Death Parade Episode #4 Review:

Another great episode of Death Parade. We return to the dark and gloomy atmosphere that we're used with 2 new exciting characters.

The Show:

This episode was quite a good one. Once again we reverted back to a more unstable and violent relationship for our main characters. Both characters did not know each other, and it isn't clear if they both died at the same time. 

Honestly, Misaki's personality was annoying and snot-nosed all the way until she finally got sent to the void. Although she did have multiple divorces and multiple children, she doesn't seem to truly love any of her children. In her flashbacks, the older children seem to always have bitter faces, and she is smiling with the younger crew. There seems to be an unequal sharing of the love, if you can even consider it love. While playing the game, the special attack she uses with the children is all things to considered "weak". This time all the children are in the frame, but she still claims that they are weak. Even during her final pleas to Dequim, she was kept talking about herself. She never once mentioned talked about them as if she really missed or needed them. She saw them as solely an essential part of her life that was now coming back to order.

Kousuke' s life a lot less dramatic, but still melancholy and a worthy one to explore. He seemed to deeply regret the fact that he never called his step-mom, "mom". In the end, Kousuke never really was that exciting, and I thought his story was kind of lackluster. Though it's clear he deeply regrets his decisions to reject his step-mother, it is not too clear why he died. Was it because of his regrets? Is it because he couldn't face his step-mother after all the pain he caused? I don't really know?

The Good:

• A fine return to our regular themes of despair and heart-break.
• Animation is still great and the music especially was diverse and fit the scenes well.
• Once again Dequim is showing a more human side to himself. This time is the most direct, but the most unnoticeable. If he didn't actually say that he had pride, honestly, I wouldn't have known it. He is becoming more and more human and less of a robot/flat character each and every episode.
• The part with Misaki smacking Kousuke's head into the screen was amazingly done. I was most certainly not expecting it, and it helped demonstrate her impulsive nature as she immediately regret it. 

The Bad:

Although I really enjoyed the episode as a whole, there are a couple things that really urked me.

• Really Kousuke? Really Madhouse? They gave him Crocs. I might just be me, but that was really annoying. Why couldn't they have just given him regular shoes. 
• I felt that overall Kousuke had a rather boring and uneventful story, and this showed by the producers. He definitely received a lot less flashbacks and they were often similarly themed.
• The step-mother's jaw is huge and honestly, if you gave her a 10-foot body, she could be a Titan.

The Questions and Answers:

• NONA? --Nope
• Maria? -- I'm still pretending like I never saw it.
• Arbiters?-- Well still no real news about them. I guess Dequim is showing human qualities.
• Otaku/Hikkomori? -- Yes there was one, albeit not a very exciting one.
• Dequim's Character?-- He continues to evolve and show his human emotions and values.
• What is the relationship level for players to meet up? -- Apparently now any opposite-sex players that have died can meet up.

The Questions NEW:

• I honestly cannot think of too many questions that I have for now.

The Conclusion:

I certainly did enjoy this episode more than the previous, though that isn't to say that it was better. It was a highly enjoyable episode that really had me cheering against Misaki the whole time. I'd give it an 8.01 similar to last weeks episode, as although I enjoyed it better, I think it was slightly worse overall. As always don't forget to Follow, +1, Comment, and CYA!

Death Parade Episode #3 Review: A Sweet Change of Events

Sorry to the people waiting for this review. I had a ton of exams and had to get those done. I will get this review done today and hopefully catch up with episode #4 tomorrow. Anyways, onto the review.

The Show:

This week, we start off with a brand new couple. The male's name is Shigeru, and the female can't actually remember her's. Although at first they struggle to fathom what is going, eventually the girl decides you can't "live" without knowing her name. The game of the week is Rolling Ballade, essentially bowling. The players are to bowl like normal; however, this time the will be able to feel each other's heartbeats in their respective bowling balls. What ensues is not a bloodbath, an all out war, or even the pain train; instead, both players are playing happily along and cheering each other on. Eventually, the 2 start getting their memories back, and we learn that they were actually childhood friends. Her name is Chisato and she was always secretly in love with him. It seems that when they were kids, Chisato, Shigeru, and another girl, Mai, used to play together. When they were still young, Mai moved away and the protagonists were left alone. Although, it seemed as though Chisato liked him, he didn't really seem interested in her. Chisato's solution was to get plastic surgery to look just like Mai and get Shigeru to notice her. Well...It worked!!! The problem is that the first time he decided to approach her in real life, they died in a bus crash. In the world of the dead, he learns to appreciate her and they enjoy every last moment of their time together. The end result is that they are both sent to be reincarnated.

The Good:

• I decided that the OP is seriously amazing and it has already leap-frogged itself into my top 10 anime OP. I will be making a top 10 Anime OP's of shows I've watched soon.

• This episode was really a change in pace. It was much more relaxing and there wasn't any tense drama. I liked how it managed to still keep the mood gloomy and sulky. One of the most important things introduced is the possibility of both "contestants" going to Heaven or both players going to the Void.

• Dequim. He is showing more of a human side. In the previous episode, he proved he wasn't a robot by making a mistake. This time he showed that he has a sense of humour (albeit barely, but it's still a work in progress). 

• It was a real slow build up that led to a strong and unexpected finish. Although, the whole episode was about the two childhood friends getting together, I was just waiting for them to pull something crazy and turn them against each other.

• The background music was once again great.

• An overall strong story that is surely a change of pace for what is to come in Episode #4.

The Bad:

• It certainly wasn't as good as the first episode, but that isn't to say it was bad by any means. It was slower-paced and there was far less drama. For me, the first episode set the bar really high.

