Kamisama Kiss Review

Kamisama Kiss Review

Warning: The following review may contain spoilers. If you wish not to know some events in the story, or simply don't wish to find out what happens in the series, please leave the page, since I don't want to damage a watching experience for you.

Also, this review will contain some heavy fangirling.

With that said, thank you and onto the review:

The Shojo genre of manga has been something that's always been mentioned in my life that seems to offer some good stories, and cute romance. I read Alice The 19th toward the end of my 7th grade school year, and found the story quite enjoyable, even though it was SO obvious who she was going to end up with. *coughKyocough* And it was mentioned in the OVA's of Tenchi Muyo as a way to get Tenchi to notice Ryoko and Ayeka.

Besides that, I haven't seen or read any more shojo manga, or watched a show that's based off of it. Until the one ran into my hands at my local library.

This show is literally everything a super fangirl needs. Great characters, quirky animation, great story, and 3 sexy guys to battle for Nanami's affection. And it's just super hard to choose between two of them.

*swoons X1000* Ahh, these 13 episodes are so memorable.

Story

High school girl Nanami Momozono has pretty much a hard knock life. Her dad is normally out gambling, which causes her to not have as much money as people, and for wacky rumors to spread. But that all changes when her dad runs away after realize that he has a big debt, forcing Nanami to be evicted from her apartment and live out on the streets. The terror!

That all changes when she meets a man named Mikage, who she rescues from a tree, due to the fact that he was scared of a dog. As a sign of thanks, he kisses her on her forehead, and gives her his home. As due to the fact that she's homeless and pretty much broke, Nanami accepts the offer.

When arriving, she is greeted as the land god of the shrine by Onigiri and Kotetsu, two spirits who live in the shrine. She also meets Mikage's familiar named Tomoe, who tells her that Mikage used to be the land god of the shrine, and has left the mark on her forehead, causing her to now be the new land god. Unfortunately, Tomoe refuses to accept this, not seeing why a young human girl could possibly be a land god. So, he leaves the shrine, thus leading Nanami and the spirits to go after him.

After in which they find Tomoe and he STILL refuses to come back, the spirits tell Nanami how to make him her familiar: by a kiss to the lips! So she needs to seal it with a kiss, hmm? *plays Britney Spears song at full volume*

She is then attacked by a old demon, and has to hide up in a tree for shelter. She then sends Tomoe to come help her, but only if she says "Please forgive this foolish girl, O great Tomoe." to which she refuses, and when she falls out off the tree, she pulls Tomoe down with her. While falling, she then seals the contract of the familiar, forcing Tomoe to save her. And thus begins adventures of requests, a damsel in distress situation, a famous celebrity who might be a equivalent of Justin Beiber becomes a transfer student at her school, and later gets another familiar. What will happen in the land of the spirits? And when love is taboo between humans and demons, who will fall in love with Nanami first?

This story is quite original, and very fun to follow along. I had excitement predicting what would happen next, and I loved following along the paces of the misshapes and adventures of a new land god. I also liked playing matchmaker, and the dating game of "Who would you pick for best guy?" Although unlike Alice The 19th, it isn't made blatantly obvious who she ends up with. Because when you think she might end up with Tomoe, Mizuki just has to barge in, and it exceeds everything on my expectations.

Characters

Since there are too many side characters in this anime who don't play a role in the story, we will be talking about our 4 main characters. There's a villain too, but shh, he hasn't played a big role in the story yet.

Let's start off with Nanami Momozono:

First to start off, Nanami is probably one of those protagonists where she isn't completely clueless, or a stereotypical Mary Sue. For starters, she isn't the richest student in her class, and if often teased because of this. and when her dad ran away, she didn't really know what to do besides live on the streets. When she first becomes a land god, she isn't willing to do it because of Tomoe's attitude, but she later changes her mind once she settles in.

She is willing to anything for anyone, and is very open about her feelings. On various times, he is often scolding Tomoe over something that he did, such as turning someone into a animal, and thus begins some of her quests with ze Sacred Word Binding.

Okay, does anyone think that this reminds them of "Sit boy!" from Inuyasha?

Besides this, Nanami isn't your typical female protagonist. She has thoughts of her own, and is perhaps one of my favorite main female protagonists, with others going before her, but she's not far down the list.

AND NOW........ THE MOMENT YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR! IT'S TIME TO PLAY..................................... "WHICH GUY WOULD YOU RATHER DATE?" DODODODOODODODODODODOODODODODOODODODODODOODODODODOODODODODOODOD...

Your no fun. *sighs* Anyways......

#1: Tomoe

His hair is only long for about two episodes (being the end of episode 5 and episode 6) before going back to short, but I think this looks better on him. Enough about hairstyles though.

Tomoe used to be Mikage's familiar, after for several centuries being a ruthless and wild fox, who was the partner of the Demon King (our villain, well not yet, but still). He is very cynical, and often has a pretty rude demeanor, due to the fat that he doesn't trust others as easily as some individuals would. But he can sometimes be rather charming when the condition calls for it. Ooh la la.

He also has powers of his own, being able to disable other familiars by using leaves to slam on there forehead, turning into whatever animal he says. Though, when Nanami develops her Scared Word Binding powers (after Onigiri and Kotetsu tell her), his power is used to a lesser extent. Tomoe is also worried about Nanami due to the fact she is a human, and threatens anyone who speaks wrong or harms her. He might also have feelings for her, though Nanami doesn't know this due to the fact that he has constantly rejected her.

Tomoe is the main love interest of the show, and you can clearly see why. Not only can he be a bit rude, and often a little too over-protective, but he's nice and caring in his heart as well. Even though my main fangirl shipping isn't Nanami X Tomoe, it will always be my second home for this.

