Anime Review

Anime Review of Kamisama Kiss

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Series: Kamisama Kiss

English Producing Company: Funimation

Stream on: Funimation/Hulu

Genre: Comedy/Romance/Fantasy

Review by: Dani Hoots

Rating: 5/5

Description:

Nanami is a poor homeless high school girl until she accepts an offer to live at an old shrine – making her the new local god! After an awkward introduction, the handsome and hard-shelled fox spirit Tomoe reluctantly vows to protect her as her familiar. As Nanami learns the ins and outs of godhood, she meets more spirits along the way—including a cute snake god and a sexy crow demon!

This is one of my favorite anime and manga series. Although I love the manga series a lot more, as it goes in much more detail and actually comes to an end, I do love them both. The love story behind it is very well plotted out and intertwined. Nanami falls in love with her familiar, but her love is not returned. She is fine with this, and the two of them bicker a lot (like most animes) but the development of Tomoe and why he doesn’t like humans and why he can’t remember is really good. It is both warming and heart-breakening. A lot of stories I think make either one or the other, but this one does a good job spinning both of the feelings together.

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My favorite character is Tomoe, as he is one of my top five husbandos. His backstory and past are very interesting, even though I don’t think he really changed like some say he did. I like most kitsune though, and vampires. My friends say I have a type and I don’t know why they say that…

Anyway… I really hate Mizuki. He has a good story and reasoning for the way he is, but I really really dislike him. I’m with Tomoe on my feelings for him.

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All in all, I hope you check it out. Also, there were OTP episodes that I cannot find in the US so if you have a source for those (legally) please let me know. I need more…

~Dani

Anime Review of Maid Sama

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Series: Maid Sama

English Producing Company: Sentai

Stream on: Hulu/Netflix

Genre: Comedy/Romance

Review by: Dani Hoots

Rating: 5/5

Description:

Misaki Ayuzawa is the first female student council president at a once all-boys school turned co-ed. She rules the school with strict discipline demeanor. But she has a secret—she works at a maid cafe due to her families circumstances. One day the popular A-student and notorious heart breaker Takumi Usui finds out her secret and makes a deal with her to keep it hush from the school in exchange for spending some time with him.

This is one of my favorites that I like to have playing in the background while I am studying. It is cute, fun, and everyone loves a good tsundere love story. Misaki is a complete tsundere as she had a hard childhood with her father leaving her and her mother and sister to pick up his debt. She had had to help provide while going to school and becoming the school’s president. She is strong, awesome, but doesn’t want to fall in love. That is, until Usui finds out she works as a maid at a cosplay cafe and is intrigued by her personality and life. They grow closer, which Misaki isn’t very fond of. He causes a lot of trouble for her, which is fun to watch.

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There is a lot of comedy with this series, and it is light-hearted and adorable. It is based on a manga and only got one season, but it is worth a watch even if you have read the manga. There are some parts of the plot that are out of order, which just made it come to a close a little for the season which I enjoyed. There isn’t a mandatory Alice in Wonderland episode, but there is an episode based on the Peach Boy which I enjoy every time I watch it. The ending to that episode is so funny!

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All in all, if you want something cute and funny, this series is definitely for you! Let me know what you think of it in the comments!

~Dani

Anime Review of RobiHachi

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Series: RobiHachi

English Producing Company: Funimation

Stream on: Funimation/Hulu

Genre: Sci-fi/Comedy/Action&Adventure

Review by: Dani Hoots

Rating: 5/5

Description:

Down-on-his-luck Robby Yarge is about to go from deep trouble to deep space! After a second encounter with Hatchi Kita ends with him on the run, Robby decides to make for Isekandar, a planet that promises happiness. But when he finds Hatchi stowed away on his ship, the two will make the journey across the stars together! Can these total opposites survive a trek through space?

