Attack on Titan Season One Anime Review

Attack on Titan Season One
Shingeki no Kyojin
Funimation
Complete Collection - 8 discs
625 minutes - 25 episodes +
$49.98 (2014) Parts 1-2/ea. DVD/Blu-Ray
$89.98 (2014) Parts 1-2/ea. DVD Blu-Ray Limited Edition
ISBN 704400072611
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Tetsuro Araki
Studio - Wit Studio/Production I.G

Synopsis: The Titans appeared and humanity was almost wiped out.  Giant, human-like creatures with little intelligence they scoured the world and devoured humans wherever they could find them.  They were utterly relentless and nearly indestructible, pushing humans to the brink of extinction.  Only the construction of a city guarded behind a series of enormous walls could keep the Titans out.  The last remnants of humanity reside behind the safety of their walls as the Titans roam freely through the world.  It has been 100 years since the last time a Titan has been within the walls.

A massive Titan appears outside of Wall Maria, Shinganshina district

The three walls are called Wall Maria, Wall Rose, and Wall Sina.  Those who live in the innermost walls are more wealthy and safer from the Titans.  The army trains and defends against the Titans, but those stationed within the walls act more as police.  Only the Scout Regiment goes outside of the walls and face the Titans to secure supplies from open land.  They typically sustain heavy casualties and can be both revered and hated depending on the success of their missions.  Eren Yaeger and Mikasa Ackermann, his adopted sister, are both watching as the Scout Regiment returns from outside of Wall Maria when a massive Titan appears outside of the wall.

From left: Mikasa, Eren, and Armin

The Titan is skinless and even taller than the massive walls (while most Titans are much smaller than the walls).  It is a terrifying, abnormal Titan and manages to kick open an outer gate allowing the smaller Titans to get inside Wall Maria.  The humans are frozen in fear as they watch the Titans begin devouring people.  It is a massacre as the Titans wreak havoc within the wall and people desperately flee to the inner Wall Rose.  Eren, Mikasa, and their friend Armin somehow manage to survive, but not without witnessing the true horror of the Titans.  Both vow revenge and sign up for the army when they come of age.

The omni-directional gear gives humans the enhanced agility necessary
to battle the Titans

Now the friends are army trainees learning to use special equipment for avoiding the Titans.  These include the omni-directional mobility gear which is a special harness utilizing metal cables, grappling hooks, motors, and compressed air.  It allows soldiers to swing through cities or dense forests quickly to avoid capture by the slower Titans.  The harnesses are difficult to operate and the trainees have their work cut out for them.

Eren joins the army to get revenge on the Titans for eating his mother.  His
singular drive makes him an adept soldier

It is revealed that Titans are vulnerable in the napes of their necks.  Specially designed blades with increased hardness/sharpness are used which can pierce the Titans' thick skin.  The trainees learn to maneuver and operate the harnesses while developing pin-point accuracy with their slashes.  It's incredibly grueling training and a few star trainees rise to the top.  Eren's fervor and enthusiasm for getting revenge on the Titans drives him harder than most recruits.  Mikasa's unnatural skill and calmness make her stand out from the others.  Their greatest opponents will be the abnormal Titans who are different from the more predictable and slow regular Titans.  The Colossal Titan is an abnormal type, but many others exist with less significant differences.  They are the most deadly Titans.

Facing the Titans is truly horrific and many soldiers lose their nerve

The recruits believe themselves to be ready to fight the Titans and are assigned to various groups within the military.  Some selfish recruits want to join the military police behind the safety of the innermost walls.  Other, braver recruits like Eren choose the Scout Regiment at the front lines of this war for humanity's survival.  Will they truly be ready to confront the unbridled horror of the Titans?  How can they possibly stand up to these unnatural, unique Titans like the one that breached Wall Maria years ago?  They will be eaten alive if they fail.

Eren finally gets to confront the Colossal Titan that breached Wall Maria
five years ago, but can he defeat such an abnormal beast?

Pros: Intense story with a lot of twists and turns, Eren is a great protagonist with an indomitable will (even when he's getting chewed on by a Titan), lots of interesting characters among the army troops, Mikasa is a badass, the Titans are simultaneously ridiculous and horrifying, doesn't pull any punches with graphic and violent deaths, omni-directional gear makes for dynamic action sequences, same director as Death Note, can't wait for Season Two!

