The History of Robotech, Part One
Not Voltron, not Star Blazers, but Robotech, was THE anime that spurred Generation X's awareness of anime and spread the otaku subculture to the West.
It is pretty clear that the majority, if they spoke without passion and were fully articulate, would not accuse us of liking the wrong books, but of making such a fuss about any books at all. We treat as a main ingredient in our well-being something which to them is marginal. Hence to say simply that they like one thing and we another is to leave out nearly the whole of the facts. If like is the correct word for what they do to books, some other word must be found for what we do. Or, conversely, if we like our kind of book we must not say that they like any book. If the few have 'good taste', then we may have to say that no such thing as 'bad taste' exists: for the inclination which the many have to their sort of reading is not the same thing and, if the word were univocally used, would not be called taste at all.
-- C.S. Lewis, An Experiment in Criticism
--RATING SYSTEM--
The descriptor is to be taken literally. I try to evaluate strictly, with attempts to minimize personal bias as much as possible and judge the work on its own merits.
CAVEATS: No I am not unbiased. Yes I believe in objectivity--no, it's not the same as "unbiased" and isn't part of this discussion. No I don't believe an unbiased state can be achieved BUT I believe it can be APPROACHED. Scores are subject to small adjustments over time and do not necessarily reflect my personal feelings or opinions about the show, even though those will inevitably impact my scores.
Please, do not bother arguing scores--these are a gauge for my overall impressions of the work's value and I TRY to be as unbiased as I can. I am often rethinking my scores and tweaking them from time-to-time.
If you think trying to be unbiased as possible is 1) stupid, 2) pointless/unnecessary, 3) mental wankery, or 4) anything else negative and/or dismissive, then please keep it to yourself.
--RATINGS--
10--Masterpiece = Superlative. Sublime. Grade A. Not necessarily faultless (for there is little that is faultless) but its merits, complexity, and depth so far outweigh them that it is catapulted to a sort of place where it MUST be canonized. Comparable to the works of such giants as Kubrick, Lang, Welles, Truffaut, Goddard, Ozu, Kurosawa, Tarkovsky, etc. High art. Important Note:This grade is specifically reserved for shows that have stood the test of time. A recent show that is rated as a 9 may eventually be promoted to a 10 if it is still being watched, rewatched, and discussed in 10 years or so.
9--Great = Excellent. Grade A-. Able to stand the test of time. Deserving of a place in "the canon" of essential anime. Comparable to the best works of Lynch, Scott, Copolla, Spielberg, Scorsese, etc.
8--Very Good = Grade B+. What the label says. More ambitious than most works and really nails what it aims to accomplish. Better than just good.
7--Good = Grade B. What the label says. Not very ambitious. It achieves what it is trying to accomplish rather well.
6--Fine = Grade C+. What the label says. Worth watching. By-and-large fulfills its potential satisfactorily. "It does what it says on the tin." It doesn't entirely achieve what it is trying to accomplish but by-and-large succeeds well enough to stick out above the mediocre works. Good but nothing special.
5--Average = The mean. Grade C. 0 standard deviation. Passes. Not bad. Worth watching. Not much substance but still engaging. Merits outweigh any flaws. Satisfying but not entirely noteworthy or very memorable.
4--Bad = Below average. Grade D. This is especially for shows I've entirely forgotten.
Flaws outweigh merits. Show may still be engaging depending on taste and tolerance for contrivances/inconsistent narratives/bad characterization/bad animation/overly formulaic and cookie-cutter plots/etc. If you like its genre, you may still like it. Either this work had potential but missed the mark or it is just very, very mediocre and boringly formulaic. It passes the "worth watching" test but there's better stuff out there.
3--Very bad = Grade F. Trainwreck of a narrative. Inconsistencies. Ineptitude at handling story, character, pacing, etc. Could still be instructive as an example of what NOT to do. It takes a special kind of personal taste (or alcohol) to make this engaging. Even fans of the genre will tend toward being disengaged. Disappointing because any potential it had is buried beneath all of the mistakes its creators made. MST 3K fodder.
2--Horrible = Grade Super F (as in 0/100). Complete and utter failure. The entire thing is a complete wreck. Almost impossible to watch without experiencing frustration, anger, or utter boredom. Insults the viewer's intelligence.
1--Appalling = What the label says. Absolutely without any merit. Viewing this not only causes anger or frustration but also discomfort, emotional suffering, and distress--and NOT by design. I cannot think of many pieces of media this terrible but I am sure there are some out there.
Profile Pic from John Warry's Warfare in the Classical World.
List heading pic from Circle-A on deviant art, entitled Melee. Thanks to Manaban for the information.
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