- 1: You worship sacred geometry: tonal consistency, production design coherence, dedication to pivotal theme's development, writing not biased towards the entire benefit of anyone, presence of a dramatic stake or a believable struggle, multi-faceted use of already established plot elements, optimal use of characters (including secondary cast), no air time padding (filler tolerated), no time reset or consequence erasing, balanced respect of Chekhov's gun theory, sorcery over magic (planified & pre-designed trigger =/= asspull)
- 2: You dedicate allotment to productions which time forgot in high priority.
- 3: You are more lenient in your appraisal of them, for fate already hasn't been too kind to them. Overhyped shows, on the contrary, are to be more rigorously judged for they're showcasing the medium in the public eye.
- 4: Unlike hipsters, you don't praise something solely because it's underhyped or known only to you. You launch effort to make minor gems or diamonds in the rough more known (review writing, discussions...) Sharing is caring. Be a decent supporter.
- 5: You always value versatility of concepts, or are curious about an eccentric production pattern (for instance, if JC Staff executed a Police Drama instead of the perpetual Ecchi).
- 6: Always respect art styles, even very dated ones. Unless they're tonally jarring, obstacles for readability of action or have uneven quality breaking immersion, you leave them be. They're not a decisive factor, unlike visual aspect of storytelling (Mimesis). Don't be a shallow pretty color drone.
- 7: A member of the sorcery party is a completionnist. No drop. No going through long franchise as an afterthought: it goes against the concern of second commandment. First impression watching doesn't engage anyone in completion, that's the only acceptable exception.
- 8: You don't only hunt for the very best, but also the very worst to satisfy your intellectual curiosity. Being a garbage connoisseur isn't a shameful thing as long as you don't value it over sacred geometry.
- 9: You participate in fansubbing uncovered titles if you can.
- 10: "Retro always wins" is your motto. If it's been done well in modern times, chances are that an older title outdoing it exists. It's at least right for certain departments. Even if proven wrong, it still represents a valuable experience to think about.
- 10: The Masterpiece. Flawless. A creation following the precepts of Sacred Geometry. Subtle, intricate, powerful, insightful, marvelous, it has a virtually infinite replay value.
- 9: The near flawless classic, all genres taken together. Not closing the status of a Masterpiece for a quantity of reasons (it is a short series, a standalone movie of a franchise etc...), but almost up there. No matter how long in the future, it stays a timeless piece of entertainment that a tasteful person can enjoy.
- 8: The rock solid representatives of a genre. The very best of their kind, which explain the relatively rare rating. Used as a standard to evaluate similar titles. Something a purist should definitely watch. Their appreciation somewhat narrows down to the amateurs of their dedicated genres. That's the noteworthy difference between a 8 show from a 9 one.
- 7: The host of very good titles which don't exactly cut it to the 8s. They fail to become major standards (being uneven in the long course), but still live up to being excellent recommendations after the completion of their more superior counterparts.
- 6: The flawed, the misfits, the diamonds in the rough, the decent time wasters or the enjoyable. Too unpolished or obscure to be considered hits, but some aspects about them make them still compelling. Superior to 6.5 if the anime in question has a high replay value (like Saint-Luminous Jogakuin) inferior it is only worthy of a single watch. Most slightly above average animes fall in this category.
- 5: The mediocre and the average. The average is superior to 5.5 whereas the mediocre falls under. They're not bad enough to become memorable and not good enough to become 6 tier.
- 4: A particular rating in the scale, in the way it gathers all the titles considered so bad they're good (unintentionally funny trainwrecks, entertaining hentai spoofs, languid hypnotic titles). They're the classics among the bad in the way they act as comical counter examples.
- 3: The ones which are way too bad to be enjoyed, even in a meta way. Unlikable and overhyped duds, alienating endives, blatant cashgrabs, garbage-tier remakes all end here.
- 2: Hate rating. The shows I despise with all the fibers of my soul like Lucky Star. If a title dwells on sexualized children imagery, it is considered pedophile pandering matter and also gets a 2, no matter the quality. Titles which don't allow potential viewers to foresee all sorts of disgusting fetishes, trolling them away of a good premise also belong in this pit.
- 1: Horror incarnate. Absolutely nothing redeemable. The Earth wouldn't suffer a great loss if all the digital and physical copies of these works were wiped out of existence.
