Preferred Anime | Various Thoughts

Voting System

10: Enjoyed all of it and didn’t have to skip any scenes.
9.xx: Enjoyed the vast majority of it; had to skip and/or didn’t like some scenes/elements.
8.xx: Enjoyed most of it; may have some sort of technical issue and/or had to skip and/or didn’t like some scenes/elements.
7.xx: Enjoyed some of it; may have multiple technical issues and/or had to skip and/or didn’t like some scenes/elements.
6.xx: Varying degrees of watchable, scaling from barely watchable to just shy of good.

Preferred Anime

Bakemonogatari (10): This series’ characters, animation, and dialog are all fantastic. It’s a shame the final three episodes took so long to air.
Elfen Lied (10): Shockingly realistic violence, a Romeo and Juliet-ish love story, more unique and believable characters then should be possible, and a real uncensored look into what humans are truly capable of.
Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica (10): It begins on a strange note, lures you into a false sense of security for the first two and a half episodes, and then fires revelation after revelation at you while piling on the drama and tragedy. If you even remotely like either of those genres you absolutely cannot miss this. On the other hand… if you’re looking for a standard light-hearted magical girl series you should stay far away.
Nerawareta Gakuen (10): Take one of Makoto Shinkai’s works (Hoshi no Koe, 5cm per Second, Kotonoha no Niwa, etc.) and mix in some Arata-naru Sekai and you get an absolutely gorgeous movie with a nonstandard plot and some of the most poignant relationship arcs possible.
Shelter (10): Perfectly merges the music and visuals while telling a concise story.
Soukou no Strain (10): Dark and emotional with hints of light throughout along with detailed battle choreography. Easily the best series in the mecha genre.
Baccano! (9.75): A series rather similar to the movie Snatch, and a 7ish-hour long version of Snatch is good times indeed. Another plus is that Ladd bears a strong resemblance to Gauron from Full Metal Panic!.
Clannad (9.75): This is as if someone mixed The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya with Da Capo and then layered it atop a base of Air.
Code Geass R2 (9.75): A great finish to a fantastic series. I originally saw this as it was airing and thought it was worse than the first season, but after marathoning the episodes I’ve come to decide that this one is far superior.
Daily Lives of High School Boys (9.75): Pretty much identical to Gintama minus all of the action and drama. If you enjoyed that series’ comedic style (or absurdity-based and slapstick comedy in general) then there’s every reason to watch this one’s pure distillation of said style. What holds it back from perfection is that some of the gags, just as with Gintama, simply don’t work at all.
Eden of the East (Series) (9.75): A mystery/romance with a well-executed concept, interesting characters, and smooth pacing.
Evangelion Shin Gekijouban: Ha (9.75): While the first Evangelion Rebuild movie is just a re-telling of the series, this second one deviates quite a bit and raises the series to soaring new heights.
Hanamonogatari: Suruga Devil (9.75): My only complaint with this entry in the Monogartari series is that nearly all the comedy is stuffed into the final quarter. The dialogs are just as engaging as ever, the visuals are solid, and the storyline is interesting.
Kigeki (9.75): A ten-minute OVA that is almost perfect despite being so short. The one and only problem I had was the timeline. It’s obviously messed up since the narrator mentions the trip to the castle should take four days on horseback and she ends up running there on foot.
Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica Movies (9.75): The first is a bit worse than the series due to the absence of the opening dream sequence. The second is more or less on-par with the series and its only problem is some bad CGI in the graveyard scene. The third continues the story in an impressive manner and is chock-full of symbology and interesting visuals.
Nana (9.75): A realistic tale of friendship, jealousy, love, and heartbreak that deals with some extremely serious relationship issues… lightened up with some character deformation humor. That last bit is integral.
Nisemonogatari (9.75): A nearly pitch-perfect continuation of Bakemonogatari. Of particular note is that there’s a greater concentration of fanservice-based scenes and Shinobu has become an active character in her own right. Possibly due to the former, it doesn’t get as dark as the first season does.
Saki (9.75): This is a series heavily focused on playing mahjong that has a notable yuri subtheme. Despite my complete lack of knowledge regarding mahjong, watching it was ridiculously exciting. The only real problem I had was the obvious fanservice inserts (particularly the double hot springs episodes).
The Third (9.75): This mixes and matches elements from numerous other series into a surprisingly solid whole. It’s similar to Full Metal Panic!, Shakugan no Shana, and Elfen Lied in that it switches between serious storyline/character development and humorous interludes.
Utawarerumono (9.75): I only remembered watching this after having seen it on my AniDB watchlist, and my recollection is that it’s similar to what you would get if Samurai Deeper Kyou took place in a world like Scrapped Princess‘.
Working!! (9.75): I was not expecting much from this and actively avoided watching it for some time. Shockingly enough it ended up being one of the best comedies I’ve seen and contain some fantastic characters. Of particular note is that it doesn’t rely on ecchi scenes to pad out its content.
Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works (Movie) (9.5): The introductory portion has been compressed and shortened down to nearly nothing. Meaning that you’ll probably be completely lost if you haven’t already seen the TV/movie version of Fate/Stay Night. If you have already seen that though, then this is a fantastic alternative take filled with beautiful combat scenes.
Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood (9.5): The first two-thirds honestly aren’t much better than the first incarnation, and are in some places a bit worse. It’s doughty character-drawing style also does it no favors. The last fourteen or so episodes though… they are mind-bendingly awesome.
Gintama Final Chapter: Yorozuya yo Eien Nare (9.5): Pretty much everything that makes Gintama a great show is brilliantly represented here. Though you’ll have to have been following the parent series for a decent amount of time to get the full value out of it.
Hyouka (9.5): A series rather similar to The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, if that series didn’t have science fiction and fantasy elements, infused with a tiny bit of the detective genre (Gosick, Dantalian no Shoka). Wonderful character interactions plus some beautiful animation and artwork. The bonus OVA however is not very good at all and should be avoided.
King of Thorn (9.5): A very interesting movie with solid animation that combines Sleeping Beauty with Resident Evil and has a bit of a twist ending to it. I didn’t like the final scene though.
Kobato (9.5): A ridiculously sweet series. The comedic style is a perfect fit and the general tone swings from jubilance to melancholy, although the storyline gets a little too peppy sometimes. Kobato’s interestingly extended hairstyle is also quite facinating. What really sets this over the top however is the unexpected yet absolutely perfect ending.
Lucky Star (9.5): A very funny and laid-back series. What stands out about it the most though is its fluid style of animation.
Monogatari: Second Season (9.5): For the most part this is (when watched in chronological order) a perfect continuation of Bake/Nisemonogatari. There are a few parts which are a bit less than interesting though, such as most of the Nadeko Medusa arc (episodes 12-15), and a few parts that don’t really seem to fit in the series (such as episode 20, the end of the Shinobu Time arc).
Seishun Buta Yarou wa Bunny Girl Senpai no Yume o Minai (9.5): A more grounded, sci-fi themed variation on Bakemonogatari that’s by necessity lacking in the visual effects department.
Shakugan no Shana (9.5): This is one of those rare combination series that work so very, very well. Drama, action, comedy, and great character design.
Shakugan no Shana Final (9.5): The third and last season of this series goes back to its roots for the most part. The primary difference is that the comedy portions have been removed so that the action and drama aspects dominate. The vast majority of it was the near-perfect culmination of all that came before… until the final episode, wherein things just become too (by turns) upbeat and nonsensical; ending things on an off note.
Sentou Yousei Yukikaze (9.5): By all rights this should not have been a good series. Yet somehow despite the slow pace, the questionable romance, and the dated CG it ends up an incredibly gripping thriller.
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (9.5): Quite possibly the best all-around genre Anime there is. I love the character design and storyline, and the humor is actually funny instead of the general awkwardness most series pass off as humor. The one issue I have is that the episodes are not in chronological order. Though, honestly, it’s just slightly confusing in its natural order.
Akame ga Kill! (9.25): My rating for this is misleading. For the most part this show is really a mid-7 series, and it’s only around the build-up to the final stretch that it starts creeping up into 8 territory. So where does the 9 come from? The ending(s). They (the main ending along with the ending of the Theater shorts, each of which should be watched after the same numbered episode) are absolutely perfect, and good endings are rare enough to be worth quite a bit.
Code Geass (9.25): Brilliant series. Great character design, great storyline, and an interesting setting. The only problem it suffers from is the way its characters have a disturbing tendency to completely abandon their personalities and go temporarily insane with rage for a few minutes every now and again.
Cross Game (9.25): Great comedy, character growth, and shounen-style baseball scenes (and I don’t even like baseball). Where it suffers a bit is in the mid-series pacing and its introduction of a couple characters who have no real purpose beyond advancing the protagonists’ relationship with one another.
Da Capo II: Second Season (9.25): Far better than season one, this even manages to outdo the first Da Capo series by narrowing the story’s focus and stripping away most of the elements normally associated with the harem genre.
Dance in the Vampire Bund (9.25): First a warning; this contains naked loli. I do not believe the nudity was gratuitous, but it can definitely be a deal killer for those offended by it. If you can get past that (and the first episode, which bears no resemblance to the rest of the series) you’ll be presented with an extremely well-done vampire-centric paranormal romance with believable characterizations.
Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko (9.25): A random-style comedy with a touch of seriousness here and there. Nearly all the characters are likable and the main character stands out in particular for not being a total pushover. Yashiro (who’s introduced near the end) and the last episode don’t really fit though.
Denpa Teki na Kanojo (9.25): Similar in mood to a grown up Higurashi or a non-fantasy (and mostly sane) version of Kikoushi Enma.
Full Metal Panic!: The Second Raid (9.25): A continuation of Full Metal Panic!. This focuses more on Sosuke’s mercenary life and downplays the humor for a much more involved and serious plotline. Just as good, if not better, than the first season.
Gintama’ (2012) (9.25): The thirteen new episodes in this series showcase pretty much everything that’s great about Gintama. The new content consists of three arcs (two of which reference earlier plotlines) and one stand-alone episode.
Hoshi no Koe (9.25): A half-hour sci-fi movie focusing on the theme of extreme communication distance and growing up apart. It’s well paced with solid mood building and has wonderful background artwork. The character design is comparatively low quality though and logically speaking the storyline has some holes.
Kamichu! (9.25): A heavily moe-focused episodic series that has a couple of slice of life elements to it. It’s beyond adorable. The fourth episode is horrible though and should be skipped or skimmed at most.
Kanata no Astra: ASTRA LOST IN SPACE (9.25): An inconceivably good mix of comedy and drama with just the right amount of action, romance, and ecchi to avoid going overboard with any one aspect. Gets a little overzealous with the plot twists though.
Love Live! (9.25): An idol show. An exceptional idol show. Music is solid, comedy and characters are cute, and the animation is top-notch. The dramatic aspects introduced toward the end feel somewhat forced though and take away from the series’ general radiance.
Mezzo Forte (9.25): There are a few different versions of this and I suggest watching one of the ones without the two hentai scenes in it (i.e. not the Director’s Cut). The ill-fitting hentai aside, this has some incredible action scenes and ends up a ridiculously entertaining and graphic over-the-top watch.
No Game No Life (9.25): A remarkably entertaining show that has a near perfect mix of comedy, seriousness, and action. Its primary flaw would have to be the rather large amount of gratuitous ecchi on display, but even that somehow manages to feel natural more often than not.
Nodame Cantabile (9.25): A beautifully done romantic comedy with a heavy classical music theme. I really could’ve done without that theme, but everything else is more than good enough for me to look past it. The sequel Paris Hen is basically on par with the first series, maybe a bit better due to having a more refined focus.
Pale Cocoon (9.25): A nice concise OVA that tells an interesting story about a man who’s trying to unearth the secrets of the time before the Earth was seemingly rendered uninhabitable.
RahXephon (9.25): This series is stellar… unparalleled (unless you count Evangelion, which it blatantly parallels). The characters, story, depth, animation; all are top-notch. If you want a serious psychological series (and have already seen Evangelion) then this is a must-see. The Thatness and Thereness OVA is decent as a companion to the main series, but worthless as a stand-alone.
Servant x Service (9.25): Very similar in general feel to Working!! even though it has a different setting, different character personalities, and a greater focus on romantic relationships. That said, it should be noted that it starts off slow and doesn’t pick up until the fourth episode.
Shigofumi (9.25): A darker series that’s similar to both Jigoku Shoujo and Kino’s Journey. The technical ending isn’t very good, but the bonus thirteenth episode works well enough.
Solty Rei (9.25): This would have joined Elfen Lied in perfection if it weren’t for several illogical events. The main one being the catalyst for the entire series: Solty lightly bumping her head and getting knocked out. Still a phenomenal series.
Sora yori mo Tooi Basho: A Story that leads to the Antarctica (9.25): A fantastic and almost perfectly blended mix of comedy and dramatic poignancy.
Tasogare Otome x Amnesia (9.25): A comedy/romance/drama/horror series with some visual similarities to Jigoku Shoujo. Both its storytelling and visualizations are top-notch. The only real issue is that certain characters become incredibly dense at times and have to have things spoon-fed via exposition-like dialog; some of those situations would have worked better implied rather than directly explained.
The Sky Crawlers (9.25): A beautiful movie with heavily nihilistic themes and fantastic animation/CGI.
Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun (9.25): A romantic comedy centered on a pair of high schoolers socially stunted in different ways. The romance aspects are a bit questionable while the comedy is top notch. The OVA is bascially just a re-hash of the series in a different setting and can be skipped.
xxxHolic: Rou (9.25): Several years have passed since Shunmuki and Watanuki is the new shop owner. He serves as a shockingly good replacement.
Youkoso Jitsuryoku Shijou Shugi no Kyoushitsu e: 2nd Season (9.25): It never ceases to amaze me how much better this is than the novels it’s based off of. Just a phenominal season that handily excises nearly all of the source’s primary issues.
Yuusha, Yamemasu (9.25): A remarkably competant and entertaining combination of elements that only ends up falling flat in the last episode. Good endings really are pretty hard to find.
Zetsuen no Tempest: The Civilization Blaster (9.25): A story strongly influenced by two of Shakespeare’s works; Hamlet and The Tempest. As such it’s understandably heavy with quotations from those works, and less understandably with flashbacks and huge swaths of exposition. Also note that like a lot of 20+ episode series the first half is notably different from the second. So if you’re not fond of the beginning you may consider skipping to the thirteenth (which is mostly a recap) and seeing if the fourteenth does anything for you.
Baldr Force EXE Resolution (9): Something of a combination between Ghost in the Shell and System Shock 2. Its only real problem is that the storyline feels somewhat rushed.
Cross Road (9): A commercial for a test-prep company that somehow manages to look like the promo for a full series. It’s beautiful.
Darker than Black (9): This is an interesting and rather unique series somewhat in the vein of Witchhunter Robin with a few elements similar to Tokko as well. The animation style is crisp and the characterizations are believable. Episodes seven and eight, however, were completely different in mood/style from the rest of the series and didn’t really fit well. Besides that hiccup, it progresses at a decent pace and is engaging throughout. The ending didn’t really clear up all that many mysteries though and seemed a bit improvised.
Druaga no Tou: the Aegis of Uruk (9): A surprisingly interesting series based in the same world as the Tower of Druaga arcade game. Crisp animation, nice battle sequences, well-fitting comic relief, and good pacing. I particularly like the opening at the beginning of each episode even though it apparently doesn’t have anything to do with the series proper.
Evangelion Shin Gekijouban: Jo (9): This first installment of the Evangelion Rebuild series is basically just a graphically updated version of Neon Genesis Evangelion‘s beginning.
Soukyuu no Fafner: Dead Aggressor – Right of Left (9): This is a prequel to the main Fafner series that has animation and character design quite similar to Heroic Age (or should I say that HA‘s design is based on this?), and a storyline that’s like a combination of the best parts of RahXephon and Evangelion.
Full Metal Panic! (9): This series is outstanding and combines seriousness and remarkable plot depth with slapstick humor that works surprisingly well. Words of Warning: DO NOT WATCH THE ENGLISH VERSION. The choice of Sosuke’s voice actor is quite possibly the worst they could have ever made. Hearing him will completely ruin the series and character.
Genshiken Nidaime (9): While the first two televised seasons of this franchise did not particularly appeal to me, this one has a much greater focus on personal growth (in particular Hato’s, a new character, and Madarame’s, a returning one) than otaku shenanigans. The situations and character interactions are incredibly well done.
Gintama° (9): Same blend of comedy/action/drama you’ve come to expect from this franchise. The difference here is that the comedy-focused (1-34) and action/drama-focused (35-51) episodes are somewhat segregated.
Hanasaku Iroha (9): A classic underdog story about a struggling countryside inn with a budding romance threaded throughout. The story centers on a girl who doesn’t really know what to do with her life until she’s relocated to said inn and develops new friendships and a passion for her work as a waitress there.
Heroic Age (9): This is a very interesting space opera-like series. The storyline (as far as I can tell) is original, the characters don’t fit into any obvious stereotypes, and the animation is well done. The only hang-up is that the mecha battles are rather repetitive.
Hourou Musuko (9): This feels similar to Kashimashi, only with the comedy/sci-fi elements removed. So basically it’s a more realistic and believable take on that series.
Je T’Aime (9): An animated short involving a dog and robot set in a city whose entire human population has disappeared. It’s directed by the same guy who did Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence and many visual similarities can be seen between the two.
K: Missing Kings (9): An action-themed movie that takes place between the two K TV series. If you haven’t seen the prequel I doubt you’ll like this since it doesn’t provide any background information. If you have, then it picks up quite nicely from where that left off and has some truly fantastic visuals.
Kara no Kyoukai: The Garden of Sinners (9): Very stylistic series with fantastic animation that combines the romance, action, and mystery genres. While its storyline and characters are top-notch, it does have some severe pacing issues at times and ends on a jarring note.
Kaze no Stigma (9): This series is reminiscent of Shakugan no Shana in that it combines action with a romance subplot and infuses humor throughout. The main difference between them is that the relationship dynamic is significantly different here. In Shana you had one strong dependent and one weak independent, while this has one nigh-invincible independent and a strong dependent. The animation is well-done for the most part… except the CG effects they threw into that one demon fight (which looked rather unfinished). Kazuma is an interesting character, if only due to the fact he has a rather mature personality which is a nice change from the standard male-character stereotypes in this genre. Another refreshing quality is the way he has godlike power right from the start without any cheesy ‘training montage’ or “he’s special” justifications for it. The Earth Clan story arc in the middle of the series was a particular low point, but the final arc in which Kazuma goes all homicidal made up for it.
Kekkai Sensen (9): A wonderfully unique action/comedy/drama that looks great. Note that the sixth episode is pretty much completely stand-alone and probably should be skipped unless you really want to see a heavily sentimental tale focused on a character you’ll never see again. The OVA is merely average.
Mekakucity Actors (9): I strongly suggest getting at least partially acquainted with the Kagerou Project before watching this (such as by watching the music videos and reading their descriptions on the Wikia). With some background information, you can fully appreciate the visuals and character interactions on display here without having to puzzle over how everything ends up connected. I initially wanted to rate this higher, but the ending is rather weak and dragged it down.
Mudai (9): A music video with absolutely fantastic animation/imagery that fits the song perfectly.
Neon Genesis Evangelion (9): The flagship of psychological Anime. Utterly brilliant and unmatched by all… with the possible exception of RahXephon. It isn’t without its flaws though. Namely; the ending. The ending of the series is utter crap and episodes twenty-five and twenty-six should not be watched. Thankfully, the End of Evangelion OVA was released and addressed this deficiency by essentially replacing those two episodes.
Nodame Cantabile: Finale (9): I ended up not liking these concluding episodes as much as the earlier ones due mostly to what appeared to be a much greater focus on the series’ musical aspects. Classical music really isn’t my thing. No complaints with the way it ended though; quite the opposite.
Potemayo (9): A beautifully done randomish slapstick/moe comedy. Has a couple extraordinarily annoying re-occurring characters that bring it down a bit though.
ReLIFE (OVAs) (9): A great all-round conclusion to the series that suffers a bit in the beginning from a lack of animation.
Rurouni Kenshin: Tsuioku Hen (9): I saw this listed as #1 at Animenfo, so I thought I’d give it a look. It is quite good and easily one of the top samurai-related series I’ve seen. There aren’t any major flaws besides the pacing and storyline getting a bit jumpy in the second half (episodes three and four).
Sasami-san@Ganbaranai (9): An extremely unconventional series that focuses on some very serious issues, lightening/contrasting them with wackiness/comedy at times while going pitch black at others. It’s ridiculously original but does have some over-arching similarities to series such as Kyousogiga, Bakemonogatari, and Yozakura Quartet: Hoshi no Umi.
Stranger: Mukou Hadan (9): Fantastic, utterly fantastic battle choreography and fluid animation.
The World God Only Knows (9): A comedy focused on dating sims that thankfully doesn’t rely on continuously re-using the same handful of jokes. It’s particularly interesting for its approach toward the standard galge character archetypes. Note that this rating is only for the first season; the second isn’t as good.
Toaru Kagaku no Railgun (9): While this did get bogged down from time to time with filler episodes, it was an enjoyable watch overall. Both Misaka and Kuroko are interesting characters to follow.
Toaru Kagaku no Railgun S (9): The first arc is ridiculously entertaining while the second feels a bit forced. The comedy is comedic, the action scenes are spectacular, and the emotional moments (with the possible exception of the re-broadcast Touma-centric scenes) are believable. Make sure to avoid the 5-min OVA specials though.
Yasashii March (9): A near perfect combination of song and video with an engaging animation style.
Yondemasuyo, Azazel-san (9): A random comedy along the lines of Ren & Stimpy and Panty & Stocking that focuses on a demon-summoning detective agency. Has an interesting mix of drawing styles, fluid animation, and two of the best main characters ever. The OVA series takes place during/after the TV series and is slightly more serious overall.
Argento Soma (8.75): Something of a combination of Evangelion and Gundam. Has an extremely questionable ending.
Black Lagoon (8.75): Awesome series; it’s what Coyote Ragtime wanted to be. There isn’t a storyline to speak of until later in the series, but the action, dialog, and character development are all solid. The Second Barrage starts off shaky but finishes strong.
Chrono Crusade (8.75): Very, very, very good. A fantastic series with action, comedy, and something of a drama-infused tragic romance.
Darker than Black Gaiden (8.75): A four episode OVA series that bridges the timeline gap between the first and second season. It’s more or less on par with the first and I strongly suggest watching it before Gemini of the Meteor.
Fluximation (8.75): A collection of very short videos set to the songs off Hikaru Utada’s Exodus album. These videos are almost to a one fantastic examples of beautiful animation. The third and thirteenth are amazing in particular.
Ga-Rei: Zero (8.75): A slightly hard to follow series that tells an interesting story of a friends-to-sisters-to-enemies pair of demon hunters. The character-driven storyline aside, the series also has some very nicely choreographed combat scenes.
Ghost in the Shell (8.75): Great movie. A complex and involved plotline along with actions and extensive philosophical discussion. The 2.0 remake is slightly worse overall visually, better audio-wise, and the same in all other respects.
Gintama’ (8.75): Basically identical to Gintama; the comedic style is the same and still flucuates between gut-busting and awkward. What makes this superior to the prequel is that it doesn’t take ~30 episodes to warm up. The 2014 OVA is just as good as a normal epsiode, if a little slow to kick off (apparently it was originally meant to be the first episode).
Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (8.75): This is a twisted, twisted, series that tells several different stories involving the same main characters. It has murder, insanity, paranoia, mystery, and a bit of character deformation humor to throw you off-guard.
Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai (8.75): I originally liked this season slightly better than the first, as the first had you wondering what the fuck was going on while this one comes right out and tells you. It’s not as bone-chillingly creepy as the first one though, nor does it have the same level of humor/horror contrast. So all-in-all I find myself liking both seasons about the same amount.
Jinrui wa Suitaishimashita (8.75): An extremely amusing series with hints of darkness from time to time that was inexplicably aired in a completely nonsensical and ill-fitting order. The originally published order of events is: 10 -> 7-8 -> 5-6-> 1-2-> 9-> 11-12-> 3-4.
Jormungand (8.75): A less dark and slightly more sane version of Black Lagoon. It should be noted though that if you don’t like Koko from the beginning you almost certainly won’t take to the series. The second season drags a bit more in certain places and isn’t quite as good as the first.
Kashimashi ~Girl Meets Girl~ (8.75): Here is the type of series that you’ll rarely find a duplicate of. The relationship development and dialog are well done, and the comic relief is segregated so as not to dilute the main storyline.
Kuragehime (8.75): A series focusing on a bunch of socially inept nerdy girls and a crossdressing hipster. Has some similarities to Higashi no Eden, but is primarily a comedy.
Kyousougiga (2012) (8.75): Gives some background information on the main characters while further expanding the universe. Combined with the sequel OVA you get a fantastic tale of abandonment and subsequent reunion.
Macross Frontier (8.75): For some strange reason I had thought this series was about sports for the longest time. It isn’t. Instead it has a heavy musical focus and is like a curious combination of Gundam SEED and Solty Rei. Basically, this is pretty much a competently animated Gundam series with a heavier focus on characters and background music that ends up surprisingly exciting despite its predictable/ridiculous plot developments.
Macross Plus: Movie Edition (8.75): The Macross universe’s take on Perfect Blue. It ends up remarkably good.
Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A’s: The Movie (8.75): A remarkably solid retelling of the TV series. Its only real weakness being that when you look past the surface angst the story and character actions are pretty typical for the magical girl genre.
Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS (8.75): This takes place four years after the second season’s epilogue and has a vastly different style. This installment has a much more… professional… air to it. It’s far more similar to an agency-type series (E’s Otherwise, Kiddy Grade, etc.) than a magical girl series. Episode eight was particularly good, as Nanoha drops her generally cheerful attitude and just completely destroys Tea. The series also get a bit more direct with the yuri undertones of the previous seasons, and the final battle was suitably epic.
Noir (8.75): This series grabs you from the first episode and doesn’t let go. Gripping storyline with plenty of action interspersed throughout. My one complaint is the blatantly unrealistic nature of the vast majority of the enemies… and the almost complete lack of blood.
Ore no Imouto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai (8.75): A comedy series of the rare type that doesn’t heavily rely on only one type of humor. It mixes things up from time to time and as a result avoids running anything into the ground. The main plotline follows a brother and sister (the former an average guy, the latter a secret otaku) as they bond over the sister’s love of erotic games. Later episodes in the series also have him forming friendships with some of her newly made friends.
Saikano (8.75): This is a surprisingly good series. It deals with the transformation of a young girl into an ‘ultimate weapon’; a cyborg of immense, mostly uncontrollable power. Overlaying that background is a romance storyline between her and a guy who can’t bring himself to acknowledge what she’s been turned into. The animation is rather slow and subdued (which fits the tragic theme of the series well) but breaks out into nearly real-time speed every once in a while… which comes as something of shock whenever it happens.
Sayonara no Asa ni Yakusoku no Hana o Kazarou (8.75): Though it leaves quite a bit to the imagination, it’s beautifully animated and absolutely nails the emotional aspects of the intertwined stories.
Scrapped Princess (8.75): This is a spectacular series with a great concept and execution. It’s like Planet of the Apes with a new twist.
Strawberry Panic! (8.75): If you like character driven relationship/romance/drama series and don’t mind (or prefer) an all-female cast, then this is the Anime for you. Thankfully, it has surprisingly little fanservice beyond the premise itself.
Summer Wars (8.75): A realistically-styled story of cyberterrorism in a world that has combined Second Life and Facebook into an all-powerful whole.
Wasurenagumo (8.75): A short comedy/horror movie involving a chibi spidergirl. It’s basically a slightly twisted folktale told in a modern setting with some super-deformed comedy thrown in.
ACCA 13-ku Kansatsu-ka (8.75): Handles itself incredibly well all the way up until just before the endgame… only to blow the climax. Still a highly enjoyable experience overall.
Air (8.5): At first glance this appears to fall into the harem genre, but it turns out to be so much more. Rather than being focused on romantic relationships between the characters, instead it focuses more on friendship and familial relationships. The series is split into three arcs; the main one is focused on Yukito’s search for the ‘Winged Girl’ while the other two are much shorter and deal with what set the stage for the series and what happens after Yukito’s visit. The style is somewhat similar to Kimi ga Nozomu Eien in that the main storyline is rather serious (and at times quite tragic) and broken up here and there with more light-hearted moments.
Angel Beats! (8.5): The animation is fantastic and the storyline has some issues. It starts off as an interesting action/comedy hybrid but becomes a bit ridiculous as it transforms into a self-help series. It does however manage to finish strong as one of the relatively few series with fitting endings.
Black★Rock Shooter (8.5): I was interested in BRS as soon as I first saw the character and the eventual Anime implementation does not disappoint. The general plotline can be grasped easily enough, but the jumbled timeline can lead to confusion.
Blue Drop (8.5): I generally find myself liking split-genre series more often than not and this one was no exception. The story flips between sci-fi spaceship combat, school life, romance, and drama. Doing a surprisingly good job of integrating them all. It does start off a bit shaky in the animation department though, thankfully managing to sort things out by the fourth episode.
Claymore (8.5): This is a very cool series reminiscent of Berserk, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, and Blood+. The fight scenes are animated well and the characters have very defined appearances (with the eye-morphing being particularly striking). This is basically what Berserk wanted to be, but couldn’t pull off. I originally was going to give this series a 9, but the final battle was fairly terrible.
Darker than Black – Gemini of the Meteor (8.5): The whole Magical Girl element knocks this down a notch from the parent series. Other than that it’s a fairly faithful continuation of the first’s style. You should definitely watch the four-part Gaiden OVA series before this however.
DD Hokuto no Ken (2013) (8.5): A wonderful parody series with a comedy style that reminds me of Gintama.
Durarara!! (8.5): Starts off a bit touch and go, gets quite a bit better toward the middle, and takes something of a nosedive the last five episodes or so. It has a large cast of interesting characters and seems to be more or less wholly original.
Eve no Jikan (8.5): Sort of like a non-action mashup of Ghost in the Shell and Pale Cocoon. It ends up turning out rather well. The movie (Gekijouban) is the entire series with an extra scene or two added in and so should be watched in place of the episodic version.
Excel Saga (8.5): Hilarious. The Monty Python of Anime. If you like Anime and have watched multiple series the jokes just keep coming.
Fate/Zero (8.5): While far superior to Fate/Stay Night thanks mostly to a more interesting set of main characters, this unfortunately begins to get bogged down depressingly often with extended “let’s talk about your mental issues and/or world view” dialogue sequences. The second season is much better than the first in that regard and places a greater focus on personal tragedy.
Gakkougurashi! (8.5): Merges school life comedy and survival horror far better than I thought possible.
Godzilla S.P (8.5): Surprisingly enough this is not an action series (though it has action), instead it’s a science-driven mystery/thriller with a cast of remarkably entertaining characters (one of whom greatly resembles Gintama‘s protagonist).
Hellsing (8.5): Great series in the vampire genre, easily one of the best. Both Alucard and Seras are incredibly well done.
Honey and Clover (2nd Season) (8.5): The first episode is a recap of the first season and does a good job of explaining the various characters’ relationships. The storyline, pacing, and character development are all well done. My one major complaint is Hagumi’s character design; she looks 10 at best and acts that way most of the time (though there are a few scenes where she does actually look her age; generally when she’s depressed).
Honobono Log (8.5): An adorable set of episodic shorts mostly focused on different couples, all but one with a slight comedic bent to it.
Hoozuki no Reitetsu (OVAs) (8.5): Close to non-stop comedic developments and reactions. Only the third episode is a little on the subdued side.
Inu x Boku SS (8.5): A romantic comedy with a rather unique setting and a near-full cast of likeable characters. Its only real glaring flaw is the existence of Kagerou, who completely ruins the flow of the series whenever he appears. I also could have done without Nobara, but she’s easy enough to ignore.
Jujutsu Kaisen (8.5): High production values combined with entertaining characters and no ecchi fanservice all add up to a pretty damn good battle shounen.
K (8.5): A remarkably original setting with stylish visuals and an absolutely perfect ending. The insert song used during most action scenes was also rather catchy.
