Anime - Skip Beat

Synopsis

The story revolves around a young girl named Kyouko who went with her childhood friend, Shou, to Tokyo to pursue his dream of becoming an idol. Despite her supporting him, she overhears him dismissing her as a boring wallflower. Furious, Kyouko vows to get her revenge by defeating him in the entertainment world.
Read more at myanimelist.net

My Thoughts

I wasn't too sure what to think when I came across this anime, just didn't seem that interesting. The reviews I have seen online though said how good this anime was so that why I decided to give it a go. To start with I wasn't really feeling, it not sure if it was the style of the anime but I stuck with it. I'm glad I did.
Kyouko is such a funny character I really loved her she is a really strong person. I loved the drive behind all the characters and all of there flaws. The characters really make this anime you find out their stories, and they aren't mean or nice just because they are, there are reasons behind everything that is done or how people act.
The comedy is great and it also has a serious side, you get to find out what goes on behind the glamor. The character development is great, and they all have depth to them. I wish there was a second series.
It just has such a great mix of everything and its done really well. There is some romance but it doesn't dominate the show. Its really fun and I enjoyed it a lot which is great especially when you don't expect it.

4/5

 

 

Catch up - 6 short romance anime reviews. Special A, Lovely★Complex, Kimi ni Todoke, Sukitte Ii na yo, Bokura ga Ita

Special A

Synopsis

Hikari Hanazono has always been second to Kei Takishima. When they were six years old, their pro-wrestling loving fathers introduced them to each other. Assuming that she was the best in wrestling, young Hikari challenged Kei to a wrestling match only to be thoroughly defeated by him.

Ever since that fateful incident, Hikari swore to beat Kei in school grades, sporting events - anything. To do this, she has enrolled in the same school as Kei since elementary. Now she attends Hakusenkan, an ultra elite school, that costs her carpenter father a lot of money.

Hikari and Kei are the top two students in the school, with Kei holding firmly to that number one position. While Hikari considers Kei to be a rival and important friend, she is completely unaware that Kei loves her. The story primarily focuses on Hikari and her constant attempts to defeat her one and only rival, Kei, and how she finds love in their rivalry.


Read more at myanimelist.net

My thoughts 

This one was sweet and has the naivety you come to expect from these types of anime, normally this gets annoying but i did really enjoy this one.I think this is due to the comedy, I love romance with comedy as the stories can become the same and a bit stale, but the comedy really breaks this up.
Most episodes are ones you have seen before and are very generic. I mostly enjoyed the comedy but I did like the main couple and how they compete with each other. She just takes forever to find her feelings which i found mostly annoying. I did start to get bored towards the end.

Everyone has super long limbs ;p (random point I wanted to make)

Kaichō wa Maid-sama! pulled it off better in my opinion. So this would be your next stop if you liked Special A or Lovely complex which is also a fantastic romance/comedy.

3/5

Lovely★Complex

Synopsis

Risa and Otani are always being laughed at as the comedy duo. Risa, a girl, is taller than the average girl, and Otani, a boy, is shorter than the average boy. The two are always bickering and even their teacher sees them as a comedy act. But as their friendship develops, so do Risa's feelings toward Otani.

Read more at myanimelist.net

(Don't worry he's not this short in the anime)


My Thoughts

I liked because the characters weren't just falling for each other just because they are different, but they had loads of common interest. I do however think he thinks about his feelings just a bit too long and it dragged on, but the way the characters feeling grow and how unsure they are is done very well so I can't complain too much.
Again this one has comedy in there which for me makes up for a lot of things. I love the female in this she's not super cute sweet naive little girl, she is very funny makes mistakes but is also strong willed.
The story behind the episodes don't stand out too me, but the characters do and I think they really make this anime work.

3.5/5

Kimi ni Todoke

Synopsis

Kuronuma Sawako is completely misunderstood by her classmates. Her timid and sweet demeanor is often mistaken for malicious behavior. This is due to her resemblance to the ghost girl from "The Ring", which has led her peers to give her the nickname Sadako. Longing to make friends and live a normal life, she is naturally drawn to Kazehaya Shouta, the most popular guy in class, whose "100% refreshing" personality earns him great admiration from Sawako. So when Kazehaya starts talking to her, maybe there is hope for the friendships Sawako has always longed for. Maybe...there is even a little hope for some romance in her future.

Read more at myanimelist.net

My Thoughts

Now this one i know lot of people love and I do like it a lot..... but its just too sweet. Both of the main characters are too naïve and sweet to the point of annoyance. The supporting cast I liked a lot more.
It did have some real problems (like bullying) which I liked but on the flip side I felt these problems where just dragged on a hell of a lot, some could of been sorted in 1-1.5 episodes but just went on for 3-4.
I did enjoy this anime but i doubt i will watch the second series due to the fact it dragged on (maybe I'm just too impatient for a conclusion) but I did consider checking it out as I did enjoy the comedy in this, but its not as memorable as some of the other animes I have watched.
If you like super sweet main characters who would be kind to anyone no matter how mean the other person was, or who seem to be smart in general but when it about interacting with other people should walk around with a huge ? over there heads.
In fact I think the beginning of this started off really strong then I found the more it went on the more I didn't like it.
Anyway it is worth your time but if your not into it by the first 5 or so episodes it doesn't get any better in my opinion.

2.5/5

Sukitte Ii na yo

Synopsis

Mei Tachibana has spent her 16 years without a boyfriend or friends. One day, she injures the most popular boy in school, Yamato Kurosawa, due to a misunderstanding. For some reason though, it seems that he takes a liking to her and one-sidedly claims that they're friends. Furthermore, he not only protects Mei from a stalker, but does so with a kiss…?!!

Read more at myanimelist.net

My Thoughts

To be honest most of these I watched a while ago so they might not be so fresh in my mind but it seems this one made the least impression on me.
The guy is the typical super popular all the girls love him and will do almost anything to be with him. The girl well shes just flat, I guess she didn't have much personality and goes with the flow of things...I didn't think there was anything special about her at all.
This anime does go into some serious issues people deal with in real life, but mostly to do with how people looks so extreme diets and what it takes to be pretty.
I loved the artwork in this one but nothing really stands out for me. It is worth a watch but I don't think it will be one your going to remember. It is a good romance but just don't expect too much or anything to stand out.
I think it could of been so much more it just misses the mark somehow.

2/5

 

Bokura ga Ita

Synopsis

Nanami Takahashi welcomes the start of her high school life with great expectations of making as many friends as possible. There is much talk among the girls about a popular boy, Motoharu Yano, who has 2/3 of the girls in his middle school liking him. When Nanami asks Yuri Yamamoto, the girl sitting next to her, about Yano, the latter curtly replies that she dislikes him. Nanami is clueless of who Yano is until the day of the class nomination when she made a fool of herself by calling the name of her new friend wrongly. It turns out that she has actually met Yano along the corridors (unaware of his true identity) and he tricked her by providing a random name, resulting in the embarrassing incident in class. Nanami was initially mad at Yano but after a few encounters with him, she begins to find herself liking him.

Read more at myanimelist.net

My Thoughts

This one I found by chance, and I loved it.
This one had real problems and I don't mean the kind of jealousy, or backstabbing I mean real raw emotions.
This one was very serious and sweet and sad. And they both weren't naive (woop woop) In fact he is rather messed up and she is the sweetest thing ever.
It all just felt really honest and things weren't forced it just flowed great.
I think there are a few episodes in there that aren't needed but overall I loved the main story. I even liked the fact he wanted to have sex with her, most of these anime just have them holding hands or a huge build up to the kiss. The fact he wants more than this made it feel more like a real relationship.

The oddest thing is people are missing eyes a lot of the time I found this weird as I don't think I've seen it before. one point he gets out of a taxi out of breath (like he had been running) which made me giggle.
This one made me cry and I will be recommending to everyone.

5/5

If you like Clannad/Kannon this is one for you.

 

Night School: Fracture - C. J. Daugherty

 

 

 

Night School - Amazon UK

 

 

If you haven't read the first two books then I suggest you don't read this review as it might give away plot points.

 

My review of the first book

 

Book Description

Cimmeria has been more than a school for Allie, it's been a safe haven. But no longer.

A nefarious group - one that is tied up with Allie's family in ways she could barely imagine - is trying to destroy everything Cimmeria stands for.

Even worse, it's clear that somebody they eat with, sleep with, train with is betraying them. There's a spy in Night School. As the paranoia grows and the fights begin, it's not an attack from outside they need to worry about . . .

 

My Thoughts

 

Anyone who has read my other reviews on this series knows I love them, and I couldn't wait for this book to come out.

 

The characters are still fantastic and I find them all very interesting, I am interested in the story but I do have problems with this book.

 

This book just seemed the same as the last...I know we do find out more about the school, Allies past and the character development is still great. Allie did grow and change during this book.

 

But... a lot of the book was finding out information, then the end fight. To me its like an adventure game you go around finding these clues to come to the end boss... which is fine but the last book was the same. As I said in my last book review I was hoping this one would be faster paced with more action.

 

I don't know how long the series will be and I've never read a long series before so maybe this is the norm? this isn't to say this is a bad book. I still got through it really quickly and I will buy the next.

I enjoyed the first two books more and if another comes out I don't want the same thing again.

 

I still enjoyed the book and would recommend if you liked the first two

 

3.5/5

 

 

 

I'm Still a Huge fan

 

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Anime - Vampire Knight and Vampire Knight Guilty

Synopsis

Cross Academy is an elite boarding school with two separate, isolated classes: the Day Class and the Night Class. On the surface, Yuuki Cross and Zero Kiryuu are prefects of the academy, and attempt to keep order between the students as classes rotate in the evenings. As the night class is full of utterly gorgeous elites, this can sometimes prove to be a bit difficult. It is completely necessary, however, as those "elites" are actually vampires. Yuuki and Zero act as guardians, protecting the secrets of the Night Class and the safety of the ignorant day class.

As the adopted daughter of the academy's chairman, Yuuki takes her job with a serious and energetic attitude. It also allows her to interact with her secret crush and savior, the night class' dorm president, Kaname Kuran. Zero, on the other hand, has a deep-rooted hatred against vampires, and at times, does not hesitate to kill.

Can vampires and humans co-exist, even in the strict setup of the Cross Academy? Only time will tell.

myanimelist.net

My Thoughts

I really liked this anime, the artwork was very dark and really made the atmosphere, and the vampires are beautiful but scary. The music was also great I loved the opening and ending songs again really suited the anime.
The overall story was great but it wasn't that good till the ends of Vampire Knight Guilty, when it all came together it seems so much better. But I have to say in the Vampire Knight the story did seem to be dragged out with not much of the plot moving forward and I got kind of bored with some episodes.
I really preferred the sub, I am normally lazy and watch the dubbed if there is one available. But Yuuki's voice did not suit the anime and took me out of the zone all together, why is her voice so sweet and cute? makes no sense at all, and with her being the main character you have to hear it constantly, the sound of the Japanese voices seemed to go perfectly.
It was all very dramatic and you could really feel the emotion in the characters, the fight scenes were fantastic, and while very dragged out the love triangle I thought was awesome.
Yuuki annoyed me she was always crying and I guess whiny, at first I was all for her....she seemed a strong female lead but over time she just got annoying.

I would give this Anime a 3/5 and would say give it a try. This is my first Vampire Anime so I don't have much to compare it to.

Night School: Legacy

In the last year, Allie's survived three arrests, two breakups and one family breakdown. The only bright point has been her new life at Cimmeria Academy. It's the one place she's felt she belongs. And the fact that it's brought the dreamy Carter West into her life hasn't hurt. . .

