Suzuka Review

Hi Anime Fans!

Wow, I'm starting to get the hang of this now - welcome to my second post on a very little known, but very enjoyable anime, Suzuka.



Aww ... if only Yamato was this cute in the Anime -_-

For some reason, Suzuka seems to be an anime that is severely unknown by a lot of anime fans. Oh, it has its problems. Its MAJOR problems. But I can't see why it isn't more well known - I would expect it to be a lot more popular than it is. However, moving onto the review. I'll start with the basic plot:

Yamato Akitsuki moves to the big city of Tokyo to start a new life at a new high school. On his first day in Tokyo, Yamato sees a beautiful girl high jumping in the rain ... who just happens to be his new next door neighbour. The plot revolves around these two overcoming the problems in their relationship and becoming closer.

I'll start with the characters. Firstly, Yamato.

I am the only one who thinks he looks high in this picture?

For a main character, Yamato is surprisingly bland. He is a typical, cheerful and blunt male protagonist. But I was surprised at how little impact he had. He has liked a lot of girls in the past, and the way he treats Honoka is downright dispicable. He goes out with her, even though he accepts how he feels about Suzuka. He holds up no responsibility and and makes a lot of mistakes. And even though he realises the mistakes he makes, he is constantly apologising for them, which doesnt make him a very strong character.

Next Suzuka.

Cute expression ...the way she gradually lets her guard down in front of Yamato is kind of clever ...

The thing about Suzuka? She is so misunderstood. Honestly, every comment on youtube is about how bitchy and evil she is - but to be honest, shes not really that bad. She acts bossy and annoying around Yamato because he reminds her of someone that she loved a lot and lost. I think she acts that way to stop herself from getting too close to him - she is protecting herself because she doesn't want to get hurt again. Suzuka is ambitious and hard working, and she is caring to all of her friends. She even has a kind conversation with people once in a while. So fan girls: stop hating on Suzuka ... she isn't really that bad. Heck, I even like her - shes selfless and mature, and a decent role model.

*Sigh*. Now onto Honoka.

God I'm jealous of her hair ...

Oh Honoka. Sweet, innocent, kind Honoka. Why do you like Yamato? You could do so much better. She is selfless, kind and friendly to everyone. Dating Yamato does nothing but make insecurities greater. Honestly, Honoka gives up everything for Yamato, but he keeps going back to Suzuka ... and Honoka is too loyal to admit it. I have to say, the episodes where Honoka and Yamato are dating (and Suzuka is keeping quiet about her feelings to keep her friends happy) are some of my favourite episodes. They help show the best points of all the characters.

Next: The amazing Miki.

I think Miki is the best designed character ... in my opinion.

Oh Miki. Miki is the best character in this anime. She is funny and the only laughable comic relief in the whole story. But more than that, she is one of the most supportive, and kind female characters in any anime. She is such a good friend, and yet everyone takes her for granted. She always acts selflessly and kind, yet nobody acknowledges how lucky they are to have her. But i recognise it - GO MIKI!!!

Artwork: The style of this anime is slightly old fashioned, like a kind of 90's style anime, and to be honest, I think it works well. The backgrounds aren't anything spectacular, but I adore the angles and colours used. The uniform is always very attractive for the character, and I also like the eyes. All in all, I like this artwork.

Music: I really loved the opening of Suzuka, because the song really captured Suzuka's determination and strengh ... and I would probably have to say that I prefer the English version. However, for the ending song, I preffered Kimi ni Koto instead of the other one. It is to cheerful to capture the emotion of the anime, whereas kimi ni koto was a very pretty song. I also loved the instrumental piano piece called tooi hi, which is a very soothing and bittersweet song.

Overall story: In my opinion, the story with Suzuka and Tsuda is the most interesting story of the whole anime, but it only lasts a couple of episodes. If the anime played up the emotion in this arc, it could have made a very touching story about a girl trying to get over the guy that she loved ... however, not enough time is put into this story to make it worthwhile. Overall though, the story was average ... with good points and bad points.

Plot: 5/10

Characters:5/10

Artwork: 8/10

Music: 7/10

Overall: 6/10

If anybody had an issue with the abrupt ending, then the manga is a continuation of the story ... check it out! Until next time anime fans ... bye!

Ouran High School Host Club Review

Hi anime fans!

Welcome to my first ever post ... I hope you like it! I'm going to be reviewing anime on this blog ... Some that I love, some that I hate. If you agree with me, or disagree with me, contact me and let me know! Also, if anyone has any requests I'll do my best to take them xx

Today, I'm going to start with the first anime I ever watched ... Ouran High school host club!

First of all,  a little history. When I was a first year at high school, I had never scene an anime before ... until this came along. This is the anime that made me otaku. My first. And that gives it sentimental value for me. This is one of my favourite animes, for several reasons, which I'll get onto later. It has also cause alot of controversy with tamaki/hikaru. (Oh god - I'll get to the twins later)  But first, I'll give you the basic plot:

Haruhi Fujioka, an incredibly intelligent, but incredibly poor female scholarship student at Ouran, is constantly being looked down on by the rich of the school. Because of this, she has to work hard to stay in the school and succeed. Her plans for her school days are to spend them in hard work and study ... until one day, she meets the host club. She accidentally breaks a 8 million yen vase and has to pay the club back ... by working as a male host! The series then follows the club's adventures, and also the back stories to each character. The way the series is written really allows you to become closer to the characters and that is only one of the reasons why I love it so much ... since I have such a passion for the characters, I think I'll go through them one by one.

