Forum - View topicHow you rate 'My Anime'
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undeadben
 Posts: 1212 Location: West Texas |
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I don't honestly know if my comments are helpful or not. Basically I just try to get across what I thought of the series in as few words as possible. I never add a summary; I feel that is why all of the titles link to their respective encyclopedia entries for, it doesn't need another summary from me. I'm no good at summaries anyway, the only one I have ever written for the encyclopedia here is for an OAV (Puppet Princess) I liked and thought it needed one, but I still hope someone will come along and write a better one than me. I sort of have an outline.. well that's too clean for what I use, maybe a rough sketch, for my comments. I always try to say at least one thing about the plot/story and an aspect of it; well written, poorly crafted, original, predictable, has a good concept, tries to tell too much, or whatever I see in each story. And I always try to mention the characters; well developed, poorly developed, likable, irritating, or whatever they feel like to me. And then I try to add at least one more aspect and usually pick the one that stood out the most to me, bad or good; amazing artwork, fabulous music, horrible romance, incredibly funny, irritating pacing, great seiyuu cast, or again whatever stood out most outside the characters and story. And I do honestly try to keep them short but sometimes if I'm really inspired or see a lot of things worth mentioning I'll type up half a page and then have to go back and try to cut out as much as I can to make it shorter and easier to read. And again this can be bad or good, if a story has a lot of faults I may write three to five sentences either nitpicking or just expressing my frustration, or if it had a lot of good things I'll do the same three to five praising or pointing out the best points. And mostly I write the comments to remind myself about the anime I've seen at a later time in case I want to watch it again, but if they are helpful to anyone else then that's good too.
I completley agree. I hope no one minds me naming names but I have a few lists in my bookmarks folder which I always try to reference before watching a new anime to see if they have seen it and made any comments. There are four lists in particular that I think are most helpful and they belong to abunai, dormcat, Tony K., and Zalis116. I may not always agree with what they say after watching the anime, but it's nice to usually have another perspective or two before watching. |
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rti9
 Posts: 1241 |
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Found this topic through another thread.
I primarily rate like Fiction Alchemist. I'm directly comparing them among each other and 10-6 are positive scores. Since I'm not looking at them individually, there are no permanent ranks. If one day I happen to watch a title that surpasses the masterpieces by a considerable amount, then it will become the new masterpiece while the previous ones are downgraded. My favorites are spread out between 10 and 8. Not looking at titles for what they are may sound extremely unfair, but it helps me to be explicit of what I enjoyed the most and what I didn't. I grade incomplete titles when I feel I've seen enough to do it. There are several titles (Full Moon o Sagashite, Ninja Scroll [TV], Ashita no Nadja, Sayonara Zetsubo Sensei) that even after watching a couple episodes I just felt I didn't watch enough to express an opinion about them. A bar graph can display my current distribution in a clear way: 00 00000000000 000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000 000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000 00 When I first started rating I noticed that many Ghibli works ended up as very good (8). Therefore, I like the thought that to give a 9 or 10, the anime has to entertain me more than Ghibli. It is probably why there is a bump at 7. Titles that are good, just not as good as Ghibli. Contrary to most users, I heavily use the bottom grades. If anime has the potential of being so good, it means that it has the potential of being just as bad. The Hey, Answerman column from April 4th had something that explains such low average better than if I tried to describe it myself:
Ratings on 'My Anime' are something truly interesting because from them you can sometimes determine lots of things. Age, gender, and (probably with a keen eye) location. You can probably also tell if someone has just been introduced to Japanese animation or if he is a long time fan.
