Death Note Review

Death Note is certainly an interesting show. It took me a while to get into it since Light's character was kind of like What the Hell is this!? After the third episode, I found myself curious and continued watching. It's a little bit cliche using a smart student who is at the top of his class to become the crazy guy. Of course, it just shows that grades don't mean everything. Also supports the idea that it's the smart perfect ones and the quiet ones you have to watch out for.
The oddest thing about this show was it's main character, Light. Usually, a shows main character is easier to sympathize with. Usually, your supposed to at least like the main character. Death Note is different in that the main character isn't necessarily likable. I often found myself hating him as if he were the enemy in the story. Whether it was meant to be this way or not I don't know. If you think about it, Light is basically a sociopathic delusional serial killer.
Light may be smart, but he is overconfident. He is so used to being five steps ahead of everyone else that he doesn't think there is anyone who can best him. He is also childish, playing games with criminals lives and the police, and trying to make himself known. He may be smart, and even seems to understand the mind, but I don't think he is intelligent enough. He baited the police so that he would be recognized. He basically said "Hi, I'm Kira" with his actions. He killed the same way every time making it easy to connect the deaths. He made the mistake of originally only killing when he wasn't in school so they figured out he was a student. He didn't bother to think that perhaps the FBI agent would say something to someone else. He also didn't bother to think that if all those FBI agents were killed, it would make it obvious that they were close to solving the case and Kira knew it. Light just figured he could predict everything and didn't cover all his bases. Of course I still want to know how he managed to yell and talk in his room so much without his mother ever hearing...my mom could hear me if she stood outside my door even if I wasn't yelling. And how come he never thought to put one of those cell phone thingys (I'm not good with technology names) on his ear so he could talk to Ryuk and it would just look like he was on the phone with someone. Light acted like he was so smart, but honestly, he dug his own grave. He toyed with the police. He didn't think about how he was killing and when from the start. A smart person would have figured out how to do it at various times throughout the day and not always the same times. An intelligent person wouldn't just have 23 prisoners drop dead from the same cause. An intelligent person would spread it out, mix old and new cases and cases on the news and cases in the paper. An intelligent person would make sure some of the deaths were different to make it harder for the police to connect them. Okay, so I'm totally getting carried away with this. That's why I don't want things like unsolved cases because it's so ridiculous and I end up explaining every dumb thing they did. Anyway, back to the review.
Despite not liking Light, there were times when I felt for him. I didn't exactly want him to get caught but at the same time I did. Sometimes for a moment, I would think he is actually sad over this or he actually feels bad and then there would be that look in his eyes and I knew he didn't care. In fact. he was stone a lot of the time. He wasn't very good at acting. I guess he didn't think it important to show appropriate emotion and when to keep his feelings from his face. When he snapped, he just snapped. When something surprised him, it was on his face and in his voice. He just made me sick from the very beginning. He wasn't even smart enough to understand that mass killings will not bring peace. Fear will not bring peace. He thought he could rid the world by killing anyone and everyone he deemed bad, but that just can't realistically bring peace.
On the other hand, I did like Ryuk some. I didn't really expect him to care what humans did so it didn't bother me. Besides, he could be interesting. I also liked L. I hated how Light got him killed and how he acted after the death. Seriously, I'd like to know if Light killed small animals as a child or something. The only time I actually liked Light and really didn't want him to die was when he had no memories of using the Death Note and his father had a gun at his head. Otherwise he was a manipulative jerk with no conscience.
I give the show a four out of five, if for no other reason than the type of character that was used for the main character. Obviously there were other good things about the show, but using a main character that didn't appeal to a lot of people was an interesting twist. It was one of the reasons I kept watching. I wanted to see the series with the main character that I could not possibly like.

Spoiler Alert.

I can't say whether I liked or disliked the ending. I kind of already knew that was how it would end since there weren't many options on how to end the show....unless they seriously botched it. I didn't really like watching it though. It was sad and pathetic to watch Light crack and go completely mental. He couldn't even die with any dignaty or face up to his actions. I suppose he never thought he would actually get caught so he never formed a plan. Once he was, he just lost it. I was embarrased for him. The way he handled it and how he spoke was sickening. I didn't real feel sorry for him or hope he would live, I just felt sick watching him act like that, the temper tantrum and everything.
I can say I didn't like how Ryuk and Light basically stopped being together after the whole Light giving up the book again. I also couldn't really follow the movement of the notebook and what was going on with that.

Dubbed vs. Subbed

The argument between whether subbed or dubbed is better is a very old argument. Personally I like the dubbed.
Why do I prefer dubbed?
Yes, I'm an American, but being a lazy American who wants everything in English is not my reason. For a long time I couldn't watch subbed things because they gave me a headache. It wasn't like I didn't want too. I couldn't turn the sound off either because then my attention would wonder, plus I wouldn't hear any of the other sounds that weren't voices. Recently it seems that subbed versions don't bother me any more. Well, I still won't watch anything in Spanish because I hate hate hate the way the Spanish language sounds. I have nothing against Spanish people, I just can't stand the language. I can watch things in French and Japanese if I want to though. I've gotten used to the sounds of Japanese words slowly since the dubbed versions still use some. I know a small bit of French from when I took French and ballet so that doesn't bother me either. I'm only writing all this because I want people to realize that there are more than just one or two reasons for people not watching subbed versions of anime. I don't like when people act like you can't really enjoy it or you don't count if you won't watch it the original way.

However, that's not the only reason I prefer dubbed versions. I'm a pretty good reader, but that doesn't mean I can read a paragraph in a blink of an eye! If I have to read every word that is said, it's hard to have time to focus on the scene itself. Therefor I miss things sometimes. If it's an action show and they are talking during the battle, I don't want to miss what they are saying, but I also don't want to miss the fighting either. If I can use two senses instead of just one (my eyes and ears instead of just my eyes) it's easier.