Another abnormal Titan appears which seems to be attacking the other Titans

Cons: A lot of questions left unanswered at the end of the series, art style can be a little rough (dark black outlines of shapes and feels really sketchy), the omni-directional gear is total impossible in real life, only two expensive Blu-Ray/DVD combo sets are currently available (Funimation's got to milk it), long multi-episode story arcs without much happening, can't wait for Season Two!

The army manages to capture two small Titans for study.  Don't get too close!

Mike Tells It Straight: This series was highly recommended by several friends and it lived up to the hype.  I think Attack on Titan (AoT) is the most popular manga and anime series of this decade.  The anime is based on the ongoing manga series by Hajime Isayama and this first season of the anime covers almost through the eighth volume.  Isayama's art is rough and highly stylized showing his relative inexperience as a professional manga artist (an AoT one-shot was his first official work in 2006).  He's been criticized pretty heavily for having poor artwork (although it's gotten better as the series has progressed), but there's something to be said about how creepy he can draw Titans.

Mikasa ends up being one of the most skilled soldiers against the Titans

The animation style is modeled after the manga with heavy line work, especially around the silhouettes of the figures.  It looks pretty unique among other series and gives a rougher edge to the show.  The creepy Titan faces are replicated splendidly and most of them look ridiculous while perpetrating horrific acts on the hapless humans they catch.  Some may not like the animation style due to the 'rough outlines', but it didn't bother me at all.  Let's get this straight - the omni-directional gear is pure fiction and could never function in real life.  It requires some major suspension of disbelief, but gives us interesting action sequences and some plot elements (like when the group is running low on pressurized air canisters).

The Scout Regiment finds an abnormal female Titan

It's an intense series and the end of the first episode really sets the tone.  Eren watching his mother being eaten by a Titan was utterly monstrous.  We immediately know the stakes are real and losing to the Titans means getting eaten alive.  We're introduced to a cast of characters as Eren, Mikasa, and Armin go through anti-Titan training with the omni-directional gear.  When the series hits the first major story arc (The Struggle for Trost) the stakes are high and the death toll is higher.  Talk about suspense and plot twists!  Probably the best thirteen episodes of an anime series I have seen in a long, long time (coming in second is the first season of Knights of Sidonia).

Many of the Scout Regiments' missions end up like this due to the sheer
power of the Titans and weakness of the omni-directional gear in open land

There are two opening and ending theme songs in this first season and I found the ending themes to be more enjoyable.  The opening themes tried too hard to be 'marching' or 'military' themes, but just weren't very catchy.  Knights of Sidonia does the exact same thing with infinitely better results (thanks to a great artist like Angela and a nice bass line).  The ending themes were both catchy and appropriate.  Hopefully the success of this first series will allow the producers to find better songs for the second season themes!

Eren and Mikasa meet Captain Levi, rumored to be the best anti-Titan soldier

I can't recommend this series enough to friends and anime viewers in general.  It's the anime equivalent to a page-turner novel and keeps the viewers attention throughout.  The plot twists are really good and the stakes are high - any character can die at any time it seems.  The Titans are absurd while completely deadly at the same time.  Sure, the second half of the first season is not as good as the first half, but the story still has lots of gas left to run its course.  I don't recommend this show to younger viewers due to graphic content (I'd say it's okay for teenage viewers at the earliest).  I'm really looking forward to the second season when it comes out.  Let me know your thoughts in the comments section and thanks for reading my review!

Two abnormal Titans fight each other!

TO BUY and Recommendations:
   

Knights of Sidonia Anime Review

Knights of Sidonia
Shidonia no Kishi
Netflix Original Series
300 mins. - 12 episodes
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Kobun Shizuno
Studio - Polygon Pictures

Synopsis: In the distant future the Earth has been destroyed by a fearsome alien species called the Gauna.  It has been one thousand years since humanity became adrift in space on massive colony ships.  They travel the galaxy looking for a new home and trying to stay one step ahead of the Gauna.  The ships were spread out in hopes of being harder to track and to improve chances of finding a suitable planet.  One such ship is the Sidonia and it could quite possibly be the last human population in the universe.

Tanikaze Nagate trained in the underworld to be an expert Garde pilot

Human culture and science have evolved on the Sidonia.  To bolster and safeguard the population cloning has been accepted and even a third, asexual gender was developed which adapts to their partner.  All humans now photosynthesize to conserve resources aboard the ship and are only required to eat once a week.  Even anthropomorphic animals exist and participate in the workforce.  Everyone wears a belt with a clip to attach to safety rails throughout the interior buildings when the ship performs maneuvers.