I don't have regular advisors. When someone makes an interesting post in the forum, I usually check if they have a public anime list. From there, I try to figure out a bit more about this person via the list. It's not important if this person's taste resembles mine or the quantity of titles this person has seen. What's important is if the user has a clear view of what he/she likes. Last edited by rti9 on Sun Jul 04, 2010 7:25 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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penguintruth
 Posts: 8461 Location: Penguinopolis |
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I consider various elements of each production and weigh them based on the following standards:
Story - The most important thing is the story, and specifically the writing and development of it, not just the concept. I need to be able to follow along with interest, allowing myself to be immersed in the plot. I'm not exactly looking for the most unique storytelling ever, but the right train going through the right terrain, and at the right pace. Characters - I have to enjoy the characters, too, of course. The characters shouldn't just be vehicles for the story, they should have substance and depth. Small casts should be able to carry the story somewhat, even if it lags. Large casts should be well-balanced and have a lot of ornamental characters. I like having charismatic characters. I should be able to like the character even if they're detestable. Sound/Music - Sound effects are a small part of the production value of the show, but I appreciate some good sounding sound effects. Music is also instrumental (pun intended) to the experience of a show, if its prominent. I mean, I don't need to have a sweeping score all the time, but if there is a score, I prefer a well-composed one, one that invokes the show even when listened to seperately from it. This also includes voice acting. I want to feel like the voice actors ARE the characters. Art/Animation - Anime is a largely visual experience, so art and animation are vital elements. I like good, solid elements of character designs, setting details, movement, facial expressions, and pinache. What seperates Japanese animation from, say, American animation, is its particular artistic skewing, even if it can vary from artist to artist. Color and use is also considered. I like to be able to see my anime, not have most of it shrouded in darkness. Enjoyment - The pure enjoyment value of each production is also measured. There's a small element which can make or break my opinion of an anime production, it may not particularly lie with the previously mentioned elements. Even the best intentioned feature may just lack that bit of magic necessary for me to hold it up as being great. Rewatch Value - Tied together with "enjoyment" is a feeling of wanting to view an anime production again. Some features are great, but they don't leap out at me as something I can't wait to see again. Others I get excited just thinking about. For reference, feel free to read through my Seen All list. Last edited by penguintruth on Mon Apr 07, 2008 11:17 pm; edited 3 times in total |
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sj21
Posts: 312 |
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Here's how i rate mine: Plot- Is it interesting, is it boring, or dull. I most likely will still watch it if it airs on tv if i say it dosen't look good.
Genre- I'm not big on shoujo, i love shounen. Anything action i'll mostlikely give a try. I'm not to big with a story having european or non-japanese stuff in it. ( but i couldn't live without fma). Character designs- Now i love one piece, but the character designs suck.(no offense Oda-sensei). I like them not to look as real as possible(unless in cg animation) but more like normal anime characters look like, big eyes, triangle type nose..etc. Episodes- I like to have at least two seasons but am very big on over 100 episode series so those types of series i anticipate more. so thats how i rate anime. 
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Labbes
 Posts: 890 |
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I like this thread a lot, it's nice to hear people think about how they actually rate things, although some people seem to use a "system" quite similar to mine, they have different tastes.
You can find my lists here: All , Some I only rate shows where I have watched more than one episode, although there are exception like "The Melody of Oblivion", "Hatenko Yugi" and "Cluster Edge", which were so awful I didn't even think of watching another episode. Still, they weren't as bad as Troll 2, a really bad live-action movie, so I gave them no "Worst Ever" ratings. When I rate a show (Mostly after I have finished watching it), I only think of the show in general. I am far too new to anime to actually rate things as animation quality or voice acting, so I don't care about that a lot. Seeing how I actually rate things, I think there are two parts in my list: Animes I liked - These shows mostly get a rating from 8-10 Animes I didn't quite like (So much) - I haven't finished most of them, they get ratings from, say 3-6 There are, of course, a lot of different shows I liked, in a lot of different genres. I like shows because of characters and storyline, I don't think I rated a show better than "good" just because of visuals. However, there are criteria to get more than an 8: Did it have any continuity errors/ unlogical actions? and Did it reach me emotionally? The shows that come to my mind for the first one are Code Geass and Death Note. Don't get me wrong, I really, really enjoyed both shows, but there are so many things happening without explanation, so many things that didn't make any sense, I don't think I would like it so much when I watched it a second time. Shows that didn't reach me emotionally will be stuff like Hellsing, for example. Most action shows won't get more than an 8, simply because they don't reach me in a way others do. I find this very important in any media, even music. A bad ending can lead to "only" an 8, too, like in Paranoia Agent. The difference between a 9 and a 10 is far, far smaller, since I love all shows (and films) that got such a high rating from me. I can't really tell the difference in a manner I could tell a 8 from a 9 or 10, because it's far more subtle. Still, all the shows that got "Masterpiece" rating impressed me a lot. The Utena movie, for example, might have it's flaws, but the visuals and the storytelling was brilliant, imo. Now and Then, Here and There was just incredibly touching, but in a realistic manner, where Evangelion made things more abstract. On a final note, my opinions of shows change and so does my rating. The rating always shows on how I think about them now. Edit: And a 10 doesn't mean it's perfect, since I think nothing is perfect - it's just as good as it can get 
(Meaning: I can see TTGL has it's flaws, but when I hear ROW ROW FIGHT DA POWA I know what makes that show great) |
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larinon
 Posts: 992 Location: Midland, TX |
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I found this to be a very interesting thread.
