List of anime I’ve watched/manga I’ve read, as a reference + random thoughts about them.
Manga
Sailor Moon
Chapters Read: All
Rating: 5/5 stars
Notes: The manga is better than the anime, but the anime has great music. There are manga-only storylines and characters- awesome ones- which don’t appear in the anime.
Saint Tail
Chapters Read: All
Rating: 4/5 stars
Notes: Cute and innocent and sweet. Recommended- especially for younger anime fans who don’t need to be exposed to mature content, or for fans who just want a cute and sweet story without the angst and gore in some other series. One of the main characters is a nun, which was kind of rare for the time when the series debuted (no, she doesn’t carry a machine gun or fight vampires- this was before manga-ka decided that the Catholic Church secretly trained warriors for that sort of thing. She’s just kind of… there. No powers.)
Tail of the Moon
Chapters Read: All
Rating: 3/5 stars
Notes: It started out happy and innocent and ended up being smutty and angsty- although with a pretty happy ending. Not the best, but not the absolute worst either. If you need a time-waster and have finished the better series, this one is okay- but it’s really not that adept at walking the line between a shoujo manga and a ninja manga. It tries to hard to be both at once.
Naruto
Chapters Read: All to current
Rating: 4/5
Notes: The main characters are kind of boring, but I love the Akatsuki. They’re so much fun to parody. (^^;) I really don’t like the main team (Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, Kakashi) though.
Bleach
Chapters Read: All to current
Rating: 2/5
Notes: It’s macabre, dark, slow-paced and repetitive- at this point, I’m just reading to see how the series ends. Most of the characters are unrelatable and/or unlikable, and the battles drag on so long, and so many at once, that it’s difficult to keep track of the plotline. I have no clue why this thing is so popular- it’s just Yuu Yuu Hakusho without the likable characters, good art, moral enigmas and complex plotlines… In other words, it’s YYH for a new generation, but without everything that made YYH great. Save your money and read Yuu Yuu Hakusho instead.
Pokemon
Chapters Read: All of the ‘Surf’s Up Pikachu’ saga + several of the Red/Blue/Green saga
Rating: 4/5
Notes: All of the Pokemon manga released in the United States (as far as I know) are enjoyable. My main issue with them is the distribution- there were never enough available in my area, and the distributor never shipped extras, so fans were left wondering what on earth happened, and I couldn’t find scanlations of them, either. I managed to get all of the ‘Surf’s Up Pikachu’ saga in English, and despite the edits, I really liked it- mainly because my Rocketshippy fandom side was glad to see Kojiro and Musashi get together in a Nintendo-approved manga- basically canon. ^^ The Red/Blue/Green manga were nice, but I was never able to get them beyond the first few, so I don’t know how they ended. (;_;) I’m still a bit annoyed that they made Koga a bad guy, though- his ninja awesomeness should not be tainted by working for Team Rocket (which, in this manga, is actually hardcore evil instead of amusingly inept.)
Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi
Chapters Read: first few volumes?
Rating: 3/5 stars
Notes: I never finished this. TT_TT I need to, because it was very cute.
Tenchi Muyo (several series)
Chapters Read: random / several volumes
Rating: 2/5 stars
Notes: not as good as the anime, and kind of disjointed in its continuity, even within individual subseries.
Rurouni Kenshin
Chapters Read: All
Rating: 6/5 stars (yes, I know that it’s supposed to cap out at 5 stars, but…)
Notes: A MASTERPIECE manga- and of course, way better than the anime. The manga has a beautiful happy ending, and the manga-ka wrote that the whole point was to have a happy ending. So, of course, the animators hijacked his characters into a suicidal angstfest and killed them off. Even Kenshin. Yeah. Those are NOT the people I want animating my work if I ever write one… ("Hey, let’s kill off all the characters for the lulz!") Rurouni Kenshin is technically a shounen manga, but anyone old enough to handle the violence can enjoy it- just be forewarned that there is samurai-worthy violence, which people who only watched the Toonami version of the anime might not expect.
Harukanaru Toki no Naka de ~ Hachiyou sho
Chapters Read: Manga volumes 1-3 + random chapters; I plan on reading them all
Rating: 4/5 stars
Notes: Cute with beautiful art and a cute plotline- like Fushigi Yuugi but with more likable characters and prettier art. It takes place in the fantasy-world version of the Court of Heian, complete with the period court wear from that era- the junihitoe, which is one of the most elegant garments ever created, and my ideal as a costumer. The fact that the series is crammed full of cute guys is also a plus. (^^;) Like bishounen, kimono and old Japan? You’ll like Harukanaru Toki no Naka de.
