Dragonmack

while Strike the Blood is pretty much a standard harem anime, the fact the main character isn't a loser douche the whole series, and higher quality art, while not groundbreaking, does help to set it above most of the harem animes I have seen ( and I have seen a lot!) Storywise, it is basic, but it does have excellent action scenes, and does reverse things somewhat as its not the human male amongst the monster\alien girls as most other fantasy\sci harem animes are, its actually him as the monster( aka vampire) among the human girls ( although bad ass, shrine priestess powered) types. It's what is is supposed to be. Excellent entertainment that you enjoy watching and don't mind watching again down the road. You won't praise it as the pinnacle of anime, but you would recommend it as something to enjoy.

Yeah, I was actually surprised by how much I enjoyed it, pretty much marathoning the whole 25 episodes over 2 days. I did watch the dub version, simply because I'm lazy sometimes and don't want to have to read what I am watching Also been watching HunterXHunter for a couple weeks now ( about 80 episodes in of the 140 or so they currently have and found it to be not as childish as I assumed it would be. Theres actually some darkness in it, which is somewhat surprising since the main characters are 13 yr old boys ( although one was trained to be an assassin all his life ) I'd say its probably between good Naruto and better than One Piece in terms of animation and story so its definitely worth checking out.

I honestly think most sports animes of this type can't help but start climbing to the superpowered levels the longer they run as each new challenge has to be tougher than the last to continue the 'struggle to overcome' storyline. If they go back and have the 'hero team' struggle against a team that has weaker skills than what they already overcame, it would be really jarring and lose a lot of immersion factor. But like you said, its the overall story and the characters that can make it entertaining and worth watching, even though true realism of the sport has left the building. Other sports animes that may interest people who enjoyed Kuroko's that are playing on Crunchyroll now are Haikyuu- highschool volleyball Baby Steps- Tennis ( actually tries to stay more realistic in the approach, and the main character , unlike Prince of Tennis, is more of a regular person who has to work hard and progress to get to the level of his opponents.)

I find Crunchyroll good for getting the current season animes, but it is by no means a complete inventory of animes. They even have several animes where they only have one season of , even though multiple seasons have been released. To be able to see all the animes that may interest you, you really have to cultivate multiple sources, some paid, some not. I have one site I go to for stuff I can't find via Crunchyroll or Netflix, but even that site doesn't have everything and I have had to search the internet a few times to track down an anime I wanted to watch via some fansub site.

new ones from this season I am following so far ( new being brand new this summer season and not continuations from spring) Free- Endless summer Bladedance of Elementalers Akame ga Kill Invaders of the Ryokujyoma Persona 4 the Golden Animation Sword Art Online- the GGO saga All of these have got me interested enough to keep following them

been catching up on some anime on Netflix and Crunchyroll. Rosario + Vampire on Netflix - standard harem fanservice anime. Not great but entertaining. Is lighter faire than the manga its from Kaze no Stigma on Netflix- Although reviews are so-so I actually found it quite good. 24 episode first season. Unfortunately, there wont be anymore as the writer for the manga died in 2009. Good artwork, above the normal level of anime. Both this and the previous one have English dubs as well, from Funimation. Chaika the Coffin Princess - Crunchyroll Aired during the spring season, with the 2nd season coming in fall. I thought it was fairly good and am looking forward to the next season.

Just finished watching the first season of No Game No Life on Crunchyroll, and I highly recommend it. Although it does go heavy with fanservice comedy ( given that one of the main protagonists is an 18 yr old virgin gamer) it doesn't detract from the overall story where he and his sister lead another worlds version of humanity against 15 other races, all deemed more powerful than humanity, and to challenge a god in a world where there is no murder or robbery and all disputes are settled by games.