As far as how I rate things, I don't think there's a whole lot of complexity to it. First and foremost is entertainment value. Did I enjoy what I watched? Case in point: Nagasarete Airantou. I know this is just your average harem series, but I really enjoyed it, and in particular found it very satisfying for its comedic value. Thus I rated it Very Good. I know it's not comparable to the many Miyazaki titles I have rated Very Good or higher, but at the same time I appreciate what I consider to be a good comedy. We watch anime to be entertained, too, right? And not just because some of it is high art. Additionally, I consider how likely it is that I would watch a title again, although this is not applicable in all cases. I find comedy much easier to rewatch in general, particularly well-done comedies such as Azumanga Daioh. Action titles work pretty well, too, including Darker than Black. But some of the more dramatic or tragic titles I have trouble watching a second or third time through because of the heavier material. Even though I consider Haibane Renmei to be a very good series , I don't know if I'd be in a hurry to watch it over again. That leads to the other topic I consider, and that's the quality of the production. That includes character designs, artwork, and music. Haibane Renmei scores really high in those three areas for me, as well as entertainment value, so it ends up with a rating of Very Good. Everything Makoto Shinkai has done scores well with me in these categories also, though rewatching something as heavy as Voices of a Distant Star is not something I'm always in the mood for. It's still an amazing work, either way, so I rated it accordingly. I found the discussion on trustworthiness pretty interesting as well. As Abunai said, it's not really something to worry about, but as a math person I can't help but be interested. I would imagine, and I have no idea if this is correct, that trustworthiness could be related to how well a person's ratings fit a normal curve. I suppose this would be based on the mean and standard deviation for all votes cast for all titles. Out of sheer curiosity, and my high threshold for boredom, I tallied my ratings and came up with the following: Masterpiece 4 (Rahxephon, Lain, Spirited Away, 5 cm/s) Excellent 19 Very Good 50 Good 97 Decent 134 So-So 78 Not Really Good 42 Weak 22 Bad 11 Awful 3 Worst Ever 1 (Green Green 13: Erolutions) Certainly it's somewhat bell-shaped, if we center it around Decent. Or we can say skewed left if we want to be picky. Still, I'm not saying we should consciously be thinking of fitting our ratings to a normal curve. We should just vote how we feel is appropriate. I think for most people the ratings will be skewed toward higher ratings, which is perfectly fine. Series we actually take the time to finish all the way through will certainly be more enjoyable to us and hence more highly rated. Some series we don't finish we may not even take the time to rate. For me at least, I know I'm hesitant to rate shows very highly if I haven't finished them yet, because things may change by the time I get to the ending (or a lack thereof, grr). Thanks for reviving this thread, I missed it the first time around. My anime list. |
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braves
 Posts: 2309 Location: Puerto Rico (but living in Texas) |
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I rate based on how much the series entertained me. But I also take into account the animation, art style, music, SFX, story, voice acting, and the characters.
I'm a big fan of shonen, so I don't really mind if a series takes a long time to draw to a conclusion( like Naruto, One Piece, etc.), but as a whole, the pacing of these type of series has to be at least around average. Also, I have to feel that the series has a goal to which it is trying to reach, and that it's not going around in circles. I don't expect something completely original, since there is no such thing, but I expect that the series suceeds in telling a intriguing story and doesn't refer to clichés all the time. |
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Zin5ki
 Posts: 6680 Location: London, UK |
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I too overlook animation quality and voice acting for the same reason Labbes mentions. Emotional appeal, especially through background music, takes priority over action and comedy (etc) for me- I fear I've gone emo for tragic romance anime. Oddly enough the only things I've ever rated as Masterpieces I initially had mixed feelings about. From now on anime which I feel may improve with multiple viewings I simply refrain from rating. Once I know what the plotline is I become more "comfortable" in a show and am more receptive to the emotions being portrayed. As for things I didn't like, I've never given any anime anything less than [b]Weak]/b] as a rating, since I avoid what I don't want to see (see below) and also because I know that worse things exist. I don't consider my ratings to portray the "perfection" of a show (or for that matter to be any type of rational and unbiased judgment), but how passionately I feel towards them- my ratings are entirely subjective and I try not to be critical for the sake of lowering my median rating. One thing I find is that in my opinion a good ending more than makes up for a slow start, but never vice versa. I've begun catagorising all of the anime I have heard quite a lot of praise about on these boards, instead of just the ones I have seen or definitely want to see. As well as the standard My Anime categories I've created "Unsure if worth watching" and "Don't want to see". They're pretty self-explanatory. They allow me to keep track of what shows are being talked about without having to remember whether they might appeal to me or not. |
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Keonyn
 Subscriber Posts: 5567 Location: Coon Rapids, MN |
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I still account for animation quality and soundtrack and all of that. An anime is a medium using sound and video to tell the story, and as such I find that poor quality in any of those areas can effect the overall title.
