A basic listing of the Anime that I’ve watched and my thoughts/opinions on them!
Currently, I’ve got 194 Anime entries in this database :)
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| Anime Name | Rating | Media | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commentary | |||
| ./Hack Sign | 7 | DVDR | Rent |
| quick rating and recommendation only Sad ending … mutter, mutter, mutter … but well done anime, nonetheless :( |
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| .hack//Legend of Twilight Bracelet | 8 | DVDR | Rent |
| I actually liked this better than the original .hack series (.hack//Sign) since it was shorter and had a happier ending. Definitely worth watching at least once, though I suppose (sigh) that you ought to watch .hack//Sign first (mutter, mutter, mutter). | |||
| 2×2 = Shinobuden | 8 | DVDR | Buy Used |
| Quality silly anime. There’s just enough of a plot to keep the jokes coming. If you like slapstick, then this is something you should watch, no doubt about it. There are a few moments where the comedy is just so good that’s it trancends simple humor and I simply HAD to rewatch the scene several times because it was just *that* funny! |
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| A Little Snow Fairy Sugar | 7 | DVDR | Rent |
| As can be guessed from the anime’s title, this is a sweet anime. The story is very well told and the characters are definitely memorable. I’d recommend buying this anime — but the ending is sad (I cried). Granted, the ending makes sense and is the way a fairy tell of this sort probably ought to end … but that doesn’t make me like it, and so I shall stick with my “if it ain’t happy, i ain’t buying it” rule! |
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| Abenobashi Mahou Shotengai | 4 | DVDR | Avoid |
| Uhm, this was wierd … and not all that funny. There were, I suppose, a few occasional funny parts, but, for the most part I found the parodies of other anime and of Japanese culture rather “ho-hum”. This could be because I haven’t experienced much (well, really any) actual Japanese culture, but well, that’s life. All told, this doesn’t really seem to have been worth my time. |
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| Ah My Goddess (OVA) | 7 | DVDR | Buy Used |
| This is a classic. If you like romance anime, you really have to see this. Personally, I thought the TV series which covers the same plot line, but in expand format and with better animation quality (it’s 12 years newer, so that’s not surprising) was a bit better, but the OVA’s are shorter :) Despite the frequent tendency of the male lead (Keiichi) to allow himself to be walked upon (why is this so common in male leads in non-violent Japanese anime?), this is worth watching. I’ve listed it as “Buy Used” because of it’s classic status (and ’cause it’s likely to be cheaper than the longer TV series version), but, really, that’s only if you find a good deal. It’s not something you’re likely to match multiple times. |
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| Ah! My Goddess | 7 | DVD | Rent |
| An expanded version of the story told in the original OVA’s, this anime is enjoyable, sweet, and — at times — even funny. However it still suffers, in my opinion, from a common problem in anime, namely the general wimpiness and indecisive character of the male lead. Keichi is certainly well-meaning and kind … but considering the situation, it’s hard to avoid getting annoyed at a guy who has to serious struggle to simply put his arm around the shoulders of a girl who has displayed as much attraction to him as Belldandy does. Sigh. Still, this anime is worth watching once.. |
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| Ai Yori Aoshi | 10 | DVD | Must Get |
| This is, without a doubt, the best romance anime I’ve seen. The wimpy guy problem (something that really annoys me) which is so typical in romance anime isn’t an issue in this series. Though there is a fair bit of mild fanservice (particularly from the other characters) and a bit more tendancy towards the “harem” theme then necessary, this anime still has a remarkably uplifting, enjoyable, and just plain pleasent feel to it. So … Buy It. Watch It. Then buy the manga. Then buy the anime sequel, Enshi. Watch that. Then watch them both again. |
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| Ai Yori Aoshi Enishi | 9 | DVD | Must Get |
| This gets a 9 rather than a 10 because, though the ending is more clear than the first series, there are still lots of loose ends and questions remaining. I’d at least liked to have seem a clearer indication that Aoi’s parents are going to support her marrying Kaoru without raising any fuss, disowning her, etc :) Still, Ai Yori Aoshi is, hands down, the BEST romance anime I’ve seen. Kaoru isn’t a wimp, but a normal, likeable guy who tries to be nice to everyone but can actually stand up against people if need be. Aoi, granted, is so far up what I assume is the “ideal traditional Japanese woman” scale that it’s a bit absurd, but, still, if you look at the story more as a modern-day princess & pauper story, then that’s not a real problem. Anyway, the point is that you ought to buy and watch this (after getting the first series). Oh, and buy the manga too. |
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| Air | 3 | DVDR | Avoid |
