Tokyo Ghoul (2014)
Video: Tokyo Ghoul Original Opening
The human race lives in constant fear of beings known as ghouls who require only one thing to survive: human flesh. Kaneki lives a normal life spending his days reading in a local coffee shop called Anteiku, until a girl named Rize asks Kaneki on a date. Kaneki couldn't be happier, but he soon discovers that Rize is not as human as she appears to be and after a terrible accident, his life will never be the same. Kaneki may be rid of Rize, but what will he do now that he too craves human flesh?
Why I began this series: I'd meant to watch Tokyo Ghoul for quite some time, especially because of its huge popularity and still growing fan base. Having just finished The Devil Is A Part Timer and researching other anime possibilities I somehow remembered Tokyo Ghoul and went to find it online.
What I loved about the series: I at first was very uneasy with Tokyo Ghoul. After watching the first episode I seriously considered stopping, but I forced myself to keep going and I'm incredibly glad that I did. Tokyo Ghoul went above and beyond all of my expectations, from its plot to its characters and everything in between. The plot is not only brilliant but executed beautifully in the series, capitalizing on the ghouls and how they struggle to live among humans, fight their cravings for human flesh and hide from those who wish to kill them. Needless to say the plot had me palm of its hand from beginning to end. Alongside its plot, Tokyo Ghouls characters were especially gripping. While I'm not the biggest Kaneki fan, I especially loved Rize, Touka Kirshima voiced by Brina Palencia who has voiced other favorites including Ciel Phantomhive from Black Butler, and my all time personal favorite: Shu Tsukiyama voiced by J Michael Tatum (see clip below), known for voicing iconic anime characters including Sebastian Michaelis from Black Butler, Tomoe from Kamisama Kiss and countless others. Every character had purpose and was memorable, so much so that I never forgot a name or a face. Tokyo Ghoul may have been hard to watch from the start but it has already become one of my top animes.
English Dub Preview - A Rare Treat
What I didn't like about the series: Since I have a soft stomach, the only thing I struggled with initially was the amount of violence and blood. After a few episodes however it didn't bother me as much and I discovered that its gruesome aspects greatly enhanced the series. Without the blood and pain Tokyo Ghoul would be nothing.
Like Attack on Titan, Tokyo Ghoul has quickly become a global phenomenon. It continues to grow in popularity and gain fans from around the world, and like Attack on Titan, it has gained another one right here in Michigan.
Tokyo Ghoul Root A (2015)
Video: Tokyo Ghoul A Ending Theme
Having finally accepted his ghoul half, Kaneki leaves Anteiku to become stronger and protect the ones he loves, working to eradicate the investigators who seek to destroy them. As the ghouls continue to wreak havoc across Tokyo, CCG Investigator Koutaro Amon continues his plans to avenge his murdered partner and mentor Kureo Mado and the CCG continues to peruse one ghoul in particular, more commonly known as "the eyepatch". Tokyo is falling apart at the seams and amidst all the destruction and bloodstained roads, will anyone be able to obtain or achieve what they want most?
Why I began the series: I got through Tokyo Ghoul very quickly and knew there had to be a second season due to its open ending. I immediately went in search of a second season and was beyond excited to see that Tokyo Ghoul Root A was already English dubbed and available to view.
What I loved about the series: The second season of Tokyo Ghoul was far less action packed and instead took a closer look at the characters, their personalities and how they are the way they are. Tokyo Ghoul Root A made me appreciate Kaneki as a character more than the original series and what I loved most about this sequel series is that I didn't know who to root for (no pun intended). One second I was rooting for the ghouls, another for the investigators, and by the time the end of the season came around I was still unsure to which group my true allegiance lied.
What I didn't like about the series: While I liked the lack of action in Root A, the lack of action was also a set back for the series. Its first season was so revolutionary and popular that Root A was somewhat odd without all the action.
Tokyo Ghoul Root A was a great sequel series to its original, not as good as the original, but still a very well done series. I'm sure that the story of Tokyo Ghoul will continue and I can only hope that more series will be made and the story can continue to reveal more secrets.
My Little Monster (2012)
Video: My Little Monster Original Opening
High school student Shizuku Mizutani is completely dedicated to her studies and is known to most as "dry ice", due to her cold and emotionless personality. When Shizuku one day is asked to deliver school papers to suspended student Haru Yoshida, Shizuku's world is turned upside down. Smitten with Shizuku from the start, Haru quickly confesses his love for Shizuku who is reluctant to accept his feelings and brushes it off to focus on her studies. As times goes on and Haru returns to school still confessing his love for Shizuku, Shizuku is faced to confront her own worst enemy and decide what she truly feels for Haru.
Why I began this series: I had been eyeing this series for a while on Netflix, and I finally decided to watch it.
What I loved about this series: The beauty of My Little Monster lies in three things: its quirks, its forwardness and its message. Many of the characters were quirky and unique, something I've found rare to successfully pull off in a romantic comedy anime. The series main male lead, Haru, is the definition of quirky and the fact that a rooster was involved throughout made My Little Monster all the more interesting. The second great thing with this series in particular was how it handled its romantic moments. With lots of romantic animes the main couple will beat around the bush about their true feelings, finally telling each other at the very end of the series - but this was not the case with My Little Monster. From episode one we had a love confession, and as the episodes continued the confessions kept coming and Haru was very upfront about his feelings for Shizuku and eventually vise versa. Thanks to its script and the initial strong connection between Haru and Shizuku, the romance was not a sideline of the series and instead became the focal point and the main drive behind every ones thoughts and actions, which leads us to the the beautiful message of this stunning series: it's OK to fall in love. I took away three things from My Little Monster: It is OK to fall in love, it is OK to be in love and you should never have to apologize for your feelings or for falling for the person you have. Perhaps because of things that have happened in my personal life I especially took to these sentiments and because of this My Little Monster has been one of the best animes I've seen.
