Video: Diabolik Lovers Original Opening
Having been abandoned as a child and raised by the Church, Yui Komori is one day to live in a mysterious mansion that is to be her new home. Upon her arrival there Yui meets the six extremely handsome Sakamaki brothers, who each seem to have taken an interest in her. But something about them seems off, and Yui is about to discover that in addition to coming from three separate mothers, the Sakamaki brothers are all Vampires.
Why I watched this series: There was only one reason for me to watch Diabokik Lovers - just to say that I'd seen it.
Thoughts on the series:
Well, now I've seen it. Having now seen one the most "love it" or "hate it" animes out there, I can now take a side with many other anime fans regarding everything that is Diabolik Lovers. To officially join one of these categories I would have to go with "hate it" for a number of reasons, beginning with the series non-existent and somewhat infuriating plot. Diabolik Lovers didn't have anything resembling a plot until the last four to five episodes and even then the plot was loose, felt forced and unnatural. Though I appreciated that the series finally tried to give itself a purpose and more substance than just watching six hot vampires do what they do, the plot just never really worked. I was left with many unanswered questions and I was unsure of what the series wanted to accomplish by its end. But while the plot was the biggest disaster of the entire series, many of the characters were even worse. The character who was the absolute worst by far was Yui Komori, who for various reasons was a terrible female role model and protagonist. While she did have a few brief moments of sparkle, for most the the series she accepted everything that happened to her and never tried to escape her terrible fate. Her ability to accept this new position as a feeding ground for six thirsty vampire brothers was too much to take, and she early on was nothing more than a "walking blood bag". Alongside Yui were the Sakamaki brothers - six brothers who only seemed there to feed on Yui or fit a sterotypical mold. About halfway through the series I decided to rank the Sakamaki brothers based on their personality, looks, role in the series and relationship to the main protagonist, Yui in order to better form opinions on them and it resulting in the following list:
A Ranking of the Sakamaki Vampire Brothers
Favorite: Subaru Sakamaki - "The Rebellious One"
Of all the Sakamaki brothers, Suburu is by far the favorite. Youngest of the six, Suburu is the most gentle with Yui and is the only one who is somewhat consistently kind to her. He appears to be a delinquent and though he likes it that way he still goes out of his way to see and talk to Yui. Additionally, his long white hair and deep pink eyes are simply mesmerizing.
Runner-Up: Kanato Sakamaki - "The Unstable One"
I grew to like Kanato quickly, though he ultimately could not surpass Suburu. The middle triplet, Kanato's bi-polar approach with Yui was very interesting to watch as one moment he would be like an adorable little brother and screaming at her the next. Additionally, he seems to be the most evil minded of the triplets and took most after his mothers cruel personality. His light purple hair and matching eyes add to his mysterious nature and are perhaps what makes him such an interesting draw, in addition to the Teddy he carries around with him at all times.
Impartial: Ayato Sakamaki - "The Arrogant One"
Ayato was the first Sakamaki brother seen in the series, and from the start I wasn't a fan. The oldest of the triplets, Ayato is the most protective of Yui as a vessel and seems to only care for Yui because of her sweet tasting blood. As the series continues however Ayato changes slightly and begins to better care for Yui as a person, which is strictly what places him third on this list. His "bad boy" nature mixed with his shaggy pink hair and green eyes is quite the combination, but his cold personality wasn't quite my taste.
Impartial: Shu Sakamaki - "The Passive One"
I was sad to see the music lover of the vampires so low on this list, but that is simply due to the fact that Shu Sakamaki did absolutely nothing. The eldest of the Sakamaki brothers and the current head of the Mansion, Shu only appears at random times and did not add anything to the series. He furthermore did not seem to care much about what really happened to Yui and took advantage of her at every brief chance encounter.
Hated: Reiji Sakamaki - "The Proper One"
Who would have thought the brains of the brothers could be one of the most hated characters? As I usually fall for the cool o glasses-type character in many animes, I in no way fell for Reiji and was sad that he had no character growth. The second eldest Sakamaki and the one who truly heads the Mansion, Reiji's personality, somewhat formed to his dark past, are what ultimately rank him second to the bottom on this list. Reiji was also bi-polar with Yui while being extremely harsh to her and constantly drugging her for his own enjoyment. However, Reiji's black hair and pink eyes made for some wonderful eye candy.
Despised: Laito Sakamaki - "The Sadistic One"
I now and forever will hate Laito Sakamaki with all my being. The youngest triplet, nothing regarding Laito was pleasurable. Of all the brothers he was the most cruel to Yui and constantly would force himself on her more than any of them and it was clear that Laito purely saw Yui as a mortal blood bag available for his enjoyment and any time. Additionally, his nickname for Yui, "little bitch", quickly became annoying and was completely unnecessary. While his despicable personality has everything to do with past and how he was raised, nothing about Laito, not even his cool looks, could save him from being the most vile Sakamaki brother of them all.
