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Durga
 Posts: 103 |
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The Gatchaman Crowds review is still one of my favorite reviews of yours, Hope. Really articulated the worldview of that show well and why it didn't work for you (it didn't work for me either). That's the kind of well-written argument that I want to write more of.
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Lord Geo
Posts: 2561 Location: North Brunswick, New Jersey |
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(Advance Warning: I once again type too much here)
-While I'm absolutely sure that this was in no way meant to be a side-effect of this episode, listening to how each of the four explain their methods & processes of writing kind of made me feel lacking & sub-par as a writer. I can't really pinpoint what exactly made me feel that way, & I'm sure that comes down to my own insecurities (everyone has them, after all), but that beginning just kind of hit me hard. Maybe it's because of my general subject matter (talking about the obscure & rarely/never talked about in a detail that they'd otherwise never get), but I've been doing my blog for 4.5 years now & only occasionally receive comments & the like. While most of those comments are positive & thankful for even bringing to light something unknown, I must admit that I kind of want the negatives to be brought to light. It's great to see people appreciate my writing, even if it's very few in number (relative to the numbers I'm sure more notable blogs receive), but it's hard to really judge my own abilities & see where I could improve or excise without getting some sort of criticism. The last time I got that kind of critiquing was back in college by my journalism & writing teachers (& sometimes peers). I can definitely tell that Zac, Hope, Nick, & Gabriella can tell what they do right & where they go wrong by way of the responses the readers give them, and they can improve upon their writing because of that. For example, I'm a pretty cut-and-dry kind of reviewer, i.e. I look at what I'm reviewing from a very categorical point of view. I'm sure that I can delve into examining the deeper themes of something, and I feel that I've done that with some reviews, but overall it's not something I tend to aim at doing; it's just not something I always think about naturally. -I do agree that it would be ideal for different genres to be covered by specific people who love that genre, instead of being neutral-to-negative (or even hateful) towards it, but it's just something that can't be done all the time. I've come to learn & accept that sometimes a reviewer & the show he/she is reviewing just don't mesh together, and in those cases I have to temper what to expect (especially if it's a genre that I do enjoy) & hope that the reviewer at least brings a different point of view to the review that I never considered. I remember Zac bringing up how tough it's been to find someone who's a giant fan of "moe", yet is able to discuss shows that fit that mold without simply fanning out (for lack of a better phrase); I'm sure the number of people who can do that on a regular basis is much smaller than fans of those shows probably thought at the time. -I'm with Zac in that I have to start with an introduction when I do reviews, before ending with a conclusion. I need to have something to start with that can act as a lead-in to the actual review. Whether it's historical importance/trivia, original material when it's an adaptation, or giving the spotlight to someone involved in the production, I just can't start writing with, for example, an examination of the characters or what I liked or hated about what I'm reviewing & then going back to the start. Overall, though, a really cool episode. While it would wind up being kind of repetitive, it would be cool to see episodes like this for the other people who write for the site. I think it really helps give some insight that allows me to understand where these writers are coming from whenever a new review or editorial comes out. |
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iathomps
Posts: 68 |
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It is rather interesting to see how reviews have molded to fit with the licensing changes. It used to be DVD singles releases, (DVD 1,2,3,4,etc.) then we got box sets (episodes 1-12), then we got simulcast, so now we have the weekly episode stream reviews. Thankfully the weekly stream reviews haven't supplanted the physical box set reviews. Maybe I misheard, but did I hear it suggested that the box set review has now become the "alternate opinion". Huh, I never thought of it that way.
My choice for a show from the past that would have been great to weekly review? Code Geass R2. That would have been fun. TWIST after TWIST every week. As for #gamergate, Zac, the main thing wasn't "people are nastier online", although that may be true. It was the whole accusation of 'sexist' games are causing "gamers" to be sexist and hateful to women.. The whole "party line" of Anita Sarkesian and the GameJournalPros list was "these videogames are sexist and hateful to women, these 'gamers' love these games, ergo these 'gamers' are sexist and hateful to women". So when a reviewer here at ANN blasts an anime for being sexist, some anime fans, in a post-gamergate context, are going to automatically assume that that personal accusation is implied. I really appreciate how in the Fate/Stay Night thread it was made clear that just because someone says "this anime is sexist" it does NOT mean "this anime is sexist, if you love this anime, ergo YOU are sexist". That distinction was made clear. Thank you. I guess It must be difficult to have writers wanting to sink their teeth into themes, characters, complex plots...and then have a season chock full of otaku-oriented moe fanservice harem stuff. 