Recently I watched one of the Rurouni Kenshin OVA's in subbed form because it took me a little while to find the dubbed version. (aka it was in my youtube playlist which was the one place I didn't look....) Right after I finished the subbed version I remembered where the dubbed version was and watched it. They were not the exact same. Firstly, I was able to see more of what was going on because I wasn't reading the words. There were things I hadn't even noticed before that I could see then. Secondly, it made more sense. I don't know if it's the same with other subbed animes, but this one sometimes didn't make sense. I think perhaps when it was dubbed, they changed some lines and made it more understandable for English speaking people. I'm guessing if a Japanese person read the subbed version, it might have still made perfect sense to them. However, there are cultural differences including how we express ourselves and how we speak. Saying "I am happy" in one country may have a different deeper meaning than saying it in another if that makes sense. Also, I remember when I was taking French class and when I was learning a bit of sign language, I became more aware of how tone of voice and body movements change meanings of words. For instance, you can turn any sentence in French into a question simply by changing your voice. In sign language, facial expression and head movements can change how a sign is read. In language, pauses in sentences can reveal intention. The problem is, it's not always the same across the board. It can also be harder to notice such things if you are already busy trying to read the words and watch the screen. If it is in your own language, not only does that eliminate one extra things to take your attention away, but it also makes it easier to catch those small things that only pauses, tones, and body movements can add. I'm betting the subbed version was simply the Japanese translated into English words where as the dubbed version took the concept instead of the exact words. Of course this is only one anime and only my opinion. It may not be the same for everyone and everything. I just understood the way the dubbed version put certain things better. The other problem with the subbed wording was they didn't change some words into something that would make sense to an English speaking person. It was as if they used Google translator and Google didn't recognize the word or couldn't find a corresponding word in it's English dictionary so it just left it the way it was. Which I suppose is cheaper than getting a bilingual human to do it. Is that really what they do though?
I do want to mention that I don't regret watching the subbed version. I missed seeing some things and didn't understand a lot of the conversation, but there were some useful differences. Just like how the dubbed version said some things in a way that made more sense to me, so did the subbed. Well, I think saying it made more sense is the wrong way to say it. In the subbed version, the way they spoke and the words used gave more insight to the current situation. Since I watched them so close together and I had read the first one, it was easy to combine what was said in both versions while watching the dub to get a better overall understanding of how the characters felt and what was going on than I would have gotten just watching one version.
The one thing I do like about subs is that if there is an important sign or a letter written in Japanese, it seems the subbed versions will translate the writing to. I remember watching .Hack//sign and not being able to read what was written during those silent parts. It held an important part of the story so I went searching on the internet to find out what it said. I didn't think at the time to find the subbed version and watch those particular parts. Often times, not knowing what signs and things say isn't a problem because it's not overly important. However, if the letter isn't read out loud or it's a written explanation or narrarration or important to understanding the story, I kind of want to know what it says. I still don't understand why they would make a dubbed version for people who don't understand Japanese but not translate the written parts. If I can't understand Japanese, I probably can't read it either dumb dumbs! It doesn't make any sense to translate the spoken parts and not at least the important parts.
On the up side, I do sometimes find dubs that have translated the written parts. I don't know if it was done that way by the company or if someone came along and edited it in there for the particular site or something. Since it isn't on all the episodes usually, especially if I watch some of the episodes on a different site, I'm assuming some nice intelligent person came along and so kindly translated it.  It just makes no sense to bother dubbing the spoken parts if you put important parts in writing and don't translate them too. I said it before and I will say it again. If I'm watching the dubbed version I probably don't understand or speak Japanese which means.....I PROBABLY DON'T READ IT EITHER!!! What, you think you only have to edit what's on the screen if you are adding sub words. You don't have to erase the Japanese just put the English somewhere.
I don't watch subs if I can find the dubbed version but I think it is interesting to see just how different the two are. Of course, there was one scene that couldn't even stay the same in just one version. Every time there was a flashback or they showed the scene of Kenshin in front of the three graves when he met his swords master was different. It was shown more than once in the OVA and yet even though both times were in the subbed or the dubbed, the words were never the same! They weren't the same as the tv show either. The words differed a bit every time even though the scene was the same exact event. I'm not sure if the scene was ever shown twice with the exact same wording. What did they do, remake the scene every time they showed it?!




My point is, there is nothing wrong with subbed or dubbed. I think both are necessary. Some people hate dubs. I don't. All of my reviews are based on the dubbed version so far. I do have a few animes I plan to watch that either don't have a dubbed version or I can't find the dubbed version for, and therefor I will use the subs. Whether I actually write my thoughts on it will depend on if I can understand enough of it.





Dubbed        Pros                                                                                                 Cons
                     can look at the scene instead of the words                           some ideas and emotions lost      
                     dialougue is said as English might say it                              farther from original                 
                     Japanese words translated into words English knows
                     easier to watch




Subbed   Pros                                                                                 Cons
               Closer to the original way written                              Attention torn between reading and watching
               Keeps more of the original emotions and ideas       Translation to English not always clear
               Translates written Japanese                                         Some words not translated






Anyway.....feel free to comment with your agreement or disagreement or if you feel I am wrong about something. :)
Have a nice day!

ugh

I used to get annoyed because it seemed that every anime I watched, everyone was alive in the end (well almost everyone). I always wanted to know what happened to them after that. Now it seems every anime I watch, at least half of them are dead in the end. I can't say that I like that any better because it never goes the way I want it to and all of the deaths are still sad even if they aren't.
Bottom line, no anime, book, movie, tv show, or story will satisfy me. I'm going to stomp away mad or stare saddly no matter how you end the dern thing apparently. But stop dying sad deaths!



On another note, I think it's kind of annoying that the main character never dies before the very end. At least, I've never read or seen a story where the one does. I don't want them to die. I would probably get mad if they did, but at the same time, I wish it would happen. The problem is, no matter how bad things seem for the main character or how much it seems like the main character is dead or will be, I know they won't. They will be fine. I don't have to worry about them dying till it's almost over. If I were to see something where the main character didn't survive and main characters had to change, I wouldn't be able to be so certain that the main character wouldn't die in a different story before the end. It's only because I've never seen it happen that I know some how that person will live or be saved. I understand that if you are telling a story about someone then they can't die before the story is over, but for once I wish they would. Or not the main character, but one of those others. There are always certain characters you know for a fact aren't going to die. The writers will not kill them at least not until the end. Surprise me. I hate surprises but surprise me for once. Kill that person that everyone is sure will never be killed off. Kill that one person who everyone knows will make it till the end. When they fall off a cliff, leave them dead. It takes away from the story sometimes when I know the character wil be alright. Everyone fussing over the character seems dumb. If they are in a fight, the battle isn't as scarry because they can't be killed.

Hakuouki Shinsengumi Kitan & Hakuouki Hekketsuroku Review

This is only a review and my thoughts on Hakuouki Shinsengumi Kitan and Hakuouki Hekketsuroku. I have not seen the other season or the OVA's at this time.

