Ooyasan wa Shishunki! Anime Review

Ooyasan wa Shishunki!
Information:
Other Names: Ooya-san wa Shishunki!, Landlord is in Puberty!, 大家さんは思春期!
Studio: Seven Arcs Pictures
Writer: 
Director: Yuki Ogawa
Music: Arte Refact
Type: TV Series, Short Series, Manga ( 4 - Koma) Adaptation
Length: 3 minuties per episode approx.
Genres: Comedy, Slice of Life
Rating: PG-13
Air Dates: 10th January 2016 - 27th March 2016
Alternate Recommendations:  "Komori-san wa Kotowarenai!"

Synopsis:
The story follows a boy who has gained an independent life. After moving into his rented apartment, he meets his landlord. The landlord has the physique of a little girl, and she does the cooking and housework while attending middle school with her friends. (Source: MAL)

Likes: funny comedy, east to watch, fun characters

Dislikes: nothing happens, ok style and animation, ok soundtrack, the setting is forgotten quickly, no satisfying conclusion.

Super Short Review:

Have you ever wanted a middle school student as your landlord?
Well Maeda a young adult never wanted this but didn't regret it afterwards thanks to the fun shenanigans he gets into with his landlord (Chie) and neighbour Reiko, though when I say “shenanigans” it mainly revolves Chie growing up as a person while also recovering her childhood, since because of her work she can’t experience events children her age would do.  

The series as a whole is very light-hearted with some interesting themes, mentioned above, that well within each episode despite them being only 2 minutes long each. There is very little development due to this but there is some which came off as a surprise considering the nature of the show, though even with these themes the series is easy to watch and can be funny at times although this depends on your sense of humour.

However this is all the series has going for it, since absolutely nothing happens by the end of the series, with no ending that I felt was satisfactory and no second season in production, while the setting is completely forgotten. Plus even though characters are fun to watch, there design is poor and bland as they are easily forgettable; not to mention even the art style is quite boring despite have a cute look and animation is of average quality, though the soundtrack is okay with it mixing well into the scenes that take place, which also applies to the show’s opening as well.

In conclusion if you’re looking for a quick watch that doesn't require much though, this show is a great way to spend a good 20 minutes, however if your longing for something longer this show is not for you. 

Final Scores:

Setting/Story: 6.2

Characters: 5.2

Art/Animation: 5.1
Sound: 5.9

Final Verdict: 5.6/10 (Average)

Ojisan to Marshmallow Anime Review

Ojisan to Marshmallow
Information:
Other Names: おじさんとマシュマロ,  Oji-san to Marshmellow. 
Studio: Creators in Pack
Writer: Atsushi Oka
Director: Noriyoshi Sasaki
Music: Shusei
Type: Short TV Series, Manga Adaptation
Length: 5 min per episode approx.
Genres: Comedy, Slice of Life
Rating: PG-13
Air Dates: 8th January 2016 - 
Alternate Recommendations: "Sushi Police" & "Danna ga Nani wo Itteiru ka Wakaranai Ken".
Source: Wikipedia & MAL. 

Synopsis:
Never underestimate the power of marshmallows. Especially when it comes to igniting a passionate office romance with an older man! Ojisan to Marshmallow follows the efforts of office lady Iori Wakabayashi and her consistent efforts to lure her much older colleague Habahiro Hige into a romantic relationship. At 24, Wakabayashi is young and beautiful... and attracted to an old, overweight man? Her friends don't understand her preferences.

Hige's strong addiction to marshmallows is well known, and Wakabayashi does not hesitate to use them to her advantage, getting her and Hige into many compromising positions and situations. Unfortunately for Wakabayashi, Hige never seems to notice her many attempts at seduction. When will Hige finally notice her strong desire for romance? (Source: MAL)

Short Review:

Have you ever wondered if love can sprout between man & marshmallow? Yes you have, don’t lie! Well let me tell that dreams can come true, well at least for Hige (Main character) a middle aged man who just loves his marshmallows almost as if he worships their very existence.

