Top 10 Cutest Anime Girls Of Winter 2016

Greetings, everyone! This year has gotten off to an exciting start with the addition of what seems like over nine-thousand new girls to love and adore. And, of course, what better way to really get the year started than to sort out the best of the best in my first "Top 10" of the year. For those of you that haven't read one of my "Cutest Girls" articles before, allow me to break it down and once again change the rules concerning how the girls are ranked.

In previous installments of this series, I have limited the amount of characters per show that can make it onto this list. This time, however, I don't care. I thought it would be wrong to discriminate against cuteness just because of other cuteness that would make things seem more varied. So, in theory, every single girl on this countdown could be from one series now. Will that happen? Absolutely not. But it COULD.

Anyway, I am ranking the girls based on not only their appearance but their personalities, voices, etc. Because of this, I obviously can not incorporate girls from series that I have not seen. So don't yell at me if I omit your favorite girl. Or do yell at me. I don't care.

LET'S GET THINGS STARTED!

10) Airi Katagiri

Anime: Erased

CV: Chinatsu Akasaki

Airi didn't really leave an impression on me until the second time you come across her in Erased. At first, my thoughts were, "Oh look, it's just another overly-friendly and suspiciously trustworthy girl". But quickly throughout the series, she starts to grow on you. As soon as it's evident that she's not just some random obliviously nice girl, she's actually pretty great. Plus, there's a certain degree of realism to her character that most of the other girls on this list don't possess. Good job, Airi. Good job.

9) Yuuka Kobayakawa

Anime: Girls Beyond The Wasteland

CV: Kana Hanazawa

I'm not normally into the overly-sporty type...But I AM into the childhood friend type so that totally cancels it out. Yuuka is one of the first characters you'll come across in Girls Beyond The Wasteland, and from that point on she will stick to you like glue. Being nothing but the rambunxious and incredibly loud girl for the first few episodes, her development is a bit slow to accelerate. But once it does, Yuuka spirals into this adorable, love-struck teen that is so desirable it hurts. Why do male characters in anime always have to be so dense? Bunta, just get with her already! UGH!

8) Izumi Reina

Anime: Myriad Colors Phantom World

CV: Saori Hayami

If you are one of those people that think there are cuter girls in Phantom World than Reina, then you are wrong. Sorry, that's just how it is. Reina is, in many ways, the actual embodiment of cute itself. She's actually so cute that she was able to make it in here instead of the red-haired and totally badass Minase Koito. And, I just want to remind you, badass girls with red hair nearly ALWAYS fight their way into my heart. Anyway, Izumi locked in a spot in this top 10 during the fourth episode of the series in which she grows rabbit ears and does cute rabbit-related things with her rabbit parents. Did someone say, "Cuteness overload?"

7) Mashiro Arisaka

Anime: AOKANA: Four Rhythm Across The Blue

CV: Nozomi Yamamoto

There was absolutely no way Mashiro was getting left off this countdown. Just look at her. She's almost perfect. And you know what makes her even more perfect? The fact that she is also kind of a lesbian maybe. It still leaves hope! Mashiro's family also runs an udon shop so if you date her you get free soup literally all the time and that is probably the best thing you can look for in a girl. And, I'm sure you've noticed by now, but she has purple eyes. Not enough girls have purple eyes! Needless to say, Mashiro quickly snuck her way into my heart and I'm totally cool with her just hugging it all day long.

6) Yume

Anime: Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash

CV: Mikako Komatsu

If there's anything out there that will attract me to a woman, it's archery. That's right. I'm attracted to archery. And even though Yume isn't really a genius when it comes to handling a bow, she's still one of the cutest girls I have seen in a while. She keeps her head up when things get tough, but it doesn't stop her from bottling up her feelings and having them eat away at her heart. Yume, I will heal your emotional wounds for you. I won't even charge you gold for it. Just give me your love. Please.