• The story seemed slightly too dramatic. I mean how could Shigeru seriously ignore Chisato, for that many years. They lived in the same town and I assume they went to the same school. Ignoring her for that many years and only noticing her after she looked like Mai, is kind of a dick move if you ask me. The short time frame, 

• Overall, just a slow and different episode compared to the fast-paced previous episodes.

The Answers:

• Will we learn more about Nona? - No, not in this episode

• What is Maria's real name? - Interestingly enough, she does seem to have her name revealed, though I'll just pretend like I never read it.

• How does one become an Arbiter? Are Arbiters immortal?  - I don't know, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM

• What happens if nothing exciting happens in the game? - Why did I even ask this question?

• Can both players go through the same gate? - Yes, Yes, and YES!

• Will all the story arcs be 2-parters? -With the preview, showing a new game, most likely not. Also, I suspect that throughout the next 9 episodes, there will be 7 more games. There are 9 tiles on the roulette and they will most likely all be rolled once during the season.

• Did this game live up to the hype of the first one? -Not really, though it still was good in its own way.

• Is Dequim the only arbiter that can start games?- Still not sure, but in the intro they show Nona presenting a game.

• Can a Person Stuck in the Void Come Back? - I'm going to avoid this question for now.

The Questions:

The Old:

• Will we learn more about Nona?
• What is Maria's real name? 
• How does one become an Arbiter? Are Arbiters immortal?
• Is Dequim the only arbiter that can start games?

The New:

• Will Death Arcade involve a Hikikomori or Otaku?
• How will Dequim's character continue to evolve?
• What is the lowest relationship level for players to meet up? (Ex: Episode 1 involved a married couple. Episode 3 involved close friends. Could an otaku who has a crush on another girl work?)

The Conclusion:

A good episode that really stretches the imagination and provides a unique spin on the Death of Death Parade. I'd give this episode an 8.01/10. It delivered most of what I was expecting and managed to clear up a few things. As always, don't forget to Follow, +1, Comment, and CYA!

Death Parade Episode #2 Review: Questions and Answers

To begin, I would like to restate my love for the OP of this show. It is exciting and really makes me want to put my hands up and dance to the beat. I mean, you know an anime OP amazing and/or addictive and/or catchy when...

1. You try to download the song at school onto your phone just so you can listen to it while doing seat work

2. You go take a shower and have it blasting on full volume (albeit the full volume isn't that loud). You also, start humming the song and putting your hands up and dancing, but hopefully not falling to your death or a nosebleed.

3. You try to transpose the opening trumpet tune knowing full well that you suck at transposing. You unsurprisingly fail, but secretly want to do it again.

Well, now that I'm past that rant about how absolutely mind-blowing the OP is, on the review:

The Show:

I think I'll start dividing the review into sections like this to make it more organized.

Anyways, this week's episode was another very well put together episodes. We are introduced to 2 main, new characters Nona and the no name girl (I'll call her Maria, because she kind of looks like a Maria). Nona seems to be sort of a leader of the arbiters that focuses most of her time on managing the place. Maria, has forgotten her name and is now the new assistant to Dequim. We end up reliving some of the moments of the last episode, but from more of a spectator's point of view. We learn a bunch of things different things in regards to the judgments and how the Arbiters affect them. The Arbiters are able to see the couples' memories and use these along with their present actions to make their judgment. What we notice is that Dequim might have actually made a mistake and overlooked the weird series of events. We learn that Dequim's hobby is making mannequins which is, kind of creepy of obscure. Also, judgments aren't always correct and it would seem that Dequim made a bad decision. This leads me to believe that the 2 people can both be sent for reincarnation. Otherwise, since he deemed the husband innocent, his mistake must have been sending Machiko to the Void; and thus, she should have been sent for reincarnation as well. Overall, it provides a great analysis of the events of the first episode while still introducing and even developing the characters.

The Good:

• Dat OP though. I still haven't figured out if the OP is just catchy or if it is actually a good song. I definitely leaning towards absolutely stupendous, but we'll see after I take the time to dissect it.
• The background music once again brings out all the emotions and sets the mood perfectly
• New and interesting characters are introduced. 
• Art and animation for the most part is very fluid and colourful.
• Although, somewhat slow-paced it succeeded in retelling for the most part the same story and still making it interesting. 
• Dat OP though.
• I haven't really talked about the ED that much, but I think that NoisyCell did a very good job. It isn't the glorious BOOm BoOM bOOM fest that the OP is, but I'm glad it isn't. It follows the mood of the episode and successfully gives you a last look at the characters that you care for so much. I also like how they add a little 20-30 second cliffhanger-teaser at the end. The ED keeps you there just long enough to where, you are just able to get to the clip.
• People make mistakes, Arbiters do too. No big Deal.
• Finally, what I really like is the suspense. I hate the overuse of cliffhangers. Real suspense and excitement should have fans praying to the Arbiter Gods for the next episode, without the need for cliffhangers. It delivers a high amount of intrigue while answering and simultaneously presenting more and more questions.
• P.S. Dat OP though.

The Bad:

• A lot of the Dart scenes seemed to be reused from the previous episode. Though it isn't that bad, it is somewhat lazy on Madhouse's part.
• Is it just me or are anime earrings always drawn bad. They are always like floating from the ear. I mean are the Arbiters really that super powerful that they have the force? Anyways, this is a problem that occurs in many anime, and maybe just difficult to animate.
• The transitions from still shots seem a little slow. This maybe used for dramatic effect, but they are slightly irritating.
• Overall, these are just me knit-picking trying criticize the show. The good definitely beats out the bad.