Through this innocent and sweet story, you will learn to love marshmallows as well, almost as much as Wakana (main Heroine) loves Hige while laughing at the amusing situations that take place though are mainly due to misunderstanding which can get a bit repetitive if this was a full length series, however 3 – 4 minutes per episode, the show mangers to say light hearted all the way to its conclusion with a good soundtrack mixed in to scenes well however it sadly ends in a cliff-hanger with nothing resolved, although the ending song was nice touch which helps you wind-down after each episode.

Although I must praise the series on its characters as they are fun to watch and feel very human, mainly thanks to the age chosen for them. Yes, no annoying teenagers in high-school just some funny adults that feel like real people due to well wrote dialogue and great character design that mixes well with its different art style, setting it apart from other anime, though the animation is nothing to get excited about.

In conclusion watch this if you want something different or want a light-hearted show that’s fun to watch. Plus if you really like marshmallows watch this.

Final Scores:
Story/Setting: 6.8
Characters: 7.0
Art/Animation: 6.8
Sound: 7.2

Final Verdict: 7.0/10 (Good)

Ane Log Moyako Neesan no Tomaranai Monologue Anime Review

Ane Log Moyako Neesan no Tomaranai Monologue
Information:
Other Names: Sister's Log: Moyako's Never-ending Monologue, 姉ログ 靄子姉さんの止まらないモノローグ.
Studio: Brain's Base
Writer: N/A
Director: Ichimura, Tetsuo
Music: N/A
Type: OVA, Manga Adaptation
Length: 3 episodes, 23 min per episode approx.
Genres: Comedy, Ecchi, School, Shounen
Rating: PG-13
Air Dates: 16th September 2014 - 15th April 2015
Alternate Recommendations: "Oneechan ga Kita" & "Watashi ga Motenai no wa Dou Kangaetemo Omaera ga Warui!"
(Source: MAL)

Synopsis:
When Konoe Moyako and her little brother, Akira, were young, he said he wanted to marry her. Naturally, Moyako decided that her little brother was a complete pervert who was obsessed with her. Now that they're both teenagers, Moyako is convinced she needs to "rehabilitate" him. However, it seems that the "perversion" is entirely in her imagination, and she can't seem to help turning completely innocent situations into creepy ones in her mind! (Source:MAL)

Short Review:

The story begins with older sister Moyako believing her younger brother Akira is pervert who loves her, such as believing that her brother asking for shampoo so she sees him naked now imagine this situation and multiply it by nine, that the show in a nut shell.

Overall I found the setting to be an interesting idea since the monologues Mayako thinks up are so strange they become unbelievable at times such as having a secret language around a ‘soccer’ game to talk about perverted things, ideas like this are what keep this short series fun to watch. However these situations can get progressively repetitive if you watch the series back to back, since nothing else happens within the show to keep it interesting, there’s no character development or strange plot twists due to the nature of the series as well as the length being only three episodes that leads to no ending with no sequel attached.

Though speaking of character development, I found the character do be one of the better aspects of the show as they are well thought-out characters that keep the series from being in the pit of mediocrity thanks to well written dialogue and fun personalities from a half Japanese girl obsessed with Japanese culture, to the childhood friend playing the straight man. Even though this do sound like plain archetypes they really add to the series effectively. However this can’t be said for the character designs which are plain at best, using designs we’ve all seen before, this could also be said about the animation as well, being decent at best.

The art on another note was a nice change from a standard style, being slightly different enough that it gels with the overall tone of the show, which can also be said for the soundtrack that helps carry the overall tone of the show well enough.

In conclusion I can recommend this to anyone looking for a good laugh and any who are interested in a different and fun setting. 

