clearly explained

Angel Beats! (TV) Excellent

Pros: Vibrant colors and animation, compelling story, great music
Cons: Somewhat cheap answers to important questions


anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day (TV)
Another (TV) Very good

Pros: Quality animation, grotesque death scenes, wonderfully eerie atmosphere
Cons: Logical flaws, rather disappointing ending


Attack on Titan (TV) Excellent

Pros: Supremely epic, unique art styling, intriguing story flows fluidly and never lags, good main character development
Cons: Female Titan arc goes on too long and consumes much of the time that could have been spent on explaining more important plot details

Azumanga Daioh (TV) Excellent

Pros: Packed with laughs, heartfelt, memorable characters, great dub
Cons: Can feel repetitive at times, music is hit or miss, animation is just average


B Gata H Kei - Yamada’s First Time (TV) Very good

Pros: Incredibly funny, not overly perverted considering the plot, excellent dub, nice art and animation, story is actually really sweet and honest
Cons: Can feel redundant, other characters’ Eros deities are underused

Baccano! (TV) Decent

Pros: Nasty and violent, interesting concept
Cons: Too many sub-plots going on all at once, random timeline shifts designed to clarify backstories disrupt the show's flow and pace, a few illogical conclusions make the way things tie together feel forced, some characters are really annoying


*Rewatch Update*
Even knowing what happens doesn't help make the story layout any less chaotic. In fact, it actually makes you realize just how much is being thrown at you from the get-go without any solid structure or background information. Is it easier to follow now? Sure, somewhat. But that doesn't mean it's suddenly more coherent (and, more importantly, enjoyable).

Baka and Test - Summon the Beasts (TV) Good

Pros: Great animation, lighthearted and funny, fun cast of characters
Cons: Plotless, battles aren't really entertaining


Baka and Test - Summon the Beasts 2 (TV) Very good

Pros: Same level of laughs and animation quality, tighter story
Cons: Too much time spent on pointless sub-plots, music is underwhelming


Baka and Test: Summon the Beasts OVA Decent
Bamboo Blade (TV) Excellent

Pros: Good pacing, avoids most cliches of the genre, lovable characters
Cons: Some minor animation issues


Basilisk (TV) Excellent

Pros: Engaging interpretation of a classic tale, violent beyond belief, great visuals
Cons: Slow to get things going, and once it does, the pacing stutters a bit

Ben-To (TV) Good

Pros: Great dub and character interactions, smooth animation (especially during battles), good music, last few episodes
Cons: A little repetitive through the first 10 or so episodes, skimps on some character backgrounds

Best Student Council (TV) Good

Pros: The right combination of funny, sweet, and cute
Cons: The wrong combination of clichés, stupidity, and progressively stranger stories

BioHunter (OAV) So-so
Birdy the Mighty Decode: The Cipher (OAV) Good
Birdy the Mighty Decode:02 (TV) Good

Pros: Good attention to continuity, keeps you interested
Cons: Weaker plot than the first season, gets a little tedious towards the end


Birdy the Mighty: Decode (TV) Very good

Pros: Fun and amusing take on body switching, humorous, some nice animation here and there
Cons: Too talky in spots, some payoffs don't feel worth it


Black Blood Brothers (TV) Decent

Pros: Starts off strong, funny
Cons: Gets strangely serious (and pretty boring) midway through, could have explained some things better


Black Butler (TV) Good

Pros: Good animation, above-average dub, Grell is hysterical
Cons: Has trouble deciding what kind of show it wants to be, shifts gears too suddenly and erratically


Black Butler II (TV) Good

Pros: Dark mood that still maintains a sense of humor, strong dub and animation
Cons: Tone may be a little too underwhelming for some, hit-or-miss new characters, OVA is pointless and unamusing filler

Black Butler II (OAV) Weak

Pros: One or two laughs
Cons: Boring filler that is an unfortunate sour note to leave off on after two strong seasons

Black Butler: His Butler, Performer (OAV) Decent
Black Cat (TV) Decent

Pros: Good action sequences
Cons: Story, animation, music, and characters are all just average and barely amusing enough to stay interested


Black Lagoon (TV) Very good

Pros: Great story, excellent dub, unique and complex characters
Cons: Too talky sometimes, some characters underused


Black Lagoon: Roberta's Blood Trail (OAV) Excellent

Pros: All the characters you love and some great new ones, maximum violence, great animation and music
Cons: Remy and Rock need more screen time, too short!


Black Lagoon: The Second Barrage (TV) Very good

Pros: Top-notch dub, story, and animation
Cons: Leaves you wanting more


Blade of the Immortal (TV) Decent

Pros: Good artistic work, interesting characters
Cons: Familiar-feeling story with standard revenge tropes, a lot of buildup for an inconclusive ending

Blade of the Phantom Master (movie) So-so

Pros: Great action and CGI sequences, nice animation overall, each story is interesting on their own
Cons: Basically two completely different stories jammed together with no narrative bridgework, ending fails to answer anything about the main story, main story itself remains vague throughout, the phantom master doesn't even use a blade...

Blassreiter (TV) Very good

Pros: Character arcs are well balanced, incredible CGI and sound effects editing, story is thorough and concise
Cons: Gerd’s emotional fits are a little over the top, Snow's character is given little relevence, a few nagging plot holes

Blood+ (TV) Very good

Pros: Violent without being OVERLY gory, interesting premise, wide range of characters
Cons: Animation quality varies, story gets too bloated, Saya's moods shift very erratically, multiple points where a few consecutive episodes are boring


Blood-C (TV) Very good

Pros: Intense action, crisp animation, great soundtrack, cool monster designs, gore-tastic
Cons: Some may find the hyperviolence and gore to be a little too gratuitous, first few episodes are boring and follow the same repetitive structuring, love it or hate it plot twist will either enhance or destroy the experience, HOW DO SAYA’S GLASSES STAY ON?!?

Blood-C: The Last Dark (movie) Very good

Pros: Exceptional animation, intense action scenes, good flow, eerie and well-fitting soundtrack
Cons: Ending feels kinda garbled and leaves a bit to be desired

Blood: The Last Vampire (movie) Decent

Pros: Brilliant animation, understated colors heighten the mood, fans of the franchise will enjoy it
Cons: Pretty much nothing is explained about who Saya is or why she's fighting, way too short and rushed to develop past anything beyond entertaining filler for those unfamiliar with the story

Bludgeoning Angel Dokuro-chan (TV) Decent

Pros: Nice color palette, funny in spots, hilariously over-the-top violence
Cons: Completely pointless and unmemorable


Boogiepop Phantom (TV) Decent

Pros: Conceptually ambitious, chilling and dark, great sound editing
Cons: Flaws in presentation, dub performances are lacking, might be too weird and dreary for some


Bottle Fairy (TV) Good

Pros: Fun and mood-lightening filler, adorable characters, nice art and color palette
Cons: Zero background info (not like it needs it, though), unmemorable music

Btooom! (TV) Decent

Pros: Different spin on the 'real video game' angle, some tense moments, good animation
Cons: Flat and unlikable characters, almost nothing is explained or resolved, infuriating non-ending

C – Control – The Money and Soul of Possibility (TV) Decent

Pros: Animation is above average, fighting sequences are fun to watch
Cons: Unnecessarily complicated plotting, boring subject matter, uninteresting characters