The Sidonia is a massive ship build around a fragment of the Earth

The Gauna are large alien creatures which can survive in the vacuum of space.  They are highly self-sufficient and can self-propel through the airless void.  Their bodies consist of an impenetrable core surrounded by a malleable proto-mass called Ena which can be manipulated to different needs of the core.  They remain a mystery, but one thing is clear - they are a near-impossible enemy to defeat and have pushed humanity to the brink of extinction.

The Gauna are a terrifying alien race which seem to be pursuing the human race

The Sidonia has not encountered a Gauna for almost a century after a hero from the last generation drove them off piloting a Garde Type 17 called the Tsugumori.  A special substance was discovered which could pierce a Gauna's core and destroy it.  Now nearly every able-bodied youth is trained to become a Garde pilot and defend the Sidonia.  Civil unrest has become more commonplace as protesters claim the Gauna are a hoax of the government.

The Sidonia is guided by the Immortal Council

Tanikaze Nagate was raised in the Underworld (the unpopulated areas of the Sidonia) by his grandfather, but is captured when venturing out to find food.  He has trained exhaustively on a simulator to be an expert pilot of the Garde Type 17, but has no social skills.  He is enlisted into the Guardian program to be a pilot when the Gauna reappear on his first assignment.  Now the Sidonia must send another generation of pilots to battle an impossible enemy for the survival of the human race.

From left - Midorikawa Yuhata, Shinatose Izana, Tanikaze Nagate,
Kunato Norio (background), Hoshijiro Shizuka, and Ren Honoka

Pros: Epic storyline as humanity teeters on the brink of total extinction, some exciting plot twists and reveals, Gauna are a fearsome enemy, character deaths are meaningful and tragic (Yoshiyuki Tomino would approve), killer opening theme and good ending theme, some actual science fiction with cool concepts (cloning, humans photosynthesizing), good series ending, suspenseful and made me want to watch each new episode immediately

Cons: Character animation looks awkward and artificial due to full CG rendering, characters and some mecha have too dark black flecks on them meant to look like weathering (too harsh, where's the color rendering?), looks kind of CG cheesy when a Gauna's body disintegrates after its core is destroyed, plot progresses a bit disjointedly and too many questions raised with few answered

Hiyama Lala is the bear lunch lady who takes Tanikaze under her wing

Mike Tells It Straight: Let's set the record straight - this series originally aired in Japan and was licensed by Netflix for broadcast distribution.  Netflix added a dub (for its various international audiences) and premiered it outside of Japan (the same way Funimation licenses anime series).  When I first saw the 'Netflix Original Series' label I thought they had produced the series and were moving into original animated content, but it's not true.  They're just cutting out the middleman (i.e. Funimation and other anime licensing companies) and doing the dub/sub themselves.  Netflix is a billion dollar company and depending on how successful this first series performs then they could become a player in the anime distribution game.  Could impact Funimation, the biggest anime licensing company, and possibly Cartoon Network, one of the bigger anime broadcasting channels.  Time will tell, but I think KoS was a good gamble.

Tanikaze gets in big trouble early on with the female pilots

While the series may only be available through streaming, rest assured it will eventually hit Blu-Ray/DVD soon (House of Cards did).  It was highly suspenseful and kept me enthralled to watch the next episode (binge watching fodder).  The series is based on the manga by Tsutomu Nihei (Blame!, NOiSE, Abara) and follows it very faithfully.  The manga is still ongoing and ending date is unknown.  In Abara, Nihei's protagonist is a Gauna who can form bone armor and weaponry from his body.  The Gauna in KoS appear to be a nod to this previous series.  Nihei is known for his futuristic storylines and unique art style which were both present.

Human cloning is now commonplace to bolster the population count

I found the series very enjoyable and had to watch the next episode to find out what happened next.  It was addictive and fun, but mildly disturbing as well.  The show is fairly mature and I don't recommend it for younger viewers.  The Gauna are a fearsome opponent and the pilots have a high mortality rate.  Yoshiyuki Tomino (creator of Mobile Suit Gundam and well known for killing off the majority of the main cast in his works) would definitely approve.  The science fiction concepts were pretty cool - humans photosynthesizing is a first, clones, and a third gender (transgender).  The mecha designs were decent and CG rendering was great.  Loved the opening theme by Angela and good soundtrack.  Characterization was well done and suspense was killer.  Reminded me of Attack on Titan which is high praise.