The beginning of the show reminds me a lot of Peace Maker Kurogane. Chizuru sort of takes the place of Tetsu. Hakuouki goes past the events in PMK however, continuing on until the end of Hijikatas life. The events in the show are based on the events of actual history. Of course, there were no devils or furries in actual history. I'm no expert of the Shinsengumi but from what I've read, many of the battles, deaths, and characters were the same as in history. In a way, the fact that it was so close to real events made it more sad. Many of the Shinsengumi died during the battles in history. It's like watching history, and history doesn't care if you want the character to live or if the death is unfair.
At first I was a little annoyed with Chizuru. She wore a sword and supposedly knew how to use it, but never actually did. Of course, I realized later that the show was trying to follow history and therefor, except for in battle with the devils, she couldn't have used her sword. The sword work of the other characters was plenty anyway.
The way the girls voice often narrarated the historical events could be annoying sometimes, as well as how time would skip. It's not the first historical anime to nararate historical events. Intrigue in the Bakumatsu also did it. I got used to it. The time skipping was still a bit unpleasent. I don't like when shows decide to skip gaps of time, but I do understand that, especially with a historically based show, something can't be happening every day and they can't just show a bunch of people doing chores for hours. It was more of where the time skipped that bothered me. There would be this small event that seemed almost meaningless and then the time would skip sometimes. I couldn't figure out why we stopped and/or stayed for that tiny event.




SPOILER ALERT!!!!! The following contains spoilers. Read at your own risk.



The growing relationship between Hijikata and Chizuru was interesting but sad. I don't know if Hijikata ever fell in love or if it happened in a similar way to the show, but I hope not. I don't know how old Chizuru is but it seemed she was a good bit younger than Hijikata...not that that ever stopped anyone in anime. Still, he already shortened his life by being part of the Shinsengumi and then again by taking the "Water of Life" and yet after that, he falls in love. Not only that, but the time between when he confessed his love to her and when he died was so short. I had been starting to wonder if anything would develop between the two for a while. He always protected her and let her stay even though it meant having to protect her all the time and even when he knew devils were after her. The way he watched over her
seemed like he either saw her as if she were like a daughter or like a lover. Apparently it was the latter. Even though I kinda expected it to happen, the kiss still surprised me a bit. But before I knew it, they were off to battle again. As far as what the anime showed, they didn't get to experience their love very long. Did they ever even get to sleep in the same bed. If they didn't, it would be sad that they never got to hold each other in sleep but if they did it would be sad because they only got to do it a few times and it was something they lost. I don't think anyone even knew they were in love. It was so short though. To make it worse, he finally decided he had a reason and desire to live. It wasn't just about seeing the Shinsengumi through to the end, he wanted to live and be with Chizuru. Shortly after this realization though he goes and gets himself killed! I knew historically Hijikata had died from a gunshot wound but I had hoped they would deviate from history. I wanted them to have more time. Also it seemed like drinking blood helped them live. After he was first shot she gave him some of her blood and it seemed to help him some. I thought maybe blood extended their life, or that demon blood had a special effect. When the devil gave Hijikata the name Hakuouki, I had half hoped the devil thing might work like zombies and that the devil would decide to turn Hijikata into a devil by biting him. Apparently though, if blood could have helped or if biting could turn someone, either no one knew it or know one thought of it. The only other possibility is that the devil knew of it and didn't care to help him. 
The thing is, I'm always getting mad at endings because I want to know what happens up until the character dies, but even when the character dies, I'm still not happy. Granted Hijikata wasn't the only main character but he was one. It's bad enough most of the others died. The events surrounding Hijikatas death were sad. Actually, the more characters who either left or died, the more empty it felt. It's like as a group of friends go there separate ways in life after you have had so many good times with them and you wish things could stay the same forever. Something like that. 
I admit, I am slightly curious about what happened to Chizuru after that. How did she cope after losing all those friends and her lover without having anyone to really go back to? Where did she go, or did she decide to die to? Did she find the others and stay with them or go to work for some other fighting group? Perhaps she went to stay with that other devil girl. I don't know if the OVAs or anything will tell me what happened to her. I'm not entirely sure I want to know. After all, all those characters I liked died, and while I do like Chizuru, it wouldn't be the same without the others.  

Saddest Deaths and Almost Deaths In Anime

Note 1: This list is based on opinion and only includes characters from animes I have seen recently enough to remember.
Note 2: The first list is in order from saddest to least sad. The second list is in no particular order.
Note 3: I will add more as I watch more.


 SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Saddest Deaths

 Kenshin Himura (Rurouni Kenshin)- It was a fitting death in my opinion and it happened when he was old, though not terribly old. It would have been shameful if he had lost his life in battle after all that he had been through and he was too good to be taken by surprise. He never seemed to get sick so a simple cold killing him would have been wrong. I still don't know exactly what killed him. He had red blotches all over his body and had bandages over them. I suppose it could have been what Megumi had been talking about. Seeing him so frail though was heart breaking. He didn't really know who Sano was or where he was. He just sort of stared. He was never very strong looking but he looked even more frail than before and so sickly. He could hardly walk. The man who had been so strong, who had jumped in the air and moved to fast to see, was weak and feeble. Somehow he ended up being in China in a shack. His memory wasn't too good nor was his awareness. He couldn't even catch the fish that Sano threw to him. Sano helped him get back to Japan where he walked or attempted to walk until he met Koaru. Koaru was dying to but was in better condition than Kenshin. He just lay down his head in her lap and she talked of parties they should have with friends and things as if they would be alive for the rest of the week or even for a few years. He just died. He passed away in her lap as she talked of a future that I assume she knew wasn't going to happen. They were under the blossoms where he had said good bye to her so many years ago. He was happy. If it had gone on any longer, tears would have fell from my eyes. Watching him like that was just painful, even if his death was peaceful.
Rolo Lamperouge (Code Geass)-

Even after Lelouch had told him he was using him and basically told Rolo he meant nothing, Rolo still went to save his "brother" Lelouch. He used his geass powers to help them escape and in doing so, put too much strain on his heart and ended up killing himself. He considered Lelouch to be his big brother and credited Lelouch with giving him some of the best days of his life and making him feel human. Even though Lelouch had planned to use him then kill him, Rolo saved Lelouch. At the end Rolo told Lelouch that it had been a lie when Lelouch had said he planned to kill Rolo because his big brother was a liar. Whether he actually believed that his "big brother" lied to him or not is unknown. However Lelouch told Rolo that it was a lie, despite the fact that wasn't true. In the end, Lelouch cared for Rolo. I swear I nearly cried.