Mirai Nikki (8.5): Starts out unbelievable (in a good way) but slowly begins morphing into unbelievable (in a bad way) after the fourteenth episode, capping off with a genre-shift of sorts in the final two episodes that just does not work well at all. Putting the icing on the cake; the ending renders that appalling shift completely meaningless and unnecessary. The Redial OVA adds an epilogue that’s decent enough if you can ignore that the first half is an ecchi/comedy beach episode, though I don’t think it’s much of an improvement over the existing ending.
Mitsudomoe (8.5): A comedy series that focuses on dirty/ecchi jokes and situations in an elementary school setting. It resembles both Seitokai Yakuindomo and Zetsubou Sensei in its comic setup, though it is far more fast-paced and manic than either. The second season isn’t as good as the first.
Nagasarete Airantou (8.5): An interesting series that starts off with a bang and then falls into a nice steady rhythm until about episode twenty-one or so. At that point you get a few episodes that don’t seem to fit (like the school-house one). The main thing that I didn’t like about this series was the nose-bleed gimmick. I hate the nose-bleed gimmick. I will admit that it was used well in the hot springs episode though.
Ookami-san to Shichinin no Nakama-tachi (8.5): A romantic comedy that’s sort of like a combination of Railgun and Shakugan no Shana. The only real problem it has, and it’s a real problem, is the existence of a fourth-wall breaking narrator who tends to make meaningless commentary literally every other scene.
Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt (8.5): This series is ridiculously original, extremely random, and has a great soundtrack. Style-wise it’s something of a cross between The Power Puff Girls and Ren & Stimpy.
RideBack (8.5): This series combines ballet, sportbike racing, and terrorists/revolutionaries. Despite having some issues with a few of the characters’ personalities and a weird ending, it tells an engaging story and has several solid action scenes.
Shinryaku! Ika Musume (8.5): A cute comedy about a squid-girl who tries to invade the surface world but ends up working at a sea-side restaurant instead. It’s structured similarly to Lucky Star in that each episode is broken up into mini-episode segments.
Sousou no Frieren (8.5): While I’m not much of a fan of the final magical exam arc, the journey up to that point is a solidly entertaining rollercoaster ride between mundane everyday worries and deadly high fantasy conflicts.
Steins;Gate (8.5): A time-travel-focused conspiracy series that starts off as something similar to a slice of life/comedy, switches gears into (ill-fitting) action/tragedy at the halfway point, and finishes as a far more believable version of Chaos;Head. While I’m not particularly happy with the perpetual time loop plotline, the character interactions easily make this worth the watch.
Suisei no Gargantia (8.5): Starts out great, becomes good, sinks into highly questionable toward the end, and finishes good. The artwork and visual design is spectacular throughout.
Tegami Bachi: Light and Blue Night Fantasy (8.5): This is an excerpt from the first season of the series that was shown as a promotional movie. Viewed on its own it serves as a near-perfect blend of the series’ various notable attributes.
Tenchi Universe (8.5): An overall more consistent and sensible take on Tenchi Muyou!. While it does have more of a comedy focus than its predecessor, it’s far more believable and doesn’t include the various Deus Ex Machina of the OVAs.
Tokkou (8.5): This is a very, very, good series with an interesting plot. The ending was a bit rushed though. It seems as if they were planning on a second season, but I’ve seen no sign of one.
Tsubasa: Tokyo Revelations (8.5): All the positives of Reservoir Chronicles, with the few negatives (like pacing issues) purged. A great addition to a fantastic series.
Valkyria Chronicles (8.5): A bit slow at times and the lone death felt somewhat cheap, but my only real issue was the inclusion of a pointlessly corrupt and incompetant General. Why are these types characters allowed to exist when there’s no logical reason for them not to have been dismissed or demoted long ago? In any case, it was good enough in general that I finally ordered the game that it’s based on.
Youjo Senki: Saga of Tanya the Evil (8.5): Though it goes overboard with some of the facial expressions and the attempts at creating a rival for Tanya are hamfisted, just about everything else in the series is ridiculously entertaining. The movie follow-up unfortunately takes a hit when it decides to focus on excessively caricaturing the USSR.
Yuru Camp▲ (8.5): A remarkably effective combination of relaxing and hilarious.
Yuru Yuri (8.5): This series is basically Lucky Star with a bit of a K-On! bent to it; a slice of life-ish comedy. Though it should be noted it actually has eight or so central characters rather than four. Most of the jokes revolve around relationship stereotypes, but you should give it until episode five to see its full range. I didn’t enjoy the second season as much and it’s listed further down.
Akudama Drive (8.25): Entertaining characters, plenty of action, and a brisk pace result in a consistently enjoyable series.
Amagi Brilliant Park (8.25): Great characters, amusing comedy, and a perfectly servicable story.
Another (8.25): This is a Final Destination-ish horror story that’s got a fantastic atmosphere of creeping horror to it… for the most part. It loses some of that after the flashy suicide midway through and ends with an orgy of random violence similar to Higurashi. The ‘Episode 0′, Inga, should be watched first if possible.
Ao no Exorcist (8.25): A shounen series that thankfully jettisons many of the more annoying stereotypes of that genre (endless battles, endless training, power-leveling). Its characters are good, its comedic style fits, and its action scenes are great. Unfortunately it ends with a filler arc filled with characters and plot developments that honestly don’t make much sense and serve little purpose beyond being overly mellow-dramatic.
Arpeggio of Blue Steel (8.25): The CG animation is amazingly good (for CG animation), most of the characters are great, and the action scenes are solid. It even has some well-realized drama… along with a handful pretty awful ecchi scenes that hurt it.
Azumanga Daioh (8.25): A very funny series that makes excellent use of comedic pause. The facial morphs were right on target and Kimura-sensei is a great, great, character. The various reactions whenever he pops up are pure gold. Chiyo-chan is a perfect example of how a younger character should be added to a series, as she fits in quite well.
Bamboo Blade (8.25): I liked this series quite a bit. The character design was good, the storytelling was good, and the fanservice was (relatively) subtle while lacking an ecchi focus.
Black★Rock Shooter (2012) (8.25): This eight-episode series is basically an extended version of the earlier released BRS OVA; if you liked that you’ll almost certainly like this. The primary difference is that the chronology isn’t jumbled here but the extended runtime gives rise to some offbeat pacing and awkward developments. It’s a decent enough trade-off all things considered.
Chiruri (8.25): An arty post-apocalyptic short story that happens to have no dialog. It has some fantastic ambiance and is surprisingly well made… it’s also pretty weird and doesn’t make a ton of sense.
Da Capo (8.25): This series has a rather unique approach to the harem genre. It starts out a sort of School Life Comedy, then slowly expands into a school-life harem, and then ends as a love triangle drama. The supernatural backdrop serves to enhance this uniqueness, and surprisingly doesn’t feel out of place. It does have one flaw though; about halfway through the series the episodes get cut in half, with the second half being a mostly unrelated (to the main plotline) short story.
Fate/Grand Order: Zettai Majuu Sensen Babylonia (8.25): Continuing more or less immediately from where Camelot left off, Babylonia mixes spectacular over-the-top action sequences with grounded character drama and periodic infusions of comic relief.
Hibike! Euphonium (8.25): Great comedy, angst, and characters.
Gakuen Mokushiroku: High School of the Dead (8.25): Starts off fantastic only to eventually become bogged down in pointless fanservice toward the middle… but finishes strong. There are few Anime that focus on a zombie apocalypse, and that alone is probably enough to give it a look.
Gate Keepers 21 (8.25): A well-animated series with both action and character development.
Gintama (8.25): Before deciding whether or not to watch this lengthy comedy-focused series, it would be best to check out the first two episodes of the sequel; Gintama’. Why? Because this one starts off relatively slow and doesn’t really hit its stride until 20-40 episodes in. If you enjoy those first two Gintama’ episodes though, you’ll definitely enjoy most of this.
Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora (8.25): A short romance-themed series focusing on a young girl with a terminal heart condition. The comedic portions feel forced, but the romance itself is done very well.
Hisone to Masotan (8.25): A comedy far more entertaining than it appears it should be on paper.
Itazura na Kiss (8.25): A relatively realistic (except for the comic relief characters) romance series with a fantastic sense of character and situational progression. Very difficult to marathon though.
Karas (8.25): This is the trippiest thing I have ever seen. I have no idea what to make of it, as there is nothing that it can be compared to. Astounding.
Katanagatari (8.25): While a bit heavy on the monologues, the animation is strikingly unique and the storyline and characters unfold against common Anime steriotypes. The ending was completely unexpected, but fit the series perfectly.
Kino’s Journey (8.25): The main character of this series is the first True Neutral character I think I’ve ever seen. Neither moral nor immoral she takes a nearly completely impassive look at all the various things she sees. Great series with intriguing ideas.
Kiznaiver (8.25): The visuals are great, the comedy and drama are mixed well, and the characters are entertaining.
Koukaku Kidoutai: Solid State Society (8.25): Very good. It’s much more like Season 1 of S.A.C. , and much less like Season 2, which it picks up about two years after. However, I’ve always been slightly curious exactly why they replaced the Major’s diving hobby with a skydiving hobby… I guess it just lends itself to better visuals.
Kurokami (8.25): A series rather similar to Shakugan no Shana… only with fists instead of swords. While I could have done without the magical girlish transformations nearly every episode, the action sequences are well done and the storyline is refreshing in that it both has an interesting twist to it and a fitting conclusion.
Kuzu no Honkai (8.25): Most of the chracters are pretty great, the comic relief is spot-on, and it goes places most school-life romantic dramas wouldn’t dare touch.
Log Horizon (8.25): A remarkably entertaining ‘mastermind strategist’ type of show combined with a descent enough exploration of sociological issues… that has a mini-harem tacked onto the end of it for no discernible reason. Note that this rating is only for the first series, the second is listed lower.
Lycoris Recoil (8.25): An interesting and fun combination of Release the Spyce, Gochuumon wa Usagi Desu ka?, and Psycho-Pass. While it does have aggravating aspects, they’re more than balanced out by the action quality and character interactions.
Mangaka-san to Assistant-san (8.25): An ecchi gag comedy with a mostly great cast which contains some truly fantastic bits. It also contains a few rather awful bits and will obviously be a complete non-starter if you don’t like ecchi-based comedy.
Mawaru Penguindrum (8.25): A very existential comedy/drama series that makes heavy use of metaphors and illusions to keep you slightly off-base. There’s not much I can directly compare it to, but it does have some similarities to Bakemonogatari in the ‘wordy’ department.
Mikakunin de Shinkoukei (8.25): A ridiculously cute romantic comedy that manages to continuously reel-in its (seemingly requisite) ecchi-focused character just before she overstays her welcome. The last few episodes are a little weak though and there’s little point in watching either of the two OVAs.
Mnemosyne: Daughters of Mnemosyne (8.25): An extremely graphic series that tells the story of an Immortal, who works as a detective, being hunted across time by a highly sadistic angelic being.
Nanatsu no Taizai (8.25): Great characters with solid comedy and action scenes. It even has well-integrated drama. Can’t ask for much more from a battle shounen. As for the OVA, the first is an extended version of Ban and Elaine’s history and the second is a collection of mostly random short stories (the last segment shows how Meliodas started running a bar).
Nekomonogatari (Black) (8.25): While this contains some dialog just as good as that found in its two sequels and is just as stylish, it also has a few missteps in the form of meaninglessly excessive ecchi fanservice along with some rather dull filler conversations that seem to be just going through the motions.
Noein (8.25): This is a pretty strange series that deals with time fluxes, variations, warps, and just about anything else relating to the timestream. Very interesting to watch if only for its theories and depictions of the various timelines and time-travel itself.
Palme no Ki (8.25): Interesting visuals combined with a somewhat complex story.
Patlabor: The Movie (8.25): A slightly lighter Ghost in the Shell with a heavy focus on mechas. Some parts of it trend toward the realistic (collateral damage) while others trend toward the contrived (evil birds).
Pop Team Epic (8.25): A highly original and varied random-style gag comedy.
PSYCHO-PASS (8.25): A solid, very solid sci-fi action-thriller. It starts off slightly mundane (if visually expressive) with a somewhat annoying main character, picking up and turning quite engaging with some interesting maneuvers from around the eighth episode on.
Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry (8.25): Somewhat similar to Mahouka and Kaze no Stigma, this is a remarkably good action/drama that just so happens to contain a romance which actually progresses all the way to a marriage proposal. Sadly, it also has a ton of forced ecchi which makes it hard to watch at times.
Romeo x Juliet (8.25): This feels very similar to Le Chevalier D’Eon, only without the mystery. The beginning is a bit slow and boring, but things get more interesting once Juliet finds out that she’s a Capulet. The fight choreography is also similar to D’Eon’s, and is very well done. Don’t watch this expecting to get a retelling of the play though, as this series has made some drastic changes to the classic storyline. I’d say for the better. Especially the rather shocking revelation or two in the last episodes.
Rurouni Kenshin: Seisou Hen (8.25): A bittersweet conclusion to the Kenshin series that doesn’t have quite the same impact as the series’ beginning (Tsuioku Hen). It suffers a little from feeling like a recap episode.
Saki: Achiga-hen – Episode of Side-A (8.25): This takes quite some time to pick up steam, focusing as it does in the beginning on its characters (who are not very interesting) far more than their mahjong matches. The last four episodes though (which were aired much later than the first twelve)… they re-capture quite a bit of the raw entertainment value of the first season and end things on a high note.
Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo (8.25): A romantic comedy/drama that knocks the comedy out of the park while falling short on the drama front. Visually speaking it’s fantastic all-around.
Sarazanmai (8.25): A wonderfully engaging combination of comedy, drama, and ecchi with top-tier production values. Could’ve done without the repetitious musical numbers and central focus on butts though.
Shigurui (8.25): A very dark, serious, and gore-filled piece focused on a group of samurai. Despite being paced rather slowly it stays interesting more or less throughout. Its main problem is that, like Berserk, it starts in a time period it never gets back to and ends without anything being resolved.
SHINCHOU YUUSHA ~Kono YUUSHA ga ORE TUEEE Kuse ni SHINCHOU Sugiru~ (8.25): The tertiary dramatic elements are shockingly well-integrated with the (fantastic) comedy, while the ecchi mostly manages to stay on the goofy side of things rather than becoming creepy.
Shuumatsu Nani Shitemasuka? Isogashii Desuka? Sukutte Moratte Ii Desuka? (8.25): Disparate aspects that shouldn’t work at all together end up placed well enough that they instead greatly enhance one another. The central romance however could be consider an issue for a couple of reasons.
SSSS.GRIDMAN (8.25): While I’m not a tokusatsu fan, the action scenes, most of the comedy, and even some of the drama are all quite engaging. The animation is also top notch.
Sukitte Ii Na Yo (8.25): A realism-focused school-life romance with a tiny bit of comedy thrown in. Alternates between dramatic, angsty, and heart-warming situations. The bonus OVA is pretty decent, though the first segment is dull.
Sword Art Online II (8.25): The first arc is worse than SAO‘s first arc, but better than its second. The second arc is basically filler and only so-so, sort on par with Extra Edition. The third and final arc however is fantastic and much better than SAO‘s first arc, in no small part due to feature Asuna as its protagonist. While most of SAO is about overcoming impossible odds with willpower and guts, that arc shows that there are some situations where that’s just not enough.
Tamako Love Story (8.25): A movie that’s quite a bit different from the prequel series, focused as it is on fairly serious relationship drama and being light on comedy. It’s different enough that you could even just go and watch it without having seen Tamako Market at all.
Tatakau Shisho: The Book of Bantorra (8.25): An original twisty mystery/action series with a large cast of characters. Unlike many other adaptations it takes its time with introducing the various characters and unfolding the plot. The result ends up neither rushed nor unfinished. Curiously, it concludes as something of a love story… although considering the themes of the earlier arcs that shouldn’t have been as unexpected as it was.
Tetsuwan Birdy Decode: 02 (8.25): This second season’s storyline is much better overall than the first. Unfortunately, the battle animation becomes complete crap past episode six.
Tetsuwan Birdy Decode: The Cipher (8.25): An OVA that connects the two seasons. Solid character interactions and combat scenes.
The Girl Who Lept Through Time (8.25): A movie about a girl who acquires a limited number of leaps backward in time and squanders most of them on simplistic things only to have them run out when she really needs them. Very well paced with believable characters.
Trinity Seven (8.25): A ridiculously entertaining ecchi comedy that has a few dramatic moments scattered about along with some pretty good action scenes. It’s OVA sequel comes across as incredibly contrived though and ends up only barely watchable.
Welcome to the NHK! (8.25): An interesting series that deals with several sociological issues from a rather unique angle. The characters are designed in a realistic fashion, no rainbow hair color or expression morphs, which is nicely offset by the unrealistic design of the various hallucinatory characters Satou talks to from time to time.
xxxHolic: Kei (8.25): Builds upon the first while managing to feel like a new series. The various tasks Watanuki undertakes have a decidedly melancholic tone to them which serves as an effective contrast to the sporadic bouts of comic-relief.
Zegapain (8.25): Basically The Matrix with mechas. While the storyline is quite good… sadly, the actual mecha battles are rather lackluster.
5cm Per Second (8): This movie is utterly mudane…. and yet despite/because of that I can’t stop thinking about it. Its plot is so plausible and downright commonplace that it makes you think that you’ve personally watched the events happen in real-life.
Akazukin ChaCha (8): A top-tier gag comedy marred by arbitrary/forced magical girl elements.
Allison & Lillia (8): This is just an all-around good solid series. It has an interesting relationship angle, decent amounts of excitement, and just a touch of comedy. There really are no noticeable cons.
Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day (8): While the drama and supernatural elements feel forced at times, the characters are realistic and the story as a whole is moving.
Banner of the Stars (8): The follow-up to Crest of the Stars, this series focuses completely on space combat and ends up the better for it. Other than that change of pace, the rest of the series is quite similar to its predecessor. The movie version (Tokubetsu Hen) is quite good as well, but gives off the impression of having some missing backstory.
Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai NEXT (8): While the first season felt vaguely like Haruhi with tacked-on harem elements, this season feels as though it stands upon its own merits. The relationships between the characters have matured into a unique comedy blend.
BRAND NEW ANIMAL: BNA (8): Studio Trigger seems to actually be learning from their mistakes. At least somewhat. If you’re not a fan of their over-the-top style of action/comedy though this series probably won’t be very enjoyable.
Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card Hen – |Prologue| Sakura to Futatsu no Kuma (8): Manages to both prepare you for the follow-up TV series and provide a fantastic little self-contained romance arc.
Chio-chan no Tsuugakuro (8): Apart from a couple ecchi-centric characters this is a fantastic gag comedy with a somewhat rare subfocus on gaming.
DD Hokuto no Ken 2: Ichigo Aji+ (8): While most of the Ichigo Aji+ segments are annoying, they only take up the last 2 minutes of each episode. The rest is an alternate take on the earlier DD series and includes some pretty fantastic bits.
Defend Love (8): A music video featuring footage from the first Gundam series set to a great J-pop song.
Detroit Metal City (8): A pretty damn hilarious black comedy. At times though it gets awkward to watch when it goes a bit too far with a particular joke/set-up.
E’s Otherwise (8): This series starts off a bit slow and the main character is a bit too idealistic, but other than that the characters are well done and right around episode six it comes into its own. Asuka happens to strongly resemble Sakura from Tsubasa Chronicles, which was a nice bonus. The ending was a bit of a letdown however.
FLCL: PROGRESSIVE (8): Far more consistent than the prequel with a markedly less annoying protagonist.
Gabriel DropOut (8): Some fantastic reaction-based comedy here with a likable and diverse cast.
Gekijouban: Kimetsu no Yaiba Mugen Ressha-hen (8): Full of fantastic action sequences that manage to dramatically lift up some pretty generic event devlopment.
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (8): Expands upon the philosophy of the first. I don’t think it’s as good as the first, but then that might be an impossible accomplishment.
Hotori: Tada Saiwai o Koinegau (8): A well realized short story about a robot who’s gaining a unique personality and the relationship he develops with a girl who’s losing her memories.
Infinite Ryvius (8): This is primarily a psychological series in the vein of Evangelion which while having some dated animation and questionably logical events, is surprisingly good overall. That’s mainly thanks to the focus on the various characters’ personal trials and the development of their personalities.
K-On! (8): A ‘making the band’ kind of Anime that’s similar to Azumanga Daioh with a splash of Lucky Star and The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. Note that this rating is only for the first season.
Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai -Ultra Romantic- (8): Amazingly well-done conclusion that builds upon everything that happened earlier in the series.
Kakurenbo (8): A short movie about kids playing an accursed game of hide-and-seek/tag with a demon. It has good animation and an intriguing story, suffering only in its character portrayals. They’re a bit stiff from time to time.
Kamisama no Memo-chou (8): This series is similar to and mixes elements from Gosick and Durarara!!; the premise is like the former while the characters are like the latter. It’s main problem is that it periodically gets bogged down with too much focus on Narumi’s initial lack of initiative.
Kara no Kyoukai: Mirai Fukuin (8): A pretty good add-on to the main series that mostly takes place shortly before the fifth movie (only the last half hour takes place after the series). It suffers from not having as strong a focus as the other movies do, choosing instead to drift around a bit from character to character. The Extra Chorus special just adds a few short stories that flesh out one or two things from the earlier movies.
Kotonoha no Niwa (8): A breathtakingly beautiful piece of animation that gets knocked down a few pegs due to some questionable character behavior and something of a forced ending.
Koukaku no Regios (8): A surprisingly engaging series with a ton of characters that look and act like characters from a host of other Anime.
Kurau Phantom Memory (8): A serious series focusing on relationships and ethics in science. Very well done characterizations and action sequences, with a fairly original plot.
Last Exile (8): I’m not a fan of this particular hybrid animation style; one or the other is fine, but when they mix them I tend to get headaches watching it. I think it’s due to the higher base contrast on the CGI parts. Animation aside, I was rather neutral toward this series until Dio showed up, then it started getting interesting and graduated to ‘Good’ upon the introduction of Delphine. Delphine is just perfect. I also completely wasn’t expecting the world to be the way it was at the end (Exile; yes, the world; no), so that was a nice surprise.
Le Chevalier D’Eon (8): This series was rather interesting, although it had very strange pacing. It basically worked out to be a bunch of excitement, followed by an episode or so of dragging, then more excitement, followed by more dragging. It made up for this by telling an interesting and twisty story, as well as having some extremely well choreographed fencing. It’s similar to Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto in that it’s a supernatural take on actual historical events.
Lovely Complex (8): A romantic comedy with humor and animation similar to that found in Haré+Guu. It focuses on the relationship between a tall girl and short boy who each have height complexes. It lags a little toward the middle, when it takes on numerous romantic elements, but it gets back to its comedic roots at the end and actually finishes quite well.
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED (8): The startup takes a bit, and I actually stopped watching it almost immediately the first time I tried viewing it. Once you get past the first two episodes or so it takes off and is just as good as Gundam Wing (which it’s essentially a retelling of), if not better.
Musaigen no Phantom World (8): The first episode makes this out to be more of an ecchi series than it actually is. From the 2nd on it’s integrated far better and never takes away from the action/comedy aspects… which are both phenominal.
Nejimaki Seirei Senki: Tenkyou no Alderamin (8): This is a lot like the flashback part of Densetsu no Yuusha no Densetsu if Eris had replaced Kiefer, minus the supernatural powers. If you’re fond of the ‘lazy genius’ protagonist archetype you should give it a try.
Night Head Genesis (8): This was basically a grittier and more realistic E’s Otherwise. It’s a mind-fuck of a series that has a decently interesting storyline that I think is an allegory about how sheltering your children leads to ruin. I didn’t really like the brothers’ personalities though.
Nihonbashi Koukashita R Keikaku (8): An extremely good music video for a not so good song.
Nodame Cantabile (OVA) (8): A nicely diverting set of two OVAs that have basically no impact on the parent series.
Nurarihyon no Mago (OVAs) (8): These two OVAs reveal some of the history behind the clan. The first is extremely good while the second is merely decent.
One Outs (8): A rather fantastic mindgame/gambling series with a baseball theme. Most of its focus is on the mind games rather than baseball, so you don’t have to be a sports fan fan to enjoy it. The last arc though is focused on cheating, and as a result ends up paying noticably more attention to the game.
Owarimonogatari (8): I don’t like Ougi much, so the first story ended up pretty bad. Then the third is also fairly lackluster thanks to a greater than average focus on a character who’s literally insane. The second story is decent though and the remaining four, which make up nearly three-quarters of the show, are nearly perfect (if a bit heavy on exposition).
Pani Poni Dash! (8): This is Excel Saga taken to the max. The jokes keep coming and don’t stop, ever. There are actually comprehensive joke notes for each episode that the fan-subbers put together, as you will almost certainly miss at least half of them the first time through. Particularly if you aren’t Japanese.
Paprika (8): A beautiful movie that gets a bit too lost in itself at the end. Not really fond of most of the characters either.
Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom (8): The first third of this series is quite good and similar in some ways to a cross between Noir and Kite. The second and third parts aren’t quite as good however, and may be best avoided depending on your genre preferences (the second is like most of Gungrave, while the third is school-lifey).
Quanzhi Gaoshou 2 (8): Pretty much more of the same with a sightly different character balance; so, no complaints here.
Quanzhi Gaoshou: Tebie Pian (8): Fantastic continuation of Quanzhi Gaoshou with a solid mix of action and character developments.
Seitokai Yakuindomo (8): This takes the basic setup of Haruhi Suzumiya, puts it in a Lucky Star framework, and then inundates it with random sex-related jokes. It’s interesting to note that it takes a slightly different tack from most absurdist comedies by having two ‘straight-men’ instead of one.
SHIROBAKO (8): A pretty fantastic comedy that seamlessly mixes in a number of dramatic elements. Less seamless are many of the educational segments regarding the Anime business, a number of which end up quite dull.
Steins;Gate: Fuka Ryouiki no Deja vu (8): For the most part this is a solid continuation/conclusion of/to the series. Where it slips up is in the final quarter, which seems somewhat rushed.
Tanaka-kun wa Itsumo Kedaruge (8): Solid pacing, a varied and likable cast of characters, and a servicable art style. A top-tier lighthearted gag comedy.
Tatsumi (8): A surprisingly interesting autobiography interspersed with adaptations of some of the subject’s manga shorts. Short stories which go to some pretty dark places.
There She Is!! (8): A series of musical shorts, whose tone evolves from comedic to serious, which tell a tale of forbidden love. It’s marred by a rather cliché ending.
Ueno-san wa Bukiyou (8): Highly outlandish ecchi comedy which occasionally goes too far.
Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (8): This was a great, great, movie. Very interesting world, impressive action sequences, and unique characters. I also like how they depicted vampirism.
Wasure-boshi (8): An nicely abstract/surreal little movie with interesting visuals that tells an uncommon story.
Yagate Kimi ni Naru (8): The protagonist’s uncommon personality is really what makes this series, and it’s at its best when focused on the central couple.
Acchi Kocchi (7.75): Somewhat similar to Lucky Star if Lucky Star focused on romance. It’s criminally adorable, although a bit slow at times and some of the jokes don’t translate well.
Aiura (7.75): A mini-episode comedy series that’s similar to Azumanga with a more K-On! look to it. Its primary strength is in subdued and subtly incredulous reactions.
Akanesasu Shoujo (7.75): The fantastic cast of characters and comedy style are the show’s primary strengths.
Aki no Kanade (7.75): A well-paced and animated little movie that tells an engaging, if simple, story.
Amagami SS (7.75): The first arc is awkward in general and feels a bit rushed, while the second has neither of those issues and works out rather well. The third arc does not feel rushed, but ends up being even more awkward than the first. The fourth manages to be pretty decent all around, while the fifth feels the most natural overall. The sixth and final arc is the most complicated and feels like the ‘true’ arc, while the last episode finally reveals why Junichi was stood-up two years ago… but otherwise isn’t very interesting.
Amuri in Star Ocean (7.75): Similar to Gurren Lagann in its exaggerated situations, this short series focuses on the magical girl genre (albeit from a sci-fi viewpoint) rather than the super-robot genre. It uses full CGI for its animation though, which I’m not fond of in the slightest, and its ending is… agitating.
Animal Tantei Kiruminzoo (7.75): An incredibly vibrant kids series with a comedy style that can appeal to all ages. It a bit too trite at times however and has an awkward ‘seduce the populace’ subplot that feels completely out of place.
Aoi Hana (7.75): A slowly-paced bittersweet romance involving a crosshatch of relationships. Of note is that the expected unrequited love is not between childhood friends.
Appleseed (7.75): Fantastic movie. Great animation style, interesting characters, and a well developed plot.
Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto (7.75): An interesting historical series. It’s sort of like a more realistic Samurai Deeper Kyou, although it deals with a different time period. The battles are done in a believable style, and the story follows historical events rather closely… but it does have a tendency to drag from time to time. The last four episodes almost seem to be from a totally different series due to breaking from the historical focus of the earlier episodes, which makes them seem much more like SDKyo. As for the ending; I didn’t really like the way Akidzuki’s personality completely changed… but it would seem that good endings are very hard to come by.
Black★★Rock Shooter: DAWN FALL (7.75): Incredibly stylish take on a heavy sci-fi Mad Max kinda world. Shame about the ending though.
Bleach Movie: Fade to Black (7.75): Easily on par with the non-filler part of the main series. Would’ve been better had it not contained a fairly pointless battle with a giant tentacle monster at the end.
Blood+ (7.75): So much better than the movie. So much better that it’s unbelievable they even involve the same character. They thankfully make zero references to that abomination of a movie. Very believable characters, well choreographed action, and a deep storyline combine to bring you a great series.
BTOOOM! (7.75): An entertaining series centered around a deadly real-life FPS tournament of sorts (with bombs instead of guns) on a deserted island, which also includes a fairly significant developing romantic relationship. The flashbacks are a bit annoying though.
Casshern Sins (7.75): A fairly slow if interesting post-apocalyptic series that resembles (in theme) SoulTaker, Avenger, and Ergo Proxy. It has an extremely heavy focus on desolation with a side order of childish innocence… the latter presumably exists to dilute the tragic circumstances.
Chobits (7.75): Although the main character starts out as the stereotypical ‘sex-crazed, incompetent, and hopeless-with-women student’, the underlying themes and the serious questions this series poses raise it above other simple ‘boy meets girl’ stories.
Da Capo: Second Season (7.75): This season is quite similar to the first in the way it switches from one genre to another and does a pretty good job continuing the storyline without rehashing things too much. It thankfully got rid of those short-story things that the second half of the first season had, although I was rather put-off by the large amount of blatant fanservice that seems to have been added in their place.
Ef – A Tale of Melodies (7.75): A well done romance/tragedy series that intertwines several relation arcs across two time periods. If you’ve watched the first season (Tale of Memories) then this is a perfect continuation, if you haven’t then this still stands solidly enough on its own. Its primarily flaw is that it periodically goes too far with the drama and ends up overly melodramatic.
Endro~! (7.75): High production values and cute characters, but there are several pretty dull/generic episodes clogging up the middle of the series.
Full Metal Alchemist (7.75): Here’s another enjoyable series that combines a well thought out world/plot with solid character development. The characters are even all shockingly likable… a rare occurrence in most shounen series.
Gatchaman Crowds (7.75): Incredibly stylish with a remarkably fun protagonist. Note that the Director’s Cut of episode twelve only replaces the second half of the broadcast episode twelve rather than the entire thing.
Glasslip (7.75): A slice of life drama/comedy with a bit of fantasy/mystery added to it whose character dynamics bring to mind Anohana. Don’t expect any part of the fantasy aspects to be explained, as they’re just there to flavor Touko’s coming of age story.
Gochuumon wa Usagi Desuka? (7.75): A high quality slice of life style schoolgirl-centric comedy. It’s not set in a school though, which works quite a bit to its advantage.
Grand Blue (7.75): A great reaction comedy that lags a bit in the first quarter.
Guilty Crown (7.75): The first half is vaguely similar to Code Geass (with different character archetypes) while the second half is similar to the second half of Chaos;Head (although not quite as ludicrous). All told this would’ve been far better if they stopped halfway through and never got to the whole “Fourth Apocalypse” nonsense as it makes little to no sense. Even so, it’s got some great characters and enough decently executed ideas to stay interesting for most of its runtime.
