While my scores are writing based my favorites are all enjoyment-based.
Score of 9 or above is a masterpiece in my opinion.
I will never drop a series even if it is utter garbage.
For me an anime's story and characters are far more important than the animation and OST.
No anime is perfect, not even those I consider a masterpiece.
I am open to all genres of anime
I will try to keep how entertaining an anime is out of my scores unless the score is for a comedy based anime.
How good I consider a fight to be is not determined by animation and OST but rather the impact I think it has in terms of storytelling, character development, themes etc. ex: Shikamaru VS Hidan, Meruem VS Netero, etc.
Depending on the genre, certain aspects may contribute to the score I give. Ex: Good fights, relationships between characters, etc.
What I Value in Anime
Depth
Well done themes
Interesting characters
Character embodiments
Most importantly, enjoyability
My Favorite Genres:
Action
Drama/Tragedy
Psychological/Supernatural/Magic (enjoy these equally)
Mecha/Military
Comedy/Slice of Life/Romance (haven't seen a lot of these so I grouped them.)
My Two Biggest Criteria:
One of the biggest parts of my scoring is the execution of ideas presented. This means that an anime can be scored lower if it presents solid ideas but in my opinion doesn't execute them well. An example of this is Naruto. Interesting concept but in my opinion doesn't have the best execution. Another example of this is Haikyuu. It doesn't really present anything special but it executes everything well and therefore is scored higher.
The biggest part of my scoring is that I score anime in a mostly genre relative fashion. Meaning I score by comparing them to other anime I have seen in that genre or by comparing them to other anime that try to execute similar ideas or simply comparing them to other anime I have seen. Ex: Comparing "Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood" to "Naruto". Both are battle shonen anime. Since FMAB is a lot better than Naruto it is therefore scored higher. Another example is "I Want to Eat Your Pancreas" and "Your Name". Both of these can be considered Romance/Drama. Since the former is better than the latter it is scored higher.There are a lot of things I take into consideration to decide if something is "better". Overall it is if I think the anime is written better.
Other Parts of My Scale:
Peak (10): This anime is absolutely incredible. Very few anime can even compare. Contains an incredibly done narrative that is extremely well-told and if the anime is completed, then all subplots are resolved. Its characters are fully-developed and extremely consistent, the characters are intricate and written with a lot of detail. The anime's OST and sound effects are extremely pleasant and contribute well to the show. Sounds are well-times with key moments of the anime. The animation is incredibly detailed with good transitions. I have little to no issues at all with this anime.
Masterpiece (9): The story contains a strong narrative with lots of progression. The story is interesting and engaging throughout and has resolved all subplots, the characters are extremely interesting, they are three-dimensional and very consistent, the OST is great with some well-timed music in key moments, and the animation is finely detailed with excellent transitions. I overall have few issues with this anime, it is strong in many places.
Amazing (8): The story contains a strong narrative with lots of progression, and has resolved most subplots, the characters are either two or three-dimensional with lots of growth in personality and are very interesting and entertaining to watch, the OST is pleasing with a few well-timed music in key moments and contributes well to the anime overall, and the animation is very detailed with great transitions. The anime is great and the flaws are completely outweighed by all the anime's strengths.
Great (7): This anime is pretty good. The story contains a more or less decent narrative with some progression, although some subplots may remain unresolved, has a lot of interesting characters that are two-dimensional with some growth in personality, the OST is mostly filled with good music/vocal work, and the animation considerately detailed. This anime's strengths outweigh the flaws by a good amount.
Good (6): This anime is just above average. The story contains a weak narrative with little progression and has lots of unresolved subplots, the characters have little development and are only slightly appealing, most being one-dimensional, the OST is decent but doesn't add much to the anime, and the animation is mediocre with some good details in certain segments. The anime has some flaws but they are outweighed by the anime's strengths.
Average (5): A completely average anime. The number of strengths and flaws is around even. The story consists of some cliches with little development and is developed with incoherence, the characters are usually uninteresting, they neither exceed nor lose their appeal, but are rather stagnant, the OST is nothing special most of the time, and the animation is can either be good at times and bad at others, or it is overall mediocre.
Bad (4): An overall bad anime. The story contains either a bit more cliches than the average or is lacking a clear narrative, the characters either lose some of their appeal or have little development, the OST is passable with minor dissonances, and the animation is lacking more details than the average. A lot of flaws outweigh the strengths of the anime.
Terrible (3): A terrible anime. The story is uninteresting and filled with cliches, the characters are mostly uninteresting and either lose a lot of their appeal or have significantly less development, the OST has some discordant, and the animation is severely lacking details. This anime's flaws are not at all hard to miss as they are everywhere.
Abhorrent (2): The anime is beyond terrible and a pain to watch. The story has either lost its narrative and fails to recover it or is filled with too many cliches, the characters are one-dimensional with minor growths in personality, the OST is mostly discordant, and the animation is unpolished with minimum details and some choppiness. I take a lot of issue with the anime as it is filled with flaws.
Appalling (1): This anime is the epitome of garbage and is completely riddled with flaws. Its story is either incoherent with no plot progression or has no plot at all, its characters are one-dimensional with no real growth in personality, its OST is grating, and its animation is unpolished with little to no detail and lots of choppiness.
Yea, the implicit scenes of the children were a bit too much to overlook. I love the world and the abyss they created, hearing about the different layers and their curses was pretty interesting, that was great. But I personally didn't feel any connection to the characters, I wasn't captivated enough to want to know what happens to them. In fact, I cared more about Nanachi and Mitty in just the last few episodes. Also, some sections felt unnecessary like the training scenes where they learned nothing, Ozen could've just told them what they needed to know and sent them on their way. Also, I wished they would've done something with Reg's lost memories instead of just tiny tiny voices and flashbacks but I suppose I will have to wait till next season. Overall, I felt myself being forced to watch this. Those are my thoughts, I would love to hear yours on this topic.
Jaime, I was looking at your completed anime list and saw that you haven't watched ReLife. Is this true or did you forget to add it to the list? If the latter is true, I would love to hear your thoughts on this anime.
Ah ok, So Kaguya Sama is pretty unique then? In that case, I'll try watching other romance animes. I was thinking about watching plastic memories after finishing Kaguya Sama, is that a good one to start with, or what are your recommendations?
Yea you are right, it has some great qualities and they do outweigh the negatives from an objective standpoint, but it's just not my type of show. The fact that nothing happened in the first season is just boring to me. I thought about it and I've come to realize this genre is just not for me, the slow first season turns me off too much compared to a more action-packed one.
Thanks, brotha man, and yea this content is actually insanely good... slow-cooking and intense. I'm curious, what are your thoughts on the anime, Monster?
Understandable, I also wish Record of Ragnarok was good. I was looking forward to the anime cause its concept look nice, but I got sad when I saw a trash studio handling it.
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