On the Verge of Lunacy

Nothing excites middle-schooler Kobayashi anymore. Except for his friend Hashiba, all other people are the same to him. His dull life became exciting when he woke up holding a weapon and found his homeroom teacher dismembered in the classroom. The investigators suspected him but Kobayashi was more than willing to cooperate. He was even cheerful about being part of a murder. Finally, his life was exciting. All he had to do after all was find the real murderer. To Hashiba's horror, Kobayashi went to one of the detectives and asked to become an assistant. Akechi Kogorou is a 17-year-old genius detective. Like Kobayashi, he admits to solving crimes for fun. Looking for the homeroom teacher's murderer was just the beginning of their adventures. Kobayashi woke up to find his teacher's dismembered corpse Kobayashi and his best friend Hashiba Akechi Kogorou The 11-episode series reminds me of Aoi Bungaku in its character development approach. What...

This 12-episode series is the long-awaited third installment of Junjou Romantica. Takahashi Misaki has been living at Usami Akihiko's apartment for three years. He is reminded that his time with his lover will soon come to an end when people start asking him about his future plans. Misaki needs to find a job soon. Usami of course is more than willing to let him stay even after he graduates, but Misaki hasn't made his decision yet. While lost in thought, Misaki loses a merchandise from his favorite manga series. Toudou Shinnosuke picks it up and asks Misaki if he's also a fan of Ijuuin Kyou's work. The two become instant friends and later went to an autograph signing session to meet the author. Ijuuin recognized Misaki and thanks him for encouraging him when he was down (episode twelve of season two). Ijuuin and Misaki had more encounters after that, making Usami uncomfortable. He chides Misaki for saying "I love you" to Ijuuin too much. It might g...

Sena Izumi is born into a family of entertainers. He is the second son of a female actress and a male singer, and his brother is the vocalist of a popular band. But Izumi does not want to go into show business and instead wants to become a manga artist even if he doesn't have the talent for it. He was traumatized in a commercial shoot ten years ago where he dressed as a little girl. In that shoot, his parents were the newly married couple while Izumi and a then-child star Ichijou Ryouma were the young pair who caught the bouquet. That same commercial will soon have a follow-up involving  grownups Izumi and Ryouma. The problem is, Izumi does not want to do it because he has to dress up as a girl. He was eventually lured by his brother Shougo to do the commercial and agreed that only the staff will know about his true identity. Little does Izumi know that Ryouma has been looking forward to this reunion. Ryouma is clearly in love with the little girl he met at the shoot ten...

Seragaki Aoba works at Junk Shop Mediocrity and lives a simple life by supporting himself and his grandmother. Neither is he involved in gangs or participates in virtual fighting games such as Rhyme which seems to be popular among the people at Midorijima. When rumors of disappearances are heard and Aoba and his All-mate Ren find themselves drawn into an unwanted Rhyme challenge, he discovers abilities wasn't aware of and is inevitably drawn into the chaos. Now that he is involved, he has to deal with the mysterious forces disturbing the peace in the island. To achieve the peaceful life he was so used to, he has to ally with or fight the new faces. From left: Clear, Koujaku, Ren (dog), Seragaki Aoba, Noiz, and Mink Set in futuristic Japan, this 12-episode series features decent fight scenes, intriguing technology, and colorful characters. The series is adapted from the BL visual novel of the same title. Hence, some hints at romance between some of the boys will...

Fuyu no Semi or Winter Cicada is a 3-part animation about two men trapped between the different views of the Shogunate and the Empire. This sad story is set in a time when Japan is transitioning from the Tokugawa shogunate back to the Imperial rule. Kusaka Touma of the Choshu clan and Akizuki Keiichirou, a Bakufu samurai, both agree that internal strife would only bring the downfall of Japan if the foreigners ever decide to conquer the country. It has to open its doors to foreign trade and relations, something that the exclusionists vehemently oppose. Kusaka, despite the objections of his friend Aizawa, still clings to his views. He started taking English lessons from Akizuki and this got him in trouble. As days passed, the relationship between his clan and Akizuki's group got worse so they had to stop meeting. Kusaka was later given an opportunity to go abroad. He had to endure years of being away from Akizuki. He has to come home however for the war and he's hoping tha...

