Soul Eater

The Grim Reaper! Of course...a high pitched, silly, and childish-looking one...But The Grim Reaper. This show came out 2008 with 51 episodes. Each one being the usual 20-22 minutes long.

Collect 99 souls, and then 1 witches soul. To do so lets you become a Death Scythe. This gives you the privilege of getting to be one of Lord Death's personal weapons. This is the basis of the first few episodes. Meisters fighting alongside Weapons to collect souls and defeat witches. 

Lord Death decided to start a school in which to train young Meisers and Weapons to become successful reapers themselves. These Weapons are also students as they are beings that can turn into weapons(capable of evolution). The weapons vary on what they become, such as twin guns, blades, scythe, gloves, a spear, a lantern, and more. The meisters must connect their own souls to their weapons so that they resonate at the frequency. By doing so they are able to unlock their full potential. 

The show mostly follows 3 meisters and their weapons. Maka and her scythe Soul. Blackstar and his blade Tsubaki. Death the Kid and his twin guns Liz and Patti. Each has their own backstory and life issues that are manifested throughout the series. These 7 join forces repeatedly, but also fight each other just as often. 

The students are sent on a few "simple" missions that turn out to be not as simple. Eventually these missions add up to the great Arachnophobia, a witch from long ago returning to the world. She then releases the Kishin, Asura. A being that started as a Meister who then ate the soul of his own weapon. Following this there are missions to obtain odd magical objects, then the final showdown.

There of course is plenty more, like the teacher Franken Stein who likes disecting and stitching things back up. Or the witch Medusa who uses a variety of snakes to succeed in her goals. Or even Maka's incredibly creepy father who in the Dubbed version is voiced by Vic Mignogna, though you would most likely know him more as the voice of Edward Elric from Fullmetal Alchemist.

Honestly though, I wasn't that big of a fan. Maybe it was because I kept comparing it to other animes like Fullmetal Alchemist, or Dragonball Z and more. But the story was pretty weak, and rather boring at times. The ending was a little more entertaining, but even that ended with a message of heart bullshit. Some of the fights were entertaining, but they had a lot of talk. Then finally there was Lord Death. He was just obnoxious. In the end I can only give the show a 5 out of 11. I wouldn't recommend it.

Grenadier

Boobs + Guns! What more could you ask for? Well actually a lot I'm sure, but that's what this shows got. In an age where guns are taking over as the primary weapon, leaving swords relatively obsolete. But is fighting the answer? With only 12 episodes this short anime does have a relatively simple story. Each episode is the usual 24 minutes long, but has the option of both English Sub & Dub. The series came out in 2004.

The story follows Rushina Tendo, a buxom blonde with the innocence of the worlds issues. She trained to be a double/protector of Tenshi. She was told to strip her enemies of their barriers so that they would change. Her smile would break these barriers down and remove the will/wish to fight. If no one wishes to fight then peace could be possible. She struggles in her adventures to do this as the smile is often not enough on its own. So she uses her gun to defeat her opponents to strip them of their will to fight.

The story is so short that she only meets a few people. But with each one of them she manages to leave an impression. Some even join her on her quest which quickly leads itself back to where she began. The first appears in the first episode. Yajiro is a swordsman who almost lost himself to killing during wars past. In these battles he grew to hate all gun-wielders as they are unable to feel the full weight of the lives they take as it is only the pull of a trigger instead of the force and resistance required when using a blade. This belief does create some conflict between himself and Rushina. But this resolves itself quickly as she does not kill her opponents, but only maims some of them.

There is a number of special weaponed people who stand in her way as she goes back to her teacher. But she makes her way through to the end and to the ultimate conspiracy. Ultimately leading to a fight with a buxom woman like herself. By reloading their revolvers with a flex and bounce of their breasts and the speed required to load them all with a simple flick and spin. 

The animation is well done, and the story works well for its length. But for the most part I did find it a little boring. The show get a 7.5 out of 11. I only recommend it for its length making it interesting enough for that. But I do consider it to be a good thing it isn't longer.

