Top 10 Best Anime That I Watched in 2014

Top 10 Best Anime That I Watched in 2014

Warning: The following list 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, keep in mind that the pictures I use in special posts are chosen at random. Rainbow Dash's classic wub face is literally the face that screams that this moment is super awesome, such as the anime on this list.

These animes are my personal favorites of 2014, and like my top 10 openings, won't be specifically ranked.

With that said:

Anime is easily one of my favorite sources of entertainment. It provides great stories, amazing characters, overall elements of fun, and are good comforts for stormy weather and snow days. I think this year was the one in which anime became another part of my life. It has made me come out of my shell a little more, and I can have more conversations with people about the topic of dubs, as well as own opinions.

Plus, anime has given me this:

Plus this:

Let's not forget her:

Or him:

So, to put it briefly:

But enough about me fangirling about favorite anime characters and stuff like that. It's time to get down with the real meaning of this list, being my top 10 favorite anime of this year.

And to be honest, this is really hard to come up with. Not only did I watch a ton of great anime this year, but I have to mention ten anime that was memorable enough to end up on this list. i can see the honorable mentions now, there's going to be a ton.

Why don't we start off with a show that's more recent? Let's begin:

#1

Gugure Kokkuri-san.

Being a more recent show and knowing that I'm a sucker for comedies, this show was right up my alley. At first glance, I could truly see Kamisama Kiss vibes all over again, and this just feels like a series that is mainly targeted for the same audience.

This show is easily one of my favorites of all time. It has great comedy, very good characters, and just simply has antics everywhere. 

I literally have nothing wrong with this show, as it is pure perfection. All I need is another season or an OVA , because I need more of this great cast. I DON'T WANT THIS TO BE OVER! 

I think I now have an idea of what review I should do first after this list is complete. *coughs*

#2

Kamigami No Asobi.

This was my first reverse harem show, so it was always leave a place in my heart for that. Secondly, I just find that this show has a lot of potential and uses it rather well.

Yui isn't like all of the Mary Sues and generic reverse harem leads out there. She actually has personality, and isn't stereotypical. All of the guys manage to get development at some point in the story. Some a bit better than others, but it's at least something hopeful.

By reverse harem standards, this actually fared really well. Some of it was rather hot, let's be honest. THE GUYS! *sighs*

Opps, I'm getting distracted. Moving on:

#3

Wizard Barristers.

I'm not sure a lot of people liked this show as much as I did, as I have seen some reviewers who weren't really impressed. In my opinion, this anime did a great job at keeping me interested, and did have a unique premise.

The elements of this anime are done well, with the main concept being magic. The people who are suspected of being criminals, as well as events that later unfold in the second half are what make this show very entertaining. Episode 4 is by far one of my favorite episodes of the series, and shows no shame of giving tons in intensity.

From the director of Kite, I was concerned to start this show due to Cecil looking like Sawa, along with personal taste. However, considering I like YA science fiction (well, mainly dystopian), I can say this worked rather well for me.

#4

DRAMAtical Murder.

I'm also in the minority of opinions on this show. XD Fans of the game just didn't really like this, and although I wasn't very familiar with the game, I knew it was yaoi, and I have a weakness for that. so I went in anyway.

The story did take a while to build up, but I liked how later on we were able to focus on each love interest. Mink's episode was the worst, but I loved Noiz's one, since he is my favorite character. :3

I also liked the setting for the anime, and that Platinum Jail wasn't as promising as it seemed. While I did have some problems with it, such as the main villain and the horrid first airing of Episode 3, I still find this one of the better anime of this year, and one of the most memorable.

Now, I just need to watch the OVA, which sounds depressing, but also sounds awesome. And perhaps I'll give the Togainu No Chi's anime adaption a chance, even though I've heard it's also s**t.

#5

The first 20 episodes of Bleach, plus 4 filler episodes. I should also discuss the second movie The DiamondDust Rebellion, and The Sealed Sword Frenzy slightly as well.

I think nearly everyone is scared to start a long-running shonen series. So many episodes to watch, and there's some people who aren't even up for the challenge. To be honest, this is really the main shonen show out of the Big Three that interested me, since I'm not sitting through One Piece unless someone ties me down to a chair. Naruto is also fine, but I don't think it has as much of a interesting plot as Bleach does.

The massive animation inconsistencies is kind of what drags Bleach down a bit for me. But I do really like the characters, and I'm excited to see what happens in the Soul Society arc in the anime. Though I'm up to the point past Toshiro and Gin's fight in the manga, It looks better in the anime, I swear. More action, and just more swoon.

It's obvious who my favorite character is, there's no use denying from me.

The Sealed Sword Frenzy OVA was a tad bit rushed in the plot department, but I enjoyed almost every minutes of it. Great comedy abounds!

The second movie was very interesting. I mainly watched it due to the storyline focusing on Toshiro (giggles), but I was also interested in seeing how the plot was paced out, and in our villain. Good news, the movie was incredibly enjoyable!

There wasn't a ton of plot holes, though Ichigo asked Rukia what an execution is, which is a big screen-writer fail. Ichigo should know what an execution is, he rescued Rukia from one. Don't forget!

And there was also some slight animation errors, though it wasn't as much as the show's first 20 episodes. Becuase the mismatched eyebrows. *cringes*

I feel like I should do an in-depth review on the OVA, and the movie. On the bright side, I got the first two movies in the double feature set, so I'm going to be watching the first movie really soon. I hope it's just as good, or even better than the second.