Between its lack luster plot, the awful characters and the series overall vampire campy-ness factor, its easy to say Diabolik Lovers is not a favorite, though it did however have two small redeeming qualities. Made up of only twelve episodes, each lasting only fifteen minutes in length, Diabolik Lovers was a very easy watch and a series that didn't require a lot of thinking. Finally, the series had a pretty decent soundtrack and though for most of the series it remained as background music, a few specific tracks really stood out in a positive way.
If you've seen Diabolik Lovers you already know what you've gotten yourself into, but to the vampire loving anime fan who still hasn't, get ready: it's going to be a very bumpy ride.
*50th Anime Series!*
School Days (2007)
Video: School Days Visual Novel Game Preview
High school student Mokoto Ito has a huge crush on Kotonoha Katsura, a young girl who unknowingly rides the train with him everyday and is in the class next door. When Mokoto meets a young girl named Sekai Saionji in homeroom, she agrees to help Mokoto and becomes friends with Kotonoha in order for them to become closer. With Sekai's help Mokoto and Kotonoha soon become lovers, but when unexpected feelings come to light will Mokoto remain faithful to Kotonoha? And if not, what will happen?
Why I began this series: School Days was yet another anime that I'd been meaning to watch for a while, but I was unsure of making it my fiftieth completed and reviewed series. Though for quite some time I'd heard many negative things about it, I ultimately decided to watch it next because of its shorter run time.
Thoughts on the series:
Nothing can even begin to compare to the various shades of messed up that is School Days. Absolutely everything was wrong with this series: its plot, its characters - the series had almost no redeeming qualities. As I try to always find at least one good element for any series, I found this incredibly difficult with School Days and I found myself really digging for something to praise. But let's start at the beginning, with School Days plot and characters. The set up seemed simple from the start - boy likes girl, other girl helps them get together, other girl ends up falling in love with boy, boy finds that he loves second girl and dumps original girl to date second girl, etc etc. Little did I know that School Days would take this simple idea and blow it out of the water many times over. Something that is very unusual for me as a reviewer was the fact that there was no character in School Days I liked, and while I hated every character for various reasons, there was no stronger hatred then for the series male protagonist - Mokoto Ito. Words cannot even begin to describe my feelings for Makoto, a lying, cheating, disgusting protagonist who slept with any and every classmate and quite possibly one of the worst anime characters I've ever seen. Equally infuriating, though not nearly as bad, were both the series female leads: Kotonoha and Sekai. Throughout the series both were incredible jealous, petty and downright insane, constantly at each others throats - literally. I even felt the same regarding the supporting cast who instead of helping the main cast see "the error of their ways" only made things worse. Even unnamed characters did absolutely horrible and cruel things to one another, making the series sink lower and lower. By the end however, I did gain slight respect for two of the series characters. The first was Ootome, one of Mokoto's classmates and love interests who in the end told him off for what he had done to Sekai and completely cut her ties with him. While she ultimately was still in the wrong, I appreciated that she realized what she did was wrong and was finally able to see that Mokoto in reality was a horrible human being. The other character, strangely enough, who gained a little respect back was Sekai - purely due to her actions in the series final episode and scene (*WARNING: SPOILERS!*) I have never felt such a joy regarding a characters death and I was honestly thrilled when she was pushed over the edge enough to finally kill Mokoto, and his death was only the beginning of the bloodshed. Other elements of the series including its animation and voice cast were marginal, making it seem like nothing could save the series. But one of my biggest issues with the series and something I was desperately waited for but never got was some sort of adult intervention - a parent, a teacher, anybody! Set in your average High School and centering around first year students, I was surprised that absolutely no adults were to be found within the show as there were many instances where they could have stepped in or help remedy or prevent certain situations from occurring. This thought was especially prevalent in the final episode, where Sekai is home alone sitting on her bed with Makoto's blood still on her clothes. Due to School Days story and content matter I was desperate for a set of parents or someone to just come in and either lay down the law that what was happening was not ok or just take charge. With a story so horrible and a cast of characters who were downright deplorable, it was hard to find things to like about School Days but after much searching I did however find two good elements, the first being its pacing. The initial episode was hard to get into, but once I had powered through the start it was an extremely quick watch. Each episode, while vile and infuriating, kept me wanting more and watching its twelve episode length in one sitting proved easy. But perhaps the best and only good part of the series was the ending scenes, set to the song 'Kanashimi No Mukou He' (To The Other Side of Sorrow). Incredibly dark and haunting, the piece began as Sekai confronted Makoto and did not finish until the two girls met atop the school roof for the last time, adding so much to the already sad and tragic ending. Had this song not been used during School Days final scenes, the ending would have been nearly as effective. No matter how many times I watch the ending below I will never feel sorry for Mokoto, and though the ending was hard to endure, it was the only thing of value the series had to offer.
