First, I don't read episode reviews, so everything else only applies to full reviews.
Generally speaking, I would like to see an unbiased and dialectical approach by the author. I want to see how the author has reflected on the work as a whole while knowing their preferences and how they influence their decisions. I'd like to see him conjure up both light and shadow in one series. Also, I'd like to know how it compares to other titles in the same genre, and why.
Finally, I want the review to be well structured, with short, engaging paragraphs, word formatting, and bullet points.
What I am looking for in detail:
- Reviewer Background:
Anime is a medium, not a genre. As a result, a lot of different people are watching it and enjoying very different things about it. At the beginning of a good review, I want to find out what genre the review writer looks at the most, so that I can understand "where it's coming from".
When I write reviews, I usually include it with something like-
- "I've watched dozens of romance series over the years, and..."
- "When I saw this, I was expecting a worthy replacement for."
- "I loved, so when I saw come up, I was thrilled to see that the premise would be very similar."
Premises:
I want it to provide a sentence or two setting up the world and what happens. Obviously no spoilers. There are believed to be different descriptive texts for many sites, but very often they are taken from Japanese webpages before the actual launch, and translated slowly. So anyone who has seen the show is much better off summarizing the setting in a few sentences.Style:
Here one to four bullet words are completely sufficient. Looking at these, I can already decide whether I want to read the rest of the review or not. Again, any review writer will have a much more in-depth understanding of what the site has to offer.
Take Uta Kata for example. The show is often simply classified as a "magical girl", which is absolutely wrong. But it looks exactly the same if you only look at the official page and/or watch the first few episodes. A reviewer will learn more, and can add "drama", "dementia" to that list.Characters:
let's face it. Many anime shows don't have a very overarching plot. Which is not a bad thing, mind. But this means that in many titles, the characters themselves will make or break the viewer's delight. Thus it is one of the most important sections.
Are the characters complex or one-dimensional? And if they are one-dimensional, what is their saving grace? How do they interact? Are they operated or easy? Etcetera.Story / Narrative / Mood:
It's very challenging for a reviewer to write spoiler-free, but it can be a huge help. This is where I am looking for information on where the conceptual strengths/weaknesses of the title are:
Has the story ended well? What themes does the show explore? Does it have fillers? Does it depend too much on Mo? Does it emphasize the characters? on technology? Or on magic systems? Or on drama? Or is comedy king? Etcetera.Technical Quality / Style:
It is also often called "production value". It's about technical things like animation quality/music/voicework.
Primary questions include:
Is the animation fluid or choppy? Do they use CG? If so is it good? Does the music fit? Are the sounds fair or jarring? Are there some seiyuu the author particularly likes? Why? Etcetera.
- Conclusion:
Obviously the most important part. Here, I want the reviewer to sum up all the strengths and weaknesses of the title—what he likes or hates. keep it brief. There is no justification/explanation here, which should already exist in the upper classes. At the end, add paragraphs so the reader can decide yes/no and meet their expectations.
- "If you are looking for sci-fi version of Clannad, then this is the right show for you.
- "Don't make the mistake of thinking it's a magical girl show. It may seem like one at first, but it is not. The longer you look, the darker the color will be on the edge of your seat. Whether you like it or not is up to you.
Etcetera.
By the way, as you may have noticed, I have tried to write this post as a self-demonstration article.