Death Parade

To me, this was the catchiest intro to an anime this season. I literally can't get it out of my head whenever I think about it, even now. *Boom, boom, boom, dancing through the skies* Just listen to it. :)

The cast.

It's dark and it's entertaining. 

The show is about being judged once you die, so characters appear in a bar named Quindecim and are asked to play a game. The actions of the person, as well as the outcome of the game, determine where that person goes after death. But, they don't know they are dead. 

Not every episode is about those who die though, we learn about those who work in Quindecim (Arbiters) and why they exist.

I'm not doing this anime any justice.

Decim and the unnamed girl.

It's touching when you go on a journey with the Arbiters and learn about their ways, and the ending is so emotional. So characters are so annoying that they irritated me, and some I loved even though their motives were unjustified. You can connect with a guest in each episode, and you can understand why they do the things they do. 

It also teaches us to not take our life for granted and to fulfil it as much as we can a life can be short. What anime actively teaches you things? (Besides the medical one I am currently watching?)

Nona.

A couple of scenes are a little gross, but it's not over-bearing and contains enough blood for the gore-lovers not to be too disappointed. The intro is really happy compared with the content and I love the change of pace. So give it a try. 

[There was a 'pilot' for this season published in Anime Mirai 2013, under the title of Death Billiards and I highly recommend this too.]

Unconditional love,

Cazzie x 

Yuri Kuma Arashi (Lily Bear Storm)

This was so confusing. Like, really confusing.

For the first few episodes, I didn't have a clue what was going on but continued watching because the concept was different. The entire anime is a metaphor. And I liked that even though it took me a while to understand before I read a comment which explained it without containing spoilers.
At first, I thought this would be a children's anime based on the art style and the use of animals and humans, but I realised this was not the case in some later scenes.

Lulu, Ginko and Kureha. Two bears in the background.

"Some time ago, the asteroid Kumaria exploded in the depths of space. The resulting fragments became a meteor shower that rained down on Earth, and for some reason, bears all over the world rose up and attacked humanity! In "Man vs. Bear," the bears ate the humans and the humans shot the bears, resulting in a seemingly unending battle and a cycle of hatred. In the end, a giant "Wall of Extinction [Severance]" was erected between the humans and bears and a state of mutual nonaggression came to pass... The human world. One morning, Arashigaoka Academy students Kureha Tsubaki and Sumika Izumino were by themselves and saw the "Yuri Flower" that bloomed in a flower bed. The two are friends as well as lovers. The flower bed is an important place to the two. At that moment, the Bear Alarms ring out! The bears are invading the human world, and humans are being attacked! Are they really those bears? One mystery invokes yet another mystery, one after another. The curtain rises magnificently on Yuri Kuma Arashi!" ~ AnimeUltima.

The ending is absolutely beautiful, and I still don't know why they used bears in this, as it would be much more obvious without them, but it helps move the story along. The 'Invisible Storm' and the school represent society, but that's the only spoiler I will give you.

Take a look, and if you understand, I know you will like it too.
And for you perverts out there, I'm afraid the characters are sometimes scantily clad, and sometimes fully nude although you won't really see anything.
Listen to the opening song for clues as to the story line.

Unconditional love,
Cazzie x

Junketsu no Maria (Maria the Virgin Witch)

Oh this was funny. To begin with.

I feel that this lost its comedic value nearer the end and became a little too serious.

It's a great story surrounding the life of a witch, and you guessed her name, Maria. She is a virgin, much to everyone's surprise, and spends her time trying to stop the war between England and France, but makes enemies along the way. Who in their right mind would oppose world peace? The people from this historical anime. Anyway, she gets in trouble with Heaven and consequences are set for when she uses her magic.

It's a little bit sexy, and is full of drama. Obviously magic plays a huge part too.

I challenge you to give it the 3 episode rule. If you don't like it by then, let me know what you thought.

The ending was a bit too religious and it didn't really give any room for a second season, which is a shame as I would like to know how she copes next. But always watch past the credits, as you may miss something.

Unconditional love,
Cazzie x

P.S I know I didn't write much, but writing reviews without spoilers is really hard and I'm tired.

Cross Ange: Tenshi to Ryuu no Rondo (Cross Ange: Angel and Dragon of Rondo)

The is the second and last 24 episode series I have watched from last season.

Cross Ange follows a princess named Ange, who finds out that she is not like other humans and is what she was taught to despise. Once it is discovered, she is sent away with other 'Normas' (humans who cannot use the power of Mana) and her new life begins. As a stuck up princess, how will she cope with having to be treated with less that human standards and fighting DRAGONS? Does she cope or does the anime follow another character? You'll have to watch to find out.

Ange's life becomes totally different and her character development starts early on. It's easy to love her right from the start as you see her traits and ignorance to the world, and her reaction when learns the truth. This is truly beautiful, and the pasts of other characters are explained enough for you to understand their circumstances, but not too much so as to get distracted.

