Evangelion 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance Anime Movie Review

Evangelion 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance
Information:
Other Names: Evangelion Shin Gekijouban: Ha, Rebuild of Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance, Evangelion 2.22, ヱヴァンゲリヲン新劇場版:破. 
Studio: Khara
Writer: Hideaki Anno
Director: Hideaki Anno (chief), Masayuki, Kazuya Tsurumaki
Music: Shirō Sagisu 
Type: Reboot, Movie, Sequel
Length: 1 hour, 52 min
Genres: Action, Mecha, Sci-Fi
Rating: R-17+
Air Date: 27th July 2009
Recommendations: Madoka Magica Movies & Densetsu Kyojin Ideon: Hatsudou-hen
(Source: MAl & Wikipedia)

Synopsis:
In the earliest battles against the monstrous Angels, young Eva pilots Shinji and Rei were forced to carry humanity's hopes on their shoulders. Now, with the deadly onslaught of the Angels escalating and the apocalyptic Third Impact looming, Shinji and Rei find their burden shared by two new Eva pilots, the fiery Asuka and the mysterious Mari. Maneuvering their enormous Eva machines into combat, the four young souls fight desperately to save mankind from the heavens—but will they be able to save themselves? (Source: MAL)

Review:
What makes a good sequel and reboot? (especially in film) What I believe makes a good sequel is that it builds of the original, adding new ideas into the mix while staying true to the old ones, which can also be said for reboots. Does Evangelion 2.0 do this? Is it better than its predecessor or even the critically acclaimed Neon Genesis Evangelion? Well yes to the first and No to the second.

Why would I say this, well to start I'll go over the differences between this and the original series, well no not the differences but I'll be comparing them a lot as this film is where the true changes take place in the story unlike in the previous film. 
One such change is the overall direction the film takes, with many events that happen earlier on and characters coming into light that either appear earlier on or are completely original, this isn't so bad if you haven't seen the original series before but if you have its up to you to decide whether you liked these changes or not, as for me I didn't mind most of the changes, however I felt the series lacked a bit in terms of the weirder aspects due to the dumbing down of the plot that occurs so new watchers can understand what is going on better, but as said before this takes away the experience the original gave us with its abstract story and strange mythology that made Evangelion, what it was.

Instead the plot is more watered done, having an easier storyline to follow which is great for the newcomers but fans of the TV series may feel disappointed at the result; though I must say that the world building is great in this film adding plenty of background lore to the scene that may even interest older fans. 

But as said if you've never seen the original this won't bother you as much, so now for the story, the film takes place directly after the last film the characters fight another three more angels, so a very similar set up as well; the battles themselves I must also add, thanks to well done directing in that department with some good pacing to go alongside as each sequence feels different from the last with great changes in execution that I felt added to the film as a whole, greatly more than the previous film. This is also helped by the animation which is still as stunning as ever, even more so than its predecessor, that just keeps on getting better until the conclusion; this partnered with the refined art style is truly a treat for the eyes.

Similarly to this another aspect approved upon from the previous films is the stress from fighting angels having effects on the characters both in good and bad ways, creating a good amount of development for out three main characters Shiji, Rei and new characters Asuka, though I found Asuka development to be done a little to rushed especially in the romance department. While both Rei and Shinji get the better development over the course of 2 hour long film, having had prior development in the previous film it makes a nice addition. Additional in the Asuka department (this is purely for the older fans) she is much less annoying in this version, even if I must likeable which still partners well with her psychological problems even if they are not as strong as before.  

But it's not just the main characters that deserve sometime in the spotlight, as they are performed well while also having a good role in the story rather than just being background characters, they actually help move the plot along and help the main characters through there developments. One in particular who I'd like to mention is Mari the new original character not featured in 1995 series, she is a great addition to the cast having a different viewpoint of the evas then our main cast of pilots, as she so far is the only character so far to enjoy piloting them which makes her quite a fun character. 

