Gakusen Toshi Asterisk Anime Review

Gakusen Toshi Asterisk:
Information:
Other Names: The Asterisk War: The Academy City on the Water, Academy Battle City Asterisk & 学戦都市アスタリスク.
Studio: A-1 Pictures
Writer: Munemasa Nakamoto, Yukito Kizawa, Yukie Sugawara.
Director: Manabu Ono & Kenji Seto
Music: Rasmus Faber
Type: Light Novel Adaptation, TV Series
Length: 12 Episodes, 23 min per episode approx.
Genres: Action, Comedy, Ecchi, Fantasy, Harem, Romance, School, Sci-Fi, Supernatural
Rating: PG-13
Air Dates: 3rd October 2015 - 19th December 2015
Recommendations: Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance & Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry

Synopsis:
The Academy City on the water, Rikka (otherwise known as Asterisk) is the world's largest stage for the integrated battle entertainment, "Star Wars Festival." The young boys and girls of the "Starpulse Generation" belonging to the six academies made their wishes with Shining Armaments in their hands, vying for supremacy—Amagiri Ayato is one of them.
Ayato arrived at Rikka at the invitation of the Student Council President of the Seidoukan Academy, Claudia, and right after that he incurred the wrath of the "Petalblaze Witch" Julis, and ended up having to duel her.
The greatest academy battle entertainment, begins here!

Review: 
Asterisk, is it a boring harem or something that could improve the genre?

Asterisk is set in a world where school train and fight each other for whatever using special armaments, sound familiar of course it does, so the setting is nothing special. But the story for a change is good and actually interesting with main driving force of the plot being just a catalyst for many different stories to take place. The main driving point being main character Ayato's quest to find his older sister who disappeared after attending Seidoukan Academy which leads him to meet a variety of individuals that happen to be all girls who he then helps through their problems, so once again nothing really different. 

The story just doesn't feel forced unlike other harems as each encounter feels natural and the characters have little quirks that make them interesting although some are a cliché which adds to the overall plot. Though by the end as per usual story ends on a cliff-hanger which I did see coming as the pacing of the story while good is held back by the amount of episodes but don't fear because I second season has been announced.

As said before the characters are interesting and most have good character designs but this really only applies to supporting characters and the main characters before they become part of the harem, as the main cast I found to be extremely boring with uninspiring design especially the main two as Ayato is quite boring looking and Julis a pink haired girl who uses fire, at least she doesn't have red hair but its close. While on the other side characters who are part of the harem are fun, and have great back-story or an interesting personality before entering but after they only care for Ayato and become boring.  


The real jewel is in the supporting cast in particular characters from other schools are they are designed wonderfully and all have a unique personalities and drives that make them feel unique, despite some have barely having any screen time.

In a similar respect to the character design, the art used in this show is different that looks refreshing even changing once to an art that just looks amazing but is a little off putting, just like the animation is okay at best, though the opening animation is quite fun to watch and the ending animation strangely look great. But the ending song is okay in comparison, especially when compared to the opening song which fits the show perfectly with its upbeat j-pop sound. This could also be said of the soundtrack as it fits perfectly with the tone of show and increases interest in the fights scenes the most.  

In conclusion Asterisk is great if you're looking for a good harem that in not bogged down by ecchi filler and has a decent enough story that keeps getting more interesting.


Final Verdict:
Story/Setting: 7.1
Characters: 7.1
Animation/Art: 6.8
Sound: 7.4

Final Score: 7.2/10



Ranking System:
10 = Perfect Masterpiece
9.6 - 9.9= Near Perfect
9 - 9.5 = Excellent
8 - 8.9 = Very Good
7- 7.9 = Good
 5-6.9 = Average/Mediocre
 2-4.9 =Bad