Tanikaze is an expert Garde 17 pilot as seen by this simulation footage
- too bad the current generation of mecha is the
Garde 18 with significant interface changes!

What didn't work for me were the CG character renderings, these were mostly terrible.  Movements were unrealistic, jerky, and the only way to tell characters apart were their hairstyles.  The characters and mecha had these black marks on them which were meant to be weathering/wear, but were just harsh black lines and too simple.  The plot progressed in a non-linear fashion and more questions were posed than answered.  I guess it sets groundwork for future reveals which will probably be spectacular.  I've read many complaints about Tanikaze's bland personality and I can rationalize his demeanor as being caused by living underground his whole life.  I wasn't very happy to see a makeshift harem forming around him which is an anime genre I'm not really into.

Hoshijiro and Tanikaze are shipwrecked in space after a battle
- Hoshijiro photosynthesizes while Tanikaze nervously looks away

Despite its flaws KoS was an epic series and I was hooked from the first episode.  It's mature and carries a sense of urgency as humanity fights for survival and characters die.  A nice mix of science fiction and storytelling among many familiar anime themes.  Tanikaze is the epitome of a last, best hope (at least he trained for it and it's not just inherent to his being).  I rank it among the new breed of anime which strives to surprise and engage the viewer instead of carrying down the familiar path.  If you have Netflix and enjoy anime then give it a shot.  Looking forward to the second season when it gets released.

The Gauna find a way to demoralize the human pilots by
using the fallen Garde pilots against them

TO BUY and Recommendations:
 

Elfen Lied Anime Review

Elfen Lied
ADV Films
Complete Collection - 3 discs
325 mins. - 13 episodes
$34.98 (2011)
$39.98 (2009)
$49.98 (2006)
ISBN 814131018212
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Mamoru Kanbe
Studio - ARMS

Synopsis: A secret government facility studying a rare genetic mutation suffers a catastrophic breakout by one of its most powerful subjects.  Lucy is a Diclonius - a mutant with incredibly powerful psychic abilities and complete disregard for human life after years of intense torture as a test subject.  She literally rips the facility's security forces to shreds before finally being wounded by a high-powered rifle shot ricocheting off her head.

Lucy faces down a squad of guards during her breakout.  This
doesn't look like a fair fight.

Lucy falls into the ocean and washes up on a beach in Kamakura, completely naked.  She is found by Kouta, a college student, and his cousin Yuka who attends the same college.  The head trauma Lucy suffered from the ricochet has altered her personality into a child-like, innocent state.  Kouta and Yuka bring Lucy home and attempt to help her.  Little do they know a vicious killer resides within the body of the girl they rescued - who they dub "Nyu" because it is the only thing she says.

Nope, not a fair fight at all.

Diclonius is a mutant born from a special virus which infected a regular human male.  The Diclonii possess bone protrusions on their heads (kind of like horns) and strong psychic powers, called vectors, which make them tremendously dangerous.  The body count keeps rising as the government throws more soldiers at Lucy in an attempt to kill her.

Kouta and Yuka find Lucy on the beach - she's assumed the
innocent "Nyu" personality (obviously or else their heads
would be ripped off already)

Kouta suffered a massive childhood trauma which left him hospitalized for an entire year.  Yuka is secretly very happy that Kouta is going to the same college as her - she has strong feelings for him.  How can Kouta and Yuka stay safe with a ticking time bomb in their midst?  Especially when the government unleashes even more unstable and deadly Diclonii to take down Lucy?

Nyu (Lucy), Yuka, and Kouta share a moment in class

Pros: Nudity (mostly in the intro), terribly violent and gory, mature themes which make for compelling motivations, an interesting plot, suspenseful (you never know when Lucy will become the dominant personality and rip off all their heads), show still has a sense of humor while depicting ultraviolence, opening sequence pays homage to Gustav Klimt's artwork (famous for The Kiss), good ending

The girls of Elfen Lied - Mayu (w/puppy), Yuka (top), Nyu (Lucy),
and Nana

Cons: Blending of genres (harem, psychological, graphic violence) is jarring (but after the first episode you have been conditioned), brutally violent and unforgiving, two cousins having feelings for each other (i.e. incest) may be offensive, prosthetic arms/legs seem a little too easy to use

One of the fun tests the Diclonii endure at the research
facility - "Can you stop all of the bullets?  Let's find out!"

