The G-View Rating system, aka Anime Blog Carnival: 10/10 analysis

I don’t remember when was the last time I wrote one of these but I’ll do it again because it’s the latest fad…I think.

I should thank Snippy for motivating me into making this post. check out her entry before reading my own, even though I’m not participating in the carnival:

Blog Carnival – What Makes a 10/10 Anime?

Though the numbers may say something different, I ALWAYS base my ratings on personal entertainment value as all reviews are subjective. I’ll explain why after explaining what each of my ratings mean. In the early reviews you’ll notice many 10s but as I became more used to reviewing anime, I toned down the amount of 10s and saved them for special well deserved anime.

10: MUST WATCH. This doesn’t mean that it’s 100% perfect. No, this means that this show can be enjoyed by any and all animeniacs. Amount of times viewed varies from viewer to viewer. It can range from 1 to 5 or more sittings.

9: Great. A great show that excels in its specified genre. Even though it has some flaws, any fan who enjoys the assigned genre that this anime portrays, will most definitely enjoy it. It’s worth 2 or 3 sittings.

8: Very Good. A very good anime overall. It has a few more flaws than a 9 rated anime, but the pros far outweigh the cons. It’s worth 1 more sitting.

7: Good. A decent and fun experience. It’s not the best out there, but worth a look when you have the time to do so. Don’t expect an epic and memorable experience though, just a good old time and possibly some cool and memorable moments. 1 sitting is enough.

6: Average. These shows are considered to be pushed down by its many flaws, but I suppose they’re not too bad. Unfortunately, Let’s just say that they’re disappointing, despite having a cool concept.

5: Bad. Only for the curious at heart and those who have la lot of time on their hands.

4: Dokuro-chan. This is named after my pick for worst anime ever I’ve ever seen in my life. Remember, my own pick, not that of others. Sure, Space Thunder Kids is the worst anime ever made, but its retardedness is still worth checking out, because of how stupid it is. Dokuro-chan on the other hand…..no. Just…no. AVOID AT ALL COSTS! Any anime with this rating. So yeah, STK also qualifies as a 4.10, even though I cut it some undeserved slack.

1: Platonic Heart. The less I talk about this abomination, the better.

I have a confession to make, I give a numeric rating before going in depth. Now you know why G-Ratings are always typed before the in depth review itself. I’ve been using this style for over a year and will continue doing so.

Next on my explanation, how I rate an anime’s content:

Animation is where I focus the least attention to. I’m as much of an art critic as I have fashion sense, meaning I don’t have much of either. Besides, if I don’t get paid to criticize art, what’s the point of going in depth unless the artwork is so astounding it deserves being talked about, like in Madoka or Penguindrum. Otherwise I limit my explanation to a small paragraph that can be summed up as either it’s nice to look at (Summer Wars) or it makes me want to hurl (Onii-chan sucks and Platonic Heart).

Music is the 2nd least relevant: All I talk about here is whether the OP and ED are good or bad and how good the show’s soundtrack is. Sometimes the show’s entire music is amazing/catchy to listen to, other times it’s 1/3. Point is, if I’m intiruged into “obtaining” the show’s tunes, you did good.

Characters is most important to me. I judge characters based on:

-Personality: Is the person a likable hero or villain? Do you enjoy watching the person succeed and fail or is he/she so annoying that you press fast forward every time that person is on screen. For example, Zero-Rider’s master. I loathe the guy so much that I either press the mute button or rewind. I sacrifice valuable Zero-Rider screen time but my rage is too strong when that idiotic master is on screen.

-Effectiveness of stereotype: Is the tsundere (Type A or B) good at it and not annoying? Is it enjoyable to watch the male lead suffer in harem or romantic comedies? Does the ojou-sama have her trademark laugh or a caring heart hidden deep down her haughty exterior? Can the running gag maintain its effectiveness or will it eventually wear off and lose its humor? (Chizuru’s scary face). Stuff like that.

-Relevance in series. Whether I’m happy or angry when I see this character, does he/she play their role well on the show or is the show better off without him/her? (That annoying masseuse girl in MM!, why is she even there?)

-Combat skills: If the person is a fighter, do you enjoy watching him/her fight?

Plot: The relevance of this depends on the anime’s genre. Is the anime trying to tell an engrossing story worthy of the corresponding genre, or does it fail miserably to engulf you for one reason or another? a good example is GOSICK. Personally I enjoyed the humorous 1st half and the more serious 2nd half. It had a good balance. Others didn’t due to weird reasons such as inaccuracy of fashion, Kujo being a pain (Why?) and the lack of good mysteries. I suppose the 3rd option is correct because other than the main mystery of Victorique’s past, the other cases are easy to figure out or not engrossing enough. Victorique’s popularity depends on whether the viewer doesn’t mind awesomeness or is a paid professional critic/geezer.

-In comedies, plot is irrelevant and it’s all about effectiveness of humor. As many of you know, I have a distinct taste in humor. I enjoy watching male leads being creatively broken down physically and mentally (Not to the point of death) by the girls he’s chasing. It brings joy to my heart seeing undeserving morons pay for their lack of brain cells and perversion. sometimes they get their obligatory 5 minutes of chivalry so whatever. When it comes to mindless comedies or SHAFT style humor, are the conversations well balanced in important issues and random topics, are interactions silly enough, is there style in the way humor/conversations are executed? Take the latest show Kill me Baby for example. I highly enjoyed the 1st episode because the humor’s random, nonsensical and enjoyably stupid. I had absolutely no reason to use my brain and it felt good. Other shows like Arakawa and Bakemonogatari rely on the effectiveness of their randomness and conversations to succeed. Thankfully they excel at both.

Effectiveness of anime traditions/cliches: Example: an ecchi anime is required to have either a beach, spa, or bath house episode where the ladies are required to undress. How entertaining is the episode and are the ladies’ bodies worth drooling over? Yes, there are times where I’d rather not see girls naked, as rare as that may be. Training camp episodes, shopping/training montages, recap episodes, entertainment value of filler episodes.

Ending: Similar to the plot, it depends on the direction of the story. Shows like Pneguindrum, Guilty Crown and Fractale were required to have good endings to succeed, otherwise it could have had a mild (or in Fractale’s case, heavy) effect on the show as a whole. A perfect example is Yamibou. Overall it’s a really random show but one constant story was Hazuki’s quest to find Hatsumi and the resolution. Suffice to say the ending left many nation members bitter and had quite a negative effect on the grade. You could say it’s all about the journey but this show’s outcome was equally important so we were expecting a reasonable resolution, instead we got something pulled out of a NEET’s derriere.

Well, there you have it. Heh, if I constantly put this much effort on college as I do on this blog, I would have graduated years ago. Well whatever. I’m 24 years old and still have enough youth left before I become imprisoned by GOD given responsibilites such as a steady job, marriage, children, caring for my parents etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.