The Questions:

• Will we learn more about Nona?
• What is Maria's real name?
• How does one become an Arbiter?
• Are Arbiters immortal?
• What happens if nothing exciting happens during the game?
• Can both players be sent through the same gate?
• How will the remaining episodes progress? Will they all be 2-parters with analysis in the second episode?
• Will the next game be able to live up to the first one?
• Where was Nona at the end of the episode?
• Can a person stuck in the Void be brought back?
• Is Dequim always the Arbiter, or are there other ones that are able to start a game?

These are just a couple of questions that I was able to think of off the top of my head. Next week, I will re-post them, and see if any were answered, along with whole slew of new ones.

Conclusion:

This is definitely one of the best anime of the season. I'm watching about 6 this season and it's the series I look forward to the second most (behind Tokyo Ghoul) each week. I'd give the episode a solid 7.91/10, and I'm really looking forward to the next episode. As always, don't forget to Follow, +1, Comment, and CYA!

Death Parade Episode 1/ First Impressions: Holy Crap!

I came into this first episode with no previous knowledge of what the show was about. I came in only knowing that it was a Madhouse Production, and I even came in with relatively expectations.

Let's start off with the beginning of the episode, the OP of course! Having not scene Death Billiards, I had no idea what to expect. The OP led me to believe that the show would possess a rather light and comedic mood, similar to that of Amagi Brilliant Park. The OP is deceiving as it is good. It is explosive and colourful, which I suppose you could say the two characters were. I don't think it really the type of song that I want to listen to at the beginning of every episode, but it is a very solid OP and could be used for any of the light comedies airing.

Next, is the actual episode review. Holy Crap! This episode was insane and although it is called "DEATH ParaDe", it's not exactly what I expected. The episode succeeded in doing many things properly. First of all, Madhouse definitely delivered with some spectacular animation. It isn't quite at the level of Fate/Stay Night UBW, but then again, they don't have aren't the unlimited budget works. If I had to compare it to Madhouse's other anime superstar, Parasyte, I would say that the art is better. The colour palette chosen for Death Parade is just so good. The dark shades of purple and black with the crisp and bright colours set the atmosphere just right. Next, in terms of the background music, it was pretty epic. The church-like, somber, opera music fits perfectly with the mood and reminds you what is going on. It has almost a Death Note type of feel to it, with the epic music and presence of a life (or after-life I suppose) altering game. 

Anyways, now we get to the good stuff. Busting out the elevators of doom and gloom are Takashi and Machiko, a married couple that unknowingly have fallen into the afterlife and will soon have their fate decided. An arbiter (he looks like a butler, so I'll just call him that), Dekim informs them that they must play a game before they can leave the room. After serious hesitation, Takashi decides to play the game, in hopes that he will a find a way to out of this world. Each player (Takashi and Machiko) is given 7 Darts to throw at a dart board. The person to score the most points after 7 throws wins. One problem: The board is scattered with pictures of rancid and twisted body parts that, on contact, will cause extreme pain to that organ. At first each of them takes turns hurting each other with the throws and genuinely feeling sorry. After a couple pain-throbbing throws Takashi remembers that he can just miss the board and nothing will happen; however, this comforting love doesn't last long. Takashi also starts to remember his past and Machiko does too. The each realize that the other has potentially wronged them. Subjects of infidelity, grievance, trickery are the leading causes of their insanity. The two proceed to have a blood bath of dart throwing and literal heart-pounding. The net result is that goal of the game is reached. Machiko reveals that she cheated on Takashi and the her baby isn't his. Unknowingly, Machiko is sent to the "Void" , while the enraged Takashi is sent for Reincarnation.

The animation and voice acting was spot on. I could feel the emotions of the characters were hit one after the other by metaphorical slashes to the heart.What's really amazing is the amount of development in such little time. I really cared for each of the characters and often switched sides all the way through to the nail-biting end.

There are many questions that arise. Who are the other lot of characters shown in the OP? Will we see the two ever again in a future episode? Is it possible the perfectly innocent couples meet the same fate?What happens if you choose not to play? Will the show be truly episodic? How will the show continue to top each weeks new episode? What is amazing about this kind of suspense is that it gets you thinking. Instead of just leaving an excruciatingly, painful cliffhanger at the end the episode concludes itself and still has you asking for more.

In terms of constructive comments, I don't have much. My only minor complaint is that the flashbacks seemed too whitened out, to the point where some parts were completely whited out. This is probably because of the nature of the flashbacks, but it's kinda disappointing that I couldn't get more of the gorgeous art.

Anyways, this show definitely exceeded my expectations and undeniably be one of the premier, if not #1, new-airing anime of the season! As always don't forget to Comment, Follow, Like, and CYA!

Hiatus Recovery

After 8-9 gruesome months of not being in the mood of writing, my creative side has taken over, and my will to watch and discuss anime has been reborn. I will now start to do episodic reviews of some of this seasons anime. I will attempt to get a quick summary of my thoughts on the series as a whole so far, then start the reviews. Basically, I will do a cumulative review of the anime I am reviewing for all the episodes I missed and then start the weekly process. Hopefully all my loyal fans have stuck with me and I will be able to both keep it going this time and attract new AAR readers. As always look forward to more content and CYA!

Weekly Anime Episeries: Seitokai Yakuindomo Episode 4

Once again we are back with a stunning anime episode review. And as the last episode this one seems to be rather uneventful, but there are certain minor aspects to look at.

Each girls' previous discussed personality traits are further reinforced.

• Shino: She is afraid of heights and blames herself for not being able to bring the class to Kiyomizudera. Throughout the episode she is still seen with the same perverted and sexual attitude, being able to turn practically anything into a perverted bonanza of fun.
• Aria: We are reminded that she is the rich and dumb character of the series. She works very well in tangent with Shino, but is particularly unaware of how rich she really is. She is also the real only piece of fanservice in the entire episode, besides short skirts. When she unties her tie and unbuttons her shirt, this is one of the only points of fanservice so far in the first 4 episodes. This could demonstrate a leaning towards the direction of perversion over fanservice.
• Suzu: We are constantly reminded of her low stature, and that she is a genius. In this episode instead of getting mad at everyone she is actually pretty normal and even manages to crack a joke of her own.

