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I would barely rate Claymore to be average, hard carried by a few characters. That's the ultimate issue with Claymore, among other things.

I was watching and reading Claymore and Ooku: The Inner Chambers, at the same time. I rated the Claymore anime higher than the Ooku anime, and I don't regret those scores. Claymore did have an interesting concept and some interesting characters. It had Teresa, her backstory, Riful, Isley, and a handful of other characters. It was giving us lore and world building. Meanwhile, Ooku was giving us a rather slow start with a centered point of ... view. As of now, the Ooku manga is a masterpiece that addressed all of the issues from the anime, and then some. Claymore started to get progressively worse. Their scores switched.

The issue with Claymore is that the main character is boring and has mostly boring people around her. They all look similar and have similar personalities. It's hard to even tell or remember who is who. It'd be okay if it was just a group of 5 or something, but it's like 40+ women who look and act similar.

Of course, there are some characters that are interesting and have different personalities from the edgy and revenge seeking one. The nun Claymore, the mother and daughter Claymore, and Theresa. Two of the awakened beings have nice characters as well. Those characters single handedly carry this score. Without them, this score would be a 4/10.

Do I recommend it? Eh, mixed feelings. It has some strokes of genius within the work. Riful and Isley are great villains with interesting personalities. There are some great characters and heartbreaking moments within Claymore. Though once again, it's bogged down by Raki (garbage character) and the 40+ claymores who all look and act the same. Bonus points for girl power, I guess. Though like... You're better off reading a girl power manga with women who have different looks and personalities, and each display a different type of strength and resolve.

The premise of this series is a role reversal. Basically, a red pox disease plagues all of Japan and reduces the male population so that women outnumbered men from 5 to 1. This resulted in a change where women started taking on male jobs, which shifted society. Even the Shogun was a woman, because there simply wasn't a man who lived long enough to take the reigns. Instead of a harem of women, we now have a harem of men. The Ooku, the Inner Chambers within the palace, boasts hundreds of men that are available for the Shogun to use ... (though the rumor falsely says over 3,000). Though don't be squicked by that, because Ooku doesn't really feel like a reverse harem, for the most part. The series does focus on romance and relationships, but the main thing is the disease and the politics.

I gave the anime a 6/10, and I still stand by that score as far as the anime is concerned. Though the manga vastly improved. Every criticism that I had about the anime, was fixed in the manga. More perspectives outside of the castle, queer characters, frustrations with the Shogun, etc. Not only did it improve what I disliked about the anime, but it expanded on the things I liked. The heartbreaking stories, the interesting premise, etc. There's so much pain and love. You have the different people suffering from non-consensual incest, unrequited love, star crossed lovers, infertility, cruel grandmothers, poisonings, etc. Though you also have the heart warming stories of true love amist all the pain and chaos. That's what makes Ooku a masterpiece, with how it balances everything out to craft a great story.

They also talk about the issues of gender. It's a prevalent theme with some commoners resenting the Shogun for "hoarding" men, and the fear of invasion because women are weaker than men on average. How the roles are reversed, and the men are practically house husbands that are used for breeding. Men being forced to sell themselves, and only wealthy women being able to have a man to herself. Though once again, it's not as it seems. If you think this is the ultimate girl boss manga, you'd be right and wrong. Sure, some of the women in the series are brilliant and/or compassionate. Though some of them are legitimately terrible and gross people, and some are incompetent. What I'm saying is, you have the good with the bad. Which is both a strength and a weakness.

That is to say, I still consider Ooku to be a masterpiece. Though I will say this... One of the good and bad things was the inverse of Monster of the Week. It was "protagonist of the week", which did lead to some heartbreaking stories. Though it also taught you not to get too attached to characters, because it's the span of 300 years, so obviously the character is going to change. I will say that they did a great job of easing you into certain character changes. Keeping some familiar faces around as they introduce new characters, and folding them into the plot and story so we get accustomed to them. So even the one flaw, is also a strength!

