[WT!] Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!?/Invaders of the Rokujyouma?!

Every season, we hear it: "It's another Light Novel harem adaptation set in a school, plus there's something magic for a twist. When will this generic-ness end?" At first glance, Invaders of the Rokujyouma?! likely appears to fit right into this mold, leaving many to either dismiss it out of hand, or after the first episode. But as someone who doesn't have much patience for harems or generic-ness, let me tell you why I think Invaders of the Rokujyouma?! is worth a watch.Link on MAL) and Link on CrunchyrollLength: 12 episodesGenres: Comedy, Harem, Romance, School, SupernaturalPlot: An alien, a ghost, an earth person, a magical girl, and a regular guy walk into a bar tiny apartment...no, it's not the setup to a joke, it's the basis of this plot. Our protagonist, Koutarou, quickly realizes his 5000-yen apartment comes with more than a few strings attached. But it's a 5000 yen a month apartment, you can't just give that up. (As a college student, I can relate.) And thus the battle for Corona Apartment 106 begins.Characters: This is an area where Invaders of the Rokujyouma?! really shines, something I'm surprised to be saying about a harem. Each of the "invading" girls (plus Koutarou's senpai, who he has a crush on) gets development throughout the series. They each have an "arc," where their motivations for wanting the apartment, their enemies, and their thoughts are explored. The best part is, they maintain that development throughout the other girls' arcs, making the show as a whole more enjoyable. Whether it's one of them learning how to accept others as friends, another gaining more confidence and self-assurance, or even another learning how to be more friendly and relaxed, it's nice to watch their journeys.Also, there's a pretty endearing (if simplistic) friendship between Yurika (the magical girl) and Sakuraba (the senpai). It's nice to see a harem where some of the girls actually like each other. In fact, when most of the girls do argue, it's almost always over the apartment, and not Koutarou. This changes a bit over the series, but on the whole, it helps to decrease the harem-feel.The harem aspect: No accidental boob grabs. No panty shots. No walking in on girls changing. No love-at-first-sight falling over the protagonist 60 seconds after meeting him. Invaders of the Rokujyouma?! manages to avoid a lot of tired harem tropes. (Although it does have a beach/hot springs episode...) I would argue that not all the girls like him; in fact, they explicitly establish that he's just friends with one. He does go on a date at one point--I won't say with who--and while that relationship hasn't fully developed, it's pretty clear he's already "chosen" a girl. While some of the girls might like Koutarou--whether or not for valid reasons is a matter of personal taste, but I was convinced--it's obvious he only has eyes for one, and they're pretty cute together.The comedy: Comedy is subjective. I could tell you this is the funniest show in the world, and you could watch it with a bored, blank face. That being said, it did make me laugh out loud multiple times, something that rarely happens with anime. It approaches comedy from several angles--running gags and absurdity being the top two--and at least for me, both work.The art/animation: This came out in Summer 2014, so it looks pretty. The character designs are nice--the guys look pretty generic, but the girls have variety; all the backgrounds are serviceable; and when there are "fight scenes", they look pretty nice. While not outstanding, the art and animation are up to today's standards and don't detract from the viewing experience; occasionally, they even add to it.I've heard the LNs get even better after where the anime left off, although I can't personally vouch for that. In any case, I seem to penchant for picking up anime that need a season 2...that being said, the anime has a conclusive enough ending it won't leave you wholly unsatisfied.If you're looking for a light-hearted comedy that manages to incorporate some character development, fight scenes, a few harem aspects (without relying too much on tropes), with just a pinch of actual romance, give Invaders of the Rokujyouma?! a chance. As long as you know what you're getting into, I don't think it'll disappoint! http://ift.tt/1OTVOOz

[WT!] Akatsuki no Yona (Yona of the Dawn)

Yona of the Dawn is one of my favorite anime I've watched in recent times. I try not to judge an anime before I finish it, but halfway through I thought "I'm going to give this a 10, aren't I?" And sure enough, upon finishing it, I was even more strongly convinced it deserved a 10 (and a second season).Link to MALGenres: Action/Adventure/Comedy/Fantasy/Romance/ShojouLength: 24 episodesPlot: Surprisingly, MAL does a pretty decent job of summing up the anime. The title also puts the emphasis on the right place (or, rather, person): Yona. What this show boils down to is Yona's journey, and her growth as a character. Everything that happens--from when she leaves the castle to her journey to gather the four legendary dragons--facilitates Yona's growth. This isn't to say the show has a weak plot; on the contrary, I found all the arcs compelling and interesting. I just appreciated them for what they did for character development, not just moving the story forward.Characters: This is one of the strongest points of the Yona of the Dawn. Yona isn't the same person in Episode 24 as she is in Episode 1--not even close. She goes from nearly insufferable (cute, but a serious brat) in the first episode to being one of my favorite female characters across any medium by the end of the show. She's a "strong" character, but not in the "emotionless robot who's a great fighter" kind of "strong" character that females often get relegated to. Yona shows that you can be frail, you can cry, but you can still be strong. And I love her for it.This isn't to disparage the other characters. I love that the antagonist is left up the air--you'll likely assume that he's entirely evil at first, but by the end you might have a different idea. Is he right? Misguided? Blinded by power? What are his true intentions? I think it's great to have an opposing power that isn't just flat-out, simplistically evil. Those people exist in real life, but they're rarer than complex people who might do bad things but justify that it's for a good purpose in their minds.Yona's "party" is also great. Each character is distinct (in both design and personality), and they have great chemistry, playing off each other to make for some great comedic moments--and some epic battles. Their character development is more subtle than Yona's, but it's definitely there. I could go on about them for ages, but I want to try keep this WT! relatively spoiler-free.Music: Another area where I really feel Yona of the Dawn excels. I mean, just give the first OP a listen; purely instrumental and incredibly beautiful and epic at the same time The second OP has vocals, and I won't link it because spoilers, but I personally love it as well. I'm not a huge fan of the first ED (it's not bad, but a little too J-popish for this kind of show), but the second ED takes a place in my "favorite openings or endings in anime" list, with its hauntingly beautiful and somewhat melancholic feeling. The OST is also incredibly; it can provide hype when needed (and does it very well) or bring a tear to your eye. Ryo Kunihiko did an excellent job.Art/animation: Personally, I enjoyed the color palette used. They went with one often using shades of red/pink/brown/etc The backgrounds aren't necessarily amazing, but they do their job well. Further, the chibi form used for some comedic moments has its own charm. The animation ranges from average and serviceable, to above average for the scenes that really count. This includes some fight scenes--there are a few of these that I can just watch again and again. The feel so epic, and the animation doesn't disappoint here.Comedy: This is more of a sidenote, but even though the primary focus of Yona of the Dawn is not on comedy, it still made me laugh more than some shows billed as such. Gotta give credit where credit is due.Watchability: I don't usually binge shows (on average, I only watch 2-3 eps of a given show in a day before I get tired of it and switch to something else), but I was able to totally binge Yona of the Dawn. I watched 8 episodes in a row without taking a break...whoops.All in all, I think Yona of the Dawn is a great anime for those who want a mix of great characters displaying growth, music that elevates the show, and a fun adventure backed by emotional moments and some pretty hype battles. Feel free to ask if you have any questions. If I can convince even one person to watch this wonderful show, I'll be happy! http://ift.tt/1Tu30im