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View Poll Results: When you think "critic", which definition first comes to mind? | |||
a person who is professionally engaged in the analysis and interpretation of works of art | 42 | 32.31% | |
anyone who expresses a reasoned judgment of something | 58 | 44.62% | |
someone who frequently finds fault or makes harsh and unfair judgments | 22 | 16.92% | |
other (please describe) | 8 | 6.15% | |
Voters: 130. You may not vote on this poll |
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2009-06-23, 12:59 | Link #81 | |||
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2005
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2011-05-19, 02:01 | Link #85 |
On a mission
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Ah, interesting discussion, especially considering I read this during the time I started frequenting these parts.
It's really a fine line one has to walk. If you express your opinions to violently, you get regarded as a "hater." But it's just my feeling that people don't seem to understand that they can heavily criticize a series they like or say something positive about a series they hate. After all, we all want better entertainment, right? I just feel that in order to really perceive what's good entertainment, is to have certain expectations and not just accept anything as adequate. Although most of us aren't targets for the anime industry, it's still a good mindset to have since probably everyone consumes some kind of media. It's also the only way one can really rise above a lot of the noise. Any recent popular series will be hyped to the heavens, so being able to form an opinion of your own really helps you establish your own position first, before you are influenced by others. And then, you can share your opinions with others and by considering other people's thoughts, you can gain a better understanding of whatever you're watching. It's not necessary for intellectual reasons. It's not like I don't enjoy moe or slapstick comedy, but even so, I feel my brain should be running even if there are boobs everywhere. The moment your entertainment starts thinking for you, that's when it has started to fail. So 2 years later, I can answer "yes, I am an anime critic"
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2011-05-19, 10:19 | Link #86 |
Sekiroad-Idols Sing Twice
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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.
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2011-05-19, 11:32 | Link #87 | ||
Senior Member
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Yes, I would consider myself an anime critic, although not a professional one, mind you (I mean, I'm not getting paid to do this, nor am I professionally trained to do it).
The initial main reason I sometimes choose to put on the critic's hat is succinctly summed up by the following... Quote:
Through out my life, I've been part of a few different fandoms. I've been a Marvel/DC comics book fan. I've been a pro wrestling fan. I've been a Star Trek fan. I've been (and am) a sci-fi fan in general. The reason why I'm now an anime fan, and have been for a few years now, is because I sincerely find that (for me personally at least) anime offers the best combination of simply enjoyable entertainment, of thought-provoking entertainment, and of relaxing entertainment. No other entertainment medium or genre currently satisfies me on all three levels like anime currently (and usually) does. However, all of the above applied to comic books, Star Trek, and/or pro wrestling at various points in the past as well. But I've seen all three of those go through peaks and valleys, and it's been my observation that "the valleys" often occur when fans become a bit too accepting of relatively weak material compared to what came before. A certain amount of fan critique is needed to simply keep creators and producers honest, I think. That being said, I do recognize that most of us here are people in the foreign market for what is primarily a Japanese/East Asian entertainment industry, so as time has gone by I see a more pressing reason to be an anime critic: It's helpful for determining what anime shows to recommend, and to who. In my view, part of the role of a critic is to gauge comparative quality between different offerings within the entertainment medium or genre that the critic is evaluating. This is likely the primary reason why numerical rating scales exist, after all. How many "stars" a professional film critic gives a movie can give us a sense of what that critic thinks of that movie in comparison to other movies. This can be helpful for prioritization purposes if you're wondering "What movie should I watch next?" (depending, of course, on to what degree your tastes overlap with those of the critic who's assigning the star rating). While I respect how some members here find the time to watch pretty much every new anime that comes out, many of us will not find the time to do that. So it's helpful, I think, to have a sense of how one anime compares to other anime shows. This can give us a sense of which anime shows are "must sees", which anime shows are "good watches but not must sees", which anime shows are "well, it's worth watching if you can't find anything else of interest to watch that you haven't already seen", etc..., etc... This is particularly relevant during an unusually strong season like this Spring 2011 one. I've ended up dropping Spring 2011 anime shows that would normally "make the cut" just due to the sheer depth and quality of anime shows airing right now. Long story short, it's difficult to accurately gauge the comparative quality of different anime shows without taking (as much as possible) a consistent critic approach to each of them. So that's what I try to do, at least. I do recognize, though, that different anime shows are sometimes aiming for different things (comparing K-On!! to, say, Bleach might not be terribly productive as the two shows have significantly different core appeals) so that's something I try to keep in mind when evaluating anime shows. All of the above being said, there is one other key reason why I often put on the anime critic hat... Quote:
For whatever reason, I find it more interesting to talk about perceived flaws than I do to talk about perfection (perhaps for much the same reason that flawed characters are generally considered more interesting than "overly perfect" ones). There's only so many different ways to say "That was absolutely awesome!". But each perceived flaw is different, and can be interesting to discuss and debate over. I won't lie - I love a good debate. At some level, I just find it fun to weigh the pros and cons of different shows that I watch, and to discuss those takes with others while seeing how their takes compare to my own. In fact, this is probably the main joy I get out of a forum like this one: A place to compare and contrast different viewer reactions.
