Bungou Stray Dogs

                        

Bungou Stray Dogs is a top tier seinen anime (targeted to mature audience). It takes the dramatically overdone concept of people with superpowers fighting each other and gives it a refreshing new art style and uniquely interesting narrative. So what exactly makes it stand out in this crowded (and I mean ridiculously crowded) genre? It's the expertly choreographed fights, the stunning visuals, the imaginatively different power-ups, hilarious dialogue and an overabundance of style. It's like watching a bunch of pigeons wandering around the park, normal right? But then there's this particular one that's wearing bling and has dark shades on. This badass pigeon that makes the others look bad, it's Bungou Stray Dogs. Don't let this pigeon fly away, watch it as soon as you can... Okay, I promise that's the last of the pigeon analogy.

 Bungou Stray Dogs is set in the port town of Yokohama. It's established that there are certain people in the world that have super powers and as expected they are split between criminal gangs and law enforcement agencies. There's a brilliant dynamic shown of the criminal underbelly of Yokohama and the surface world much like a ying and yang that together creates the very workings and foundation of the city. The two parties of focus are the Port Mafia and the Armed Detective Agency, both posses several powerful members and are ideologically very different. Their only similarity is their love for the city they run. Thrown into this mix is young Atsushi who is new to Yokohama and on the run from a mysterious tiger that is out to kill him. He bumps into Armed Detective Agency member Danzai who was trying to research different ways to commit suicide without experiencing much pain (it's um... his thing) and so begins their union. Atsushi discovers his own powers and joins the agency as a rookie, he gets attached fast as he was craving a sense of belonging being an orphan since his childhood. Atsushi's experiences as a new comer show us the intricate set up of this world and allows you to rush into those exciting scenarios with him, they've also incorporated comedy really well in this medium. Every character both good and bad have interesting backstories and are well developed. Before you know it, you'll be sucked into the happenings in Yokohama and that grip is truly binge worthy.

While Bungou Stray Dogs stays as an intelligent anime with many crafty and amusing schemes or strategies afoot, things can get a little too convoluted which is a put off. Also Atsushi's character is so whiny and self deprecating that it begins to get on your nerves. There is a cut scene that plays every time he pities himself that must have been shown at least fifty times by the time the series ends, the exact same scene. You could actually play a drinking game and take a swing every time he throws a pity party, if you want to get real drunk that is. 

                          

My Personal Ratings:

Story: 4/5
Character Development: 5/5
Dialogue: 5/5 
Music: 3/5
Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall Recommendation: Rashomon!
                       
Bungou Stray Dogs season one and two are available on Netflix. 

Great Pretender

A truly unique Netflix original with an abundance of style and excitement. Ladies and gentlemen, it's a heist anime! Great Pretender has a jazzy and classic vibe to it, very much like an anime Oceans Eleven. It has set itself apart from conventional anime in so many different ways: It's realistic with no complicated powers or other worlds, it is set in multiple different countries, it has an original English soundtrack (with one done by Freddie fricking Mercury) and its English dub is actually better than the Japanese subs! The cons and heists are smart, unpredictable, original and stirring. Great Pretender is a breath of fresh air personified, everything is novel right down to the animation style, you won't find any other anime similar to this. 

Because I don't want to give away the twists in any of the cons or capers, I'll stick to explaining the very basics of Great Pretender's story. Makoto Edamura is a con man living in Japan who makes a living off petty theft. He meets Laurent one day and in an attempt to rob him, realizes that he is a con man too. They eventually partner up and have a bet to see who can swindle more money from a target. Their journey takes them to different countries, makes them meet a variety of people and gets intensely exciting. I particularly love how this anime actually introduces new cultures and people of different ethnicity, you don't get to see this in most shows, let alone accurately done. Great Pretender has even nailed its plot twists, they are like Russian nesting dolls- there's always a new and unexpected one coming up.  