Planet Ladder
Chapters Read:
Rating: 3/5 stars
Notes: Confusing as * right to the end- a lot of the foreshadowing didn’t lead to anything. I think that the manga-ka must have been forced by her editors to end the manga early due to unpopularity or something- the ending was rushed with a lot of questions left unanswered. The series had so much potential and a beautiful art style- it’s a tragic waste of potential. :(
Black Cat
Chapters Read: I forget. ^^; Not all of it yet.
Rating: 4/5 stars
Notes: A very Western-style plotline, straight out of a black-and-white detective movie set in Chicago- but with a sci-fi twist. Despite the presence of one character who wears a yukata as a novelty, this series has a distinctly American vibe- it’s easy to forget that it was written in Japan. It’s been fun so far, and most guys would like it, I think- loads of gun battles and sci-fi goodness. The art style isn’t jaw-droppingly beautiful, but it’s better than most, and the detail is impressive.
Sakurahime no Kaden
Chapters Read: All to current
Rating: 3/5 stars
Notes: Weird but kind of cute- a good time waster if you’re done reading this week’s Naruto and want something fluffy and girly for a change of pace. I just picked it because it had Heian-era clothing on the cover, so I figured I would like the art. It’s getting kind of weird lately- I wonder how it will end? (‘_’?)
Flame of Recca
Chapters Read: All
Rating: 5/5 stars
Notes: Flame of Recca is a lot like Yuu Yuu Hakusho- if you like one, you’ll probably like the other. Oh, and there are ninja. The plotline may actually be a bit better than YYH (GASP!)
Magic Knight Rayearth
Chapters Read: All
Rating: 5/5 stars
Notes: The manga is better than the anime. Beautiful art, and one of the few series CLAMP has done that doesn’t * worse than a bad fanfic. :/ They were originally doujinshi (fan comic) artists, and it shows. (^^;) This one actually turned out very well, though.
Card Captor Sakura
Chapters Read: All
Rating: 1/5 stars
Notes: I’ve re-read it now that I’m older, and GOOD GRIEF there are pedophile undertones. 0___o; CLAMP, I have one request: I want a sequel where someone kills the pedophile teacher. He’s creepy as [insert awful comparison here].
Azumanga Daioh
Chapters Read: All
Rating: 4/5 stars
Notes: Funny, random 4-frames about school life with weird students. It’s awesome and funny- a good thing to read when you need a laugh. There isn’t much of a plot, but there are some mini-plots and recurring themes- but none are so ingrained that someone new to the series can’t start enjoying it at any random volume. Azumanga Daioh is kind of awesome that way. There is some slight suggestive content/cursing in the language, but not worse than what you’d hear at any American middle school.
Crescent Moon
Chapters Read: All
Rating: 2/5 stars
Notes: It started out with potential, but became a rushed cliche. The only redeeming traits are the presence of Heian era court fashions and a few spirit foxes- but the ending is tossed together, along with most of the conflict, and several questions are left unanswered. The art was beautifully detailed at the start (the real reason I bought the manga) but it’s obvious that the artist got tired/lazy over time and cut down on the details- and the design of the princess and youkai in the flashbacks changes noticeably in this short series. It makes sense, since those were the two most complex characters to draw- but still… :( And we never learn whether that one enemy at the end of the story is really dead or not. Probably, but no one really says, and nothing is shown… And why does that particular song calm down certain characters, when it must have been written after those two groups broke off contact, but before the characters in question were even born? :? It’s worth buying the first volume for the art, but it’s not the best series ever…
Yuu Yuu Hakusho
Chapters Read: All (I think- I’ve read different translations and scanlations over the years)
Rating: 5/5 stars
Notes: Awesome, with a great plot, complex but not unfollowable battle strategies, unique and likable characters and interesting stories. The ending is kind of lame- the generic ‘show the characters years later and they’re all still friends and everything is sparkly and happy’ (I was hoping for an epic last battle) but it’s still a great series- probably my favorite ever, even about 10 years after first viewing it. It’s also the only series I’ve bought the entire anime DVD collection for (which is a considerable monetary output, especially for a student.)
