Squatso

Hi people! I started watching anime recently (Spring 2011), but I've already grown to love the medium more than live action TV, and even movies. Romance is what got me into anime, and I have a tendency towards that type of show, but I appreciate good comedy and action all the same. Mixed genres tend to pull me in, or at least those that don't feel too narrow (ex. FMA: Brotherhood was a very action-ey anime, but it carried serious emotional weight). See my list, and if you have any recommendations, please let me know!

At this point in time, I would have to say my three favorite anime are Clannad (and After Story), FullMetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, and Steins;Gate. These three shows all affected me on a deep emotional level and provided a truly rare, sublime watching experience, though all in different ways. You should watch them if you haven't, it really doesn't matter who you are.

I feel like I should detail my interpretation of the ratings system... First of all, I am somewhat of an "anti-critic", meaning I tend to focus on positive qualities rather than search for flaws. Secondly, when I choose to watch an anime, I do so because 1. someone has recommended it to me, 2. it has received overwhelmingly good review scores, or 3. it looks like it would interest me. By that logic, it's unlikely that I'll watch anything that I truly dislike, and lo and behold, that's what has happened. I can only think of a few series that I've disliked, and they are either quality shows that just didn't click with my personality or shows that I went into knowing full well that they were on the lower end of things. To be honest, more often than not, even those "poor" shows turned out to positively surprise me. SO, point being, my review scores tend to be high. There.

5 stars: I love this show with all of my heart. It is not flawless, and might even be considered very flawed by some. Regardless, it stood out to me and made an impression that will not soon be forgotten. (Pretty rare).

4.5 stars: I could hardly find a bad thing to say about this show, and I love it to pieces. However, a thing or two probably bothered me along the way, or, maybe it just didn't stand out from the pack quite enough. (Very common).

4 stars: A darn good show. Chances are that I enjoyed it just as much as a 4.5. However, there are flaws that even I can't overlook from a reviewing perspective, even if they didn't necessarily hamper my enjoyment. (Common).

3 stars: A fun show that I don't regret watching. Probably falls in the "guilty pleasure" category though, and if not, just didn't reach my expectations.

2 stars: Either I had a serious personal problem with this show, or it is garbage. If I rate something this low, the average viewer should stay far away.

1 star: On the off chance that I ever rate a show this low, I HAVE MADE A MISTAKE. I always check out a show before I see it, to know what I'm getting into. I hope for the sake of my integrity that I never have to click that 1 star button.

1/2 star: The end of the universe.