Campione! (TV) So-so

Pros: Nice action scenes, decent animation, a few entertaining characters
Cons: Most characters are pretty lame though, unoriginal premise has no unique spin on it, overly thorough with pointless info while not thorough enough on important details

CANAAN (TV) Good

Pros: Refreshing spin the female assassin concept, great visuals, good soundtrack/effects
Cons: Confusing in spots, action and story ebb and flow inconsistently

Case Closed (TV) Very good
***Seen all available licensed episodes***

Pros: Fun mystery solving, good main and supporting cast, never gets old despite its repetitiveness
Cons: A lot of episodes end abruptly, some crimes unfold WAY too elaborately, English dub does too much Americanizing

Case Closed Movie: The Time Bombed Skyscraper (movie 1) Very good
Case Closed: Captured in Her Eyes (movie 4) Good
Case Closed: Countdown to Heaven (movie 5) Decent
Case Closed: The Fourteenth Target (movie 2) Good
Case Closed: The Last Wizard of the Century (movie 3) Very good
Case Closed: The Phantom of Baker Street (movie 6) Good
Cat Planet Cuties (TV) Good

Pros: Nice visuals/art styling, easy to get into, Assistroids are cute
Cons: Story is all over the place, boring male lead, action scenes end too quickly, Ichika shows up out of nowhere and nothing is explained about her

Cat Planet Cuties (OAV) Decent
A Certain Magical Index (TV) Very good

Pros: Nice action sequences and animation, fun when it wants to be, surprisingly thought provoking
Cons: ‘Angelfall’ arc is confusing, some main characters undeveloped, erratic layout of stories

A Certain Scientific Railgun (TV) Very good

Pros: Great core cast, a few really strong arcs, great action sequences, well-used Index cameos
Cons: Some arcs work better than others, could have benefited greatly from a blu ray release

Chaos;HEAd (TV) Not really good

Pros: Interesting premise (at first), characters have their positive qualities
Cons: Needlessly complicates things by pulling out one unnecessary twist after another, techno-babble dialogue isn’t stated clearly, character backgrounds never fully explained, animation quality is lacking


(Le) Chevalier D'Eon (TV) Very good

Pros: Intriguing story pulls you in, historical details are a nice plus, great background art, helpful episode notes
Cons: Some animation quirks, story starts to unravel towards the end

Chobits (TV) Very good

Pros: Sweet and charming characters, nice story
Cons: Animation is a little plain, some filler and recap episodes scattered into the mix


Chobits (OAV) Good
Chrome Shelled Regios (TV) Decent

Pros: Fun for the most part, doesn't get too out of hand considering the subject matter
Cons: Predictable and boring towards the end, loses focus, doesn't explain much of what happens


Chrono Crusade (TV) Good

Pros: Nice animation, funny, great character interactions, pulls off serious moments well
Cons: Starts to drag midway through, gets a little too serious towards the end


Clannad (TV) Excellent

Pros: Animation quality, feels genuine, effective supernatural elements cleanly woven in
Cons: Some arcs go on for too long

Clannad After Story (TV) Masterpiece

Pros: Everything - animation, story, music, characters, dub track...
Cons: Gut-punchingly sad at times


Claymore (TV) Very good

Pros: Awesome fighting scenes, visually appealing, engaging story
Cons: Weak cop-out ending, music can feel out of place, wastes time that could have been spent on a better conclusion, zero replay value


Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion (TV) Very good

Pros: Top-tier animation, great music, above-average story
Cons: A little too grandiose for its own good, can become unintentionally corny in spots


Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2 (TV) Excellent

Pros: Great art and animation, action sequences beautifully rendered, good attention to continuity, well-paced story
Cons: Fanservice feels tacked on, Lelouch can be a bit overly dramatic

Colorful (movie) Very good

Pros: Vibrant colors, story keeps you engaged, good dub
Cons: Kind of predictable, certain characters' behaviors don't make sense and aren't really explained


Combustible (movie) Good
Corpse Princess: Aka (TV) Good
Corpse Princess: Kuro (TV) Decent

Pros: Dark and mysterious atmosphere, some good twists, decent action
Cons: Enragingly inconclusive ending, cheap answers to the questions it actually addresses, pretty boring most of the time, Ouri's dub voice is terribly ineffective

D.N.Angel (TV) Good

Pros: Entertaining story, enjoyable stand-alone episodes, thorough storytelling
Cons: Choppy animation, plot has its ups and downs, Daisuke's dub voice is laughable

Darker than Black (TV) Excellent

Pros: Engaging episodes keep you guessing, music is nice, characters are unique
Cons: The way everything finally ties in feels forced


Darker than Black - Kuro no Keiyakusha: Gaiden (OAV) Very good
Darker than Black: Gemini of the Meteor (TV) Very good

Pros: Great flow, action sequences are well done, story remains focused throughout
Cons: Some contractors’ payments are pretty ridiculous, underwhelming conclusion

Date A Live (TV) Decent

Pros: Nice animation (especially in battle sequences), pretty funny at times
Cons: Story isn’t all that cohesive, some generic characters, weak ending

Dead Girls (OAV) Worst ever

Pros: It's only 45 minutes long
Cons: It's as if someone threw a grenade at Red Garden's storyboards and the random pieces of narrative shrapnel that the explosion created were stitched together to form the most incoherent and nonsensical mess imaginable

Deadman Wonderland (TV) Good

Pros: Entertaining as hell, creative violence, great visuals
Cons: Messy story that desperately needs a sequel, predictable twists


Death Note (TV) Excellent

Pros: Incredibly suspenseful and thought provoking, good character development, thorough in detail, one of the most unique and original premises in anime/manga
Cons: Music can be overbearing at times, final arc not as strong as what precedes it, Near comes off as an annoying brat compared to L


Demon King Daimao (TV) Bad

Pros: Colorful animation
Cons: Adds/changes/disregards certain plot elements as it progresses, characters randomly deviate from their established motives for no reason, story becomes incoherent and confusing as inane happenings repeatedly occur

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (TV) Excellent

Pros: Great character building and exposition makes you care about protagonists and empathize with antagonists, art and animation are well above average, Nezuko
Cons: Some of that character building for antagonists goes overboard and makes arcs drag on as their backstories are played out over multiple episodes, Zenitsu's (and, to a lesser extent, Inosuke's) constant screaming gets overbearing after a while

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Entertainment District Arc (TV) Excellent
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Mugen Train Arc (TV) Very good
Devil May Cry (TV) So-so

Pros: Some stories are interesting, core cast has some good interactions
Cons: Booooring, repetitive and formulaic stand-alone episodes, audio defect on blu ray causes random volume drop off during action scenes/background dialog

Dog & Scissors (TV) Good

Pros: Zany and fun, great dub, looks nice, some well-done arcs
Cons: Goes nowhere, does nothing

Dream Eater Merry (TV) Good

Pros: Interesting concept, some really cool artistry, animation is solid
Cons: Inconsistent soundtrack, a few stereotypical characters, story is shaky in spots, underwhelming ending