So those fans who ship it all the way, don't stare at me like this:

Or pelt rocks at my window. Okay? Good.

#2: Kurama

Kurama is a famous pop star who makes the fangirls, and I quote, "Squeal in excitement, before they pass out in mass." Thumbs up Jamie Marchi for this awesome line. He uses the gimmick of the "fallen angel" to have that bad boy personality trope, and wears Gothic makeup because of this. But in actuality, he is a crow tengu, another type of demon, from Mount Kurama, hence what his name is.

After having his plans thwarted by Tomoe to try and become the land god by eating Nanami's heart, he eventually becomes on even terms with her, even if Nanami still thinks he's arrogant. He even lets Nanami stay at his place after they are thrown out by Narakami after she takes over the shrine. He and Tomoe are the signature rivalry in this show, because with love, there's jealousy. Well, not necessarily, but still, it's proven not to have any series without one.

Kurama is my least favorite out of the love interests. Not because he has a horrendous personality, it mainly because if he and Nanami got into any relation-ship, it's clear to say it wouldn't work out. The chemistry between them is clearly for one side only, and it mainly focuses on the other two boys instead.

#3: Mizuki 

Now this is best guy in my opinion, right here. *thumbs up* and if don't agree with me, I don't mind.

To be honest, Grell and Mizuki have one character flaw. and that kind of compares to Mizuki kidnapping Nanami, and Grell killing Madam Red. But let's ditch those, because they're my favorite characters.

Mizuki is a lonely snake spirit who Nanami saved from some of her classmates. After this, he kidnapped her and almost forced her to live in the Yonomori shrine, as well as becoming his wife. Forced engagement alert! It sometimes goes wrong! 

After Tomoe rescues her from Mizuki, Nanami takes pity on him, and promises to visit him. Though he manages to come to her when she gets sick in Episode 6. Afterwards, he begins to show that he is falling in love with her, and in Episode 9, becomes her second familiar.

DAT SCENE DOE.......

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I CAN'T  TAKE IT ANYMORE! FANGIRL TIME!

Okay, I'm good. But if you play me that scene, I swear to you that I will be screaming at the top of my lungs. But beside that, Mizuki also hates Tomoe, mostly because of his constant mocking. He even has the power to make flawless sake. Ryoko would be surely impressed!

Mizuki is that character that I think anyone might eventually love after a few episodes. He may be sneaky, but he also has heart, and perhaps extra love for Nanami. Besides that, he is often confused about the customs, and seeing him in episode 11 getting used to it made me awe in cuteness level.

Back to that kiss scene, I've never fangirled about something outwardly. If I fangirl, I normally do it internally, for examples recently, when Grell returned to Season 3, and when I found out that Toshiro is one of the main focuses of the second Bleach movie. 

*swoons* Gotta love fangirling.

Other characters include Nanami's friends, Mikage, the two spirits, Narukumi, Mikage, a lake deity, the dragon king, his wife, Mikage's partner, and the eventual villain. All of these characters don't really make a big impact on the plot, but they are still enjoyable, besides the "villain".

Animation

The animation was done by TMS Entertainment, who also animated series such as Magic Knight Rayearth, D Gray Man, and Sonic X.

I was surprised to see some lovely animation from a company I didn't know much about. The drawing style was quite unique, and it didn't rely heavily on CGI. It had some beautiful character designs, and interesting backgrounds.

And to find out that this company animated shows that I've heard about when growing up (mainly Sonic X) was surprising. The main animation always seems to look different, and it is such a treat.

So once again for animation, no complaints. XD

Sound

The score for this series was composed by Toshio Masuda, who has also worked on scores for Naruto and Excel Saga. The score is often very bubbly and energetic, and never goes down into dark and serious mood unless it has too, which at sometimes it does. But most of the time, it's very light and comical, and does the job well.

Both the opening and ending are sung by Hanae, and at first, I found it really hard to get into both of them. It was mostly due to the fact that her singing style was a little bit different than what I'm normally used to. However in time, I began to fall in love with the opening, and with the ending on a lighter note.

Both the original Japanese and the English dub are both examples of fantastic directional work. All of the cast gives it there all, and it shows in some of the crucial moments of the show. Each performance is unique, and none of them sound too similar. 

Highlights of the original Japanese are EVERYONE!

Highlights of the English dub are EVERYONE!

Verdict

Okay, I'm going to say this with self assurance: Kamisama Kiss is without a doubt the show I most fangirled in. With it's wonderful main cast, great animation, and interesting score, what's not to like?

If you want to watch any anime in the next few months, I would say this is one you should explore. The more you are into romance and fantasy, the more you are going to rip this show from your catalog, and spend hours upon hours spinning around on your bedroom floor gushing on how much you wished you watched this show sooner.

Now excuse me, I need to fangirl about Episode 9 so more. It's been since May, and I can't stop thinking about it.

Score: 10/10

Positives:

Fantastic characters.

Unique story.

AMAZING Japanese and English audio.

NANAMI X MIZUKI FOREVER!

Great score.

Unique animation.

Negatives:

Side characters don't contribute a lot to the story.

The "villain" doesn't do anything besides make two guest appearances.

Tenchi Universe Review

Tenchi Universe Review

Warning: The following review may contain spoilers. If you wish not to know some events in the story, or simply don't wish to find out what happens in the series, please leave the page, since I don't want to damage a watching experience for you.

Also, this review will contain some heavy fangirling.

With that said, thank you and onto the review:

If I could talk about this show all day, I would.

