Just your friendly, incredibly long-winded neighborhood |Spider-Man|mercenary|anime enthusiast. I have absolute 0 patience for unhinged fandoms/hatedoms, but I'm typically chill to talk to otherwise. Sorry if I come off as toxic. Terminally online weebs from this site and others have made me jaded.
The way I see it, what matters most when partaking in any media consumption, not just anime, is literacy/comprehension. The whole "good taste/shit taste" flame wars sound more like elitists or deranged fans/haters trying to gatekeep/force a caste system into the community. Anime fans have already been ostracized before just for liking it...Deranged behavior from perpetually online people isn't helping...I'd like to believe I'm capable of respecting most opinions if people can just explain them without resorting to objectively false takes(e.g., saying some characters "never suffer" when the characters have had to deal with massive amounts of mental trauma).
Next anime to watch/continue:
The Apothecary Diaries: Maomao is best (cat)girl, and I'm loving the political drama here. Maomao is absolutely an amazingly written girl character, so I'm not surprised in the slightest over Frieren's fandom getting along with this series'. Jinshi is also a pretty huge sweet-heart, so most of his interactions with Maomao are adorable.
Rage of Bahamut: Genesis: It has a funny afro guy voiced by Ian Sinclair. Am I referring to Favaro or Brook? YOHOHOHOHO!! Plus, I heard this was a bit of a sleeper hit, and it looks like it has godly animation.
Laid-Back Camp: It looks downright adorable, and Nade is radiating Kirby energy. I also heard of how much it respects both introverts and extroverts, which is unbelievably wholesome, given how often introverts are bad-mouthed.
Mary Sue/Gary Stu: You have to literally TRY to make a character perfect at this point. Can't say it doesn't happen, as Disney has LOVED doing it for the sake of "girl power" characters and I swear Sousuke Aizen is the villain version of this trope from what I've seen of Bleach, but Jesus the anime community overuses this...Even heard this used for Korra, who has had no shortage of hardships or flaws...Not to mention people use this against any character slightly nice, fortunate or the voice of reason. It's as overused in the anime community as "grifter" or "incel" is used in political videos...I even struggle to call Sung Jin-woo this since he's fought tooth and nail to get where he is, despite him being like 80% of what SAO's hatedom claim Kirito is(one man army, potentially multiversal threat, solos bosses, remains calm in the worst of circumstances once he gets stronger, under-developed personality)...I don't want to hear another person complaining about Kirito if they straight-up glaze Sung Jin-woo.
Wish-fulfillment: Pretty sure even Natsuki Freaking Subaru got this stupid criticism launched at him back when people were high off of that haterade for Isekai in general. Not so much nowadays, but the media illiteracy was strong back then...
Self-insert: Used for characters no one in their right mind would want to be, and typically not used for the LITERAL author insert. An avatar from a video game is a self-insert. Once again, you need to TRY to make a character devoid of personality for this to be true(e.g., Xenoblade X's Cross/Rook). You can be happy with seeing your favorite characters happy without literally "wishing you were that character". I'm sick of this shitty criticism almost as much as Mary Sue/Gary Stu...
No Personality: You'd literally have to make a character as much of a vegetable as a Noumu from My Hero Academia for this to be true. This shouldn't be a substitute for "bland" or "flat", and even then those can be subjective, as some of the most beloved characters I've seen can be regular people(see: most SOL protagonists).
Best Series: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood - People weren't wrong. This is a prime example of a near-perfect story. Just wish the fans weren't so defensive on it, given all the rating bombing for stuff like Fruits Basket (2019) and Kaguya-sama... Favorite Series: Sword Art Online - Just know I'm not going to trust you to have a formed opinion on it for a nanosecond if you give this a 4 or below, especially if you bring the hypothetical "worst anime character ever" argument up and gaslight others into believing Kirito fulfills that, or give it a 1 or 2 AT MOST followed by saying, "Those ratings are too generous"...I have no patience for drama queens that pull this crap, nor people that did this all just for fun, knowing full well they were lying about what actually happens in the story, just because they were hell-bent on ruining the reputation and wanted to treat the fans like trash so they could feel S U P E R I O R... Best Anime Studio: Bones, hands down. It's hard to compete against the studio that produced faithful adaptations/creative originals that were absolute hits, like Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, My Hero Academia, Space Dandy, Eureka Seven and Noragami.
I only wish they'd put the MHA anime adaptation on a bit of hiatus since they're pretty much ONLY focusing on adapting that. Meanwhile, Noragami is basically in its final chapters and there's still no announcement of Season 3...Good if they ever decide to make a Season 3, as that could mean sticking incredibly close to the source material since all of it is available, but AGONIZING for fans who have been waiting for nearly a decade for a 3rd season. Sort of the same situation as Blue Exorcist or The Devil is a Part-Timer. Most Overhated Studio: A-1 Pictures/Cloverworks. I see so many people getting hung up on petty shit with this and have even heard it compared to Studio Deen on a few occasions for "lazy animation"...assuming people don't immediately list "they adapted SAO" as their sole reason for hating it...It's the opposite of Madhouse for the default attitude viewers have before watching. Most Overrated Studio: Madhouse. I think OPM is getting way too much praise over being a superhero and OP protagonist satire. HXH is fantastic, but is forgiven for virtually anything that was kind of "meh", like the pacing in the Chimera Ant arc(the "30 episodes IRL -> 10 minutes passed in HXH's universe" thing). Death Note is a great thriller, but it can be really overdramatic to the point of comedy. NGNL has a great concept, but the characters aren't entirely up to snuff and it's getting free passes for its fan service. Basically, I think too many anime are called "masterpieces" from this studio while refusing to acknowledge some legit flaws. I'm convinced many get ridiculous amounts of praise mainly for the impeccable production value from the studio itself rather than the actual quality of some series. I don't think it's an overall BAD studio in the slightest; just overrated.
