My list is unapologetically subjective, as I largely rate by gut feeling. There is no fixed system or rating pattern. I tried using one for many years and deemed it unfair and simplistic, grading a show based on a handful of preset criteria, regardless of the creator's intent, its genre and many other factors that may make certain aspects more or less valuable. Any attempts to refine my grading system resulted in something that was either exceedingly complex, or seemed abstract and arbitrary, so I decided to forgo all that and rate fully subjectively, without much thought. And frankly, I consider any viewer, claiming they have an objective magic formula which rates all shows fairly, either a liar or deluded. Thus, my ratings reflect my general feelings towards a show, how highly I value it, if I enjoyed it, or in the case I didn't, whether I saw any value in it regardless. They are my genuine feelings towards a show at the time I inputted them into this list.
While I do take many objective qualities of a work into account, I place a very high weight on intangible factors, such as 'did this show succeed in conveying the emotions it attempted to convey?', 'is there any passion poured into this work or does it feel robotic?' among many others. Most importantly, my tastes, likes, wants and moods are dynamic and not static. Therefore, shows I watched a long time ago may be rated according to entirely different criteria than shows I've rated recently. In fact, I may wake up on the wrong side of bed one day and not enjoy a show I would have otherwise praised.
As such, ratings are not and were never meant to be logically consistent and I expect anyone to be able to promptly find contradictory ratings in this list. The brief comments I've written for each entry may clarify the reason as to why a certain score has been given and shed some light onto which angle I'm rating each individual show from. Longer comments on each show can be found on my anilist profile, which has no character limit. There I try to go into more detail when I deem it necessary.
Additionally, my 1-10 rating philosophy is slightly different than most other people. To put it simply, one should view my ratings as school grades, that is, 5 and above is a 'pass' and everything below a 'fail'. The general idea besides that is that it's relatively easy to pass, but very hard to get a good grade. So, you'll see a lot of 7's. The reason for this being, that if I consider something to be below a 5, then I'll rarely even bother finishing it. And if I drop something, then I won't rate it at all, unless I feel compelled to. In detail, the scores mean:
Fail (Absolute Zero): This is reserved for the worst of the worst. To end up here you have to be actively trying to create something terrible, or present a power point slide show instead of something animated. As such, it is an accomplishment to wear on your sleeve if I give you a 1, as I have to see absolutely no value whatsoever in what you have created, which is damn hard. Examples: None.
Fail (Disgusting, Revolting, Sickening, Hideous, Abhorrent, Deplorable): You have to unsettle me to such an
extent, that I'm literally offended to have finished this. I feel sick down to my stomach, to my soul. I've brought dishonour to my family, my friends, my people, my nation. I'll be embarrassed enough for generations. Examples: Monster Musume.
Fail (Insulting, Offensive, Repulsive): I have to be outright mad to give this rating. I feel insulted, underestimated, taken advantage of. Examples: Naruto Movie 5.
Fail (Inadequate, Subpar, Inferior, Substandard): Downright bad. Not much to say about it other than that. You either tried out something that didn't work out, you made something so bad that it's good, or you splurged out a 'thing' that you call a 'work'. Also, score reserved for sequels/alternatives of shows, where their strengths were taken away for some reason. Finally, you can have something that should be a 3, but had enough upside to salvage it from the 7th circle of Hell, or good shows that had something so glaring that I couldn't ignore. Examples: Papillon Rose (TV), Agent Aika, Angel Cop, Ryofuko-chan.
Pass: (Borderline, Barely Tolerable): This is the definition of a borderline pass. It's not good, it's bad. But not bad enough to warrant a fail. It could either have something redeem it from the depths of failure, be good but possess a glaring flaw, or be a completely borderline show all throughout. All these cases are covered. This rating is not a show one will enjoy, nor is it something of value. I just think they did the bare minimum to pass. Examples: Mirai Nikki, Tokyo Ghoul \sqrt(A), Amazing Nurse Nanako.
Pass: (Fine, OK, Inoffensive, Adequate, Mediocre): This could be something pretty good that turned out bad, something bad that turned out pretty good, as well as something completely soulless and inoffensive that merely checked out all the corporate check boxes. It may have some little value, or may have no value at all. At least it has the potential to be mildly enjoyable at best, something to blindly kill time with at worst. Examples: Horimiya, Araburu Kisetsu, Infinite Dendrogram.
Pass: (Passable, Pleasant, Satisfactory, Decent): This could be an enjoyable show with glaring flaws, a good show that is not enjoyable, or sometimes an ok show that just lacked the proper 'oomph'. It could have some great characteristics somewhere, bottle-necked by everything else, or it could be good all throughout, just shy of great. Examples: Deca-Dence, Irozuku Sekai, Mairimashita Iruma-Kun.
Pass: (Competent, Delightful, Amusing, Gripping): This is a quality show. It's either very enjoyable, or is
of considerable quality. It can be flawed, but its strengths should greatly outweigh its weaknesses. Examples: Hunter x Hunter, Chihayafuru, Houseki no Kuni.
Pass: (Exceptional, Remarkable, Brilliant): This is a great piece of work. It's both enjoyable, gripping and of undeniable quality all throughout. The few weaknesses it has are outshined entirely by the show's strengths. This could be a formerly 8/10 show with one brilliant aspect, or a show shy of a masterpiece. Or it could be great all throughout, with only minor weaknesses and strengths not strong enough to make it a 10. Examples: Kaguya-sama, Beastars, Fate/Zero, Steinsgate, Space Dandy.
Pass: (Masterpiece, Monumental, Classic): This is a score I do not give lightly. A show has to astonish me on the first watch, or stand the test of time and survive multiple rewatches, becoming something I'll always treasure. It not only needs the necessary 'oomph', but also the consistency, flow and attachment to keep me coming back. The moment a show bores me even slightly, even upon a rewatch, it shall be relegated back to a 9. Because this score is only reserved for these few special shows that I will treasure no matter the day, time or age. Examples: Patlabor Movie 2, Baccano, Disappearance of Haruhi Suzuimya.
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