PA #88: Letter From The Publisher

Over seven years of writing and editing anime reviews, I've put a lot of thought into what a review should be and should do, as well as what is shouldn't be and shouldn't do.

Obviously, the purpose of a review is to inform the reader as to whether or not he or she might like the anime in question. Obviously the reviewer's opinion may differ from the reader's, and there's no way for the reviewer to even know who exactly will be reading his review. So how does a reviewer say to a reader, "you will like this show!"? He can't.

What he can do is give the reader the information he needs to come to his own conclusion. As long as the reviewer does this, his own opinion doesn't really matter, it doesn't even need to be in the review. The reviewer's opinion usually just serves to help flesh out the review and give an example of what one person may think of the anime. I believe strongly that a good reviewer can say "I hate this show, it sucks" while at the same time telling certain people that they might enjoy it, without ever needing to say "however, you may like it."

How can he do this? As I said, it comes down to giving the reader the information he needs to come to his own conclusion. When the reviewer states his opinion of the anime he must explain why he feels that way. What was it about the anime that made him hate it or love it? He must also, as objectively as possible, describe the anime's technical merit: is it well written, is the animation any good, is the art colorful or somber, is it exciting or slow-paced, etc. In doing so, he can give the reader the necessary information to decide for himself, "Hmm, the reviewer hates this show, but from what he says, I think I might like it."

Some say that a reviewer must write to the intended audience of a show. To this, I say bollocks. If a reviewer properly describes the show and explains his feelings, the intended audience won't need to be pandered to in order to figure out for themselves whether or not they could like the show. For example, if he says, "I don't like this show because it lacks plot and character development while focusing too much on action and fight scenes, with fast-paced animation and ever stronger opponents," lovers of tournament anime will know that this is an anime for them. He doesn't need to say, "Tournament lovers, this anime is for you, the fight scenes are awesome, the animation splendidly detailed and there's always a new, stronger opponent around the corner. No time is wasted with complex plots, it's all about the fights!"

Provided he knows what he is doing, there really is no need to put a positive spin on the show or to take into consideration the show's intended audience.

So don't just skip straight to the ratings, they won't help you figure out if the show is any good.

On another note, this issue of Protoculture Addicts marks a huge change over our past issues, I hope you notice and appreciate the changes. Protoculture Addicts 88 is a step towards Protoculture Addicts issue 89 [shipping in November], the issue that will be a culmination of a year's worth of work and fine-tuning. That being said, please let us know what you think of this issue so we know what we did right and possibly what we didn't do right. [Contribute your thoughts on the forums or e-mail us at comments@protoculture.ca]

Christopher Macdonald
Publisher -- Protoculture Addicts