I think most people can agree that one of the biggest appeals of anime is that it covers so many different genres. There is literally an anime for everyone (if they look long enough) and an anime on pretty much any topic you can think of – and probably a few topics you have to wonder how anyone ever came up with that idea or why.
Every now and then though, an anime comes out that impresses its fans so much that they start throwing around phrases like ‘best ever’ and that draws people to watch the show that might not normally watch something in that genre. Some of these people enjoy what they see and get on board the hype wagon and it continues. However, as more people from outside the core group watch something what you start to see are more and more people tearing it apart. And that’s when things can sometimes take a turn for the nasty.
Our example this season is Yuri on Ice. I wasn’t going to watch this anime. I’m already watching Days which is outside of my usual genre because I’m not into sport. I just stopped watching Free (for reasons explained previously) so I wasn’t exactly in the market for anime guys showing off how appealing they could be to a diverse audience of girls. Other than the fact that it was ice skating, which is kind of cool, there was nothing about the show that looked like it was something I should get into.
Then I read reviews of the first episode. They were glowing. I think during the first week of release I only read one review that mentioned anything negative about the show and even that was a ‘by-the-way’ rather than an actual criticism.
Now, I don’t believe everything I read, but when a lot of people explain in fairly compelling detail why something is good I do feel the need to at least check it out to form my own opinion. So in I went for episode 1 f Yuri on Ice.
And I became one of the people who wrote a positive review on a series that I wasn’t initially even going to watch. That said, it didn’t top my watch list and by episode 3 I was starting to pick at some of the delivery (not the animation because that is pretty amazing to the point where even non-anime fans that I’ve got to watch a snippet of the skating are just kind of mesmerised). But I understood why so many people were on board with this series.
It was also about the week 3 mark that I started reading some more negative reviews around the series (these were still the minority but they did start cropping up). Don’t get me wrong, negative reviews are important and diverse opinions on a series are actually kind of necessary and reflective of the range of opinions people will have around watching a series. I started picking at the dialogue and other people started picking at the reuse of animated sequences (though if that is a measure of problems in an anime the entirety of the original Sailor Moon series is up the creek). These are genuine criticisms of an otherwise fairly strong series this season.
What worried me about some of the reviews that were more just a push back against the positive opinions of others rather than a critique of the show itself (other than the reviews that decided the relationship between Yuri and Victor was a problem in which case you have to wonder how they even made it to episode 3). These reviews throw around words like hype and overrated but don’t actually provide concrete examples of problems, or they identify a problem but not one that would actually lend itself to making you call a show terrible.
That said, the majority of the reviews around Yuri have still been really positive. It will be interesting to see where the love/hate split for this anime ends up once the anime has ended. Will the series fail to maintain its standard but still keep those on the hype train sitting there? Will it falter so that those of us who came in out of curiosity (who aren’t totally in the fan category but are really enjoying it) start to pull more of the faults apart? Or will the hate bandwagon gain momentum and eventually win out? Or, will it actually be an incredible anime from start to finish?
It would be great to see this series end with those who love it continuing to go on about how amazing it is (because there is a lot to love) while others take a more critical view of it but manage to do that in a way that actually respects what the show is and doesn’t assume that anyone who is watching the show has sniffed glue for awhile first. At episode 6 I can actually see where a lot of casual viewers will start to get turned away. The amazement of episode 1 has passed and while the characters are kind of awesome (at least I like them) if they haven’t appealed the plot isn’t doing much to hold you. The only thing left would be a genuine love of ice-skating and I just don’t know if that will be enough.
The problem is, we’ve seen this all before. Sword Art Online, Attack on Titan, Evangelion and pretty much every anime that has come out and taken its fans by storm goes through this. The problem with being popular and standing out is that you are exposed to a lot of scrutiny and it is so much easier to be critical of something than to praise it. And once the negativity wagon gets moving it is really hard to stop. You end up reading reviews that tell you something is ‘the worst ever’. Now, even if you take every legitimate criticism of Evangelion on board, it would still be hard to argue that it is the worst anime ever. There’s significantly worse in terms of story, characters and animation quality. The same goes for most other shows that get labelled with such extravagant titles.
