Reviews written by Juggernaut

I went into this with a sort of "Meh, guess I'll see what it's about" attitude, and within the first five minutes, I was cracking up. I love the animation style, and the expressions of the characters (especially Chisato) are really amusing. He's so over-the-top but in a really endearing way, and I can't help but love him. It's a bit rushed as far as the progression of the relationship, but that's going to be the case with a lot of anime in general because there are only so many episodes, and each one can't last an hour. So, that said, I think this is a really cute one, and I'm glad I took a chance on it.

If you like cute, funny romance, definitely check it out.

This OVA is dark and quite disturbing, but handled realistically, which is not the case with most darker-themed anime. It is a mecha, but it seems to me that the focus is really on the relationships between the characters, and the giant robots are more a side-plot, so you've got to be in this for the boys.

That said, there is nothing 'cute' about this one. It is quite graphic in terms of sex, especially when you consider that it is an older production. Nothing is censored, and while you don't get pornographic shots for long periods at a time, there isn't a lot of guesswork as to what's happening.

The OVA is very short for kind of story it is, which is slightly disappointing because I feel they could have put more into expanding on the relationship between Jonathan and Leonard. Regardless, nothing seemed rushed, and I'm quite pleased with the ending as well. The only thing I can use to describe it is "suiting". I can't think of a way I'd change the ending, and that doesn't happen often.

The most rewarding part of this is that the rapist is properly punished and no one falls in love with him. He has to live with the reminder of what he has done, and what he will never be able to do again. It's not particularly gorey, but I've only seen castration in one other OVA, and that one was more implied than shown.

All in all, I really enjoyed this, and I would recommend it to anyone who wants something with a satisfying but not-happy ending.

My rating is more for the story than the characters. I really enjoy yaoi with dark themes, and this one is quite full of them. And really, I think it provides a decent balance for the overly girlish Ayase, who really provides nothing to the story other than something for the 'seme' to lust after.

I wouldn't even really call this love, but another of those unhealthy relationships that yaoi is so fond of. There's some rape, but that's to be expected when one character is a sex slave trying to pay off a debt, so to be fair, it's not as though it's out of the blue.

Ayase is a typical, sparkle-eyed uke, and Kanou is a typical, stone-faced seme. One shows far too much emotion, the other shows too little. It's just so overdone and I'm getting tired of the dynamic because there's no surprise in it anymore. The story offers some originality in terms of the plot and what happens during the progression of it, so I can't dislike the whole OAV. The art is also not awful, as long as you don't use Ayase as the standard, but I don't understand a lot of the raving reviews that lead me to watch this in the first place.

Final verdict: it's a 'take it or leave it' thing.

As far as the characters and their personalities go, I like them both. Morinaga is adorably helpless in his love for Tatsumi, and he just can't stop even though Tatsumi makes a huge deal about being against homosexuality. Working in a lab with a guy you're head-over-heels in love with would be a bit difficult, I imagine, and even moreso when the object of affections has no interest in anyone of your gender, much less just you.

That said, when their 'relationship' finally does start, I'm not fond of how it's treated. Being taken advantage of, no matter the circumstances, is inexcusable and Tatsumi has every right to be furious. However, I was glad to see that Tatsumi is not quick to forgive Morinaga.

This OVA has the classic 'love-after-rape' concept that is so popular in yaoi, and I know it's just a trope that the genre will never get away from, but it just seems less like love and more like unhealthy attachment when that's the way the relationship starts.

The art is still beautiful though, and it's not a wholly bad story, so I'm giving it three stars. My personal bias is getting in the way, so someone not bothered by the trope might get more enjoyment out of it than me.

The thing you absolutely must remember is that the show pokes fun at ALL countries, and is not meant to be taken seriously.

That said, I love that about Hetalia. The stereotypes are all over the top and sort of thrown in your face so that it's impossible to miss them. North Italy's love of pasta, Germany's uniform and tendency to be super-serious, Japan's extreme modesty, and America's general obnoxiousness and obsession with hamburgers--all of them are hilarious and can make history class a little more fun.

