You asked for it, Abrielle, here it is!

Lately Cody and I have been watching anime...avidly. I love it. There's something about being immersed in a different culture's subculture that makes me feel like I'm actually doing something educational instead of just watching another TV show. I know that's ridiculous reasoning for watching TV, but I've learned more about Japanese culture in the past few months than I ever knew before! Hooray Japanese people! Animes I've watched include:
Fullmetal Alchemist (10/10)

Fullmetal Alchemist is a heartwarming story of two brothers who are desperate to do anything to bring back the mother they loved from the dead. A horrible accident brings them great power and disfigurement, but along their travels they learn about what truly matters. The boys' views change and with each of their realizations, the plot thickens deliciously.

Bleach (9/10)

Ichigo Kurosaki has been able to see spirits all of his life...which he found a little disturbing but it didn't affect his everyday life until a Shinigami (Soul Reaper, direct translation God of Death) named Rukia transfers some of her powers to him and makes him capable of protecting more than just himself. Ichigo uses these powers to help save his friends and fight evil spirits.

Fruits Basket a.k.a. Furuba (7/10)

Imagine a family whose members change into animals of the Chinese zodiac if a member of the opposite sex hugs them...crazy, right? Nope. Entertainment! Tohru Honda moves in with some of the cursed Sohma family and changes things for the better, forever!

Death Note (9.5/10)

Death Note is a twisty-turvy intellectual anime about Light, a model student gaining the power to kill people by writing down their names in a notebook. He decides to use this almost untraceable method of murder to "better the world" by getting rid of "undesirables". As he methodically kills off criminals, his goals and ideals are hampered by the eccentric genius detective named simply L, whose intelligence and detective skills are only rivaled by Light himself.

I even tried an episode of Yu-Gi-Oh! which I didn't care for overly much. The anime I've watched is mostly stuff packed with fighting and testosterone-filled pledges of "I will kill you!" or "I will protect you!" Basically, it's shonen, which means it's geared towards the adolescent male demographic in Japan. Fruits Basket is the one shojo (marketed towards adolescent girls) I've watched, and it's so very, very different from the shonen! So girly and cute, and everybody talks about their feelings non-stop. Shojo was a nice change, but I actually prefer the shonen!

Anyway, I'd better get going. Cody's coming home early so we can go and get zoned together...