- Endive: qualifies a mediocre, conformist, thoughtless, listless, formulaic show which is trying so hard to appeal to anime fandom through hackneyed ins and outs such as otaku pandering, ecchi, self inserting, harem component, sex jokes instead on elaborating on its interesting premise, thus making it unpalatable. Refers to the bland taste of the endive. - Languid Hypnotic: A lethargic title which would be almost an Endive if it wasn't for a particular factor: one cannot drop it as something about it compels to sit through everything, despite utterly uneventful nature. Being half cradled, half mesmerized is a side effect of playing something you're unprepared about. Since it also make for a punctually amusing watch, it is worth a weak 4, which places this type of show below the classic so bad it's good. The appreciation of a Languid Hypnotic highly differs from one individual to another, depending on his taste and initial expectations. This is why most of the LHs are Obscurities as high hopes are toned down to a minimal with them. - Blue Pencil: When adapting the script of a manga, some parts have to be creamed off for the sake of delivering an anime experience as straightforward as possible. The wish to make it as comprehensible as possible is often detrimental in translating the very personality of the source work, mostly if it is mostly about suppressing elements and not correcting flaws. In paper, the source is so pruned out of its materials, that nearly nothing remains of the build up, characterization and exposition except a bunch of highlights. Blue pencil refers to the sharpie used to cross out entire sections of writing. - Mimesis: Not really used in the Aristotelian sense of the term. In narratology, Diegesis and Mimesis are the same face of the medal. Applied to animation, Mimesis is the visual representation of storytelling, in response to the Diegesis which merely reports the universe of the work. Think of it as the difference there is between the storyboard and the script. In practice, it translates by the title's cinematographic language through a variety of codes: camera angles, types of shots, background art, palette design, lining work, illusion of movement, visual effects (use of CGI, glitter, beam of lights, chiaroscuro...)
>> Think of Hypotyposis as the goal
In most instances, things are shown in the simplest fashion and then Mimesis is relatively muted, but for a more ambitious director it becomes a tool to convey an underlying mood or outline a particular subtext dynamically, for example. If successful, it enhances the spectator's experience even though the depicted event at hand may be particularly mundane. It doesn't make up for any fatal flaw a series has though. Just like having a relatable main character: it's going to maximize the immersion but that's about it. A hollow title with great cinematography is nothing but a founding ship commended by a capable captain; he's going to do his best to guide the vessel but won't save it. - Brick & Mortar character: A functional one dimensional character defined by a one-note quirk. Acts as a convenient plot device. It is imperative to distinguish a 1D rewrite from 2D development, as in the last instance the turn takes effect after acceptable foreshadowing, buildup and catharsis. The term refers to the type of commercial district (plotline), designed to host retail stores (1D characters) in its empty lots (plot conveniences). The Brick & Mortar story definition also applies to cookie cutter productions overly reliant on this kind of characterization for storytelling, from supporting cast to main characters. - Emblem: The defining trait of a character, setting him/her apart from the zero dimensional crowd. It can be an element of clothing, an object he typically carries around or a haircut (e.g. the red redingote and the red felt hat are emblems of Hellsing's Alucard, which let us know at first glance he is an old fashioned exterminating hell spawn) - Ovaries: derogatory, dissenting term used to turn into derision those who persist to use OVA as the official acronym for the format. True purists say OAV instead, as it was originally coined when Dallos saw release. The concern about how it could be confused with JAV (Japanese Adult Video) is as baseless as how OVA could be assimilated to female reproductive organs. - MVP: Means Most Valuable Player, usually. It's kind of an equivalent to the Best Girl, but applied to the most removed characters of the cast. Used in a sarcastic way to qualify supporting figures whose use takes a title to the heights of ridicule or awesomeness. They appear out of the woodwork, serve absolutely no purpose to the plot, are written against the most elementary logic, aren't even fleshed out and yet they chew the scenery with their utter oddness. Some Endives often get a memorable scene thanks to them (e.g. "These tentacled scientists raping Asuna are the MVP" "I know right, they scored a decisive hoop against the retards who were still dumb enough to pretend she is an empowered female deuteragonist") - Gintama jew: anime fans which are oppressed by the majority due to one single quirk in relation to their taste or particular attitude towards the community. (e.g. "Ayo, dude is such a Gintama jew for liking School Days but hating FLCL. I sympathize with it, but he shouldn't act as if he's taking the Auschwitz express.") - 304: noun. Qualifies an anime which takes insane amount of time to build up to goodness. Mostly used in a derisive fashion to mock anime fans desperately advocating a dud to no avail. Refers to the 304 episodes before Gintama gets good (e.g. "dude, stop being a joker, you won't pull the 304 on me with your shit anime, go home and watch LotGH")