The plot mostly follows the Axis Powers during WWII, but it covers many actual events in history. It also includes flashbacks from when the countries were younger, so you get a lighter take on how things came to be. I love the drawing style, and the episodes are extremely short, so you can watch the whole lot in less than a day (personally, I did just this because I couldn't get enough).

Again, this isn't going to be an anime that you need to search for a deeper meaning, so if you're looking for something fun and cute with slashy undertones, give this one a go and see if you don't laugh.

This is one of those manga that you don't have to think too much about and you can still enjoy it. The art is quite lovely, and really, who doesn't love a gorgeous set of twins? The beginning of the manga is pretty much the twins fighting over a boy, then the boy chooses one, but not to worry, the other twin gets his own boy. It's done in a fun way, and even though the plot is very simple, it's still a good read.

Also the twins have personalities that are very different from one another, and I've always found that appealing, but to each his/her own.

I absolutely love the art style, and this manga features one of my favorite types of characters: gritty in the appearance-department, but a pretty happy-go-lucky guy, all things considered. Chris is basically a carefree type, which you would think doesn't work with his former-hitman persona, but Takashima pulls it off. Aya comes off as a bratty kid, but it makes sense when you learn his past and current circumstances. It's a pretty sweet romance, too, and I personally like how they don't just jump into bed together.

I really hope the mangaka finishes this one.

I really love this story. It's been a while since I've read it, but it's one of those that I can keep going back to over and over again. The characters feel real, not just flat and one-dimensional, and the sexual tension between Dee and Ryo is wonderful. It's not resolved quickly either, even though Dee practically throws himself at Ryo every opportunity he gets. So, in a way it's a tease, and on the other hand, it's more satisfying plotwise than manga than give you sex scenes, but they don't really mean anything and they're just sort of shoved at you for the sake of "look, here's sex".

I'm quite picky about anime these days, and I wasn't too sure about Kuroshitsuji because of its popularity. It's not as though I'm one of those people who doesn't like something because a lot of people do, but my experience with popular anime is that I end up feeling that they are overrated. But, I saw a lot of artwork and stills of the show, so I gave it a shot, and I'm sooo glad I did.

The plot is great, and it's not one of those 'solve in two episodes, but put a bunch of filler in the middle to make it longer'. The story is drawn out in a good way, allowing the plot to happen with plenty of antics as well, and it's not one of those "Wow, that was just like the last episode" things. Not only that, but it keeps you guessing and invested until the end.

The slash is not explicitly defined and this anime is not classified shounen-ai, but there are plenty of situations and characters that make you raise an eyebrow and wonder why. Since it's not classified as yaoi though, it's not really a tease when something doesn't happen, but the fangirl in me did get to squeal in delight a fair few times, and there is plenty of room for speculation (which really makes the show that much more fun to watch with a fellow fan).

And finally, the characters are quite lovable, each in his or her own way. Some were an immediate cling-reaction (Grell Sutcliff, I'm looking at you), and some of them took a little while to grow on me, but by the end I liked just about everyone.

Overall, I'd recommend this for anyone who's a fan of demons, butlers, and cute guys all over the place.

One of my favorite things about this manga is that it is set in a prison, and there is nothing fluffy-puppies-and-rainbows about it. It's very dark in a lot of parts, which a lot of yaoi manga don't quite manage properly. Even though some parts are somewhat cliche, it's done in a way that doesn't glare at you and it's all incorporated into the story very well.

The art is GORGEOUS. These are men, not little high school boys, and they look the part. They also don't all look the same, so even with a close-up in a panel, you're not trying to guess who it is. As far as the characters, everyone has flaws, and the personalities are all radically different, but in a way so as to keep you invested in the story and wondering "Is he really good, or is he just a good actor?"

I was emotionally invested the entire way through the story, and I'll be honest, the sex is hot. The dialogue is a lot like in real porn, gritty and sort of cheesy if you walk in on the middle of it, but I like that about it. There are also a bunch of moments that are really sweet when you consider the characters, so there's a bit of fluff, but it's sort of hidden among all the angst and dirty, dirty sex.