<p>Infinite Stratos is decent too, a mix of harem and mecha. but only season 2 is on Crunchyroll. You'd have to see season one elsewhere, which I recommend seeing first because otherwise, season 2 wont make much sense.</p><p> </p><p> Also Valvrave the Liberator from a couple seasons ago. its on crunchyroll and is good.</p>

<p>I haven't yet, although now I will check it out. a couple I have enjoyed from this season's anime so far are </p><p> The Irregular at Magic high and Black Bullet </p><p> Irregular at magic high combines spy action and intrigue along with usual Japanese high school anime but I found it interesting and with good artistic design</p><p> </p><p> Black bullet follows a similar theme to Attack of the Titans with mankind in a battle with fearsome monsters that have devastated most of earth but it has some interesting characters ( and super-powered lolis who kick ass <img alt="" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/biggrin.png.929299b4c121f473b0026f3d6e74d189.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> ).</p>

<p>the last couple of seasons have had a lot of surprisingly good sports animes.</p><p> </p><p> And unlike Prince of Tennis ( and the way Kuroko's is going, although I really enjoy that series too) its not with the super powered abilities.</p><p> </p><p> Currently on Crunchyroll is</p><p> Ace of Diamonds - baseball rookie pitcher trying to become the Ace on a strong high school team</p><p> </p><p> Haikyuu - Volleyball - two freshmen help revitalize a team back to their former glory</p><p> </p><p> Baby Steps - Tennis - a bookworm student starts taking tennis lessons and , through his unique study methods, seeks to improve to the level of the top local players. This one is completely different than Prince of Tennis as its far more realistic in depicting tennis skills, and not the over the top skills Prince of Tennis devolved into.</p><p> </p><p> Even if you don't like sports anime in general, its worth checking these out.</p>

I vote for Kuroko's Basketball Not only because I think its a great series... its also the only one on that list I have seen.

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Rickymex" data-cite="Rickymex" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="33970" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><p> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFCimNr5hc8" rel="external nofollow">Tonari No Seki-kun OP</a></p><p> </p><p> The dude is creating the anime in the OP!!!</p><p> </p><p> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VqjwxV_Npk" rel="external nofollow">Tonari No Seki-kun ED - new</a></p><p> </p><p> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pboAwymoStc" rel="external nofollow">Tonari No Seki-kun Original</a></p><p> </p><p> The song is awesome plus I love that happy bobbing the girl does once she gets into the song. I like the original better but both are good.</p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> Yeah, the music is good, and also, the anime itself is very entertaining, especially for a short anime ( each episode is only about 7 min long)</p><p> </p><p> Also entertaining, although in a very weird way is the new anime Strange+.</p><p> Each episode is only about 3 min long but they pack about 20 min of over the top weirdness in each 3 min episode.</p><p> </p><p> My current animes I watch every week are in addition to the above</p><p> Hamatora- super powered individuals with their own private investigative service, and a murderer hunting those with their powers so as to give them to those who aren't born with it</p><p> </p><p> Ace of Diamonds- Baseball themed sports anime. Extremely well done, and the players abilities haven't reached the over the top godlike levels of other sports animes (ie prince of tennis)</p><p> </p><p> Kuroko's Basketball - Obviously basketball themed anime, and while it has reached the individuals having the super abilities phase, the main character is still the one who was considered completely average surrounded by all these super talented monsters.</p><p> </p><p> Witch Craft Works - One of the catchiest and entertaining ED songs of the current animes. Reverses the white knight and princess roles ( ie the princess is the male main character)</p><p> </p><p> Saki - 2 seasons in and I still don't really know anything about mahjongg ( which is the sports\club theme of the anime) but I have found it entertaining</p><p> </p><p> Strike the Blood - One of the better Vampire themed animes I have seen, with it set in a modern world and lots of action. throws in some elements of harem anime as well, but not as overtly as others ( aka Sekirei)</p>

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="33970" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>One of the frustrating things about the Boston Crab episode (and to be honest for the entire way submission holds are dealt with throughout) is that there is far too much emphasis on trying to get to the ropes, it's like whoever is training these wrestlers does not teach them how to do reversals or try to fight their way by striking at their opponent. </div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><p> Yeah, that is what I was thinking for like 4 episodes, " Has no one ever thought about using a counter hold or raking the eyes to get out of the boston crab!!!?!</p>