We'll start with the main character and heroine, Haruhi.

By the way, am I the only fan girl who thinks she looks better with short hair? It gives her so much more character.
With long hair she looks like she doesn't have a soul -_-

Haruhi is, in my humble opinion, one of the best female leads in Anime. She is a beacon of hope and common sense in a school of dimwits. Practical, smart and deemed the "natural" type by the host club, Haruhi is one of the most believable characters in the series. The fact that she never tries to be girly only adds to her cuteness, and the fact that she doesn't care what she looks like only makes her prettier when she does look different. I think the main point of Haruhi as a character is to be a person young girls watching the show can relate to. She is intelligent and hard working, but also independent and stubborn. And whilst her courage does come out once or twice in the show, she also thinks before she speaks and knows when to step back. But, with all her good points she isn't perfect. She's kind, but she has her limits. She's patient but theres only so much of Tamaki's extreme emotions she can put up with. Another interesting thing about her is the character development she has. She goes from not really caring about the host club and being desperate to be able to study in peace to allowing some fun to interrupt her routine, as she can be too serious at times. But for all her faults, we love her - don't try to deny it!

Next, the main romantic interest, Tamaki.

When you see him here he looks so articulate ... but then there are those of us who saw him make a hamster home when he was depressed -_-

First, let me address the single best thing about Tamaki - the voice. Vic Mignogna is the voice actor for Tamaki, and if you don't know much about him you should defiantly check out his website, it is amazing. Let me stamp on this right now - Anything. Vic. Mignogna. Touches. Is. Gold. Understand? Apart from the voice, the actual Tamaki is a very good character. He can  be a complete jerk - being blunt, annoying and obnoxious every once in a while, he has wound up most characters at least once. However, he does have another side: a gentlemanly, articulate and romantic side. He is proved to be supportive and caring and always goes out of his way to help others. He also founded the host club and sees it as his family ... which gives the club members the bond that helps make the show great.

Now *shudder* - The Twins.

Urgh...the sumgness on their faces makes me feel ill -_-

Ok, I'm just gonna say this now ... I really hated these guys. Its not like I've got any thing against Yaoi or twincest, its just ... they are always so smug about it, and they always seem under the impression that every girl is just desperate for them ... oh please. Even though the romance between Hikaru and Haruhi was kind of cute, I just couldn't get into the two twins ... sorry fan girls. And another thing - episode 8, when the host club went to the beach ... Hikaru and Kaoru came up with a "game" - to try and find haruhi's weakness. Sorry...I am the only person who finds that disturbing? They were trying to scare their best friend ... that's just horrible! God I hate these guys.

And next ... Kyoya

Gazing off into the distance ... could there be a cooler cliche?

Kyoya is also one of the better characters of the series. He tries to hide his true kindness under a cool, calm exterior, but inside, he is sweet, kind, helpful, but also very insecure. Throughout the series, it is obvious that even though Tamaki is an annoyance sometimes, he and Kyoya have a very sincere friendship. However, that scene in episode 8? The merit scene? Holy God, I nearly fell out of my chair! Those lines he said were so cringe worthy ... eek. But overall, a very enjoyable character.

Next up ... Honey

Honey ... the name says it all.

One word ... Cute. He is adorable. I love the fact that he has a violent side, but I love the fact he is as childish as a teddy bear and as innocent as a buttercup. And usa - chan ... God bless that bunny. I also love the relationship with Mori.

Last But not least ... Mori

Damn...

Mori is, to me, the father figure of Ouran. Sure, Tamaki thinks its him, but really its Mori. Never says a word, but always there for a friendly ruffle on the head or kind smile. His selflessness, and caring nature make him a one of a kind character, and the fact he doesn't speak very often only make what he does say more important. I love him. FYI: Biscori Hatori, author of the OHSHC manga wanted them to be the couple ... but chose Tamaki instead. Poor mori :-( xxxx

Artwork: The artwork was, in a word average. Nothing really stood out for me, apart from the rose animation which was kind of clever. The backgrounds were average, but even the extra character had a great level of detail ... however the rest of it? Just OK.

Music: In my opinion, both the opening and ending songs sounded better in Japanese but for different reasons. The opening song, the lyrics were cringe worthy and cheesy, whereas the original subtitles made a much cleverer song. However, the singer was very talented for that particular song. But with the ending it was the complete opposite. The singer sounded like he lost breath at the end of it, making a very croaky sounding finish, however the actual lyrics were better than the original. Ironic, right?

Overall story: Every episode in Ouran was a different individual story, where the main characters helped others out and we as the audience learnt more about them as time went on. I also loved the last two episodes, and even though they weren't in the manga, that ending made it all worthwhile. All in all, I fell in love with Ouran, and I'm sure everyone else that watches it will too.

Plot - 7/10

Characters - 9/10

Artwork - 5/10

Music - 6/10

Overall - 8/ 10

Lets all hope for a second season ... Haruhi needs to get her hands on some fatty tuna! And again, feel free to comment ... again, this is my first ever blog, so any mistakes I greatly apologise for. I hope you enjoyed my review - see you next time! xxx