10/10 - A rare score, but given to shows that go beyond the call of awesome.
9/10 - Awesome show. Ranks as one of my favorite shows.
8/10 - Not necessarily a favorite, but still an awesome show and would definitely recommend.
7/10 - It was good and entertained me. I'd consider recommending.
6/10 - It was alright.
5/10 - Meh.
4/10 - Bad
3/10 - Worse
2/10 - Worst
1/10 - Worse than...worst?
Anything 6 and up can be described as me enjoying the experience more than me hating it, with 5 being the balance and anything 4 below being vice versa. The differences in scaling is merely enjoyment (or lack thereof) by factors of ten....or something.
Scores in general are pretty arbitrary, and one person's low score can be another person's high score, but I don't see too much of a problem with the score I gave. You scored it a 9. In the context of the slice-of-life genre, I think of a 9 is something that I could describe as truly great, with convincingly written characters, worthwhile and well-developed thematic content, a solid presentation, and a lot of ambition. In a blurb, I'd describe Wandering Son as fitting about 2/3 of the bill. It has the presentation, and to some degree it has the characters and thematic material, but I think it's lacking the ambition to push those last two aspects to the point where I'd really call it a 9. It has good writing, not great writing; it makes good points, not great points. It has a superb idea but doesn't quite know what it wants to do with it. I was tempted to give it an 8, and I could probably be argued that far, but I think your score is just a bit disproportionate to how good the show actually is. Not trying to disparage your opinion, just using it as an example of how I look at things when it comes to a rating. Nor is my 7 an attempt to bash the show; I consider 7 to be a good score and I don't give good scores lightly.
The reason that I found the adult-like characters to be a bit of a problem is because it seems like either a shortcut taken by the writers, or just an error/oversight. They wanted to make a comment on gender identity in children, so they needed age-appropriate characters, yet the characters are only children physically. They picked and chose the aspects of childhood that they wanted to include and discarded the mentality of children because it better suited their desired ends, which seems like a major inconsistency in my eyes. If the goal of the show was to say something meaningful about gender identity in children, writing children who have the brains of adults contradicts that goal. With effort, you could use truly childish characters to make a substantial comment on the topic at hand, not through direct exposition but through meaningful actions that the (presumably adult) audience could interpret. Children might not be as conventionally intelligent or as "profound" as adults, but they have uncanny moral compasses and can sometimes do and say things that are very telling. Given the general atmosphere of the show and its "simple works better" appeal, I think that approach would have better suited it, but I digress.
As far as the themes go, I don't think there was an explicit resolution, but the show in general is pervaded by a sort of simplistic, upbeat mentality that I think works against its tone. There are many scenes where characters say something to Nitorin in the vein of "whatever you decide, just try your best," or "you really are a special person." After he's initially exiled by the class, he's eventually allowed back into the social circle for what seems like no reason at all. In his renewed discussion with Anna in the last episode, he concludes it all by saying "this is just how I am," which isn't necessarily a bad mentality to have, but it's a mentality that ignores the root problem and doesn't lend itself much to finding a solution. The scene that really lead me to think of the conclusion as a little juvenile is toward the end; a girl points out that Nitorin's voice is changing, a thought that, not one episode ago, would have terrified him, and he just brushes it off and says "Yeah, but...that's okay." As if all of his horrifyingly complicated identity problems have just suddenly disappeared. It could be argued as to whether or not the show is trying to say that this simplistic train of thought could be a solution to the theme as a whole, but my thoughts are that, in this case, the characters are the direct vehicles of the themes, so that's the impression that I got.
In regards to the review itself, historically I've written fiction and poetry a lot more than reviews/analyses, so I'm slightly more comfortable with phrasing things descriptively, writing mechanically, and generally creating things than I am with taking apart the works of others, and I really do appreciate your feedback on this review. Not everyone will go out of their way to share their opinion with me like that. Oh, and sorry for this wall of text on your profile <.<"
Thanks for taking the time to read it, and for at least being understanding of my differing opinion. It was tough to score because it's the kind of series that you just can't help but root for--original, deceptively simple, and sometimes quite lovely. But flaws are flaws, and as much as I might be rooting for something to turn out great, honesty prevents me from ignoring them if I think they're present. So I'll stand by what I said. I think it's a good series, nothing more and nothing less.
I do love Texhnolyze. It's dark, and sometimes nearly unwatchable, but in a lot of ways I think it's a gorgeous series, emotionally and intellectually layered, very tantalizing. The scene in episode 6 where
Ichise kills the thug who cut off his limbs as Ran looks on
remains one of my favorite scenes in anime, and sort of an exemplification of everything that Texhnolyze is--violent, cold, uncompromising, but full of artistic merit and unconventional beauty. We can definitely agree on that much, I suspect.
Yeah definitely planning on watching it. A couple friends have seen it and said it was very good (and emotional). And since I liked both Summer Wars and Girl Who Leapt Through Time I'm sure I'll enjoy it. xD
Don't apologize! It was a really good experience; if not god-tier, than above average and meaningful for sure. *see my giant post on ASN* *also changed rating to a 7 after mulling the ending over*
I always take your recommendations seriously. ^^ I've really liked most of what you've turned me on to. Not sure when I'll get to it, but it's on my radar now.
Well I finally got the file to play BW again, after 6 years of not playing. Was a toss player then, and I am now.
As for SC2, I mainly just played the custom games, however I don't play it anymore. I'll probably buy the expansions to continue the story.
Thanks for your clarifying stuff for me. I'll stick to then end and see how it goes, I'll try to watch it from a different perspective, and see how it changes from there.
+Unrelated to Tatami
Your review on Tatami Galaxy was solid, your style is pretty amazing as well. Although I do have some questions.
I have yet to finish the Tatami Galaxy, so I can't speak as if I know the whole anime, but I wanted an informed opinion.
So far I see little in the way of development, and every new episode I feel as nothing is developing. The ground hog day style of narration, while not as bad as the infamous endless 8, has not achieved anything as of yet. It seems as though the only aspect to change every episode is the setting and circumstance the characters are placed in. The escapades can be interesting, however I feel as though the episodes are wasted on flaring of style. I feel as though it could've done without some of the episodes, so far that is in the grand scheme of things maybe not.
>"what kind of possibilities do we have in life"
>"how many of those possibilities have a negligible impact on where we end up?
I agree so far the anime has brought forth these questions, although I believe that the only thing they have done.
I'm only halfway through, so I may be delightfully surprised towards the ending however so far it hasn't done much to reach beyond that above average point.