Last edited by iathomps on Wed Jul 01, 2015 1:42 am; edited 1 time in total |
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gaptoothsailor
 Posts: 100 Location: New York |
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Hello, I rarely post and only sometimes look at forums, but I've been frequenting this site regularly (as in daily) for about two years now. I wanted to post and say that listening to the four of you talk was very insightful! I have this kind of fear/weak motivation in the strength of my writing, but listening to Zac and Gabriella's responses to some of the questions really helped me out because I believe I think in similar ways to both of them. It's given me this little boost to want to keep writing on my own, and now I'm going to try and make a site like Nick so I can try and make a dialog like Hope tried in the early days
. I'm still in college but hopefully my writing improves to the point I can try contributing as a freelance writer for this site in the future, because I really do enjoy both the daily streaming reviews for pretty much every show I keep up with, alongside the reviews for entire shows/movies both streaming and physically released. Also, what Hope said about Psycho-Pass being "the Ghost in the Shell for those who were too young to see Ghost in the Shell" sounds really accurate LOL! I'm like 21 and only saw parts of GitS on late-night TV as a youngster but I totally get the angle that comment was coming from having seen PP and chewed over stuff like the themes, characters, premise, the message behind it all, etc etc. Overall, I also agree with Gabriella about not really knowing the terminology when starting out writing but getting familiar as you read other peoples' reviews, to the point where it becomes easier then, after reading a lot, to write on your own. It's basically what I'm going through at the moment, and I wanted to thank y'all for this podcast episode for that  . Also Zac, your review on Spirited Away was extraordinary to me... I thought it hit all the right beats and I still walked away with something new/some way of articulating things I didn't realize could have been said a certain way! It's very "smart"-sounding without appearing "over-written," if that makes any sense. I think all four of you have very interesting, engaging, and valid styles of writing that reveal facets about yourselves/what engages you about media, and come off as sincere in your writing - so I'm sorry if anyone (like trolls and the like) has ever tried to invalidate your feelings on a piece of work by saying it's insincere and/or written solely to "stir the pot" or deny what you've said as incorrect. I respect all of you and hope that I can keep learning from and enjoying your writing!!
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Angel M Cazares
 Posts: 5434 Location: Iscandar |
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Very informative podcast.
Thanks for talking about how you handle negative feedback. I try to not be a jerk when reacting to ANN reviews, but I have not always behaved like a grown up. Your discussion has made me see how challenging writing professional reviews can be, and it is unfair to respond with toxic feedback instead of offering constructive criticism. I sincerely thank you for all your hard and passionate work. |
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Shadowrun20XX
 Posts: 1935 Location: Vegas |
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I'm here for the encyclopedia first, forum second. The reviews on ANN are reviewer opinion not fact and I take them as such. They are entertaining and useful sometimes loaded even if you don't see them like that.
There are also those of us that have grown with you too and feelings can get complicated as well when what is said is tip-toed around or is the hot topic conversation on twitter or something. That's what makes being here a pleasure. Most of the time. |
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Redcrimson
 Posts: 160 |
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Getting insight into everyone's writing process was really enlightening! Mostly because they all seemed totally alien to me
 I can't even imagine writing the intro to a review last. Just thinking about that gives me anxiety. I pretty much just write stream-of-consciousness word-vomit, so not having at least some kind of broad entry-point is terrifying to me. If the only thing I can start a review with is "Let me tell you about this show I just watched", I'll just scrap the whole thing.
Not really a fan of outlines, either. It always felt too restrictive for me, even during school. My writing style is probably akin to opening a brand new box of Legos, throwing the manual out and just building the first thing that comes into my head. All the lights and windows can go on after the rocketship is built, ya know? Maybe I just thrive in chaos, I guess. |
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invalidname
 Contributor Posts: 2453 Location: Grand Rapids, MI |
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Thanks for taking my question about shows you wish had been covered episodically. I put the "recent" qualifier on my question because I feared we'd just get the old warhorses - Bebop, Eva, Utena, etc - that tend to crowd out discussion of other shows, but that turned out not to be a problem after all.
