Summer Season Anime Halfway Report

Ah, who doesn't love summer? Time off from school, the pool, hanging out with friends, and for me, a whole bunch of anime. This summer brought me one of the most massive anime seasons I have ever done, with a grand total of ten new airing series, in addition to the one continuing from last season. 

Arcana Famiglia 

The scenario for this anime not unique, but the way it is done sort of is. Felicità is the daughter of the head of the organization Arcana Tarocco, a group of people bestowed special powers by the tarot cards. However, her father is going to retire and the next person to lead the Arcana Taracco will decided by a few duels. Not to mention, he threw his own daughter as a part of the prize, and the winner has to marry, into the mix. She is not alone, because with her two friends, Nova, and Libertà, who refuse to marry her if they win, and together, they have to face the other family memebers.

The scenario is, at the core, a case of the girl not wanting to marry a guy because the father proposed it. Along with that, they decide to throw in a reverse harem, which adds for bishounens everywhere. With that, the art is very pretty, making the guys the main attraction. I hope for good things from it, but right now it seems they are just dealing with side quests. 


Binbougami ga!

We all have that one friend who is super lucky because they have good looks, talent, brains, and excels at everything they do. Sakura Ichiko is that girl, but she has so much luck that the world is being thrown out of balance. That's where our hero, Momiji, our Goddess of Misfortune, comes in, trying to take Ichiko's luck and restore balance to the world. 

Honestly, I like this anime a lot more than I thought at first. It has a lot of slap stick comedy, false fan service, and is just plain funny. It's a different pacing than ecchi comedy, and it had had me laughing. The characters are well done, and the art is vibrant. Honestly, this has exceeded expectations so far, and I keep hoping to have those expectations broken.


Dakara Boku wa, H ga Dekinai

Ryousuke is your typical high school guy, hormones raging and is horny as a guy can be. However, when Lisara, a girl from the world Grimwald, comes to him needing energy to sustain her self in the real world, she comes to him and uses his energy. The catch is though: he looses his sex drive. 

I will admit, I picked up this anime due to the translation of the title: Therefore I can't Fuck. I'm not kidding, and the fact that the plot sounded interesting. The anime lives up to expectations, but in different ways. I will give them credit: they air it uncensored (tits or GTFO) and to boot, the air is good. May the perverseness continue, and hopefully this anime doesn't pull what High School DxD did, and have a crap ending. 


Dog Days' 

The summer also brought us some sequels, and one of them is the second season of Dog Days. Cinque (or Sink or Shinku, depending on subs) returns to the other world, along with his childhood friend, Rebecca and his cousin, Nanami, where they all become heroes and fight alongside each nation in the art of war.

Honestly, this should have never been made. The whole set up of "war" in this anime is not even portrayed correctly. it's like a game, and they need "heroes" to help bring them to victory? No, they just need a tribute really good game show contestant. Despite all this, the art work is good and the music is just barely passable. The characters, like in the first season are decent, but there is honestly just too many. It's twelve or thirteen episodes, we don't need fifty characters!


Hagure Yuusha no Estetica 

We have all seen what goes on when a hero rescues a princess, the hardships he goes through, but what about after the job is done? What is the hero supposed to do? For Ousawa Akatsuki, this is his delima. He has the princess, Miu, and he is living happily ever after in a world where there is nothing but girls, girls, girls.

This anime is basically all the ecchi adventures one guy could ever have. Between helping a girl try on a bra, to swim suit snatching, Ousawa has it lucky. This anime, like Dakara, is aired uncensored, and it provides for some laughs. Honestly, I don't know why this was made, but I like it.


Jinrui wa Sutai Shimashita

In the near future, humanity is dying off, being replaced by a superior race called the faeries. These little guys are adorable, chibi, and honestly, I don't know how they replaced humanity. The main girl in the series, who we just know as "I"or "Watashi," serves as a mediator between the faeries and the humans, even to the point she has a few living at her house.

Why was this even made really? From episode one, it has been one of the weirdest things I have ever seen, and I have seen my fair share of weird things. Episode one brought us the bleeding bread scenario, followed by the buzzing chickens in episode two.  The art for this series is washed out color, similar to Usagi Drop, which isn't a bad thing, just makes the anime different. 


Joshiraku

We all have those days where the original conversation and the ending conversation are not the same thing. In the anime Joshiraku, the girls have random conversations, from moon viewing to how the moon looks like inappropriate things. 

If you're in the anime of "cute girls doing cute things," then you have hit paradise. Coming from the author of Sayonra Zetsubou Sensei, it is an amusing watch. The girls don't really do anything beside sit around for amusing conversations. The art for this anime is top notch I'll admit. Honestly, I hope for a lot for this anime.



Kono Naka Hitori ni, Imouto ga Iru!

Shougo has just lost his dad, and now he has to attend a new school, which is stressful enough as it is already. However, as it turns out, his younger sister also attends the school, but he doesn't know who the sister is. In his search for his sister, he meets a lot of girls along the way. 

Oh, dear lord, this reeks of incest. Along with the fact that he has to meet his illegitiment sister, she also wants to get married, and since his sister can beany girl at the school, the probability for incest is high. Other wise, the characters are semi likable, but they also seem rather flat also. The art work is decent, but otherwise, this anime just seems generic in almost every way it can.


