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Kill la Kill was the right hype train to hop on for fans looking for mindless fun and action. When you look at it from a critical point of view though, it's a slightly different story.

STORY
I actually loved the story of Kill la Kill because I felt it was the best part of its 'parody' plan. Kill la Kill is a parody of modern anime, with all of its fanservice, skill names being read out in a fight, numbered group of villains, school life, transformation sequences, a huge plot that often has the fate of the world depending on a group of teenagers... Kill la ... Kill's storyline is a great attempt to be the embodiment of all these elements and cliches, while being creative in its own way.

Why do so many people say that Kill la Kill was overrated? Some of it has to do with how Kill la Kill failed to be a parody halfway and just became that very anime that it was trying to make jokes of. This doesn't stop the great storytelling accompanied with a great soundtrack from keeping you hooked to the show. Besides, while people often criticise the middle portion of the show for not being very valuable to the overall plot, the conclusion to the story is an epic one that you can look forward to. (And I still liked the middle portion, just because it was fun to watch.)

ART
Kill la Kill's art and animation can be described best as 'inconsistent'. Like any other show with a badly managed budget, the first few episodes of Kill la Kill contain some impressive animation, fight scenes, background art and character art, but as the show goes on, the episodes are increasingly littered with amateurish animation and other lazy stuff. Fortunately for Kill la Kill the occassional bad animation and fights that end straight up in a still frame still somewhat contribute to the overall goofy easygoing atmosphere of the show.

SOUND
The soundtrack is amazing. It also comes with the infamous "Don't lose your way" song and everyone's favourite "Ping Pong Circulate" track. It is seriously good, though. I struggle to come up with one bad thing to say about the soundtrack, the timings that they are played at during the events of the show, or anything. It accompanies the show's cast and events nearly perfectly. I personally found Satsuki's theme being overplayed just so slightly during the anime but that's alright because it's a fantastic track anyway.

CHARACTER
I think all the other reviews talk plenty about the lackluster explanation for Ryuuko's motivation to avenge his dad, or Ragyou's plan to [spoilers]. These are some noticeable gaps in character development. However each character in the show is undeniably unique and attractive. The Four Devas, Ryuuko and Senketsu, Nudist Beach, the Kiryuuin family, the Mankanshoku family, and the rest of the city and the academy are all each portrayed carefully well, throughout all the episodes consistently. Rather than having arcs of several episodes to develop each character, they are all developed continuously, in small episodes.

One very important character in the show is Mako. She's not just there for the comedic value, but she really is one of the main characters who is weaved into the main plot and also acts as a deus ex machina who can interject in any situation, whether it be a serious neck-and-neck one or a goofy and funny one, and control the atmosphere of the whole scene. I found her character particularly interesting because of this, along with all her funny moments and the ship with Gamagoori.

ENJOYMENT
If you don't have fun while watching Kill la Kill, I would say you need to see a doctor. But that's just my personal opinion. My point is that Kill la Kill is an anime that is seriously trying so hard to be enjoyable it feels like being enjoyable is its only purpose. (And it succeeds!) You don't need to put much thought into it or understand everything. I recommend you don't overthink it while watching Kill la Kill because that removes some fun and instead reveals some critical mistakes in character development that you would rather not see.

Its entertaining nature is the main reason why I cannot give Kill la Kill a lower score despite the mistakes it makes.

Futsuu no Joshikousei ga [Locodol] Yattemita is a bit different from all the other idol anime you see out there, in a good way.

STORY
Two girls form up a locodol (local idol) group to their hometown. Nothing big goes on in the show. Small surprises and conflicts pop up but they are neither unexpected nor good, and they get resolved literally in minutes. (Nervous main character solved by a hug. Conflicting concert schedules solved by just... the characters going "But we want to do both the concerts!" and everything goes well, etc.)

ART
For me the art style was one of the main reasons why the show ... felt so comfortable and relaxing. Characters look normal and somewhat attractive. Some might call it generic, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The art really fit the characters' personality and the peaceful mood of the show.

SOUND
Since this is technically an idol anime I was looking forward to all the music they put in it. Don't expect entire albums of different-styled songs like the case with Love Live or Idolmaster, but the few tracks that do play are worth listening to. Background music was nothing too special or impressive, but at least it doesn't disrupt the show. I'm not an expert at listening out for voice acting quality but I felt it was pretty good.