5) Aqua

Anime: KONOSUBA

CV: Sora Amamiya

Aqua is another girl I didn't expect to like nearly as much I do. She is also the only girl on this list that is also a god. You know what the pluses are for dating a god? Literally everything. Gods do whatever they want. That is until they get sucked into an alternate reality where no one really knows or cares what they actually are. But that just makes them cuter! Aqua struggles doing whatever she can for money just to survive. Hell, she even sleeps in a stable. And if you think that all of this would take a toll on her emotional state...well then you would be right. She's miserable. But it's just so adorable and you can't help but want to squeeze her! Also, you should be proud of me for doing this whole paragraph without mentioning her skirt.

4) Misaki Tobisawa

Anime: AOKANA: Four Rhythm Across The Blue

CV: Azumi Asakura

Misaki, much like her almost-lesbian counterpart and holder of the #7 position, Mashiro Arisaka, is a force to be reckoned with in terms of cuteness. The difference here, though, is that Misaki is currently battling a fit of depression in AOKANA. And if there is anything that makes me love a girl more than pure unadulterated cuteness, it's pure unadulterated cuteness with slight undertones of sadness and helplessness. Because now, instead of just loving the girl, I can love her AND help her. And with Misaki, I want to just hold her and tell her everything is okay. She also likes cats and I have three of those, so if she came over to my house she would have something to do. When is liking cats ever a bad thing?

3) Megumin

Anime: KONOSUBA

CV: Rie Takahashi

And so arrives the best girl in KONOSUBA. Megumin is an extremely powerful mage with a case of chuunibyou that only has one drawback -- after she uses her magic she can no longer walk and must be carried home. I'd be totally cool with doing that though because there is no way she's more than like 85lbs tops. She also wears an eyepatch sometimes. Not because it restricts her power or anything like that, it just looks cool. I mean, she's kind of right. Who doesn't like eyepatches? Megumin is the kind of girl that's sensitive about her size, boosting her cuteness up two or three notches. And I just noticed something -- is there even any reason for her to be wearing a belt? I highly doubt the bottom half of her robe is going to fall off. Anyway, if I was launched into the world of KONOSUBA, you can bet your ass that I would choose Megumin as my first partner. Any chance to carry her home is good enough for me.

2) Saya Endou

Anime: Dagashi Kashi

CV: Manami Numakura

Long hair, check. Cool earrings, check. Hair clip, check. Crazy eyes that stare deep into your soul but still possess a glimpse of love, check. Saya was one of my favorite girls of the season the second I laid eyes on her. Then, she became even better when you find out that she works in a coffee shop. Now, you guys only know me from this website, so there's no reason that you would understand or appreciate my love for coffee. But I assure you, that love is almost as strong, if not stronger, than my love for the girls on this list. Saya is absolutely one of the most adorable girls I have encountered for a number of reasons. But the biggest one (Apart from the whole coffee thing) would be that she acts, in no way, the way she looks like she would. Saya is a hopeless romantic that is so in love with the main character in Dagashi Kashi that it will crush your heart. WHY AM I NOT HIM? In fact, if Saya came out any other season, she would probably have no trouble taking the #1 spot. However, this season has a girl that is not only cuter, but much much more important.

Winter 2016 Champion: 1) Kayo Hinazuki

Anime: Erased

CV: Aoi Yuuki

Okay, okay, put your guns down. I need to clarify something before we get into why I chose a 10-year old as the cutest girl of the season. The fact of the matter is that Kayo is cute in a way that surpasses that of the other nine girls on this list. She isn't the kind of cute where my thought process is, "I want to marry you and love you forever". She is the type of girl that I (And so many others) feel the need to protect and shelter. Like a little sister. Kayo has gone through more in just the few years of her existence than most people will in a lifetime. So this isn't me saying that she's the most attractive girl of the season, but the most endearing and the most important. She's the only girl out there right now that you can really connect to and feel sorry for. And every week while I'm waiting for Thursday to roll around, I'm thinking about how much I want things to get better for this poor little girl. Kei Sanbe, the creator of the series, has created a character that can be idolized in way that is rarely done in anime and manga. For all of these reasons, I feel like it would be a crime to not label Kayo as the "Cutest" girl of the season. Every single one of us that has gotten to know her over the past two months truly, truly cares for her. That is something special.

