Izanagi009 said:
Shingeki no Gingerbeard said:
Izanagi009 said:
inu-kun said:
It sounds like a shitty anime from the get-go, there's no reason to get angry over it, there will be always shitty shows or books with terrible messages or moments, so just ignore it.
It definitely doesn't impact all anime viewers, and doesn't worth wasting time arguing about it.
As an anime viewer and amateur critic, I find it important to inform people of if something will offend them or just be plain horrible.
This is both
They key word here is amateur. If you want to go professional, look to spend a lot of your own money to get there. If you're content with being a hobbyist then that's okay, too, but ignorance is not a valid point of view; never has, and never will be.
Either way, if you're going to critique a piece of work then you need to do more than just spout off. You need to familiarize yourself with the head writer's other works, you need to have an understanding of several critical theories, and you need to read and watch a LOT more. Read Dostoevsky and Hemingway, understand why they were so popular and influential, and then keep reading from even more authors. Watch Nosferatu, Hammer Horror, Bram Stoker's Dracula, and Twilight; and understand
why vampires have changed so much over the years.
I don't believe I had stated something out of ignorance so I would like you to inform me what that point was and I will apologize or defend accordingly.
Either way, at this point, i'm a college student in an engineering field and will probably not have time to do anything other than text reviews for the escapist. If i manage to learn editing and video software, I may do video reviews in the style of nostalgia critic and the like but I will probably never be part of an outlet like ANN so all work I do will still be amateur.
I did make my own impression [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/18.862274-Reaction-to-Cross-Ange-episode-1#21474239]and while not as good as my official chop block [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.861799-Anime-review-Aldnoah-Zero#21452323]reviews [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.862228-Anime-Chop-Block-Captain-Earth#21471946], it does still hit the points I wish to discuss.
I do thank you for bringing this to my attention though so I will give some pieces of information that I failed to mention
-the head writer,Tatsuto Higuchi [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=46001] has a few shows under his belt but only one of them i recognize, Hanasaku Iroha which was a nice light-hearted show but not my cup of tea.
-The producer, Mitsuo Fukuda [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=7787], has directed Gundam Seed, Seed Destiny, and various other shows. he has Animage grand prix awards for GPX Cyber Formula and the two seed animes. he seems very accomplished and his infulence could explain some of the Gundam Seed similarities
-the director is Yoshiharu Ashino [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=5852] so seems to have a lot of work under his belt in storyboard and animation but has a bit of experience with directing. Again, no reference for his work so can't comment. Art direction and animation outside of the scene in question though seem well shot and crafted.
Okay, then. Not to rain on your parade, but let's get a few things clear here.
First off, you're not writing text reviews for The Escapist. You are not on staff, so you are not writing for them. You are writing for anyone on the community who might come here for reviews, rather than some other source with a trusted reputation. You're also not writing for yourself, and you should be. You should be proud of every sentence and idea on the page, and when you're done it should be a piece you would enjoy reading even if someone else had written it. You're not building up your brand, either. Even as just an amateur reviewer you should be maintaining an individual blog, and as far as I can tell you're not.
Second, your engineering background shows in your work because even your "official" review of
Aldnoah.Zero is written poorly. The grammar is atrocious. You feel the need to comment on everything, and you don't have to. Nobody needs to know whether or not
Hanasaku Iroha is "your cup of tea;" it's not relevant. Stick to the facts, and if you're going to spoil anything you say so at the very beginning. You also need to incorporate relevant facts, like some background information on the setting. You litter your character bios with information which should be in it's own section, and don't spend enough time describing the attitudes and first impressions of the principle cast.
Third, don't call your review the "Chop Block." You're telling people not to watch the series you're reviewing before they even click the link, and, like I stated above, they have no reason to trust you. If your reviews are always negative, then you'll only turn people away. You need a new name and some positive reviews. Don't emulate the Nostalgia Critic, either. He's a hack who relies more on shtick than substance. Even if he were successful, you wouldn't want to emulate him. You don't want to be "the next Nostalgia Critic;" you want to be "the first Izanagi."
I've been out of college for most of the last decade, and with a degree in Journalism no less. I maintained an active LiveJournal for five years before I closed it, and did some freelance from time to time while I was working as a shift manager for a restaurant. Take it from me, if you're going to do this then you need to take it seriously. Conduct yourself professionally, craft a persona with a consistent tone, and don't litter your reviews with character references to series which your readers may not have seen.