Dusk maiden of Amnesia (TV) Very good

Pros: Great to look at, moody and dark atmosphere, funny when it wants to be
Cons: Moves too swiftly, small cast only really interacts with themselves for the most part


Eden of the East (TV) Very good

Pros: Original and entertaining story, enjoyable characters, top-notch animation
Cons: Can be confusing at times, some details left unexplained


Eden of the East: The King of Eden (movie) Decent
Edens Zero (TV) Very good

Pros: Great cast of characters, art and animation are well done, good pacing, draws enough influence from Fairy Tail without being a total rehash
Cons: Musical score contains a lot of re-styled public domain classical pieces, antagonists are kind of one-dimensional, might feel a little too familiar

ef: a tale of melodies (TV) Masterpiece

Pros: Incredible artistry and animation style with deep and vibrant colors, moving character interactions, ties up a few loose ends from 'Memories'
Cons: Narrative layout is awkward at first

ef: a tale of memories (TV) Very good

Pros: Visually marvelous, compelling story and characters, great soundtrack
Cons: Much left unexplained

Elfen Lied (TV) Excellent

Pros: Frenetically violent, captivating story, serious emotional impact
Cons: Animation is spotty, dub track has its weak performances, emotionally draining


Ergo Proxy (TV) Very good

Pros: Nice visuals and slick animation, suspenseful and engaging, excellent dub, Pino
Cons: Some things seem to happen without explanation, dark visuals make it difficult to see in spots, middle episodes are boring

Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone (movie) Good

Pros: Strong and unique visual ideas, good soundtrack
Cons: Emotional moments are lost due to the swift pace, doesn't explain important subject matter (most notably who/what the angels are and why they attack), 'humorous' scene at Katsuragi's apartment feels out of place

(The) Familiar of Zero (TV) Good

Pros: Fun characters, easy to get into, never overbearing story-wise
Cons: Bland action scenes, average animation, nothing really captivating until the last few episodes

A Farewell to Weapons (movie) Very good
Fate/stay night (TV) Not really good

Pros: A few good action sequences, animation is consistent, Illya
Cons: Lengthy info-dumping dialog exchanges turn most episodes into tedious and boring lectures (even during action/high-tension scenes) - and the plot STILL manages to be confusing, odd music choices for some fight scenes, basically just goes through the motions without much attention-getting substance

Fractale (TV) Very good

Pros: Gorgeous visuals and background art, nice musical score, fairly satisfying (if somewhat uneven) conclusion, Nessa is adorable
Cons: Doesn’t explain itself very well on some key issues, could have done more as far as world building

Freezing (TV) Decent

Pros: Great looking action scenes, good sound effects editing, slick animation
Cons: Story is pretty boring and poorly plotted, fanservice goes a bit overboard

From the New World (TV) Decent

Pros: Intriguing premise, wonderful animation details, relatively satisfying ending
Cons: Some parts don’t make much sense, casts a little too wide of a net, dull characters

Fruits Basket (TV 1/2001) Excellent

Pros: Truly lovable lead, unique story, really funny at times
Cons: Animation quirks, can feel really sappy, ends without resolving some important issues


Fruits Basket (TV 2/2019) Excellent
Full Metal Panic! (TV) Good

Pros: Above average animation, some story elements are interesting
Cons: Typical action/mech stuff otherwise


Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid (TV) Very good

Pros: Great action sequence animation, very well written/executed in key spots
Cons: Story is a little jumpy and doesn't blend in school life moments as well (or as much) as the first season did, some things left inconclusive

Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid (OAV) Very good

Pros: This single episode is funnier than anything in the Fumoffu season
Cons: No Chidori

Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu (TV) Good

Pros: Nice change of pace, animation is still quality
Cons: Not at all like it predecessor, some episodes are just plain unfunny


Fullmetal Alchemist (TV) Very good

Pros: Great story, main characters are thoroughly evolved, awesome action sequences
Cons: Useless filler episodes, some annoying supporting characters, boring in spots

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (TV) Masterpiece

Pros: Incredibly vast and constantly evolving story, wonderful art and animation, great character development, equal parts humor, drama, and action
Cons: Occasionally drags but never feels like filler


Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (OAV) Good
Fullmetal Alchemist: Premium Collection (OAV) So-so
Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos (movie) Very good
(The) Future Diary (TV) Very good

Pros: Never feels dull or boring, good dub, a few cool twists, Murmur
Cons: Starts to lose itself with each subsequent twist, some background art looks sloppy, rushes through disposal of antagonists in the first half

Ga-Rei-Zero (TV) Very good

Pros: Interesting manner of storytelling, some really nice visual elements, great action
Cons: Some things left un(der)resolved, fake-out opening episode

Gambo (movie) Good
Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo (TV) Masterpiece

Pros: Fascinating visuals, well paced and engaging story, excellent musical score
Cons: Animation style may not be for everyone, dub has a few weak performances


Gantz (TV) Good

Pros: Unique story, keeps things moving while also creating suspense between episodes
Cons: Animation quality is up and down throughout, constant profanity gets tiresome, ultimately goes out with a whimper

(The) Garden of Words (movie) Masterpiece

Pros: Exceptional animation and artistic detail, doesn't feel rushed despite it's short length, heartfelt and genuine
Cons: None, really

Genshiken (TV) Very good

Pros: Loveably realistic characters, down to earth story, fun character interactions
Cons: Some pacing issues, would probably be intolerable if you can't relate to the subject matter

Ghost Hound (TV) Decent

Pros: Cool visuals, ambitious story, a few intriguing plot elements
Cons: Sloooooow moving and doesn't pick up until more than halfway through, story is all over the place, odd character designs, sound effects replace music (which there is virtually none of), vague conclusions


Ghost Hunt (TV) Very good

Pros: Creates a nice atmosphere complemented by hauntingly perfect music, entertaining characters, truly spine-tingling in some parts, great dub cast
Cons: Some stories work better than others


Ghost in the Shell (movie) Very good
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (movie) Good
Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 (ONA) Good
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (TV) Excellent

Pros: Excellent story, captivating characters, great animation, tachikomas!
Cons: Some episodes are giant infodumps


Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG (TV) Very good

Pros: Great dub, awesome visuals, music and sound effects are top notch
Cons: Way too dialogue-heavy/infodump-y, stand alone episodes not as strong as first season’s, some characters' motives not stated clearly, one main sub plot is given a pretty deflating conclusion

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: Solid State Society (movie) Very good
Ghost Stories (TV) Decent

Pros: Outlandishly funny dub, actually kind of spooky in some spots, decent animation
Cons: Would be complete garbage if not for the off-script dub, repetitive after a few episodes, opening and closing themes do not fit the show at all, no DVD extras

(The) Girl Who Leapt Through Time (movie) Very good
Girls und Panzer (TV) Very good

Pros: Incredibly thorough on tank details and design, likeable cast of characters, fun and upbeat, great visuals
Cons: Incredibly skimpy on character exposition, some characters and events come and go without any narrative substance, not much of an actual story beyond the tank battles

Golgo 13 (TV) Good
Pros: Hits all the right spots for an action/thriller
Cons: Animation quality varies, gets really repetitive really quickly
Good Luck Girl! (TV) Very good

Pros: Great sight gags, surprising amount of depth, excellent dub work
Cons: A few cliché elements work their way in, misses some opportunities to develop other characters