#6

Bladedance of the Elementalers.

This was my first show that was animated by TNK, and it strayed away from the style of Highschool DXD. It also managed to be more tame, and not as extravagant in its fanservice.

Though it had one of the worst anime villains, I found this series to be a bit better than Highschool DXD. Most of the characters had at least something special about them, and they also try to give them equal development, though some less than others. I also found the storyline entertaining and each episode was fun to watch.

I still think we need a second season, as the Bladedance is just getting started. But let's see what the creators of the anime adaption do with it.

#7

Gekkan Shojo Nozaki-kun.

This show is probably the cutest anime that I've seen this year. There was a lot of potential couples in this anime. I would add them in shippings, where there's oh so many couples that I ship, but the chemistry.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*breathes* Sorry about that.

Though it may annoy some fans who don't like slice-of-life set-ups, I recommend this show to everyone. Not only may it teach you more about the world of manga, but you may also come out liking most of the characters. The events feel real, and there's nothing too extravagant.

Plus, there's great comedy. I couldn't believe how many episodes had me laughing super hard.

#8

Kamisama Kiss.

My first shojo show, and this will always remain as one of my favorites. When I think back to this show, I can't help but swoon. And when I mean swoon, I do mean swoon.

*sighs* This show is just too cute.

From a unique story, to lovable characters, and a lot of things in between. This is really one of those shows that you can't really help but like.

I just have a lot of feelings toward this show, and I'm SUPER EXCITED for season 2. IT'S ONLY A COUPLE OF DAYS AWAY AUGHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

#9

The Devil is a Part Timer.

Hands down, this is my favorite show of the year. Not only does it have superior comedy, but the story is just so funny, yet really awesome. How would you feel if you were Satan and had to work at McDonalds until you had enough money?

The characters are also quite unique, and most of them are from Ente Isla. I felt connected to most of them, and enjoyed this show to death. There's a reason why I watched this in Japanese, and then re-watched it in English with a friend. This show was amazing, and it was really special to watch it in both dub and sub.

Overall, this is highly recommended. 

Before we go to #10, here are some honorable mentions to shows I also loved, liked, or thought were good this year:

Honorable Mentions:

Blood Lad

Highschool DXD

Haganai Next

D-Frag

Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko

Jormungand

Black Butler: Book Of Circus

Madan no Ou to Vanadis

Nyan Koi

Noucome

Sekirei

#10

Karneval.

Like the Highschool DXD opening, there's a reason why I saved to talk about it for last. This was the show that got me massively watching shows like I do now, though Black Butler got me into watching shows by myself.

If the show was bad, it would have affected me of course. But in the end, I really enjoyed this show. I loved learning about the rival organizations, and all of the main characters were very interesting. The plot moved well, and the goal that Nai wanted was accomplished at the end of the series.

I'm really excited for the manga to hit the U.S., and I hope this show gets a second season. We need to have some more development.

And that's all folks. What did you guys think of the list? Did you agree? Disagree? What were some of your favorite animes of this year?

I wish everyone a happy new year! I know how I'm going to spend mine. Editing ANTM, Watching the first movie of Bleach, and dancing.

Top 5 Worst Anime That I Watched in 2014

Top 5 Worst Anime That I Watched in 2014

Warning: The following list 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.

The pictures I use in special posts are chosen at random. The Dazzlings are just representing the worst of the bunch by a thumbs down.

Also, keep in mind that these shows aren't all terrible, mainly one in particular. And that they aren't the worst anime shows of all time.

With that said:

After Karneval started my anime watching craze, I have noticed that a lot of anime that I've watched this year have been pretty good. Some of them did have their problems yes, but they weren't horrible by any means.

Unless of course you dig a bit deeper and realize that all anime aren't AMAZING. Some series have the tendency to make you question your sanity, and others make you blow up into a pit of rage. 

And while some series are good, they aren't as good enough as others in the same genre.

So for this list, I'm going to recap 5 shows that I thought were the worst out of the shows that I watched this year. 2 of them I dropped. My policy as well as the reasons why I dropped them will be explained later.

Are you guys ready? Let's begin:

#5

My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU.

I can understand why a lot of people really like this show. We have a great diverse group of characters, a story that doesn't pilot into multiple directions, and the overall plot of this series just sounds very interesting. However, when I started to watch this, I noticed the show never really stood out for me.

Despite having some fun episodes and some great moments supplied by Hachiman, the show never really pushes itself to be a show that I would instantly recommend to anyone. It sometimes got me bored and wondering if something more exciting would happen.

There's a lot of good in this show, such as awesome characters, and some interesting story development. My main problem is that this show never really takes risks, and often just doesn't really make an impact. Which is why it lands on this list.

#4

Arcana Famiglia.

This show was recommended to me by one of my friends who found this show to be really enjoyable. I waited a while until the fall before I started to watch it. The first episode made the show looks very interesting, and that it would be very entertaining. I knew there would be filler, but I hoped that it wouldn't destroy the anime.

It was around the halfway point where I was about to lose complete hope in this show.

At first, the filler may seem fine. And it was for me. However, after Episode 5, it was absolutely clear that the script writers were just plain running out of ideas, and put together some of the most boring and laugh-out loud scenarios that got more eye rolls than personal enjoyment. And when the show adds story revolving Mondo and his illness, it just feels sloppily put together and doesn't pay off in the end.