Hai to Gensou no Grimgar (7.75): A character-driven ‘trapped in a fantasy world/MMO’ show that doesn’t start picking up steam until the 4th episode. At that point though it becomes quite engaging indeed, with only the skill exposition segments standing out as mood-breakers.
Handa-kun (7.75): A gag-comedy focused on situational and misunderstanding based humor. It’s sort of like Sakamoto Desu ga? if Sakamoto were completely unaware of his own popularity, and has a bit of a Tanaka-kun character dynamic
Hanebado! (7.75): A great sports shounen brought down by the titular character’s personality shift into a total bitch.
Hatsukoi Limited (7.75): A surprisingly sweet romance/comedy series with some great character design.
Ixion Saga DT (7.75): A gag-comedy parody of the standard ‘hero summoned to save the world’ type of story. The gags are fairly random (ranging from stellar to cringe-worthy) and the general comedic style is somewhat like Gintama‘s.
Just Because! (7.75): While overly awkward at times, for the most part the romantic drama and comic relief are expertly balanced. Nearly all of the characters are fun as well.
Kimi ga Nozomu Eien (7.75): This series is also known as Rumbling Hearts, and it’s a rough one. Very, very, serious subject matter with little to soften the blow. Extreme and realistic (besides the few comic relief portions) romantic tragedy.
Kimi ni Todoke (7.75): The first season, once you get past the opening, it incredibly good and reminiscent of Lovely Complex and Toradora!. Unfortunately the second season isn’t as well balanced and focuses far more on the awkward romance aspects of the series than the comedy. The ending, however, is a perfect fit. It’s interesting to note that Sawako is the only girl in the series with black hair… all the others have variations of brown.
Kimi no Iru Machi: Tasogare Kousaten (7.75): A solidly built two-episode romantic series who’s only real problem is that its secondary romance feels only partially fleshed-out.
Kite (7.75): This strongly reminded me of La Femme Nikita, and as such I liked it almost instantly. Similar in concept to Gunslinger Girl… only a bit darker.
Koufuku Graffiti (7.75): A surprisingly fun comedic slice of life even if you skip all the food-related masturbation scenes. Looks fantastic as well.
Koukaku Kidoutai Stand Alone Complex: The Laughing Man (7.75): A condensed version of the first season of Stand Alone Complex that manages to get the story across quite well and remain engaging despite some lengthy expositions and a sudden thematic shift in its last third.
Kuai Ba Wo Ge Dai Zou: Ani ni Tsukeru Kusuri wa Nai! (7.75): Great gag-based comedy held back by an ill-fitting romance subplot.
Kuroko no Baske (2013) (7.75): This second season amps up the scale and the amount excitement rises right along with it. The basketball games are even less realistic though, if you care about that sort of thing.
Kuttsukiboshi (7.75): A story about the relationship between a secret telekinetic and the girl she fell in love with. The first episode isn’t very good but the second more than makes up for it with that ending. Also of note is that this has several girl/girl sex scenes in it.
Kyousougiga (7.75): A heavily-stylistic OVA similar in design to Dead Leaves, Trava, and Redline. The primary reason to watch this is for the visuals, although the storyline looks like it could be fairly interesting if fleshed out into a series or full movie.
Leadale no Daichi nite (7.75): A mostly laid-back and upbeat overpowered protagonist isekai focused on comedy (mostly slapstick and reaction). What it lacks in distinctiveness it makes up for in personality.
Lord El-Melloi II Case Files: {Rail Zeppelin} Grace note (7.75): Fills a much needed hole in the animated Fate/ franchise (including clearing up a few seemingly random scenes from Fate/Apocrypha). Though the comic relief is hit/miss, the action and detective elements are consistency engaging.
Love Lab (7.75): Almost consistently hilarious. There are three points where it shifts to address serious business and suffers notably as a result.
Machikado Mazoku 2-choume (7.75): Aside from the scattershot beginning there’s nothing to complain about here. A solid continuation that builds on what came before.
Macross Frontier Movie: Itsuwari no Utahime (7.75): A workable alternative to watching the series if you have no other choice. If you do have that choice however go for the series; it’s flat-out better.
Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha ViVid (7.75): A continuation of StrikerS that has a Dog Days feel to it. Despite the ill-placed ecchi scenes marring the first half, the series ends up an incredibly fun and lighthearted watch with lots of good action scenes to enjoy.
Munou na Nana (7.75): It takes skill to organically turn a murder mystery that follows the murderer’s point of view into a legitimate mystery/thriller series, a feat this series pulls off with flying colors. Shame about the cliffhanger ending, but I can’t deny how effectively it was pulled off.
Nabari no Ou (7.75): This could be billed as a realistic take on Naruto, but that may be oversimplifying things. In any case, it’s an interesting Action/Comedy/Drama that remains entertaining throughout most of its runtime despite being mostly predictable. The events of episode twenty-five, however, were notably disappointing and bring down its rating a bit.
Namiuchigiwa no Muromi-san (7.75): A random comedy focused on mermaids and an assortment of legendary creatures interacting with a normal boy who likes fishing. Slapstick, ecchi, and general reaction humor are all on display.
Needless (7.75): A parody of Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. It has all the over-the-topness of that series while replacing its drama with slapstick and random comedy. I would’ve preferred it having been a thirteen episode series however, as even though the multi-episode fight scenes are meant to be parodies of extended fights scenes… they’re still overextended.
NO.6 (7.75): Beautiful visuals, solid characterizations, and mostly solid plot development (the ending is a bit sketchy).
Nobunaga the Fool (7.75): A beautiful alternative history/mecha series that combines shounen action with seinen tragedy. It does have a small yet noticeable recycled animation issue though.
Norageki! (7.75): A fully self-contained short movie that tells a pretty interesting and unconventional story.
Ouran Koukou Host Club (7.75): A great gag/romantic comedy held back by somewhat painful attempts to include plot/character development.
Re:_ Hamatora (7.75): Much more serious and plot-driven than the first season. Which works out well for the most part, even though the show’s best feature is its off-the-wall comedy style.
Read or Die (7.75): This was completely unexpected. I’m not sure what I was expecting exactly, but Secret Agent Librarians was not it. The OVA’s that take place before the TV series are perfectly done. The TV series itself suffers a bit from lack of focus, as well as lack of Nancy, but the characters it introduced were varied enough to keep things interesting.
Seijo no Maryoku wa Bannou Desu (7.75): An unconventional overpowered protagonist series, in that it’s focused far more on slice of life than action, which doubles as a straight-forward romance. It’s a mix that works surprisingly well.
Sono Bisque DOLL wa KOI o Suru (7.75): A fun and upbeat romantic comedy that suffers a bit from excessive ecchi and awkwardness.
Sora no Manimani (7.75): A school life/comedy series focusing on an astronomy club. While it gets a bit boring at times, overall it’s a very fun series with some nice artwork.
Sora o Kakeru Shoujo (7.75): A comedy/action/drama hybrid. The beginning reminded me of Excel Saga, the middle reminded me of Gundam SEED, and the end was reminiscent of Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha.
The Hakkenden (7.75): A classical supernatural samurai tale about destiny, cursed or otherwise. An interesting story and remarkably good animation quality for its age marred mainly by its sudden end. Its sequel, Shin Shou, isn’t of the best quality and should most likely be avoided.
Tokyo Ravens (7.75): Has a good mix of action/comedy/drama and a fairly interesting background universe/story. The CGI is distracting though and the romance aspects are only so-so.
Toradora! (7.75): A romantic comedy, with a bit of the harem genre thrown in, whose second half becomes more drama-centric. The first half is very good, but the second half has a completely different feel and drags the series down a bit.
Trinity Blood (7.75): This was a very good series in the same vein as Hellsing. Though, unlike Hellsing, this takes place in a more believable world (strange, I know) with more believable characters. I’ve always liked the Cain/Abel mythos and this series does it justice.
xxxHolic (7.75): I seem to really like Clamp’s work, and may have to check out their other series as well, because both their dialog and character design are incredible. Yuuko was great in Tsubasa Chronicles, and her incarnation here is also fantastic.
.hack//Quantum (7.5): The first episode is awesome, the second drags quite a bit as it focuses on the conspiracy-of-the-installment, and the last is fairly entertaining. Those that have seen the previous .hack series will know what to expect while those new to the franchise will get perhaps the most accessible introduction possible.
86 (7.75): A remarkably well-made mix of war action/drama and unconventional romance. It suffers a bit in the first half from a lack of antagonist motivation though, and the second half could’ve done with more devlopment on Lena’s side of things.
Akatsuki no Yona: The Girl Standing in the Blush of Dawn (7.5): A visually gorgeous series that mixes action, drama, and comedy. While the bishshounen harem aspect may turn some people off, that’s really the only part of the show that has a shoujo feel to it; the focus is more on Yona’s growth as a character. As for the OVAs: The first starts out like a generic hot springs episode only to end up detailing one of the guy’s backstories, while the other two are a fairly engaging flashback to long before the series started.
AKB0048 (7.5): A mixed genre (action, drama, musicals) idol series that starts off shaky and improves over time. The idol parts are like Idolm@ster while the drama and mecha action parts resemble Soukou no Strain, interestingly enough.
Armitage III (7.5): This four-episode OVA series is in the same vein as Ghost in the Shell, with a little bit of Ergo Proxy thrown in. There’s also a condensed movie version called Poly-Matrix, but I’ve only seen the OVA version so I have no clue which is better to watch.
Beelzebub-jou no Oki ni Mesu Mama. (7.5): An overload of light, fluffy romantic comedy brought down by couple overly weird/creepy character gimmicks.
Black Lagoon: Roberta’s Blood Trail (7.5): The franchise is best when it keeps a balance between realism and absurdity. This particular installment is unfortunately skewed toward the latter and, to make matters worse, focuses on one of the least likable characters from the first season. It still has periodic flashes of quality, but it’s not a must-see by any means.
BLADE RUNNER: BLACK OUT 2022 (7.5): A fantastically animated (for the most part) little action short.
Blame! (Movie) (7.5): The visuals (after a choppy start) and atmosphere are great while most of the characters are a bit flat.
Blue Submarine No. 6 (7.5): A solid (if not particularly original) post-apocalyptic story with mostly acceptable characters. And while it has some pretty cartoony antagonist design, the general artwork and CG are remarkably good… especially considering when it was released.
Broken Blade (7.5): The first half labors under some unfortunate tropes and lags a bit as a result. The second half is far better with its more character/conflict-driven focus… the reappearance of a certain character at the end was painfully ill-placed though. The TV series version doesn’t seem much different and has a few extra scenes, so if you haven’t seen it yet you may as well go with that version.
Bubble (7.5): A work focused on parkour absolutely requires quality animation, and fortunately this has that in spades. The actual storyline however is more generic, albeit executed perfectly.
Candy Boy (7.5): A nice little series with perfect pacing, decent characters, and a good animation style.
Carnival Phantasm (7.5): A parody series focusing on Type-Moon works in general and Fate/Stay Night in particular. Unless you’ve at least seen that series little within this one will make any sense. If you have seen it though, preferably along with Tsukihime, then you’ll get some solid amusement out of this. The Fate/Prototype promo is also worth watching to see what Fate/Stay could have been like excised of the dating sim elements (far better).
Chainsaw Man (7.5): Starts off a bit annoying due to the fanservice elements, but picks up nicely in the second half.
Da Dianying: Quanzhi Gaoshou – Zhi Dianfeng Rongyao (7.5): A prequel to the main series, this answers many questions regarding the protagonist’s goals/behavior and features some fantastic action scenes as a bonus.
Dantalian no Shoka (7.5): Similar in some ways to Gosick. This ends up better due to having more likable characters as well as not patronizing its viewer with needless mystery-destroying explanations. Toward the end it starts to fall apart a bit however with the inclusion of a pointless episode (eleventh), an ill-fitting episode (ninth), and a strange episode (twelfth).
Dog Days (7.5): A surprisingly enjoyable series despite its fairly ludicrous world building. The character design is good, both in appearance and personality, and the pacing is perfect. Don’t expect anything deep or meaningful from it, but it works extremely well as a fun lighthearted interlude for more series fare.
Dororon Enma-kun: Meeramera (7.5): While the humor can get pretty juvenile at times, the ecchi is quite heavy, and it has an annoyingly episodic first four episodes… overall this show ends up quite the entertaining dark random/referential comedy.
Dragon Half (7.5): An amusing parody-style comedy.
Eden of the East (OVAs) (7.5): These two movies are presumably meant to finish up ‘the game’ and any loose ends. They don’t really succeed all that well though. More annoying is that despite this being a romance, the actual romance is left hanging at the end. They’re still fairly good, but are a large step down from the main series.
Ergo Proxy (7.5): This is one of those original ideas that come around once a year if you’re lucky. Well crafted story, visuals, characters, and world. Lots of interesting sub-themes and mysteries to think about as the main plot progresses.
Eureka Seven: AO (7.5): Solid mecha action mixed with some angst/drama and comedy, overlain atop an interesting time/dimension-twisting plotline. Similarity-wise it resembles Evangelion and Gundam 00.
Gakuen Handsome (7.5): A fantastic parody that uses its overly simple character design and almost complete lack of animation to great comic effect.
Gamers! (7.5): A side-splitting romantic comedy that’s a bit too overwhelming at times. The highly questionable last episode is also an issue.
Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun (7.5): A surprisingly amusing series with a diverse cast that starts losing steam halfway through. Even more surprising is that it manages to turn that trend around toward the end and make a full recovery.
Ghost Hunt (7.5): This is an interesting detective-like series. The characters are rather unique and the comedy parts are humorous. It doesn’t really have a plotline of any significance though.
Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu Gaiden (1999) (7.5): Noticeably better animation than the first Gaiden series and spends the first half focusing on the Alliance for once. That said, if you’re not fond of ‘wordy’ series you should probably best stay away since that first half somewhat resembles a History Channel documentary. The second half is made up of stories thematically similar to the first Gaiden, so you if you liked that you’ll probably like this as well.
Gintama.: Rakuyou Kessen Hen (7.5): Basically everything you’ve come to expect from this franchise.
Gundam-san (7.5): A set of comedy shorts centered around the characters from the first Gundam series. They’re hit or miss, but tend to hit more than they miss.
Hagure Yuusha no Aesthetica (7.5): A remarkably fun ecchi series focusing on an all-powerful and charming protagonist who has recently returned to his world after defeating the “Dark Lord” of an alternate world, carrying the daughter of said Dark Lord along with him. The plotline is fresh, the action scenes are decent enough, and the protagonist is eminently likable. It goes rather overboard on the random groping scenes though.
Hataage! Kemono Michi (7.5): The first episode says it all really. The series is so consistent that if you don’t like the beginning then you certainly won’t like the end (or the middle either for that matter).
Hellsing (OVAs) (7.5): A retelling of Hellsing to more closely fit the manga. The first two were just as good, if not better than, the regular series. The third one took a turn for the worse in the animation department, but four through seven return to the standards of the first two. Unfortunately eight relies far too heavily on absurd facial caricatures and suffers badly as a result, while nine is just a bunch of ridiculous and uninteresting Deus Ex Machina bullshit. The final is decent enough though… if you subtract the last 10 minutes or so.
Higan (7.5): A short movie featuring mecha action and not much else. It’s not exactly impressive, rather it’s simply serviceable and well made.
Highlander: The Search for Vengeance (7.5): A solid, entertaining movie. Good visuals, good action, acceptable plotline.
ID:INVADED (7.5): Like a lot of shows this one kind of loses its way toward the end. The journey leading up to that point however is quite engaging.
Idol Master Xenoglossia (7.5): Somewhat similar to a less serious version of the Gundam series minus the perpetual power upgrades and recycled animations. The main issue I had with it was the at times overbearing girl/robot love affairs.
Ikkitousen Dragon Destiny (7.5): I liked this season slightly more than the first, probably due to the lesser focus on Hakufu. It otherwise still sticks to the formula; a Romance of the Three Kingdoms storyline overlain on ecchi-heavy fight scenes along with comedic intervals spaced between the bloodshed.
Inou Battle wa Nichijou-kei no Naka de (7.5): A mixture of comedy, drama, and harem romance… mostly comedy though. With the notable exception of the eighth episode, this show stays remarkably consistent in its entertainment value and features some pretty great reactions.
Jigoku Shoujo Futakomori (7.5): The second season of Hell Girl, and it’s quite good. The cases they get are a touch more convoluted then the ones in Season 1, and they throw in some interesting twists. Lolis normally do nothing for me, but it seems that they attempted to make Enma Ai far more seductive this time around… and they succeeded.
Joshiraku (7.5): While I have no interest in rakugo, the random conversations this series focuses on are hilarious more often than not. The extra OVA episode is pretty much identical in quality to the main TV episodes.
Juuni Taisen (7.5): The conversational aspects, character diversity, and action scenes are all very good. The last episode though is pretty bad for the most part.
Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute! (7.5): Amazingly enough, this adaptation greatly fleshes out the source material and has high production values besides.
Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai ~Tensai-tachi no Ren’ai Zunousen~ (7.5): Great, if somewhat repetitive, comedy featuring both a highly entertaining and a highly annoying supporting character (along with a highly annoying narrator). The second season adds a sort of extraneous supporting character while reducing the annoyance of the male supporting character, which evens out.
Kaichou wa Maid-sama! (7.5): A fun series that both starts off somewhat awkwardly and ends somewhat awkwardly. Episode five to about episode fourteen is quite good, but afterward it tends to be rather touch-and-go.
Kannagi (7.5): This comedy series bears a slight resemblance to Haruhi. The first half or so is the best while the second can be pretty hit or miss. Especially episodes eleven through thirteen, which do not fit well due to being completely and inexplicably drama-focused.
Karin (7.5): An interesting series about a reverse vampire and her family of normal vampires. It’s mainly a comedy with a bit of seriousness here and there, and is surprisingly good.
Kekkaishi (7.5): For up until a little ways past the halfway point (episode thirty) this is a great shounen series. After that point however it falls prey to the same style that dragged down Naruto and Bleach and becomes barely watchable in its mediocrity.
Kemurikusa. (7.5): Refines what was present in both the earlier OVA and Kemono Friends into a remarkably entertaining journey featuring an incredibly annoying main character.
Kimi no Suizou o Tabetai (7.5): Features a wonderful central character dynamic… and a notably more divisive conclusion/epilogue.
Koi Kaze (7.5): A serious and grounded unconventional romance. There are a couple of bumps in the road (episode six in particular), for the most part though it handles its subject matter well.
Kokoro Connect (7.5): Starts out as a comedy with dramatic interludes and turns into a full-on drama focusing on relationship issues (although there are still a few comedy bits scattered about). The first situation is fantastic, the second is decent if a bit overdone, and the last one feels somewhat forced. The four bonus episodes take that feeling of contrivance from the third scenario to the next level and should likely be avoided.
Kokoro ga Sakebitagatterunda. (7.5): While the entire setup is ridiculously artificial, the cast of relatable chracters all work together to make it feel real. Note that this is not a happy-go-lucky movie; it has some remarkably brutal scenes regarding adultery and unrequited love.
Koukaku Kidoutai: Shin Gekijouban (7.5): While you have to watch Arise first to fully follow what’s happening here, this movie is actually pretty good and so somewhat worth the effort.
Kuroko no Baske (7.5): A basketball themed battle shounen with good comedy, good characters, and exciting matches. If you want to see realistic basketball games though this show won’t be able to help you.
Kyousougiga (TV Series) (7.5): Takes everything that came before and combines/extends it into a full story. The reason it ends up worse than the earlier versions is due to the second half which adds new material that really doesn’t fit all that well with the rest of the series. It’s far too dramatic/serious with not enough comedy/insanity.
Log Horizon: Entaku Houkai (7.5): A fairly seamless continution of the series which will have more impact if you’ve played a fantasy MMO before.
MADLAX (7.5): Brilliant series. Poignant and original with a storyline that encourages you to actually think about what is happening and why.
Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A’s (7.5): Much better than the first season. It picks up much faster and the fight choreography is more detailed. There’s also a much greater focus on how the ‘magic’ is just highly advanced technology as well as a storyline that’s slightly more serious overall.
Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha the Movie 1st (7.5): A retelling of the first season that removes most of the jewel seed hunt in favor of focusing on the Fate/Nanoha and Fate/Precia interactions. It ends up tighter than the series as a result. Although there are notable periods where it feels rushed and some areas where entire swathes of storyline were cut out or condensed are fairly noticeable.
Mahou Shoujo Nante Mou Ii Desu kara. (7.5): A solid magical girl parody that appears to be drawing on Madoka in particular for inspiration.
Majo no Tabitabi: THE JOURNEY OF ELAINA (7.5): A version of Kino no Tabi with a more emotional protagonist and greater focus on both comedy and action.
Makai Senki Disgaea (7.5): This is a fun series to watch regardless of whether or not you’ve already played the game (watching it was actually what got me to finally check out the game). So long as long as you’re aware going into it that it thrives on absurdity.
Mashiro Iro Symphony (7.5): Those familiar with dating sims won’t get many surprises from this series. That said, while I wouldn’t go as far as to say the series is realistic it does do a good job of avoiding extremes. Which results in a compelling story with solid characters.
Megalo Box (7.5): Pretty much the 90’s incarnate.
Michiko to Hachin (7.5): A slightly more serious combination of Black Lagoon and El Cazador. From a strict quality perspective there’s nothing really wrong with this series, for some reason I just couldn’t really connect with either of the characters though and so didn’t enjoy it as much as expected.
Mobile Suit Gundam Wing (7.5): Perhaps a bit dated, but the story and characters are top-notch. It does suffer from the bane of almost all Gundam series though: constantly recycling the same animation sequences.
Mononoke (7.5): An extremely stylish mystical-themed detective-ish series that deals with some dark topics. The pacing leaves something to be desired though and you’re best off starting this series after having already watched the last three episodes of Ayakashi: Japanese Classic Horror.
Morita-san wa Mukuchi (7.5): This is a school-life series of short 2.5 minute episodes. The first season is more comedy-focused while the second is more like the slice-of-life genre. It has surprisingly good animation and diverse character design for a series of shorts.
Mouryou no Hako (7.5): A interestingly structured mystery/horror series that will probably bore you to tears if you can’t stand people just hanging around talking about things. Because they talk about things a lot in this series. If you don’t mind wordy ‘bookish’ series though this ends up fairly intriguing.
Myself; Yourself (7.5): A Dating Sim adaptation in which there’s only one notably conflicted romance (which is only revealed late in the series) and childhood friends get to develop their relationship into something more. However, it does contain a re-occuring character with an extremely annoying voice and unfortunately turns a bit overdramatic at the eighth episode.
Nagi no Asukara (7.5): Starts out shaky with an unpleasant protagonist and questionable drama, but picks up notably in the second half to become quite engaging. The ending is a little unfortunate though.
(7.5): The fifth season is more about episodic stories of longing/melancholy than slice of life and ends up the strongest so far as a result.

Netoge no Yome wa Onnanoko ja Nai to Omotta? (7.5): An amusing romantic comedy focused on gamer/otaku and ecchi comedy.
ØBSOLETE (7.5): Good use of CGI coupled with an interesting idea. Ends kind of unfinished though.
Onegai Twins (7.5): Similar to Kimi ga Nozomu Eien, only much less tragic. What stood out about this series was that the protagonist doen’t fall into one of the standard Anime stereotypes… which was quite refreshing.
Paranoia Agent (7.5): This is a very odd series that has some resemblance to both Welcome to the NHK! and Chaos;Head (both the serious and ridiculous halves). When it decides to be serious it’s fantastic and when it pulls out the superhero nonsense it becomes terrible… it runs hot and cold, more hot than cold though. Also potentially of note is that the animation style can be viscerally repulsive at times.
Ping Pong the Animation (7.5): A remarkably engaging show about self-discovery and competition with a number of similarities to Tatami Galaxy. It’s major flaw would have to be the often lackluster/nonexistant animation.
Planet With (7.5): Some great characters and an unconventional storyline combine for a fun and crazy mecha-centric experience.
Rakuen Tsuihou: Expelled from Paradise (7.5): A combination of a fish-out-of-water and buddy cop tale. Other than the character animation the movie looks great and the character interactions are fun. The ending could use quite a bit of work though.
Re: CREATORS (7.5): A ton of fun with great action scenes and a large character variety. The second half starts off notably slow though.
Redline (7.5): This has some fantastic visuals but is severely lacking in every other department. It would also have been better off with a slightly less ridiculous ending stretch and without the seemingly shoe-horned-in Trava references. It’s still ridiculously exciting to watch though.
Reikenzan: Hoshikuzu-tachi no Utage (7.5): While this has some somewhat serious pacing issues, the characters and their antics are amusing enough to carry the show on their own.
Regalia: The Three Sacred Stars (7.5): A more relatable Symphogear.
Rikei ga Koi ni Ochita no de Shoumei shitemita. [r=1-sinθ] (7.5): This second season of the franchise is for the most part perfectly in-line with the prequel. Where it stumbles, and stumbles badly, is in the final episode. Just a complete faceplant at the end there.
Samurai Deeper Kyou (7.5): While this has the same issues the Gundam series’ do with repetitive animation, as well as some minor pacing problems, it completely makes up for it with character and plot design/development. It also gives you a useful history lesson while you’re watching.
Sasameki Koto (7.5): This is something of a typical romantic comedy about unrequited love between childhood friends. The twist being that both parties are female. While the ending doesn’t quite resolve things, it paints a fairly clear picture of where they were headed and definitely works better than a spontaneous confession would have.
Sayonara, Zetsubou Sensei (7.5): A curious combination of sketch comedy and harem that tends to start off fantastic and then slowly degrade in quality over the season’s course. The first season is structured like a conventional series; it has a palpable timeline and the episodes flow from one to another. The second season is more a collection of shorts with little holding them together, while season 2.5 continues in that format while completely destroying the 4th wall. The third season is a combination of the first and second (consisting of shorts that occur in a noticeable order) and ends up being the most consistently interesting.
Sekai Saikou no ANSATSUSHA: Isekai KIZOKU ni TENSEI SURU (7.5): Questionable romance aspects aside, this turned out to be a remarkably entertaining action series with just the right amount of comic relief.
Shikabane Hime (7.5): An interesting series that explores the idea of using the dead to fight the dead, as well as the more general themes of regret and relationship building. The first season is better than the second, but they both flow together well enough.
Souhaku Shisuferia (7.5): A six-minute music video that works shockingly well as an Anime concept.
Sengoku Collection (7.5): A ridiculously colorful series that manages to tell the stories of about twenty-five different characters, in a mix of styles, without feeling disjointed. Which is not to say that it doesn’t misfire on occasion (episodes 2, 9, 15, & 22 have issues). The ending is also a bit random.
Shake-chan (7.5): A very brief (four minute) OVA consisting of a handful of absurdist comedy shorts focused on a fishgirl who tries to get someone to eat her. The animation is surprisingly good and the straightman reactions are perfectly timed.
Shisha no Teikoku (7.5): A crazy, entertainingly over the top zombie movie with a bit of a philosophical bent.
Softenni (7.5): An ecchi comedy with a sizable streak of randomness centered on an all-girls tennis team. The tennis aspects are handled similarly to how Saki handles mahjong (unrealistically with supernatural elements), and while the third episode’s second half is fairly awful the rest of the series is quite good.
Speed Grapher (7.5): I found it similar to Monster and RAY the Animation, and while I’m not usually a fan of these types of series I ended up impressed with this one. It has a seemingly unique story with mostly realistic characters… although the last two ‘monsters’ were ludicrous in the extreme (which brought the rating down a bit).
Starship Operators (7.5): This series is part politics, part space combat, and part Reality TV. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen an animated Reality TV simulation before and that at first turned me off the series. It only really starts to pick up about halfway through when it focuses more on the political/combat aspects.
Taishou Yakyuu Musume. (7.5): A great combination of schoolgirl comedy and sports shounen. The romance aspects however don’t work very well all.
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann: Lagann-hen (7.5): This movie covers the second half of the TV series. Other than the abbreviated opening this is paced much better than the first movie and could easily be watched instead of the equivalent TV version episodes.
Tenchi Muyo! in Love 2 (7.5): The third [i]Tenchi Muyo![/i] movie goes in a very different direction than the other two and the series in general. It’s far more serious and is packed with relationship drama with something of a tragic romance sheen to it. Think [i]Kimi ga Nozomu Eien[/i] light.
Toaru Hikuushi e no Koiuta (7.5): A solid series. The characters are fun and for the most part the story and plot developments are acceptable. Note however that it deliberately ends with the protagonist’s quest unfinished, so don’t watch it if you need your stories to have complete resolutions.
Toaru Hikuushi e no Tsuioku (7.5): A movie about a pilot tasked with a three day mission to bring a princess across enemy lines, and the relationship that develops between them. A nice enough story to pass the time with that contains some interesting aerial battle scenes.
Tokimeki Memorial – Only Love (7.5): Another series that’s been converted from a dating sim, it transitions periodically between comedy and awkward romance befitting its roots.
Tokyo Majin Gakuen Kenpuchou Tou (7.5): This was surprisingly good… even the ending. It deals with a group of high-school seniors who fight against zombie-like creatures and demons that are infesting Tokyo. The pacing is decent, as are the characterizations, but where the series really excels is the main villain. He’s very well designed, as is his ‘companion’.
Touhou Gensou Mangekyou: The Memories of Phantasm (7.5): A short fan-made Touhou story that’s amazingly well-animated. Suffers from a lack of ‘official’ VAs though (I have not listened to the fandubs).
Trigun (7.5): This at first comes across like a standard shounen series; action for action’s sake. As it progresses however, the characters’ personalities become more pronounced and the storyline takes a more serious tone. Very well done and thought provoking.
Trigun: Badlands Rumble (7.5): Manages to neatly fit the various genres of the main series into a fairly engaging and self-contained storyline.
Tsukimonogatari: Yotsugi Doll (7.5): Quite possibly the weakest of the Monogatari entries, this TV special comes across more like a gigantic exposition dump than any sort of engaging story. There’s still a majority of parts that are interesting/entertaining though and the visuals are solid.
Uchiage Hanabi, Shita kara Miru ka? Yoko kara Miru ka? (7.5): A great romance with high-quality visuals and just enough sci-fi elements to keep it interesting.
Uchouten Kazoku (7.5): Starts off extremely interesting, becomes vaguely annoying toward the end when it tries to shift toward action/drama, and finishes so-so.
Utawarerumono OVA (7.5): A set of stories that occurs sometime during the main Utawarerumono series. I didn’t like the first story since it focused on a baby, but the other two were solidly entertaining. Do not bother watching if you haven’t seen the main series though.
Vampire Knight Guilty (7.5): A perfect continuation of season one. All the previous themes remain intact while many of the earlier mysteries are revealed and one-note characters are given depth.
Vanitas no Karte (7.5): The first half is pretty great, but the second half drags on far too long and ends with some truely ill-fitting developments.
Vivy: Fluorite Eye’s Song (7.5): Elements from Beatless, Steins;Gate, and a tiny bit of SukaSuka all mix together into a shockingly consistant character study. I’m particularly impressed at how well the action and dramatic developments were handled. Of course, at the end of the day it’s still just a ‘music saves the world’ type of thing with genocidal AI as the villain so… your mileage may vary.
Wagaya no Oinari-sama (7.5): This series reminds me a bit of Tenchi Universe. It’s notable for having a nicely original story as well as being a harem without a sexual focus (not to metnion its dual-gendered secondary protagonist).
Winter Garden (7.5): This is a quick little two-episode OVA series about a spontaneous romance. It uses facial expression exaggerations for humor, and does a pretty good job of fitting the entire relationship arc into only about 45 minutes without feeling rushed.
Witchblade (7.5): The first half is odd and slightly disturbing/creepy. In fact, it seems to be aimed specifically at vore fetishists. It thankfully gets better in the second half. The fight scenes are still as badly animated as ever, but the storyline and character development now take center stage and the fighting is downplayed. The ending’s even decent.
WXIII: Patlabor the Movie 3 (7.5): A monster movie with a police detective focus and extraneous romantic subplot. Surprisingly good despite some odd choices.
Yami Shibai (7.5): A collection of short horror stories. Adequately creepy for the most part.
Yami to Boushi to Hon no Tabibito (7.5): I’m not really sure how to explain this one. It seems to combine elements of both Tsubasa Chronicles and Haruhi Suzumiya.