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Tigerkinney" data-cite="Tigerkinney" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="33970" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;"><span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="color:#8B0000;">The World God Only Knows </span></span></span></strong></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><a href="http://theanimeblizzard.com/images/stories/The%20World%20God%20Only%20Knows/The%20World%20God%20Only%20Knows%2003.jpg" rel="external nofollow"><img alt="images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSAMMEZ7QG2MNxMlc_usAVZuDoMBXyuQ5cNHVz2yQDAoePinAHC" data-src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSAMMEZ7QG2MNxMlc_usAVZuDoMBXyuQ5cNHVz2yQDAoePinAHC" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></a> <img alt="images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSbZDSjHGLlRmu98F7wjQkv4TZ3N0iRKYyEvTLHmcMWmg57lVAp" data-src="https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSbZDSjHGLlRmu98F7wjQkv4TZ3N0iRKYyEvTLHmcMWmg57lVAp" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR1DbQVG7FNAEo6M01VrFPep3RDtNLRqUR7F7yX1SmUGQ3CXxEh3Q" data-src="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR1DbQVG7FNAEo6M01VrFPep3RDtNLRqUR7F7yX1SmUGQ3CXxEh3Q" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTXIEirsP3asfkZJdjuXaNYfKN4C9oSIzLDGu4EwYfITGFPzk-N6g" data-src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTXIEirsP3asfkZJdjuXaNYfKN4C9oSIzLDGu4EwYfITGFPzk-N6g" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <strong>Genre:</strong> Romantic Comedy, Parody, Fantasy </p><p> <strong>Studio:</strong> Manglobe, <strong>Director:</strong> Shigehito Takayanagi /<strong>Writer:</strong> Hideyuki Kurata <strong>Source:</strong> Manga by Tamiki Wakaki</p><p> <strong>Original Broadcast: </strong>September-December 2010 , <strong>Episodes: </strong>12</p><p> </p><p> <em><span style="font-family:'Century Gothic';">* Please Note that this is only a review of the first season, a second season called (to no one's surprise what so ever) World God Only Knows II (that admittedly I have yet to watch) followed on during the spring anime season the following year. </span></em></p><p> </p><p> <strong>Plot:</strong> Keima Katsuragi is a master of dating-sim's, who wants nothing more than to immerse himself within the digital world chasing 2D girlriends. But when the 'Capturing God' inadvertently answers a mysterious e-mail from an unknown sender, Keima is suddenly forced into a contract ( where he has to win the heart of real life girls in order to help the cheerfully enthusiastic demon Elsie (who has mistaken Keima's dating sim prowess for being a real life cassanova) capture 'lost souls' that have escaped from hell and taken up residence within the 'capture target' girls. </p><p> </p><p> <strong>Animation Quality/Art Style:</strong> The World God Only Knows, is a something of a Meta-anime (self referretial), so naturally with it's self reference being based upon Otaku culture and stereotypes, the art style is the typical Bishojo/Moe style that is admittedly over-used but the series knows this and any other art style would not have worked. That being said the colours are vibrant, the characters are easy on the eye (if this art style doesn't offend you) and the animation quality is generally up to expected standards. </p><p> </p><p> <strong>Music:</strong> The self titled opening song by Oratorio, sung entirely in English is a rather interesting song, in that it's poppy yet really quite progressive at the same time- in fact the portion played in the opening title's is only one part of an 8 minute song, divided into five different parts (sort of like a J-Pop Bohemian Rhapsody), the whole 8 minute version is a bit of a mess but the part they chose for the opening titles is actually pretty good and works with a visually captivating opening title sequence.