The character development is horribly inconsistent, with some characters only getting one detail revealed about them, or none at all. It's only Felicita, Liberta, Nova, and Mondo that get the most. And also, when the show tries to be dramatic, it fails. MASSIVELY!

It isn't until the end of Episode 11 that the main event of our story, being the Arcana Duello, takes place. That's right, they wait until the end to begin our main event. And that finale is one of the worst final episodes to an anime I've ever seen.

The reason why this show isn't a complete bust is that there's some great comedy, fun characters, and at least potential. But all in all, it's a disappointing follow-up for a second reverse harem show, and after Kamigami No Asobi too.

#3

Cuticle Detective Inaba.

This is one of those shows that I didn't know anything about before going into it, though I've seen it in MEP's and on Wikipedia. This didn't automatically go into my watch list until I found an ad for it while surfing through Otaku USA, one of my favorite magazines that I love to look at either Walmart or Banes & Noble. The day I found it, I immediately started watching it at Hulu.

At first, the show is very funny. The comedy is great, and the characters are very unique and interesting. Another great part was the animation, and it's vibrancy. It's there that my praise for this show ends.

One of the main problems I have with the show is its story. At first, it looks like the story for this show might be self focused and have a drive behind it. Instead, this story is legit a slice of life. This isn't a big problem for me, as sometimes we get great comedy out of these storylines. However, the show sometimes zooms off in different directions, giving unannounced elements including drama, or having an episode that is so boring as well as confusing you have no choice but to stop watching it.

I didn't watch two full episodes of this show. Mainly due to the fact that this show gets utterly confusing at times, throwing random elements into the sand. At least it has interesting characters, but that's all I can say towards it. There's a reason I've been avoiding a review for this, it'd just be too hard to come up with proper explanations to characters and it's train-wreck of a story.

The next two shows on my list are anime that I ended up not finishing. My main rule for anime is that if you don't like an anime to it's half-way point, don't bother finishing it.

One made it past the half-way mark by two episodes, and one was almost there, but I stopped it after a story arc.

#2

Ikki Tousen: Great Guardians.

First off, I have to admit that I didn't watch the first two seasons. Youtube reviewers and some users online have been constantly telling to the masses that this show is crap. When FUNimation was set on releasing the next two seasons though, I was interested in checking a couple episodes of the third season, being Great Guadians.

Too bad none of it was great, nor did it truly show the impact of guardians.

I had low expectations going into this, and those were met kindly. This show wasn't horrendous, but it was bad at almost everything, minus the fantastic animation, (not just boobs and panties mind you), and the damn fantastic score, and a English dub that actually exceeded the original Japanese.

The main problem with this show is of course the fanservice. As I mentioned in my Highschool DXD review, I don't mind having fanservice in a show. As long as the show has a story and it isn't completely distracting, I can deal with it. While Sekirei and Highschool DXD have fanservice, at least the aspects of the story were entertaining enough that I wasn't considering it as a negative all the time. Minus Asia since that's literally unacceptable.

This show's main objective is to see how many boob and panty shots it can get away with before chucking your lunch into the toilet. It has some "development" of a story, with another Genpou Saji and Ryofu magically coming back from the dead, but who cares about that? This is the Fanservice Express after all.

Plot elements aren't properly developed, such as Hakufu being appointed leader at Nanyo Academy. We don't get to see her with her new-found duties, and that disappoints me. Instead, it's time for more hotness as girls somehow flash their panties when squatting while wearing short skirts, and how every DRAMATIC moment this show has is just given fanservice for good measure.

In the latter half, we do get to see some story, with the female Genpou Saji now having control over Ryofu. This leads to the now controlled Ryofu possessing Gentoku, by taking her to a haunted house and presumably raping her.

Why would I guess that? Because it's from what I saw, and from assumption.

After the spell breaks from Gentoku, it seems the story will go into over-drive. However, it's a little too late. And I'm not going to stick around four more episodes to find out.

At least the OVAs are better in comedy and fights. Though Extravaganza Epoch is going for the BANZAI! route, it's more tolerable than this series ever was.

#1

Date A Live 2.

*sighs*

After watching the first season and liking it, I waited until season 2 finished before I started watching it. Episode 1 was a nice re-introduction to the characters. But Episode 2 left me concerned. I was questioning if I should continue the show or not, but I tested it out a bit more. After the Yamai twin arc ended, I first put it on hold, before finally dropping it.

Why? This season just didn't have a lot of excitement going toward it, nor did any of the familiar elements from season 1 really catch on to me.

For one thing, once the Yamai twins are introduced, the show decides out of nowhere that they need to amp up the fanservice. Because you know, of the whole war thing they have between each other. They may care about each other, but we still have a competition. These include sneaking into Shido's bed, forcing him to put sun-block on him ,and going with him together in a hot spring, all in 2 episodes on a field trip.

Shido is as bland as ever, literally a cardboard cutout of a main male lead. The villains are just horrible cliches, and to top it off, Episode 4 was so predictable, that it just wasn't funny. Yeah, we know Ellen is a villain, yet our characters are just realizing that. Yeah, we know the Yamai twins will make up instead of fighting each other, we already have gotten clues. Yeah, we know that the twins will kiss Shido, and there clothes will rip off. Yeah, we know Tohka will beat him up for it afterwards.

