Frankenweenie (2012)

Victor's dog Sparky was hit by a car and he decided to bring him back to life with the little knowledge he had. somehow his experiment succeeded and Sparky was brought back to live only needed to be recharged every now and then. however, when his friends and neighbors discovered the dead dog alive and barking, the town was thrown into havoc.

Tim Burton had always been perfect pairing up with Johnny Depp, with their dark themed film and goth like characters. with high expectation we watched the animation, but was surprised when it got unexpectedly boring at the first half of the animation. the introduction was way too long for comfort, but fortunately it did get better after Sparky died.

Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai (2012) 中二病でも恋がしたい

Yuuta was a freshman that was once a Chuunibyou patient, believing that he possessed supernatural powers and alienating himself form his classmates. he wanted to bury this embarrasing past to begin a new life in high school, however unsuccessfully. his classmate Rikka had the same sickness and became interested in him.

the series followed the life of Yuuta and Rikka, normal teens going through high school yet facing abnormal even absurd situation. despite being partially harem, it was entertaining. while Yuuta tried to escape his past, he ended up living it now with his new friends in high school. role playing has never been as interesting to watch as this.

Hotel Transylvania (2012)

Dracula built a hidden resort in Transylvania, away from the humans, and raised his daughter Mavis in a safe environment. monsters were welcomed to bring their families for vacation, away from the frightening humans. to celebrate Mavis' 118th birthday, Dracula invited his friends, Frankenstein and his wife Eunice, the werewolf Wayne and his wife Wanda, Griffin the invisible man, Murray the mummy, etc. during the party, Jonathan the human walked stumbled into the hotel. Dracula tried to disguise Jonathan while removing him from the hotel, however Mavis saw Jonathan and they fell in love with each other at first sight.

the animation was absolutely fun and fast paced. despite the predictable plot, there were plenty of addition that made it furthermore entertaining. the werewolves especially, caught me by surprise with their mischief and fluffiness. the plot was creative and absolutely hilarious. even though Jonathan and his exaggerated behaviors weren't exactly likable at the beginning, but as he slowly showed a mature side of his while handling Dracula and Mavis made him more and more lovable.

Hidamari Sketch × Honeycomb (2012) ひだまりスケッチ×ハニカム

at the Hidamari Apartments, art student Yuno was surrounded by great friends from Yamabuki Highschool. the apartment was popular for being a gathering place for weirdos. while they got used to living away from home while running into bizarre and chaotic situations every day, Yuno started chasing her dreams step by step.

Hidamari Sketch (2007-2012) had never failed to be entertaining. for the Fourth Season, it continued the story of the girls' everyday lives at the apartment and bloomed as successfully as ever. despite the seemingly boring plot, it was the characters that made it interesting. Yuno was the innocent hard worker, Miyako was the gluttonous girl, Sae was the matured girl, Hiro was the motherly girl, and Nazuna the timid girl who joined the four girls since the Second Season: Hidamari Sketch ×365 (2008).

The Darkest Hour (2011)

Sean and Ben were software designers, planning to sell their software to a group of investors in Moscow. however after reaching Moscow, they discovered that Skyler, their Swedish partner took their idea and sold it to the investors instead. out of business, they went to a nightclub. there they became friends with Natalie and Anne, and later met Skyler. moments later, unknown lights descended from the sky, invading and annihilating mankind. the group hid in the kitchen while waiting for the lights to move on. soon they found the street empty and started to seek out survivors.

despite the bad comments on the invisible alien invasion, we enjoyed the film. initially expecting a typical end of the world invasion, we were surprised with its unique scenarios, bringing a refreshing change to the genre. even though the characters had no back story introduced, it was sooner or later that we got to know them. each of them had their moments in the spotlight. from strangers, they bonded and we felt involved.

Aoi Sekai no Chuushin de (2012) 蒼い世界の中心で

in a battle between Segua and Ninteldo to dominate the land of Consume. however, the war lasted for years, with the Segua kingdom on the defensive side until a kid named Gear appeared, who had incredible speed.

unfortunately, it was difficult to enjoy Aoi Sekai no Chuushin de (2012). as much as i tried to like Gear, he wasn't exactly relatable. there were plenty of characters in it that served no purpose. not to mention the extremely slow plot that tend to drag on forever.

Otasukeya Jinpachi (2012) お助け屋☆陣八

Kenji was the fifth generation of rickshaw runner in a small town called Asakusa. they were known as the Jinpachi who opened Otasuke Ya (Help Shop). but the moment his grandfather passed the business to him, Kenji realized that they weren't just any plain rickshaw runners, they were actually vigilantes, taking the law into their own hands by saving the helpless people while punishing the bad guys.

