Synopsis of Bleach: When you bleach out black hair, you get orange… the color of Kurosaki Ichigo’s hair. Why does his hair color matter to the naming of the anime? Kurosaki Ichigo is the main character of Bleach. He is a 15 year old boy who can see the spirits of the dead. One fateful night, as a result of his ability to see spirits, he meets a death god (Shinigami) named Kuchiki Rukia who transfers her power to him so that he may rescue his family from the soul-eating spirits known as Hollows. Ichigo must now adjust to his new role as he faces new challenges as a Shinigami.

My Take: I was almost immediately taken in by this anime and marathon watched the entire first, second, and third seasons because I just couldn’t stop! The story is well written, the anime itself is very well drawn and shaded and the (Japanese) voice acting is top notch. I think anyone who loves anime MUST watch this.

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Synopsis of Naruto: Uzumaki Naruto is a young boy with dreams of becoming Hokage (the village leader). He is stubborn, loyal, and strong willed almost to a fault. Also, he is a prankster who likes to play jokes and vandalize to make others laugh. The anime starts when Naruto is in the middle of Ninja school and failing his courses, and takes you on his journey to be acknowledged by his peers and become a skilled ninja.

My Take: I was reluctant to watch this anime… I mean really? Kid ninjas? I figured it would be crap and wanted nothing to do with it. My fiancé prodded me into it by telling me that if I hated it after 20 episodes then I could stop watching and he wouldn’t bug me anymore. Well that’s all it took, 20 episodes and you will be hooked. It is actually a very deep anime that hides behinds a seemingly childish exterior and will be highly worth your time. Side note: stop at about episode 135 or you will run into the horrible filler of doom, which does nothing for the story or its characters.

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Synopsis of Naruto: Shippuden: The continuing story of Uzumaki Naruto and his quest to become Hokage (the village leader). The same cast of characters you know and love are back and grown up quite a bit. Each of them has increased in skill and maturity and they all have a new set of goals in addition to those of the first series. Naruto is still stubborn, loyal, and strong willed; however, he is now tempered with some maturity and the wisdom of experience and loss.

My Take: The continuation of the Naruto series is even better than ever. It starts off with a bang and keeps the momentum going. There isn’t much filler to worry about, and the filler present isn’t half bad. Each character has really deepened and I have grown so incredibly attached to them all its silly. If you love the first Naruto… you HAVE to watch this one or you wont be complete!

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Synopsis of Death Note: Bored with his job of killing humans with his death note (a black notebook with the power to kill anyone whom you write the name of inside), Ryuuk (a Shinigami – or god of death) drops his death note into the human world and waits for someone to pick it up. Enter Yagami Light, a prodigy high school student who is bored with his life as well. He discovers the power of the death note and decides he will take on a crusade to rid the world of evil, running into obstacles as the legendary detective known only as L comes after him for murder.

My Take: Amazingly written, Death note is like watching an incredible chess match with death as the end result for the loser. Everything was superbly done from the drawing and shading style to the (Japanese) voice acting. It has a sinister tone throughout and will be sure to entertain you.

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Synopsis of Soul Eater: Crazy fun and deceptively deep, Soul Eater is a story of growth and tribulation. Maka Albarn and Soul Eater are a meister and weapon combo at the Technical School for Weapon Meisters and have to collect 99 evil souls followed by one witch soul in order to make Soul Eater fit for use by the headmaster Shinigami (that’s his name lol) against the forces of evil. There are few other key teams as well: Black Star and Tsubaki, and Death the Kid (Shinigami’s son) along with the Thompson twin sisters. Together they must all defeat evil and protect the school in order to save the world.

My Take: After seeing the silliness of some of the scenes in the first few episodes I had serious doubts that I would like this anime, but it surprised me and turned out to be one of my favorites! You should give it a chance as well; I think you will like it.

[ Available on Amazon ]