Thursday, 5 April 2018

My Top 5 Anime in Winter 2018


The first season of 2018 has finally ended. Time has gone way to quickly. I can't wait to get into the Anime of Spring as I have around 14 I want to watch, including on-gong Anime, I do have a feeling I will be dropping a few as I do have work etc to do as well as watch Anime but I am hoping to watch the majority of what I have on my to watch list. 

This list will be a combination of Anime I finished from last season, and Anime that was only 12-13 Episodes long.


Honourable Mention
I was actually really close to putting this as 4 Stars but the voice acting that they all showed was so well done that I just couldn’t do that. I knew from the start that this is a show that a lot of people wouldn’t like or wouldn’t get into but I also knew that I being the kind of girl who loves a little cheeky show would enjoy it. The middle of the show was a little iffy but other than that I found the storylines interesting and the development of characters was really well done. I found a character annoying at the start but by the end I grew to love him. The opening and ending song was both catchy and I wouldn’t mind downloading the opening song, just for that one line... This Anime was just so innocent and light hearted and I could watch this no matter what mood I was in. It wasn’t too serious but yet not too comedic that I felt like I was watching a comedy sketch. Would I want a season two, yes I would but at the same time, maybe with new characters and them being minor ones, to branch out the Sanrio characters too. 

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#5
This was on the shows I went into thinking I wouldn’t enjoy it and I wouldn’t get hooked into the storyline. Well… I was so very wrong. I was intrigued after episode 1 and hooked after episode 2. The fight scenes were really well done, although at times I did want them lasting longer. All of the characters were unique and interesting. (Poor Saito, and his bad luck, although I guess it could be good luck that he has the allies that he does have).  I actually enjoyed this more than I enjoyed some Anime I really thought I would love but ended up dropping or just being disappointed. The pacing was really well done, especially as it only had a 12 episode window to fit it all in. I love how it still had time to develop so many characters and still have it staying fresh and interesting. The opening song is amazing and the ending song catchy, this ending song showed, you don’t always need lyrics to make a good song.  I really hope a second season comes out, because this show had elements I wished other Anime had but don’t and yet they can keep going on. 

#4
This show was one that I didn't actually plan to watch, but ended up watching it due to the amount of high praise it got for the first few episodes. I am so glad I listened to the high praise. I will say that, it’s been a long time that an Anime has made me cry in so many episodes, I would say around 3-4 episodes hit me right in the heart. The storyline was unique, interesting and never once was it boring. I did feel at times, it was a slightly slow, especially at the start but other than that, it was paced very well. The characters were all unique and I loved all of the good characters in the Anime. The growth of the main character was well portrayed and written. The animation was so clean and pretty and I loved just looking at the background in all of the scenes. The opening song is truly beautiful and fits with the show very well. I know that the “Violet Evergarden” franchise has been green lit for a new project but no idea if that’s a movie, more Anime or other things entirely but whatever it is, I am sure it will be amazing and I will most certainly check it out. 

#3
I always planned to watch this, but when it didn’t come out at the start of Winter, I thought that maybe it was delayed until next season, so I forgot about it, and then suddenly I saw it on Netflix and I was like… Oh well I best get on it and all of the episodes were out. ALL OF THEM.  I would be lying if I said I didn’t drop everything and devoured the whole series in a couple of days but I don’t want to lie, so yes that’s what I did. The show was just amazing. Amazing soundtrack, the majority of the Characters were likeable and interesting and the twists and turns were really well done. I am not sure if I am the only one that felt like it was two separate storylines interlinking and at times I felt the stories interlinking were very forced and not natural which is why I didn’t like it at times and I also felt some things weren’t explained very well and you had to use your own imagination and brain. Other than that I loved the show. I really hope for a second season, because of how it ended. If a second season doesn’t happen, I would be very disappointed. 

#2
The last time I tried to watch a Garo series; I just couldn’t get past half way. I am so glad that this series had something the other one didn’t. I will be honest and say that I was disappointed when I found out Vanishing Line would be part of the Garo universe because I thought I would get confused at times and be unaware of things, but with the little knowledge I did have and having help from my boyfriend I managed to watch this without getting too confused. I love how unique this was compared to the other Garo series I half watched. I think it was easier to fall in love with the main characters in this one and it was also more modern which helped in my case. The pacing was iffy at times and I felt some episodes could have been merged into one or just not happen. Other than that issue, I fell in love with the world and the characters. Sophie will always be my favourite Garo character ever, with Sword and Gina coming a close second and third. Luke… Well Luke will be my crush of the Garo universe. The second opening and ending songs were my favourite and a shout out to the ending, it legit made me feel things I wasn’t expecting to feel. Emotions... 