Grave of the Fireflies (movie) Masterpiece

Pros: Incredibly powerful and moving
Cons: Makes you suicidal

Guilty Crown (TV) Good

Pros: Incredible visuals, unique ideas, story flows fairly well, great dub work
Cons: Characters grasp dire situations a little too easily, some shaky story elements, weak ending

Gungrave (TV) Masterpiece

Pros: Excellent and well-paced storytelling, great character depth and development, shifts thematic tone seamlessly and flows from past to present without stuttering
Cons: Some male character designs are blocky/bulky, animation isn’t the best

Gunslinger Girl (TV) Good

Pros: Interesting subject matter, wonderful backgrounds of Italian countryside, some really affecting material
Cons: Character designs are very basic


Gunslinger Girl: Il Teatrino (TV) Very good

Pros: More cohesive story this time around
Cons: Same ol basic character designs


Haganai (TV) Good

Pros: Nice visuals, funny background moments, characters are cute
Cons: Pretty much no plot and little/no character exposition until the very end


Haganai NEXT (TV) Very good

Pros: Consistently humorous, great art and animation, smooth and natural dub work
Cons: Suffers from the same lack of plot focus as its first season, some minor characters' arcs not fleshed out
Haibane Renmei (TV) Excellent

Pros: Incredibly touching story, atmospheric
Cons: Animation quality varies, conclusion leaves things sort of open ended


Hal (movie) Very good
Heat Guy J (TV) Decent

Pros: Good second half, great opening and closing song, some strong stand-alone episodes
Cons: Art and animation are pretty rough at times, characters’ motives aren’t made clear, story gets more complex than it needs to

Heaven's Lost Property (TV) Good

Pros: Cute and funny characters, some tender moments, visuals are pleasing for the most part
Cons: Juvenile and stupid most of the time, many episodes don't advance the plot at all, plot itself is unappealing


Heaven's Lost Property Forte (TV) Good

Pros: Good animation, easy to get into and fun to watch for the most part
Cons: Plot points are relegated to a few minutes’ worth of each episode while the rest is random filler that has nothing to do with anything, new characters are hit or miss

Heaven's Lost Property: Project Pink (OAV) Decent
Heaven's Memo Pad (TV) Very good

Pros: Entertaining mysteries, eclectic characters, surprisingly strong emotional impact
Cons: Nothing about Alice is ever revealed, a few dub/mouth movement issues

Heaven’s Lost Property the Movie: The Angeloid of Clockwork Decent

Pros: Occasional bits of rather humorous material, new and likeable character
Cons: First 45 minutes are basically just clips of the first two seasons from an alternate perspective, ending is rushed and unsatisfying

Hell Girl (TV) Very good

Pros: Interesting premise, central plot is engaging (though it takes time to get going), music complements the action well, excellent main cast dub performances
Cons: Episodic and formulaic structure makes things redundant real quick, animation quality is a mixed bag, a few laughable one-off dub spots


Hellsing (TV) Very good

Pros: Cool and atmospheric style, keeps things exciting, dark humor nicely woven in
Cons: Rough animation and character designs, unresolved story elements, cheap ending

Hellsing Ultimate (OAV) Excellent

Pros: Unrelentingly violent and gory, innovative ideas bring a stagnant genre to new extremes, decent story underneath it all
Cons: Inconsistent animation quality, comedic bits (while funny) come out of nowhere and kill the atmosphere, some parts are too dialogue heavy when they could be using that time to massacre each other

High School DxD (TV) Good

Pros: More cohesive and entertaining than similar action/magic/ecchi shows, great action scenes, delightfully tawdry without being entirely debasing
Cons: Nothing relevant really occurs until the last few episodes, scant on storytelling details, final battle is cluttered and doesn’t give enemy characters time to settle in (let alone develop) before they’re defeated

High School of the Dead (TV) Decent

Pros: Plenty of cheap fanservice and vulgarity, gory to the max, very nicely animated
Cons: Plenty of cheap fanservice and vulgarity, underdeveloped characters, unresolved ending


Highschool of the Dead: Drifters of the Dead (OAV) Not really good

Pros: A taste of more HOTD, one or two laughs
Cons: More like a tease though, only about 13 minutes of actual new content, no zombies or action

His and Her Circumstances (TV) Very good

Pros: Good balance of themes, raucously funny when it wants to be, well written, upbeat music
Cons: Terrible animation, hit-or-miss dub performances, needs a modern reboot


Infinite Stratos (TV) Good

Pros: Awesome and well-animated action sequences, nice color schemes and character designs
Cons: Stereotypical character setup, fairly anticlimactic, nothing is explained about those unmanned IS units

Infinite Stratos Encore: Sextet of Burning Love (OAV) Good
Inu X Boku Secret Service (TV) Good

Pros: Nice art touches, some funny character interactions, doesn’t try to do too much, Roromiya
Cons: Nothing ever really happens, underlying romance is kinda weak, ending is meh

Is This a Zombie? (TV) Very good

Pros: Fun and entertaining throughout, vibrant colors
Cons: Doesn't start to focus on a main plot until the last few episodes, deflating ending after much buildup


Is This a Zombie? (OAV) Good
Is This a Zombie? of the Dead (TV) Good

Pros: Humorous, cute, and well animated
Cons: Scattered plot constantly changes and never settles down to follow one main path, ending makes no sense and doesn't resolve anything


Jormungand (TV) Good

Pros: Fast-paced action that's well-animated, intriguing without being confusing, some characters are unique
Cons: Standard mercenary stuff, fails to establish a cohesive underlying story, some characters are clichés

K (TV) Good

Pros: Striking visuals, good plotting and twist execution(s), well-used music, awesome action
Cons: ‘Kings’ and 'Swords' system somewhat unclear, story gets a little congested at the end, no backstories or expositional information given for many major characters

K-ON! (TV) Good

Pros: Nice instrument detail touches, cute cast of characters, good visuals
Cons: More slice of life filler than one might expect, doesn’t really detail the girls’ progress as a band, characters are all school-life stereotypes

Kamichu! (TV) Excellent

Pros: Incredibly adorable lead character, gorgeous art and vibrant colors, fun and unique stories
Cons: Lazy pace may not appeal to everyone

Kamisama Dolls (TV) Decent

Pros: Balances out the underlying dark tone with light humor, unique ideas
Cons: Dub dialogue is poorly integrated and often doesn’t match up with mouth movements, jumps from sub-plot to sub-plot without explaining much of anything, feels too self-contained, emotional events lack depth and don’t come off as genuine

Kamisama Kiss (TV) Very good

Pros: Cheery and colorful, likeable characters, lies somewhere between Fruits Basket and XXXholic with a more comedic vibe
Cons: Nothing is explained about Mikage (who he is/why he left the shrine/what his relationship to Otohokio is/etc), Nanami can be a little overemotional

Kanon (TV 2/2006) Excellent

Pros: Great character relationships, solid soundtrack, nice blend of genres, powerfully emotional in some spots
Cons: Animation is nothing special, drags a bit here and there

Kaze no Stigma (TV) Very good

Pros: Funny, lighthearted, nice art and animation
Cons: Boring male lead, filler episodes that have nothing to do with the plot are more enjoyable than the story-based ones