What I didn't like about this series: I'm glad to report that there was nothing I didn't like about My Little Monster. It was so outspoken, quirky and beautiful and its now become one of my all time favorites.
I have nothing but pure love for this series: it made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me feel beautiful things. Along with Toradora, My Little Monster is a stunning romantic anime.
Brynhildr In The Darkness (2014)
Video: Brynhildr In The Darkness Original Opening
Ryouta Murakami has grown up feeling responsible and guilty for the death of his best friend Neko Kuroha. Having grown up with Neko who believed in the existence of aliens and who died trying to save Murakami in a terrible accident, Murakami watches the night skies relentlessly wishing he could see his friend once more. When Murakami goes to school one day and learns that a new transfer student will be joining his class, he is shocked when a girl who is the spitting image of Neko enters. Convinced she is his childhood friend Murakami vows to discover who this girl really is, but when he learns that she has a terrible secret of her own, will Murakami abandon his goal to help this stranger?
Why I began this series: I came across Brynhildr In The Darkness online and was interested initially due to its Sci-Fi themes. After finishing My Little Monster, I decided to take a different turn and watch this short anime.
What I loved about the series: I first off loved the opening theme music for this anime. I'd never seen an opening with strictly instrumental music, and with the animation it worked and left me speechless. Besides its theme, I took high interest in three particular characters: the scientists Kogorou Hashiratani, main villian Chisato Ichijiku and his henchmen Kurofuku. Kogorou was a nerdy, cute character who appeared to be one of the more genuine and likeable characters of the series, while Chisato and Kurofuku were equally as likable but far more devious and surprising from start to finish. Simply because of these three characters, I was able to write this section of "what I loved about the series"
What I didn't like about the series: Sad to say, this anime has been my least favorite thus far. I was drawn in initially with the first two episodes, but as the plot progressed it lost me and took turns that I didn't like and somewhat made me uncomfortable. Many characters were forgettable, the plot was very shoty, disjointed and often confusing, the animation was OK and besides the opening theme I was not a fan of the soundtrack. But the thing that bothered me the most about this series was its immense amount of nudity and perversion shots. I've managed to stay away from these kinda things so far but with Brynhildr I wasn't able to escape it, and while a little is fine with me, there comes a point where it becomes both a distraction and an outrage. I has high hopes for this anime, but unfortunately it fell to the very bottom of the anime list.
After falling in love with Charlotte, I had hoped Brynhildr In The Darkness would be the same - but alas. While it has been my least favorite anime to date, I'm still glad I powered through it and completed another series.
Durarara!! (2011)
Video: Durarara Original Opening
Ikebukaro - at first glance it seems like a peaceful city, when in actuality it's fame stems from its gangs and escalated violence. When student Mikado Ryugamine comes to Ikebukaro and meets up with childhood friend Kida Masaomi, he quickly leans of the gangs and terrifying individuals he should stay away from at all costs, especially strong man Shizuo Heiwajima and info broker Izaya Orihara. Ikebukaro is full of danger and though it may seem like your average city, Ikebukaro's citizens along with Ryugamine and Massaomi have dark secrets of their own.
Why I began this series: I took to Netflix after finishing Brynhildr and came across Durarara which I had seen things about online. Also a hugely popular anime, I decided to make it my next project.
What I loved about the series: This series was not what I expected. From its gangs, to its plot, to the script and the intensity of its characters, Durarara had me guessing and shocked from beginning to end. I loved how the series would forward the plot for a few episodes and then break apart the plot line by giving each character their own "backstory" episode to help explain why certain characters behaved the way they did or why they made certain choices. This layout worked extremely well for the series and both the plot line and character developments soared because of it. Along with its brilliant setup, many of the series characters were fantastic with three in particular becoming favorites: Shizuo Heiwajima, Izaya Orihara and Shinra Kishitani. Between Shizou's hot bad ass personality, Izaya's sleazy demeanor and Shinra's innocence there was never a dull moment and I was always happy to see them return to the screen. There is much to love about Durarara and I can't wait to start watching next season!
What I didn't like about the series: My only quarrel with Durarara was its slow opening. After reading various articles and reviews by fans saying that while the first few episodes of the series are extremely slow you have to power through it, I knew that no matter how slow or boring I had to keep going. Once I was able to get through the beginning episodes my enjoyment of Durarara skyrocketed.
Gangs and violence have never really been my style, but Durarara was so well done I could easily start watching more animes like it. It may not have been the most profound anime I've seen yet, but it still was an anime I'm glad to have seen and enjoyed much more than I originally had thought.
SERIES STILL IN PROGRESS:
- Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign - Season 2 (Subtitled - Currently airing) (2015)
- Bleach (2004-2012)
- Kimi ni Todoke (Subtitled) (2009-2011)
- Sakurasou no pet Nakanono (Subtitled) (2012-2013)
- Gurren Lagann (2007)
- Hyouka (Subtitled) (2012)
The train keeps on going, showing no signs of stopping anytime soon.