Yofukashi no Uta (7.5): Strong Bakemonogatari vibes. While the detective arc is awful and the age gap is an issue, all of the series’ other elements are so good that it still ends up incredibly entertaining.
Youkoso Jitsuryoku Shijou Shugi no Kyoushitsu e (7.5): The characters, particularly the protagonist, are what really make this show.
Yume Tsukai (7.5): An episodic series which handles its drama and action aspects surprisingly well. Though it does stumble at the halfway point, the plot-driven ending stretch makes up for it.
Yumekui Merry (7.5): For the most part this series is both original and enjoyable to watch, and Merry reminds me of Ookami from Ookami-san. Its main problem is that from time to time the forward momentum stalls and you end up having to skip through ~10 minutes or so of long-winded dialogue that doesn’t actually say anything.
<harmony/> (7.25): A fairly slow and philosophy-heavy movie reminiscent of GitS: Innocence and Psycho-Pass. The visuals are mostly fantastic and the social commentary is biting.
Aho-Girl (7.25): Hilarious, but has far too much ecchi.
Araburu Kisetsu no Otome-domo yo. (7.25): Despite being painfully awkward at times (and having an unfortunate variety of questionable subplots) the character interactions and reactions are more than strong enough to carry the series as a romantic comedy.
Arata-naru Sekai (7.25): A pretty cool look at schoolgirls poking through post-apocalyptic scenery. However… the storyline will make next to no sense unless you have access to the manga and novel that make up the other two parts of the series.
Asobi Asobase (7.25): The idea of flipping the ‘cute girls being cute’ theme on its head works well; the near-constant screaming less so. The OVA doesn’t add anything.
Bakemono no Ko (7.25): I don’t normally like these sorts of movies, and this one does things more or less by the numbers. That said, I couldn’t help but be impressed by how well it fits the pieces together and ends things with a surprisingly inventive little twist.
Bakuman (7.25): A ‘battle’ shounen focused on mangaka and the business of manga creation. While I’m not a fan of the subject matter, the presentation is top notch and the characters are pretty likable.
Bakuman (2012) (7.25): The third and final season manages to re-capture the excitement of the first and be remarkably entertaining despite its flaws.
Boogiepop Phantom (7.25): A Horror/Mystery series that reminds me of Serial Experiments Lain and Hell Girl. Its main problem is a visual style that relies far too much on shading out the corners of the screen (and shades of black in general), which makes it a bit of a pain to watch.
Brigadoon Marin to Melan (7.25): While the comedy style is dated and the ecchi is unwelcome, this series has a pretty good story with some remarkably engaging dramatic moments. The protagonist’s age could certainly be an issue though (she’s a loli).
Bungou Stray Dogs: DEAD APPLE (7.25): A fairly gripping action-thriller. Apart from Atsushi’s behavior and the ending battle shounen elements anyway.
Burst Angel (7.25): Once you wade through the heavy ecchi, you come across a surprisingly well-written and deep storyline. The main characters strongly resemble (in appearance) the main characters of Evangelion, so that was a plus for me.
Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card Hen (7.25): Good comedy and mostly good action held back by a pervasive lack of common sense.
Chouyaku Hyakunin Isshu: Uta Koi (7.25): A series of historical romance stories with a focus on poetry and a streak of situational/random humor. A remarkably fun watch, even though the comedy portions get a bit excessive at times.
Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai! Ren (7.25): This second season ends up better than the first thanks to having a greater focus on the comedy and better drama integration. I could have certainly done without the temporary inclusion of a love triangle though.
Crest of the Stars (7.25): This series reminded me a slightly more personal version of Gundam Wing. It suffers a bit from lack of scope, but makes up for that with likable main characters and a lack of reused animations. The Birth OVA is by no means necessary to understand what’s going on in the main series, but does add some impact to the events of the fifth episode. The movie version (Tokubetsu Hen) is a solid alternative to watching the series… if you can speak Japanese. The existing English subs for it are atrocious.
Ef: A Tale of Memories (7.25): This series bears a resemblance, style-wise, to both School Days and Kimi ga Nozomu Eien, although it differs greatly in both the execution and overall mood. Where-as those two have a pointed negative air about them, this one’s relationships are built around hope. A rather well-done series, though the excessive use of camera effects and jump-cuts gets annoying at times.
Eiga K-On! (7.25): Picks up right after the second season and focuses on a trip to London and writing a new song as a gift to Azusa. After the opening scene, which is fantastic, it strikes an acceptable balance between entertaining scenes and duller ‘cute girls doing common things’ scenes.
Fantasy Bishoujo Juniku Ojisan to (7.25): While definitely an amusing isekai parody, it functionally revolves around a single joke: These guys are gay for each other but now it’s not gay. And honestly, I don’t think that concept has much staying power beyond this season.
FLCL -Alternative- (7.25): While for the most part perfectly competent at schoolgirl/random comedy, action, and drama, I didn’t like the 3rd episode at all and the ending seemed arbitrary.
Garo: Honoo no Kokuin (7.25): A surprisingly good series that loses its way for a little bit following the halfway point only to recover quite nicely indeed.
Geneshaft (7.25): I don’t remember where I heard about this series, Anime News Network perhaps, but it’s a hidden gem. Great characters, relatively unique setting, and a coherent plot.
Girls und Panzer (7.25): Somewhat similar to both Saki and Upotte!!, this is a fun series that manages to cram quite a lot of content into eleven of its twelve episodes (the first episode is just plain painful). The Kore ga Hontou no Anzio-sen Desu! OVA is more of the same and should likely be watched in its proper chronological place to avoid having a weird storyline gap in the series.
Goblin Slayer (7.25): Good comedy and action, but occasionally goes overboard with the ecchi and dramatic grimdark aspects.
God Eater (7.25): A solid action/drama that both incorperates and rejects common battle shounen tropes.
Gungrave (7.25): While the vast majority of the series takes place in flashback, that surprisingly doesn’t reduce its hold. The storyline is interesting and characters are well thought out with rational motivations behind their actions.
HAPPY KISS!: Binan Koukou Chikyuubouei-bu (7.25): The new cast works very well and this ends up the best Binan series to date.
Heavy Object (7.25): A remarkably fun action/comedy with a ‘planner’ type of protagonist.
Hentai Ouji to Warawanai Neko (7.25): A romantic comedy that’s interesting for having a nice guy MC who deliberately gets into perverted situations rather than accidentally. Also has some decently integrated dramatic aspects.
Hoozuki no Reitetsu (7.25): While this is a rather slow series with a distinctly odd sense of humor, I found it remarkably relaxing and surprisingly entertaining at times.
Human Lost (7.25): A pretty interesting movie with well-done CGI animation that explores some pretty relevant themes. Where it falters is toward the end, where it abandons most of its philisophical musings to start seriously flirting with battle shounen elements.
Isekai Shokudou (7.25): Nice and relaxing episodic stories with a mostly-entertaining cast.
Ishuzoku Reviewers (7.25): An ecchi comedy featuring the ocassional actual sex scene, this show stands out for using its fanservice elements as character enhancements rather than merely gratuitous softcore porn (most of the time).
Juuichinin Iru! (7.25): While the art and animation are dated, the storyline and characters hold up remarkably well. A nice diversion if you have an hour or two to kill.
Jyu Oh Sei (7.25): They really do know how to make some fantastic visuals. A unique storyline filled with interesting characters.
Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute! 2nd Season (7.25): Similar to the first season this one improves upon the source material, for the opening two-thirds however these improvements are quite minor and it’s only the third arc that gets the massive overhaul. Unfortunately the baseline content is far worse than that of the first season and so even with the improvements it ends up quite a step down.
Kaizoku Oujo (7.25): Despite having a rather misleading name (the pirates are antagonists with no relation to the protagonist), this remarkably well-produced action/adventure series ends up consistently entertaining right up until the inexplicably world-ending conclusion.
Kanon (7.25): Somewhat similar to Da Capo in that it’s a schoolife romance with both tragic and fantasy elements. The comedic portions can be laugh-out-loud funny at times, but the drama/tragedy felt forced and having most of the female characters resemble middle-schoolers didn’t help matters.
Kidou Senshi Gundam: Suisei no Majo – PROLOGUE (7.25): A pretty engaging way to get you interested in the story. Sadly, the actual series bears little resemblance to it.
Konohana Kitan (7.25): Starts off a near-perfect mix of comedy and poignancy, but gets a bit too sappy in the later episodes.
Koukaku Kidoutai: Stand Alone Complex (7.25): This fits in surprisingly well with what was already shown in the movie while expanding upon the different character’s personalities. Season 2, however, is nowhere near as good as Season 1. It’s still good, but it has little to recommend it over any other series in this genre.
Koyomimonogatari (7.25): While the technical aspects are a bit shaky in the beginning, it’s a remarkably solid set of (primarily) side-stories.
Kumo Desu ga, Nani ka? (7.25): A remarkbly entertaining RPG-themed isekai series brought low by inconsistant production values.
Kurozuka (7.25): Starts off like Samurai Deeper Kyou but most of the series is very similar to the noir half of Cowboy Bebop. It has a bit of psychological thriller to it as well and ends with a twist.
Literature Girl (7.25): There are three entries that make up this series; First Love, Memoire, and the movie proper. First Love is a small prelude to the movie and is actually the best of the bunch. The movie itself is two vastly different genres stapled together into a not-quite-whole. The first half is slow moving school-life romance with a bit of comedy while the second is psychosis-infused tragedy similar to Kimi ga Nozomu Eien. Last we have Memoire, which is a companion piece to the movie. The first two episodes reveal some interesting background story on the two main love interests while the last is extraneous and completely focuses on the girl with an unrequited crush on the protagonist.
Log Horizon (2014) (7.25): While this is structured much like the first series, it’s not executed anywhere near as well. The first half for instance is notably haphazard while the final arc is extremely rushed, and the Krusty subplot just sort of appears and disappears at random only to be resolved in the most simplistic way possible. It’s still an entertaining show, just not on the same level as its predecessor.
Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro (7.25): A fun movie featuring all the elements expected of a Lupin story. It doesn’t do anything particularly impressively, but nor does it badly screw anything up.
Machikado Mazoku (7.25): A consistently entertaining parody series in the vein of
Gabriel Dropout.
Made in Abyss (7.25): Nanachi, who appears toward the end, is what really elevates this show into consistently entertaining territory.
Mahoujin Guru Guru (2017) (7.25): While not as good as Akazukin ChaCha it hits many of the same highs.
Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei (7.25): While this suffers from some dialogue issues (chronic infodumps, awkward character interactions), it has great action scenes, nice character relationships, and plenty of excitement in the ‘strategic mastermind’ vein.
Mai-HiME (7.25): While watching this I kept getting flashbacks to Best Student Council. It’s basically a much better take on Sailor Moon.
Masamune-kun no Revenge (7.25): A solid romantic comedy with varied character dynamics.
Masuda Kousuke Gekijou Gag Manga Biyori (7.25): A short-episode sketch comedy mainly focused on reaction humor somewhat similar to the kind used in Gintama and Nichibros.
Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory (7.25): Starts off shaky by including some forced comedy elements only to grow into a markedly serious and fairly entertaining mecha-action show.
Mushiuta (7.25): A very angsty series filled with a bunch of tragedy, so if you like either of those genres you shouldn’t miss this. Suffers from less-than-fitting monster design however along with an extraneous main villain and a mid-series lack of focus.
Niji-iro Days (7.25): An entertaining romantic comedy held back by the nature of the whole Mattsun/Mari situation.
Non Non Biyori Repeat (7.25): The episodes here take place during the first (and possibly second, unsure) seasons making it something of a short-story collection. Since the show’s a slice of life comedy though, it feels perfectly cohesive on its own. Anyway, it’s pretty much identical to the earlier seasons; so if you liked them you’ll like this too.
Noragami (7.25): A comedy/drama that does the comedy and character interactions really well while competently integrating the dramatic bits. So it’s particularly unfortunate that Yukine turns into such an unpleasant character that he drags everything down.
One Punch Man (7.25): The comedy in this show is top-notch, both in general and specifically as a parody of battle shounens. Ironically, where it falters in the action department. While the scenes are beautifully animated (in the first season) they end up lacking any real pull; there’s nothing to want to make the viewer cheer for one side or the other. As for the Road to Hero prequel OVA, it has some solid comedy and ends up worth checking out.
Oretachi ni Tsubasa wa Nai (7.25): At first glance this series’ extremely heavy ecchi focus may cause you to drop it (I almost didn’t make it past the opening). However, it turns out that the heaviest stuff is only in the various openings. That majority of each episode is taken up by sexual-pun-styled comedy and the slowing evolving main plotline… which doesn’t begin to come into focus until the fifth. From then on the characters really start to come into their own as the full extent of the situation is revealed.
Overlord IV (7.25): The best of the Overlord seasons yet, this manages to avoid most of the pitfalls of the previous ones. Only notable issue is that the last arc is pretty random/nonsensical.
Pandora Hearts (7.25): If you were to mix together Alice in Wonderland, Kingdom Hearts, and D.Gray-man, you would get something approximating this series. It should be noted that it takes a drop in overall quality once they return from the Chesire Cat’s domain.
Pet Shop of Horrors (7.25): Four stories surrounding a shady pet shop that sells mythological pets. Two are conventional horror, one is more of a tragedy, and one is positive in an insidious way.
Ranpo Kitan: Game of Laplace (7.25): An amusing black horror/comedy with some similarities to Danganronpa. The few times it gets completely serious is when it’s as its weakest.
Red Data Girl (7.25): A slightly laid back series that manages to keep a surprisingly consistent level of enjoyment with a genre mix of slice of life, subdued comedy, drama/angst, and even a few thriller elements. Starts off slow though.
ReLIFE (7.25): While for the most part this doesn’t do anything much different from other school life romance/comedy/dramas, it has a great cast and the glimpses of corporate drama end up an interesting distinguishing characteristic.
Revolutionary Girl Utena (7.25): Somewhat dragged out and burdened by useless filler content, the central plotline and characters are quite good.
Rozen Maiden: Ouvertüre (7.25): Much, much, better than Season 1 of the series, and far more concise than Season 2. This small OVA series explains the reasons behind Shinku’s erratic actions.
Sakigake!! Cromartie Koukou (7.25): Some sketches are hilarious while others are ponderous. Though it has a lot of up and downs, the good parts are generally much better than the bad parts are bad.
Saenai Heroine no Sodatekata (7.25): While the comedy in this series is fantastic and the artwork/animation/style is quite good (with the exception of that one CGI typing scene), the dramatic aspects aren’t pulled off well and the harem/romance elements are the exact same thing you’ve probably already seen innumerable times before.
School Days (7.25): This is basically a sexed-up and slightly less emotionally painful Kimi ga Nozomu Eien with a younger setting and characters. It seems to attempt to compensate for the lowered emotional drama with an increased awkwardness in its romantic and comedic portions. The last episode was delayed, but finally ended up getting released… albeit with quite a bit of blood removed and/or darkened in color. It was a pretty good ending though, all things considered.
Sekirei (7.25): The first season is focused mainly on harem building and the action portions suffer a bit as a result. The second season, Pure Engagement, trades some of that for more action scenes along with some dramatic elements and ends up being better for it.
Serial Experiments Lain (7.25): Another entry into the philosophical genre. This one, however, deals more with the nature/existence of god then the nature of humans. Very well done overall, with some well thought out ideas.
Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso (7.25): A gorgeous music-themed drama/comedy/romance that suffers a bit from a lack of focus; it jumps around a bit too much at times. The romance aspects also need a bit of work.
Simoun (7.25): This is a curious series… very strange. The world itself, the focus on aerial combat, and the character design all reminded me of Last Exile. The background animation is rather simplistic and almost watercolor at times. Their method of explaining the Yuri theme was rather interesting though. Essentially, the entire population are transsexuals who only chose their final sex after going to a Spring following their seventeenth birthday. This Spring isn’t magical though, so the change is similar to a sex-change operation, or hormonal therapy, and the men tend to still resemble women.
Skip Beat! (7.25): A drama/romance/comedy that’s heavy on the absurdist comedy, relatively light on the drama, and fairly weak on romance. Still easily worth watching despite its unbalanced genre makeup and abrupt ending (it ends just when things start to heat up).
Space Battleship Yamato 2199 (7.25): While practically overflowing with nonsensical bullshit and contrived situations, this series still ends up incredibly entertaining thanks in large part to the extremely high-quality visuals on display.
Spice and Wolf (7.25): Holo is the main reason to watch this series; if you don’t find her appearance/behavior cute, then there’s little point in suffering through the dragged-out mercantile mishaps. The relationship arc develops at a natural pace and is the series’ primary draw.
Steins;Gate 0 (7.25): Much like the parent series, where this suffers is in its action elements. Aside from that issue it’s a solid addition to the franchise.
Super Dimension Fortress Macross (7.25): An older mecha space opera in the same vein as the Gundam series. Still fairly enjoyable despite some extremely dated standards of plausibility and cause & effect. Should probably be watched before Macross Frontier to better understand that series’ Zentradi-centric scenes.
Sword Art Online (7.25): A variation on .hack that focuses on the classic RPG trope of a hero succeeding against all odds. It’s immensely entertaining so long as you don’t expect anything deep or meaningful from it.
Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online (7.25): Solid action and comic relief hurt a bit by the inclusion of some completely unnecessary melodrama.
Tales of Vesperia: The First Strike (7.25): This is a prequel to the Tales of Vesperia video game, and actually does a fairly good job of getting me to want to play the game. Sadly, there is no English PS3 version as of yet and there’s no point in playing a RPG if you can’t understand the dialog and storyline.
Tetsuwan Birdy Decode (7.25): This is a remarkably nonstandard series whose beginning reminded me of Kashimashi. Generally in Anime, if a younger guy is somehow involved with an attractive woman it’s obligatory to have awkward/ecchi scenes surrounding their closeness. Yet here, where the two of them are actually sharing the same body, there is none of that and the situation is handled in a remarkably level-headed manner with no spontaneous love/lust developments. This first season has an interesting animation style with a mostly interesting storyline that suffers in its second half.
The Legend of the Legendary Heroes (7.25): A surprisingly fun series with periodic streaks of darkness. It reminds me a little of Full Metal Panic! in that respect. It’s really only the first half of a larger story however, and the last episode ends up feeling rushed and incomplete as a result.
The Unlimited – Hyoubu Kyousuke (7.25): Ever wanted to follow around a nominally evil and godly powerful criminal mastermind as he does morally grey things? If so, you may find some enjoyment in this slightly rushed series. And if you happen to be familiar with Marvel’s X-Men franchise you’ll likely see a lot of similarities between Kyousuke and Magneto (not to mention the general setting).
The World God Only Knows: Goddesses Hen (7.25): This starts out rather unfortunately with an extreme focus on making several conquests in quick succession. It only ends up redeemed by the last couple of episodes, in which Keima’s tactics are called into question and it starts to seriously look at the consequences of such behavior. Haqua also becomes a pretty cool character in this arc… so there’s that as well.
To Love-Ru: Trouble – Darkness (7.25): The follow-up series to Motto To Love-Ru: Trouble, this focuses on Momo while providing some background information regarding Yami. Thanks to that and its well timed switches between comedy and drama it’s easily the best of the To Love-Ru series so far (even if there is still far too much ecchi at times).
Tsubasa Shunraiki (7.25): Not as good as Tokyo Revelations, but it’s still somewhat interesting and moves the plot a bit further forward toward what appears to be a conclusion.
Urara Meirochou (7.25): Cute comedy and interesting supernatural elements.
Vampire Knight (7.25): A nice little melodrama that just so happens to involve vampires. Nice character design, pacing, and effective use of comic relief. Has the added plus of not containing any blatant and/or awkward fanservice.
Violet Evergarden (7.25): Though consistently able to hit the emotional high notes where the secondary characters are concerned, the titular character’s story isn’t all that engaging.
Witch Hunter Robin (7.25): This was a series with the same overall style of Ergo Proxy, only with the first half being incredibly boring. The characters all seemed so flat… and there is no way in hell Robin is fifteen. Around episode ten or eleven they become more three-dimensional, and the last five episodes are the best by far. An interesting approach to the standard ‘persecute those who are different’ plotline.
Yahari Ore no Seishun Lovecome wa Machigatteiru.: Kan (7.25): A solid enough conclusion to the series that manages to keep the level of extraneous drama down to merely ‘slightly annoying’.
Yama no Susume (7.25): A short moe/comedy story centered on a slightly socially-awkward girl with a developed aversion to outdoor activities who is poked and prodded out of her shell by her mountaineering-loving childhood friend.
Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou (7.25): A fairly laid-back little slice of life OVA series set in a post-apocalyptic world. The protagonist is adorable and the setting is mildly interesting… though the pacing does get a bit ludicrous at one point. The sequel is pretty much the same, except with a bit less scenery porn and a bit more actual porn (in the form of a naked woman sitting in a tree for no reason).
Yuri!!!: Yuri on Ice (7.25): While I’m not a huge fan of the central romance the figure skating segments are very well-done and the comedy in the second half works nicely.
Yuu Yuu Hakusho (7.25): A remarkably solid battle shounen with an actual ending that resembles at different times Dragonball Z and Bleach. Mostly DBZ though.
Zombie Land Saga (7.25): Not all of the episodic setups work, but those that do tend to work fantastically. The comedy style is also remarkably consistent despite its randomness.
18if (7): Some fantastic experimental episodic work that unfortunately has an awful ending stretch.
3-gatsu no Lion (7): A top-tier mix of comedy and drama held back by an extraneous school-life subfocus and slightly odd character design.
91 Days (7): A cinematic, slightly over-complicated and relatively realistic, revenge story told remarkably well.
Aggressive Retsuko (7): A solid all-around workplace comedy that greatly benefits from its short runtime.
Aggressive Retsuko: We Wish You a Metal Christmas (7): Manages to translate the feel of the short episodes into a full-length episode… in notable contrast to most of the other Netflix episodes.
Aimai Elegy (7): There are two different versions of this music video, one for each edition of the song. I like the Miku Hatsune one slightly better (it’s more dynamic), but both videos are interesting.
ALDNOAH.ZERO (7): The first twelve episodes are very, very exciting and look great. Most of the second tweleve however… well, they’re not very engaging at all and in fact usually end up more dull/uninteresting than not. The best idea may to just stop watching after the twelfth epsiode, despite the fact that it’s a cliffhanger.
Amazing Nuts! (7): A set of four shorts; Global Astroliner Gou, Glass Eye, Kung-fu Love, & Joe and Marilyn. The first and third are well done, the fourth is mildly interesting if simple, and the second is a somewhat ugly mess.
An-Happy (7): What should be just another school girl comedy ends up working surprisingly well thanks to a somewhat uncommon collection of re-occuring jokes.
Anima Yell! (7): An entertaining (thanks to the character dynamics) and well-animated schoolgirl comedy.
Ao no Exorcist Gekijouban (7): While I’m not fond of either children or fairy-tale like stories, for some reason this movie’s focus worked really well. It also has some nice visuals.
Ao no Exorcist: Kyoto Fujouou Hen (7): While I don’t like the show’s main theme, the way it works past and eventually overcomes it by the end is handled well.
Arslan Senki (2015) (7): While the OVA version has some rather serious pacing issues, this version is like a combination of Akasuki no Yona, Kingdom, and Berserk. It’s nicely engaging.
Attraction (7): A pretty cool interactive video held back by its trite subject matter and questionable conclusion.
Banner of the Stars III (7): This is an extremely short two-episode OVA series. Its main purpose is to wrap up Jinto’s complications with his past and it does that fairly well.
BATMAN NINJA (7): An entertaining action movie set in the Sengoku period with Batman villains filling in for the warlords. Avoid the English version though, as it makes some severe changes to the original script.
Black Jack Final (7): While it’s true that this two-OVA series reaches soap opera heights of melodrama and the first episode is plagued by a horrible loli character, it still manages to be surprisingly thrilling.
Blassreiter (7): When I first started watching this, I had no clue it had a sports theme… and that threw me pretty badly. But around the mid-point it started to focus a bit more on the overarching plotline and character backgrounds than the whole sports bike aspect and finished more or less on neutral ground. It’s a solid series, but there’s nothing that really stands out to make it great.
Bleach Movie: Memories of Nobody (7): Senna is a fantastic character and the only reason to watch this. If you don’t like her personality at the beginning, there really is no point in watching until the end.
Bungo Stray Dogs (7): The first season is quite good and reminds me of Kekkai Sensen, the second however is more of a mixed bag and comes across as mostly contrived. The third is better than both.
Busou Renkin (7): The main character is like a cross between Ichigo and Naruto, and it’s sort of like Bleach with sillier powers/abilities.
Carnival Phantasm: EX Season (7): This is basically a compilation of comedic shorts featuring characters from the Type-Moon series of games/Anime/visual novels. Despite only having seen the Anime and not played the games, I found most of them amusing enough in a random wackiness kind of way. Not sure I want to watch an entire season of this though.
Cencoroll (7): A short movie that somewhat resembles Narutaru if it were more abstract in its focus and wasn’t concerned with personal horror.
Children of the Whales: Kujira no Kora wa Sajou ni Utau (7): A very interesting setting hurt by terribly ill-fitting pacing.
Coffee Tadaiku (7): An animated short created as a birthday present for the animator Taku Furukawa. It’s solid.
Cowboy Bebop (7): Now, most people sing this series’ praises until they’re hoarse of voice and have deafened everyone within earshot… I hate those people. It’s certainly good, but there’s nothing here to write home about. The characters are well done and the animation is top-notch, the story however… well… the story needs some work. If they focused on either the Noir aspect or the Space Western aspect they might have had two untouchable series, as it is they have simply an above-average cross-genre series.
Da Capo II (7): This series breaks from the first two seasons in a rather noticeable way. Instead of switching between two genres, it stays mostly in just a modified version of the school-life-harem genre. This reduction in both the mystical and drama/tragedy aspects strip away some of its uniqueness.
Danganronpa 3: The End of Kibougamine Gakuen – Mirai Hen (7): Unlike Zetsubou Hen, this series manages to far better integrate its violent and comedic aspects into a solidly entertaining whole. It goes a bit limp when it comes time to wrap everything up though.
Danna ga Nani o Itteiruka Wakaranai Ken (7): Starts out as an otaku/married couple random comedy and then halfway through morphs into a fairly serious romantic slice-of-life series with comedic elements. Its only real flaw is the existence of the perverted brother (who happens to be a trap).
Dareka no Manazashi (7): A short, well made, family-focused movie that’s held down by feeling like an obvious advertisment.
Dimension W (7): The combat scnenes could be better and the ending is ridiculously over the top, but for the most part this is a fun and engaging show with a couple of particularly interesting episodic setups.
Dororo (2019) (7): Though the titular character is quite annoying and the ending developments seem to come out of nowhere, the action scenes are good and the drama is usually handled well.
Doudou (7): A series of two short movies with beautiful artwork and an interesting setting. Too bad it ends seemingly unfinished.
Dr. (7): A music video. While the music is a bit uneven, the visuals are beautiful.
Dungeon ni Deai o Motomeru no wa Machigatte Iru Darouka: Familia Myth (7): A combination of Druaga no Tou and Sword Art Online. The 14th episode OVA is just average fanservice and should be ignored.
Durarara!!x2 (7): The first third (Shou) is quite good, the second (Ten) is slower and features far too many side characters, and the third (Ketsu) suffers a little by focusing too much on the plot and not enough on entertaining character interactions.
Egao (7): A short and sweet music video a bit similar to Kanojo to Kanojo no Neko.
Elemental Gelade (7): This reminded me of Full Metal Alchemist for some reason. Possibly because Coud looks exactly like Ed from that series. It has a token plot, but it’s mainly character driven with the relationship between Edel Raids and Humans (and Coud and Ren) being the main theme of the series.
Emiya-san Chi no Kyou no Gohan (7): The comedic and SoL aspects are so good that the massive amount of food-porn didn’t even bother me.
Engage Kiss (7): This would’ve been a fantastic multi-genere series if it weren’t for the absolute garbage protagonist. Just a hideously awful love interest, even worse than all those oblivious pushovers you usually get in romantic comedies.
FLCL (7): Randomness incarnate. At some times it’s fantastic, at others… terrible. Overall it ends up being more fantastic than terrible though.
Fruits Basket (7): A surprisingly dark comedy/drama which has the unfortunate distinction of being the poster child for ‘hideous Anime-eyed protagonist’. If you can get past Tooru’s appearance however, and the lull at the show’s midpoint, it can provide a decent amount of quality entertainment.
Fuse: Teppou Musume no Torimonochou (7): A fantasy movie with good action scenes and an upbeat message that it thankfully refrains from hammering into the ground.
Gag Manga Biyori Jump Festa 2002 Special (7): The opening live action scenes are rather terrible while the two lengthier animated sequences include some quality reactions to absurd situations.
Gakuen Senki Muryou (7): A mix of many different attributes which somehow manages to feel like a consistent work.
Gekijouban Aikatsu! Idol Katsudou! (7): This movie takes place about a quarter of the way through the third season and reminds you how much better the first two seasons were compared to it, raising it up by proxy.
Gekijouban Air (7): Rather different from the TV series, this version of the story is still pretty good. It would have been much better without the sudden bursts of melodramatic reactions and weird character artwork though.
Gekijouban Hibike! Euphonium (7): A decent enough alternative to the series that doesn’t come across as excessively rushed.
Gekijouban Non Non Biyori: Vacation (7): A perfect mix of comedy and daily life brought down by the unnecessary introduction of a new character.
Gekijouban Psycho-Pass (7): A pretty solid action-centric continuation of the first series marred by far, far too much English dialog.
Gekijouban: Sword Art Online -Ordinal Scale- (7): Great action scenes and some nice romantic development marred by somewhat tortured plot developments.
Genshiken Nidaime no Roku (7): An OVA that takes place shortly before Genshiken Nidaime; the English-language parts are pretty awful while the rest is solid.
Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu (7): Has notable historical value, but little entertainment value. You’ll have to watch the first season and decide for yourself whether or not to press on through the periodic slogs of nothing happening and terrible battle choreography.
Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu: Waga Yuku wa Hoshi no Taikai (7): An interesting enough movie that unfortunately suffers from some strange inconsistencies and which won’t give you many surprises if you’ve watched the other LotGH side-stories.
Gintama: Shinyaku Benizakura Hen (7): While the comedy segments felt tacked-on and were not very funny at all, the action/drama scenes were very good indeed.
Gintama: THE FINAL (7): Good opening recap and climactic flight scene along with a decent epilgoue. Lot of generic battle shounen movie content though.
Glass no Kamen (2005) (7): It takes a bit of work to enjoy this series; it has a rocky start, a highly questionable middle, and a lackluster end. Despite all that though I can’t say I regret watching the series, since when it’s good it’s really good.
Go Around (7): A smoothly animated little short. There’s not much point in watching it to be honest, but it’s undeniably well done.
Golgo 13 (2008) (7): While this is completely episodic, the quality of each episode remains remarkably consistent through the series and it never really repeats itself. There certainly are missteps here and there though.
Grancrest Senki (7): An engaging political action-drama that suffers pretty severely from being far too rushed.
Guilty Crown: Lost Christmas (7): A short prequel that reveals how Segai lost his eye and became so obsessed. Solidly made for a free bonus disk.
Haikyuu!! Karasuno Koukou vs Shiratorizawa Gakuen Koukou (7): Continues immediately from where the second left off and is easily the most consistently entertaining entry in this franchise so far.
Harmonie (7): A nice little slightly unconventional romance story with acceptable animation. Solid, but nothing to get overly excited over.
Haru wa Kuru (7): A vibrantly abstract little short. It’s quite well made.
Hataraki Man (7): A surprisingly good workplace-focused series that shifts between everyday issues and more poignant drama, holding everything together with well placed bits of comic relief.
Harukana Receive (7): A solid sports shounen that’s, considering the subject matter, surprisingly reserved on the ecchi front.
Hataraku Maou-sama!! (7): Oddly, when I first finished watching this I thought it was worse than the previous season. After some reflection however upon noticing I rated that one lower it seems nostalgia was to blame for that impression. All-in-all this is a pretty even continuation that manages to tamp down on earlier issues while only really suffering from lackluster animation quality.
Hibike! Euphonium 2 (7): The visual quality and comedy are still great, the drama though is not. It’s a mix of revisited and new issues that seem to have been added just for the hell of it.