Also, the pacing is just horrible. At times, the show moves incredibly fast. Season 1 moved slowly, and at other times it moved faster. But this, this is ridiculous. And the pacing is just going to get worse once we introduce Miki/Diva. In Episode 6 or 7, Tohka will get captured, and it will take like 4 or 3 episodes to go and rescue her?

Ugh. My brain hurts.

What do you guys think of my list? Do you agree with my choices? Disagree? What other animes did you not like this year?

Top 10 Anime Openings I Heard in 2014

Top 10 Anime Openings I Heard in 2014

Whenever I watch anime. there are several reasons why I remember it. The unique stories, the great characters, amazing animation, and everything in between. However, I always look forward to what the openings and ending of each new series will be like.

However, I mainly focus on the openings, as you might discover your favorite anime if you find them randomly online. It's always fun. So. here are 10 great openings to anime that I watched this year.

Please note, it's extremely hard to narrow this down, mainly because I find a lot of openings catchy and super memorable. These openings I find to be quite special, and played an impact on what openings that I'll be looking forward to down the road. I'm not going to rank these, but instead, I will just reveal them.

With that said:

#1

TILL THE END by the main cast of Kamigami no Asobi

My first review, so naturally I picked this first. I didn't think the first reverse harem show I'd watch would have such a catchy opening.

Till The End, sung by all of our gorgeous six main male leads, has a nice electro-pop feel to it like all of those catchy songs that I like on the radio. All of the guys share perfect harmony, and it's a great song to jam out to. Or to fanboy over.

#2

SLIP ON THE PUMPS by GOATBED

To be honest, I'm not so sure what I was expecting from DRAMAtical Murder's opening. Perhaps something mysterious? Fanservicey? I didn't really expect this, though in a good way.

The opening, which is sung and produced by GOATBED, is actually very fascinating. Some of the animation in the opening is very great. Not to mention that GOATBED did help out with some of the score in the game, so they do have experience with the interesting plot this show has.

The song's vocals are quite good, and I especially like the chorus. And like in other anime, the song's title is never mentioned in the song. But then again, that's what I mostly see nowadays.

I'm quite glad NAZ didn't go over the top with fan-service in the ending as like Highschool DXD (and New) and Free. I haven't seen Free's season 1 ending, but I'm too much of a wimp to find out. What I've seen though.... *shudders*

My eyes. They burn.

#3

Me o Tojite Gyusshiyo by Abcho

Why, oh why does this have to get replaced halfway? :(

I got a sampler disc of this show at Right Stuff's panel at Anime Iowa, and I found it quite entertaining after only 5 episodes. Especially this opening song. Fun stuff to hum at a melody in your head at fencing camp.

Not only does this opening have a lot of sass and rock worthy grooves, the song overall give me happy feels all over. It's such an enjoyable song, and I found it catchy. Extremely catchy.

Though this series is more than 12 episodes , and it might take me a while to find the DVD set of this if I have enough money, I can't wait to watch the rest of this show.

#4

Enamel by SID

Trust me, this isn't the only song sung by SID on this list.

SID is perhaps one of my favorite Japanese rock bands. 3 openings of awesomeness just make me want to jam out and fan-girl. This opening excels the one they made for season 1 in all aspects.

not only does this song have great vocals, but the melody and it's chorus are just jaw-dropping. Honestly, I never a rock song could be this damn good. It's just AUGH! This song ruins me.

And the Shimgami. OH MY GOD! Most unexpected part in the opening.

Hopefully, more of there openings are just as good as this one. If not, I'll be pulling a sad face.

#5

Kyomei no True Force by Hitomi Harada

Out of all of the openings I've heard her sing, can Hitomi Harada sing anything bad? For me, not really.

This is a perfect example of how edgy can work in electro rock like this. This song is literally a fist bump anthem for me, and I REALLY enjoyed it. It's really nice to hear the whole song as well, and it's just a great song in general.

There's also another great opening sung by Hitomi Harada, but I'm not putting it on here because of the anime just not leading up to my expectations. 

Even though my friend really liked it, I found it one of the worst shows I watched this year. And it was another reverse harem that I also have a review for. Arcana Famiglia.

Moving on:

#6

ViViD by May'n

And let's welcome over the singer most known for Sheryl's singing voice from Macross Frontier.

After hearing Lion, the second opening from Macross Frontier, I kind of knew to keep an eye on May'n . Sadly I didn't do this, but I did recognize the name when I saw it on Wikipedia for this show. And this song is freaking amazing.

The instrumentation. the vocals. Everything is just really good in this song, and that's why it's really memorable.

Though this anime is only 10 episodes, it still is quite fun to watch, and I did enjoy it. The opening is just one of the many ways I remember this series.

#7

Ranbu no Melody by SID

To be honest, I haven't made it that far in Bleach. I've been warned about filler, the Arancar arc, and I've only seen 22 episodes and the 2nd movie. 20 episodes of the first season and 2 filler episodes. Though I plan on watching more of course. Mainly on the ones that focus on Toshiro, but still. :P

When I saw that SID sang an opening for Bleach, I freaked out. I automatically went to Youtube, searched it up, found it, and then listened to it on repeat a couple times. It's a damn amazing song.

Mao's vocals, like always, just evoke such great emotion and passion. The band instrumentation is on par and very nice, and overall, it's just an epic song that rounds out the end of the Arrancar arc.

I wonder what other people think of this song, since I think it's visual kei gold. Though I don't listen to a lot of Japanese music. This does not include openings, endings, or character songs from anime.