Frieren lives up to the hype, and I can definitely see good arguments for it being a 10 out of 10 series. Still...Even now I think it has a LITTLE bit of overrating going on with its overall rating based solely on a single season. I mean, surpassing Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood...Based solely on Season 1...And STAYING there! Frieren is delightful and beautiful, but FMA: B is an ENTIRELY different beast since it was 64 episodes of near-perfection. Frieren Season 1 is fantastic as basically a prologue, but I think it needs more seasons to justify it surpassing FMA: B. And I'm saying this as someone that hates seeing review-bombing if several other anime surpass FMA: B. Worst/Least Favorite Series: School Days or Fireworks, at least from those I've seen. Sloppy story-telling, nothing characters, and a script bad enough to make someone bored out of their mind(Fireworks) or to want to puke(School Days). Most Overrated Series: Solo Leveling. I'm so sorry to all One-Punch Man, JoJo or Attack on Titan fans. I still think all of those can get a little over-praised at times, depending on which season we're talking about(I still think AoT got a little too over-praised for Season 1, but later seasons looked to "grow the beard", so to speak), but I can at least see the love and effort put into them.
It's not like I don't entirely see the appeal of it, but what else can I call it other than "overrated" when Sung Jin-woo is fairly underdeveloped personality-wise after he gets stronger, yet so many anime fans act as if he's worthy of being in the Top 100? Meanwhile they hate Kirito over a straw-man argument...That Sung Jin-woo is mostly ACTUALLY guilty of being...Claiming Kirigaya "has no personality"(which isn't even remotely true) and "is unbelievably OP" that he rivals the likes of Satoru Gojo or Goku in power-level, yet Jin-woo under-reacts to everything after getting stronger to the point where anything of his weak self almost doesn't exist anymore and ACTUALLY DOES rival the likes of Satoru Gojo and Goku in terms of power-level. I can like an OP character, but they have to have a winning personality or have to deal with their own problems despite their overwhelming power, something I don't consider Sung Jin-woo to have. He doesn't have "no personality", but he's definitely getting to be boring with how little he reacts.
Solo Leveling has been a pretty hollow Power Fantasy only held up by its great animation and action. I think people are overrating Sung Jin-woo as a protagonist based on what I saw in Season 1(and I'm not confident he's going to become more compelling in S2), world-building is sparse, and this is some straight-up double-standards, given how people are praising this series for what they say they despise in what I consider to be the "Most Overhated Series" in existence. Most Overhated Series: Sword Art Online. No contest...Jesus...The hate I've seen is some of the most manufactured and deranged I've ever witnessed. Over half of it doesn't even make sense and sounds like a conclusion you'd draw from seeing one second of it, and literally nothing else. It's either vacuous(i.e., "It sucks because it sucks *refuses to elaborate*"), inconsistent standards(e.g., being livid about plot armor, powerful to OP protagonists or fan service in this while praising/giving a free pass to literally every other franchise...don't watch much anime, do you?...), or straight-up gaslighting combined with poor reading/watching comprehension(Basically "Fandom: Back up your take with a source. Hatedom: My source is I made it the fuck up."). Knowing people are still trying to label this as the single absolute bottom of the barrel worst series in existence makes me feel like I'm getting a brain aneurysm. Hell, I've legit had unpleasant dreams since people are acting like Reki Kawahara committed unforgivable crimes against humanity. This series is nowhere close to bad in terms of writing, seeing as how the stuff people say is pretty much the exact opposite(e.g., Kirito is a demi-god, basically, yet he suffers PTSD, has a fairly balanced win-loss-team win ratio and often FAILS when it really counts/having to be bailed out by one of his allies. Asuna is useless, yet she's actually instrumental in her own rescue in Fairy Dance. Suguha is "incest", yet actually wants to let go of her feelings since there's several reasons for why she's confused and trying to work out her sibling issues with Kirito. The "plot holes" either don't exist or aren't nearly as story-breakingly large as people say they are. Claim it fetishizes sexual assault/rape, when in actuality it's portraying it as absolutely horrific as expected, not unlike how Berserk or the Japanese dub of FFXVI portrayed it.). It, at worst, had growing pains as a LN series and pacing issues during Aincrad. Alicization proves Kawahara has gotten much better. You can't be writing for 20+ years, get this huge in popularity, this huge of a fanbase and NOT improve as a writer/be a good writer. Re: Zero didn't get a big fanbase on "bad writing", One Piece didn't get a big fanbase on "bad writing", Berserk didn't become the #1 highest ranked manga ever on "bad writing", and this is the same way...