KenIchi the Mightiest Disciple (TV) Very good

Pros: Funny stuff, great characters, some nifty action scenes
Cons: Animation isn't so hot, sheer number of episodes causes the story to get repetitive and uninteresting after a while

Kiddy Grade (TV) Decent

Pros: Good chemistry between main characters, surprising amount of depth, some interesting future concepts
Cons: More than a handful of uninteresting episodes, second half gets a little bloated, arbitrary plot twists have little impact

Kill Me Baby (TV) Good

Pros: Hysterical dub, fun back and forth between characters, Yasuna is delightfully clueless
Cons: Repetitive, essentially plotless, can’t watch more than one episode per sitting

King of Thorn (movie) Very good

Pros: Spectacular visuals, interesting take on the Sleeping Beauty story, great dub cast
Cons: Lots left unexplained and underdeveloped, loses focus towards the end

Kino's Journey (TV) Excellent

Pros: Beautifully animated, endearing lead character(s), great storytelling
Cons: Feels unresolved, too short

Kino's Travels: Life Goes On (movie) Excellent
Kokoro Connect (TV) Very good

Pros: Ambitious concept with some unique ideas, easy on the eyes, feels genuine in its intentions
Cons: Resolves too simplistically and without any explanations, not enough background information on some characters, stuttered pacing

Kotaro Lives Alone (ONA) Very good

Pros: Heartwarming, easy to get into and keep watching, a few good character evolutions, some surprisingly emotional moments
Cons: Probably best not to think about how a five year old is more wise and intuitive than everyone else, narrative shortcuts (every adult seems to have conveniently suffered one of Kotaro's traumas), artwork quality varies

Kujibiki Unbalance (OAV) Decent
Kurau: Phantom Memory (TV) Very good

Pros: Good character relationships, interesting idea of the future, some neat story elements, satisfying conclusion, Christmas
Cons: Animation is a mixed bag, action scenes are kinda bland, some minor characters come and go arbitrarily despite being set up as important players, could have explained Rynax a little better

Last Exile (TV) Excellent

Pros: Breathtaking visuals, well paced, good music
Cons: Not enough background info on some characters/sub-plots, Dio is annoying

A Letter to Momo (movie) Very good
Little Busters! (TV) Very good

Pros: Bright and soft colors, nice moe elements, good emotional impact
Cons: Character arcs transition roughly and some feel shoehorned in, action putters around a lot and never settles into a main story

Little Busters! Refrain (TV) Excellent

Pros: Pleasing aesthetic style, effective musical score, affecting material, ties up most loose ends from season one
Cons: Story is woven together a little haphazardly, supporting characters underutilized

A Little Snow Fairy Sugar (TV) Very good

Pros: Super cute, wonderful background art, nice music, surprisingly emotional at times
Cons: Super cheesy

Love Hina (TV) Good

Pros: Funny sight gags, decent animation, good character exposition, easy to get into and fun to watch for the most part
Cons: Episodes steadily become more and more insane and unrealistic, some characters are initially irksome, story isn't very substantive

Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions! (TV) Excellent

Pros: Fun character interactions, relatable material feels more involving than similar titles, very nice visuals, good soundtrack
Cons: Still has many clichéd elements, a few pacing issues

Lucky Star (TV) Excellent

Pros: Endearing characters, fun little vignettes, some really funny stuff
Cons: Some may not get a lot of the inside/industry jokes, pacing and style requires some getting used to, lucky channel segments get old fast

Lucky Star OVA Very good
A Lull in the Sea (TV) Excellent

Pros: Great-looking and visually appealing settings, intriguing premise, likable cast, main story arcs transition effectively, cuts a good pace that never drags, excellent soundtrack
Cons: Utilizes typical coming-of-age character tropes, love polygon means not everyone gets their happy ending, animation quality takes a slight dip towards the end

Lunar Legend Tsukihime (TV) Decent

Pros: Good mystery elements, story is interesting enough
Cons: Doesn’t really break any new ground, most characters are flat and uninteresting, art and animation are somewhat below average

Magikano (TV) Good

Pros: Cute, funny, and delightfully irreverent
Cons: Also clichéd, generic, and ultimately irrelevant

Majikoi - Oh! Samurai Girls (TV) Not really good

Pros: Manages a few interesting moments, good animation overall, characters (while stereotypical) are likeable
Cons: Boring and random drivel most of the time, main story arc is lame, ending resolves nothing, a few downright terrible dub performances

Mardock Scramble: The First Compression (movie) Very good

Pros: Awesome action and visuals, appealing female lead, mysterious enough to keep you coming back
Cons: Pacing issues, story can be a little confusing due to lack of background info for the sake of keeping things moving

Mardock Scramble: The Second Combustion (movie) Good

Pros: Marvelous attention to visual detail, brighter colored and livelier feeling than the first movie, some good background info revealed
Cons: Limited action, some scenes can drag on with hefty doses of dialog

Maria Holic (TV) Good

Pros: Different spin on clichéd themes, creative artistic stylings, great dub
Cons: Doesn’t avoid all clichés though, intriguing main plot becomes secondary to typical school life antics, Kanako can be a little overbearing, Touichiro IS overbearing

Mayo Chiki! (TV) So-so

Pros: Art and animation have a nice look (even if the character designs and scenery are a tad generic), has its share of fun and genuine moments
Cons: Disjointed plot flows poorly and often gets off-track, not much of anything feels resolved in the end, mindless harem scenarios, one-dimensional characters

Medaka Box (TV) Not really good

Pros: A few moments of entertainment, Shiranui
Cons: Often boring, brings nothing new to the table, animation has a bothersome light haze to it, goes way over the top at the end, Medaka isn’t all that likable

(The) Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (TV) So-so

Pros: Looks good, great dub cast
Cons: Spastic plotting/pacing, doesn't play out what it introduces, trite and stereotypical characters, that pointless 3-minute still shot of Yuki reading a magazine and listening to the radio

(The) Melancholy of Haruhi-chan Suzumiya (ONA) Very good

Pros: Great comedic timing, way more fun and entertaining than its source anime, CUUUUTE!
Cons: 5 minute episodes are a tease (though it works for the format)

Mezzo (TV) Good

Pros: Fun little show considering it's spun off of a porno, funny characters, some nice story elements
Cons: Most story elements are cliched and predictable though, animation is dreadful, plot is unfocused

Michiko & Hatchin (TV) Very good

Pros: Fresh concept, slick artistic style, great and fitting music, nice dynamic between main characters
Cons: Most characters are awful human beings, some character motives are understated

MM! (TV) Good

Pros: High-spirited, fun character interactions, enjoyable episodes, good dub
Cons: Same old school life/club/harem antics beneath the quirky main plot, aesthetically average

Momo: The Girl God of Death (TV) Good

Pros: Good emotional impact despite each story’s brevity, keeps things on the lighter side
Cons: Some stories work better than others, moves too swiftly to connect with characters, music doesn’t quite fit the moment in a few spots

Moonlight Mile (TV) Very good

Pros: Beautifully rendered space sequences, suspenseful moments, great soundtrack
Cons: Some really lousy character designs, poorly executed pacing and plotting moves things along too swiftly, Lostman’s character/arc feels shoehorned in, inconclusive without a licensed follow-up season

