Ah My Goddess: Everyone Has Wings

Synopsis: One year after goddess Belldandy emerged from Keiichi Morisato's mirror and promised to stay with him forever, a new threat to their happiness emerges, one that could end the contract between Belldandy and Keiichi.

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If you are looking for a good in-depth review for this one, you will not find it here.  As with the first season of AMG, I did not jot down many notes, as I did not feel very compelled to.

Season two, also called Everyone Has Wings or Flights of Fancy, was improved when compared to season one, I will give it that.

The animation was smoother, and the art had more definition and detail.  The character designs were beautiful.

The plot was strange and often boring. Sadly, Belldandy and Keiichi do not seem to have made much progress in a year's time.  They are both so shy and naive that is almost nauseating at times.  At least there is more (and better) humor.

The theme music is much better for this season! I liked the opening theme; it was fitting for the series, yet still interesting.  The addition of bagpipes was beautiful.  The ending theme was much less annoying than in the first season, and in episode 12 the ending theme changes.  The second ending theme is definitely the best song I have heard in this series.

Yes, that is pretty much it.  I was not impressed.  My overall opinion is cute and sometimes interesting, but not as great as everyone makes it out to be.  Not even close.

I think I am going to rate this a 6 out of 10.

Originally I had planned to also review the OVA as well as Mini Goddess, but I think I will pass.  I might go back to them some day, or I may review them if someone is really interested.  However, I was pretty bored with this series.  Next up on my list is Ai Shite Night! Stay tuned! Next up will be Ai Yori Aoshi instead, since only episodes 1-3 of Aishite Night have been subtitled so far (out of 42).


Feel free to leave a comment with any thoughts, questions, or just telling me you read this.  You don't need an account to do so. 

Ah My Goddess

Synopsis: Keiichi Morisato is looking forward to university life. But in reality, he has no luck in anything, and he has trouble with clubs, love, etc. The truth is that he has an unlucky star above his head. One day, Keiichi is stuck watching the dorm while his sempai are away, and has a mountain of chores to do to boot. But Keiichi is a good-natured person, and is set about doing his duties. As he is about to finish his final chore, he makes a phone call to his sempai. But the words that came through the receiver are, 'Goddess Help Line.' Shortly afterwards, a beautiful goddess named Belldandy appears in front of him from the mirror of his room.

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I am going to start out by explaining a bit about why this review may be shorter and a little less in depth than my other two. I have heard so much hype about Ah My Goddess over the years, and I was really excited to finally watch this series. However, I was really pretty disappointed, as is the case with most of the anime I have seen that are really hyped up. Usually, while watching an anime to review, I jot down a lot of notes to help me remember everything I want to write about when I review the series. This time, I did not take many notes at all. Part of it was just me being lazy, but part of it was the fact that nothing really struck me as worth writing down most of the time. It seemed like a really mediocre harem anime with very typical characters for the majority of the show. The episodes did finally become much more interesting near the end, however, so I have hope for Ah My Goddess: Everyone Has Wings (technically, this is the second season, not a separate series, but I am reviewing the show in two parts, since it was released with two names).

As far as the art and animation, it was nothing special, but decent. However, we'll keep in mind that this series is fairly old, as it is from the late '90's. I like the character designs of the goddesses. They're actually really interesting. They have facial markings that remind me of tribal tattoos, hairstyles with the cute gravity-defying antennae, and pretty clothing...I can't really place the influence on the the clothes, but I am fairly sure their outfits had some kind of cultural influence.

The music is nothing special, either, but it fits with the series. I do skip these theme songs, that's for sure.

Moving on...

The storyline is not out of the ordinary for this genre of anime, and the characters all annoyed me at first. Yes, every single one of them. When Skuld appeared, she was the only one I remotely liked, though she also annoyed me. (But, hey, I can't completely hate on a kid who builds robots and has crazy schemes, can I?) In the last few episodes, the story gets more interesting, and there is more character development. I really started to like Urd a lot, and I liked Skuld even more, too. The other characters became less annoying.

Voice acting is pretty bad. At first, I thought it was just a bad dub, so I switched to the sub for the next episode. I was wrong, though. Actually, it turns out that it was a great dub, in that the voices were really cast to sound just like the originals. They were pretty much identical. So, I switched back over to the dub for a little while. Then, when Skuld appeared, I started watching the sub again, since her voice is a bit worse in the dub (as are all anime kids' voices). Her voice actress in Japanese is quite talented at crying, I must say, which is a good talent to have when playing Skuld.

I am not sure whether to rate this anime a 5 or 6 overall, so I am going to give it a 5.5. The site I use as reference when trying to decide what to rate shows describes a 5 and a 6 as follows:

"5 - OK.
A production that doesn't stand out besides some of its flaws. It was barely worth your time, and you wouldn't want to watch it again.

6 - Average.
Solid production, but doesn't really stand out. The anime was good to pass time, but isn't memorable in any fashion. Worth watching once, because you didn't have anything else to do."


Next up is Ah My Goddess: Everyone Has Wings!

Feel free to leave a comment with any thoughts, questions, or just telling me you read this.  You don't need an account to do so.

