Why Ratings Can Ruin Anime: A Psychological Perspective

Jul 13, 7:43 AM

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Aug 2020

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Have you ever skipped an anime because it had a low rating? Or felt let down watching a highly rated show that didn’t live up to the hype? You’re not alone. There’s real psychology behind why ratings can change our experience of anime. This is why some streaming platforms, like N******, often choose not to show public ratings.

— Ratings Create Expectation Bias

When we see a score, especially something like 5/10 (i consider 7 and above good), we start expecting it's bad. Our brains adjust our expectations, often without us realizing it. This psychological effect, called priming, can lead us to focus on flaws or feel disconnected before we’ve even given the story a chance. Even if the show has emotional depth or a unique narrative style, we may unconsciously search for reasons to agree with the rating. This connects to confirmation bias, where we focus on evidence that supports our existing beliefs, or in this case, expectations set by others.

— Social Proof Undermines Personal Experience

Anime is very personal. People connect with different characters, genres, and emotions for their own reasons. But public ratings turn that experience into a contest. When you see that “everyone” rated a show poorly, you might start questioning your own taste or avoid it altogether. When a show is overly hyped, you may feel pressured to love it, even if it didn’t connect with you. This is explained by social comparison theory, which suggests we often judge our choices based on what others are doing. Ratings feed into that dynamic and discourage genuine reactions.

— Cultural Misunderstandings Lead to Unfair Scores

Anime often comes from a cultural framework that differs from Western media. A slow-burn slice-of-life or symbolic storytelling might not be appreciated by viewers used to action-heavy or plot-driven formats. Ratings often overlook cultural context. As a result, anime with niche appeal or unique pacing might receive unfairly low ratings from general audiences who “don’t get it.”

— Ratings Can Act Like Spoilers

Yes, even numbers can spoil a story. When you see a 9/10, you might prepare for something “amazing” to happen, watching with that expectation. If it doesn’t unfold as you imagined, you feel disappointed, even if the show was good. On the other hand, a low rating might lead you to drop a show too soon, thinking “this must end badly.” Either way, ratings take away a viewer’s natural emotional journey. Psychologists call this affective forecasting the tendency to predict how we’ll feel, which often dulls the real experience.

Final Thoughts

So next time you’re deciding what to watch, try ignoring the numbers. Let your curiosity guide you, not the crowd.

Jul 13, 8:20 AM

-Shinzo

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Apr 2019

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Jk_m said:
Have you ever skipped an anime because it had a low rating?

I did skip a lot of low scores (below 7) here before. But quickly realized that MAL's scores aren't really accurate due to score bombing and elitist mindset from most of the users.

I frequent a site that has a fairly accurate rating (it had below 5k users before) but now the scores seems to have become whack due to the influx of new users. (it went from 5k last year to 20k now)

I guess having less but actual anime enthusiasts tends to have a more accurate score, compared to having more people who will downvote everything just to have their anime on top.

Jul 13, 8:25 AM

Lentus1

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Jan 2022

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Yeah no shit google gemini. 😒😒😒

Jul 13, 8:34 AM

Zarutaku

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Sep 2016

22984

Without scores I wouldn't have tried Takopii the masterpiece.

*kappa*

Jul 13, 7:18 PM

Retro8bit

Nostalgia Rules!

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Jun 2008

15186

As I've stated plenty of times on the forums, I only use ratings as guidelines. When I even think to pay attention to them anyway.

Jul 13, 7:53 PM

INoLuv

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Jan 2020

532

Ratings mean nothing but what most users of a certain place like, what is commonly liked by most of the users. The same thing can be said about any site that is about ratings, like rateyourmusic. Even knowing that still doesnt change the fact that most people will always consider what is the most liked as the better thing.

Overall not worth it to follow ratings, better to disregard them

Jul 13, 8:39 PM

Jakkun

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Mar 2019

1371

Something tells me this is chatgpt, but part of me want to believe this is genuine

モスティマ意地悪 (˶ ｰ̀ ⤙ｰ́ ˶)

Jul 16, 2:43 AM

Jk_m

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Aug 2020

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Jakkun said:
Something tells me this is chatgpt, but part of me want to believe this is genuine

It's refined by AI because sometimes I can't articulate my thoughts clearly. There's no problem with that right? As long as the message got through.