MoonPhase (TV) Good

Pros: Great relationship between main characters that creates many memorable moments, good combination of story elements, pretty funny when it wants to be
Cons: Main story/plot isn't paced well, changes up its dynamic tone too much from episode to episode

Murder Princess (OAV) Decent

Pros: Quick little show with enough going for it that it doesn't feel like a waste
Cons: No character background information provided, plot details sacrificed due to time constraints, difficult to emotionally invest in

Mushi-Shi (TV) Masterpiece

Pros: Gorgeous, great dub, excellent writing, one of the best soundtracks
Cons: Lack of a continuous main plot may deter some (though individual episodes are great on their own regardless)

My Bride is a Mermaid (TV) Very good

Pros: Incredibly funny, cute story, memorable characters
Cons: Plot gets off track here and there, some gags get old

My Neighbor Totoro (movie) Very good

Pros: Whimsical and lighthearted, beautiful artwork, nice music, perfect for a rainy day stuck in the house
Cons: Feels rushed, Totoro's lack of actual on-screen time, not much really develops beyond basic exposition (though, as a children's movie, its simplicity works)

Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok (TV) Good

Pros: Some really nice artwork and animation here and there, good mix of entertaining characters, a fun show that doesn’t take itself too seriously
Cons: Vague story/character details and plot development, not as much mystery as one might expect, static-image action scenes are a let-down

Nabari no Ou (TV) Decent

Pros: Blends multiple genres with good balance, some neat action, nice character relationships
Cons: Too many sub-plots and minor characters makes things cluttered, colors feel dull and muted, loses some oomph and slows to a crawl at the halfway point

NAKAIMO - My Little Sister Is Among Them! (TV) Decent

Pros: Good animation, lighthearted tone, occasionally really funny, gets watchable towards the end
Cons: Pointless perversion for the sake of perversion, story is pretty dumb, some dub performances are a little stiff

Nanaka 6/17 (TV) Very good

Pros: A fun show with a decent amount of insight, manages an original idea or two, Nanaka and Kuriko's interactions, Nanaka's dad
Cons: Plenty of generic material, underlying romance elements aren't fleshed out, 17-year-ol Nanaka is a pretty awful person

Negima!? (TV) Good

Pros: A harem-type comedy that doesn't rely on perversion and pantie shots, cool visual effects and pleasing colors, good dub, characters are very funny in their own ways
Cons: Weak and meandering plot forces things to be held together solely by characters’ quirky charms, enormous cast is a chore to keep track of, becomes really bizarre and random about midway through

Negima!? Spring OVA Decent
Negima!? Summer OVA Decent
Neon Genesis Evangelion (TV) Good

Pros: Great mix of characters, good action scenes, groundbreaking work overall
Cons: Has trouble deciding on a narrative tone, fast-moving first half creates gaps in information, muddled conclusion

Night Raid 1931 (TV) Decent

Pros: Nice animation, good historical detail, well-done musical score, thorough character exposition
Cons: Some episodes are uninteresting, can get too talky in spots, story is a little jumbled

Ninja Scroll (movie) Good

Pros: Surprisingly less hyperviolent and more plot focused than expected, great art and animation considering when it was made, sweet action
Cons: Not nearly as hyperviolent as it's made out to be, a few animation blips here and there, 5.1 dub audio sounds like garbage if you don't have a 5.1 system

Ninja Scroll (TV) Good

Pros: Looks good for the most part, well done fight sequences, awesome monster designs, some decent music, cheesy fun
Cons: Not so awesome human character designs, story and characters lack ample background information, doesn't clarify some important details

No. 6 (TV) Not really good

Pros: Good character relationships
Cons: Characters themselves are boring, poorly executed, important parts of the story are not elaborated on, ultimately doesn't make much sense (especially for a show that spends most of its time on dialogue)

Noir (TV) Good

Pros: Awesome soundtrack, nice background art, well-paced story
Cons: Dated animation, too many flashbacks, drags in the final few episodes, virtually no blood despite numerous deaths per episode

Nyan Koi! (TV) Good

Pros: Some pretty funny moments, lively cast of characters, looks nice
Cons: Riddled with clichés, plot elements go nowhere

Ōkami-san & Her Seven Companions (TV) Good

Pros: Vivid and bright color palette, fun characters
Cons: Feels rushed, plot issues

Origin ~Spirits of the Past~ (movie) Decent

Pros: Great visuals
Cons: Lack of storytelling details creates a disconnect with the characters and setting, environmental message falls flat, would've worked better as a short series

Ouran High School Host Club (TV) Excellent

Pros: Hysterical, beautiful visuals, character development and interactions are excellent, dub track is one of the best
Cons: Tends to get off track, rushes back on track for a somewhat unsatisfying ending

Paprika (movie) Decent

Pros: Visually stunning, creative ideas, great dub
Cons: Too much symbolism may make things confusing for some, rushed first half/sluggish second half, music is dull

Penguindrum (TV) Good

Pros: Wonderful animation, thorough storytelling detail, deep and symbolic, penguins!
Cons: Story loses focus and becomes too cluttered towards the end - crossing the threshold from intriguingly surreal to chaotically abstract, transitions between arcs are a little rough, a few things are given vague explanations

Perfect Blue (movie) Very good
Pet Shop of Horrors (TV) Good
Please Teacher! (TV) Decent

Pros: Nice mixture of comedy and romance, fun and lighthearted
Cons: Animation is choppy, ‘coincidental’ happenings feel forced, characters aren’t too appealing, conclusion is clichéd and predictable

Please Twins! (TV) Good

Pros: Manages to feel fun and substantive despite its abundant clichés, colors and backgrounds are nice, character cameos from Teacher! are well integrated without being overbearing
Cons: Aforementioned clichés, constantly reiterates information, poorly explained revelations

Please Twins! (OAV) Decent
Possessions (movie) Good
Princess Jellyfish (TV) Good

Pros: Unique story, good emotional material, appealing visuals, most characters are fun
Cons: Characters who aren't fun are insufferable, builds towards conclusions that never materialize, ultimately ends up feeling like the story got in over its head and rushed to wrap it up

Princess Resurrection (TV) Decent

Pros: Some funny moments, cool old-school monster vibe, OVAs
Cons: Pretty boring most of the time, uninteresting characters, spotty animation, some episodes are total duds

Problem children are coming from another world, aren't they? (TV) Decent

Pros: Interesting premise, great looking, a few genuinely entertaining scenes
Cons: Too straightforward in most aspects, could have done a lot more in terms of world building, lacks style and flair considering the subject matter, zero character background info

(The) Promised Neverland (TV) Very good

Pros: Excellent use of color and lighting to convey mood, engaging story, directing is top-notch
Cons: Younger kids are depicted as being smarter and more adaptive than they should be for their age, might be too self-contained for some viewers

Psycho-Pass (TV) Excellent

Pros: Interesting and well-executed concept, thrilling and suspenseful sense of urgency, splendid visuals, one of the best shows of its kind in recent years
Cons: Flaws in logic, some characters are too one-dimensional, a few elements and ideas are lifted directly from Ghost in the Shell (among other series), animation quality has its lacking moments

