Anime Review: Ouran High School Host Club

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance, School

Episodes: 26

Aired: 2006

Producers: Bones, VAP, Nomad, FUNimation Entertainment

What do you get when you have a prestigious school, attended by a clique of super wealthy young sires, who met and fell in love with an impoverished young lady?

Hana Yori Dango, of course!

Eh, wait. My bad, you also get Ouran High School Host Club (OHSHC).

While it may not rival the classic, OHSHC does have its own charms.

Charm #1: Tamaki Suou.

He's the life of the Host Club - literally. Having young, suave men entertain and please young ladies with too much time on their hands is his pet project.

His character is also flamboyant - hardly the brooding, aloof leads that we usually see in romance animes. In fact, he tends to be quite silly and childish, which is the foundation of his charm.

Charm #2: Haruhi Fujioka

She stumbles onto the Host Club by accident and then gets into a real accident by stumbling and breaking an expensive vase in their club room.

Due to her tomboyish nature, short crop and nonchalant attitude towards dressing, she is initially mistaken as a guy, and is forced to repay the debt by becoming a Host Club member.

All too soon, the penny drops and, though her identity is exposed, the Host Club helps her keep it a secret.

Charm #3: Takashi Morinozuka, aka Mori

Suou always refers to Mori as the 'wild' type (each character is cast into a stereotype for their customers) but that is just wrong.

He's the strong and silent type, seen here carrying the lolita of the group, Honey sempai.

He usually only speaks when necessary, and responds to questions with monosyllabic answers.

Mori's family served Honey's family until a marriage two generations ago made them cousins. Even though the servant-master bond was technically broken, Mori still serves faithfully as Honey's guardian and best friend. Although, as the audience will find out, Honey is perfectly capable of taking care of himself, and any trash that stands in his way.

Their relationship borders on shounen ai. And certainly, Honey takes the most important place in Mori's heart, leaving no room for any girl.

So in 26 episodes, we see the silly antics the club gets into for their customers, and peek into the lives of each character - and find out why they are the way they are. The rich have their own troubles too!

During which time, Suou is slowly falling for Haruhi, although he does not realise it, being the dimwit that he is. The plot takes a turn when Suou is suddenly betrothed to a lady from a wealthy family. This twist only comes in during the last few episodes, and the storyline accelerates from there.

The ending, too, is reminisce of Hana Yori Dango, but far too rushed for my liking.

Rating: 6/10

Anime Review: Ao no Exorcist

Genre: Action, Comedy, Drama, Supernatural

Episodes: 25

Aired: 2011

Producers: Aniplex, A-1 Pictures

Rin and Yukio Okumura are twin brothers with very different upbringing, despite having been raised together.

The younger of the two, Yukio has always been able to see spirits at a very tender age. This ability led him down a path of an exorcist - someone who dispels spirits and demons for the good of mankind.

Rin, on the other hand, lives in blissful ignorance until one day his past comes to haunt him, literally. He is actually the son of Satan (so is Yukio since they're twins, but somehow only Rin gets all the blame) and has begun to discover immeasurable powers of blue flames that only he and the Devil possess.

This is an outcome that their adopted father, Shiro Fujimoto, fears the most. But of course, he has always prepared for this day.

Looking at Shiro, no one would have guessed he is the Paladin and most powerful exorcist of the True Cross Order. 

He acts downright silly at times but is 101% devoted to his sons. I literally cried when he sacrificed himself to save Rin from Satan early on in the series. But no worries, we will see flashbacks of the old man and grow to like him even more as the story continues.

Back to the boys. With the Paladin gone, the church is no longer a sanctuary for them. Rin then joins his brother at the True Cross Academy, a school for exorcist training. Well, half of it anyway. Most of the student population are unware of this 'secret' training. Not sure why this arrangement is so odd - no reason to combine a normal school and a supernatural training academy. But it is run by an even odder principal, so there you go. 

Here, Rin has to learn to control his powers as he seeks to becomes the next Paladin. Yes, the son of Satan wants to become an exorcist. Sounds incredulous to everyone who comes to know of his identity, but no one bats an eyelid that Yukio is already a professional exorcist. Even though he, too, is the Devil's boy, albeit without the unearthly powers. Double standards is what this is.