The last point I would like to make is in reference to the sound, in both the "special effects" and soundtrack departments. Firstly the special effects is in the reference to the more basic sounds like running sounds, or gunfire, that sort of stuff; so in light of this I must say that the use of these sounds in well done throughout the film, in particular in the battle against the 8th angel, when all the evas are running the sounds used are a nice touch with realistic sounding water splash and tree breaking down as they crushed helps create a realistic feel to the machines and the sounds made when the evas run on the solid ground or metal plating helps create a sense of scale as to how bug the evas are. 


The soundtrack is by far the jewel of the show as composer Shirō Sagisu takes control of the music again using new original songs that fit the tone of each scene well, while also sounding like something from the 1995 TV series which helps create the Evangelion feeling, while keeping older songs in to add to the experience. The insert songs and ending song was also a nice touch as they fit the tone of the show with their cold and depressing sounds that resonate well with that particular scene that they are placed in. 

In conclusion Evangelion 2.0 is much watch for fans of the previous film and any Mecha fan to be honest thanks to directing that leads a great cast of character through a developing and interesting world even if that world ends on a cliff-hanger. Though on another hand fans of the original series be warned as it may be a bit of disappointment to you as it lacks the truly weird scenes and tone that made the original what it is. 

Final scores:
Setting/Story: 8.5
Characters: 8.6
Art/Animation: 9.4
Sound: 9.6

Final Score: 9.1/10

Mawaru Penguindrum Anime Review

Mawaru Penguindrum
Information:
Other Names: Penguindrum, 輪るピングドラム.
Studio: Brain's Base
Writer: Kunihiko Ikuhara, Takayo Ikami
Director: Kunihiko Ikuhara
Music: Yukari Hashimoto
Length: 24 episodes, 24 min per episode approx.
Type: Original, TV Series
Genres: Comedy, Drama, Mystery, Psychological, Tragedy, Magical Girl
Rating: R-17+
Air Dates: 8th July 2011 - 23rd Dember 2011
Recommendations: Yuri Kuma Arashi & Steins Gate

Synopsis:
Once you make a decision, does the universe conspire to make it happen? Is destiny a matter of chance, a matter of choice or the complex outcome of thousands of warring strands of fate? All twins Kanba and Shoma know is that when their terminally ill sister Himari collapses at the aquarium, her death is somehow temporarily reversed by the penguin hat that she had asked for. It's a provisional resurrection, however, and it comes at a price: to keep Himari alive they need to find the mysterious Penguin Drum. In order to do that, they must first find the links to a complex interlocking chain of riddles that has wrapped around their entire existence, and unravel the knots that tie them to mystifying diary and a baffling string of strangers and semi-acquaintances who all have their own secrets, agendas and "survival strategies." And in order for Himari to live, someone else's chosen destiny will have to change. It's a story of love, fate, life, death... and Penguins! 

Review:
Penguindrum, a weird show that blends mystery and comedy in strange and odd ways, while tossing around the concept of fate.
Fate is strange thing, many think it to be a straight line that must be followed and will never be broken, but what happens when that line diverts and becomes a new line, well that is concept of the series Penguindrum, set within a strange world where ones fate can be changed, though not with consequences. This helps create a setting that is rick with good story but still stays fun to watch.

But thanks to great story and directing, this excellency wasn't lost and became something of a special show, with great symbolism behind it. But first I must say thanks to writer for creating a well blend of mystery and comedy, due to unpredictability of the series that will generally have you on the edge of your seat, as the world unravels before you. As said before the show has great comedy written into, though I the humour is mainly told through I group of small penguins that follow around the main characters and that they can only see; the interactions between them are very funny if you enjoy slapstick type comedy as they can't speak.