When you start watching the first episode of Great Pretender, expect crappy dialogue audio until the five minute mark. They are just trying to establish that the characters speak differently and have accents derived from their home countries. After the five minute mark, the dialogue audio will normalize and the real dubbing will begin. Don't stop watching early because of this.

   

My personal ratings are:

 Story: 5/5                                                                                                                                         Character Development: 5/5                                                                                                           Dialogue: 3/5                                                                                                                                       Music: 5/5 (Seriously an anime with a song by Freddie Mercury, like how)                             Enjoyment: 4/5 (Yes, this is a new metric I'll be adding from henceforth)  

Overall recommendation: One portion of steamed Edamame!

Since Great Pretender is a Netflix original, it should be on Netflix in all geographies. 

High School DxD

                 

Turn away kids, we're about to discuss some adult content. Us anime fans and weebs constantly fight the social stigma of anime being broadly classified as hentai or tentacle porn by normies who just happen to always walk in on us when something questionable is on our screens. Now while I respect this fight and would throw down with anyone, at any time to defend the integrity, complexity and wholesomeness of anime; lets be honest for a sec. We all eventually come across at least one erotic, raunchy or sexually promiscuous anime that we secretly or 'ironically' enjoy. Sometimes I just want to turn my mind off and watch absolutely ridiculous and inappropriate content, for these moments there is the gem that is High School DxD (forgive me lord for I have sinned). 

Bless the writer of High School DxD for actually coming up with a story line to demonstrate the actual plot here (if you know what I mean). But even he doesn't try too hard, as the story follows Issei Hyodo who is a pervy high schooler with the dream of becoming a Harem king (he basically wants to be Hugh Hefner). Poor Issei is killed on his very first date and is resurrected as a demon by Rias Gremory who is a demon aristocrat's daughter and is collecting people to join her household. He also becomes the next wielder of the famous Red Emperor Dragon who resides in his right arm and becomes his partner in combat. Issei pledges his loyalty to Rias because... well... because she puts the DxD in the title of the anime. As the story progresses many more are added to this new family and everyone has romantic interest in Issei, leading to several hilarious stand offs and spicy scenes. Surprisingly High School DxD has extremely well directed fight scenes and great visuals involving power-ups and transformations. You almost get involved in the intense fights until you remember that Issei powers up based on his erotic desires and not the usual hero driven motives. 

This goes without saying, but the biggest fallback of the show is that you can't watch it with anyone nearby or even in earshot. You also begin to get bored of the same plot device being used time and again i.e damsel in distress who riles Issei up enough to get angry and take out the bad guy. But despite my description, High School DxD is not Hentai, it's doesn't cross that line and still focuses on comedy and story progression over the shady stuff. So give it a try!

              

My personal ratings are:

Story: 2/5
Character Development: 3/5
Dialogue: 2/5
Music: 2/5 

Overall Recommendation: Boosted Gear Level 3!

High School DxD is on Netflix in most regions. You might have to use a VPN. 

Nisekoi

Nisekoi is a romantic comedy that's just the right amount of ridiculous for it to be a fun and light binge. This anime makes for a great stress buster with its slapstick comedy and purposefully complicated love triangles that are guaranteed to amuse you. The love interests of these poor characters are in such disarray, that unraveling them would be harder than finding a needle in a stack of needles. But that's what makes Nisekoi so good, the nonsensical story progression and tastefully done romantic moments or "accidents" make for great comedy.  