| I kept hoping this anime would redeem itself and become interesting … but it didn’t. It was slow, not very thought provoking, and just generally boring. Apparently it’s based on some video game, so perhaps if I’d played that this anime would be more interesting — but I haven’t so it wasn’t :) Worse, the series didn’t have a happy ending. I LIKE happy endings … and this anime wasn’t anywhere close to being good enough to make up for having an unhappy ending. |
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| Air Master | 4 | DVDR | Borrow |
| Let’s see … a big-breasted and very tall girl who beats up lots of various other strong people in organized (sorta) and impromptu street fights … right, uhm, okay. Add an absurdly obsessed even-bigger-breasted girl in love with the first one, and various other wierd characters (actually, there really aren’t many normal characters). I suppose, that, *in theory*, this could have worked. But in the end, it was just stupid. The anime lacked the ability to really draw you in and make you care about at least one of the characters. So, in the end, I watched it inorder to finish the series … not to see the fights (which quickly cease to be all that original or interesting) or the jokes (which get repetative quickly), or for any of the rather annoying fan-service. I’d like my time back please. |
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| Aishiteruze Baby | 6 | DVDR | Rent |
| Okay, so this was definitely a sweet anime … very sugary sweet. It was cute, enjoyable, fun, and I’ll probably never watch it again. But, then again, maybe I will — it was pretty sweet with an almost (but not quite) innocent feel, to it. If it’s ever released in the US, I’d probably rent it (despite owning downloaded copies of the series) ’cause it’s good enough to deserve some money (maybe even good enough to justify buying it used) … but not quite at the “definitely purchase” level. |
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| Akazukin Chacha | 4 | 1-4 on DVDR | Borrow |
| Well, according to animenfo, there are 74 episodes in this series, and I only watched a few of them, so perhaps it’s not fair to judge the anime. But I’ll do so anyway, and say it’s not really worth watching. The episodes I watched (maybe the first three or so) didn’t particularly grab my attention and I was left with a “haven’t I seen that before” feeling which doesn’t bode will for the show’s originality marks :) |
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| Angelic Layer | 6 | DVDR | Rent |
| Interesting concept (though not exactly new or unique) applied with just enough variety that it doesn’t feel too unoriginal. The main character, Misaki, is interesting and helps pull the viewer into the show. The side-characters are a good mix of comic relief, romantic intrigue, etc — though they tend to feel rather flat. All told, this was fun to watch, but the ending felt a little forced. It was a happy ending (a good thing), but one can’t help but think that a little more angst towards the mother is deserved (what sort of mother would not contact her only child for over a year???) On a side note, I had to rent the last DVD or so in order to finish the series (since it got licensed and the fansubbing groups, quite properly stopped subbing it), and I must say that the dub is horrible. Sometimes I like dubs — sometimes even more than the subtitled version (since then I can focus more on the actual animation and what’s going on). But this dub was HORRIBLE. One of the characters is transformed from a cute, loveable girl to a mean-spirited, sarcastic sort of girl who’s not at all likeable. I do NOT approve of a dub changing the actual personality of the characters. |
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| Appleseed 2004 | 6 | DVDR | Borrow |
| This was definitely better than I’d anticipated. The animation was good, the plot line relatively solid, and it was certainly better anime than “Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within”. Still, I didn’t find it interesting enough to induce me to part with enough cold, hard cash to actually purchase this … so I recommend borrowing it, or, perhaps, renting it. |
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| Avenger | 9 | DVDR | Buy |
| Okay, there are lots of parts of this anime that aren’t ever explained and some of the basic underlying facts that make the world and it’s society the way it is in the anime are, uhm, a bit unrealistic. Still, the anime itself is fun and interesting and opening and ending songs are just plain awesome. It’s a short anime and definitely worth checking out. If you’re tastes are similar to mine, you’ll enjoy this one enough to be able to watch it multiple times, even if it isn’t quite good enough to make it into the “Must Buy” category. |
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| Azumanga Daioh | 10 | DVD | Must Get |
| This is an absolutely hilarious anime. There are a few moments of seriousness, but really, this anime is all about silly, but well-done, humor. It’s SO worth watching. If you haven’t seen it yet, then you really owe it to yourself to watch the whole series. There are a few slower episodes, but the vast majority are great. |
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| Bakuretsu Tenshi | 6 | DVDR | Borrow |