Sword Art Online

As technology develops and advances, there is one thing they have seriously looked over in the gaming industry: virtual reality. However in Sword Art Online, they have developed it to a point that they have not only got virtual reality games, but it is so real that death in the game is actually death in the real world. After Kirito and a whole bunch of other people get trapped in the game, they must not only beat the game to get out, but they must be careful not to die in the game because the virtual reality machine will kill them in the real world. 

Interesting concept for this anime, I  must admit. It's almost every gamer's dream, if not worst nightmare. One of the things that I have found weird about this anime is the fact that it paces out so weird. In one episode, they might cover ten floors, and in the next, they hardly cover two. Another weird thing is they don't seem to take the death thing too seriously. Almost every episode someone dies, and they don't seem to show that they care too much bout auxillery characters. The art is good, the scenries almost look like real world scenarios, and the characters are well drawn. I can only hope they even out the pacing and work on some things (like actually caring that the characters die!). 


Yuru Yuri ♪♪

Like Dog Days, Yuru Yuri also received a sequel. WhileI was more thrilled about this sequel being announced, in the actual series, I feel let down a bit. While we still mainly follow our main four characters, it seems that there is a different feel this season. Maybe it's due to the fact we are seeing more of the the side characters, such as Himawari and Sakurako, or maybe it's the fact they seem to be leaving out Akari a lot more than usual.

The art for this series is as good as the last season. One thing that was a let down for me was the opening and ending themes. In the last season, I could barely get the song out of my head, and this season, I barely notice them honestly.
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All in all, I feel like this season has it extreme good points and the extreme bad points. However next season should not be a let down, and I look forward for more anime to come

I have to thank Mike for watching Dakara Boku wa, H ga Dekinai and Brendan for watching Sword Art Online with me. 

Ao no Exorcist

The belief of demons exists universally through almost every culture and many, if not all religions. They are portrayed as trouble makers, and they even portray straying from the path of righteousness. There has also has been a need to get rid of, or exercise, these demons by people called exorcists. Ao no Exorcist incorporates both of these devices, and sometimes, the line between good and evil is hardly distinguishable.

Our story follows Okumura Rin, the son of a priest and an exorcist, and his twin brother Yukio. However, it turns that out that Rin is the bastard son of Satan himself. But when Rin finds this out, he does not join Satan, but rather decides to become an exorcist in order to defeat Satan in order to live up to his adoptive father's expectations. After deciding to become an exorcist, he then goes to a school for exorcists and while there, strange events one after another happen, and Rin discovers the truth behind what it means to be an exorcist.

The story's premise is a unique one, if not partially controversial among the Christian community. The son of Satan in the Christian community would of course be put to death immediately, but in the story line, he is portrayed as a hero. Personally, I liked the unique spin on the whole issue, and they handled the the ostracizing of Rin from the community very well. The story also held my attention for all of the twenty-five episodes, and I wish there was a second season to expand on the story.

The characters were enjoyable to watch because in some ways, most people can relate to Rin in the fact that he was not accepted by the community, and he had a perfect little brother that everyone adored. By the end of the story, the ones you would be expecting to root for, the church, ended up to be the jerks who wanted to ruin everything, and somehow, they made Satan sympathetic, and weird as that sounds, they managed to do it in a way that made sense. The students at the school were also relatable, and they were there for their own purposes, though I wish they could have been expanded. One character I wish they gave more attention to is Mephisto, the schools head. He looks like he has an interesting background, and a story to tell.

Theart for this series was well done in my mind. The transformation that Rin under goes when he goes into the blue flame more is awesome, though sometimes his ears stays a bit pointy while as a human. The character designs were each distinguishable, and the back grounds and sceneries were well done.

Overall, I wish this anime was a bit longer, or a second season focusing more on the other characters, and definitely Yukio. Granted,, there is a movie coming out, I doubt that will do the justice I need. Other than that, this anime was amazing in my eyes. I honestly could not stop watching it, and although some stuff was not clearly explained, the other parts of this anime were done well enough to where I can forgive that.

Anta Nante Okotowari

On my shoujou manga reading spree, I came across a shoujou manga that was only four chapters, perfect for my short attention span. The plot was eye catching, and the length perfect, but once I started reading it, I couldn't stop, and it left me craving more. Yes, thats right, this manga's name was Anta Nante Okotowari.

The plot for this manga was a simple one. Yui has a huge brother complex, and at the wedding, she meets a boy crying.She later moves intp an all guys dorm, where she meetd the boy again, but he is the dorm head, and his name is Naruse Kaoru. As ber adventures progress in the dorm, so does Kaoru's and Yui's relationship.

The story for this one was dimple: a girl moving into a guys dorm to get over the crush on her brother and the adventures that ensue there after. True, this manga is short, and that does not allow for many adventures in the dorm, but for the four chapters that were done, it was amusing, and funny at times, and a bit heart warming and touching at others. The story could have easily been slower paced, or perhaps longer, but I think I would still be fine with that fact.

The characters did not have much time to develop, but for such a short manga, they developed nicely. Our heroine, Yui, has a huge brother complex, and Kaoru has, presumably, a sister complex, and these add up nicely, and eventually,they can learn to accept each others differences. The rest of the dorm in the story is not really introduced, except for the dorm assistant head, Mika, who has a crush on Yui. The characters were funny, and they had their own quirks, which I found very pleasing.