 1- 1.9= Unwatchable

Magi: The Kingdom Of Magic Anime Review

Magi: The Kingdom Of Magic
Information:
Other Names:  Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic 2 & マギ The kingdom of magic
Studio: A-1 Pictures
Writer: Hiroyuki Yoshino
Director: Koji Masunari
Music: Shirō Sagisu
Type: Manga Adaptation, TV Series, Sequel
Length: 25 Episodes, 24 min per episode approx.
Genres: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Magic, Shounen
Rating: PG-13
Air Dates: 6th October 2013 - 30th March 2014
Alternate Recommendations: Fairy Tail & Akame ga Kill

Synopsis:
Aladdin, Alibaba, and Morgiana's adventures continue in the magical Kingdom of Magnostadt, a country ruled by magicians, and the Reim Empire, which is protected by the Magi Scheherazade. (Source: MAL)

Review:
Does the second season top the original? The answer is yes, - yes it does, launching off straight from where the last season ended, Kingdom of Magic takes you on journey that forever changes our characters and world forever.

Even though most of setting stays the same throughout, new locations and factions are presented from the magical city of Magnostadt to the deadly Reim Empire that's based upon the real world's Roman Empire as well as including nations from the previous series like the Kou Empire and Sindria, while also being given an in depth look at their workings to get a sense of scale onto how powerful these nations are and how they affect the Magi World, this is a great addition to the series as it helped immerse me in the world and care more for it. 

Now on the other hand the start of the plot was a little disappointing, as it did something I hate which was show the end or close to the end of series at the start of the show which was totally unnecessary. Other than that though the story is fantastic and well written taking each of the four main characters on different journeys to better improve their characters, well for the most part as Morigiana and Hakuryuu barely make an appearance, having very little screen time but on the other side Aladdin and Alibaba become the driving points of the plot have great amount of detail being put into their growth even if Alibaba's is shorter, but nevertheless these characters help drive you through a fantastic plot full of twists, fun battles and new interesting characters through interesting and fun arcs even if it was a little predictable. Though even though the ending was great it does cliff-hanger and unlike the first there's no next season in sight which was a disappointment.  

As I've just said out of the four main characters only three get any real development and out of those three only the one getting vast amounts of screen time which is Aladdin who as said before has good screen time and development changing from that small naive child from the first season to a wise magi, while others like Hakuryuu and Alibaba get good development that helps shape their new personalities for the rest of the season. While with Morigiana, I'm not sure what happens with her as she is only in a few episodes where nothing really happens which was a disappointment. 

But on a brighter side the support characters flourish in this series once again, well new ones do and some older ones, such as older characters get new back-story, in particular members of the Kou Empire (Kougyoku) are given a much needed back story though other characters like Sinbad don't. But leaving the old behind, lets focus on the new, with newer characters being shown at every corner that are all fun and interesting to look at while story or two that helps drive the plot forwards. 


Speaking of fun to look at, characters designs in this show are as great as ever, with new character looking unique and refreshing and old characters getting re designed which helps keep the feeling that the world of Magi gives out. The art in a similar fashion while remaining the same looks better and animation is faster and improved. 

Which can also said about the soundtrack as well, which resonates well with the world the anime has built and makes you feel at home, but this cannot be said of the Openings and Endings, as I found the first opening and ending to be boring and forgetful like they were missing that spark that made the first enjoyable, but on another side the second opening and ending help capture that again.       

In conclusion, the Kingdom of Magic is a worthy second season and is a must watch for people who loved the first. Even if is held back by a few errors.

Final Scoring:
Story/Setting: 9.5
Characters: 9
Animation/Art: 9.1
Sound: 9.2

Verdict: 9.3/10




Ranking System:
10 = Perfect Masterpiece
9.6 - 9.9= Near Perfect
 9 - 9.5 = Excellent
 7-8.9 = Good
 5-6.9 = Average/Mediocre
 2-4.9 =Bad
 1- 1.9= Unwatchable

Magi: The Labyrinth Of Magic Anime Review

Magi: The Labyrinth Of Magic
Information:
Other Names: マギ The labyrinth of magic
Studio: A-1 Pictures
Writer: Hiroyuki Yoshino
Director: Koji Masunari
Music: Shirō Sagisu
Type: Manga Adaptation, TV Series
Length: 25 episodes, 24 min per episode approx.
Genres: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Magic, Shounen
Rating: PG-13
Air Dates: 7th October 2012 - 31st March 2013
Alternate Recommendations: Arslan Senki & Fullmetal Alchemist


Synopsis:
The story follows the travels of a boy named Aladdin around a strange land in which mysterious ruins called dungeons are said to house priceless treasures. Aladdin meets a friend, Alibaba, who strives to conquer a dungeon and obtain its treasures. Through all the meetings and partings he experiences along the way, Aladdin will also learn of his own fate..

