Aishiteruze Baby anime review

English: Love You Baby

Synonyms: Aishiteru ze Baby

Type: TV

Episodes: 26

Status: Finished Airing

Aired: Apr 3, 2004 to Oct 9, 2004

Producers: TMS Entertainment, Animax, Toei Video, Sunny Side Up

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance, Shoujo

Duration: 25 min. per episode

Rating: PG-13 - Teens 13 or older

I'll first do recommendation for those who are too busy to read all of a review. I recommend this anime for everyone who wants to watch something touching. Not really a romance, its more of a slice of life anime that should be able to find itself on everybody's list. Its an anime without grand events or drastic plot turns, its just goodness that keeps on going.

Kippei, an highschool goofy kid who spends most time slacking out and flirting with girls suddenly is entrusted with a 5 year old kid to take care of. This setup evolves into an incredibly heart warming story to cherish and rejoice, dealing with everyday problems of raising a child and struggling with his own carelessness and ineptitude Kippey becomes attached to yuzuyu quickly and tries his best to make her happy. Dealing with a child everyday brings many worries and consumes most of his time but also makes him grow into a mature responsible person. 

The innocence of a child and how they perceive the daily events creates an amazing charisma towards this relation, dramatic scenes further enhances the feelings creating an intricate empathy towards the situation and drawing the viewer into it. Further along theres a touch of romance that fits perfectly as a symbiotic situation to the main plot. The main female characters (yuzuyu and Kokoro) are just overflowing with cuteness, their sad hearts makes you want to comfort them understanding perfectly how kippey matures for the sake of them.

Another strong suit of Aishiteruze Baby, the three main characters involved are all characters that you can root for and most importantly beleivable. There are many anime's that try to oversell certain characteristics of characters, sometimes almost to the point of overkill but there is nothing like that in Aishiteruze. The characters were just great! I don't want to spoil anything for anybody but I just wanted to add that Kokoro is, I think, the only main female character that I haven't found annoying in some aspect. Her character plays her personality very well and everything is fitting. Definently not some simple female character with some haunted past or one dimensional issue that in a big turn of events get solved and falls head over heels for the main male character

Technically the characters have a particular drawing style in which the drawings and animation are watchable but not on par with the latest animes. I enjoyed personally some still shots on key moments that portrays how a sweet memory is engraved into the mind in my opinion.

Like the animation, the in anime sound track is very simple. I hardly noticed it while watching it. Music is used very liberally but enhances certain scenes. The voice actresses/actors? for Yuzuyu and Kokoro were perfect in my opinion and made the anime that much better. Titled Sunny Side Up is one of the best opening songs I have heard. I never, ever, fast fowarded past it and listening to it gave me feelings akin to the opening song of Fruits Baskets. 

I really, really enjoyed this anime. Its a type of anime that you can just watch at anytime and in any mood. It should cheer you up! Its a pity that more people haven't watched this anime so hopefully this review can change that.

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Sukitte Ii na yo Anime review

English: Say "I Love You".

Synonyms: Suki-tte Ii na yo., Sukinayo

Type: TV

Episodes: 13

Status: Finished Airing

Aired: Oct 7, 2012 to Dec 30, 2012

Producers: Starchild Records, Kodansha, Zexcs, Magic Capsule, Sentai FilmworksL, Yomiuri Advertising, GANSIS

Genres: Romance, School, Shoujo

Duration: 24 min. per episode

Rating: PG-13 - Teens 13 or older

Check out the manga review here

Oh how I wanted to say, I love you to Sukitte Ii na yo... but I just can’t because you’re a flat two dimensional romance that just didn’t live up to my expectations.  It’s hard for me to be too hard on the romance anime plot premise, I mean they have pretty much already all been done before and they are all mostly silly as well. Suki na yo is no different, with the unlikely story of the hot and most popular guy in school falling for a shy, friendless loner who kicked him down the stairs because she mistakenly thought he flipped her skirt. The beginnings of true and lasting love if I ever saw it. The girl Mei, and the boy Yamato, both have some interesting personality issues on the surface and despite the silliness of their meeting there was some enormous amount of potential in their relationship. However this is sadly mostly wasted over the course of the story.