I picked up this anime because I like watching comedies while working and because it was also sci-fi. It’s sometimes hard to find a comical sci-fi series that has a pretty cool plot at the same time. This series, I found out, is loosely based on the story Tōkaidōchū Hizakurigewhich is written in the early 1800s. I thought it was really cool to have a sci-fi series based on an old story, like Treasure Planet. It inspires me to take an old fairy tale and make it futuristic, but I’m not sure which one I would want to write about…

In this series, my favorite character is Robby. He is gambler and keeps losing money, but when he can’t pay back Yang, he decides to try his luck with Isekandar. He learns many lessons on the way, as any good character should. Yang is after him the entire way and I love how Yang is so obsessed with Robby. In the English dub, the way he says “Robby” is priceless. I keep trying to practice it but haven’t quite got it down. But the entire story is all the pit stops they take before getting to Isekandar. All the planets are unique and interesting, and I liked how they included a little nod to another anime, but I won’t spoil which one it is.

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Hachi is also a great character who evolves throughout the story. We find out more and more about him and I think he had pretty good development. At first I didn’t care for him but by the end I liked him a lot.  The stupid stuff the two of them get into, and how each one reacts to it, is pretty entertaining.

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So all in all, I recommend this anime if you are a fan of silly but great sci-fi, especially anything based on historic tales. If you watch it, let me know what you think in the comments!

~Dani

 

Anime Review of Kono Oto Tomare!: Sounds of Life

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Series: Kono Oto Tomare!: Sounds of Life

English Producing Company: Funimation

Stream on: Funimation

Review by: Dani Hoots

Rating: 5/5

Description:

Down to its last member, the koto club will accept anyone who is interested in the traditional Japanese instrument. But when a delinquent and a prodigy player sign up, finding harmony isn’t going to be easy—especially not with ensemble competitions looming around the corner. With enough time and some incredible skill at the strings, perhaps this motley crew can strike a chord with the judges.

I like a good slice of life anime, although usually I go for the ones that have a little fantasy or sci-fi in them. This one caught my eye as the art is quite spectacular, and also because I like a stories with delinquents in them some odd reason. I was hooked after the first episode!

The story arc itself is a pretty normal one—they make a club and they want to make it to nationals! yay! But I found how the character develop in this story to be quite beautiful. Even some of the ones I didn’t like I ended up liking because their background made perfect sense. Everyone had their own unique story, and I really enjoyed that. For anyone who wants a good example of character arcs and character backgrounds, I definitely recommend this anime!

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All in all, I’m excited for season two and see what happens with this group. I watched the dubbed version because I’m a Capricorn and have to be multitasking in everything I do, and can’t sit still to read the subs. The cast did a great job, as most Funimation voice actors do.

So if you need a sweet, beautiful anime, this is definitely a great one!

 

Review of Black Butler: Book of the Atlantic

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Title: Book of the Atlantic

Series: Black Butler

English Producing Company: Funimation

Funimation/Amazon

Review by: Dani Hoots

Rating: 5/5

Back cover:

Ciel Phantomhive and his demonic butler, Sebastian, are back—but their next case has them treading some rough waters! Aboard the luxury liner Campania, the two investigate an illegal human experiment that involves resurrecting the dead. But the closer they get to the truth, closer they are to their own deaths! Will this be their final case, or will one hell of a butler keep them afloat?

Review:

I got to see this in theater and ordered it ASAP when Funimation finally released it on DVD. In the manga, this is one of my favorite arcs as Elizabeth finally gets her debut of being a badass. I do love how the Black Butler franchise is making movies of Black Butler arcs and I hope they do the German arc and the School arc.

One of my other favorite parts of this movie is the Undertaker. I am behind in the manga (I should go catch up right now…) and want to know what plan the Undertaker has, if he even has a plan.