Puella Magi Madoka Magica (TV) Excellent

Pros: Deeply moving, excellent story, wonderful music, some of the best visuals to behold
Cons: Underachieving lead character

Red Garden (TV) Very good

Pros: Story has plenty of intrigue, unique character designs, good character evolution, some neat twists, accurate and detailed rendering of New York City
Cons: Grainy animation, some story elements could have been explained better, random musical numbers are awkward and out of place

Redline (movie) Good

Pros: Intense action that keeps things moving the whole way through, unique animation style and character designs
Cons: Bare minimum character exposition, linear plot just goes from A to B, forced romantic element is shoehorned in and doesn't feel genuine

RIN - Daughters of Mnemosyne (TV) Very good

Pros: Good blend of characters that rotates with each episode, nice visuals, cool music
Cons: Vague on details, strong sexual content may deter some viewers

Robotics;Notes (TV) Good

Pros: Great characters and interactions, wonderful art and animation, good story underneath it all
Cons: Pacing and arc transitions are a little inconsistent, some plot elements aren’t as coherent as they could be

Rosario + Vampire (TV) Good

Pros: Funny, great dub
Cons: Plot is a dumb mess

Rosario + Vampire Capu2 (TV) Good

Pros: Still relatively funny
Cons: Plot is even more of a dumb mess, stale jokes, animation declines a bit

Rozen Maiden (TV) Very good

Pros: Nice mixture of comedy and dark drama, doll designs look great, fun character interactions
Cons: Supernatural element isn’t explained all that well, Jun can be a little bastard, some character names are awkward to continuously repeat

Rozen Maiden: Ouvertüre (special) Very good
Rozen Maiden: Träumend (TV) Very good

Pros: Wonderful character designs, fun when it wants to be, can get pretty emotional at times
Cons: Still fails to explain its supernatural elements clearly, some musical selections re-used too often

Rumbling Hearts (TV) Excellent

Pros: Great coming-of-age moments, touching, good music
Cons: Animation is below average

Rune Soldier (TV) Good

Pros: Funny and off-beat, good character development, has its own unique charms
Cons: Animation looks cheap in spots (especially background characters), simple narrative doesn’t take many risks

S.A (TV) Very good

Pros: Animation is nice, good dub, genuine and funny once it hits its stride…
Cons: …Though it does take a little while to get there, nothing new content wise, characters all look the same

(The) Sacred Blacksmith (TV) Good

Pros: Good looking and fluid animation, nice character evolution, good dub, decent story elements
Cons: Story elements never quite come together and some things aren't given enough explanation, inconclusive non-ending leaves one feeling unfulfilled

Saiyuki Gaiden (OAV) So-so

Pros: Flashes of nice animation and emotional material
Cons: Jumps into things with zero context or background info, events seem to occur out of order, if you don't know the source material (like me) you'll have no idea what's going on 90% of the time

Samurai Champloo (TV) Very good

Pros: Great dub cast, appealing visuals, story is engaging
Cons: Style might take some getting used to, filler episodes are pointless

Sands of Destruction (TV) Decent

Pros: Fun central cast, some nice world building
Cons: Pretty standard fare all around

Sankarea: Undying Love (TV) Very good

Pros: Nice animation touches, fresh take on the zombie angle, good balance of moods and themes
Cons: Breaks its flow by inserting stand-alone episodes amid cliffhangers, ends abruptly with many loose ends left untied (and even introduces a new character and sub-plot in the final minute of the series which, needless to say, goes nowhere)

School Rumble (TV) Excellent

Pros: Utterly hilarious, cleverly written, one of the best dubs out there
Cons: Some humor may not appeal to everyone, random vignettes here and there can feel like filler

School Rumble Sangakki (OAV) Very good
School Rumble: 2nd Semester (TV) Very good

Pros: Still hilarious, fun new characters
Cons: Plot is all over the place, some gags get old

School Rumble: Extra Class (OAV) Very good
Sekirei (TV) Good

Pros: Great visuals, memorable characters, fun and funny
Cons: Story is garbage, over-the-top fanservice

Sekirei: Pure Engagement (TV) Decent

Pros: Pretty much the same as the first season
Cons: Story is still garbage, some characters underused, leaves things hanging and hints at a sequel (that, up to this point, hasn't even been announced as in the works)

Serial Experiments Lain (TV) Decent

Pros: Eerie mood about it, somewhat accurately predicts many future technological advancements, engaging and suspenseful once it hits its stride, ends on a high note
Cons: Not much happens most of the time, confusing presentation, may be a little too cerebral for some

Shakugan no Shana (TV) Good

Pros: Slice of life/school-based episodes are good, well-animated action scenes, good music
Cons: Information is conveyed in sort of a clunky manner, uses specialized terminology without explaining it well, fight sequences are too drawn out and sometimes boring, character designs are pretty generic

Shakugan no Shana (movie) Good
Shakugan no Shana Second (TV) So-so

Pros: Great action sequence animation, good soundtrack, a few fun school-based moments
Cons: Kinda boring and repetitive most of the time, not so great at explaining itself, school and action arcs have rough transitions between them

Shigurui: Death Frenzy (TV) Good

Pros: Gripping and engrossing story keeps you coming back, fascinating artwork, unbelievably (and realistically) gory and violent
Cons: Can be overly stylized at times, highly confusing narrative, abrupt ending resolves very little (including why Fujiki has only one arm in the present time)

Shiki (TV) Masterpiece

Pros: Fresh take on a tired genre, some really affecting material, keeps you interested and in suspense, wonderful and fitting soundtrack/effects, neat cinematography techniques
Cons: Takes a little while to get moving, not much actual action most of the time, too many ancillary characters

Short Peace (movie) Very good
Shuffle! (TV) Very good

Pros: Wide range of characters, good balance of themes, story evolves nicely
Cons: Average animation, stale harem antics, feels like everyone is just going through the motions most of the time

Soul Eater (TV) Very good

Pros: Great animation, characters are unique and entertaining
Cons: Wastes time on needless events, lots left unexplained, can start to drag after a while

Speed Grapher (TV) Good

Pros: Different from the norm, main characters are interesting, story is well paced and given proper closure
Cons: Bad animation, plot is a little...out there, some characters are annoying, music gets repetitive

Spice and Wolf (TV) Good

Pros: Interesting subject matter, unique story, nice animation, good back-and-forth between main characters, Holo
Cons: Can feel like a tedious economics lesson, some things could be better explained

Spice and Wolf II (TV) Very good

Pros: One of the most unique series out there, tighter story this season, gorgeous backgrounds, well-written, great character interactions
Cons: Knowledge of economics is required to understand some scenes, pretty dialog heavy, ending leaves a lot on the table

Spiral (TV) Good

Pros: Nice mystery elements, some pretty suspenseful scenes, abundant extras on each DVD, Hiyono
Cons: Lazy animation in spots, dub actors’ accents are awful, main plot takes forever to develop, puzzles and the logic used to solve them get a little crazy after a while, conclusion fails to resolve the show’s big mysteries (who are the blade children, why were the hunters after them, what happened to Kiyotaka and what's his connection to everything, etc.)