Sword Art Online is one I particularly get annoyed about. Not because I don’t respect the opinion that it has flaws but because so few people respect the opinion that its actually kind of fun to watch and there are moments of pure awesomeness in it. I’m a big fan of the series and even I’ll criticise aspects of it (the entire second arc for one) but I’m not going to call people names if they disagree with me.
While I get that hyperbole is actually part of reviewing because you want your opinion to come across clearly, I sometimes have to wonder if the same person who would label something ‘the worst ever’ would be so hostile toward a show if they hadn’t read all the hype prior to watching it and felt the need to counter every positive review ever written.
As an anime fan who has watched these arguments play out many, many times, my rules are pretty straight forward:
- Read as many opinions as I can but focus on the ones that provide actual evidence to support their claims. Just telling me something is amazing or rubbish isn’t particularly enlightening unless they can tell me what about it is amazing or rubbish and why.
- Have favourite reviewers who I know have opinions that have meshed with mine previously (or have never lined up – there’s one or two reviewers that I read just to know that if they liked something I probably won’t). While I don’t agree with everything they say, it will help me filter my list.
- Get used to trying stuff on my own and making up my own opinion. Sometimes an anime just hits the right spot for no apparent reason.
So, a few questions from this week:
- What’s an anime that you feel got put through the love/hate cycle and where did you end up with it?
- How do you navigate the range of opinions about an anime?
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Thanks,
Karandi James.
I agree with you. There is definitely an element of hyperbole. I think a big part of it is perspective and personal preferences. What we like or dislike about a story is very personal, and in many ways a person’s opinion is the sum total of what they liked and didn’t like, each multiplied by how important those attributes are.
Most stories have their merits and their flaws, but it all comes down to what the audience is looking for, and what they’re willing to tolerate.
I do think the why, the concrete specific “Why did/didn’t you like it? What about it did/didn’t you like?” is critical.
There have been plenty of times where I’ve read “the characters are too generic”, but in that moment, a simple adventure with generic characters is just what I’m in the mood for.
I think there’s a natural tendency for people to want a simple answer, good/bad essentially, but most stories are in the middle.
It’s always interesting to see how many 3s a reviewer gives out (on a scale of 1-5).
In regards to hyped anime, I don’t know how much it influences me. I think I’m more likely to be aware of hyped anime, but once I’m aware of a title what usually guides me is the actual premise, and a little bit of the “whys” behind the critique.
For example, I know that someday I’m going to watch Sword Art Online, but when I heard the premise it seemed a little overly focused on “the fight to escape”, so I put it on the back burner and kept looking. Then I heard about Log Horizon and Hai to Gensou no Grimgar, which both sounded a bit more focused on developing and “living” in the magical/other world, so I decided to watch them first.
People that are complaining about the reuse of animation really annoy me, watch some goddamn skating, this is what happens. They choose a routine to perform throughout the competitions, they aren’t making a new one for each. Tbh, it’s just to point some negativity at the show because it’s not like they can point much. The show has been going great!
I don’t read reviews before watching, reading or playing something because I don’t care for other’s opinions until I have my own xD
I think one of the shows that baffle me that got so much scrutiny and hate was Code Geass, it got slammed a lot, as did Death Note /shrugs
Code Geass does get hit a lot (and it’s another one of my favourites). That said, I kind of understand why its not to everyones liking but I’ve never really understood why you would actively hate it.