What makes it worse is that I've seen a disturbingly large amount of people just swearing off on watching the show for absolutely bogus reasons a lot of the time...Not so much 1-4(which are understandable), but 5 and 6 from the list below.
If it's out of general disinterest, I have no complaints. I'm not going to bust someone's balls if they don't like RPGs as a game genre in general, and I won't bust someone's balls over not being interested in watching it since it doesn't look like a show they'd enjoy.
If it's because you're tired of the whole Isekai/Isekai-lite boom, I don't blame you. It is being over-saturated.
If it's because it doesn't look like a show you'd enjoy, understandable. Different strokes for different folks.
If it's because there's too much baggage that goes along with it, I get it all too well. This controversy blew up with the force of at least 50 atom bombs to the point where it's as popular and well-known as the series itself; surpassing even Bleach and Naruto in that regard.
If it's because you believe every word from YouTubers like Digi/MB/GR/Gigguk unironically, fuck you.
If it's because you absolutely CAN'T STAND that fans are vehemently defending it since the Anitubers above(or the devoted hatedoms that follow them) are almost intentionally getting things wrong for the sake of drama/pissing off the fans since "lol ur angr is s0 funne and I want to feel superior", fuck you still...
Did you people EVER stop to think that maybe the reason we defend it like our lives depend on it is because the hate-base treats us like we have no rights to complain about anything in any work of fiction because we committed the "crime" of LIKING this franchise?...And because this same hate-base is devoted to ruining the reputation of the author and the fans, as if this franchise will literally end the world if people enjoy it?...I haven't even seen this level of hatred for Naruto or Bleach...Not even Demon Slayer is getting this much hate, despite kind of becoming a punching bag recently(unfairly so)...What makes this series worthy of this much scorn?...
In fact, I'm convinced this goes one of two ways:
Never watch the show -> See what the fan base says they like about it -> Claim the show does the exact opposite, even if the fans' factual info is airtight -> Gaslight people into believing it -> Use your clout to convince everyone that a two or three word sentence claiming it's shit has more worth than an entire essay with examples claiming it's good
Watch any negative YouTube videos on it -> Believe literally everything they say, even if none of those claims match up with reality or they willingly ignore anything that disproves them -> Use subscriber count rather than the facts in their arguments to argue why they're right(probably because their videos are filled to the brim with misconceptions and factual inaccuracy...) -> Using your newfound arrogance, gaslight people into believing that a two or three word sentence claiming it's shit has more worth than an entire essay with examples claiming it's good
It's like they recite the hate like a madness mantra...None of the hatred feels normal in the slightest. If it were genuine, I'd see more criticisms that use evidence and critical thinking. Not the case for this waste-of-oxygen hatedom, as it's all statements, claims that don't line up with the story in the slightest, and douchey comments like calling it "piece of shit" every chance they get....
For where I'd rank it: I'd say it's NOT in the Top 10 for anime, probably in the Top 50, definitely in the Top 100.
If I run into anyone that acts like this IRL, I think I'm going to snap...Weirdly enough, though, I haven't run into this IRL. It's either been people saying it fell out of their favor due to personal preferences, but they still recognize it's really good, or have straight-up said it's fantastic. I've only ever run into dissenters a handful of times, and it was the same tired old song and dance.
Me, trying to have a good piece of mind with my anime hobby
Me, when I see terminally online weebs whose only purpose in life is to ruin someone's day(typically by harassing fans over what they like, even if the fans in question have airtight arguments)
Me, when I meet regular, nice people who are enthusiastic to talk about anime and manga(online or IRL)
Biggest Pet Peeve: Mindless opinions. If you're going to have a meaningful, formed opinion on a series, have good, factual back-up. You can even have seriously personal reasons for liking/hating it without critical thinking or meaningful reasons; just explain why. SAO's brain-dead hatedom that devote their life to hating it is a big one, but far from the only example. I'm also talking about stuff like review brigading because YouTubers said to give a series 10s to "own the haters/dubbing studios", the sudden influx of disrespect to KnY just because it got popular, JelloApocalypse's newest video trashing One Piece under the pretense of "satire" while failing to understand basic story details, and unfairly judging the studios based on vocal minority opinion. Judge based on the actual product; not the reputation that may or may not be exaggerated. If you can do that, I have no problem.
I think it's pretty telling how horrible of a state the anime community is in when the second I distance myself from discussing/debating with hard-headed people online or get invested in a widely loved show(One Piece), the better my peace of mind or quality of life is. There are a few diamonds in the rough on here and on other websites, but by and large, it's a complete dumpster fire. I blame arrogant AniTubers, like MB, for practically encouraging this attitude by putting it on full display in their videos, thumbnails showing their disgust for others opinions or similar condescending crap.
Favorite Director: Mamoru Hosoda. I think I like him and his movies even more than Hayao Miyazaki, TBH. Not to throw shade at Miyazaki's work, though. Summer Wars, Wolf Children and The Boy and the Beast just hit different for me.