Hinamatsuri (7): While the dramatic aspects didn’t really work for me, the comedy is almost always top-notch.
Hitsugi no Chaika (7): Both red and white Chaika are pretty great, as is the banter of the saboteur siblings. The action scenes aren’t very good though and the dragoon is annoying. The second season isn’t much different from the first overall, managing to be slightly better despite having a disappointingly unambitious ending. As for the OVA, it’s decent enough and should probably be watched just after the first season.
Hori san to Miyamura kun: Horimiya (7): Though it improves upon the previous incarnation in quite a number of ways, the ridiculous pacing cancels most of that out.
Hori-san to Miyamura-kun (7): A nice little romance/comedy OVA series.
Hyakko (7): A more or less grounded school-life comedy; the humor takes the form of common occurrences or misunderstandings for the most part. The last two episodes shift gears to become curiously serious however and don’t mesh well with the rest of the series. The Extra OVA is just that; a little something extra for fans.
Irozuku Sekai no Ashita kara (7): While for the most part a pretty standard school-life series, the visual quality is outstanding and the genre elements are skillfully executed.
Isekai Nonbiri Nouka (7): Greatly reminiscent of Kajiya de Hajimeru Isekai Slow Life without any of the weird ‘damsel in distress’ elements. Main issue is the central romantic pairing that shows no signs of romance.
IT GIRL (7): An animated music video for one of Pharrell Williams’ songs. Though the visuals are dynamic and fairly interesting, the song itself is kind of generic.
ITAI no wa IYA nano de BOUGYORYOKU ni KYOKUFURI Shitai to OMOIMASU. 2 (7): A consistent continuation that slows down the rate of power-up acquisition, ending up slightly better overall.
Jigoku Shoujo (7): This is a great series for someone who likes to question morality to watch. It dissects it from several different viewpoints while preserving an adequate amount of uniqueness to each ‘case’. The ending was particularly well done, finally explaining why Enma is the way she is and revealing her true motivation.
Jujutsu Kaisen 2nd Season (7): Opening two arcs aside (the first of which is mostly pointless) this season of the show is basically just action for action’s sake. Which while not bad, left me with a certain sense of dissatisfaction.
Kakumeiki Valvrave (7): The first season is all flashy vampiric mechas and newly-minted body snatching immortals. As a result it’s tons of fun. The second season on the other hand tries to cram a ton of weighty plot developments into far too little space and ends up notably worse for it.
Kami-sama Dolls (7): Rather similar to Shadow Star with a bit of Evangelion thrown in, this series alternates upbeat cheerfulness and ecchi-focused comedy with angst, drama, and gore. The former half is where its main issues lie; the heavy ecchi of the comedy feels jarring and drowns out most of the impact from the drama/angst. If it were toned down the series could be phenomenal.
Kanojo to Kanojo no Neko (7): A short black and white movie with minimal animation that tells the story of a woman via the narrated perspective of her cat. It’s pretty good, even though the narration is a little too fast and the ending seems to come out of nowhere.
Katsudou Shashin (7): Thought to be one of the first Japanese animations, this a neat little piece of history.
Kenja no Deshi o Nanoru Kenja (7): Basically, this series has two rather severe flaws: An unwatchable first episode and pretty terrible action scenes. If you can get past both of those issues however it turns into a surprisingly entertaining comedy with quite a number of likeable characters.
Kiddy Grade (7): The first eight episodes are episodic in nature and are more or less disposable, though they do offer some introduction to the characters’ personalities. From episode nine on the main story takes place, and a much more serious mood is set. While the source of the various characters’ powers is never explained (with the exception of Éclair’s Speed/Strength), they are adequately specialized and well-defined.
Kidou Senkan Nadesico: The Prince of Darkness (7): This movie is actually self-contained enough to watch a stand-alone. It starts off rather rushed and the combat scenes are a bit hard to follow, but ends up pretty engaging overall. And unlike the prequel it has little in the way of comedy, which I consider a huge plus since that comedy style was the exact reason I stopped watching the TV series.
Kidou Senshi Gundam Senki: Avant Title (7): A prequel for a Gundam video game, this works quite well as a little stand-alone short story.
Kino no Tabi: the Beautiful World: the Animated Series (7): A nice collection of mostly episodic stories unfortunately presented in a bizarre order.
Kore wa Zombie Desuka? (7): A series that uses absurd situations to maximum comedic advantage. And while heavy on the ecchi, it manages to avoid or invert most of the clichés associated with the harem genre. Note that the second season is not as good as the first… though it certainly does have a better ending.
Kowarekake no Orgel (7): While this movie doesn’t have much in the way of substance, it manages to tell an endearing fully-realized and coherent story in less than a half-hour.
Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear (7): Despite the childish clothing the protaonist is effecetively forced to wear, the series as a whole turned out to be a pretty amusing/engaging overpowered protagonist vehicle.
Kumo no Mukou, Yakusoku no Basho (7): A mostly realistic movie with a touch of sci-fi. It starts off like a standard school-life romance but ends as an action/drama-ish type of romance. Engaging enough, but nothing that really stands out and makes you take notice.
Kurenai (7): This allegedly takes place in the same universe as Denpa Teki na Kanojo, but I just don’t see it. Despite its lack of resemblance, this manages to be a fairly good series all on its own. Although the last couple of episodes are pretty sketchy.
Kuromukuro (7): The non-school aspects are quite entertaining, and this would have been far better as an agency-type of series that comepletely avoided ever putting the ‘time traveler’ into school.
Kuuchuu Buranko (7): Sort of like Dr. Katz on acid if Dr. Katz actually tried to solve his patients issues.
Level E (7) – A bit uneven at times, but its absurdist random-style comedy manages to be fairly entertaining regardless.
Lupin Sansei (2015) (7): Partly episodic and partly plot-driven. The episodic stories go from so-so to good over the course of the series while the plot-driven episodes are the reverse, going from good to kind of annoying.
Lupin the IIIRD: Chikemuri no Ishikawa Goemon (7): A solid collection of action scenes. The ending could use some work though.

Lupin the Third: Mine Fujiko to Iu Onna (7): Pretty cool series that’s reminiscent of Cowboy Bebop. The art style may be a deal-killer for some though and it does notably drag in places. Also note that it likes to show Fujiko’s naked body off whenever it gets the chance.
Macross Zero (7): The chronological beginning of the Macross franchise, it has some great visuals along with an acceptable (if sometimes shaky) storyline. If you liked the action scenes in Macross Frontier or its general relationship dynamic then you’re unlikely to be disappointed with this.
Magi: Sinbad no Bouken (TV Series) (7): Perhaps because of the more fleshed-out introduction, I actually enjoyed the first half of this series more than I did when it was released as an OVA series. That enjoyment carried over into the second half which is focused on making allies rather than conquering dungeons.
Magi: Sinbad no Bouken (TV Series) (7): Like Ishuzoku Reviewers this is a comedy that doubles as porn. Unlike that, almost all of this show’s characters are underage schoolgirls. That’s likely going to be a major negative for most, and so I wouldn’t suggest watching it unless you can handle that part.
Mardock Scramble (7): This three-movie series starts off fantastic only to slip into mediocrity halfway through. The third movie manages to redeem it somewhat, but it never again reaches the near-perfection of the first movie. Has similarities to Ghost in the Shell, Kite, and Requiem for the Phantom.
Merc StoriA ~Mukiryoku Shounen to Bin no Naka no Shoujo~ (7): A peppy, light-hearted adventure comedy with just enough drama to keep things interesting.
Mieruko-chan (7): An amusing reaction comedy with questionable action aspects which may or may not play a larger role down the line.
Mitsuboshi Colors (7): A solid comedy with a, perhaps unavoidably, noticeable streak of toilet humor.
Mobile Suit Gundam 00 – First Season (7): The first half to first two-thirds of the series is rather boring and seems to recycle many storyline and character elements from both earlier Gundam series and even Full Metal Panic! . The closing portion really takes off though and manages to save the series from being a total let-down. One notable ‘innovation’ in the series is the lack of the repetitious stock animations that have historically plagued the franchise.
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED C.E. 73: Stargazer (7): A short side story that takes place in the Gundam SEED timeline. Basically, it’s all the themes you expect from the Gundam franchise wrapped up in a nice compact package.
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny (7): It gets a little ridiculous toward the end as it keeps topping its own power levels, but overall it’s a good ending to the series. The Final Plus OVA can either be safely skipped or viewed instead of the final episode (for which it is a replacement), although I personally liked the original ending a bit better.
Mouretsu Pirates: ABYSS OF HYPERSPACE (7): This movie is very silly, and yet… it’s also a ton of fun. The characters’ enjoyment is infectious.
Mukougaoka Chisato wa Tada Mitsumeteita no Datta (7): Intrusive BGM aside this is an interesting, and interestingly animated, short movie.
Nekojiru-sou (7): This is certainly an intriguing short, trippy and dialogue-free, movie. Very subjective and rather arty, which may end up an issue it you’re looking for something straightforward.
Next A-Class (7): This is a car commercial. A very good car commercial.
Nichijou (7): A gag comedy like Lucky Star and Azumanga Daiou that has a streak of reaction comedy similar to Gintama. It runs hot and cold; the good parts are extremely good while the bad parts tend to end up utterly baffling.
Non Non Biyori (7): A comedic slice of life show focused on living in the countryside. Normally I don’t tend to like SoL series much, but the ratio of SoL to comedy in this is pretty good. The OVA on the other hand is almost pure SoL.
Nurse Witch Komugi-chan R (7): An idol show subclassed as a magical girl parody. It handles both genres well, in particular having fantastically animated concert segments.
Obake no Dokurou (7): A cute and entertaining cartoonish short movie.
Occultic;Nine (7): A pretty good mystery mixed with some remarkably effective comedy. What brings it down are the occasional long technobabble monologues.
Ojiisan no Lamp (7): A well-told, if everyday, tale about a past seller of lamps.
Omae Umasou Da na (7): Sure it’s a kids movie, a well-animated kid’s movie with battle shounen elements and themes/messages that don’t come across as cheesy.
Omoi no Kakera (7): A well told story of re-building and moving forward that manages to avoid falling into common clichés.
On Your Mark (7): A solid music video that tells a couple versions of the the same story. While personally I would have preferred it only told one version and left out the repeated scenes, it’s still quite well-done as it is.
ONE ~Kagayaku Kisetsu e~ (7): An interesting romantic drama with themes of repetition and memory loss. It’s a slow, atmospheric series that does not offer any exposition or explanations; it lets you draw your own conclusions based solely upon what’s being shown.
Otsukimi Recital (7): Solid visuals that match the music and tell the story even if you can’t understand the lyrics.
Paradise Kiss (7): A pretty good series about both following your desires and not forcing your desires upon others. It feels a bit staged though, with everyone being a little bit too understanding.
Perfect Day (7): A music video for the Supercell song Perfect Day. Remarkably good animation, a decent mini-story, and slightly odd character design.
Phantom the Animation (7): This is a series similar to Kite, though not as dark… and with a worse ending.
Pop Team Epic 2 (7): More or less on par with the first season. I think I ended up liking the shorts in this one more than the long-form bits though.
Princess Resurrection (2010) (7): In many ways this three-episode OVA series is better than the TV version, yet in a few it’s worse. Most notably is that there’s absolutely no character development or backstory. If you haven’t watched the TV version or read the manga you’ll have little idea of who the characters are or how they know each other. The other thing working against it is the strange art style. Storyline-wise however, this is far superior to the first series.
Puchimas!! Petit Petit Idolmaster (7): An adorable episodic parody series made up of both gag episodes and slice of life episodes.
Quanzhi Gaoshou (7): A remarkably solid combination of action, drama, and comedy (despite the character designs not working well with the comedy style).
Rikei ga Koi ni Ochita no de Shoumei shitemita. (7): Relatively straight-forward romantic comedy with a science terminology gimmick and questionable supporting characters.
Rokka no Yuusha (7): An entertaining, dialog-driven, mystery/action series with some great character interactions and visuals. The ending is attrocious though.
Rozen Maiden (2013) (7): Unlike the earlier Rozen Maiden series, this spends a lot more time focusing on Jun’s life as a university student than the doll’s conflict. It ends up pretty good for it.
Sagrada Reset (7): Starts off as a pretty great detective-ish show only to become an okayish persecution-themed show.
Saikano – Another Love Story (7): A companion story to Saikano, this OVA series lacks most of the gravitas of the main storyline but makes up for it by giving the military’s side of the story. I do not suggest watching it before the parent series.
Samurai Girls (7): Sort of a more simplistic harem version of Samurai Deeper Kyou. It has very interesting animation effects/overlays and a male lead who behaves in a believable fashion.
Seitokai Yakuindomo (OVAs) (7): While these are for the most part on par with the series, something about them just felt a bit weaker… possibly due to the comedic style not having a very large variety to it. As such it may be better to watch these in small installments rather than all at once.
Sengoku Choujuu Giga ~Kou~ (7): An amusing gag comedy with more hits than misses.
Shinryaku!? Ika Musume (7): The second season of a comedy series focused on a squid-girl who tried and failed to invade the mainland. I’m not sure if my mindset was different going into this continuation or if the jokes/situations are just becoming stale, but whatever the reason I found myself not enjoying this as much as the first season.
Shougi Hour (7): Very little animation that somehow manages to enhance the comedy of both the absurd situation and the delayed dialog.
Sidonia no Kishi (7): A nutty mecha/harem series that’s just bizarre enough to somehow work. The second season ends up better than the first (even though it starts off terribly).
Sirius: Sirius the Jaeger (7): Remarkably entertaining until the conclusion, which gets real dumb real fast.
Soukyuu no Fafner: Dead Aggressor – Exodus (7): A pretty damn entertaining mecha action/drama with a dark theme and large death count. The first half/season thankfully does not require you to remember much/anything about the earlier entries in the franchise. The second however requires you to at least have seen the Heaven and Earth movie… and is a bit of a mess besides.
SoulTaker (7): This is a rather interesting series set in a noir-like world that deals with various morality-based themes while still telling something of an original story. It does have a few issues though; the fight-scenes bear a depressing resemblance (given this series’ subject matter) to Gurren-Lagann, named attacks and all, and there are spontaneous unexplained time/location jumps scattered throughout.
Souten no Ken (7): Hokuto no Ken with a mafia flavor and healthy sense of humor. The first four episodes are a bit of a slog though.
Super Seishun Brothers (7): A quick little comedy series whose protagonists play off one another perfectly (most of the time).
Suzumiya Haruhi no Shoushitsu (7): It’s a bit dull at times, and the ending is slightly… off… but in general a solid addition to the main series.
Tales of Zestiria: Doushi no Yoake (7): A solid prologue to the game, but that’s all it is; a prologue. Chances are it will just come across as a particularly long commercial if you don’t happen to have the game on-hand to start playing afterward.
Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann (7): At first, I thought this was going to be a parody of Mecha series in general, but it takes itself a touch too seriously to truly be called a parody. It’s extremely over-the-top, in every way imaginable, but has some very good (and poignant) episodes scattered throughout.
Tensai Ouji no Akaji Kokka Saisei Jutsu (7): While inferior to Alderamin in a number of technical respects, this show is similar enough that it manages to acceptably fill the void left by that series’ absence.
The World God Only Knows: Tenri Hen (7): A quick two-episode OVA series that introduces the first of the ‘goddesses’. The comedy stylings are what you would expect from the series while the plot developments are interesting (albeit more transitional than complete).
Toaru Majutsu no Index (7): Something of an action-centric romantic comedy with a touch of the harem genre. Fun series with few glaring flaws.
Tokusou Senshatai: Dominion (7): This improves upon its prequel in basically all respects.
Touhou PVD (7): While for the most part just a series of fan-made music videos for the Touhou series, two of them are more like short stories and the extra episode is a picturebook drama. They range in quality from bizarre to surprisingly good.
Touhou PVD 2 (7): Basically this is just a batch of music videos set in the Touhou universe. Very similar to the first series, though this one doesn’t have any slow songs in it.
Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicles (7): This series is beautiful; I could watch Sakura all day. The story is vaguely original and the different worlds they visit are adequately varied (it does suffer from some serious pacing issues however). My main complaint is that they never specify how many feathers are missing and so could theoretically drag it on forever.
Tsuredure Children (7): Remarkably cute romantic comedy that sometimes becomes overly awkward.
Two Car: Racing Sidecar (7): A surprisingly deep series centered on relationships. The ecchi content is extremely incongruous.
Vassalord (7): A surprisingly concise half-hour OVA that doesn’t leave you feeling lost even if you’ve never read the source material. Some solid action scenes infused with a surprising amount of humor and a little bit of drama/tragedy.
White Album (7): A harem soap opera focused on the idol industry. It’s very good at what it does, though what it does is most certainly not for everyone. While the second season has a slightly greater focus on the protagonist’s relationship issues, it’s just as full of soapy drama.
X (2001) (7): While the premise is a bit sketchy, and the terminology easily confusable, this is a pretty good series. The storyline is explained well and the characters are detailed, each generally getting an episode to explain why they are the way they are. Aside: this is one of the few series where I couldn’t watch the subbed version; Sorata’s Japanese voice actor is too painful listen to. Also of note is that the series also has a fairly heavy Yaoi theme, so if you’re homophobic you probably won’t like it. The prequel OVA, X: Yochou, basically serves as a teaser trailer.
Yondemasu yo, Azazel-san Z (7): Not quite as polished as the prequel TV series, this is more similar to the earlier OVAs. Some of the jokes, particularly in the Undine episodes, seem to be trying too hard though.
Youkoso Jitsuryoku Shijou Shugi no Kyoushitsu e: 3rd Season (7): Weakest event development of the franchise so far. Still manages to provide entertaining results thanks to the protagonist’s sociopathy, but it’s a close thing.
Yuuki Yuuna wa Yuusha de Aru: Yuusha no Shou (7): A remarkably moving conclusion that unfortunately goes overboard for the finale.
Yuukoku no Moriarty (7): Sherlock Holmes as told from Moriarty’s point of view. The second half is unfortuantely not as good as the first for various reasons, but it ends well enough.
Zero no Tsukaima (7): A funny series with a rather unique premise. The setting has several similarities to some Marie Brennan novels I read a few months or so ago, so I can’t help but wonder if she got some of her ideas from here.
100 Byou Cinema: Robo to Shoujo (6.75): The audio needs some work, but the shorts are amusing and different.
Ai Mai Mii (6.75): A mini-episode comedy focused on random-styled humor. It’s filled with bizarre and exaggerated situations such as pouring cement into a kappa lake and stuffing people into pots.
Aika Zero (6.75): Basically Aika R-16 with a slightly more serious story, better animation, and a more hentai-ish bent.
Aishen Qiaokeli-ING… (6.75): A pretty good harem-themed romantic comedy that does things a bit differently than most Anime in that genre.
Angel Sanctuary (6.75): I really wished they had finished this. The story is generally quite engaging so long as you don’t mind the sister-complex subplot.
Atom: The Beginning (6.75): A nimble action-comedy with a solid cast that makes the bizarre decision to shoehorn-in a tounamanet arc ripped straight from the generic battle shounen playbook.
Blade of the Immortal (6.75): Similar to Shigurui in some ways, this series is less explicit and more… populist I suppose. Despite some of its more obvious audience-broadening additions, it manages to keep its central plotline unfolding at a steady pace.
Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai (6.75): A (more) harem-ish version of Haruhi. Sadly, the added elements do far more to detract from the series than add to it. It has some solid interactions and amusing scenes, enough to give an overall favorable impression, but goes overboard far too often to be consistently enjoyable.
Bokusatsu Tenshi Dokuro-chan (6.75): A hyper-violent comedy. Dokuro is an Angelic assassin sent from the future to kill the protagonist, only to try and save him from his future instead. This doesn’t stop her from repeatedly beating him to death with her large spiked club followed by a quick resurrection though.
Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040 (6.75): Gives a terrible first impression. Gradually wins you over with increasing quality and developments… and then lets you down somewhat by jumping the shark at the end.
D-Frag! (6.75): A gag comedy in the general vein of Ebiten/Seitokai no Ichizon and with some similarities to shows like Seitokai Yakuindomo and Sakigake!! Cromartie Koukou. The last two episodes however are more like Ben-Tou. As for the OVA, the comedy is solid even though it’s notably lacking in technical quality.
Deca-Dence (6.75): I don’t like the ‘cyborg’ angle at all and feel it would’ve been far better as a straight post-apocalyptic show. Still entertaining, it just falls short of what it could’ve been.
Demi-chan wa Kataritai (6.75): A fun comedy held back a bit by its occasional attempts to teach life’s lessons.
DOME❌KANO: Domestic na Kanojo (6.75): I honestly wanted to give this a 7 due to the good production values, but ended up having to skip through too much of the soap opera-quality drama to justify that.
Dragonball Z (6.75): One the first, if not the first, Anime I’ve seen. It has some severe issues when it comes to pacing, with certain battles drawn out across ten or more episodes, but has many memorable characters and basically created a new genre all on its own.
Eiga – Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai!: Take On Me (6.75): Aside from the resolution, this is a perfectly entertaining continuation of the franchise.
Evangelion Shin Gekijouban: Q (6.75): The second Evangelion Rebuild movie brought the series to new highs. This third one has it falling down to new lows. Shinji has regressed and degenerated into the weakest, most craven character I’ve seen in some time while event-wise nothing of particular note happens beyond some useful background exposition and set-up for the fourth movie.
Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works (TV) (6.75): The first half won’t give you many surprises if you’ve already seen the movie or previous Fate/stay night Anime. Of course, if you have no/little experience with Fate/stay that shouldn’t matter and the combat scenes are absolutely fantastic. As for the second half… the second half is not very good at all due to the huge amount of time it spends on illustrating why Shirou’s ideals are flawed and then having him admit that and insist on following them anyway.
Free! (6.75): If you can get past (or enjoy) all of the focus put on the male physique, then you have a beautiful looking comedy with a decently engaging background conflict.
Gantz (6.75): This series has some pacing issues. They’re thankfully not too noticeable as the characters/dialog is original and interesting while the action is surprisingly realistic. However; the series also has a horrible ending that isn’t an ending… although the journey up to the last episode is quite well done.
Gasaraki (6.75): A slowly paced politically charged mecha series with a underlay of mysticism. The mystic aspects aren’t really integrated well and pacing is far to slow at times, but it’s an otherwise interesting watch.
Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu Gaiden (6.75): Focuses almost completely on the Imperial side of things with numerous stories revolving around official corruption/incompetence. Honestly the only good thing about it is Reinhard, who manages to make his surroundings entertaining despite their utter banality.
Gintama: Monster Strike-hen (6.75): What’s to say? Pretty much classic Gintama for the most part.
Gunslinger Girl (6.75): It’s like Kite meets Noir… or something, I don’t really think this fits into any set mold. Great, great, story with well developed and believable characters.
Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens (6.75): Subpar action scenes hold this back from becoming truly good.
Hamatora (6.75): A very stylish show that starts out extremely good, takes a severe animation hit halfway through, recovers, then kind of fizzles out for the ending stretch. Would’ve been better had they stuck to working cases instead of focusing on that overarching mastermind-psychopath plot.
Hana to Alice: Satsujin Jiken (6.75): While the character animation is often awkward and the first half is kind of cheesy, the backgrounds are beautiful and both the dialog and character interactions are fantastic.
Hanasakeru Seishounen (6.75): A surprisingly engaging mix of romantic development and political intrigue that occasionally suffers from questionable character behavior and badly-done action scenes.
Hataraku Maou-sama! (6.75): The scenario is rather terrible and the series sometimes goes overboard on the comedy/drama shifts. That said, the banter and character behavior is solid enough to make this a mostly enjoyable experience.
Ikkitousen (6.75): This series is basically Tenjho Tenge with Aya replaced with Excel from Excel Saga, only with far more ecchi and situational humor. However; the plotline is much more interesting and it doesn’t leave you hanging like Tenjho did. Although the ending does seem rather contrived.
IS <Infinite Stratos> (6.75): This series has some general similarities with Soukou no Strain, Xenogears, and Freezing. Overall the series is rather fun and doesn’t get too out of hand with its harem elements, but suffers from some serial illogic. The ISs are clearly developed for warfare despite that allegedly being illegal, the school is set up like a military academy despite the aforementioned ban on using the ISs for military purposes, and the 1st-year students all seem to be the most powerful despite it being a three-year school.
Isekai Maou to Shoukan Shoujo no Dorei Majutsu (6.75): Pretty good ecchi comedy with pretty good action scenes and decent dramatic developments. Suffers from chronically slipping into softcore porn territory.
ITAI no wa IYA nano de BOUGYORYOKU ni KYOKUFURI Shitai to OMOIMASU. (6.75): If you were to take the adventuring parts of SAO, extended them into a full series, and then add a ton of additional overpowered abilities… you would have something approximating this show.
Kaze no Tani no Nausicaä (6.75): While the general message/moral of the story along with the messianic overtones are both annoying, the setting is quite interesting and the visuals are great.
Kekkai Sensen & BEYOND (6.75): Not as good as the prequel due to being more episodic and trying a bit too hard to be meaningful.
Kill la Kill (6.75): The main problem with this series is the deluge of fanservice/ecchi pouring down on you in nearly every episode. If you can get past that (which is admittedly difficult) there’s some good comedy and notably stylish sequences to appreciate.
Kingdom (6.75): While this starts out with extremely bad animation, by the third episode it improves enough to be watchable. And while Xin’s personality never quite improves beyond ‘screaming idiot’, the battle-shounen-like events that unfold end up remarkably entertaining.
Kiseijuu: Sei no Kakuritsu (6.75): This show reminded me a bit of Narutaru. While the beginning stretch is a bit too realistic to be very entertaining and the ending stretch is kind of exasperating, the middle portion is quite good indeed. The technical quality remains high throughout.
Komori-san wa Kotowarenai! (6.75): This little series is far more cute/sweet than it has any right to be. There’s definitely unnessisary ecchi, but it’s pretty much restricted to breast jiggling… which is a remarkably restrained approach to have taken. The reaction-based comedy is decently varied and the Lovely Complexish romance that starts up in the sixth episode is nice.
Kurenai (OVAs) (6.75): Reminded me of Yokazura Quartet; it’s got a pretty good mix comedy and action/seriousness.
Kyou no Go no Ni (OVAs) (6.75): A middle-schooler ecchi-comedy. Has some great segments hurt somewhat by the inclusion of pure fanservice-type ecchi and a strange thematic shift at the end.
Last Exile: Fam, The Silver Wing (6.75): While this becomes mind-numbingly boring around the fourth episode, it picks itself up enough by the end of the sixth to be watchable with periodic bursts of interesting sequences. Don’t expect much more than eye-candy from this series though, as its plot developments are pretty much generic “evil empire” fare containing all the expected maneuvers, double/triple crossing, and allied force creation/dissolution.
Mahou Tsukai no Yome (6.75): Solid visuals and an entertaining cast marred by an overly action-centric concluding stretch.
Mai-Otome (6.75): An alternate dimension version of My-HiME. Definitely watch My-HiME first, as this takes a more light-hearted approach and is generally less serious.
Mai-Otome Zwei (6.75): The sequel to Mai-Otome. While the focus on the Arika/Mashiro relationship trouble is rather awkward, this is otherwise a seamless continuation of the series.
Majutsushi Orphen: Revenge (6.75): Unlike the prequel this is mostly comedy focused, with only hints of something darker throughout. It eventually fully switches genre to drama/tragedy in the eighteenth episode and concludes with a bang.
Mayo Chiki! (6.75): A situational-style comedy with harem elements and a moderate dose of randomness and absurdity. It bears some similarity to Seto no Hanayome, though avoids the trap of continuously recycling the same jokes and character personalities. If you’re looking for anything other than a quick laugh you should avoid it.
Mission-E (6.75): A secret agent-ish series that has some fantastic battle choreography.
Mouretsu Pirates (6.75): Sort of like a combination of Outlaw Star and Kiddy Grade. It’s a non-ecchi series meant for simple fun that also has a nice stretch of action beginning at episode twenty-one to wrap things up.
Moyashimon (6.75): This appears to be one of your standard ‘make learning fun’ type of series at first glance, but it turns out to be a bit deeper than that. While the first half is certainly laden with quite a few dissertations about microbes, the second half all but ditches its educational overtones to focus completely on the characters. The situational/shock humor interspersed throughout works as a great foil for both halves.
Munto (TV Series) (6.75): This gives much more background information than the OVAs do, but manages to lose most of its fluidity in the process. And while it extends the storyline further, it still ends somewhat unfinished. So honestly it’s a toss-up which one is better… although I’m leaning a bit toward the OVAs. If you do decide to check this out, make sure to watch the Saigo no Tatakai movie instead of episodes 7-9 (it replaces and extends them).
Mutafukaz (6.75): A pretty solid action movie suffering a bit from ill-fitting romance and a little too much randomness.
MWZ: MAGATSU WAHRHEIT ZUERST (6.75): I like the atmosphere and worldbuilding quite a bit, but the action scenes start out shaky and ultimately don’t add anything of worth. The lack of a conclusion is also an issue.
Noblesse: Awakening (6.75): A sequel to Pamyeol-ui Sijak, this OVA is a bit less interesting (the school life parts in particular) but far more competently produced.
Noragami Aragoto (6.75): The first arc is solid mix of action, comedy, and drama. The second, unfortunately, is pretty forced and comes across like a fan fiction.
Nurarihyon no Mago: Sennen Makyou (6.75): This second season of the series is actually halfway decent in that its plot developments are, for the most part, not a complete joke. The primary issue is the inclusion of the seemingly obligatory ‘shounen training sequences’. If they went at it like Kaze no Stigma did (simply having the protagonist be all powerful by his very nature and work from there) this series could have been phenomenal. As it is it’s merely above-average with interesting character design; though that’s enough to make it a fun watch.
Nurse Witch Komugi (6.75): Similar to Puni Puni Poemy, this is a parody of the Magical Girl genre, though each episode tends to parody an additional genre as well. I like this series better than that one partly due to the better storyline, and partly due to the better character design.
orange (6.75): A solid romantic drama on the realistic side of the spectrum dragged down by a hamfisted focus on its sci-fi aspects. It’s very good when it’s not talking about time travel, when it is….
Oshiete! Galko-chan (6.75): Somehow, the combination of matter-of-factness and embarrassed blushing works to make what should be a cringe-worhty series remarkably entertaining.
Osomatsu-san (6.75): Similar to Gintama in humor style, this suffers a little from an attachment to dated character attributes and a second half that sometimes feels a bit like it’s trying too hard. The second season is largely the same as the first but a bit worse overall.
Outlaw Star (6.75): This is sort-of like Tenchi Universe, if that series took place in space. It’s very light-hearted with a token philosophical note at the end. Nothing extraordinary, but watchable.
Pupipoo! (6.75): A mini-episode series that shockingly enough manages to tell a well-paced and fully realized story. I did not like how high-fantasy it got toward the end though, nor the personality of the occultist best-friend.
Robotica * Robotics (6.75): An extremely colorful little movie with a nice presentation. The voice acting needs some work though.
Rozen Maiden: Träumend (6.75): Many things that didn’t make sense in the first season are thankfully explained here, and the storyline picks up a bit in both interest and pace. The ending is rather strange though, and came across somewhat rushed.
Saikyou Onmyouji no Isekai Tenseiki (6.75): A fun overpowered protagonist show that unfortunately starts losing its way toward the end.
Sakura Quest (6.75): A solid community-centric show with a weaker second half.
Seiken no Blacksmith (6.75): A fairly simplistic series with good animation and well done action sequences. Its main flaws are the ecchi and comedy subthemes that appear to have been shoehorned in.
Seitokai no Ichizon (6.75): This is very similar to Seitokai Yakuindomo. The main difference being that the jokes are Anime-centered instead of sex-centered. Since Anime self-parody is fairly commonplace however, it’s not nearly as memorable as that series.
Shadow Star (6.75): I would’ve given this series a 7, but the sudden cutoff and randomness of the last few episodes ruins the flow of its storyline.
Shakugan no Shana S (6.75): A short series whose first half focuses on the relationships between the parent series’ characters, and whose second half gives a little backstory on why Shana ended up being receptive to Yuji.
Shakunetsu no Takkyuu Musume (6.75): It reminds me of Saki. Both the comedy and matches are solid, but the ecchi and the personalities of the opponents bring it down.
