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REVIEW: Super Dimensional Fortress Macross DVD 1

Anyway, why should we need to consider different standards for anime TV series vs. movies? Animation quality is animation quality (or artistic quality is artistic quality, et al), regardless of whether we're talking about series, OVAs, or movies. There's nothing "apples and oranges" about it. That does, of course, mean that movies will generally have higher technical merit grades than series, but to do it any other way as a reviewer would be to give a title a qualified grade. That's like saying to a student, "oh, you really only did C work, but since you're a special education student we'll give you a B instead because you're above average for special ed students." (Okay, that does actually sometimes happen, but that's beside the point.)

When it comes to reviewing philosophies, I think the most important one I subscribe to is also the most basic: Don't judge a comic based on what you want it to be, but rather on what it wants to be. It's such a no-brainer to me that I'm having a difficult time working out how to expand on it.

There's nothing "apples and oranges" about it. That does, of course, mean that movies will generally have higher technical merit grades than series, but to do it any other way as a reviewer would be to give a title a qualified grade. That's like saying to a student, "oh, you really only did C work, but since you're a special education student we'll give you a B instead because you're above average for special ed students."

Um, no offense, but are you kidding me? Movies and TV series are two completely different mediums, and are trying to accomplish completely different purposes. Movies are self-contained, have high budgets, and little to no scheduling constraints. TV shows are serial in nature, typically have less money than a 2 hour movie to make several times that amount of content, and tight weekly schedules.

To me, holding a TV show to the standards of a movie is like trying to hold a newspaper to the standards of a novel. They're two completely different things.

Here's the review philosophy that makes the most sense to me, written by Augie De Blieck, one of the most widely read comics reviewers on the internet:

Augie De Blieck wrote:

When it comes to reviewing philosophies, I think the most important one I subscribe to is also the most basic: Don't judge a comic based on what you want it to be, but rather on what it wants to be. It's such a no-brainer to me that I'm having a difficult time working out how to expand on it.

Macross didn't want to be Nausicaa, it wanted to be a great mid-80s mecha show. And, in my opinion anyway, it was.

And by the standards of mid-80s mecha shows, it may well be all that. But again, refer to my "special education" comments in my previous post. "Mid-80s mecha TV shows" is not a genre and time period renowned for sterling storytelling and technical merits, so a D grade by current standards for animation could well be equivalent to a C grade for shows of that time and genre. Likewise, since mecha storytelling has improved quite a bit (on average) over the years, a B- grade overall could be equivalent to a B+ or A- if only that specific time and genre is considered.

As for the Augie de Blieck quote, I can't buy that becuase it smacks too much of a self-esteem-based approach to grading. Current American standards for grading in education encourage (or in some cases require) teachers to grade using rubrics based on set standards: this and this must be accomplished to merit an A grade as compared to a B grade, for instance. I approach anime review grading in much the same way (and the fact that I am a teacher by trade probably has a lot to do with that). The kind of relativistic approach favored by de Blieck can produce an inaccurate evaluation of true competency in a subject area when used in education, and I feel it would produce an inaccurate evaluation of a title's quality in a particular aspect of production if applied to anime reviews.

Enh. What it all comes down to is that there's no way I could honestly give a B or A to Macross on animation just because "it's one of the best of its time and type" when you have titles like GITS: SAC or Paranoia Agent out there which are so far superior to it on animation quality - or even something closer to its time period like DBZ, for that matter.

I hope you realize I'm not trying to be an antagonistic prick here or anything.....I just happen to disagree with your review, and am enjoying the debate.

The philosophy that time period shouldn't be taken into account doesn't really make much sense either, though. Macross has HUGE historical import in the development of anime on both sides of the Pacific. Macross defined a genre, and has had an influence on every single mecha show to come since.

The movie "Citizen Kane" did the same thing. It was revolutionary for its time, using direction and camera techniques that had never been done before. And yet, when compared to a modern day movie, it could possibly be described as slow-paced and stuffy because it doesn't have the developments created in the decades since its creation. That doesn't stop every movie critic from putting "Citizen Kane" at the top of their lists of the greatest films of all time

Key wrote:

As for the Augie de Blieck quote, I can't buy that becuase it smacks too much of a self-esteem-based approach to grading. Current American standards for grading in education encourage (or in some cases require) teachers to grade using rubrics based on set standards: this and this must be accomplished to merit an A grade as compared to a B grade, for instance. I approach anime review grading in much the same way (and the fact that I am a teacher by trade probably has a lot to do with that). The kind of relativistic approach favored by de Blieck can produce an inaccurate evaluation of true competency in a subject area when used in education, and I feel it would produce an inaccurate evaluation of a title's quality in a particular aspect of production if applied to anime reviews.

Yeah, but it's a lot more useful to the people using the letter grades to judge whether or not they should buy it. Following your philosophy, everyone's collections would be nothing but "Akira", "Grave of the Fireflies", and "Nausicaa". No one would own "Ranma 1/2" or "Dragon Ball Z" or "Sailor Moon" or any of the other hugely popular anime series because the animation sucks by comparison.