Code: Breaker

Code: Breaker seems to be an interesting, yet predictable anime at the same time.

It has 13 episodes. The opening song is Dark Shame, by Granrodeo and the ending is Shiroi Karasu, by Kenichi Suzumura.

We have Rei Oogami, a boy with an unusual ability, who is in fact a secret agent and apparently a cold-blooded killer hired by the government to carry out justice. Then there is a girl (of course), Sakura, who can see Rei's blue fire abilities and wants to stop him from killing and penetrate his icy heart.

At first glance it seems like the typical romance anime, with a girl who is drawn by a cold, distant boy. I have a feeling that she will soon discover that he's not so bad and probably has a sad story.

Yet it has something that makes you want to watch it, at least a few episodes. Maybe it's the animation or the soundtrack. Still, before you know you're into it!

Divine Gate

Does the world need change? Is change a good or a bad thing? And if you would be able to change something what would you choose? The past, the future? Will you make your choice based on the greater good or on your own desires? How will your decision influence everything?

This is the theme that one of the latest anime, Divine Gate, covers. Having been broadcast in January 2016 the anime was made after a game and is on-going. It has a total of 12 episodes, each of 23 minutes length. It has three genres: action, fantasy and sci-fi. The sountrack is catchy and the voice actors cast include Kanae Itou ( Shugo Chara- Hinamori Amu, Sword Art Online- Yui) as Midori and Hiroyuki Yoshino (Blood+ Miyagusuku Kai, Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood- Kimblee, Loveless- Youji) as Ginji.

Love Stage

Love Stage has a lot of elements that shonen ai fans love: it is funny, touching and is graphic enough to draw you in, while preserving a feeling of innocence. The uke (Izumi) is a bit naive, with feminine features, but he's so passionate and honest that you can't dislike him; the seme (Ryoma) is more daring (of course) and looks more manly. He is a nice person, though he doesn't always show it.

I haven't finished reading the manga and I didn't watch the anime yet, but if you're into shonen ai I recommend this one since it's heart-warming and addictive. Even if you're not a shonen ai fan you could give it a try, because the uke is so feminine that you can easily think he's a girl.

Super Dragon Ball

The arrival of the latest season of Dragon Ball, Super Dragon Ball, surprises us with a new type of opponent for Songoku and takes the battles to a whole new dimension: that of the gods.

The new opponent is a god, who isn’t exactly evil, though he has a reputation for destroying planets according to his mood. He’s childish, proud and seems to enjoy a good fight almost as much as our earthly sayan (sayajin), Goku. The problem is that Songoku can’t compare to a god, so he has to reach another level; the episode in which he does that I think is quite impressive.

There is a whole episode dedicated to Vegeta, in which we see him spending time with his family and showing his gentle side a bit. We also see him getting angry when someone important gets hurt.

We are reminded of how much Goku loves fighting a strong opponent, we can see Vegeta in a very funny situation and for the first time Olong, the pink pig, plays a key part in deciding the fate of the Earth.

The opening (Chouzetsu Dynamic) and ending (Hello) theme songs fit Songoku’s world very well. They are lively and full of rhythm; they contain messages like becoming stronger after a defeat and not having limits or regrets.

Since the anime is still ongoing I believe there will be many more adventures and interesting developments to look forward to.

I was a fan of Dragon Ball during my childhood and a big fan of Dragon Ball Z and GT when I was older, so I’m really grateful for this new series.

Junjou Romantica -third season

The third season of the anime Junjou Romantica proves to be up to the challenge set by the previous two seasons; the relationships are developing, slowly but surely. The plot skillfully combines deep, touching moments with very funny scenes and the soundtrack is as lively as before (Innocent Graffiti by Fo'xTails- the opening song; Kawaranai Sora by Luck Life- the ending song).