Review:
Magi is a well-orchestrated shounen anime with a gripping fantasy world that really sucks you in. After taking various settings and characters from the 1000 and 1 Arabian Nights stories, and combining in with a rich fantasy world has created a setting that is unique and full of detail that feels real. The story of Magi set within this world is rich with character development and fantastic storey arcs that start with idea of the main characters exploring, and conquering a Labyrinth a mystical tower that holds riches and legendary djinn, which is what Aladdin and Alibaba set out to after the first few episodes, but what follows after is a roller-coaster of gripping narrative that successfully links each story arc without you knowing.

Each arc is well crafted to advance the main characters development as well as carry different themes they possess from slavery to discrimination and finally to fate. These themes are well crafted into the story, which helps bring serious events into fruition through good character interactions and well done fights. But we must remember that this is a Shounen so the outcome of most of the fights are predictable and tend to end in the same way which can be a little annoying but doesn't ruin the experience as much, as it could have done.
By the end of the series your left feeling amazed and ready for more; even though the end ends in a cliff-hanger there is a second season which is a great relieve.

As said before each arc mainly centres around one character and usually runs through that character's back-story that caused great emotional reaction within myself thanks to, each back-story featuring dark and depressing themes; whereas other main characters are kept more as sidekicks but they are still essential to the plot and help that leading character on their journey.

But leading from this, I would just like to say that the characters in this show are great, they are well designed having interesting appearances that are unique in one way but also bear resemblance to characters in 100 and 1 Arabian Nights, this helps create some truly fantasy looking characters. But this could also be said about the characters personalities as well with main characters Aladdin, Alibaba and Morgiana having unforgettable and unique personalities that don't feel cliché, but not only that they all get great development over the course of the series that makes you feel like they actually grow as people.
But this is not kept just by the mains as supporting characters are surprisingly well done having great appearances and personalities that makes each individual feel unique and fit into their role very well, from the cool king Sinbad to the greedy, tyrannical king Abhmad and beyond, these characters are one of the main focuses of why this world truly shines.



The art used in this anime is fairly good, having a great art style that fits the show nicely and good animation which creates great fights sequences and overall character movement though the mouth animation can look a bit odd at times.
The soundtrack is the most prominent part of the series as it simply beautiful with each track mixing in well with every available theme and scene in the anime. The opening is great as well - well at least the first one as it captures the sense of adventure within the show while showing a great opening animation that feels the same well while the second opening didn't do as much for me although the second opening animation was still great to watch and the ending songs I only listened to once and never listened to again as they weren't exciting or fun to watch.

In conclusion you should match this, Magi is a great show with amazing story, characters and soundtrack with only a one animation problems, some uninteresting ending songs and its demographic holding it back. It is a must see that is unforgettable and unique.


Final Score:
Setting/Story: 9.4
Characters: 9.4
Animation/ Art: 8.5
Sound: 9.8

Final Score: 9.3/10







Ranking System:
10 = Perfect Masterpiece
9.6 - 9.9= Near Perfect
9 - 9.5 = Excellent
8 - 8.9 = Very Good
7- 7.9 = Good
 5-6.9 = Average/Mediocre
 2-4.9 =Bad
 1- 1.9= Unwatchable

Kill Me Baby Anime Review

Kill me Baby:
Information:
Other Names: Baby, Please Kill Me & キルミーベイベー.
Studio: J.C. Staff
Writer: N/A
Director: Yoshiki Yamakawa
Music: EXPO
Type: Manga (4-Koma) Adaptation, TV Series
Length: 13 Episodes, 24 min episode approx
Genres: Comedy, School, Seinen
Rating: PG-13
Air Dates: 6th January 2012 - 30th March 2012
Alternate Recommendations: Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou & Nichijou