And there you have it, everyone. The 10 cutest girls from the past three months. Feel free to change your desktops, wallpapers, etc.

See you again at the end of next season for another "Cutest Girls"

Feel free to read the rest of my stuff until then!

AOKANA: Four Rhythm Across The Blue Episode #7 Review

The fear of losing something shows that you enjoy it.

What They Say:

The Kunahama Institute is one of the first in the world to give out new anti-gravity footwear to its students. Not only does this invention change the way the basic world functions, with students now being able to shoot across the sky, but it also gives birth to a new sport -- The Flying Circus. Asuka Kurashina is a new transfer student at Kunahama who has never wanted anything more than the ability to fly. Suddenly mixed in with students who have already mastered the art of flight, Asuka must overcome physical and mental barriers as she adapts to a new environment filled with new people, all while trying to master a new way of life.

The Review:

Content: (Please note that the content portion of the review may contain spoilers)

The finals are here. No, not the test finals that anime characters seem to dread more than real people -- the finals of the spring tournament. With two-time reigning champion, Shindou Kazunari slated to go up against Inui Saki, a first-time tourney player in Japan, there is a clear favorite to win the match. However, Saki and her second have a trick up their sleeves (Or spandex). Once the match begins, Saki launches an all-out battle of the wits against Shindou, controlling him every step of the way. As the match goes on, the reigning champion falls into a deficit that becomes deeper and deeper by the second. And before he can even think about turning the tide, the whistle is blown and Inui Saki is the new champion in a match that was deemed "The upset of the century."

Now, you'd think that out of anyone, Shindou would be the person to take this loss the hardest. But in all actuality, it's Misaki Tobisawa off on the sidelines that's about to be hit by a wave of despair. (I still can't really figure out why, though. I'll never understand girls). Anyway, following Shindou's loss, Misaki is devastated. Now, on top of Shindou already paying more attention to Asuka than her, there is some random third girl thrown into the fray that is actually able to beat him. We don't really figure out exactly why Misaki is taking everything so harshly, but I think it's safe to ascertain that she just feels extremely insignificant compared to some of the other players out there. That becomes extremely evident in the following days.

Deciding to distance herself from her team for the time being, Misaki spends some much-needed time at home, picking tomatoes and ignoring text messages. As days go by, no one from Kunahama can even reach her. After drowning her sorrows in some shopping at a nearby mall, Misaki encounters none other than Shindou himself, as the two wind up trying to escape the rain. Of course, this lights a fire somewhere inside Misaki that ultimately results in her asking Shindou why he was so complacent with losing. His response, however, is actually extremely logical and very dissimilar to how viewers perceive him up to this point. For a brief moment in time, he is the philosophical embodiment of hope and perseverance that Misaki should have needed to talk to in order to cope with her deteriorating emotional state. However, instead of drawing inspiration from him, she leeches negativity, dwelling on one very important thing that he said, "If I stop having fun, I'll just quit".

The next day, as Asuka and the others meet up near their clubhouse/school bus, Madoka (Who is also the new team captain) crashes through the trees with some disturbing news. In the midst of the confusion, she displays a resignation letter from Misaki, who apparently no longer has interest in playing flying circus. Of course, this sparks a short bit of hysteria from the girls (Particularly Mashiro, who can barely even get words out) that basically forces the episode to end on a note that can parallel Misaki's emotional state -- distraught.

In Summary:

Even though we get to witness the final round of the spring tournament (Which, in itself, was exciting), this episode seems to mellow down that tone of the past several weeks. The excitement is tossed to the side and, instead, the focal point becomes just how much Misaki Tobisawa was impacted by recent events. Character development is prevalent in this episode for both Misaki and Shindou, and we even get a glimpse into yet another side that we haven't seen from the previous champion. Personally, I'm impressed to see just how far Shindou has come, considering he's just a side character. One more interesting thing about this episode is just how little Masaya has to do with it. If I'm recalling correctly, he only had a few lines in the entire episode. On the other hand, we get to see a bit more of Madoka who is quickly becoming my favorite girl on the show. Oh, and also, there is some fanservice again. Hooray.