It's possible for a title to overcome a poor showing in one of these areas, like Haibane Renmei is a stellar series with great art, but I'm not going to lie and say the animation was terrific. It wasn't bad, but it had its share of shortcomings. Then there are other series where the lack of quality or poor art is a real detractor as it just doesn't effectively convey or fit with the story or fails to do it justice, like Gilgamesh imo. If I feel a story element is a poor choice, like all the pointless romances in Last Exile, then it'll lose points in my eye. If I don't think the animation quality is up to par then it loses points. If the vocals are awful or the soundtrack is just poor or out of place, then it may lose more points. Now, a series excelling in other areas can easily make those points back, so it's not like I'll drop a rating just because the soundtrack is bad or I don't like the animation. But to me animation is an art form that is a culmination of multiple different areas, and I account for all of that when I review a series. I think it's far to consider things like audio and video quality if you're going to allow them to make up for the shortcomings in other areas and retain a high rating. I don't care how good the story is, if it's moving at 2 frames per second then the rating isn't going to be all that hot. It's artwork, and how well it does what is meant to do depends on how well all components are done in my opinion. |
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Xenofan 29A
 Posts: 378 |
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I was pretty sure that I had commented here when this topic was active before, but it looks like I didn't. My "my anime" list is not entirely true to my opinions, but for the most part, it reflects my taste. The breakdown of my ratings is as follows:
Masterpiece: 10 Excellent: 14 Very Good: 17 Good: 18 Decent: 13 So-So: 2 Not Really Good: 1 Weak: 3 Bad: 0 Awful: 1 Worst Ever: 1 Here's my list. (The other So-So and the Awful rated shows are found in my "Will Not Finish" category.) Although I tend to be sparing with the low ratings, I tend to avoid things that I do not see value in. Thus, whatever I watch usually ends up being at least Decent. I've written explanations for each of my Masterpiece ratings, and may eventually write some for some of the other titles as well. I don't have a set list of criteria, but I feel that my general reasons for giving certain ratings to certain titles are identical across the board. I prioritize, first and foremost, things that I think show objective quality (realizing, of course, that these aspects are received subjectively): visual design, animation, music, writing, characterization, narrative, pacing, and purpose. I emphasize this last element because I find that my ratings are often affected by what I perceive to be a sense of purpose in the work, one that avoids pretension and reveals layers of meaning. However, I do not use these criteria alone. If I am consistantly entertained (that mysterious and impenetrable aspect) by something, then I'm likely going to give it at least a 6. However, if I find few of the qualities mentioned above, then I will never give it above a 7, and if I find it severely deficient in most of them, then it will get a lower score. It may strike some as elitist, but I don't enjoy anything more than that if I don't see any literary value in it. I try to be objective in my rating. I don't mean that I think my ratings are right (in the sense of absolute truth), but they are certainly my truthful appraisal of the quality of a given piece. |
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Steel Angel
 Posts: 274 Location: Texas |
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I suppose for me I tend to rate the shows on a simplistic level. Admittedly this may come off as a black or white perspective for some of the titles. For me either an anime is good because of all the technical aspects, or it isn't.