</p><p> </p><p> Ending song Kami Nomi Zo Shiru Sekai is a cute J-Pop song sung by the various Seiyu that play Elsie and the 'capture target' girls. One of the target girls Kanon is a J-Pop idol, and thus we also get a variety of her songs.... which whilst utterly cheesy are admittedly well crafted and pretty damn catchy. </p><p> </p><p> <em><strong>Opening song; The World God Only Knows:</strong></em><em> </em> </p><div class="ipsEmbeddedVideo"><div><iframe width="200" height="113" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/28tfVb5H140?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" title="The World God Only Knows Opening Full HD 1080p"></iframe></div></div><p> </p><p> <em><strong>And just for reference here's the full version:</strong></em><em> </em> </p><div class="ipsEmbeddedVideo"><div><iframe width="200" height="150" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/KZBgRDMyXzw?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" title="Oratorio The World God Only Knows - God only knows (Full Version)"></iframe></div></div><p> </p><p> <em><strong>Ending song; Kami Nomi Zo Shiru Sekai</strong></em><em>: </em> </p><div class="ipsEmbeddedVideo"><div><iframe width="200" height="113" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/gSquUrQQVSw?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" title="The World God Only Knows - ED 1 Type 1"></iframe></div></div><p> </p><p> <strong><em>Insert song; Happy Crescent by Kanon Nakagawa: </em></strong> </p><div class="ipsEmbeddedVideo"><div><iframe width="200" height="150" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/WyJJqPskHyg?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" title="「Happy Crescent」 by Nakagawa Kanon LYRICS w/ DL Link TWGOK"></iframe></div></div><p> </p><p> <strong>Action:</strong> The World God Only Knows, is chock full of mecha battles with mind blowing explosions, exhilirating car chases and awesomelly choreographed kung fu battles- if you an action fix this is the series for you! <img alt=":rolleyes:" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/rolleyes.png.4b097f4fbbe99ce5bcd5efbc1b773ed6.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> <strong>Drama:</strong> The main plot for the TWGOK (from now on I'm referring it as this) revolves around Keima finding a way to capture the various 'capture target' girls hearts and free them from the 'lost soul' that resides within their heart. Each girl has an insecurity about them that, needs to be resolved before the lost soul can be freed- for instance you have a J-Pop Idol insecure about becoming 'invisible', a quiet library girl that struggles to express herself vocally etc.</p><p> </p><p> In a lot of ways TWGOK, is less of a romance, and more of a detective series, with Keima and Elsie having to find what the girls insecurity is and finding a way to help that girl overcome it. And despite Keima wooing various girls, it's not really a harem series- as once Keima has won the girls heart, they forget about what has happened and Keima/Elsie move onto the next target. The 'drama' involved though with TWGOK is definitely not what you call heavy drama, even if some of the girls stories are designed to tug at your heart-strings a little. </p><p> </p><p> <strong>Comedy:</strong> TWGOK mines it's comedy from the stereotypes of it's characters, from it's anti-social galge game obsessed protagonist to the various Bishojo game archetypes for the various personalities for the capture target girls throughout the show. It is of course all wrapped up in a show that is somewhat parodying the world it's main protagonist inhabits, without every really being that cynical or biting about it. </p><p> </p><p> Ultimately TWGOK is a show that pokes fun at Otaku culture and Bishojo game stereotypes but does so with an obvious affection for it's comedic targets. </p><p> </p><p> <strong>Moe/Kawaii:</strong> Self-referential parody or not, the girls in this series are basically a bunch of Bishojo/Moe stereotypes, and for the most part those stereotypes are played pretty straight- you see in reference to the comedy section above, the comedy in TWGOK comes from the fact that the girls are so stereotypical, with Keima often making reference to this during his missions to capture the girls