Shin no Nakama ja Nai to Yuusha no Party wo Oidasareta node, Henkyou de Slow Life suru Koto ni Shimashita (6.75): The slice of life aspects are entertaining and the hero’s journey parts provide a nice counterbalance… until the point the two merge and it becomes something of a mess.
Shingetsutan Tsukihime (6.75): A vampire series cleverly disguised as Mystery/Romance series. Very interesting, but I didn’t really like Arcueid’s clothing… which was compounded by the fact that she’s the only one in the series that never changes.
Stellvia (6.75): Somewhat similar to Soukou no Strain, this starts out slow and unfortunately suffers from too much filler. Events are dragged out excessively long and arbitrary complications periodically pop-up without warning.
Suisei no Gargantia: Meguru Kouro, Haruka (6.75): Aside from an annoying lengthy flashback, the first episode is a solid continuation of the series. The second episode though, while it does do some welcome world building, doesn’t feel particularly natural and ends in a way that will be annoying should there not be an animated continuation.
Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari (6.75): While good at the more comedic and action-focused adventuring side of things, the drama comes across as forced far more often than not.
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann: Gurren-hen (6.75): This movie covers the first half of the TV series. It doesn’t feel much like a movie though, and ends up a little too compressed. I don’t suggest watching it unless you’ve already seen the TV version and want a quick refresher.
Tensei shitara Slime Datta Ken (6.75): A simple feel-good overpowered protagonist series set in a world where basically everyone either is or becomes a good person. The OVAs start out generic but end up a watchable enough addition (skip the first one).
Touhou Unofficial Doujin Anime: Musou Kakyou (6.75): All I know about Touhou is what its characters look like and that it’s a series of shooter-games. This is a fan-made series based on one of the fan-made comics… and it’s pretty damn good when you take that into consideration. However, if you know literally nothing about Touhou then it would be best to avoid it. The second episode sadly does not add anything and should probably be avoided until the third is released, as it ends on a cliffhanger.
Trava: Fist Planet (6.75): A strange and slightly surreal four-episode series that clocks in at under an hour. There’s an undefinable magnetic quality to it that keeps you watching despite the low quality of the animation and sound.
TV Anime: Meiji Tokyo Renka (6.75): What should be an average male harem series ends up elevated quite a bit by the endearingly goofy protagonist.
Un-Go (6.75): The series begins with a movie (Inga-ron) that sets the stage for the main characters’ relationship, then goes into six episodes of episodic detectiving, and finishes with five episodes wrapping up some unfinished business from the movie. It’s engaging enough to pass the time and has some fun moments… just don’t expect anything particularly memorable (besides Kazamori).
Upotte!! (6.75): An ecchi school-life comedy with a couple drama/action interludes that focuses on a school full of anthropomorphic guns. It’s sort of like a mash-up between K-On! and Gunslinger Girl. The bonus OVA is also surprisingly good (for a fanservice OVA).
VANISHING LINE: GARO (6.75): Solid action, good characters, and a decent enough story marred by a dragged-out middle segment.
xxxHolic Shunmuki (6.75): Tells the other half of the Tsubasa Shunraiki storyline. Doesn’t add much of note to the xxxHolic storyline.
Yoshinaga-sanchi no Gargoyle (6.75): A slapstick comedy that periodically focuses on serious issues. Despite all the life’s lessons it tries to impart it manages to avoid coming off as sanctimonious.
Yozakura Quartet: Hoshi no Umi (6.75): This takes place in the middle of Hana no Uta and happens to be full of decent-to-good action scenes. Neither the characters nor plotline (what little of it there is) are particularly troublesome.
Yuri Seijin Naoko-san (6.75): There are two OVAs for this series, a six-minute deluge of randomness and a half-hour of understated absurdest comedy. Both center on a lesbian lolicon alien and the girl who plays the straight-man to her insanity.
Yuru Yuri 2 (6.75): This second season starts out on the wrong foot with a terrible first episode. It recovers quickly in the second and then proceeds to shift up and down along the comedic spectrum. A number of scenes are really great, but there are enough slow/exasperating bits to drag it down.
Zero no Tsukaima F (6.75): The fourth and final season of Zero no Tsukaima is split into three sections that manage to represent the full range of the series’ attributes. The ending is surprisingly solid and serves as a fitting finale.
009-1 (6.5): This is a Sci-fi spy thriller similar to Najica Dengeki Sakusen, only with less ecchi and a style more James Bond than Chobits.
3-gatsu no Lion meets BUMP OF CHICKEN (6.5): Good song/visual combo. The character design is lacking though and the flying train looks awful.
Aika R-16 (6.5): Similar to Najica Dengeki Sakusen. It’s less serious though and ends up being incredibly amusing thanks to the way no one seems to care about all the asses sticking up in the air.
Amatsuki (6.5): While this starts off slow and ends unfinished, the character interactions and philosophy make it worth the watch.
Ani*Kuri15 (6.5): A collection of unrelated minute-long shorts. Some are pretty damn good, a number are just sort of average, and one or two don’t work well at all.
Aoi Bungaku (6.5): A series of adaptations of classic Japanese literature. They don’t share many similarities between one another besides a focus on the darker aspects of human nature. So you should take a look at each of them rather than dropping the entire thing if a few are unappealing.
Arete-hime (6.5): A slow, somewhat ambling fairy-talish movie with a solid payoff at the end.
Armitage III: Dual-Matrix (6.5): This is the sequel to the Armitage III OVA series. I’m not sure why, but I just didn’t like it as much.
Astarotte no Omocha! (6.5): While its opening premise is distasteful, in actuality the series doesn’t focus on Lotte having sex at all (that’s used more as a MacGuffin). It instead goes quite a ways toward making Naoya out to be her father-figure and has some surprisingly sweet moments. The OVA is really only notable for fleshing out the Queen’s first meeting with Naoya and can be safely avoided.
Asteroid in Love (6.5): A perfectly servicable schoolgirl club comedy that nevertheless makes some exceedlying odd choices: The educational aspects are sometimes overly dry, while the dramatic elements often come out of nowhere.
Bacterial Contamination (6.5): A CGI music video. It’s horror focused with an emphasis on bizarre mutation.
Ballroom e Youkoso (6.5): Though the animation is spare and the artwork can be odd at times, the comedy works well and the competitive thrill is fully present.
Batman: Gotham Knight (6.5): If you like Batman, or at least don’t dislike Batman, this is a nice collection of stories.
Berserk: The Golden Age (6.5): Better than the TV series and features some surprisingly well done CGI work. Griffith’s character design is off-putting though and the final movie seems to get a bit too caught up in being bloody for blood’s sake.
Best Student Council (6.5): This was a fun diversion that boasts the almost unstoppable combination of humor, action, plot development, and yuri.
Binbou-gami ga! (6.5): A manic comedy that gets dragged down at points with rather heavy-handed Life’s Lessons™. Though I will admit that some of them worked well enough to have an impact.
Blue Gender (6.5): A serious sci-fi/psychological series that starts off as man vs. creature and ends with man vs. man and man vs. nature. The main character is aggravating and there are two short streaks of extraneous episodes toward the end of the first half, but overall it’s a surprisingly interesting watch.
Eiyuu-ou, BU wo KIWAmeru Tame TENSEIsu: Soshite, Sekai Saikyou no Minarai Kishi♀ (6.5): An otherwise solid adaptation held back by inconsistent action animation.
C – The Money of Soul and Possibility (6.5): This starts off a mystery/conspiracy similar to Higashi no Eden and ends up as a fairly generic action series. It raises some interesting ideas but doesn’t go anywhere particularly interesting with them. It also ends with a ton of unanswered questions.
Campione! (6.5): A true harem series (the protagonist actually has a relationship with multiple girls who all know about each other at the same time) that has a fairly unique storyline and solid action scenes. It unfortunately suffers from an overabundance of dry background exposition meant to define each god that appears.
Centaur no Nayami (6.5): Despite having multiple problems (setting, ill-placed ecchi, odd educational interludes) its main role as a school life comedy is executed extremely well.
Chou Den`ei-ban SD Gundam Sangokuden Brave Battle Warriors (6.5): Putting aside the spirit bomb at the end, this is a pretty good Gundam-themed take on Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
Choujikuu Yousai Macross: Flash Back 2012 (6.5): A set of music videos made up mostly of recap segments capped off with a music video featuring epilogue footage. It’s servicable.
Choujin Locke (6.5): While certainly dated in the animation department, the plot is remarkably light in the facepalming developments department. Locke’s a pretty good protagonist as well and his all-powerful nature never quite becomes overbearing.
Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai! (6.5): An unconventional school-life romance focused on former and current sufferers of ‘adolescent delusions’. It sets out to make you acutely feel its characters’ awkwardness and succeeds admirably… which ends up being detrimental to enjoying the series.
Comic Party (6.5): A comedy focusing on the events that surround an independent manga artist. It’s decent, but relies a bit too much on character stereotypes. Each character is a specific stereotype, and carries that stereotype to rather extreme ends. The ending was a bit abrupt as well.
Computer Kakumei (6.5): Presumably this is a pilot for a new series, and if so it’s fairly intriguing. If it’s actually just a stand-alone short story though it has some issues with being irrelevant.
Deadman Wonderland (6.5): An action series with heavy graphic violence in the vein of Gantz. Sadly, it suffers from a severe lack of logic and a heavy dependence on plot-dictated events. The OVA gives a bit of backstory on the Senji character but is by no means necessary viewing.
Death Parade (6.5): A cool idea weakened by an inconsistent execution. Sometimes it nails the emotional aspects perfectly, but more often then not they come across as overwrought and/or forced.
Double Decker!: Doug & Kirill (6.5): The comedy works well and the character dynamics are solid, but the action scenes are sorely lacking.
Etotama (6.5): For the most part this is a fun comedy with cute characters. The serious aspects hurt it a bit though and the chibi battles are kind of annoying.
Fairy Tail (6.5): Where this shines is in its comedy portions, as most of the action scenes are unimpressive. Though past the 122nd episode even the comedy begins to suffer and the conflicts that drive what passes for a plot start to become distressingly repetitive. Against all odds, the penultimate arc ends up miraculously exciting and manages to raise the show back up to watchable while the final season is remarkably solid all-around (just make sure to skip the Dragon Cry movie).
Fate/Apocrypha (6.5): While it starts out great, it goes to hell in the third quarter and never manages to fully recover. Still worth watching for the action scenes and some of the character interactions.
Fate/Grand Order: Shinsei Entaku Ryouiki Camelot (6.5): The main issue with the first half (Wandering; Airgetlám) is that the two main protagonists are so ineffectual. That issue aside it features some fantastic visuals and an interesting enough storyline. The second half however (Paladin; Agateram) kicks things into high-gear and ends up a glorious, if inconsistant, spectacle.
Fate/Stay Night (6.5): This was an interesting take on the ‘Ultimate Tournament’ theme, with many well designed characters… except one. That one, however, happens to be the main character. He combines my two least favorite character archetypes; hopeless idealist and the Protector variety of chauvinist. I hate him oh-so-much. Thankfully, the rest of the cast (as well as his future self) are far more interesting. The two-episode OVA reproduction cuts short many of the battles and as a result ends up only barely watchable; assuming you’re deliberately looking for a CliffsNotes version of the show that is.
Fireball (6.5): While the visuals aren’t as good as the prequel’s (Charming), the comedy is more consistent.
Fist of the North Star: Legends of the Dark King (6.5): A prequel to the original Fist of the North Star series, this show focuses on Ken’s brother Raoh and ends up quite a bit more serious (one you reach the fifth episode). This is a good thing.
Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu (6.5): Basically a side story to Full Metal Panic!. Nothing that takes place has any lasting effect on the series as it does away with the seriousness of the main series to focus on the humor. It has some truly hilarious moments though, so it’s worth a look.
Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos (6.5): A filler story for the main Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood series that manages to be acceptably watchable. It doesn’t add anything and its combat animation is touch and go, but it’s entertaining enough.
Genius Party Beyond (6.5): A collection of shorts made to showcase unconventional animation. Similar to the ‘prequel’, this one is also a mixed bag. Two are so-so, two are pretty good, and one is terrible.
Ghost Slayers Ayashi (6.5): A pretty good action series that unfortunately loses its way from time to time trying to do too many things at once. The five bonus episodes are a must-watch, as they provide an actual conclusion to the story (which was cut short due to low ratings).
Gintama.: Porori Hen (6.5): While some arcs are good, others are extremely bad.
Girlish Number (6.5): Similar in some ways to Shirobako, most of the cast here are far more negative about their line of work. It has some great character interactions, but ultimately ends up a bit on the slow side. I’m not really fond of the upbeat direction it begins to take toward the end either.
Goblin Slayer -Goblin’s Crown- (6.5): Putting aside the opening recap, the first part of this movie is pretty much on par with the TV series. The castle assault portion however is far, far too rushed and drags the entire production down to barely watchable territory.
Grandeek: The Alternative (6.5): A movie with simplistic animation that still manages to tell an interesting story about the spirit of sword taking revenge for its betrayed master and a girl who wishes to save it from itself.
GUN×SWORD (6.5): This reminded me of both Cowboy Bebop and Trigun. If you liked either of those you will most likely enjoy this. Nice backstory with believable villains whose motivations aren’t easy to deduce. It also has an appreciable philosophical aspect.
Gunslinger Girl – Il Teatrino- (6.5): I don’t recall how the first season played out, but this one is a bit too haphazard. The Pinocchio subplot’s fairly interesting however, and the series does pick up some cohesiveness in the second half.
Haikyuu!! Second Season (6.5): Solid sports-shounen training and action; the first half is training and the second half is a tournament. The new girl adds quite a bit of comedic value.
Hatenkou Yuugi (6.5): An episodic travelish series whose primary draw is the main character Rahzel and her interactions with her two traveling companions. The background setting, universe mechanics, plot, and non-ending are all lackluster and should likely be ignored.
HERO≠MASK (6.5): A decent enough thriller suffering structured a bit like an in medias res work. Skip the second season though.
Hidan no Aria (6.5): Similar in many ways to Zero no Tsukaima… just with more ecchi-focused fanservice. Be warned that episode three is absolutely terrible and introduces some highly questionable supernatural elements into the series, though the remaining episodes are more like the first two.
High Score (6.5): A fairly random series of school-life/violence focused shorts. The gags worked in just the right way for me and the sudden violence is similar to that found in [i]Dokuro-chan[/i].
Hina Logi: from Luck & Logic (6.5): Perfectly entertaining school life comedy with a bit of less than effective drama.
Hirune-hime ~Shiranai Watashi no Monogatari~ (6.5): Visually engaging for the most part with a mostly fun cast.
Infinite Stratos 2 (6.5): With the exception of the fifth episode, this is a fitting enough continuation of the first season. Though that’s thanks mostly to the introduction and presence of the student council president.
ISLAND (6.5): An entertaining series with an uncommon twist at the end. The last third is notably lacking though.
Joker Game (6.5): An episodic mystery/thriller that goes for a more realistic feel than most Anime. It ends up quite dull in places due to both that realism and a penchant for excessive explanation.
K-On!! (6.5): I didn’t find it anywhere near as good as the first season. The first had a solid outline (creating the band) and used its moe styling to enhance that aspect. This season is far more of a slice-of-life series; meaning it just ambles along without much focus, relying completely upon its character design to carry it. It has some solid scenes, but overall it comes across as a touch boring.
Kaze ga Tsuyoku Fuite Iru (6.5): A well-made ‘uplifting’ sports shounen that would’ve been far better if more of the people being ‘uplifted’ actually had serious problems with their lifestyles.
Kemono Jihen (6.5): Starts out a pretty good supernatrual detective-slash-battle shounen show, but deteriorates in the last quarter or so with some questionable relationship developments.
Kenran Butou Sai: The Mars Daybreak (6.5): If you like the various Gundam series, you may enjoy this more lighthearted take on them which (thankfully) does not rely on continuously recycling the same footage for battle scenes.
Kidou Senshi SD Gundam Mk-III (6.5): The two 15-minute episodes are pretty good, while only one of the four 4-minute episodes ends up decent (Shin no Maki).
Kotoura-san (6.5): The romantic comedy half is at times brilliant and at times exhausting, while the drama-laden half is at times poignant and at times forced. Kotoura/Manabe’s relationship is certainly displayed in a refreshing manner though.
Kousetsu Hyaku Monogatari (6.5): This is like a combination of Jigoku Shoujo and Mushishi. It has the visual style and morality plays of the former with the focus on folklore of the latter. Overall a pretty good series.
Kuroko no Baske (2015) (6.5): This final season is probably the weakest of the three. It has a rough start, seems to have relatively little comedy, and goes kind of insane with the superpowers at a few points. Works as a solid conclusion though.
Lupin Sansei (6.5): This first Lupin series is roughly split into goofy/outlandish secret agent-like episodes (first half) and more down to Earth heist-based episodes (second half). Overall it’s more entertaining than not.
Lupin Sansei (1977) (6.5): The second Lupin series is much longer than the first. Most of the episodes are of the cartoony heist variety, but a not insignificant amount are fantasy-based or just overly ridiculous in general. It’s a bit of a mixed bag.
Lupin Sansei Episode 0: `First Contact` (6.5): Other than the car-hopping scene toward the end, this is a solid little diversion.
Lupin the IIIrd: Jigen Daisuke no Bohyou (6.5): Gets dragged down by an annoyingly lengthy ecchi segment in which Fujiko is trapped, naked, and assaulted by a giant robot penis.
Macross: Do You Remember Love? (6.5): A shorter, re-imagined version of Super Dimension Fortress Macross. It has most of the same problems that series does along with some additional ones resulting from the truncated format. It’s not unwatchable, but you’re better off watching the TV series.
Mahou Sensei Negima!: Shiroki Tsubasa Ala Alba (6.5): Basically just a short couple of filler episodes that primarily serve as fanservice. Even so, they trend toward being more amusing than pointless.
Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica: Concept Movie (6.5): Has some interesting footage.
Mahou Yuugi: Tobidasu!! Hanamaru Daibouken (6.5): An amusingly random parody. Of both magical girls and Anime in general.
Majo to Yajuu (6.5): While it has style to spare, the nominal protagonist is pretty one-note and the ‘monster of the week’-like format (which itself has issues) appears to be devolving into perpetual battle shounen territory.
Majutsushi Orphen (6.5): A well done basic magic fantasy quest adventure. While it has some filler-ish episodes and contains some expected stereotypes, it also has some interesting twists and ends up fairly decent (particularly for the time period).
Maoyuu Maou Yuusha (6.5): This takes a couple ideas from Spice & Wolf and doesn’t get anywhere near the same millage out of them. It has some solid scenes but never manages to create a truly living, breathing world. Most of its plot progression tends to feel rote and, well; fabricated.
Million Doll (6.5): A nice little tale about idols and those that make them popular. Has pretty low-quality animation though.
Minori Scramble! (6.5): A slapstick comedy about a girl who hates penguins and the antics of a chibi android penguin that has the face of a little girl. The first half is funnier than the second half, which goes a little too far overboard with the absurdism.
Mizu no Kotoba (6.5): A nine-minute OVA that is sort of like Eve no Jikan on speed. The first half is surprisingly engaging, but the ending leaves something to be desired.
Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team (6.5): One of the more realistic Gundam series that’s decent enough as long as you can ignore a couple of annoying characters and some forced plot developments.
Momokuri (6.5): A fairly by-the-numbers romantic comedy that comes out ahead thanks to showing actual relationship progress, a solid cast dynamic, and treating its subject matter pretty deftly.
Mushoku Tensei: Isekai Ittara Honki Dasu (6.5): This isekai show would actually be one of the best if it weren’t for the fact that the protagonsit is remarkably perverted. He calms down a bit in the second half though, so it very well may get better in later installments.
Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water (6.5): Surprisingly good plotline once you get past the cartoonish overlay, but suffers from some rather serious pacing and filler issues.
Nagato Yuki-chan no Shoushitsu (6.5): For the most part this is a pretty average romantic comedy with notably above-average production values. It also contains a brief stretch of drama (episodes 10-13) which feels rather out of place; the segment is well-done, but it just doesn’t really fit all that well into the series as a whole. The OVA is basically just a bonus filler episode.
Night Wizard (6.5): Better than I thought it would be. The fight scenes are rather short and the comedic portions are basically the same couple of running gags, but the characters are somewhat interesting and varied while the storyline takes a surprisingly serious turn and doesn’t wear out its welcome with filler content.
No Game No Life Zero (6.5): A drama-heavy prequel which comes across as a bit rushed. The romance and comic relief aspects also need work.
Ningyo no Mori (6.5): A nice compact horror movie.
Noblesse: Pamyeol-ui Sijak (6.5): While the animation here is certainly sketchy at times, the little OVA tells a fairly interesting story. The trigger event for the werewolf’s rampage is incredibly forced though.
Nyankuri: Nyan x 2 Music Clip (6.5): A set of music clips from Macross Frontier, many styled to look like music videos, interspersed with brief interview segments. It’s better than Flash Back 2012 in that the majority of the clips actually do look similar to music videos, but worse in the way it includes the commercial jingles and movie-trailer clips from the show as well.
ONIHEI-HANKACHO: THE ANIMATION (6.5): This show is better when it’s being serious. Occasionally it will drift toward Lupin territory, which doesn’t work as well as it could.
Otome Game Sekai wa Mob ni Kibishii Sekai desu (6.5): An inexplicably entertaining mashup of Tensai Ouji no Akaji Kokka Saisei Jutsu and Hamefura. It works despite both its inconsistencies and generic overpowered protagonist/harem elements.
Otona Joshi no Anime Time (6.5): The first and third stories are solid, while the second and fourth have questionable aspects that bring them down a bit.
Parasite Dolls (6.5): Like [i]Ghost in the Shell[/i], only with worse animation and a greater police-ish focus. It also has lots of explosions and death in the final segment.
Prince of Stride: Alternative (6.5): It’s basically Free! with racing/parkour instead of swimming and less naked men. Nana isn’t as good a character as Gou though, which is a significant loss.
Psycho-Pass 3 (6.5): The 8-episode season is surprisingly entertaining despite a number of character-related issues. The concluding segment, First Inspector, is just a drag though.
Puni Puni Poemi (6.5): What Excel Saga is to Anime, this is to Hentai. Still amusing though.
Quanzhi Fashi (6.5): The first season is pretty engaging despite its low-quality animation. The second has better animation but drastically changes the show’s focus and only ends up barely watchable as a result.
Ragnastrike Angels (6.5): A very short advertisement/prequel for the game that ends up surprisingly hilarious.
Ramen Daisuki Koizumi-san (6.5): Good comedy despite the abundance of ‘ramen facts’ segments.
RAY the Animation (6.5): Up until episode seven or eight this is a decent series, as long as you like medical themes. However, at that point the main storyline takes hold… and the main storyline is incredibly stupid.
Ren’ai Boukun (6.5): A great romantic comedy nearly sunk by hamfisted dramatic developments toward the end.
Robot Carnival (6.5): A collection of robot-theme short movies. It’s a real mixed bag; some are pretty good while others are kind of meh.
Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? (6.5): A show with similarities to Tenchi Muyou!. For the most part it’s remarkably fun, at times though it tries too hard to force its harem elements.
Ruin Explorers (6.5): A quick dungeon-delving high-fantasy series that starts out with a comedic focus and eventually shifts into drama/tragedy mode. It has some interesting concepts and an acceptably high level ocean battle in the third episode.
Saenai Heroine no Sodatekata ♭ (6.5): Though the comedy is still top-notch, the quality of the drama takes a serious hit.
Samurai Flamenco (6.5): A remarkably entertaining show that gets more and more over-the-top as it progresses. I ended up enjoying it despite not really liking super sentai types of shows.
Senyoku-no-SIGRDRIFA (6.5): While I like the character interactions quite a bit, the mix of disparate genre elements don’t blend very well.
Shakugan no Shana Second (6.5): Nowhere near as good as the first season. The first half is little better than a low quality harem, while the second half ends just as the series is starting recapture some of its earlier form and excitement.
Shin Majinden Battle Royal High School (6.5): A violent B-movie with some pretty damn good animation that manages to stay decently entertaining throughout its runtime.
Shijou Saikyou no DAIMAO, Murabito A ni TENSEI SURU (6.5): Doesn’t do anything new, but pulls off the standard genre beats competantly enough.
Shoujo Kageki: Revue Starlight (6.5): While the pacing is a bit strange it’s interestingly surreal and the comedy is good.
Sketchbook ~Full Color’s~ (6.5): This series is basically a combination of Aria and Azumanga Daioh with a touch of Lucky Star.
Shin Kyuuseishu Densetsu Hokuto no Ken (6.5): A series of four movie/OVA remakes of Hokuto no Ken along with a prequel story. The Yuria one is skippable, the Toki one is decent, the first Raou one and the prequel (Zero) are good, and the second Raou one is pretty good considering it covers the entire fourth quarter of the parent series.
Slayers (Movie Versions) (6.5): I liked these mainly due to the way Lina and Naga played off each other so well. They’re funny, and don’t fall into many of the clichés that this type of series usually do.
Spiral (6.5): This is a detective-type series full of mind games. The first few episodes are a bit annoying because they all follow the same formula, but soon the main storyline takes hold and it becomes pretty interesting. The character design, personality-wise, is a bit strange… but other than that it’s a pretty good series.
Stratos 4 (6.5): This is a character driven series with the vast majority of the story being the relationship between, and temperaments of, the four main characters. In addition to the main focus, this series has a very interesting background plot that starts slowly but takes off toward the end of the main series. The two-episode OVA sequel doesn’t really add all that much to the series, but it does set the stage for the next series of OVA’s (Stratos 4 Advance). Advance isn’t as character driven as the original, and I think it loses a lot of its impact by focusing too much on the (formerly background) conspiracy. The two episodes tacked onto the end of Advance, Kanketsuhen, only serve to dilute it further.
Supernatural (6.5): A decent enough monster-of-the-week series that unfortunately doesn’t have much going for it beyond its monsters-of-the-week. If you like live-action shows like The X-Files, Fringe, or early Buffy you should check it out.
Sword Oratoria: Dungeon ni Deai o Motomeru no wa Machigatte Iru Darouka Gaiden (6.5): Very similar to the parent series, but focuses slightly more on large-scale plots than personal issues.
Tales of Zestiria the X (6.5): While the Berseria adaptation episodes are horrid, the rest is a decent-to-good modification of the game’s story to fit a TV format. The ending is rushed though.
Teekyuu (6.5): A random-styled comedy made up of two-minute episodes. The humor is just the right type of randomness (most of the time), and the short episode length actually works in its favor. To fit everything in they had to speed up both the dialog and events to a nearly breakneck pace that’s difficult to follow, which wisely doesn’t give you any time to contemplate how little sense it makes. Seasons 4-7 are remarkably consistent in quality.
Tenchi Muyou!: Ryou-Ouki (6.5): This is the twenty-four episode OVA series. I recommend watching this before watching Tenchi Universe, as it tells things a bit differently and in a more serious fashion. It’s a surprisingly well done series for the harem genre, although it does suffer a bit toward the end of the first half and the last four episodes are basically an advertisement for GXP and a prequel to Isekai no Seikishi Monogatari.
The World God Only Knows II (6.5): The first two episodes are on par with the first season and the third arc is decent, but the second and fourth arcs are horrible. The new central character that was introduced, Haqua, is also terrible… which doesn’t help matters any.
Toji no Miko (6.5): A fun action series that hits the ground running and doesn’t stop to explain anything until about a quarter of the way through.
Tokyo ESP (6.5): A rather entertaining series that suffers from a somewhat slow middle and anti-climatic end.
Tokyo Mew Mew (6.5): Comedy is good, characters are good, and plot developments aren’t excessively dumb. Recycled animations are an issue however and some of the episodic stories can vary wildly in quality.
Touhai Densetsu Akagi: Yami ni Maiorita Tensai (6.5): An otherwise extremely good mindgame series brought down by excessive and overly heavy mahjong terminology dissertations, weird character design, and lack of animation. The last arc is also kind of ridiculous.
Touhou PVD 5 (6.5): The videos range from average to good, while the picture-story episode is cute and semi-amusing/
Uchuu Senkan: Tiramisu II (6.5): This set of episodes is less episodic and more of a Gundam parody, giving the series some welcome consistency.
Vampire Princess Miyu (1997) (6.5): I don’t remember much of this series besides that the first couple episodes are pretty bad. It picks up halfway through as more of Miyu’s personality starts to show.
World Trigger (6.5): A remarkably good action/comedy/drama that suffers from some animation issues in episodes 39-43 and a godawful filler arc (49-63). A particularly notable quality is that the people in charge are not unredeemable assholes.
Yojouhan Shinwa Taikei (6.5): A Groundhog Day-like show that starts off extremely good but gets progressively more annoying. That it culminates in such a trite moral of the story does nothing to reverse that trend.
Yoku Wakaru Gendai Mahou (6.5): While this suffers from jumbled pacing and a messy timeline, it remains a fun watch and has a surprisingly good ending.
Yoru wa Mijikashi Aruke yo Otome (6.5): While the art style is a bit odd and the ending stretch is sketchy, for the most part this is a pretty amusing romantic comedy.
Yuru Yuri San Hai! (6.5): This third season is a return to form; gag comedy instead of the almost-pure slice of life found in the Nachuyachumi! specials. If you liked the first two seasons there’s no reason to expect any disappointment here.
Zombie Loan (6.5): This is an odd series. It has an animation style similar to Ghost Hunt, and the characters are somewhat interesting (Yomi is great), but the plotline seems to be generic shounen. It ends just as strange as when it began. It was okay… but just wasn’t cohesive enough for me to like it all that much.
.hack//G.U. Trilogy (6.25): Doesn’t suffer from the pacing issues that plagued the other .hack series… but does suffer from an acute case of DBZ-itis. It’s still rather entertaining though.
009 Re:Cyborg (6.25): A mostly entertaining popcorn movie that suffers from focusing on (and ending with) some absolutely atrocious religious themes. Lovely visuals though.
7Seeds (6.25): While the first season is something of a mess, the second goes a long ways toward redeeming the series despite featuring a rather large number of overly convenient plot devlopments.
Akuma no Riddle (6.25): A dramatic battle royale type of show that gets a bit too ridiculous at times (battle cyborg), has a less than stellar ending, and tacks on a fanservice OVA as its 13th episode.
Amagami SS Plus (6.25): Shorter than the first season and doesn’t add anything of note despite ever-so-slightly slightly advancing each relationship arc. There’s not much reason to watch it unless you really like the character design or personalities.
Ano Natsu de Matteru (6.25): A series that bears some resemblance to Onegai Teacher and Ano Hana. It’s extremely heavy on the awkward romance and sort of falls apart during the last few episodes. Yet even so, it has some solid scenes and the character interactions periodically manage to reach a higher level.
Ao Haru Ride (6.25): A sweet romantic comedy in the vein of Kimi ni Todoke and Bokura ga Ita. The first OVA takes place before the series and is just a combination/extension of the flashbacks seen therein (meaning it’s pretty much devoid of comedy), while the second takes place after it, resolves the love triangle issue, and sets the stage for a second season.
Asagao to Kase-san. (6.25): A pretty rushed romance that still manages to be endearing more often than not.
Ayakashi: Japanese Classic Horror (6.25): The first two stories are average at best and not really worth watching. The third… the third is fantastic.
Bakuon!! (6.25): This starts out a little shaky, but by the end of the 3rd episode you should know whether or not the comedy style works for you. The first OVA is fine and can be watched after the 5th episode, while the second takes place after the series and can be ignored.
BANANA FISH (6.25): Though this deteriorates noticeably in the second half, I’d still say it’s worth watching if you like mafia and/or gang-flavored shows.
Black Blood Brothers (6.25): This suffers from a rather large amount of ridiculousness. Thankfully, the story is rather enjoyable and it’s an interesting take on the vampire genre.
BlazBlue: Alter Memory (6.25): Has terrible action scenes (which is pretty damning for a series based on a fighting game), but manages to just barely make up for that with an interesting story and some fun characters.
Blood Lad (6.25): A fun, mostly silly, action/comedy show. Some of the characters can get rather annoying at times though and the action scenes aren’t very good.