Kohaku and the demon slayers (Inuyasha)- Kohaku was on his first mission with the other demon slayers when a demon took control of him and forced him to kill his father, their family friends, and attempt to kill his sister as well. The demon stopped controlling him right before he was shot down with arrows. He had time to realize what he had done. When he was brought back by the jewel, he had Naraku take away his memories because he was so traumatized by what he had done and couldn't live with it. He had been such a sweet boy and only 11 years old. The demon slayers were family and friends who he had known all his life. He had brought them down.
Euphemia Li Britannia (Code Geass)-

It's not that the scene of her actual death was really sad so much as why it happened and how. She was kind and only wanted peace. She was trying to achieve it the only way she knew how but Zero (Lelouch) didn't agree and was afraid it would ruin his plans. He met with her and they actually sorted things out, but then Zero lost control of his Geass and accidently used it to make Euphi kill the Japanese and order her soldiers to do the same. It led to the slaughter of a stadium full of people. The only option left was to kill Euphi and Zero know it. Euphi and Lelouch had been brother and sister though. Lelouch knew that Euphi was going against her very nature because of the Geass controling her. If she ever found out what she had done, she would have been devastated. It would have destroyed her. Even if she didn't find out, she would go on ordering the death of the Japanese until everyone was dead. Even if they tried to lock her up, the Geass had already proven to be very powerful and cause those effected to do whatever they must to obey the Geass. The only thing he could do for her sake and the sake of all the Japanese was to kill her. Suzaku who had basically just figured out he and Euphi might have a future together, watched as Euphi died. 
 Ayumu Yamazaki (PMK)-

Ayumu was loved by everyone in the Shinsengumi. After her brother had trouble with some of his spy work, she went out to take his place. Despite being a decent spy and a good fighter, she got caught. She was tied up and beaten then her body was left in the rain. Her brother found her. The two had never been super close, or at least he wasn't close to her, he didn't even act like he cared about her, but it was because of him that she died and he regretted how he had been to her. Of course, everyone was devastated. She had been like a mother to them all in a way.



Toboe (Wolfs Rain)-

Toboe died next to a man who claimed to hate wolves. It was sad because of the realization the man had at the end and how the two laid there in the snow as their life slipped away. Toboe was my favorite wolf so of course I was sad to see him die.

Tsume (Wolfs Rain)- Since Tsume was my second favorite character, I didn't like seeing him die anymore than seeing Toboe die. Especially since it seemed as if Tsume had finally found real friends and cared for someone. He was so close to paradise.






 NOTE: The list below is in no particular order.

Almost Deaths 

Lelouch Lemperouge (Code Geass)- Apparently, he isn't dead, so I can't put this is the sad death list because the means they actually died. However, he appeared to die. He had a sword put through him. I can only assume that he became immortal like C.C.. If he had died, it would have probably been first on the list above. At a glance, the death doesn't seem very sad. In fact it appears to be the death of a terrible dictator who was consumed with greed and power. It wasn't though. Lelouch wasn't the bad guy, even though he often seemed to be. He had to pretend to be terrible. He had to give up his friends and family and everything he held dear to make his sisters dream come true. He even had to make her hate him. He untied the world by taking it over so it was no longer split into three powers. He took all the hate and all the blame. He didn't try to tell people the truth if the truth would make them hate him less. He gathered all their hate and anger, all the blood and pain, into himself so that when he was killed, so would the pain and hate. He untied people by being their common enemy. He "died" as the "bad guy" in the eyes of the people. I highly doubt most if anyone realized that he was the one who brought about the peace. He would be remembered as the traitor and the evil dictator, not as the person who created a peaceful world. To me, that is terrible. I hate that he had to be a sacrafice. I hate that to create this peace, he had to lose his friends and sister and go against who he was. He had always stood up for those who were being beaten down by the powerful and now he had to do the beating. There was no one who could bear his pain and no one for him to turn to. He really did carry the world on his shoulders. I really don't know how to put words to it. It was just depressing. However, I know that he was happy. He was happy that he could create a peaceful world for Nunnally. He accomplished his goal, so I don't think he really regretted how he had to die.
Charles Zi Britannia (Code Geass)- Dude needs to die and stay dead. Well eventually he did die, but not the first time. While his intentions may have been good, he was ignorant. I don't know where Lelouch got his brains, but it wasn't from his parents.
Nunnally Lamperouge(Code Geass)- His reason for living, his reason for fighting for peace, Lelouches little sister died. Except she didn't, but no one bothered to tell him that. Two of the people at fault were the two people who cared for her most. Suzaku and Lelouch both played a hand in it. Lelouch used his geass to make Suzaku live and because of that Suzaku used the deadly weapon. Lelouch just cracked after that.
Nina Tucker (FMA)- She did die, but not at first. Technically, it's really a matter of opinion when Nina died. Some might say she died when her father turned her into that experiment because she wasn't the human Nina anymore. Some may say that she died when the experiment died. I say she died when the experiment died and consider her almost death to be when her father turned her into an experiment. It was so hard to watch. How could he do that to his own daughter! The sadness in that things eyes was awful. I wanted to punch him for doing that to such a sweet child. It wasn't fair!
Kagome Higurashi (Inuyasha)- I have to admit I rather enjoyed her almost death. I didn't want Kagome to die, but it was a fresh change. Normally she did very little of the fighting and despite how often she should have at least broken bones, she never really got injured. Miroku, Sango, and Inuyasha all faced bad injuries and near death, except her. I found it rather annoying. It didn't feel realistic. I didn't like her being so safe. It was boring. Of course when I thought she actually died, I wanted to scream...it was refreshing. What was annoying though was HOW she didn't die. I'm glad she didn't, but how she was saved was stupid. Of course I'm not sure anyone in anime actually knows how to tell if someone has a pulse or is breathing but that is besides the point. Shippo said they stopped breathing. Well, if someone stops breathing, especially for a long period of time, that's usually the end. When a persons brain and organs stop receiving oxygen, they can't do their job and shut down. The longer they go without oxygen the less likely they can be used again. So if they stopped breathing that long, they should have been dead. They were already poisoned, then they were breathing in smoke from a fire, then they stopped breathing, they died. And you are telling me a flea came along and sucked out all the poison and they were fine, so fine in fact that it wasn't long before they were able to walk long distances? First off, if it's that deadly a poison, why is the flea alive? Secondly, how does sucking out the poison bring them back to life and make their organs function able again? Thirdly, shouldn't they need rest after just dying and coming back to life? What is this, the hunger games two? You don't die then get up and walk a minute later! It was a refreshing moment to have her actually be in danger, but the way it was fixed just sort of ruined it and made it stupid.
Kohaku (Inuyasha)- I put Kohaku in the saddest deaths list, but it's a bit of a matter of opinion whether he belongs there or here. He did die, but he was brought back and able to live with the jewel in him so he was technically living again. It depends on how you define death I suppose. If you define it as no longer existing as a zombi, human, or anything, than he didn't die, but if you define it as a physical death where the body dies even if it comes back after, then he died.
Ayaka Shinozaki (Heaven's Memo Pad)- She didn't die, at least the anime never said she died. According to the internet, she supposedly woke up eventually but with amnesia. So she isn't dead. However she is darn close. She jumped off the roof of the school because she found out her brother was using drugs and had used her to grow the drugs for him. She was devastated. Though it is later implied or said that it wasn't exactly a suicide. Her brother had played a part and she had been on the drug at the time I think is what they said.
Yoshiki (Heaven's Memo Pad)- Yoshiki was originally a woman who lived with Yodaime and Renji. When an ex wife of a man she was involved with came and stuck a knife in her stomach because she was pregnant, Yodaime had let Renji believe she was dead. He didn't want Renji to know about what she was involved in or about the fact that she was alive but had lost her uterus and ovaries and was basically living like a man. It caused the two men to fight and hate each other until Renji finally found out that Yoshiki was the girl and that Yodaime hadn't broken the promise after all. Yoshiki lived happily with a shop for fabric and embroidery and such.