Favorite Genres
Fantasy(High, Dark, Urban...I don't think there's a sub-genre of this I don't like)
Action
Romance
Comedy
Drama
Mecha
Indifferent Genres
Ecchi. On one hand, I like fan service and pervy humor can get a laugh out of me(e.g. Shimoneta is a masterclass in pervy humor). On the other, sometimes it's distracting or all-consuming(e.g. High-Rise Invasion having at least one panty shot each episode; typically during fights or out of nowhere). Rosario + Vampire's manga is one of my favorites due to the weirdly good balance between this, harem antics and a battle Shounen with a great story and characters. Rosario + Vampire's anime is one of my most despised since they replaced all the cool and good stuff with boatloads of fan service. Chivalry of a Failed Knight scratched that Rosa+Vamp manga itch and I thought it wasn't intrusive at all, despite the fan service being plentiful. I wuv My Dress-up Darling specifically because it blends the romance with the fan service so well that it amplifies the more passionate/sexier/cuter parts of the romance genre.
Hated Genres
Almost none with the exception of somewhat for Horror(I don't love the "being watched" feeling or when it sometimes becomes a gratuitous gore fest). I eat up Psychological Horror(Re:Zero, baby!), Cosmic Horror(Bloodborne, mainly, The Song of Saya has me intrigued to want to play it, and Void Stranger may just by my new obsession) and can like Body Horror if it's not mentally scarring(such as Parasyte -the maxim-).
My Overall Rating System
10/10-Masterpiece: Has very solid plots, exceptionally well-characterized/developed main characters at least, deeper and sometimes thought-provoking themes, or the plots are just so enjoyable that I can't find much to hate about them. Can sometimes deal with real-life issues that everyone faces. Does not need to be flawless since no anime is flawless. Only for anime that amaze me in a good way. I can forgive changes to some rules if they are explained later down the road, or are practically non-existent in the source material(Something that SAO has done exceptionally well.). If characters aren't well-developed or characterized, they must be extremely lovable. Anime I gave this rating: Sword Art Online(check the Show Rant if you're a bad-faith tourist, since I KNOW you will use that garbage Echo Chamber...The hate this series gets is usually either objectively incorrect, which says more about the viewer's reading/watching comprehension than the writing quality of the show, manufactured as fuck or just plain gaslighting...80.1% of viewers on MAL gave it above a 5, so please try and tell me that lie that "hating it is the majority opinion", assholes...Even going by 7-10 ratings, it's still 68.5% aka A MAJORITY), Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Steins;Gate and Noragami Aragoto. 9/10-Great: Has mostly fleshed-out plots, very well-characterized/developed main characters at least, can have the deeper themes, but doesn't need them. For series that still manage to get me to show a lot of love for them, but feel a little incomplete. The line between this and 10 out of 10 is thin, so my rating may switch easily when it's rated this highly. May have a few things that don't make sense that I can forgive. As long as they answer it later down the line, I'm fine with it. If characters aren't well-developed or characterized, they must be very lovable. Anime I gave this rating: Gargantia, The Devil is a Part-timer!, Noragami(1st season), Magi(both seasons), and Accel World. 8/10-Very Good: Has good plots, maybe a little flawed though. At least one or two of the main characters have to be well-characterized or developed. For series that manage to get love from me, but probably not in the usual amount. If characters aren't well-developed or characterized, they must be lovable. Anime I gave this rating: Howl's Moving Castle. It's whimsical, it's fun, the characters are great, but there are some scenes that kind of seem pointless(Sophie carrying the dog and the Witch of the Waste trying to walk up stairs with all of that fat she has), Turnip Head's curse and how to break it is non-sensical(his true love was Sophie all along, but loves can change...What?! Based on what?!) and VITAL PLOT DETAILS FOR UNDERSTANDING THE STORY are literally in the background with characters you can barely hear.
Or the original D. Gray-Man. Very good Shounen series marred down by Akuma power-creep, a bit of meandering pacing in the middle, and Lenalee is out of commission, like, 70% of the time. 7/10-Good: Is all around good, but there are some obvious weaknesses that are seriously detracting from it. If it's very cliché, or just not that fleshed-out. At least one main character has to be well-characterized or developed. If characters aren't well-developed or characterized, they must be likable. Anime I gave this rating: Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out is this for me. Nothing ground-breaking, but Hana Uzaki and Shinichi Sakurai make a cute enough couple. There are good laughs to be had over Uzaki's smug attitude and the usual rom-com shenanigans, and some decent heart warming moments. Not super deep, though. Kuso Cat is tied between annoying as shit, like its name, sort of funny from its only purpose being "look jealous and shocked at Uzaki and Sakurai" and weirdly hilarious from it being kind of an omnipresent god, as evidenced by EVERYTHING having its face on it. It's a little like One Piece's Panda Man, only VERY hit-and-miss for how funny it is(as opposed to almost always funny, like all Panda Man appearances). 6/10-Fine: Is very, very flawed, but still enjoyable. At least a few characters have to be enjoyable, and the individual episode plots have to be fun. Overall plot with a deeper message is almost non-existent. Anime I gave this rating: High-Rise Invasion. Cool death match/pocket dimension anime, the plot is decent with trying to create a new god by having "Those Closer To God" as candidates and the masks being a key to create one, the action is pretty good...but most of the characters are very much lacking in background and "I assure you. It's absolutely necessary to show at least one girl characters' panties every episode during these pretty kick-ass fights. We have a quota to meet". I believe there's at least one review calling it a "hornier and dumber Alice in Borderland". Gotta say that sounds accurate. 5/10-Average: Not that much good, but not entirely bad. They have to be at least visually appealing if they're lacking in plot or characters. Characters are stereotypes or archetypes that don't do much to separate themselves out from other characters. Just to make things clear: almost every character has an archetype. It's a matter of what they do to separate themselves out from others that determines well-done characterization/character development for me. If characters aren't well-developed or characterized, they must be likable.