Synopsis:
Kill Me Baby is the touching story of Yasuna, a normal (?) high school girl, and Sonya, her best friend who happens to be an assassin. Unfortunately, little Sonya's trained assassin instincts often work against her and others in her daily high school life, as Yasuna's often-broken wrist can attest to. She just wanted a hug, but she ended up with a broken neck. Isn't it sad? No, it's hilarious. Not even Yasuna's intense ninja training can prepare her for the exciting adventures in this explosive 4-panel manga adaptation.

Review:
Is Kill me Baby a great comedy anime or will you be saying Baby please kill me by the end?

For starters I'll just say that this is an episodic anime with no overarching plot and no storyline. So now that that is out of way Kill Me Baby is about two 'friends' in a high-school setting so nothing new there, however the characters are a bit odd as one is typical high-school girl while the other is also in the same role but is an assassin as well which leads to funny interactions between the two characters but gets a bit same like if you binge watch this with it normally starting with first character Yasuna is a normal girl who comes up with a stupid idea and then baits Sonya the assassin into it, and then by the end Sonya has reacted violently beating up Yasuna.
Though aside from this I found the jokes to be well thought out and played well into each episodes overall 'story' as they made me laugh at least once an episode, which makes whole anime as a whole fun to watch up until the end as there is no real ending or cliff-hanger it just stops which I found to not be, all bad but felt unsatisfying by the end.    

As mentioned before the characters can get a bit boring, due to repetitive humour and boring character designs that even with an additional to characters that are unoriginal though with that in mind, I found characters to be highly likeable as their personalities on one hand were fun to watch, even though they are a typical stereotypes and fairy uninteresting they grow on you as time passes; this is also due to the art direction even though the designs are average; the style is cute and helps mixing in well with the tone of the show, even if the animation is okay at best but similarly the soundtrack used helps immerse you into the shows and has a similar sounding tone.
Also relating to cute style there is the Opening and Ending of the show which are really cute and fun to watch though the songs used get annoying as the show progresses.

Overall I believe you should watch this if you want a breather from heavy story anime as this is a relaxing show funny jokes, likeable characters and a cute art style that makes you feel released from high energy shows even though the show runs out of ideas after about 4 episodes and reuses the same ideas over and over again unless you take it slow, in which recommend you watch this every now and then instead of binge watching to get the better experience.

Setting: 6.7
Characters: 6.5
Art/Animation: 7.1
Soundtrack: 7.2

Final Score: 6.9/10

Sword Art Online II Anime Review

Sword Art Online II:
Information:
Other Names: Phantom Bullet, SAO II, ソードアート・オンライン II
Studio: A-1 Pictures
Writer: -
Director: Tomohiko Ito
Music: Yuki Kajiura
Type: LN Adaption, TV Series, Sequel
Length: 25 mins per ep. approx. 24 Episodes
Genres: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Romance, Shounen, Game
Rating: PG-13
Air Dates: 5 July 2014 - 20 December 2014
Alternate Recoomendation: .Hack (Franchise) & No Game No Life

Synopsis:

One year after the SAO incident, Kirito is approached by Seijiro Kikuoka from Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Department "VR Division" with a rather peculiar request.

Review:
The sequel to the hit series Sword Art Online, I present you to Sword Art Online II featuring new characters, new stories and some character development but still has some faults left over.

The story similar to the first series can be broken up into parts known as Arcs in which their are three this time round, firstly kicking off with the first arc of the series the Phantom Bullet Arc better known as Gun Gale Online that covers the first half of the twenty four episodes; that is set after the fairy dance arc where main character Kirito has to enter another VRMMO after some recent murders in the real world who are connected to that game known as Gun Gale Online/GGO. Now firstly the first part I will praise about this arc is that it forces the two main characters Kirito and new character Sinon the badass sniper chick to face there demons over the course of the story adding in a new type of dilemma to the story other than the you will die if you are killed which also does play some part in the story but any further is spoiler territory. In actual fact I couldn't find anything wrong with the story of the first arc as the pacing was well done and the ending was nicely wrapped up by the end, other than recap episode half way through that serves no purpose and should just be skipped especially if you marathon it.

