Gah! Very late reply, but...

Quote by marysonnieI was very disappointed by the character development. Vaan and Penelo were just along for the ride. After Vaan found out the truth about Reks, he didn't have any strong reasons to continue, other than a poorly explored connection with Ashe. And Penelo? I guess she's just following her man, because that's what it seems like.

Or maybe they're just... you know, friends who grew up together? It's true that the story of FF XII lacked a certain punch, but I liked the fact that the teenage tagalong wasn't the center of attention the entire time in the game, like the protagonists of FF VII, VIII and especially FF X. Besides, I've played through the game, and I didn't see a single clue that Penelo has anything but sisterly affections for Vaan. Another plus point, because, again, they grew up together. Hell, Vaan didn't even annoy me, because he didn't have the ME ME ME syndrome hanging over him.

So yeah, you're absolutely right. Vaan and Penelo was just along for the ride, and I found that delightfully refreshing.

It's true that FF XII was a bit of a disappointment, but that has pretty much been the case with every FF game since VII. (With the possible exception in FF IX.) If there's one thing I LIKED about the FF XII game, though, then that would be the fully immersive 3D world. This might very well be the first RPG where I spent a lot of time just running around and gawking at the pretty scenery, and I actually forgave the game a lot for that, because it's one of the things I like about games, especially newer RPGs.

A little factual error; the girl who gets her limbs removed is named Nana, not Anna.

And to the people replying to this review, stop bitching about a review just because you don't agree with it. I don't either -- in fact, I like this show quite much -- but I can understand how this is a love or hate show, and this would be an instance of someone who hates it.

I said this on another review which panned this show, and I'll mention it here as well; be careful with making personal attacks when writing a review. The ones in the last paragraph of the first section, for instance, where you mentioned that pedophile old grandfathers or people who like their women without appendages might be the only ones enjoying this show.

You hate this show, and you have every right to do so, as well as express your reasoning why. Just don't make assumptions about the audience who might view it favourably. That's all I ask. Put your hate on the show, not the audience.

The page isn't showing correctly because SOMEONE felt the need to add a hundred exclamation marks after their closing statement.

Actually, I've seen the Nausicaa manga in two "versions". One of them, which is the version I bought, is a four volume manga -- thick books. However, there is also apparently a seven (I think) volume version available, telling the same story (obviously) but with thinner books.

I agree that the anime could have been better transcribed from the manga, though it would have been nearly impossible to get all four (or seven) volumes into a two hour movie without major cuts. Ideally, for fans of the manga, maybe a movie series would have been better.

I also agree that people get too caught up on their fave shows not getting eight or more, completely forgetting that, in this case, five points is a decent score. One that, technically, marks an anime worth watching if you're into the kind of show reviewed. Most reviews here is at seven to ten, and a few at below three. The four to six range probably isn't used that often. (Though I get the feeling that people tend to review mostly their favorite shows or their least favorite. No time for the inbetweeners.

An extreme hater? What does that person do?

I mean, there are shows being talked about on this site that I hate with all my heart, but others have given positive reviews. That doesn't mean that I will give them a hard time about it, though. So.... I guess I'm not an extreme hater or something. ^^;;

You've gotten me curious now. :P

Actually, I think the manga and the anime had different endings (outside of... you know, the inevitable happening.) I can't discuss it without spoiling the show completely, so unless there's a way to do spoiler boxes here, that's gonna have to be a private discussion.

As for the show, I liked it when it followed the manga, but didn't care so much for it when it started injecting filler episodes. (The "online gaming" episode, "Chii plays" irritates me the most.) That's just personal opinion, though, so don't mind me. ^^;;

And finally, a small nitpick (because I'm like that. ^^;; ): Chii's hair isn't white, it's a very light brown. And I mean VERY light. If you read the beginning of the very last manga volume, you can see it there. Maybe that could be considered "blonde", though it does differ from the yellow-ish color from the anime like you mention.

Lastly, I'd like to see you expand a little of your "presentation" part of the review. Since it has its own rating, I think it needs some fleshing out. Like, say.... explaining what is so funny, and maybe a little on how comedy and drama is balanced in the show. (Just some examples that you may or may not use.) Or something else. Just try.

*sigh* Will there ever be an European Grandia 3 release, I wonder. The two first were released, granted, but still....

I guess the question remains; Will there ever be a good anime adaptation of an RPG game? There are a few decent ones, but no really great ones that I know about, FF VII AC included.

Urgh! Personally, I think you are being too lenient on Mai Otome. Unlike Mai Hime -- who had finished its first story arch by episode 13 -- Mai Otome hasn't even got started. Only introduced us to several subplots that might or might not be followed up on.

What's worse, the whole maid element in Mai Otome is completely redundant and strikes me as nothing more than a hook for the fanboys. That the show also features fanservice, mostly from underage girls, doesn't speak in the show's favor either. Mai Otome doesn't have a LOT of fanservice, but when it does feature some, it's being ridiculously blatant about it. Episode 6 really took the top prize in that category by featuring a tentacle monster of some sort.

From a historical standpoint, I can't say how accurate Emma is, but it certainly put a good spin on the whole issue of differences in social classes as well as painting a pretty accurate (or so it seems) picture of old, victorian England. What's more, the visual aspect, while not trying to be flashy, is certainly impressive and detailed as it is.