Katanagatari

So let me go ahead and start with this. This is now my absolute favorite anime. There are so many incredible ones out there, but this one managed to completely take the cake. This series of 12 episodes came out in 2010. Each episode is about 45 minutes long which is a bit odd for most animes. There is no English dub for this anime.

The story follows Shichika and Togame. Togame comes to a remote island to find the heir to the fabled swordless swordsman technique. This technique uses extreme speed and using the weaknesses of others, or others equipment to your own advantage. Shichika falls for her and decided to become her sword in her quest to collect the 12 deviant blades created by Kiki Shikizaki that are imbued with incredible powers. But she gives him 3 rules he must follow.

1. Protect her.

2. Don't break any of the swords.

3. Protect yourself.

Now while that may seem simplistic in nature, it proves to be somewhat difficult as there are certain fights where it would have been much easier on Shichika if her were allowed to break the sword. 

Each episode is a different sword. But along side the fights there is a back story that grows and grows until the last 2 episodes to completely alter everything you thought. Now one of the things that separate this show from so many other animes of similar fashions is that our hero doesn't win through pure determination. There are so many that have this element; Naruto, Fullmetal Alchemist, Bleach, Gurren Lagann, One Piece, and so many more. But with this one our hero is already very powerful. His main struggles are in how not to break the swords, as well as not getting hurt himself. 

Now the animation isn't great, but it works just fine for how they do everything. But the most amazing thing about this show is the fights. They are both impressive on how they create a full understanding of the incredible characters, but it is also just entertaining. I came upon the show because I watched a youtube video on the most amazing anime fights and the final battle of the show absolutely qualifies under this dynamic.

Without trying to give anything away or give spoilers, the final episode is so incredible that words honestly fail me. The episode is a roller coaster of emotion. There is despair, hope, satisfaction, sadness, and pure awe.

This show earns itself a score of 11 out of 11. It lost some points on the animation, but easily got them back for the sure awe of the show. I highly recommend this anime to any and everyone who is interested in anime, or even just good shows. 

BoJack Horseman

This netflix original series had season 1 come out in 2014, and season 2 in 2015. The show has been renewed for a third season to come out sometime in 2016. But for now we just have the first 2 seasons to review. Each season has 12 episodes for a total of 24 (with a Christmas special). Each episode is 24 minutes or so.

The series follows BoJack Horseman. An anthropomorphic horse which was a 90s family sitcom star. Now however he is a washed up drunk trying to figure things out. Season 1 starts with BoJack attempting to write a memoir about his life. He soon hires a ghost writer, who is someone who listens to the stories of your life, then writes the book for you. But remains anonymous on the book itself generally. He quickly falls in love with her, only to find that she is dating the person he hates the most, Mr. Peanutbutter. Who was another 90s family sitcom star on a show quite similar to BoJack's. 

The show touches on some political issues as well as some basic hollywood ones. One of the biggest being how child stars end up becoming drug addicted crazy sluts. Others include the ridiculousness of actors agents and the cult that is Improv. 

The second season starts with the ending, Then goes back to show how it all happened and fits together. Like how a full sized boat ends up in his swimming pool and more. This is rather confusing when watching it for the first time because it takes a few minutes to realize that its all a flashforward. It just has the feeling like I am missing so much of the story right now. But then you get to the second episode that you finally realize what it all was.

Then there is season three. Be prepared for a horribly depressing season. Everything turns out to be Bojack's fault. But there is a season long joke that is ridiculous and funny. 

The shows animation is rudimentary, but it often has entertaining things in the background. As well as basic jokes and scenes that shows more anthropomorphic animals and how even though they are humanoid, they still are the animal. 

The show was simplistic, but still enjoyable. In the end it only receives a 7 out of 11. Still good enough to watch though.

Fate/Stay Night(Series)

We will start with the first of these 3 that came out Fate/Stay Night. It came out in 2006 with 24 episodes each being 22 minutes. After that came Fate/Zero which is a prequel to the first one. It came out in 2011 with 25 episodes, again them being about 22 minutes long. Finally we will look at Fate/Stay Night [Unlimited Blade Works]. This remake of the original Fate Stay Night came out in 2014 with its second season in 2015. The first season had twelve 22 minute episodes and a 47 minute prequel. The second season has thirteen 22 minute episodes.