But back to the story overall the plot was engaging making you think about what happens, while remaining fun to watch with great pacing through near the start of show it can feel like a drag but once it starts going, you won't want to put it down until you reach the ending which ends in a most satisfying way, that just feels as great as breathing a breath of fresh air. Though I felt that another point that drove the satisfaction this fair was the use of the OST in great ways, as the director used the correct music for right scenes making the show more remembrance to me, though it mainly struck me during those really dramatic moments as the sounds become heavy and stand out a lot adding the series as a whole.

But what makes this show what it is?
Well allow me to answer that for you, everything in this show is possible thanks to its characters otherwise it could have fallen into ruin. As each character is complex and mysterious, having a great deal of back-story shown while getting a great amount of development over the course of the 24 episodes; well just the main characters get the development but most of the supporting characters get great roles that show of their twisted and strange personalities to the fullest with some additional back story as a nice bonus.
An additional bonus I will bring up is the character design, know I found not all the characters had the best of designs, the better ones did with some of my favourites being the truly mysterious characters like Sanetoshi who was a true mystery from to start being one of the better characters of the series, though I found the main characters to have fun and different appearances that helped them stick out from the crowd.

 Speaking of sticking out, the primary art style used in this series is a great addition helping the show stand out from the rest, which is also helped by the changes in art every now and then to the odder art styles all the way to the occasionally chibi art style. Though this art could have been greatly improved upon if the animation was up to the arts quality, now don't get me wrong the art can look amazing especially during the transformation sequences which are one of the highlights of the show especially when the insert song (Rock Over Japan) is played along making the overall sequence more fun to watch, however the animation outside this is satisfactory at best, adding nothing the show.
This could not be said for the opening animations that play, which are well crafted being one of the highlights in that department, which could be said for the opening music tracks as well as they mix in with the tone of the show, having a very mystic feel to them. This could also be said about the eds as some of them look nice and sound create, however the majority I found weren't worth my time as they felt much hit and miss.

In conclusion if you want a great story driven or overall exciting mystery series this is the show for you, thanks to great to amazing setting that mixes in well with story, while having a rich character base full of twisted and complex personalities.

Final Scores:
Story/Setting: 9.0
Characters: 8.5
Art/Animation: 8.1
Sound: 9.2

Final Verdict: 8.8/10 

RWBY Volume II Web Series Review

RWBY Volume II
Other Names: RWBY 2
Studio: Rooster Teeth
Writers: Monty Oum, Kerry Shawcross & Miles Luna
Director: Monty Oum
Music: Jeff Williams
Type: Original, Web Series (ONA), Sequel
Length: 12 Episodes, 13 - 17 minutes per episode approx.
Genres: Action, Adventure, Science-fantasy
Rating: N/A
Air Dates: N/A
Alternate Recommendations: Ajin (For good 3D animation) & Black Rock Shooter
(Source: Roosterteeth.com & Wikipedia)

Synopsis:
Team RWBY is back and ready for their second semester at Beacon, an academy that trains the world's strongest fighters. But real life doesn't stop. Between classes and homework, they still have to find time to save the world. And between the White Fang, Roman Torchwick, and a mysterious new trio, they certainly have their work cut out for them! (Source: Roosterteeth.com)

Review:
From my experience I have always believed that sequels must raise the roof when compared to the first season, does RWBY Volume II do this or does it fall back into the abyss with the original series?

Well let me tell you that the second season of RWBY is such as breath of fresh air, as it breathes live into the show, improving on everything in the show, though still leaves minor problems.
One of my biggest complaints last season was the animation, though not the combat animation,  instead the more docile type such as talking, character interaction and movement, however this second season has shown that they can do it probably, as lip sync I found to be much more fluid which helped me feel more for the characters, which by the way are much better characterised with some getting some much needed development and back - story that is worth the watch, especially during the romantic sub-plots some characters go through which further humanises their personalities, even if the romances go nowhere.

Though on another side newer character introduced aren't given enough time to be fleshed out or even given a decent amount of screen time. Although one aspect that did grab we with the characters was how well the voice actors did their roles this times around, with main roles being played much better than before, while supporting roles felt more human, making characters feel more alive.

