October 12th, 2018
My Rating System
Anime Relations: Cowboy Bebop, Monster, Shinseiki Evangelion Movie: Air/Magokoro wo, Kimi ni, Hajime no Ippo, Perfect Blue, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica, Hunter x Hunter (2011), Ping Pong the Animation
This blog entry serves as a reminder for myself, so I can accurately rate anime and manga entries in the future. Since I find it easier to distinguish between different levels of "good" than to distinguish between different levels of "bad", I wanted to make full use of the upper half of the scale. This means, that I really enjoyed anything rated 6/10 or higher, and I am pretty indefferent about those rated 5/10, but think they are "okay". I only have negative feelings about the entries I gave a 4/10 or lower. Thus my average score may seem rather low when compared to other people's rating system.
Ratings: 10,9=Excellent | 8=Great | 7,6=Good | 5=Decent | 4,3=Bad | 2,1=Horrible
10,9 - Excellent. These are my absolute favorites and among the best of the best. I enjoyed both 9's and 10's almost equally, but an entry only receives a 10 from me, if I either don't have any possible criticism for it or any potential flaws I can find with the work are completely neglectable. 9's on my scale usually have some very minor flaws that barely lessened my enjoyment, but that still keep them from being "perfect" in my opinion. Both 9's and 10's are very dear and important to me and I consider them masterpieces.
8 - Great. This is an important category of my ratings. I enjoyed works with a score of 8 as much as those rated higher, or almost as much. However, I find some flaws with them that put a dampener on my enjoyment. Or in other words: I can actually pinpoint how they could have been improved. Some of them touched me as much as 9's and 10's, while others are just incredibly enjoyable and well-made while not necessarily being masterpieces. I consider anime and manga with an 8/10 to be flawed masterpieces or very well-crafted, enjoyable works in general.
7,6 - Good. This is the category for everything that I thoroughly enjoyed, but that hasn't connected with me on a personal level, or is too flawed at times to deserve a better rating. Great shows that suffer from boring fillers, or comedies that only make me laugh occassionally fit this category. 7's are very enjoyable to me and I would still consider them favorite's of mine. I still think 6's are a worthwhile watch / read, but they didn't impress me enough to stay on my mind for too long.
5 - Decent. I am either indifferent towards these works, or I consider them too flawed to properly enjoy them. I recognize the good things about some of them, but find them incompatible to my taste. I wouldn't call any of them wastes of time, but I don't feel like I needed to watch them at all. I might still recommend some of these, if I think they could fit someone else's tastes!
4,3 - Bad. I disliked these works and either found them to be a waste of my time or actually irritating or offensive. I either think they are bland or trying too hard, or miss the mark in other ways. While I can still find some redeemable things about 4's even though I dislike them, I cannot say anything positive about 3's other than "it could be worse, I guess".
2,1 - Horrible. These are actually so terrible and painful to watch, that I cannot enjoy anything about them. While I might enjoy a moment or two, the rest of the works are just so awful I can't bear to watch or read them. 1's are reserved for the worst of the worst which are absolutely irredeemable, while 2's might have tiny aspects that show at least some sort of potential the series had - even though it is still completely wasted in my eyes.
All in all I consider 8-10's to be my favorites and the best anime and manga have to offer, while 6's and 7's are still very enjoyable to me. While 5 is my neutral score, I think I still give those the benefit of the doubt. I guess you could say I still put a positive spin on these ratings. 1-4's are all bad in my opinion, but if I gave something a 4 or even a 3, it still didn't piss me off or anything - it just wasn't really for me. If it gets a worse rating than that, I would be willing to go on a rant though.
