How Not To Summon A Demon Lord

              

Imagine you were taking a walk in the park and came across a pile of shit that's on fire. It's an odd thing, but you find that you can't stop staring at it. Why? maybe you just want to see what happens to it or maybe it amuses you. We humans have been attracted to fire since ancient times after all. But that's 'How Not To Summon A Demon Lord' in a nutshell, it's a flaming turd that you probably want to stop looking at, but end up mysteriously looking at for longer that you expected. The show is unapologetically pervy, and is the epitome of Harem. If you like a simple plot with an OP main protagonist who goes about simply eradicating every enemy in sight, you might enjoy this show. You'll come for the action sequences, but stay for the unlimited fan service, if you like that stuff that is. I'm just a neutral blogger whose girlfriend reads this page and will comment no further on the quality of the fan service. 

How Not To Summon A Demon Lord has the story line of a basic Isekai anime (transported to a fantasy world genre). A boy named Takuma who spends most of his life mastering an online RPG under the username Diablo suddenly gets sucked into the game world. He finds out that he has been summoned by two girls called Shera and Rem who bungled a summoning spell and ended up enslaving themselves to Diablo who is now stuck in his OP video game persona. Rem has a demon sealed in her body who is the final boss of the game, and Diablo pledges to destroy it without harming her so he can return home. As expected the anime is rife with ridiculous perverted comedy around the dynamics of these three. Apart from that, it is interesting to watch Diablo's power unfold in this world as he goes from being a weakling in his world to now becoming a buff and attractive demon lord. There are many satisfying scenes where annoying and overconfident villains are pretty much obliterated by Diablo. There's just something wholesome about watching an underestimated hero destroying these type of villains. 

Oh boy where do I begin with the problems in this anime. It is blatantly sexist with extremely problematic scenes even by Harem standards. It tries to go for raunchy content but tries too hard and ends up with a mix of uncomfortable and strained parts far too many times. In all honesty, while I do enjoy fan service in certain anime, this one crosses too many lines. I've seen tasteful fan service in many an Isekai, this one just wasn't for me. That being said, no judgement if you, like I'm sure many (after all it has been renewed for season two) happen to enjoy it. 

             

My personal ratings are:

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

Overall Recommendation: Two anime wifus! 

 How Not To Summon A Demon Lord is available on Netflix. 

Fruits Basket

 

If like me, you love slice of life anime or any show that allows you to kick back relax and forget your troubles while you watch, Fruits Basket has to be your next watch. Watching an episode is almost like meditation, it just soothes your soul with its calming and relaxing vibe. Fruits Basket was once animated in 2001 but has now gotten a remake in 2019 with a face-lift and boy was it worth it! The two new seasons of Fruits Basket have been beautifully animated and the story is evenly spread out for you to enjoy slowly. It's not exactly a tear jerker, but be ready to feel some emotions. 

The plot follows the life of seemingly ordinary college girl Tohru Honda who one day accidentally bumps into the Soma family while attempting to live in a tent on their property. She reveals that her parents have passed away and that she needed a place to stay without bothering anyone till her other relatives could renovate their house and take her in. Tohru is a bumbly girl who can be very clueless, but has a certain innocence or purity to her, this charms the two Soma cousins who agree to let her stay with them in exchange for some household chores. Straightforward right? But I forgot to mention that the Soma family is actually cursed by the Chinese zodiac signs and that 13 members of the family turn into a particular zodiac animal assigned to them at birth when they are hugged by someone of the opposite gender (I think you can see where this is going). Tohru accidentally hugs Yuki Soma who is also her classmate, and discovers their secret. The anime will take you on a journey about how she meets all the Somas' and how she accepts them when most people never could. There are dark elements that lurk in the background of Fruits Basket like the secret behind the curse, the horrible childhood each Soma endures and how they had given up on normal lives before realizing that all is not lost for them. But all cards on the table, it's a heart warming tale and easily narrates the intricate stories of many different characters without becoming slow or boring.  

No anime is perfect and Fruits Basket is not an exception, like many slice of life shows it does that annoying thing where there are ridiculously obvious plot points that need to be addressed and can be addressed easily but are instead stretched out over a long period of time. Also, and I don't know if this counts, but I know many people who find Tohru's voice annoying and it puts off the calming vibe the show normally has for them (not me Tohru, I support you a hundred percent). 

                     

My personal ratings are:

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

Overall Recommendation: 12 Zodiac Animals 

Fruits Basket is available in India on Netflix and outside India, Hulu.

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.