Otasukeya Jinpachi (2012) was very comedic. a little foolish, extremely exaggerated, perhaps only suitable for a laugh or two. as for the storyline, it was repetitive and often within expectation. nor was the duo exactly suitable for each other, causing certain awkwardness between them.

Seitokai no Ichizon Lv. 2 (2012) 生徒会の一存 碧陽学園生徒会議事録

the student council members of Hekiyou Academy were selected through a popularity contest. as a result, the members were a group of girls, while the sole male member was Ken, who joined the student council after becoming the top scoring student. under the student council president Sakurano, vice president Ken had to write stories about student council, to show to the other students on how brilliant the student council was.

Seitokai no Ichizon Lv. 2 (2012) started out slow. new characters were introduced. the interactions were interesting especially with the crash of personalities. despite being a comedy, it had some surprisingly touching moments. compared to its first season: Seitokai no Ichizon (2009), first was said to be better than the second, both its storyline and jokes.

Saikou no Rikon (2013) 最高の離婚

Mitsuo worked as a sales person in a vending machine company. while his career wasn't going smoothly, his health was also failing, together with his frustrations towards his wife, Yuka. they were married for 2 years and he started to doubt if he loves her. they were completely incompatible in life. one day he ran into his ex-girlfriend, Akari, who married a man called Ryo. the story since then evolved around these 4 persons.

Saikou no Rikon (2013) approached divorce in a rather unique way. all 4 characters were suffering and affected in their own ways. despite personal preferences, none were truly the bad guy. watching the first episode did make divorce the best solution for their constantly bickering marriage. but as the episodes progressed, there were much more complications behind. it was definitely interesting to watch as they tried to fit in yet stood out from each other at the same time, not to mention eager to see how things turn out in the end.

Oniichan dakedo Ai sae Areba Kankeinai yo ne お兄ちゃんだけど愛さえあれば関係ないよねっ (2012)

Akito was a boy that got separated from his twin sister Akiko for 6 years. but during their high school year, the siblings happened to live under the same roof. they had lived apart since the death of their parents, being taken care by different relatives. years later, the twins were reunited when Akito desired to live together as a family once more. things seemed normal as first, but soon Akiko began to express her love for her older brother, who only sees her as a little sister.

like most harem, there was a stereotype for its characters. Akito may seemed uninterested towards his sister, but there were enough action on Akiko's part. one could enjoy its comedy or get disgusted or offended by her actions. despite the offending plot, Onii-chan Dakedo Ai Sae Areba Kankei Nai yo ne (2012) had some good moments, some even unexpectedly heartwarming.

Itsuka Hi no Ataru Basho de (2013) いつか陽のあたる場所で

the story was based on a serial novels written by Nonami Asa (乃波アサ), about the lives of two ex-convicts after their release from jail. Hako was sent to jail for hitting her first love, while Ayaka killed her abusive husband. the duo met in jail and became great friends. Ayaka regained her will to live by drawing the strength from Hako. after she was released, she worked in a bakery. together they lived together and supported each other to rebuild their lives.

Itsuka Hi no Ataru Basho de (2013) started out slow. but as their backgrounds were introduced, it had gotten interesting, making one feel empathy towards their unavoidable situation. both Hako and Ayaka tend to grow and became lovable at some point, despite the mostly depressing atmosphere.

Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo (2012) さくら荘のペットな彼女

Sorata was kicked out from the dorm for keeping a cat. thus he moved into a smaller dorm called Sakurasou. all the residents of Sakurasou were uncontrollable and weird, but each were also outstanding in their own ways. one day, a beautiful girl called Mashiro moved in. she was an internationally known painter, but being so devoted to art caused her to be completely useless in life. Sorata was assigned to look after her everyday needs. thus Sorata and Mashiro started to live like "a master and his pet".

Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo (2012) had a really bad start that could caused one to drop the anime once and for all. fortunately it only got better after the rough introduction. the character development of Sorata and Mashiro were realistic. Mashiro especially, with her clueless self, was so lovable and highly satisfying when the pair got together. despite looking like some harem anime, Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo (2012) surpassed one's expectation and presented one very entertaining show.

Saki (2013) サキ

Saki worked as a nurse in a general hospital. young patients and men love her for her angelic smile, perfect cooking skills, and beauty as she radiated in everything she did. however, none of them knew about her amazing ability to ruin others' lives. her latest targets was a reporter of a popular magazine, a famous lawyer, and a devoted husband and board chairman of the hospital.

Saki reminded one of an Incubus taking the form of a human. having known who and what she was, Saki was one interesting character to keep track of. being unique made the plot captivating and somewhat mischievous, thus furthermore entertaining.