| Uhm, well, this was interesting and yet somewhat boring at the same time. I’m not quite sure why — the shows has many of the “key” elements, big robots, lots of fights, and cute girls — but there’s a clear sense of something lacking. Personally, I think it’s the problem with the only “main” male character in the show. I put the word “main” in quotes, because he’s not really a main character but a foil (he’s an ordinary person who makes the main characters, all girls, more distinctly unusual). However, the anime uses him enough that he feels like he *ought* to be a main character — which leaves the whole series with a wierd, “missing some element of the story” feel. It’s hard for me to put into words what this anime appeared to be missing, sorry. Still, it was an interesting anime and I suspect many will like it, so I recommend borrowing or renting this one if large robots and an all-female main cast appearl to you. |
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| Battle Programmer Shirase | 9 | 1 – 5.3 on DVDR | Buy Used |
| This will probably never get distributed in the US, but it’s quite funny — particularly if you’re a computer programmer. I want to point out, that, though I am indeed a computer programmer, I’ve never been a hacker and never had a life even remotely similar to this guy (who would, if he existed, be far smarter than me as well). Still, I can, somewhat, understand the idea of a lifestyle which primarily involves getting computer equipment and, on occasion, a frantic push to do some project that happens to get my attention … I don’t think I’d really like such a lifestyle, but it was very funny to see it played out. Too bad the anime never seems to have been finished (at least, *I* don’t have all of it). |
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| Beck | 1 | Run Away | |
| I watched the first episode of this and really, really, really didn’t like it. Not only was the animation style and music annoying (I think … it’s been a while), but I felt absolutely no interest in continuing the series further to find out what happened — quite the opposite actually. |
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| Beet the Vandel Buster | 6 | DVDR | Rent |
| I think this series is still being fansubbed … not sure. Anyway, it’s relatively interesting and the main characters are pretty good. On the otherhand, it’s quite predictable and simplistic in premise, so it’s definitely not worth buying if some silly company ever licenses it. For that matter, I may not keep watching it — even if new fan-subbed releases are ever made. |
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| Big O | 5 | 1-6 on DVDR | Borrow |
| Right … I think at least a portion of this actually aired on standard American TV. I only downloaded and watched about 6 episodes. From what I can tell, this was an okay series, but, well, nothing all that remarkable — pretty much what you would expect from a standard cartoon … sigh. | |||
| Bleach | 10 | on computer will purchase |
Buy |
| As of 01/09/2007, this series is still airing (episode 109 was this week) and this series is very, very good. The main characters are interesting, the minor characters are well done, and the story itself is intriguing. The basic concepts are pretty simple, but many of the ideas making up the world are (to me at least) new, which really improves my appreciation for the anime. In addition, although the anime has occasionally done some annoying filler episodes, for the most part the action has continued quite well and has done an admirable job of adding background info and handling long fights without having too many “flashback to a forming moment in someone’s past” episodes and without having the “one episode per punch” problem either. According to a friend, this series (with the exception of the most recent arc) is following the manga quite closely — and even the “filler” arc was actually quite good. Anyway, you really, really, REALLY ought to watch this series! |
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| Boys Be | 5 | DVDR | Borrow |
| I can’t really remember what happens in this anime, but I don’t remember it being all that inspiring. | |||
| Bubblegum Crisis 2040 | 6 | DVDR | Borrow |
| This is an older series (from 1998) and is actually a remake of an even older series. I haven’t watched this in series in a long time — it was one of the first anime series I watched when I started watching anime again back in grad school. From what I remember, this was a good series that had a good plot line and some good action and even a hint of character development. However, it’s ending was horrible … not only somewhat sad, but also rather ambiguous (though I can’t remember exactly what happened, I remember that much!). Both of those two aspects are “very bad things” from my perspective, and so the anime is rated lower than it would have been otherwise! |
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| Cardcaptor Sakura | 7 | DVD | Rent |
| Well, it’s a fun, sweet, and cute anime that, at 70 episodes, runs about 20 episodes too long. I own a significant portions of the actual DVDs (purchased used) but don’t plan on buying any more. This was definitely worth watching once, and I found that it was fun to watch some episodes multiple times, but the majority of the episodes fall into a regular pattern of “Clow Card creates problem, Sakura gets scared, Sakura barely manages to capture card”. This makes re-watching the whole series a rather boring concept and not one I’d recommend. Still, it’s definitely an enjoyable anime, so you should at least rent it. |
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| Chobits | 8 | DVD | Buy Used |
