Roro and Gero!!

Gotta love Gero xD I mean seriously no one sings or rather shouts like him.

Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu

Idiots, Tests and Summoned Creatures

 The story centers around Akihisa Yoshii, the "baka" of the title. His academy rigidly divides up the student body into classes based on the results of tests. The prodigies are in the A class with reclining seats complete with air conditioning, but Akihisa is in F class, the lowest rung of the school ladder which is furnished only with low, decrepit tables and worn-out straw tatami mats.

The school happens to have developed experiments to summon fantasy creatures, and Akihisa decides to rally F class to take on the higher-tiered classes and seize their perks. The F class uses the summoned creatures in an all-out battle for school supremacy.

+ + + + +

Unique anime? Most definetly. 
Idiots are everywhere in the world. Heck even I am one :) But thats what makes everyone happy in the case of Baka to Test. 

My friend recommended this anime to me yesterday saying it is a very hilarious and enjoyable anime with some crack every 5 min during an episode. Well that is true if you consider every comedic part funny or "interesting' (i did for most parts). I haven't really watched a comedy anime for quite some time, the last few were most probably Gintama, Seitokai Yakuindomo and B gata H kei. Baka to Test is a new refreshing and somewhat perverted comedy anime for me. BTW: SYD and B gata H kei do not count as "somewhat" perverted cause 80% of the whole series consist of perverted jokes.

Ahem, anyways for character development and stuff well its not too unfamiliar. I mean like I said, "There are idiots everywhere" so the characters in Baka to Test would make up most of the bakas you've seen in other animes. E.g Akihisa is seriously a pure baka and Himeji would be classified as air-headed baka. Though one character has caught my attention and that would be none other than Kinoshita, Hideyoshi. A bishounen with extremely feminine features. His stereotype would normally be known by many but still he ain't as smart as the rest. 

This wraps up what I think of Baka to Test. I would give it 8/10. For comedy, enjoyment and art. Yes I will judge art style for EVERY anime. As for voice-acting...well I only see 2 male seiyuu, Shimono Hiro and Miyata Kouki, I know due to the fact they appeared in at least one BL anime before. 

Seriously how does he NOT look like a girl?! o.o

The kawaii Himeji-chan and flat-chested Shimada-san make up for the "That's a guy." reaction though. And if you are observant enough he has the same expression for both pictures ;D

Sekaiichi Hatsukoi 世界一初恋

NEWS

Synopsis: 

Onodera Ritsu has just transferred from his father's publishing company to Marukawa Shoten. Assigned to the shoujo manga division, he crosses path with the person he'd least expected to meet. Takano Masamune is the editor-in-chief of the division Ritsu's been assigned to, and the two seem get off on the wrong foot right from the very start when Takano unexpectedly kisses him. However, there is more to than what meets the eye: Takano is actually Saga, Ritsu's senpai and high school love, whom Ritsu had thought to have played him for a fool by taking his affections for granted when he confessed and summarily dumped him.

Guess what? Junjou Romantica isn't the end of Nakamura Shungiku's anime works. Introducing her new manga that is going to be turned into an anime is Sekaiichi Hatsukoi! lit. (The World's No.1 First Love) And the team that did JR are doing this one too. Chiaki Kon is directing the series at Studio DEEN and Rika Nakase is supervising the scripts.Yoko Kikuchi is designing the characters.

Main Cast:

Katsuyuki Konishi as Takano/Saga Masamune 

Takashi Kondo as Onodera Ritsu 

The OVA will be released first during March, following that will be the anime in April 2011 (Spring Anime Season)

After reading the manga, well honestly Junjou beat this one hands down. The main reason would be because Junjou has a clearer plotline. Sekaiichi is quite confusing but word has it there's going to be 2 other pairings too (i have not confirmed) just like Junjou. Story-wise too is quite ordinary. I'm really not getting my hopes up on this one and I daresay there are better BL mangas that are worth getting an anime. 

However I'm not saying Sekaiichi is bad, don't get me wrong. It gives a very fuwafuwa image to me when I see the pair and that makes me quite satisfied as it is. I'll still be watching it next year for its fuwa-ness  ♥  But really I can't help but compare this with JR.

P.S the seiyuu cast is veery interesting to me xD

Bakuman バクマン。

Moritaka Mashiro and Akito Takagi are pretty much foils of each other. Mashiro, an average 9th grade student but talented artist, and Takagi, an overall advanced 9th grader and aspiring writer. After great convincing, Takagi convinces Mashiro to join him in becoming the greatest mangakas Japan has ever seen. Takagi, with his gift of writing, hopes to become a successful mangaka, and Mashiro, with his gift of art, hopes to marry the girl of his dreams, Azuki Miho. 

(Source: ANN)

Now no matter how weird Mashiro's hopes are. They are still, in the end, hopes and dreams. Which is what Bakuman is about really - hopes and dreams. Though it also emphasizes on extrinsic motivation on Mashiro at first as he really had ZERO interest in working together with Takagi. But in fact deep down he wanted to draw manga and follow in the same path as his deceased uncle who worked as a Gag mangaka. 
This story shows just how difficult it is to achieve your goals, especially in the Manga market (seriously do you know how many mangas there are out there?) and their goal is to  get their anime adapted into an anime before they're 18 years old. Mashiro and Takagi are no Tite Kubo I can tell you that. Since most of their plots are in the sci-fi genre. Their editor however is a good at what he does, be it in judging their stories and what it means to draw manga. Nizuma Eiji, a rival mangaka, has something they don't and that would be love for manga. 


Overall I enjoy this anime very much. It teaches people like me who aspire to be mangaka what it takes and the terms used in the industry. Though I'm planning to be a BL mangaka...


Oh well I'd have to start somewhere right? I'd follow Bakuman's example and start practicing. :D