Final Scores:
Setting/Story: 6.7
Characters: 6.7
Animation/Art: 6.4 

Sound: 6.2

Final Verdict: 6.5/10

Cupid's Chocolate Chinese Cartoon Review

Cupid's Chocolate
Information:
Other Names: Aishen Qiaokeli Jinxingshi, 爱神巧克力ING...
Studio: ?
Writer: ?
Director: ?
Music: ?
Type: Short Series, Web Manga Adaptation
Length: 13 minutes per episode approx. 15 episodes.
Genres: Comedy, Ecchi, Harem, Romance, School
Rating: R - 17+
Air Dates: 2nd December 2015 - 16th March 2016
Alternate Recommendations: "Nisekoi", "R-15".

Synopsis:
Jiang Hao, a normal, high school student who is extremely scared of getting into trouble suddenly becomes the Harem King of his school and gets confessed to by a bunch of beautiful girls! The worst thing is, Jiang hao doesn't know any of the girls who confessed to him! What on earth is happening? 

Review:

So what can the Chinese do that the Japanese can't with animation? Well in many senses not a whole lot as this series is just another run of the mill harem show, clinches and all.

Though one think I will praise them on is the art and animation, with the art itself not looking to different from standard anime styles but there are some slight unnoticeable changes that are so small there barely visible but they will make a difference. In contrast the animation is very noticeable, being good for the type of show it is, as harem anime isn't known for its amazing animation, though I'm not saying this shows’ is amazing but it is much better than the norm. Unlike the soundtrack which while sounding nice brings nothing new to the slice of life table. But the opening and ending songs are worth listening to as they are uplifting and silly like the show itself, as they feature no singing and is just pure music but is produced just as well fitting with the series, however the animations at least for the opening is just confusing though not at first but in middle of it there a basketball game, why is it there? It makes no sense. Apart from the ending animation is nothing to talk about and just features still images of the characters that aren't much to look at.

However in contrast to the art & animation the rest of the show is nothing but cliché and predictable plot lines, with some of the most run of the mill characters, from a bland main character watchers can project themselves onto to the five girls for make up his harem which include: the rich girl, the sports girl, the bookworm, the helper and the childhood friend, yeah we've seen this all before, not to mention the character designs to match. On the other hand though these characters do get some development which, is different or at least it should be since the actual development itself is nothing we have seen before, with the issues that take place in these character’s lives.

And this strangely enough is the whole focus of the plot with the main character Jiang Haoyi, tasked with resolving these girls problem, in order to stop them from loving which happened because he gave them a cake that made them love him, which a cupid left around who know “helps” him with these problems. Sound dumb, yeah it is but it is one of the more original settings I have seen in a long time. The plot works in arcs where the MC fixes each girls problems over a few episodes, nothing new but I found each arc paced fairly well with nothing feeling out of place until the end of the series where he has “fixed” three girls but the childhood friend isn't however by the end after a time skip by the way, everything is fine like they just forgot about her which didn't feel right though the ending itself wasn't bad as it didn't finish on a cliff-hanger.

 In conclusion I can’t really recommend this to anyone unless you enjoy anime of this kind. Though if you are interested a second season is in production.

Final Verdict:

Story/Setting: 5.6

Characters: 5.3

Animation/Art: 7.1

Sound: 6.8

Final Score: 6.3/10

Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo! Anime Review

Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo!
Information:
Other Names: この素晴らしい世界に祝福を!, Give Blessings to This Wonderful World,
Studio: Studio Deen
Writer: Makoto Uezu
Director: Takaomi Kanasaki
Music: Masato Koda
Type: TV Series, Light Novel Adaptation
Length: 24 mins per episode approx.
Genres: Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Romance, Supernatural
Rating: PG-13
Air Dates: 14 January 2016 - 17th March 2016
Alternate Recommendations: D-Frag &  Hai to Gensou no Grimgar

Synopsis:
The life of Satou Kazuma, a hikikomori who likes games, all too soon came to an end because of a traffic accident... It was supposed to, but when he woke up, a beautiful girl who called herself a goddess was in front of his eyes.

"Hey, I have got something a little nice for you. Wanna go to another world? You can take only one thing of your choice along with you."

"...then I'll take you."