Next I will just list a few more important-but still minor-points of the episode:

• -When they talk about sex, words such as penis and sex are Bleeped out. This could mean that these words cannot be said on Japanese Television, but otherwise this is a very interesting move that I am not in total agreeance with.
• -Mitsuba has already established the judo team. I expect to see a lot more comedic scenes evolve from the judo team, because Mitsuba is shown in the OP.
• -The president's birthday is June 12th, to which everyone gives presents that are representative of the type of person they are.

Finally, My thoughts:

• As a comedy, I definitely feel like the WOW factor that they had in the beginning has died down a bit. As a ballpark figure I would rate the 2 episodes at about 8-9, to which this episodes definitely falls to about an 7.5-8. It is for sure funny, but the scenes are too irrelevant to anything to be that much more enjoyable.
• Finally, I feel like the show has a prevalency to avoid loving relationships and dramatic moments, particularly in the first and last scenes with Tsuda and Shino. One thinks that the umbrella scene would be highly emotional and end with walking home all happy and lovey-dovey. Nope. The episode actually ends with Tsuda catching a cold in the rain. The show manages to avoid these deep and loving moments and focus on delivering comedy and comedy only. This is a rather interesting approach and should be noted and I will definitely explore this trend in further episodes.

Well thank you again for tuning in to another review. As always I hope you guys enjoyed and don't forget to Follow, Like, Enjoy, And CYA

Weekly Anime Episeries: Seitokai Yakuindomo Episode 3

Welcome back to another episode review. Today we will be reviewing episode 3 of Seitokai Yakuindomo.

• In terms of comedy, this episode was rather lackluster compared to the rest. Comedy scenes are not as funny or plentiful in this episode as the previous 2. This episode can be scene as more of a filler episode, or just basically an excuse to have a hot springs scene to which the directors are able to reveal some skin.
• What this episode does do well is show us how important it is for our main characters to be together. It is mentioned throughout the episode that Shino and Aria act differently because Tsuda isn't around. Also life is boring for Hagimura and Tsuda without the other two to spice things up.
•  What was scene in previous episodes was a lack of real fanservice and an enormous emphasis on the comedic perversion instead. This episode actually produces some fanservice, but only in the way of slight cleavage/boob revelations. What was actually pretty interesting was that the skirts of the girls are pretty high up, and at points where I expected a panty shot, I was left with nothing. This scene is seen when a random girl flaps up her skirt and all we see is a skin. This either means that she isn't wearing panties or her skirt wasn't lifted high enough. It was overall just a weird beginning to the scene.
• The only real bit of development we get is that Aria is rich. It was hinted in the last episode that she was rich, but this one just further reinforces it. We also get reassurance of the size of her upper package, but are reminded of the President's. 

• Since their isn't much to talk about, I will use this time to talk about the OP and ED.
• Opening: The OP, Yamato Nadeshiko Education, is definitely a well made one. It is a catchy tune that's well thought out and destined for this type of show. The animation in the background really does a lot to demonstrate what the show is all about. Overall, it's just a solid OP
• Ending: The ED, Aoi Haru, is very well done and most likely superior in comparison with the OP. Generally, I'm really not one for ED's and I even skip a fair bit of them, but this one was really good. Who is the girl in the animation? Is it Aria? Who knows. All I know is that this an amazing job by "angela" and probably one of my favourite ED's of all time. It is very pleasing to the ear and the animation does a excellent job of showing off the show. Hmmm, isn't it interesting that "Angel" and "Beautiful Fighter", by angela is are some  my favourite OP's of all time? Well, I can tell you that I like this one strictly, because of how good it is and not because it is sung by angela.

Oh well that is it for today. Hope you guys enjoyed. Hopefully the next episode will come back with some of the good all laughs we had in the first 2 episodes. As always, don't forget to Follow, Like, Comment, and CYA!

Weekly Anime Episeries Thing #2: Seitokai Yakuindomo Episode 2

We are once again back with another episode review of Seitokai Yakuindomo. Today, we will be following along the series and review episode 2.

• We start off with what is assumed to be a love proposal to Tsuda. What we find out after the illustrious and catchy opening, "Yamato Nadeshiko Education", is that all she wanted to organize a Judo Club. 
• What we have next is a series of interludes that are meant to keep the audience laughing, but in reality serve no real purpose for further plot advancement.
• The Student Council decide to clean up a room on the second floor. This could be to allow room for the Judo Club though that isn't confirmed.
• The next part is interesting, because as part of the Student Council Tsuda is expected to rank in the top 20 on the midterm scoring. He eventually goes to all three girls to ask for help, but what is interesting is his interactions with Suzu. She agrees to help him on the condition that they can be alone. She obviously likes him and has developed a very close bond with him, in a non-sexual manner of course (At least not yet), that is further developed near the end of the episode.
• Next, we are introduced to our first teacher of the series, Student Council Supervisor, Yokoshima Naruko. She's generally not around the Council Room, but has made her re-emergence after hearing of a new Student Council member. She immediately tries to seduce and woo him. She is a very weird character often portraying a weird and very young girl's voice throughout the proceeding interludes where she is present. She by far the most sexually inclined of the bunch and even states that she could cause trouble with the introduction of boys at the school. As for an opinion on her, I'm really not sure yet.
• After a series of comedic events, we here about a graduation trip going on soon for second years including: Aria and Shino. This will be the first time the group is split up and Tsuda and Suzu have to assume the roll as leaders. This trip is alluded to in the next episode preview as a hot springs episode. It will be interesting to see what direction they take, because so far they haven't really taken too many common anime paths. They don't take in too many anime stereotypes, but instead release random actions that may or may not be considered better or worse. 
• Finally we have a discussion between Suzu and Tsuda near the end. Suzu expresses her troubles when she says, " Yes, when mature people have their childish side, they look cute. Yet, when childish people put on a mature attitude, why are they considered cocky?" This is probably the deepest the show has ever delved so far and is really actually something to think about. Tsuda's prompt response is that he doesn't think of her to be like this "anymore". Their relationship is definitely developed and it will be interesting to see where this extra bit of development in her direction leads us. A story arch, a potential romance, or just useless crap?
• A final comment is that I forgot to mention that Tsuda mentioned his sister was planning to register next year. This is definitely going to come back, but I'm sure if the sister will be introduced in this season or in the second season. It doesn't feel like something they would just throw in.