Code Geass made me cry so much in both seasons, so bah at them. I saw really nitpicky comments, also a lot of salt saying how dumb it was and etc way back when. I don’t understand this need to actively crap all over fans that like it, or the show and saying how dumb the show is, and the fans too for liking it, just ugh
I absolutely agree with you on the importance of choosing constructive opinions, and one single recent occurrence has made me realise it. I recently bought Gundam: Reconguista in G at an anime convention without any prior knowledge of the series. When I got home I looked it up on Anime-Planet and found it rated quite negatively. A little concerned and disheartened I checked out the reviews. One down-rated it and the writing style was crude and highly opinionated (to the point of literally calling the show s***e), but another review covered the same criticisms but in a far more constructive manner. Both reviews were highly critical, but the better-written one, while being generally down on the show, still presented it in a way that made me think “Okay, I still think I can enjoy this.”
In short when checking reviews for recommendations it is vital to pick and choose the reviews you pay attention to, otherwise a reviewer who is overly negative might put you off something you would actually manage to enjoy.
It’s good once you know which reviewers you are likely to agree with (or which ones you understand their tastes enough that you know whether or not you will like something they’ve recommended). It’s also sometimes good to get the outside opinion of someone you know you aren’t going to agree with but who can still have a constructive argument about something.
Thanks for your comment.
Great topic.
I was living under a rock as far as anime was concerned for the last few years so I missed the hype of most of the popular shows. For instance, I didn’t know Attack on Titan was so famous until I was about 10 episodes into it. I did get exposed to a lot of SAO hate through a few YT channels I follow so I’m kinda reluctant to get into it even though the premise is one I find interesting.
Now, I just stay away from reviews and such until I’m done with an anime. After I’ve formulated my own opinion, I seek out that of others to see how it meshes/varies from mine. I usually don’t mind either way; as long as there are actual reasons provided for why someone likes or dislikes a show, then it doesn’t matter all that much if their opinion is the polar opposite of mine. But as you said,reviews that bash something without giving clear reason for it are hard to take seriously.
Attack on Titan is one I wish I missed the hype for. I probably would have enjoyed the show more. I actually loved it but by the mid-way point of season 1 I just wondered if that was all we were getting and then we got an inconclusive end.
Thanks for your comment.
I agree, it seems that a lot of people in the anime community feel the need to level out the critical reception of certain shows by expressing a (way more often than not) highly negative viewpoint on shows that they believe don’t deserve the hype. It immediately turns me off when I see a review that is highly negative without acknowledging positives or refuting what others would consider positives. And all too often these are reactionary responses, without deeper thought or analysis behind them. It irks me to no end to read general complains like “the pacing was shit” or “the animation was so bad” when it isn’t backed up with examples WHY the person has that opinion.
Thanks for your post, Karandi. Good stuff to think about.
Thanks.
The examples are necessary to make it clear why there’s a problem, and even then what one person considers a problem another might quite like.
I usually avoid reviews of a show while im binge watching it, because i get swayed easily by opinions. But Binan Koukou, i hated that show. I didnt understand it, i thought it was annoying and pointless, but i saw a post about it being a parody of mahou shoujos, and now alot of the content makes sense. Now i just dislike it, not hate it.
Great article, im gunna soak in all the yuri love before the internet tears it apart.
We can hope they don’t. It would be nice just to see a reasonable discussion about it.
Great post! I’m not sure how to word what I am trying to say, but I’ll try. I really appreciate that you are able to read other people’s reviews and such, but still not formulate a concrete opinion until you yourself have seen something. I think all too often people, myself included, judge things just based on what they hear without ever watching it for themselves. I also like that you say you sift through the reviews that make bold claims without providing concrete evidence. I remember (maybe 2 years ago) reading a review claiming SAO to be “the worst anime ever” without giving any examples as to why. Just continuing to say “Story is bad. Animation is bad. Music is bad. Characters are bad.” Leaving the reader to ask why are those things bad? Regardless, I appreciate your ability to try to withhold judgement until you yourself have seen something. Does that make sense? I’m sorry if that is like, a long ramble.