Most Annoying, Mysteruous, Traitorous, and Funniest Anime Characters

Note 1: This is just my opinion.
Note 2: I only used Characters from shows I have seen and actually remember seeing. If I haven't watched it or watched it so long ago I don't remember it, then there won't be any characters from that anime.
Note 3: The characters are in alphabetical order based on the animes they come from, or at least close to alphabetical order. They are not in ordered by most to least or least to most!
 Note 4: I will add to the list as I watch new anime.

Most annoying characters

Kakunojo Yuyama (Intrigue in the Bakumatsu) - Honestly, I just find her character to be annoying. There is no clear reason why. Perhaps it's because she gets in the way or her feelings towards Yojiro. She's just annoying.
Tyson Granger (Beyblade)- He may be the main character, but he is annoying. For starters, like many of the characters in this show, the way he is drawn and the way his clothes are drawn are just weird. I honestly cannot stand to look at his pants. Who drew that? Who thought that was a good way to draw clothes on someone!? Aside from his clothes, his personality is just a bit irritating. 
Diethard Ried (Code Geass)- Why does this guy annoy me? Because he is so fickle, and so obvious about being so! He just goes to the side of the person who he thinks will make the best story! It's annoying. Get some loyalty dude! Stop running to the other side when it looks like your side isn't as good.
V.V. (Code Geass)- It's a guy. Again, another anime character who looks like a girl but is a guy. Also, he is the older brother to a gigantic man that towers above him. He is cocky and thinks he is all that. He likes to mess stuff up to.
Envy (FMA)- Does this guy actually do anything that isn't annoying. Just looking at him is annoying.
Gluttony (FMA) - What is this guys purpose? The dumb blob? Again, simply looking at him is annoying.
Bear (.Hack//Sign)- The character himself isn't really all that annoying, in fact I rather like him. He is wise and gentle and wants to help. What annoys me is the show makes this big moment about not knowing what job he does in the real world AND THEN IT NEVER TELLS US WHAT HIS JOB IS!!! Granted, I found it online, but still! How rude.
Jakotsu (Inuyasha)- If it looks like a girl, talks like a girl, acts like a girl, and walks like a girl, it must be a girl right? WRONG! It's a guy. Lets just see how much we can confuse people by making male characters seem like female characters. I guess next time I see something I think should be a duck, I better test it's DNA.
Naraku (Inuyasha)- This guy is a one trick pony. It's always the same with him. Diversions and traps, but never him. He never comes out, save for a few battles. He plays tricks and sets traps. He uses other people to do his bidding. He runs away whenever he thinks he is losing. It's the same thing over and over and over. After a while, you can basically guess what will happen during any conflict with him. All he knows how to do is set traps and use others. He is a coward and he is weak. I swear I could just squeeze that damn head of his right off his neck!
Lord Furter (Oban Star Racers)- Look at his face........
Susumu Yamazaki (PMK)- He is rude to his sister who loves and cares for him and ends up being the indirect reason she gets killed. He acts like he doesn't need anyone and his attitude is just frustrating. He gets better during the last few episodes, but still, he is annoying the rest of the time.
Aoshi Shinomori (Rurouni Kenshin)- Waaaayyyy to serious. Get a life! He needs to get over the past and stop being such a hard headed idiot. Even once he stops being such an idiot, then all he does is sit in a shrine all day long and still doesn't try to make friends or anything. Eventually him and Kenshin have a very odd day of "hanging out", but aside from that, he seriously needs a life.
Hajime Saitou (Rurouni Kenshin)- Jerk. 
Tea Gardier (Yu-Gi-Oh)- She is not a freakin narrator!!! This girl needs to shut up. She talks way too much and every time that mouth opens, something ridiculous pours out. No, I really don't care what you have to say girl. I don't want to hear your every thought about Yugi and everyone else or all your crap about friendship. uggg..
Bakura (Yu-Gi-Oh)- Guy can't get a hold of himself. He is just not necessary if you ask me.
Seto Kaiba (Yu-Gi-Oh)- This guy cannot get over himself and over being the best. He is obsessed. He doesn't know how to play fair or work as a team either. He refuses to believe what is right in front of his eyes. He keeps trying to beat Yugi but not in a friendly competition way, in an obsessed with power way. He doesn't listen to reason and insists on doing everything on his own. He wants no help from Yugi. Even when he agrees to work as a team, he isn't a good teammate. If it weren't for his and Yugi's skill, I doubt they would ever be able to beat anyone together because his team work skills need major help. The whole series, all I want to do is put my hands around his neck, lift him up, and shake him like a freakin shake weight.

Most Traitorous

Sakyounosuke Kanna (Intrigue in the Bakumatsu) - He switches sides all the time. He doesn't really know where he belongs. He is partially Japanese and partially British. Because of this, he doesn't seem to know where his loyalties lie, though he is supposed to be working for the queen.
Lelouch Lamperouge (Code Geass)- Born Britannian royalty but deserted in Area 11 (Japan), he starts out as Britannian but then goes on to lead the Black Knights which is a rebel force fighting Britannian control. I don't want to say too much about it, but if you have watched the show, you know how he goes back and forth. Until the end, it's never truly clear that he is actually the good guy. He may be a traitor, but he had some of the best possible reasons.
Suzaku Kururgi (Code Geass)- Originally Japanese, he becomes a citizen of Britannia and fights to protect Britannia. Unknowingly, he fights against his once best friend, Lelouch. He is considered a traitor for supporting Britannia. Again, I don't want to go any farther than that, but he to changes sides.

