Eden of the East [11 episodes] [R: 17+]

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Plot:
On November 22, 2010 ten missiles strike Japan. However, this unprecedented terrorist act, later to be known as "Careless Monday," does not result in any apparent victims, and is soon forgotten by almost everyone. Then, 3 months later... Saki Morimi is a young woman currently in the United States of America on her graduation trip. But just when she is in front of the White House, Washington DC, she gets into trouble, and only the unexpected intervention of one of her fellow countrymen saves her. However, this man, who introduces himself as Akira Takizawa, is a complete mystery. He appears to have lost his memory, is stark naked, except for the gun he holds in one hand, and the mobile phone he's holding in the other. A phone that is charged with 8,200,000,000 yen in digital cash. [Source: MAL]

Individual Ratings:
Art: 9/10
Higashi no Eden does a pretty good job of keeping its art up to par. Fluid movement as well as good background art keep the anime visually entertaining.

Plot: 6/10
The plot has its ups and downs. To get the bad things over with, the ending is pretty bleh. It leaves a lot of questions unanswered(which is okay because there are 2 more movies after the series), but doesn't give you enough incentive to finish off the movies. There are a lot of random moments that would fill up FLCL fans, but not much comedy either.

Character: 6/10
Like may other anime, Eden of the East has a ton of characters, but almost none of them get character development (like Angel Beats!). The main character, Saki, doesn't really go through anything worth mentioning. Probably the only character who was interesting was Takizawa. Since he erased his own memories, he's essentially on a quest to discover the motives of his past self.

Sound: 8/10
Nothing special here.

Enjoyment: 8/10
I felt like the creators could have done so much more for this anime; sadly, we are left with a bunch of half-baked characters and no ending. Still, the series was pretty fun to watch and I would recommend it for a marathoning session.

Overall Rating: 7.4/10

Madoka Magica

The main characters of Madoka Magica.

Plot:

Madoka Kaname has a seemingly comfortable life, with a great family and friends. However, one night, she has a strange dream, and the next day she meets a strange being known as Kyubey, who offers her a deal: she can be granted any wish she wants if she becomes a magical girl and fights witches.

Individual Ratings: 

Animation: 10/10

Plot: 8/10

Characters: 7/10

Music: 9/10

Opinions:

Madoka Magica is probably best known for its fighting sequences, with the unique animation of the witches. Even if you don't like how all the characters are girls, or the fact that the main character is the whiniest chick in the history of anime, you should still watch it because of the action. When you start the series, you might think that its all pink and fluffy. That's where you're wrong. After episode 3, the series takes a darker turn, and that's is when everything starts to fall apart. Also, this is probably the only magical girl anime where the main character becomes a magical girl in the last episode.

Overall Rating:

8.5/10

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

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