First written as a manga, later developing into a Visual Novel Adult Game and finally becoming an anime, School Days is its own entity. A dark, bloody series, School Days is an anime for those who are not weak at heart or easily bothered by impure desires, but is also an anime that is unlike anything else you've ever seen.
Sensitive Pornograph (2004)
Split into two short stories, Sensative Pornograph tells of two couples brought together due to chance encounters. The first, focuses on Seiji Yamada and Sono Hanasaki - two young manga artists. Initially mistaking Sono to be a girl, Seiji still falls for him when he learns that he is a man and they have a romantic love affair - but when Seiji learns of Sono's past, it may be the end of their relationship. The second story tells of a young college student who has been asked to pet sit Aki, the rabbit of a rich client. Upon entering the house however he discovers a young man naked, bound and gagged in the closet who only answers to one name - Aki. Realizing that there was never a rabbit to begin with the student struggles with what to do about the situation, though "Aki" assures him he has been sent many strangers like him before and he will show him a good time.
Why I began this series: I was first introduced to this series about a month ago at a late night 21+ anime convention panel. The only thing I could remember about it was two of the characters names, and when my curiosity got the best of me I took to the internet to see what show they belonged to and officially came across Sensitive Pornograph.
Thoughts on the series:
I was not prepared in the slightest for this two episode OVA, based on its popular Boy's Love Manga. As with another series that shall not be named, I watched this purely out of curiosity - and if anything, I can say I know what it is the next time it is discussed in a convention panel.
Sensitive Pornograph is a 21+ ANIME - Watch at your own discretion!
Hey Class President (2009)
Chiga has always been drawn to the position of Student Council President due to the power it holds and when the President himself, Kokusai, tells him that he is in need of a new Vice President, Chiga agrees to fill the position. When Chiga soonafter discovers that Kokusai is being continuously molested outside of school he quickly takes action and vows to protect Kokusai, but Chiga soon realizes that he is drawn to more than just the position of the President - but the simple, boyish charms of the President himself.
Why I began this series: I first came across Hey Class President in a video on YouTube, but didn't know what it was called. When I unexpectedly came across it again and learned its name, I decided to watch it.
Thoughts on the series:
For a two episode anime, Hey Class President was a great watch. It's story was very different from other yaoi's I'd seen and almost all of its characters were memorable. Unlike yaoi's such as Sekaiichi Hatsukoi and Junjo Romantica, Hey Class President focused on the relationship between Chiga and Kokusai without making either of them seem pushy or over possessive. The series was made even more interesting when the idea of molestation came into play, something that in a yaoi I never seemed to consider as something that might happen. As the story continued, the series later conformed to the usual "yaoi norms" and shifted its focus to the intimate side of their relationship. It was this plot that made me initially interested in the series, and what helped me to quickly love both the main protagonists. Chiga, the younger of the two, was more cautious regarding the others whereabouts and actions, while the older, Kokusai, seemed to be clueless as to many of the things happening around him. Making the younger student the "seme" and the older the "uke"of the pair at first was strange to me, but there was something about it I liked very much. Additionally, both were good at heart and watching them struggle to realize their feelings for each other was very refreshing.
I would highly recommend Hey Class President to any yaoi fan. A quick watch with a good story and characters, its a series that's sure to leave you wanting more and more boy love.
Koisuru Bokun (The Tyrant Falls in Love) (2010)
Second year graduate student Souichi Tatsumi has always disapproved of homosexuality, especially since his little brother has recently eloped with his boyfreind to America. To make matters worse, Souichi's lab partner and undergraduate student, Tetsuhiro Morigana, has recently confessed his love to him. But when Souichi asks Morigana to drink with him, is left alone drunk and drinks from an unmarked bottle hidden in the back of Morigana's closet, their evening is about to become far more interesting.
Why I began this series: More yaoi!
Thoughts on the series:
Until Koisuru Bokun, I had yet to come across a Yaoi that border lined on the "rape" side as opposed to love. While I'm certain there are series out there that cross this line, I was was very disappointed with how Koisuru Bokun handled its romance aspect. I originally thought the idea of an unrequited love between an undergraduate student and a graduate student who does not approve of the gay lifestyle was an interesting concept, and I was interested to see what direction they would take it. Needless to say, when it came to that pivotal moment I was very upset. While it was nice to see Souichi in a more relaxed setting, I did not at all like how Morigana took advantage and forced himself on him in such a state. To add insult to injury, Morigana either blamed Souichi for unknowingly drinking from the drugged bottle in the first place or prefaced his coming actions with the idea that "everything that happened between them was an accident and resulted from their own negligence". It was here that I made some firm decisions about the series as my least favorite yaoi I've encountered so far. Despite this fact however I felt the series still had some good elements, especially Souichi, whom I enjoyed both in looks and personality. The animation was nice and the music was very different, as it was only used in specific spots and very minimalist.
If you're a yaoi fan than Koisuru Bokun is definitely worth the watch. While it may not have been for me, it is a beloved two episode yaoi that's very different from other yaoi's out there.
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