Mike Tells It Straight: I have rarely seen an anime this gory and violent yet simultaneously captivating and suspenseful.  Make no mistake - Elfen Lied is incredibly bloody and graphic.  It has mature themes and I must warn off young, squeamish or sensitive viewers - this show is not for you.

The innocent and child-like Nyu

Watch the first episode - you'll know within the first minute if this show is something you'll like (because the breakout is easily one of the most violent sequences I have seen).  Disclaimers in full effect because you can't let the cute looks fool you - it's brutal.

Lucy's personality resurfaces - this face is the last one you'll
see before your head is ripped off

Many people like this show for its mash-up of genres, but some also dislike it for the same reason - too many incompatible genres together.  Graphic violence and gore one minute and lighthearted cuteness the next.  I found the mature themes contrasted against the innocence of some of the characters to be masterful. Definitely not something you'll find successfully accomplished in many anime.

School life was especially difficult for a young Diclonius
...and the janitor

I give Elfen Lied a hearty, head-ripped-off-with-an-erupting-geyser-of-blood recommendation.  It took me awhile to finally watch this show and I was caught off guard (in a good way).  Not at all what I expected, not for kids, and highly suspenseful.  I might like the anime better since Kouta, in the manga, is much harsher to Lucy and completely unforgiving (well, you can't really blame him).

TO BUY and Recommendations:

Fooly Cooly (FLCL) Anime Review

Fooly Cooly (FLCL)
Furi Kuri
Funimation
Complete Collection - 1 disc
150 mins. - 6 episodes
$39.98 (2011)
$44.98 (2011) Blu-Ray
$69.95 (2007) Ultimate Edition
ISBN 704400052415
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Kazuya Tsurumaki
Studio - Gainax/Production I.G

Synopsis: Naota has always been in his older brother's shadow, but now his older brother has left to play baseball in America and Naota just feels lost.  He hangs out with Mamimi, his older brother's ex-girlfriend who smokes and constantly ditches school.  She got dumped, left behind, and is in worse shape than Naota.  They live in a depressing town with a huge factory shaped like a giant iron (like for ironing clothes) owned by Medical Mechanica.  Every day at the same time a huge cloud of steam is released from the factory covering the town in a hazy glow.

Beware crazy pink-haired girls riding Vespas!

The two are walking home one day when Naota is run over by a crazy pink-haired girl riding a Vespa scooter. She stops to hit him in the head with her electric guitar.  Miraculously he survives, but now has a big oddly-shaped lump sticking out of his head.  The crazy girl says her name is Haruko Haruhara and becomes the live-in housekeeper at Naota's house.  She is obsessed with the lump on his head and naturally his dad bunks her in Naota's room (on the top bunk).

Haruko brains poor unsuspecting Naota with her guitar

Weird things start to happen.  A full-on robot battle erupts from the lump on Naota's head and Haruko is there to finish it with a choice bash from her trusty guitar.  One of the robots moves in with Naota and becomes a servant doing chores for the family.  Naota's grandfather has the robot pick up nudie mags from the drug store for him.  It gets weirder.

Then she just shows up at his house eating dinner!

More robots and some Space Pirate King erupt from Naota's head.  The earth is in danger and Haruko (if that's her real name) seems to be in the center of it all.  A special agent from the Bureau for Interstellar Immigration is hellbent on stopping her.  Naota won't admit it, but he's got a major crush on her.  How's a teenager to cope alongside all the raging hormones?

Yep, that left a mark

Pros: Creative and fun, highly imaginative and off-beat humor, literally made me laugh out loud, energetic (almost spastic at times), doesn't take itself too seriously, great music and soundtrack, very good dub, unique coming-of-age story for both Naota and Mamimi, aged well after a decade

Grandpa, two school buddies, Dad, Canti, Haruko, Naota, Ninamori, Mamimi

Cons: Bit pricey for only six episodes, blu-ray version is not perfect due to original 4:3 aspect ratio of show, random over-the-top humor aspect of this show can turn some people off as can the animation style jumps

Hanging out with Haruko = get ready for more trouble!

Mike Tells It Straight: FLCL (aka Fooly Cooly, Furi Kuri [kinda love thang]) knocked me on the floor when I first watched it.  It was hilarious, had great action scenes, felt sexually deviant (like every teenager does when the topic of sex flashes across their minds), and contained some poignant moments.  Definitely not for the kiddies due to the sexual innuendo and a bit of mindless violence.

