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Air Date: 1.10.13

     After watching K-On!, I really wondered if there were going to be another anime with the same quality of background art, character design etc. SAO (Sword Art Online), to an extent, did fulfill most of my "art needs" but it still didn't feel the same; so when I saw the poster for Tamako Market I got really excited. 



    Now, knowing that this was made by the same group that made K-On! I did expect a lot of it's cute/moe-ness and slower pacing, however, I did not expect a talking bird - especially a bird that loves mochi.



     Usually in most anime that I watch, I always find at least one or two characters annoying but for some reason while watching Tamako Market, I have yet to find a character that I dislike. From Tamako's free spirited-ness, Dera's comedic personality, Kanna's weird obsession with angles and measurements, and especially Mochizo's inability to tell Tamako his true feelings, I love every character and how they interact with each other.



     To reiterate, the pace of Tamako Market is a little bit slow so I did find myself becoming bored at times, but don't think for one second that the pace stopped me from watching more. If you are patient enough to get through the first two, maybe three episodes, I feel that a nice, heart-warming, slightly strange adventure awaits you. I can't wait to watch more.



Favourite Character: Mochizo Oji

You'll like this if: you are into great looking art work, cute girls, and a moderately paced anime with a love story on the side.



Will I Continue?: I will definitely continue watching this anime until the very end.

 

Tamako Market

Ore no Kanojo to Osananajimi ga Shuraba Sugiru

Air Date: 1.6.13



     Good grief what a long title this has. I never thought I would encounter another anime with such a long title so soon after Ano Hi Mita Hana No Namae O Bokutachi Wa Mada Shiranai. This mouthful of an anime features very good artwork as well as good somewhat clever writing - and that's where the good points for it stop.



     Don't get me wrong, I do like watching this anime as I am a fan of slice-of-life/comedy anime but as far as slice-of-life shows go, this one isn't quite unique enough for me. You can argue that Tamako Market is not unique either but I would say that it is more unique than Ore no Kanojo blah-blah-blah. (At least Tamako Market has eccentric characters and a talking bird). 



     Despite the static nature and predictable story line, the thing I like most about it is the humour. The uniqueness in this anime lies in it's humour and how the main character fantasizes and creates alternate personalities for himself which he then writes into a journal which is then read out loud by his "girlfriend" causing him to wriggle around in pain and embarrassment.



     I have to admit, Ore-no-blah only caught my attention because of the art work. For those of you who don't know - and that's everyone because none of you know me personally - I will sometimes ignore plain, predictable story lines, and watch a series of anime if the art work, in my opinion, is top notch. I do really like the artistic style and pace of this anime, the only major problem, again, being that it's not different enough in comparison to other slice-of-life/comedies out there.



Favourite Character: Saeko Kiryu

​You'll like this if: you really like rom-coms and funny little twists in plot.



Will I Continue?: I feel like I need to finish the first season because I've invested quite a bit of time in it, however, if there is a second season, it's hard to see myself watching that.

Sakurasou No Pet Na Kanojo

Air Date: 10.9.12



   What's not to like about this show? It has humour, a love story great artwork and a fairly unique storyline. To be honest, I had trouble digesting this anime at first but after grinding through the first episode the story of Sakurasou, and those who reside in it, had my undivided attention. 



     Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo follows a group of young highschool students living in a dormitory, seemingly for outcasts, and the events that take place when said special youngsters live under the same roof.



     The seemingly endless love story that takes place did wear me down a little bit though. (SPOILER ALERT) All throughout the series I definitely thought that in the end Aoyama would confess her feelings to Sorata; and she did come close a few times. However, in the end, she gives Sorata the confidence to tell Shiina how he really feels about her. The love story between Jin and Kamiigusa was also very interesting and though I could understand why Jin didn't want to officially confess to Kamiigusa, it was still slightly annoying to watch them interact with each other as the series went on. The relationship between Ryuunosuke and Rita was quite funny as well.



    Overall I would have to say this is one of the more enjoyable anime that I have watched in quite a while, although it can get quite corny at times. It has great voice acting with tons of great visuals as well a nice, moderately fast pace.



Favourite Character: Nanami Aoyama

You'll like this if: you like fun characters and multiple, simultaneous love stories.

Will I Continue?: If there is a second season, no question.



   

     

Shingeki no Kyojin

Air Date: 04.07.13



     In all honesty I'm not really sure what to say about this anime. After having just finished watching the first episode (only one episode has aired since writing this) I find myself a little torn about Shingeki no Kyojin.



     Wikipedia describes the main plot as such:

"Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan) is set in a world where the remains of the human population live inside cities surrounded by enormous walls due to the sudden appearance of the Titans; gigantic, humanoid creatures who devour humans seeming without reason. The story centres around the life of Eren Yeager and his adoptive sister Mikasa Ackerman, whose lives are changed forever after the appearance of a colossal titan brings about the destruction of their home and the death of their mother."



    Now, if you were reading carefully, you would have read the sentence saying, "...sudden appearance of the Titans; gigantic, humanoid creatures who devour humans for seemingly no reason." This single part of that sentence sums up how I felt while watching the first episode. The whole time I was watching, I was confused as to why there were giant people with no skin trying to get into this town, and even more so at why no one seemed to be worried that those things - those "Titans" - might eventually find a way to breach the walls.



    The artwork does stand out quite a bit and I do like it a lot. Compared to many other anime I have reviewed so far, this one definitely has the most unique artwork. Every single character and object are outlined with a very thick black line that just seems to add a sort of element of horror to this anime. 



    SPOILER ALERT: Eren's (the protagonist) mother dies at the end of the first episode by getting eaten. [graphic]



     All in all, I did somewhat enjoy this and I will be watching more - this was just the first episode after all. I can't say that Shingeki no Kyohin is for everyone and would also recommend not eating before watching.



Favourite Character: Titan that eats the mom'



You'll like this if: you enjoy gore, giant naked humanoids and lots of death.



Will I continue?: I will definitely continue to watch this anime. I haven't had the chance to read the manga so I am interested in seeing what happens next.

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