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Zac's Reviews are inappropriate.

I am trying my best to wrap my brain around how a review can be "objective and free of bias."

Isn't the entire point of a review that it's someone giving their personal opinion?

Besides, the previews aren't really formal reviews. They're just quick and dirty articles on each person's initial reactions to an episode.

Still, it's good to see someone on the internet be polite when making a complaint.

Anime News Network provides it's users with a dependable source of information about upcoming series with it's various reviews and columns. In the recent Spring 2012 Anime Preview Guide I'd like to call attention to reviews of the anime series Upotte! that was reviewed by Zac, Carl and Theron. I think regardless of the content of the series, the review should be informative, objective and free of bias and not leaving the reader think they are somehow the scum of society as well. A simple comparison of the review of those 3 contributors will show this was violated and compromised on many levels, but only Zac is guilty of it. There has been numerous occasions in the past where he has used the review to single out a certain segment of the anime community for being interested in certain content and very strongly implying that somehow they are twisted and a stain on the industry. Neither Carl nor Theron has ever done this. It is appropriate to express your own criticism of a show because it exceeds ick bar, but the air of superiority in a very demeaning way is unique to only Zacs review and I'm fed up with it. I think he needs to tone down his reviews and I would actually support that he be removed from Review Staff until further review is determined that he is fit for continuing this position.

Watch Upotte!! if you are one of the following:

A person who honestly just wants to see how completely bonkers they're apparently willing to get these days in the anime industry

A dude who has such a strong gun fetish that you want to f*ck your guns but until now haven't really had a proper way to fantasize about doing that

I don't know what you're talking about. His review of Sengoku Collection was marvelous. I agree with him, it is by far the best show of the season.

But what you're really saying here is that I shouldn't talk about who the potential audience is for these shows - it's far too easy to make jokes and dick around about it, and that can wind up coming across as disrespectful and shitty.

this is some of the absolute craziest, dumbest, weirdly creepiest shit I have ever seen in my life. Whoever is responsible for this show was out of their goddamn mind...

Past wrote:

Anime News Network provides it's users with a dependable source of information about upcoming series with it's various reviews and columns. In the recent Spring 2012 Anime Preview Guide I'd like to call attention to reviews of the anime series Upotte! that was reviewed by Zac, Carl and Theron. I think regardless of the content of the series, the review should be informative, objective and free of bias and not leaving the reader think they are somehow the scum of society as well. A simple comparison of the review of those 3 contributors will show this was violated and compromised on many levels, but only Zac is guilty of it. There has been numerous occasions in the past where he has used the review to single out a certain segment of the anime community for being interested in certain content and very strongly implying that somehow they are twisted and a stain on the industry. Neither Carl nor Theron has ever done this. It is appropriate to express your own criticism of a show because it exceeds ick bar, but the air of superiority in a very demeaning way is unique to only Zacs review and I'm fed up with it. I think he needs to tone down his reviews and I would actually support that he be removed from Review Staff until further review is determined that he is fit for continuing this position.

I get what you're saying, and I think you have a point.

At least, I think you have a point about some of this.

Obviously I don't agree that my boss should muzzle me and tell me I can't say what I'm thinking. He isn't the sort of person to do that anyway.

But what you're really saying here is that I shouldn't talk about who the potential audience is for these shows - it's far too easy to make jokes and dick around about it, and that can wind up coming across as disrespectful and shitty. I don't think you're wrong about that.

I really took a metric ton of hate for the review of KissxSis I did a few years ago: animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2010-04-01/zac

I deserved the shit I got for that. I was being an ass about it. I enjoyed writing that - it really did get out a lot of the frustration I feel when it comes to this kind of thing. They *can* make something that's more than just "the people with [fetish x] will buy this, so let's make a bunch of it" but they don't, because this is entertainment, and just like Hollywood, anime is a risk-averse business. I decided to just be as crappy as I could about it in the moment, and that made a lot of people angry.

The thing I said you didn't like, I think - and stop me if I'm wrong here, seriously - is this:

Quote:

Watch Upotte!! if you are one of the following: A person who honestly just wants to see how completely bonkers they're apparently willing to get these days in the anime industry A dude who has such a strong gun fetish that you want to f*ck your guns but until now haven't really had a proper way to fantasize about doing that

When I wrote this, I felt like I was being fair and honest about my understanding of the show - which legitimately blew my mind, by the way - and wasn't really being an asshole about it. That's how I felt, anyway. It really did seem like a show that was made for one of these two audiences. I felt like I wasn't passing judgement on the gun fetish guys - just saying that the show seems to be made for them. Frankly I don't really know how anyone can walk away from the show *not* thinking it's for gun fetish people, coming to the same conclusions I did. Gun fetish people can like what they like - nobody's disputing that. Pointing out who you feel the audience for a show like this is, though, comes across like you're passing judgement. And that's what bothers you.

And again, I think you have a point.

I can't promise I'll never do it again, but understand I respect your opinion and how you've decided to come at this.