If I could scream about how awesome Ryoko is all day, I would.

If I could explain about Sasami's cuteness, I would.

And if I could chat about how this show changed my life, I would.

UGHTHISSHOW!!!!!!!!!!! Tenchi Muyo is a revolutionary harem that should be put on everyone's to watch list. This show is, without a doubt, one of the best animes I have watched.

Story

Our story of this wonderful series begins one day when our main protagonist Tenchi is walking home from school. He notices something fall out of the sky, and heads over to the crash site. Laying in the wreckage is a girl named Ryoko (fangirls), and she explains that she is being chased by a space pirate. Once the supposed space pirate lands as well, Tenchi and Ryoko make a run for it, and Ryoko deals with the space pirate after it falls over, by kicking it off a cliff. Because you know, that's the best thing to do.

After settling at his house for awhile, and building a wooden shield to protect from the space pirate, that returns, and then we find out, THAT WASN'T A SPACE PIRATE! It is actually a Galaxy Police machine owned by a Galaxy Police Officer named Mihoshi. and she explains that Ryoko is a criminal who has a high bounty. Oh, and you'll never guess what? SHE'S THE SPACE PIRATE!

After a wild goose chase around the house causing more damage to the property, Tenchi challenges Ryoko to fight him, which cause her to stop, and earns her more bonus points in her love for Tenchi. Then, Mihoshi and Ryoko settle into the Misaki shirne, and thus begins the mystical magical adventures of each girl coming to Earth (or is rescued), and might end up getting close to Tenchi like those cheap supermarket magnets.

This story is a bit different than what originally originated in the OVA's. However, I find this story a lot easier to follow, and not many explosive stuff happens with the first couple of episodes, as they're all settling in, before having to go out into the big bad world of space.

Fun fact is that I watched the first 2 OVA's after I finished Universe, and found the plot somewhat rushed, especially toward the end of both, when the villains are randomly introduced, and don't really get any development over time, they just pop out of nowhere, expecting audiences to hold on with a grip. However, Tenchi Universe does the opposite. It builds time for the villain to set it, causing the viewer to catch up to speed, and heavily anticipating what's going to happen next.

Both main arcs of the show are done pretty well, with the space arc getting some pretty moderate pacing. I liked meeting each character, and getting the time to know them, instead of them being focused on for 5 seconds before being dumped in the compost bin.

Characters

The characters from this anime all come back from the OVA's, but we have a addition to Tenchi's harem pool.

Let's start off with the main protagonist, Tenchi:

His names means Heaven and Earth? Okay, that might make some girls fall in heaps of love for him. But that aside, Tenchi is a supposedly regular teenager who lives in Japan, and is entangled in some of the girl's hijacks.

Unlike in the OVA, Tenchi does not have any special mystical powers besides Tenchi-ken, which is a sword he can summon. He still has the link to the Jurai throne, being the first prince. But that doesn't get development until around the last half.

Tenchi is my favorite harem protagonist thus far. He isn't super dense, or a accidental asshole, he's actually a nice lead who can defend himself when he needs to. Oh, and he actually has smarts, ladies. At least this Ryoko didn't decimate his school.

With that said, Tenchi still manages to partially fall into the boat of the same harem male lead protagonists, as he still has some qualities to this day, are still relevant in modern day's anime.

Okay, time for fan-girling. I'm ready to talk about Ryoko:

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, sorry about that. But Ryoko makes me a:

To say that Ryoko hold a special place in my heart would be a true statement. Ryoko is perhaps the one single character of this show you come out of and say: "Oh yeah, Ryoko. Yeah, she was cool."

Of course, some people have opposing opinions on her, but I've known about here since I was 9. krazygames's Anime's Next Top Model in fact, is what lead me to find out more about her. Of course, I was 9, and didn't really understand how this anime business worked. But one thing that hasn't changed is that Ryoko's never left my head. Yep, she's that special.

Ryoko is a space pirate criminal who seems to have a tacked on bounty amount on her head wherever she goes. Her personality is impulsive and hot headed, but does have a emotional side in her, so she's not all "goes ape all the time". She actually has feelings.

Also, Ryoko has magical powers, including flying, teleporting, and can even make body doubles. Though she isn't able to summon demons like before, and that one turned out to be a catastrophe.

Her partner in crime is a rabbit (but doesn't it likes carrots? Okay, so a cabbit then) that can also turn into her awesome and cool design wise ship, that can make certain people do this:

The design for it looks incredible, and is perhaps the most creative ship design I've seen.

But one of the top reasons I love Ryoko, is that she nearly loses her life for Tenchi when trying to take him to where Kagato was holding Ayeka. That proves how much feeling she actually has for Tenchi. 

Ahh, Ryoko. She is probably the most memorable anime character I can name in my head, and is one of my all time favorites in the anime universe.

Now onto her love rival, Ayeka:

Ayeka is from the fictional planet of Jurai, and is a princess. Ayeka is typically portrayed as being modest, well behaved, traditional, and being a bit snobbish. (Her British accent in the English dub seems to showcase a bit more)

Ayeka first comes to Earth after seeing Mihoshi's distress signal. While there to rescue here, she encounters Ryoko, which sparks, later in the episode, an all out brawl. But first, it isn't complete without electricity:

STAREDOWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The reason as to why Ryoko and Ayeka hate each other's guts is because of there childhood. However, in two cases, both twist the events as to making it sound like the other caused the problem, without knowing who actually did it.