Grade: B+

Streamed By: Crunchyroll

AOKANA: Four Rhythm Across The Blue Episode #6 Review

I never knew Shindou was capable of making such expressions!

What They Say:

The Kunahama Institute is one of the first in the world to give out new anti-gravity footwear to its students. Not only does this invention change the way the basic world functions, with students now being able to shoot across the sky, but it also gives birth to a new sport -- The Flying Circus. Asuka Kurashina is a new transfer student at Kunahama who has never wanted anything more than the ability to fly. Suddenly mixed in with students who have already mastered the art of flight, Asuka must overcome physical and mental barriers as she adapts to a new environment filled with new people, all while trying to master a new way of life.

The Review:

Content: (Please note that the content portion of the review may contain spoilers)

The tournament rages on as both Asuka and Misaki make it to the next round. Now, on one of the hottest days of the year, these two girls must compete with not only their opponents but themselves as they try and fight their way to the finals. The question is: Can Kunahama truly compete with all of these other schools with more advanced flying circus teams? I mean, they've only been operating for a month or two!

As this week's episode starts, Asuka is already in a heated battle with the devilish Kasumi Kurobuchi. Even though their fight is at a stalemate upon our introduction to it, Asuka quickly turns the tide and surprises Kasumi (And even her own teammates) as she overcomes a sticky situation and ultimately tacks on another win for Kunahama. Following that, it is revealed that Misaki will be going up against none other than Shindou Kazunari again. Crap. Well, there goes that victory. There's no way this is even going to be close.

But then it was. Even though the match started off in Shindou's favor, Misaki was able to pool her efforts with Masaya (Commanding her from the ground) and actually make a match of this after all. After turning around a three-point deficit, Misaki transforms this particular round of the tournament into a non-stop dogfight as she piles point after point on to her score. However, this doesn't last for long as Shindou realizes the situation he's in and puts on his game face. Or, at least, what we think his game face is at this point in time. Needless to say, Shindou reclaims his lead with less than a minute left and pushes Misaki into the losers' bracket as he advances to the next round to face off against...Uh-oh, it's Asuka.

After a quick pep-talk and some mediocre fanservice in the locker room, Asuka is ready to face off against the Takafuji captain and reigning national champion. And, of course, that match starts just the way that you'd expect it to, with Shindou exploding to the first buoy as Asuka heads to cut him off. This time around, though, Shindou isn't playing games. He's so focused on winning that he starts busting out moves we haven't even heard of yet (IE: The Cobra and the Suicida). With his curiosity about Asuka peaking, its as if he's waiting for her creativity to be unleashed. Even with that being said, when she finally does get crafty, he isn't able to counter it. Asuka starts unloading air-kick turn after air-kick turn and ultimately air-combo'ing Shindou to the point where he can barely retaliate. But her combo can only last so long as on her fourth consecutive special move, Shindou recovers and retaliates, launching Asuka into the water. Kind of. I'm not really sure, there was a huge splash...but then she wasn't wet. Can anyone tell me how that works?

The most interesting part of what happens after lies in the reaction from the national champion. Noticing that he is in a tough spot, he lets out his true colors. The loudest noise of the series so far escapes his mouth as he screams in a fit of rage before shooting off toward the pink-haired flying fish girl. Blinded by madness and desire to win, Shindou manages to score a few more points as Asuka is helplessly slammed into the again (Kind of) again. From this point, it isn't long until the buzzer goes off and Takafuji wins the round.

Now, you'd think that the team would be happy about how well Asuka did. And they are -- except for one person. Misaki. After the match, she just stands at her team's tent with tears pooling up in her eyes. And frankly, they didn't look like tears of joy. The way it seems is that Misaki is not only personally offended by Shindou's attitude toward Asuka compared to herself, but she is also incredibly upset. If this is actually what's going on (Which I'm sure we'll find out next episode), this might play a huge role in determining Misaki's psychological state and emotional well-being. And even though this could be the drama that I have been waiting for, it still hurts knowing that it's my favorite girl who is feeling the burn.