Inuyasha
Chapters Read: All
Rating: 4/5 stars
Notes: It kind of drags on and on, but it’s still fun. I wish that Rumiko Takahashi could have quit milking the money cow and ended it 200 chapters sooner, but the manga-ka is the one who makes the decisions… The major characters are fairly unique and likable, but one of the things I like the best are the intricately designed pseudo-ancient costumes based on period kimono, but with some modifications. I originally started reading this manga because I glanced at the second volume and like the costume designs of Sesshoumaru and Izayoi well enough to buy the manga just for that. (^^;)
Fruits Basket
Chapters Read: All
Rating: 1/5 stars
Notes: The pairings switched so many times in this, I couldn’t keep track of them. @_@ I guess it had a kind-of happy ending, but I can’t help but think that they all have some sort of transmissible disease by now. Also, apparently being a close blood relative of someone’s isn’t enough of a reason not to xxxx them. SRSLY, I just wish that they didn’t change pairings every few chapters- with so many characters, it’s hard to keep track of who’s with whom. @_@ In the end, I just found myself ignoring everyone except for the main couple + Yuki, who were more important to the plotline. I still couldn’t tell you what other couples were final at the end of the series- I just gave up. Hoping that they found a cheap store for penicillin at the end. They’ll be needing it.
The Ring
Chapters Read: All
Rating: 0/5 stars
Notes: DO NOT READ THIS. Don’t. I know that it’s sort of a cult classic, but… Ewww. Unless you love horror, skip it. It’s a great way to lose the ability to sleep for a few weeks (or years, or decades.) However, it would make a great gift for someone you intensely dislike. (i.e., "Neighbor, I know that you play rock music at maximum volume at 3:00am in the morning EVERY DAY, and let your dog go in my yard, and randomly mowed over my rare herbs garden, but just to let you know that there are NO hard feelings, I bought this *lovely* book as a gift for you…")
Tactics
Chapters Read: volumes 1-4 (after this I got bored- it’s too slow-paced
Rating: 1/5 stars
Notes: The main characters are all flat and the plot is like a failed prequel to Inuyasha written when Rumiko Takashi was 12 years old. Skip this and buy Inuyasha.
Bride of the Water God
Chapters Read: All to current (? I think- I’ve been reading scanlations)
Rating: 4/5 stars
Notes: BEAUTIFUL artwork and an interesting plotline- but the main point is the beautiful artwork. ^^
Antique Romance
Chapters Read: All to current
Rating: 1/5 stars
Notes: If you want something that’s even remotely accurate to the Victorian era, skip this one over. It’s just Chobits with longer skirts and more smut. (Yes, both.) The characters are unrelatable and unlikable- but like a trainwreck, I can’t look away… The main plot point is that the girl has a tattoo. Yes, that’s really the main plot point, I kid you not. I realize that in Victorian England, girls with tattoos weren’t that common- but, then again, neither were the debaucheries and excesses depicted in this manga. Yes, they HAPPENED, but not that often, and weren’t that accepted. If you’re into this sort of thing, skip Antique Romance and pick up Chobits. At least the characters and costume designs are interesting in Chobits, but Antique Romance doesn’t even have that… >_< Where can I buy back the hours I spent reading this thing?!? I demand a refund!
G-Gundam
Chapters Read: All
Rating: 2/5 stars
Notes: The manga version is too abbreviated and NOT as good as the anime- save up and buy the anime DVDs instead. An added bonus is that the anime has great music. The only people who would enjoy the American-release manga are the super-g-gundam-otaku fans who *have* to have all of the merchandise.
Gundam Wing
Chapters Read: All
Rating: 1/5 stars
Notes: Horribly abbreviated and contrived- limiting the abridgment of a full-length anime to only 3 or so volumes is never a good idea. The anime is better (and has awesome music.)
Hunter x Hunter
Chapters Read: first 8 volumes or so; I lost interest after that.
Rating: 2/5 stars
Notes: The only reason I read it is because the manga-ka also wrote Yuu Yuu Hakusho, but YYH is ten times more interesting (and had better characters.) Also, the gore in this manga crosses the line for a none-horror manga, and there are so many plotlines inside of plotlines that it’s difficult to follow without getting bored. Seriously, they spend multiple volumes on an inline plot involving… …playing video games. u_u;
Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle
Chapters Read: All
Rating: 4/5 stars
Notes: Gets angsty and confusing towards the end; the earlier chapters (which are similar to Doctor Who filler episodes) are far better. The series is left unfinished more or less- I guess we get to see the ending reference in xxxHolic? (‘_’?)
xxxHolic
Chapters Read: All to current
Rating: 4/5 stars
Notes: Dark but interesting. Yuuko’s costume designs are genius- kind of “Kimono-Hime” crossed with dark gothic lolita. I won’t lie- I mainly read the series for the fashion. ^^; Plot-wise, it’s kind of like someone dumped Yuu Yuu Hakusho, Inuyasha and Shounen Onmyouji in a blender and this series popped out…
Her Majesty’s Dog
Chapters Read: All
Rating: 3/5 stars
Notes: I found the female lead difficult to relate to (possessing seemingly no emotions and unrealistic equanimity) but it’s a good story with a bunch of twists and turns in the plotline, and some surprises at the end. It’s basically like an earlier and less polished version of Inuyasha, though. ^^ Still worth a read if you’re bored, and the characters are kind of adorable.