To answer your questions, I’ll cite my example above of Sword Art Online as the love/hate anime. To navigate the range of opinions, I really only looked at opinions of my friends, since I know what I can and cannot trust from them.
SAO is definitely one that got hit with a lot of those ‘worst anime ever’ labels. Which is fine if that is someone’s opinion but it would be nice to know why or at least for them to accept that others may not share that view.
Thanks for the comment.
I feel that a fully-fledged review before an anime ends is less like a revie and moreso of an pre-determined boast about how good they think it is. Funny enough, episode 3 was where I stopped watching yuri on ice because I’m not into the kind of anime that glorifies fan service that much. I wasn’t that into the opening either especially when it kind of was just a loop of them doing the same skating over and over. The song was good but wasn’t anything special. I feel it doesn’t really amplify any of the shows specifics, it just seems like a song that you can put into any shows opening and it’ll be quite good. Which is kind of a rarity. I think the skating animation this show offers is, as people say, fantastic. However, that smooth motion and climactic animation only seemingly appears at that point. The animation is typically average every other time. I also don’t like the art-style this show depicts because, while its different and I appreciate different, it’s unattractive to me. I think it’s best described like an amateurs work on graduation day because it seems to be drawn by an amateur but it’s definitely the type of work that sets the bar for him because it’s the best he’s ever done.
The important thing is the story: I don’t like prejudging anything but I couldn’t help but feel that I know exactly where this story is going. The best way I have to explain this is: I think I’ve seen this story play out in other medians too much that isn’t anime. I don’t think this is yuri on ices fault if that is the case and I don’t think anime has presented this story in such barebones fashion as yuri on ice or at least as barebones as I think it will play out. Again, I don’t blame it for doing this but I can’t help but feel like I’ve already seen it play out too many times before. So, the reason why I don’t feel like I’d enjoy the story is really my fault. That’s just my two cents.
You mean that song didn’t totally captivate you? Kidding, a certain friend of mine listened to about thirty seconds of it before he started making gagging noises. I absolutely loved it from the first play through but I get that it isn’t for everyone.
The story is one of the weaker elements of Yuri on Ice so far so if the characters aren’t selling you on it than there really isn’t any reason to keep watching.
Thanks for sharing your opinion.
Captivating..? I guess not.. I did like it though. The characters to me are more reflective of what the audience. I can go about how different characters interest me all day but i’ll leave it at that.
Of what the audience wants*
Thanks for such an interesting post! I definitely think that hype is such a double-edged sword. Like you said, it can attract people to a show who wouldn’t otherwise be interested, and this can mean that they find that they don’t mind the concept, or alternatively can mean that these people become caught up in the positive emotion in regards to a show, but at the end of the day realise that they still don’t like the concept.
I’ve not checked out Yuri on Ice as I know that I’m not interested in sports anime, or BL undertones (or overtones depending on how imaginative the reviewer is) in anime. If there was some other factor which I found really interesting, I’d maybe consider these as a subgenre, but as it is, I know it’s not going to be for me. It doesn’t matter how great a show is for the fans, if I don’t care about the genre or core concepts.
I’ve actually not seen Attack on Titan (unlikely to ever watch, it seems too violent for my tastes), or Sword Art Online (may watch at some point to gain some context for all the opinions on the show, I enjoy fantasy adventure) either. I wasn’t watching many ongoing series at the time that they aired and with the mixed opinions, it’s definitely hard to get a clear picture of the series. I have seen Eva, and wow, that is some show. I feel that I can agree with some of the points of it being ‘the greatest anime ever made’ and ‘full of issues and terrible’. My feelings on Eva are perhaps too large for the comments section, but I do have an overall pretty positive opinion of the show.
Maybe a lot of this has to do with how we as humans tend to be very moved by emotive language. People who are very enthusiastic about a show can sweep others up in their enthusiasm as they hope to experience the same positive emotional feelings. People who don’t feel this way can end up feeling a bit cheated, and I think can go a bit overboard in expressing their disappointment, so instead of saying ‘I think these points are good and these are less so’ or ‘I didn’t like it’, will jump to ‘this is the worst anime ever made’.