- Why is your manga list empty?: I simply lost interest in the medium. Not because I think it sucks or anything... I just prefer it set in motion, with colors. Besides, I think it's inconvenient to read in digital form unless it's on my phone, comfortably installed. As for physical collection it takes too much place in my already crowded shelves. The favorites you see were completed long ago... I still read works every once in a while but you won't see these titles added here. - Why don't I see all the animes you ever watched?: When I created my MAL account in late May of 2011, I figured out it is a much better idea to start over. Most of the titles I watched long ago are from the early '00 or the late '80. I have hazy memories of them. I prefer to gradually add them back to eventually update the opinion I have of them... The Ziusudra of today isn't the same than the one from a decade ago, after all. - Why haven't I watched most of the things you added?: I prefer to explore the depths of the medium in search of interesting obscurities, that's it. The popular entries and the classics are already very documented, so I feel like they should be set in medium priority instead of high. The OAV format is interesting, in the way studios are left much more freedom to approach their productions. Besides, I am curious as about why certain titles fell to Oblivion, instead of being vaguely known by the community. I also happen to have a fondness for titles who have gotten a patina of shlockness over age, making them entertaining in a second degree. I am aware that there are plenty of widely acclaimed gems left for me to see but I prefer to take my time, completing and appreciating them one by one. - What are you fine with, on animes?: Bad art (as long as it isn't jarring with the genre of the show or feature many heterogeneous kinds of design); Slice of Life (period SoL, fantasy SoL with great art style or the ones set in space are the superior representatives); Fillers (if it slows down an overly rushed series and take time to dwell on underwritten characterization); Reality warping (time resets lick dog asshole); Parallel worlds; Time travel (even though I find them meh, for most part); Super Deformed comedy if used sparingly and not causing tonal shift; Satires and parodies (Underlying satires with serious plots and stakes are always superior, though) - What do you hate about the medium and the community?: Fanboyism; Fanboys justifying their terrible taste with bad faith and irrelevant overthinking; Hypetardness; Moefags; Self indulgent moral degenerates; Squeamish cunts enforcing political correctness; Ecchi when it is squandering the potential of a great premise; Emotional manipulation through melodrama; Imbeciles who always value art over writing; Most light novel adaptations; Time resets erasing consequences of action; Tropes like the indirect kiss or the brother complex; Most bullshit fantasy stories with Fatalism and a chosen one protagonist; Magic/supernatural shows which don't elaborate on their magic system, demarcate classes according to alignments, blur setbacks and limitations thus allowing the plot to come with random shit along the way (I am looking at you, Mahoutsukai no Hanayome). - So you are a hipster, then?: And you are a lemming following the herd. Go jump a cliff. I hate you and your hive mind composed of fanboys with trash taste. At least, I am not deluded about what I lay my eyes upon.
You may join my server if you will >> https://discord.gg/bc6CTwC General discussion, anime/manga discussion, casual talk club, no holds barred shitpost channel, NSFW section.
Hello there. I been looking through some rather obscure and classic gems to try and download. One paticular series I came across that looks interesting to me is called Shinkai Densetsu Meremanoid. I noticed you gave an update in 2020 about the status of this project that you were going to continue working on it. I have tried looking for fansubs but I have not been able to find any, let alone for the series Gandalla. Is there any new information you can provide on these shows, specifically Shinkai Densetsu Meremanoid which I think you are more interested in completing, thank you!
Cool, I happen to be in the same boat lol. By sakuga enthusiast I meant appreciating the smallest intricacies and beauty of animation, and it as a medium.
You seem to be very into retro anime, which I am a lot into these days, so there's that. Also you seem to be a sakuga enthusiast, which I happen to be too, hence the request. Frankly I don't think much before sending one.
I hated the way the story progressed. Miki and her mother were just stereotypical 'evil and overly arrogant rich people'. I would have liked to see more interactions between the Miki's father and the others as he was level headed.
The show just kept on kicking Nozomi when she was down time and time again and after awhile I got sick of watching it.
I actually found the animation quite charming and as always a sucker for boxing in anime, especially when similar to Ashita no Joe as you mentioned.
I wanted to like the show but I just couldn't get over the treatment of Nozomi by practically everyone around her. It didn't help that the ending resolution felt like such a 180 and a cop out.
It's a reboot of a 1970s anime called Brave Robot Raideen. You know that Tomino and Nagahama could get pretty wild! The director is the same guy that did Yamato 2199 and the animation is great. I'm well aware that the plot apparently goes ape in the last 1/4th, but overall it's not bad. I think it got bashed too hard by American fans under the assumption that it was a shameless Eva ripoff that was made purely to make money off Eva's glory. I feel that anime fans outside Japan were missing some context.
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No harm done.
So your hands are full for now! I'm on holiday right now, so I relax..
The show just kept on kicking Nozomi when she was down time and time again and after awhile I got sick of watching it.
I actually found the animation quite charming and as always a sucker for boxing in anime, especially when similar to Ashita no Joe as you mentioned.
I wanted to like the show but I just couldn't get over the treatment of Nozomi by practically everyone around her. It didn't help that the ending resolution felt like such a 180 and a cop out.