The story is so stupidly chaotic that you'll have a great time just watching each character muddle up their love life while desperately trying to fix it. It starts with the introduction of Raku Ichijo, the sole heir of an old yakuza crime family who has no particular interest in being a criminal. When he was young, he made a promise to a girl, they both agreed to marry each other if they ever met again in the future. To remember this promise he keeps a necklace with a lock in it, while the girl holds on to its key. Many years later, Raku moves on and falls for another girl in his class called Onodera. Before he can confess to her, he meets Chitoge, the daughter of a mafia family. Their respective crime families go to war with each other and to prevent things from getting bloody, Raku and Chitoge decide to fake being in a relationship so as to bring peace between the families. While Raku and Chitoge are absolutely different types of people who initially hate each other, their fake relationship brings them closer. Throw in the fact that Onodera actually loves Raku back, there's a murderous mafia butler spying on them and that the key bearing girl from the past is potentially nearby, and you get a beautifully nonsensical love story.  

Of course Nisekoi's not perfect, the story progresses in a painfully slow manner. Imagine being on a fishing trip, but every time you think you've made a big catch, it's just junk. Just like that, Nisekoi will toy with you, letting you think there's going to be a juicy love story development- but instead they'll delay any outcome and keep you hanging. But besides this, it's a cute and fun watch for rom-com lovers!

      

My personal ratings are:

Story: 2/5
Character Development: 3/5
Dialogue: 3/5
Music: 2/5

Overall Recommendation: One accidental girls changing room entry

Nisekoi can be streamed on Crunchyroll and on facebook watch. You might have to use a VPN based on your region. 

Haikyuu!!

Have you ever come across something that's impossible to dislike? If you haven't, Haikyuu will be a definite first. It's like looking at a cute and fluffy puppy that's yawning, no sane human being can resist falling in love with it. I think Haikyuu is the best sports anime that exists today, and I don't say that lightly because there are so many brilliant options out there. Even though I was an uninterested volleyball novice, this anime immediately roped me in with its flair and passion for the sport. If you ever thought that volleyball was just a non-complicated and chill beach game, be prepared to get blown away. 

Like most sports anime, Haikyuu's story is very straightforward. It follows an ambitions underdog volleyball team from Karasuno High that wants to compete seriously. While watching we explore the various dynamics of the people in the team, as well as the sport itself. Don't worry if you aren't familiar with volleyball because the anime will explain this to you pretty well over time. The show is extremely realistic without any fancy powers or over-the-top animations, but still gripping and exciting. What really sets Haikyuu apart is that even though it has a strong central protagonist, Shoyo Hinata, every single character is still detailed perfectly. I mean each and every one because there is nobody who gets sidelined or who isn't complex with unique characteristics, counting players on other teams. It's done so well that I think each player in the anime has enough backstory for a spin-off season of their own. This is also where the danger lies, as Haikyuu gets you attached, and you won't let go without going all in emotionally. Be prepared to binge so hard and fast that you won't even realize when you've finished five seasons (counting specials) and four movies. What else do you really need in a great sports anime: Get's you fired up (check), has amazing visuals (check), great characters (check), does justice to the sport (check). So what are you waiting for to watch this?

While Haikuu's animation style is really great, I've noticed that they repeat the exact same animations for certain actions like volleyball services and receives pretty often. This, for me, is a slight put off because everything else is so damn perfect. Watching those few frequently reanimated scenes makes me feel uncomfortable, like I'm driving a Lamborghini with a play mobile steering wheel. 



My personal ratings are:

Story: 4/5
Character Development: 5/5
Dialogue: 4/5
Music: 5/5 

Overall recommendation: Nice Kill!

Catch Haikyuu!! on Netflix.

Natsume's Book of Friends

                 

Natsume's Book of Friends or Natsume Yuujinchou has aired six seasons and a movie, with season seven on the way. This is a special anime for me because it has such an immense calming effect that you can't help but smile and de-stress as you watch. I watch an episode of Natsume Yuujinchou exclusively on days that I need a pick-me-up and I refuse to watch the last episode of season six till there are more, because I won't be able to handle not having more to look forward to. It's not just me, Natsume Yuujinchou has a massive fan following due to its chill vibe and peaceful motif. This is a must watch for those of you who have a lot going on and want a few minutes of real peace in a day. Just shut off your phone and watch a single episode, I guarantee you tranquility (otherwise you're just not human). 

