I realized the other day my out of 10 rating system might seem rather ambiguous to someone without a firm understanding of my tastes. As such I wanted to give up to 3 examples of each rating and the reason why they have the score they do so that you can understand what each score means on a more concrete level. I'm hoping this blog can help show that every point different is a massive difference, and why there are so few things I ever give a 1-2 score too or a 9-10 score too.
1/10:
Mahou Shoujo Isuka:
This is my most hated series of all time. I don't bring it up much because I don't like speaking negative about things, and so most of my friends probably don't even know about it prior to this. It's a series that is as base tasteless as you can possible get. It's a series about the rape and humiliation of lolicon magical girls, including "parodies" of Sailor Moon and Card Captor Sakura. It's got sooooo much wrong with it.
2/10:
Difference between a 1/10 and a 2/10: A 2/10 is something that annoys me constantly and occasionally makes me angry. A 1/10 is something I hate every moment off.
Nami SOS:
Amidst it's sub-genre sub-genre, Nami SOS is so generic that it's sort of the perfect stand-in for awful awful Magical Girl Rape Hentai.
Naria Girls:
Naria Girls has the distinction of being the worst magical girl series I've ever seen that is NOT a hentai. It's still AWFUL. Like, everything about it is not just bad but incoherent. That said it's offensive or aggravating per se, it's just super incompetent
Gone Home:
Aka "Walking Simulator 90s Edition". Basically a really short no gameplay "game" with pretentious plot and characters, and eye-rolling politics.
3/10:
Difference between a 2/10 and a 3/10: The difference between a 2/10 and a 3/10 is a 2/10 just seems wholly incompetent while a 3/10 I could at least see what they were "trying" to do or has at least something that is done right, even if it's not much.
Ultimate Girls:
Basically just a fetish show for "inflation" enthusiasts. It's has some humor but is also uncomfortable at times. It is fun to remind certain people of it's existence :P
Dragon Ball Evolution:
As a Dragon Ball film it's awful. As a standalone fantasy-martial arts action film it's.....still pretty bad but not quite as much, enough though that I feel pretty safe in calling it a really bad movie.
Alone in the Dark:
How did THIS movie get a sequel? It's boring, and dumb, and all the things that don't make good cinema.
4/10:
Difference between a 3/10 and a 4/10: A 3/10 and a 4/10 both have large sections that are bad. A 4/10 though has some sections that are not bad, usually just decent though.
Vampire Knight:
I have a lot of nostalgia for Vampire Knight, although it's not really a good series by most measures. It's been called "Anime Twilight", I haven't read Twilight but that seems a bit of an exaggeration in terms of quality going by common census on Twilight. That said while it's got parts that are better, it's not something I'd recommend really.
Metroid: Other M:
Metroid: Other M is sort of the perfect example of how 4/10 can be internally divided. Other M is bad in terms of story and character, with characters acting wildly out of character and plot elements that are really out of place. That said gameplay wise it's fairly solid, though obviously not Metroid's best.
DBGT:
DBGT has a lot of concepts that I like in theory, and has some scattered bits that I think are underappreciated but the execution definitely leaves a lot to be desired and was a large step-down from DBZ.
5/10:
Difference between 4/10 and 5/10: A 5/10 does not have as many or as noticeable problems as a 4/10, but it just is sort of eh, a decent but not particularly notable series.
Inuyasha:
Inuyasha is a lot like Vampire Knight in that it's nostalgic, except it's aged slightly better. While both series start good and go downhill generally imo, Inuyasha's drop was more gradual and less extreme.
Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe:
For a crossover game featuring the DC Universe, one of my favorite fictional universes, meeting Mortal Kombat, an ultraviolent world of action....this game is surprisingly dull. I didn't think anything about it was terrible, but it was just sort of meh. The final boss is literally easy enough that "I" could beat him.
Devil Hunter Yohko:
This series was made just before Sailor Moon, and while it some cool parts, it can get really bland if you aren't the otaku type, since without any distinct magical girl feel, it really is mostly just anime tropes as a series.
6/10:
Difference between a 5/10 and a 6/10: A 6/10 are kind of average, but have some really cool parts while a 5/10 is mostly just bland. A 6/10 is not a bad score, it's above average.
Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch:
Generally abbreviated as MMPPP. I don't get the hate for this series. Yeah the story is a little predictable and cliche for the MG Genre. But it's really cute, it's got nice music (anime only obviously), it's characters are nice and it has, at least imo, pretty interesting worldbuilding. It's not amazing but it's easy enough to watch.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians:
Read the first series because it was getting so much attention. I don't get quite the hype for it. I thought it was fine, and fun enough. Annabeth was cute.