The art for this series was nothing special. It was clean and fluid like manga art should be, and each character was distinguishable, but that's probably dueto the fact there was only two main characters you needed to keep up with. The back grounds were also well drawn, and over all, the art for this series was pleasing.

Honstly, I wish that this manga had been longer. It could have been expanded to include more characters, and more humour in general. Kaoru and Yui had a chance to be some of the best characters in manga out there, but since it was so short, that potential was not achieved. But overall, I liked this manga.

The Avengers

For many, comic books are the source of joy, and when those comic books become adapted into movies, everyone gets excited. The long awaited movie of Marvel's, The Avengers series is no different, with all of of the Avenger characters getting their own movies, and finally coming together in this epic showdown between good and evil. With it being so highly rated before coming into theaters, I was honestly a bit skeptical, but also hyped for one reason: the characters it mainly featured.


Our story is Loki, the Norse Trickster God, and the main villain of the movie Thor, somehow gets to Earth to take the Tesseract, an infinite source of energy, and is capable of opening a portal to another world. He takes over the minds using his spear to make one of the best archers and the best scientist into his slaves. Nick Fury assembles the Avengers, which are Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, The Hulk, and Black Widow, in order to stop the destruction of Earth, and stop Loki. Problem is, will they be able to assemble and get along long enough to stop Loki, or will chaos envelope the world?

The characters were both the strong point and the weak point of the movie. Loki is still driven by revenge, which in a way makes sense, but the extremes he goes to in order to exact his revenge are irrational at best. He plans on destroying the world due a grudge on Thor, all because Loki was adopted. All the other characters were also well done, and the interactions between them were amazing, and funny. They actually picked on one of the problems I have with Iron Man, which is the fact with out the suit, he is nothing, among the random jabs at the characters and their super-hero back ground.Although the characters had their bickering moments due to cultural differences, they eventually dropped some of it, and they straightened up and flew right.

There were no shortages of fight scenes or explosions in the movie, though it feels like you have to wait forever for them. True, between character fights and disputes through out the movie there were a fair few fight scenes, but I have to give the Hulk the award for most amusing fight scene, but the best fight scene, besides the grand finale, has to go to Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America. It was well coordinated, and I can see that actually happening if the Avengers were real, and it was, for me, a display of their power against each other, while Loki was just amused.

In the movie, the world may be going to hell in a hand basket, but that does not stop the humor from going on in the movie.. This movie in a lot of parts made me laugh at the witty dialogue, and the characters reactions to one another. From Thor's amusement of the human world, to Iron Man's witty comebacks, to Captain America's confusement at the modern world, these reactions and comebacks were almost nothing short of priceless. At one point, Nick Fury said "I bet you ten dollars that this world has changed a lot more than you thought," and when they get on the air ship, Captain America is amazed at the technology, and proceeds to hand Nick Fury the ten dollars.

Music score wise, the music was phenomenal and fit well with the movie. All the scenes had well coordinated msic, and to boot, the music felt like it was supposed to be there. There were no awkward silences between characters because even when there was no music, the tension between the characters was well portrayed, and felt realistic. The music was catchy, which is always a plus, and they knew how to balance it out between having the music out in front or to have it in the back.

Personally, this have to be one of the most epic movies I have ever seen. Each character was well portrayed and they really kept the personalities of the characters from the original movies. Also, they kept the romance to a minimum, thank god. I highly recommend anyone, super hero fan or not, to go see this movie because there is a little something for everyone: action and violence for the dudes, and steaming hot men for the chicks.

The Three Stooges

As a comedy lover, I am looking for the next big thing in the comedy world. It seems that now comedy is run by stoner comedy (movies such as the Hangover) or movies that are paired with romance. It's rare to find a pure comedy movie, however, I have found it. The Three Stooges, a classic, remade for modern times, filled to the brim with simple, but yet effective, slap-stick humor was a sure win for me.

Although it may be slap-stick humor, there is a story behind the humor, and a very good one at that. The Three Stooges, Moe, Curley and Larry start off in an orphanage, where they torment the orphanage nuns. After Moe nearly gets adopted, which a little boy named Ted gets adopted instead, ad the Three Stooges continue living in the orphanage as helpers, though they tend to make more trouble than they actually help. One day, the nuns tell the boys that they would have to leave due to the orphanage closing. The boys then set off in to the real world, trying to garner the 830,000 dollars required to keep the orphanage open, and along the way, meet some interesting people.

The characters were such a stand out in the movie, that I think they deserve an award for it. True, none of they didn’t have the character depth that most characters would get an award for, but the comedy style, and their interactions with each other was spectacular. The comedy style was amazing, and the actors carried it out very well. In fact, the characters were so funny that I don't think I stopped laughing the whole entire movie. I will give the characters credit, they manages to bash the whole Jersey Shore cast, and they managed to bash a  slew of things in popular culture, thus making the remake effective to today's time.

The story was decent in my mind, though I think that it played a big part but yet a little part in the movie. A big part due to the fact that half the skits had to do with them getting the money, but also, the slapstick humor could be used in any situation. While this might be a movie killer for some, it was personally a win for me, due to the fact that despite the humor being versatile and that it was too plot intensive, but just easy going with humor.

The acting was excellent in my mind. They were consistent with their accents, and the way they pronounced certain words, and their signature sound was also well done. The other actors besides the Stooges also did well, minus the Jersey Shore Cast, but they got beat up by Moe, so they served their purpose. The reactions of the characters to the Stooges stupidity were priceless, and while they couldn't have really done anything about it, they took it like pros. 

