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Synopsis:
Unlike most schools, Rikkyouin Academy has a different way of electing it's student council. Instead of the traditional voting process they use a lottery to determine what positions will be held and by whom. Once elected however, each student must complete a variety of tasks set before them but these tasks can range anywhere from the mundane up to dealing with robots, aliens, spies, and even terrorism. Failure, is not an option as it results in immediate expulsion. Chihiro Enomoto's lottery drawing, to become the next candidate for student council president has just brought his string of bad luck to an end... maybe.
Reviewer: Endosanity
Number of episodes watched: 12
Review:
Kujibiki Unbalance is an anime that tries to go a slightly different route in telling it's story by combining it's nonsensical story elements and confused characters and attempts to put everything into a comedy routine... but in the end it turns out to be less than humorous. When you put all this together, don't be surprised if you're asking yourself "What's the point of this show?" to which the answer would be, there is none. The only underlying plot-line that is even note worthy is seeing if Chihiro has what it takes to become the next student-council president or will he give up and fail in his endeavor. The thing is that when watching this show you see how these kids have to deal with some bizarre and practically life-threatening situations, but unfortunately, the characters that this anime drops into these half-baked scenarios are uninteresting and have no forceful screen presence. This leaves you feeling indifferent and not really caring if they will complete a task or fail and the end result isn't all that funny even though this anime really tries to lean more towards comedy in the overall scope of things.
The animation is typical but putting that with a lame group of school kids that are making their way through a hodge-podge of odd-ball tasks from episode to episode, the end result doesn't provide many laughs and the entire show is easily forgettable. Actually, I can't think of any worthwhile aspect of this show to even convince you to pick it up to begin with.
Kujibiki Unbalance (opening)
Recommendation: |Low|
Media type: DVD
From: Anime Works
Spoken languages: English;Japanese
Subtitles: English
Synopsis:
A thousand years ago the God of Destruction, Enka, said that it's child would destroy the world. To prevent this the Great Japanese Empire Paranormal Phenomena Bureau of Measures assigns one man, Ouka Midarezaki, to protecting the Earth from this threat. However, instead of fighting against some powerful being the bureau decides to gather all the beings of the Earth thought to be the child of Enka and have them live together as a family in hopes of teaching them through love of family that the Earth should not be destroyed. Ouka is then forced to marry Kyouka Midarezaki... a god from the underground kingdom called Shangri-la and inherits a family consisting of Hyouka the biological weapon, Teika the lion, Yuuka the daughter of a demon family, Ginka the gay son of a Yakuza clan, and Gekka the... jellyfish. Later they are joined by Chika who is Yuuka's sister but doesn't carry any of Enka's DNA. This crazy mismatched family not only stays together to protect the world from themselves but also anyone else who threatens life on Earth.
Reviewer: Endosanity
Episodes watched: 26
Review:
Whoa! What a wild idea and it worked well in the beginning but as the series went on it seemed to lose some of it's flair. I thought this anime was going to go in the comedic direction but other than a few laughs every couple of episodes it wasn't all that funny and the series wanted to use more of a 'crazy anime' type of angle which worked out okay. It sort of felt like that the show was running out of ideas towards the end of the series leaving things kind of flat and predictable in a sense. A new enemy appears, Kyouka talks a mile a minute, the family goes into a 'frenzy' and overcomes all odds, lather, rinse, repeat. Where this anime really shines though is the character depth as it dedicates 2 episodes to each member of the Cozy Family explaining their past, present, and acceptance into modern society. Even the ending themes that were sung by each member of the family was a nice touch.
Look at it this way, it's a decent show and I still say watch it, but don't go into it expecting a whole lot because what you see in the first few episodes is pretty much what the entire series is like. Giving you standard fare animation and an off-the-wall plot, Kyouran Kazoku Nikki still falls into the 'one time viewing' category.
Kyouran Kazoku Nikki (opening)
Recommendation: |Above Average|
Synopsis:
After a seven year absence, Yuichi Aizawa, returns to the city of Moriguchi to stay with his cousin Nayuki Minase and her mother for the new school year. He meets Nayuki after returning to town and she takes him on a tour but when Nayuki says she has to stop at the store to pick up a few things Yuichi says he'll wait outside but while waiting he is knocked over by a girl running from something, she then quickly grabs him by the hand and pulls him into a nearby cafe. She says her name is Ayu Tsukimiya and explains that she inadvertently stole a bag of taiyaki (A Japanese fish-shaped waffle. The most common filling is red bean paste that is made from sweetened azuki beans.) after being scared away before paying and that's when she ran into him. Yuichi scolds her saying that wasn't the smartest thing to do and says he'll pay for the taiyaki if she apologizes to the vendor she stole it from. After settling her debt, Ayu then says she must go home but will meet with Yuichi again, he then goes and meets up with Nayuki back at the store. The next day Yuichi goes to school and meets a few of Nayuki's friends that seem to remember him but Yuichi has no recollection of who these people are or how he came to know them. With this group of people somehow sharing a past he tries to remember how he came to know everyone through his own acts of selflessness.