Ratings: 10,9=Excellent | 8=Great | 7,6=Good | 5=Decent | 4,3=Bad | 2,1=Horrible
10,9 - Excellent. These are my absolute favorites and among the best of the best. I enjoyed both 9's and 10's almost equally, but an entry only receives a 10 from me, if I either don't have any possible criticism for it or any potential flaws I can find with the work are completely neglectable. 9's on my scale usually have some very minor flaws that barely lessened my enjoyment, but that still keep them from being "perfect" in my opinion. Both 9's and 10's are very dear and important to me and I consider them masterpieces.
8 - Great. This is an important category of my ratings. I enjoyed works with a score of 8 as much as those rated higher, or almost as much. However, I find some flaws with them that put a dampener on my enjoyment. Or in other words: I can actually pinpoint how they could have been improved. Some of them touched me as much as 9's and 10's, while others are just incredibly enjoyable and well-made while not necessarily being masterpieces. I consider anime and manga with an 8/10 to be flawed masterpieces or very well-crafted, enjoyable works in general.
7,6 - Good. This is the category for everything that I thoroughly enjoyed, but that hasn't connected with me on a personal level, or is too flawed at times to deserve a better rating. Great shows that suffer from boring fillers, or comedies that only make me laugh occassionally fit this category. 7's are very enjoyable to me and I would still consider them favorite's of mine. I still think 6's are a worthwhile watch / read, but they didn't impress me enough to stay on my mind for too long.
5 - Decent. I am either indifferent towards these works, or I consider them too flawed to properly enjoy them. I recognize the good things about some of them, but find them incompatible to my taste. I wouldn't call any of them wastes of time, but I don't feel like I needed to watch them at all. I might still recommend some of these, if I think they could fit someone else's tastes!
4,3 - Bad. I disliked these works and either found them to be a waste of my time or actually irritating or offensive. I either think they are bland or trying too hard, or miss the mark in other ways. While I can still find some redeemable things about 4's even though I dislike them, I cannot say anything positive about 3's other than "it could be worse, I guess".
2,1 - Horrible. These are actually so terrible and painful to watch, that I cannot enjoy anything about them. While I might enjoy a moment or two, the rest of the works are just so awful I can't bear to watch or read them. 1's are reserved for the worst of the worst which are absolutely irredeemable, while 2's might have tiny aspects that show at least some sort of potential the series had - even though it is still completely wasted in my eyes.
All in all I consider 8-10's to be my favorites and the best anime and manga have to offer, while 6's and 7's are still very enjoyable to me. While 5 is my neutral score, I think I still give those the benefit of the doubt. I guess you could say I still put a positive spin on these ratings. 1-4's are all bad in my opinion, but if I gave something a 4 or even a 3, it still didn't piss me off or anything - it just wasn't really for me. If it gets a worse rating than that, I would be willing to go on a rant though.
Posted by Leigh39 | Oct 12, 2018 7:24 AM | 0 comments
March 24th, 2018
5 Underrated / Unpopular Hidden Gems!
Anime Relations: Seikai no Monshou, Seikai no Senki, Seikai no Senki II, Seikai no Senki III, Chika Gentou Gekiga: Shoujo Tsubaki, Fight Ippatsu! Juuden-chan!!, Kuuchuu Buranko, Mahou Shoujo? Naria☆Girls
EDIT: My ratings (and perhaps the MAL scores) have since been adjusted, but my opinion on these anime series still stands!
With this post I want to present five anime titles that you may not know about or may have dismissed because of their low popularity and/or low ratings. Please be aware that the stats I am listing were taken at the time of writing this, and that this blog post is entirely based on my own viewpoints and opinions. I just hope that whoever is reading this can give these titles a chance and see for themselves whether they are worth watching! Because in my opinion, these all deserve more exposure. This post is of course spoiler-free. The anime titles are listed by popularity in descending order. I only chose titles with less than 20,000 users on MAL. Without further ado, let's start!
