#taiyo-tori's anime reviews

[taiyo-tori]

please tell me! galko-chan (oshiete! gyaruko-chan)

genres: comedy, school, slice of life

number of seasons: 1

studio: feel.

manga status: ongoing

what it's about: the anime follows three very different high school students: the protagonist, galko, and her friends, otako and ojou. together, they discuss different myths and superstitions surrounding the female body

my personal opinion (i usually rate anime on the speed of my watching. for example, if i like an anime, i will watch it really fast because i'm looking forward to what happens next. on the other hand, if i don't like an anime, i will watch it slowly and not dedicate as much time to it): i started watching, thinking that it would be just another average anime, and i was proven wrong. it's shorter than most anime, with 12 seven-minute-long episodes, so i binge-watched it. the characters are surprising, as well: the main gig is that their names and appearances are very stereotypical, but their personalities and actions are different from the stereotypes. (galko is named after the gyaru subculture, which involves bleached hair, tanning and having a more forward behavior, which is sometimes considered abrasive and frivolous. now, back to galko. the majority of her classmates apply the gyaru stereotypes to her and think that she's lazy, cares only about her appearance, sleeps with everyone and etc. however, galko studies hard, supports her friends and is pretty innocent.) i have to say, though, that you might want to prepare yourself for the discussed topics - nothing serious, but it caught me off-guard!

my favorite character: otako. her name comes from the word "otaku". true to her name, she likes manga, but she's also good friends with galko and ojou. for me, it was a girl openly liking manga, which is something i don't often see in media

---

you might want to watch this anime if you're interested in comedic shorts that don't really have a plot!

[taiyo-tori]

wotakoi: love is hard for otaku (wotaku ni koi wa muzukashii, frequently abbreviated as wotakoi)

genres: slice of life, comedy, romance

number of seasons: 1

studio: a-1 pictures

manga status: completed

what it's about: narumi momose has a secret - she's an otaku. due to her colleagues at work finding out, she resigned and is now looking for a new job. she gets the job and is determined to keep her secret this time. however, hirotaka nifuji, her childhood friend who knows about narumi being an otaku, works at the same company! and, to make it worse, he asks her whether she'll be attending a summer anime convention!! luckily, the only witnesses, hanako koyanagi and tarou kabakura, are otaku as well. narumi and hirotaka go out for drinks, and hirotaka suggests that narumi might want to try dating an otaku so that she wouldn't have to hide her interests. he suggests himself, promising to care for narumi, and so begins their relationship!

my personal opinion (i usually rate anime on the speed of my watching. for example, if i like an anime, i will watch it really fast because i'm looking forward to what happens next. on the other hand, if i don't like an anime, i will watch it slowly and not dedicate as much time to it): i liked this anime, watching it quickly. there is a plot, but you don't really have to think a lot about it. there is a pretty small cast with only 6 characters. each character is distinct, having unique personalities and interests. for me, the opening was an absolute banger.

my favorite character: hanako koyanagi. she's a cosplayer and a yaoi shipper. for me, she's interesting because i both want to take up cosplaying and can honestly relate to the last part.

---

you'll enjoy this anime if you like light-hearted romantic comedies!

[taiyo-tori]

seraph of the end (owari no seraph, frequently abbreviated as ons)

genres: shounen, dark fantasy, post-apocalyptic, vampire

number of seasons: 2

studio: wit studio

manga status: ongoing

what it's about: a virus rages across the globe, killing people that are over the age of thirteen. at the same time, vampires emerge and make themselves known. the remaining children are gathered in vampire cities and used as blood donors for the vampires to feed on. the protagonist, yuichiro hyakuya, is living at the hyakuya orphanage when the virus strikes. he and his friend and fellow orphan, mikaela hyakuya, are captured by vampires along with the other children. they don't give up and plan an escape. however, only yuichiro actually escapes. he joins the imperial demon army, an organization of humans who want to take down vampires, in hopes of getting revenge.

my personal opinion (i usually rate anime on the speed of my watching. for example, if i like an anime, i will watch it really fast because i'm looking forward to what happens next. on the other hand, if i don't like an anime, i will watch it slowly and not dedicate as much time to it): while watching the anime, i looked at the reviews. most were negative, with a lot saying that it was unoriginal, a typical shounen and an attack on titan ripoff. but guess what? i loved it. i loved it very, very much and watched it super quickly. i actually like it more than attack on titan (no offense, aot fans - i've watched it earlier, and it just wasn't my cup of tea). i liked the characters, although yuichiro is the typical shounen protagonist. i loved the first opening. the second season was just as good as the first one, diving deeper into the mystery that was mentioned in the first season. i got to see minor characters more fleshed-out. there are also two characters that i was (and still am) a hardcore shipper of - yuichiro and mikaela. the two have a complex relationship and are generally very cute together. the fandom has a ship war going on - yuichiro/mikaela vs yuichiro/shinoa (a major character and the leader of yuichiro's squad). i won't spoiler it or go into the details, but there is pretty much a confession made in the manga, so hopefully i've intrugued you into reading/watching :)

my favorite character: mikaela hyakuya, also known as mika. look at him. he's a near-emotionless murder child who deeply cares for yuichiro. i love him so so much

---

if your cup of tea is shonen with flashy battles and supernatural abilities, you might want to considee watching this anime!!

