While the overall presentation of said story is awash with harem elements, the main conflict of the story, pacifism in the midst of battle, is aptly personified via the assignment of Saber to Shirō. Furthermore, implications are deepened via the introduction of Shirō's inability, caused by his lack of study in magic, to make Saber properly materialize. Thus Emiya and Saber, respectively as magus and servant, portray two incomplete parts that leverage each other to form a whole in the hopes of competently fighting against multiple pairs of complementary wholes. This setup is rife for conflicts, and the execution does right by exploring the main theme of action vs. inaction. However, the weaving of romantic tension turns too many scenes into boring and (for the most part) inconsequential harem tropes.

That's not to say that romantic tension doesn't serve some purpose. Rather, the execution of its repeated influence only weakens the story. I'd maintain there are two instances of romantic tension aptly serving the story: that of Emiya's falling for Saber and Rin's unexplainable interest in Emiya. While the latter only serves as a reason why a fellow magus would not kill, and instead might even protect, a competitor, Emiya's falling for Saber further lends credence to why he constantly puts his life on the line for what he views as his responsibility. Really, there's an essay waiting to be written on Emiya and Saber, and that fact alone makes the anime a worthwhile watch, but other aspects deserved to be touched upon as well. Art in Fate/Stay Night is standard fare but of above average quality (budget). Really, its only fault would be the showcasing of CG alchemic circles, the animation of which seems a little too out of place. Fight scenes are well orchestrated and, for the most part, fully animated, and the overall ambience is set rather perfectly. Deep hues of night, the only time during which combat is permitted, are foreboding and bloodthirsty, while days offer a palate more complimentary to the harem walls and the associated tension break. Character designs are also quite Romantic, especially concerning the servants' attire/armor.

Writing is a tad overly dramatic, except, surprisingly, for the harem aspects. Instead, I found myself actually liking how statements by the majority of the female characters never (or rarely) said anything directly. In retrospect, I also greatly enjoyed the underlying and understated theme of regret that manifests not only within the warriors throughout the series but which also resonates as the drive behind the warriors – each a mythical figure of ancient origin.

If you have time to kill, there are far worse anime to help you pull the trigger. It's pretty, the pacing of the main plot is quick, and general subtext is nothing that requires much thought. There is even decent potential as fodder for analysis, which is surprising given the series' origin as an “eroge” (erotic game). What I can only guess to be a successful anime translation (best to ask Elliot Page) manages to eliminate all hentai aspects, save the annoyingly omnipresent harem elements (beware the first half of the date episode!!!), and deliver an enjoyable watch akin to a more grown-up Zatch Bell (2003).

[Recommended]

This review is based on rental copies obtained via the reviewer's personal Netflix account.

Instead of being some randomly instituted loli ratings booster, Kikuri turns out to be a poignant addition to the Hell Correspondents. More or less the embodiment of the will of their master, Kikuri's antics grow from passive-aggressive playfulness into full-blown antagonism. While there seems to be no reason to her actions in the first collection, her actions in HGTM C2 serve to spur on the vengeful to supply Ai with more work and hell with more souls. This makes Kikuri the foil to Ai’s wavering commitment to consigning souls to hell.

Speaking of which, damnation starts to get its Dante back in episode 15 but abandons it until regaining those progressive tracks of surrealistic comeuppances in episodes 19 and 21. When ironic tortures are not applied, the very ferry to hell is used to illustrate the nature of the damned. It is the return of these sequences as well as the return of stories that concern people who actually have serious problems that give more meat to these episodes than those of the first collection, but the morality and circumstantial twists lend to something greater.

Just as the strength of season one lies in the threaded plot that develops from reporter Hajime Shibata’s investigation into Hell Girl’s consignments, HGTM C2 uses Detective Meshiai’s investigation into the rash of disappearances attributed to “devil’s child” Takuma (episodes 14 and 22–26) to define its purpose. These episodes, so well done that they bring to mind The Twilight Zone’s “The Monsters are Due on Maple Street,” make HGTM C2 about Ai Enma bucking the proverbial system by standing up for one person undeservingly sentenced to hell, just as she had been sentenced to death. This parallels the first season, where Ai breaks the rules to release her pent-up fury and avenge herself through the direct descendants of the same traitorous bloodline responsible for her unwilling sacrifice and accursed death.