Spirited Away (movie) Masterpiece
Squid Girl (TV) Excellent

Pros: Unexpectedly funny, slick animation, good dub
Cons: Ocean puns get annoying quickly, not much of a plot

Steins;Gate (TV) Excellent

Pros: Fantastically original and multi-leveled story, beautiful animation, eccentric characters, gripping sense of urgency and suspense
Cons: Requires a combination of paying careful attention and disregarding the minor plot holes/paradoxes that are inherent in time travel

Strait Jacket (OAV) Decent
Strike Witches (TV) Good

Pros: Fun characters, great animation and visuals
Cons: Plot isn't all that substantive, fanservice feels forced at times

Strike Witches 2 (TV) Very good

Pros: Great cast chemistry, awesome fight sequences/visuals, fan service (while still overwhelming) doesn't feel as forced as in the first season
Cons: Nothing is ever explained about the Neuroi, too much filler

Summer Wars (movie) Decent

Pros: Incredible animation, some nice family moments, good dub
Cons: Different than expected (went in hoping for a comedic love story, instead got a mish-mosh of cyber terrorism and family bonding), character exposition/development takes a back seat to the overbearing subject matter, thinly-veiled social commentary falls flat

Sword of the Stranger (movie) Excellent

Pros: Among the best animated action sequences and visuals overall, cohesive story, great music
Cons: Little character exposition

Tales of Vesperia: The First Strike (movie) So-so
Terror in Resonance (TV) Very good

Pros: Excellent animation overall, plot makes sense, characters have believable emotion
Cons: Takes some shortcuts and logical missteps in order to rush through certain plot elements, character designs are just okay, background character animation dips in quality towards the end


Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 (TV) Excellent

Pros: Grounded and realistic, great visuals, likeable characters
Cons: Sluggish pacing, not much music to accompany the story (though it's not really needed)

Toradora SOS! Hurray for Gourmands (OAV) Very good
Toradora! (TV) Excellent

Pros: One of the more well-thought-out school/slice of life comedies, nice animation, great characters and interactions
Cons: Still bases most of its action around clichéd scenarios

Toradora!: The True Meaning of Bento (OAV) Very good
(The) Tower of Druaga: The Aegis of Uruk (TV) Very good

Pros: Self-deprecating hilarity, good visuals, fun characters, excellent dub
Cons: Some jokes/bits don’t land as well as others, clichés-a-plenty, pretty lame story

(The) Tower of Druaga: the Sword of Uruk (TV) So-so

Pros: Some good dramatic elements this time around
Cons: Wastes time re-establishing characters and past events, not nearly as fun and engaging as the first season, some characters and events remain obscure throughout

Trigun (TV) Very good

Pros: Excellent character development, well-written, good pacing, memorable characters
Cons: Animation is below average (even for its time), Vash’s moral dilemmas get a little tiresome

Trigun: Badlands Rumble (movie) Good
Trinity Blood (TV) Good

Pros: Fantastic animation and character designs, good action sequences
Cons: Story feels a bit stale, loses steam towards the end, weak ending doesn't tie up some loose ends, ion is profoundly annoying

Tsubasa RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE the Movie: The Princess in the Birdcage Kingdom Decent
Tsubasa Tokyo Revelations (OAV) Decent
Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE (TV) Good

Pros: Wonderful character development/relationships, great soundtrack, good action sequences
Cons: Gets really repetitive after the first season, animation quality declines steadily, some key characters’ motives and major events are never really explained, a few sets of episodes are completely inane and don’t further the story at all

Tsubasa: Spring Thunder (OAV) Decent
Un-Go (TV) Good

Pros: Nice style, art and animation are crisp, good mystery elements
Cons: Episodes are rushed to the point where there's no time for clues to settle in before the mysteries are solved, not much background information on main characters

Upotte!! (ONA) Decent

Pros: Thorough firearm information that’s actually quite interesting, good sight gags
Cons: Secondary character designs look better than the main characters’, pointless and anticlimactic ending, pretty pointless overall as well

Upotte!! (OAV) Decent
Utawarerumono (TV) Good

Pros: Well-paced, CGI is nicely integrated, good world building
Cons: Story is shakily put together, formulaeic and repetitive battling, ending is rather insane compared to the journey it took to get there

Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (movie) Decent
Vampire Knight (TV) Very good

Pros: Great character designs, splendid art and animation, solid story and musical accompaniment
Cons: Tacky school drama tropes at every turn, some supporting characters given little background info

(The) Wallflower (TV) Good

Pros: Very funny, good character development, some touching moments
Cons: Animation shortcuts, Sunako is in SD form too often, story often gets off track

WATAMOTE (TV) Very good

Pros: Tomoko’s facial expressions, nice stylistic touches, eclectic soundtrack, great main dub performance
Cons: Repetitive story goes nowhere, Tomoko’s psychological and social issues are pretty severe underneath the humor

We Without Wings - Under the Innocent Sky (TV) Bad

Pros: A cool twist or two, good gag humor
Cons: Illogical layout and poor writing makes it feel like utter nonsense most of the time, incoherent story has way too many arcs going on all at once (and not one of them is even remotely interesting), characters are annoyingly idiotic and unrealistic

When They Cry - Higurashi (TV) Very good

Pros: Maniacal and twisted spin on moe cutesiness, suspenseful and intriguing, truly chilling in spots
Cons: Episode format is confusing at first, then it gets repetitive, conclusion leaves more questions than answers

Witch Hunter Robin (TV) Good

Pros: Moody and atmospheric, draws influence from its predecessors without ripping them off, second half is tighter and more cohesive
Cons: Stand-alone episodes often have vague and rushed conclusions, dub lacks emotion and dynamics, ending is a little tedious

Wolf Children (movie) Masterpiece

Pros: Incredible storytelling, good devices used to illustrate passage of time, some really gorgeous artwork
Cons: Rushes through some story elements for the sake of time conservation, one minor let-down of a conclusion

(The) World God Only Knows (TV) Very good

Pros: Colorful and well-animated, easy to get into, Elsie
Cons: Filler episodes are terrible, clichéd concept, using the same voice actors for different supporting characters makes them all sound the same

(The) World God Only Knows Season Two (TV) Good

Pros: Elsie is still the best part of the show, a few new characters are fun, can be really funny
Cons: Doesn’t flesh out arcs as substantially as it could have, arcs themselves aren’t as fun or interesting as in the first season, animation looks cheap in some spots

X (TV) Good

Pros: Starts out intriguing, awesome soundtrack, satisfying (if somewhat predictable) conclusion
Cons: Loses much of its focus by constantly introducing new characters and dedicating entire episodes to their backstories, some information can be tediously dragged out

X OAV Decent
xxxHOLiC (TV) Excellent

Pros: Interesting stories with plenty of intrigue, eerie and engaging atmosphere, humorous bits are nicely mixed in
Cons: Art and character designs take some getting used to

xxxHOLiC the Movie: A Midsummer Night's Dream Excellent
Yugo the Negotiator (TV) Very good

Pros: Engaging and suspenseful, good attention to culture and customs, different from the usual action/thrillers
Cons: Could have condensed both stories a bit (especially Russia) to make room for a third one, animation is just average

Zetman (TV) Good

Pros: Cool concept, slick action, effectively moralizes the superhero trope
Cons: Realistic character designs aren’t all that appealing, serious moments come off as cheesy, not enough background on some important issues