I'm considering watching this anime again. Why? Because this is the first time I've ever experienced a situation where:
1. I completely don't understand the rating the anime receive.
2. I'm giving it the same rating as other anime, which is significantly worse (in my opinion).
While point 1 can be explained by preference, point 2 could indicate some kind of bias or brain disorder... right?
I'll try to explain how I interpret the MAL rating and my own:
<=4 - Not worth watching, crap. Chance of dropping at any point: 100%
4<5 - Not worth watching, crap. Chance of dropping before the end of the season: 100%. Usually, each episode
...
is a struggle to continue.
5<6 - Weak, but has at least one positive aspect (animation, action, writing, characters, fun, originality). At least 30% of a season's episodes are interesting; Less than 50% require a fight to continue. Chance of dropping before the end of the season: 50%
6<7 - average, has at least one outstanding aspect that distinguishes it from others in the same genre and/or 2-3 aspects that distinguish it in general.
Chance of skipping before the end of the season: <25%
7<8 - good, has at least one outstanding aspect that distinguishes it from others in the same genre and/or 3-4 aspects that distinguish it in general.
Chance of skipping before the end of the season: 0%, chance of rewatching: 50%
8<8.8 - very good. Has at least 2 outstanding aspects that distinguish it from others in the same genre and/or all aspects that distinguish it in general. Chance of re-watching: 100%. Regular rewatching, viewing, analysis, interest in manga, light novels, and other sources.
8.8<10 - Masterpiece. All aspects are outstanding, not only in genre but overall (not necessarily originality). Identification with the brand, checking all sources, analysis, regular rewatches. It usually happens less than once a decade (within the same genre).
So what about this? It currently has an 8.6. A masterpiece, for sure. Right...:
1. The animation – at first glance, it seems outstanding. Don't get me wrong - it's good, I would lie otherwise. But once your eyes adjust to its brilliance, reality hits: You start to notice more and more - genericity, imperfections, architectural idiocy, artificiality, flatness. It's like looking at a landscape after leaving a dark room – the valley seems beautiful, but after a moment, we notice the ugliness of the details. Or perhaps more aptly – like a room that, from a distance, looks like it has beautifully decorated walls, but upon closer inspection, we see it's cheap wallpaper. It's still pretty – of course. But it loses its magic and charm. Tacky trumps beauty.
2. The characters – flat, shallow, idiotic. In some episodes where someone dies, the protagonist is in a state of shock. A few minutes of the episode is sad music, and I'm thinking, "WTF? Did i miss some episodes?" The died one had a total of 15-30 minutes total time on screen, didn't contribute anything special to the viewer (okay, was important behind the scenes according to design od screenwriting, but because was flat, lacked the depth to connect with viewer) – everyone is devastated, with huge funeral scenes... damn, it's like Jiraia died. A character who's been on screen for years, who was impossible to dislike..... well, no. Not this one.
3. Mystery element (script) – the anime aspires to be a crime story, puzzle-solving, unraveling some mystery drama. The result? The conclusions are pulled out of thin air, and the action is so chaotic that the viewer isn't just uninterested in the mystery solving, but actually awaits A – a cool fight, or B – the end of the episode, because maybe the next one will have a cool fight...
Some aspects are started, but never used or explained or in any way important to story.
4. Fight dynamics – the only unequivocally positive aspect of the anime. The fights are... interesting, albeit chaotic. Sometimes there are chills, muscle tension... you can get into it. But only sometimes, because:
5. The combat mechanics—the attack names, the logic (a strong word), the system... are interesting on paper, but idiotically implemented. I sometimes paused the fight at certain points to try to understand why something happened, what the point at all?, or why something didn't happen when it could/should.
6. The repetitive nature of the fight — each subsequent "boss" follows practically the same pattern. Like a character from some cheap game — different skins but the same model. Or different boss model, but same attack patterns. By the end of the season, I was even performing game of guessing - what could happen in the next scene - and I was correct any time i tried it.
Only the last fight was somehow "new" and different from the rest—but not entirely.
So I don't understand... did a bot farm from China give these ratings? Or I missed something? Maybe sometime ill rewatch it, but for now, I have better things to do. Anime is FINE at best.
Oct 19, 2025
Guimi Zhi Zhu: Xiaochou Pian
(Anime)
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I'm considering watching this anime again. Why? Because this is the first time I've ever experienced a situation where:
1. I completely don't understand the rating the anime receive. 2. I'm giving it the same rating as other anime, which is significantly worse (in my opinion). While point 1 can be explained by preference, point 2 could indicate some kind of bias or brain disorder... right? I'll try to explain how I interpret the MAL rating and my own: <=4 - Not worth watching, crap. Chance of dropping at any point: 100% 4<5 - Not worth watching, crap. Chance of dropping before the end of the season: 100%. Usually, each episode ... 
Jun 10, 2024
Akatsuki no Yona
(Anime)
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Story
+ Setting is nice and interesting - Rural Japan, kind of warring-kingdoms vibe with heroes but not much magic (or at all) - Plot is shallow, predictable and viewer loose interest very fast at what is happening nor why (since not much makes sense). There is no inner depth, logic nor meaning in actions (as of 8th EP). Characters + Characters are quite funny and interesting(at least superficially) - There are many unwanted come-ons. Good romance is ok, but Yona offers only cringe and immature interactions which results in many sights and eye-rolls. - Yona character development is rushed, and ill-logic. ... |
