Absolute Duo Anime Review

Absolute Duo:
Information:
Other Names: アブソリュート・デュオ
Studio: 8-Bit
Writer: Takamitsu Kōno
Director: Atsushi Nakayama
Music: Atsushi Hirasawa
Type: Light Novel Adaptation, TV Series
Length: 24 min per ep approx.
Genres: Action, Ecchi, Romance, School, Harem, Supernatural
Rating: R+
Air Dates: 4 January 2015 - 22 March 2015
Alternate Recommendations: Trinity Seven & Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance.

Synopsis:
The story begins with Blaze—a weapon that is the manifestation of a human's soul. Tooru Kokonoe happens to be qualified for this, but for some reason his Blaze is not a weapon, but a shield. Moreover, he enrolled in a school that teaches combat skills, and thanks to the school's Duo partner system, he ends up living with a beautiful silver-haired girl.

Warning: This anime contains nudity, profanity and violence.

Review:
To start of first I will begin by talking about the setting which can only be described as a school where students are trained to fight using supernatural powers (Blazes), which you know has been done many times before so don't expect anything different from the usual, with that in respect let's move on the story. The story can also be dumbed down to a standard ecchi harem that has a supernatural twist where the main character wins battles using the power of friendship and similar things while being oblivious to the girls growing feelings around him; the standard stuff, as it follows main character Tooru and main heroine Julie on there quest to become powerful and take revenge upon those that hurt there families which is also left in the dark quite a lot and the reason for that person hurting them is never explained or brought to light in any shape or form. While also on the same note as predictability along the way they'll meet many friends both guys and girls; with the guys barely appearing or having sceentime and the girls becoming part of an ever growing harem, eventually leading to a predictable ending that just screams out: 'Read the Light Novel'. Overall its average and a really predictable harem story and nothing else.

The characters well also follow a predictable route with a lot of archetypes found amongst them which does leave quite a varied cast which is a good thing as the designs of the characters are simply wonderful however, there are far too many identifiable anime archetypes that make the show feel less unique and more like 'just another hare', featuring character like the 'the never losing protagonist', the quiet girl with no emotions, the shy girl with he boobs, the tomboy and so on. This overall makes the show predictable and care less for the characters.

The animation can be described only in a few words as mediocre, as it wasn't bad but neither anything special, however fight scenes are well animated except for the bits that go into 3D animation which can be somewhat distracting.

On the other hand, the soundtrack was great and was mixed in well with all scenes, in which the best I must say is the music for fight scenes mixed in with the good animation featuring a mix of tracks; this made them feel exciting and more fun to watch. The opening was pretty good but not amazing featuring some great rock sung by Konomi Suzuki; which also gets you pumped up and ready for the show.

Overall if your looking for a fun harem show with some exciting ecchi with some light entertainment and fun comedy, this is the show for you; however expect anything else you'll be disappointed.

Final Verdict:
Story/Setting: 5
Characters: 5
Animation: 5
Sound: 8

Final Score: 5.7/10

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

Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso Anime Series Review

Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso
Information:
Other Names: Your Lie in April &  四月は君の嘘
Studio: A-1 Pictures
Writer: Takao Yoshioka
Director: Kyōhei Ishiguro
Music: Masaru Yokoyama
Type: TV Series, Manga Adaptation
Length: 22 Episodes, 22mins approx. per episode
Genres: Drama, Music, Romance, School, Shounen
Rating: PG-13
Air Dates: 10 October 2014 - 20 March 2015
Alternate Recommendations: Nodame Cantabile & Nagi no Asukara

Synopsis:
Piano prodigy Arima Kosei dominated the competition and all child musicians knew his name. But after his mother, who was also his instructor, passed away, he had a mental breakdown while performing at a recital that resulted in him no longer being able to hear the sound of his piano even though his hearing was perfectly fine. Even two years later, Kosei hasn't touched the piano and views the world in monotone, and without any flair or color. He was content at living out his life with his good friends Tsubaki and Watari until, one day, a girl changed everything. Miyazono Kaori is a pretty, free spirited violinist whose playing style reflects her personality. Kaori helps Kosei return to the music world and show that it should be free and mold breaking unlike the structured and rigid style Kosei was used to.