In conclusion, I felt that it was enjoyable in many of the same ways as the first episode, but lacked the flare and flow or the first.
As always I you liked what you read please remember to Rate, Comment, Follow, and CYA!

Weekly Anime Episeries Thing #1: Seitokai Yakuindomo Episode 1

• Well, I decided to start this series off with a new anime from the winter anime line up: Nisekoi. Except I was searching and searching and somehow I landed on this anime: Seitokai Yakuindomo. And well, I decided to watch it and see if I could maybe review something not from this season to start.Well, all can say is, cool beans...I don't even..

• What really brought me to watching this is that the second season of Seitokai Yakuindomo is airing this season. I assumed that anything with a second season would be pretty decent and so in order to understand the second season, I must first understand the first. The second thing that caught my eye was the character design; they reminded me a lot of the character design of a very familiar show that I had previously seen: Coppelion. (Which by the way, will be seeing a complete review in the near future.) So, I watched the first few minutes and lo and behold the production studio was GoHands. This really intrigued me, because although Coppelion had its hits and misses, the animation and sound aspects were really well. And although I allude to this all the time, I am a relatively new anime watcher. All of this to say, the opening for Coppelion, "Angel", is one of my favourite, if not favourite, anime openings of all time. Now that all the mumbo-jumbo is out of the way, onto the review.

• I went into the show not knowing what to expect and what I got was an immediate dose of sexual humour and even more sexual humour. The show introduces its main characters right from the start. Takotoshi Tsuda is a male high school student that has just transferred to, the recently co-ed, Ousai Private Academy simply because it's closer to his house. Until this new year, the school was an all girls school, and now males are flocking from all over to have their own harem. The three main female characters include: Shino Amakusa the Student Council President who's good at everything and a natural born leader;though, she is scared of heights and also very perverted. Next is Aria Shuchijo, the calm and large-breasted secretary, who also happens to be very perverted. Last, we have Suzu Hagimura, who is the short tsundere accountant who has an IQ of 180, but needs to take naps at noon and can react to situations during her sleep.

• There hasn't really been too much plot revealed at all, but my first impressions are that there doesn't really have to be. I think that it will turn out to be a fine piece on the humour alone. Shino and Aria seem to be able to turn any situation into being sex related.

Ex: Shino"I found a wallet on my way here."
      Tsuda "Do you know who belongs to."
      Shino " I know it's a girl's.
      Tsuda" How's that?"
   Shino " It doesn't have any condoms."

• The show is filled with many humorous sex-related jokes that will leave you wanting more. (well it at least made me want more.) 
• Otherwise there isn't too much else to note, aside from yet another well done and consistent animation job by GoHands. 
• One last thing to note is that there aren't really any "panty or boob shots" in the show. This is weird and a compelling point of the show. Perhaps it intends entertaining through the humour and leave the audience to figure out the rest. I and hopefully anyone watching along will continue to monitor this trend.
• Well, that is all for my views of the first episode of  Seitokai Yakuindomo. It is a very funny anime, so far, and should be enjoyed by any person who does mind watching a series filled with sex jokes. Stay tuned for Thursday's review of the second episode of this show, that is streamable on crunchyroll. Feel free to leave any comments about what you think of the anime, but please no spoilers. As always, don't forget to Rate, Comment, Follow and CYA!

New Year's Resolution Kinda.

Well I'm back in business and my (Chinese) New Year Resolution is to follow the subsequent schedule. I plan to start a new segment to which there will be 3 posts per week. The schedule is as follows: Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. The segment will involve me watching the first episode of a random anime(probably from crunchyroll) and reviewing it the same day. I have yet to think of a name, but hopefully it will be enjoyable. Thanks a lot for the support and hopefully this time I can stick to the schedule!

HotD VS. DxD

Well, to this point I have reviewed the two shows mentioned above: Highschool of the Dead and Highschool DxD. These shows are similar in that fanservice is an obvious theme. They are both rated as ecchi, and both like to show explicit content. Both of these shows are extremely popular and have profound differences in that HOTD is based on a zombie apocalypse, with guns and weapons, while DxD has a combination of devils, angels, magic. But, how do these shows compare when they are put side by side in an all out war? (not really, but you know what I mean)

Art and Animation:

Highschool Dxd: 7.8/10

(It should be noted that all these ratings that have appeared on my blog are taken directly from it)
Once again we come to the first comparison: Animation. Some of the comparisons in this post will be the same as in the actual review, but I will do my best to expand or explain some parts that I may have missed.