Thanks for the comment.
I think you are right about people leaning toward emotive language. And as I said, I know hyperbole is kind of part of reviewing, but I think putting things into context might help a lot of the misunderstandings that occur online.
Wow…first off, what a great topic and well written post. That is why I really enjoy your blog so much, besides the reviews (which are also awesome) there also great posts like this one, that cover a variety of different subjects😀
On the topic: with everything that you watch, everyone will have his or her opinion on it. Yes I read reviews, but I usually form my own opinion. It is, and always will be personal if you like something or not. What is liked by one, can be hated by someone else. I don’t mind if someone has a different opinion than myself about a show, in fact I encourage it. The keyword however is:respect. I have seen YouTube videos with comments placed in them, that got completely out of hand. People just getting downright mean, and calling names etc. I find that sometimes incredible, and I really can’t understand things like that happening. Anime, movies, tv series, etc. It is all just so incredibly great, and I love talking about it with people. I don’t mind a good debate about the good and bad things either, as long as it is done in a respectful fashion 😀
As for your questions:
1) Living in Holland, I have missed out on a lot of Animeseries, and as such missed even a couple of classics. Currently I am watching Neon Genesis Evengalion, and I know that one had a lot of good and bad things going for it at the time…you will see my stance on it soon: just 5 more episodes to go, so a review will follow shortly…but I can already say that I have enjoyed the ride very much
2) Since starting my blog I have started reading a lot of new things about this great medium, and I pretty much try to follow the shows that everybody is talking about (or at least add them to a list to start watching them at a later time). It is sometimes difficult to make decisions…especially as I already have way too little time lol. But shows that get a good buzz, I definitely try to watch if I can😀
Ps..sorry for the long answer lol 😀
Thanks for the comment, and I look forward to your thoughts on Evangelion once you get to the end.
I also like a good debate particularly about anime or movies because they are such a subjective medium. I may not agree with someone’s view but I usually enjoy finding out why they felt that way and if you can get a good back and forth that’s almost as much fun as watching the show.
1. I tend to only read blog posts after I see a series. I like to form my own opinion. Base my feelings on what I experienced while watching. I find alot of times that shows that are popular tend to not tickle my fancy. But I’ve road waves before (Naruto/ SAO etc). The only time I really ever feel the need to pick apart anime is when I’m chatting it up with friends. That’s when I take in consider the series as whole. On my own, I like to foreshadow things. Process emotions of characters. Put myself in their shoes rather then anything else. I do this if I’m really invested. I don’t read reviews for suggestions but rather insight on how other fans see things.
Between I am a huge fan of Eva but it is kinda heavy. So I understand why people might not be into it.
2. An anime that took me through the love/hate cycle. Naruto. As of now, my take on it is neutral.
Thanks for sharing.
I’ve found myself with quite the treacherous relationship with a bunch of the more hyped up anime. Attack on Titan, for example. A couple of my friends kept telling me to watch it and said I’d really like it, and when I finally gave it chance, I did indeed really like it. However, as the episodes went on, I found myself getting more and more critical of what I was watching. My opinions waned from ‘Holy crap! 9.5/10’ in my head between the first episode to about midway to ‘it’s a good show, but has numerous significant problems I can’t ignore, hopefully will get better with a second season 6.5/10’ at the end of it all.
I think, with me, I can get swept up in the hype for the first handful of episodes, but as time goes on and the hype wears off (usually) I start analyzing it more thoroughly to actually add validity to the positive and negatives of the story and characters. This doesn’t always result in a downfall for the show, but it does allow me to take off the hype glasses and take the show for what it truly is.