Review:
The story follows Arima Kousei as he tries to once again play the piano again after two years since he lost the ability to hear the notes on the piano after his mother died; but all this changed after he met a mysterious girl playing the violin in the park. The story focuses heavily on character growth through drama, comedy and romance which sounds quite basic and has been done thousands of times however Your Lie in April pulls of this feat in such an amazing way that it feels new with some actual drama that is heart pulling and will leave you wanting more and more through out the series while the romance isn't a heavy focus it adds a nice addition to the series with some real tear jerking moments as well as moments that actually made me cry, however there was not that much focus on the main romance which could have been developed more as it spent quite a lot of time on the other characters feelings rather than the main girl which was a bit disappointing. But in the end I can happy summarize it as a great story with good pacing and a satisfying ending.

Now the within the characters of the story there are quite a few, not as many as long shows (50+ eps) but there are still quite a few, however for now I will focus on the main stars of the show; starting will main male character Kousei who can be summarized at first glance as a quiet fourteen year old middle schooler, however there is a lot more to him than that with some interesting qualities concerning his past as well as his development over the series in which I must say was pulled off extremely well; which can also be said for be main female character Koari who serves as Kousei's reason to take back up the piano mainly by force which leads to some comical scenes between the two, however Koari does have quite a huge focus in the plot and gets amazing development but not Kousei but still it makes her character stand out, especially by the end of the series.

The next two characters I will be speaking about are Tsubaki and Watari, in which we will start of first with Tsubaki who just like the previous two gets a great amount of development through out the series mainly in the romance department however aside from she doesn't just much else besides playing the classic tomboy childhood friend who will never abandon Kousei which sounds kind of cliché but it doesn't make the series bad; so moving on lastly there is Watari now I'm sure what exactly he does aside from being the typical loud, popular, womanizing best friend that is seen a lot in anime and he doesn't well really any development at all which kind of sad as I would have liked to see him fleshed out more.

Finally we have the supporting characters who do serve a good purpose with most being the supports that help the main characters develop and change over the course of the series as well as most of the supports having interesting personalities and don't serve as wasted sceentime.


Next the animation is simply outstanding with nice fluid animation that makes every heart wrenching, dramatic moment feel alive and helps express it to it's fullest. However there some scenes mainly the comical ones where it swaps to this chibi or maybe a simple like animation that won't be for everyone and frankly it could have done without, however it does not ruin the experience well at least for me.


At lastly the sound.. oh the music is simply amazing with some well orchestra sound pieces that are both great in the show and outside when listening to them on their own and are truly some of reasons why some of more dramatic scenes had such a great impact. The opening of the show are great as well with Hikaru nara preformed by goose house being the first with gets you ready for the show with some great sounds that are delightful and fresh sounding, which can also be said for the second opening Nanairo Symphony by Coala Mode that while as well is a great song, however is just not as good as the first opening and I don't really know why.

Overall Your Lie in April is must watch for anyone seeking some of the best of 2014 as well as sweet romantic drama with some great music.

Final Verdict:
Story: 9
Characters: 9
Animation: 9
Sound: 10

End Score: 9.2/10

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

Kill la Kill Anime Review

Kill la Kill:
 Information:
Other Names: KLK, キルラキル
Studio: Trigger
Writer: Kazuki Nakashima
Director: Hiroyuki Imaishi
Music: Hiroyuki Sawano
Type: Original, TV Series
Length: 25 mins per ep. approx. 24 Episodes + 1 Special
Genres: Action, Comedy, Ecchi, School.
Rating: R+ (17+)
Air Dates: 4 October 2013 - 28 March 2014
Alternate Recommendations: Rolling Girls & Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann.

Synopsis:

Ryuuko Matoi is a vagrant school girl traveling from place to place searching for clues to the truth behind her father's death—the "woman with the scissor blade." The journey has led Ryuuko to Honnouji Academy.

