Natsume Yuujinchou 1-4

The show centers around Takashi Natsume, a young boy who ever since he could remember have been able to see spirits.

Because of his ability Natsume has has always been alone, avoided by other people as they found him odd or believed he was lying to get attention. His parents passed away when he was very young and he spent his childhood being passed around amongst different relatives. Now living with with distant relatives to his father Natsume is trying his best to keep is abilites hidden, but things get complicated when he inherits a book from his grandmother, Reiko, containing binding contracts with all the spirits whom she's defeated and won the names of. In order to release them from their conctract Natsume must now find the spirits and return their names to them.

I like this show, the storyline is not revolutionary but it is good and the characters are very likeable. It is the perfect series-between-series in more ways than one; each episode has it's own little storyline besides the main story and you have no trouble following it even if you don't watch it conseculatively and since nothing major ever happens it's a very easygoing show, perfect for when you need a bit of a break from all that drama that threathens to tear your heart in two.

Despite the fact that I really liked this show I will still only be giving it 4 out of 5 otakus, the main reason behind that being that it just didn't "get to me" enough to be rewarded a full score.

Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun

Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun is your not-so-typical shoujo anime. The story revolves around Shizuku Mizutani, who has chosen to repress her feelings and focus solely on her academics so that she won't have to be disappointed again, and Haru Yoshida who has no interest at all in academics and serious issues when it comes to controlling his feelings.

The pair meet when Shizuku is asked by her teacher to bring some handouts around to Haru's place since he's been absent from school for a long time. What she doesn't know then is that her visit is about to change not only hers, but Haru's life as well.

This might be one of my favourite short school-life anime, not because the plot is so very different, because let's face it, it's not, it's the same boy-meets-girl story we've seen so many times before, but because of the characters. Yes, we've seen the "bad boy turned good" type of guy before but Haru still has his own special charm, he is just that emotionally inept that you can't help but love him. Shizuku on the other hand is quite different from any of the female lead charachters I've come across thus far. She is fully capable of taking care of herself and her life does not revolve around boys or popularity (or friends for that matter) but she's still neither the tsundere nor the otaku with the weird hobby, she's just Shizuku, and that's what I like about her.

If it wasn't for the fact that this show lacks that teeny tiny bit extra to take it over the edge it would have ended up with a full score, but as it is now it just feels a little bit too short, as if you're missing out on something good that was supposed to come in the next episode or so, which leaves it at 4,5 out 5 otakus.

Junjou Romantica 1 & 2

Juunjou Romantica is a romatic comedy / drama centering around the relationships of three different couples and the struggles they face.

Misaki is studying for his college entrance exam and turns to his brothers best friend, Akihiko Usami, for some extra tutering. When his brother then gets married and transfers to another city for work Misaki somehow ends up living with Usami and that's when the interesting part of the story begins...

First of all, let me make this one thing clear, this is shounen-ai (bordering yaoi) so if that's not your cup of tea you'd be better off not watching this show.

The first series I found to be a bit disorganized, skipping fast between one story and the next, which made it hard to follow at first. Once you got used to the rather fast pace the series was OK, the characters are quite amusing and it does have it's bright moments but overall I felt like it was just moving too fast. And the start of some of the relationships... Well, let's just say I would have liked them to be a bit more... consensual.

Moving on to the second series then; this series (which follows directly after the first and continues to deal with the relationships between the characters and how the develop) is a tad better than the first one. The charachters are the same so not much to say about them and the same goes for the plot in general, but I like the way this one progresses more. It feels like the relationships have matured and the pace in which this one switches between the different stories is somewhat more managable (or maybe I've just gotten used to it by now?).

Overall this wasn't one of my favourites, I had fun watching it but neither the storyline nor the animation really caught my interest, if it wasn't for the second series I would have been left disappointed but since they did improve the two series together gets 3 out of  5 otakus.

Ino x Boku S.S.