With nothing further to say I will move onto the next arc and shortest of the three, the Caliber Arc that only takes place over a few episodes and more serves as filler between the two main arcs. It features the main cast of anime undertaking a quest in the Alfhiem Online for the mysterious sword Excalibur so Kirito and harem decide it's high time that go and fetch this sword. If I can describe this arc I would compare it to the Sword Art Online Extra Edition as the principles are the same as none of the characters are in any danger and is just I bit of a break in middle of the show, and can feel a bit boring after events of the last arc.

The final arc of series was the Mother's Rosario arc in which for change Kirito is not the main character but instead is the MC is Asuna someone with barely any screen time this series and got some much needed development. The story of this arc follows Asuna as she teams up with a mysterious guild known as the sleeping knights in attempt to clear the next floor and have name etched on the Monument of Swordsman for some unknown reason. This arc has a more dramatic and nicer tone compared to the other arcs as well as being slightly depressing later on which is a nice change from previous arcs as it slightly reminds you of the Aincrad Arc from the first SAO and is overall one of the better arcs of the series.

Now for the characters of the series which I will break down into the primary and secondary characters; from which I will start with primary characters in which their are 4 with Kirito and Sinon who are the leads of the first arc of series in which they play their part quite well as Kirito the hero who can overcome anything and Sinon the Hoplophobia who plays virtual reality games to overcome it that fear, now while this seems a little mediocre they do get some actual development with the main development being on Sinon who has amazing development over the course of the series well until the Calibur Arc then she turns full blown harem candidate number whatever; but aside this even Kirito gets a little development which is nice as it makes his character more believable. The next two main characters are Asuna and Yuuki who are the primary focuses of the final arc of the series in which Yuuki the other new character gets some good development and has a mysterious like feeling through most of that arc which makes her quite an interesting person; and lastly their is Asuna who gets a good amount of focus in the Mother's Rosario Arc having a more flushed out character than before as well as a look into her family life but aside from that arc she rarely shows up in the first arc and has a minor role in second arc.

Now for secondary characters which feature quite a large cast from the good old Kirito harem who don't appear that much but do have the most screen time during the Calibur Arc which is nice thing even it is slightly limited. But the real meat of the secondary characters are in the first and third arc so to kick things of I'll start with the first which has two interesting characters both having an mysterious like feeling throughout the arc who are Death Gun out main antagonist who I must say is a amazing one having a very dark personality and interesting identity; with the other character being Sinon's best friend Shinkawa Kyouji who becomes an interesting character as the series progresses.
The other more notable secondary characters in the series are members of Yuuki's guild the Sleeping Nights who don't have much screen time but still stick out as quite mysterious and all have unique personalities.

The animation is as great as ever having much improved from the first series as the action flows better than before making some really beautiful scenes as well as backgrounds being well detailed and gorgeous.

Finally for sound which has torn me as it may sound lovely and fits some of some scenes quite perfectly it does have it's down side which is that it is the exact same soundtrack as the first series which yes is a good thing for the second and third arc as it fits them quite well but not so much for the first arc as that arc doesn't feel right with fantasy themed music over it and would have benefited more from a new soundtrack.