hearts. </p><p> </p><p> <strong>Adult Content (Fanservice etc):</strong> The most fanservicey character, isn't one of the girls but Keima's big boobed 'hot mom' who does get a bath scene in one of the episodes....but in general though the fanservice on display is mild. </p><p> </p><p> <strong>Analysis:</strong> For the most part the various 'capture target' arcs, are put together pretty well and though the various girls are parodies of various Bishojo/Moe stereotypes- there stories are quite captivating and only the most heartless will not at least be somewhat moved about at least one of the girls stories. The inversion of sorts of the Harem concept, is also pretty neat with each girl given her moment to shine, before moving onto the next one.</p><p> </p><p> The series protagonist of an anti-social galge gamer, is written with just enough bite to make you aware that this character is far from perfect as a human being, but Keima is also given just enough humanity to make you at least care that he succeeds and perhaps ultimately come to the realisation that real girls are better than 2D ones! And throughout this first season, there does seem to be a gradual thawing of his attitude- even if his obsession for dating sims never waivers! </p><p> </p><p> In general the episodes between the various 'capture target' arcs aren't as strong, and feel exactly like filler- most disappointingly the series also ends with one of these filler episodes- though admittedly it would be more of a let-down if the entire anime ended on such an episode- at least we know there is a second season coming. The very first arc also feels rushed and is by far the weakest of the four 'girl' arcs throughout the show. Which makes you think that an extra episode could have been added to the first arc, and one of the filler episodes dropped.</p><p> </p><p> Also the series pretty much lives or dies on the fact that it's a self referential comedy about galge/dating sim games and otaku culture, and the various stereotypes and tropes that come with it. If you don't even know what a galge game is or are just turned off by Moe/Bishojo lead anime, then TWGOK definitely won't be for you.</p><p> </p><p> <strong>Closing Verdict: </strong>The World God Only Knows has just enough affection and heart within it's storyline and characters, to make it more than just a self-aware parody of a Bishojo lead romantic comedy. Of course there will be some who will feel that the satire is not biting enough, and if you're unaware or turned off by Moe etc.....then this series won't be for you. For those who can enjoy this sort of thing it's more the pacing issues that let it down.</p><p> </p><p><span style="color:#556B2F;"> </span><span style="color:#556B2F;"><span style="font-size:12px;"><strong>Grade: C</strong></span></span></p><p> </p><p> <strong>Is The Dub Any Good?:</strong> Sentai film works did the dub for this, and here they bring back together an English dub pairing that most fans will know for Full Metal Panic! in the main roles of Keima and Elsie....Namely Chris Patton and Luci Christian. Whilst that isn't entirely a bad thing, I couldn't help but think of Sousuke Sagara every time Keima was talking... no such qualms about Luci Christian's performance as Elsie though- I've mentioned on a number of occasions how she truly is one of the best in the business, mostly due to the fact that her range is so versatile. Incidently the FMP! deja vu does not end there, with Hilary Haag's voice for the final capture target girl, being somewhat eerily similar to Tessa Testarossa. </p><p> </p><p> All in all the dub is solid enough, but it shouldn't be making me reminisce about another/completely unrelated anime, even if that other anime was an excellent series.</p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> Seasons 2 and 3 ( as well as season 1) are all on Crunchyroll.</p><p> </p><p> I have just recently watched this and it was surprisingly entertaining. So much so that I actually went to go read the manga to catch up on the events after season 3 ends. It does a nice twist on the standard harem theme.</p>