[taiyo-tori]

yona of the dawn (yona: the girl standing in the blush of dawn, akatsuki no yona, frequently abbreviated as yotd)

genres: adventure, fantasy, romance

number of seasons: 1 (24 episodes) + 3 ovas

studio: pierrot

manga status: ongoing

what it's about: princess yona of the kingdom of kouka lives a sheltered life, protected by hak, her bodyguard, and frequently visited by su-won, her crush. however, su-won plans a coup d'état and kills yona's father, becoming the next king. yona and hak escape, and yona now has to adapt to a completely different life while being on the run.

my personal opinion (i usually rate anime on the speed of my watching. for example, if i like an anime, i will watch it really fast because i'm looking forward to what happens next. on the other hand, if i don't like an anime, i will watch it slowly and not dedicate as much time to it): i watched it quickly because i loved pretty much everything - the characters, the setting, the plot. the anime is set in a fantasy world that is basically a mix of differest asian cultures. i thought it was a neat idea. both openings were awesome. the animation is good. at first yona was an annoying character, but it was justified - she was a princess and never had to work. this makes for a really good character arc - you can really see how she changes. the anime is also kinda reminiscent of atla because it has five tribes: sky, earth, water, wind and fire. overall i enjoyed the anime.

my favorite character: kija. he's precious. that's it.

---

you'll like this anime if you want to see a female protagonist with a good character arc, handsome characters and an action-romance mix!!

[taiyo-tori]

no. 6

genres: science fiction, dystopian, shounen-ai

number of seasons: 1

studio: bones

manga status: completed

what it's about: the protagonist, shion, lives in no.6, a seemingly perfect dystopian city. however, his life drastically changes when he meets nezumi, a mysterious fugitive on the run.

my personal opinion (i usually rate anime on the speed of my watching. for example, if i like an anime, i will watch it really fast because i'm looking forward to what happens next. on the other hand, if i don't like an anime, i will watch it slowly and not dedicate as much time to it): this was a good anime. i wouldn't say that it was the best, but it was good. i watched it pretty slowly. this was actually my first shounen-ai and yes, the ship is shion x nezumi. i liked the characters and the plot was ok. one of the best things was the atmosphere - you could really tell apart city no.6 and the west block.

my favorite character: shion. you can probably tell by now that i have a weakness for pure light-haired characters who are protective of their friends :')

---

you should watch no.6 if you like science fiction and pretty good lgbt+ representation (the main characters are gay, and another character is pretty much confirmed to be either nonbinary or transgender)!

[taiyo-tori]

kiznaiver (kizunaībā)

genres: science fiction, drama, action

number of seasons: 1

studio: studio trigger

manga status: completed

what it's about: sugomori city was created for an experiment known as the kizna system. it made people share each other's pain in order to connect. katsuhira agata, an apathetic high school student who does not feel pain, meets noriko sonozaki, who tells him that he's to take part in the experiment along with six other people with very different personalities.

my personal opinion (i usually rate anime on the speed of my watching. for example, if i like an anime, i will watch it really fast because i'm looking forward to what happens next. on the other hand, if i don't like an anime, i will watch it slowly and not dedicate as much time to it): i watched it really fast, like, in a couple of days. i liked the psychological aspect. the anime is about people connecting with other people and such topics as achieving world peace through suffering. it explores how different characters view interactions with other people - katsuhira, for example, overgoes a character arc in which he rethinks his opinion about connecting with others. it reminded me of death parade - you have to really think about the anime. the animation was good, i liked it. for me, the op was not that great, but i loved the ed.

my favorite character: katsuhira agata. apathetic characters that sometimes show a glimpse of their true emotional self are pretty much my favorite

---

you'll like the anime if you like science fiction, the found family trope and deep philosophical discussions!

[taiyo-tori]

my next life as a villainess: all routes lead to doom! (otome gēmu no hametsu furagu shika nai akuyaku reijō ni tensei shiteshimatta, commonly abbreviated as hamefura)

genres: fantasy, romance

studio: silver link

number of seasons: 2

manga status: ongoing

what it's about: katarina claes is the eight-year-old daughter of a duke. when she hits her head on a rock, she regains memories of her past life and realizes that she is in an otome game called "fortune lover". however, she isn't the main character - she is the villainess, destined for either death or banishment from the kingdom. katarina decides to take matters in her own hands and prevent the doom ending.

my personal opinion (i usually rate anime on the speed of my watching. for example, if i like an anime, i will watch it really fast because i'm looking forward to what happens next. on the other hand, if i don't like an anime, i will watch it slowly and not dedicate as much time to it): i liked the premise, but found the anime a bit lacking. the character of katarina was refreshing, but after a while it got somewhat boring and repetitive. i liked other characters because they had complex personalities and clearly defined motivations. the art style was pretty good.

my favorite character: sophia ascart. she's a v pure bean who likes reading romance novels. that's it. i love her.