In Summary:

This installment of AOKANA serves as the obvious follow-up to the first tournament of the season. With some exciting action and further development of the flying circus, the sixth episode isn't a break by any means. In terms of pacing and suspense, this is perhaps the heaviest episode so far. Only one new side-character is introduced, but I doubt she will even matter because she literally only had two or three lines. Apart from that, though, the sixth episode was a predictable yet still entertaining experience that ends on a subtle cliffhanger for us all to look forward to.

Grade: B

Streamed By: Crunchyroll

Black Bullet Vol. #2 Manga Review

I am Hiruko. Kagetane Hiruko. To put it simply...I am your enemy.

Creative Staff:

Art: Morinohon

Original Story: Shiden Kanzaki

Character Design: Saki Ukai

Translation: Sheldon Drzka

Lettering: Abigail Blackman

What They Say:

After being invaded by viral parasites known as Gastrea, the people of Japan have had no choice but to encase themselves within colossal monoliths designed to repel the beasts. The Gastrea, however, have still managed to slowly trickle through the barrier and infect some of the population. In order to fend them off, humanity has created a "Civil Security" branch trained in the extermination of the parasites. Rentarou Satomi and Enju Aihara are just two of many Civ-Sec officers fighting to keep humanity safe and fix what has become of their world once and for all.

The Review:

Content: (Please note that the content portion of the review may contain spoilers)

When we last left off, our protagonist was smack-dab in the middle of a Civ-Sec meeting about to go wrong. Being caught up in an argument with another, much more experienced officer (Shougen Ikuma), Rentarou is on the brink of really getting himself into trouble. That is until the ruler of the Tokyo area appears on the television with an important announcement for all Civ-Sec officers -- the elimination of a spider class gastrea. Now, not only is this the same type of gastrea that escaped and caused a truck-load of problems for our protagonists in the last volume but this time around its carrying a container with some "Special classified objects" inside of it. And if that, in itself, wasn't sketchy enough, the masked villain who mercilessly slaughtered the police back in the first chapter of the manga is also just hanging around in the room. In fact, no one even notices him until he introduces himself to everyone. Talk about poor security.

The masked man goes by the name of Kagetane Hiruko, and formally announces that he will be the enemy of each and every Civ-Sec officer in the room. He then reveals that not only is he a former officer himself, but an experimental one birthed from the "New Humanity Creation Project" which built upon normal Civ-Sec officers in order to create a better, stronger unit to combat gastrea. So apparently, Hiruko has gone rogue and is now fighting against his original comrades. The interesting part about this, though, is that it makes sense. Hiruko isn't your average, blindly-evil villain that wants to destroy the world just because it's morally unacceptable. His theory is that Civ-Sec and humanity itself are the bad guys. And honestly, he's kind of right. I don't know if he's right enough to justify killing everyone ever, but he's still correct to some extent. Humanity, at this point, has slipped to a point where anyone that isn't a pure-blood human is belittled and shunned from existence. The cursed children are being blamed for the slaughtering of families and friends, when in all actuality, they are the ones aiding Civ-Sec in exterminating the true cause of the colossal fatality rate -- the gastrea.

Eventually, Hiruko vanishes alongside his cursed daughter, Kohina, and the hunt begins. And what would a hunt be without a little friendly competition? The fight to find the spider class gastrea involves every Civ-Sec branch in Tokyo matched up against not only each other, but Hiruko as well as he attempts to claim the treasure encased inside the monster -- the "Inheritance of the Seven Stars". This treasure is said to have enough power to obliterate the obelisks protecting what's left of humanity and ultimately cause the gastrea virus to spread to the rest of Tokyo. That's...a little problematic to say the least.

And if that weren't problematic enough, Hiruko somehow manages to spread the fact that Enjou is a cursed child around her school. Being the racist (If you can call it that?) jerks that human children are, Enjou is essentially bullied out of school and runs away to the outer district where the majority of cursed children seek refuge. Of course, she does this without notifying Rentarou, so now he has another problem to deal with. Before he can successfully go out and uncover the inheritance of the seven stars, he must find his initiator and persuade her into joining his side again. After pages upon pages of searching high and low, the two are emotionally reunited and, once again, set out to find the treasure monster. With some help from a helicopter purchased by Kisara, that monster is quickly discovered and Rentarou/Enjou are the first ones to physically encounter it.