Like the previous seasons, the third one also focuses more on the couple Usami Akihiko- Misaki Takahashi than on the other two. Misaki surprises us in a positive way by taking the initiative from time to time. He’s more aware of the romantic feelings he has for Usagi-san and can make the difference between these feelings and those he has for his mangaka hero, Ijuin Kyo. But Misaki is not the only one full of surprises; Usagi-san shows visible signs of maturity (shocking, isn’t it?! :P) when he decides to control his jealousy fits and instead have more faith in Misaki.

Still, Usagi-san does become jealous, especially when a certain someone confesses to Misaki. Tension also arises from the little amount of time Usagi-san gets to spend with Misaki, since the young adult is in search of a job and his place in society. To top that Misaki finds himself between his desire to continue living with Usagi-san and other’s more-or-less obvious expectations to begin living on his own. Here is a quote of Usagi-san, that I really like: “I can be strong because I’m with Misaki”

The second couple, Hiro and Nowaki are very busy with their work. Nowaki becomes insecure and starts wondering if Hiro’s life would have been better with someone else. In the end this proves to be another problem of communication, which the two manage to solve.

In the third couple, Shinobu worries about his lack of cooking skills but Miyagi reassures him, saying that he appreciates Shinobu’s efforts. Miyagi decides to make an effort and pay more attention to what Shinobu wants. Miyagi: “Thank you for falling in love with me!” Their relationship moves to a new level at the end of the episode.

In this season there is another couple’s story that continues as well, beside the three main ones. Since Isaka becomes president at Marukawa he doesn’t have time to be with Asahina. He is under the impression that Asahina either avoids him or is cheating on him. For the first time we see emotions taking over Asahina because he’s afraid that he’ll lose Isaka. Their relationship will also evolve to the next level, so get ready for deep and touching moments between the two.

A fourth season is expected to come next year, since the manga is still ongoing. I won’t spoil too much, but I can say that in the near future Misaki wants to talk to his brother about his relationship with Usagi-san.

Bleach- Rukia and Orihime

Since I am among the few Bleach fans who admire both Rukia and Orihime I thought I should write an article about them.

Orihime is naïve and an airhead, but I think she’s a strong character. Her strength is different from Ichigo’s, it’s the strength of kindness. She wants to protect those she cares about and she can even empathise with her enemies, “sensing” if there is something good in them. Orihime was even able to influence Ulquiorra and even if she was kept prisoner, she never gave up and kept believing in Ichigo. That’s another strength of hers: she believes in people.

At one point she says that she would like to bind together other’s hearts “like the rain binds the earth and the sky”. She becomes strong because she doesn’t want to be a burden to anyone. Orihime reminds me a bit of Hinata, from Naruto, who is also kind and strong at the same time. Even if Orihime was sheltered in her childhood by her brother, she experienced loneliness and sorrow when her brother died and she would have drifted away from the world if Tatsuki hadn’t saved and encouraged her.

Orihime isn’t foolish, she knows not to underestimate the opponent. When she healed Grimmjow I think she did it because she had to prove to Aizen that her skills are worthed, so that he would let her live. She is cautious and doesn’t rush into fight, but she does get carried away by her emotions, sometimes (especially when Ichigo is in danger).

Another thing that I admire about Orihime is her friendship with Rukia. Though both of them are rivals for Ichigo’s feelings, they are also friends. At one point Orihime risks her life to break the enemy’s control over Rukia’s body; in turn, Rukia is shown helping Orihime with her training.

In the end, whether you like Orihime or not you can’t help but think that she’s a complex character (with strengths and weaknesses) who develops a lot throughout the anime.

From the first episodes Rukia proves to be selfless and brave by giving up her shinigami abilities in order to help Ichigo and his family. She is graceful and noble (much like her brother), but she is also modest and doesn’t forget where she comes from. Rukia is quite mature and intelligent, though she does get angry sometimes. She can act like a tomboy (especially with Ichigo), but she also has a gentle, sensitive side.

Rukia doesn’t open her heart and has difficulty making friends, according to Ukitake. She usually doesn’t tell her friends when something troubles her and prefers to suffer in silence than to burden others with her problems. What happened with Kaien affected her a lot, but she doesn’t talk about it. That incident made her feel guilty and she believed that she wasn’t worth saving or being happy. Her self esteem was very low, but she gains more confidence after Ichigo saves her and after she meets Ganju’s sister.