Overall, this has to be one of the best movies I have seen all year. The comedy was brilliant, the acting was phenomenal, and the movie, overall, made me laugh the whole entire time. If a movie can make a person laugh the whole entire movie, then it is a win in my book. I highly recommend that you go see it, and along with that, learn some comedy stunts from them. It was an very interesting watch, and I hope that the Three Stooges can become a franchise like it has in the past, due it being one of the best movies I have seen all year. 

Kimi ga Aruji de Shitsuji ga Ore de

Sometime, we are all victims of circumstance, that is a fact of life. It seems in anime they are more often the victims than you would ever see in real life, but they are the victims non the less, and usually, they make the best of those circumstances. In the anime Kimi ga Aruji de Shitsuji ga Ore de, or They are My Noble Masters it is all about making the best of what you have, and the circumstances you were under to achieve that goal.

Our story is set up such that Uesugi Ren, and his sister, Hato, are wandering around, trying to make the best of what they have. They hardly have any money, and they wander in search of jobs and perhaps a real place to live because they are living out in a tent. They meet up the the prestigious Kuonji family, with Shinra, the genius conductor, Miyu, the loli and genius inventor, and Yume, the girl that no one notices, and then become employed  by the family to be a butler and maid respectively. Ren and his sister meet all the rest of the staff, and they have fun together with the Kuonji family, and Ren and his sister bond with the family and the staff.

The plot for this anime seems at first like a ecchi harem with no plot. While the first part may be partially true, the plot in my mind is Ren bonding with his masters, and coming from rags and bouncing from place to place, to being employed and having a home. The plot once we get past the hiring stage may be a slice of life adventure, it works for the anime, because while the big stuff may be important, its also the little small stuff that makes people laugh also counts.

The cast was well developed, and with each episode you get to learn a little bit more about each of the familiy memebers and staff. Our main character, Ren, and his Sister, Mihato, are the most bland looking, but I do guess that was in an attempt to make the members of the staff and the Kuonji family to stand out. Our masters are varied in appearance and personality. For example, we have the genius conductor, Kuoji Shinra, ad the genius loli inventor, Miyu, and last, but certainly not least, Yume, the pink haired girl no one notices. The staff s just a color, for example, Natose is almost super human in the way she handles balls of energy to hurl at the enemy, or Benisu, who is also somewhat super strong, but weaker compared to the rest of the staff. Then we have the staff head, Colonel, who is super strong, and he watches over Ren, along with the rest of the staff.

I think that the way the anime was presented was actually pretty good. Granted, they made jokes that only anime fans would get, and even then, I truly only got one or two of the jokes, I still enjoyed the anime to the fullest. From references to Death Note, to D. Gray Man, and a whole slew of other anime references, some of which I did not get, I still enjoyed the references.

The art for this series was mediocre, but still fluid. Of course there were a few scenes that had criss-crossed eyes, and sloppy art, but the up close images of the characters were excellent. The characters were well designed and each one was distinguishable.

Overall, this series was pretty good. There were a few moments I had to classify as simply W.T.F moments and made me laugh. I recommend this series to just about anyone looking for a laugh and a good time. The characters were well made, and I have to say that I really enjoyed it.

Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko

Some anime are gems. Some of them are just a bit strange. Some of them are random, but also you can make sense of them. Denpa Onna to Sieshun Otoko is mostly all of the above, for its wit, beautiful art, and inspiring story. It randomness will take you on a journey to outer space like you've never experienced it before.

The story follows Niwa Makoto, a young boy who is to move in with his aunt, Upon arriving at his aunts house, he finds that their a strange thing in the entrance of the house: a young girl wrapped up in a futon. She then claims to be an alien, though really she is his cousin, Touwa Erio. As the story progresses, you start to find out that there is something more to her, and Makoto's journey growing up.

For a start, I will admit, the first thing that drew me to this anime was the fact that it had SHAFT studio written all over it. As any anime fan would know, SHAFT has a unique way of telling the story:they use pictures and word on the screen to reference what they are talking about. Wanting that effect, I picked up this anime. Although they didn't do it in traditional SHAFT style, due to the fact that it was a collaboration between SHAFT and Starchild Records, it still felt like an all around SHAFT production, it still felt like something unique.

The story in the anime is actually pretty alright. Niwa Makoto comes to live with his aunt, and it's basically his adventures from there. However, I wish they would touch more on one important thing: Why does Erio think she's an alien? We do know that she went missing for a while and she came back thinking she was an alien, but I want to know why. Also, the interactiong between Makoto and the other girls in the cast in my mind subtracts from Erio's story, and even the other girls are not too well developed.

The characters in the story were alright as story goes. Our male lead, Makoto was kind of bland; he looks just like every other harem male lead, even though this is not technically a harem, and even though he is trying to Erio, he is just, flat. Next we have Mifune Ryuuko, though everyone calls her Ryuushi due to the way he name is spelled; she is the hyper active one, and in my mind, the anime could have easily gone on with out her, or at least give her less screen time. In other words, everything about her character annoyed me to some extent. Also, we have Touwa Meme, Makoto's aunt, who is very eccentric her self, just lounging around and doing what ever she pleases. She looks like shes in high school, acts like she is in high school, but she's actually forty. Next in our little "harem" is Maekawa, who just calls Makoto "Transfer Student" due the fact she cannot remember his real name. She also wears bizarre outfits, such as a fish outfit, and thus make her one of the most interesting characters in the cast. Last, but certainly not least, we have Towa Erio, self proclaimed alien, and is often wrapped in a futon. She has lost all her memories in an accident, and is often alienated from the rest of the cast due to her eccentric-ness.