Anyway, come the first day of school, Rin gets the shock of his life when Yukio walks into class and introduces himself as their teacher.  

At this point, it is the first time the brothers come head-to-head after their father's funeral. Yukio naturally blames Rin for the Paladin's death and a fight breaks out. This scuffle ends all too soon, however. The story would have been more interesting if their misunderstanding had dragged maybe a few episodes?

Nonetheless, they simply made a mess of the classroom and made up. Thereafter is the usual anime plot - the bonding of the cast through training, during which multiple assassination attempts are made on Rin's life but the battles only serve to make him stronger, and the final showdown with the Devil himself.

While the story is ho-hum, the ending does tie up some loose ends nicely, yet leave sufficient room for a sequel (hopefully?). Seems like there are still questions floating unanswered.

The biggest question mark lies with this guy - Mephisto Pheles. The late Paladin's trusted friend, he too is an exorcist and principal of the True Cross Academy. 

His character design reminds me too much of Xerxes Break from Pandora Hearts - from the flamboyant outfit to the flippant attitude. Also a little like Kisuke Uruhara from Bleach.

Oh, but he can morph into a cute widdle dog! His only redeeming factor.

His true identity is a demon from Gehenna, and from what I gathered, Rin and Yukio's half brother. However, throughout the series, he consistently orchestrates the fights surrounding Rin. He later reveals his hidden agenda to the Order during a trial hearing - that he was drawing out Rin's powers as a weapon against Satan. He made it seem as though this was the Paladin's reason for raising the boys, which is far from the truth. So his statement is highly suspect. But it makes for a compelling second season thus I'll let live.

The main gripe I have with the series is Moriyama Shiemi. Like, really... is she the best female protagonist to fit this series? She's timid, naive, and looks like a ten-year-old. I'm even feeling a twinge of guilt for picking on her. Just a tad.

Despite her obvious flaws, both brothers somehow fall for her. The unblossoming romantic triangle between the three is as uninspiring as it can get. From the start you get the idea that she has a crush on Yukio, but then she opens up to Rin so easily, but she blushes furiously when it comes to Yukio, but she's always so considerate of Rin... gah!

For this big disappointment, my rating for this series is lower than it deserves (if you don't mind a weak female protagonist). After all, the relationship between the characters factor hugely in my enjoyment of any anime series.

Rating: 7.5/10

Anime Review: Kure-nai

Genre: Action, Comedy, Drama
Episodes: 12
Aired: 2008
Producers: Brains Base

Most reviews I have read on Kure-nai begins with Kurenai Shinkurou, the impoverished 16-year-old high school student who moonlights as a 'dispute mediator'. But for me, little Kuhouin Murasaki is the show-stealer. And that is big praise, coming from someone who openly avoids children if she can help it.

Murasaki is a seven-year-old girl whose odd mannerisms reflect her aristocratic background. She is taken from her powerful, plutocratic family and placed under the care of Shinkurou, who now turns bodyguard (hey, wherever the money rolls, right? Shinkuro is strangely poor for someone in such a profession).

It isn't a kidnap though, more like a jailbreak. See, the Kuhouins have an age-old tradition where women born into the family are kept hidden from the world in an Inner Sanctuary, and taught to bear children for their own brother(s). In-breeding practice, basically, although the series did not explain why except that it has always been this way and should continue as such. So Murasaki is doomed to carry this burden when she turns 13 - an 'adult' according to the Kuhouins - if she stayed on.

This background is not revealed until halfway through the series. For the most part, Shinkurou has no idea why he is protecting the little girl. But he sees her pain and feels an affinity with her due to his own tragic past; His parents were killed in a terrorism act when he was a young child. Hence his decision to take the 'job'.

Now Murasaki has never been out of the Kuhouin residence (a sprawling Hundred Acre Woods with a maze of mansions) and never known people who are not a) her family, or b) her servants. So she immediately assumes Shinkurou is her manslave and that everyone she meets is hers to command. There begins a blossoming relationship where Shinkurou teaches her the realities of life and she, in turn, gives his life new meaning.

Despite her initial princessy attitude, Murasaki is matured in her thoughts and adept to change. In fact, she hardly comes across as a seven-year-old (perhaps that's why I like her so much? o.O). Yet she still manages to maintain the innocence and vivaciousness of a child. Except, perhaps, her 'brother' complex towards Shinkurou that borders on lolicon.