Kuuchuu Buranko (Welcome to Irabu's Office)
Users: 15,000, MAL Rating: 8.05, My Rating: 9/10
On first glance, Kuuchuu Buranko looks and feels very strange. It is probably best described as a psychological comedy in episodic format. It has colourful and weird visuals and a very energetic, ridiculous main character. This gives the show a very chaotic feel. Every episode features a new patient with a different mental disorder or personal problem. While Dr. Irabu's methods of treatment are very unconventional, a real life doctor occassionally chimes in with actual medical advice and explanations. All stories and characters are interconnected in small ways and it's fun to see how someone who was a background character in one episode, is the main character in a different one! Although it deals with a difficult topic, the show is very lighthearted and funny. At times it is emotional and I was amazed how it managed to stay tasteful from beginning to end!
Overall I can recommend this anime to anyone who wants a lighthearted comedy that offers some interesting insights into psychology. It is a visually impressive journey through the minds of all different kinds of people, and I couldn't imagine a more fitting guide than the likeable Dr. Irabu!
Seikai no Monshou (Banner/Crest of the Stars)
Users: 12,900, MAL Rating: 7.79, My Rating: 7/10
At the time of writing this, I have not finished watching all the sequel seasons to Seikai no Monshou. Nonetheless, I think I can give the series a fair judgement. Banner of the Stars and its sequel Crest of the Stars are the very definition of a space opera. This is one of the few sci-fi anime in space that doesn't involve mechas and its associated tropes. Think more along the lines of "Star Trek", "Star Wars", etc. It is rather slow-paced and deals a lot with the relationship between the two main characters. In a way, it is really more a drama or romance series. But it also features amazing space battles, wars of epic proportions and a very unique and interesting universe! It delves into intergalactic politics as well as the technological aspects and details of space travel etc.
If you find lengthy dialogues boring or are just yearning for non-stop action, this series is probably not suited for you. But if you want to explore a strange new universe and are fascinated by new technologies and don't mind the slow but thorough pacing, this franchise could be just what you're looking for!
Fight Ippatsu! Juuden-chan!! (Juden Chan Recharged)
Users: 10,400, MAL Rating: 6.77, My Rating: 6/10
Fight Ippatsu! Juuden-chan!! is an Ecchi comedy... Ecchi capitalized. As this is the first entry on this list with a pretty abysmal rating, I have some explaining to do. The Ecchi aspects are very strange to say the least. It involves girls getting beat up with a baseball bat and pissing themselves in pleasure. Yup. This serves no purpose for the plot, and to be honest, it was also not my fetish, so I didn't gain any pleasure from these scenes - and trust me, they are rather frequent. It also features a lot of "titty-bouncing" which I personally dislike... so why do I like and even recommend this series? Easy! It actually has a rather unique and interesting story. It involves invisible, flying girls that live among humans, recharging their energy meters when they become low. What sounds strange actually makes for some very interesting drama! Despite its ridiculous premise, the series features some tense, exciting and also sometimes touching and heartwarming moments.
Only watch this if you can stomach some extreme fan-service and Ecchi moments. If you are a fan of these elements, you might even end up loving the series, as it has definitely a more interesting plot than most other Ecchi comedies. The girls are all likeable and somewhat unique, and as far as visuals etc. are concerned, I couldn't find any flaws in that department!
Chika Gentou Gekiga: Shoujo Tsubaki (Midori)
Users: 5,400, MAL Rating: 6.17, My Rating: 6/10
"A rating of 6.17? What the fuck is this guy thinking?" That's probably what you are thinking right now. And I have to admit, this recommendation is not for everyone. Shoujo Tsubaki is, to put it plainly, a disgusting horror trip. It features over-the top gore, violence, abuse as well as uncomfortable sexual scenes. In other words: If you are into that kind of stuff (which I am), this may be perfect for you! While there is a story, it's not particularly deep or interesting. The animation looks very dated, but it's awesomely gruesome and detailed in the scenes where it counts! With a runtime of only 45 minutes, you are looking at a movie that's only as long as two standard anime episodes. If I piqued your interest, definitely give it a watch!
