Photokano; Fun At Cetain Points, But Ultimately Boring

Photokano Quickie Review

By James U.

Photokano is an anime adaptation of a visual novel published by Kadokawa Games, and started airing April 5, 2013. It’s a slice of life/harem/ecchi title with photography as one of the main themes.

Maeda Kazuya is a friendly high school student who is given a camera from his dad. He takes it up as a hobby and encounters several girls who become his friends that would sometimes model for him. It’s as slice of life as slice of life can be, with the exception of being constantly bombarded by hot women. While it does have its fun points, I ultimately had to drop it because it was utterly boring. I’m not planning on making a speculative review since I didn’t make it past the third episode.

Sword Art Online Review

By Alex M.

Review at a Glance:

Rating: 3 out of 5

An interesting premise in a not-oft used setting which is somewhat ruined by a mediocre cast and plot.

Highest point: The implications are astounding. What if MMO’s were for realz? Barring a massive sociological experiment, Sword Art Online might yet be our closest guess.

Lowest point: Spot-the-hentai subplots. Many of the subplots and minor character archetypes appear to have been ripped directly from animated erotica (especially in the second season), ruining the gravity SAO appears to be going for.

Recommendation: SAO is intriguing but ultimately insubstantial. It starts strong but ends poorly, watch the first season and skip the second.

Overview

Sword Art Online (ソードアート・オンライン) is an Action Science-Fantasy anime produced by A-1 Pictures Inc. under the direction of Tomohiko Ito, of Seikimatsu okaruto gakuin (Occult Academy). It began airing in July of 2012 and is based off of an incredibly popular series of light novels of the same name. Sword Art Online was the top selling light novel series in Japan for 2012 and was authored by Kawahara Reki, the man behind the Dengeki Novel Prize-winning: Accel World.