HGTM C2 succeeds in tying the previous collection’s seemingly flippant content into a story both poignant and well orchestrated. While its skill at enhancing supporting characters is questionable, the collection further rounds out Ai Enma and more importantly restores faith in the series’ signature bite while using it to accomplish something new. Instead of being pushed to the breaking point by hate as in the first season, the Hell Correspondents are broken by the conflict between mercy and their cursed duty. Taken by itself, HGTM C2 is a change of course for the series that seems to be tackled with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer. However, this collection shows its strength by knowing how to effectively leverage similar and contrasting content from pasts both distant and recent.

[Highly Recommended]

This review is based on a Sentai Filmworks DVD set purchased by the reviewer.

Ignoring the ambiguity of said child’s presence, HGTM rolls along with the same premise instituted in the first season: people want revenge, go to a rumored website, and summon the hell correspondents to get rid of the antagonist. Unfortunately, the latter happens all too hastily and almost entirely without the surrealist imagination of the first series. Then the protagonists get a nifty tattoo to show that they are damned to hell for their decisive actions over which they’ve anguished. My main issue with season one was that the formula used in episode after episode — people pushed to the brink of sanity, upon which ledge they damn their tormentors and selves to hell — only began to be played with in terms of sequence and morality towards the very end of the series. HGTM definitely continues to play with sequencing and morality, but most of the time the attempts are gratuitous or superfluous.

This time-trickery also does something far more detrimental to the series — it takes away the building of truly tormented characters that made the first season so much fun to watch and justified viewer sympathy. Of course the reason behind not getting to know many of the episodic characters in the first 13 stories of HGTM is to showcase their unjust or frivolous use of the hell correspondents. Such are the protagonists' motivations that, in the end, most feel totally unidentifiable or unsympathetic (sometimes more sympathy is felt for the hell correspondents for having to put up with such summoners, which is more the point). Maybe this is karmic retribution for their taking more active roles in season two (CSI: Hell on Earth) versus their behind-the-scenes role as divine sword of justice from season one, but either way the hell correspondents remain flat despite their foray into the spotlight, which only serves to make their attempted breakthrough naught but arduous viewing that detracts from the vignettes which make the series.

FUNimation picked up the original Hell Girl, and its failure to pick up the second season might be saying something. It definitely says there’s no dub support — a shame given the great dub of the first season. The Japanese voice cast is fantastic though, so there are no real audio drawbacks, and the background music is as divinely chosen as ever. Also, the original season one DVD releases came with a bunch of cool extras, including some live-action Hell Girl re-imaginings, but Sentai Filmworks’ Two Mirrors discs offer only the standard trailers and opening/closing credit options, an unfortunate choice given the new direction this season is obviously taking. Would director interviews or commentary really be too much to ask?

Overall, I’d have to say this is worth checking out from Netflix or streaming. If nothing else, it highlights the merits of the original series by comparison and just might have something good going for itself somewhere further down the line.

[Recommended]

This review is based on the Sentai Filmworks DVD release of the series, purchased by the reviewer.

The story is ordered strangely, as it is comprised of six separate arcs that show the same (or similar) events, albeit played out in different situations. For example, a murder will take place due to a certain event in one arc, but in the next, that same murder will occur for a totally different reason. In addition, there are various role reversals, many of which completely switch whole character personalities. By the end of the anime, the various arcs end up answering many of each other’s questions and mysteries, although some information is left for the viewer to decide on.

While Higurashi has an incredibly unique and fast-paced plot, that is not enough to keep viewers interested on its own. Each arc connects with the other ones, creating a much fuller story by the end than there seems to be at the start. In addition, the mysteries and downright creepy moments contained in each arc make for stories that are both intelligent and wonderfully addicting. There are at least three points late in Higurashi when I let out an audible gasp as I realized a connection between two previously confusing events during the story. This ability to keep the viewer on their toes, constantly making connections, is one of the things that make Higurashi such a brilliantly crafted story. Of course, the series also manages to keep horror fans interested, as it contains lots of bloody violence, mysterious murders, insane teenagers, and maniacal laughing.

Even so, the plot is marred by those ever-present horrors--plot holes. Most prominent are the leaps of faith made by the writers, as they turn seemingly normal characters into insane psychopaths over simple issues. Now that means either everyone in Hinamizawa is just crazy anyway, or these kids are really over-sensitive. It’s important to note that while many events are repeated, and there are a few characters that die the same way every time, the plot never gets repetitive. Since the events are implemented in different ways, they still feel fresh, regardless of the number of times they are reused.