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The art in this movie is as beautiful as always and the voice actors did a great job with their roles. Nothing seemed off putting to me, as I have seen in some other anime, and the movie seemed to follow the manga closely from what I remember. It is definitely a movie all Black Butler fans should watch, and if you haven’t watched Black Butler, then watch the first season through the Curry arc, then the Book of Circus, then Book of Murder, then this movie. Ignore the second half of the first season and season two… For your own sake.

Anime Review ~ Karneval

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Karneval

(watched dubbed in English)

*Note: I just started the manga after watching the anime*

Nai–a young man who travels in search of another by the name of Karoku, a lone bracelet his only lead. Gareki–a willful young man who earns his daily bread by thieving and picking pockets. Thrown together at an eerie mansion, where they are entrapped and framed, Nai and Gareki are soon hunted down as criminals by national security forces. As they are driven into a corner, before them appears the most powerful defense agency in the country, “Circus”–!!

This story is full of mystery and adventure, keeping you on the edge of your seat, binge watching it all in one seating (as I did…). The art is beautiful, the characters engaging and interesting, and the story moves along at a good pace. It is definitely a show I would be willing to watch again.

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My favorite character was Yogi, as he is one of the head people in Circus, yet he is just a nice guy wanting to get through the world. Although when his allergy patch comes off, he does seem like a different person…

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The world that Karneval takes place in is quite believable, quite spectacular, and between this and Sailor Moon, it makes me want to join the Circus even more. I just wished we got to see more performances that they do in the Circus for each town, but I presume the manga will show a little more.

The anime has definitely been cut short, only 13 episodes, but the manga is being released in the United States so don’t fear! We shall know what happens next, at least I hope! It doesn’t leave off on a complete cliff hanger, but there are definitely some questions left unanswered.

I give this anime a 5/5 as the art is wonderful, it contains everything I want (circus theme, action, mystery, and a believable world). So if you are like me and love animes with circus themes, definitely check this one out! I will be reviewing the manga later, so don’t worry!

Dani

Anime Review ~ Bodacious Space Pirates

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Bodacious Space Pirates

(watched it dubbed in English)

(Haven’t read the light novel yet)

This show follows Marika Kato as she finds out that her father has passed away and was actually the pirate captain of the space ship The Bentenmaru. She has to decide if she wants to become the new captain, but if she says no then all the crew will be out of work.

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So as any High School girl should, she said yes.

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The anime follows her adventures with The Bentenmaru, in her high school, and with her yacht club (a space yacht club, how awesome does that sound?).  She runs into a lot of trouble, but is one smart teenage girl.

This anime is really good. The art is beautiful, the voices actors were very good, and the story was cute and entertaining. It felt a bit like Firefly but anime style and a bit more girl-centered. Although it looks like a fan service anime, it actually is quite feminist. All these girls are very strong and there is even a relationship between two of the girl characters. I definitely enjoyed the anime and recommend it to anyone who likes sci-fi or strong female characters.

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It does, however, end a little bit on a cliff-hanger. I wish that it went on for another season and I hope all the light novels get published in English. I’m also excited for the manga and wonder if it will follow the manga or the light novel since I found that it is a bit different near the end of the anime.

I give this anime a 5/5 and can’t wait to read the light novels.

Over and out!

Dani

Anime Review ~ The Seven Deadly Sins

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The Seven Deadly Sins

Available on Netflx

Audio: Japanese, English, French, German, & Spanish

Subtitles: English, French, German, & Spanish

This Netflix original based on the manga by Nakaba Suzuki is amazing! It is almost like Fairy Tail meets The Devil is a Part-Timer! This is now one of my favorite animes and I can’t wait to see what is in store for these characters, as I believe there will be a second season. I will also be reviewing the manga later (done with the first two volumes and the anime seems to follow the story so far).

At first when I saw that it was a Netflix Original, I was sort of hesitant. What was Netflix doing with an anime? But I figured I would give it a shot and by the second episode, I was hooked!