At times though I found basic interactions like using objects to be better than last time but can still look odd at times and finally movement which similarly while looking more fluid and natural, sometimes still came around as a bit dodgy.
Though on another hand the animation used in combat was extremely well done, being one of the highlights of the series, with fast and fluid animation that are eye catching while remaining fun to watch. Though in another respect while art used in the show has greatly improved mostly on the character designs which have been fleshed out much more giving more individuality even though in other areas I found the scenery and objects within it to look out of place at times, as sometimes they'll look great but others times, objects can look just like blocks of colours and scenery will have a lovely detailed area in one, then have a silhouetted or bland shot next to it, which I found to be discomforting at times.

Moving on, one improvement most notable in the show is how the story is paced as in the previous season it jumped all over the place but in this one I felt a continuous plot that wasn't badly put together and had a real storyline. One of the better parts of this parts was that a really threat or threats were introduced, that felt both threatening and mysterious, so much as you don't even know there goal, which adds a great mystery element to the story but on the other hand leaves us the viewers not knowing what they want (aside from the White Fang group) and is not shown even by the final episode which is a disappointment, leaving us with a cliff-hanger, though a third season has been released so hopefully that will clear up the answers.

Though in contrast to this praise I can't say the story doesn't suffer, as our of old nemesis filler returns though mainly at the start of the series, due to when I started the series I wasn't expecting a food fight, which could have been funny but they decided to put in the fight music for the soundtrack, which just made it really cringe worthy.
Speaking of cringe worthy, the humour of this series is just awful, it doesn't feel like they tried at all, so much as I wanted to just skip out those parts.

Now onto the main highlight of the series, the soundtrack which is better than ever, thanks to Jeff Williams who managed to create the perfect music for every scene, even if it didn't fit into the one scene as mentioned above. I also must say that the opening song used this time around fits well with the tone of this season, fitting the mood well with a great animation sequence, that makes the viewer clamour for more, though on the other side while the ending songs can be nice and fitting they don't last long enough and 'animation' is more of the same flat pictures except with more variety, which I found to not be worth my time.

In conclusion, I'd give this one a go, it's worth the watch even if you have to sit through the boring first season and really shows us that America can produce I good 3D animation.

Final Verdict: 
Story/Setting: 7.3
Characters: 7.5
Animation: 6.9
Sound: 8.1

Final Score: 7.5/10

Ajin Part 1: Shoudou Anime Movie Review

Ajin Part 1: Shoudou
Information:
Other Names: Ajin: Demi-Human - Compel, 亜人　第１部「衝動」
Studio: Polygon Pictures
Writer:  Hiroshi Seko
Director: Hiroyuki Seshita
Music: Yugo Kanno
Type: Movie, Manga Adaptation
Length: 1hr. 43min
Genres: Adventure, Horror, Mystery, Seinen, Supernatural
Rating: R-17+
Air Date: 27th November 2015
Recommendations: Tokyo Ghoul & Knights of Sidonia

Synopsis:
For high schooler Kei—and for at least forty-six others—immortality comes as the nastiest surprise ever.

Sadly for Kei, such a feat doesn't make him a superhero. In the eyes of both the general public and governments, he's a rare specimen who needs to be hunted down and handed over to scientists to be experimented on for life—a demi-human who must die a thousand deaths for the benefit of humanity. (Soutce: MAL)

Review:
Ajin a 3D animation, well how does it hold up?
Well to start I must say the animation itself is superb, probably the best 3D animation I have seen since Knights of Sidonia, as all the character move in a great way with none of the animation feeling out of place or stiff especially in the facial animations; even the more faster paced scenes are fantastic, flowing smoothly; though the art I found to be a little lacking but fit the animation well. 

