Here's a (not so) little explanation on my rating scale:
Some stuff I wanna get out of the way first:
I suspect I will be judged for having a fairly high average score. I believe this high score is appropriate for two main reasons: 1) I actively seek out anime I expect to enjoy, and so I feel it's only natural that most of my scores are positive, and thus the average is high, because I tend to enjoy most of what I watch, and 2) I really like anime overall, I find it's really hard to make something so bad I won't at least like something about it, and so most of my scores end up on the positive end of the spectrum, just by being pretty well done and having a fair degree of enjoyment for me (not that I don't distinguish levels of enjoyment or acknowledge shortcomings, that's why the range is wide enough, but overall if I feel positively towards an anime by the end I'll score it positively). There's also the fact that I compare the anime to other anime when scoring them, and so many of the anime you may think are scored higher than they deserve are there because I liked them more than any of the anime below it, so the scale is always keeping what other shows are similarly scored in mind.
If you're wondering why I don't have a 1 yet, it's because I don't hate myself enough to watch a show I expect to be a 1, and once again I generally look for shows I'll overall enjoy. There may come a day when I have a 1, but for now nothing is quite there (as I've explained below).
You'll also notice that these explanations are tailored to my taste, as they should be. They are rated on two criteria: entertainment being most important, and appreciation being second most important. Entertainment is how much I enjoyed an anime. It is most important because, at the end of the day, that is what I value most, and I am watching these shows for my own personal enjoyment, so if I didn't have fun, that cripples the score for me pretty severely. Appreciation is how much I appreciated the different aspects of a show, whether that be narrative aspects (such as story or character) or technical aspects (such as animation, art, music, character design, etc), the more important being the narrative aspect, as it's what I personally value more (although it's possible for me to appreciate the aesthetic and technical elements of an anime).
In this breakdown, I'll explain what each score means, what exactly about it did or didn't appeal to me, and what I look at when giving a score to a show. These descriptions don't always perfectly fit every show under a certain score, as there are varying levels within those scores, as I can easily say I like one show more than the other for a great deal of these, and I can't give an individual score to each series to properly rank them, so these descriptions are not themselves perfect, but reflect the general meaning of that score I have given.
10 - Masterpiece:
The 10/10 score for me is something rare, something special, something that resonates so centrally for me that it becomes the very reason I love anime. Needless to say, I love these anime to an unprecedented degree. There are a multitude of reasons and a full story which can explain why I gave this anime this score. Generally these fall into two categories. The first category is stuff that blows me away in a way which both makes me extremely excited and boggles my mind. Anime in this category (Fate/Zero, F/SN: UBW Steins;Gate, Madoka Rebellion) got here because of sheer awe upon my watching. The second category is shows which have immense personal emotional impact. These anime (Hibike! Euphonium 2, Koe no Katachi) not only move me emotionally, but connect to me on a deep level, and give me feelings that bubble over into my everyday life. All anime with this score, in either category, would be anime I would describe as being nearly perfect in my eyes, or almost perfect for me. The story, characters, themes, art, animation, premise, almost everything about the show makes me excited, happy, and passionate.
9 - Great:
Being one of my highest scores, these are anime that I enjoyed greatly. More than that though, these titles generally tend to resonate with me or evoke strong emotion in me, as well as make me appreciate the medium of animation to its fullest. These anime leave an impression on me, and many make my favorites list because of how they impact my life, whether it be by simply making me happy, or by changing my very view on things. These are usually pretty technically impressive, but technical aspects such as animation, art, and music aren't quite what matter as much here, although I doubt you'll find many shows here that are outright lacking in these areas. As far as story and character go, these are among my most treasured, and are inspirations for my own writing. There's always something which impresses me or leaves me in awe about how the anime was constructed. These are truly special to me, and only just barely avoid being what I would call a "Masterpiece".