The Seven Deadly Sins follows Elizabeth as she is trying to find the Seven Deadly Sins to restore peace in the kingdom. It was told that they betrayed the kingdom and killed the Holy Knight leader and they have been fugitives ever since. Elizabeth, however, doesn’t believe this and knows the Holy Knights are corrupt and need the Seven Deadly Sins to stop them.

However, the Seven Deadly Sins aren’t what she expected. The leader appears like a kid (but sure doesn’t act that way…), the second a giant, an immortal, and so on. None are of the same species, as this world combines the world of the humans, demons, fairies, giants, and so much more.

From what I can tell, this is supposed to take place in ancient Britain, the fairies and giants being some of the legends of England. It’s very loosely based of course but still interesting. The world is really cool and interesting. I wish it was real (kind-of).

The characters are really well developed. Each have their own back story and in the first season, you get to see a lot of their back story. Ban, the Fox sin of Greed, is my favorite by far. He is very fun and has a back story that I very much enjoyed. I can’t wait to see where this character ends up.

I am actually on my third time watching it through this week (I started on Monday and it’s Friday). First time I binged it while sick, second I watched it with my husband, and then I found out it was in German and now I’m watching it in German. I usually can’t watch something more than once, and definitely not right away. This story keeps me so interested that I am able to watch it three times through AND read it as well. I cannot wait for the second season! Do check it out, it is worth your time!!!

But seriously, go watch it right now.

Dani

Anime Review: Ouran High School Host Club

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(Note: I haven’t read the manga yet)

So at first I didn’t think that I would care for this anime, was just wanting to binge watch something I knew my husband wouldn’t care for (which wasn’t the case as he was as entertained as I was by this show). I loved it!

OHSHC follows Haruhi as she is a scholarship honor student at Ouran High School who accidentally breaks a very expensive vase of the Host Club’s. Since she can’t pay the money back, she has to become a host for the club. Little did they realize that Haruhi was actually a girl not a boy, but they decide to dress her up as a boy and let all the girls fawn over her anyway.

The anime goes into all the trouble the host club gets into, along with all the girls they help make smile. It is really cute, fun, and at times, hilarious! They characters all well rounded and have their own arcs. My favorite character was Haruhi’s dad.

The only downside to this anime is that it ended abruptly. I figure it must have gotten cancelled or they decided not to do a second season so the writers had to draw it to a close right away. It was sad and I couldn’t believe I watched 26 episodes in just a couple days. I wanted to cry…

If you haven’t seen this anime, I recommend it. It is fun, cute, and light hearted. 5/5!

Anime Review: Vampire Knight (Season 1 and 2(Guilty)

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Vampire Knight follows a young girl by the name of Yuki Cross who is guardian between the Day Class and Night Class at Cross Academy. What the Day Class doesn’t know is that the Night Class is full of vampires who want to bring peace between the humans and vampires. However, Yuki can’t remember anything before ten years ago and the first memory she has is being attacked by a vampire, and saved by the vampire Kaname. She struggles to find out her past, meanwhile the present peaceful times are being disrupted by vampires, humans, and hunters alike. Little does Yuki know that things that happened in the past may want to stay forgotten.

I love this show, as I have binge watched it many times… The artwork, although sometimes not as smooth as it could be, is very beautiful. The voice actors did a wonderful job bringing the characters to life, and I especially like the voice for Kaname (Yes I am team Kaname, get over it).

The story itself is very similar to the manga (which I will be reviewing later) and I’m very thankful for that (unlike Black Butler…) and I really wished they kept this series going. There is still a lot that isn’t answered, and from reading the manga (almost done) the history of the vampires is a lot deeper than they provided in the show.

The story itself, I wish we got to see more interaction with the Headmaster, as he reminds me of Vash the Stampede, with being rather crazy then all of a sudden serious. I also wish Yuki was a little less naive at times, although it made sense given her actual past (I won’t give spoilers).

All in all, if you haven’t seen this series and love vampires and romance, this is for you! 5/5!

Dani Hoots