The story is that of a boy called Natsume (duh), who unlike most humans could see ghosts and spirits since he was a child. He also lost his parents at a young age and understandably had it really rough moving from one home to another and never finding any real friends. Thankfully Natsume finally gets taken in by an understanding and loving couple, and gets a stable school life with friends who find his behavior strange at first but eventually begin to understand him. The story really picks up when he inherits his grandmother's 'book of friends' which has entrapped the names and powers of several spirits and can be used to control them. Instead of looking for more power, the mild mannered Natsume decides to return each spirit's freedom to them and in the process meets Nyanko sensei, a cute cat like creature who can turn into a powerful dragon at will. Nyanko has never met anyone like Natsume and decides to help him and keep him out of danger as his 'pet cat'. Natsume who wants no trouble out of life is constantly pulled into various extraordinary situations and eventually learns how to rely on others to get through them. The rest of the story is an astonishingly good blend of making us see the world through his eyes and how others perceive him. In no time you'll find yourself invested in finding out what happens next. 

While Natsume Yuujinchou has the makings of a show that is full of exciting battles and riveting plot twists, it just isn't that. There are several powerful beings and potential mayhem causing plot points but the anime refuses to indulge in much action or trepidation that will harm its chill vibe. While I don't see this is a fault, turn away if you want to see any of these things or if you're looking for a fast paced show. 
                                                

My personal ratings are:

Story: 4/5
Character Development: 4/5
Dialogue: 3/5 
Music: 4/5

Overall Recommendation: One of Nyanko Sensei's Jelly Sweets 

Unfortunately options to watch Natsume's Book of Friends are limited in India. You'll have to find a streaming service online, but if you like what you see try to support the creators by buying the manga as well: https://www.amazon.in/Natsumes-Book-Friends-Vol-1/dp/1421532433/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=natsume&qid=1596127228&sr=8-2 

Your Name

          Your name or 'Kimi No Na Wa' is an iconic anime movie. Not only is it the world's highest grossing anime film with box office earnings just under 358 million dollars (hot damn!), but also has won more awards than I can list here. Why is it so good you ask? Well for starters it's because the creator of Your Name, Makoto Shinkai, is an artistic and creative genius. The visuals and animation style are in a league of their own. In fact every image is so vibrant that you'll be watching with a guaranteed glimmer in your eyes and you might even shed a tear just because of its beauty. Strange thing is, if you ask me to categorize this movie in just one genre, I simply can't. Your Name has everything in it, it's the very definition of a multi-layered plot. But more than that, this one movie encapsulates everything good about anime as a medium, not because of what qualities it has, but because of how it makes you feel.

I don't want to give away much here, but I'll describe he basics of its story. We follow the lives of Taki and Mitsuha who are starkly different people. Mitsuha lives in a rural town and wants nothing but to get out of there and live a fast paced city life. Inversely, Taki lives in Tokyo and is a student struggling to find a corporate job while working part time as a waiter. They one day realize that they're connected somehow and switch bodies from time to time, just for a short period. The story continues to explore the reason for this phenomenon and how the two begin to understand each other, without really meeting. Now I know you'll think this is a sappy and overdone body switching plot, but trust me this doesn't even scratch the surface, there's so much more to it that I can't talk about without spoilers. I'll say it again, the story is genius and unexpected, just go watch it (all hail Makoto-san). Now the cherry on the top here is an absolutely amazing soundtrack done by a band called The Radwimps. They even redid all their songs in English to go with the English dub of the movie which is just some sheer dedication. I genuinely listen to at least one long from this soundtrack everyday. 