Ryoko and Ayeka eventually become rivals to Tenchi's affections, with Ryoko being more blunt and sexual with her declarations of love. Let's be honest, she tried getting Tenchi alone in a cave

Ayeka does have a ship named Ryu-Oh, which becomes incapable of flying during the duel, but a sign of hope does show from the ship when it starts to regenerate. Of course, we don't know if it's capable now though.

Ayeka is a interesting character, and I like how they added a princess to the harem. However, if these personality traits get on your nerves, your probably not going to like her. However, you might like her sister more:

Sasami is Ayeka's younger sister, and is also a princess. Unlike her sister however, Sasami is a little more mature then her sister is. She is the head chef in the house, which means that she is usually in charge of all of the meals. She is most often happy, and doesn't really show any really other signs of emotion, except when she's really worried about Tenchi.

Unlike in the OVA'S, Sasami does have her own ship, but is destroyed when Ryo-Ohki gets distracted by a carrot that Sasami pulled out of her pocket while they were returning to Jurai, thus leaving her stranded on Earth, along with the others.

Sasami is shown to be a expert video game player, and especially in fighting games. But they don't have a lot of depth for this, much like her back story.

Unlike in the OVA's, Sasami doesn't have a developed back-story, but this is fine, because her cuteness does manage to surpass that, and so does her personality. Sasami is perhaps 180 of her sister, and isn't as completely royal-behavior and seriousness as her sister. Although she could have had more development, she still is a strong character that might steal your heart.

Now, are we ready for the GREATEST SCIENTIST IN ALL OF THE UNIVERSE! WASHU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, maybe she's not that great, but hey, it's her word for mine, so......

Washu displays some powers that she normally doesn't even get to show, for example with technology. Her laboratory is much smaller than in the OVA's, but that doesn't stop her personality from being crazy. (as if it wasn't crazy enough) Because now, she even has two doll assistants who proclaim her greatness.

700 years prior to the story, Washu used to go to the Universal Science Academy. However, she was kicked out because she was continuously producing mass destruction weapons. She was then sealed in a crystal deep in one of the Misaki shrine's caves, and was released when Ryoko wanted to explore the cave, and caused a bunch of shenanigans.  

Washu's inventions in the series typically go haywire. For example, when she tries to create another form of herself, one of Mihoshi's hairs is caught in the machine, causing the machine (conveniently named Mecha Washu), to act like a complete dumbass.

Washu is perhaps the 2nd most entertaining character behind Mihoshi, and I always liked her zaniness through-out the show. Even though her back-story was a bit better in the OVA's, I still think that her comedic moments were better timed, and better made upon in this series.

Mihoshi, your on now:

Mihoshi is a Galaxy Police detective, who works on inter-galactic cases with her partner Kiyone. They both were after Ryoko, untill Mihoshi crashed landed on Earth.

While in the OVA's, Mihoshi is very dedicated to her job, even though she was a little light-headed. In Universe however, she is made a complete dumbass, and is often the show's source for comic relief. She often messes up some things for Kiyone and Washu, for example:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6-SuMb5R1k&index=21&list=UU6X_Rb79oqvDVBvrskX9DUQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LwzZkOArFo (for one, start at 6:42, and for another, start at 6:58)

So you see, Mihoshi isn't the sharpest tool in the shed. Although, unlike Miss. Shizuka, she's at least there for a reason, and gets some character development.

Mihoshi is comedic gold in this series. The dumb blonde stereotype can sometimes get a bit over-done, to the point where it get extremely annoying. however, Mihoshi keeps at a solid level, often not letting it over-power the show, especially in the last few episodes. For me, it's nice to see a dumb blonde character who might actually have some depth in her, like Lindsay from Total Drama.

Other characters include Mihoshi's partner at the Galaxy Police, Kiyone, Tenchi's father and grandfather, a bounty hunter on Ryoko's tail named Nagi, her cabbit Ken-Ohki, and the main antagonist, Kagato. (He returns folks!)

All of the characters each provide something interesting for the show, either it'd be good or bad, but often, it's perfect. The characters might grow on you slow and steady, but some might catch up to you faster than a Black Friday sale. In other words, they're all a unique bunch.

Animation

The animation for this show was done by AIC, which stands for Anime international Company. They are most famous for there work on ALL, and yes I do mean ALL of the Tenchi Muyo adaptions. Beyond that, they are also known for the Oh! My Goddess series and OVA's, Heaven's Lost Property, Haganai, and El Hazard.

Back then, anime wasn't as jaw-dropping stunning as it is now. But this series still managed to offer up some pretty good visuals for it's time. The character designs are good, and a lot of the scenery manages to look crisp and well done.

I thought that the animation worked it's best at the ship designs. As I mentioned earlier, Ryo-Ohki's design is pretty well done, as well as Ken-Ohki, Yagami, and Ryu-On each have somewhat distinct ship designs that are nice to look at, and are animated pretty well.

Even for an 90's show, this anime still does have good animation, and is miles ahead certain 2000's shows.

Sound

The score for this series was composed by Seikou Nagaoka, who is most known for working on other Tenchi Muyo adaptions, such as the first two OVA's, Strike Witches, and Chaika- The Coffin Princess. 

The music for this show is very quirky and often fun, giving some nice bouncy pieces, as well as dramatic ones. Overall, it's a very diverse set.

The opening in both Japanese and English is sung by SONIA, and is called Tenchi Muyo! This song is perhaps one of my favorite opening groovy songs that is one of those songs that gets you in the mood for every episode. The ending is Walking Tail In The Milky Way, which has two versions of the song both sung by the two main female leads. both of these renditions are nice, But Ai Orikasa's has a more comfortable feeling to it. In English however, it's only sung by one singer (being Diane Michelle), somewhat losing that special effect on the dueling turns.

