Hello there; I've been watching anime almost non-stop for about two years, starting with series such as Cardcaptor Sakura and K-ON!! as gateway for the medium.
Although I tend to gravitate towards the Slice of Life genre, lately I've been expanding my tastes to include all genres - be it teen romantic comedies or deep shows with complex plot and theming, I'm really open to anything, without much care for the initial premise as long as the execution is good.
I (still) consider myself among those people who really enjoy everything they watch, and focus on the positive aspects rather than the negative ones - an odd trait which contrasts with my naturally critical and elitist nature.
For the same reason, my ratings are hybrid as enjoyment and critical evaluation go hand-in-hand.
About my list and my ratings:
Giving out too many 9s and 10s like the average user would not be fair to series that are truly remarkable within the medium, and scoring too low would have the same effect in reverse. That's why I use the full rating scale on which a score of 5 (and not a 7) represents mediocrity.
Every series is rated on equal ground starting from a score of 5, from which I add or take away points based on personal enjoyment and overall perceived quality of the series. I usually enjoy every show I watch with very few exceptions, and any low score doesn't always equal to hate or negative feelings towards a series.
In most cases, elements such as fanservice, popularity, gore, nude and pandering don't affect scoring, I value the quality of the writing and enjoyment a lot more than those.
Complete favourite series (in no particular order):
Aria (all seasons)
Sora no Woto
Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica
K-ON!!
Angel Beats!
Strike Witches The Movie
Toaru Kagaku no Railgun
Saki
Clannad After Story
Neon Genesis Evangelion
Gurren Lagann
Ghost in the Shell
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Friend requests:
I won't accept anyone I haven't talked to at least once, unless I know you from a club or something.
Mmm... I don't think the anime is a terrible adaptation but it's certainly a weak one. If you aren't very interested in the VN medium or don't have the time to sit through a 40-something hour story, then watching the anime might be a better choice for you. It is at least a decent anime on its own merits.
The main thing to keep in mind though is that the anime's story is still incomplete. It's missing two of the character routes as well as the Refrain segment (LB's equivalent to 'After Story'), which is where the majority of the praise comes from. Thankfully there's a sequel announced so that should be covered soon.
As for After Story, most of it is the result of two things: brilliant characterization and high emotion. It truly made something special from what started as a fairly average rom-com series. I would have rated it a score higher, too, if not for the ending. Not really a fan of the magic deus ex machina since it effectively undermined everything that happened after 'you-know-who' disappeared.
I completely agree. Before, my silly feminist rants really did seem silly and everyone seemed to kinda chuckle at them or brush them off. Now, my 'opinions' are taken super seriously- As are everyone's. I think this has come along with, as you said, the now more serious 'elite' nature of the club and I don't like it either. I miss when we could all speak our minds and people would debate it, but it never felt heated- It felt light and fun.
I think the more serious nature has come along with the now more 'structured' system, and I'm going to talk to Nid about finding ways to get the 'fun' atmosphere we used to have back. I'm glad you said something to me because I was feeling it too, but I wasn't sure if it was just me or not.
And don't worry about it- I understand completely. We all get frustrated and take it out on people, and really I didn't see it as super hostile. It's all good. =)
Ikuhara is a great director. He sometimes gets ahead of himself though which leads to some mistakes in plotting (both with Utena and Mawaru) but his works are Enlightening and are definitely worth the watch.
As Amber pointed out, I have a hard time resonating with the heavy shojou themes (since I'm more seinen than aything) and definitely preferred Mawaru's family themes. Family just comes off deeper to me. I agree that Utena is definitely more remarkable, but Mawaru just felt better to me (even though it had a lot of crazy plot twists that sometimes make little sense).
Natsume is the kind of show I can finish in one sitting if I really wanted to. It's a very light supernatural story (compared to Mushishi and Mononoke) but it still has some depth to it, especially with the monsters in it. So far, season one reminds me of Aria the Animation. It's good, but it's not yet great since it's still setting up ground.
I'm finally at Aria the Natural and I just learnt a valuable lesson. Do not read the manga while watching the anime. A lot of the events in Natural are presented earlier in the manga, so watching a few episodes felt repetitive. That aside, it is wonderful. The lore and culture of Neo-Venezia is really blooming and I can't help it but to be swept away. Plus, Akari makes for the greatest Undine to guide me through this story.
You don't need to abstain from anything, really, we all have awkward opinions and as you rightfully pointed out, mine are some of the least favorite of the active club members. I'm also terribly inconcise and wordy about them too and never fully get across the point I want.
You're right, I do push 'feminist' viewpoints more and make a bigger deal about demographics than even I believe, but there's logic behind the madness. Kind of. Someone once noted that our Enlightenment List was more of an 'overrated seinen list', which it sort of was at the time.
We don't have enough active female members because there are just so few on the site in general. Because of this I fear that many series that appeal to only a female demographic or primarily a female demographic don't get as much love, whereas series that REALLY aren't for girls and are very male oriented (such as Bakenmonogatari, which, as I recall, almost made it? I don't remember) and may be even of lower overall quality (or at least equal) to some female oriented series have a higher chance of getting on the list. Am I making any sense? I try to push a lot of shoujo/josei/generally female-oriented series more than I should because I fear otherwise they will have no chance. I guess I'm trying to be like 5 different females at once to make up for a lack thereof.
I guess that kind of sums up why I act more outrageously feminist on this site than I really am. It's such an overwhelming male majority that many forget that women exist, have different tastes, etc. Perhaps my efforts have the opposite effect I wish them to. Perhaps they are received negatively because feminists in general have a bad rep so anytime someone sees someone claiming to be a feminist they immediately jump to the most extreme conclusions. Whatever the case, we're all products of our surroundings. I act more extreme on this site because of the inhabitants of this site. I real life I'm super chill. I laugh at pretty much everything and anything.
Sorry if I sound preachy, I'm not trying to, I'm just trying to explain why I seem extreme and I guess apologize as well, because I REALLY like everyone in our club. I do. It's the only place on Mal I feel 'safe', you know? And I don't want you or anyone else to lose that feeling of security just because I babble on about oppression and sexism. I actually have been trying to tone it down a lot, I really have, because I KNOW I get out of hand. I'm pretty self aware, but it's usually after the fact that I become so.
In any case I always try to put out there once in a while that you guys CAN come talk to me privately about my behavior. I don't want anyone to feel like they have to just put up with me babbling about stuff I may or may not even believe, haha.
I plan to watch Escaflowne as soon as my download finishes. I'll catch up with the poll for sure. Seems like a lot of people are getting ready for it so there's no way I'd miss the fun.
I just finished the filler arc. Utena already has a new transformation sequence. I'm finding it a bit hard to forgive at the moment. I still think Mawaru does a better job with plotting, but it all depends on the ending since Mawaru completely messes up with the end. I really want Utena to be amazing for me.