Now here is where Suki na yo is a bit different from its other romance cousins. For the most part our lead characters are in a relationship together from the beginning to the end of the series. The typical format is 99% courting with the eventual payoff at the end when our little lovebirds finally realize their mutual affections. While it can often be frustrating when it is drug out with silly misunderstandings and character cockblocks at least by then we have a clear understanding why they both love each other. The show is called Say I love you, but it should probably more aptly called Say why I love you.

Even though I have some pretty serious complaints about the way the shows romance and plot unfolds, I can’t say I didn’t enjoy watching this series. But when you compare it with its peers within the genre and even shows that were airing during the same time as this, it comes across as distinctly average and ordinary.

Much in the same way as the story is underwhelming, so are the series main characters. A romance is by nature very character driven and if we don’t get compelling leads it’s pretty difficult to care if they end up falling in love with each other. Mei is your standard "everyman" kind of girl typical in shoujo romances. She’s cute, though not particularly beautiful, and pretty much average in every other way. She’s a nice girl with a strong spirit but very vulnerable as well. Exactly the kind of girl most people can relate too and can root for as well. It’s sweet how she slowly comes out of her shell and makes friends and learns to trust people again as well. Even though this mostly comes across pretty corny and clichéd. Though hell I like corny and clichéd anyway.

Yamato is less interesting and in many ways is also your typical bishounen leading man. Though I will give him some credit for breaking the trend and not being a cold, aloof, and unfeeling jerk. You get the feeling most of the time he has genuine feelings for Mei but at other times he’s actions around her seemed to be a bit condescending and they he was treating her more like a pet and as an equal partner. I felt some aspects of his personality were also very inconsistent, especially later in the series. For a guy who came across as supremely confident he was surprisingly weak willed at times and his distrust of Mei's feelings at times was implausible considering what the pair had been through to that point already.

The supporting cast is the weakest link though and stereotypical shoujo fair. This plays in to the weakness of the plot but basically the same themes are repeated multiple times over the course of the story. Girl appears, of course hopefully in love with Yamato, drama unfolds, girl is rejected and our leads love continues. And the rejected gets new love and becomes best friends with our dear Mei. While I mostly liked the supporting characters they simply lack the depth for them to be actually interesting. Then of course you have to look past the unlikelihood that two romantic rivals are going to be besties afterwards, particularly when one side was involved in some pretty nasty schemes and bullying.

Despite all these flaws though what Suki na yo really does best is both its artwork and musical soundtrack. Both are typical of the genre but I really did love both of the songs. The seiyuu cast is comprised of mostly veterans but none of them are real stars. I thought they did solid, if unspectacular work. While the artwork may not be a masterwork, it is very fluid and reality based, with clothes and body types that stay in the realm of possibility.

Even though in the end I have quite a few complaints about Suki na yo, it’s still a good watch. If you’re really starved, as I was, for a romance anime with a sweet ending and are not demanding to be shown some that’s never been seen before then you should have a good time with it as well.

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Kodomo no omocha Anime review

English: Child's Toy

Synonyms: Kodocha

Type: TV

Episodes: 102

Status: Finished Airing

Aired: Apr 5, 1996 to Mar 27, 1998

Producers: TV Tokyo, Studio Gallop, FUNimation EntertainmentL, NAS, Pony Canyon

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance, Shoujo

Duration: 22 min. per episode

Rating: PG-13 - Teens 13 or older

Check out the Manga review here

So ya XD I think Kodocha is spectacular. It's amazing and just blows me away. It's one of those animes that make me go crazy that I'm smashing my computer with a big smile on my face because it's SUCH a good anime I can't handle it and go insane. What else can I say? I first stumbled onto this anime I just thought it was annoying, kiddy, and pointless. But I decided to take the time to stap myself to the couch and watch the anime from the top, and I am SO glad that I did. But I happened to read Manga too and Manga is more awesome than Anime. I mean they dragged the manga into 102 episodes in anime bye introducing many subplots and new characters which are never been in manga.

Sana Kurata has a charmed life. Not only is her mother is a famous, award-winning writer, but she's the star of the hit TV comedy "Child's Toy" while still in the fifth grade. But Sana's biggest concern is Akito Hayama, a pint-sized hellion who's organized the boys in their grade-school class into a mass of unending noise and violence. With the help of Rei, her manager, chauffeur and "pimp," Sana is determined to win back control of the classroom from her new arch-enemy. But as her crusade continues, Sana moves further into Akito's life, and finds that he might not be entirely bad...or entirely safe. 