I will admit, sometimes the oversaturation of reviews and word of mouth gets irritating. And the glorification of some of these shows is aggravating because so many people who praise these shows up and down the aisle won’t take any criticism without rebutting with something that doesn’t make sense given the criticism, ignoring it or insulting you because any criticism=worst show ever. Then again, that can pretty much be said of any really popular thing.
It’s funny that you bring Evangelion because if there’s one show that’s been an opinion roller coaster with me, it’s been Eva. When they first announced it would be shown on Adult Swim back in the day, I was super excited and I loved it. However, I really couldn’t tell you why I liked it so much. Maybe it was because my anime pool was limited back then so I just loved pretty much anything or maybe it was because it made me feel smart or something, I don’t know.
Later on, I watched and read reviews on the show and started understanding several problems with it, and my opinion fell a couple of points. Then I watched some psuedo-documentary videos and realized what a cultural impact the show had. I really didn’t know what to make of it as time went on after that and I kept hearing so many contrasting views on it. Now I’m taking the time out to watch and write reviews on each episode on a ‘clean slate’ basis and taking all outside influences out of my mind to get a better idea of what I truly think of the show on its own merit as a show without hype, hate or cultural influences. This has worked for me in the past, and I really find it to be an effective form of analysis.
I like reading a wide array of reviews because it’s good to get both sides of the equation. Reading reviews from people who just do nothing but seemingly agree with everything you think would get boring and reading just reviews from people with the opposite views would get irritating and sometimes disheartening. Plus, doing that before you go into a show allows you to tap down the hype a bit so you don’t end up getting your hopes up too high but also retain the hope that it’s a great show at a decent level. As long as both sides have legit points and evidence to back up their claims, you’re golden.
I would say I’m lucky because I don’t typically follow newer shows to get caught on the hype train, but ‘classic’ shows can be just as bad if not worse in this regard.
All in all, sometimes you really do just like or dislike a show because….well, you just do. I will pound the ground beneath my feet in a rage sometimes at the stories and characters of Pokemon, but I’ll always like watching it because it’s fun. And there are numerous shows where I really couldn’t explain why I don’t like them; they just don’t fit right with me for some reason that I can’t pinpoint. I always try to explain in my reviews that I feel this way so I don’t mislead people into thinking that something that is critically fine is bad or vice versa just because of my emotional reaction. Granted, earning an emotional reaction in itself is something worth noting when reading/writing reviews.
Forgive me if I’m babbling/making no sense. I’m sick lol.
Very interesting and well-written analysis on the topic, Karandi! 🙂
Criticism = worst show ever: I really dislike it when people take actual constructive criticism as an attack. And realistically a review kind of needs to touch on the negatives as well as the positives in order to be a review rather than an open love letter or a rant – unless you genuinely can’t find a positive or a negative though these shows are really few and far between.
It will be interesting to see where you end up with Evangelion.
You’re already well aware of my opinion of Sword Art Online. We talked a bit about that earlier this week, and about this entire topic, so I won’t rehash that.
For me, I usually try to avoid hyped shows until the hype dies down, and I can watch it without being in the bubble. Ergo Proxy is one that was heavily hyped, but I can’t say if it was ripped apart or not. I enjoyed it, though.
Evangelion is one that I think I waited until I was too old to watch. I didn’t see it for the first time until I was in my late 30’s, so a lot of the themes that it used didn’t speak to me anymore. I try to remain aware of that, as Shinji is a character I’d like to slap with a truck load of 2×4’s, but I also get that he does speak to an entire generation.
Probably the biggest one for me as far as hype that never really seemed to turn negative is Serial Experiments Lain. I don’t get why people love that show so much. I guess it speaks to them, so I can respect that, but have never really understood it.
An example of negativity would be shows like Fairy Tail, Bleach, and Naruto. Liking any of those has gotten me called a lot of terrible things before. There is a vehement hatred in some corners of anime fandom for them, and anyone who likes them. That’s where I see the claims of “ruining anime” and “worst thing” a lot.