The battle, fueled by Enjou's currently-deteriorating psychological state, is a quick one. She packs basically all the strength she can muster into one extravagant blow that quickly demolishes the overly-elusive gastrea. Hooray, all is well now! What a surprisingly happy ending to this early arc! Oh wait, never mind, here comes Hiruko. Unwilling to let Rentarou take away the treasure that could ultimately "Kill" humanity, Hiruko starts combat against the Civ-Sec duo, backed by his overpowered daughter. Now, this battle is pretty significant compared to the others so far, so I'm not going to give away how it ends. But I can tell you, it's pretty damn awesome and a fitting end to an exciting volume.

In Summary:

Black Bullet Vol. 2 is a good follow-up to a debut volume that used a little too much time on character introduction. Exposition, for the most part, is correctly sidelined for the time being and readers get to experience some good old-fashioned action. With the plot sloping towards a significantly darker route, Black Bullet is becoming something exceedingly more interesting than it was at first glance. In fact, there was one panel in here that made me question the rating of 14+. All in all, I'm excited to say that I'm looking forward to the next volume of this series and that I'm very impressed with how much it has improved in just four chapters.

Content Grade: B+

Art Grade: B-

Packaging Grade: B

Text/Translation Grade: A-

Age Rating: 14+

Released By: Yen Press

Release Date: December 15, 2015

MSRP: $13.00

Reaction To: Your Lie In April Dub Premiere (Katsucon 2016)

It's like this show was designed to be rewatched.

What They Say:

Kousei Arima was a genius pianist until his mother’s sudden death took away his ability to play. Ever since then, each day was dull for Kousei. One day, he meets one violinist by the name of Kaori Miyazono. This care-free, independent, and sometimes short-tempered girl had an eccentric playing style that immediately fascinated Kousei. His once monotonous life was about to change forever.

The Reaction:

(This article will be spoiler free in order to make it readable for all audiences)

About a year and a half ago, I was introduced to a series that would go on to make waves in terms of my feelings on topics like relationships, optimism/pessimism, friendship, and so many other themes that are commonly overlooked in anime. When I first started watching Your Lie In April (Or Shigatsu Wa Kimi No Uso), I was immediately floored by its ability to captivate and entrap me almost right off the bat. Now, not even two years later, Aniplex has graced myself as well as so many others touched by the series with an English dub and two upcoming blu-ray box sets.

The dub made its premiere on Saturday at 7:00PM EST (Katsucon 2016). With Katsucon being one of the few conventions I attend each year, it was a given that I would toss everything else happening aside in order to attend this extremely special event. And I say "extremely special" because it was truly an intimate and touching two-hour panel that would far surpass everything else from the convention this year. Moments after taking my seat near the front, Aniplex sent forth a spectacular Kaori Miyazono cosplayer (Equipped with violin and all) to annihilate the hearts of the crowd. As the lights dimmed and everyone in the audience fell silent, the cosplayer began an emotional violin recital of various songs from the series that we all grew to know and love during its 22-week course. After playing for ten minutes or so, Kaori left the center of the room and the reps from Aniplex gave a little introduction to the magic we were about to witness. Of course, that wouldn't be until they surprised us again with the announcement of Erica Mendez (The voice of Tsubaki) being among us in the crowd.

And then the room went dark.

The first thing that all of us saw on the screen wasn't the anime itself, but instead, a discussion lead by the show's ADR Director/Scriptwriter, Patrick Seitz, as well as the four core cast members. Throughout the discussion, the audience came to know just how important this show was to not only the rest of the crowd, but the actors themselves. Considering the emotional rollercoaster that this series grows to be, it was not surprising hearing stories of tears in the studio to coincide with the tears that we, the viewers shed. Once the discussion wrapped up, it was like a tidal wave of magic and sorrow washed over us as Kaori appeared on the screen.