Though in contrast to the art I found the character designs to be well designed, as they have done a great job in disguising the Ajin characters from the human ones but have also given them unique appearances so you can't forget them, while in contrast I found most the human characters top look plain and uninspiring; but they were at least likeable, in fact all the characters are likeable having a great range of different personalities and quirks, though some are less relevant then others they are at least remember able. 

As they all contain a certain little core element to the film which is human nature, as most in terms of humans showcase the believe that Ajin are evil creatures and would sell them out for money if they could, even if there family or friends, this makes you despise them, though on the other side the Ajin are no different murdering innocents as they see humans as all the same. 


This tale is told well through the sight of the protagonist (Kei), who thought to be human his whole turns out to be Ajin, to which then his family and friends betray him while he struggles to become what he is and forget what he was, overall it is an amazing journey backed up by great pacing as nothing within the plot feels rushed or drawn out, creating a thrilling and emotional narrative that feels fresh and original, all the way to a great conclusion that makes you wish part two was out now.  Though I can only say that this would have been a lot better if the soundtrack would have been have at least memorable as I felt it was very plain even if as the film due to the conclusion the music began to pick up. 

In contrast to this the ending song used for the credits is amazing, as it really grabs the tone of the movie well, which is further improved by the ending animation that really just presents all the characters but the way it was done I found to be a great addition. 
Now hear is something I don't really talk about the sound and by sound I mean effects like explosions, gunfire and similar things, as they don't really stick out to me much unless there done well, however Ajin's sound is extremely well done, gun fights sound and feel realistic while explosions  feel as though they will jump out of the screen; all in all it was breath-taking, standing at one of the highest points for this film. 

In conclusion I would recommend this to anyone looking for a real high point in 3D animated anime, even with very few short comings, it is easily one of the best 3D animes I have ever seen, though if you real hate for 3D animation stay away. Also I would just recommend this in general as it was an amazing film that will leave you wanting more. 

Final Verdict:
Story/Setting: 9.1
Characters: 8.2
Animation/Art: 8.5
Sound: 8.3

Final Score: 8.6/10

Love Lab Anime Review

Love Lab
Information:
Other Names: 'Rena Lab', '恋愛ラボ'.
Studio: DogaKobo
Writer: Takashi Aoshima
Director: Masahiko Ohta
Music: Yasuhiro Misawa
Type: TV Series, Manga Adaptation
Length: 13 Episodes, 24 min per episode approx.
Genres: Comedy, Romance, School
Rating: PG-13
Air Dates: 5th July 2013 - 28th September 2013
Alternate Recommendations: Yuru Yuri & Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai
(Sources: MAL & Wikipedia)

Synopsis:
The Fujisaki Girls Academy is known for their school body being composed of very proper students. The most prominent one of them is Maki, the student president who is admired by her classmates for her calm and polite demeanour. On the other hand, Kurahashi Riko is also admired but for having a very forward and boyish personality. Riko accidentally walks into Maki while she's practising kissing with a pillow and learns that she isn't what everyone thinks she is. Riko is forced into keeping Maki's secret and join her in practising all aspects of romance like holding hands and more. (Source: MAL)

Review:
Will the Love lab improve your love life or will it be completely destroyed?
'Oh look I high school romance, how original', is what I would say if this was a bad show, but it's not, surprisingly this was pretty good, as it goes over the awkwardness of speaking to the opposite sex at a young age as well as teaching the values of friendship, in a fun and light-hearted way.

This is thanks to great pacing and episode structure, that follows a collection of arcs and each episode has an episodic like content that is paced well, lasting just a few episode each and end in very good ways; while staying true to the overall story-line, though the ending is satisfying it doesn't conclude or have second season in sight. The series can be broken down into two main elements that have the heavier focus, with the first being the comedy aspects of the show, that I found to be quite funny though the humour mainly focuses on the straight 'man' type of comedy and misunderstanding so it is up to your sense of humour whether you will enjoy this or not.

