I first watched anime when I was a child, way back in the 1970s, when the occasional heavily edited, dubbed, and butchered series would make it to the United States. Since then, I have encountered it from time to time, but I recently rediscovered an old childhood favorite (Kagaku Ninja-Tai Gatchaman) and tried out some newer series. I have always been a fan of animation, and my favorites include the classic Warner Bros. and MGM animation from the 1930s through 1960s, and these remain the standards against which I judge other animated productions. Also among my favorites is Nu, Pogodi!, a hilarious series of slapstick theatrical shorts from the Soviet Union.
The Japanese are prolific in their production of animated films, and it would be utterly impossible to see everything. I enjoy weirdness, and some Japanese programs surpass anything else I have seen in this regard. My endless search for entertaining weirdness has motivated me to dig deeper into the anime world, and any experienced anime fan who looks at my list will see some of the series consistently found on lists of the weirdest anime. In addition to weirdness, I tend to like cultural observation and satire, slice-of-life comedy, slapstick comedy, and light romance (especially programs with lesbian themes - either comic or realistic). I tend not to be so interested in action, superheroes, blood-and-guts, hentai, or horror series unless they include a heavy dose of weirdness (i.e. tentacle porn), are parodies, or have some nostalgic appeal (i.e. Gatchaman).
I find it interesting that anime attracts so many highly devoted fans. I don't see myself becoming obsessed to the point that I will give up my life to it and start attending every possible convention and cosplay event; maybe I'm too old and lazy to become so deeply involved. However, I enjoy it for its entertainment value, and for the deep intellectual content of certain series. This website is convenient for keeping track of what I have watched, and it is a good place for discussion. I probably won't become consistently active here, but I will contribute the occasional review or forum post.
I welcome comments and constructive criticism of any review that I may write or anything else that I happen to post here.
This section has become a huge and growing wall of text, so I have put the following section in spoiler tags to clean things up a bit.
My Interpretation of the Rating System
Rating anime series is difficult, and the simple numerical method used here doesn't take into account the complexity of assigning ratings. I try to rate on my impression of success, and specifically on success in how an anime pursues its own goals or purpose. Unless the premise behind an anime is unusually ill-advised or unclear, I do not generally include my personal views on the genre or goals in my ratings. I'm interested in determining how well a show succeeds at whatever it is trying to do, and not what I might like it to do instead.
I usually give one rating for an entire series, including all seasons and OVAs that fit into the canon. Non-canonical OVAs and specials may receive separate ratings. Exceptions are possible if a series jumps the shark in a later season or if a subsequent season is so different from the earlier ones that it is essentially a new series.
I have chosen to interpret the system as follows.
1 or 2 - A colossal and impressive failure. A program can fail in many ways. It may be a technical disaster, or it may suffer from incompetent storytelling. It might be so muddled that its purpose and goals are unclear. A failure at this level is usually quite funny, generally for all the wrong reasons. For me to rate an anime in this range, it must suffer from multiple failures that are so unbelievable and impressive that I am in awe, and typically I will laugh all the way through it. A 1 is a true masterpiece of failure, while a 2 might be marred by one or two notable successes, but in either case, the program is funny and is well worth watching.
3 or 4 - An ordinary failure. In this range, a program suffers from numerous serious faults, but the failures are not particularly impressive, and it may feature a few modest successes. At this level, failure is usually not entertaining, and any time spent watching the program is likely a waste. The difference between a 3 and a 4 is only a matter of degree, with a 3 being a clear if unimpressive failure, and a 4 being a minor or somewhat conflicted failure. I have so far not given an anime a rating in this range, but long-running TV sitcoms often reach this point in later seasons after they have jumped the shark or run out of ideas.
5 - Balanced between success and failure or conflicted and uncertain. A program with this rating may have a close balance between success and failure, or I might have a genuinely conflicted opinion. Often, these shows are enjoyable, usually despite their flaws, but sometimes because of them.
6 or 7 - A basic success. In this range, successes outweigh any flaws or failures. The premise and goals of the anime are reasonably clear, and it largely succeeds. However, it is either noticeably flawed or simply does not stand out from the crowd. Sometimes, a show that is notable and would ordinarily merit a higher rating will be reduced to this level due to a significant flaw that cannot be ignored. In general, a score of 6 indicates that the anime, although successful in general, has notable flaws, while a 7 has relatively minor flaws and accomplishes its goal, but is not particularly unusual or unique in its successes. Provided that I like the premise or genre, I usually find these shows enjoyable.