The animation here is just very well done. The show supports itself with some nice fluid animation and also some bold and colourful scenes. This is the type of animation that we expect from the industry these days, and DxD has delivered greatly.
One problem (though not too big of a deal) is the animation differences between fanservice and all other scenes. What we have here is a noticeable discrepancy in the both animations, to which the fanservice seems to look like a different type of animation altogether. It doesn't simply look better, it looks a lot better. Though it isn't a big deal, it is the one of the defining characteristics to why it is known as an ecchi and nothing else. It presents itself as an ecchi and isn't afraid to show it or cover it up with a riveting story.
Overall: A good job nonetheless.

Highschool of the Dead: 9.3/10

Looking back on my review, I might have slightly lowered the score; maybe an 8.8-9.1 would suffice, but what can you do? You can't change the past, now can you. Anyways, I felt they show was very well animated. Sharp and very clean animated scenes score big points for this show. I feel like the colours are very crisp and the fight scenes are very fluent. What else is there to say?
Overall: Very well done.

Ecchi:

Highschool DxD: B (note that AAR is the highest possible score)

In order to succeed here, a show must execute the deliverance of the ecchi in such a masterful way that the audience doesn't want it go away. This isn't to say that continuously blasting the audience with more and more boobs, panties, and more boobs, is "masterful", but it seems to be just enough. A "B" rating seems to be just an average rating, and well it is. Though DxD gains some points in its ability to use sex appeal in an attractive fashion and also in some comedic scenes, it lacks the ability to be smart. The smart showings of comedy and proper fanservice are overshadowed by the fact that the explicit scenes are used practically all the time. It's really hard to make yourself look smart, if you use such scenes all the time.
Otherwise, when comes to an ecchi, this shows a lot of explicit content. If you thought HotD showed a lot (well I guess it didn't show that much) then you're in for a surprise, cause DxD unloads boobs left and right. Though the amount of explicit activity can't be ignored, it can be seen as positive for those who enjoy it. And for those who don't, it can be seen as a negative. Personally I'm not such a big fan, but I can't use this as a judgement for rating for these exact reasons.
Overall: Ecchi, Boob.....the works

Highschool of the Dead: B++

Only a slightly better rating than DxD. It could have received a potential A had it not been for the bath scene. The bath scene is just so pointless and if I recall the most explicit of all the scenes in the show. I don't know why the creators had to ruin the show with such a useless bit of fanservice. Mixing in fanservice with action or comedy scenes is a much more efficient and appreciated. The show does use the fanservice in a good way, providing one of the weirdest, physics defying, funniest scenes I've seen in a while. (Of course, I'm talking about the gun-boob-matrix scene) Otherwise the show isn't too different in its usage of fanservice and is pretty well average overall. Some of the clothes ripping is kind of unnatural and somewhat of a hinderance to the show, but it isn't too big of a deal.
Overall: Matrix =good. Rest is okay. Just misses an A-

Action:

Highschool DxD: A

This is one of the departments where the show succeeded. The action scenes are very well animated and deserve credit. When looking at the action scenes in an ecchi (or many series these days for that matter), one cannot overlook the possibility of fanservice and panty shots. And, what do you know this show is chalk full of them. Included is a slew of panty shots, clothing ripping, bra busting,  clothing exploding, goodness that can only be described as Highschool DxD. But seriously, that slime "familiar" that melts clothes is downright hilarious. The screen time in this show is divided roughly half-and-half, with most of the beginning focusing on comedy/fanservice and the later parts focusing more on action scenes. I must say, that the action scenes are very well done, and perhaps the best animated scenes of the series, except for the aforementioned fanservice/borderline almost hentai-like scenes.
Overall: What DxD brings to the table is a weird story with some very surprising well animated action scenes.

Highschool of the Dead: A++

Once again HotD risen slightly over the top of DxD, and if anyone has disagreed so far, then know that this is my strongest argument. I genuinely believe that the action scenes in HotD than DxD. It would take a lot to convey me otherwise.

Anyways, coming into HotD I expected some very sexy looking action scenes and women. And, luckily enough I got what I expected and maybe even more. The action scenes are all over the place. The show is built on a thin plot, filled with loads of action, fanservice, and comedy to fill all the holes. And, it's not that bad at all. A lot of people say that if weren't for the fanservice, the show could have ranked much higher on many people's lists. And, well I totally agree. The action is just amazing. The gun shots are very slick, the sword smashing is very enjoyable and detailed with the zombie guts and blood, and the theatrics are overall just great. 
Overall: A great action series to pass the time

Enjoyment:

Highschool DxD: 8.01

Highschool DxD is a show that can be enjoyed fully, if you like the genre: Fanservice, Action, Comedy, Boobs. If any of these genres peek your interest then you might like the show. This is the type of show that you really need to just sit down, relax, and enjoy the show. You can't really look at it as a show that is purely fanservice and is nothing else. If the only purpose of the show was to show off the lovely few ladies with oversized breasts, then honestly I wouldn't be reviewing this. I feel that anyone going into the show needs to give it a fair chance, like they would any other anime. In general, I usually give a show 2-5 episodes before I decide if I want to continue or not. Actually there have been a couple times where I have put off a series after watching the first few episodes to watch later. (I wasn't in the mood to watch a sad series when I started "Ef Tale of Memories", so I put it off for a while and watched a comedy instead.) It doesn't take a lot to enjoy to the series, it just requires you to be able to ignore or enjoy the explicit content.
DxD, brings a combination of highs and lows in the enjoyment section:
Highs:
-Some very enjoyable comedy scenes, that play on the ecchi themes of the show
-Enjoyable action scenes that keep you waiting for the next
-Very colourful and bright colour scheme that is pleasing to watch
Cons:
-Fanservice is too explicit, and meaningless at times
-The introductory arch is too long and not very meaningful to the story
-Fanservice is too explicit, and meaningless at times...
Overall: Simple concept, great action and comedy scenes. Don't watch if you can't stand ecchis.