So as I said we will start with Fate/Stay Night. This is the worst of the 3 I am reviewing now. There were still some parts that were entertaining, but the ending was disappointing and had this whole lead up that was simply illogical and annoying.

The Holy Grail is a magical device that can grant any wish. But it only appears every so often and when it does it chooses 7 people that it believes to be worthy (yes it is sentient). These 7 people are given/summon servants that are legendary heroes from any time period. These servants serve their master either because they share similar ideals/wishes or because their master has 3 command seals that force the servant to do whatever they want against the servants will. This can include killing innocence or stealing something, or even to kill themself. The 7 servants fall into one of the 7 basic classes; Saber, Lancer, Assassin, Rider(as in a cavalry or chariot, etc.), Archer, Caster(mage), and Berserker. These classes are only a basic guideline for the historical heroes. For example archer can wield swords, rider can have physical weapons and almost never use their vehicle of choice. 

This show follows Shiro, a teenage boy who accidentally(or unknowingly set up) to become a master. He gains the servant Saber who just happens to be King Arthur(though female, so King Arturia Pendragon). Together they fight others and make deals to work alongside others. Eventually either they or other masters and servants defeat each other and Shiro ends up "collecting" various girls into his mostly empty house. This subsequently turns the show into your average harem anime where multiple girls are around/in love with one teenage boy who doesn't fully understand what love is about, and who he loves in return.

The animation is only okay, especially because it came out in 2006. And at that time there was better animation available. The fights are nice some of the time, but they are far from awe-inspiring. There are some filler episodes that aren't about the Holy Grail War at all. Now I have enjoyed some shows that are harem based or love story based, but I expected this to be exciting fights and intriguing story arches(though this may be because I started with Fate/Zero accidentally). Either way my expectations were dashed within the show.

This is the first of the series that I ended up watching. And 2 episodes in I knew I was going to watch the whole series. This prequel takes place 10 years before the Stay Night series. The whole thing leads up to main series quite well. The animation was great for the series and the fights were exciting and unexpected. There were times where I had no idea how each moment, and especially how each fight would end. The masters varied in skill, tactics, and purpose to such a large degree that I had no idea who would win until near the end. 

For the first half of the series it was difficult to actually specify who it followed. This is because the show followed pretty much each master and servant almost equally. Additionally the show mentioned who many of the heroes were in life. Which if you know your history casts some fascinating lights on how the writers decided to use them and their choices. Again we have King Arturia, but we also get Gilgamesh, and Alexander the Great, as well as Blue Beard. 

This series has a lot of intrigue and diabolical and even downright terrifying tactics that people use to succeed in their goals. These include blowing up an entire building just to flush out an enemy, cutting of a persons hand to remove their command seals, murdering children and people just for the fun of it, becoming infested with various terrifying insects that breed inside your flesh to protect another from the same fate, and so much more.

This series is an absolutely incredible remake of the original Fate/Stay Night series. The beginning is pretty much the same, but soon shifts into a brand new series with a different and far better ending. The animation for this one implements 3D elements which make the fight scenes completely awe-inspiring. There were times where I was completely stunned by the intensity of what was being shown. 

This series took the elements set up from Zero and the original Stay Night to create a new show that became logical and impressively twisting. This one also goes into the dynamic of a hero coming from any time period, which isn't only segregated to the past but the future as well. This series also goes more into the depths of struggle. This series uses the common motif in anime's of the seemingly insignificant person who through nothing but their own determination and spirit overcome great odds. 

This show also goes far more into the other character's and their personal lives, as well as their desire from the Holy Grail. We see some more of the connections between the people from the previous war and this one. This includes some being the children of previous masters, the differences in magical power in some individuals to others. And exactly what can occur if someone is an incredibly powerful witch.

This one is the most impressive of these 3 because it it actually utilized the command seals that every master is given. While I like the storyline of Fate/Zero the most, they only use these seals a few times, even though they constantly speak of the importance and power they give. But only a few are ever actually used.