That's when the feelings came back. Just seconds into the show, myself and so many others started tearing up. It was like this series was created to be watched again, beckoning for our hearts to slow down and for our faces to grow red as we remembered the times we shared with the series. So many subtle shots in the very beginning of the series served as callbacks to things we learned, later on, that were witnessing from a new, more informed perspective now. But this wasn't just designed so that those re-watching the series would be hit harder. Even those that were seeing the series for the first time were choked up just moments after the dub started.

And what a dub it was.

Each of the four main characters fit the original Japanese seiyuu in a way that was almost unprecedented. With voices sculpted in a way that evoked feelings of nostalgia and passion. The American actors must have truly done their homework, because it felt like each one of them had become the character they were portraying. And this isn't just me being biased because of how special Your Lie In April is to me. In fact, with the speakers being English this time around, I may have developed even more of a connection to the show. The emotion and inflection packed in every single line was crystal clear. In both the sorrowful and the joyful moments, it was almost like I was there. And it was truly an experience unlike anything else I've seen before -- and I've been to other dub premiers as well to back that up.

There was just something different about this, and that difference can be attributed to the wonderful direction (And scriptwriting) from Patrick Seitz. Through just that short discussion before the series I mentioned earlier, it was easy to uncover just how much Seitz cared about Your Lie In April. It was like he put himself into each character's shoes and discovered the intricate inner workings of all of them. And, as I mentioned before, it was faithfully backed by his actors. 

After the first three episodes played consecutively, the lights came back on and Aniplex took the stage again. After our eyes readjusted to the light and our sleeves grew wet from mopping up our tears, Erica Mendez made her way up front for a quick Q&A before raffling off some autographed Your Lie In April gear -- including a unique poster signed by the original producer of the series (That, I kid you not, I lost by one number. This is the last time I bring a friend to a convention).

The dub for Your Lie In April isn't your typical anime dub. It's intimate, passionate, and beaming with personal connections from the actors and director. For those who use English as their first language, this might even surpass the source content of the series (Which was an A+ in itself). There was just a certain quality to this premier that overtook and consumed everything else in my life until it ended. Honestly, I would have stayed in that room and watched the entire series over and over again. It was an escape from reality, and I'm absolutely positive that I'm not the only one who felt that way.

English Dub Grade: A+

Your Lie In April is set to release its first blu-ray volume on 3/29/2016, with a second volume coming on 5/31/2016. The specs and features for each are as follows: 

Your Lie In April Blu-ray Box Set Vol. 1

Spoken Languages: English/Japanese

Subtitles: English/Spanish

Episodes: 1-11

Number Of Discs: 3 Blu-ray discs

Total Run Time: Approx 250 min.

Rating: 13+

MSRP: $129.98

Bonus Content (On disc): Textless OP/ED, English commentary (Ep. 1)

Bonus Content (Physical): Original Soundtrack CD Vol. 1 (Masaru Yokoyama), Collectible Postcards, Original Box Illustration (Naoshi Arakawa), Original BD Case Cover (Yukiko Aikei)

Your Lie In April Blu-Ray Box Set Vol. 2

Spoken Languages: English/Japanese

Subtitles: English/Spanish

Episodes: 12-22

Number Of Discs: 3 Blu-ray discs

Total Run Time: Approx 250 min.

Rating: 13+

MSRP: $129.98

Bonus Content (On disc): Textless OP/ED, English commentary (Ep. 22), Bloopers

Bonus Content (Physical): Original Soundtrack CD Vol. 2 (Masaru Yokoyama), Collectible Postcards, Original Box Illustration (Naoshi Arakawa), Original BD Case Cover (Yukiko Aikei)

AOKANA: Four Rhythm Across The Blue Episode #5 Review

What choice do I have...but to overtake them with spirit?!

