I'm a high functioning sociopath from the US, currently residing in Tokyo, Japan, who is fundamentally disinterested in your emotional bullshit. I judge anime as objectively as I am able and use traditional modes of storytelling as the metric. What that means is I don’t judge anime by “anime standards” as I’ve seen enough good anime to know that the “anime standard” excuse is a load of garbage. Some of the best anime has to offer is better than that of many western cartoons as well as live action movies/shows.
As you may notice, I tend to be blunt in my critiques, and I've already had a handful of people try to explain to me why I'm wrong or how I don't get it or how I'm not smart enough to figure it out… Let me be clear: If you are offended by one of my reviews or comments on one of my lists regarding your favorite anime or manga, don't whine or cry or leave a message with snarky, passive aggressive remarks. I will ignore you and delete the message/comment if you irritate and/or annoy me. If you don't get the message and stop, I will block you. I don't care what you think. I don't know you or care about you in the slightest. So, do us both and favor, and forget I even exist.
NOTE: Just because I give a show or manga a low score does not necessarily mean I didn't like or enjoy the show. I enjoyed Kanojo, Okarishimasu (2/10) and am thoroughly enjoying the manga (2/10), I really liked Kyoukai no Kanata (4/10), Assassination Classroom (4/10), and Akame ga Kill (4/10). I simply try to be as objective as possible with my ratings.
Here's my rating system:
10 - Masterpiece!
Something truly amazing and unforgettable! A show/manga with minimal flaws, all minor and none major. There is no such thing as a perfect show or film, but these are what come closest to the definition of perfection!
(Ex: Death Note, Your Name, A Silent Voice, Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Wolf Children, Attack on Titan Season 1)
9 - Great
Shows and manga that pretty much do everything right save for a handful of generally very minor issues. These are the true classics; the shows that usually go down in history as some of the best of all time! You know the type.
(Ex: Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, Howl's Moving Castle, Maquia, Promised Neverland, My Neighbor Totoro, Redline, Mushishi, One Punch Man Season 1, The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya)
8 - Really Good
Awesome shows/manga that just miss the mark of greatness usually due to a single major flaw or several minor ones. Overall, they are superb, but make minor mistakes followed by a big one that hold them back. This is where the classics begin to take shape, but not all within this category are classics.
(Ex: Death Parade, AnoHana, Castle in the Sky, Trigun, Vinland Saga, Attack on Titan Season 2 and 3 Part 2, Clannad: After Story, Toradora!, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time)
7 - Good
A solid show or manga that may do one or two things very well (or not so well), but overall makes mistakes and has either a solid story, well-developed characters, and/or passable art and sound AT LEAST. These are the shows that usually truly get the credit they deserve.
(Ex: Naruto, Black Lagoon, Bakuman, Golden Kamuy, K, Mob Psycho 100, Re Zero Season 1, Vivy: Flourite Eye’s Song, KonoSuba)
6 - Decent
Shows/manga that just miss that mark of what can be considered good. While they may have more positives than negatives, they have enough negative elements that it can be argued either way. These can also be shows or manga that generally falls into the category of bad, but is saved by one major masterstroke element in the realm of art, sound, or story that is matched by nothing else.
(Ex: My Hero Academia, The Animatrix, Children of the Sea, A Whisker Away, Mirai, Madoka Magica, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, The Cat Returns)
5 - Mediocre
The mundane, the cliche, the boring, the painfully predictable, and the all but forgettable. These are shows that don't do anything to stand out. They might have a mix of positive and negative elements, but overall it can't be considered either good or bad. These can also be the fun, cheesy kids shows that aren't really meant for an adult audience.
(Ex: Corpse Princess, Snow White with the Red Hair, The Pet Girl of Sakura-Sou, Pokémon, Angel Beats!, Weathering with You, Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai, Those Snow White Notes)
4 - Subpar
A show that falls just above what can be considered objectively bad. Shows that are mostly bad, but have some redeeming qualities and maybe one or two major things done very well, generally in the categories of art and sound. Shows with bad or passable writing that don't do anything else spectacular at all.
(Ex: Kyoukai no Kanata, Eden of the East, Akame Ga Kill, Noragami, Charlotte, WataMote, Himouto! Umaru-Chan, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, K: Return of Kings, Re Zero Season 2 Part 1, Attack on Titan: Season 4 Part 1)
3 - Bad
These are the trash-tier shows. The shows that may do a few things right, usually minor, and absolutely nothing else. Bad writing, bad characters, maybe some decent animation and/or sound, but usually either wasted potential of a good idea or built on a foundation that was never good to begin with.
(Ex: Sword Art Online, Wonder Egg Priority, BNA, Mass Effect: Paragon Lost, Fireworks, Domestic Girlfriend, almost any of the 3D Resident Evil shows and movies)
2 - Horrible
The utterly irredeemable! Terrible shows and films that only do one or two things well, often minor things. These are the shows that are so bad, it becomes offensive. A 1 out of 10 show can usually make its way into this category if it has decent animation or sound. One major thing usually saves the worst of the worst from being truly bottom of the barrel.
