Yona of the Dawn OVA

Yona of the Dawn OVA (2015)

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

There are currently 3 of these for the series. They mostly focus on the dragon's histories and how they come together, especially the white and yellow dragons, which also shows why Zeno seems so different from the others, as well as why he was so hesitant on revealing his "power" when he met up with Yona's group. Also made a lot more sense how he sort of just gravitated to the group and joined in as soon as they were ready rather than the group having to go hunting for him like the others.

Yona of the Dawn

Yona of the Dawn (2014)

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Yona starts off as a very sheltered and rather naïve princess. She's forced to learn some hard things about both her own world in the castle, as well as the world of what was once her kingdom beyond after witnessing her father's murder. Now on the run, she has to gather the four dragons and decide just what her new path will be to protect not just herself and her friends, but what was once her father's kingdom as well. It's an interesting storyline, though the first season drops off just when it feels like things are starting to come together. Hopefully there will be a second season soon, or I may have to dig into the manga to finish this tale.

Fushigi Yugi: Eikoden

Fushigi Yugi: Eikoden (2002)

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Mayo tries to take Miaka's place as both the Priestess of Suzaku and as Tamahome's wife, the mother of his unborn child. For being a child herself, she is rather meddlesome and malicious. There is very little of Miaka in this piece overall as she spends the majority of the sequel unconscious in the hospital. This time, it's up to Tamahome to figure everything out and return things to their proper place.

Fushigi Yugi OVA

Fushigi Yugi OVA (2001)

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This short piece is a mix of side story taking place after the original series and funny clips where the characters do random ad-lib. While it's nice to have more of the series and see Miaka getting closer to Taka/Tamahome, it also is rather repetitive and not as detailed as the original series. There is a lot of back story about Chichiri though that would otherwise be missing, and that is interesting.

Fushigi Yugi

Fushigi Yugi (1995)

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars


Also known as The Mysterious Play, this is another alternate universe anime with a twist. This one doesn't get watched often as it is a much longer series, but it is still a favorite. There are many twists and turns between friends and couples. The main couple, Miaka and Tamahome, are easy to like. From the beginning I found myself cheering for the Suzaku Seven. Doesn't hurt that the Seiryu Seven are so obviously malicious and distrusting. Still, it's hard not to feel for Yui, even knowing she's being played and used.

E's Otherwise

E's Otherwise (2003)

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This isn't one that often makes me re-watch list, but it is enjoyable and different than the majority of anime out on the market.

Kai, who has powers different from the rest, together with his sickly sister Hikaru was protected by an organization called ASHURUM. Scouted by Eiji, Kai was delegated to the ASHURUM special force AESES and undergo intensive training. Whenever he was free, Kai visited Hikaru at the hospital belongs to the organization, but Hikaru's condition never improved. So, one year later, with amazing growth from the intensive training, Kai decides to escape from the organization.

- Listal

What the summary forgets to mention is that Kai learns the special force training also involves a form of brainwashing and their "mission" is nothing like he was lead to believe it would be. Disillusioned, he decides to team up with some unlikely friends who help him after being injured in a AESES strike against civilians. As he learns more about the world on the outside of Ashurum, he comes up against his old comrades and finds trying to help people is a far cry from what he was lead to believe.

Bleach

Bleach (2004)

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

The earlier original series would rank higher stars. The most recent releases would get less as it is often nonsensical filler. Would be nice to see this series get back on track and wrap up completely whenever the manga ends.

Naruto

Naruto (2002)

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


I will probably never completely watch this series. My brother-in-law gave us one of the early box sets to the series as my husband used to watch it, but even he's lost interest in it and describes it as "very DBZ-esque." To anyone who knows animanga, that is not a good recommendation. Some episodes are good, others put you to sleep; there is little to no consistency and the series is just too long to hold interest.

Twelve Kingdoms

Twelve Kingdoms (2002)

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I first started this series back in college when a co-worker had the first couple of discs. Unfortunately they moved and at the time college expenses meant no money to go buy the discs myself, so it went on hold. Since then I've had the opportunity to finish the series, especially as it's now been completely released rather than still being in production like it was back then. Similar in the idea of a girl taken to another world, it is also different in it's approach and the girl's personality. Overall it's an enjoyable series with several twists throughout.

Yoko Nakajima, an unhappy high school student, is one day suddenly faced with a strange man who swears allegiance to her. After a battle with demon-like beasts, he then takes her to another world along with two of her classmates. There, her appearance has changed and she can understand the language even though her classmates cannot. But their status as "Kaikyaku" (people who come from Earth) makes them hunted fugitives, so they wander the land of the 12 countries, simply trying to survive and to figure out the reason why they were brought to this world.  

- source: listal

Yu Yu Hakusho: Ghost Files

Yu Yu Hakusho: Ghost Files (1993)

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars


The twins introduced me to this series shortly after my first year of college. I'll admit, it didn't take much to hook me, and it quickly became one of the first animanga that I followed regularly. The earlier series is much better than the later seasons as the art is much more detailed and the story is more involved. Later seasons provide sloppy artwork and more summary than than new material in the episodes. Still, I find it hard to imagine a time when the early seasons don't make my list of favorite fandoms.

One day, 14 year old Yusuke Urameshi suddenly finds himself dead, having died pushing a child out of the way of oncoming traffic. Since he has such a bad personality, even the Spirit World was caught by surprise that he would sacrifice himself. Yusuke soon finds out he wasn't supposed to die and has a chance for resurrection and bringing his body back to life. After being resurrected, Yusuke becomes a Spirit Detective, along with his comrades, and one adventure after another happens, whether it be an investigation or a fighting tournament.

- source: listal