Busou Shinki (2012) 武装神姫

the story took place in a futuristic current age. in this world, robots were part of everyday life as they contributed in various aspects of society. Shinki was a mini sized robot created to assist humans. they were equipped with intelligence and emotions, devoting themselves in serving their Masters. the Busou Shinkis could be equipped with weapons to fight each other. Shinki Ann, Aines, and Lene served a high school boy named Masto, but things changed when a new shinki Strarf joined the trio.

despite having Busou or battle featured in its first episode, Busou Shinki (2012) wasn't what one expected. there were more comedy and slice of life such as Working! (2010-2011), Acchi Kocchi (2012), even Minami-ke (2007-2013). it was casual and lighthearted. the Shinkis were adorable at some point but that's as far as the anime went. too much expectation would only lead to disappointment.

Last Hope (2013) ラストホープ

the medical suspense drama was inspired by the work of Yamanaka Shinya (山中伸弥), a Japanese physician and researcher of adult stem cells. the story took place in IBRI (Institute of Biomedical Research and Innovation) hospital, following a medical team made up of doctors from different fields of expertise and age-group. they were the last hope for all terminally ill patients who were sent there. they slowly grew as in individual as well as a team, helping each other to overcome complexes and pasts.

having a huge number of casts caused the storyline to be divided. despite putting the focus of each episode on one patient, there were plenty of doctors and backgrounds to cover. in the end, it wasn't in depth enough to have one feel engaged to any particular doctor. as for the medical details, there were plenty for us commoners to get lost in. fortunately, despite the struggle with jargon, the medical drama remained interesting.

K-Project (2012)

Ashinaka High School was unique for the entire campus was build on an island. Shiro lived an ordinary, simple life, and was friendly with everyone. however, after the murder of Totsuka, a member of Homra, nothing normal had been happening. no one knew who exactly killed him, but the murderer happened to have identical appearance as Shiro. the clansmen of Homra sought vengeance by setting out to kill Shiro.

despite the lively plot, K (2012) was somewhat dark, tragic with betrayal, friendship, and sacrifices. the story started out weak and rather slow paced, but it improved in the second half of the show, showing more than enough awesomeness to score. having a huge cast of characters, K (2012) had fewer character development than one expected. while the characters were the soul of the story, it was enough to plant a few preferences along the way.

Biblia Koshodou no Jiken Techou (2013) ビブリア古書堂の事件手帖

the story took place at an antique bookshop located at a secluded corner of a town, called Biblia Antiquarian bookshop. Shinokawa was the owner of the shop. she was a young and beautiful woman who was overly shy and found it difficult to talk to someone that she meet for the first time. when she shared her knowledge about the classic books in her bookshop, passion overcame her shyness and she becomes the most exquisite storyteller.

as the story evolved around Shinokawa shy self, the pace became slightly slow if not dull. however, for example the first episode, the mystery between Daisuke and his grandmother was enough to hold one's attention until the very end despite being painfully stretched. it took quite a while for Shinokawa's character to sink in, creating an impression while transforming into someone much more lovable.

Shin Sekai Yori (2012) 新世界より

the story took place in a future Japan that had became a fractured country. the ruler had a cursed power of telekinesis. 5 children, Saki, Satoru, Maria, Mamoru, and Shun were born and raised in a small town that was so perfect that the children didn't realized what the world out there was like. one day when an incident occurred, they learn about the bloody history of the world. together they threw themselves into life threatening situation and fought to protect the world as it slowly collapse.

Shin Sekai Yori (2012) was fast paced, with enough action and plenty of fantasy to keep it interesting. while the humans evolved, obtaining an ability called Cantus, so had the animals. they were now able to think, speak like humans and definitely captivating. mysteries and suspense were the strongest point of Shin Sekai Yori (2012), pulling one towards the next episode every time one episode ended.

Kelly Clarkson: Catch My Breath (2012)

Catch My Breath (2012) was taken from Kelly Clarkson's first Greatest Hits album, Greatest Hits: Chapter One (2012). it was one of the three new songs for the album, released in October 2012. the song was written by her, with its lyric showing her journey ever since winning the American Idol in 2002. the other 3 new songs were Don't Rush (2012) and People Like Us (2012).

Zetsuen No Tempest (2012) 園のテンペスト

Mahiro's family was mysteriously murdered a year ago. he was contacted by Hakase, a young woman who stood against her clan after they left her stranded on a deserted island. while Mahiro and Hakase decided to help each other out, they found out that the Kusariba clan intended to awaken the Tree of Zetsuen, which power could bring chaos to the world.

with an original plot, Zetsuen No Tempest (2012) managed to impress successfully. there were plenty of actions, but it was the dialogues that kept one on the edge, especially in later episodes. there weren't actual bad guys since both sides were desperately fighting for what they believe was right. this alone was enough to make Zetsuen No Tempest (2012) intense and interesting.