Most mysterious/confusing characters

Mei Misaki (Another)- Is she real? Is she a ghost? I'm not going to tell you. Throughout the series, many mysteries surround her. Is she real? Is she related to the girl who died 27 years ago? Is she that girl? Is she dead? What's beneath her eye patch? What is her eye able to do and how? What does she think of Kouichi? How is she connected to the events happening? So many questions. It isn't until the end that we really get a decent sense of who she is. It builds up throughout the series.
Yojiro Akizuki (Intrigue in the Bakumatsu)- His true feelings deep within his heart are unknown to us. Whether he truly is as simple minded and cold as he seems is uncertain. Whether he has any feelings for the others is hard to tell. Does he really only care about his one mission? Does he not feel a need for human companionship. Is he really so blank and cold? Who is he really? What happened in his past? What are his true feelings? It's like we never really get to know him very well.
Lelouch Lamperouge (Code Geass)- I can't say too much without giving things away, but Lelouch is confusing. Up until the end, it's hard to tell his true nature and true goal. It's hard to decide if he is the good guy or the bad guy. His friend is the same way. At the very end, his true self becomes clearer. His true feelings and his true nature are more visible. Throughout the series, he breaks sometimes from his cool, cold, collected mask. However, it's still hard to decide which is the real him. Does he actually care about the others or is he like a sociopath. What is hiding beneath that mask of boredom and calmness? Is he good or evil?
Tsukasa (.Hack//Sign)- To start off with, we don't know for sure whether it is a girl or boy or how he got trapped. We don't know what happened to him to make him the way he is. He is a strange character with little to no social skill or perhaps no desire to bother with it. He is awkward in interaction. However, like many of the characters, we don't know much about his life outside of the game. We get a few flashbacks that aren't very clear, but not much more.
Alice (Heaven's Memo Pad) - How old is she? She looks young, but she isn't in school. Why does she hide in her apartment room? Is she afraid of the outdoors, agoraphobic perhaps? Who knows. We know she is strange. She is easily embarrassed when shown love or kindness. She is bossy and apparently the head of the team. She doesn't like to bathe or wash her sheets and she has a ton of stuffed animals. She keeps the room dark, doesn't eat much solid food, drinks one drink, and basically exists on her bed. We may know all of this but the why to it is a mystery. Why does she hide in that room? Why are the lights usually off? Is she an adult like the others or only 12 or 13 like she looks. It doesn't say. She is just a very strange character.
Souji Okita (PMK)- Sweet and fun loving is Okitas usual nature, but he is deadly with a sword. He says that Hijikata made a mistake or at least the Hijikata thinks he made a mistake when he gave Okita a sword at nine years old. We never get a clear answer as to why this is a mistake or what happened that was so bad. Okita may be deadly, but you wouldn't guess it if you met him on the street. He is kind and loves to joke around. However, he is thoughtful and intelligent when he talks to Tatsunosuke. He is cunning and tricky when he convinces Hijikata to do something. He is serious and deadly during a battle and ready and willing to kill without hesitation. He loves children though and acts like a kid himself. He also doesn't act very mannly, another reason you would never guess he was good with a sword. His hair is long and he doesn't walk in pants (or whatever they are called) and he doesn't carry his sword unless on duty. He likes candy and enjoys smiling and even sort of walks like a girl sometimes. At first, I couldn't figure out if he was a girl or boy. We never really know what his past is like and why he understands Tetsu so well. We don't get a lot of explanations about him. It's obvious there is more to who he is than what we see, it's just not clear what that is.
Toshimaro Yoshida (PMK)- What is confusing is his similarity to Hijikata. It's hard to tell who is who. I often wondered if perhaps Hijikata didn't want Tetsu because he was actually the one who killed Tetsus family and Tetsu had confused the two people. They aren't just similar in looks either. Though Yoshida encourages his page to carry a sword, both have pages that they try to keep safe in a way. Their pages are the same age and both pages are pages because they lost family. Both men are leaders of groups as well.
Toshizou Hijikata (PMK)- same as above
Amon (Witch Hunter Robin) - What do we really know about this guy? What do we really know about his past or his relationship with Robin? Why does he decide to be responsible for Robin and let her live when she is what he claims to hate? What happened in his past? He is so dark and so little is known about him. He is in and out and his relationships with the other characters are complicated. We also have no idea what happens to him in the end.
Kiba (Wolfs Rain)- I don't like Kiba. I don't really understand him either. I don't get who he is and why. To me he is just confusing and I don't like him enough to try to figure out why.

Funniest Characters

Ryu Granger (Beyblade) - The old funny person. So many animes have a crazy old guy or girl and they always get a good laugh out of me.
Stanely A Dickinson (Beyblade)- Another crazy old guy. They way he tricks the team and plays games is why I like him.
Loyd Asplund (Code Geass)- Science loving sociopath who doesn't care if he is rude. He is obsessed with his work and a little crazy, but that makes him funny.
Edward Elric (FMA)- What to do if you see Ed.: Make a short joke. He gets so riled up. I have to admit I'm guilty of doing the same thing but watching him do it is fun. Poor guy being so short, and of course he had to put his brother in a really tall suit of armor. He can be serious and grim, but he can be funny too.
Mirouku (Inuyasha)- Pervert. His perverted ways make for a good laugh whether it's women smacking him or him failing to get a woman, or whatever. He gets himself into plenty of trouble with that hand.
Kouga (Inuyasha)- Watching him and Inuyasha fight and get jealous is just fun. The two can be so clueless sometimes and rather hard headed. Kouga goes after Kagome even though it's clear he has no chance.
Hakkaku (Inuyasha)- Part of Kougas group, he is better with Kagome sometimes but otherwise him and his compannion are often getting in trouble or being left behind. The joke is usually on them.
Kagomes Grandfather (Inuyasha)- Crazzy old guy. You got to love them.
Totosai (Inuyasha)- Old, crazy, forgetful, and yet wise, at least when he remembers. Rides a bull in the sky and drives inuyasha crazy. A funny character indeed.
Saizo (PMK)- This pig is very expressive. He also loves to cause trouble for Tetsu. He can be used for jokes like when Okita put him on Tatsus head.
Heisuke Todo (PMK)- The youngest of the three crazy trouble makers, he loves cute things and often gets in trouble with his two friends.
Ryoma Sakamoto (PMK)- The guy is probably insane, or perhaps he hit his head a few too many times. He drives Tatsu crazy with his wild and dangerous ways.
Sanosuke Harada (PMK)- Part of the group of three troublemakers he joins in sticking his nose where it doesn't belong and getting in trouble with his friends. He plays pranks with his friends and even jokes when fighting off people in the streets.
Shinpachi Nagakura (PMK)- The shortest of the three trouble makers and always wearing something on his nose, he takes a liking to Tetsu and often sticks his nose into Tetsus business.
Tatsunosuke Ichimura (PMK)- Possibly the biggest worry wart ever, he is always trying to keep Tetsu safe and out of trouble. Unfortunately for him, Tetsu is always wandering off and worrying his older brother. Tatsu is often giving over the top elaborate apologies while forcing Tetsu into a bow. He can also be seen running madly down the street. It's amazing he has any nerves left.
Joey Wheeler (Yu-gi-oh)- He isn't always smart or clever but that's what makes him funny. He is the one who gets in trouble or over his head. He also has a bit of a temper and easily irritated which gets him into messes plenty.