Hope's answer of shows that are always changing is a good one, though I wonder if this doesn't make it tough to cover those shows that are always on an even keel. Much as I like Baccano!, it might be harder to do episodically because the specific episodes don't matter as much - each one is a snippet of what's going on in the three timelines they're intercutting. Can't wait to read Zac's 50-episode coverage of Fushigi Yugi, complete with stats on how many times Miyaka and Tamahome yell each other's name per episode. Miracle La! |
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Kadmos1
 Posts: 13567 Location: In Phoenix but has an 85308 ZIP |
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For the person asking about the library having anime but it does include a streamed version (in this case, Crunchyroll), if you can handle Kaguya's boobs, Nobunaga the Fool has various historical or mythical figures in the same show, but don't expect historical accuracy.
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Izanagi009
 Posts: 464 Location: Pittsburgh, PA, USA |
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This sounds interesting
I actually can't believe that Gabriella got into anime review though Hope's videos. I actually made a few small anime reviews on the Escapist thanks to Hope's videos. I'm not sure if this is a good place to do so but I would like to ask for some feedback on my reviews High School DxD review A casual RWBY review Early Fate/Zero Review I come from an enginnering background so I doubt that the reviews are good so some feedback would be nice |
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albanian
 Posts: 133 Location: UK |
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Good show. Lots of helpful insights. Thanks to you all.
Unfortunately, any discussion of reviewing reminds me of the bon mot of the Revd Sydney Smith, the renowned 18th/19th century wit, who once said (reputedly!): 'I never read a book before reviewing it. It prejudices a man so.' |
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unitmikey
 Posts: 286 |
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In a way, negative feedback really can be a positive thing even if it's not constructive. Reviews themselves are sort of their own art form and getting a response from that, whether it be bad or good, can be better than no response at all in most cases.
Granted, there is a line between being negative and being flat out mean, but as someone who enjoys writing as a hobby I like receiving all the feedback I can get. |
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Thatguy3331
 Posts: 1795 |
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While I doubt the "looking for bad things to watch" is some kind f new trend, I will admit it's something I sometimes do recently. For the most part I ty to avoid shows I don't care for but when a multitude of say phrases such as "this is almost as bad as X show or yada yada." it sometimes gets me to questioning if I've been spoiling myself in a sense. I mean yeah I have seen bad shows but after a while I only treat them as an after thought less it's something like SAO or Fairy Tail in that I constantly hear about it everywhere I go on the web. That way I can maybe have a better understanding of why certain things may or may not work for me.
It was also interesting to hear how you guys go about writing, I make use Hope Nick and Gabriela's tactic's as an advice since usually in my writing I always start reasonably well but can't make up a good conclusion causing whatever I write to usually just suddenly stop. (though now that I saw that aloud the problem may be more basic) Granted I'm not a professional writer but I do like creating things and analyzing why I feel certain things towards a topic. |
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Wingbeats
 Posts: 272 Location: Boise, Idaho |
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The daily streaming reviews is one of my favorite things on ANN, so it's really cool to listen to the behind-the-scenes stuff surrounding it.
With the spew of reviews and such readily available on the internet, I enjoy ANN's the best due to who is reviewing what. For instance, Hope often enjoys similar material that I do, so I basically love listening/reading to Hope talk about anything. Hope is much better than me at picking out themes/symbolism/etc from media than I am, so I get a lot of insight on something I'm watching when she talks about it. Thus, I find it quite the rewarding and enlightening experience! (I'm a biologist, not a media critic hahaha!) Thus, I've been a fan ever since I stumbled upon JO's Digimon reviews. I've always loved Digimon. It was awesome to hear WHY I love Digimon, haha. I am finding I am enjoying Rebecca and Gabriella's reviews as well. The more time I have been spending with the streaming reviews, the more I'm learning and it's great
Edited to add: Stuff I wish had an episode-by-episode review..... Natsume Yuujinchou (long, but it seems like it has things to say) Gankutsuou perhaps? Princess Tutu? Oh and Kuragehime! |
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Parsifal24
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I really enjoyed this episode helped humanize the reviewers and gave me some things to help work on my writeing so a very informtive and winsome episode. I however don't read any fo the streaming reviews anymore since I'm a free member on Hulu and Crunchyroll. I get everything a week behind ANN so I would either end up writeing a review of something and it would'nt be my thoughts it'd be me criticizeing the reviewer's interpretation of the series and not giving my opinion.
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