Jul 16, 2:54 AM

Jakkun

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Mar 2019

1371

Reply to Jk_m

Jakkun said:
Something tells me this is chatgpt, but part of me want to believe this is genuine

It's refined by AI because sometimes I can't articulate my thoughts clearly. There's no problem with that right? As long as the message got through.

@Jk_m Surely there is no problem with that.

I used to believe that anything with a 7 is at least a decent anime. But mal has changed a lot. I kinda stop believing in the rating when something like kyokou suiri got a score lower than 7. It used to be higher than 7.5 in the past.

The new mean score on this site has probably changed to 6. But as you said, it's better to just ignore it.

モスティマ意地悪 (˶ ｰ̀ ⤙ｰ́ ˶)

Jul 16, 2:57 AM

#10

Jk_m

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Aug 2020

275

Jakkun said:
@Jk_m Surely there is no problem with that.

I used to believe that anything with a 7 is at least a decent anime. But mal has changed a lot. I kinda stop believing in the rating when something like kyokou suiri got a score lower than 7. It used to be higher than 7.5 in the past.

The new mean score on this site has probably changed to 6. But as you said, it's better to just ignore it.

sometimes i check the source material just to make sure because you know gotta trust the OG rates and reviews

Jul 16, 3:04 AM

#11

140619983000

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May 2020

368

That's why I stopped rating anime and removed my ratings, I no longer care if an anime is good or not and I don't pay much attention to the score in the first place.
I judge based on the premise, if it looks interesting then I will watch it. There are many shows from top 50 that I don't like, for example I think FMA:B is overrated and really boring but I won't deny it is really well written and good but it's not my cup of tea.

Jul 16, 4:02 AM

#12

Jk_m

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Aug 2020

275

iweebz said:
Most people exhibit sheep mentality in everything they do, even though they might not realize or admit it.
The initial rating of a show will greatly affect their enjoyment and scoring decision. Most people are incapable of constructing an original thought all by themselves. They can only emulate things they've learned from their group.
That's why you'll see shows like Dungeon Meshi getting praised over and over despite being mediocre at best. Shows like these got high initial ratings from a group of dedicated fans (who probably also botted the score). Then comes the normies who see high score and watch the show through a prismatic lens created from colorful shards of bullshit. And they convince themselves that this show is somehow good.

wow same i find dungeon meshi mediocre too i find it hard to finish each episodes.

Jul 16, 4:28 AM

#13

WaffleMaster89

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Oct 2022

1344

No I decide if I'm going to watch an anime based on how cute the anime girls are.

Go read Sousou no Frieren and One Piece they're the best thing ever

Jul 16, 4:42 AM

#14

gupipy

riichi ippatsu

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Jun 2009

708

Really depends, but proven to be true sometimes in my case. Example: I had HUGE expectations for Frieren based on ratings and hype, and was massively disappointed. If it wasn't for ratings, I probably wouldn't have had high expectations and would have ended up liking it more or at least not having beef with it in my head.

That said I try not to place that much trust into ratings, I look at them as a rough guideline nowadays, but not like "oh this is above 9 so I KNOW it's gonna be good".

Jul 16, 10:09 AM

#15

rohan121

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Sep 2018

14559

I love ecchi so I tend to ignore scores. I consume anime based on liking the girls looks.

Jul 16, 11:19 AM

#16

Minkalex

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Aug 2018

1190

Reply to Zarutaku

Without scores I wouldn't have tried Takopii the masterpiece.

@Zarutaku Yes, Takopii is a masterpiece-pi!

Jul 16, 11:24 AM

#17

Minkalex

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Aug 2018

1190

I feel it. I actually like to look at MAL-scores, just for fun. If I see a high score, I sometimes think: "wow, that must be something amazing" and sometimes when I see a low score under 6.00 I think: "okay, that must be crap". Scores can define your opinion of an anime before you start it, but after watching it you can have a different opinion as the majority who watched it.

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Why Ratings Can Ruin Anime: A Psychological Perspective

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