Some tips to review an Anime Episode!
Reviewing an Anime show, whether the entire of it or by Episodes, is always based on one’s opinion or views. Basically, not all reviews from other people are positive or negative. So then, this is something that bloggers like me do when after watching a single Anime Episode.
In this topic post of mine, it shows on what could be some things to do or to include when writing an Anime Episode Review.
Why Anime Episode Review?
Not only because it can allow you to express your opinions and feelings for that Anime show. But it allows every bloggers or writers to enhance his or her skills in writing some thoughts for her blog post, namely this kind of post. And it trains their own criticism and, at the same time, their own observation with that Anime series — whether they see it as bad, annoying, or even boring.
Assuming that every reviews and opinions by other people around the world are just mixed and random, it shall not be taken into consideration that a certain Anime show is indeed good or bad. And remember that reviewing an Anime show or series, whether in Episodes or in whole, is just a form of ‘written’ opinion that can be either positive or negative.
Some top Anime newsletter websites, such as Anime News Network or MyAnimeList (MAL), are also reviewing Anime shows by Episodes, or even as a whole. And they are giving, as well, some star ratings (i.e. 4 of 5 stars, or Rating: 7/10).
Things to Do in An Anime Episode Review
So then, let us mention the things to do when reviewing an Anime by its Episodes!
- Give It a Summary or Overview
- State your Observations
- Don’t Include Screenshots! (Except Cover or Featured Image)
- Avoid Mentioning Other Anime Series by Title
- Keep the Spoilers Minimal to Zero
- Include Contexts and Explanations
- Rate When Necessary!
- Include a ‘Corner’ or ‘Trivia’
- Put Citations Whenever You Can
- Include the Series Information at the End!
1. Give It a Summary or Overview
This one is very simple. You just write the overview of that Anime Episode into your own. Overview, in the sense that you should not include everything that has happened in that Episode. Basically, you just highlight the important ones here. And finally, whenever necessary, don’t finish everything by writing everything in the overview. In the end, ask the readers with some questions or statements that can eventually opt them to watch that Episode. And to make it simple, “You just simply leave your summary in an unfinished manner.”
So what does my explanation above mean? Do you want some example? Let’s have an example of an Episode Overview of mine, in which I did for the Episode 10 of LoveLive! Superstar!!
When the LoveLive! event has been announced, the Liella! group has attended an event conference. They have received their first challenge, where rap is their first one to be accomplished.
Keke, as well as Kanon and others, convinced Sumire to be their center for their first LoveLive! challenge. Sumire wants to be one, but her past experiences had caused her to back out in being the center for their new song! While Sumire tries to overcome her failures and disappointments from her past experiences when she was still in a showbiz world, Keke tries to talk and convince Sumire one more time.Did you read it carefully? From that overview above, I did not finish everything what I wrote there. So in order for your readers to watch that Episode, you must always end your overview in either a sentence that has a continuity or by an interrogative sentence (asking with an ending question mark).
2. State your Observations
One thing when you write an Episode Review of an Anime show that you are currently watching is that you must state your observations, as well as some things that you are spotting repeatedly at the entire Episode.
For example, you had observed that XYZ-something character is missing in action with the other main character casts of the series during that Episode. And another example is that ABC-something character is acting strange or weird during the Episode. And lastly, you have observed that certain character who is excellent in overcoming his or her odds in many, different ways. What are your thoughts basically, in which it can allow you to form either a question or an opinion? Definitely, you can write and include something like these.
Especially if that Episode has some parodies or references of some kind, you must state them in your review. And also, try observing some scenes in which it has a relation to the previous Episode of the Anime that you have previously watched, and you must include them as well.
3. Don’t Include Screenshots! (Except Cover or Featured Image)
I used to include some screenshots in my Episode Reviews of every Anime shows that I previously watched. But then, I stopped this habit, because it can somehow make some readers to be lazy in reading my Episode Reviews at all. Why? It is because they can only look over for my screencaps and screenshots, rather than reading of what my actual review was.
Related: Updates to my Anime Episode Reviews
So then, I stopped this habit already, after reviewing some Anime shows, previously SSSS.DYNAZENON and LoveLive! Superstar!! (until Episode 9). In my future Episode Reviews then (also in newer Anime shows), I stopped including screenshots.