#1
When this show started last season, I fell in love with it straight away. The animation, soundtrack and characters were enough to make me addicted to this world. I was always looking forward to the next episode every week. The storyline was paced very well for the most part although at times I felt like it was going to fast or too slow but other than that it was done really well. Chise was just the best character in this show. Even being weak, she showed great strength and bravery. There was sad, happy and nerve wrecking times while watching this show and I am so glad that I watch this. The first opening and second ending were my favourite songs and the insert music that was used was fitting and good. Do I think there will be a second season, I really don’t know because the ending was just so good but would I watch it if a second season happened…Hell yeah. Also If I could rate this higher than 5, I would. 

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I loved the majority of the Anime that finished this season. It was really hard to order my number 3 and 4 in that order as they are both two completely different genres and I loved both for different reasons. In the end I just choose the one with more Action as my number 3 but in my eyes, both are number 3. Can't wait to be back doing my top 5 of Spring.

Tara
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Tuesday, 20 February 2018

Top 5 Anime Opening Songs of Winter (2018)

The first Season of Anime of the year 2018 is now halfway through. I am back to do my Top 5 Anime Opening Songs each Season. Going into this Season I was actually at first not keen on most of the Opening songs, but a few. I started to get into some of them as the season went on, hence why I am posting this later than I was originally going to do it. I will be doing 2 honourable mentions and then my top 5. 

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Honourable Mention #1: 
Opening 1 - KISS OF DEATH by Mika Nakashima x Hyde



Honourable Mention #2:
Opening 1 - GO CRY GO by OxT

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#5
Opening 1 - Seishun Interlude (青春インターリュード) by Sanrio Danshi [Kouta Hasegawa (Takuya Eguchi), Yuu Mizuno (Soma Saito), Shunsuke Hoshino (Jun Ootsuka), Ryou Nishimiya (Hiroyuki Kagura), Seiichirou Minamoto (Yuuma Uchida)]


#4
Opening 1 - Stray (ストレイ) by Kishida Kyoudan & The Akeboshi Rockets


#3
Opening 1 - Sincerely by TRUE


#2
Opening 1- CLEAR by Maaya Sakamoto


#1
Opening 2 - HOWLING SWORD by Shuhei Kita

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As I said before, It took me a while to enjoy some of these Anime Openings. This season I felt the ending songs were so much better but unfortunately, I just don't have the time to do Opening and Ending, although I am thinking of highlighting some songs in a different way. Number 1 and 2 were the two songs that I knew I loved from the start and I didn't have to think about that. After that I started to enjoy the others.

I will be back with a new post of my Top 5 Anime in Winter and then my Top 5 Opening songs of Spring.

Tara
xxxxx

Monday, 8 January 2018

My Top 20 Anime In 2017

I know last year I did a Top 30 Anime, but this time I didn't actually watch enough to do a Top 30, well I think I may have just, but then that would literally me listing all of my Anime. The whole point of these lists is to highlight my favourites. Out of about 30ish Anime I watched in 2017, 20 of them stood out above the rest, well If I was being picky around 22 stood out but 2 of them will have to just sit out (I apologise). 

I also did an honourable section last year, but once again I feel that it's just an easy way to then list all you don't add in your actually Top Anime list, so this year I will not have honourable mentions. If an Anime you like isn't on this list, it could be on my Season Top Anime Lists, which I do at the end of each season. (Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall). 

It was easy to do my Top 7 but then after that, it became harder to order them. 
Without any more delay, this is My Top 20 Anime in 2017. 

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Hope you enjoyed the list and don't forget to check out my Anime lists on my Anime sites which are located on the right side of my blog :) 


Tara 
xxxx

Thursday, 4 January 2018

My Top 5 Anime in Fall 2017


Fall 2017 is over and done with, so is the year 2017, but I will talk about that in my next post... I am running slightly behind with posts. 
I didn't actually finish a lot of Anime this season, as 1 was on going for a few season (Boruto) and 2 were 20 something episodes long leading into next season/year. So in all I only finished 7 Anime, with 2 of them being so disappointing that I am only mentioning them to say how bad they were but also how good they could have been. King's Game and Evil or Live were two Anime I really thought could be something good but instead were something that I wished I never watched. There was some good moments in both Anime, mainly the opening songs and main characters. Both Anime had the potential to be the best Anime this season but blew it over rubbish pacing, bad Animation and rubbish story telling. With both Anime, the ending were rushed and disappointing. That is my two dishonourable mentions this season. 
Now the negative is out the way, how about I tell you my top 5 Anime this season. This is how you create Anime. 