---

if you're bored of regular isekai and want a fresh spin on the trope, you might want to watch this anime!

[taiyo-tori]

smile down the runway (runway de waratte)

genres: drama, shounen, school, slice of life

number of seasons: 1

studio: ezo'la

manga status: completed

what it's about: chiyuki fujito wants to become a model and participate in the paris fashion week. however, everyone thinks she can't do it because of her small height. ikuto tsumura wants to become a fashion designer and sew clothes to make people happy, but is torn between his dream and providing financial help to his family. together, the two attempt to overcome the obstacles and reach towards their dreams.

my personal opinion (i usually rate anime on the speed of my watching. for example, if i like an anime, i will watch it really fast because i'm looking forward to what happens next. on the other hand, if i don't like an anime, i will watch it slowly and not dedicate as much time to it): as a person who loves the inner workings of the fashion industry, i enjoyed this anime a lot and pretty much binge-watched it. in the beginning, the protagonist was chiyuki, but later on, the focus switches to ikuto. i liked this turn because i thought that his storyline was more interesting than chiyuki's. the characters have their different dreams and motivations, and you can't really just hate a character. the animation was pretty good. the opening was okay.

my favorite character: ikuto tsumura. he's ~the~ bean and very very precious

---

if you want to watch a motivating anime about overcoming obstacles without romance being a major part of the plot, you totally should check it out!!

[taiyo-tori]

oda cinnamon nobunaga (oda shinamon nobunaga)

genres: comedy, historical, slice of life, seinen

number of seasons: 1

studio: studio signpost

manga status: ongoing

what it's about: nobunaga oda, the feared lord of owari, was seemingly betrayed by his subordinate. in his last moments he thinks about how amused he would be if he was reincarnated as a dog. to his dismay, his wish comes true: he wakes up in the modern world as a shiba inu named cinnamon. he isn't alone, though, as other warlords were also reincarnated as dogs.

my personal opinion (i usually rate anime on the speed of my watching. for example, if i like an anime, i will watch it really fast because i'm looking forward to what happens next. on the other hand, if i don't like an anime, i will watch it slowly and not dedicate as much time to it): i liked the opening and the characters. the plot, however, was repetitive and lacking. due to that i watched the anime over a pretty long time. however, i liked the mitsuhide mystery and the historical/political tidbits, so mixed feelings on this one.

my favorite character: mitsuhide akechi, also known as lis. he's smart and he's pretty and i like him.

---

you will enjoy this anime if you like slice of life and don't really want to think about the plot all of the time.

[taiyo-tori]

a little bit about me!!

i'm tory!! my username is a play on my name because "tory" is very very similar to "tori", which is japanese for "bird". the "taiyo" part means "ocean", so together it's "ocean bird"!! i'm quite fond of penguins

random facts about me:

- i like to draw

- i want to learn to speak japanese - i'm not sure i want to tackle reading and writing

- i love learning about traditional outfits/fashion of different cultures

- i speak english and russian and am learning french

- i got into anime about a year and a half ago

- my first anime (not counting studio ghibli films) was "future boy conan", a very obscure anime also by studio ghibli

- after that i watched bleach and got into the anime community

- here i will be posting reviews about anime i watched and also my thoughts about something that i'm watching in the present

[taiyo-tori]

moriarty the patriot (yuukoku no moriarty, is frequently abbreviated as yuumori)

genres: historical, mystery, psychological

studio: production i.g

number of seasons: 2

manga status: ongoing

what it's about: "moriarty the patriot" is based on the works of sir conan doyle. however, the protagonist is not sherlock holmes, but his archenemy, william james moriarty. from a young age, he wants to change the rigid class system and make people more equal. in order to do so, he enacts the so-called "moriarty plan".

my personal opinion (i usually rate anime on the speed of my watching. for example, if i like an anime, i will watch it really fast because i'm looking forward to what happens next. on the other hand, if i don't like an anime, i will watch it slowly and not dedicate as much time to it): oh boy, i loved this anime. it drew me in because of the premise, the atmosphere and the opening. i liked how it explored psychology (in a way that reminded me of death parade) and even politics. the mystery aspect was good, too. the characters were well fleshed-out, having interesting motivations and personalities.

my favorite character: william james moriarty. can you blame me? he's both a sweet bean and a criminal mastermind. he's awesome.

---

if you like mystery and psychological anime with handsome characters, you should check it out!