<p>don't know if I would call this all that good, but Crunchyroll has one called </p><p> </p><p> "Wanna be the Strongest"</p><p> </p><p> which is based on japanese pro female wrestling.</p><p> </p><p> I guarantee you will never look at a Boston Crab the same way again. <img alt="" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/wink.png.686f06e511ee1fbf6bdc7d82f6831e53.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p>

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Tigerkinney" data-cite="Tigerkinney" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="33970" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;"><span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="color:#000080;">Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai</span></span></span></strong></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRQo_WLEfFFliZ4UU9bf-0j7UjjEnc-Na5bmJiW5ZlKa7xECvpL</span><span>http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQX5vlvT9hLiKHC64qyxgauThE9JsKE_cg5ZLvtvVM_Y1N8SWnjjQ</span></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSgqNlfayE2zlvyLHEnzeI4c68pxjd5JPRv31A9zbX9H5FG4Bw6pA</span><span>http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQQmzqVm-Em1NKRRhrNR0RjpFhv_Zkeeft6Jf6Rb1ZDJKGr5R_u4Q</span></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <strong>Genre:</strong> Comedy, Romance, Parody Fantasy</p><p> </p><p> <strong>Studio</strong>: Kyoto Animation , <strong>Director:</strong> Tatsuya Ishihara, <strong>Writer:</strong> Jukki Hanada <strong>Source:</strong> Light Novel by Torako </p><p> <strong>Original Broadcast:</strong> October-December 2012, <strong>Episodes:</strong> 12</p><p> </p><p> <em><strong>Notes</strong></em><em>: This series is often referred to as Chu-2 for short. Ni is the word for the number two in Japanese.</em></p><p> </p><p> <strong>Plot:</strong> Yuuta Togashi used to suffer from chuunibyou ("eighth grader syndrome")- sudden outbursts of hyperactive imagination and delusions of grandeur amongst Junior High schoolers- calling himself the 'Dark Flame Master' and causing him to become a social misfit. Togashi having now snapped out of this phase in his life, is so embarrassed by his past delusions, that when it comes to choosing his high school, he decides to transfer to one far away from his middle school (hoping no one from his old school will attend) in a bid to start afresh and proceed with a normal life.....</p><p> </p><p> That is until the day he meets a strange girl with a medical eye patch over her right eye climbing down into his apartment's balcony from the one above. The oddball girl- Rikka Takanashi, who has just moved in with sister in the same apartment block as Yuuta- believes her right eye to be cursed explaining that as the reason for the eye patch. Come the next day at school Yuuta, finds out that Rikka has become his classmate and all of a sudden he is forced to come face to face with the delusions he thought he had grown out of, whilst trying to snap Rikka out of hers.</p><p> </p><p> <strong>Animation Quality/Art Style:</strong> The art style is very similar to that of K-On!- Which given that both series were produced by Kyoto Animation, shouldn't come as much of a surprise. It's an art-style Kyo-Ani are very comfortable with and do well. Whilst I wouldn't say that the animation in Chu-2 surpasses previous efforts by Kyo-Ani, they do managed to maintain their high standards with this series. </p><p> </p><p> <strong>Music:</strong> Opening song Sparkling Day Dream by Zaq is an energetic/dancey J-Pop number, whilst the ending song Inside Identity sung by the seiyuu for the four main female characters in the series (under the group name of Black Raison d'etre) is another J-Pop number but with a bit more a rock edge. </p><p> </p><p> Both songs probably won't be considered for greatest anime opening/ending songs but both are listenable enough and suit the mood of the series- whilst the BGM soundtrack is forgettable but unobtrusive.</p><p> </p><p> <em><strong>Opening Song ; Sparking Daydream</strong></em><em>:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeiIS4AVa-k</em></p><p> </p><p> <em><strong>Ending Song ; Inside Indentity:</strong></em><em> </em><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRj4_i-eUPU" rel="external nofollow"><em>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRj4_i-eUPU</em></a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <strong>Action:</strong> Now you would be thinking that a series that would be considered to be a comedy/romance would probably feature little action- but here is where one of Chu-2's unique storytelling selling points comes in. When Rikka is fantasizing about being in a fight with magical powers- it will show the fight from her over-imaginative perspective- with all the effort put into the magical girl-esque fight sequences you would expect from a series actually from the fantasy genre- these sequences are hilariously interspersed with the real perspective (such as showing Rikka pretending that her umbrella is a weapon).