Taking a break to focus on studies. Will be back after May 20th.
"It is absurd to divide people into good or bad. People are either charming or tedious." -Oscar Wilde
My reasoning for my ratings:
1. This anime is about as fun as an ingrown hair
2. Beyond repair. As much enjoyment as cooking bacon with your shirt off
3. Poor in almost every aspect, but may have one factor that makes it just barely watchable
4. Way below average, but not absolute garbage...yet
5. Your "corned beef" anime. Decent, but never exciting or that enjoyable
6. It's like eating a bag of potato chips. No, it won't taste anywhere near as well as that rare steak, but you know what you're getting into and it's "filling" for the short time being. And just like bags of potato chips, anime given a score of 6 will often lack substance that would make it more enjoyable.
7. Your fairly pleasant-to-good anime. Not for everyone, but those with an open mind can usually enjoy these series.
8. Fairly good in almost every facet, but not fully utilizing its potential to be great. Whether it is a character that is just straight up pointless, or a botched ending, an anime receiving an 8 will have one part that will end up bothering you, but with many great moments to make up for it.
9. Overall strong anime, just shy of perfection. Usually very strong in every aspect but could be lacking in animation quality, sound quality, or having a weak plot at a certain point. Shows with a 9 rating can bring as much euphoria of having experienced a great story to depression when you finish the show only to realize that there is no more to watch.
10. This is as good as it gets. A 10 denotes an anime that should be watched by any fan who wishes to experience more of the medium. Series that are ranked with a 10 have phenomenal strength in every aspect, and usually (but not always) warrant a rewatch. Most, if not all shows that I grant a 10 will have a very distinct style to the show that makes it memorable.
I will play Devil's advocate and state that objectivity in entertainment does not exist and that the objective points that people come up with will always have a subjective tone to it. Thus, most of my scores come from a basis of judgment passed on from a criteria of critical/objective values intertwined with my personal thoughts on the matter. Subjectivity possesses heavy influence when it comes to enjoyment, which entertainment's main purpose should be to provide. For the most part, shows will earn points for:
1. Animation Quality: I am very open minded for the most part but if the show is daggers to mine eyes, it will hurt my opinion of it
2. Soundtrack: Most anime that I watch with a score above 5 will have a pleasant sounding score; or an excellent opening/ending theme
3. Story: Well, you've got to tell a good story, otherwise why are you even watching something? (Slice of Life included too)
4. Characters: A likable cast goes a long way. Generic characters that follow the basic tropes are a negative unless they develop in an appealing manner, Mary Sues/Gary Stus are a huge negative unless they are charming and entertaining to watch. (Characters that are interesting leave a general good impression when I finish a series)
5. Production values: Not just animation or sound quality, but how the director chooses to effectively make use of his/her budget. Shows with huge budget that do not show innovative results will negatively affect its score. (i.e. Haruhi) Shows with minimal budget that still prove to be effective in its effort to deliver a solid story with innovative visuals/sounds are a huge positive. (i.e. The Tatami Galaxy, Gankutsuou, Mononoke)
6. Entertainment: As shallow as this sounds, an anime at its core is only as effective as how many people find it entertaining to watch. Frankly, a lot of lower ranked shows on my list succeed in providing an easy watch, whereas I struggled initially to fully enjoy some series on my list with higher critical value scores. (i.e. Kara no Kyoukai, Mononoke)
7. Voice Acting: Yes, the voices for the characters should fit and sound fairly pleasant. This is my biggest issue with English dubs as English is not an ugly language, it's just the voice actors either do not try to convey their emotions properly or they just aren't fit to provide the voice for their character. (Somewhat related note: Big O had a damn good English dub)
8. Adaptation Quality: Not applicable to every anime, however I will judge the adaptation's success at correctly interpreting and visualizing the source material. An adaptation that tries to faithfully produce it's predecessor but is hopelessly inferior to the original will lose points in my book (i.e. Fate/Stay Night "A faker can never best the original" -Gilgamesh), whereas an anime that succeeds in capturing the essence of the source material and even ends up succeeding it will be highly commended.
9. Innovation: Bonus points/respect if the anime innovates the medium/genre in some appealing manner, whether or not it is ground-breaking or just pleasantly innovative. (Mushishi)
10. Effectively captures the important/enjoyable/intriguing aspects of the genre (i.e. Occult Detective should have an intriguing/optionally mysterious lead. Space Westerns should capture the same essence as a Clint Eastwood movie on the final frontier. Epics/operas should have a grand scale and a conflict/setting that feels otherworldly. Etc.)
By all means, talk if you are charming. If you're tedious, don't bother.