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2011-05-19, 14:23 | Link #88 | |||||||
Anime Cynic
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: USA
Age: 35
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Media is the same way, and anime is no exception. People say, "Oh, you can't expect the animation to be the same quality as Tom and Jerry was" and I say why the heck not? That was 50 years ago, and accepting less nowadays is a sign of complacency. Similarly, people say, "The next Evangelion will never happen," and I say it's because people don't care enough to make it happen. Anime can get away with being mediocre because no one pushes it to be better. -- Quote:
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Last edited by Gamer_2k4; 2011-05-19 at 14:37. |
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2011-05-19, 17:11 | Link #89 | |||
On a mission
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Kinda like food. You can't really objectively say that apples are better food than oranges, but you can say that a rotting apple shouldn't be eaten. There are just certain things you shouldn't eat, even if it largely comes down to taste. And thus I do think certain things can be considered "bad" and flawed" as much as something can be considered good, even if people disagree. Quote:
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2011-05-20, 22:08 | Link #90 |
神さま、ありがとう!
Graphic Designer
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I tend to consider myself both a 'reasonable critic' and a 'seasoned anime veteran'. I've watched roughly over 300 titles over several years at this point and usually don't rate anime very lightly on my MAL profile either. I generally take time to analyze the characters, plot, art, music and other aspects that are put into the full work before grading it as well. I'm neither fair nor harsh when it comes to grading because I'm honest on how I grade work, although it's only become more apparent over the last year and a half or so.
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2011-05-21, 17:29 | Link #91 |
NOM
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Outside the Asylum
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I don't consider myself a critic. If anything, I'm just an anime fan. That doesn't necessarily mean I don't critique anime or have my own standards, it's that, taking Gamer_2k4's definition, I don't make it my job to do so. It's good to have standards as a fan yes, or else stuff will start sucking, but "critic" is such a heavy word in my view that I don't think it should be applied to such a simple task.
That's true, though sometimes I just find my memory to be worse than that of a goldfish's, and I can't trust myself to mess with the ratings that I have already given. (No, I don't remember the goldfish thing is already disproven )
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2011-05-22, 11:09 | Link #92 |
Megabuddy
IT Support
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Perth, Australia.
Age: 16
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Generally, I think it'd be more accurate to say "Amateur" or "Hobbyist" critic, unless you have qualifications and/or are getting paid for your work, whether by a company or through self-employment.
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2011-05-22, 20:57 | Link #93 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
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I used to write semi-serious anime criticism and analysis, on occasion, back in my college days. I don't do that anymore.
...so, no, I'm not a critic in the slightest. But, I like joining in on casual discussions about shows that I like, and occasionally writing reviews, which is *why I'm here*.
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2011-05-25, 11:58 | Link #94 | |
Megane girl fan
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Diagonally parked in a parallel universe.
Age: 55
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2011-08-29, 15:07 | Link #95 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: England, UK
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In my opinion, it's definately anyone who expresses a reasoned judgment of something, I've always believed that to be true of & in any case or scenario along similar thinking lines and not just from watching anime
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2011-08-29, 21:34 | Link #97 |
Banned
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I'm on the second definition, but it can't be help when there are times that "we" became biase in giving criticisms.
For example, I may say I don't like the anime because it's not in my list of favorite genre ( eg hentai, yuri, yaoi, ecchi etc). I usually crticism even to the most or almost not notice things like character lines, skills, style of drawing and plot, which for me doesn't seem to fit. Well, they 're just opinions, it depends whether to takes them seriously or not..... better not.. |
2011-08-30, 01:32 | Link #98 |
Criminal Unrequitor
Graphic Designer
Join Date: Jul 2010
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I would always try to find a reasoned judgement but sometimes, especially on shows you are very biased with, reason tends to disappear.
I'm definitely a critic but sometimes I just gloss over imperfection if there's something I'm a big fanboy of. I can definitely not critic a show made for fanservice because one can say its crap anime that's ruining the industry, but then again its just doing its job. If I critic something like To Love Ru, I would never find anything good to say about it except for the design, but I like To Love Ru so I don't bother using reasoned judgement and just say "It's hot".
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2011-10-08, 00:00 | Link #99 |
Yuuki Aoi
Join Date: Jul 2004
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I stuck with the safe definition of a professional analyst. Personally, I have a lot of trouble with being rational about works of art. It seems to me that analysis of works of art can easily become too rational and complex, and let the emotional essence of the Art (with a capital A) escape. In any case, I feel uncomfortable saying a show is "good" or "bad," and more comfortable saying I do or don't like it. Once I start to say why I like it, however, I am always afraid that the reasons I give are just spurious rationalizations for the subtle truth of feelings.
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2011-10-08, 00:45 | Link #100 | |
Princess or Plunderer?
Join Date: May 2009
Location: the Philippines
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I feel both anger and pity for anime critics.
They are just watching anime series either: (a) to excessively hype a series he likes or (b) to blatantly insult a series that doesn't fulfill his taste for anime. Of course, their statements are opinionated, but what stands them apart from a typical anime fan that says "I don't like <insert anime series title here>" is his tendency to acquire a following, which many inexperienced fans would treat as Word of God. On the other hand, I feel bad about the job of an anime critic, because he has his enjoyment of being an anime fan taken from him, and — especially for famous anime critics — when you become a critic, it's hard to go back. Quote:
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Tags |
critic, anime, meta, discussion |
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