Episode Review: School Days 08

The drama continues to run high and it's get even more emotional, the award for best speech goes to Kotonoha.. Her very heart felt speech in the start of the show was hard to watch, she has always come off as a sweet innocent girl who couldn't seem to ever stand up for herself and now she does

The episode over all was looking at how Kotonoha was trying to once again reach out too Mokoto and get him interested in her again and try to pick up where things left off before. Now she's prostituting herself in an attempt to win him over.
Besides this the school festival is soon to arrive so everyone is getting ready to do their part for each class. Setsuna is also leaving for france at the end of the episode and also shares a special memory with Mokoto without him knowing.

Finally Sawanaga has the hots for Kotonoha and goes as far as asking her out, she insists she's with Mokoto and that everything is fine, she is still coming to grips with whats going on around her.

So all this mess in between the school activities makes it quick half an hour! this wasn't one of the best episodes so far but it told a lot about Setsuna's past and how it relates to Mokoto and Kotonoha attempting to with Mokoto again. Was another good episode!

Rating: 8 / 10

Gunslinger Season 02!

For those who've never seen Gunslinger Girl it's a great watch with a mix of action and emotion the series makes you think.


The good news is that it's been picked up for a second season who knows when we'll see it in America but this should be great. The ending point of the show was questionable it didn't really end but you didn't really get a sense of closure. I'm hoping they stay on the main characters from the first season and continue on what they built.

Gunslinger Girl's Second Season Officially Announced
The October issue (on sale August 21) of Monthly Comic Dengeki Daioh has officially announced that a second season of the Gunslinger Girl anime series will be produced. The Japanese magazine runs Yu Aida's original manga about cybernetically enhanced girl assassins that inspired the anime. The production company Marvelous Entertainment had revealed that a sequel was in the works in its 2006-2007 financial report on May 30, but the company then edited the report to remove the Gunslinger Girl reference in early June. Source: Ultimatum

DVD Review: Suzuka Vol 03

So we've hit the half way mark for this series does it still a good watch?

The end of volume 2 was harsh, Yamato learned about Asahina's past and how he looks very similar to a dead team mate who she fell in love with shortly before he died in an accident. Yamato confront's Suzuka and says he doesn't want to compared to a dead guy she slaps him and it's left at that.

Much of this volume is Yamato coming to grips that he will never be dating Suzuka and she will never see him anymore than a friend, once again in desperate attempts to change things around in the end Yamato still has feelings for Suzuka but his attention changes to Honoka.

Honoka knows the feelings that Yamato has for Suzuka and she asks for permission to confess to Yamato she plays it off as nothing but there is more to it than that. Eventually though a smal series of events and Yamato's realization that Suzuka is probably a lost cause he dates Honoka.

Much of the show features the ongoing struggle with Yamato and Suzuka and where Yamato stands with various settings to help progress the storyline. It was nice to see something on a good note happen to Yamato though the first two volumes it was him being shot down and him making a goof of himself now he finally gets to be happy.

The volume ends with Suzuka and Yamato missing the train back to Tokyo hafter the inner high meet. Honoka is worried and wondering why Yamato is with Suzuka alone and knows what that could mean. Of course she doesn't know the circumstances on which they found themselves.

The volume was good switching up the locations and the situations sometimes in favor of Yamato and sometimes not. There is still a lot to be dealt with Suzuka as she has mixed feelings for Yamato and acts one way but feels another.

RATING: 8/10

DVD Review: ToHeart Volume 05

The final volume in this series comes to an end. The final volume is Three episodes in length and features two bonus episodes in Japanese. The show for me has been some what of a let down as I found myself wondering why I'm watching. The show was just a slice of life anime based on high school kids.

There was a hint of love thrown in but it never leads anywhere and each episode many times had nothing to do with a previous episode or following episode.

This volume featured "Multi" the robot learning to be a human and showing her as not a robot but a girl and she ends her "training" to collect data for her two week period, she grows on Hiroyuki. The final two episodes focus on Shiho a secondary character and she finally gets some screen time.

Shiho finds herself attracted to Hiroyuki and she wrestles with her feelings though out the final two episodes and knowing that Akari likes him too. When confronted by Akari on the subject she isn't so forth coming but I think in her heart knows that Akari and Hiro are meant to be. On a side story for the final two episodes the gang is throwing a Christmas party and are preping to get it ready in time.

In the end nothing is wrapped up and hte final scene I guess is just to be "it" this was a simple slice of life with no conflict, good meanings and always a happy ending the series was praised by many and I for one am not so hot to trot on the show I guess if you like slice of life shows this is up your alley.

in the end I thought this brings nothing to the table I think this is a rather non memorable anime and it was to kill time and that's it. The show has been brought to an OVA form direct to DVD episodes but the orginal characters are nowhere to be seen and it takes place two years in the future after the events in ToHeart.

PROS: great animation and a happy ending, decent extras.
CONS: no prominent storyline, nothing really makes this anime stand out.

Rating: 4.5 / 10

This anime is for a niche audience either your going to like it or your not.

DVD Review: Peach Girl Volume 04

I thought about reviewing all 5 volumes that have been currently released in America but I don't want to spend that amount of time. In a nut shell this is a very soap opera style show girl likes boy, boy likes girl but are too shy to tell each other. Plus the drama of love triangles and other characters messing up everything for our lovers oh the drama!

So Momo and Kiley are finally acouple with her past with Toji finally over and done with can Momo find happiness and bring their relationship further? OF COURSE NOT! The volume featured a lot of drama, plot twists and revealed even more about Kiley's past and who he really is and why he is.

