Steins;Gate

Okabe Rintarou, the main character.

Plot:

In the Future Gadgets Lab, Okabe Rintarou and his friends have created a time machine using their microwave. [NOTE: There really isn't anything else I can say without revealing key points of the story so... yeah]

Individual Ratings:

Animation: 10/10

Plot: 9/10

Characters: 10/10

Music: 10/10

Opinions:

This anime is truly a masterpiece. It has humor, romance, mystery, and is even a bit of a thriller. The first half of the series is mainly comedy; however, it eventually leads up to the first climax around episode 12-13. After that, it takes a dark turn, and that's where the good part starts. Some of the soundtracks from this anime are my favorites, including the opening song. And of course I watch it for Okabe. In fact, my favorite anime character used to be Lelouch until I met Okabe Rintaro.

Overall Rating:

9.8/10

Cowboy Bebop

The main character, Spike Spiegel

Plot:

In the future, bounty hunters go from planet to planet, searching for criminals in order to get by. Spike and Jet are the inhabitants of the Bebop, their spaceship. As they travel, they meet Faye, the beautiful but dirt-poor gambler, and Ed, the super hacker. As they go on their journeys, they must each come to terms with their own past.

Individual Ratings:

Animation: 8/10

Plot: 9/10

Characters: 10/10

Music: 9/10

Opinions:

Cowboy Bebop, one of Watanabe's greatest works, is know to be in the top 5 of almost every "best anime" list. The show has a perfect cast of characters, each with their own rich backstory, which they must come to terms with. Although this was made in 1998, the animation is one of the best of its time, and can still compare to anime in the first decade of the 21st century. The plot is episodic. If you like jazz, you will love this show, because most of the soundtracks are jazz (plus their spaceship is named after a type of jazz).

Overall Rating:

9/10

Aquarion: EVOL

The main characters of Aquarion: EVOL, featuring Mikono (left) and Amata (right).

Plot:

[There were too many names and things for me to summarize, so I used the one from MyAnimeList, which summed it up nicely]
The "Abductors" Invaders from Altea come to Earth with only one purpose, to harvest humans. DEAVA the Aquaria Academy exists to train men and women to use Aquaria, but they cannot ever merge because of Guize stones, these block an "unholy union" between genders. The story follows Amata and Mikono in their enrollment into DEAVA, and fight their fight with Abductors.

Individual Ratings:

Animation: 9/10

Plot: 6/10

Characters: 7/10

Music: 8/10

Opinions:

Remember those books you read in high school? Yeah, the ones with all that symbolism and metaphors and crap in it. If you take all the action and mecha out of Aquarion: EVOL then that's all you're left with (not including boobs). Aquarion: EVOL is stuffed with sexual symbolism, from the donuts to the hole in the wall. Many people consider it action; however, since everything revolves around romance and the relationships between the different characters, I consider it a romance.

Overall Rating:

7.5/10

Time of Eve

The main characters, the android Sammy and the high school student Rikuo Sakisaka.
(Click on square to see full-sized picture in case it doesn't show up)

Plot:

In the future, androids are a common part of society. However, Rikuo Sakisaka and his friend, Masaki, discover that Rikuo's android, Sammy, has been going to a cafe called the Time of Eve. When they enter, they find that the cafe does not allow discrimination between the androids and humans. Also, the status rings of the androids are turned off. Here, the two friends meet new people that changes their view of humans and robots forever.

Individuals Ratings:

Animation: 10/10

Plot: 8/10

Characters: 9/10

Music: 8/10

Enjoyment: 8/10

Opinions:

The first thing that stands out about Time of Eve is the animation. The director went full acid with this one. The camera shot go this way, that way , now here, now there. Aaaaand its back to the main character. The story was also amazing, although there really isn't an ending to it. That's pretty much all I can say without revealing stuff.

Overall Rating:

8.6/10

Now and Then, Here and There

The main characters of the anime, Shu (boy) and Lala-Ru (girl).
(Click on square to see full-sized picture in case it doesn't show up)

Plot:

While coming back home from a kendo lesson one day, Shuzo Matsutani (nicknamed "Shu") sees a girl with blue hair sitting on a smokestack. While conversing with her, she is kidnapped by mysterious people with otherworldly machines. Shu is accidentally brought back with them when they time travel to their world; a wasteland lacking water. Here, Shu experiences many things he never would have imagined, and witnesses some of the darkest things humanity could ever do.