Once again, this series is a masterpiece. 10/10, I would definitely recommend.

I'd say about a 7 is a good rating for this manga. I do remember liking it, though it's not as good as her other works. It felt like something was missing. I do like the aspects of this manga where the main character writes about her pain. Though the emotions weren't as hard hitting compared to Vitamin, and the story didn't have as much impact.

I do recommend reading this story because it's less explicit compared to Vitamin (from what I remember), while also having very similar themes. Though it's definitely inferior compared to Vitamin. Of her stories about bullying, ... it's my least favorite one she's written. Once again, the story isn't BAD, per se, it's just not as good as the others. I definitely recommend it as an introduction to her work. Though if you've read her other stories, then you won't really get a lot from this.

I remember being obsessed with this when I was in middle school and high school. I used to re-read this story constantly. I will say that it's an absolute masterpiece. The story itself is short, but it accomplishes so much within the story.

Summary: The story is about a young girl named Sawako. She's just an average girl for the most part. She has a group of friends, she has a boyfriend, and she's going to school. She's really good one subject, average in most of them, and bad in one. Just a normal student, until something goes ... wrong.

This story doesn't hold back. It gut punches you with emotions and the disgusting actions of others. You feel exactly what Sawako feels, and it's relatable to those who have been bullied. You wish your bullies would just die, and you constantly ask "why my?!" You are just angry, sad, frustrated, and helpless. Vitamin really allows you to feel those emotions with Sawako, as if you were Sawako herself.

It also is an accurate depiction of bullying. The self isolation, the ostracization, lack of help from teachers, wanting to hide it from your parents, and then just wanting to stay home. You dread going to school, because you know what's going to happen.

The ending was just perfect. I don't even want to hint at the ending, so I'll just leave it at that.

Another good read by Kyoko Okazaki. This is an accurate portrayal of the problems of the youth. It's similar to Kimi ni Todoke with the topic, but this is a grittier version. Much grittier. Kimi ni Todoke does talk about struggles of youth, but there's a light hearted aspect to that and an optimistic tone. Kimi ni Todoke is idealistic in a way. River's Edge is a gritty and harsh reality, and there's no optimistic tone. Just the dull and gritty reality.

The characters are actually fantastic. They feel like realistic characters, even if they have a ... few screws loose. You almost get a sort of second hand embarrassment when you see the actions of their characters, because they mirror the mistakes you've made as a kid. And not in a literal sense, but the overall idea. For example, I'm sure we've seen a friend do something morally wrong, but we never told the teacher on them. Or when that friend just does something so bad that you absolutely HAVE to call out their behavior, and it's just that sort of awkward moment where they know they've gone to far. We've probably held onto something that was actively making our life worse (a friend, a bf/gf, a hobby, etc). And yet, we just held onto it... And then you look back and wonder, why DID I hold onto it? Why didn't I just give it up? Looking back, that was stupid. That sort of moral dilemma is what makes these characters feel real. Even how it ends is realistic. Sometimes a crush is never confessed. I remember talking to a person in real life, and I told them that I had a loyal crush on someone and that I had never confessed my crush. The last thing I told my crush was "good bye! Good luck with college!" Life isn't the average romcom for most people. You don't get closure to every situation. Sometimes, there's no rainbow at the end. Things will remain the same. When they do change, it's never in a satisfying way. It's just a "well, that's it... Bye!"