Higurashi's odd character design style is known as moe, and looks as it does primarily because the series was adapted from a doujinshi (fan-made) game. The girls all have huge heads, tiny necks, massive eyes, and strange hair colors, so if you don't want to watch crazy bobbleheads kill each other, Higurashi might not be for you. Even male characters like Keiichi are exaggerated, though one character in particular, the detective Oishii, looks fairly close to normal. This has been cited as a flaw by many, but I feel that the use of moe characters, whether intentional or not, adds an element of incongruence to the series, enforcing the feeling that everything in Hinamizawa is a little off-kilter. It's quite a minor thing, but I noticed that throughout the series, each character is constantly seen with the exact same clothes all the time. (they're clearly not school uniforms, though) As the series goes on, this oversight in character designs might become a little irritating for nitpicky anime fans. Finally, the character designers did get one thing resoundingly right. When those cute little faces go insane, Higurashi gets absolutely freaky. The characters' faces contort in ways no human face should ever be allowed to move, while their pupils turn to slits and their mouths fall into maniacal smiles. Plus, almost every major character gets their well-deserved chance to go crazy and show off their evil smile!

The opener, with the quite originally titled "Higurashi no Naku Koro ni," is a fairly good song, with its distorted guitars and odd vocals creating the same sense of freakiness that the rest of Higurashi gives off. However, "Why, Or Why Not," the series' ending song, is boring, and its badly sung Engrish makes for some painful listening for anyone with a faint knowledge of the English language. During the anime itself, the only music that can be heard is mediocre (but not altogether ineffective) atmospheric music that adds a bit to the creepy scenes, but does not contribute considerably to the series.

In conclusion, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni is a show that succeeds on many levels, but one whose failures are also irritatingly prominent. As a horror story, Higurashi will definitely be able to keep its viewers interested with its intense levels of suspense. And with a wonderfully unique fractured storytelling style, the series also provides viewers with a new way to watch anime. However, this is all at the expense of important details such as character motivations and realism. When They Cry ~ Higurashi is not an anime to be overlooked. If you search below its cute, funny exterior, you will find a disturbing, insane, and yet strikingly original vision of a village consumed by fear, hatred, and paranoia.

Animation:		2.0		Average: (2.625 stars)
Plot:		3.0
Voice Acting:		NR
Sound:		2.5
Overall:		3.0

Who would have thought that Paper could make a cool power? We've seen spiderpowers, invincibility, super-strength, but never the ability to control paper. Luckily, Read or Die, based on the manga of the same name, makes this power work, which makes up for other errors in the plot.

Yomiko is the driving character of this series, in both her sincerity and likability and her awesome power. She is completely trusting of her teammates, and seems a little weak sometimes. However, when her friends (or her books) are in trouble, "The Paper" jumps into action.

And some action it is! Yomiko's power is so cool that one can enjoy the entire show simply on its merit. She carries around a large suitcase full of sheets of paper. When she allows these to fly out, Yomiko can send them flying at enemies, sharpen them, and change their shape. Throughout the series, she finds very unique ways to use this power, which is one of R.O.D.'s best features. Sadly, Yomiko falls into the problematic rut of moe, oftentimes acting unrealistically cute and clumsy.

As for the other characters, they are undoubtedly cool, but lack a lot of depth. Miss Deep's powers, though unoriginal, look amazing and are used for some awesome fight scenes. Drake and "Joker", the investigator and commander of the team, who stays at the British Library Base, are interesting and likeable.

With such a focus on action scenes and this fascination with very cool characters, its a good thing R.O.D. has good animation. As an OVA, it has high-quality animation. Everything moves smoothly, and the action scenes are incredibly kinetic and action-packed. Character designs are usually very bright and distinguishable, and the backgrounds fit in nicely with the show's bright, lively tone. The final episode has some of the coolest, best animated work in the entire OVA, showing off some very original and fun fight scenes.

The voice acting is pretty good, with some of the most natural performances given to Drake, Joker, and Miss Deep. Yomiko's voice is high and unnatural, furthering her moe categorization.

As soon as the opening begins, Read or Die makes it clear that it intends to have some really interesting music. Combining motifs from Cowboy Bebop and James Bond, the opening shows us people shooting, sillouettes of women, and plays an energetic Jazz peice that will remind viewers unstoppably of Yoko Kanno's classic Bebop opening, Tank.

Of course, Read or Die has its faults. Namely, the plot is contrived and often is full of plot holes and unanswered questions. Even so, this is perfect popcorn entertainment. With only 3 episodes in this OVA, each with some very sharp animation and amazing fight scenes, this DVD is perfect as some mindless entertainment on a rainy day with some friends. Read or Die hands us a paper-thin plot, where the superficial action written onto the paper is much more important and interesting than the paper itself.

Animation:		3.5		Average: (3.0 stars)
Plot:		2.0
Voice Acting:		NR
Sound:		3.5
Overall:		3.0