Anime: Shichisei no Subaru

Averagely decent from all aspects.

Starts off on a pretty strong plot direction which made me really curious enough to drill on. Soon enough when the dust settles down, its just an OK plot. I kinda liked the flashy fights and art were pretty good.

I found it lacking in depth though having a promising start. Not much effort is put into explaining the world mechanic as well as the fights - event and characters fight moves just happens without much depth. It was a missed opportunity with character development and chemistry as well. Characters were likable and plot focuses a lot on the characters, thought somehow I can't really feel with them. Waifus were pretty cute though.

Overall, its a decent watch for a MMORPG style anime, with lots of flashy fights and decent enough drama. 5/10 for me.

This show has a lot to offer as a shounen. Though I would place the target audience at middle school age. Many of the plot elements are pretty old hat (.hack), so us older folk wouldn't be as wowed by it. Not to mention some serious balance issues with the game. Flaws aside, though, this is a rather serious drama that goes light on the fanservice and has basically no ecchi. The focus is actually on the story and the characters. The plot is a bit weak, and the ending is somewhat "non"... A second season would be welcome, but I won't hold my breath. For fans of in-game dramas, this one's worth checking out, but like I said, it seems like it's geared more toward a younger, less-experienced audience.