Here begins three articles of anime reviews. Yes, I know I said two in the previous post, but after creating the list I realized it would be more prudent to split this into three. This also allows me to kind of categorize things and I'll kick the list off with cute and romantic comedies. Another thing to note is that my criteria have changed. The movies and video games were all things released in 2008-2009. These are all things I watched in those years. So, without further ado, here is part one of my anime reviews.

Midori Days

Midori Days falls into the latter of the aforementioned categories. The premise is absolutely rediculous opening with protagonist Sawamura Seiji waking up one day to find that a tiny girl, Kasugano Midori, has replaced his right hand. Oddly enough, even though the show indulges in more fan service than any other I've watched, there was never a raunchy moment, something I thought odd considering the premise. The overall story follows these two as Midori tries to win over Seiji who is otherwise distracted by just about every other woman within eyesight... except the ones that actually like him. The show is full of plenty of laughs and feel good moments and I'd certainly recommend watching it if you are interested in the genre. 7/10

Lucky Star

One of my earlier forays into anime, Lucky Star is.... well, I'm not entirely sure. Sure, it follows a group of high school girls, but that's about it. It follows these girls unusual conversations about various pop-culture, day-to-day things and Japanese culture references. Because of the Japan centric themes, I have a difficult time following being American. As the show goes on, these jokes and references become more mainstream, but the show itself is just random conversation. The only thing that really kept me watching was the cute artwork (I'm secure enough in my manhood to admit that). 6/10

Ichigo Mashimaro

Ichigo Mashimaro, or Strawberry Marshmallow, is in pretty much the same vein as Lucky Star, except drop the age of the girls to twelve and remove most of the pop-culture/Japan/etc references. What makes Ichigo better than Lucky Star, in my opinion, is that it's far more universal in its ramblings. For example, in the first episode, the girls all try to stay up late making a birthday gift for one of the girls' sister. This is something I can relate to as my bros and I have done this before, only for our parents. It's a cute take on the slice-of-life genre and I certainly enjoyed watching it. Oh, and it has one of the best Engrish scenes ever. 8/10

Karin

I do not like Vampires or anything Halloween related, even more so now that vampires are gay, angsty teenagers who sparkle in the sunlight. That said, the titular character of Karin is a vampire. Or rather, she's an un-vampire, injecting blood into her victims instead of the other way around. This is an interesting little romantic comedy that I didn't like initially but came to really enjoy. Througout its twenty-four episodes, it never really deviates too much from the main plot; that is, developing the relationship between Karin and her classmate Usui Kenta. The last couple of episodes are certainly intense and will leave you wondering what path the show will take. So, even with my general dislike for occultish things, Karin is worth a watch. 7/10

Bokusatsu Tenshi - Dokuro-chan

Remember when I said that I was convering cute things and romantic comedies? Bokusatsu Tenshi is neither of those. It's straight up, almost slapstick style comedy, something I'd associate more with western cartoons. The basic premise of the story is that Dokuro, an angel from the future, has been sent to stop protagonist Sakura from creating a pedophile world; that is, a world in which all women stop aging at twelve. This only really comes into play in the first episode and everything else is just random situations. Oh, did I mention that Dokuro often kills Sakura in the most bloody and rediculous manner and then brings him back to life? There are a lot of really hilarious moments in this show and it saddens me that it only runs a handful of episodes. Perhaps that's for the best, though. 7/10 So, there is the first wave of reviews. Next week I'll be covering more generic shounen stuff. What is week three you may ask? That, my friend, is a surprise.