From Far Away
Chapters Read: All
Rating: 4/5 stars
Notes: Very cute shoujo manga. I like that the art used to portray the characters is so unique- they have differing faces instead of the every-face-looks-the-same-syndrome which afflicts so many other manga (particularly in the shoujo genre.) The ending was nice, too. The absence of smut or really bad violence also makes it better for the squeamish, even though it’s still at least PG-13.
R.O.D.
Chapters Read: All
Rating: 2/5 stars
Notes: I thought that this would be a great series (given the literature theme and detective work) but it’s kind of bland and flat, and many of the details weren’t really fleshed out enough. Rather than being a manga aimed at girls who love books and mysteries, it’s more like a manga written by a guy who has a fetish for girls who love books and mysteries. Expect fanservice, but not really enough to make it ecchi. There is violence, but not enough to make it a good fighting manga. There’s a bit of mystery, too, but not enough to satisfy armchair detectives. R.O.D. is still worth a read if you’re bored, but not if you have something better laying around. (The Grammar Ninja in me is also bothered by the fact that the series’ TITLE is based on an Engrishy phrase that appears in one frame and really makes no sense, even in the context…) This manga was a bit of a letdown, since I was expecting it be awesome, given the books-and-detectives content…
Yankee-kun to Megane-chan
Chapters Read: Chapter 1~Ongoing (I’m still reading it)
Rating: 4/5 stars
Notes: A cute, hyperactive manga about a likable Yuusuke-esque delinquent (called a “Yankee” in slang) who couldn’t care less about school, until a mysterious classmate starts encouraging him to attend. It turns out that she’s a super-strong former gangster who wants to attend school for fun. The two end up in all sorts of comic situations, and their relationship is hilarious. Yankee-kun to Meganechan is fast-paced, hyper and funny. Some of the content isn’t kid-safe (fairly suggestive dialogue, but nothing explicit so far!) but it’s still a fun series if you’re over 14 or so.
Anime
Pokemon
Episodes Watched: All of the first three series + random episodes after that.
Rating: 3/5 stars
Notes: After the Johto arc it got kind of boring and redundant, so I lost interest. My favorite characters were the anime Team Rocket, but they get less and less screentime, and the episodes are now pretty much cliches… I still think that Meowth is adorable, though. (=-_-=)~
Sailor Moon –
Episodes Watched: Almost all of the episodes in all seasons, but since I watched them out of order over about 8+ years, I almost certainly missed a few…
Rating: 4/5 stars
Notes: The anime has good music, but it’s not as good as the manga- the animators thought they knew best (oh joy!) and rewrote the ending. THAT NEVER ENDS WELL and in this case the major plot points of the manga ending were completely removed- and in effect, an entire arc of the story. They also added an arc not present in the original manga, along with loads of suggestive content not present in the manga. Oh, and they randomly changed the sex of at least 3 main characters (in the ORIGINAL version, not the dub!) On the other hand, the music *is* excellent, and Sailor Moon was my first introduction into anime (in all of its NA dub glory lol) so I still like it. S is to emo, SuperS is too sparkly and the Doom Tree Saga is contrived filler, but I like most of the other series, despite the anime butchering the plotlines receive. It was fun enough that even the butchering it received on US shores wasn’t enough to ruin it.
Magic Knight Rayearth: Series 1
Episodes Watched: All
Rating: 4/5 stars
Notes: Great but with a depressing ending.
Magic Knight Rayearth: Seris 2
Episodes Watched: All
Rating: 3/5 stars
Notes: The anime staff rewrote the ending, inserted anime-only characters, killed off several main characters and missed the whole point of the series ending in the manga. Oh, and apparently the girls can’t get back to Cephiro in the anime, thereby permanently seperating them from their friends in that land. It still has great music, though. Rayearth composers: win. Rayearth directors: fail.
Azumanga Daioh
Episodes Watched: all (although I may have missed a few episodes?)
Rating: 4/5 stars
Notes: It’s cute and random and funny and pointless. I love it. LOVE IT. But it really is kind of pointless. (^^;)
Galaxy Angel (original series)
Episodes Watched: All
Rating: 4/5 stars
Notes: Cute and sweet and pointless. The anime is just as good as the manga- maybe even better- while still covering slightly different material. I prefer the manga for its cohesiveness, but the anime is also good, and one of the few times a director decided to edit a manga without producing a massive failure.