Boogiepop wa Warawanai (6.25): Though I like the first story and love Boogiepop as a character, the other three stories are each kind of a mess in different ways.
Boruto -Naruto the Movie- (6.25): The first quarter is annoying. The rest is a pretty good, if over the top, action-focused popcorn movie.
Canaan (6.25): What could have been a really interesting series is bogged down with three too many awkward romance subplots. Alphard is a great character though.
Chaos;Head (6.25): The series starts off as an intriguing psychological mystery, but dissolves around the halfway point into a mindless actionfest lacking any kind of realism or believability. Still, I didn’t feel as if the time spent watching it was a complete waste.
Daitoshokan no Hitsujikai (6.25): An otherwise good mix of comedy, romance, and drama crippled by an awful last quarter. The drama becomes obscenely forced and the show becomes a chore to finish.
Dakara Boku wa, H ga Dekinai (6.25): An actionish ecchi harem series that’s something of a cross between Bleach, Highschool DxD, and Shakugan no Shana. It starts off intriguingly fun, falls flat on its face in the middle, and manages to redeem itself with a serious turn at the end. The extra OVA is just pure fanservice with a tiny bit of comedy.
DD Hokuto no Ken (2011) (6.25): Comedic shorts centered on chibi versions of the Hokuto no Ken cast interacting in a non-post apocalyptic world. The situations are hit or miss in their effectiveness.
Demonbane (TV Series) (6.25): Just this side of watchable. The cthulhu references are interesting and they even offer explanations for them at the end of each episode. The storyline finally picks up about halfway through and it becomes rather gripping.
Devils’ Line (6.25): Though the romance aspects are lacking, the thriller aspects make up for it.
Dog Days” (6.25): This third season is surprisingly enjoyable despite the rushed drama in the beginning and the rather dull couple of episodes in the third quarter.
EDENSZERO (6.25): Fairy Tail fanfiction with the same genre makeup. If you didn’t like that series then you won’t like this one either.
Fumikiri Jikan (6.25): Some of the segments work very well and some don’t work at all.
Fuujin Monogatari (6.25): An extremely laid back daily life series that I would not have enjoyed at all if it weren’t for the dash of the absurd (flying cats) that shows up every one in a while. If you like shows similar to Aria you’ll probably enjoy this quite a bit.
Gintama: THE SEMI-FINAL (6.25): First episode is pretty dire apart from a few good bits while the second is better overall but still not great at advancing the main plotline (the recap at the start of The Final does a much better job).
Gochuumon wa Usagi Desuka?? (6.25): This second season starts off very slice-of-lifey and somewhat slow; it’s not until the 4th episode or so that the characters’ exuberant reactions start really taking center stage. It also feels a bit unfocused, and Cocoa’s obsession with being a ‘big sister’ gets annoying rather quickly.
Gugure! Kokkuri-san (6.25): A remarkably entertaining comedy who’s main problem is not quite knowing when enough is enough. It has a tendency of going too far with some of its sketches.
Gunslinger Stratos: The Animation (6.25): A decent time-killer with an interestingly twisty storyline and mostly decent action scenes.
Haikyuu!! (6.25): This is a lot like Kuroko no Baske, only with a more annoying, stereotypical, protagonist and less prominent female characters. It manages to nail that feeling of shounen-sports excitement, but that’s really all it has going for it.
Haiyore! Nyaruko-san (6.25): This starts out pretty great but somewhere around the halfway point something goes wrong. Nyaruko starts to become more annoying than funny, and while there are still moments of hilarity from time to time they become few and far between.
Hajime no Ippo: The Fighting! (6.25): A boxing-focused shounen that’s weighted down by a seemingly never-ending procession of training episodes along with a fairly repetitive event structure. The actual boxing matches usually end up exciting though.
Hanayamata (6.25): Starts out painfully cute and morphs into something akin to Love Live!. It’s main issue is that its dramatic aspects prevent it from being a ‘sit down, relax, and just enjoy yourself’ kind of show.
Hitori no Shita: The Outcast (6.25): While Houhou and the action scenes are both pretty great, the comedy can be a crapshoot though and the two-episode flashback it ends on really kills the show’s momentum.
Hokuto no Ken (1986) (6.25): A movie which condenses, re-tells, and alters the events of the original series’ first 49 episodes. It’s rather decent.
Houkago no Pleiades (2015) (6.25): A fun little slightly unconventional magical girl show with a focus on outer space. That said, the Subaru product placement is incredibly annoying and the pacing is a little slow. Note that this includes and expands upon the previous web series of the same name.
ID-0 (6.25): A surprisingly entertaining mecha series that sadly goes a bit insane during its concluding stretch.
Imouto sae Ireba Ii. (6.25): Though this occasionally deals with serious topics, the ecchi aspects are overwhelming more often than not.
Inuyasha (6.25): A battle shounen-slash-romance with not all that much variety in its battles and a bunch of not so good filler episodes. The character interactions more than make up for that though.
Itsuka Tenma no Kuro Usagi OVA (6.25): I watched this solely because it had a Legend of the Legendary Heroes cameo in it. Surprisingly enough, the primary body-switching story was actually amusing while the cameo story ended up being utterly terrible.
Jigoku Youchien (6.25): A mini-episode comedy with beautifully done artwork that starts off shaky, becomes fairly amusing by the third episode, and then ends shaky. Due note though that it’s basically a picture-book drama, with practically no animation.
Joshikousei no Mudazukai (6.25): A schoolgirl comedy in the vein of Nichijou that unfortunately relies too heavily on stupidity/awkwardness for its humor.
K: Return of Kings (6.25): Starts things off on the wrong foot and then, while it gets better, never really manages to capitalize on the stage set by its prequels. Does have an actual conclusion though.
Kami-sama no Inai Nichiyoubi (6.25): This has a comedic streak that works well and explores a fairly interesting world. It’s a bit on the dull side though and the third arc is pretty bad.
Kanojo ga Flag o Oraretara (6.25): Very good as a nutty comedy/parody, generic as a drama, and extremely unimpressive as a serious romance. A mixed genre series that only does one of its genres well.
Kenpou Denki Berserk (6.25): The first episode is a rather large case of false advertising… since the rest of the series is a flashback. Still, the story itself is quite interesting and the visuals are well done. The ending needs some serious work, though this is likely because they were never able to make the final episode.
Kidou Senshi Gundam: Thunderbolt (6.25): has a fairly unlikeable cast with a bare-bones (incomplete) plot and questionable music focus. The visuals are great though and it ends up a decently entertaining action showcase. The movie version is almost identical to the web version, it just adds two extra scenes to the end (so you should watch the movie and skip the web episodes).
Knight’s & Magic (6.25): While not even remotely serious, the action scenes are solid and the comedy is pretty good.
Kobayashi-san Chi no Dragon Maid (6.25): An otherwise fun and relaxing comedy brought down by some ill-fitting dramatic aspects and a couple completely extraneous ecchi-centric side characters.
Koi to Senkyo to Chocolate (6.25): Wonderful characters and character interactions, fairly awful storyline and plot developments. The former just barely make up for the latter.
Kokkoku (6.25): Great protagonist but suffers pretty badly in the antagonist-confrontation department.
Kono Minikuku mo Utsukushii Sekai (6.25): This is one of those cross-genre series. It has elements of Kashimashi, Elfen Lied, and Tenchi Muyou! all rolled into a ball. Nothing too profound, but a nice short diversion.
Koukaku no Pandora: Ghost Urn (6.25): At first this reminded me of Valkyrie Drive: Mermaid crossed with GitS, with its one ‘unique’ feature being the overload of character deformation humor (which I greatly enjoyed). As it progresses it loses most of Valkyrie Drive resemblance, becoming first a meandering moral of the week sort of show and finishing as a moderately engaging action-heavy comedy/drama.
Kuai Ba Wo Ge Dai Zou: Ani ni Tsukeru Kusuri wa Nai! 2 (6.25): The switch to nearly 100% school-life gags hurts. On the plus side: The romance aspects aren’t as annoying.
Kyoto Animation Commercials (6.25): Most have good animation and nothing really wrong with them. Ajisai Hen and Kasa Hen are rather subpar though.
Kyou no Go no Ni (2009) (6.25): This second OVA series is not as funny as the first, more slice of life-ish, while also having less ecchi.
Lupin III: Dead or Alive (6.25): This has a bit of a sci-fi focus to it (which came as a shock). It also has a fairly large focus on a military coup and subsequent revolt. The military parts aren’t all that interesting while the Lupin-and-friends parts are fairly amusing.
Mahou Shoujo Ikusei Keikaku (6.25): An otherwise good dark magical girl show with lackluster action scenes.
Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei: Raihousha-hen (6.25): Both the animation and storytelling have suffered significant hits here compared to the first season. The last three episodes though are pretty good and go a long ways toward redeeming it.
Mahoutsukai Reimeiki: the dawn of the witch (6.25): While this suffers from pretty bad animation quality, it makes up for it by featuring a number of entertaining characters.
Mai-Otome 0: S.ifr (6.25): A prequel to Mai-Otome. It’s engaging enough at times and the action scenes are solid, but the plotline and characters leave much to be desired.
Majokko Tsukune-chan (6.25): A parody series focused on a witch who’s cheerfully unconcerned about most of what happens around her. Absurd situational comedy abounds along with a dash of sometimes bloody slapstick antics.
Manie-Manie: Meikyuu Monogatari (6.25): A well-animated collection of three movies. The first is interesting and sureal, the second is kind of average and horror-themed, and the last has sort of post-apocalyptic vibe to it and would’ve been much better with a different protagonist.
Maou Gakuin no Futekigousha (6.25): A loveletter to overpowered protagonist shows that strikes a decent enough balance between serious and ludicrous. The ending is pretty bad though.
Midara na Ao-chan wa Benkyou ga Dekinai (6.25): High quality ecchi-centric romantic comedy significantly hampered by the excessively perverted father’s existence.
Mononoke Dance (6.25): A perfectly fine music video with an interesting ending.
Mudazumo Naki Kaikaku: The Legend of Koizumi (6.25): A comedy OVA in which Hokuto no Ken meets Saki. Entertaining, but goes too far overboard at times.
Munto (OVAs/Movie) (6.25): The first OVA is okayish, but leaves many loose ends, while Toki no Kabe o Koete has extremely fluid animation and an interesting storyline. As for Saigo no Tatakai… well, it concludes everything decently enough (better than the TV series does at any rate). Even though none of the background or characters relations are ever really adequately explained, the event developments are easy enough to follow along with and the action scenes are extremely good.
Murder Princess (6.25): Not a very serious series, but it is fun to watch and reminds me a bit of Samurai Deeper Kyou. The animation style is also nice (although the characters are a bit flat), so this is one of those series you can watch just to pass the time.
Musekinin Kanchou Tylor (6.25): While this is not very good when it’s being serious, and the comedy doesn’t really have much variety, it’s an amusing enough diversion if you have some free time. Note though that the first three episodes are not indicative of the show’s quality, it doesn’t settle into its style until the fourth.
Mushibugyou (6.25): A pretty standard battle-shounen with a protagonist rather similar to Dragonball‘s. It starts things off with giant insects as the main antagonist, then briefly moves on to having a ninja troupe as opponents before settling on insect-men (sort of like DBZ‘s Cell) in the second half. Despite not doing anything particularly impressive, it does manage to be more entertaining than not.
Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse (6.25): A nice enough mecha action/conspiracy series that makes a couple of ill-fated excursions into harem and heavy-ecchi territory.
Natsu no Arashi! (6.25): A curious sketch-comedy series with a handful of reoccurring gags that has a focus on time travel. Most of the episodes are random sketches with a couple of running jokes peppered throughout, though two to three episodes in each season deal with more serious fare related to the central characters. The first season is slightly better than the second.
Nisekoi: (6.25): While the first season never really rises above average, this one manages by being chock full of great character reactions/interaction. The manga-bundled OVA starts off shaky but ends up okayish.
Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu (6.25): A fun romantic comedy that suffers from extremely heavy-handed ecchi and harem elements.
Nyanko-Days (6.25): The antics of the ‘cats’ ended up less interesting than the Yuuko/Azumi interactions.
Ore no Nounai Sentakushi ga, Gakuen Lovecome o Zenryoku de Jama Shite Iru (6.25): Stellar character interactions that end up diluted by retardedly ecchi randomly forced events. The bonus OVA is ~40% dumb and ~60% amusing VN parody.
Nyoroon?Churuya-san (6.25): A cute light-hearted mini-episode comedy that features the main characters of The Melancholy of Haruh Suzumiya given alternate personalities.
Omamori Himari (6.25): A fairly standard harem/action series. Its main draws are having a relatively normal protagonist and interesting enough heroine personalities, while its main weaknesses are an over-saturation of re-occurring characters toward the end and a highly questionable conclusion.
Onee-chan ga Kita (6.25): Starts out extremely awkward/creepy and becomes fairly entertaining around the fourth episode. That’s about where the cast starts appreciably expanding; the added variety does wonders.
Ore no Kanojo to Osananajimi ga Shuraba Sugiru (6.25): A harem comedy with a slight chuuni subtheme to it. The comedy is good while the harem aspects are rather annoying.
Oushitsu Kyoushi Heine (6.25): Falls flat whenever it tries to be serious or juggle too many characters at once.
Piace ~Watashi no Italian~ (6.25): A simple yet effective short random comedy. I’m not all that fond of the food-information aspects though.
Princess Principal (6.25): Solid combination of action, comedy, and drama with a painfully forced conclusion.
Rhea Gallforce (6.25): One of only two Gallforce entries worth watching, this movie brings to mind Terminator Salvation.
Riding Bean (6.25): If you want some violent action, this movie has you covered. It’s not particularly complex and contains an annoying side character, but it does the job.
Rinne no Lagrange (6.25): A mecha/schoolgirl series with similarities to Xenoglossia and Soukou no Strain. It doesn’t really get particularly interesting until the sixth episode and blends drama with both absurdity and a more understated type of humor. The second season is… not very good at all though.
Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honneamise (6.25): While I could certainly do without the religious themes and the existence of Mana, for the most part this is an entertaining and extremely well drawn/animated space-race themed movie.
Rurouni Kenshin: New Kyoto Arc (6.25): The first part is pretty good despite a lack of background information. The second is rushed and not very good at all.
Ryuuou no Oshigoto! (6.25): A pretty entertaining sports comedy despite the loli focus. Has a fairly large believably issue though.
Sabagebu! (6.25): A random-style sketch comedy (think early Milky Holmes) that, like most such coemdies, ends up hit or miss.
Seikimatsu Occult Gakuin (6.25): A comedy/horror series that goes a bit too heavy on the comedy for the most part, becomes a retarded magical girl-like series for no reason in episodes 11 and 12, and finishes with a decent (albeit completely nonsensical) final episode.
Short Peace (6.25): A collection of four short movies which are quite different from one another. Most have interesting concepts, all have either interesting or good visuals, and all are decent albeit flawed in some way.
Slow Start (6.25): Amusing despite its annoying premise and some questionable romance aspects.
Strait Jacket (6.25): A pretty cool setup marred by questionable character behavior. The third episode is notably better than the first two in this regard.
Strange+ (6.25): Quick blasts of bizarrely random comedy.
Strike the Blood (6.25): A mildly entertaining ecchi-focused action/harem/comedy sort of like Campione!. It’s watchable enough, though not particularly memorable.
Strike the Blood II (6.25): Starts off pretty bad but picks up in the second arc to become equal to the prequel.
Sugar Sugar Rune (6.25): Surprisingly good. While superficially a kids’ show (the naming scheme, some random cartoonishness), fundamentally it has humor and character/plot aspects that will appeal to a much wider audience.
Tegami Bachi (6.25): This the combined rating for both seasons. While this series has some great characters and general animation/design, it suffers from an over-saturation of forced emotional developments and some pretty badly designed CG enemies.
THE UNKNOWN GIRL FRIEND: Kemeko-DX! (6.25): The randomness is more hit than miss, the ecchi is more comedic than gratuitous, the action scenes are fluid, and the drama never overstays its welcome. It’s a close thing though, as there’s still a lot of gratuitous ecchi.
Triage X (6.25): A surprisingly entertaining ecchi action show with some good characters. The medical theme and pyromaniac lesbian however are awful and the Recollection OVA can be skipped unless you want a recap of Hitsugi’s past and/or a hot springs scene.
To Love-Ru: Trouble (OVAs) (6.25): A comedic ecchi-focused harem series that has interesting cast variety and some surprising versatility. It’s extremely heavy on the ecchi though.
Uchuu Patrol Luluco (6.25): An amusing random-style comedy that revisits many of Trigger’s past works. Goes a little overboard on the romance angle though.
Uchuu Senkan: Tiramisu (6.25): The random OCD-flavored gags work more often than they don’t.
UQ HOLDER!: Mahou Sensei Negima! 2 OADs (6.25): A solid collection of romance-themed OVAs which continue from where the series left off.
Video Girl Ai (6.25): A surprisingly good romantic comedy featuring a girl spawned from a VHS tape à la The Ring. The ending is questionable.
White Album 2 (6.25): A serious love triangle that goes a little too heavy on the melodrama to be fully enjoyable.
Yuugo Koushoujin (6.25): A rather unique series split into two sections. The first starts off great, becomes a little ridiculous, and ends okayish. The second starts off great, becomes okayish, and ends badly. Had it kept the more realistic angle it started with instead of adding what amount to fantasy elements it would have been far better.
Yuuki Yuuna wa Yuusha de Aru (6.25): Madoka meets Evangelion with a bit of a cop-out ending.
Zutto Mae kara Suki Deshita.: Kokuhaku Jikkouiinkai (6.25): Some great characters, but the musical aspects are integrated rather badly.
“Eiyuu” Kaitai (6): Apart from the sudden beach setting, this is a concise little story with remarkably good animation.
{tákt: op. Destiny} (6): High production values and likable characters, but incredibly dumb plot developments from about the halfway point onward.
.hack//Dusk (6): Far less serious then .hack//SIGN, but it thankfully doesn’t suffer from the pacing issues that plagued that series.
.hack//GIFT (6): A parody OVA features characters from the various .hack Anime/games. I enjoyed it a bit, though if you haven’t seen/played at least some of the other series in the franchise it likely won’t be particularly amusing.
30th Gundam Perfect Mission (6): No content to speak of, but the visuals are nice.
48×61 (6): A cute little short movie depicting a fantasy bike race. Perfectly watchable despite getting a little repetitive around the third quarter.
A Piece of Phantasmagoria (6): A moderately interesting collection of short episodes that explore an imaginary miniature world.
Ai Mai Mii: Mousou Catastrophe (6): Pure randomness; no plot or consistency whatsoever. It’s a wonderful, brief, diversion.
Ajin (TV) (6): Similar to Tokyo Ghoul, except a little more on the realistic side regarding how difficult it is to hide. It’s so-so until around the 9th epsiode, after which things get slightly interesting and even become fairly engaging in episodes 14+.
Akagami no Shirayuki-hime (6): The first half is a little heavy with ‘monster of the week’-like issues, but ultimately ends up cute and funny. The second half however mostly feels like a pale imitation of Akatsuki no Yona, with only the last three episodes being decent. As for the OVA, it’s basically just a filler epsiode.
AKB0048 – Next Stage (6): This second season ends up worse than the first due to several factors. The main culprits being a weird shift following the seventh episode and pushing the ultimate-power-of-cheerful-song idea way too far.
AKIBA’STRIP: THE ANIMATION (6): If you can get past all the underwear on display, and the occasional dragged-on-too-long joke, this is a pretty fun parody series.
Alice in the Country of Hearts (6): A reverse-harem version of Alice in Wonderland that would have been a lot better if they had put more effort into the action scenes. As it is things becomes somewhat dull after the halfway point.
Ange Vierge (6): The key to enjoying this series is just to give in and accept its ludicrous setting and bizarre pivot into Corruption territory.
Angelic Layer (6): This series is focused toward a younger audience and happens to be too fluffy/cheesy for me to fully enjoy. That said, it still manages to be touching from time to time and ends up quite good for what it is.
Anime de Wakaru Shinryounaika (6): A series of comedic shorts that double as infomercials for various psychiatric issues. The comedy style is mainly a mix of ecchi and straight-man which work slightly more often than it doesn’t. The series’ main draw however is Asuna’s interactions with the other characters.
Ao no Exorcist: Kyoto Fujouou Hen (OVAs) (6): The first OVA sort of has to be watched (avoiding the post-credit scene) the moment Mamushi and Juuzou confront one another in the series to avoid being wholly extraneous. The second takes place after the series and works fine.
Arata Kangatari (6): The beginning of a hero’s journey, this series is remarkably interesting for such a generic premise. What it really excels at it exuding an aura of sadness followed by eventual catharsis; most of the characters have some sort of traumatic background which they have to work to overcome.
Aratanari Fukaki AO (6): A series of comedy shorts featuring the main characters of Eureka Seven AO. A bit of quick amusement similar to a DVD/BD extra.
Arslan Senki: Fuujin Ranbu (6): Despite for the most part feeling as though I were watching an inferior Akatsuki no Yona, it does feature quite a few exciting/engaging moments.
Arslan Senki: Gaiden (6): These two manga-bundled OVAs are pure comedic filler. Perfectly watchable, but not really part of the main series.
Binan Koukou Chikyuu Bouei Bu Love! Love! (6): The deadpan reactions of 4 of the 5 protagonists are what really end up making this magical girl parody work.
Black Cat (6): The action scenes are interesting while the ‘comedy’ portions are ridiculously bad. It starts off very good only to go quickly downhill after Train undergoes a personality overhaul. It does recover a bit during the late teens only to again go quickly downhill during the last four or so episodes after the storyline takes a completely ludicrous turn.
Black Clover (6): While it would’ve been better had this ended once the Elf Resurrection arc wrapped up, even past that point there are some good comedic bits and well done action scenes scattered about.
Blame! (6): A series of cyberpunk shorts reminiscent of Aeon Flux, Texhnolyze, and The Matrix. While the first two episodes make little sense on their own, the third begins to put things into perspective and the entire ensemble ends up mildly interesting.
Blend S (6): Starts out extremely average, but grows on you after awhile.
Busou Shoujo Machiavellianism (6): Somewhat generic content handled with just enough self-awareness to be entertaining… for the most part: It drops the ball at the end.
Change!! Getter Robo: Sekai Saigo no Hi (6): The first three episodes are pretty ridiculous, but the rest (while still ridiculous) is surprisingly good… assuming you’re a huge fan of action scenes. Because this show is pretty much all action scenes.
Choujikuu Seiki Orguss (6): An annoying protagonist, dated visuals, a questionable ending, and an early episode setup ripped straight from the first Gundam. Yet, despite all that, it still ends up a mildly entertaining time waster if you can abide the torturous pacing.
Cinderella Boy (6): A slightly softened Lupin incarnation. It’s fun for the most part, but the visual quality is noticeably lacking.
Clamp in Wonderland 2 (6): A music video featuring CLAMP’s later works (with a few of their earlier works mixed in). Unlike the prequel this actually has a bit of a plotline to it, which combined with the nice animation makes it a decent enough watch.
Classroom☆Crisis (6): An incredibly uneven mastermind-schemer show that doesn’t really find its footing until halfway in… and even then still makes some missteps from time to time regarding the character behavior.
Comic Girls (6): Despite the protagonist’s painfully awkward personality, the comedy in this show works very well indeed… when it’s not being run into the ground anyway.
Coyote Ragtime Show (6): The first episode is amazing… and also happens to be a horrible case of false advertising. The series is fun to watch as long as you don’t pay attention to the story and focus on the eye-candy visuals and (non-Mister) character dialog. If you ever try to make sense of the plotline though, you’ll run screaming from the room.
Dai Mahou Touge (6): Takes a cute concept and inundates it with violence, similar to what Dokuro-chan does. Only watch if you think you’ll enjoy watching a yandere magical girl doing bone-breaking wrestling moves.
Daicon III & IV Opening Animation (6): While there isn’t much point/value in bothering with these now, they are still watchable.
Danganronpa: Kibou no Gakuen to Zetsubou no Koukousei (6): A parody of murder mysteries and courtroom procedurals. The comedy is not direct though (the characters play their roles straight), and instead comes from the inherent absurdity of seeing such insane character archetypes navigating this type of situation. Their utter ridiculousness is what makes this watchable… albeit only just barely.
Danna ga Nani o Itteiruka Wakaranai Ken 2 Sureme (6): Though the trap brother has become tolerable, the episodes don’t really have a solid rhythm. Note that only the last three epsiodes continue the plotline the first season ended with.
Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge (6): An insane series with reaction-based comedy, murder/death, killer lolis, a weird romance, and an ecchi focus on slightly less mainstream fetishes. By all rights it should not work and yet it somehow does. Just barely.
daze (6): Aside from a lack of visual variety, the video works well enough.
Dead Leaves (6): All this has going for it is its animation style; there is quite literally no other reason to watch it. I did enjoy one scene near the end though.
Denki-gai no Hon’ya-san (6): A pretty good comedy centered on workplace and manga-related humor which suffers from a bit of ecchi overload.
Devil Survivor 2: The Animation (6): A series that’s rather fond of death and destruction. Unfortunately it also has a fondness for naïve idealism and the two come very, very close to canceling one another out.
Doujin Work (6): A visually low-quality comedy that primarily focuses on sex-themed misunderstanding-based humor. Like a lot of these sorts of comedies the jokes are very hit-or-miss.
Dragon Crisis! (6): For the most part this is a generic harem series. It does practice some restraint with the attendant stereotypes however and its animation and characters are nice enough.
Dragonball Z Movies (6): This is an average score encompassing the seven I’ve seen. Tatta Hitori no Saishuu Kessen (Bardock), Tobikkiri no Saikyou Tai Saikyou (Cooler), and Moetsukiro!! Nessen (Broly) are the best of the bunch by far; the others can be safely ignored.
Dungeon ni Deai wo Motomeru no wa Machigatteiru Darou ka III: FAMILIA MYTH (6): Better than the prequel, but still worse than the first season and doesn’t offer much hope for a proper resolution.
El Hazard: The Magnificent World (6): Ever wondered what you would get if you mixed the Tenchi Muyou! OVAs with Munto? It would be something like this. It’s extremely strange, yet somehow still watchable.
Estima – Sense of Wonder (6): A collection of mostly abstract car commecials that end up just artistic enough to be worth checking out.
eX-Driver: Nina & Rei Danger Zone (6): A prequel to the OVA series, the animation in here is somewhat decent and the comedy style is much more amusing. The middle part isn’t so great, though that’s mitigated somewhat by the ridiculously over-the-top finale. Don’t expect logic from this movie.
Fairy Tail (2014) (6): The first arc is mostly generic, the Celestial Spirit arc is awful, the episodic episodes are a mixed-bag, the Frozen Village arc is kinda forced, and the Tartaros arc is surprisingly decent.
Fate/Kaleid Liner Prisma Illya Zwei Herz! (6): This season tones down the ecchi to manageable levels while keeping the sky-high visual quality.
Figure 17: Tsubasa & Hikaru (6): The dramatic/action portions are decent and the slice of life portions are quite good (if you like daily life segments).
Fireball Charming (6): A cute, fast-paced, sketch comedy. Some of the jokes can get rather abstract though.
Fortune Arterial (6): A vampire-centric romance series that masquerades as a generic harem for the first two-thirds or so of its runtime. It’s not bad, but neither is it anything special unless you really like vampires.
Futsuu no Joshikousei ga [Locodol] Yattemita. (6): A surprisingly cute show focusing a bit on the local government level of society. As for the OVAs, the first is a better conclusion than the 13th episode while the second feels like an advertisment.
Gallforce 2: Destruction (6): A solid 80’s movie, this ends up as one of the two decent Gallforce entries. Unfortunately, it’s part of a trilogy and so can’t really be watched as a stand-alone.
GANTZ:O (6): While actually a sequel of sorts to the TV series, it works perfectly fine as a stand-alone action movie.
GATCHAMAN CROWDS insight (6): Unlike the first season, this one is not at all subtle with its messaging. Though it does become fairly entertaining around halfway through… there’s honestly not much reason for it to exist.
Genius Party (6): A collection of shorts made to showcase unconventional animation. They’re a mixed bag; most are so-so, one is great, and one is pretty awful.
Gintama. (6): While the first half is painfully generic, it picks up notably in the second following a time skip.
Gintama° OVAs (6): The first is much better than the second.
Glass no Hana to Kowasu Sekai (6): A fairly interesting little movie that’s unfortunately both a bit hard to follow at times, and a bit contrived. Has some fantastic visuals though.
Gokujo (6): An all-female ecchi comedy that starts off great but by the sixth episode ends up diluted and merely watchable overall.
Goshoushou-sama Ninomiya-kun (6): This is a series about a love triangle involving a slightly stuck-up rich girl and a succubus with a fear of men. It is, first and foremost, a fan service series (which is unfortunate)… but it does have a decent backstory which is enhanced by some nice character design and animation.
Grimms Notes: The Animation (6): A highly mixed bag with consistently amusing character interactions.
Growlanser IV: Wayfarer of the Time (6): Watchable without having to know anything about the game it’s related to. Nothing outstanding, but an acceptable time-waster.
Gun Smith Cats (6): Fairly amazing visuals, fine characters, and okay storylines. Sadly it goes too far over the top a bit too often.
Gunbuster 2 (6): Also known as Diebuster and Aim for the Top 2!. I had completely forgotten about this series until I stumbled across it at random on AniDB, where I had listed it as ‘watched’. After nearly 10 minutes of trying to remember if I ever actually saw it or not, some vague recollections returned. That is why it’s all the way down here, as that’s apparently what I rated it over there for whatever reasons were going through my head after finishing it.
Gundam: Mission to the Rise (6): A well-made trailer for something that does not exist.
Gurren Lagann Parallel Works (6): This collection of videos runs hot and cold. Worth checking out for the animation, but the music is almost universally ill-fitting (the last video being a notable exception). The follow-up series ends up worse and should probably be avoided.
Hachi-nantte, Sore wa Nai Deshou! (6): A mild timewaster that’s fine to toss on if you just want some cheap entertainment.
Haitai Nanafa (2013) (6): Amusingly random.
Hajime no Ippo: Rising (6): Manages to switch things up enough to become decently entertaining. Still basically more of the same though.
Hana to Mogura (6): A short stop-motion movie about a girl who dreamed that moles could be used to care for plants and a bunch of scientists who create a hoard of robot moles. It’s bizarre in an endearing fashion.
Haruchika (6): A combination of Hibike! Euphonium and Hyouka that takes a little while to smooth itself out. Once it does, around the halfway point, it becomes decently enjoyable.
HATSUNE MIKU × TETSUYA NOMURA (6): Miku depicted as if she were a Final Fantasy character. It’s lively and colorful.
Heat Guy J (6): Acceptable enough episodic series with a pretty good setting and well-expressed themes. Never really makes you sit up and take notice though, and the last quarter introduces a not-so-great central plotline.
High School Fleet (6): This starts out pretty bad, but around the halfway point becomes entertaining enough to not be a total waste.
Hikari no Megami (6): Half animated combat, half in-game footage, this video game commercial does its job fairly well.
Hitsuji no Uta (6): A psychologically dark, tragic story that has a ‘vampirism as mundane disease’ theme. It’s fairly short and feels a bit incomplete.
Hokuto no Ken (6): With all the ridiculousness on display here this is basically a comedy. A fairly amusing comedy for the first two parts and a dull and somewhat annoying comedy for the fourth part and second half of the third part. The Thouzer/Souther arc is the only section of this series that really feels like a drama/action show, and to its credit it handles those elements quite well.
Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi (6): A fairly average harem-ish romance series with some solid (though predictable) characterizations. Sadly, the ending feels rushed and leaves much to be desired.
Houkago Midnighters (6): Despite the fact that I utterly despise the three child protagonists, the rest of this movie is so good that I couldn’t bring myself to put on the disliked list. Think Rocky Horror Picture Show meets Pixar.
Hundred (6): A rather generic academy harem action/comedy that manages to end up watchable thanks to a pretty good sense of humor and nice action scenes.
Hyakuren no Haou to Seiyaku no Valkyria: The Master of Ragnarok & Blesser of Einherjar (6): Though it doesn’t do anything new, it manages to stay watchable enough thanks to both starting out at an advanced point of the story and focusing more on battlefield tactics than personal combat.