Never mind that they are wildly successful and allow studios to do the other kinds of shows that those people like. There’s a real cognitive dissonance at play, I think. A desire to be seen as a being a serious fan, with a worth while opinion, seems to go hand in hand with wanting to avoid silly, fun shows.
Or maybe I’m just old.
Nothing wrong with being old. I agree that Shinji probably needs to be slapped with something (though I still quite like Evangelion) and also have to agree that I just don’t get Serial Experiments Lain. So many people recommend that show and yet the three times I’ve attempted to watch it I’ve just gotten bored (or maybe I’m just fickle).
And I get what you mean about liking fun, popular shows and how some fans turn their noses up at them. I’m a massive Bleach fan and some people kind of equate that with casual watcher and not a serious anime fan.
Thanks for your comment.
Thanks for the post. Well put and thoughtful as always. 🙂
I don’t usually care if my opinion is different from someone else’s but it gets frustrating when people are not even interested in hearing what I (or anyone with a different point of view) have to say about it. It’s like their opinion is the only one that matters. I guess anime, as many things in the geek world, can be seen as a religion or political party of sorts hahaha
I can’t come up with a specific example right now but you’ve already done so, so it’s really a matter of keeping up with trends. And you’re absolutely right, attacking someone on a personal level based on tastes is completely ridiculous. The anime you like does not say a thing about the type of person you are, especially if you’re like me and have a very eclectic taste.
Do keep writing thought-provoking articles like this, they’re awesome 🙂
Thanks for the encouragement.
I think it is great that people are so passionate about anime (or any hobby) but being passionate doesn’t excuse personal attacks.
Attack on Titan. I don’t really like the show, watched half of it and just was like “OK” I get why people would like it, but it’s entirely too pointlessly gorey for me and the story was non-existant as far as I got into the show. I also suffered from watching it in Japanese, then switching to English andliking the Japanese voices more so tha tmay hae been a factor.
I tend to stay away from reviews of a show if I really want to watch it. The things I read reviews for, are shows I don’t intend to watch, or don’t have an opinion on either way so a review isn’t going to sway my view of it. I’ve watched shows because a friend said I’d like it, but as far as reading a critical review and being turned off from a show, that’s never happened to me. A review has made me want to watch a show though!
I started Yuri on Ice because of reading comments on it, so I guess that’s my hype show haha. I sort of want to watch Erased because of the hype, but I like that genre of anime so the hype wasn’t a major deciding factor for me wanting to watch the series.
Angel Beats!. Just posted my thoughts on it. Your timing is impeccable. Aside from that, there are plenty of examples. A recent favorite of mine is “Shelter,” that anime-adapted short of Porter Robinson’s song. Lots and lots of people love that video, but if you go to MAL’s page for it, the top review is a 1/10, describing how it’s literally one of the “worst things” the reviewer has ever seen. I thought the video was fine, though I hardly care for the “innovative, deep story: that it tries to portray.
I navigate the range of opinions mostly through MAL, but occasionally through the anibloggers I follow both on WordPress and Twitter. This is especially true for ongoing shows, as I wouldn’t have planned to pick up Yuri!!! on Ice or Flip Flappers if not for the enthusiasm put forth by those whose opinion I have respect for.
Really nice post.
Shelter is an excellent example. When it first came out there were so many super positive reviews and then there came a lot back-lash reviews about how it was overrated. Next week I’m finally posting my thoughts on it and like you, it’s okay but neither particularly amazing or particularly terrible.
Thanks for the comment.
yeah, that’ll happen. separating your opinion from the opinion of the majority is one way to get yourself noticed. im sure i do that unconsciously too, but i do what i can to keep myself in check. what i always strive to do is state what didnt work for me rather than state what doesnt work…if that makes sense.
Makes sense. I know I’m like that with most comedies. I gt that they are actually funny but they usually don’t hit the mark for me (mostly because I have a weird sense of humour).
yeah, comedy’s weird for me too