The story was interesting enough to create an addict out of me. There are a lot of interesting plot points. I suppose there is no singular plot, but there are little "plotlets" that somehow connect in a weird way. In other words, when one problem is resolved, another one forms. It may seem like another cutesy shojo anime, but there are a lot of serious moments as well. 

Although the length allows for some amazing development of Sana et-al, I can’t help but feel the show would have been better suited to a 26 episode affair, rather than the epic 102 marathon with many Hayama-less sections. A little perseverance through the stodge, and the viewer is treated to a family friendly romp that will appeal to a wide range of ages.

Komocha, as an older series, does not treat the viewer to stunning visuals and gorgeous landscapes. Unfortunately, this will be the turn-off for many of those “anime connoisseurs” who only watch animation from this century: there is no HD and the characters are quite frankly fugly, especially in the latter half of the series. Simplistic lines and muted colouring techniques go hand in hand with saucer-sized eyes that dominate 50% of someone’s face. It’s not terrible by any means, and Sana’s wardrobe changes are frankly adorable. However, the lack of fluidity and repeated use of ascii-style facial reactions prevent me from awarding a higher score.

Easily the strongest part of the show, the characters and their delicate interactions are frankly touching, especially that between Hayama and Sana. Their inability to communicate heartfelt feelings is both frustrating and adorable, even more so when new love interests are introduced and the two praised apart. The supporting cast don’t play a particularly large part in Kodomo no Omocha, but there are a significant number of memorable personalities, such as Sana’s pimp Rei (yes, pimp), or the insecure Tsuyoshi who plays the trumpet whenever he feels down.

Sana Kurata is a perfect example. She is, in fact, pretty annoying because of how dense she is, but in a way, you can actually accept that o_o; And the main reason for the acceptance of Sana is cuz she's just freakin hilarious. She just is. But her age set is perfect because when it comes to stuff like, the way she believes in loving someone with almost a 10 year age difference, you can see all the flaws but still understand why Sana believes she's in love. If she was in high school, you'd think that it's plain dumb for a teen to be in love with some 30 year old. Sana can get away with a lot of stuff due to her age. Hopefully I'm making sense here o__o;;

The character I am MOST impressed by is Akito Hayama. He's so well done and developed so perfectly, it almost scares me how the author can come up with such a character o_o 

See... Akito is one of those quiet, reserved characters and so damn mature for his age. I like how he's laid back but it doesn't annoy me. Because I usually think those kind of characters are cliche and annoying because they're EVERYWHERE, but there's something about Akito that doesn't make him so cliche. He's a wreckless trouble maker, but from most trouble makers, you'd expect them to be loud and obnoxious, but Akito isn't. I think that's the thing that makes him unique, really cool  o__o; With his personality, you can do a hell lot with him which makes him one of the best, flexiable characters you can think of in a story. I especially love his development throughout the anime. It's amazing how much an impact Sana put into his life. The way the author shows Akito's family life, how you can tell he's going to fall for Sana but when it happens you're ACTUALLY surprised by it XD It's just perfect. 

Every single one of the Omocha opening tracks initially saw me pulling a face in disgust as the overly sweet tones permeated my brain. However, a view of the entire cast dancing in formation Broadway-stylee made something originally so wrong suddenly seem oh so right. The seiyuu for Sana is absolutely perfect, expressing both her hyperactivity and vulnerability without being excessively annoying. Her singing and rapping is absolutely hilarious, and totally out of place most of the time, adding to the overall crazy feel of the show.

I obviously enjoy this anime. Don't need to make a big paragraph on that XD I HIGHLY recommend this to girls. Guys, I'm not so sure o_o; But I guarantee you, you'll like this anime. This anime has the PERFECT amount of drama. It's not too serious and deep, BUT it's not dumb and cliche what-so-ever. In fact, it's extremely very well thought out. This kind of amount is perfect for me. So... watch Kodocha XD

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Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun Anime review

English: My Little Monster

Synonyms: Tonari no Kaibutsukun, The Monster Next Door, My Neighbor Monster-kun

Type: TV

Episodes: 13

Status: Finished Airing

Aired: Oct 2, 2012 to Dec 25, 2012

Producers: TV Tokyo, Aniplex, Brains Base, NAS, Kodansha

Genres: Comedy, Romance, School, Shoujo, Slice of Life

Duration: 24 min. per episode

Rating: PG-13 - Teens 13 or older

Tonari no Kaibutsu-Kun- This is what happens when a school delinquent thinks he is friends with a hard working student. We get a whole lot of comedy and romance out of it.

Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun, to be blunt, is an amazing love story.The two main characters, Shizuku and Haru, make up a hilarious dynamic duo. They are both socially awkward, combined with the fact that they have no earthly idea of how a relationship works. This is actually a big positive, simply because the story avoids all the generics in your typical relationship cycle. Skip the “fated encounter”, the “commonalities”, the “date”, the “predicament”, the “make up”, and the “confession”. Haru and Shizuku are simply oblivious to the norm, which allows them to clearly speak their minds. Imagine blurting out everything you think and how ridiculously entertaining that would be. This is one of the primary reasons why the characters in Tonari are so lovable and funny.

The storyline for Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun seems like your typical run of the mill girl meets boy and falls in love scenario. However, the thing is the creators put an interesting twist in that the one of main characters, Haru, thinks he is now friends with the other main character, Shizuku, because she gave him his lessons since he was absent from class. Both characters are worlds apart in terms of personality, and both tend to cause trouble for each other. As each episode progresses we see that instead of Shizuku falling for Haru in an instant, they both have a juggling affair with how they actually feel about one another. Some moments they can’t stand each other, and some moments they don’t want to be apart. It is actually a great change of pace from the norm. The storyline also makes use of many comical occasions that push it along. Another thing is that the storyline doesn’t take place at school all the time like many other romance/comedy school dramas, so we as the viewer aren’t bombarded with the overuse of school drama clichés.

Characters are one of the highpoints in Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun. Shizuku is a girl who only cares about her grades and pretty much nothing else. Her character personality has a somewhat reluctant nature. It can be seen as straightforward and mean sometimes. Haru is the kind of guy who seems like a brutish delinquent. He is kind of anti-social, selfish and has a somewhat dirty mind. But there’s a lot more to him than that. These kinds of main characters have been done before but Tonari just does them so well. Tonari makes each character feel like they have an original quality to them. Each of the two main characters has great development, and has their moments in each episode. I like the comedy that each one produces especially during the awkward conversations. Shizuku and Haru still are able to regain their composures to produce some serious dialogues at many points.

However, some of the supporting characters seem to be forgotten in the plot. Many of them are likeable (like Asako, Chizuru to name a couple) but the thing is most of them don’t develop, or barely develop, which in my opinion is disappointing because a lot of them are as interesting as the two main characters. At least all characters provide a great amount of humor, and even though they aren’t being brought out to their fullest, the supporting characters don’t detract from the main storyline.

With the art and animation  aspect of the show is done exceptionally well. Character models are nice to look at because of how highly detailed they are. Backgrounds are also giving this treatment too. One thing that I liked about this anime in particular is the attention giving to color. The colors are done so that everything has a certain natural look to it. This art style has a great amount of color in just the right amounts, which means that the color saturation is varied and looks great. The animation is solid as well. I didn’t notice any weird instances of jerkiness or anything like that. In short Tonari no Kaibutsu-Kun is a great looking anime

Tonari no Kaibutsu-Kun has a good soundtrack. It’s not the best but it gets the job done. The OSTs used have mostly a playful theme. Some of them have a suspenseful or gloomy tone depending on what is going on in the scene. The opening and the ending both have a nice upbeat and playful undertone just like most of the OSTs. I thought both suited the overall nature of the anime nicely. Both were pretty catchy as well. The voice actors portray their characters with extreme ease so that they don’t feel out of place. Overall the music and VAs used offers a refreshing mood to those who are watching.

Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun is enjoyable to people who want a great laugh. For me Tonari has a good amount of jokes that where not all one type as seen in many other anime of this genre. The only thing left to say is that it’s a good way to spend 30 minutes, and if you’re feeling down this anime is bound to cheer you up. 

This anime is one of the best hits this season. The storyline is great, the artwork and animation is awesome, and the characters are funny to watch. It offers an amazing overall experience, and most people who watch want be disappointed.

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