Mahou Shoujo? Naria?Girls
Users: 1,000, MAL Rating: 3.80, My Rating: 8/10
While I had to admit it before that certain entries are not suited for every viewer and I already put a disclaimer in the beginning, that this list is highly subjective... I actually don't know why Naria Girls is rated so badly at all! I am dead serious. I love this show and I cannot fathom why it is hated by everyone who watched it. It baffles me! I just cannot comprehend it! Let me explain why you should give this anime a chance.
First of all, forget every preconceived notion of what an anime should be or should contain. This is not an anime! It is an anime by definition only, but a more accurate description would be, that it is a collection of stand-up improvised comedy shorts. The eponymous magical girls are simply motion-capped 3D models that move very awkwardly. The rest of the episodes are just poorly drawn still images. Sounds awful, right? Wrong! You didn't listen. Forget your expectations. You are not watching this for the story, because really, there is none. You are not watching it for the characters, since they are just three actual Japanese women goofing around doing improv comedy. This series really is just that: A bunch of people fucking around having a blast in a recording booth. They stumble over some dialogue, talk over each other, make inappropriate jokes... it's beautiful. Trust me and just give the first one or two episodes a watch! They are only 12 minutes long, too! It's a short series.
Overall, I can recommend this anime entry to you if you are a fan of funny Let's Plays or Podcasts on YouTube. Because that's really all this show is. You will laugh at the horrible quality of the 3D animations. You will laugh at the voice actresses losing their shit and laughing at their own stupid jokes. I unabashedly love this show. Check it out!
With this post I want to present five anime titles that you may not know about or may have dismissed because of their low popularity and/or low ratings. Please be aware that the stats I am listing were taken at the time of writing this, and that this blog post is entirely based on my own viewpoints and opinions. I just hope that whoever is reading this can give these titles a chance and see for themselves whether they are worth watching! Because in my opinion, these all deserve more exposure. This post is of course spoiler-free. The anime titles are listed by popularity in descending order. I only chose titles with less than 20,000 users on MAL. Without further ado, let's start!
Kuuchuu Buranko (Welcome to Irabu's Office)
Users: 15,000, MAL Rating: 8.05, My Rating: 9/10
On first glance, Kuuchuu Buranko looks and feels very strange. It is probably best described as a psychological comedy in episodic format. It has colourful and weird visuals and a very energetic, ridiculous main character. This gives the show a very chaotic feel. Every episode features a new patient with a different mental disorder or personal problem. While Dr. Irabu's methods of treatment are very unconventional, a real life doctor occassionally chimes in with actual medical advice and explanations. All stories and characters are interconnected in small ways and it's fun to see how someone who was a background character in one episode, is the main character in a different one! Although it deals with a difficult topic, the show is very lighthearted and funny. At times it is emotional and I was amazed how it managed to stay tasteful from beginning to end!
Overall I can recommend this anime to anyone who wants a lighthearted comedy that offers some interesting insights into psychology. It is a visually impressive journey through the minds of all different kinds of people, and I couldn't imagine a more fitting guide than the likeable Dr. Irabu!
Seikai no Monshou (Banner/Crest of the Stars)
Users: 12,900, MAL Rating: 7.79, My Rating: 7/10
At the time of writing this, I have not finished watching all the sequel seasons to Seikai no Monshou. Nonetheless, I think I can give the series a fair judgement. Banner of the Stars and its sequel Crest of the Stars are the very definition of a space opera. This is one of the few sci-fi anime in space that doesn't involve mechas and its associated tropes. Think more along the lines of "Star Trek", "Star Wars", etc. It is rather slow-paced and deals a lot with the relationship between the two main characters. In a way, it is really more a drama or romance series. But it also features amazing space battles, wars of epic proportions and a very unique and interesting universe! It delves into intergalactic politics as well as the technological aspects and details of space travel etc.