The original Japanese is very fun to listen to, and I have no complaints. The English dub is a bit less on the high side. As this was a dub that was produced in the 1990's, it isn't on the same level as the original Japanese. This can be said for other dubs produced in this time period, so I won't be criticizing it that much.

There are a couple changes in the original Japanese pronunciation, the major ones being from Wa-shu to Wa-shuu, and Mi-hoshi to Ma-hoshi. These are at least more tolerable than Grr-e-kay and Geen. Because when I hear those, it just makes me:

Highlights from the original Japanese include Masami Kikuchi, Ai Orikasa (SLAYS! Oh, and she's fantastic when she sings too), Yumi Takada, Chisa Yokoyama, Yuku Mizutani, Yuko Kobayashi, Yuri Amano, Kenichi Ogata, and Wataru Takagi.

Highlights in the English dub include Matt K. Miller, Petrea Burchard, Jennifer Darling, and Sherry Lynn.

Verdict

Tenchi Muyo is easily a anime classic, as it pioneered the harem genre into what it is now. But even with a couple problems, this show is easily one of my favorite shows of all time. There's a reason why this is in my top 2, since I can't decide between this and Black Butler as my favorite.

Ryoko has been with me since I was 9, each part of the show is memorable, the arcs are paced evenly, and this is a harem that isn't really heavy on fan-service that anyone could pop in and enjoy.

If you want a nice harem that isn't really distracting with "plot", or are just starting off in anime, this is a great way to relieve yourself with a show, and I recommend it to everyone who is stuck on what to watch next.

Score: 10/10

Positives:

Great story.

Even plot progression.

AI ORIKASA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

RYOKO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Classic characters.

Memorable elements.

Negatives:

None major.

The Devil is a Part Timer Review

The Devil Is A Part Timer Review

Warning: The following review may contain spoilers. If you wish not to know some events in the story, or simply don't wish to find out what happens in the series, please leave the page, since I don't want to damage a watching experience for you.

With that said, thank you and onto the review:

3 Stages Of This Show:

1. First seeing this show on the Spring simulcast list

What the hell is this show about? Is this about a fast food joint and it's misadventures? Does it have a plot? I was just really confused at this point.

2. Reading about the show

Oh good, it has a decent plot. Oh, and some interesting characters. I'm game for this, it looks cool.

3. Watching the show

AKSJDSLKJFAWOIEJFOAFLAWKJEFOIJFOPAWFLKASDJFLASKJGFLASKJFLASKJFLSAKJDF;LSADJFLSAKJFLASKJFD;LASKJFK;LASJF;ALKJFL;ASKJFFFFFFSL;ASFJWOIEJFWOPEFKWOIEJFPWOERIPWOERIPQWEOFKSLFKSLAD;KF;LSDKAF;LSADKFL;DSKFLSDAJFAWOIRPWOEFJSLKJDFLKSAJFPWEORFPWOFKS,MCSVKNSLDKFJPWIKFRPWEOKFSL;DFSPFK THISSHOWISSOAMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The show supplies a great cast of characters, both superior Japanese and English audio, and a very refreshing story.

Story

The story begins after a fight on Ente Isla between Satan, and the hero Emilia. After concluding that he fight was unavoidable to continue, or to beat anyone, Satan and his loyal servant Alciel decide to go through a gate that leads out to modern day Tokyo. But due to a lack of magic in the human world, both Alciel and Satan lose there demon forms, causing them to have new human bodies. 

In order to make enough money to survive in the human world until they gather enough magic, Satan (who now goes by the name Sadao Mao) decides to work at the fast food restaurant MgRonald, while Alciel (who also goes under the human name of Shiro Ashiya) serves as his housemaid.

Later on, both discover that Emilia entered through the gate as well, still seeking revenge on the man who she must defeat. They are also joined by two more people who entered the gate, a high priest who works for Emilia (or should I say used to), a rival fast food chain, and pretty soon, Sadao's kind of cute (no, really cute) co-worker gets wrapped up in this Ente Isla mystery.

The main points of how wonderful this story is by just seemingly having a unique concept. This show takes the idea of fast food, twists it with individuals who have to survive on Earth, and gives us some splendid comedy in the process. None of these are new, but the way that this story plays around with them is often entertaining, and gives the viewer multiple points to like at least one side of the show.

So story wise:

Yep, it's doing fine.

Characters

I found each of the main characters of this anime to have many entertaining moments, as well as great pluses to each of them.

Let's start off with the king of darkness himself, Satan (or Sadao):

It's once in a while when I find good stich screenshots. This is one of them. *coughs* Moving on:

Satan Jacob is the Dark King over the entirety of another world, being Ente Isla. In order for Ashiya and him to survive in the human world without going cold-stone broke, they have to take up part time jobs.

However, Sadao's job hunting proves successful, and ends up taking a job at MgRonald, a parody of McDonalds. (Golden arches are a universal symbol kids, don't forget that) Although later, he is given a full time position after doing such great work in the field.

Sadao wasn't the kindest person back in Ente Isla, But then again, he was the Demon King, so that kind of takes into factor a bit. But on Earth, he manages to be a lot kinder to the people surrounding him, which makes Emi and Susano do this:

and think, "Isn't he the Demon King? Why would the devil be so kind?" Though later, they kind of begin to accept it.

But then you ask, "How does Sadao regain his magic?" He returns to his demon form by absorbing negative energy from people when some certain disaster, as in episodes 3, 5, and 10.

So all in all, King Satan is a pretty cool character. Not only does he manage to get development, but he also isn't that hard-headed, and is stuck in the evil land.