  

Still the series manages to keep their love for each other pure. The growing brother-sister love is a heartwarming sight to behold. I mean, how often can you watch an anime that shows the leads taking a bath together and instead of thinking "ecchi!", makes you go "awwwww.... so sweet!"?

This Shinkuro really lacks a libido, perhaps beacuse of his wallflower nature (an issue that is explored, but not concluded, in one of the OVAs). In school, he is a gentle soul. On the streets, he is a pushover. Yet all the eligible girls seem to fall for him. Not that surprising if you notice the serious lack of yang in the show. The only guys to ever appear are his two classmates (who have maybe 2% screen-time between them) and the men belonging to the Kuhouins.

In a nutshell, this series focuses on the relationship between the two protagonists and the people around them, including two of Shinkurou's female schoolmates who have a crush on him, his apartment neighbours - a man-crazy college girl and a gothic cat-lady, his lady boss who saved Murasaki in the first place, and her subordinate who takes it upon herself to guard Murasaki under the covers of darkness (goodness knows why she seems to have no life of her own).

Action only comes in sporadically and builds up towards the last episode. Shinkurou apparently has a 'weapon' inserted into his body - an impenetrable 'horn' that pokes out of his elbow during fights. Why this ability was included in this story is beyond me, as it has not served a significant purpose as far as I can tell. Could easily have been replaced with normal weapons such as knives, guns or nanchuks instead.

Oh wait, in the last episode, the horn did make a grand appearance, and reversed a dire situation. This was, however, too convenient a way to wrap things up. Someone was badly hurt, and this enraged Shinkurou who became possessed by the horn and was bestowed supreme fighting abilities, where he was struggling just seconds earlier. In addition, Murasaki's final decision to remain with the Kuhouins, too, is a bizarre twist.

Despite the patronising ending, this is a series I enjoyed enough to be in my fave anime list. A breathe of fresh air from the usual anime genres. It is not very often one comes across a simple storyline as gripping as this, with reasonable character development in just 12 episodes, and in detailed artwork too.

Rating: 7/10

Note: Forget the OAVs. Neither adds to the story, and in fact spoils the ending.

Anime Review: Ga-rei Zero

Genre: Action, Drama, Supernatural, Thriller
Episodes: 12
Aired: 2008
Producers: AIC Spirits, Asread, FUNimation Entertainment

A prequel to Segawa Hajime's manga Ga-rei, Ga-rei Zero surprises with a torrent of drama superseding its thrills and spills.

What initially started out as a ho-hum ride with an anti-paranormal special forces government agency called the Supernatural Disaster Prevention Office (SDPO) quickly rolled into an exciting, emotional rollercoaster affair.

To tell the truth, the first three-quarters of the opening episode nearly bored me to tears. Graphics were great, no doubt, and there certainly was some demon-hunting action. But the setting of the story simply rambled on too long without getting anywhere.

The real action, if you must know (and even if you don't, I'm gonna tell you anyway) only began in the last 5 minutes. Just when you thought: "Oh, there's the assembly of the main cast - the cool male protagonist, the tough female counterpart, the nerd, the muscle man, etc", someone comes and kill them all off. Every single one of them.

"Huh? Wtf just happened?" I screamed, shaking my monitor furiously. Halfway through the show I had already dismissed this series as a bore and closed the window of the next episode that I had been loading. "Noooooo!"

An agonising wait for the next episodes to stream.

The actual story is about two sisters - Yomi Isayama and Kagura Tsuchimiya. Yomi is the mystery killer we see at the final seconds of the first episode, brandishing her bloodied sword.

And here she is, endorsing Pocky with her sister and looking cute as a button, one of the million times they do so in the short 12-epsiode series. Not sure if it is blatant product placement but you'd be surprised how crucial this chocolate stick is to the development of their bond.

So how did Yomi end up on the wrong side of the tracks? That brings us to the flashback of their story.

Kagura, the younger of the two, is the youngest descendant of a powerful family of exorcists, whose heirloom is a deadly white dragon theirs to command. 

When her mother dies in battle, Mr Tsuchimiya inherits the white dragon and the duty that comes along with it, and sends Kagura to live with another family of exorcists. There, she continues to grow as an exorcist with new-found sister Yomi.