Sion lives in a perfect world; he's a brilliant and promising student, has a mother who loves him, and lives in a society where peace and order reigns - what more can he ask for? He certainly seems happy but he finds himself wishing he could be like the leaves and flowers that could go wherever the wind takes him. Yet he never questioned anything. He is one of the many obedient residents of No. 6, a colony created after the war. No.6 is a perfect society - or is it? One stormy day, Sion meets a kid whose views differed from his. Years later they meet again. Sion by then has moved to another section of No.6, the Lost City, when the authorities learned he helped a fugitive escape. This fugitive, Nezumi or Mouse, was the boy he met on that stormy night four years ago. Despite losing the opportunity of getting a better job, he didn't seem to regret what he had done. Nezumi and Sion The death of his co-worker changed Sion's life. He is arrested  but Nezumi  rescue...

The second season of Junjou Romantica is even better than the first. Misaki and Usami's relationship has leveled up. However, Misaki still questions his feelings for Usami, and what's more, the couple has to face more problems: the involvement of Usami's family. Misaki met Usami's brother for the first time and trouble ensues. It seems that Haruhiko wants to steal Misaki, but Usagi took up the challenge and even kissed Misaki in front of Haruhiko. Meanwhile, Hiroki and Nowaki still argue over the same issues as in the first season. But the couple here is more determined to keep their relationship stronger. They are more open about their feelings and they're doing their best to discuss problems openly instead of avoiding confrontations. Miyagi also got the chance to finally tell Shinobu about his past - the woman, his teacher, whom he loved before. He apologized when he realized that Shinobu was insecure about it. In the latter part of the series, Misaki a...

Shuichi Shindo, an upcoming music star, is tested when he met a critic who told him he has zero talent when the paper containing his lyrics of a song was picked up by a stranger. Shuichi's pride was hurt and ever since that meeting he was determined to prove to that man that he can write. Within the first episode, Shuichi was able to determine where the stranger, named Yuki Eiri, lives. It turned out that Yuki was a popular romance novelist. Irritated that Yuki teased him, he follows him around the house and insisted on a challenge. Shuichi was further disturbed when Yuki said he must be in love with him because he follows the latter around. They get on the elevator and still arguing, Yuki kissed Shuichi. This 13-episode series tells the struggles of falling in love and trying to nurture a blossoming music career. Shuichi was not alone on his struggles to understand love and deal with the heartaches. He got plenty of support from his bandmates and co-workers, as well as from ...

Imagine having to share your body with a historical figure and particiapting in a war that's been going on for 400 hundred years. That's what Takaya Ohgi has to go through the day he found out he's the reincarnation of Kagetora, adopted son of Kenshin Uesugi. This 13-episode series has a mix of history, supernatural and romance. The spirits of the warlords and samurai of 16th century Japan have been fighting all along as 'possessors'. Kagetora was given the task by his father Kenshin to fight and exorcise the spirits who are siding with the Feudal Underworld. He was reluctant to acknowledge these revelations at first and in fact could not remember anything from his previous reincarnations. This locking away of memories would later prove to be vital in understanding his relationship with Yoshiaki Tachibana, Nobutsuna Naoe's reincarnation, the man who swore to protect him and who revealed Takaya's identity. Takaya's power is tested during a battle wi...

This series revolves around three main stories of three couples: Misaki and Usagi, Hiroki and Nowaki, and Miyagi and Shinobu. It's a fun, naughty and cute series sure to make yaoi fangirls squeal. This isn't just about steamy kissing scenes though. It has explored the different issues ordinary couples go through. Misaki Takahashi was about to go to college. He has to pass the entrance examinations in order to get into Mitsuhashi University to fulfill his brother Takahiro's dreams. He needed a tutor for the exam and this task fell on his brother's friend, Akihiko Usami, a fiction and Boys' Love novelist. Takahiko and Usami have been friends for a long time and the latter has fallen in love with the former. Takahiko does not seem to notice this although during the first episode Misaki caught Usami clinging seductively to his brother. Misaki and Usagi Usami finds out later that Takahiro is engaged. Misaki knew Usami is in love with his brother and felt sorry ...