Elfen Lied: Dropped

It's official: I have dropped Elfen Lied. Why? It's not that I dislike gore or limbs being ripped off, but I dislike it when it's done unnecessarily. And trust me, it happens a lot in this anime. Every sentence if followed with a shriek then a limb being pulled off. The first episode is a brilliant example of this flaw. Literally, the only thing that was going through my mind was, "boobs...ow...ooohhh ripped off! Um, where's your shirt? Oh, another limb. Uhuh...ok I get it she hates limbs."
Other than the unnecessary decapitations and mutilations of limbs, I found the storyline a bit dull as well. Well, not dull persay, but...predictable. From the beginning you could tell that Kohta and his cousin (um...weird much?) would get together. That Nana would be saved by her "papa" and eventually find her way back to Nyuu. That Kohta and Nyuu/Lucy had some kind of past together (I won't say any spoilers for those of you who plan to continue watching it). It was just...boring.
I've dropped a few animes in my time, but usually after the first or second episode. This was a first for me, having watched up to episode 10 or 11. I even tried to go back and watch episode 12 today but couldn't bring myself into getting into it. It may also be the characters, each of which is pretty monochromic (yes, even Nyuu/Lucy). This had huge potential, but sadly it just didn't work.

Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne

I'd describe this as a Sailor Moon-esque anime. The typical magical girl/shoujo anime where a girl has to defeat evil with the unwanted help from some sexy bishounen. In a nutshell, Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne is about Maron Kusakabe, a lonely girl who happens to be the reincarnation of Jeanne d'arc, the French hero who fought in the  Hundred Year's War because she "heard the voice of god." In reality, she was actually given the power to seal demons and give God power.  With the help of Fin, a tiny semi-angel, she seals demons in order to save Kami-sama (God) and restore his power over the Devil. In the process, she meets Chiaki/Kaitou Sinbad who seems to be interfering with her and God's will. 

At first I assumed this was going to be a boring anime, with constant repetition. Though I was right, this series added a sweet twist to it. I recommend reading the manga instead of watching the anime. Both are good, but the ending in the manga is much better than the anime. We also see more plot development, with Maron finding out about Chiaki's identity in only about three chapters. I love the love story in this. How Chiaki helps Maron through her loneliness, gives her courage to contact her parents, and how he helps her defeat the Devil. I definately recommend this to any Sailor Moon/ Shugo Chara/ lonely people who need to feel better :). 

Vampire Knight Twins: A Love Once Strong, Now Lost

Vampire Knight has really caught me by surprise! I absolutely love it! It slowly starts to unravel the past of each character, Zero in particular.

Aw, what loving brothers <3

As stated in the post below, Zero has a past that anyone would consider messed up. He comes from a family of top class vampire hunters, and was trained since a young age to take over the family business. Until episode 10, we believed that Zero's mother, father, and brother were killed by the pureblood vampire, Shizuka Hio. However, we now learn that Zero's twin brother is actually still alive. In a flashback, it shows Zero and his brother Ichiru. Ichiru speaks to Zero, telling him that even though he cannot be loved by his vampire hunter teacher, it's enough to be loved by just Zero. Due to Ichiru's poor health he isn't able to do things that his brother can do. On the night of the murder, we watch as Zero gets bitten, while his brother stands loyaly behind Shizuka.

Zero....look-a-like?....goodness, could this world
get any better :D

Many years later, the two brothers meet. In the anime, they meet after Zero has a battle with Maria (who is actually Shizuka in another body). In the manga, they meet when Ichiru tries to protect Shizuka from Zero's attacks. Either way, it's revealed that Ichiru handed over his mother and father to Shizuka so that she could grant him health and strength by means of her blood. Shizuka was seeking revenge against Zero's family because they killed her concubine/ex-human lover. As the story progresses we also learn that Shizuka and Ichiru had romantic feelings for each other, and that he was the only human she refrained from turning into a vampire in order to save his humanity.
Man! I'm getting everything I DIDN'T get in Twilight from this! We have intense bloodlust, violence, romance...betrayal! And not a clique betrayal of lovers, but one of brothers. Brothers who were once to close and loving, turned against each other by the need for "love". Over-dramatic if you ask me, but it's goddamn entertaining :)