To all anime-planet official reviewers

[gamerfry]

It seems like in every review done by an official reviewer a majority of the sound portion of the review is spent on opening and ending themes. This may just be my opinion but I really don't see how the themes of an anime should be taken into account an any way when rating an anime. Do the themes craft the narrative? No. Are the themes important in bringing someone into the story or creating an intriguing plot? No. Are they vital in any way to the anime? No. In fact I contend that you could take the openings and endings out of every anime ever created and not affect them whatsoever. Instead, I believe this section to be dedicated to the score of the anime, as well as to the voice acting. Both of these are VITAL to the developing the story and emotions contained in it. Why is it that there is so much attention placed on these themes? Thanks for reading. <(^.^)>

[sothis]

im wondering if we're thinking of a totally different set of reviews, as i ddefinitely dont think the bulk of a music section focuses on op/ed themes for as many reviews as yoi're saying. what are some examples? what percentage of reviews are you saying do this?

people do care about op/ed themes, so requiring reviewers to never bring it up is kind of silly.

[VivisQueen]

Can't be talking about me. I write about themes and score... unless the only notable part of the music is the main theme, like with Kuragehime or Moyashimon.

As for voice acting, I will write about it if two conditions are met: 1) I have seen the dub, and 2) if the dub is in any way worth commenting on. (In most cases, I will not have watched the dub.) I do not trust myself to judge Japanese voice acting as though I understood a single word or inflection. What do I know about how effectively they are acting if I can't understand what sounds convincing and emotional in the Japanese language? Don't get me wrong, I could probably tell corny acting from non-corny acting, but I could not tell you the difference between merely good acting and outstanding acting, and that is a very important difference.

I watch a lot of stuff in German at the moment, and I can assure you understanding a language and cultural non-verbal expressions makes a huge difference.