SHAFT did an excellent job on the art work. It was fluid, eye-catching, mezmorizing, and yet had a ting of something special to it. If you have seen anything produced by SHAFT, then you know that they will use creative imagery to convey meanings, and that the color pallette is unique, using bold colors. The way that everything is drawn is also unique in a way that I cannot describe with out it loosing meaning. True, in this production, it had a bit of a shuojo like feel to it, for example the sparkles in Erio's hari blowing in the wind, and the girls being way prettier than the men, but over all, still a very shaft like production.

In my mind, this anime is a very good watch if you want a slice of life with a bit of the super natural. Erio can provide some cute parts, and the rest of the cast is enjoyable. I say learn the language and launch your self into outer space, and if you can do that: at least attempt to fly with a bicycle, and pick up this anime. It's worth all twelve episodes, and then some due to the fact I am praying for a second season.

Sherlock Holmes-A Game of Shadows

When one says mysteries and detectives, one name usually comes to mind, and that name is Sherlock Holmes. He has wit, skill, and that just right stroke of luck. He has bizarre methods, some of which you may not think would work, but they also seem to pull through regardless. Watson, his side kick and the fellow doctor doesn't have that same streak of luck, though he is a vital part to the movie. In the second Sherlock Holmes movie, Sherlock has to battle the mysterious person who was pulling the strings in the first movie, and defeating this person, and even though his methods are a bit bizzarre, I have to admit, he really is the best detective the world has ever seen.

The movie starts off like the first one, in a mess of random events that seem to never correlate, though they do provide some laughs. After the death of Irene Adler, the possible love interest of Holmes, Sherlock looks into who did it, and he finds that his adversary this time is Professor Moriarty. Through the movie, Sherlock Holmes is probably faced with his greatest mystery yet, and while solving the mystery, he has to stop an international crisis from arising.

First off, in some ways, this is a direct sequel to the first movie. Some jokes, and even the bad guy, are brought over from the first movie. Although it may be advertised as something such as a Bond movie, it really is not. The first movie will explain a lot to you, and it is a good watch in my personal opinion

I will admit, I especially liked the comedic bits, because Sherlock is never serious. He is like Captain Jack Sparrow when it comes to his methods of going through with some stuff. Also, some of the stuff he does may not make sense at first, though you might have just have to roll with it, because everything will make sense by the end of the movie. Even though his plans may not make sense at first, you just have to trust that everything will make sense by the end, just like any good mystery movie.

Also, the weapons aspect of it was very good. Although I am no gun nut, I went with a friend who was and he could explain some of the weapons. At one point, the bad guy was shooting at Watson with a sniper rifles, though Watson quickly finds the Howitzer, which is basically a canon, and fires it at the sniper. The sniper's last words, sadly, were "This isn't fair." Now, for some reason that made me laugh, along with Sherlock's attempts to use a semi-auto gun.

This movie is the perfect combination of mystery, action, and even a bit of comedy, and in my opinion, well worth the movie tickets. They say that sequels are never as good as the originals, but in the case of this movie, I digress: it is on par, and somewhat better than the first. So, if you're in the mood for a mystery, and semi-action film, then go see Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows, now playing in a theater near you!

Magikano

In anime, you sometimes have to learn how to deal with the randomness of it. In anime where random is the plot, they usually turn out to be the best thing you have ever seen, such as The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi or Seto no Hanayome, or they turn into obscure anime that no one has heard of. Magikano is the latter example, due its randomness and lack of plot and really basic art style. Though it started off a bit odd, I will admit, this anime slowly grew on me.

The story is about a young boy named Yoshikawa Haruo and his sisters. His sisters, Maika, Chiaki, and Fuyuno, all can use magic, though they refuse to let him know about. They even go as far to knock him out with a memory erasing hammer to keep the existence a secret. Haruo eventually meets Mamiya Ayumi, a girl who has been cursed to loose her magical power, and she believes that Haruo can save her from the curse, due to the fact that she saw him in a mirror when she got cursed. Along the way, he meets other girls and the anime follows his adventures with the girls.

The first impressions I had of this anime were not good, and I even considered dropping it, due to the lack luster art style and randomness. It literally made no sense in the first episode, and usually anime make sense by the first episode, and then become episodic in the later episodes. I will admit though, the point at the beginning is not well explained, though it is later in the series.

As a harem anime, I expected just about every stereo-type in the book. The tsundere, the loli/little kid, the class representative, and the overly caring one. Only in this case, the overly caring one is his sister, Maika. That right, his sister is basically included in his harem, due to the fact she has a brother complex. In fact she even tried to mind wash him into being with her for life. Even the younger sisters, Chiaki and Fuyuno are kind of a part of his harem, though not excessively so like Maika.

The comedy style in this anime relies mainly on slap stick style humor, including Maika and her sisters whipping out a hammer and making the guys who are not supposed to know about magic forget about it. Also, they also rely a lot on ecchi as a comedy source, such as one episode revolves totally around a pair of possessed panties that only the guy Ayumi loves can take them off. Though some of the comedy style is not unique to me, it still made me smile, especially when the characters went into dark mode when they were plotting on destroying the other girls in the harem.