So going back to the topic. Why you must not include screenshots in your Episode Review? It is because your Episode Review will be just senseless, and most people who view it can only look at your screenshots instead of reading your review. Basically, don’t include screenshots. For just an exception, you can include only one screenshot from that Episode, given that you can only use it for your cover photo or your featured image for your Episode Review. And that basically serves as your cover photo when previewed as a link (Especially on Facebook or Twitter).
And to summarize in one sentence, if you want to make them read, just don’t include pictures (Except your featured image or cover photo).
4. Avoid Mentioning Other Anime Series by Title
Especially, at the previous number two, you should avoid mentioning other Anime Series by title, or mentioning other Anime characters by name. Why the reviewers like me should avoid this one? Basically, you know the laws of copyright in which it was totally present in most Anime shows today, right? Especially if it is a parody or reference, the reviewers should avoid mentioning them as possible.
So then, for my rules of my Episode Reviews, I should not mention them by title or name. And in order to avoid that, I shall only be mentioning that Anime series or character by means of writing them in a contextual sentences.
For example, this XYZ-Girl Character is having almost the same art as in this ABC-Girl Character from 123-Something Anime Series. To give you some further sample out from the format, you instead put, “XYZ-Girl Character is having almost the same hair color and hair style as in that character from a certain series which feature idols as main characters.”
If you are still confused, try reading this example below, taken from my Episode 1 Review of Pride of Orange.
For the animation part, some characters do look alike from their counterparts in some other Anime series that I had previously watched. I do not want to mention an Anime girl name from the other series here, but I think the reviewers other than me can. To carefully mention, Manaka does almost look alike with Miss C from that other Anime series, due to her hair color and style. That’s all. And then, the character designer for the smartphone game (Craft Egg), which features girl bands, had really added more sugar to this. Even just looking to their eyes make them so friggin’ cute.Okay, to continue, when you should mention an Anime character or Anime Series title within your Episode Reviews? You may mention them, given if they were created by the same author, and the same Anime production companies who produced that character and series.
5. Keep the Spoilers Minimal to Zero
At the beginning of each of my Episode Reviews of some Anime shows that I have watched, you can see something written below:
This blog post may contain minimal spoilers. Please read this only if you have seen this Episode.Basically, that’s a warning message to readers. It tells them that they might encounter spoilers that shall ruin their enjoyment or thrill in watching that Anime series. No one of us wanted to get spoiled at the Anime shows that we are watching, right? And when we say minimal spoilers, it means that there are some, but they can be concealed by means of writing a sentence with an alternate or ‘encrypted’ meanings.
And for this one, Episode Reviewers like me should never include spoilers. We all know that some of us can’t really avoid doing this one because we are all excited and thrilled to share them by posting. As much to explain, if you are going to include some, please make them minimal up to zero at all. Minimal, in the sense that these can be concealed by just writing a sentence that can have an encrypting meaning.
Sometimes, spoilers can be in a form of screenshots. And that can be one of my reasons why I decided to not include them into my future Episode Reviews. Screenshots can be altered, and they can be used as ‘spoiler memes’!
6. Include Contexts and Explanations
Another thing to include when writing an Episode Review is that for every quotes of the characters that you had heard (By means of any translation), try putting them with a context or explanation. And also, try putting some contexts if you think that the sentences said by that character had a different meaning. Just beware of some ‘innuendos’ and other obscene references if you have to, unless if you are targeting older readers.
Basically, you can do it the same when looking at some pictures or scenes that show some symbolic meanings, like the signboards and the movement and colors of the lights.
7. Rate When Necessary!
One of the things to do when making an Episode Review is that you can rate it on your own. Rating, in the sense that you shall rate that Episode according to its quality of character expressions and acting, story and plot, music, execution of scenes, and so on. Every reviewer can rate it according to their own scale (i.e. Rating: 7/10, 4 of 5 stars, etc.).
In my Episode Reviews, I don’t usually rate them nor include them according to their themes, and so on. What I saw… That’s it. And I don’t badmouth that certain Anime show by just giving it a low rating, unless the author or the production companies themselves are the ones who mentally provoke their viewers and fans.
But then, Anime shows based from its Episode Review ratings are getting either high or low ratings. It is always based from other people’s point of view or opinions, and doesn’t really mean that the show itself is best or sucked.
And so, this rating part in every Episode Review must not be used in a wrongful way nor abuse it. Some reviewers can be ‘biased’ and they can downvote any Anime show if they don’t seem to like it, which includes the characters, story, or even the genre. And some reviewers can really abuse it in order to express their negative feelings for the show.