I have no criticism for Your Name. I think it has everything a great anime needs and anyone who finds faults here is just reaching for something that isn't there. I actually think I just wrote this post as an excuse to re watch the movie despite having seen it eleven times before. Just go watch it, bring your non anime watching friends along and you might convert them too (I've used Your name to convert many a person into anime lovers).
        My personal ratings are:

Story: 5/5
Character Development: 5/5
Dialogue: 4/5
Music: 5/5 

Overall Recommendation: One Casual Introduction 

You can rent or buy your name on Amazon or Google Playstore for under five dollars. If you need to stream it illegally then at least try and buy its DVD in the future when you have the money.    
      

Assassination Classroom

                    

Most people will look at this anime and go, "ew I don't want to watch two seasons of what seems to be the story of a smiley emoji with tentacles!". To be honest that's what put me off from watching this for a long time as well, but man was I mistaken. Assassination Classroom is like a Picasso painting: it seems odd at first glance and actually most definitely is. But as you keep looking, it turns into something beautiful and you find yourself unable to turn the other way. Once you get past and accept the existence of a yellow octopus like creature, you are guaranteed to enjoy every second of this mindless comedy and will somehow get attached to its characters despite the far fetched ideas being thrown at you.

The story, though ridiculous, is very straightforward. Koro-Sensei is a super being that can travel at the speed of mach 20 and has many superhuman powers making him virtually indestructible. He has decided to become the homeroom teacher for class E at a prestigious school which is full of social outcasts and delinquents. The government discloses just to class E students that he was artificially created and was responsible for the destruction of 70% of the moon (casual flex right?). If not assassinated, Koro-sensei will destroy Earth by next March. Seemingly out of hubris, he agrees to train this class into assassins with the aim of eliminating him but is overconfident that he can't be killed by any human. The government agrees to this opportunity and will give the students a bounty of 10 billion yen if they actually kill him. Wait you know what, none if this is actually straightforward...this anime is complicated as hell! I won't get into the intricate details of this premise, they explain everything well in the show. There's also focus on the student-teacher relationship between 25 students in class E and their new strange teacher who's actually pretty amazing and manages to understand them better that any other teacher they've had. On top of all this, the comic way in which the students balance their killing intent and their regular school lives is what really makes this anime stand out. 

Assassination Classroom does have its faults. The show can get too unrealistic even by its own standards and too often switches between intense comedy to heartfelt emotion without good transition. That being said, I do believe the good outweighs the bad and they've done a great job developing the complicated character that is Koro-sensei.  

My personal ratings are:

Story: 3/5
Character Development: 4/5 
Dialogue: 3/5 
Music: 2/5

Overall Recommendation: 10 Koro-Sensei Tentacles 

Assassination Classroom has be found on Netflix India and Crunchyroll. 

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure

                       

Imagine an anime full of drama, energy and hair-raising action. Now imagine this anime on steroids and that's probably what JoJo's Bizarre adventure is. JoJo has an army of avid and to be honest, scary followers almost like it's a cult, and once you dive in you'll see why. The show stands out as one of its kind with no close peers in the way it's animated or even the unique take it adopts on story progression. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure has soap opera levels of drama and a sense of style that I can only describe as pizzaz or jazz hands. It has riveting story progression and gets you so involved in the characters that you'll want to learn all their family histories. 

Now I have to be careful here so that I don't give away any spoilers. You will be following the story of a character nicknamed JoJo who is someone that just emanates with indestructible energy and righteousness. He happens to attract others to follow him with his charisma (and pizzaz) as he always gets wrapped up in one bizarre predicament after the next. These problems include apocalyptic vampires, murderous Egyptians, Italian gangsters and powered up high school kids among others (only JoJo fans will know how clever I just was in explaining this). Now astonishingly you're not really going to care much about the story. JoJo is all about its execution and style over anything else, much like watching a fancy Broadway musical. You'll find yourself doing weird things like yelling at your screen, repeating JoJo catchphrases in your own mind, trying out JoJo poses and then bam... you're suddenly a JoJo cultist. In all honesty, props to this anime for what its pulled off. Every character is complex and multi dimensional including the villains. In fact Dio, who is introduced early in the show, is one of the best anime villains created till date. Additional credit for setting the anime in many different locations and not just Japan and also for stellar use of music, it's small things like this that gives JoJo extra traction. 