And now to these shows ratings. Fate/Stay Night earns a score of 6 out of 11 for its fall from potential greatness, and the terrible ending. Fate/Zero gets itself a 10 out of 11 for the incredible fights and awesome character plots. And finally Fate/Stay Night [Unlimited Blade Works] gets itself a 10 out 11 as well. It could have gotten more if it had given more, or at least as much about Medusa as the original Stay Night gave her.

Prison School

Let me go ahead and start with wow. This anime series that came out very recently, starting just this last July and ending in September (and in case this is read in later years, this is 2015). It has a total of only 12 episode each being the anime average of 22 minutes. Additionally there is a live action version that should be starting on October 26 2015. I plan to watch it and review it separately when it concludes.

So this anime is intense. It is a highly sexual show which at times could be considered a softcore porno to a certain degree. There are multiple times throughout where they do upskirts and tits and more, however they place "lens flare" or white or black censor bars over them. There are uncensored editions of the series available online, however it can sometimes be difficult to find, and from what I understand many of these sites come with some nasty viruses. So search for them at your own risk. Though I would like to mention that the censorship doesn't actually take anything away from the series, and actually adds a little here and there as they comment on it a few times. Plus if you really want to look at animated asses, vaginas, and tits, there is plenty of hentai online for you to watch.

The show takes place at an all girl boarding school that only just started to let male students in. However they only let in 5. These 5 end up being "convicted" of the perversion of peeping on girls in the bath by the underground student council. There sentence is to spend 1 month in the student prison, which has been built in the courtyard like area in the middle of the school. They are then required to do physical labor to improve the school and help the other students. They are publicly humiliated and beaten. And they are constantly being treated violently, though they enjoy it to a certain degree if they think of it sexually. 

The show is a comedy, though it does go into some really awkward and disturbing things depending on your own beliefs and preferences. For example there is shitting your pants in public (no poop is actually shown). Being covered in piss, and being anally penetrated by more than one sharp object that leads to significant amounts of blood. There are also some psychological matters that are visible. And a whole lot of blood. Like a whole lot (which makes me that much more interested in seeing the live action version, because I am curious on how they plan to show/do that).

I often found myself saying "what the fuck." The animation was well done, and was entertaining. Though some of the topics and themes were not very peasant to endure through. In the end the show earns a score of 8 out of 11. 

SAO II

Sword Art Online II. I have previously rated SAO the first part, and now its time for the second. While this is technically season 2, I more consider it to be season 3 and 4. This is because the original was basically 2 separate stories, and this is similar in that same regard. SAO II came out with another 25 episodes in 2014. Each of these episodes being just like the first in that they were 24 minutes or so long.

The first part takes place in a new, mostly American VRMMORPG called Gun Gale Online (GGO). Unlike Sword Art and Alfheim, GGO has no magic, and for the most part the weapons you get are guns. This makes deaths much quicker and adds a certain element of dueling that can end in an instant. But someone going by the name Death Gun is somehow shooting people in the video game and they are dying in real life. So our hero Kirito joins the game to investigate the scenario. He makes a new friend/rival Sinon. We end up learning about her past and seeing Kirito's and his fellow ex-SAO members continue to live in the real world as well as in the virtual ones.

The second part at first is a side adventure within Norse Mythology and the idea of a video game having no true limitations on what could occur. After this adventure we see the life of Asuna and just how hard a life of riches can be. The responsibilities and stresses that can come with it. But mostly it is the meeting of a guild of players known as the Sleeping Knights. This small group wishes for her help to immortalize the impressive deed of defeating a floor boss with only their small numbers. They fight together and things about the people and the group are realized that bring into question the real world and some of the potential that virtual realities can truly have for people. Especially for people who may have certain disabilities or disadvantages in the physical world.

This second series is fascinating and quite well done. I think I still prefer the first part of the original, but in the end this second bit lived up to the path laid down by the original, and as I said it was more thought provoking. SAO II gets a 10 out of 11.