Highschool of the Dead: 8.87/10

HotD is a very enjoyable ride all the way through until the very non-existent ending. Although fanservice is scattered everywhere throughout this zombie-slaying adventure, there are still many points of enjoyments to be had. The great action scenes are definitely a plus to the shows gory and dark exterior. What's more this anime is really cool that the English dub is really well adapted to the North American scene. The dub is not only well done, but the enjoyment is feeling that these characters are not just anime characters, but they talk and act like us too. (...And then you look at the character boob size and hair colour and return to back to reality.
Obviously there is the problem of very annoying fanservice throughout the whole show. As an anime fan who loves fanservice in his anime, I have too say that this show somewhat disappoints in its excess of fanservice in annoyingly, bad places. Otherwise the show doesn't really have too much in an interesting story to peak any interests.
Overall: What I feel it does is provide action scenes in the correct places, but doesn't achieve this in the fanservice department. It messes a lot in its placement of fanservice, but I feel like that it does succeed in making me want more of it, in other scenes.


Results: 

                             Dxd  HotD
Art and Animation: 7.8  9.3
Ecchi:                     B    B++
Action:                   A    A++
Enjoyment              8.01 8.87


Well, I guess it's a clear cut victory for Highschool of the Dead...Maybe. What was looked at in this comparison was a few key points in comparing the two that are similar Comedy, Ecchi, Action, anime. In these key categories, I feel as though HotD has prevailed. Are these scores partly biased on my part, I won't rule that out. I definitely favour HotD over DxD, so maybe it swayed some of my decisions. I will say right now that I feel like DxD was more story-driven and I felt like it had more of a synergy with all of its events.

So I feel the there are 4 paths. 
1. You've read this review and you can't decide what to watch
2.You are in no way interested in these shows, but somehow stumbled upon this, and don't plan on watching any of these.
3.You will watch HotD, because of its awesome action, comedy, and fanservice. You really want to see the Japanese take on the ever so popular Zombie Apocalypse
4. You know about DxD's reputation for a very vigorous exploration of the human body. You are willing to take the crazy amounts and ready for a ride that is very balanced and well rounded in all aspects, except for the aforementioned fanservice.


Anyways hopefully you enjoyed and found this comparison post helpful and I wish you guys the best. As always don't forget to Rate, Comment, Follow, and CYA!

Anime Review: Highschool DxD

We are once again back with another glorious anime review. Today I will be reviewing Highschool DxD.

Synopsis:

• Issei Hyodo and his friends go to high school. The catch with this high school is that there is an unusually low amount of boys enrolled. In fact it seems that there could be less than 10 boys at the school in total. Now Issei is your average high school pervert who's only here for the girls. His goal: Have his own harem. He and his friends, Matsuda and Mohotama, are known amongst girls as huge perverts, and hence they don't have a girlfriend. One day, Issei gets asked out by a girl, who claims she watches him every day. At the end of their first date, she asks him to do her a favour. She asks him to, "Die for her!". And then... she proceeds to throw a giant spear into him and kill him. Just then, another woman, this time with scarlet hair shows up and wards off his "girlfriend". 
• He passes outand when he wakes up he is informed by this the scarlet-haired woman that he has been resurrected as a demon. She, is Rias Gremory, the president of the Acult Research Club and also the girl with some of the biggest "bozongas" in the school. She tells him that she is a devil and now that he has been reincarnated as one, he is her servant. Also, his "girlfriend" was actually a fallen angel, sent out to kill him for his "sacred gear". Now Issei has found himself in a battle between devils and angels and even fallen angels. This is the exilerating story of Issei that includes: Devils, Angels, Boobs, Fallen Angels, Crazy Priests, Boobs, Weird Adults Acting Like Girls, Boobs, Awesome Fights, Chess Pieces, Boobs, and also Butts. (And more Boobs.)

Plot:

• If this is your first time hearing about this show, then allow me give a fair warning to you. There is an obscene amount of explicit content. If you have read my review of High School of the Dead, then you would know that it had a fair amount of fanservice, with some minor explicit content. This show just kicks HOTD out the door and shows you explicit content like it's its job. Literally the first 2 seconds of the OP already has explicit content.
• Well, now that you have been warned of the obscene amounts of explicit fanservice in the show, we can get into the good stuff...
• The plot itself isn't the most original. Most of the episodes just feel like "fetch-quests" or filler. The plot doesn't really advance too much. Though, we are introduced somewhat to the "fallen angels", the series doesn't follow through enough to make this introduction worthwhile. I felt like the story to follow, although pretty decent, doesn't relate enough with the first few episodes.
• Now, the overall tone/atmosphere/mood of the show is something to be pay attention. The show is filled with incredulous amounts fanservice. Most shows that have fanservice, also have their fair share of serious moments, and this show is no different. The problem is that I felt really engaged in these scenes. I was rooting for the good (bad) guys; I wanted the characters to succeed. The controversy is that during these, super serious and plot developing scenes, the fanservice is still there. It's as if they didn't believe in their abilities to make a good plot and needed to include fanservice to supplement this. (Or I could just be absolutely crazy, and the producers are geniuses, because they know exactly what fans want.)

Overall: A very decent plot for an ecchi, but has some glaring weaknesses when it comes to serious vs. funny scenes.
Score: 5.7/10

Animation:

• The animation of this show is once again very well done. The show has some nice thin lines, around the characters. The colours are very bright and standout. The fanservice parts are of course very well done. Once again I don't have much too say except that it was good. And though the industry is used to this type of show, wherein this has become pretty much expected, credit must still be given where it is due.