We meet Kiley'd older brother who at first seems like a nice guy but Kiley tells Momo he's no good and to stay away, going on her gut she ignores Kiley and befriends his older brother. In the end he spins lies and knows all of Momo's buttons to push to get what he wants.

He decides to go after Momo sexually and damn near rape she can kick ass when she needs too! finally realizing Kiley was right we see what a no good ass hole is hrother is and he explain many revealing things about his past to her about how he stole all his girlfriends from him among other things.

The biggest shocker about the entire volume is Kiley and his past with the school nurse, he thinks are going to good with Mom and isn't sure if he can trust her, his feelings for the school nurse from six years prior are making him have seconds thoughts and he breaks up with Momo in the hopes of rekindling the love that he had with the school nurse.

Momo realizing what she is losing desperately talks Kiley out of it and is very passionate about it this by far was a remembering line from the volume she has no problems playing second best for the time being but how long will it be until she is no longer needed by Kiley?

Onec again this volume is filled with many storylines Momo \ Kiley, Sae\ Toji, Sae \ Kiley's older brother at times you see the veyr best of Momo and what makes her so great and other times you see her at her worse in terms of emotions. I'd say not as bad as the last volume and how she took the breakup with Toji. With the series coming to a close shortly in another 8 or so episodes the show is starting to pick up where you left with what will be with Momo and Kiley.

Pros: New characters are introduced and play a large role in the overall story.
Secondary characters are thrust into the storyline to add more questions to the story

Cons: Same story logic is used many stories are derived from over-reacting and assuming

Volume Rating: 7 / 10

Episode Review: School Days 07

Episode Six left Kotonoha in disbelief how does she handle what she saw?

I've been loving this series and I started to wonder about several factors and this episode put many of my questions to rest. Episode Seven is very heart wrenching to watch.

Kotonoha, is starting to realize that Makoto is avoiding her, and is starting to realize that he has moved on but still kids herself and remains that she is just imagining things and everything is fine after all she is his girlfriend isn't she? She takes her fears and worries and takes up knitting a scarf for Makoto while knitting she realizes she makes a mistake and beings to unravel the scarf

I found this to be very per found as I thought this to mean the unraveling of their relationship and love for each other. Finally Kotonoha is confronted by Setsuna and asked to dance at the school dance and he sayd that her and Makoto are broke up and he wants his chance.

Upon hering this she freaks out and this brings us to another important person in this episode Setsuna is the controlling friend working on behalf of Sekai and she is also taking it upon herself to make sure Makoto doesn't talk, see or deal with Kotonoha even going as far as too blocking her from his cell phone.

Once Again Makto is a a spinless, gutless coward who lets everyone else do the talking for him and he is against several things that happen but is not man enough to say STFU and speak for himself. This pisses me off I was ready to put my fist though my monitor I mean Kotonoha is getting treated badly and he knows it but yet doesn't stand up for her liking her or not and that just pissed me off.

The end of the episode had me cheering Kotonoha confronts Sekai and we are left at the cliff hanger and this leaves episode eight open to many possibilities and I was so happy to see Kotonoha grow a spine and not take anyone's shit and say what she had to say and do what she had to do, Sekai was scared and knew what she had coming.

RATING: 10/10

Episode Review: School Days 06

With the Amazing end of Episode Six what in the world was going to happen this time?

This episode was very hard to watch because I'm rooting for Kotonoha and it's getting harder and harder every episode to watch her take the abuse and shit she has to take from Makoto and Sekai.

Makoto is a punk ass mother #($#@ who doesn't deserve a girlfriend though out the entire episode he ignored Kotonoha and again went though the motions!

So the episode starts out with Makoto and Sekai making out behind the Radish and them trying to agree where to meet up and when. During all this Kotonoha is trying to get a hold of Makoto he ignores the phone call. The next scene is Makoto and sekai in the same room obviously saying she stayed the night as he is making her breakfest oh what a good two timer he cares for his mistress.

Later in the episode it is revealed another classmate of Kotonoha likes Makoto, Kotonoha stands up for herself and says point blank "i'm Makoto's Girlfriend and no matter what he will be with me" I felt so bad because the girl Otme knows kind of whats going on between Makto and Sekai she knows Makoto isn't exactly dating Kotonoha.

the other big thing to note is Sekai had planned on telling Kotonoha that she had feelings for Makoto and that they have been making out and sleeping together but it doesn't happen in the end of the episode Makto and Sekai are making out, Sekai confesses to Makoto that she likes him and he says he likes her too. Kotonoha was on the other side of the door she dropped her stuff she was carrying and some very creepy music playing that too me signals something drastic is about to go down.

Episode seven is entitled "Christmas Eve" what a crappy Christmas this is going to be for Kotonoha. Like I said it's getting harder to cheer for her because you know what is going on and she doesn't do anything about it she's had many hints of whats going on and now she finally knows to an extent that Sekai and Makoto like each other, she rode passed on a train watching them kiss but didn't believe it.

I now for sure hate Makoto all he wants to do is have sex, he's completely ignored Kotonoha and still keeps going though the motions but now even more so then the last episode he doesn't show any kind of feelings towards her and is like a brick wall. It was very hard to watch Kotonoha stand up to Otme and tell her off and know that she's getting two timed. Now more then ever I want to see Kotonoha kick both Sekai and Makoto's ass, like all the other episodes they end at a great point making you want more.

Again this episode was a good watch and really shows more about Kotonoha and her thinking and you feel really bad for her. Episode Seven should great so far this series has yet to disappoint.

EPISODE RATING: 9.2 / 10