The Maison de Ayakashi aka Ayakashi Kan, is rumored to be a residence for the rich and famous, the elite of society, it is protected with the highest security and every tenant is bestowed a personal bodyguard. In reality though it is a place for humans with non-human ancestors to live and the secuirty is not there to protect anyones wealth, it's there to protect the residents from more powerful monsters.

In an attempt to improve herself the socially-inept Ririchiyo moves in to the Ayakashi. Her plan is to spend some time alone until she feels capable handling interactions with other people without ending up insulting them by putting up her usual front, because of this she has also said no to having a personal bodyguard but upon entering the Ayakashi she is met by Soushi, a member of the Secret Service, who requests that she lets him be her "dog".

Ino x Boku S.S. is a decent show but it didn't really captivate me, it wasn't until the second to last episode that it really made me feel something (but then I really felt something, so much so that I had to re-watch the last bit of it). I think it might be due to the lack of a cohesive plot line, it gave me a hard time staying focused because with so much going on in every episode the end result was a series that felt a bit hastily put together, almost sloppy. Even given that the series is about the developing relationships between the tenants I still think it would have benefited from a more coherent plot.

Despite (or maybe owing it to) humour and bishounen galore this show only gets 3 out of 5 otakus.

Kamisama Hajimemashita

Kamisama Hajimemashita, or Kamisama Kiss as it is called in English, is a romatnic comedy about a girl who, after being abandoned by her indebted father and evicted from her apartment, finds herself as the heir to a rundown shrine.

After being both abandoned and evicted Nanami finds herself alone in a park late at night. There she meets Mikage, a strange man who is terrified of dogs, and ends up telling him about her misfortunes. Mikage then surprises her by saying she can have his house as a thank you for rescuing him from a dog and since she has nowhere else to go, Nanami accepts, she is given a map and after following it she finds herself standing in front of a rundown shrine. Thinking it must be a joke but that she doesn't have any other options Nanami enters the shrine where she meets Kotetsu, Onikiri and Tomoe, the shrine guardians, and finds out that not only was she given a shrine, she awas also appointed the new earth deity of said shrine. The story then follows the life of Nanami and the shrine guardians and how their relationships develop through ups and downs.

With a good ratio between love, humour and character development this is a really good show if you are into the typical anime-love-series. Despite the plot being a tad on the weak side (which was expected) this is one of those series that really tug at your heartstrings, not because it is sad but because it's just that little bit too perfect. It gives you the perfect amount of butterflies and with only thirteen episodes it leaves you wanting more. It also has the perfect tsundere bishounen (who also happens to be supernatural beings) for the fangirls to dream about.

This show pretty much killed my heart with longing for that perfect butterfly scenario but other than that (or maybe because of that?) I really enjoyed it so I give it 4 out of 5 otakus.

Free! - Iwatobi Swim Club

Free! - Iwatobi Swim Club is a series about four boys, Haruka, Makoto, Nagisa and Rin, childhood friends who used to belong to the same swimming club.

Shortly before graduating elementary school the boys participated in a relay race together during a swimming tournament after which Rin moved away and the boys parted ways. Years later, when the boys are in high school, they stumble upon Rin who has now returned to Japan and is attending another school. In order to swim with Rin again Nagisa, Makoto and Haruka decide to form the Iwatobi High School Swimming Club, they are joined by another boy named Rei and Rin's younger sister Gao and together they begin to pursue their dream. Will the boys be able to swim together with Rin again? And what is really lurking beneath the surface?

The plot is decent although the end is somewhat predictable (then again, this is a school life anime so I didn't really expect anything different), the characters are lovable, as bishounen boys should be, and overall it's a decent show. It has to be said though that the main purpose of this show is not the intricate plot or the character development - it's the fanservice, and this show provides fanservice on the highest level for everyone out there with a thing for bishounen boys (and muscles, just look at those lines...)

This was the perfect anime for a break from all the Naruto drama, easy going, fun, and eyecandy galore which earns it 4 out of 5 otakus.

If you wish to read more about the show you can head here or here.