Code Geass Review

I  really really hate admitting this. I hate it, but I must or I would be lying....so I'm going to admit it now. Code Geass is, by my usual standards, nearly a perfect story presented almost perfectly. A masterpiece of writing or of whatever. With my normal standards for judging a story, it left me with very little to complain about. My main complaint was simply that people who have a tendancy to analyze and contemplate everything, people like me, probably shouldn't watch it unless we seriously want our minds fucked with and if we wish to deal with thoughts tumbling like crazy. It's a bit much for me. Everything presented and how it was presented, I think my head desired to burst a few times. However, that alone shows how well done it was. It really dug into my own emotions and thoughts and made me confront my own opinions and theories. A+ on that one. The ending felt like a real ending. According to my definition of a good ending, it was nearly perfect! I wasn't left with a bunch of questions at the end. I didn't feel like it was unfinished. It was heart breaking, sad, and depressing, while at the same time being uplifting, beautiful, and happy. The characters were anything but shallow. They were deep and real. In 50 episodes, the series managed to do more than some do in 100 episodes! The plot was often a surprise. There were lots of twists and turns in the story. I really cannot criticize much about this work, though generally I am very critical. I do want to discuss some things about this anime and it's comparison to some other animes and books I enjoy later though.
Overall, I give this a 5 out of 5!
I'll write more about this later.

 

Heaven's Memo Pad/ Kamisama-no-memochou Anime

Normally I watch try to watch something more than once before saying anything about it, however, I just finished watching this anime and wanted to say a few things about it.
I thought it was a really good anime (of course it could just be lack of sleep lol). I was rather disappointed it was so short. Anyone who knows me though, knows that an anime could be 100 episodes long and I might still call it short. Either the ending leaves too many unanswered questions or parts of the plot could have been expanded more, one way or another, you can't satisfy me unless I finally get bored. I wish this series had continued on to more. On the other hand, the ending was powerful and touching. It was a memorable and emotional way to wrap up the show. I guess I would actually have preferred more to happen before the ending, except I felt the characters still could develop more.
I found some of the series to be rather hilarious. I almost spit my drink out when Narumi told the gang that he would take over for Yondaime while the man was injured. It was a sort of serious moment but all I could think was 'high school student saying he will lead a gang of grown men (in age if not intelligence) and take over for their leader.' This guy gets himself into all sorts of things. Just take the first few episodes to start with. He doesn't plan to know anyone or make friends and ends up being told he is joining the garden club, made into an unofficial assistant for a NEET detective, takes a part time job at the ramen place (and I'm not really sure if he was officially hired or just sort of ended up in it like the assistant job), joins a gang, becomes a 'brother' to the gangs leader, and does some detective work! Are you serious! It takes skill to get caught up in all that so fast. What was he thinking anyway. In case none of his new friends noticed, he's still a boy and they are all adults except Ayaka and possibly Alice. And letting him into a gang, what was Yondaime thinking? Is that even legal? It certainly doesn't seem to be safe, though Yondaime certainly tried to keep the boy out of the worst of things and tried to keep him from seeing too much bad stuff, but still. All these adults let a kid get caught up in all this stuff. Maybe Japan is just weird. The only thing the kid actually volunteered himself for (that we know of) was joining the gang. He sort of got pulled into being the assistant for Alice. It's not really clear how he ended up working part time for the Ramen place. Ayaka basically gave him no choice but to join the garden club. Alice ordered him to do detective work. It's crazy. He goes from living a boring life to running all over town, getting beaten up, punching people, going to dangerous places, getting caught between rival thugs, getting involved in drugs and all sorts of things. All the adults, except for Yondaime, treat him like he is one of them and just as old as they are! They take orders from the kid! And does his sister or father know about what he is doing? Does his sister know about him staying out all night and how he gets his bruises and such? I'm guessing not.
The whole drug thing was rather surprising to me. More so than some of the other stuff. All these adults around, and they let the 16 year old who isn't entirely stable at the time, take this powerful and addictive drug. I have expected Yondaime to at least give him a good punch for doing such a thing. It may have been helpful, but you just gave a 16 year old a terrible drug! Are you out of your minds!? So many things could have gone wrong. But they barely even protested! Yondaime didn't even seem to be bothered and he is usually somewhat protective of Narumi. The other thing about it was the fact that Narumi takes this drug, does his job, barely, ends up asleep, gets up, and seems perfectly fine. How are you so fine after such a night? That is a strong and powerful and addictive drug and you are just fine. I think there would have been more of an after effect if he had gotten drunk! That part just doesn't seem believable to me. And he doesn't seem to have any withdrawal or any other problems after. Also, the bruises under his eyes apparently went away really fast. Bruises do not disappear that fast.
I really liked the show but some details of the last part irked me a bit. I also felt like the characters could have been developed further. Narumi is getting stronger and more confident, and I would have liked to see that continue and see how he would continue handling his now official job of assistant, his part time job assuming he hadn't quit, his belonging to a gang and being a brother to Yondaime, and his other off and on responsibilities. I would have liked to see more of the relationship between Narumi and Alice. It was never officially clear about his relationship with her or Ayaka. I also wonder just how far his involvement with the gang goes. Obviously it's not a bad gang. If it was, they wouldn't have a sign out front for the police to find. Still, it's no knitting club either. It's dangerous. He didn't seem to be a member really. He didn't wear the shirt or hang out there all the time. He was split between NEET and the gang. He often worked in the middle. To see his roles with each character and with each group become more defined would have been nice.
I read online that eventually Ayaka did wake up but had amnesia and didn't remember Narumi at all. They didn't show that though. I'm not sure why.
Overall I give the show a 4.5 out of 5 which is really good. It had funny moments, action, mystery, emotion, darkness, and a little hint of several other things. For only having twelve episodes, it managed to fit a lot in. It developed it's story relatively well, though some things could have been elaborated more. The characters were complicated, but not so much that they couldn't be developed in twelve episodes. The ending was beautiful and I didn't go stomping out of my room when it ended so I'd say it did pretty well. I would certainly recommend it!