Review:

The story of Kill la Kill starts of amazing and over the top with main character Ryuuko travelling the
Honnouji Academy and immediately getting into fights so over the top that nothing else will compare, featuring girls wearing skimpy battle costumes, giant scissor blades and weird over the top enemies with moves so crazy they will make you laugh. Now for the actual plot which can be broken down into three different arcs that fit around the story that made this the saviour of anime, the first arc: is based upon Ryuuko entering Honnouji Academy and fighting Satsuki, the student council president of the school who rules with an iron fist as well as her elite four and just about every school club who all have their unique personalities and abilities making each episode feeling more fresh as well as dealing with Ryuuko change as a person from a loner to a more social person and is guaranteed to be a wild ride.

The second arc is the least promising of the arc featuring a boring story line set when Satsuki attempts to take over other schools in the region which presents some amazing and different battles but falls due to poor new characters who are uninteresting and serve no real purpose.

The third and final arc is the best of the two and leaves a satisfying ending; the arc has a more story driven plot than the last two and has even bigger battles that go so over the top you won't even care how stupid it just got and will love every second of it; while also featuring one of the best villains in a long time.

The characters of Kill la kill can be amazing at sometimes and others can be downright forgetful and boring. Starting of with the main characters Ryuuko is the delinquent teenager who is rebellious, anti-social and refuses to listen to anyone but slowly evolves over the course of the series into more friendly character and listens to her friends more often so that she doesn't lose her way; speaking of friends next their is Mako, Ryuuko best friend who is well Mako she offers advise to her friend in strange ways and develops a bit over the course of the series but is mainly a gag character who does stupid things. Another friend Ryuuko has as well as main character is Senketsu who is Ryuuko's clothes who serves as Ryuuko's light in the darkness making sure she doesn't lose her way and begins to change her as a person, but the character himself has a unique appearance and funny personality while acting a fatherly like role during the series.

Now moving on to the antagonists starting with Satsuki, the not so typical student council president ruling with an iron fist who taunts Ryuuko though out the series but slowly develops over the series into a more friendly character. The next characters I will talk about the Elite four and club leaders in which the elite four get plenty of screen time and a little bit of development but not a whole lot but are interesting having varying personalities and appearances as well as combat outfits each with their own set of abilities which can also be said of the club leaders who are the same but don't get much screen time which is a shame as they where all quite different and interesting. As for the antagonist of the third arc Ragyo who is an interesting and well portrayed villain who is both powerful and mysterious with a dark and proud personality that makes all the more better. 

The animation feels like a breath of fresh air from the generic anime styles floating around, as it is unique and the only thing I can compare it to is Gurren Lagann having similar over the top animation that blows fights out of proportion and having fast flowing animation all around but there are some problems similar to Gurren Lagann where you can see where the budget was stretched thin and the quality drops ruing the mood in some scenes.

The OST of Kill la Kill was done Hiroyuki Sawano who is responsible for Attack on Titan's and Aldnoah Zero's Soundtrack so its amazing, featuring a mixture of orchestra tracks and well as some electronic and J-Rock real set the mood of scene that they care in as well as the use of the Song 'Don't Lose Your Way' by  Mika Kobayashi ft  David Whitaker which is used as the theme for the anime and plays during most fight scene and serves as theme that bonds Ryuuko and Senketsu.

Final Verdict:

Story: 8
Characters: 7

Animation: 7

Sound: 9

Final Score: 8/10

Sword Art Online Anime Review (plus Extra Edition)

Sword Art Online:

Information:
Other Names: SAO,  ソードアート・オンライン
Studio: A-1 Pictures
Writer: Reki Kawahara (Original Story)
Director: Tomohiko Ito
Music: Yuki Kajiura
Type: LN Adaption, TV Series
Length: 25 mins per ep. approx. 25 Episodes
Genres: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Romance, Shounen, Game
Rating: PG-13
Air Dates: 7 July 2012 - 22 December 2012
Alternate Recommendations: Log Horizon & Btooom!

