Anime Reviews
Here, have a couple yaoi/shounen-ai reviews...
Boku no Sexual Harassment - Don't Bother
Explicit: Yes
Genres: Yaoi, romance, drama
Synopsis: (From Wikipedia) The critic Charles Solomon described it, "Depicts the rise of a young executive who prostitutes himself to his corporate superiors. The feeble plot is just there to string together the animated sex scenes."
Reactions: Seriously, don't bother. You might be tempted to watch it just for the graphic sex (and it is pretty graphic), but if you're anything like me, the super-weepy-uke will annoy you so much that you won't even get to enjoy the porn.
Gakuen Heaven - Watch It
Explicit: No
Genres: Shounen-ai, comedy, romance
Synopsis: Keita Ito receives an acceptance letter from Bell Liberty Academy, the most sophisticated all-boys school in the country. There's just one problem: he never applied. Keita is average in every way, and he isn't sure he belongs at such a prestigious school, but he decides to attend anyway. Despite not having any special talents, he quickly gains popularity amongst his fellow students (sometimes receiving unwanted attention). The series follows Keita's life at BL Academy as he tries to figure out the secret behind his admission to the school.
Reactions: This is probably one of the fluffiest series I've ever seen, but I mean that in a good way. What makes this series good is that it doesn't take itself seriously (I mean come on, 'BL' Academy?) but it manages to keep the humor in check so that it's actually interesting instead of being an over-the-top parody of itself. I've watched it three times, and it never fails to cheer me up. There's not much in the way of intricate subplots or philosophical musings, but it's great mindless entertainment.
Kuroshitsuji - Watch It
Explicit: No
Genres: Historical drama
Synopsis: In Victorian-era Europe, a young boy loses everything as part of a vicious plot against his family. In the moment of his death, he strikes a deal with a demon: his soul in exchange for revenge. Ciel Phantomhive is now the head of the Phantomhive Corporation, a toy and candy empire. He also conducts underground investigations for the Queen of England. His new partner is a demon butler, Sebastian Michaelis. The story follows the two as they work to unravel the plot behind Ciel's parents' murder.
Reactions: Okay, technically this isn't yaoi or shounen-ai, but I put it under that heading because seriously, you don't even have to squint to see the undertones between some of the characters. Anyway, this series is fantastic. The plot is interesting, the art style is gorgeous, the voice acting is superb, and the cast is full of genuinely likable characters. Easily the best new (to me) anime I've seen in the last year.
Seitokaichou ni Chuukoku - Don't Bother
Explicit: So-so
Genres: Shounen-ai
Synopsis: Boy meets boy, they almost kiss a couple of times, then decide they're in love. The end.
Reactions: This is one of those OVAs where everyone is gay and there's lots of blushing, almost-kissing, and declarations of love between people who hardly know each other. Those aren't always bad things (ahem, Gravitation, Loveless, and Gakuen Heaven), but what we have with this series is a complete fail as far as execution. Watching the first episode was painful, and by the time I got to the could-have-been-way-more-explicit touching at the end, I just didn't even care anymore.
Boku no Sexual Harassment - Don't Bother
Explicit: Yes
Genres: Yaoi, romance, drama
Synopsis: (From Wikipedia) The critic Charles Solomon described it, "Depicts the rise of a young executive who prostitutes himself to his corporate superiors. The feeble plot is just there to string together the animated sex scenes."
Reactions: Seriously, don't bother. You might be tempted to watch it just for the graphic sex (and it is pretty graphic), but if you're anything like me, the super-weepy-uke will annoy you so much that you won't even get to enjoy the porn.
Gakuen Heaven - Watch It
Explicit: No
Genres: Shounen-ai, comedy, romance
Synopsis: Keita Ito receives an acceptance letter from Bell Liberty Academy, the most sophisticated all-boys school in the country. There's just one problem: he never applied. Keita is average in every way, and he isn't sure he belongs at such a prestigious school, but he decides to attend anyway. Despite not having any special talents, he quickly gains popularity amongst his fellow students (sometimes receiving unwanted attention). The series follows Keita's life at BL Academy as he tries to figure out the secret behind his admission to the school.
Reactions: This is probably one of the fluffiest series I've ever seen, but I mean that in a good way. What makes this series good is that it doesn't take itself seriously (I mean come on, 'BL' Academy?) but it manages to keep the humor in check so that it's actually interesting instead of being an over-the-top parody of itself. I've watched it three times, and it never fails to cheer me up. There's not much in the way of intricate subplots or philosophical musings, but it's great mindless entertainment.
Kuroshitsuji - Watch It
Explicit: No
Genres: Historical drama
Synopsis: In Victorian-era Europe, a young boy loses everything as part of a vicious plot against his family. In the moment of his death, he strikes a deal with a demon: his soul in exchange for revenge. Ciel Phantomhive is now the head of the Phantomhive Corporation, a toy and candy empire. He also conducts underground investigations for the Queen of England. His new partner is a demon butler, Sebastian Michaelis. The story follows the two as they work to unravel the plot behind Ciel's parents' murder.
Reactions: Okay, technically this isn't yaoi or shounen-ai, but I put it under that heading because seriously, you don't even have to squint to see the undertones between some of the characters. Anyway, this series is fantastic. The plot is interesting, the art style is gorgeous, the voice acting is superb, and the cast is full of genuinely likable characters. Easily the best new (to me) anime I've seen in the last year.
Seitokaichou ni Chuukoku - Don't Bother
Explicit: So-so
Genres: Shounen-ai
Synopsis: Boy meets boy, they almost kiss a couple of times, then decide they're in love. The end.
Reactions: This is one of those OVAs where everyone is gay and there's lots of blushing, almost-kissing, and declarations of love between people who hardly know each other. Those aren't always bad things (ahem, Gravitation, Loveless, and Gakuen Heaven), but what we have with this series is a complete fail as far as execution. Watching the first episode was painful, and by the time I got to the could-have-been-way-more-explicit touching at the end, I just didn't even care anymore.
9
April