#8

Kamisama Hajimemashita by Hanae

*hums along to Hanae*

At first, I wasn't a big fan of this song. I thought Hanae's vocals were a bit too breathy, and I just didn't really feel any passion for this song.

But the more I watched Kamisama Kiss, the more I started to realize that this song was invading my brain. I'd think about it a lot, hum it in public, and just sing along with the chorus. It's great to sing a song warming up to you, much like 22 by Taylor Swift. At first, I found the song not to be that memorable and the worst song off Red. But the more I listened to it and played on the radio, it grew on me. And while it still isn't my favorite song from her, I have more respect for it.

Okay, I'm getting off track here.

Since Hanae has been confirmed to sing both opening and ending for the next season of Kamisama Kiss, let's see if the opening is just as good.

#9

Kimi Janakya Dame Mitai by Masayoshi Oishi

One of the more unique anime openings that I heard this year, it mainly follows my checklist for what I like in anime openings.

Great instrumentation, unique vocals, and memorable lyrics. There's a lot in this song to live. And for it to be in a show like this is quite a good thing.

I think this opening also manages to fit the theme of the show, as it does feel quite relaxing. It's a good opening song to hum along to, and overall is a lot of fun.

#10

Trip -Innocent of D- by Larval Stage Planning

This should come to the surprise of no one. I think you know the reason why I saved to talk about this opening for last.

Simply put, this opening has everything I could ask for. Awesome vocals. Amazing beat. Fantastic instruments. That is literally my perfect anime opening. The end.

This is the opening I've replayed a thousand times, and it almost never gets old. And even though it's in a series that is loaded with boobs and panties, it's pretty good to be in a show like that.

I don't need to explain much, besides OHMAIGODTHISOPENINGISAMAZEAKLFLSJAFLKJSALFJALSDJFLASFDJKLASKJLASKJFLASKJDFLASDKJFLASKJDFLAKSJDFLKASJDFLKASJDFLKADSJLFKJSLKDFJLKASDFJLASDKJFLASDKJFLKSADJFOIWEJFJKSLDJCFLKSDFJLSDLJFKLASDJFLSDKJFLSKDJFSLDMNVLKSDJFLKSDJFLKSDJFLSDKJFASLKDFJLASJKFLKSDJFALSJFLASDJFLSDKJFLSDKJFJSDFKLASHJFKSADJFDLSKJFLDSJFASDKFJLADSKFJLSADKJFWAIERJFEWFLKADJFLKDASJFLKAFJLKDSJFIOAWEAJRFSDLKFVKSDLFJSLKJFALKLKZJFSFEIOOIKD.

What do you guys think of this list? Agree with some of the list? Disagree? Any openings that you liked from anime you watched this year?

Gekkan Shojo Nozaki-kun Review

Gekkan Shojo Nozaki-kun 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:

I do know some details about the anime and manga industry. I have some clue as to how anime and manga are made, but I don't know a lot about the subject. Goodness is, I learned a bit more about manga from this show.

Besides potentially helping viewers learn about more aspects to the manga industry, this series gave way to some lovable characters, and great slice-of-life antics.

THE SWOONS! I SWOON SO HARD! SO MANY GREAT COUPLES! AUGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Gekken Shojo Nozaki-kun is without a doubt one of my favorite summer 2014 animes I've watched this year, though I didn't watch it in the summer. It was cute, heart-warming, and there was lots of fangirling and hinted romance.

Let's start off with the story:

Story

Chiyo Sakura has had a long time crush on her classmate Umetaro Nozaki. However, she is really nervous about approaching him for this. Once she does, he mistakes her for a fan and gives her a autograph. Later on, after going to his house, she finds out that he is her favorite manga author Sakiko Yumeno. She agrees to help him out with his manga, and therefore becomes his assistant. Though she would rather get close to him.

Along the way, Chiyo comes across other people at her school who all pitch in to help out Nozaki with his manga. Add along Chiyo's close friend, a past editor, and a manga writer with tanuki power. Can Chiyo get closer to Nozaki? Can they fall in....... love? *bats eyelashes*

I personally do think this story is rather good, though it does drift into slice-of-life territory. However, it does manage to make these new situations fun. I actually cared a lot more for the interesting ways this show dealt with itself then Arcana Famiglia. Yeah, I know I keep mentioning it, but a lot of you know I have a bone to pick with it.

Ranging from a fun day at the movie theater, a cute little sleepover with just us dudes, a day helping out the art club, and having some fun with the drama club. All of these situations are pretty fun, and they never grow stale.

So overall, this show handles its scenarios quite well. I love every single episode, and each one had such a cute factor in it.

Character time!

Characters

All of the characters in Gekken Shojo Nozaki-kun are easily likable. It's been a while since this has been in effect, but it works very well here.

Let's start off with Chiyo:

Chiyo is our main viewpoint character of the series, and she's a good one at that. Not only is she warm, friendly, but she also gives Nozaki advice through-out the series in order to help him with his manga. 

Chiyo has had a crush on Nozaki since the entrance ceremony, in which she arrived late. She met Nozaki on top of the school gate, and lifted her up over the school gate. At first, she mistook Nozaki to be a dark brooding person, but later on, she gradually started to fall for him. She even has Valentine's Day chocolates that she has never given to him.

Through-out the series, Chiyo wonders if Nozaki also likes her, and easily gets nervous in different situations, such as walking home with him, and going to the art store with him as well. You wonder if they will get closer, or if your the impatient type:

Then again, this is what the super shippers would be like. including me, though I ship all the couples.