Finally, for this part, rate an Anime Episode whenever necessary! Just always remember that ratings are always based from every group of people’s point of views and opinions for that Anime show. Having either a low or high rating does not really mean it sucks or it rocks, after all.
8. Include a ‘Corner’ or ‘Trivia’
In this part, after the review in an Anime Episode, you can include this somehow. This part can be optional, but then, I always include them at the end of each of my reviews!
The purpose of this one is to give readers some ‘little education’, and some trivia. And at the same time, it has some relevant info or news which is actually related to the Anime Episode, or to the Anime series itself. Also, it introduces some characters who appeared in that Episode, and some stuff that appeared on that Episode, too! Other example is that you are giving readers some ‘edutainment’ by sharing some history related to that Anime show.
Again, this part can be optional. And this purpose really was to make readers informative.
9. Put Citations Whenever You Can
And mostly, when writing an Episode Review, especially if you are going to include a fact or corner (Basically, just from number 8), remember to include a URL linkback where you got that information! Including a linkback URL containing your citation helps your reader to find out if what you are really saying is true. You can include linkbacks, mostly from Wikipedia. But then, don’t always use Wikipedia just in order to copy-paste everything what you saw there. As usual, Wikipedia has its own citations and references, and you can always follow its citation links or URLs leading to the original source itself. Did you get it?
Just in case if you want to include something like number eight above, you must indeed include this one. Basically, number eight and number nine topics are optional. But this topic part is indeed necessary in every Anime Episode Reviews, just in case if you are citing something, especially if you saw some parodies or references along the way.
10. Include the Series Information at the End!
For the last one. I hope you can still read everyone!
For this part, this is where some or most Anime Episode Reviewers usually forgot! For every Anime Episode Reviews per Episode, always include the information, or likewise the series information about that Anime series!
Whether you could get to watch an Anime Episode of that series or not, you don’t have an idea on what that series is about, right? You could only read its synopsis, or otherwise called as the introduction. But then, the readers don’t have any idea on when that Anime show was aired before, as well as having no idea if it is really based from a source material (manga, video games, etc). Definitely, your reader wants to know more about that Anime show that you are reviewing, right?
For this part, include the Anime’s series information (Also, include a photo, which can be a teaser poster, or even a promo poster). Include relevant information, such as when it was aired and streamed, what source media it came from if there’s any, and some other important information that you can put in (i.e. Animation Studio). And finally, don’t forget to include an intro or synopsis, whenever necessary, in your series info part of your Anime Episode Review.
Summary and Conclusion
And there, you have it! You got some tips on how to write your own Episode Reviews on some Anime shows that you are watching! Let’s summarize them and end this!
Writing an Anime Episode Review helps every writers and bloggers to express their opinions and thoughts about the Anime shows that they are watching per Episode. And also, it practices their criticism and deep observations for that Anime show, and it trains their grammatical skills, in which it is just similar in writing a chapter of a novel or book.
The ten (10) things or tips to do when writing an Anime Episode Review is as follows.
First is to make an overview or summary of that Episode. Next is that you must state your observations on the things that you had spotted or encountered during at the time when you watched it. Next, don’t include screenshots, except your cover photo or featured image used for your Episode Review, so that the readers won’t go and after for your screenshots, making them to not to read your review at all.
Next is that you should avoid mentioning an another Anime series title, or any character that has almost the same appearance as that character from the series that you are currently reviewing. You may mention them, given if they were created by the same author or production companies. Mostly, when you write an Episode Review, keep your spoilers minimal, from less to zero. If in case you got some spoilers, always include a warning message which tells readers that your review may contain spoilers. And then, as much as possible, put contexts and explanations to the quotes or any other things which got a deeper meaning or reference. And ratings can be done, but don’t abuse them by just giving a low rating, then you express your negative thoughts and feelings (What the usual biased reviewers do).
Putting a corner and trivia at the end of your Episode Reviews can be optional, as well as citing some references in your corner and trivia. This could help the readers to be informative about things that they saw.
And finally, don’t forget to include the series information about that Anime series. This can help the viewers and readers to know more about the Anime series that they are watching — when it was aired and streamed, and so on.
Just do remember that the reviews and ratings on every Anime Episode Reviews are ALWAYS based on every single group of people’s point of views and opinions about that Anime show or series. Having a low rating or a high rating does not really mean that a certain Anime series do suck, or really rock.