If the music is the best thing in the world, but theres no story, no characters worth talking about, then the musical talent that was added is wasted in my opinion. My Anime List: I typically rate an anime on two things alone. 1> Was it good or not? How Good or worth remembering? 2> For the type of Anime or genre it falls into how did it do? For example I'll rate a given title higher then others just because the show "did it" better then other shows of it's ilk. An easy example of this would be the various Street Fighter series, Ikki Tousen and Tenjho Tenge among others. Clearly for some of these titles some are better then others, and it would be wrong to dismiss their artistic merit simply based on the fact they don't compare to a show that could compete versus almost any category. An example of this would be Samurai X: Trust and Betrayal. I try to consider both aspects for this reason in my ratings. I generally do not review any of the anime I have seen, other then a couple of comments outside of a synopsis as there are people who may want to know what it is all about with out reading too much opinion or spoilers about the anime itself. I do use those that are already on the site, it saves people a click or two if they are looking for new titles and happen to enjoy some of the titles i do. I have to really enjoy a series/movie for it to get a Masterpiece rating, and more often then not they are shows I will watch again and again as time moves forward. I've only rated one anime as "worst ever", and only one anime could ever hold that slot at any one time. If you look at my list, many of you will know why i chose that title, yes it really is that bad. My final category are those that i wont review because they are either "just out there", hentai , Yaoi or some other form of entertainment that i do not find entertaining. Thus for me to rate a show such as Gravitation, would not be productive and is put into the "Not Worth Rating" category. |
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Skys
 Posts: 101 Location: Minnesota |
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I was thinking about making a thread like this a some point. It looks like someone was a few years ahead of me in doing so. Anyway, this is how I rate the anime I see.
Skys' Anime Reviews Initial Appeal How I feel about a show when watching it for the first time is a factor in how I rate anime. From the first episode I can often gain a rather strong understanding of the overall future quality of anime and whether it will be good or not. This also plays a part in deciding whether or not I will continue watching an anime. Overall Appeal This is my overall reaction to an anime when watching it from beginning to end. Many factors come together in influencing this including, but not limited to, characterization, character appeal, dialogue, plot, music, animation, art, and draw. Characterization: How well I feel characters are developed. I enjoy animes in which character's thoughts, personality, reasoning, and reactions to other characters is well thought out to produce convincing characters. Along side with this, I also look for character synergy. Character Appeal: This is attributed to how well I like the characters. In most cases, but not all, I dislike animes which contain characters which cause me to hate them. Now, if I feel like this feeling of hate was intentionally created for the betterment of the show then I rate it differently. Dialogue: This, as the name suggests, has to do with the lines spoken throughout an anime. Better dialogue can lead to better characterization and an overall more appealing story. Plot: The meat and bones of any anime. What is the story being told? I tend to be lenient on the matter that there is no one particular plot that I greatly prefer over another. Rather, I look to each anime's individual story and see how well it is told and ask myself if I believe it could be told better. In most cases, events within a show that are weak in the sense of story telling cause me to rate a show lower. One anime that comes to mind is Code Geass. The abundance of Pizza Hut ads and weak twists in plot,spoiler[ such as the massacre scene], caused me to rate this show lower. Music: This often times is the dividing line between and Excellent anime and one of Masterpiece status. Effective use of music throughout the anime can be used to boost key moments within a show to increase the overall impact. Also, shows which effectively link the end of episodes with closing music can increase the overall quality of the episode as well as its lasting impact. One show that comes to mind that uses the technique well is Honey and Clover. Another example of a show which uses music effectively is FLCL. Animation: I remain rather lenient on this for most shows. I am fine as long as the animation does not disrupt the overall quality of the anime. This is not to say I ignore animation. Shows which have high quality animation, such as The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, are rightfully awarded with higher ratings. Art: I look at both quality of art (for its time) and how well I feel it fits with the particular anime it is in. A recent show whose art strikes me is Soul Eater. I feel the art style fits very well with the theme of the anime. Draw: How much of a draw an anime has; how compelled I am to watch it. An excellent example of this is Tengen Toppa Gurenn-Lagann. I was drawn into that shown from the moment I began watching it straight to the end. Lasting Appeal This is how I feel about an anime in the time after I have watched it. I believe I may be particularly biased to an anime I have just finished, so I will give the shows I watch an initial rating. As time goes on I will return to look at ratings of shows I have seen and will adjust the rating when I now have a more neutral stance to the given anime. This also enables me to curve ratings with time. If a show comes out that redefines what I call a Masterpiece, others shows in response will be reevaluated. Closing Remarks I do not believe I would ever be able to exactly define what goes through my mind when rating an anime. What I have written here is how I believe I rate anime when asked the question. I am certain there are many factors which I did not list which play significant roles in my assigned ratings, many of which may be on subconcious levels or in response to a peer enviroment. |
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