The title of the anime does get explained, and if you watch the little bits after each episode, even the 'Cross Ange' part is quickly explained. Even the 'rondo' part makes sense if you know the meaning of the word (I was just about to criticise it when I looked up the meaning and realised that it is also relevant).

I don't know what to say without turning into a total fangirl and spoiling much of the plot for you. But seriously, one character has two different names, one for her past and one for the present. Only Ange asks her outright about it (not about the name change, but her past self), but the other girls never acknowledge the difference and then freely switch between the names right at the end with no explanation. Did they know all along?

I really recommend it. There's drama and action, along with some comedy so that it doesn't feel too dark. The large number of characters seems alright, and except from the beginning, they aren't fleeting and crop up later in the anime.  It has an amazing storyline and if you think you know the entire plot from the beginning, be warned as there are some twists.

Anyway, unconditional love to all of you,
Cazzie x

Tokyo Ghoul √A

Hey look, everything is ending around the same time and I'm not keeping up fast enough. Anyway....

This is the second season to Tokyo Ghoul, which was amazing the last time around, however nothing seems to be explained as much this time around. My understanding of this season has come from the comments of other viewers who have read the manga. 

Kaneki.

More information is needed on the creation of some ghouls, this season showed a set of twins who appear human in flashbacks, but were turned into ghouls. How? I have no idea. But more 'one-eye's appear, which implies that they're half human or turned ghouls.

With new characters and many twists and turns, I do recommend it. Even though I haven't read the manga, it was still entertaining but I recommend reading to fully understand what is going on.

If you miss Mado from the previous season, then do not fret. He is spoken about frequently and his daughter has joined the force and partners up with Amon. So that's good news.

Juuzo is probably my favourite character this season.

Kaneki's white hair from the end of last season is still present, showing how the effects of his capture are lasting and ever-present.

I don't know what else to say, besides a season three is in the pipeline and I've heard that is should be following the manga just as much as these previous seasons.

Unconditional love,

Cazzie x 

Kantai Collection: KanColle

There's something about this anime that took me a while to understand, especially as I hadn't played the game in which this is based. All the girls are ships. Actual battle ships. And there are no guys what-so-ever.

I started the series without a clue as to what would happen, and there was no synopsis that I could find at the time, besides mentioning that it is a TV adaptation of an online card game.
The story follows Fubuki, a new destroyer ship sent into the action packed world of war. That's what it seems to me. Think of each girl as a battleship on water, they need to be repaired and upgraded, and they have weapons attached to them (though not all of the time). And if they sink, they basically die.
Fubuki is new to all of this, she's never been in battle before and so she's really nervous. But the show follows her journey of determination and motivation (two things I lack) to become better and join her idol in a specific group based on rank.

YOU are in this anime. Well, you are the Admiral, like you would be if you played the game, you are the over-seer of everything that goes on. You also appear to be calling the shots and deciding who goes where and who attacks the enemy. However, screaming at your screen will not change the outcome of the anime (I wish it did though).

This explains it better:
"Set in a world where humanity has lost control of the oceans to the "deep sea fleet," the only hope to counter this threat are the Kanmusu, a group of girls who possess the spirit of Japanese warships. The story revolves around Fubuki, a destroyer who comes to the Chinjufu base to train with other Kanmusu. Watch as their stories unfold!" ~ MyAnimeList and CrunchyRoll.

Fubuki game card on CrunchyRoll.

I don't know if I like this or not, there was something about it that made me want to watch the new episode each week, but I also feel that I could have dropped it at any moment if I really wanted to. I was just intrigued at the style this anime took, by involving the viewer. This made me want to watch it, and now I want to see what is in store for the second season which has been promised, even without a date.

Anyway I will leave it here for now.

Unconditional love

Cazzie x 

Kuroshitsuji: Book of Murder

It has finally been released with English subs!!!!

I watched this earlier in the week, following a phone call one evening to let my sister know that it is now out after months and months of waiting.

It's clever, and witty. You wouldn't expect anything less from Black Butler, and it is as good as the rest.

So this arc takes place after season's one and three, but before two. I only say this knowing that season three takes place during season one's Curry Contest, and there is a short reference to the events of season three. The movie (as I thought it was going to be) is covered as two one-hour long OVAs, investigating a murder in Ciel's own home.

The plot thickens when more than one murder takes place, but can the guests, Ciel and his staff solve the mystery in time. And who is Reverend Jeremy?

Think of this as the black butler version of Cluedo. Various clues point to different people, but it's all about the alibi. Who do you think did it?

Don't forget to watch it to the very end, as secrets are revealed.

I will say this expecting someone to be offended. EVERY TRUE FAN WILL HAVE TO WATCH IT, or Sebby will come after you.

I was really upset that Grell didn't make an appearance once, well, none of the Reapers did. Ah well, my love for Grell will have to wait.

Unconditional love,
Cazzie x