The anime is very episodic in nature, such as one adventure per episode, with a two episode finale. Their adventures could vary from trying to feed him a school lunch to celebrating Christmas with friends. Most of these adventure really don't have a point other than fan service and to show off the girls. Most anime like this is actually enjoyable because there is really no true cohesive plot, though just a pinch of plot would have been nice here, such as instead of waiting for the big twist, at least somewhat hint at it.

I will admit, the end disappointed me. I will not spoil it, though I will admit it was such a troll ending, and I think they could have pulled off the big twist, and the last two episodes way better than they did. The finale was weak, as in bringing in Ayumi's little sister, who doesn't even look like her little sister, and also the mysterious woman who seems to watching from the shadows. Quite literally, it was a big can of What the Hell. Also, though most anime ends badly, I think this was one of the worst endings I have ever seen.

This anime is worth the watch if you're looking for something to watch just for fun. Don;t be fooled by art style, and don't be disappointed when it doesn't live up to anime like Seto no Hanayome in comedy, due to the fact it is a harem, and harems are usually a hit or miss. If you want magic, girls, comedy, and a harem, then this is the anime for you. 

Pirates Of THe Carrabean IV-On Stranger Tides

Pirates series has to be among the darkest things Disney has produced. Although, over the years, we have come to love Jack Sparrow for his crazy antics, verging on the line of insane and brilliant. We have watched him battle various enemies, such as Captain Barbossa, and other crazy villains. The sheer insanity of it (and perhaps a few Johnny Depp fan-girls) has brought the series billions of dollars, and it has won the hearts of people everywhere. The fourth installment of the pirates movies is no different from the other three, bringing about insanity, super-natural beings, comedy,pirates and improv schemes that always seem to according to plan.

In beginning of the movie, Captain Jack Sparrow is supposed to be going up on trail for crimes of piracy, where in turn, Gibbs is actually taken in for Jack Sparrow. The judge then proceeds to convict him, but you can notice it is Jack Sparrow. Gibbs is then taken out, and you see the Jack had tied up the real judge and stolen his wig. Also, Jack joins Gibbs in the carriage, believing that they are going to a get away location, though as it turns out, the driver is a traitor, because they are then surrounded by the British Troops.

They bring Jack Sparrow to the hall of a great important British official, where you also find out that Captain Barbossa is now playing for the British. They offer him a great deal: a ship and crew, though at the expense that he would not be able to captain the ship. Jack then escapes, though not forgetting of the delicious cake things (Too be honest, it looked like a macaroon though I'm not sure). I will give Jack Sparrow credit where it's due: He can get him self out of any situation with pure luck and maybe a bit of genius.

Along the way, he meets up with a woman that he had some previous engagement as, though posing as him to get crew for her ship. The woman is Angelica, who is Black Beard's daughter. She wants to team up with him in order to find the fountain of youth, as you may know, grants the user eternal youth. The only twist is that you must gain the years of life from another person with the exchange of the water in the goblets, one with a mermaid tear, and the one without.

Jack Sparrow gets captured and he is then thrust upon Black Beard's ship. Also on the ship, it a captive mersonary named Phillip Swift. Now, I'll be honest, they treat him like shit through out the entire movie. You first meet him tied up on the mast of Black Beard's ship. He gets stabbed a few times, and just when you think he should be dead, he is alive again. Black Beard and his crew want to capture a mermaid, for the tear is essential for granting the eternal youth. They send a crew out to see on a little life boat, and then shine man made light on them, because apparently mermaids are attracted to man made light. In about an hour, and the mermaids are at the boat.  They try to lure the men to their deaths, because they will take a man to the deepest part of the ocean and then eat his soul. The original plan fails, though one mermaid is trapped in the rubble. She is then captured and then lugged around in a case of water, because they want a fresh mermiad tear.

As paths are crossed, and alliances are made, the movie provides an interesting watch. I'll even admit to it being on par with the first movie, and the third movie. It provided entertainment, and for once, I didn't have to deal with the romance between Will and Elizabeth, because their arc is over, because this movie is more or less a spin off, and centers around Jack Sparrow. It provided many laughs and the plot schemes are amazing, and I think that it is worth the buy.

One of the few complaints I had about the movie was that the whole fountain of youth thing. It's just bizarre, and then when they finally find it, the Spanish, who have been searching for it the entire time like they were in real history, show up. They are shown a few times through out the movie, though they just kind of show up, and go away. Along with the Spanish, the method of the gaining the youth. I thought that it was supposed to be that you take a few sips, and done. I guess this is just an interesting spin on the myth, though it seems stupid.

The other thing I didn't like about the Movie was that they kept trying to kill Phillip Swift. He gets stabbed repeatedly, and should have been dead from the start. Also, the romance between him and the mermaid, who he eventually dubbed Syrena, was sort of ok, but it felt rushed. I say more mermaid time, and less time on Phillip Swift getting stabbed, and moaning in pain.

Overall, this movie is a must buy/download. (Yes, for a pirate movie I highly recommend pirating)  It is probably one of the best pirates movies, even though there is only if there is only four of them. There is a possibility of a sequel, thought the end sort of completes it, even though it leaves a few open ends in regards to Phillip. I say go for it, because if you're a pirates fan and crave more Jack Sparrow, you will not regret sitting down and watching it.

