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Shelf Life - Sugar and Spice

To be honest, a lot of these complainers simply aren't paying attention.

This is the third review of Spice and Wolf we've run on the site. A few weeks ago I ran Theron Martin's review, which was an unqualified rave, and he still took shit for doing one thing or another "wrong". There are a lot of people who think their personal likes and dislikes are what every publication should adhere to as an editorial standard.

Maybe this is moot and it kind of comes back to the nature of reviewing but what do you do with other shows of this nature? Maybe Spice&Wolf is even more niche, but I'm thinking of things like Mushi-shi or Planetes which, let's face it, have limited appeal as opposed to "blockbusters" like FMA or Death Note. Would you make those shelf-worthy because you appreciate the quality, or only because a show clicked with you? I guess what I'm asking is, to what extent does objective (as much as it can be) quality play into your ratings system?

I believe very strongly in the "Shelf Worthy" rating system. When it comes to buying anime, unless there's a very good sale and/or I'm working a very lucrative job, I usually ask myself, "Would I watch this again?" or "Would I loan this to a friend?" If the answer to one of those questions is yes, I'll buy the series. Otherwise, I'd rather stream it, rent it, or watch the broadcast.

Do yourself a favor and see Takeshi Kitano's version of Zatoichi. To sum up how much it rules, the last 5 -10 minutes is a spectacular music and dance review. Being a Zatoichi and Takeshi Kitano I thought it was the greatest.

My friends who saw that absolutely loathed the musical number... I'd probably still rent it, though.

This is the third review of Spice and Wolf we've run on the site. A few weeks ago I ran Theron Martin's review, which was an unqualified rave, and he still took shit for doing one thing or another "wrong". There are a lot of people who think their personal likes and dislikes are what every publication should adhere to as an editorial standard.

To be honest, a lot of these complainers simply aren't paying attention.

This is the third review of Spice and Wolf we've run on the site. A few weeks ago I ran Theron Martin's review, which was an unqualified rave, and he still took shit for doing one thing or another "wrong". There are a lot of people who think their personal likes and dislikes are what every publication should adhere to as an editorial standard.

Erin doesn't need a counterpoint on a site that publishes 4 other critics daily and covers pretty much everything she does in a longer format.

ROFL. 9 pages later and people are still quibbling over the word "tsundere". See what I mean when I say it's a term that's more trouble than it's worth?

Where do people get those laser engraved box sets? Like the Speed Grapher one?

ROFL. 9 pages later and people are still quibbling over the word "tsundere". See what I mean when I say it's a term that's more trouble than it's worth?

Moreover, think about how much time we've wasted over something so TRIVIAL. If we didn't have the word to throw around we'd actually be talking about the content of the show itself, instead of whether or not Holo is Horo is tsundere.

Then again, the readers needn't be so sensitive about it, either. It's all in good fun. It's a cartoon review, not a report in the New England Journal of Medicine.

I love ANN's reviews, even the ones I disagree with, but maybe it's best to stay away from the hot button terms. The fans can't even agree which apply to what, it's best the professional reviewers don't even bother.

Perhaps you (or someone else) would like to provide a list of all the other hot button words I should avoid. Then we will have established the ANN forums version of Newspeak and all my reviews will be the anime fan version of politically correct.