Anime I gave this rating: Mirai. Mirai was unbelievably disappointing, especially since I love Hosoda's other work...The main problems come from "did that all happen or was it symbolic?", it being all too realistic for raising kids(the good and the bad...namely with the tantrums), and Kun's parents kind of being terrible by sort of neglecting him...he's 4 years-old, right?... Made me realize that trope of "Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane" kind of sucks... 4/10-Bad/Decent: Has more bad than good, but may have one or two fun moments/a few good episodes. Badly developed/characterized characters that only hold to their stereotypes/archetypes to a T. Almost no visible plot that makes any sort of sense. Maybe has a few inconsistencies with no promise of a correction later down the line. Can still have a few likable characters. The source material is likely butchered.
Anime I gave this rating: Hot Take: Your Lie in April became this for me. Initially it got a 7 out of 10, but I quickly realized the whole Butt-Monkey trope is overplayed in this and it's done in such bad-taste. Not even the visuals and music could change my opinion at this point. I only like Kousei and his piano teacher that called out his abusive mother. I basically hate the rest of the characters because the author thought 1.) it was a good idea to have slapstick humor paired with physical abuse, and 2.) it would be a good idea for all of Kousei's so called "friends" to go from neutral to
for just about anything he does. Need I mention Tsubaki firing fireworks at him all because he was looking at Kaori solemnly?...
It's not like it can't be done well either, as Yu Ishigami in Kaguya-sama is on the end of both dramatic slander/heart-break and slapstick abuse for some rude remarks he gives. The difference is when each are used and neither being literally back-to-back.
And then there's Carole & Tuesday...I loved seeing the world it created, the music was pretty good(the "Fucking Bullshit" song is legendary), and I love it that this is technically in Cowboy Bebop's universe. However...if I wanted to watch a show injecting real-life politics into almost every inch of its identity(and being so hyperpartisan that it's fucking sickening...), barely any developed characters, and uses a Strawman of what the opposing party believes in, I'd be watching just about anything that comes out of modern Hollywood...This anime was as ham-fisted as that type of garbage from the West Coast...I have only ever run into a handful of modern shows here in the U.S. that DON'T inject this stuff in...and those end up being GOOD as a result. Yep...As someone that lives here, I'm ashamed that the U.S. has become an absolute circus for where its priorities are and demonizing groups of people almost daily is just going to make things worse... 3/10-Very Bad: So much bad and so little good. Same as 4 out of 10, but also may have characters that act like assholes or bad morals that are kind of supported. Has much fewer likable characters than 4 out of 10. Anime I gave this rating: Sadly, Rosario + Vampire's anime...I love the manga, but what the hell happened?...Rosario + Vampire's anime earned this from butchering the source material to hell and back. None of the good character development, the action became more of a running joke("That fight took 10 seconds! Wii!") than actually engaging and cool as hell, no Fairy Tale or Fang Fang in sight, just good voice acting from some legends in the anime industry(namely Todd Haberkorn, Cherami Leigh, Alexis Tipton and Ian Sinclair) and panty shots...LOADS AND LOADS OF PANTY SHOTS!! I'm pretty sure they even tried to sell it on "Monster MILFs" for the advertising...Ugh...I know the manga is an Ecchi too, but that was well-placed instances vs. cluster sex bombs...It's like the difference between Nero's F-Bomb to Vergil in DMC5 vs. El Donté's F-Bomb contest with the Succubus in Ninja Theory's game...One is the culmination of Nero's frustrations with his newfound family, the other is trying to make Dante more appealing to a Western market by being an edgelord... 2/10-Horrible: Same as 3 out of 10, but worse. Has almost no characterization/character development. Almost none of the characters are likable. Anime I gave this rating: Fireworks. It's barely passable as a story. I swear over half the script is just arguing on the shape of the motherfucking fireworks...What I remember from it: The school boys being pervs, one of those guys ditching a girl he supposedly likes, that guy trying to kill the main guy character over the male MC's perceived romance with her, the female MC trying to run away from home, something about parallel worlds made by wishes not elaborated on, and...at least half the script or a sizeable chunk being a debate over "are fire works round or flat"...How thrilling... 1/10-Nearly Un-watchable: The bottom of the barrel. No discernible plot. Almost none to no character development or characterization. The things that I can barely call "characters" are most likely assholes. May have awful morals supported rather than punished. NONE of the "characters" are likable. Anime I gave this rating: School Days...If you expect me to feel something for a cheating sex maniac, characters with little to no details about them, mean-spirited plot elements, and the admittedly pretty iconic ending, you have another thing coming...
