Junjou Romantica at its finest.

Much has been said about dissing-or-dismissing a show for what it’s really worth, simply because of the genre it falls under, a point of contention in the blogosphere for who knows how long, and a topic tackled by Stripey-nii and Owen a few months back. As much as I hate to admit it, I found myself guilty of doing this act of vitriolic judging for the yaoi manga/anime Junjou Romantica, when I advised people to stay away from this show. Despite how justifiable my disgust for the manga (and all things yaoi, in general) seemed like, the fact remains that I found myself stereotyping it simply for being yaoi, failing to see things from an objective and non-homophobic standpoint. So this time around, I’m going to rid myself of that tsuntsun-poser self, and give this show the objective review it so deserves.

Popularity: 20% [?]

Ok, please shoot me now. I can’t believe I’m enjoying this boobfest fanservicey show T__T Curse you Rito for being a cute heroic lad! Curse you Lala for being a rebellious sly UFO princess! Curse you Haruna for being so cute and moe! And finally, curse you Zastin for being such [...]

Popularity: 10% [?]

Ok, so Itazura na Kiss aired just a few days ago and many people are complaining about its crappy artwork. It just makes me sigh. Young’ns nowadays don’t know how to appreciate good oldschool 80’s or 90’s shoujo art. Tsk. I might sound old, but I assure you, I am not!

As a shoujo manga/anime lover, I absolutely enjoyed the Itazura na Kiss anime. I FREAKIN LURVVVED IT TO BITS! It might not have the same charm as Ouran Koukou, but its simplicity, slice-of-life feel and shoujo fluff romance comedy aspects (especially the normal optimistic girl x badass tsundere guy predicament) were enough to draw me in. Shoujo fluff, I missed you~!! This is the perfect way to take a break from the emo ride of KimiKiss and True Tears! \o/

Popularity: 5% [?]

Relax and unwind, do not set any expectations. Allow yourself to be immersed into the show, and appreciate the love it brings~
Watch the guy part first, which I felt to have better transition despite the missing girl’s story part in between. And, I think it’d be better for you to see the girl as [...]

Popularity: 8% [?]

Title: Tokyo Marble Chocolate (東京マーブルチョコレート)
Scrumptious Meter: 4.0 (a heartful delight, leaving you all warm and fuzzy~) [-1 due to something lacking in the development of Chizuru x Yuudai relationship]
Length: 2 OAV episodes, ~28 minutes each

So the fanboys have spoken, now it’s time for a rabid fangirl to speak for this show =D

This is gonna be EPIC, so I hope I won’t bore you to tears, and convince you to watch this show instead. Please bear with me and my review, as this is the first time I actually did something like this. The show just compelled me to, and put the words into my mouth. =3

There are times when all it takes to save a relationship and get it back on track, is one little mishap, an accidental mix-up, which turns out to be nothing else but a blessing in disguise. With fates entwined, the result is the enchanting romance tale of Tokyo Marble Chocolate, a 2-part OAV by Production I.G., released last December.

Popularity: 8% [?]

Title: FLCL
Scrumptious Meter: 2.5 (Let them eat cake~with a little extra sugar and spice on top)
Length: 6 episodes

12 year old Nandaba Naoto insists that nothing amazing happens in the town of Mabase. Not even when the huge factory of Medical Mechanica, maker of medical machines, set itself up in town. Everyday, at a set time, white smoke would blow out from the factory spreading out and covering the entire city. Everything, however, changes when a woman in a Vespa scooter, Haruhara Haruko, comes to Mabase and whacks Naota’s head with a bass guitar.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Title: Mushishi (蟲師)
Scrumptious Meter: 4.5 (next best thing to slice bread~with a little extra sugar and spice on top)
Length: 26 episodes

Mushi (蟲) are primitive organisms. They are neither plant nor animal. They are far more basic, close to being merely essences of life. Because of this, their shapes and existence are vague, only a few can discern them. When mushi are present, they sometimes cause mysterious phenomena to manifest. In time, some have come to fear mushi. But mushi aren’t inherently harmful. They are simply existing.

Ginko is a mushishi, an expert on mushi. He travels around investigating cases involving mushi. He has another reason for wandering — he can’t stay in the same place for too long, otherwise he will attract a dangerous number of mushi. In his journey, Ginko has gained more insights not only regarding mushi but also on human nature.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Title: Mahou Shoujotai Arusu (魔法少女隊アルス)
Scrumptious Meter: 4.5 (next best thing to slice bread~with a little extra sugar and spice on top)
Length: 40 episodes

Arusu (not Alice, as most think) is a cheerful girl who loves magic. When she was little, she received a special book from her father who disappeared. It was her father who taught her that magic should only be used to make people happy. One day, Arusu found herself in another world — a world of witches. She sets free the sprites kept at a containment facility. Sprites are used in magic and their release means crisis for the witch community. Arusu meets and befriends two witches, Sheila and Eva. A spell has been cast on the two stopping their growth as a punishment for not being able to keep the sprites from escaping. And so the adventures of Arusu and her friends begin.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Title: The Diary of Tortov Roddle
Scrumptious Meter: 3 (*burp*)
Length: 6 episodes

Popularity: 3% [?]

Title: Iblard Jikan
Scrumptious Meter: 2 (Let them eat cake!)
Length: 1 episode
Iblard Jikan intends to whisk one to the tranquil world of Iblard. For me, however, it only reminded me of those electronics shops where the flat screen TV’s on display show colorful scenes so would-be buyers could judge the TV’s image quality. I think Iblard [...]

Popularity: 8% [?]