The other major element present in the series is the core theme surrounding love and how it matters to the main characters, which is overall managed great, as it never gets dropped from the plot but doesn't fill up it either, working into the story at the perfect balance for both serious and not so serious matters in the series, though I do feel that they could have incorporated this theme into better situations then what they did.

Speaking of the characters, I must say that they are highly refreshing though many of the stick to traditional troupes and archetypes, they all have little quirks that bring out fun and better sides to their personalities, and though there are quite a cast of characters, I'll only through the main cast in detail, as the supporting cast get less screen time and barely any development.

So to start there is the leading character Riko who is a tomboy styled character that doesn't fit in with her school or classmates, she is one of the funnier characters out of main cast, getting a good amount of screen time but not much development sadly, as I would like to have learned more about her.
The second main lead character Makoi has the ojou-sama styled personality with a nice twist, that she is weird curious about love causing most of incidents and situations the characters are placed in, as well as getting good development over the series' run.
The last three out of the five main characters aren't even worth mentioning in comparison as while they get lots of screen time and make the comedy better while making the show more cutesy, they don't put much in story wise, with virtually no development what so ever.

Speaking of cutesy the art used within the series is very fitting, having a unique style for this type of show that both looks cute but also looks refined which could also be said about the character designs as well which are great to look at and fit well with each characters personalities which while coupled with nice flowing animation helps create a relaxing atmosphere while watching the show. The chibi animation used during comedic scenes is also most welcome, making some scenes cuter and funnier.

Though this cannot be said for the OST, which while fitting the show well, is nothing special, average at best; though this could not be said of the opening and ending of the series, as both are fun and energetic like the show itself, getting you ready for the fun your about to have thanks to a great animation played as well and then it wide you down gently with some great ending music and calmer animation.

Overall this series is a must watch if you love yourself some slice of life or moe shows. And is also great for anyway looking for a relaxing anime to watch.

Final Verdict:
Setting/Story: 7.5
Characters: 7.7
Animation/Art: 7.9
Sound: 7.3

Final Score: 7.7/10

RWBY Volume I Web Series Review

RWBY
Other Names: Ruby
Studio: Rooster Teeth
Writers: Monty Oum, Kerry Shawcross & Miles Luna
Director: Monty Oum
Music: Jeff Williams
Type: Original, Web Series (ONA)
Length: 16 episodes, episode length varies
Genres: Action, Adventure, Science-fantasy
Rating: N/A
Air Dates: N/A
Alternate Recommendations: Soul Eater (Anime) & Knights of Sidonia (3D Anime).

Synopsis:
The future-fantasy world of Remnant is filled with ravenous monsters, treacherous terrain, and more villains than you can shake a sniper-scythe at. Fortunately, Beacon Academy is training Huntsman and Huntresses to battle the evils of the world, and Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang are ready for their first day of class. (Source: Roosterteeth.com)

Review:
So how was Roosterteeth, creators of Hit Machinima Red vs Blue, first 'anime' production? Well, in short it had its short comings but with a little polish it could have been something special, however due to lots of issues it falls far from that tree.

The biggest problem I had with the show was the animation, not that the 3D animation was the problem, it was just bad though I only found this to be in none fight scene situations, as characters didn't look write in motion and the lip sync didn't always connect well but as said before the fights are great, with it being clear where they sunk their time and effort into, with fast moving fights that only get better as the series progresses, especially when coupled with great music making them more intense but this was the only highlight in the art and animation department as character designs, while they were unique, weren't nice to look at especially when couple with bad animation.
Though I must say the opening animation is great in comparison, especially with the opening song that fits the tone of the show well, unlike the ending songs which are average at best.

Speaking of the characters, while having good appearances their personalities are less to desired, though this was mainly prominent in the main characters rather than supporting cast, as you can some up team RWBY in just a few words: the short energetic one, the Tsundere ojou,  the quiet one and the tall energetic one, and none of these characters ever go through any development or change over the series, despite the rest of the cast having some great personalities and one or two getting of them getting decent development although it can be a bit cliché.

