Whenever I am looking for something to watch or to read, I usually go to MyAnimeList or MangaUpdates. Most of the time on the recommendations forums. Or I just go to Google typing “series like x” or the trope I’m in the mood to see then I just click on the links from either of the aforementioned sites. (Recently, reddit also helps.) If it’s drama series, I just browse through the recommendation section of MyDramaList. If it’s a book, I go to Goodreads.
In any case, no matter what series it is, I almost always look at its synopsis, just to have a general idea of what I am getting into. There are times when I get to see their ratings however, especially on MDL where it is shown just beside the picture. Whenever that happens, I try my best to forget about the actual number. Or I actually postpone watching or reading that series if I can. (Sometimes I can’t because the urge is just unstoppable.)
I dislike looking at ratings.
Though, honestly, they used to be my basis of priority in watching. I would sort the series by rating and aim to watch or read those highly-rated series.
However, I later realized that being “top-rated” does not equal to my enjoyment of them. I may appreciate them, but I wouldn’t like them as much as the others do. Moreover, I end up having a bias toward those which many people rated highly. So, I decided to stop looking at them.
But in the event that I happen to see them, they still somehow affect me and I just hate it.
Whenever I see the show that I’m watching is rated high (as in 7.8 above for me), I feel like my taste is validated. As if I’m one of those who can judge a show well. Feeling ‘elite’ and, for me, it’s terrible. I dislike being labeled as one (some of my high school acquaintances do because of the tertiary education I have) and I don’t like to be one. Even if it’s just feelings of superiority.
On the other hand, if the show is rated low (as in 7.3 below), I somehow feel horrible. Or at times, so defensive, reasoning out that most are just narrow-minded to see the good of the series. I hate judging people (while feeling elite) because I hate being judged (and, again, feeling elite). So such times can make me a hypocrite and it’s sickening.
We all have different preferences. Some like harem, others don’t. Some others prefer reverse harems. Other people enjoy fan services, while there are those who dislikes them. Some like sports anime while others avoid them. Some like “cute girls/boys doing cute things” while to some those are aggravating. Etcetera, etcetera. And I believe a lot of people rate shows based on how they enjoyed it, rather than the more technical stuff.
And it’s all right.
Unless one is paid to watch or read something, then I believe we should all enjoy the shows that we want without fearing other people’s judgment based on our tastes. And we shouldn’t feel forced to have the same thinking as others have. There’s also enjoyment with a rational discussion even when you have different opinions.
Anyway, I’m getting out of topic here. So, as for my feelings regarding ratings, I think they’ll continue to be so. I know they can be helpful in some ways to other people and I’m not stopping them from looking at them. But for me, I’d rather stay away from them and see the series for myself.
Thank you for reading! I’d love to know how you go about when choosing which to watch/read and how ratings affect you!
Treasure Box 
I’ve quickly come to hate the scores on MAL, I used to get annoyed when I saw a show I loved with a score in the 6’s, but now I just shrug and go on enjoying the thing. At the end of the day it’s best to love what you love and not let anyone else’s opinions colour your judgments or harm your enjoyment. Great post btw, very well worded and all great points! 🙂
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Yep. It’s best to just be honest and enjoy what we like. These shows exist to entertain, anyway. Thank you very much, Matt! 🙂
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I generally prefer reading reviews and ratings only by bloggers I know, and even if it is slightly interesting pick it up!
That said, like CM-san said, you worded it perfectly~
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Ah, yes. I prefer reading reviews, too, because I get an idea what I could like or dislike in a show.
Aww… thank you for the compliment! :”>
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I take ratings into account but I don’t really pay too much attention to them. I have a list of manga to read and anime finds its way into my queue on I’m good
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I never look at the ratings. I generally have strange taste anyway so if someone says it’s bad I might end up liking it anyway. I was a very well put post.
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Ohh, that’s interesting! And I guess we all have those kind of shows. It’s impossible for a series, no matter how popular it may be, to please everyone. Thank you for dropping by! 🙂
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I don’t tend to look at ratings, unless I’m making a point to someone else and then I’ll look up a rating. But I don’t give ratings either. I feel the reasoning and explanation a reviewer might give is more valuable than an arbitrary number or star that might mean something different to them than me anyway and may be entirely a result of their taste which might not correlate with mine. The other issue being that people tend to only bother rating things when they really like it or really hate it, which means online ratings data gets skewed pretty quickly.