Emma is slow and reflective, which is how I like my shows. It's also, sadly, not the complete story. From what I heard, Emma was supposed to be longer, but was shortened down to 12 episodes because of budgetary reasons. I don't know whether that is correct, though, so don't quote me on that.

Incidentally, I do have a scanlation of a manga called "Shirley", which is made by the artist who did the Emma manga. It's quite a nice manga which also comes highly recommended if you enjoyed Emma.

Please edit out the excessive amount of punctuation marks at the end of the art, sound and presentation entries. They're causing the entire review page to become distorted.

I second the "no review can be completely unbiased" issue. This review actually held some value, because it was written in a style where you'll know the stance of the reviewer regarding this type of anime. So it doesn't really matter if I disagree with it. That said....

"Kaede is a girl that would appeal to any man. She is pretty, smart, obedient, kind, and a great cook."

I take a bit of offense to this line, if only a little. (Unless you were being satirical or using applied irony, in which case; never mind.) Some men, including me, don't think that submissive doormats is the be all and end all of womanhood. And while I do realize she has her reason for acting like this, it doesn't make the image any more pleasant from the start.

On the other hand, most titles like this often portray men as being completely unable to take care of themselves outside of the scolarly aspect of their lives, often needing said dating game based anime females to save them from pigsty homes and daily meals consisting of instant ramen. It makes me think that anime like this occationally forgets that sexism swings both ways. Shuffle isn't as guilty about this as other anime I've seen, though; and actually brings up this topic near the end of its runtime. I may not have liked this show and its mostly subservient, "perfect women image, but it deserves some kudos for actually having tackled this issue to some degree. (This would actually be part of the reason why I like Love Hina, even if it introduces the other harem female arcetype; the uber-violent, abusive bitch.)

Anyway, I guess what I was trying to say -- before I got myself sidetracked -- is, when reading the review, READ it and try to get a feeling of the reviewer her/himself. There isn't an anime title on this planet that has the entire world's populace in agreement, so it's your job as an anime review reader to get to know a reviewer if you're gonna read his or her reviews, and not just expect them to agree with your every thought.

Nitpick: Girl didn't like boy from the start. In fact, girl didn't like ANY human at the beginning.

I don't know how much of the show you've seen, but it does get somewhat nasty at times, with people suffering deaths that can be, at times, unsuitable for the younger audience.

Now that I think about it, there could have been a section in each review for audience ratings or age ratings or something like that. Some of the shows featured in this page is clearly unsuitable for younger members/viewers even if there are censorship in effect for scans and wallpapers made and/or posted here on these pages. Just a thought.

I don't see anything particularly wrong with people adding their own two cents about any reviewed anime, along with ratings if they feel like that. Any review should be open for discussion or alternate opinions as long as no personal attacks are made.

Jeebus..... Shuffle! You're right in that the male lead isn't your typical wiener, but almost the entire cast -- especially the main lead's suitors -- are a bunch of sqealing doormats, and I wanted all their heads mounted on pikes as I was watching it. It deserves some kudos for occationally going into story arches that had nothing to do with the dating aspect, and actually having the guts to go completely insane near the end, but about 60-70% of the show is pure, undistilled harem drivel. I'd rate it around 4 only if I was feeling generous.

But then, I pretty much loathe harem/dating game anime. At least most of the time.

Hrm. I strongly disliked the main lead in BECK. Also, outside of the opening theme, none of the music were all that interesting, though I'm not really a fan of Garage rock and its many musical subsets anyway. And hearing ANYONE sing "Full moon sways" with the thick engrish accents is pain. All this combined made the show come off as rather pretentious at times.

Still, the show actually made a really good portrayal of actual music lessons, including, amongst other things, fingering techniques on guitars, and seemed to be built upon a rather nice musical background. And the support cast were all very nice (and in some cases, lovable) characters.

It's an average show. (Started out good, got somewhat worse towards the end.)

You might want to be careful about spoilers, even if they're not from the title you're reviewing. Those who haven't seen or read Chobits (but plan on doing so) might not appreciate this.

Love Hina, much like Chobits, suffers from "Redundant episode syndrome", where a lot of unnecessary filler episodes are inserted with plots that didn't have anything to do with the original and carried none of the SPIRIT of the original.

When Love Hina followed the manga, at least partially, it was good. When the filler episodes came (like the one where Naru decided to become an idol right out of nowhere), it was bad.

And that... is my two cents.

The character art and the animation suffers a little in the middle episodes (but gets more stable again in the later ones.) I didn't see you mention this, but you rated the art and animation 7, so it's fair anyway. Also, the CG is... well, decent, but leaving out details like the gondolas making waves when they move.

Outside of that, I have nothing to add to this. I'm currently (and anxiously) awaiting the last episode of the first season, which will feature one of my favorite manga stories; the Auguri buon anno celebration. A lovely conclusion to a great show.

I'm not telling you what to think about this show, but I would be careful about making statements saying that "only serial killers and pedophiles like this show", especially when you also state in your review that the fanbase of Elfen Lied is very large and that nearly everyone raves about it. Personal attacks are usually frowned upon in reviews. Insult the anime if you feel you need to, but don't insult the audience.