CHARACTER
Nanako's such a humble and honest character who is designed such that the viewer would naturally root for her, when she's nervous or lost, and it doesn't feel forced. That in itself is more than enough for this simple show. In 12 episodes they managed to squeeze in some very simple character development for each of the characters that honestly can't be called very deep or meticulous. Really simple stuff, like getting over nervousness. (I'm not saying overcoming nervousness in real life is simple stuff. I'm saying overcoming nervousness was portrayed as a very simple process in this anime.) No over-sexualization either, which contributes to the special comfortable feeling of this show. (Unless you are only at peace when you watch fanservice and anime tiddies...)

ENJOYMENT
This show was one of those shows which you can watch when you're tired of serious stuff (either in real life or in other shows) and try to get rid of a bit of that stress. A lot of encouraging dialogue and interactions. Finally, no more cliche rainy rooftop arguments or crying characters that are the result of forced conflict and drama that I'd rather not have unless it's a really important part of the story. A show doesn't need seriousness, and seriousness doesn't necessitate fighting and crying. This anime also has its dose of seriousness that is more relatable and honest, like that other group of really popular locodols who were afraid that they were neglecting their hometown in search of mass media popularity. Like Nanako's real yet comedic fear that the lyrics that she came up with might suck ass. But it isn't melodramatic, it isn't forced, and it's so comfortable and natural with the mood of the show that the entire 12 episodes is a smooth, relaxing experience.

The relatively shallow plot disappointed fans of Steins;Gate, but the enlarged scope of events and more action scenes pump more adrenaline.

STORY
When compared with Steins;Gate (the main reason for this sequel's initial popularity), the plot is much shallower but instead wider. In Steins;Gate most of the struggle of Okabe is within the laboratory and the concept of time. In Robotics;Notes the struggle is not only between Akiho and her sister, but the entire club/school plus JAXA and everyone related with Kimijima's plan.

ART
Nothing much to say, the art is good and above average, other than the awkwardly drawn characters that can be seen in ... a few scenes.

SOUND
I enjoyed the background musics and the opening/endings, and overall do contribute to the mood and the intensity of the events occurring. However they are not particularly memorable or exceptionally good.

CHARACTER
We see many sides of each and every character, something which many anime works neglect upon as they try too hard on other aspects. Senomiya Akiho is especially developed well as we get to know the things she value and her reactions to some of the things that happen to her.

ENJOYMENT
I am personally a fan of conspiracy theories and related stories, so Robotics;Notes was an extremely enjoyable series for me. Other people that I know have criticized Robotics;Notes for being too unrealistic, detached, chaotic, not paced well, etc. I see where they are coming from but the intense plot (which I can't really describe in detail because of spoilers) and the climax kept me excited and wanting to watch the next episode and hence I finished the show in a day.

An intense action battle comedy disguised as a mere slice of life.

STORY
Despite being called Nichijou (literally 'daily life'/'slice of life'), characters in the show undergo the most extraordinary events you can imagine. I also really liked major plot developments through the show, such as Nano going to school, Yukko, Nano and Mai swearing to be friends forever with Mio, etc.

ART
Fantastic. Not only are things drawn well, they are animated fantastically as well. The changes in drawing styles of the characters are also a crucial part in the comedy. (You will see what I mean if you watch the show.)

SOUND
I was really impressed ... with the background music. Each of them fit into the atmosphere so well, allowing the audience to be hooked onto whatever that's happening on the screen. Prime example is the music during the house of cards scene, the stuck lift scene, etc. Voice acting is also done very well, and in some parts make the show funnier than it already is.

CHARACTER
As mentioned before, the characters are developed well through the series. First of all this show has numerous characters and through the short intense funny scenes we get to know almost all of them. We see relationships between characters develop too, such as the good friends Yukko, Mio, Mai plus Nano, or the relationship between Misato Tachibana and Koujirou the goat guy.

ENJOYMENT
The jokes are fresh and truly hilarious... to some people. It is an established fact that the sense of humour that Nichijou has going for is not right for everyone. First few episodes of the anime make this pretty clear so if you found them enjoyable you are likely to enjoy the whole 24 episodes.