She is perseverent and kind, she often puts others’ safety before hers. Though she cares about Ichigo she doesn’t spoil him. I believe Rukia is an admirable character!

Naruto- Sasuke's character development

As a child Sasuke was kind and loving towards his family (especially Itachi) and respectful to his clan and teachers. He admired his older brother and wanted to be like him and he also desired his father’s approval and recognition.

He began to change when his entire family and clan were killed by Itachi, turning him into a cold and arrogant avenger. Though I believe he felt hurt and lonely inside, he rejected others in favor of solitude. His arrogance made him ignore those he considered inferior, thinking they would be a hindrance in achieving his goal.

When he became a member of team Kakashi, Sasuke grew attached to them and think of them as a family. He began losing some of his cold demeanor and he even put his life in danger a few times, for his team (especially for Naruto). As he later admitted to Sakura, he almost thought that he must forget about his revenge and instead focus on Team 7. This happened especially thanks to Naruto. When Sasuke’s family and friends were alive the two boys were rivals, because Sasuke’s skills were better and he was more popular with girls than Naruto.

After Sasuke lost his family and clan a bond was created between him and Naruto, because they shared the same pain of being lonely and viewed as outcasts by the other villagers. Even if Naruto had grown up alone and Sasuke had a family but than lost it, they both knew sorrow and suffering that made them stronger. A bond of friendly rivalry, because both of them were too proud to openly admit that they actually wanted to be friends. Naruto admits later that this bond was the first he made and that he sees Sasuke as a brother; that’s why he’s so determined to chase the Uchiha boy to the end of the world in order to bring him back to Konoha. This bond is precious to both of them, but especially to Naruto. That is why the moment when Sasuke finally acknowledges him is so touching and important to the blonde boy.

However, when Orochimaru branded Sasuke with the Cursed Seal he pushed the Uchiha boy back on the path of vengeance and power. Though Sasuke still struggles with choosing between revenge and those he loves, in the end he becomes more and more obsessed with power and gradually loses his humanity.

According to Kakashi Hatake, Sasuke has both a superiority and an inferiority complex, as he is unwilling to acknowledge when someone is stronger than him, but obsesses when he believes that they are. Sasuke was dismissive of his rivalry towards Naruto when he was sure he was the better, only to obsess over Naruto’s fast growth after the latter defeated Gaara. He’s so concerned with this that he doesn’t notice his own growth and is under the impression that he is weaker than Naruto. The Uzumaki boy, who still admires Sasuke a lot and is happy to finally be acknowledged by him, doesn’t understand the sudden change in Sasuke and is determined to get some answers and prevent Sasuke from walking the path of revenge, even against the Uchiha boy’s will.

At first Sasuke didn’t want to kill Naruto because he didn’t want to follow the path indicated by Itachi, but instead wanted to gain power in his own way. After training with Orochimaru and severing the ties he believed bound him, Sasuke was apparently willing to kill Naruto just to prove a point at how much he had changed. He became increasingly confident in his strength and retained the habit of underestimating his opponents, though he acknowledged his mistakes and was not above making bonds with those around him (like he did with the members of his own new team, Taka).

According to Obito Uchiha, Sasuke alone was shouldering the entire hatred of the Uchiha clan. After learning the truth about Itachi’s actions Sasuke vowed revenge against the entire Konoha village, even if that was against Itachi’s wishes and would bring disaster for the entire world.

In the end, Sasuke is just a confused “child” looking for recognition and power to fill the void left by the loneliness and hurt he felt inside. He was jealous of Naruto because he could turn loneliness into strength and created bonds with people, that made him stronger, while Sasuke rejected those bonds believing they are a weakness and choosing solitude instead. Sasuke himself realizes in the end that he always followed behind Naruto just as he did with his older brother Itachi.

Concerning Sakura, Sasuke does show genuine affection for her in the end, as well as remorse for what he did to her and to the entire shinobi world.