All in all a hidden gem among that typically low-class genre: the harem anime.

Like most harem anime, Strike the Blood is primarily comedic in scope with predictable "accidentally a pervert" tripping scenes common to the genre. Each girl is passably different enough to touch on the usual palatte of girls that you would see in any regular old harem anime.

However, it stands out by giving a protagonist that's actually somewhat interesting. Rather than an overly innocent …

I have both fond and not-so-fond memories of Inuyasha. Though I encountered anime like Pokemon and Dragon Ball beforehand, it was really Inuyasha that brought me into active awareness and enjoyment of anime. There's a feeling of nostalgia about it.

However, that doesn't excuse what I consider to be major failings of the series. Namely that it dragged on for far too long with far too little character development or really story impact. The fillers weren't bad, as fillers …

Compared to the frequently lackluster series itself, Tenka Hadou no Ken manages to shine pretty brightly.

Despite being a filler, it gives the viewers significant development of the story behind a few of the main characters. It also manages to expand a few of the characters that don't get any screen time of their own in the regular series itself. The conflict that expands through the story is both man against man and man against self, as several of the characters struggle …

The overall direction of this story is visible from episode one. While not particularly bad when compared to other harem genre anime, it's not particularly good either. It's just your typical first girl pseudo harem ecchi.

When I first picked up Mahouka I was subjected to a few rants about how bad it was and what a poor choice I was making in watching it. Coming out of the last episode and immersed in the light novel, I regret none of it. Much of the criticism I think may stem from misconstrued expectations - Mahouka is classified as a shounen, but it doesn't adhere to many of the troops of that genre, which may lead to some people feeling like they were billed wrong.

In terms of story I don't …

Season 2 is definitely a step down from the first season.

The story begins strong and the side plots with HOMRA and Scepter 4 are a definite bonus, but it veers into typical “all you need is friendship” anvilicious territory for the ending.

Similarly to season one, our ‘protagonist character’ Shiro/Adolf does very little of actual note and possesses next to no gravitas. It’s the side characters from HOMRA and Scepter 4 that really steal the show, and even our villains …

The best description for Tokyo Ghoul is ‘one long relentless delayed orgasm that ends up as disgustingly underwhelming’.

I’m reminded of Evangelion, or any other number of anime where we as viewers spend much longer than we should in order to see the protagonist nut up and manage to get it together.

The animation and the side characters of the series are well put together, but they’re frequently overshadowed by the formula of:

1 - Protagonist encounters issue
2 - …

It’s a nice little series. The characters are charming and the episode of the week format hasn’t quite worn out its welcome before coming to the end of the season. Enjoyable music and animation.

All in all, a great series to work through on a slow weekend.