Now onto ze hero, Emilia (or her human name, Emi Yusa)!

Emi was the main rival of the devil back in Ente Isla, and went through the portal as well after Sadao and Ashiya has just went through it. To say that she hates Sadao is a understatement. She deeply LOATHES him for events from her past, which ended up causing her father to die after being taken away for training after discovering being part angel.

Emi is somewhat of a tsundere. She sometimes acts cold, and doesn't always outright admit her feelings. But underneath it, there are several reasons why I love her as a character.

She has some credible flaws as a character, which doesn't make her the "perfect" heroine that is given the special snowflake. I also like her due to the fact that she is probably the most reasonable character out off the show that anyone could fall into anyone's likes and tastes.

Also ,she has a bunch of the funny moments in the show, especially this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tJsd0WqCAU

So, yeah. Have to love her.

Let's move on to Satan's faithful servant, Alciel:

Like a good neighbor, Ashiya is there. Dododoododoodododododoodododododoodoodododooddo!

Ashyia is a very key asset to Sadao's plan to take over Ente Isla, and has been one of his key generals in the fight. When he and Sadao are transported into Tokyo, he becomes the house maid, and also researches ways to find magic in the world they now live in.

With he fails to do his royal duties, he often breaks down,and will be incredibly ashamed of himself, with in Episode 4, when failing to save the gang from a earthquake, begging into the night for Sadao to punish him.

Even though Ashiya is very dependent on following his leader's orders, he also doesn't like anyone insulting him out of the blue either, especially Emi.

So this does put some good qualities in his somewhat "doesn't want to disappoint" streak, and overall, he may be a character you like or not. I did, but hen didn't take the cake.

I'm really excited to talk about the next main character (and love interest to Sadao), Chiho!:

Chiho is Sadao's co-worked at the MgRonald's he works at, and gets caught in the web of the Ente Isla mystery. She has a adorable personality that makes me want to do this every time I see her.

She is just so adorable. And I would eat up every single bit of her personality. If that's what makes a adorable character, I guess,

Chiho is perhaps memorable for other reasons besides being KAWAII. She's that love interest who isn't cheesy, yet would be awesome to get to know better, as her personality is pretty cool.

Tia Ballerd, her English voice actress, ha mentioned that this role was one of her favorites to do this year. and Tia, I can totes see why.

There are also two additional characters that come from Ente Isla, but I can't reveal a lot of info because a lot of the spoilers in this show are MAJOR.

The fallen angel who later ends up being a shut-in in the make-shift Devil's Castle. Lucifer (who goes under Urushihara).

The grand inquisitor of the church back in Ente Isla, Crestia Bell (or known as Susano).

Both of them don't deviate from the entertaining aspects of the show, and both are given some depth to them. Though I find Lucifer is defiantly more comical, but more on that buzz later.

Animation

The animation of this series was done by White Fox, who are also known for Steins Gate and Jormungand. Though this series doesn't necessarily have a lot of boom boom action, (It does in some parts, but it isn't that much compared to the other two) the animation still looks amazing.

It does have that fashionably simple look to it, but when White Fox animates something extremely eye-catching, they mean it. I really liked the character designs in this anime as they even look better than the light novel's in my opinion. But then again, it's the person who did the character designs of Fate/Zero, so I can why they look so fantastic.

All of the fights of this anime manage to all look equal, and White Fox doesn't dip on any quality through-out the series. (like DRAMAtical Murder episode 3, yeah that beta version was nasty) One difference that I noticed from the DVD version is that in episode 3, when Emi is talking to Ashiya about the looks of Chiho when they are spying, the dinner's walls are a bit more polished.

But besides that, once again I don't have a lot of complaints about animation. Maybe because it's eye-popping the first time?

Sound

The score for this series was composed by Ryosuke Nakanishi, who is also known for his scores for Highschool DXD, and Kuroko no Basuke.

The scores for this series has some very high moments, with orchestral done battle track, and a track I like to call The Accusation Track, which has a folky sound to it, but adds some background melodies to the track, which makes it even more dramatic, and makes you want to glue to your TV like this:

I was constantly staring at my computer screen when watching a scene where this song came on, it just made the scene for me.

The show's opening, which is sung by Minami Kuribayshi, is an example of a track that gets you excited before the episode starts, and with that opening animation, you just can't go wrong.

The endings, which are all preformed by the band Nano Ripe, are all pretty relaxing, giving the viewer a nice brief moment to relax before the next episode preview is on. However, depending on your tastes, the songs may be amazing or boring. I think they're good, but not great.

The original Japanese has a lot of really good seiyuus giving the characters some of my favorite voices from them. Most of them range from amazing to great, while some may get called annoying by others.

I was a bit worried when the English dub trailer came out, and had some worries that the dub wasn't going to be as good as the Japanese. I did manage to buy the complete series at Anime Iowa, so I could re-watch the show in English. And my prayers were answered as the dub is AMAZING!

AND I'M SO HAPPY, I COULD DANCE!

The cast does exceptional as each of the characters, and I even thought some voices were even made better than the original. The only main difference made in a character's personality is Lucifer, as Aaron Dismuke is given some hilarious lines to work from.

Highlights in the original Japanese are EVERYONE! (unless Azumi Asakura and Asuka Nishi's voices get on your nerves)

Highlights in the English dub are EVERYONE!

Verdict

UGHWHYDOESN'TTHISSHOWHAVEASECONDSEASONCONFIRMEDYET?! I enjoyed it so much, that a season 2 needs to be in reach somewhere.

All of the staff of this anime deserve a round of applause, this is my fifth favorite anime of all time. The Characters are great, the plot is a example of how mixing different elements can work, and the score and casts both exceed expectations.