From here on, the great adventure of subjugating the Demon King will begin for the reincarnated Kazuma... Or so one would think, but it's the labor for obtaining food, clothing and shelter that begins! Despite Kazuma wanting to live in peace, the goddess keeps causing problems one after another, and eventually, they attract the attention of the Demon King's army!? (source:MAL)

Review:

How would you spend your life in a parallel fantasy world?

Would you spend it slaying monsters, completing quests and getting the girl/man? Well I’m sure that’s what NEET Kazuma wanted after being transported to a fantasy like game world after his passing, but unlike all the other game related anime shows, Konosuba decided to be a little different as the main character is not the typical power house, “I can defeat anything” type of hero, no instead we get a weak starter character the feels more like a real game character which felt refreshing. But the real questions you want to ask is: Does he get the girls? Well yes and no, as he does get surrounded by three girls over the ten episodes, however they are far from normal and hold no real affection towards the main character, which was a refreshing take that made the show feel different.

The show itself opens up like any other fantasy series with the main character being transported to a fantasy land however, after this this is where the shows differs from others due to the main character who was a NEET while on Earth and wasn’t particularly strong; he died from shock and being his pants for god’s sake if that’s not weak I don’t know what is. Furthermore to complicate matters further instead of wishing for a super powered weapon to the new world, he takes the very goddess who offers him the choice thinking she’d be a great help. This however, turns out to be not the case as Kazuma discovers he underpowered and Goddess Aqua is useless and so begins there journey to defeat the Demon King and his generals in order to get back home, because you know that’s how this always work.

However I found the story itself, to be lacking in this as Kazuma abandoned this idea as it seems like too much work, which I though weakened the story some more as no real progression is made aside from main characters doing some occasional odd jobs and getting into shenanigans, which is okay if you think of this as an episodic series since each episode is generally fun to watch, having new enjoyable antics into the mix each time though if you’re looking for any real plot developments or a conclusion that isn’t a cliff-hanger don’t get your hopes up.  However if this totally your thing a second season has entered production, so good for you!  

Nevertheless one of the main points and buy far its better point that the show offers is its wide range of characters, as this based of a RPG-styled game setting there are quite a lot, though the vast amount of them are background characters from the guild, there are some who get some time in the spotlight that are interesting but sadly get no development or much screen time, one of which is Chris the standard thief like character, who has a great design and fun character but she just doesn’t get much of anything else sadly along with that one episode she barely appears in.

But enough about the bad, lets focus on the good, for one did you know the character designs in this are really good with plenty to choose from, as each character feels unique standing out in the crowd which is a great addition especially with the main characters since they are all unforgettable with great characterisation that don’t feel like the typical run of mill personalities from game-genre shows. Instead we get at first a heroine (Aqua) full of herself who has no interest romantically in Kazuma what so ever and instead spends her time drinking while learning new party trick skills instead of offensive ones. While the main character (Kazuma) is as said before completely weak and useless, though he is one of the funniest of the cast playing the “straight man” in a group full of wierdos. Later on though the group gets two new characters that help at more spark to it, from a chunni mage obsessed with explosions to a knight that can’t hit anything but enjoys to be hit, if that doesn't sound appealing I don’t know what does. Though even this characters get away completely free as they are held done by lack of character development.  

 Now for the last few points about the show, the art style used is a great fit that while looking bland at times fits the tone of the show well while letting in plenty of room for experimentation; this also works well the animation similarly which while looking alright at time can look beautiful in others mainly around fight scenes and anything containing EXPLOSIONS! But what really sets the tone of the show is the OST which while it doesn't stand out on its own, fits nicely the series’ fun and games atmosphere where as the opening and ending songs (plus animations) go along well with this tone making you feel generally relaxed.  

In conclusion the show was a nice addition to a genre that has been running dry lately and was s much needed take on that genre. Personally I would recommend this to anyone after a nice relaxing episodic series that’s short and easy to watch.

Final Scores:

Story/Setting: 7.2

Characters: 7.3

Art/Animation: 7.3

Sound: 7.6

Final Verdict: 7.4/10 (Good)