</p><p> </p><p> <strong>Drama:</strong> The early episodes are about establishing the main and supporting characters, Rikka who is a Chuunibyu and Yuuta who used to be one. Other key characters are Shinka - a girl like Yuuta who is trying to escape from her Chuni past and Sanae a Junior High girl, who as another Chuni looks up to Rikka and is a follower of someone called Mori-Sumner. Their relationships all become interconnected when all four become part of Rikka's club (hey what's a Kyo-ani series without a club involved!). </p><p> </p><p> As the series progresses, the relationship between Rikka and Yuuta begins to subtly grow- but more significantly around the mid-way point the series has a tone shift from being a comedically focused series, to more of a dramatic one- revealing that there is a much deeper reason for Rikka's 'cloud cuckoolander' persona. </p><p> </p><p> <strong>Comedy:</strong> Rikka and her cloud cuckoolander personality is pure comedy gold, especially during the first half of the series. In general the series has a great fun, with the delusional behaviours of Chuni but the comedy never feels like it is taking the piss out those with the condition, as much and to be honest it equally pokes fun at those desperately trying to be normal and put on a facade such as Shinka. </p><p> </p><p> <strong>Moe/Kawaii:</strong> Main character Rikka is bonkers in a really cute way, rather than bonkers in an utterly psychotic way and when the series takes a more dramatic turn, her character becomes even more 'Moe'. Probably the next most 'Moe' character in the series, is Kumin a nice-girl who loves to nap- that is dragged into joining Rikka's club.</p><p> </p><p> <strong>Adult Content (Fanservice et):</strong> There's some mild fanservice with the girls in swim-wear during a beach episodes (and some of this can even be seen in the opening credits...the most fan-servicey character would be Shinka (who bears something of a passing resemblance to another buxom Bishojo character in another Kyo-Ani series- Mikuru from Haruhi). </p><p> </p><p> <strong>Analysis:</strong> Chu-2 manages to grab your attention with a uniquely hilarious/cute co-main protagonist in the form of Rikka. In fact the relationship between her and Yuuta is similar to that of Haruhi and Kyon- in the fact that you have a girl who is off in her little world (so to speak) and a straight-man who has somehow got dragged into being involved with them. But whilst it's easy enough to make that comparison on a certain level, the Rikka-Yuuta relationship does not feel like a total redo of Haruhi x Kyon. </p><p> </p><p> However had the series just carried on it's comedic vein, eventually the initial charm of the series probably would have worn a little thin had their not been any actual depth to the story. So the shift to a more dramatic tone in the second half is a welcome move- with the focus turning from the co-main protagonists wacky behaviour to 'here is why the co-main protagonist behaves like she does'.</p><p> </p><p> The tone shift for the series mid-way through was also handled rather well, in the fact that it felt jarring enough to make an impact but not suddenly feel like you are suddenly watching a a completely different series. Where Chu-2 does very well after the tone-shift is that it still retains some of the comedic charm it established early on but the more comedic elements have fading more into the background, whilst the drama and romantic elements of the series coming to the fore as the series progresses. Throughout Chu-2 whether the focus is on comedy, emotional drama or romance- the series manages to maintain an easily likeable charm throughout. </p><p> </p><p> As charming as Chu-2 is, it's not an series without flaws- with the biggest flaw being a final episode that whilst a charming final message can still be interpreted from it's conclusion, the events during the episode feel shoe-horned into finding a resolution to the plot.</p><p> </p><p> All in all the ending episode isn't so bad that it completely undoes the enjoyability of the previous 11 episodes, but the final episode is inconsistent enough in it's execution to notch it down from a series of unquestioned excellence to one that is still very enjoyable but one that I could only recommend to those who like Kyo-Ani's brand of Moe charm. </p><p> </p><p> In fact I would say enjoyment of Chu-2 is very much dependent on if you're already a fan of Kyo-Ani's style and their penchant for Moe. </p><p> </p><p> <strong>Closing Verdict: </strong>Chu-2 does share elements from previous Kyo-Ani series, as well as the moe charm it's productions are becoming known for- but it has a story unique and strong enough to stand on it's own and in Rikka the series has a hilarious/charming and memorable co-main protagonist. </p><p> </p><p> The series does rather feel like a showcase of what Kyo-Ani are good at, and unless you really don't like their style, that's no bad thing. </p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="color:#006400;"><strong>Grade: B- </strong></span></span></p><p> </p><p> <strong>Is The Dub Any Good?:</strong> Being a very new series (it only finished airing at the end of 2012), there isn't a dub yet. To be honest this is the sort of series where an English dub, would struggle to to match-up to, yet alone better the original Japanese dub recording. Sentai filmworks have picked up the license for this series.</p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> For anyone that liked this series ( surprisingly enough I did, even though its outside my normal action anime range) season 2 is airing on Crunchyroll now.</p>