My Favorite Anime from #10 to #1:
#10: Made in Abyss(debating with whether One Piece should go here)
#9: Re: Zero
#8: Kaguya-sama: Love is War
#7: Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
#6: Violet Evergarden
#5: Steins;Gate
#4: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
#3: Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet
#2: Noragami
#1: Sword Art Online
Favorite Characters
Honorable Mentions:
Honorable Mentions:
Notes: Manga ONLY for the Rosario + Vampire characters. The anime was a legit adaptational trainwreck. I was indifferent to Luffy during the start, but he REALLY came into his own with his post time-skip character development(marginally wiser, his stupidity isn't as brain-dead and undeniably acting more like a proper captain).
My thoughts on good characterization/character development include(but aren't limited to): backgrounds of characters, being able to relate to them, charisma of the character, clear strengths and weaknesses(both in personality and physical), and clear growth in personality or physically. Every character in any fictional series EVER has at least one archetype with them, so if I see an archetype in a character, I usually don't bash it. They just have to be detailed enough and work with the anime.
Character development(i.e. significant changes) in the season a character is introduced is optional(though appreciated if it's shown sooner than later), characterization(i.e. personality, fears, etc.) in that season is mandatory.
Advocator for sexual content in anime being judged as fairly as gore. I find it borderline brain-dead that, in America, watching the most gratuitously gory entertainment possible(e.g. Corpse Party, Another, the Saw movies, The Boys), bordering on gorn, is hand-waved, yet when something even suggests sex or includes tame examples(e.g. a single skimpy outfit, beach episode, PG sex(implied by a close-up of passionate kissing and nothing else) or panty shot) it's treated like a war crime. Even mentioning "sex exists" causes outrage, good lord...The double-standard of "male nudity = funny/fine, female nudity = horrible/objectifying" makes it worse. If beefcake, such as toned thin bodies, bulging biceps, crotch bulges and six packs, can be used as fan service for women viewers, cheesecake, such as nice curves, ample breasts, slender builds, smooth skin and toned butts, can be used for men.
Anime enthusiast and pretty much a critic(though self-proclaimed, I'm fairly certain people would consider my thinking to be along the lines of an ACTUAL one). I'll admit I can be a dick with how I present my thoughts, but it's typically towards bullshit controversies and the assholes that cause them.
I absolutely loathe the SAO hatedom with every fiber of my being. These people are the definition of unhinged and obsessed. If you plan on looking for a fight with me, I'll give everything I have to argue that it's a fantastic series, not nearly as flawed as people claim(namely because most of those "many fatal flaws" you're parroting from YouTubers are LIES, and you have an unconditional bias against Kawahara for unclear reasons), and unbelievably over-hated. I'm going to be cautious when accepting friend requests because I've been burned too many times by keeping comments open to everyone. DM is probably the only form of discussion I'd accept if I haven't accepted your friend request due to my own doubts.
I'm an extreme Yuki Kajiura fanboy when it comes to her music. Sword Art Online, ERASED, and Madoka Magica's soundtracks are, in my opinion, some of her best work. Though, being serious here, I think these works shine in their stories and characters.
If I ever judge an anime fan or a fandom, it's based on their toxic to borderline sociopathic behavior; not their interests(e.g. JJBA's fandom acting like superior jack-asses. The series is good; the fandom is toxic as hell.). I won't argue with human garbage that will just resort to "you have shit taste". They're a lost cause.
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Warning: Enormous salty rant ahead regarding a lot of shit that I've seen involving Sword Art Online's controversy. No apologies to the pieces of shit who harass the fans/treat Reki Kawahara like he committed crimes against humanity, and I don't care if you're offended.
Before I begin, let me say something: Don't, under any circumstance, treat people horribly just based off of what series they like. I've seen this far too much from the hatedom of my favorite series, and, quite frankly, it pisses me off and disgusts me. I won't be merciful to people that act that way.
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I've heard at least a handful of people say SAO is the best example of "everything wrong with anime". I completely disagree here because 1.) an enormous amount of the anime community is hating it for what many other anime that they love do(such as complaining about 3 minutes and 31 seconds of fan service for Season 1, yet letting Kill la Kill and other ecchi anime off the hook), 2.) there has been ZERO criteria for calling it that other than personal, unconditional hate, 3.) it's been called worse than most Japanese or Western media, even considered equal to/worse than the bottom-of-the-barrel stuff(which could include: School Days, Boku no Pico, Mars of Destruction, Twilight(some being delusional enough to say "they're exactly the same story-wise"), The Emoji Movie...) Being a drama queen much? In fact, you people take absolute pride in calling it "1 out of 10", 4.) you assholes view it as the ONLY "bad" anime in existence(despite your reasons being based off of lies), even going so far as to say anime would be "saved" if this series died, and wishing death on the author since you actually believe that, 5.) it's home to some of the most brain-dead complaints I've ever heard, and 6.) those brain-dead complaints are repeated over and over until people are basically brainwashed into believing it(how many people call this franchise the "worst anime/LN ever" even when they haven't even fucking watched it?). If anything, it serves to show just how far a series can be used as a scapegoat, a problem with a lack of respect in the anime community and flame wars, and how easily people can be influenced by bandwagoned opinion.