If you find lengthy dialogues boring or are just yearning for non-stop action, this series is probably not suited for you. But if you want to explore a strange new universe and are fascinated by new technologies and don't mind the slow but thorough pacing, this franchise could be just what you're looking for!
Fight Ippatsu! Juuden-chan!! (Juden Chan Recharged)
Users: 10,400, MAL Rating: 6.77, My Rating: 6/10
Fight Ippatsu! Juuden-chan!! is an Ecchi comedy... Ecchi capitalized. As this is the first entry on this list with a pretty abysmal rating, I have some explaining to do. The Ecchi aspects are very strange to say the least. It involves girls getting beat up with a baseball bat and pissing themselves in pleasure. Yup. This serves no purpose for the plot, and to be honest, it was also not my fetish, so I didn't gain any pleasure from these scenes - and trust me, they are rather frequent. It also features a lot of "titty-bouncing" which I personally dislike... so why do I like and even recommend this series? Easy! It actually has a rather unique and interesting story. It involves invisible, flying girls that live among humans, recharging their energy meters when they become low. What sounds strange actually makes for some very interesting drama! Despite its ridiculous premise, the series features some tense, exciting and also sometimes touching and heartwarming moments.
Only watch this if you can stomach some extreme fan-service and Ecchi moments. If you are a fan of these elements, you might even end up loving the series, as it has definitely a more interesting plot than most other Ecchi comedies. The girls are all likeable and somewhat unique, and as far as visuals etc. are concerned, I couldn't find any flaws in that department!
Chika Gentou Gekiga: Shoujo Tsubaki (Midori)
Users: 5,400, MAL Rating: 6.17, My Rating: 6/10
"A rating of 6.17? What the fuck is this guy thinking?" That's probably what you are thinking right now. And I have to admit, this recommendation is not for everyone. Shoujo Tsubaki is, to put it plainly, a disgusting horror trip. It features over-the top gore, violence, abuse as well as uncomfortable sexual scenes. In other words: If you are into that kind of stuff (which I am), this may be perfect for you! While there is a story, it's not particularly deep or interesting. The animation looks very dated, but it's awesomely gruesome and detailed in the scenes where it counts! With a runtime of only 45 minutes, you are looking at a movie that's only as long as two standard anime episodes. If I piqued your interest, definitely give it a watch!
Mahou Shoujo? Naria?Girls
Users: 1,000, MAL Rating: 3.80, My Rating: 8/10
While I had to admit it before that certain entries are not suited for every viewer and I already put a disclaimer in the beginning, that this list is highly subjective... I actually don't know why Naria Girls is rated so badly at all! I am dead serious. I love this show and I cannot fathom why it is hated by everyone who watched it. It baffles me! I just cannot comprehend it! Let me explain why you should give this anime a chance.
First of all, forget every preconceived notion of what an anime should be or should contain. This is not an anime! It is an anime by definition only, but a more accurate description would be, that it is a collection of stand-up improvised comedy shorts. The eponymous magical girls are simply motion-capped 3D models that move very awkwardly. The rest of the episodes are just poorly drawn still images. Sounds awful, right? Wrong! You didn't listen. Forget your expectations. You are not watching this for the story, because really, there is none. You are not watching it for the characters, since they are just three actual Japanese women goofing around doing improv comedy. This series really is just that: A bunch of people fucking around having a blast in a recording booth. They stumble over some dialogue, talk over each other, make inappropriate jokes... it's beautiful. Trust me and just give the first one or two episodes a watch! They are only 12 minutes long, too! It's a short series.
Overall, I can recommend this anime entry to you if you are a fan of funny Let's Plays or Podcasts on YouTube. Because that's really all this show is. You will laugh at the horrible quality of the 3D animations. You will laugh at the voice actresses losing their shit and laughing at their own stupid jokes. I unabashedly love this show. Check it out!
Posted by Leigh39 | Mar 24, 2018 5:27 AM | 0 comments