8 or 9 - A significant success. To get a score in this range, a show must succeed in ways that make it stand out in contrast to others like it. Additionally, it will have only minor flaws. Depending on the nature of the show, its plot, characters, artwork, setting, and/or concept will be unique or memorable in some way. The difference in scores here is a matter of degree. Typically, I give a score of 8 when I want to give a score of 9, but either there is a modestly distracting flaw or the show's potential does not seem to be fully realized.
10 - A masterpiece. When I give this rating, a show succeeds to the point that it easily merits a 9, and on top of that, I find something special about it. It may be something intangible; perhaps the show's many successes come together in a way that hits me emotionally, and I feel like I am experiencing a fine work of art. Or perhaps it does an unusually masterful job at meeting its goals, even if its goals are quite conventional. Or perhaps its concept is unusually creative. In general, it will stand out in comparison to other similar shows I have seen, and it will be one of my favorites.
Older anime - For anime series and films from the beginnings in the 1910s up through about the 1980s, historical interest is a factor in my ratings, and I try to consider the anime in the context of its time, so my rating for a very old anime is likely to be much higher than it would be if the same film were made today in exactly the same way.
Current profile picture/avatar: Beavis as his alter ego, The Great Cornholio.
I read your forum post from 7 years ago (link:https://myanimelist.net/forum/?topicid=1270447) about being an engineer and the struggles/hardships one can face, especially as a woman, and I loved it. As a female myself, looking to join the workforce and finding a job in industry, I have so many concerns about discrimination and scarcity of jobs. And although your post only confirmed those concerns, I still found it helpful and appreciated its honesty. I hope you are well, and I hope you'll one day come back to MAL.
Ghostly spirits roam in hush, yet their presence is felt. The gleaming eyes of slinking black cats, the flares of fairies discernible through the saw-toothed pumpkins, the moon's silver ray passing the smolder of the witches' brew. All those lights serve the festivities.
The groans of monsters between the chimes of the night bells. The clinking bones of shabby skeletons, the creaking of tall mansion doors, the irksome laugh of goblins along with the more soothing flutters of the bats. All those sounds serve the festivities.
Follow the call of the hiding owls while walking down the path covered in mist, as we eagerly await you in Mafia Society for the HALLOWEEN EVENT, which is held until the 26th of this month. This event is purely for fun, and so there is no competition like there was in some previous events. It consists of the following activities, which are open to all club members in need of spooky vibes:
Horror flick simulwatch
This weekend, on October 23rd, 16:00 GMT, groupwatches of various horror movies will be occuring, using the online platform rabb.it. Sign up here.
Pumpkin carving
We will open a thread where you will be able to post your own pumpkin carvings! A website specially designed to carve pumpkins will be provided, but you are also allowed to use real ones. We will then hold votings under various categories to determine who did the best carving job!
Skype mafia
If you are in the club's Skype group, you will be able to sign up for either (or both) of the two games planned for this weekend. The first game will be with webcams (wear a costume!), while the second game will be without webcams. Follow this link to sign up. The games will happen on October 22nd, 18:00 GMT.
Youkai thread
There will be a forum thread where various youkai and yuurei-related stories will be posted. Enjoy reading those if you are interested in Japanese folklore!
Trick or Treat
Trick or Treat is a game where you will ask staff members "trick or treat" on their profiles. Your goal will be to find the staff members who will respond to you with "treat!", but you are only allowed three attempts a day. Moreover, if the staff says "treat", he will send you a challenge. Then, if you complete the challenge, you will receive candy points! If the staff says "trick", you will have to try someone else... Stick around in the club for when a thread talking about this activity will be opened!
The winner will receive a badge!
Finally, there will also be Halloween cards available! Don't miss out on them. On this note, we hope that you, as well, will serve the festivities...
Hello everyone!! How is the Summer going? ^^
We are glad to announce the opening of sign-ups for the joint Magi Summer Event of a collaboration between Mafia Society and 20+ !
And as you can guess, we want to invite you all to join us! Magi Summer Event will start on the 1st of July and will end on the 31st of the same month.
This is the 2nd Summer Event for Mafia Society and the 1st for 20+! The Magi Summer Event will take place in a seperate club for all participants and we will be invited to a Skype group and Discord's room during the duration of the Event. There you will be able both to participate in Event's games and chat with others :)
What are we going to do?
We are going to have such events: Town of Salem
Anime Watch Challenge
Pokemon Showdown
Truth or Dare
The Resistance Online
Osu!
Cards Against Humanity
Magi Mafia
Vocaloid Mafia
Simultaneous Watch
!!!!!