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#5
This actually surprised me, on how much I actually ended up liking it. It has the same sort of cliche as any other Music/Idol genre but for some reason, having it focus on 4 bands at once and other things amongst that made it a little unique to me. The songs were amazing, vocals were spotless and the fact each band had a unique style was amazing. The last episode was doing really well, with how it showcased all the songs in 1 big concert. I would have preferred if they did the songs longer and stretched it over 2 episodes but we can't always get what we want. I nearly rated this 4 1/2 starts but I felt the cliche bit about it annoyed me at times. If another season comes about, I will check it out and most likely enjoy it. Idol Anime is always my guilty pleasure. 

#4
This was the other Anime that actually surprised me at times. Yes for the most part it was predictable and cheesy but other than those parts it was actually really enjoyable. The story line and pacing was actually really decent in my opinion and I loved the majority of the characters. The opening song is good and the ending song was perfect for the show. As I mentioned at the start the plot was slightly predictable, especially the ending, along with how cheesy it was. I am actually happy with how it ended but I felt if it had 24 episodes, it could have expanded and did a lot better. I doubt there will be a season two, but if one did appear, I would check it out.

#3
I was very excited to watch season 2 of this amazing, funny show, but although it was good and funny and entertaining. There was something lacking that just made me grade it half a star off 5 Stars and felt it could have a little better. This season did what the last season didn't do and that was focus on the other characters that we see but not know anything about. I liked that they did this, but I felt it ruined the season from having an actually main story line. That was until the last two episodes. The last two episodes was the best two episodes I have watched for a finale in a long time, and if I were rating it solely on these episodes I would highly rate it 5 Stars and more if I could. I don't want to ruin the episodes for anyone who may not have seen it yet, but it was mainly centred towards the main character Leo and his sister. I also nominate Leo as best Male of 2017. I doubt a season 3 comes about, but if it does then I will 100% watch it. 

#2
When I first saw the trailer for this a few seasons ago, I honestly wasn't sure if it was going to work on screen, especially as a lot of sports Anime has been dished out recently. I was wrong to judge it though, as the first half was amazing and the last few episodes of the second half was also just as amazing. The character development of the characters especially the main character was so well done and I couldn't help but be captivated by him. He showed that even when you have no talent at something you can gain the knowledge and ability to do it. In the words of a certain someone, "Never give up". The opening songs were also good and catchy and the ending songs fitting. It was amazing to see they kept the same artists for said both. In the middle of the show, I felt like it dropped in a lot of things that made it good to start with. It didn't need to shine light to so many character over so many episodes. I wanted to see the main character and who he interacts with, not someone who I really don't care about. The animation was good, well the majority of the show was good. Long necks... That's all I need to say. If a second season got announced I would 100% be watching it. 

#1
This has to be the most underrated show I have ever watched in a long time. I know the first few episodes weren't as strong as they could have been, but if people just stuck with it, like the few that did, they would have gotten an Anime that was actually amazing in so may ways. The pacing was good, the story line interesting and the different range of characters unique. I always love a good tactician in Anime, and when I find that certain one, I end up loving the character more than I should. I was never bored in the Anime, and the twists and turns that came about kept me wanting more. I was slightly confused at time, when they were talking about war and all that, as I am not the greatest at history or war knowledge. I also felt like at times they dragged some things out over more episodes than they had to. I was slightly disappointed with the ending, but then I realised the source material is still on going and there's hope for a season two, let's hope that it comes about. I know not as many people watched this over popular shows, but for the people who did watch it, I felt like the majority of them liked this show and would love for more. So this underrated Anime get's my top spot for my Fall 2017. 

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Well then, Fall 2017 is now over and Winter 2018 is just around the Corner. I can't wait to be back to let you know my Top 5 of that season is.


Tara
xxxx

P.S. The next Post is the big one, My Top Anime in 2017. 

Sunday, 10 December 2017

Top 20 Anime Opening Songs of 2017

I don't think I have ever thought about doing a top end of year opening songs list before in my life on blog or video format. I enjoyed so many songs this Year, that I wanted to do this but only with the opening songs as It's too much for me to do endings as well and to be honest it would have been only a Top 10 for endings. Anyway let's stop talking and show you my Top 20 Anime Opening songs and a sneaky honourable mention.