Tower Heist

In recent times, it seems that money scams are more and more common. They're juicy, press filled, and have to deal with the financial woes of those that they hurt, much like today's world. Along with scams, are people wanting to get even with those scammers, even if it isn't exactly legal. Tower Heist is a movie about a rich person profiting by scamming his "servants" and profiting from it, and the "servants" wanting to get even.

The movie starts off with Arthur Shaw, a wealthy business man,playing against one of his hotel staff, Josh Kovacs, in a game of online chess. As Kovacs arrives at work, he meets up with Shaw, who then tells him check mate, referring to the game.When Kovacs enters the hotel, you meet the other members of the cast, such as Lester, the doorman, Odessa, the maid from Jamaica, Enrique, the new guy at the hotel, Mr. Fitzhugh, the resident evictee, and Charlie, the guy that doesn't know anything about the people he serves. The job of Kovacs and the staff is to make sure the residents are happy, by complimenting them, bring them food, and cleaning their rooms and such.
Along the line, the FBI comes in and bust Shaw for stealing money, and for investment scams. Lester, along with many of the other employees, had invested all of their money with Shaw, with the promise of tripling their funds, has just lost everything. Lester actually tried to commit suicide, which prompted Kovacs to do something about the lost money. He then goes up into Shaw's apartment and proceeds to beat the crap out of the car, before getting him let go from the staff.
Kovacs thhen gathers a gang of people to break into Shaws penthouse apartment, which at this point in the movie, Shaw has returned to under house arrest. Along with Shaw being in the apartment, it is now guarded by two FBI agents, and video cameras. Kovacs enlists the help of Fitzhugh, the evictee and also a genius mathematician, Enrique, the new hired person,Charlie, the guy along for the ride, and Slide, the crook from the same neighborhood as Kovacs. They first start off by showing Slide that they can steal, so Slide challenges them to steal $50 worth of stuff from the mall.
Along the way, Kovacs meets up with the FBI agent in charge of the case, Agent Denham. She provides Kovacs with footage of him beating the car that was in Shaw's living room, but before that they go out and get some drinks. She tells him that the court date for Shaw had been changed to the same day as the Macy's Parade.
Before breaking into the pent house, they recruited Odessa, who can break into just about any safe, which they suspect there being a safe in the pent house with the money in it. They go in the hotel during the parade, while the whole staff is admiring the Snoopy Float, because they're infatuated with the beloved Peanuts character.
After they break into the Penthouse, the rest is for you to watch, because I will not spoil a majority of the good part of the movie.
All in all, it was a good movie, though I will admit that there were a few too many sex jokes. Also, since Eddie Murphy is in it,I guess I expected something funnier, but it was funny non the less. Also, the ending made me derp a bit, just because its like, wait, what? In the movie, some of the stuff that was pulled off was probably improbable, but I guess since this is Hollywood, physics, timing, planning and those things don't have to make since, as long as it sells. But, I will give you a hint, the ending is happy.

Monty Python and the Meaning of Life

Many times have I sat back and asked my self "What is the meaning of life?" Is it something valuable? How does life work? Does death really mean the end? Well, Monty Python and the Meaning of Life tries explore the meaning of life through a comedic means.
The movie opens with a mini presentation with old people working at an office doing paper work. When one of the workers gets sacked by a higher up, they decide to revolt against the top heads, and they turn their building into a ship and launching attack on capitalist America. They raid everybody using weapons they fashioned from things in their office, such as swords from fans, and desk drawer cannons. The old people eventually lead America's  big companies to ruin, and then they celebrate. I will be honest, the opening scene does not do much for the movie, except they make a joke in the main film along the lines of "We're sorry for the interruption of the side film. They're just looking for attention, and now we return to the main film." When the side clip "interrupts" it feels like deja vu, because the dialogue is exactly the same.

When they cut to the real film, it starts off with a song, like every good movie should. But then it cuts to the  Though the hospital birth scene made me smile, the scene where the children were singing about sperm made me laugh and smile. They got kids probably as young as 5 or so to sing it. One thing I want to know who wrote the song, and then how did they convince the kids to sing it. Also, did the kids even know what they were saying? It was about the Catholics and how it is against they're religion to use condoms, mocking it to a point of that they had so many kids that the house was over run with them, and they need to sell a few kids to science in order to pay the bills.
The next stage of life is child hood, and we are shown a Catholic school. It first starts of with the mass and everyone praying and listening to the preacher. The class room was worthy of a few laughs, due to the part of the teacher teacher the boys how to have sex with a lady, while having sex with his wife. Also, they were discussing how to arouse a lady, which one boy promptly replies "lick the clitoris." The teacher then bashes the boy for being too direct and then discusses other ways to arouse a woman.
The next stage of life is the part after you get out of school, and they presume you will serve you country well. They have a drill Sargent telling his troops that they will march up and down the square. The troops then one by one object, saying that they rather be doing something else, such as read a book, or practice the piano.
During the middle ages, this is where the movie gets creepy, I won't lie. First, you deal with a couple going to a restaurant and ordering conversations. Although its not creepy, its like will my middle years be like that? Then, the truly creepy part is a couple of doctors looking for a liver donation. They then proceed to hack apart the man they want the liver from, and then a man pops out of the couple's refrigerator and starts on a song bout the meaning of life, not unlike the beginning, though they go as far as to show something coming out a woman's vagina(not a real one just a illustration.)  The next scene is a fat guy so fat he can barely walk. He sits down and ask for a bucket to puke in. Now, watching this scene while eating is just slightly unnerving.
Lastly  in life, there is death. Though death is the end, it provides fan service in the movie. Also, the grim reaper is funny, though the end will sort of (excuse the language) mind f*ck you. I will not spoil the end, but its well worth it.