Speaking of cliché, the setting is definitely one, it's a show about high school students fighting monsters and such with giant weapons, where have you not heard this before it's like a harem anime setting without the harem part, though I must say the weapons in this show have certain uniqueness to them.
As for the plot, it's not bad but it just jumps around too much with one episode ending in the school and another starting in a town I've never heard of and it never tells you how they got there, which isn't helped by how the series is structured as each few episodes is structured into arcs, that just jump to one another without any questions answered, until it reaches a cliff-hanger ending that's just disappointing, but there is a second season so it isn't all bad.

Now a quick note of the voice acting, it was good, I felt the cast played there characters well, though some of the lower support characters good have been played better as the felt quite robotic at times.

Overall I'd give this a chance, as an American made anime is an interesting thing but it felt to close to Japanese anime with a cliché setting, story and characters but had it is worth watching for fantastic looking fight scene animation.

Final Verdict: 
Story/Setting: 5.2
Characters: 6.1
Animation/Art: 4.7
Sound: 7.8

Final Score: 5.9/10

Hacka Doll The Animation Anime Review

Hacka Doll The Animation:
Information:
Other Names: Hacker Doll The Animation & ハッカドール THE・あにめーしょん
Studio: Creators in Pack & Trigger
Writer: ?
Director: Ikuo Geso
Music: DIVE II Entertainment
Type: TV Series, Short series, Based of iOS Phone App.
Length: 13 episodes, 7 minutes per episode approx.
Genres:  Comedy, Sci-Fi
Rating: PG-13
Air Dates: 2nd October 2015 - 25 December 2015
Alternate Recommendations: Teekyuu & Lucky Star

Synopsis:
Hacka Doll app delivers a customized feed of news for each user. The user answers some simple questions when launching the app for the first time, and then the app will filter the news that caters to the user's personal interests. With daily use, the app automatically analyzes and learns which news articles the user reads and recommends to further personalize the feed. The anime personifies the app's customization engine as three "Hacka Dolls" — the personal entertainment AI and main navigator Hacka Doll #1, the anime expert Hacka Doll #2, and the knowledgeable otaku Hacka Doll #3. (Source: MAL)

Short Review:

Will the Hacka dolls be able to advance this anime or crash it into the depths of despair?
Well thanks to a good idea of keeping the series as an episodic flick rather than attempting an over arcing plot, Hacka dolls was saved in the story department, due to well written episodes and an enjoyable setting that is both funny and fun to watch as each episode is kept short and sweet to maximise that particular episode's theme without dragging it out too much, which lasts all the way to the end of the series, this leaves a satisfactory taste after a good conclusion even if it doesn't end probably with no second season in sight.

An additional point I will bring up is how well the characters fit into the setting, even though are very stereotypical, with having standard archetypes, they all have small quirks that help them fit into the role of the worst ones (as they are supposed to be the worst version of the Hacka Doll product) couple that with some nice character design and you've got some good characters, shame though that they get very little development. Aside from the main characters, the side characters featured in each episode are a great addition, although having average designs in most cases they have fun development most of time despite their small amount of screen time.

One of the more negative points of the series is the soundtrack, as it doesn't stick out well, when compared to the opening song which is great to listen to and gets you in the mood for the rest of the show by using well used J-Pop music, though the ending songs are not worth much listening to but are fun to watch. On a similar note to the soundtrack the animation is a best average, though the art style is cute and mixes well with characters and the setting of the show.

In conclusion this series is a good watch for slice of life lovers or anyone who wants to just relax for a few minutes, thanks to well-made setting and loveable characters that is, only dragged down by a few negative points.

Final Verdict
Story/Setting: 7.4
Characters: 7.5
 Art/Animation: 6.9
Sound: 6.5

Final Score: 7.1/10