8 - Very Good:
My most common score, this one has a decent amount of variance between titles, but overall these shows are very enjoyable and I appreciate many things about them. Many of them create a decent amount of emotion for me and I enjoy them quite a lot. I find their stories engaging and interesting, and I find the characters generally likable and complex enough. Very little of the run-time am I bored or annoyed, or if it is boring at points or has low points it has some really high points for me. Having so many titles, this also encompasses a variety of genres, and for many of these genres, these are some top contenders, and so I recommend these fairly regularly, especially for those I'm introducing to anime. At this point I'd say any of the titles here or above are general recommendations, anime which I figure most people should enjoy unless they dislike the genre or are very picky.
7 - Good:
This score has a decent amount of range in it, as well as a myriad of reasons for why some shows receive this score, as well as many shows I feel I need to rewatch and reevaluate within it. Some of these shows I enjoy immensely, and are common candidates for both my rewatches and my recommendations (Kiznaiver, Tanaka-kun, Luluco, New Game!, Girlish Number, ACCA). Some of these I like a fair amount, but either had issues with at some point(s) (Gabriel Dropout, Bakuon!!, Dimension W, High School Fleet) or overall didn't impress enough (Raildex, Shingeki no Bahamut, JoJo). Those are generally the higher end of the 7 spectrum, and are pretty securely scored. However, 7 also covers some that aren't quite the same for me that I may separate or move further down, and warrant a rewatch. Some I appreciate certain aspects of a lot but really overall didn't enjoy that much in my first viewing (Death Note, Spice & Wolf, Re:Zero, Jin-Rou, Summer Wars). Some I liked enough, but have overall doubts of whether they quite hold up for me as time has progressed (OreImo, Drifters, Bungou Stray Dogs S1). Some I watched and really wasn't sure how to score them, feeling I enjoyed them overall but honestly didn't really matter much to me and overall didn't impress me (Noragami, Re:Zero, Mahouka, Attack on Titan, Angel Beats!, God Eater). And then there are some that kind of fall in between those two, that are pretty much 7s, but are neither liked as much as the top sevens nor are they as questionable as the bottom 7s (Another, Pokemon: The Origin, Sansha Sanyou, Amaama to Inazuma, Urara Meirochou, Mahou Shoujo Ikusei Keikaku, Izetta). These generally have at least one character I like a lot (with a few exceptions), and are often pretty well constructed in terms of story and cast so that I get interested and decently enjoy it throughout. That said, very few of these characters would make a favorite character list. This is where technical aspects stop mattering as much to me going up, and I start caring more about story and character, as they are generally strong enough that I stop caring as much about animation, art, and music, although some of these are outstanding in those categories. I pretty often recommend these, especially the upper portion, although almost every show in this category has a better substitute higher up in the rankings. Still, most are worth watching.
6 - Fine:
Being the beginning of the upper half of the scoring spectrum, I would have to say that this is an overall positive score, even if it is the lowest positive score I'd really give. I can safely say I like these series, or at the very least appreciate something about them. That said, I wouldn't exactly call them "Good", as they generally don't offer enough to be anything more than "Fine", by which I mean they either weren't enjoyable enough for me (FLCL, Sword of the Stranger) but I appreciate some elements of them, they offer very little outside of some mild enjoyment (Netoge, Eromanga, Ghost Stories), or they are a mixed bag of good and bad that happened to end up on the positive side. There are things I like about each of these, and there are things I dislike, but overall I had a good time. They'll not likely be on the top of my recommendation list, because in all likelihood there's something much better you should be watching, but that doesn't mean I won't share them or talk about them, because in the end I had fun with them.