Samurai Champloo

Synopsis: Mugen's a buck wild warrior - violent, thoughtless and womanizing. Jin is a vagrant ronin - mysterious, traditional, well-mannered and very strong as well. These two fiercely independent warriors can`t be any more different from one another, yet their paths cross when Fuu, a ditzy waitress, saves them from being executed when they are arrested after a violent swordfight. Fuu convinces the two vagrant young men to help her find a mysterious samurai "who smells of sunflowers." And their journey begins. This is a story about love, friendship and courage... NOT!

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Wow! This anime was excellent! I don't know if my reviewing skills can even do it justice. It was completely filled with win and awesome.

As many of you probably already know, Shinchiro Watanabe, who is famous for Cowboy Bebop, created and directed Samurai Champloo. The style the characters are drawn in is a little different, but it is still reminiscent of Cowboy Bebop. The background art and animation is excellent. Fight scenes are well "choreographed", and I love Mugen's fighting style, with dance moves thrown in to add to the hip hop influence Watanabe experimented with. If I could have any fictional character teach me to fight, it would be Mugen! (Or Hit Girl from Kick-Ass, or Chun Li from Street Fighter, or Talim from Soul Calibur, but that's all beside the point.) Jin's fighting style is very polished and traditional, in contrast. Their fighting styles reflect their personalities, showing how they are different, yet still very alike. The animation of the fight scenes is very fluid. After the ending credits, there are gorgeous drawings of the characters in a style influenced by traditional Japanese artwork.

Just as Watanabe blended jazz music culture and elements of the "Wild West" with a futuristic space setting in Cowboy Bebop, he used an interesting blend of hip hop culture with this anime set in the Edo Period. This is most evident in the soundtrack, composed by Nujabes (may his soul rest in peace; he will be missed). The opening theme is great! Not only does it sound good, but it is one of the few theme songs with lyrics that actually relate to the anime. I almost always skip theme songs, but I can't skip this one! Shiki No Uta, the usual ending theme song, is beautiful. At first, I didn't like it so much, but then they changed where they cropped it a little bit, which made all the difference in the world. Animation throughout the series seems to be well-timed to fit background music beats. In addition to using hip hop music, there are some very nice traditional pieces used. Obokuri Eeumi sung by Ikue Asazuki is a painfully sorrowful Okinawan song about the hardships the people of that time faced, and it will forever haunt my memories (in a good way). Pekambe Uk is traditional Ainu music, using vocals by Umeko Ando posthumously. Episode 17 is dedicated in her memory, and the ending theme song is changed and lengthened for this episode. Kuzunoha no Kowakare, also known as Sara's Song, is another traditional piece sung by Tsukioka Yukiko.

The voice acting was cast well; the only voices I found annoying were those that were supposed to be. I watched the Japanese version with subtitles.

The story is just the right mix of drama and comedy. The dialogue can be so hilarious at times, but you can still take the anime seriously. I love the interesting bits of history about the Edo Period, as well as the fictitious bits of hip hop culture showcasing Watanabe's signature use of anachronism (mixed up chronology). Several episodes brought tears to my eyes. It has been a long time since an anime has triggered such an emotional response in me. Character development is perfect; I found myself getting attached to even minor characters. Fuu is often described as annoying or ditsy, but I loved her just as much as Mugen and Jin. Although she is a bit naive and often finds herself in bad situations, she is strong, bold, and caring.

There are a few episodes that can be considered filler. Episode 12 was pretty much just a recap from the perspective of Fuu's diary. The ending theme song to this episode was different, as well. It was good, but not as good as the usual ending theme. Episodes 22 and 23 did not really further the plot, were mostly comedy, and could therefore be considered filler also. (Note: If you watch episode 23, watch it with an open mind and allow yourself to be amused by the way the Americans are portrayed instead of being offended.) However, Watanabe did do something similar in Bebop, having comedy right before the serious finale...perhaps it is part of his style.

The events leading up to the ending are a dramatic, action-filled, suspenseful, emotional roller coaster that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end. As far as the ending goes, I will only say that it was bittersweet and could have been a bit more conclusive. That having been said, I am still satisfied enough with the ending to give this series the rare rating of a 10.

Feel free to leave comments with your opinions or a request for me to review a certain series; you don't need an account.

Next up is Ah My Goddess!

Agatha Christie's Great Detectives Poirot and Marple

My anime review debut! Hooray!

Synopsis: Young Mabel West is the daughter of mystery writer Raymond West, who wants her to lead a normal life. Rebelling against this, Mabel wants to be a great detective, and sets out for London to become assistant to none other than Hercule Poirot, the great Belgian detective who resides there. She finally wins the reluctant approval of her father, and embarks on an exciting life of mystery and suspense - his only demand being that she occasionally spend some time with her great-aunt, Jane Marple, in the small village of St. Mary Mead.

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First, I will start off by stating that I have not read Agatha Christie's works, myself. I will therefore be reviewing this series on its own, without comparing it to the novels it was based on.