Canti can be pretty badass when he wants to be

It's a manic ride and filled with cultural/genre parody in-jokes.  May be hard to follow at times, but tied together by a simple coming-of-age story as Naota finally emerges from his brother's shadow.  The deep moments were rare and a bit out of place.  The animation style was varied with a little bit of everything thrown in and you can't beat this show for range of visual styles.

Now what is she really up to?

Gainax was responsible for Neon Genesis Evangelion which is an anime classic (it turned mecha on its ear).  I like the idea of them putting out a wacky show like FLCL to free themselves from the darkness of Evangelion.  Another Gainax nut-fest is Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi which I also enjoyed and thought was similar, but with 13 episodes the craziness made my head hurt.

Yeah, this just about sums it up

The original FLCL dvds were scarce/expensive until 2007 when they were re-released, but I was excited to see Funimation put out a new version in 2011 on one disc.  Little did I know the aspect ratio couldn't be changed (from 4:3 to widescreen 16:9 for current televisions) and the SD didn't translate as well to HD.  I don't recommend putting a premium on the blu-ray version - it's not remastered and lacks any improvements to the visuals.  Got the dvd set already?  Keep it, this new version doesn't really enhance the experience enough to justify a repurchase.

Naota gets to swing the bat

I consider FLCL to be another classic anime and well worth checking out.  If you can't take the wild tangents and jokes then it won't be for you.  Watching the show again after many years was great - I noticed a few more aspects of the plot and it made a bit more sense (plus the cool visual tricks Gainax pioneered which have shown up in shows since).  The humor was still there after all those years and it felt kinda uplifting (like after I watched Gurren Lagann).  Go for it!


TO BUY and Recommendations:

Master of Martial Hearts Anime Review

Master of Martial Hearts
Funimation
Complete Collection - 1 disc
150 mins. - 5 episodes
$34.98 (2010)
$24.98 (2011)
ISBN 704400088469
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Yoshitaka Fujimoto
Studio - ARMS

Synopsis: Aya Iseshima is just a regular high school girl until she and a friend stumble into a brutal match between two girls in the Martial Heart tournament.  She ends up helping one of the combatants named Miko fight off the crazed attacks of her sadistic oppenent who is dressed as a flight attendant.  Aya is secretly a highly trained martial artist (she takes after her mother who is also a skilled fighter, but retired) and manages to stop the match.  Aya and her friend Natsume befriend Miko and learn about the tournament - a magical jewel exists called the Platonic Heart which grants a wish to the winner of the tournament.  Only women can participate and each girl has a special wish they fight dearly to see fulfilled. 

Miko mysteriously disappears and Aya joins the deadly tournament in order to find her missing friend.  The losers of each match are not only beaten physically, but are never heard from again.  Can Aya survive each successive match against progressively stronger opponents, will she ever see Miko again, and what horrible secret related to her family's past is buried at the heart of the tournament?

The lovely ladies of the Martial Heart tournament
Aya in the center framed by Miko and Natsume

Pros: Lots of fan-service and nudity - literally every battle has the beautiful combatants getting their clothing blown off by body hits, good opening and ending (episode 5) theme songs by Little Non, unexpected shock twist ending was a surprise

Cons: Ending theme song for episodes 1-4 was lame, character designs were generic and/or ridiculous (fighting outfit for teacher was particularly horrible), story was rushed (too short) with no character development

"You punched my shirt off - prepare to die!"

Mike Tells It Straight: You will believe a girl can be undressed by an uppercut!  This show is a generic knockoff of Ikki Tousen with a schoolgirl participating in a battle tournament, but it fails in several key areas.  The character designs and fighter gimmicks were weak (science teacher using molecule elements as fighting move combos was the worst).  Fight scenes were completely unrealistic and bland.  Aya gets her butt kicked across the floor and then manages to pull out a finishing move for the win?  Not bloody likely.


"What!?  Not again!"

The only redeeming qualities were a consistent level of fan-service, naked boobs during every fight, extendedly naked shower scene, and the sadistically evil shock ending.  It came out of nowhere and was highly amusing, especially the final scene. 
Overall a stunningly mediocre series with a few high points and many, many flaws.  It's a brief watch and the ending might be the redeeming factor, but I wouldn't recommend this show very much (especially at the MSRP).  Watch it if you're hard up for fan-service and brief nudity, but many other current shows deliver far better.

TO BUY and Recommendations: