Sayonara Zetsubou-sensei

Anime - Not reviewing the mangá because I didn't read it.

Good points: Started watching it after seeing a parody of its opening on YouTube. The music got stuck on my head and I decided to watch it. The Openings and Endings are cool and, like I said, stuck in your head.

As for animation and art, it is very different! Not only it makes parodies of anime and Japanese media, but also has a different color treatment that makes the anime look like an old movie. Yet, the drawing style is pretty modern. Overall, it reminds CG animations that are still 2D. Also, the amount of image reference and parodies is so great that some might go "WTF?!" af first.

The characters represents each one stereotypes. Yet, they have their own personality, even the girl who is called "The Common Girl". The dialogues are sharp and intelligent, and they make fun of things unnusual, like stalkers and abusive parents in such a way that you can still laugh. But yes, Zetsubou requires a bit of black, intelligent humour for you to enjoy all jokes. Pay attention to the notes at the black board and all the anime/programs/games reference.

Bad points: If black humour is not something for you, then you may not get or like some jokes. Also, it requires the viewer to have a fairly good amount of Japanese Culture knowledge to fully enjoy the show. Most notes in the black board consist of famous lines made by characters of mangá and anime, or famous quotes. There is a parody of the first Final Fantasy in one episode that fans will laugh non-stop, but those who don't even know what an RPG game is are going to get confused.

Overall: If you liked Lucky Star, just go watch Zetsubou, its quality is so much better and the plot (even if there is no plot) is very original. Prepare to go "WTF?!" and laugh all the time. It satirizes Japanese Culture, but many critics may be applied to the rest of the world, and you can't help but laugh all the time Nozomu (the "Zetsubou-sensei") is in despair.

Code Geass

1)Anime

Good points: This is the kind of anime EVERYONE enjoys in a way or another, because it has EVERYTHING people like in anime. It has mechas, crazy doctors, that character that doesn't know how to cook, the character that always fails, ninja maids (wtf?), cute and sexy girls, romance, comedy, mystery, drama, bishounen, school fun, crossdressing, ambiguous situations that fangirls might transform into yaoi, and many other things. And lots, lots of cliffhanger and plot twist. You might get a heart attack every episode. Geass is also one of the best animes of 2008 to generate crack fandom.

Adding to this, the art and the voice acting is just PERFECT. Also, the characters have theirs own personality. Highlights for Lelouch, which is a very different hero/main character of anime, because even if he seems perfect almost all the time (he is very intelligent and beautiful) he is a complete fail in sports and his actions are not what a traditional shounen hero would take. Not only him, but most characters show us a very humane side, switching opinions and sides as the emotions and the plot develops.

As for the soundtrack, it is really good and matches the situations very well. And character design was made by CLAMP. Need to say more?

Bad points: sometimes what seems to be impossible happens, and some "solutions" are very questionable, specially on the second season. And while some people like me might like the anime because it has a fast pace, others might think things happen too fast. And in season 2 there are some characters introduced that only appears once! What a waste on introducing characters!

Another bad side is that many plot holes and most funny events were filled with drama cds and picture dramas. While it is good in a way, because then only people who are really interested on knowing more buy those things, it is almost impossible to get all of them translated and so far there is no intention of releasing an official version with subtitles or dubbed.

Overall: It may not be a Miyasaki work, or inovate like Evangelion and Sayonara Zetsubou-Sensei. Code Geass doesn't fall under the category of "best anime", technically and profissionaly speaking (it won't win the Oscar, you know), but I highly recommend the anime because it is the kind of anime you start to watch and then you can't stop it. The anime ranked pretty high on most ranking lists of Japan and by the end of 2008 it was the most popular anime in the NewType's 2008 ranking lists.

2)Mangá

Good points: Actually there are three spin-off mangás from the anime, each based on one main character: Lelouch (Lelouch of the Rebellion), Nunally (Knightmare of Nunally) and Suzaku (Suzaku of the Counterattack). I've read only the first two, so I'm not reviewing Suzaku's version here.

The art is ok, but nothing compared to the anime or CLAMP's original character designs. Lelouch's version is the mangá version of the anime, while Nunally's is an alternative version, in which instead of Lelouch is Nunally who gets the Geass. I really like the what-if idea.

Bad points: I expected the art to be more detailed like the anime. If you haven't watched the anime you might not get so excited with the mangá.

Overall: I recommend it to Geass fans, it is a must. And the plot development is good. For those who haven't watched, I highly suggest you to watch the anime first so you can enjoy the mangá. It's like reading the Kingdom Hearts mangá without really playing the game, which is a shame.

So, I've been watching many animes lately (specially due to the fact that I'm stuck at home due to a surgery, please read my previous post). So, I think I'm going to write some reviews about anime/mangá that I've watched/read because that's the only constructive thing I can do right now. A link to all the reviews I've made so far was added on my link list.

So, I'll begin with Air Gear, since is the only anime/mangá that starts with "A" in my head XD.

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Air Gear

1)Mangá

Good points: The art is good and dynamic. And some characters really catch your attention for its design and personality, like Akito/Agito and Ringo.

Bad points: Even with those characters, you almost get bored with others. The main character, Ikki, is the typical shounen hero and has some nice funny scenes, but near other stronger characters like Ringo, Agito and Simca you don't feel like rooting for him, you might even like more the other members of his team. There are many pointless things in the plot and you might get bored with some chapters. I gave up reading it after chapter 100 or something.

Overall: I recommend it if you like sports mangá and traditional shounen plot: "I wanna be the best on something" is the main motivation of the main character. But avoid it if you don't like ecchi jokes and is after something more exciting. I must say I've read the mangá just in hope to see "an end", since the anime doesn't have a proper end.


2)Anime

Good points: Nice voice actors choice, art is suberb and unique. Also, the soundtrack is awesome. Check out for the use of graffiti on the background.

Bad points: Same bad points of the mangá, with one more thing: The anime doesn't "end". Now, that's not always something bad, but it sure frustrates the watcher. You feel like the anime never reached the climax. I must tell I almost gave up watching the anime, but managed to watch it after Ringo took a more important role and Akito appeared.


Overall: It's an average anime that is fun to watch, and they did a great job animating the characters. But you might get really frustrated sometimes and, like me, feel like skipping one episode or another because they are rather pointless. Plot... not really good, it has a beggining, a slightly development in plot and then... the thing doesn't end, no climax. I've watched the anime before reading the mangá and I must say that if Akito/Agito didn't exist I wouldn't even look at it, cuz the reason I've started to watch it was because a friend who like Akito/Agito told me to watch it.