In you haven't watched this show, WHATAREYOUDOING? Pick this show up, as I guarintee you might find some enjoyment in this show.

Score: 10/10

Positives:

Unique story

Amazing characters

Great soundtrack

PERFECT Japanese and English audio

OVERALL EPICNESS!

Negatives:

None that are major

Up next for my reviews is a series of harems (and perhaps a shojo):

(Not this yet. I haven't even finished it. It shall come later)

Blood Lad Review

Blood Lad Review

Warning: The following review may contain spoilers. If you wish not to know some events in the story, or simply don't wish to find out what happens in the series, please leave the page, since I don't want to damage a watching experience for you.

With that said, thank you and onto the review:

To this day, I still have no clear idea into why I got interested in this show. I didn't really pay attention to it back when it aired last summer, so that's out. I manage to see afterward though, and I was thinking "Is this a creepy show or something?" But when I found the English cast for this show, and even found it linked in "You Might Also Like" section on Hulu for The Devil Is A Part Timer or Cuticle Detective Inaba (I can't remember which) I kind of figured I had to watch it next.

Do I regret watching this series?

I found this series to be better than a series I watch alongside it (It wasn't HORRIBLE, but this was more entertaining) I enjoyed taking the ring in this series 10 episode story, and I liked learning more about the characters.

Although, like other shows before this, I feel like it's missing something special. Like *twitches* a second season perhaps?

But moving aside from that:

Story

The story, like pretty much every single anime story that I've seen (but not every), is pretty unique. 

Staz Charlie Blood is the head of the East Demon World, and is a vampire. However, he doesn't normally go out searching for blood, he mainly is concerned about what he should collect in the vast world of anime. You might be confused by this, but simply put, Staz is an otaku.

One day, when a group of demons from another side of the vastly large world come to attack, a human girl pops out of a portal. A HUMAN GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THE TERROR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This girl's name is Fuyumi, and Staz instantly wants to spend more time with her, and maybe falling head over heels in bloodlust. When they had to deal with an invading troop of demons, one of there carnivorous plants goes up to Staz's room, and eats Fyumui, leaving her only with her bones and skull. Once she gets resurrected as a ghost, Staz's new mission is for her to get her human body back, and get her successfully home. Of course, some of this is delayed with some fun comical adventures.

The story of this anime, along with some of the adventures of the characters makes the story enjoyable to discover as well as to watch. Though it isn't always the main focus in some episodes, it doesn't completely get over-burdened (like Ikki Tousen), and manages to still have a focus in all of this 10 episode series.

Though I would have liked some side characters getting fleshed out more, the story still connects pretty well.

Speaking of.....

Characters

Each character in Blood Lad has some qualities to each of them, which makes a lot of them easily likable, and each have enough depth to them that you wouldn't be able to find a lot of serious flaws.

Let's start off with Staz:

Staz isn't like typical vampires that are portrayed in several instances of fiction (such as Edward Culllen) He actually has some personality in him than the typical badass bad boy who the main girl falls in love with, and also sparkles in the sunlight. Because if that happened:

Yeah, Miya would come. And to say she's a little intimidating is a understatement.

Staz doesn't always take his leadership duties seriously, as he is mainly focused on his anime collection. That doesn't mean he has no powers of his own, he actually does in fact. He has a un-developed power that his older brother Braz sealed when he was young. He also uses some of the power later on in the series, which somewhat makes him look even more bad-ass.

Staz also likes to collect anime goods,  A LOT. His room is filled with collectibles, such as manga, DVD'S, and figures. He isn't the type to go charging on into a battle, which many would point fingers to and shout "FLAW!" at the type of their lungs. However, some people in his territory do realize that he is useful, and they'd pretty much just die without him.

This is why Staz is such a unique character. He isn't that stupid typical male protagonist that's in almost every anime these days, he isn't dumb, and he isn't shallow. He's pretty smart, and he also has some interesting depth to his childhood. This is the main character that some animes just happen to miss.

Now, let's move onto the ghost girl, Fuyumi:

Fuyumi was originally human who went through a portal that mysteriously opened up in her bedroom. After stumbling into the demon world, it doesn't take long before she is killed and put into a body of a ghost.

Fuyumi kind of has some personality traits, and is very optimistic to be resurrected. I kind of wished that the creators of the show explored with her a bit more, because I felt that she didn't really mature through-out the series, and while she did play a min part of the story, I felt that her character development kind of skimmed a little. She does have an interesting plot later on though, but that's it.

I did like Fuyumi, but I didn't feel that she was the most memorable part of the show for me. Moving on...

Now onto Hydra Bell:

I find Bell probably the most entertaining character in the show. With her get-up, her personality, and how many funny moments she gets in the show, it's obvious that she sticks to me.

Bell is a treasure hunter that can travel the dimensions using picture frames. She is a very high level magic user of spatial, as well as teleportation. Oh, and did I forget to mention, the Black Curtain that got Fuyumi into the Demon World in the first place? It's one of her uses of transportation, to look for treasure.

I wouldn't say pirate treasure, but gold would work. oh, and collector's items. Can't forget those.

Well, this Black Curtain got stolen, so it's not like it mystically appeared in Fuyumi's bedroom. Or did it? *dramatic music*

Bell's main goal is life is to find out who the hell stole her Black Curtain, and him her husband. Yeah, I know that sounds twisted, but it's a relief at the same time because it turns out that this magic user is dead.

If this marriage worked out, and he was like a billion years older than Bell, we'd have another Doug Hutchison marriage. While he's 50, the girl's 16. And that idea makes me:

Now onto the biggest plot twist through-out the series: we later find out that Fuyumi and Bell are actually sisters.