Vocal hatred does not automatically equal "factual accuracy", so keep the links to Gigguk, GRArkada, Mother's Basement, and Digibro's garbage rants on SAO out of my comments. I've seen both Gigguk and Arkada's reviews(same hive-mind criticisms as the troll reviewers on this site), and I've heard from more credible people that both Digibro and MB ignore information blatantly given, lie, intentionally misrepresent things(e.g. Geoff saying Chudelkin was "humping Quinella to death" in that dumpster fire of a video calling Alicization just that...), and do it for fun(e.g. Geoff's 13+ videos or podcasts revolving around the series, almost exclusively negative, and taking shots at it in other videos when unprompted). They've resorted to name-calling several times in the past(I heard Digi says anyone that likes it "has shit taste" and MB has implied anyone that likes it is 12 years-old and anyone older than that would be smart enough to call it "a bad anime"), and Digibro even admitted that his video was inaccurate, saying it was one half-attentive watch through. I'll delete these comments immediately if you do this.
I just want to get this out there. It's really annoying me with the "official prayer", or "broken record player" criticisms of the SAO hatedom such as:
Mary Sue Protagonists: Kirito and Asuna go through some serious shit together, clearly have their limits, absurdly obvious human flaws(Kazuto's low self-respect, leading to him being suicidal more than once, Survivor's Guilt, and overconfidence, and Asuna's inability to speak her mind when faced with legitimate authority(her mother and Heathcliff in this case), short temper, and is easily influenced by her emotions), and, hell, even admit to their weakness in Episode 24 of Season 1(for Kirito), and Episode 19 Season 2(for Asuna). It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that, yet you people double down and try to change the subject when you fail to give any convincing opposing argument. Deny all you want, but this is a fact due to the amount of flaws and failings they have: Kirito and Asuna aren't even remotely "Mary Sue" protagonists. In fact, I've heard Katsuki Bakugou, a character that's so obviously flawed that's disliked even by his classmates, was called this, so it's basically a buzzword at this point that people use because "I dislike the character, so I'm going to be a whiny little bitch about it".
Honestly, it's been used so much that I can rarely take it seriously, namely because anime fans OFTEN use this on flawed characters or characters that are slightly above average.
Oh, and those "stupidly OP" claims? You seem to be ignoring far more deserving candidates from other anime or are just fine with them being that OP, and even showed a double-standard by calling LLENN and Pitohui "believable" and "justified" in AGGO when it's beyond obvious that they're on the same power level...I mean at least Pito played Beta SAO, but LLENN is a complete newbie to VR, so her SAO Survivor reflexes and experience is a little...stupid...Acting like the characters didn't train when it was beyond obvious that most happened off-screen(as evidenced by Kirito's fight against the lizardman in episode 8 and the constantly growing levels you get full view of) won't make your claims true...
Exposition Dumps: 1.)You people cry that no matter what is said for what length. It could literally be two sentences and you people would cry that, 2.) I think it's needed to have lengthy explanations for stuff that aren't obvious or made up in universe since guess what IT FALLS INTO SCI-FI, especially when you people cry "plot holes" at the drop of a hat, and 3.) Three words: Jojo's Bizarre Adventure. If you people can forgive a franchise that literally explains the obvious that you can see right in front of you, you have no ground to (enemy) stand on.
Forced Love: Knowing each other for 2 years, emotionally connecting multiple times, sharing thoughts about the world of Aincrad, and interacting on nearly every occasion is FAR from "forced". A truly force romance would be something like Kayo and Hiromi in ERASED, where we literally saw NO chemistry. And before you cry "harem", Kirito's never once cheated on Asuna. None of the girls fight over his affection and most of the time, he's oblivious to their feelings that it's basically a running gag.
Plot Holes Everywhere:...that no one ever elaborates on. And despite it staying fairly consistent...seriously, all I've heard is "THERE ARE PLOT HOLES EVERYWHERE" and next to no explanation or calling really small points "huge points that you can drive a truck through". Hell, people are now even claiming things that were totally explained in the anime are plot holes. Do you know what a plot hole is? It's an inconsistency, missing, yet relevant, information, or things that make next to no sense that are never explained.
No Strong Female Leads: Oh, I see...so a girl character has to be devoid of emotion, make no mistakes, have no flaws, never suffer, and has to be able to kick their enemies asses easily to be considered a "good character"...NEWSFLASH!! Before "strong female character" became a cringe-worthy term due to Disney's attempts, it meant "well-written" and "bad-ass". And yes, I consider Asuna and Sinon to be both of what I mentioned. Sue me.