5 - Average:
Being in the bottom half of the scoring spectrum, I would have to say that this is overall a fairly negative score, but I'd also like to say that the anime which receive this score fit the descriptor of "Average" pretty much to a T, either because they overall offer so little positive or negative qualities as to really make it fall on either side of the spectrum (Anne Happy, HaruChika, Tokyo Ghoul), or because they offer a perfect balance of both enjoyment and annoyance that makes me really question whether I liked or hated them (Gate, Renai Boukun, No Game No Life). There are some fairly controversial scores here, either for anime people love but I thought were mediocre at best (NGNL being the big one) or for anime people often hate but I found to not really be quite as offensive or bad as they make it sound (SAO, Akashic Records). Some of these have some standout element, generally a technical aspect which is particularly appealing (Guilty Crown, NGNL) or some likable character amongst an overall bland cast (HaruChika, Gate, Busou Shoujo Machiavellianism), but these elements are overall not quite enough to make this series any more than average on their own. These are not really recommendable except for the select few circumstances where someone has just the right taste, although I'd never start someone with these.
4 - Bad:
Anime receiving this score likely did little to entertain me, only having a few moments or qualities that gave me temporary enjoyment or appreciation, but not enough to really balance out with the negative aspects of the show, which if it has received this score were likely a combination of boredom and annoyance for a large portion my watching experience. Some of these are "so bad it's good" anime that I didn't quite like so much (Inferno Cop), some are just overall bad but slightly enjoyable (Isekai wa Smartphone). They are often of a lacking or poor quality as far as characters and story go, not having much substance to either, and the art, music, and other technical elements are usually not of high quality. I won't say I like these shows, nor would I likely recommend them to anyone, but I can see why people enjoy these shows if they were able to look past the flaws, as some enjoyment was had by me at least. Still, they don't have much reason to be watched.
3 - Very Bad:
Anime receiving this score likely bored me, and on top of that were probably riddled with issues that kept me from liking it. There are very little redeeming qualities in these, those few nuggets of slight entertainment or appreciation being heavily outweighed by negative qualities. Certain aspects are likely unbearably annoying, such as characters or musical choices or plot elements, and the story likely takes irritating turns in a direction I wish it wouldn't and think are unnecessary or dumb. I dislike these shows, for many reasons, and they're often the type that I'll forget about fairly quickly, both due to their lack of impact and my desire to forget how annoying they were.
2 - Horrible:
Anime receiving this score likely did little to nothing right, and also did very much wrong. I didn't enjoy myself watching these, but more than that, these hurt to watch. They're not the "so bad they're good" watch with your friends to get a laugh types of anime, they're the type you try to forget about and maybe bring up when someone asks for the absolute worst anime has to offer. They're not quite offensive enough to be 1s, but are unpleasant enough that they're worse than what could be called "Very Bad". Do not watch these, because I surely am not happy I did.
1 - Appalling:
Think about that word for a minute; "appalling". Dictionary definition: causing shock or dismay; horrific. How bad must something be to be called that? Well, for me, nothing has quite horrified or offended me enough to quite earn this title yet, and I am sure as hell avoiding anything I think will end up here, because there are a few things I expect to end up here if I ever watched them (Pupa, Boku no Pico, Shitcom, Utsu Musume Sayuri, Abunai Sisters) and I will push them off until I run out of things to watch. This spot is reserved for shows that repulse me to my core, going beyond just doing everything wrong and nothing right, but for those shows that do so much wrong to such a degree that I am horrified. Let us pray that day never comes.
Explanations on Individual Series
If you're curious where I rank certain anime in relation to others, I've got an IMDb list(https://www.imdb.com/list/ls026187365/) which contains all the anime I've watched (at least all the ones in the database, missing Imouto Sae Ireba Ii and Ousama Game) in order. I wouldn't call this a perfect expression of my opinions since my feelings change sometimes and it's hard to exactly say how a single anime compares to another precisely, but it's fairly accurate overall if you want to know where one series fits into my list. The format's different than MAL because IMDb doesn't usually have OVAs, specials, or other side media in their database, and also combines the seasons, so there's some difficulty in translation.
I haven't added reviews yet for individual anime so you can read my exact thoughts and justifications of my scores for specific anime, but I have some plans to add that to either the IMDb or MAL at some point. I've got some short thoughts on my Kitsu account for some series, although somewhat limited.
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