[Akito Kinomoto]

I understand that some form of critique is needed or the studios are likely to get complacent and deliver a half-finished product, but most of the time I just let myself go along for the ride. The expectations of some people are almost like they're actively trying to find the next Cowboy Bebop or Evangelion when that just doesn't happen.

While I can distance myself from any fiction, I get the feeling that I would become extremely harsh and dissect a piece until it had nothing left. I know some of my favorites have almost nothing going for them, but I score based on how much I like the work instead of the total sum of its parts. That said, I can't say my expectations haven't been rising lately, or maybe the better way to say that is "I'm becoming less tolerant of anything I don't highly enjoy" if that somehow makes sense.

If there's any bit of analyzing that's taking effect now, it's likely that it stems from continually adjusting my scores to keep things in perspective with regards to how much I enjoyed or how much I didn't like a show. The test of time isn't very kind, but some shows, for me, have continuously kept their place at the top. Does that mean they've accumulated huge nostalgia value to me, or does that mean I was watching something so brilliantly designed that not even my rising expectations could screw them up? I don't know, but what I do know is that the enjoyment side will always be the side of the coin that matters for me.