Each of you will belong to one of the teams and by participating in events you will be able to collect points for yourself and your team! Enjoy games, gain points and change them to prizes in the Prize Shop!
In adition we will have a special Magi Characters Card Edition! And more! Everyone will get their team badges to keep memories of this up-coming Magi Summer Event!
It has been an interesting two weeks. We saw the largest number of nominations we have ever seen and the introduction of a semi-final round which was exciting until the end. Now with all that it is time to vote for the Face of UAS for the Spring Season. With this our club will be redesigned to fit our new winner. Voting will take place 4/16 and last until 4/24 at 23:59 PST (MAL time). The winner will be announced on Monday 4/25 and the redesign will take place that week. Vote now and make your favorite the new Face of UAS!!!
For those who find these messages annoying this will be the last one for a while
The long message is just to update you on new things going on at UAS!
Watermelon-chan and her games are back and to kick it off she has started a Mafia Game which will take place at the end of April. To sign up click here. Don't know what a Mafia Game is.... for more information click here
Ever want to follow what is going on in the club but don't really log on to MAL that much? Even if you are logged on there really aren't many notifications unless you are heavily active. Afraid that you may miss out on something big? No worries... for all things UAS follow and/or Like UAS on Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook to stay up to date on all things UAS! More information available here!
For all those who wondered it, List editions will be up to date and open again by 4/22. It has been an extensive process updating the list but one that should be well worth the wait.
To those who claimed an character and/or requested a forum signature, your request has not be forgotten and will be completed within the next week or so. I apologize for the wait.
The Anime of the Week process goes away and we will be introducing A Monthly Anime Feature. We decided that a week is not really a long time for our members to watch a series taking into account life, other anime you are watching, and other interest and hobbies. Therefore we decided to make the process a whole month to increase member participation. More information to come soon as we are set to begin in May.
As always don't forget to be on the look out for WingKing's Short Anime Spotlight. It comes out every Wednesday, however he might throw a Monday in there every once in a while. There he puts focus on short, unpopular anime and reviews them. You have one that you want him to review, just shoot him a message and he will be more than happy to work it into the schedule.
Don't forget about our Forums. Many new topics are up coming such as "Unpopular Anime you are Enjoying this Season" "_________ Season rap-up Review" AND "Is Fandom a type of "popularity"?'
Don't forget to check out our Your Anime Collection (Reintroduced) forum to check out the members of UAS's anime collections. As well share information and trade secrets.
The Round of 6 has officially began. This semi-final round is a first at UAS and gives a better opportunity for more titles to gain exposure in our club. Voting in the Round of 6 will take place between now and Friday 4/15 23:59 PST (MAL time). Upon completion the finals will start a few hours later and will last the usual week. Vote your favorite into the finals now! *Remember there are 6 groups to place your votes in*
It's ironic how accessible all this stuff is now. Years ago - before the advent of the internet/unlimited free content - there was one channel on the radio that would broadcast, on the weekends only, an hour of new stuff like Harry Nile, Imagination Theater, The Twilight Zone, etc, followed by a couple hours of OTR. Somehow the wait made it all the more special lol. I never really got into the comedies but have heard nearly everything from my favorites: Suspense, Escape (loved this), Lights Out, Gunsmoke (Conrad/ the whole cast was amazing), CBS Radio Mystery Threater, The Six Shooter, X-1, Cloak & Dagger, Black Museum, and dozens more (thank you archive.org). And there was a Canadian show called Midnight Cab that featured a crime solving duo - she the dispatcher and he the driver. It had a non-episodic romantic element that spanned the entire run. LOVED that series.
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There's an airing show that you must see. It's called Flip Flappers. I think you'll like it.
It has been an interesting two weeks. We saw the largest number of nominations we have ever seen and the introduction of a semi-final round which was exciting until the end. Now with all that it is time to vote for the Face of UAS for the Spring Season. With this our club will be redesigned to fit our new winner. Voting will take place 4/16 and last until 4/24 at 23:59 PST (MAL time). The winner will be announced on Monday 4/25 and the redesign will take place that week. Vote now and make your favorite the new Face of UAS!!!
For those who find these messages annoying this will be the last one for a while
The Round of 6 has officially began. This semi-final round is a first at UAS and gives a better opportunity for more titles to gain exposure in our club. Voting in the Round of 6 will take place between now and Friday 4/15 23:59 PST (MAL time). Upon completion the finals will start a few hours later and will last the usual week. Vote your favorite into the finals now! *Remember there are 6 groups to place your votes in*
Click here to vote