(Ex: Ousama Game the Animation, Fairy Tail, Corpse Party, Voice of a Distant Star, Hitori no Shita: The Outcast, Rent-A-Girlfriend, Boruto, Bakuman: Battle Brawlers)
1 - Garbage!
Like masterpieces, these are the shows and films that are truly unforgettable for very different reasons. These are the shows that have absolutely nothing going for them and do nothing right save for maybe a couple of irrelevant, very minor things. They dwell in the deepest pit, at the very bottom of the ocean of trash and debris that surrounds anime as a genre and are despised by most, if not, all who've seen them. The only good thing anyone can say about these types of anime/manga is that they are so bad they're good/become enjoyable, which falls directly under the subjective category of "guilty pleasure." If a 1/10 show genuinely becomes beloved, it’s because it’s so bad it’s legitimately hilarious.
(Ex: Utsu Musume Sayuri, Hametsu no Mars, Berserk 2016, Ex-Arm, Ghost Stories)
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All Comments (53) Comments
I'm also interested to see if they'll reboot the series in some way at some point.
I could be wrong :) maybe accusing a battle shounen of "predictable fights and outcomes" is already a flawed argument, considering how trope-y these can get. In any case, it'd be interesting to see what you think, especially since you have a broader knowledge of this type of series, having watched Boku no Hero Academia, Jujutsu Kaisen, Kimetsu no Yaiba etc.
I was referring to the Thousand Year Blood War, yes :) the new adaptation looked quite impressive. It may still be worth watching at some point even if I won't like it, to satisfy my curiosity. A "not for me" recommendation still gives me a certain perspective, so I definitely don't mind those kinds of recommendations. I'll still watch Oshi no Ko S2 at some point, when I get back to watching new things, so maybe I'll be able to enjoy it, who knows.
Yeah, pretty much the same for me when it comes to favorites :) out of the "good guys" I like Robin the most and used to joke that I want for Luffy to meet an untimely death and for her to become the main character lol and Chopper would probably be my 2nd favorite. When it comes to other characters, I really like Admiral Kizaru because he is entertaining, but I don't think you've encountered him yet.
I'll also use this chance to spread Casshern Sins propaganda :p I don't know if you'll like it or not, but in terms of structure it's kind of a mix between Kino's Journey and Mushishi, and in terms of general atmosphere and setting - a mix between Ergo Proxy and Wolf's Rain. May not be a 100% accurate description, but it's as good as I can describe it, I guess. Maybe it'll sound interesting to you :)
I didn't like the last Bleach arc at all when I read the manga, so I'm almost tempted to see how the new anime handled it :) it was my least favorite arc in the whole manga/anime, so it's a tough sell :p but then again, at that point I was sick and tired of Bleach and was extremely biased in a negative way, so it's not surprising. I just wanted to complete it for the sake of completing it.
As for One Piece, someone asked me to watch it, and I indulged them back in the day :) I dropped it at EP195, the end of Skypeia, yeah, but I very briefly skimmed through the future arcs up to around ~EP900, I think? And even watched one of them almost fully (Marineford Arc). It was a hard watch for me from the beginning, even though I got used to its art style relatively quickly. I simply can't stomach Luffy as a protagonist, most of the character interactions and just not a fan of its presentation in general, except for some drama backstories and fights. So, even though I'm technically aware of where the story goes - it's still "officially" dropped, and I don't plan on watching it properly :) I agree with what you've said, about the arcs and the pacing, and what other people usually mention. Even though I haven't watched those arcs fully, I also thought that Water 7 / Enies Lobby looked quite good, as did parts of Sabaody Archipelago and Marineford (maybe Impel Down too, but I don't remember much about it). In any case, I hope you'll enjoy several of those upcoming arcs :) it did genuinely feel to me like some of the best One Piece has to offer, despite my existing negative biases.
All in all, I'm usually quite biased in a negative way when it comes to these kind of long-running battle shounen series, so I may be a lot harsher on them than they deserve. I officially blame Fairy Tail for breaking me lol but I'm sure both Bleach and One Piece previously contributed to that. Naruto Shippuden is the only exception, and while I definitely have a lot of things that I didn't enjoy about it - it's still the only thing out of the "big three" that I genuinely liked.
That would be nice :) a remake or a continuation.
The manga also had a few really interesting arcs, but it mostly just drags endlessly lol I don't regret reading it as a whole at all, but it's more like "I already like it a lot, so it's hard to like it less" kind of a situation, despite all the hiccups. I do hope it'll finally get finished one day. That said, it's a shame that anime got only one season.
As far as showbiz and revenge stories go, I liked Skip Beat! a lot more, even if it's lighter and shoujo-ish :)
I assume you mean that whole business with the tree at the end and similar changes (I didn't really investigate the differences between the anime and the manga, but I've seen people mentioning some things). In any case, that was quite a journey!
I will!
It's fine if it's not groundbreaking or unique, as long as I can genuinely enjoy it.
I usually try to be optimistic when I start something, but I can never really know what will rub me the wrong way or why. But regardless of how much I like or dislike something in the end, going through it is usually still worth the effort. Hopefully, Oshi no Ko will be more on the "like" side :)
I assume Oshi no Ko is still a recommendation? :p I remember about it, and I still haven't encountered a single spoiler :) hopefully, I'll finally get to it soon.