Verdict:
Story: 7.8
Characters: 7.6
Animation: 8
Sound: 7.2

Final Score: 7.8/10

Ranking System:
10 - Perfect Masterpiece
9.6 - 9.9=  Near Perfect
 9 - 9.5 = Excellent
 7-8.9 = Good
 5-6.9 = Average/Mediocre
 2-4.9 =Bad
 1- 1.9= Unwatchable

Beelzebub Anime Review

Beelzebub:
Information:
Other Names: べるぜバブ
Studio: Pierrot
Writer: Ryūhei Tamura
Director: Nobuhiro Takamoto
Music: Yasuharu Takanashi
Type: Manga Adaptation, TV Series
Length: 60 episodes, 24 min per episode approx
Genres: Action, Comedy, Demons,School, Shounen, Supernatural
Rating: PG-13
Air Dates: 9th January 2011 - 25th March 2012
Alternate Recommendations: Bleach & Gintama

Synopsis:
The story follows the "strongest juvenile delinquent," Tatsumi Oga, a first year at Ishiyama High, the school for delinquents. One day while sleeping next to a river, he sees a man floating down it. Tatsumi pulls him to shore, and the man splits in half revealing a baby boy. This boy is the son of the demon king, and Tatsumi has been chosen as the one to raise it with the baby's demon maid, Hilda. The story follows his life with the child at the delinquent school.

Review:
Is raising a Demon Lord going to be a fun challenge for Oga Tatsumi or will it be a boring chore?

Well it turned out to be a bit of both thanks good old filler and a nice story, yes there is filler though it only appears close to the shows conclusion with the first two arcs of the series being highly enjoyable and fun to watch up until the three quarter mark (around the 40th -45th episodes) due to a great setting that is both original and a great idea, as having a delinquent raise a demon lord in a delinquent high school (Ishiyama) is just a recipe for comedy and great action set pieces which series delivers on splendidly with credit due to a great first arc that introduces characters, in well thought out encounters and a great second arc that makes new characters known while still giving enough screen time to the previous ones, during which the overall story of the two parts is enjoyable and fun it can get very predictable with how the scenarios will play out and once again another setting in high school.
Others issues I had with the story as mentioned before are the fillers which is very poor quality that only gets worse as the show progresses and more frequent with the last few episodes with seven of  ten of the last ten episodes being filler, though in respect to that the last arc of the story is nothing special being both boring and rushed with a terrible ending to the show that just felt like a betrayal.

As said previously characters in Beelzebub are a great watch, and have good character design as you really get the feel that these are delinquents for the most part with some have very typical looks too others that just look bizarre. But while all this is nice and good, they don't get much development,  with only a handful getting any at all, with only a few subtle moments of supposed development that don't increase much attachment to characters even if there all given a reasonable amount of scene time.

The characters personalities on the other hand are currently at a fifty - fifty spilt with some being really predictable and other being unique, with the more boring ones being mainly the main character like main character Oga loving to fight and generally plays the role of straight man, normally in response to Hilda the sadistic demon (also for the sake of length I'll just stick to the main characters of the series as there is a LOT of characters) and carer of Baby Be'el the demon lord who out of the main cast was surprisingly, has the more unique although annoying at the start he grows on you as one of the few characters who develops while in comparison with no development there's Furuichi also known as comic relief and the creepy pervert. There is also the top 'dogs' of Ishiyama who play a big role in the plot as it progresses and get a very good amount of screen time, also get almost no development aside from a small romance sub-plot that goes nowhere but on the other hand get good character design and interesting personalities, well for the most part as one of them is a little boring having quite a boring personalities.

The art of another note is quite stylish and looks nice though the quality drops as the show reaches its conclusion, which could also be said of the animation that also starts of great and then slowly degrades as the series continues.  Though in contrast the sound track is well done and never gets old, while openings for the show I found annoying grew on me to the point where I downloaded them, though the same could not be said for the Endings which while some where enjoyable the rest were forgettable.

In conclusion Beelzebub started out great with interesting story and characters, while having a nice style and great animation but slowly it bogged down by fillers, no character development and degrading animation. Save this one for a rainy day and if you've got nothing else to watch. Or if you ever up for a good laugh and aren't afraid of some negatives that could lower you sprites.