Individual Ratings:

Animation: 7/10

Plot: 10/10

Characters: 10/10

Music: 9/10

Enjoyment: 9/10

Opinions:

This anime would definitely be on my top ten list, if it weren't for the old animation (it aired from 1999-2000, so the animation is not the best quality). Other than that, this anime is a masterpiece. The whole plot is amazing, showing how the happy and cheerful Shu stars to realize the horrible things humans can do. The characters are also awesome, with my favorite being Hamdo, an evil genius that sometimes has mental breakdowns. Some of the characters are just people that you hate all the way (damn Tabool) while others are people that are bad but you secretly root for (Nabuca). Although this anime may have a sort of low score, keep in mind that the only setback is the animation; everything else is amazing.

Overall Rating:

9.0/10

Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet

The main characters, Ledo and Amy, are staring into the ocean.
 (Click on square to see full-sized picture in case it doesn't show up)

Plot:

In the far future, humans fight in space against an alien race called the hideauze. The main character, Ledo, crash lands on a planet after being knocked out. Here, he meets many people aboard the floating fleet called Gargantia. Because of his futuristic ideals, he has trouble fitting in with his new friends; however, he starts to realize he is enjoying himself for the first time.

Individual Ratings:

Animation:9/10

Plot: 8/10

Characters: 8/10

Music:7/10

Enjoyment: 9/10

Opinions:

Although my ratings might seem low, I actually kind of liked the series. The plot wasn't half bad, although it started to suddenly become more intense in the last few episodes. Ledo's personality really attracted me because I wanted to see his beliefs clash with those of the people living on Gargantia. 

Probably the only thing I didn't like was that the other characters were not very well constructed; all though they stayed true to their personality, they were all just, well, plain.

Overall Rating:

8.2/10

Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion (R1 & R2)

Some characters, featuring C.C. (right), Kallen (left), and the main character, Lelouch (middle)
(Click on square to see full-sized picture in case it doesn't show up)

Plot:

In an alternate universe, the world is split up into 3 superpowers: Brittania, the Chinese Federation, and the European Union. 7 years before the story takes place, Britannia invaded Japan with their new technology, the Knightmare Frame. They renamed the Japanese, calling them "elevens" and are stripped of all rights.

The protagonist, Lelouch, was originally a prince of Brittania, who was sent to Japan as a political bargaining tool. After the war, he was presumably killed. Meanwhile, he hid underneath the protection of the Ashford family, who supported his mother before she was murdered. 

The story revolves around how Lelouch vows to take over Brittania. He is given a power called Geass, otherwise known as the power of the kings. He can use it to command others against their will.

Individual Ratings:

Animation: 10/10
The animation style of Code Geass kinda makes the characters look anorexic. All the characters have thin and long limbs, with pointy faces. This kind of threw me off at the beginning because it had a different art style. I quickly grew fond of it and now I actually like it because of its uniqueness.

Plot: 10/10
You could say that Code Geass doesn't have a plot. What it does is alternate between side stories and the main story line. However, it does a great job of leaving the viewer with the unexpected twists, which will keep you hungry for more.

Characters: 10/10
Aside from Baccano!, Code Geass has one of the most diverse casts of characters I have ever seen. It's got everything from the typical lolita to main characters with stupid idealism (hey Suzaku what's up). Although most of them aren't given a good background, the ones that matter are better explained. Also, Lelouch's background is one of the most detailed I have ever seen.

Sound: 10/10

The music does a great job of keeping you in the mood for epic things to come. The sound effects aren't overly obnoxious and do a pretty good job of keeping it real.

Enjoyment: 10/10

I have enjoyed this series more than any anime I have ever watched. The series gets a little weak in the second half of the first season and the first half of the second season, but that means that it does a good job of keeping you entertained for the parts that matter, which are the beginning and end.

Overall Rating:

10/10