Hyper Police (6): A (mostly) light slapstick series focusing on post-apocalyptic bounty hunters. Don’t expect anything beyond periodic cute/amusing scenes from it though.
Infinite Dendrogram (6): While the first half is pretty rushed and the animation is lackluster throughout, the second half manages to get across a decent amount of the source material’s charm. If you have a choice though I’d suggest sticking with the LNs.
Innocent Venus (6): Here is another interesting series with a twisty plot. It has decent character design and enough clues scattered throughout to piece together what will happen if you pay attention. My one complaint is that Jo is basically a carbon copy of Jo from Burst Angel… only male.
Isekai no Seikishi Monogatari (6): Distressingly, this series is more similar to Tenchi Muyou! GXP than Tenchi Muyou!. Meaning that while it can be very amusing at times, the harem elements are overdone and the ecchi just gets in the way. It should be noted here that episodes two through seven have absolutely nothing to do with action/combat and everything to do with having Kenchi run around doing menial chores all day… so the series doesn’t begin to resemble its pilot episode until episode eight or so.
Itsudatte Bokura no Koi wa 10 Centi Datta. (6): While the romance itself works, and the characters are just as enjoyable as they are in Zutto Mae kara Suki Deshita, the melodrama does not.
Jingai-san no Yome (6): Some mildly amusing random comedy to be found here.
Jinki:EXTEND (6): I’m not sure what to make of this. It’s certainly not bad, but it is very confusing. It seems to jump from the past to the future at various times for no discernible reason, and the character designs blend together making it hard to tell who’s who. Still, an interesting Mecha series… although the ending sucked.
Jinsei Soudan TV Animation: Jinsei (6): An ecchi/situational/reaction comedy that goes too heavy on the ecchi more often than not. The general setup of ‘ask an advice question -> show three varied responses -> explain/demonstrate those responses’ is also kind of dull and gets old rather quickly. The show’s at its best in the rare instances when it throws that structure out the window and just starts going off the wall.
Kabukibu! (6): An otherise average educational show about an uninteresting topic saved by a cast of entertaining characters.
Kaichuu! (6): A short little promotional series for the manga. It’s an ecchi-ish romantic comedy set against an archery club backdrop, with the twist being that the girl is actually a guy.
Kaidoumaru (6): While it’s both slowly paced and visually washed-out, it does manage to tell a mildly interesting story.
Kakegurui (6): Despite the ecchi, hideous faces, and over-the-top melodrama, the show still manages to thrill from time to time.
Kemono Friends (6): Though it’s pretty simplistic in nearly every way, I ended up really enjoying the hints of post-apocalypse in the setting.
Kemurikusa (6): This self-released OVA is a decent preview of what would become a solid TV series.
Kenja no Mago (6): An extremely dumb series with good action scenes and generally amusing comedy.
Kenkoo Zenrakei Suieibu Umishou (6): An ecchi/slapstick comedy focusing on a swimteam, its manager who cannot swim, and a mermaid-like girl who just recently joined. The ecchi does become unbearable at points, but for the most part the series is perfectly watchable.
Kidou Senshi Gundam ZZ (6): Starts out rather bad, becomes average by the third episode, and eventually graduates to decent thanks to its uncommonly large (for a Gundam series) amount of comedy and the way it mixes up the pilot/Gundam pairing.
Kidou Senshi SD Gundam no Gyakushuu: SD Sengokuden – Abaowakuujou no Shou (6): An entertaining little nonsense movie.
Killing Bites (6): An often dark B-movie style cheesefest which manages to entertain despite itself.
Kimi no Hikari: Asagao to Kase-san. (6): The music unfortunately doesn’t quite fit the visuals.
Kin’iro Mosaic (6): A periodically amusing schoolgirl comedy that suffers a bit for its focus on the English language. The first five or so episodes are the best while the next three are the worst and the final stretch is so-so.
Kingdom (2013) (6): This second season starts out on the wrong foot and doesn’t start recovering until about a third of the way in, not fully redeeming itself until the halfway point. It still ends up entertaining overall, but only just barely.
Kono Bijutsubu ni wa Mondai ga Aru! (6): While this starts out as a fantastic gag-centric romantic comedy, it kind of loses its way over time and turns into more of a generic slice of life sort of comedy.
Kore wa Zombie Desuka? (OVAs) (6): The first is basically on the same level as the parent series, the second is slightly below it, and the third gets destroyed by generic ecchi.
Koro-sensei Quest! (6): This show works a lot better as a pure comedy.
Koutetsujou no Kabaneri (6): Starts off with pretty standard zombie-centric action/drama. Around the 5th epsiode start becoming more and more entertainingly over-the-top and concludes as a revenge story-slash-battle shounen.
Kyoukai no Rinne (6): Though the comedy is quite refreshing (at first), the themes are pretty terrible and it stagnates over time.
Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon (6): Though similar to Wings of Rean in that it’s utterly incomprehensable, it has far more of an ecchi focus than that series did. That aside, this is worth sticking with primarily for the well done battle scenes. The second season is just as good (or as bad, depending upon PoV) as the first.
Lan Mo De Hua (6): An otherwise good romance brought down by its fantasy elements.
Legend of DUO (6): This is a very short series (twelve episodes at 5 minutes each) with a strong Yaoi vibe. I didn’t much mind the Yaoi theme though because Duo looks like a girl. The storyline is rather interesting, but the ‘ending’ was pretty bad.
Lucky Star OVA (6): It was decent enough, but only one of the six or so vignettes matched the highs of the main series.
Lupin Sansei Part III (6): The weakest of the first three main Lupin series, it’s still pretty impressive for the time period and has a number of decently entertaining episodes.
Lupin Sansei Pilot Film (6): A watchable enough little story that introduces the characters. The voice actors are different from the ones used in the series though.
Lupin Sansei: Hemingway Paper no Nazo (6): An extended Part III episode with a decent mix of serious and silly scenes.
Lupin vs Fukusei-ningen (6): While this is one of the more outlandish Lupin stories, it’s decent enough.
Macademi Wasshoi! (6): Really only the fourth through fifth episodes and the beginning of the tenth are worth watching if you like random comedy, while the tenth through the eleventh are good if you like drama/tragedy. The rest is pretty much just assorted fanservice and ecchi for ecchi’s sake.
Macross Frontier Movie: Sayonara no Tsubasa (6): Unlike the first movie, I do not suggest watching this unless you have already seen the parent series. There’s just too much missing and as a result it ends up barely watchable (and that’s mostly thanks to the striking visuals).
Macross XX (6): A simple, short, bonus music video. Nothing special, watchable enough.
Magi (6): An Arabian-themed shounen that has some decent characters and mostly solid animation. It’s plotline and general events are pretty run-of-the-mill though.
Magic-Kyun! Renaissance (6): The comedy style and character interactions just barely manage to save it from mediocrity.
Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha (6): The first few episodes were basically just like Cardcaptor Sakura. It gets a bit interesting once Fate is introduced and stays moderately so until around episode ten; the ending was unfortunately rather cheesy.
Mahou Sensei Negima! (6): Toggles between being fairly amusing and being painfully awkward. The last couple of episodes were particularly ridiculous.
Mahou Tsukai Nara Miso o Kue! (6): This is basically a lengthy trailer, though whether for the source material or for a full Anime series I’m unsure. It has some amusing moments and a nice fight scene at the end… it also has a rather large amount of fanservice.
Maji de Watashi ni Koi Shinasai (6): This is somewhat similar to an ecchier Infinite Stratos and manages to be fairly amusing for the first seven episodes. However, it takes a (mostly) serious turn in episode 8 that doesn’t work well at all.
Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro (6): A cartoonier version of Spiral. It has a couple of good characterizations though, and nice animation roughly half the time.
Mameshiba (6): A collection of short episodes which each consist of a bean dog popping out of someone’s food and informing them of some weird/unpleasant fact. They tend to be mildly amusing more often then not.
Maria Holic (6): Has its moments, but don’t expect anything other than random physical and situational humor from it.
Masuda Kousuke Gekijou Gag Manga Biyori 2 (6): Hilarious at times, but occasionally a bit too bizarre or repetitive.
Mayonaka no Occult Koumuin (6): A decent enough show which suffers from being visually dull/washed-out.
Melancholy of Haruhi-chan (6): An okay series in the vein of Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu, but it doesn’t come anywhere near the level of the main series.
Memories (6): Somewhat oddly, only the first of this set of three movies has anything to do with memories. The first is a well-made and atmospheric horrorish space story that’s dragged out a bit too long, the second has an interesting concept ruined by a painfully stupid protagonist, and the third is an okay slice of fantasy life type of thing.
Midnight Eye Gokuu (6): A cyberpunk movie whose over-the-top ridiculousness ends up just this side of watchable.
Mikagura Gakuen Kumikyoku (6): Up through the first tournament this is an entertaining action/comedy with an unfortunately large ecchi streak, after that point it kind of loses its direction (but also loses most of the ecchi element) and just ambles around.
Military! (6): The first two episodes have an issue with ecchi, but most of the rest consists of remarkably amusing little shorts.
Minna Atsumare! Falcom Gakuen (6): A series of mildly amusing shorts, assuming you’re both familiar with the characters and like random comedy.
Mirai Nikki (OVA) (6): As a teaser for the manga or a prelude to the TV series it’s acceptable. As a stand-alone product it’s completely worthless. So only watch it if you plan on checking one of them out afterward.
Mobile Suit Gundam (Movies) (6): The first movie is interesting to watch to see where all the various [i]Gundam [/i] stereotypes/tropes originated from, the second movie is extremely boring and generic with a seemingly never-ending parade of useless battles (Ideon did this part better), and the third wraps everything up in a surprisingly interesting manner even though it’s marred by a focus on dumb mysticism.
Mobile Suit Gundam MS IGLOO 2: Juuryoku Sensen (6): While the supernatural aspects are a turn-off, overall this ends up a decent enough compilation of revenge-centric episodic stories.
Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn (6): Starts out fantastic, but quickly falls into generic mediocrity for most of its runtime. It ends on a fairly solid note though and the animation is stellar throughout.
Moekko Company (6): This is a rather strange series about a training area for android combat maids. Though it’s more comedy focused then action focused, and its few episodes leave many things unanswered and assumed, I found it entertaining enough.
Mondaiji-tachi ga Isekai Kara Kuru Sou Desu yo? (6): Starts out nice while slowly loosing its appeal as it progresses. The elements of what could be a notably fun and interesting series are certainly there, they’re simply being mishandled rather badly. So you end up with something merely watchable. As for the OVA; it’s pretty good for a blatant fanservice episode.
Motto To Love-Ru: Trouble (6): While just another generic ecchi harem at its core, this series stands out thanks to its distinct characters and beautiful character design.
Musekinin Kanchou Tylor: Chijou yori Eien ni (6): For the most part this is just kind of average, but the way it concludes the franchise raises it up just enough to be worth watching.
Mushibugyou (OVAs) (6): The second epsiode is good, the third is okayish, and the first is pretty meh. I suspect they all take place after the main series (I no longer remember how that ended).
Najica Dengeki Sakusen (6): It’s like Chobits meets Noir. While extremely heavy on the ecchi, the storyline is actually rather interesting. Najica is sort of like a female James Bond… if James Bond were gay, as the yuri is rather heavy as well.
Natsume Yuujinchou (6): While I normally don’t like slower slice-of-life series, this one ends up quite appealing thanks to its comedic elements and Natsume’s general likability.
Natsume Yuujinchou San (6): This third season is more like the first than the second and actually features some character development as Natsume finally becomes able to talk to some of his human friends about the spirits.
Natsume Yuujinchou Shi (6): The fourth season seems to have a greater amount of conflict in it than the earlier ones, which can be seen as both a good and a bad thing. Generally speaking though if you liked the third season you’ll probably like this as well.
Natsuyuki Rendezvous (6): If you’re a fan of pure romance, then this fantasy-infused series may hit the spot. Personally, I loved the rivalry between the boyfriend and deceased husband while finding the romance itself a little too awkward to fully enjoy.
NeiA Under 7 (6): Somewhat similar to Haibane Renmei, this series’ greater comedic elements makes it slightly more watchable. What’s annoying about it is that the fairly prominent dramatic subplot surrounding NeiA and the mothership is built up to such a height only to go absolutely nowhere.
Netojuu no Susume (6): Cute romance, but very awkward.
NIGHT HE∀D 2041 (6): Solid CGI aniamtion, but filled with quite a bit of baffling character behavior. Unsure how it compares to the earlier adapation beyond being faster paced.
Nihon Animator Mihon’ichi (6): While there are some dudes in here and numerous so-sos, there are enough good/interesting ones to make it worth checking out.
Noragami OAD (6): The first is a fillerish pure-comedy episode that takes place an indeterminate amount of time after the series, while the second is half fillerish comedy with the other half being closer to the parent series’ structure. The first is watchable while the second goes too far overboard in the first half.
Nurse Witch Komugi Z (6): A sequel to Nurse Witch Komugi, this OVA suffers from bad joke-translation and an overabundance of randomness. It’s not all bad though, and still contains many of the good parts of the first series.
Nyan Koi! (6): This series would have been much better had it not introduced all of those harem elements. Making Kana into a rival of sorts and Nagi’s entire existence just bring the series down. If it weren’t for the twins (especially Kotone) I would have stopped watching halfway through.
Okujou (6): Though short and without any particularly notable developments, the animation, artwork, and ‘story’ are all decent enough.
Onegai Teacher (6): This is in the same genre as Yoake Mae yori Ruri Iro na, which is a genre I’m not all that interested in. As with that series, if I was a fan of this genre I would have probably given it a higher score.
Ongaku Shoujo (6): The first half of this movie is quite entertaining indeed. The second half is a rushed mess.
Onigiri (6): While this starts out as a generic ecchi game parody, it quickly comes into its own as a random gag comedy.
Onii-chan dakedo Ai sae Areba Kankeinai yo ne! (6): A straight ecchi/harem comedy that doesn’t waste time pretending to be anything more. While Akiko and the student council president are both extremely annoying, Anastasia is fantastic and Akito’s reactions in general are great.
Ooya-san wa Shishunki! (6): Starts out a little creepy, but by the 3rd episode it becomes fairly cute and funny. I suggest skipping the 10th episode though, as it dips back into creepy territory (lingerie shopping).
Orenchi no Furo Jijou (6): A fairly by-the-numbers ecchi-harem whose defining trait is that nearly all of its cast is male. It’s just amusing enough to be watchable.
Otaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii (6): So long as you don’t mind watching adults behave like highschoolers this comedy is usually more funny than annoying.
Otome Nadeshiko Koi Techou (6): A short teaser OVA designed to promote its source material. Despite ending just when it begins, it ends up watchable.
Otome Youkai Zakuro (6): There’s just something awkward and off about this series. Its characters have some good points and the world-building is mildly interesting, but the storyline is sketchy and the periodic battle scenes come across as underdeveloped.
Overlord II (6): This season ends up watchable enough thanks to a greater focus on secondary characters. The ending stretch is pretty bad though and the extraneous harem aspects look to be ramping up.
Overlord III (6): The series continues to be watchable thanks to a focus shift over to empire building in the later episodes.
Ozanari Dungeon: Kaze no Tou (6): A quick sci-fi/fantasy series. Decent if you’re looking for some less-than-serious adventure in the vein of Slayers.
Papa no Iukoto o Kikinasai! (6): This is a feel-good series about a college student who ends up trying to take care of his three younger nieces after their parents suddenly die in an accident, and all of the problems he encounters trying to do so. The series’ central flaw is that the entire thing feels made-to-order, with none of the depicted events feeling particularly natural. Aside from that it has no real issues though.
Passion (6): A music video for the Hikaru Utada single of the same name (also known as Sanctuary). The animation in the first half is both soothing and beautifully fluid. Unfortunately the second half is live-action.
(6): There are several problems with this series, most notably that it decided to randomly shuffle the order of events (actual source material order is: 4,1,2,7,11,12,5,6,3,8-10). Even so, despite all the negatives I’d still say it has enough interesting scenes and amusing character interactions to be worth checking out if you have some extra time to kill.

Puchimas!! Petit Idolmaster (6): Unlike the sequel, this series is a linear collection of miniature story arcs. The episodic format of the sequel is a much better fit for the series, and I actually suggest watching that series before this one.
Re-Kan! (6): A comedic slice of life show with interludes of sincere seriousness somewhat similar to those found in Natsume Yuujinchou. While I enjoyed the comedy (Inoue’s reactions in particular), the serious parts were markedly less welcome.
Re:Dial (6): A music video for the Livetune single of the same name featuring Miku Hatsune. Wonderful scenery animation with barely acceptable avatar animation. The song itself is your standard Miku Hatsune dance track.
Renkin 3-kyuu Magical? Pokaan (6): First a warning: Start watching at episode three. The first two episodes (as well as the eleventh) are fairly terrible, so if you like the third you can go back and test-watch them but they leave a horrible first impression. The series is pretty much random comedy with an ecchi-bent to it and other than those three episodes it’s a decent enough time-waster.
Rifle is Beautiful (6): A not-quite seamless merger of schoolgirl club comedy and serious sports competition. If the sport itself were less boring to watch the show as a whole would be notably better.
Right Places: Sono Toki, Boku no Irubeki Basho (6): A melancholy and slightly interesting short movie in the vein of Makoto Shinkai’s works (e.g. 5cm/s).
Rinshi!! Ekoda-chan (6): As standard for omnibus works, some are hits while others are misses.
Robotics;Notes (6): Takes the ingredients that made Steins;Gate great and mangles them into a pale, distorted reflection. Even mutilated in such a manner it still has moments of greatness and ends up watchable… for the most part; the primary exception being the climax (episodes nineteen through twenty-two).
Rosario + Vampire (6): This series is similar in many ways to Goshoushou-sama Ninomiya-kun. It’s basically that mixed with a bit of Princess Resurrection.
Rosario + Vampire Capu2 (6): For the most part this is just mindless fanservice, not even having the token plotline the first season had. But if all you’re looking for is an amusing time waster… then this will certainly fit the bill.
Roujin Z (6): Similar to Akira, it just focuses on different issues and is nowhere near as patronizing. That lack of heavy-handed lecturing is what makes it watchable.
RENT, PLAN, GUIDE FOR YOU: RPG Fudousan (6): A pretty enjoyable ‘cute girls’ comedy brought low by excessive ecchi and a horribly resolved dramatic subplot.
Saint Onii-san (OVAs) (6): Has some amusing segments here and there. Though the lead-up is a little long and it also features a number of jokes that won’t really work unless you have some knowledge of Christianity/Buddhism.
Sakura Taisen: Katsudou Shashin (6): A movie set after Sakura Taisen: Ecole de Paris. This has notably more action than most of the OVA episodes and ends up watchable thanks to its (mostly) impressive animation.
Sankarea (OVAs) (6): The first episode takes place before the parent series and provides useful background information, while the second takes place during/after and focuses on Rea’s mother. The former is a nice watch while the latter is decent but not particularly interesting.
Scandal (6): This is a little comedy web series focused on the band of the same name. It serves as a mildly amusing quick watch.
Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance (6): Something of a combination between Infinite Stratos and Polyphonica, this is an otherwise average ecchi comedy/action series with a better than average protagonist and one particularly amusing supporting character.
Seisenshi Dunbine (6): While it takes quite a lot of effort to get into, it ultimately ends up a mildly interesting old-school styled series.
Sekkou Boys (6): Starts out a little dull. It picks up nicely once you’ve become fully immersed in the absurdity of the situation.
Sengoku Kitan Youtouden Soushuuhen (6): While there are some pacing issues in this movie, for the most part it’s a decent enough B-movie with some pretty great animation.
Senryuu Shoujo (6): Remarkably inventive, but the wide variety of comedy styles makes it more hit & miss than usual for a gag comedy.
Shachou, BATTLE no JIKAN Desu!: THE ANIMATION (6): Nothing special, but has just enough amusing interactions to make it worth checking out if you’re in the market for a light time waster.
Shadow Skill (1995) (6): A watchable enough shounen OVA with some decent action scenes. Don’t expect anything meaningful from it though.
Shadow Skill (TV Series) (6): It’s okay, but more often than not the drama ends up melodramatic and the action scenes end up unengaging. The comedy segments, though rare, are pretty good.
Shamanic Princess (6): A watchable enough (if rather dated) OVA series that has some interesting animation. Oddly, the last two episodes take place before, and set up, the first four. So you may have a better experience if you view it in chronological order instead of airing order.
Shiki (6): Shiki could have been a fantastic series… if it weren’t at turns illogical, stereotypical, and hypocritical. Somewhat shockingly, its watchable even with its manifest storytelling and character behavior issues. Though just barely.
Shin Koihime Musou: Otome Tairan (6): This is the third season of an ongoing series and easily the best of the bunch. It actually has a plot to speak of and the sex-related jokes aren’t as overbearing. While it does make various references to the earlier seasons, it doesn’t necessarily require having watched them to understand what’s going on.
Shinrei Tantei Yakumo (6): Similar to Spiral with an infusion of Code Geass-like design elements. The majority of the series is in a ghost-of-the-week format, while the last quarter or so (which gets somewhat ridiculous) focuses on Yakumo’s heritage.
Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryokou (6): Gorgeous setting; might put you to sleep.
Show by Rock!! (6): A show with great animation and an assortment of crazy ideas brought down by a weak follow-through and a somewhat unfortunate ending.
Shuffle! (6): The first eleven or so episodes are your standard ecchi/comedy-focused harem. After that point it develops a fairly strong sense of melodrama and introduces you to the various love interests’ deep-seated mental/physical health problems. Honestly, it doesn’t do either of these things very well but has just enough interesting scenes to be watchable for the most part. Shuffle! Memories is just a shortened version of the series with a pointless fanservice episode tacked onto the end.
Shukufuku no Campanella (6): A harem comedy that manages to be watchable (assuming you don’t mind harem comedies) by keeping the ecchi relatively light. The OVA, on the other hand, is pure ecchi fanservice.
Sisters of Wellber (6): This is a moderately interesting series (at first) with a setting similar to that of Scrapped Princess and character design similar to El Cazador. The storyline isn’t anything all that original and has its highs and lows, but the character personalities aren’t too grating and the action is animated well. It should be noted however that the ending is horribly anti-climatic.
SM Girls: Saber Marionette R (6): A decent enough self-contained action/drama miniseries that has some pretty horrible character names.
Sol Bianca (6): An unfinished series centered on an all-female crew of space pirates with an overpowered spaceship. Contains fun character interactions and (dated) crazy action scenes.
Soliton no Akuma (6): A decent Godzilla-like movie. Nothing particularly notable about it though.
Soredemo Sekai wa Utsukushii (6): Watchable, but only just. The plot developments and most of the character behavior just don’t feel particularly natural.
Soushin Shoujo Matoi (6): While a bit of a mess thematically, the comedy style alone makes it worth watching.
Space Neko Theater (6): A collection of fake commercials for cat-related items. The whiskey ones are the best.
Street Fighter IV: Aratanaru Kizuna (6): While the action scenes are not very good at all, the plot and character developments are interesting enough to make it watchable.
Subete ga F ni Naru (6): Starts out extremely good only to mostly fall apart partway through. It does recover a bit in the last third, but never manages to reclaim that initial height.
Super Street Fighter IV (6): Watchable with decent action scenes, but lacks the more refined character/plot developments of the prequel.
Sword Art Online: Extra Edition (6): Mostly a recap of the first season with a new filler quest and some fanservice thrown in. The recap is presented well, the fanservice is average, and the filler quest is mildly clever.
Tales of Symphonia the Animation (6): This first part of a trilogy of OVA series ends up watchable enough thanks mainly to its well-done combat scenes. Pretty much everything else about it is average.
Tales of the Abyss (6): While the main character is pretty awful, the secondary characters manage to make up for him until his personality changes around the tenth episode. That said, I do not suggest watching this unless you’ve played the game for a bit first… as while it’s a passable enough adaptation it’s fairly flawed as a stand-alone.
Tayutama: Kiss on my Deity (6): An otherwise stereotypical harem with some drama and tragedy thrown in that has interesting character design.
Tenchi Muyou! GXP (6): Technically a cannon continuation of the OVA series, this is to Tenchi what FUMOFFU is to Full Metal Panic!. It’s basically disposable humor with a mostly new cast of characters, although it can be quite humorous at times.
Tenchi Muyou! in Love (6): Decent enough “X the Movie” type of movie with a noticeable Back to the Future theme to it.
Tenjho Tenge (6): This series, while heavy on the ecchi, starts out stellar. Unfortunately the entire middle 50% or so is a flashback. While that alone isn’t so bad (unless you watched the separate Past Chapter OVA, which encompasses just the flashback, first), it’s compounded by having nothing be resolved when the story returns to the present. The Ultimate Fight OVA simply adds to the disappointment as there is no ‘Ultimate Fight’ to speak of. I recommend either watching just up to the flashback or just watching the Past Chapter OVA, anything else will only lead to disappointment.
The Animatrix (6): I don’t remember much about this series of Matrix-related shorts besides the fact that I didn’t dislike them.
The Big O (6): Surprisingly watchable for a noir-y James Bond and Batman mash-up featuring a giant robot. The second season unfortunately ends up rather boring when it takes a turn for the worse by focusing on revealing the mystery behind the missing memories at the cost of everything else.
The Hard: Bounty Hunter (6): A mindless action movie, but a relatively entertaining one.
The Ideon: A Contact (6): This movie version of the Densetsu Kyojin Ideon series is filled to the brim with dated… well, almost everything. It ends up hilarious for it despite the sizable body count.
THE REFLECTION (6): Though this doesn’t resemble an Anime at all and is ridiculous in the same way that comics tend to be, the characters grow on you over time and it ends up kind of fun.
ToHeart2 Dungeon Travelers (6): Decent enough RPG parody with an acceptable balance between action and ecchi.
Tonari no Seki-kun OAD (6): A cute little mildly amusing time waster.
Touhou PVD 4 (6): Has the least amount of content of the PVD series; two music videos, a picture drama-ish thing, and a credits roll with recap footage set to music. Those two videos are good though, and the music isn’t particularly problematic.
Tsuki ga Michibiku Isekai Douchuu: TSUKIMICHI -Moonlit Fantasy- (6): This tries very hard to be like the slime isekai but can’t quite get the formula down. It’s still somewhat fun, there’s just a nearly equal amount of weird bits.
Turnover (6): While a blatant commercial, it’s animated quite well.
Tuzki: Love Assassin (6): A darkly humourous/cute short with an ill-fitting CG-animated interlude.
Tytania (6): This starts off rather dry, not really trying to engage the audience much until the ninth episode rolls around. From there through the twenty-first you have a fairly entertaining LotGH-ish story. The last five episodes end things on something of a whimper though.
UFO Princess Valkyrie: Toki to Yume to Ginga no Utage (6): The fourth season of this franchise is only two episodes long and ends up the best of the bunch for it. It doesn’t end up diluted with the ill-fitting action/melodrama that sunk the first two seasons and manages to stay amusing throughout while advancing the core relationship dynamic a bit.
Umi kara no Shisha (6): A short little silent film that has remarkably good animation.
Unbreakable Machine-Doll (6): Yaya constantly sexually harassing Raishin is basically the only redeeming feature of this show since the plot is rather sketchy and nearly every character other than those two is terrible/dull in some way. Avoid if you don’t like that sort of comedy.
UQ HOLDER!: Mahou Sensei Negima! 2 (6): While the pacing needs a lot of work and the harem aspects are inexplicable, both the action and comedy aspects are solid.
Utawarerumono: Itsuwari no Kamen (6): This is nowhere near as good as the prequel, and honestly unless you’re a huge fan of that this will probably end up average at best. If you did enjoy the prequel though, it’s nice to see what the characters from there have been up to.
Vatican Kiseki Chousakan (6): Ridiculously melodramatic… but entertainingly so.
Venus Versus Virus (6): This is a strange little series. Lucia is your stereotypical tsundere character, while Sumire has a personality and appearance quite similar to the main character of Kashimashi. It’s okay, with a subdued Yuri theme running through it, but the terminology is childish (the spirits being called viruses, while the serum that kills them is referred to as ‘anti-bodies’) and the ending left much to be desired.
VINLAND SAGA (6): Very inconsistent with an unlikable main character, yet still strangely entertaining if you can make it to the halfway point.
Wakako-zake (6): A mini-episode series about eating out. While I’m not a big fan of eating, the show is cute and watching it is a fairly relaxing use of 18 minutes.
Wake Up Girl ZOO! (6): The first episode isn’t very good, but after that it becomes a fairly cute random comedy.
Wandaba Style (6): The ecchi is on the heavy side and the main plotline is pretty bad, but the episodic antics are entertaining.
Watashi, Nouryoku wa Heikinchi dette Itta yo ne! (6): Gets too cute trying to be cute and ends up more tiresome instead; trying to become a sincere action/adventure show instead of a parody of one was a bad call.
Watashi-tachi, Luck Logic Bu! (6): A cute short-episode school girl comedy focused on promoting the Luck & Logic card game.
Wish (6): A music video featuring the characters from the titular manga series. It’s well-animated and looks nice.
Wooser no Sono Higurashi Kakusei Hen (6): Unlike the previous season, this one actually has a focus of sorts (on Anime references/parodies) and usually ends up more amusing than not.
Working!!! (6): Somehow manages to feel like it’s re-treading old ground and just spinning its wheels despite the fact that it goes out of its way to provide conclusions of a sort to the various outstanding plotlines.
World Fool News (2014) (6): A short absurdist comedy centered on a news program that brings to mind Dr. Katz. An okay time waster if you like that sort of thing.
X 1999 (6): The X series’ movie version is primarily composed of exposition. There’s a lot of exposition and it doesn’t truly start moving until something like three quarters in. Somehow, it still manages to be fairly interesting and somewhat entertaining. Not as good as the TV series though, especially when it comes to the ending… which is much different.
X-Men (6): The first half is slightly boring, the third quarter is fairly interesting, and the last quarter is a travesty. Overall; a decent enough watch if there’s nothing better around.
Yahari Ore no Seishun Lovecome wa Machigatte Iru. OAD (6): A marriage-themed episode that would fit into the first season without much issue. It’s perfectly watchable, even if the wedding dress segment at the end is a bit much.
Yahari Ore no Seishun Lovecome wa Machigatte Iru. Zoku (6): Has a lesser amount of banter than the first season and a greater amount of character-relationship drama. More important though is that the whole ‘trying to force someone to change their behavior’ theme is dropped. As for the bonus Osatou to Spice OVA, it’s a solidly entertaining extra episode.
Yakusoku no Nanaya Matsuri (6): This would’ve been far, far better without the ‘angry spirits’ angle.
Yama no Susume: Third Season (6): By this point you should be well aware whether the combo of cute girls and hiking works for you.
Yoake Mae yori Ruri Iro na (6): Well done for its genre. Not my particular cup of tea though, as it’s a bit too silly. If I was a fan of this genre, I’d probably give it around an 8.
Yorinuki Gintama-san on Theater 2D (6): These are basically the same as the TV versions. I wasn’t all that fond of either of these arcs the first time through, and being presented in movie format doesn’t really change that.
Youkai Apartment no Yuuga na Nichijou (6): While I enjoyed the comedic aspects, to be honest the majority of this show is average at best.
Youma (6): A very old two-episode series that reminds me of Ninja Scroll and late-season Berserk. The animation is surprisingly good for its age.
Yozakura Quartet (6): The character design is fantastic, but both the character actions and general plotline are highly questionable and drag it down.
Yozakura Quartet: Tsuki ni Naku (6): The first episode is sketchy, but it picks up nicely and becomes rather serious in the second two. There is a persistent animation problem however.
Yuragi-sou no Yuuna-san (6): Though nothing special, the comedy works more often than it doesn’t.
Yurumates (6): The first OVA is simple yet amusing enough to be watchable while the second OVA has a couple great momemts but ends up not that great overall. The Yurumates 3D series, and its sequel 3D Plus, are similar in tone to the first OVA. So only watch those if you liked that.
Yuyushiki (6): A more active Hidamari Sketch with a direct yuri theme to it. Extremely funny at some points, rather dull at others.
Zoku Owarimonogatari (6): Just enough comedic exchanges are present to outweigh the gratuitous ecchi and overabundance of exposition.
Zonmi-chan (6): An amusingly darkish and overly silly short movie.