Jake and Amir:
A series of short vids that were the only thing I watched on collegehumor basically. They're amusing enough and short enough that they sort of work like the video equivalent of potato chips. It's sort of a short guilt-free way of getting some quick amusement. It's not amazing but it's fun enough.
7/10:
Difference between a 6/10 and a 7/10: A 6/10 is decent fun. A 7/10 is the level where I would start calling myself a fan. A 7/10 I actually feel appeals to me, and has some thing really good about it or is at least very consistent in being good.
Little Witch Academia:
Not, I haven't actually finished. This is my current score. While I don't fully get the hype for this series so far, I do quite like it. It's generally cute and funny and has some parts that I feel could be really great if they are properly developed.
Portal:
Portal is limited by it's minimalism. There isn't much time, mechanics, or characters. Yet because of it's minimalism it does all of those fairly well. It's few characters, outside maybe the mute main character, are engaging to hear (granted both of the two characters of any significant story impact in the present day are both homicidal AI) and it has nifty science-fiction puzzles. That's really all it has, humorous dialogue from homicidal sarcastic AI and interesting science puzzles. That's enough to put it here.
Dragon Ball Part 1:
The original Dragon Ball is, if not perfect, a fun fantasy adventure with lots of mythology and folklore references, and cute charming plots and characters for the majority of it's time.
8/10:
Difference between a 7/10 and a 8/10: This is the difference of "being a fan" and "being in the fandom". A 7/10 is "I like the series, I think it's good and has it's strong suit." An 8/10 means I think it's consistently good and that it reaches amazing levels at some points, and by amazing I mean, moments that I really want to gush about and that I want to replicate in my own writing because it's go good.
Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt:
I thought P&S was consistently hilarious, and the funniest MG series I have ever seen. And it's not "just" funny. It's cool and stylized, with really fun characters and some of it's episodes just left me cheering at the screen. Panty is bae. <3
Okami:
I love all the mythology and folklore in Okami, but even more then that, I love the heart in it, and the joy of the world being restored to it's glory. I love the celestial themes in this game. It also has my favorite ending to any video game ever. This game is beautiful.
Yu Yu Hakusho:
YYH is the stereotypical shonen formula boiled down to it's essentials and refined to it's apex. It's a series brimming over with potential and which really shorts the art of fighting as a true art in itself, with interesting powers and characters. It's really heartwarming seeing the gradual transition of the punk Yusuke to a true hero.
9/10:
Difference between an 8/10 and a 9/10: A 8/10 is a series I really really like, but a 9/10 series has me thinking about it all the time, it's amazing more often then not and it has moments that are just mindblowing, that make me have big emotional episodes.
Cardcaptor Sakura:
It's like if innocence and cuteness were made manifest in a series. It's hard to imagine a person so cold that they could not find joy in the simple adventures of Sakura and friends. It's an imaginative and adorable series from start to finish that helps me see the best in people and situations.
Saint Seiya:
I've mention that I like mythology before. I like mythology because it has such grandeur and potency in it's archetypes. I also like cosmic themes because of their grandeur and scope. Saint Seiya combines both of these in one of the most epic adventures ever, while still being fast-paced and creative.
DC Comics:
DC Comics has a lot of things I've mentioned loving before, however what I really adore about DC Comics is the meta-narrative that it's whole universe is founded on. DC Comics is a meta-narrative about the connection between things and the potential for goodness in all people. I love many parts of DC Comics, more then I can name here, but beyond all things I love it's overwhelming optimism, in every incarnation, towards the ability of people to do the right thing and be noble.
10/10:
Difference between a 9/10 and a 10/10: A 9/10 has big mind-blowing emotional moments that change my perspective completely as their big moments. A 10/10 however has that as it's default state of being. A 10/10 series is not a perfect series, a 10/10 is something that has changed me as a person for the better. It's something that makes me understand the world better. It's something that makes me see every other work in fiction clearer and makes me like them more just from proximity.
I have 1 10/10 series. Everyone knows my favorite series is Sailor Moon and a lot of people understand a large part of why it is. I don't really think it's vital to explain yet again why it's a 10/10.
When I'm figuring out a series' score, these things per score are probably a good example to use if you want to know what kind of things I am saying are comparable to it in quality in my opinion. I really hope that people will understand that if I give a series you like a 6/10 that is not a bad score and doesn't mean I dislike it, and if I say that the series you really dislike I'd give a 3/10, that doesn't mean I think it's sort of decent.