Basically if I’m checking out a show I’ve either gone in blind, read a synopsis of it and thought why not, or I’ve read a whole bunch of blogs that have convinced me it is worth a shot.
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“I feel the reasoning and explanation a reviewer might give is more valuable than an arbitrary number or star” <– THIS. I'd rather read reviews than look at their ratings. And you said it all better than I did. Hahaha!
Ohh, I think I'll never again trying something without knowing much about it (except that it's popular) because of Devilman Crybaby. :))
Thank you for dropping by! 🙂
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Numerical ratings became useless to me the day I played Hyperdimension Neptunia on the PlayStation 3, a game with a Metascore of 45 out of 100. I loved every goddamn minute of that game, and it has since become probably my favourite series of all time.
Ratings are meaningless to me because they attempt to quantify something inherently unquantifiable. There is no universally accepted measurement of what a score of “[x]%” means, and in fact, as you’ve touched on in your post here, the fact that 7.3/73% is considered as a “low” score is a big issue! With a scale like that, something is much more likely to be considered “bad” than “good”, and yes, yes, I know about Sturgeon’s Law, but I don’t like that at all.
As you say, people should simply enjoy what they like without fear of judgement. I’ve certainly been a lot happier since I’ve started approaching my entertainment in this way — even though there are unfortunately still people out there who very much want to resist me doing so!
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Ohh, glad that you didn’t let that Metascore rating stop you from playing that game! 🙂
Ah, that 7.3 being low is my personal standard. I have friends who consider that still a good score. And funny because I actually didn’t know Sturgeon’s Law so I had to Google it a while ago. >w<
Don't let those people get onto you! Let's all be happy enjoying what we like! 😀 Thank you for dropping by! 🙂
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I do pay a lot of attention to ratings, but I actually decide whether I’ll watch a series or not depending on its poster (Yeah, bizzare I know). Not to mention I’m also stubborn about it.
If I get interested in an anime and see good ratings, I’ll happily download it, and at the same time if I see a series with poor ratings but interesting looks I’ll be like: “It MAY not be bad”
So in that way, yeah I’m not that hung up on ratings.
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Ohh. But then, posters are supposed to be attractive to the audience, so I don’t blame you if you don’t want to check out those which didn’t appeal on you. 🙂
Ahh, I’m glad for you! 😀
Thanks for dropping by! 🙂
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“[…] I end up having a bias toward those which many people rated highly”
lol I’ve had this for the longest time (more so interms of all the “hype” a popular and/or highly rated show gets, which makes me dislike said shows at the onset) and my anime watching peers as a result called me an anime hipster, lol
But to your point, as someone who’s gone and gave ratings on MAL, I realized at some point that I never rated shows that I dropped — which also more or less meant that I almost never gave a score higher than a 6 or a 7. Now, I could just be a bad rater but I’m also hard-pressed to imagine that I was the only one who did things like that. I took this to mean that while ratings “could” be indicative of how good or bad a show is, they are also given by people who abide by their own value systems, and that someone’s “8/10” for something might be different from someone else’s “8/10”, yet the system put in place for these ratings will treat these arbitrary measures as the same.
As for how I go about looking for what to watch/read/listen to next, I found that instead of ratings, looking at the “Recommendations” tab for a show/book/muical artist that you like has proven to be much more reliable. In cases that that’s an option at least; if not, then I’ll check out it’s OP/ED (haha!)
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Recently, I found myself being more uninterested with shows that many people talk about. (At least more of K-drama series.) But there’s nothing wrong being different so hahaha
Ohh, then you’d be someone I would follow before! I used to prefer looking at (and trusting) people’s ratings if they don’t give way too may 8s, 9s, and 10s. :))
I agree with everything you said. You said it so well I can’t think of anything more to say. 😀
I’m so glad for the existence of the “recommendations” tabs or forums. Hahaha! And ooohhhh… OP/ED to determine if you’ll check them out. That’s interesting. 😀
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I stopped rating anime on mal a long time ago. Like auri I prefer reading people’s reviews or after thoughts. No one should harm your enjoyment of things indeed great post my dear XD
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I usually use MAL now to track my read and watch list. And I prefer reviews and after thoughts, too! 😀 Thank you for dropping by, Lita! 🙂
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I do my best not to read reviews until after I make a first draft of my thoughts as I critique something. There are times where I will mention other people’s thoughts occasionally, but I don’t want their opinions to sway me. More often than not, I will intentionally go into an anime or movie blind, so I can craft my own opinions first.
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