The themes in this are so strong! You have the struggle of fame, bulimia, not wanting to upset the status quo, comphet, outward misogyny, internalized misogyny, being jealous of your siblings, etc. This shows all the struggles that teens hold in, and shows their bad sides. It's a perfect contrast with every scene. Sex and pleasure contrasted with the fascination of a dead body. A guy in a seemingly happy relationship contrasted with a guy that's annoyed with his girlfriend. The pretty sibling contrasted with the ugly sibling. The successful sibling contrasted with the screw up. The comphet that's due to people keeping their feelings hidden, but also due to society projecting an image on people. Like a girl assuming that her gay boyfriend is uninterested in her, due to him cheating with another girl. Or a guy assuming that his lesbian girlfriend is cheating on him with another guy. Two lesbians with a crush on each other not confessing, because they assume that the other is straight. A gay guy not confessing to his crush, because his crush has a girl friend. And there's never any closure to these situations. The lesbians are doomed Yuri. Holding these feelings for each other, but being separated in the end. The gay guy never able to confess his feelings, and being haunted by his ex girlfriend. The bulimia within the entertainment district. Having to deal with the fake and vapid world of show business, while presenting a pleasant smile. Internalized misogyny of sleeping with your friend's boyfriend and trying to break them up because they're not a good match. And she was right... But like... There were ulterior motives for that good advice. It wasn't from the heart...

I'm just rambling at this point tbh. Though the point is, the story is good. It's something that makes you think. It's realistic and so gritty and raw. Life isn't determined for us or an easy path for most of it. It's a step by step process. There isn't always a grand purpose to anything. Sometimes, the person you're meant to be with, is just not available for you to date for reasons. Seriously, I wanted a character to just break up with her boyfriend and be with her friend, and be the lesbian that she was meant to be. Though life doesn't always work out that way. That's the theme of the works of Kyoko Okazaki. Life doesn't work out the way you expected, some things are anti-climatic, and desires don't always get you what you want.

This actually could’ve been a masterpiece. The concept itself is very intriguing. The concept is a period drama where a plague takes out most of the men in Japan, so the gender roles are flipped. Women start to work the fields, take positions in government, and do the traditional jobs for men. Because people didn’t want the plague to wipe the men out, they started keeping the men indoors and only used them to have children, which was a sexist role reserved for women back in the day.

This anime starts off good. We see the ramifications of that through ... women working the fields, men being prostitutes at the red light district, and a female shogun. After we meet the new Shogun and some events happen, she wants to study the history of how they got there. What happened with the plague and the recorded history around those and the first female shogun. So we go into the past.

Kasuga and Iemitsu are the only complex characters. Unfortunately, they're the only complex ones. Most of the characters in this anime have no depth. Unfortunately, those two can’t carry the show, because they're in the Ooku and offer only one perspective. That’s another issue with this show, seeing most of the perspective being the Ooku. We’re supposed to believe that women outnumber men 5 to 1, but the majority of what we see is a reverse harem. We needed more screen time from the commoners; show, don’t tell. And the love story between Arikoto and Iemitsu is heartbreaking and so good, but that can’t carry the show. Especially since Iemitsu having a harem makes it hard for me to see the lack of men in the world, when she’s sleeping with like 6 different men. Lack of men where? If anything, it’s a lack of women… And that’s another issue with the show. This is a feminist show where women are the majority of Japan, but most of the named characters are men. Yikes…

The final issue is the waste of this interesting concept. The main thing is about gender, but most of it centers on straight cisgender people. The only time queerness is brought up, is in a negative connotation. Either non-consensual cross dressing and identifying as another gender, or non consensual acts with the same sex. It’s such a shame because it would be interesting to explore gay or asexual men, outside of the Ooku, since they’re pretty much being forced into prostitution. Even exploring sexuality in the Ooku, again, outside of the non-consensual acts. You could explore a lesbian/asexual Shogun, since she’s the only one that’s able to sleep with the men, and she’s expected to sleep with them to breed an heir.

Do I recommend it? Eh... It's a decently interesting anime. The visuals are great, and so is the acting. Kasuga is an interesting character and Arikoto and Iemitsu have a tragically heartbreaking story and past. The plot point is interesting as well. Though it really needed more exploration of other characters and depth. More of the perspective of commoners, and not the privileged people in the Ooku. Maybe more episodes would've fixed this? Like, this anime should've had 24 episodes instead of 10 (technically 13 since the first episode was so long?). Perhaps 24 episodes, per season, with multiple seasons. That way you can flesh out more characters and get more perspectives. Perhaps it'll be like Yona of the Dawn where the anime cuts off, so not much time to explore. Though the manga adds a lot of depth and really adds to the worldbuilding.