Synopsis:

In the near future, a Virtual Reality Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (VRMMORPG) called Sword Art Online has been released where players can control their avatars through brain waves using technology called "NerveGear." When players enter the game, they discover they cannot log out, as the game creator is holding them captive. To escape, players must beat the game by defeating each boss on all 100 floors; however, if they die in the game, they die in real life too. Their struggle for survival starts now...

Review:
The story can be divided into two different arcs the first being the Aincrad Arc which is better arc of the two having a fun and morbid story following Kirito as he tries to survive the VRMMORPG (Virtual Reality, Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) death game Sword Art online in which he has been trapped in after its realise with thousands of other player with a great twist that if you die in game you die for real. At first this may seem similar to the .hack franchise or Log Horizon but instead of people standing around talking or working politics theirs more shiny battles and great boss fights more like MMOs which add a element that these player could die at any second as well as that the players are even more dangerous touching upon personality changes when people play games while throwing in different game phrases to make it seem more like a game.

But there are some problems with the story as instead of going from the day one and showing the main character slowly growing stronger as he conquers the game instead you are treated to random time skips that more act as fillers as the Kirito meets new characters to interact and help while it does show some great boss battles as he conquers floors he mainly at the starts of the series helps poor weaker characters who will either die or never seen again through out the whole show. This parrelled with the forced romance subplot that doesn't feel very real that really feels that it reads more time to develop.

The second half of the plot The Fairy Dance arc taking place directly after the first one can be summed up briefly as a complete mess with a boring story and characters that are forgettable except from Leafa/Suguha who is main characters Kirito's cousin who at least has some development and interesting characters as well strange feelings for her cousin (wincest). Not forgetting the boring politics side story and some tentacle fun and molesting like scenes that spoil the atmosphere at time.


The Characters of SAO are its weakest piece with flat boring main characters with no real personality firstly Kirito as all he is that Over Powered knight in shining armour with a harem on the side type while Asuna the lead female character has more personality as seems quite interesting at the start but as she progresses she becomes a dumbed down whiny girlfriend that just as boring as Kirito. The side characters are the better side of the cast with really personality's and interesting stories but have little screen time only on for a episode or a few minutes every few episodes. The only other main character with an real development was Leafa/Suguha who has a nice personality and bit of development during her role in the Fairy Dance Arc.

One of the better aspects of the show is its animation and visuals with amazing set pieces that look beautiful and unique every time a new one appears making the setting feel more like a game with well done towns, dungeons and wilderness that is eye candy. As well as great animation from all characters that make them feel real and amazing fight scenes that beautiful and worthy of all praise. However the animations on its own is nothing note worthy.

The OST is amazing and has a track for every scene in the anime making each scene feel new and interesting from cheerful town music, great fight music to sad tone sounds all in orchestra format done by Yuki Kajiura the master behind the Madoka Magica soundtrack. Voice work is also great making all characters feel alive and interesting even the boring Kirito and Asuna.

Final Verdict:
Story: 7
Characters: 6
Animation: 8
Sound: 10

Final Score:  7.6/10










Sword Art Online Extra Edition:

{Will only focus on Story & Characters. As Animation & Sound will have the same scores as above)

Information:
Other Names: S.A.O: Extra Edition, ソードアート・オンライン Extra Edition
Director: Tomohiko Ito
Music: Yuki Kajiura
Type: Special, Original, Recap, Sequel
Length: 1hr 41min. 1 episode
Genres: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Romance, Shounen, Game
Rating: PG-13
Air Dates: 31st December 2013
Recommend: Game Fans, Stream don't buy.

Synopsis:

Yui wants to see a whale with Kirito during an underwater quest in Alfeim Online. During the quest however, it is revealed Leafa cannot swim. Asuna and the other female characters decide to train Suguha in a real-world pool to help her in ALO. Meanwhile, Kirito meets a certain someone.