Now please don't start pelting at me JoJo cultists, but let's be real, JoJo is deeply flawed in many aspects despite how great it is. Although that's part of its charm, all forms of common sense and realism go right out the window as the story progresses. In fact, just start believing that anything goes because the show will literally make up anything to tie up loose ends and maintain a facade of sense. That's it though, have mercy JoJo fans! Also please watch JoJo's Bizarre Adventure in the right order to enjoy it and that's (in season names): Phantom Blood, Stardust Crusaders, Battle in Egypt, Diamond is Unbreakable and then Golden Wind with more coming soon. 

       

My personal Ratings are:

Story: 3/5
Character Development: 5/5
Dialogue: 4/5 
Music: 5/5 

Overall Recommendation: Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda!

In India catch different seasons of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure on Netflix and Crunchyroll (watch for free here with ads).  

Psycho-Pass

                     

An absolute stellar recommendation to clear away lock-down fever, Psycho-Pass is hands down the best thriller and futuristic detective series I've ever seen. It might be the only one I've seen, but that does not take away from how good this anime really is! It demonstrates a refreshing and unique story that unlike most anime has no source material like a manga or a light novel. The rare gem that is Psycho-Pass is purely an anime original series with a big budget for animation and a surprisingly good English dub (for you anime beginners). The anime introduces thought provoking concepts about the future of society and the criminal justice system, this coupled with its well crafted dialogues and expertly made fighting scenes will keep you hooked for all three seasons (arguably three point five seasons). 

The plot is beautifully intricate but not in an overwhelming manner. Psycho-Pass is set in the future where AI makes most economic and social decisions for the Japanese government. They have cracked technology that allows people to be scanned for ability to commit crimes in the future, giving the police jurisdiction to enforce people even before the crime takes place. The members of a special police task force see the seedy underbelly of this 'Utopian' society through the course of their work and we follow their new inspector Akane Tsunemori who was supposed to be an ideal citizen but surprises even AI in how she begins to perceive their society. It gets more interesting when the anime describes how police personnel are at risk of becoming criminals themselves due to their prolonged exposure to violent crime. This exciting commentary on mental health, society and criminal thinking will leave you craving for more. 

I have to look for drawbacks in this show to find them. But a biggie is that Psycho-Pass can get a little too fast paced and leave a lot of important aspects to contextual understanding. I've found myself having to rewind quite a few scenes to fully grasp everything they just threw at me.       

                   

My personal ratings are:

Story: 5/5
Character development: 4/5
Dialogue: 4/5
Music: 4/5

Overall Recommendation: Dominator Enforcement Required

Both English and Japanese dubs of Psycho-Pass are available in India on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. Outside India, Amazon and Crunchy roll should also have it.  

We're Back!

             

I've decided to restart this anime blog with the same goal as before- helping you find new and interesting anime to watch next. If like most of the world's population, you are a new visitor, please go ahead and peruse the posts you see put up after this one, I'm sure something will catch your eye (commenting and sharing with others would be much appreciated). If you are a rare breed of returning readers of Anime AIB, welcome back and I'm sorry this took so long! I realize that young me wasn't the best writer but I do promise to be better and improve the blog's quality. To start off with, I'll be making some changes to almost every aspect of this page, most notably I won't be giving each anime a single overall rating like I did before. I think each anime has its own relative redeeming features and a single rating can't do justice to the work put in by its creators. Instead I will break down ratings by four categories- story, character development, dialogue and music.

I hope this blog helps you find amazing new shows to watch. Stick with me and we can explore the magic of anime together (the seedy bits too, shhh). Also please remember to try supporting your favorite shows by watching them on legal platforms, buying manga or buying official merchandise.