This was my reaction, as this is probably my favorite plot twist that I've seen since Black Butler and Karneval (which I purposely forgot to mention, as it's a HUGE spoiler).

You see, Fyumui's mother, including Bell's Neyn, explains that they're were two versions of her, basically doppleganors. When the two met one day, they fused together, causing both of them to be one in the same.

This was such an interesting plot twist, and I loved how it was carried out. Books normally have bad or okay plot twist, but sometimes they can come around. Anime plot twist are someones non existent, or are just okay that don;'t really help with the story. This one is very shocking, yet pleasing, and forms a new bond to both Fuyumi and Bell.

Now, onto the bad-ass, Wolf:

I think Wolf is an interesting character, but he's slightly suffering from SFPAC disorder.

Some of you might be confused on what that means, but I like to call it Similarities From Prior Anime Character Disorder. As Wolf reminds me of another badass who can't turn into a wolf, but still kicks butt with other powers:

Yeah, I personally think that Wolf reminds me of Toshiro Hitsugaya from Bleach. Though, Toshiro is done slightly better than Wolf, but I'll explain later, because right now....

Yeah, we need a clean-up in Aisle 12. Yeah, it's a case of the fangirl that just passed out, and the nose is leaking blood everywhere. Everyone else, proceed with caution.

TOSHIRO MAKES ME FANGIRL SO HARD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, I'm good. Breathe, Dazz, breathe. Okay, I'm good. Sorry, my favorite anime characters have a habit of doing that to me. Back to Wolf:

Wolf is a wolf hybrid (get it?), who once has enough magical energy can turn into a wolf (which mind you, looks pretty damn cool). He is the leader who controls the West Demon World, and is Staz's rival. The reason being for this is because after Staz ran away after his powers were sealed by his brother, and encountered him on the street. When they run into each other in episode, they box each other (though a side character was told it was bowling), in which they fought for the safety of Fuyumi. And in more or less, Wold develops a slight crush on her, but is too shy to admit it to himself.

While we're talking about crushes, Staz has had a crush on Fuyumi even since well, she showed up. And Bell eventually develops feeling for Staz. Now let's hop off the romance boat, and talk about my main problem with Wolf:

He's a main character, yet only appears for 4 episodes in a row before being almost NEVER touched on again. This is extremely frustrating for me, because if he's a man character, you could at least divulge in his past a bit more, but they only give 1 more detail before the series ends.

Yes Rarity, it is frustrating.

I like Wolf, but the way he's developed in the 10 episode time space isn't well done. The only other detail we find out is that Wolf Daddy is his father. And, that's it.

Seriously, Staz's older brother Braz seems like a more major character than Wolf is.

Other characters include Staz's older brother and sister, Staz's right hand man, a mimic, Mameejirou, one of my personal favorite sides, Wolf's friends, a scientist, one of his escaped experiments, two police officers, Bell's younger brother, and the parents.

Some of these, such as Braz and Liz, get a lot more development than some of the sides. As this is a 10 episode series, some characters might not attach as others from various series.

Animation

 The studio responsible for the animation of this series was Brain's Base, who also worked on Kamigami No Asobi, Amnesia, D-Frag, and Sengoku Collection. Once again, their animation is pretty fantastic.

All of the characters remain very close to the original manga, as of what I've seen, they only changed Wolf's hair.  The backgrounds look very vivid, and overall, it's very pretty to look at.

So, once again, I don't have many complaints.

Sound

The score for this series was composed by Yuuki Hayashi, who would later do the scores from DRAMAtical Muder (based on a BL game), and Diabolik Lovers. (Based on a otome game, I see coincidence territory)

The score for Blood Lad has some pretty cool stuff, such as a guitar driven track, that later adds some hip hop beats. And also had a track that is dramatically done with some guitar and trumpet. The musical score is very unique, and refreshing.

However, nothing beats this guy's stuff in DRAMAtical Murder, because there's a fight......IN............DUBSTEP!

Because it sounds like those beats in the awesome Norway's Next Top Model opening, it could be dubstep, nee?

The show's opening is AMAZING, then again it's May'n so.......... you know it has to slay. The show's ending, while sung by the seiyuu of Liz, lacks the extra oomph.

Japanese audio wise was great listening to, as each character was given a very good template to work with. I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of the English dub, as I've only seen a little bit of it from Hulu.

Highlights of the original Japanese include Ryota Osaka, Iori Nomizu,  Sarah Emi Bridcutt, Takuma Terashima, Chiwa Saito, Ryohei Kimura, Yuuka Nanri, Masumi Asano, Kotono Mitsuishi, Yuki Kaji,  and Koji Yusa.

Highlights so far in the English dub are Bryce Papenbrook, Ben Diskin, Jason Baker, Cristina Vee, Johnny Young Bosch, and Todd Haberkorn.

Verdict

Karneval needs a second season due to personal enjoyment and to answer questions that are left off by the end. But Blood Lad seems to lean toward the second reason for Karneval. I feel as if some questions haven't been fully answered, and that some characters aren't that much developed.

That doesn't mean that Blood Lad isn't an amazing show, I had fun while watching it, but I do think that it isn't perfect. it does have some key stand points, but also some noticeable weaknesses.

I recommend this show to people who want to watch a short anime, or who look for a good comedy.

Score: 8/10

Positives:

Great set of characters

Interesting music

Good pacing

Negatives:

Wolf's status as a "main character"

Some sides are more developed than others

Fuyumi isn't as interesting

Needs to explain questions left at the end of the series