Reviewer: Endosanity
Number of episodes watched: 24
Review:
Kanon is a mysterious story of unresolved pasts and the shroud of the unknown is slowly lifted throughout the series by watching Yuichi's actions. Whether he's doing it for the sake of his own knowledge or because he truly cares for those around him is determined by the viewer. This is a very intriguing series that brings forth memories of the past and represents them in the form of symbolism which is very effective in showing the power of which memories present if they are let go. The characterization is extremely deep since everything relies on the past and watching Yuichi recall how each person he comes in contact with is linked to his past is quite original and even may tug at a few heartstrings as everything isn't always a bed of roses. The animation is superb and plot is refreshingly original even if it is a drama mixed with somewhat of an unexpected romance... I give it one of my highest recommendations as it's one of the best series I have ever seen. But hey, who here *hasn't* seen this anime? If you haven't then leave this place now, go watch it, and don't come back till you're done with all 24 episodes. Full viewing of Kanon 2006 is mandatory... okay, so I made that up but that gives you an idea of how excellent Kanon really is
Kanon 2006 (opening)
Kanon 2006 (closing)
Recommendation: |Very High|
Available at FUNimation's website:
Kanon (2006) once again, shitty dub only
Media type: DVD
From: ADV/FUNimation
Spoken languages: English;Japanese
Subtitles: English
Synopsis:
Girl's High (High School Girls) is an anime series that is nothing more than following six friends through one year of high school. It shows the viewer how girls act when only amongst themselves and if I'd known women were this uninhibited then I need to find a time machine and go back to my high school years and pay more attention. It touches upon subjects like first day of school, physicals, friendship, dating (or lack there-of I should say), lesbianism, sibling rivalry, blackmailing teachers, bikini waxing each other, festivals, and even touches upon... date rape.
Reviewer: Endosanity
Number of episodes watched: 12
Review:
I'll admit, I started watching Girl's High for the title alone because... well... I'm a pervert and the name intrigued me. After watching the show for a bit I started to lose interest as the story seemed far too typical and the animation was nothing special but I decided to ride it out anyway. The thing with this show is that it seems to know when it loses the viewers attention and throws out some fanservice and ecchi-type situations at just the right time to keep your interest. This series has no qualms about about it's fanservice loaded ecchiness and puts it in your face because I did find my mind wandering from watching girls talk about everyday life but then I was given a bit of fanservice and it brought me back. It's loaded with comedy but alot of it feels borrowed and relies too much on the fanservice or sexually related bad comedy aspect to come across as funny which would make me laugh at times or get a sigh the next, it was hit or miss. I will give this series props for poking fun at the heavily cliched "love at first sight" that plagues some anime and really buries it in the ground and that managed to get a chuckle or two out of me every time. The animation is typical so nothing special there and character depth is kept to a minimum since this is more slice-of-life style story telling mainly focusing on the present and I would only recommend it if you want an inside view of how girls act behind the scenes when put with a comical routine, as for me... I liked it I suppose. I still say give it a try as it's only 12 episodes but it's nothing you'll remember in the long run.
Girl's High (opening)
Girl's High (closing)
Recommendation: |Average|
Online viewing: Available at Crunchyroll -
Girls High (English subtitled)
Media type: DVD
From: Anime Works
Spoken languages: Japanese
Subtitles: English
*Note - Due to poor video quality, I wish the streaming version was available somewhere other than at Crunchyroll but... there you go. I've said it before and I'll say it again... Hey, what do you want for free?
Synopsis:
Every day that Makato Ito takes the train to school he admires a girl named Kotonoha Katsura, who rides the same train, from afar. After taking her picture with his cell phone, Sekai Saionji, notices him admiring her picture during class and starts teasing him and asking questions about her and if Makoto likes Kotonoha. Makoto admits he does have a crush on her but is reluctant to pursue his emotions so Sekai decides to make it her duty to help Makoto and Kotonaha get together. With some name dropping and coy word play she manages to get Kotonaha to agree to a date with Makoto. Though Makoto is extremely grateful to Sekai for her help she tells him that he is going to owe her, big time, but before she boards the train home Sekai then steals a kiss from Makoto and tells him that this will do and his debt has now been paid in full.
Reviewer: Endosanity
Number of episodes watched: 12 (OVAs were unrelated to the overall story so I didn't include them.)
Review:
I can honestly say that School Days is unlike any anime I've come across. This anime takes a simplistic plot of high school romance and it adds all the things that you don't want to watch twisting it into a gut-wrenching drama that will have a terrible outcome but the thing is, the viewer already knows this but will continue to watch regardless.
School Days does something that most anime don't in that it makes you despise the main character Makoto and therefore hate the series overall, not because of bad animation, not because of a poorly scripted plot, but because of characters that are truly despicable and it does nothing to hide this fact, if a girl shows interest in Makoto he doesn't get all timid and embarrassed about it but instead leaps at any chance that he gets and to make things worse, every girl easily accepts this ruse and it will sometimes genuinely piss you off. You may be fooled by it's innocent exterior but School Days will take you by the hand and lead you down a an unlit staircase that delves into despair, hatred, depression, irrational outcomes, but the worst part of it is you won't be able to stop watching as you're always hoping to see the light at the end of the tunnel that you may realize... is a fleeting desire.