Rurouni Kenshin/Samurai X: Reflection

So I just finished the series and the OVA's. I don't have a whole lot to say about Reflections, mainly because I skipped a lot of it. I tried to watch all of it, but some of it was too annoying. It was bad enough that the voices were different, but I could deal with that much. What I couldn't deal with was when it was showing events that happened in the tv series, but different and how the characters acted. For most of what I saw until the end, the natures of the characters and their relationships did not fit the tv series at all. The scenes that were familiar from the tv series were very different too. The way Kenshin talked was all wrong and how situations were handled were different. Maybe it doesn't bother everyone, but it bothers me a lot. It's bad enough that during the series and during "Trust and Betrayal", some of the flashbacks they do change the words that are said during the flashback from the ones said originally, even though it's the same scene. This is worse because this isn't just words.
The movie also confused me. Granted, I skipped over the middle from about eight minutes in till the last thirty minutes (or somewhere around there), only stopping for the part where he told Koaru about Tomoe and the conflict with Enrishe. Still, most of that looked to be scenes from the tv series that had been altered. I'm not sure any of it would have helped with my confusion. I don't understand what was wrong with Kenshin and Kaoru. They had those marks all over their body but what on earth was it? At first I thought that maybe it was supposed to be from all the injuries he aquired and how far he pushed his body throughout his life. However, then Koaru had it too. Now granted, I suppose somehow Kenshin could have given her some of his 'consequences' (not sure what to call it) since the show isn't entirely realistic. A lot of it is possible but it did have moments of things that weren't possible at least to my knowledge. It is possible that happened I suppose, but, I read elsewhere someone was complaining about the ending and mentioned a disease that Koaru got and then ended up giving to Kenshin. How though? It didn't seem like a virus or any std I know of. And Kenshin was worse than Koaru, which is possible because males and females do not react to disease the same and because Kenshins body was more beaten than Koarus so perhaps even though she had it first it progressed quicker with Kenshin. Still, I can't think of any disease that would look like that.
I am also assuiming Yahiko married or is going to marry tsubume. What happened to Sano though. I had thought that MAYBE he and Megumi might get together. I didn't see him show up till the end when he found Kenshin in China. When he did show up he was dressed funny and looked a bit like a bum. Did Kenshin and Sano ever find out that Saito was still alive? Did Misao and Aoshi get together?
Outside of the few questions I still have, I want to talk about Kenshins son, Kenji. Um, cute name. Anyway, he comes off as a bit of a brat. At first it was hard for me to see how he could be Kenshins son and I know some other people thought he was awful. It took me a while to come up with an answer. I had to remember that when Kenshin was young, he wasn't exactly a saint himself. He went and became an assassin. Also, they lived in two very different times and two very different lives. Kenshin saw his parents die and then he saw people who tried to protect him die. He gave them and the bandits graves. He held a sword with the intention of protecting someone all before he was even ten years old. He was taken in by a master of swordsmanship and was trained in it. By the time he was just fourteen, there was a revolution going on in his country and he went to fight it. He was an assassin and had killed many by the time he was fifteen. He slept with his sword ready. He stained his hands with blood. He was one of the best assassins. He helped bring about a revolution by the time he was 18 by killing people (if I did the math right). He was in a fake marriage before he was 18 and ended up being betrayed by the woman and then accidently killed her. Kenji on the other hand had both his parents alive as he was growing up. Now, going by what the characters were like in the tv series, they were probably decent parents. They would have loved and protected their son, I think, as much as they did eachother. However, based of the OVA, I'm not so sure that they would not have been more devoted to each other than the child. I'm not saying they would neglect him, but it seemed they wanted each other more. I don't know how else to say it. Still, Kenji had his parents and was not assassinating people and sleeping with his sword and bringing about a revolution by the time he was 18. If I understand it correctly though, there was conflict in China during Kenjis life, in which Kenshins father left to help out with and was gone for a long time. That would be a bit hard on him but he still wasn't fighting it. He didn't fear for his life or live in a very dangerous place. So his life was very different. It's not entirely supprising how he ended up. However, he may be a bit of a brat, but it was obvious he was a good kid still. He was like Kenshin in that he ran off though.
The ending of the movie was both awful and awesome. In my opinion, they could have not bothered with the majority of the OVA and just made the last part. It was heartbreaking to see Kenshin so confused and old and frail. Okay so he was always a skrawny skinny short guy never big and muscular or even strong looking but at the end he looked so frail. He couldn't have been older than in his fifties, but he looked lost and dead. All bandaged up, falling, couldn't even catch a fish thrown to him, no light in his eyes, nothing like his younger self. I have to admit though, it made the moments with him and Sano very touching. I still don't really understand why Kenshin was living in that shack in China though or how Sano found him. Why hadn't he gone back to Japan? Was his mind and body unable to get him there without help? Was he too confused? He did seem to be confused about himself. I thought it was so sweet though how Sano took care of him. They were still such good friends. Sano took down a tiger just so Kenshin could make it back to Japan to be with Koaru before he died.
I must say that the whole Kenshin walking towards his home and Koaru walking out and going to meet him, totally cliche. I thought it was sad that it seemed he only got to say goodbye to his wife, that he didn't even see his son again before he died or Yahiko. Then again, I'm not sure he even remembered he had a son at that point. The way Koaru talked to him at the end though, I thought maybe they would have a day together and see their friends at least. I didn't expect it to happen so quickly. After all, he should have been dead a thousand times over during the series and never died! He just went to sleep and that was the end.

As much as I felt Reflection was almost a waste of time, I have to admit it was one of the best endings. I usually hate ending to stories whether they are tv show, movie, or book endings, I'm usually dissatisfied. I can't say that is the case with Rurouni Kenshin. While there are some questions I still have, those are minor. The show told me what happened right up until the main character died and for one of the very few times ever, I felt like I had closure to a story. It's very rare for me to be satisfied with any ending because few ever feel like real endings. Most of the time I feel like I want and need to know more. I want to know what happens right up to the characters death. I didn't get to see everything until every character died or even until Koaru died, but seeing up until Kenshins death was satisfying. The series only left me with two times where I wish I knew more, but it wasn't the end for once. I wish I knew more about Kenshin from the time he was born up until the time we meet him in "Trust and Betrayal." All we really get is that his parents died from disease and his father farmed. The other time I wish I knew more about is the time between the end of the revolution and the time he meets Koaru. I would actually like to know a few more details about the time between Tomoes death and the end of the revolution but it gives enough information for the most part. Mainly, I just wish I knew more about the other two parts. I can't complain though because I got an ending which is what I always want. I can't even say it was a bad ending, because I'm not sure how else Kenshin could die. I think killing him off in a sword fight would be rather stupid since so many already tried that and despite the fact that many of those attempts should have done the job, they didn't. And if the show did kill him off in a sword fight, the only way to make it even slightly believable would be to create a character far worse and more powerful than any of his previous opponents. That would be complicated and once he was killed I feel like it would require still a lot more afterwards to actually give the sense of a closing.