Hard as it is to believe , stuff like Gundam Wing and Big O is actually approaching 20 years old. While they are classics and were big deal animes at the time, anime as a whole has come a long way in the past couple decades. If you want a Gundam fix that is more current, I'd suggest Gundam 00. Its more recent ( only about 5 yrs old) done in hi res style and features the standard gundam story of a small elite group going up against the world.

<p>I can't really compare, not having seen any of Brotherhood, but I did watch all of the first anime of Full Metal Alchemist and I quite enjoyed it.</p><p> </p><p> I guess watching both kinda depends on how much of a fan of Vic Mignogna you are <img alt="" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/tongue.png.ceb643b2956793497cef30b0e944be28.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> Since you will be hearing a lot of him with the English dubs.</p><p> </p><p> You may not want to watch them back to back as if they are the same basic story, but with divergences, then that would probably ruin the enjoyment a little, but if you put some time between them, like a few months, then you would probably be able to appreciate and enjoy it more.</p>

<p>been checking out the new animes on Crunchyroll this quarter.</p><p> Some decent ones out there, across a variety of genres.</p><p> </p><p> So far Witch Craft Works , World Conquest Zvezda Plot and Hamatora are my favorites of the group.</p>

<p>i'm actually watching several new animes on Crunchyroll currently</p><p> </p><p> Kuroko's Basketball - sports sim on basketball, actually a lot better than you'd think from the title.</p><p> </p><p> Ace of Diamonds - same thing but for Baseball</p><p> </p><p> Arpeggio of Blue Steel - Has WW2 battleships and submarines, but is actually a modern anime. The ships are personas of an invading force called the Fog, who have restricted mankind from the oceans. Some of the ships have developed a 'Mental Model' which is basically a female avatar of the ship.</p><p> </p><p> Strike the Blood - mix of fantasy, with magic girls, sword wielding girls, vampires and demons, but set in a modern, almost futuristic setting. Similiar to Inuyasha if it was set modern day.</p><p> </p><p> Valvrave the Liberator - A mecha series, similiar to Gundam, but with more than enough differences to be in the genre, but not a clone.</p><p> </p><p> Also keeping up with Naruto, One Piece now that its on there, and Cardfight: Vanguard series.</p>

<p>like everything else, it has it's place, and also can be over and badly used.</p><p> </p><p> But since 99.9% of all anime is aimed at a Japanese audience, and their cultural tastes are very different than ours in a lot of areas, normally I just accept it and move on. I don't go out of my way to look for fanservice in an anime, I look for an anime that will entertain me, and then if excessive fanservice is part of it, such as Sekirei or High School of the Dead, then generally I don't have a problem with it as long as the anime itself continues to entertain me.</p>

<p>Honestly, I think there is just a general lull in participation on these boards in total.</p><p> </p><p> Not really that surprising when you factor in there hasn't been a recent game release ( TEW 13 coming out end of last year) and its summer.</p><p> </p><p> Also, looking at the TEW boards and this board as well, there are far fewer active diaries and topics than seems usual.</p><p> </p><p> So, most likely you aren't getting the same level of feedback simply because there isn't the same level of traffic going through the boards right now, or if they are, its mostly just skimming occasionally to topics that might be of interest to them. ( I know I am guilty of this. After a good 7-8 years of serious participation on the boards, I am now more of a lurker.)</p>

sounds like a combination of Zatch Bell and Tenchi Muyo with the battle to the last and the harem.

I've been watching more anime, partly from these reviews ( though I haven't watched most of these, I did watch some based on here.) Currently, I am watching the Shin Megami Tensei Devil Survivor 2 Anime, Valvrave ( kind of a Gundam Clone, still fairly new as only 9 episodes out right now) and Cardfight Vanguard ( similar to the Yu-gi-oh anime, but less mysticism. I like CCG games) Waiting for Fairy Tale to start again and checking out Crunchyroll for other things that may catch my interest.

I watched this a few months ago, and while I agree the first part where they were trapped in that one world and had to fight their way out was better than the second part, overall I still found it an entertaining anime.