Galaxy Angel (other series)
Episodes Watched: various episodes
Rating: ?
Notes: I can’t really review these; SuperWombatchan is the resident Galazy Angel expert. The anime series are cute, though.
Naruto –
Episodes Watched: I intentionally skipped the fillers and missed some other episodes.
Rating: 2/5 stars
Notes: Iit’s fun, but especially after the Akatsuki show up and before Kishimoto offers them as burnt offerings to the mighty Sasuke. (;_;) I love the Akatsuki, but the main characters are kind of boring. Also, Deidara needed a backstory- and a decent opponent instead of Sasuke…
Naruto Shippuden
Episodes Watched: All up to the Immortals Arc + Deidara’s last episodes
Rating: 4/5 stars
Notes: I’ve watched most of the Akatsuki episodes, but the anime is also descending into the offer-human-sacrifices-to-Sasuke arc in the manga, so I’m losing interest rapidly. Yes, Kishimoto-sensei, we get your point- Sasuke is supposed to be awesome. Okay. If we admit it, will you quit offering the other characters to him? (-_-;)/~
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon
Episodes Watched: All except for the last few episodes; in-progress
Rating: 3/5 stars
Notes: Not technically an anime, but based on one; I’ve watched most of it except for the last 10 or so episodes, and I’m working on those on and off (it’s cheesy and corny and contrived, but kind of cute.)
Inuyasha
Episodes Watched: I’ve watched most of the major episodes and some of the fillers, but not many at all of the ones later in the series. It was in the middle of this fandom that I came down with that almost-fatal illness, and struggling to survive kind of cut into my anime-watching time. I’m currently watching Inuyasha: The Final Act though.
Rating: 4/5 stars
Notes: Great animation and unique characters + interesting story, but too much of the music is a rehash of the same creepy strings piece. After the first 20 remixes, it kind of gets tiring. PLEASE write some new background music! (>_<;) Still a great series, though- and some of the background music is great, along with most of the theme songs.
Harukanaru Toki no Naka de ~ Haichiyou sho
Episodes Watched: All
Rating: 4/5 stars
Notes: The ending stops short of the manga, but it’s still worth seeing. The animation and musical scores are beautiful, as are the character designs- and even the villains are likable. It’s way better than the similar-but-angstysmutty Fushigi Yuugi.
Yuu Yuu Hakusho
Episodes Watched: All (including the OAVs, movies, seiyuu interviews, extras, etc.)
Rating: 5/5 stars
Notes: I love this series so much. (TT_TT) &heart;
Onegai My Melody –
Episodes Watched: The whole series.
Rating: 5/5 stars
Notes: SO CUTE. I love the characters (even the “bad guys” are somewhat likable, and repent at the end,) everyone is basically friends, the character designs are adorable (the series is made by Sanrio, the same company who does Hello Kitty- ever heard of her?) and even though it’s basically a little kids’ anime, the music is incredible. Also, it’s basically kid-safe: in fact, I can’t remember content from the series I wouldn’t be comfortable with an 8-year-old seeing. Even though it’s aimed more at kids, though, it’s still enjoyable and cute. This is one of my all-time-favorite anime. ^^; It features the characters My Melody and Kuromi as main characters, whom Sanrio fans will be familiar with. The main bad(?) guy’s voice is done by the awesome seiyuu Okiayu Ryoutarou, who also does Akuram (Harukanaru Toki no Naka de) and Dark (D.N. Angel) and the rest of the seiyuu are also high-quality. Unfortunately, Onegai My Melody hasn’t been *officially* released in the West yet, but I’m totally going to buy the whole series if it ever comes out here…
Future Reads:
More Starlight to Your Heart
I only want to read this because of the Heian-era costumes. It seems cute, though.
Tale of Genji
I no longer want to read this one. (>_<;) It’s like Twilight with polygamy. I suffered through the anime, but I hope to escape the book and the manga.
Saiunkoku Monogatari
SuperWombatchan loves this one, and it’s cute.
Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi
I forgot all about this until recently, but it’s cute and I never finished it. :/ I need to find scanlations…
Currently Reading:
Bleach
Naruto
Harukanaru Toki no Naka de
Bride of the Water God
Detective Conan
xxxHolic
Antique Romance
Sakurahime Kaden
Barajou no Kiss
Sunshine Sketch
Yankee-kun to Megane-chan
Vampire Knight (Vampire Knight is even worse than Twilight- much worse. However, like a tran wreck, I want to see what happens, just in case the end isn’t as @!*#ed up as the beginning…)
