Animeph

Review: Since the day Kaname Okimura was attacked by a being he claims to be a mermaid, he is afraid to swim in pools or in the sea. He attends Umineko Shougyou High (Umisho) on the sunny island Okinawa now and has joined the school’s swimming club only as a manager still not being able to overcome his fears. But that’s not surprising considering this club is filled with weirdos and there is even one more wierdo to join. Her name is Amuro Ninagawa and she just recently came to Okinawa on her little floating house. She is always bright and has a bad habit of swimming naked. Will she be able to help Okimaru to overcome his fears?

Umisho is a comedy festival filled with hilarious characters, fanservice and weird situations. It is based on yet another masterpiece manga by the author of Otogi no Machi no Rena and Inu Neko Jump. Those mangas are popular for their unique artwork, characters, fanservice and still having interesting stories for being mainly comedy oriented.
Rating: 8/10

Review: Dragon Destiny is the continuation of the first Ikkitousen anime. This time we get to see the further story focusing on different fighters attending different schools. Be prepared for the next round of this ecchi action fighting spectacle presented in a better animation quality and a more mysterious atmosphere. Some people criticize this show for featuring even more fan-service and ecchi content than the first season, while not offering any deeper story at all. Personally I don’t see the apeal in this show as well, but as it gets more and more sequals, there got to be fans who watch this.
Rating: 6/10

Review: Louise is the third daughter of the de la Valiel family. She lives in a world where there are Nobles (rich people that can use magic) and Commoners (peasants that can’t use magic). Even though Louise visits a fancy magic school, she is known for being unskilled and whenever she tries to use magic it will end up in an explosion. In the sacred ritual of summoning a familiar, she summons a Commoner (Hirago Seito, a boy of the same age) from the “real world”, unlike everyone else who summons small dragons and other animals. Louise has no choice but to accept Seito as her familiar, while Seito himself do not know what is going on. The rumour of a Commoner being summoned as a familiar is being spread around the school and everyone makes fun of Louise for it, but what is that weird mark on Seito’s hand?

Zero no Tsukaima is the first of 3 successful seasons of an anime story taken from a light novel series. It’s a perfectly balanced and enjoyable mix of romantic comedy, magical fights and political themes.
Rating: 9/10

Review: Tonagura and a funny comedy romance featuring stock characters we all know, like for example the emotionless small sister, the perverted guy who has an unexpected kind side to him and the embarrassed girl who hands out punches for his perverted actions.

When Kazuki finds out that her childhood friends Yuuji and his sister return to her home town and to being her neighbour again she is really thrilled and happy, because she always had a crush on him. She is rather disappointed when she finds out that Kazuki grew up to be a big pervert. Will it be impossible for her now to continue her love dream from year ago?
Rating: 7/10

Review: Uma, the witch, Pachira, the vampire, Liru, the werewolf, and Aiko, the android are 4 princesses who live together in a small house on a tree in the human world. There is not very much of explanations about their situation or any evolving story. This anime is just about the funny daily life of the four girls who just don’t seem to fit in the human world and society. The comedy is very much based on the funny and extraordinary personalities of the characters. All in all it’s an enjoyable comedy anime for otakus, but probably not that appealing for fans who only want deep stories or lots of action.
Rating: 7/10

Review: This small OVA series portrays the awfully funny daily life of fifth graders. Watch how Satou-kun gets himself into all kind of weird and sexual easy-to-be-misunderstood situations. The characters and settings might not be very original, but the comedy and gags are totally awesome. It is not surprising the manga it is based on reached cult status in Japan, even though it only consists of 1 volume.
Rating: 9,5/10

Review: Reina is the youngest daughter of a noble family. She is always the center of attention because she will be the heir for the throne even though her sisters are much stronger than her as she thinks. Tossing aside her unearned attention and responsibilities she sneaks out and leaves on a journey to become independent. On her way she meets many skilled fighters, as it is the time of Queen’s Blade; a battle royal between female fighters taking place every 4 years with the position of queen at stake.

The story of Queen’s Blade isn’t too original or outstanding at this point; however, the animation quality is breathtaking, sadly however only in the first few episodes. You will get to see plenty of fanservice and fights, but only time will tell if this anime is all about half-naked girls fighting each other, or if the story is going somewhere as well.
Rating: 6,5/10

Review: Tomoki is your usual high school boy and takes most pleasure in life when everything is peaceful and normal. He seems pretty happy as the little fights with his neighbor/childhood friend Sohara-chan are only a small threat to his peace. Yet, he couldn’t help but save the female angel-like creature who came falling down from heaven in a big explosion. This creature comes from a different world and proclaims that Tomoki is her master now. Tamoki cries as he wishes his good old peaceful days goodbye, but he also sees the possibilities that come with the powers of this angel and wastes no time to make full use of them. After all he is just a high school boy.

Sora no Otoshimono is based on a manga by the same author as Watashi no Messiah-Sama. Both are very outstanding and breathtaking fantasy stories. While Watashi no Messiah-sama focused more on drama and action, Sora no Otoshimono focuses more on the school-life/romance/comedy part. It can be compared to Dears or Chobits. It’s the usual but always welcome “protagonist teaches alien visitor about human life and human feelings” pattern. The story already offers glimpses of hidden secrets and tragedies to be revealed, but sloppy work on key scenes and alterations to the plot greatly weaken the impact of both comedy scenes and story relevant scenes. Despite these flaws it’s really a great anime and definitely worth watching.
Rating: 9/10