Anime Thoughts

Yours truly is back again, ladies and gents, and this time?
We're gonna look at some anime.

Now, I'm not a huge anime freak (meaning, I haven't watched a whole lot). The animes I have seen are all of Bleach, most of Naruto, and all of Sword Art Online. I'll give you some thoughts on each one.

First, Bleach. It's got some good and bad things in it. It develops its characters quite a lot, and you get to know them very well, which draws you deeper into the story and the emotional underlines. I'd say that's a good thing. It also has some of the most spectacular fights in anime history, so if you're an adrenaline junky, Bleach is the action anime for you.
However, it's also got some bad stuff. Just about all anime has some sexual inappropriateness, and Bleach is no exception. In fact, it might be one of the most inappropriate animes out there, which is one reason I don't watch it anymore. It also has quite a bit of swearing. Ironically, one Japanese swear word can mean several in English, depending on its pronunciation. But aside from those two things (which are in just about every anime I can think of...ugh), Bleach also has a few other flaws. One, its fights are way too predictable at times. I can literally say what's going to happen next, and a cliche I think Bleach introducted and completely overused are the two guys charging at each other, then ending up facing away from each other, for the finale. Just count how many times it happens! Seriously! Lastly, it's got a dragged out storyline. It just takes so long to get to the climax you wonder if there even is one. Overdramatic. At least it's not as bad as Naruto.

Speaking of which, here you go. Naruto is not my favorite anime, but I admit it's got some better stuff than Bleach. For one, it's not as inappropriate. Oh don't get me wrong, there's a whole lot of stuff I can name as somewhat explicit (the sexy jutsu, pervy sage, etc.), but it's not as in-your-face all the time like Bleach. The cursing is also a little played down, though admittedly still there. And as for the storyline, it's got one major good thing and one critical bad thing.
Good first. Naruto has one of the most epic storylines out there. The climaxes are huge, and I admit, I almost cried a couple times. If an entertainment medium can do that to me, then it has (in my opinion) succeeded. However, it's so LONG! I hate that! It takes literally several episodes just to start and conclude one fight, not to mention one section, which might be more like fifteen episodes! Even Bleach isn't that slow! COME ON! I can't tell you how many times I've rolled my eyes and yelled 'Get to the point!' So those two giant positive and negatives cancel each other out. So...I kind of like and don't like it.

Lastly, there's Sword Art Online. Now, I wouldn't recommend either of the two previous animes. You can watch them if you want, I'm just warning you about what's in them. However, this anime I would completely recommend.
Well, not completely. But it's the best anime out of the three I have watched, and if I know anything about anime, that says a lot. Let's get in to it.
Okay, the standard inappropriateness and swearing. For the former, there is very, very little. I can name a few scenes that are questionable indeed (and one that downright shouldn't be in there), but thank goodness there isn't much. Same thing for swearing. It's definitely not used as much in this anime as the other two, and I am grateful for that. However, the two are still there, and you need to be on your guard just as much.
As for storyline, it's pretty much perfect. There is only about twenty-something episodes, so the story moves quite briskly; but not too fast, which is great. Also, I think I actually did cry when the climaxes came around. Now that is the sign of an epic show. They give you enough storyline to fall in love with the characters, but not so much as to smother you. And the love story between Kirito and Asuna (the main characters) is very well done, though of course I don't approve of teenagers getting married. Personally. Now, the only real flaw I could find is the way they did the storyline. Don't get me wrong - it's epic, but they kind of throw in a twist in the middle, and you're like 'What? I thought it was over!' No spoilers intended, but just be aware there's a twist around the beginning of the double-digit episodes. Otherwise, this anime is the best ever.

And that's it. In general, anime is not a very good thing. Why? It achieves a realistic surrealism, and many people can be misled by that. Not to mention every anime, pretty much without exception, has the two elements of swearing and sexual inappropriateness. I wish there was a good anime out there without either of those, but sadly I haven't heard of one. So, if you choose to watch anime, just be aware of those major things. Make sure you identify what's wrong and what's right, but otherwise, enjoy.
(I don't watch anime anymore, by the way. My parents don't like it, and if they say the same for you, then please follow their wishes. You can watch anime when you're out of the house and on your own)