It's always an interesting process when I run into a show I actively dislike. Assuming I don't drop the show entirely, there always comes a point during my viewing process when I begin to second guess myself. A kind of mental battle between my self as an active viewer and fan of the medium and my self as a reviewer and guru-apparent begins to ensue that rarely ever resolves itself quickly. At the start of this mental war, my more critical throws the first volley by wondering whether or not I'm "getting" the show. As a reviewer and someone who likes to think he "gets" anime, this kind of thought frustrates me to the core. It forces me to question whether or not I actually know what I'm talking about and if I'm open-minded/detail-minded enough to find those deeper meanings I love to talk about in my reviews. In other words, it forces me to wonder whether I'm in any position to talk about and review this stuff in the first place.
My inner critic is very critical of its ability to critique my critiques.
Now, I know that might sound like a ridiculous thought, particularly if you're one of those people who subscribes to the thought that anime isn't that thoughtful--anime being little more than cartoons for kids and awkward teens or being simply something to be enjoyed being the leading thoughts in that respect. For anyone who has dug into the thought processes behind anything like Serial Experiments Lain, any of Satoshi Kon's movies, or some of the more notable titles from Studio TRIGGER and Gainax, though, anime can be, and usually is, a deep and insightful medium that has far more to say and offer than most Hollywood films. For these kinds of deep-thinking works, enjoyment of the show can hinge heavily on whether or not the viewer "gets it." While I consider that kind of restrictive and exclusionary practice a negative for any show, so long as it doesn't offer anything other than that kind of elitist, high-minded nonsense, this kind of practice is both common and one of my favorite parts of this medium simply because it makes the consumption of these shows more enjoyable, insightful, and personal to those who "get it."
For example, while one of this season's best comedies, Pop Team Epic!, is fun and enjoyable as a comedy made all the more so when you realize what the show is really getting at. Pop Team Epic! is a particularly great example because, at face value, it doesn't have a lot going for it. It's a great comedy, but the only real way to summarize all the weird things is the claim the creators were drugged out of their minds while they were making this show. All that nonsense and weird creative decisions means so much more, though, once you realize that the show is functionally just a love song to animation as a medium, it's rich and varied history, and all the absurdities and accidents that ultimately led up to the creation of this Anime Hell, 4-koma series being an honest to god, real anime. It's that kind of awe-inspiring and revelatory "getting it" that fosters discussion, appreciation, and the sharing of that knowledge to those who might not "get it" so they can join in on the fun too.
So, come on! We'll accept you, we'll accept you.
One of us, one of Us.
Just as soon as my critic brain throws that question at me though, my viewer brain throws another question right back: What if the problem is far simpler than that? What if my disliking the show just creates a bias I can't work past during my review? That wouldn't be fair to the people who spent their time and energy making a product that I'd just end up shitting on. Not to mention it wouldn't be fair to the few dedicated readers I have to discount an anime they might like just because it isn't to my taste. With that mentality, dropping any show would be a betrayal of that trust. Yet, at the same time, doesn't my disliking a show enough to drop it speak volumes about my opinions already? Then again, tempering my appreciation for things I like with something I abhor just makes it easier to tell the difference between the shades of gray between good, bad, and OK, which is essential to offering good, unbiased critique.
Boy would my life be better if I didn't have to deal with 50 shades of bad
that make me question how much I can tolerate.
Ultimately, I think the answer for me, as both a viewer and reviewer, boils down to how I answer a rather simple question on a case by case basis. How much am I willing to suffer for the sake of my art and my perceived legitimacy as a reviewer? Generally, the answer ends up being quite a bit. I, in fact, make it a point to stick with at least one show I don't like each season just so I don't lose touch of what a bad anime actually looks like. When a show becomes painful to watch or emotionally toxic for me, though, that's where I draw the line and will drop a show without remorse.
Let me blunt when I admit that I was flipping these titles off as I ripped them out of my life.
May they find happiness on someone else's hard drive.
In recent memory, there have been a couple shows that crossed this line for me. Probably the most egregious of the lot, Welcome to the Ballroom, sent me on hour-long rants for every five minutes I watch the show. At that point, there was no way for me to review the show without my hatred and bias eking into a review about a show that frustrated me to no end, in spite of its arguable artistic prowess. Similarly, I ended up dropping Märchen Mädchen, Ryuuou no Oshigoto!, Citrus, and Darling in the FranXX this season for basically the same reasons. They all featured ecchi and outright sexual content for little reason outside of simple exploitation. In the least offensive case of Märchen Mädchen, I could tell instantly where the show was going and wanted nothing to do with it. With Ryuuou, well, let's just say I'm less tolerant of the "loli harem" concept the show was founded on than some other anime fans. Cirtus has ended up actually being a point of contention for me now that I've learned that everything I hated about the anime wasn't in the manga at all. In other words, the show was ruined all because the director decided to be a massive asshat who wanted his lesbian anime to be more rapey than it was originally. Lastly, Darling in the FrankXX was, like Welcome to the Ballroom, a show in which I saw a lot of promise but absolutely no substance that didn't offend me to the core. Again, I'll be blunt and say I ended up having no interest in a mech show about a bunch of socially inept teenagers cucking one another just so they can fight some pointless mech battles.
Harsh criticism, I know, but I'll be ecstatic if end up being wrong about these shows. Given how
acclimated I've gotten to anime's bullshit, though, I doubt I'm far off the mark.
At the end of the day, though, I'll never judge someone by the anime they like. I've watched just as much questionable garbage as I have classics and top-tier, deep-thought nonsense. While I might be limiting myself more than usual this season, I do still acknowledge that these shows are something other people like and for good reasons too. I suppose half the point of being a reviewer is having an opinion and letting it influence your work both for the good and bad. I have an audience that I cater to and they should be well-aware of what I do and don't like. If anyone legitimately recommends any of these "bad" shows to me, I'll likely give them a second chance, but I'm content to let a few disliked titles fall by the wayside if it means I still get to review and enjoy some top-shelf anime classics, some middling drivel, and a couple garbage fires to keep things interesting. I suppose what I'm trying to get at with this is that, while I might be both a viewer and reviewer, I am still an anime fan at the end of the day. I like the things I like and hate the things I hate, and that's how it'll always be. If I gloss over something, trash something, or deify something and you disagree, I'd love to talk about it and will always be open to having my mind changed. Just like with finding a gem of deeper meaning in an otherwise awful show, getting a recommendation might just be all it takes to make me give a show I dislike a real shot. In case you hadn't noticed, I'm kinda fickle like that and am all the more awkward and indecisive for it.