This is the best season of the show, but it's still not a masterpiece. It's still a great anime though, definitely a 8/10.

Romance was very good, but not peak. Some of the relationships were interesting and compelling. Even a particularly foul and nasty relationship, was interesting to watch. Though some relationships did nothing for me. I could see why they were paired together. The idea was great on paper, but the execution was poor. They just did nothing for me, and I'm not talking about the main ship btw... I'm talking about another ship. Tohru x Kyo ... were fire.

I do love the explorations of generational curses, and how breaking the zodiac curse was more so about breaking the generational curse. If Kyo didn't mature and kept holding grudges, he would've turned out like his father: bitter, isolated, and blaming everyone but himself. Even manifesting that bitterness and isolation to the point of projecting your own guilt onto someone else! The curse of a mother being jealous of her daughter was passed down. So jealous to the point where the mother cuts the hair of her daughter. That part would potentially be triggering for people who are going through that, and it's unfortunately a thing. Mothers being jealous of their daughters and cutting their hair, slut shaming them, wishing for a son instead, viewing them as competition for men, etc. This season gets very heavy with the trauma from parents. It even shows the affects such as becoming exactly like your parent, or breaking the curse and not being able to forgive them.

That's another thing I liked about this anime. Sure it did talk about forgiveness, but some characters never forgave their abusive parent, and the show didn't demonize them for it. That's actually refreshing, because a lot of the talk around forgiveness is having the victim forgive their abuser. That's very convenient for the abuser! I like how this show gave that concept the middle finger. If you choose to forgive your abuser, then that's great for you. A path to healing. Though if you choose not to forgive your abuser, then that's also great for you. You're not obligated to forgive anyone!

I also liked the themes of relying on people to help you. You don't get better by running from your problems and isolating yourself. You get better by having friends who can help you. You get better by talking with loved one and accepting help from them. That's the ultimate path to healing (along with therapy). If people love you, then they won't see you as a burden. People who love you will carry you, support you, and are even willing to take on your pain!

Though I do have some criticisms for this manga. As I said, some of these relationships were trash and did nothing for me. Some relationships are just a flat out no... As in, FBI watchlist no... The guy who cross dressed in women's clothing is "normal" after the curse broke, as in he's back to dressing in clothes for men... That's very insulting for people who cross dress. This is the same thing that I disliked about Oniisama. It's very insulting that being something outside of heteronormative is seen as a phase, or a curse to be broken. That's insulting. It also makes people who don't follow traditional gender roles feel like shit, when their curse isn't broken or when they don't grow up to be "normal". Look... If you don't want to talk about things outside of gender norms or heterosexuality, then that's fine. Just don't introduce it. Kitchen Princess, Peach Girl, Princess Tutu, and Pink don't have any queer themes or romance, and I manage to think they're good regardless. Mostly because they don't talk about those concepts or introduce them! If you're going to go there and introduce those concepts, then don't crap on them. You just look closed-minded. Especially because according to this author, an adult man dating a teenage girl is more acceptable than a guy who cross dresses...

Aside from that BS, I'd say it's worth watching.

Honestly, I really liked this season. It had a great exploration of back stories, shows the different and realistic reactions to trauma, and had a fantastic plot twist. It also managed to get fun, despite all the heavy topics.

Of course, some people called this a filler season, and I can sort of understand why. Most anime tend to have filler episodes, so to speak. You have the hot springs episode, the beach episode, the festival episode, the summer vacation to a secluded house episode, the school trip, the school play, etc. This season had all of those episodes. So I can ... see why people viewed this entire season as filler. Though even with those episodes, the plot was still moving, and as I said before, we got a massive plot reveal about the curse.