Yuru Yuri-A Slow Moving Yuri

Sometimes, names mean nothing when it comes to anime, sometimes they mean every. Sometimes they mean what the anime is about or sometimes they're cutesy and unrelated to the anime. Yuru Yuri's title, with Yuru being translated as slow, or easy going and yuri being the term relates to lesbian relationships,  can tell you a bit about the anime, however, do not judge an anime by the title.

Yuru Yuri has a typical slice of life plot line: 3 girls going through middle school. Wait...did i forget someone? Probably not. Anyways, you have the anime freak and doujinshi writer (and my personal favorite) Toshinou Kyouko, the serious person, Funami Yui,, the annoying tsundere brat, Yoshikawa Chinatsu, and, oh yeah, i remember who I forgot, Akaza Akarai, the girl with no defining features. There are other characters, such as Sugiura Ayano, the other tsundere who wants to be friends with Kyouko, and the Ikeda twins, Chizuru and Chitose, twins that are prone to drooling and nosebleeds when their glasses are removed due to fantasies. The characters are  just your normal girls, with some lesbian-curious tendencies. But then again, there is no males in the cast.
Now, the girls, as I have said, have some bi-curious, or maybe just lesbian tendencies. Chinatsu obviously likes Yui in a perverted way, and Kyouko likes Chinatsu in the way of wanting her to cosplay as the anime character Mirakurun, a magical witch in the anime they like to watch. Also, Ayano appears to have a thing for Kyouko, though Kyouko is too preoccupied with Chinatsu and cosplaying. Chitose just fantasizes about the pairings and the double entendres that are said between the characters, and this results in nose bleeds, and a character, usually Akari, offering her tissues to ease the bleeding.

Besides the characters, the most catching thing about the show is the opening song and the closing song; they are so catchy. They accurately depict the anime, but they were so catchy, I couldn't help but to replay the songs over and over. The end, "My Place de Ikimashou," or "Let's go to My Place," was the one that made me a sure viewer. As person who doesn't usually watch the ending themes to anime, it was a nice refresher, and it was catchy. The beginning song "Yuriyurarararayuruyuri," is catchy, but it cannot compare to the end song.
If you're looking for a slice of life with some comedy in it, then this is the anime for you. Easy going like K-On, and funny too, this anime is a win in my books

Monty Python and the UnHoly Grail

As comedy lover, I'm always searching for the next laugh. Will it come from a movie or my friends or perhaps life? Monty Python and the Holy Grail brought tears of laughter my eyes, and I have to call this movie one of the greatest comedies to ever be released.
For those who have heard of Monty Python, you are probably aware of the internet memes that surround the movie. Many times have I seen an anime synced up to the scene of Arthur fighting the knight and the line, "T'is but a scratch" and then it will followed by "A scratch? Your arms off!" Also, you might have heard "The Knights who say 'Ni!'" parodies by using an annoying character to say it to irritate the others. All these lines drew me to Monty Python, and made me wonder what type of movie it was.

The movie, with in seconds had me laughing, and it was before the action started. The opening credits have hilarious subtitles in them, and also involve people getting sacked. However, after everyone gets sacked, they revert to a flashy, colorful intro. I almost have to say it seizure worthy. It provided a good laugh, just the thing i need to get me going into an amazing comedy.
Next, after the hilarious credits, we see our main character, King Arthur, King of the Britans, come galloping about on his... invisible horse. That's right, invisible horse.  He has a guy following behind him, clopping coconuts in the rhythm that would represent a horse's hooves. He goes up to a castle, where he then requests to speak with the lord and master of the castle. However, the guard and Arthur get into a debate on how much weight a swallow could carry and how he came across the coconuts. Then, as he travels across Britain, he comes across two knights fighting, one killing the other violently. As Arthur tries to ask the winning knight to join him in his quest to join him at the round table, the knight states, "None shall pass." Arthur then engages n a fight with the knight, chopping his arms in a blow that shouldn't have hurt anyone. The knights arm then bleed profusely, making me wonder about the physics of 8th century England.
As the story carries on, Arthur and his newly recruited knights of the round table, all riding on invisible horses, are visited by God, telling to seek the Holy Grail. God, however is more animated then real, which posed the thought on one my friends: This movie would be amazing if you were high, and he had a point. The animation for the god scene was not fluid, and his mouth looked like a nutcracker.
From the god scene, the knights travel for a year, which included more animated scenes. (Seriously, why can't life really be like this?) The knights then separate, each going their own way. However, they soon get back together.
Later in the movie, they fight the most fearsome foe around: a white bunny rabbit. What does he do? Does he nibble your bum? No, he just out right attacks you. Apparently, he is the guard to a cave, and he has killed many men with he ferocious attacks. Men be warned! Killer bunny is out to get you!
A little ways later into the movie, Arthur finds his holy grail, but he has to go into battle for it. he meets the French at their castle, and it turns out they have the grail. Can Arthur get the grail from the lousy french? Or will he be defeated? For that my friends, you'll have to watch Monty Python and the Holy Grail!