Anyways, I find Chiyo to be a great character to the moe aspect. She isn't very annoying, and might become a character than you just can't help but adore. I found her to be a better example of cute done right, and it isn't stereotypical.

Now it's time for our title character:

 Nozaki, besides being the affection for Chiyo, is actually a famous shojo manga author, who is most known for Let's Fall In Love, where some scenes from that manga play in the show through various episodes. He does go under the pen name Yumeno Sakiko, and it isn't explained. I think I would've liked that.


Nozaki doesn't really have too much emotion, as he often wears a blank face. Despite writing a popular shojo manga, he has no experiences with love. This causes his story ideas to sometimes be unrealistic or far-fetched. He often takes inspiration from real life. often events that can be ridiculous. He lives by himself, and it is explained later in the manga on why that is so. But now, it's unexplained.

He is thankful for Sakura's help, but can often be oblivious to her own feelings for him. For example, the last episode. I'm not going to spoil it, but WHY NO KISS?

That aside, Nozaki can be a very entertaining character. At first glance, he may be somewhat of the stereotypical emotionless type, but at least he has some personality. Though that can be saved for funny moments.

Let's go to Mikoshiba:

2 notes before I start describing Mikoshiba's personality.

1. He is the only main character in this show who is not iin a shipping. Nor does he have a girlfriend.

2. Roses are his signature items, and what he does help out with Nozaki's manga is drawing pretty roses. It brings out a character's charm.

Mikoshiba is first introduced to Sakura in Episode 2 as a very sexy guy (I'm being a bit over-dramatic, my bad) with a more shy attitude. Despite being quite popular with the girls, Mikoshiba is very shy, and tends to get incredibly uncomfortable if he says anything embarrassing. Don't ask him to help with art club at anytime, he might accidentally says he'll volunteer for nude. Don't say I didn't warn you.

He is actually the inspiration behind Nozaki's protagonist in his manga named Mamiko, but Mikokoshiba is unaware of this. He also has other hobbies, including playing dating sims to help talk with girl, as well as collecting figurines of said pretty girls. Well, anime ones, not actual.

Yeah, I didn't think someone who was very flirtatious actually be quite shy. Well, until Mikoshiba came along. I would say he's a charming character. Not only does he have a side that's rarely seen from a flirtatious perspective, but he also has some great moments in the show. Those are mainly funny, especially when in Episode 4, Mikoshiba asks Nozaki to play a dating sim with him. Let's just say, they write down a story different from the game's intent.

Now, let's move on to Yuzuki:

Yuzki is Chiyo's best friend who is normally seen practicing with the basketball team. Her duty is to show them a example of what a bad team player looks like. Of course, Wakamatsu doesn't understand that. But more on him later.

Though she has a bit of a tomboy demeanor, she actually is an amazing singer for the school's Glee Club. She is given the nickname Lorelei because of this. She also is asked to help out with other extracurricular activities.

I liked Yuzuki. Not only is she super energetic, she does have a good personality. And she's also voiced by one of my favorite seiyuus, so that helps. I also managed to really like her funny moments.

Let's move on to Kashima:

Sorry to burst your bubbles girls, this is a female.

Kashima is Mikoshiba's closet friend, and is known for her masculine features. She is also the attraction of many girls, some who possibly don't know that "he" is in fact a girl.

Being a member of the drama club and under president Hori's direction, she can be a bit dense, and is known to sprout wrong idea regarding him. this can result in his anger, but she still has the tendency to do it often. She also has a problem with ditching, though blame that large crowd of girls that surround her every day for the most part.

Interesting tidbit for you, though she can be good at acting, her trying to sing is a disaster. Don't convince her, EVER!

So to conclude, I found Kashima to be a decent character for a mistaken male. It's always interesting seeing these characters, though it doesn't happen too often.

Now on to Hori:

You know when you can't find a appropriate picture, you manage to find something that's one of the funniest moments in the entire series. That would be the case here.

Hori is the president of the school's drama club, and is another one of Nozaki's assistants, helping out in backgrounds. In exchange for his help, Nozaki often writes scenarios to use in the drama club.

Despite having incredible acting skills (Episode 10 doe), he normally doesn't go up on stage due to his short height, and mainly works on sets and props. He often reacts violently to Kashima, when she's mainly goofing off, or missing club meetings. Through all of this though, you can't help but feel some shipping power move through your veins.

Yeah, I can't help it.

Hori is a decent character in the show, and I did like some of his outbursts of anger. They were quite funny to me, and his personality is actually nice too. Even if he may be aggressive, he still cares.

Last one, it's Wakamatsu:

Wakamatsu's is Nozaki's junior, who was on the middle school basketball team that had Nozaki was team captain. Nozaki doesn't do basketball anymore though, due to him writing manga.

While Wakamatsu still plays basketball, he later helps out with Nozaki's manga with the screentones. He also has problems with insomnia, due to Yuzuki playing on the baksetball team. However, once he is given a tape of Lorelei (Yuzuki) singing, he now falls asleep to it every night. Unbeknownst to him, they are in fact the same person.

I liked Wakamatsu. Not only is he the youngest out of the main cast, but he is also a bit naive because of this. I also liked how he didn't figure out that Yuzuki and Lorelei are in fact one of the dsame. Because if he did, we wouldn't have a couple to ship.

