Introduction and Scoring

Hello, my name is Brian.  I am not an Otaku*.  I just wanted to make that clear before going on.  I do, however, like anime and manga.  I am probably also one of the few people who has absolutely no Asian genes (to my knowledge) who started learning Japanese before discovering anime/manga (Saturday morning cartoons like Pokemon excluded, but hey, at the time I didn't even realize that was Japanese).

On a seemingly completely different note, I always hated English class in school.  It wasn't because I wasn't good at it, to the contrary, I actually enjoy analyzing literature.  The problem was that most of the 'literature' forced on students in English class is designed entirely for entertainment, and thus really has no depth to analyze, or is written in an attempt to be deep and fails utterly.  In the former case it can be a fun read, but trying to analyze it is like wringing water from a stone:  not worth the effort, you probably won't get any actual results, and even if you do, it probably wasn't actually there to find.  The latter, though, usually tries to be preachy and deep, and only succeeds in making itself entirely uninteresting.

Where do these two thoughts converge?  Well, I have found that many anime series possess more literary merit than the so called 'award winning' works of prose that English teachers dote on.  And that's what's up with my reviews.  I'm not some fanboy preaching the awesomeness of my favorite anime, I'm going to look at various anime (and manga) series from the perspective of depth, literary merit, and quality in general.

That said, there are certain elements of anime that just can't be ignored, like badassery*.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not some stuffy professor with a thesis.  I'm a 22 year old college student.  I very much like the carnage and explosions of anime.  Hell, the things that make the peoples fall down is what initially brought me into the anime fold to begin with.  Since then, though, I have seen just how deep anime can be, even with entertainment as the primary goal.

So, you're probably tired of me blabbing on about myself and why I started these reviews.  As such, I will lay out my criteria:

Poignancy (20):  What sort of deeper meaning did this anime have?  What is the theme and message behind it?  What introspection does this anime put to the viewer?  Without depth, literary merit falls apart.  That said, though, if you’re beaten over the head with a message, the merit is no greater.  For full points, the anime must have a striking perspective on human nature or other poignant perspective, and should imply it without it actually being stated.

Character Depth and Development (15):  Good anime is character driven.  Anime explores the conflicts of interest and the deepest struggles of friends and enemies.  As such, cardboard characters get you nowhere.  Unless the character is the equivalent of Soldier #3, a static, shallow character cannot hold a good plot.  Further, a character must be built up slowly and carefully, cultivated by the writers like a delicate flower.

Enjoyability (10):  Anime is meant first and foremost to entertain.  Therefore, if I don’t enjoy watching it, it has failed in that regard.  This is not worth as many points as I would like, but if this is low, chances are the other elements are also going to be low as well.

Filmography (10):  Anime has an advantage over traditional film:  it uses no actors, no props, no stages.  The only limit to what can be shown is the artist’s own skill.  As such, there is plenty of room for skillful use of camera angles (since there is no camera limitation), zoom shots, slow motion, etc.  Good filmography can highlight the meaning of scenes, draw attention to crucial aspects, etc.  At the same time, though, everything in moderation.  Overuse of “camera tricks” can ruin an otherwise good scene.  Music choice and integration is also part of this category, being a very dynamic part of many anime.

Comic Element (10):  Rarely is there an anime without some sort of comic relief.  Others are outright  comedies, but these are neither rewarded nor penalized in this score.  This isn’t a judge of how funny the jokes are, per se, but more of how fitting the comedy is to the anime.  A lack of comic relief can make a series overly depressing and grim, while an over-abundance of it, or even a single critically misplaced joke, can ruin a scene that should be extremely poignant.

Ending (10):  How an anime ends can make or break the entire series.  Two of my current all time favorite anime (Code Geass and Elfen Lied) both have incredible endings that tie everything together, create revelations, and bring the unspoken theme to just below the surface.  Yes, I would consider tragic endings to often be the best, but only because tragic endings reveal a great deal about a character.  Happy endings are not necessarily penalized by me, though, if they are done well.

Badassery (10):  How epic were the fight scenes?  How epic was the main hero?  The main villain?  This is the place where I award points for making me grin while the peoples fall down.  Afterall, this is anime.

So called 'Fan Service'* on display

Nudity (10):  It seems like every anime has at least one compulsory nude scene.  This doesn’t mean full frontal or anything. In fact, it can be as unrevealing as a mere towel scene, or even skimpy costuming.  This category isn’t a facet of my hormones, quite the opposite, really.  This category is judging the tastefulness of such scenes.  Many scenes such as this are part of either character development, poignancy, or comic relief, and will be looked at as such.  Even if there aren’t any nude scenes or towel scenes, even the amount of dress (or more accurately the lack there of) can be looked at in this section.

Violence (5):  What did violence serve?  Did it further character development, further the plot, or was it rather empty and pointless?  This is not a “less is more” category, but nor is it a second badassery column.  This section is looking at how tasteful the violence in the anime is, and in that way, it is quite similar to the nature of the nudity judgements.

Manly Tears, of course

Crying Bonus (+5):  Yes, I’m a 22 year old guy.  Yes, some anime makes me cry.  I’ll admit it; I’m secure enough with myself to tell people I’ve cried when watching some anime.  It takes a lot to make me cry, however.  In order to do it, the characters and situations have to have clicked with me in a deep and meaningful way, and the event (almost certainly a death scene) has to be poignant in of itself.  If an anime makes me cry, it gets an automatic +5 to its final score.

Obsession Bonus (+5):  Sometimes, an anime makes me obsess over its meaning and characters.  Now, I don’t mean daydreaming about “what would I do with a Geass power?” or “I wonder if I could excel as a ninja…”  What I mean, is obsessing over the messages and the characters of the anime.  And I don’t mean simple introspection, but true obsession, being unable to truly shake my thoughts away from it for at least a few hours, and to have my own feelings caught up in it rather than simply my imagination.  If an anime is able to take hold of me so completely, it gains an additional +5 to its final score.

Glossary

Please note, many Japanese words have different meanings in Japan to the English-speaking anime culture's usage.  When writing, I typically use the latter sub-culture's meaning, rather than the original, though my definitions will try to cover both meanings.

Otaku:  If you aren't familiar with this term, you probably aren't one.  The word is used to refer to people with obsessive interests, especially with regard to anime and manga.  It serves a similar usage in Japan, but carries the connotation of being a social outcast, much like the English term 'Geek', and isn't as focused on anime/manga as its English usage.

Badassery:  Not a word?  Don't care, it is now.  It's the best word to summarize the sum total of awesome for a series.  Awesome fight scenes, characters who can best be described as badass, etc.

Fan Service:  'Fan Service' is an expression that refers to material added to a series specifically to please the audience, though it is most often used to refer to 'gratuitous titillation'.  This can take many forms, but is most often characterized by bathing scenes, low-cut cleavage, panty shots, skimpy bathing suits, or other unnecessary shots of little or no clothing.