I know, I know, it’s probably not the most logical thing to say as someone who regularly reviews manga and anime, but I think it’s still good advice. Let me explain myself. After a friend of mine recommended that I watch the recent Kaiju No. 8, I went and binged the entire show in a day. What I found was a very solid shonen with a fun main character, a cool setting and great pacing. It didn’t blow you away by how crazy unpredictable it was but even though you could see most important moments coming from a mile away, it simply executed those moments really well and sometimes that’s all you need. It’s been a long time since I watched a show in one go, so I highly recommend you give it a shot. Yungblud – an artist I’ve been obsessed with for years – sings the opening theme and OneRepublic sings the ending theme. Both are great too. You can feel a but coming, can’t you? Well, yes and no.
After I finished watching it, I went onto the shonen jump app to see if the manga is available. It is! I remember that the free reading of older chapters ended at some point, but apparently not. So I’m probably diving into the manga soon. But then I went to mark the show as watched on anime planet and my attention was grabbed by the reviews, which were mostly negative. Curious what people had to say about it, I went to look at them. They came up with some pretty good points – assuming the points they make are fair – that made me more hesitant to start the manga. Apparently the plot doesn’t move very fast and due to biweekly chapter releases this gets even worse. That doesn’t sound like a great time. Especially since I already have trouble keeping up with monthly manga to the point that I swapped to physical volumes. I could of course do that for Kaiju No 8, but let’s not keep spending money on manga volumes I have no room for, I just completed my One Piece collection all the way up to 106 and half of it is in the attic.
So what’s my point? Well, as usual, I just yap a bunch. But I think what I would advise you is to just stay away from reviews that don’t align with your opinion. This isn’t a golden rule you should always follow, but I’ve had it happen multiple times where other people point out problems with shows I like and somehow that lessens my enjoyment. As much as we like to admit we’re above this stuff, I think many of us still feel like we need approval from others. If four other people tell you that Fairy Tail is bad due to the power of friendship, then I guess me watching it with a grin on my face must be wrong. (Fairy Tail is most definitely bad but also incredibly fun, but let’s not get too distracted.)
So my advice to you is simple. If you’re easily influenced, do not read reviews of shows you’re enjoying after you finish them, especially not if you liked the show. I’ve learned throughout the years that the things I like and the things most people like don’t really align and that’s okay. But I also know that I am still influenced by other people’s opinions. So I don’t read a lot of reviews. It’s also why I keep in mind what to say whenever I write my own reviews. Most of my reviews – especially the quick reviews that I promise will return at some point – are very simple and mainly focus on things I enjoyed. I think that’s the sweet spot. If you don’t like a show, don’t talk about it. Having said that, my post complaining about Mushoku Tensei is viewed more times than the rest of my blog combined and I hate it. Turns out shitting on something popular gets you views. We all know the algorithm is designed to destroy all happiness, but it’s interesting to see it first hand.
What am I trying to say? Right, go watch Kaiju No 8. The main character is in his 30s, no bitches, no dreams, no muscles. Never before has a main character been this relatable. Thanks for reading.
Opal Kaharis 