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Honourable Mention:
RWBY: Volume 5
Triumph by Casey Lee Williams



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1. Blue Exorcist: Kyoto Saga
  Opening 1 - Itteki no Eikyou (一滴の影響) by UVERworld

2. Ousama Game (King’s Game)
    Opening 1 - FEED THE FIRE by coldrain


3. Re:Creators
    Opening 1 - gravityWall by SawanoHiroyuki[nZk]:Tielle & Gemie


4. Black Clover
    Opening 1 - Haruka Mirai (ハルカミライ) by Kankaku Piero (感覚ピエロ)

5. Mahoutsukai no Yome (The Ancient Magus' Bride)
    Opening 1 - Here by JUNNA


6. The Royal Tutor
    Opening 1 - Shoppai Namida (しょっぱい涙) by Shougo Sakamoto (阪本奨悟)

7. Chain Chronicle: The Light of Haecceitas
    Opening 1 - MY LIBERATION by nano

8. Knights & Magic
    Opening 1 – Hello! My World!! by fhána

9. Re:Creators
    Opening 2 - sh0ut by SawanoHiroyuki[nZk]:Tielle & Gemie

10. Dive!!
      Opening 1 - Taiyou mo Hitoribocchi (太陽もひとりぼっち) by Qyoto

11. Shoukoku no Altair
      Opening 1 - Rasen no Yume (螺旋のユメ) by SID

12. Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
      Opening 1 - Baton Road (バトンロード) by KANA-BOON

13. Roku de Nashi Majutsu Koushi to Akashic Records
      Opening 1 - Blow out by Konomi Suzuki

14. Welcome to the Ballroom
      Opening 1 - 10% roll, 10% romance by UNISON SQUARE GARDEN

15. Kekkai Sensen & Beyond
      Opening 1 - fake town baby by UNISON SQUARE GARDEN

16. Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
      Opening 2 - OVER by Little Glee Monster

17. Chaos;Child
      Opening 1 - Uncontrollable by Kanako Itou

18. My Hero Academia 2
      Opening 1 - Peace Sign (ピースサイン) by Kenshi Yonezu

19. Scum's Wish
      Opening 1 - Uso no Hibana (嘘の火花) by 96neko

20. Attack on Titan 2nd Season
      Opening 1 - Shinzou wo Sasageyo! (心臓を捧げよ!) by Linked Horizon


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So there we have it, my Top 20 Anime Opening Songs of 2017 plus my Honourable Mention of RWBY: Volume 5 opening song. People can moan at me all they want, and although it's not 100% Anime, I don't care.... it's an amazing show, in the style of Anime. Some of these song's surprised me with how good they were and I would like to point out , that there was so many other good songs in this year but I may not have found them in time or could fit it in my top 20. 

My next post will be another Top 20 but .... Top 20 Anime of 2017... Stay tuned. 


Tara
xxxx

Saturday, 4 November 2017

Top 5 Anime Opening Songs of Fall (2017)

The last season of the year has approached and many more amazing opening songs have arrived. I never thought that even more amazing music would be made, but Fall music... have impressed me. This was most likely the hardest one yet, as I think I'm watching way more Anime this season, than last and so many more amazing songs, to cut it down to my top 5 and 2 honourable mentions was hard. I would like to just point out that TsukiPro the Animation, was going to be an Honourable mention but, because it has more than one opening and I love all the openings, I had to take it off the list, but just wanted to mention it here.

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Honourable Mention #1: 
Evil or Live
Opening 1 - Soredemo Boku wa Ikiteiru (それでも僕は生きている) by NormCore


Honourable Mention #2:
Welcome to the Ballroom
Opening 2 - Invisible Sensation by UNISON SQUARE GARDEN

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#5
Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
Opening 2 - OVER by Little Glee Monster


#4
Kekkai Sensen & Beyond
Opening 1 - fake town baby by UNISON SQUARE GARDEN


#3
Mahoutsukai no Yome (The Ancient Magus' Bride)
Opening 1 - Here by JUNNA


#2
Black Clover
Opening 1 - Haruka Mirai (ハルカミライ) by Kankaku Piero (感覚ピエロ)


#1
Ousama Game (King’s Game)
Opening 1 - FEED THE FIRE by coldrain

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I loved so many openings this season, and there isn't a single opening I "Hate". It was really great to see COLDRAIN back to doing an opening for an Anime. I loved their opening for the Anime "Rainbow" so when I heard the first note of the Opening for "King's Game" I knew that it was COLDRAIN and I legit fist pumped the air with excitement.... which is why even though all the other openings are epic and amazing, none could beat "FEED THE FIRE".