Overall: Bold colouring+Fluid movements=Great Animation
Score: 7.8/10

Sound:

• Another category in which this show excels. What the show brings to the table, is a wide variety of tunes with also well, a wide variety of tunes. Throughout the adventure, the show has its funny moments, its sad moments, its intense moments (in bed...), and its action-packed moments. The soundtrack provides a plethora of different songs to fit all these needs. There is also a variety of songs, this allows their to be a lack of songs that are reused.
• As far as dubs go, once again I'm not too keen on the subject. Generally I like dubs over subs, even if people say that some dubs suck. Having said this, I really am not one to judge whether the dub was good or not, but here most people's opinions, it was rather well done. Hopefully, I'll start to get better at judging this, but for now I really don't know what to say except that I enjoyed it.
• The OP for this show is rather good. The music, for me anyways, does not really stand out too much.What I really liked was the the animation in the OP. It did a good job showcasing the show's "non-ecchi" points, and was overall a nice mix of scenes.
• The Ending, I liked far better than the OP. The song had a very catchy tune and I felt like it was a chance for the animators to just whatever they wanted to do. The references to cards, is a nice connection to the actual chess pieces in the show. Overall, this is the type of anime that I expected going in, but what I got was a nice mix of this and some serious, and some action scenes.
• Overall: Great variety in the soundtrack, with a decent OP and better Ending.

Score:
          Sound: 7/8
          Opening: 0.98/1.3
          Ending: 0.62/0.7
Totals: 8.6/10

Characters:

• The characters in this series are rather interesting but nothing unseen.
• The main character Issei  Hyodou, is a once again you’re average teenage pervert that gets stuck in between a war of angels and demons. Nothing new here. His character design is your rather typical spikey-haired, perverted, clumsy, male protagonist, who plays the role of a “pawn”. I felt like as a character he did develop rather well. His emotions developed and changed throughout the series. Also what I liked is that no matter how serious things got, he is still was still himself. (that is, the perverted and young boy attributes) Anyways that I think he was a well-rounded protagonist that saw some decent development, for an ecchi.
• Next we have the scarlett-haired, blazing-eyed, hunter…………..
• Next we have the red-haired and ever so beautiful, Rias Gremory. She is the most beautiful girl at the highschool and also the head of the Acult Research Club. She is the “king” and the head of the Gremory family, one of only three remaining families of devils left. As for character development, I don’t see too much to talk about. This is the problem when you start someone out as beautiful, tactful, and powerful as her, there isn’t much to change or get better at. I like to think of her as Issei’s “devil”. She is always there to give Issei orders and to help him. But, she herself seems unchanged and is always the boss/teacher type of character that doesn't really get better or worse. 
• The rest of the characters are just some of your everyday, anime stereotypes. (Ex: Koneko is the loli-cute girl, that actually possesses super strength.) They, receive little to no development and are just there to do there jobs, and maybe send Issei into some crazy dreams.
• One thing to note of is, is Kiba's noble. Kiba is the only other male in the Research Club and serves as the most attractive guy in school. His sacred gear is actually quite cool. Though nothing out of the ordinary, I really didn't expect it.
• Finally we'll take a look at the overall character design:
• Issei isn't really to original. He's our standard spiky-haired hero, nothing much else to say.
• Rias is  well very good looking, and also generally well designed. There isn't much about her that I can relate to another anime character. And this is good news.
• The other characters are all nothing nothing to ride home about, but they are all definitely very distinct. (There aren't any characters that look terribly alike, to which the show might have just used similar models)
• Overall: Many anime character, stereotypes, with some decent character development for only some characters.

Score: 6.8/10

Enjoyment:

• Now, this is the section I know you've all been waiting for. Did I enjoy this series? Well I'll tell you that I enjoyed the heck out of it. The combination of great sound, animation, good humour, and a decent character base, really allow it to flow into place. I will say, it's not my favourite show; it's not even in my top 15. (but then again I've only watched about 30 different anime) At the end of the day, it doesn't matter how great the story was, because you really got to turn off your brains and just enjoy what you have been given. It`s a very fun ride, and that is the reason I would suggest it to almost anyone who can tolerate the explicit content.

Overall: High enjoyable even if you aren`t a fan off ecchis.
Score: 8.01/10

Ending:

• The ending of Highschool DxD is decent. There isn`t anything too insane about it, it`s just a very solid ending. This ending leads to the end of season 1 and as you may already season 2 was released in the Summer 2013 Season of anime. I have yet to watch it, but according to many, it may have been better than the first. It was such a success that some people are speculating a 3rd season to proceed after the 2nd season has been dubbed,

Overall: Nothing spectacular, but it wraps a lot of things up, and still provides enough content for a second season.
Score: 7.4/10




Final Score:
Plot:                 5.7/10
Animation:       7.8/10
Sound:             8.6/10
Characters:      6.8/10
Enjoyment:      8.01/10
Ending:            7.4/10

Overall :          7.385/10

Conclusion:

What I want to make clear is that this numerical score is based off the review of someone who doesn't enjoy the explicit content produced by this ecchi. If you yourself are a fan of this kind of stuff, then you will find yourself enjoying a ton. It's a show that requires that extra step to get started and keep going, but will reward with a fairly enjoyable 12 episodes. Well that's all for today's anime review. Stay followed for more anime reviews and the like. As always, Rate, Comment, Follow, and CYA!

Recommendation System: B-

Though generally I would have liked to rate this higher, I cannot overlook the fact that this system must give a score based on any random anime fan's ability to enjoy it. The fact is that it is an ecchi. Let me rephrase that, it is quite literally a balls-to-the-walls filled with BOOBS. The reason this show is rated relatively high is because of the enjoyment. If you can look past all the cleavage/boobs/panties (though this could be kinda hard, because the camera seems to like to focus in on these things) then you will find yourself with an explosive, action and comedy series that's definitely worth the watch.