Other characters include Nozaki's current and former editors, and a college student who works with Nozaki's former editor. And that has a obsession with tanukis that are everywhere in her manga.

Animation

The animation for this series was done by Dogakobo, who is also known for producing the animation for series such as 11eyes, Yuruyuri, and Majestic Prince.

One word to describe this animation would be vivid. It often relies on some very bright colors, and does a lot to make it all stand out. The character designs are also very good as well, and there isn't a lot of derp animation moments.

All in all, there's isn't any problems with it.

Sound

The score for this series was composed by Yukari Hashimoto, who is also known for doing the scores for Toradora, Sankarea, and Golden Time.

Throughout the series, the score never really manages to go crazy. However, it doesn't really stick into anyone's mind, and it's not as memorable as the rest of the series is. It does have some nice tracks here and there, but it doesn't truly shine.

Though, the opening and ending are actually pretty good. Mainly towards the opening, but still.

The  seiyuus in this show all manage to do an amazing job, including a relatively new one who hasn't been starring in a lot of shows named Ari Ozawa. Her voice shows how the more moe voices of anime can work without being irritating. She is a new addition to the group of seiyuus who can pull off some of the cutest anime voices.

Highlights include Yuichi Nakamura, Ari Ozawa, Nobuhiko Okamoto, Miyuki Sawashiro (slay), Mai Nakahara, Yuki Ono, Ryohei Kimura, and Diasuke Ono.

Verdict

Gekkan Shojo Nozaki-kun is easily one of my favorite animes of this year. Not only does it have charm, and comedy. But it also is super enjoyable to pretty much everyone.

I recommend this show rto people who want a decent comedy, or for people who just need a pick-me-up. With that said, Gekkan Shojo Nozaki-kun is a show that exceeds expectations, and may be possibly a favorite out of the 2014 lineup.

Score: 10/10

Positives:

Enjoyable characters.

Laugh-out-loud comedy.

Great insight onto some aspects on making manga.

Stand-out Japanese cast.

High enjoyment.

Negatives:

Score isn't as distinct as others.

Noucome Review

Noucome 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:

One of my favorite parts of watching anime is the unique stories it has to tell. Like books, I find myself getting lost in a world that is quite unique, and has a interesting story to back it up. A lot of animes that normally have unique stories do quite well for me, minus Arcana Famiglia.

I first heard about this anime after finding it on Wikipedia randomly one day. It sounded a bit weird, but I can handle weird sometimes. When it was licensed by Sentai, and then put on Hulu, I had the sudden urge to watch the show as soon as humanly possible.

Before the show, I didn't hear other peoples' reactions, but I don't think it would have dented my opinion. Because this show was surprisingly great entertainment.

I lost track on how many times this show had me cracking up. The comedy was great, the characters were all pretty unique in personality, and the animation was surprisingly good. The story probably could have used a bit more development, but I still think this anime accomplished a lot.

Let's start with the story:

Story

Kanade Amakusa has been suffering from a curse that has turned his life around. Known as Absolute Choice, this program requires him to select something from a list of two for more options at random moments in time. Some ranging from: I can deal with this, to:

And when it goes to WTF, it's probably the fact that the choices can get quite random or just extremely perverted.

Because of this, majority of his classmates ignore him and place him in the Reject 5, a group of students who are branded weird by his classmates. However, after another crazy day at school, a girl falls from the sky by the name of Chocolat. Later on, Kanade discovers that she was sent from the God World, and she must assist him to complete 3 random missions assigned by "God". If he is unable to do this, he will be stuck with Absolute Choice for as long as he lives.

I personally think this story was quite a gem actually. I can relate to the fact that life seems like a random batch of choices, and the main protagonist was one of the more realistic protagonists I can relate to. The events that unfold are quite interesting, and it was funny seeing all of the girls that are in this anime interact with one another.

However, I felt as if the story had no closure. The anime ends abruptly on the 10th episode, and it would be nice to have a second season, as more has to be explained. This is like Karneval, though we have no promises for season 2, which makes me sad.

There's Chocolat's other personality, back-story on some of the girls, development of side characters, and how the student council president knows about the curse. These I think need to be a bit cleaned up, due to you not knowing why some of these fall into place.

Let's go over the characters:

Characters

The characters for Noucome are quite a unique group, with most of them being developed rather well for a 10 episode series. Though 4 characters overall have the most development, and each new reveal helps twist thier personality in something besides stereotypical.

Let's start with Kanade:

This screenshot comes after you see Absolute Choice for the first time, revolving around a porn magazine. Yeah, both choices are pretty perverted, but at least he chose the less perverted one.

Kanade used to actually have a lot of friends, and was pretty popular. However, when Absolute Choice popped into his life about a year ago, you can see that all of that went down the toilet. Now, he's a part of the Reject 5, a group at school made up of the 5 weirdest people.

At first, he doesn't believe that the "god" in charge of the missions is actually serious, until the supposed god turns Kanade into a girl. This convinces Kanade enough, though he has to make a choice to turn himself back into a boy.

Kanade is almost toward the reigns of being a stereotypical main male character, but in some regards, he isn't. At least he has some personality, and isn't completely clueless to some of the girl's reactions towards him. Yeah, sometimes he can be a bit clueless, but every main character does have those moments.

Now, onto Chocolat:

Here's another super cute anime character that I just can't help but squee over due to the fact that she is so adorable. I swear, these characters never get old.