But far from being a safe haven, the cloistered walls of Cimmeria are proving more dangerous than Allie could've imagined. The students, and faculty, are under threat and Allie's family - from her mysterious grandma to her runaway brother - are at the centre of the storm.

Allie is going to have to choose between protecting her family and trusting her friends. But secrets have a way of ripping even the strongest relationships apart . . .




Its hard to review the book without spoiling anything, but I won't.

Its been awhile since when I read the first book which I loved, so I thought maybe I might not remember the characters and find it hard to adjust but I didn't have a problem, I dived straight in. I don't know why I started reading it so late in the day as I couldn't put it down, it was just one more chapter to just till 1am, I finally went to bed at 3:30am....I'm so tired and I have work tonight :(.

Anyway this book had romance, drama, friendships, mystery just like the last one. I was impressed, I thought with what was revealed in the last book this one might not be able to match up to that...but it was just as great.

I didn't think this one was as action packed as the last and it has more of a slow build up, the action seemed to be over really quickly, but from the way it ended I think the next book is going to be bursting with it.

Its really the mystery that makes this book for me, I needed to find out more. All the characters hold some amount of mystery to them, and I'm with Allie all the way wanting her to find out who to trust.

The only thing I didn't agree with was the direction Allies relationship goes, all that effort in the last book as well.

I can't wait for the next book which is out on the 15th of August so I'm going to pre-order it.

If you loved the first one, you'll love this one.

I give this one 4/5

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Anime - Itazura na Kiss

Synopsis

Ever since she entered high school, Kotoko Aihara wanted to be in the same class as Naoki Irie. The only problem is that Irie is the smartest student in school contrast to Kotoko being one of the dumbest. Now in her 3rd year of high school, she still isn't there. However, one day her home gets destroyed and the only place left to go to was Irie's home. Now that she lives close to him, will their relationship be the same, or will it become greater than it is?
Itazura na Kiss - MyAnimeList

My Thoughts

The main problem I had was Naoki I just didn't like his character at all he was so mean and when he made progress he just turned into a jerk again for no reason. I was willing Kotoko just to move on with her life and I just couldn't take the way he acted towards her, seemed more sad than a love story. I did start to warm up towards him near the end but it was a long journey.
What I did like was the progression, normally you go through a lot of effort just for it to end at the first kiss but this anime goes beyond that which was great.
I didn't find anything special about this anime, the comedy was good the story was Ok, but nothing stood out for me.
I think if you really like romance but your always left wanting more after the first kiss you will get enjoyment out of this and I recommend you give it a go. But apart for that it fell a bit flat.

2/5

Anime - Uta no Prince Sama and Uta no Prince Sama 2

This anime was such a strange experience, if you like music just go get on this right now I'm sure you will love this anime.
I googled reverse harem to see what was out there and this one came up, now I'm not big on music an I didn't think this would be my thing. I was more interested in the romance and comedy side of things, but I have to say I really enjoyed the music side.
The romance nothing resolves or comes to anything, its just why these guys like this girl and they have different stories and reasons, I really enjoyed all the characters which really makes an anime like this work.
The comedy although not as much as I would of liked was still great. You have the guy who likes everything small/cute and the small guy who hates being called small and cute. Yes its done a lot but I really liked enjoyed it in this anime. Then you have the headmaster...that guy is a riot and I got all pumped up when he was on screen.

 

I have to say the overall story..or maybe just the conculsion, no the overall bigger picture at the end of the 2nd series is insane, I honestly don't know how it was thought up I was laughing so much and I'm not sure if this was the intension, but I can't for a second imagine it was meant to be taken seriously.
I would love to see more, but I did feel satisfied with the end and I don't have the feeling that it just ended suddenly or anything (I hate that) and maybe if there was more it would get boring as I don't know where else they could take it, and it would just end up being the same thing over and over.

This was just light-hearted, fun and really enjoyable, I would give it 4/5