| I liked this series when it first came out and own all the DVDs. It’s still a good series and, if I had the time, I’d enjoy watching it again … but it doesn’t quite have the same grip on my imagination and memory as other anime have had, nor is it quite as significant in terms of my anime viewing experiences to move up into the 9′s and 10′s. |
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| Chrno Crusade | 5 | DVDR | Borrow |
| Hmmm … well … This was a well done anime in general, but I don’t like it when anything takes pieces of my faith and uses them as an integral part of a story that doesn’t distorts Christianity without ever acknowledging that the religion presented is no longer Christianity. Since that’s definitely the case here Christianity clearly teaches that God is not just stronger than all demons combined, but is infinitely so and, hence, the “battle” between God and Satan is not so much of a fight between two powerful beings as it is Satan trying to hurt God by attacking His creation — humans, and particularly those who worship God — and God allowing this to happen for a time so as to allow humans, to whom He gave free will, a chance to exercise free will intelligently by choosing to follow Him. Also, even ignoring that rather large issue, the anime has a sad ending … I hate sad endings. |
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| Cowboy Bebop | 7 | DVDR | Buy Used |
| Well, I’ll probably never buy this series, because, although good, it didn’t quite grab my attention as much as it did for others (besides, the ending is sad). Still, this is a famous anime for good reason. The plot is well done, the episodes hold together well, and the musical score is simply superb. I’ve never seen another anime use music so well and also use such a variety of musical genres. This is definitely a series that should be watched, both due to the quality of the series and it’s importance to the anime genre in general. |
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| Crest of the Stars | 8 | DVDR | Rent |
| I keep meaning to finish this series — but haven’t ever quite gotten around to it (there just isn’t enough free time in my life). Still, for a sci-fi anime, this is probably one of the best ones I’ve seen. It’s a quality sci-fi … by which I mean it’s actually got some politics and thoughts about how two different species could interact, rather than just being an action anime with spaceships instead of “present-day” weapons. |
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| Da Capo & Da Capo 2nd Season | 5 | DVDR & on computer | Borrow |
| Right, so this is basically a boy has several girls interested in him anime. It’s got some interesting elements, but really doesn’t have anything new to it and doesn’t add much to the basic formula. If you like this type of anime (and, I must admit, that I usually do), then it’s probably worth watching once, but I really can’t recommend it. I’m not even planning on downloading the second season … I watched a little bit of the first episode of that season when my computer downloaded it automatically because I didn’t remember the series, but once I did remember it I stopped watching the episode and moved on to more interesting stuff! |
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| Daa! Daa! Daa! | 6 | DVDR & on computer | Borrow |
| Uhm, this series started out rather interesting. The general concept of a girl needing to move in with a childhood friend (a boy, naturally) and the two of them ending up living together alone isn’t new … in fact, it’s exceedingly common (sigh) … but the addition of the alien baby and wierd “babysitter” pet helps, and the characters have a good mixture of cuteness, silliness, and general personality that the series is rather fun. However, the series just keeps going … I’ve watched up to episode 57 or so and it’s definitely getting old. I wish people wouldn’t try to stretch anime series out … I suppose it means more money since extra series are probably cheaper (and easier) to make then whole new series … but still, it’s annoying. Anime series should be more like Hellsing which leaves you wanting more, or FMA which was just right. |
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| Dai no Daibouken | 1 on DVDR | ||
| Dear Boys | 9 | DVDR | Buy |
| Sure, some people don’t like it … but this is basketball anime and I *like* basketball! This is definitely worth watching and, if you’re like me, worth purchasing as well. | |||
| DearS | 6 | DVDR | Rent |
| quick rating and recommendation only | |||
| DNAngel | 7 | DVDR | Rent |
| Very interesting plot, interesting ideas, some very funny scenes all combined into one series — definitely a plus. Still, for some reason, though I enjoyed the series, it didn’t really draw me in to the point that I’d rate it at 9 or 10. I believe this is because it was rather predictable and thus, although enjoyable to watch, doesn’t have much draw for a second viewing. |
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| DNA^2 | 4 | DVDR | Avoid |
| This anime really isn’t worth your time … I certainly never finished the series. | |||
| Dragon Half | 9 | DVD | Buy |
| If you like absolutely whacky humor, then this is a no-brainer! I love this anime and when I’m in the mood, it’s pretty darn hard to top it as an over-the-top gag-fest. | |||
| Dual | 7 | DVDR | Rent |
| Nothing all that new about the series, but it’s funny and, better yet, short! So there’s no reason not to watch the thing :) | |||
howdy