Review:
The story similar to the first season can be spilt into two parts but is set out a bit differently as  for the starters the first half of the episode is roughly an hour long and is mainly just a recap of the first season with some extra scenes of the female cast swimming in a pool or in the locker room while teaching Suguha how to swim and is mainly there to just serve as fan service or light comedy as the girls look at each others breasts or casually talk while Kirito sits in a room talking to a man about the events of that have taken place aka the first season which I bit of a let down and kind of made the episode a disappointment.

The second half of the show is only short and is a fun ride taking place in Alfhiem Online after the first season where Kirito and crew attempt an underwater quest while primarily serving as the series' beach episode but still serving as a fun episode as you see characters slash through an underwater dungeon.

The characters in the show feature main characters from the last series being Kirito, Asuna and Leafa while have the rest of Kirito's harem return plus Agil to help him with the quest while getting some extra screen cause you know that's always fun, while also flashing of their new appearance which is always a nice thing.
There are a few new characters added to mix some important some not such as the new NPC character added are nice but don't really have any personality just like real NPCs which was a nice touch but the series also adds characters that will become a relevant in future series.

Verdict:
Story: 5
Characters: 6

Final Verdict : 5.4/10

Free! Eternal Summer Anime Review

Free Eternal Summer:
Information:
Studio: Kyoto Animation & Animation Do
Writer: Masahiro Yokotani
Director: Hiroko Utsumi
Music: Tatsuya Kato
Type: LN Adaptation (sort of), TV Series, Sequel
Length: 13 Episodes, 24 min approx. per episode
Genres: Comedy, School, Sports, Slice of Life
Rating: PG - 13
Air Dates: 3 July 2014 - 25 September 2014
Alternate Recommendations: Binan Koukou Chikyuu Bouei-bu LOVE! & Kuroko no Basket 2nd Season.

Synopsis:
The Iwatobi Swim Club returns! As their third year begins, Haruka, Makoto and Rin are still swimming strong, but choosing plans for their futures loom, and as friends both new and old make their way into the picture, rivalries will take root once again. Will the team make it out stronger than before or sink under pressure?

Review:
Free season 2 is set directly after the ending of the previous season with the characters attempting once again in a tournament in an attempt to reach the nationals, which makes this an excellent sports anime splitting a good amount of time between the training, tournament and slice of life aspects of the show. But Free while having an interesting and fun story primarily focuses on character development and the characters goals in live after they graduate as characters Haru and Makoto are on the 3rd and final year which leads to some intense moments as they try to figure out there lives as well as dealing with the characters friendships and how they slowly change over the course of the show.

The usual cast are back again from the previous series keeping there usual quirks while adding new changes to them keeping them fresh and new as well as having some great character development over the course of the show's 13 episodes which goes especially for Haru who slowly changes over the 13 episodes.

New characters are interesting and fun to watch staring with Sousuke, Rin's childhood friend from Australia has a great role in series acting as figure between Haru and Rin as well as having good character development; another note worthy new character is Momotarou who is Seijuurou's younger brother and becomes more like the hyper and fun guy in Rin's team alongside older characters Nitori who gets good development and screen time and finally Rin himself getting amazing development while still keeping the friendly rivalry with Haru and his swim team who slowly change over the course of the 13 episodes.

The animation is amazing for both character and visual effects as this is a sports anime and requires lots of motion so the anime is top notch is that quality alongside the water animation which is just superb and is worthy of being one of Kyoto's finest works. The background/scenery is also well done with amazing details in all things and really makes you feel at home and helps you relax into the setting.

The opening and ending fit the anime very well with a heart pounding opening that will get you hyped for the amazing swimming scenes in the show as well as the ending also being fun and catchy fitting the show very well on the comedy side but can also come of as a bit of fanservicce to the female viewers in the video.


Overall & Recommendation:
Overall the show is heart pounding sports anime full of drama and great sport action but can come of that it is for female viewers with lots of fanservice and is not much left for male viewers aside from the drama or the sports as there are many yaoi undertones in the show.

Setting/Story: 8
Characters: 7
Animation: 9
Sound: 8

Final Score: 8.1/10

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