This season also explored heartbreaking romance, Yuki's backstory, Kyo and Tohru's relationship, Momoji's sister, Hatori's romance, etc. It showed the different ways that each coped with trauma. Some just isolated themselves to avoid burdening others, some put on a cheerful facade to hide their pain, some just shut down completely and became numb to everything, some lashed out in anger, etc. These are all realistic coping mechanisms that everyone can relate to.

Though it did have plot points that I could care less about, and characters I actively disliked. Kureno is such a pathetic character. I felt nothing for this creepy, boring, and spineless man.

It also had slight flanderization with one of its characters. Okay! So you know those characters that the fandom really likes? They have something in their character that's really funny. Like say, they really like chocolate, and there's a few jokes about it. Outside of their love of chocolate, they're a fully realized character with a fleshed out backstory, but the fandom mostly highlights their funny of love chocolate. This was one of the characters in this season. This character got a backstory and have a fully realized character, but in the later episodes of this season, they were reduced to just their thing of loving food and being snarky. It's like a fanfiction writer wrote that character.

But other than my gripes, this season was actually really good. I give it an 8/10.

Fruits Basket is a name that makes sense, but it's sort of deceptive. The point of the name is that the show is about putting things, aside from fruits, in the fruits basket. Things that wouldn't normally fit in, things would be kept out, etc. This anime hammers in the point about bullying, ostracization, and abuse, and it treats them as serious topics. Of course, some of it did get over the top with the cruelty, but I'd say that most of it was accurate. Most forms of bullying are usually teasing, isolating people, making them feel worthless, etc. ... It doesn't skimp on the perspective of the victims, with them feeling like nothing they do will make a difference. The victims usually just stay to themselves and get a low self esteem. Then you have the teachers pretty much doing nothing, or even going as far as blaming the victim. "Well, can you make an effort to make friends?" And unfortunately, that aspect is true. Even down to not wanting to tell others because you don't want to burden them, and/or you're embarrassed about the entire thing. Several arcs are like this, which is where this show really shines. Not only that, but also the struggle to find your purpose in life or what you're good at. The frustration with your failures, and feeling guilty when you make mistakes that affect others.

With all of those heavy topics, they balance it with the light hearted moments of the cast. The themes of friendship and families are strong in this anime. The wholesome moments really balance out the depressing moments, and the cast truly does have good chemistry with each other.

Though I will say some criticisms. The weird double sided nature of how Tohru, the MC, is treated. She's treated as a mother and a baby, all at once. She cooks for people, gives emotional support for people, and does the majority of the chores around her house. Yet she's also treated as a naive baby that people have to be overly protective of. It's actually weird, and is lowkey sexist. With all shade intended, I can understand why Shonen fans consider Fruits Basket to be "one of the good Shoujo". The MC is overly positive to the point where she never gets angry at people who are mean to her, she can cook, she is cute, she is sweet, aspires to marriage, naive about sex (VIRGIN WAIFU!?), and she gets infantilized while being a pseudo mother figure that's also seen as girlfriend material. More and more, Sigmund Freud's studies are proven to be somewhat correct...

I'd say this was a solid anime. It had great action, and a decent cast. It has the perfect set up for the major villain that the MC will have to take down. The only thing that I would say is annoying is the male lead, plus wasted opportunity with him and having conflict. The male lead is just there tbh. He kind of sucks, and the anime would vastly improve if he were out of it, and I'm so serious. Though even if he's there, it's still a good anime that I'd highly recommend. The MC's backstory ... is compelling and a tear jerker for sure. Not too many spoilers, but she went through a lot of tragedies and horrible situations. The fight scenes and the team work is epic. The sheer grit that the characters have in fights is amazing, because it's truly a fight to the death in every battle. A lot of the prominent fighters are women, so there's that bonus girl power if you're interested.