What They Say:

The Kunahama Institute is one of the first in the world to give out new anti-gravity footwear to its students. Not only does this invention change the way the basic world functions, with students now being able to shoot across the sky, but it also gives birth to a new sport -- The Flying Circus. Asuka Kurashina is a new transfer student at Kunahama who has never wanted anything more than the ability to fly. Suddenly mixed in with students who have already mastered the art of flight, Asuka must overcome physical and mental barriers as she adapts to a new environment filled with new people, all while trying to master a new way of life.

The Review:

Content: (Please note that the content portion of the review may contain spoilers)

The time has finally come for all of Kunahama Institute's harsh training to pay off. That's right, at just five episodes in, the summer flying circus tournament has arrived. Asuka, Mashiro, Misaki, and even Shion are competing against various flyers from other schools -- some we have met, some we have not. With four matches at the episode's disposal, however, there isn't much time to focus on really anything apart from actual flying circus matches. This lightens the amount of filler, yet surprisingly boosts the amount of comedy that we've been getting used to over the past month. So, before we get any further into detail about the subtleties of the episode and the deeper evaluation, let's delve into the actual sports recap stuff.

Our first match of the tournament is Mashiro (Coming off an entire episode centered around her last week) vs...Oh crap, it's Reiko Satouin again. Having faced off against her in the past, Mashiro plans on changing up her style this time around. Reiko, remembering Mashiro as a fighter-type, starts the match off at a slower pace, ready to counteract that playstyle. But just seconds into the match, Mashiro takes off, showcasing the new skills she obtained through her tough week of training with Rika. However, even though Mashiro got off to a great start, the match would soon come tumbling down as Reiko is just too damn good at flying circus. And even though Mashiro winds up losing, her team still cheers for her as she managed to score several points against Takafuji's blonde bombshell -- which is a feat on its own.

Up next we have a battle between two of the source game's heroines -- Misaki and Rika. This battle could also be known as "The Battle of Potential Yuri Partners for Mashiro Arisaka" which I think fits a lot better. Anyway, Rika gets off to a good start, using her speeding tactics to score a quick first point. However, just seconds after, Misaki counters and manages to start a dogfight against her first-year opponent. After getting knocked around for a bit, Rika attempts to lure Misaki into a trap in which she will use her attack's momentum to make a getaway. However, Masaya figures that out and lets Misaki know in order to secure Kunahama's first victory of the day.

And now we finally get to see the team captain fly. Moments before his battle, Shion Aoyagi announces that in order to win, he just needs to harness his willpower and be "Fast, faster, and fastest". This doesn't necessarily work out for him the way it should have, though. His opponent, Saki Inui, is a transfer student from England: the birthplace of flying circus. Donning grav-shoes called "Avalons," Saki gets off to a roaring start and easily outraces Shion, culminating in a match he had absolutely no chance of winning. That's fine, though, because he still flew extremely fast and made his entire team, as well as himself proud.

Our final match is none other than Asuka Kurashina pitted against a girl from Mashiro's childhood that we were introduced to probably ten minutes beforehand. Though that girl, who we will call Tuna, seems to know what she's doing, she makes some minor mistakes with her flight patterns that even Asuka is able to decode. After letting Tuna by her the first time, Asuka quickly recollects herself and turns the tide, starting a dogfight with the fish girl that would go on to consume the rest of the match. The thing is, the dogfight winds up being Asuka's favor the entire time and it allows her to collect the second victory of the day for Kunahama, giving them a record of 2-2. I'd say that's not too shabby for a first competition. Especially considering none of them have ever really competed before apart from Misaki (And maybe Shion? I'm still not sure about him).

In Summary:

Episode 5 of AOKANA is the most action packed of the season so far. In fact, I'd say it's the one episode that actually made the show feel like a sports anime instead of another slice of life with a touch of cute flying girls. Each match is interesting in its own way and it's great to see the characters developing as players and not just...well, characters. AOKANA has done a subpar job of making flying circus interesting thus far, but this episode serves to change that. That might be attributed to the fact that we're actually witnessing a tournament now and not just practice, but it's still refreshing to see a new wave of characters introduced to the series that I'm sure we will wind up seeing again. This was a good follow-up to last week's episode and I hope there are more like this to come.

Grade: B+

Streamed By: Crunchyroll