The stories are old-fashioned mysteries which may seem boring compared to usual silly comedies, magical fantasies, action-packed shonen, etc.  However, there is something enjoyable and relaxing--even refreshingly different--about the classic literature feeling this anime presents the viewer with.

After the first few stories, I predicted that this 39-episodes-long(!) anime might wind up having the same effect on me that CSI did after a while. When CSI first started, it was interesting, but then I began to feel as if I'd seen every single episode, even when watching new ones. Indeed, the episodes started to get a bit dull around episode 9.  Until about halfway through the series, I was sure my prediction was accurate, but then the stories became a bit more interesting after that.

Overall, the mysteries seemed quite predictable to me, though I believe this anime was intended to introduce a younger audience to these classic stories.  It may have been that the creators deliberately made the clues easy to catch onto and connect.

These stories take place in Europe, mostly in England, with the occasional visit to France, etc.  The scenes (especially outdoors) are often quite beautiful, though I wouldn't go so far as to say the art is a total masterpiece.  Still, it is good enough to make you want to visit these places on your next vacation.  As for the people, they are drawn in a slightly old-school, very simplified style that reminds me a bit of Pokemon; not quite enough detail in my opinion, since most of them are dressed in very simple clothes to portray the time period (1930's).  Also, Mabel's pet duck Oliver looks very much like something out of an old Disney cartoon.  In my book, this causes him to fail spectacularly at fulfulling his simple role of being cute.

The music would fall into the classical genre, and is fitting for the anime, though nothing spectacular.  It usually gives a calm, peaceful feeling to the anime.  I could not stand either the opening or ending theme songs.  I'm not even going to bother commenting more on those.

The character development is a bit lacking in depth.  Once again, this might be because it was intended for a younger audience.  Mabel was not originally in the novels, and her purpose is mainly to link the two detectives' stories.  My first impression of her was that she was rather impulsive and did not think things through much--I mean, she had great determination, but hopping on a train and going to another town to beg Detective Poirot to let her be his assistant without thinking about a place to stay or anything seems a little stupid for an aspiring detective, even though she's young and inexperienced.  (Also, I noticed that we never see her carrying a suitcase or anything, though once she does find a place to stay, she changes outfits. Hmm...)  As time goes on, she seems to get a little smarter, but never really strikes me as potential detective material.  The other characters all seem toned-down and bland, even though I haven't read the novels.  I'm guessing they must have had more depth and personality to them if the stories became such classics.  Also, minor characters introduced during each mystery often wind up looking a lot like each other or even main characters.  I often got other male characters confused with Hercule Poirot's assistant Hastings.  The first example of this occured to me during episode 9 when the Minister of Internal Affairs looked almost identical to Chief Inspector Sharp.  It made the dialogue a bit hard to follow.

I watched the Japanese version with subtitles (I'm not even sure if there is a dub for this one).  The voice actors were all cast well.  No complaints here.  I didn't hear a single annoying voice the entire time, or one that didn't seem to fit the character.

Overall, I'm going to give this anime a 5 out of 10.  In my opinion, it is average, and nothing more.  The idea was wonderful, but it could have been executed much better.  Had the art and animation been more detailed, the characters been given more depth, and the music been a little more beautiful (and, OH GOD, PLEASE, better theme songs!)--even less-obvious clues and more drama in the mysteries--well, it had potential for something great.  I'd say it's worth watching if you're bored and like classic detective stories.  Otherwise, spare yourself the time it would take to watch these 39 episodes.

Please feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts, questions, etc.  Or even just to let me know you read this.  I set the comments up so that anyone can leave one; you don't need an account.


Next up, by request, is Samurai Champloo.  Then I'll be resuming my alphabetical list with Ah My Goddess.

What is this blog all about?

Last summer, I decided out of boredom that I would go through an alphabetical list of anime on one of my favorite anime streaming sites as if it were a checklist.  I'm still trying to accomplish this goal now, for no real reason other than my own entertainment.  However, I realized that I might as well write reviews of all the anime as I watch it.  At least then I have a somewhat decent excuse when people ask me why I'm trying to watch every single series on this super-long list.  Before the actual alphabet begins, this particular list had the numbers and symbols section.  Unfortunately, I had already made it through that section, as well as three of the A's before I decided to start reviewing.  So, unless I decide to go back and review these series, you will not see reviews of the following:

• All .hack// series
• 009-1
• 07-Ghost
• 11eyes
• 12 Kingdoms
• 2x2 Shinobuden
• 3000 Leagues in Search of Mother
• 3x3 Eyes
• 801 T.T.S. Airbats
• A Little Snow Fairy Sugar
• Abenobashi Mahou Shotengai
• Afro Samurai

(I'm also skipping After War Gundam X for now, as I plan on watching all of the Gundam series in chronological order at once.)

If anyone wants me to review one of the above series extremely badly, feel free to request.  No promises, though.

I'm currently watching Agatha Christie's Great Detectives Poirot and Marple, so that will be my first review.  However, it is 39 episodes long, and I am currently only on episode 14.  It might take me a while to get that review posted.  I'll have it done as quickly as possible.

--Candy