Chocolat is the girl who managed to fall out of the sky based on Kanade's choice at the end of Episode 1. She suffers from amnesia, in which she forgets her name. However, Kanade gave her the name Chocolat after devouring a box of chocolates he gives her. 

Aside from having amnesia, she is often quite dense, and isn't really a big help in the missions that Kanade has to perform. And along with her memories, the way on how to solve the curse also vanished from her memory. 

Though, she does have a cliche. The random girl transferred to the guy's school one, But she enters as Kanade's pet, so it's not too stereotypical.

In Episode 8, after a hug from Kanade, she gains back her memories, and a slightly different personality. This Chocolat is actually quite helpful, and knows a way to cure the curse. The solution involves a kiss to the lips. Before she can kiss him though, the box of chocolates falls on her head, causing her to go back into amnesia mode.

Chocolat is essentially the cutest character in this anime. Not only is she really funny, but she also does have some redeeming qualities in her, well besides being adorable.

Let's go onto Yukihira:

Yukihira is another member of the Reject Five, and sits behind Kanade in class. She often displays a tsundere attitude toward him, and often tell jokes with a blank expression. She often mixes Kanade's name with animals, and seems to just overall hate Kanade to the point where it's blatantly obvious.

However, she does have something soft underneath. She may actually harbor feelings for Kanade, as she gets nervous at Aqualand about him seeing her in her swimsuit. She also has a unhealthy obsession with the character White Pig, created by the author of the light novels. Kanade comes to an event in which Yuoji was supposed to be in the costume, but passed out the night before out of excitement. This causes Kanade to be White Pig, and spends a day with Yukihira, not to her knowledge.

Yukihira is another example of a character that is turned upside down in tropes. Like Kotori from Date A Live, she may look like a common anime personality, but she actually has another peronality all together. You just have to look deeper than normal.

Let's move onto Yuoji:

Yuoji is a hyperactive member of the Reject Five, and one of Kanade's friends, though she isn't a close one. No one is. 

She is the daugther of the UOG company's president, and mainly shows off the inventions her father makes to Kanade for him to test out. In episode 1, the invention of the day is modeled after Yukihira's joke to Kanade. She is often very excited about everything, but gets embarrassed after Kanade sees her panties at the end of Episode 3. She also never cries, as she was told by her mom not to only rely on tears to become stronger. She only cries when she is overjoyed with emotion.

Yuoji may be a bit too bubbly at certain moments in the show. but at least she isn't always happy all the time. That would make for a very boring character, now would it? At least she has some depth, but she's developed the least out of the lead 4,. Hopefully, if we do get a second season, more of her personality is explored. That is, along with the other side characters.

Other characters include Kanade's childhood friend who has a habit of calling everyone a older sibling of hers, a senior student who we only see twice, and also wears a mask. For the Popularity Five, we have have the student council president who may know something about Kanade's curse, the vice president who doesn't have enough unique qualities of his own, Yuoji's freind who is very shy yet pretty, her followers who beat up Kanade every chance they get whenever he gets close to her, a tsundere girl who has silicone breasts, a nice and calm freshman. For other characters, we have Kanade's homeroom teacher who also had Absolute Choice in the past, and knows of Kanade's problems, the "god" in charge of the missions, and a housewife that made me crack up in the first and last episode.

Animation

The animation for the series was done by Diomedéa, who are also most known for the series Squid Girl, Riddle Story of Devil, and Campione.

The animation for this series was surprisingly well done. All of the settings manage to look bright and engaging, and the character designs all have a interesting feature to them. Especially the cute eyes. Including those.

I love how the Absolute Choice can fit so easily into a setting by having choices pop up everywhere, and I love the little second in which Kanade starts getting a migraine, and pain is flashed at the screen. There wasn't any choppiness with character models into settings, so that was also a plus.

So overall, I don't have many complaints animation wise. 

Sound

The score for this show was composed by Sakai Asuka, who is also know for composing the scores for Yuyushiki, Chokotan, and Nagareboshi Lens.

Like Arcana Famiglia, the score isn't as memorable as well as I would like. With the exception of the title music and various another comedic pieces, none of them really managed to have an impact on me. I do find this to be a bit disappointing, but it happens every once in a while.

However, the opening and ending are pretty damn catchy. The ending made me really giddy, I often unplugged my headphones when I was watching it, so I could signify that I had finished a episode. The groups who sang the opening and ending are doing the same thing for a show premiering in the winter season called Isuca. Will they be just as good? Let's just wait and see.

The Japanese is actually quite good for this show, and the cast features several unknown seiyuus who don't have a lot of credited roles under their belts, which makes it more special.

Highlights include Toshiyuki Toyonaga, Kaori Sadohara, Yui Kondo, Ayumi Tsuji, Naomi Ozora, Rei Matsuzaki, Akiko Yajima, Shinnosuke Tachibana, and Shiho Kokido.

Verdict

Noucome is a genius for when it comes to comedy. I liked all of the main characters, as well as the unique story. However, the show is quite short at only 10 episodes, and some characters and scenarios could have been developed better in order for me to really like it.

Though, it still offers a nice 10 episode journey that you will for sure enjoy. It has a great story, has lovable characters, and some fantastic comedy. And it works rather well.

Score: 9/10

Positives:

Unique story.

Great main characters.

Eye-catching animation.

Great performances of seiyuus.

Laugh out loud comedy.

Negatives:

Side characters don't get enough development.

Score isn't as memorable.