PS. I am not doing an Ending list, as I only like 3/4 Ending songs, but I may start doing some Song Spotlights that I used to do before in other blogs.


Hope to do another list in the next season, where the Anime year starts over again.

Also look forward to a List I haven't did before...

Tara
xxxx

Thursday, 26 October 2017

My Top 5 Anime in Summer 2017


Summer 2017 is over and it is now Fall 2017, and there is a lot of interesting Anime, I have my eyes on and also Anime to continue from this season. 

I did drop a few Anime this season, for different reasons, but more that I just didn't have time to watch as many as other seasons. I would say, no Anime that I completed was rubbish and waste of my time, but they could have been a little better. Only one Anime that finished this season, blew me away. 


Honourable Mention 

I was really excited about this Anime, as I love watching the diving when the Olympics is on, but I was really disappointed with the ending of this Anime. During the season, the quality of content has gone up and down like a yoyo, but I was hoping the ending would end on a much higher note but instead I was left with a void of disappointment. It certainly wasn’t the worst Anime I have seen, and It has some really good moments, but the ending… NO! The animation was good and the music was amazing. I just wished the ending would have been better. 

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#5
I was torn between rating this 4 or 4 ½ stars. But the ending and the animation quality pushed me to the latter. I didn’t know anything about this franchise but I just wanted to watch it and see what it was like for someone who had no inkling on anything about it. It was slow at times and a little weird but other than that it was a pretty decent Anime. It had good fight scenes, emotional scenes and funny scenes. The animation was spot on, but then you wouldn’t expect anything less from the Studio ufotable. The opening and ending songs were really good and I loved how they did the previews, the same way as Tales of Zestria

#4
This was an Anime I really didn’t think I would enjoy. I watched this with my boyfriend, so I felt inclined to not give up after one episode. I am so glad I didn’t give up watching this. I do not like the over the top expressions and actions that the characters do, but EVERYTHING else I loved. It was amazing, every episode brought something new to the table and nothing was boring in this 12 episode series. I never read the Manga, so I wasn’t disappointed as much as most people were with the finale. Each character was unique and “weird” in their own way and the ending song was just perfect. I wasn’t a fan of the opening song, but it did 100% fit the Anime. I have one more thing to say; SUZUI my man…. 

#3
Okay, so I may have judged this before I watched it, or at least I judged it based of previews. I honestly thought only children would like this Anime, but it wasn’t just for young people. It was really good and if it wasn’t that I felt it was rushed at times, it may have been worth 5 stars. The opening song was amazing… well until it hit halfway through the season, and then sound effects were added into it and it RUINED it. Luckily they didn’t have those from the start or I may have thought differently on the opening song. The fights were AMAZINGLY animated and the characters were amazing, especially the main character. 

#2
When I first read the synopsis for this Anime, I was immediately drawn to it and thought it sounded pretty unique and interesting. It had a very solid start, not the best middle, yet not the worst that I have seen in Anime, and then a great ending, and at times shocking. I am glad that it ended in a complete way and not in a way that “we” need a season 2, although I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a season two but based on different characters as I feel that the characters in this season have finished or at least finished being main characters. The action when fight scenes occurred was amazingly animated and the music to EVERY scene was amazing. Both opening songs were awesome and fit the genre of the show. I don’t want to go into too much detail in case I review this at a different time, but this was definitely one of the best original works Anime I have seen in a long time. 

#1
After the amazing first season, that I rated 4 ½ stars, I was hoping second season would bring that extra spice and flavour and action… fun… WELL IT DID!.. It was amazing. From the heroes to the villains to the students, all of them were amazing in their own right. I loved every part of the season, even the episodes that weren’t “important”. The fact the secondary characters got a chance to shine at times were needed and I enjoyed it. Deku is my favourite character by far and no matter what happens, I will always cheer him and hope he does his best and even if he fails… I will always support him. I still find Kacchan the most annoying character, well that’s if you don’t include Grape Juice. Both openings and the first ending were amazing. Although I love LiSA a lot, I felt the second ending wasn’t as good as it could be. I can’t wait till the next season, as it’s confirmed. 



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I can't wait to do this again for the Summer shows.

Until then ...


Tara
xxxxxx

Music