Pink: Try (2012)

Try (2012) was taken from Pink's sixth album The Truth About Love (2012). it was the second single for the album after Blow Me One Last Kiss (2012), later followed by Just Give Me a Reason (2013). it was a rock ballad, talking about taking risks with love no matter the consequences. the music video showed Pink covered in paint, dancing together with some people to express their frustration.

Gothicmade: Hana no Utame (2012) ゴティックメード 花の詩女

in a world named Carmine, young women inherit the memories of the generations that came before them, known as the Songstresses. they used their knowledge to help the people that suffered under the harsh policies of the ruling party. Bellin was a newly reborn Songstress. she set off towards a capital. but along the way, Prince Truhallon was sent to protect her. his presence alone was frustrating enough for Bellin. unfortunately as different as they were, they are stuck together until they reach the capital.

despite the futuristic setting of Gothicmade (2012), it was dull. the art was equally awkward, especially for the humans. mecha wise, it was much more acceptable in a sense, but the scenes that actually involved Gothicmade lasted for only a few minutes. the anime was dialogue-filled, obviously emphasized on storytelling than action. but when the final climatic battle never come, it was only furthermore frustrating and disappointing.

Taylor Swift: I Knew You Were Trouble (2012)

I Knew You Were Trouble (2012) were taken from Taylor Swift's fourth album Red (2012). it was released on November 2012, as the third single from Red (2012). I Knew You Were Trouble (2012) was written by herself. the song received many positive reviews, showing a different side of her, which was definitely a much more suitable image for her.

Strike Witches The Movie (2012) 劇場版 ストライクウィッチーズ

Yoshika lost her witch powers during the Strike Witches last assignment. she had been studying to become a doctor to help in her family clinic ever since. one day, she was proposed with a military scholarship to study overseas. Shizuka, a new recruit in the Navy, was assigned to escort Yoshika.

the contrast between the 2 main Witches made The Movie (2012) entertaining. Yoshika was strong and free-willed, while Shizuka was strict and disciplined. while Shizuka had a strong military background, Yoshika often introduced her something that regulations don't teach. ever since the beginning, Yoshika continued to make everyone better. the only unsatisfactory was not having the elaboration between Yoshika and Shizuka's relationship.

Bon Jovi: Because We Can (2013)

Because We Can (2013) was the first single released from Bon Jovi's twelfth album, What About Now (2013). it was released on January 2013. their new album What About Now (2013) was expected to be available in March 2013. their previous album was The Circle (2009).

Queen's Blade: Rebellion (2012) クイーンズブレイド リベリオン

while the previous plots in Queen's Blade: Rurou no Senshi (2009) and Queen's Blade: Gyokuza o Tsugumono (2009) was about a fighting tournament, Queen's Blade: Rebellion (2012) was about the fight against the Queen. Annelotte was a wandering knight who got involved in an insurrection against the increasingly corrupted nobility Church. she and her growing band of warriors fought to bring justice and set right what had gone wrong.

Queen's Blade: Rebellion (2012) continued where Queen's Blade: Gyokuza o Tsugumono (2009) left off. it featured a new set of characters, thus making it somewhat different from its sequels. but the style definitely doesn't stray far from its predecessor. unfortunately, the story became slow-paced due to introducing its new characters. Annelotte was a much more interesting character compared to Reina in Queen's Blade: Rurou no Senshi (2009). however, the characters from the previous sequels felt nothing like their formal self in this installment, which might have become quite disturbing in some sense.

Lady Antebellum: Downtown (2013)

Lady Antebellum's fourth album was expected to be released in early 2013. the first single from the new album, Downtown (2013) was released in January 2013. 3 years ago, the country trio stepped into the pop mainstream with Need You Now (2011) and won many hearts. the new song was funky and upbeat, predicted to win many hearts again.

Robotics;Notes (2012) ロボティクス・ノーツ

Kaito and Akiho were the only members of their high school's Robitics Club. Akiho was an energetic girl who aimed to complete the ongoing project of the club, which was to build a functional replica of a robot called Gunvarrel, that was once popular in TV. Kaito was her childhood friend, who also assisted her on this project of hers. he was a fan of fighting games and also a programmer at it. together they keep the project going while seeking help from their friends.

despite the slightly cheesy storyline, Robotics;Notes (2012) was surprisingly entertaining. it might have been a little too complicated at the beginning, but it got better. there were certain eerie atmosphere detected, which was also highly unexpected, making it further more delicious to catch. there were plenty of character development, making them absolutely lovable and attractive. somehow, it reminded me of Steins;Gate (2012), which was equally enjoyable!