Misogyny, so often that it's basically supporting it: Excuse me? Minus the two or three instances of those where those guys got punished, when else does this happen? Saying that SAO is supporting it "constantly" from 2-3 PUNISHED INSTANCES is like saying PMMM supported it because of the guys that Sayaka killed in episode 8, or A:TLA "supported it" when early first season Sokka(since he grew past that) and the North Pole's values in general(also worked past it by the end from what I understand) got a lot of crap from Katara for having that sexist mindset. The guild/party complications with Asuna and Leafa were because their guild/party would lose a valuable member; not "because they're girls and thus are basically items they can use at any time". Honestly, this sounds like your typical Tumblr/Twitter/X brain-rot...Nothing against those supporting equal rights and I can totally understand it with Sugou and Grimlock(since they were possessive assholes), but going so far as to say the entire series is misogynistic because some girl characters have moments of weakness, a few guild complications, Asuna just happening to enjoy cooking out of her own interest(as Episode 2/the Aria movie clearly set it up with Kazuto showing her that there are a lot of stuff to enjoy in Aincrad, like cooking delicious meals as opposed to dealing with sub-par food, which was before she fell for Kazuto), and maybe needing help ONE TIME from a guy is complete BS. If you're really all about equality, it shouldn't matter if the person that helps is a boy, especially since about 90% of anime have something like that, including anime widely regarded as masterpieces.
I've even heard claims of sexism just for the whole "same face" aspect of the character design...
1.) Faces aren't all to a character's design, 2.) some of the younger guy characters have it too, if you didn't notice(just look at Kazuto, Jun, and Kyouji),
and 3.) "same/similar face syndrome" for girl characters didn't start with this series, people...and it isn't "inherently sexist"...Not to mention how fucking convenient that SAO is the only one to receive this complaint...Some other examples include:
Studio Ghibli
Madoka Magica
K-ON
the Fate series
and several others. It's an art-style choice. SAO wasn't the first and won't be the last to do this...
Masturbatory (Male Power or Gamer) Fantasy/Wish-fulfillment: 1.) If you're calling Kirito OP along with this, you must have very little criteria for what OP is, 2.) Kazuto has plenty of limits and flaws, and 3.) yeah, dealing with depression, guilt, seeing people die right in front of you and eventually going into a catatonic state from self-destructive behavior reeeeally sounds like someone's wet-dream...I'm sure people have an unending orgasm from this...only if they're a fucking masochist that hates themselves...Honestly...Reki can't even use "fully immersive VR" as a premise without people jumping down his throat...That's like saying most Shonen are the same thing because of the hard magic systems they use...
No Character Development/Characterization Whatsoever/Bland: 1.) "Bland" is subjective(I know, I know, this word is practically every "superior taste" ego-wanker's trigger word), and people usually use this for characters with normal backgrounds. I don't get why people are saying this for these characters, considering that they consider characters from Steins;Gate, Noragami, Psycho-Pass, and pretty much every popular anime to be abysmally deep as characters, completely relatable or believable, and fully three-dimensional. As someone that's seen all of those, Hunter X Hunter, and many other anime with great characters, I have to say SAO's characters are CRIMINALLY underrated.
2.) Those personality-less and no depth as characters statements aren't even close to true.
Questions:
a.) Regarding Kazuto Kirigaya: How is being a thoughtful game addict who can casually mess with others and is all sorts of insecure, dorky(more so in the light novel), and having a strong sense of justice "personality-less", and how is having a goal to create an augmented reality interface "no depth"? Kirito goes from a recluse that won't even let his family in his life to willing to risk anything for saving a person he just met and grew up so much to patch everything up with Suguha. Tell me he has "no character development or personality", and I'll tell you that you don't even understand the concept of "characters" and are an unpleasable asshole.
If you simply don't like him since he doesn't resonate with you. Meh. Good on you. You're thinking for yourself. Don't be sheep.
b.) Regarding Asuna Yuuki: How can you say she has no personality, and yet still call her a "generic Tsundere" if being a Tsundere dictates HAVING A PERSONALITY? That's not only contradictory, but it also ignores her determined side, her short temper, her strength in will, and her lifestyle goal she adopts after meeting Yuuki. Not to mention she's LESS Tsundere than most out there. Seriously...even Makise Kurisu, a highly regarded female character that many people, including me, consider well-written, strong, and depth-filled, is a more obvious Tsundere than she is...Not to shit on Steins;Gate(3rd favorite anime, and it deserves masterpiece status), but it seems awfully hypocritical when Makise's background and goals are just as normal as Asuna Yuuki's, and she's a Tsundere as well, yet only Asuna is the only one that gets flamed and bashed into hell and back for it.
c.) Regarding Shino Asada: Surviving PTSD victim? Determined? Cold and calculating? Calm demeanor? What is all this hate towards her about? Oh wait...it's just because it's SAO, isn't it?...Persecution at its finest...
d.) Regarding Suguha: Being a bit rude, yet caring, upbeat, and supportive is "no personality"? Get that stick out of your ass, I wish you'd stop demoting her to the "Imouto/incest" archetype because of a CRUSH THAT WENT NOWHERE, and I really hate seeing people undervalue her complicated relationship with Kazuto.
3.) From what I've witnessed, both in anime and light novel, they act more like humans than fictional characters. Personal judgment, yes, but I at least have some damn reasons, unlike nearly half this site's users.
4.) Perhaps the character progression can be considered "harder to see" compared to some anime, as this uses time-skips frequently during the Aincrad arc, but it's fully there for the main characters. Hell, even the side characters get some pretty OK backgrounds before they're sidelined. Whether character development is "good" or "bad" is subjective. Whether the character development was actually there is more along the lines of an objective truth about the series rather than a subjective interpretation.
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