Yomi is an adopted daughter of the Isayamas and is bestowed a special sword by her father, which grants her a magical lion-looking beast. She works with the SDPO and is betrothed to a guy also working at the SDPO. They bicker constantly, much to the amusement of their colleagues, but are really undercover sweethearts.

Just when everything looks rosy, Yomi begins to run into trouble. It starts with the Isayama inheritance, challenged by her uncle and seemingly more capable cousin, and everything tumbles downhill from here. This is the turning point that results in the tragic ending awaiting our two lovable leads.

"Will you kill someone you love because of love?" This question repeats endlessly and is the ultimate decision that Kagura has to make in the final episode.  

Following their story, you will feel the same happiness, pain and despair that they go through. The powerful story-telling, coupled with the fabulously understated swordplay scenes, make this series an absolute must-watch!

Rating: 9.5/10

Top 10 Fave Anime Themes at the Mo

Alphabetical order & only one from each anime (I torture myself sometimes). Click on the song titles for a sneak preview on Youtube!

1. 88 

    by L.M.C

    Katekyō Hitman Reborn Opening 4

2. Complication

    by ROOKIEZ IS PUNKED

    Durarara! Opening

3. Feeling

    by ACID FLAVOR

    Hakushaku to Yōsei Opening

4. Fuutsu no Nichiyoubi
    by KIKUTA TOMOHIKO
    Hana Yori Dango Opening

5. Hologram

    by NICO
    Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood Opening 2

6. Kataomi

    by CHARA

    Kimi ni Todoke Ending

7. Last Moment 

    by SPYAIR

    Bleach Ending 25

8. Nagareboshi

    by HOME MADE KAZOKU

    Naruto Shippūden Ending 1

9. Scramble

    by YUI HORIE with UNSCANDAL

    School Rumble Opening 1

10. Youkan

    by HEIDI
    Kaichou wa Maid-sama Ending



What are your favourite anime soundtracks?

Anime Review: Kaichou wa Maid-sama

In honour of the three chibi avatars on my blog header, let's start this anime review blog with a take on the shoujo series Kaichou wa Maid-sama, which literally means the Class President is Ms Maid.

Genre: Action, Comedy, Drama
Episodes: 26
Aired: 2010
Producers: J.C. Staff, Sentai Filmworks

Arguably the best supporting characters of this series, the three stooges provide half the comic relief and endear you to them with their unwavering loyalty.

The funny thing is, they started out as riff-raffs that took a dislike to our female protagonist, Ayuzawa Misaki - the school president determined to rein in the male population. But once they found out her secret identity as a waitress in a maid cafe, like any other hot-blooded guy, they fall for her. Surprisingly, their affection only grows stronger with each passing episode, and they seem content to adore from a distance. Albeit a very short distance, considering how they always stake out the cafe to be near her.

It's unfortunate, though, that they, like the other supporting cast, are not given much room to develop. The spotlight is reserved instead for the ultimate alpha male at school, Usui Takumi.

Cool, aloof and talented, he is every fangirl's dream. Top it off with his unpredictability to say the most bizarre or do the most surprising things, and you have a really interesting character to fall in love with.

Which Misaki did, of course. How could she not, when he is always there for her (and with those puppy-dog green eyes)? Don't be mistaken though - Misaki is intelligent, reliable and hardly needs rescuing. She is strong and feisty without being overbearing, yet at times vulnerable as a young girl should be, and those are qualities that easily make you want to root for her.

Her role in the series begins with the cleansing of the school, once an all-boys institution, to attract more girls to enroll and even out the gender population. Her unyielding stance towards the guys plus her unbeatable fighting skills earn her an unsavoury reputation.

But her part-time job to help her family with the bills is a secret that could ruin her image as the tough class president. Of course this means that her secret is bound to be exposed, by the most popular guy at school no less. He falls for her not because of her maid persona, but rather her independence and responsibility towards the family. From there on, he uses his droll personality to push her buttons, his own quirky way of bringing her closer to him.

Which brings me to the anime iconography. This series utilises chibiness to emphasise the characters' emotions, contributing a big part to the show's enjoyment. This is why animes are so much fun!

Rating: 9/10 - Would have been a perfect 10 if not for the useless filler that is Episode 9. Ok ok, so I'm bias. XP