Fantasy

Sword Art Online was a very popular anime that ran for two seasons. I don't think the second season was as strong as the first season, but this was the first time I have seen an anime about being trapped in an online virtual world.  I thought SAO did a good job expressing some of the highs and lows of living in the virtual world.

I really liked the art in this series.  Perhaps because it was a virtual world, the designers enjoyed making a variety of unique designs and environments.  The animation is very polished and coloring is super rich and enjoyable.

SAO  does a good job of finishing off it's storyline and wrapping up all of it's loose ends which is great because it doesn't leave you hanging.  Also, the character development is very good in this anime.

The conflicts in season one are more interesting because you don't quite understand why the players become trapped in the world, so the characters and the viewers are on a quest to solve that together.  Season two is less interesting as it doesn't promote any questions but it's still fun to watch.

I would give SAO season 1 a 4.5 out of 5 and season 2 a 4 out of 5.  I believe that children over 8 can watch SAO but I recommend parental guidance.

Magi - The Kingdom of Magic is a very fun anime that has recently started airing its second season.
Magi is loosely based around the famous Arabian Nights and tales of Alibaba and the 40 thieves and Sinbad the Sailor.

The artwork also reflects a middle eastern influence in everything from the costume to the weapon design.  However, as you travel all over the Magi world you encounter other cultural references and design styles.  The bright designs and clean design makes this a very enjoyable anime to watch.

The overarching story is a common one amongst Japanese anime, which is how to find peace and understanding among many various types of peoples.  However, just as it's a complex problem in our own world, so is it in the Anime.  As the characters struggle in their own circumstances to find meaning and understanding, it sometimes offers small gems of enlightenment for the viewers as well.
Also, Magi is a story about friends who seek to discover themselves while discovering their world together.  Lot's of challenges and adventures ensue as they travel through the world together.

This anime revolves around character development and promotes encouragement, keeping a positive attitude, doing your best and helping others.  For me, it's so positive I just love to watch it to cheer me up when I feel blue.

Magi's conflicts are easy for viewers to identify with as it is essentially the struggle for good to overcome evil.  What makes this conflict more appealing as they define evil acts as something that we can all identify with: Enslaving others, Discrimination, and Impoverishment to name a few of the ideas that are touched upon.

I would recommend watching Magi and watching the characters struggle to find answers to some of the same questions that we struggle with today.  I give Magi - the Kingdom of magic a 4.5 out of 5.


Cautions for western audiences.
Although, I personally believe this anime would be suitable for children (8? and over) to watch, some families may find the some of the characters inter-gender relations too much for young viewers.   Although, there are not many scenes like the one shown below, if you do not want your child to see scenes like this, I recommend parental guidance.

Fairy Tail is a very fun anime about a guild of young friends that use their magical abilities to help their community overcome problems and defeat evil.  In the end, it shows that their greatest strength doesn't lie in their physical strength or magic skills but in their friendship.  Yes, it is a feel good anime but with lot's of action, magic and various types of explosions and monsters.  To date, Fairy Tail has 175 episodes and one movie with more on the way.  Needless to say, it puts a smile a large number of faces.

Every Character has their own mini story within the greater series story and as the series develops we discover more along  with the characters in the story.  This story is essentially all character based and even though some characters change more than others, the viewers can enjoy watching the all of the characters grow throughout the series.

The artwork definitely has improved from the first episodes that were released and now is a top notch anime with it's own distinct Fairy Tail style.

I give Fairy Tale a 4.5 and believe it would be suitable for children over 6.  I'm looking forward to the next season!

Inu X Boku SS is a cute love story with some very strange characters. Although the story and design feels some what minimalist in nature, the characters are so different and interesting that they are really fun to watch.  Being only one season long the only real character development that occurs naturally happens to the central characters.  However, you can see that the characters have to make a real exerted effort to overcome their challenges and doesn't occur over one or two episodes.  

The design is minimalist in nature and often features very strong saturated colors.  The animation is also very clean and polished often showing cute little details like the tapping of a foot under a table to portray a mood.  

The conflicts are both internal character struggles as well as strange monster fights but it all fits within the story and adds to it's overall charm.  

I give Inu X Boku SS a 4 out of 5.