Final Verdict:
Story/Setting: 7.8
Characters: 7.4
Art/Animation: 7.6
Soundtrack: 8.1

Final Score: 7.9/10

Ranking System:
10 = Perfect Masterpiece
9.6 - 9.9= Near Perfect
 9 - 9.5 = Excellent
 7-8.9 = Good
 5-6.9 = Average/Mediocre
 2-4.9 =Bad

 1- 1.9= Unwatchable

Bokura wa Minna Kawaisou Anime Review

Bokura wa Minna Kawaisou
Information:
Other Names: The Kawai Complex Guide to Manors and Hostel Behaviour & 僕らはみんな河合荘.
Studio: Brain's Base
Writer: Akito Matsuda
Director: Shigeyuki Miya
Music: Akito Matsuda
Type: Manga Adaptation, TV Series
Length: 12 Episodes, 24 min per episode approx.  
Genres: Comedy, Romance, School, Slice of Life
Rating: PG-13
Air Dates: 4th April 2014 - 20th June 2014
Alternate Recommendations: Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo & D-Frag

Synopsis:
Thanks to his parents' job transfer, high school freshman Kazunari Usa finally gets to enjoy living on his own in the Kawai Complex, a boarding house that provides meals for its residents. Ritsu, the senpai he admires, also lives in Kawai Complex, as do a few other "unique" individuals: his masochistic roommate Shirosaki; beautiful, big-breasted Mayumi who has no luck in finding men; and sly, predatory college woman Sayaka. Surrounded by these people, Usa never finds his daily life boring.

Review:
Do you ever wonder want would have if you lived in the same building as your crush? Well let me tell you, absolutely nothing will happen aside from some hilarious moments and cute like scenes. Does this happen in Bokura wa Minna? Yes, but does it work? Also yes. So to start I'll give a kick summary of the plot line: our main character Usa happens to see a girl (Rika) in the library who he immediately falls in love with and then finds out he will be living with her in his new Kawai Complex alongside a host of strange and interesting characters, that then leads into hilarity and some small romantic elements.

So nothing overly original but still fun to watch with each episode or two having their own unique arc focusing on all the characters, or one or two, while slowly advancing the romance plot over the course of the 12 episodes, while tying great amount of humour that keeps the series light hearted and likeable, but sadly this goes utterly nowhere with the romance side as well, as the story as a whole by the end, leaving us with a boring cliff-hanger for a sequel that hasn't happened or never will happen.

But in respect this show is mainly about the characters which are darn good even the main character Usa who plays the typical straight man role as he is surround by strange and fun characters in the Kawai Complex from Usa's perverted - masochist. but perfectly safe room-mate Shirosaki, who mainly causes Usa a great deal of trouble leading to highly funny moments in the series; then from there - there is Mayumi the working woman that has man troubles and is often found drunk or fighting, with another resident Sayaka who loves to act sweet on the outside but enjoys causing trouble for others, often fondling other characters and causing mischief except around the owner of the complex Sumiko who plays the calm and serious member of the cast.
Lastly out of the main cast there is Rika the book worm, love interest of Usa who remains mainly silent throughout the series except on a few occasions that usually resolve into funny and quirky moments. 
Overall the cast of the show give a light-hearted feeling to the show without it dipping into a boring slice of life show thanks to great character interaction as well as good character design.   

So linking the character design, did I mention how nice this looks, the art is nicely stylised giving a much needed breath of fresh air with bits of chibi animation mixed in to keep scenes fresh and comical scenes funnier, compared a variety of other series, while coupled with great animation and a beautiful soundtrack that mixes in well, making an amazing slice of life atmosphere, which is also helped by the a great ending song even though the animation ending is nothing to talk about much, which could also be said about opening as well.

Overall by end of the show you'll be left with a warm feeling in your heart thanks to great sound, character and art direction with hints of romance and the occasionally laugh to keep things going, but is sadly bogged down by a romance plot that goes nowhere and no second season in few.

Verdict:
Setting/Story: 7.4
Characters: 7.5
Art/Animation: 8.1
Sound: 7.8

Final Score: 7.8/10

Ranking System:
10 = Perfect Masterpiece
9.6 - 9.9= Near Perfect
 9 - 9.5 = Excellent
 7-8.9 = Good
 5-6.9 = Average/Mediocre
 2-4.9 =Bad
 1- 1.9= Unwatchable