The animation is about the average fair, the plot is a trap, but the characterization is of the type you can't stand and the sad thing is... that's the whole point of the show. You may not like the this series at all but ask yourself this... are you hating School Days because it just plain sucks or are you hating it because it wants you to? Although it's hard for me to recommend School Days I am still gonna say, watch it at least once because there really is no other anime like it.
School Days (opening)
Recommendation: |Above Average|
Online viewing: Available at Crunchyroll -
School Days (English subtitles)
*Note - Due to adult content, you may have to verify your date of birth to watch.
Media type: Crunchyroll free internet streaming
From: Crunchyroll
Spoken languages: Japanese
Subtitles: English
*Note - Use the Firefox web browser combined with AdBlock Plus to block all website and in-video ads when using Crunchyroll's free streaming service. Purchasing a premium membership at Crunchyroll is not recommended at this time due to poor playback quality and a very minimal buffering allowance for videos (Often times, less than a minute) in the media player causing video lag and/or stuttering issues. Use the free service and keep your wallet closed.
Synopsis:
Taking shelter from a rainstorm at a nearby shrine, Keiichiro finds a young android girl that has been thrown out and left amongst the garbage to be hauled away. Keiichiro decides to take her with him and stops by a local repair shop on the way home to see if there is anything that can be done. Unfortunately, the shop owner tells him that due to her being such an old model that parts are no longer available. But, instead of returning her to the trash pile, Keiichiro takes her home anyway and stores her in the closet only to wake the next day to the smell of breakfast being cooked by his new found companion.
Reviewer: Endosanity
Number of episodes watched: 1 (That's it, one small 28 minute OVA)
Review:
Upon watching this I was curious as to how much could be done in a single, slightly less then a half-hour, episode. To my surprise, I got one compelling little tale that presented more of a story than most full anime series out there. Kowarekake no Orgel manages to show you how Keiichiro finds Flower (the android) and even how she got in the trash in the first place but doesn't waste a lot of time on that in order to also show you how Flower affects Keiichiro's life. Through her own innocent curiosity about life and her owner she inadvertently brings him out of seclusion and his return to perusing life as a musician, a dream that Keiichiro decided to abandon long ago. And even though you'll enjoy Flower's cuteness combined with Keiichiro's laid-back attitude don't be surprised when you consistently feel the cloud of despair hanging over your head knowing that Flower's time... is limited.
Wonderful animation combined with hand-painted backgrounds and a very well thought out story presented remarkably for it's small time-span, Kowarekake no Orgel is a magnificent one-time viewing experience. Don't pass on this.
Recommendation: |High|
Synopsis:
Hikikomori, a person who has withdrawn from social life and seeks total isolation and refuses to leave their homes. Sato Tatsuhiro is one such person. Living off an allowance supplied by his parents, feeding himself with instantly prepared foods, and constantly thinking about how everyone is out to belittle him, as he is unable to cope with any type of social rejection. However, one day he is visited by a strange girl named Misaki who claims that she can cure him of his condition, but only if he signs a contract saying that if he refuses counseling or fails to redeem himself after it's over he is subject to a penalty... one million yen.
Reviewer: Endosanity
Number of episodes watched: 24
Review:
Wow, and I though *I* was anti-social... Welcome to the N.H.K. follows the life of a complete shut-in, or NEET (Not in Employment, Education, or Training) because he has a fear of social rejection. However, when he is given that one chance of salvation, Welcome to the N.H.K. steers clear of any type of predictability in that even though the answer is right in front of Sato's face in the form of a girl willing to cure his mental illness he chooses a different path. Instead, Sato tends to plague his own life with an onset of constant failures. This is where I sort of have to commend the show on it's dark comedy element as you watch Sato try to take on every easy out he can find but it never works in his favor. Through this you see how Sato causes his own downward spiral of social depravity but the thing is that it's only happening in his own mind where as the real world around him could care less making Sato come across as a very unlikable character. You will practically feel no sympathy for since everything that happens is basically a result of his own laziness but luckily, it's the supporting characters of Welcome to the N.H.K. that help make up for Sato's own stupidity and balance things out. But through their contact with Sato you will also get to see how he indirectly brings out everyone's dark side or what skeletons they have been hiding in the closet that they must ultimately face.
Welcome to the N.H.K. doesn't follow the typical anime set of plot devices but instead does everything completely opposite giving you a somewhat original story with a moderately despicable main character. But you'll see Sato grow mentally as every scheme he tries to use to make life easier always ends in failure and he learns that there is no easy way through life.
Welcome to the N.H.K. (opening)
Recommendation: |Average|
Online viewing: Available at FUNimation's website -
Welcome to the N.H.K. (shit dub only)
Media type: DVD
From: ADV/FUNimation
Spoken languages: English;Japanese
Subtitles: English
