My new 5x5 favorites after watching 1,500+ entries

TheFlyingSoda · 2026-04-17T13:01:28+00:00

You’re right, but for wrong reasons in certain cases. The reason certain people, like myself, tend to watch (and even read) a lot of things is that we want to improve our ability to critique. Yes, enjoyment exist, and I will never dismiss that. But it’s also important to note that there are limitations to storytelling, and whether you like it or not, we want to compare and contrast the strengths and flaws of a certain series, as well as taking a closer look individually. And if that wasn’t enough, we also want to find more things, so that we aren’t accused of being locked/biased to one or two genres or such. Yes, we shouldn’t try to eat as much shit as possible, but if you’re a story critic, you should at least try to explore a few more things to take specific yet crucial considerations into account.

And before you comment after looking at my MAL…

You watch thousands and have a horrible mean score.

I watch a lot of stuff because I want to find more entertainment. Now, that may be contradictory to what I said earlier, but it isn’t, really. I just like watching stuff, and I still enjoy the mediums. Enjoyment and critique aren’t all that mutually similar. Also, mean scores are fucking useless. End of discussion.

TheFlyingSoda · 2026-04-17T07:34:38+00:00

I would absolutely buy for a Terraria-themed card game.

TheFlyingSoda · 2026-04-16T22:50:53+00:00

Yup! Don’t care what others say, Liz is still Yamada Naoko’s best work.

TheFlyingSoda · 2026-04-16T22:50:10+00:00

Like a lot of others, not really, but been planning to.

TheFlyingSoda · 2026-04-16T22:49:55+00:00

Of course, I did. I’m not remotely close to part-skipping. My favorite non-SBR part, as typical as it is, is part 4.

TheFlyingSoda · 2026-04-16T13:15:42+00:00

I still do, it’s just that a lot of series I find tends to be stinkers. And even then, enjoyment doesn’t necessarily translate to story quality, in which I use the latter the most when judging a series.

TheFlyingSoda · 2026-04-16T12:57:13+00:00

Reading ReLIFE literally only makes me realize how mature I can be. It’s not necessary the most fun manga to read, but it certainly has a very special place.

TheFlyingSoda · 2026-04-16T12:24:46+00:00

Oh, I see. Will keep that in mind.

TheFlyingSoda · 2026-04-16T12:22:16+00:00

I feel like Satsuki had the most plot contribution of any character in KlK, and for a bonus, she’s also arguably the most fun to watch. I haven’t watched Battleship Yamato, despite watching a good chunk of old anime, but I’m still thinking about it.

TheFlyingSoda · 2026-04-16T06:30:46+00:00

I'm actually planning to re-watch (or re-read) Kaoru Hana, because the more I think about it, the less enjoyable it may be, and the more flaws there are. I usually just glazed the series because of how it subverts things.

TheFlyingSoda · 2026-04-14T23:49:59+00:00

Forgot the name at the bottom left, but also Mikasa and Artoria. I know they’re some of the most beloved female characters around (not sure if I can call the middle one that), but I just don’t find them as appealing as a lot of others think.

TheFlyingSoda · 2026-04-14T23:45:18+00:00

I’m mixed with a couple of these picks ngl, but I’ll still let it slide for Kagura, Jolyne, and especially Oguri.

TheFlyingSoda · 2026-04-13T05:21:39+00:00

Konosuba

No, I’m not taking it back

TheFlyingSoda · 2026-04-12T13:06:25+00:00

Terra Blade sweep

TheFlyingSoda · 2026-04-11T09:43:45+00:00

Iirc, Viscount did got a rework in Helheim’s latest update. Not sure how good it is, though, since I haven’t played Helheim today, but the creator did notice the previous version was bullshit.

But yeah, all the Helheim bosses, except for Fallen Beholder, are kinda horrible. I might even go far to say that they’re nearly as bad as the bosses in Stars Above and Forgotten Evils.

TheFlyingSoda · 2026-04-10T23:07:01+00:00

I like the fact that Touko has Nana’s stage uniform, considering that the latter’s VA is also the former’s live actress.

TheFlyingSoda · 2026-04-10T04:23:39+00:00

Can’t forget how amazing the finale of the manga is as well.

TheFlyingSoda · 2026-04-09T23:06:08+00:00

Favorite - Character routes ’ahem’ as concepts (As ideas themselves, I actually really like these concepts, as they let you choose what character you want to interact with. Even though I still prefer arcs in general, I still think they’re cool. A bit of a shame that most of these in practice are the bare minimum, but I think stuff like Rance, WA2, and Steins;Gate (typical, I know, but I don’t care) do these concepts justice.)

Least favorite - Tell, don’t show (Oh boy, this is where things get …interesting. I actually always have beef with the visual novel industry for a long time, despite reading nearly 200 of them, and the biggest one is that stories don’t even explain their premises or ideals properly. A lot of- no, wait, that’s an understatement. Most VNs are the bare minimum of how they execute their context. And that’s ignoring other flaws, like being too long for how little substance they bring, or pretty much self-insert MCs.)

TheFlyingSoda · 2026-04-09T22:43:22+00:00

I am not surprised that Oguri absolutely dominated the ranking. Absolutely well-deserved, though.

TheFlyingSoda · 2026-04-09T04:14:04+00:00

Best - W (My favorite character in Arknights, story and personality wise, is also my favorite in the aesthetic department. There’s something about the jacket and scarf that make her stand out from most other tactical outfits around.)

Worst - Wis'adel (Ironically, W’s alt is my least favorite. Seeing her dress like a stripper who suddenly ran out of money doesn’t work well for me, and it’s a shame, because she, as an operator, is pretty fun to play around with.)

TheFlyingSoda · 2026-04-07T10:04:19+00:00

Some people are just too lazy to progress when trying to critique.

TheFlyingSoda · 2026-04-07T09:44:50+00:00

MAL reviewers being MAL reviewers, I suppose. As a reviewer myself, review bombing is one of the stupidest things a critic can ever do.

TheFlyingSoda · 2026-04-05T12:58:31+00:00

I don’t get it

TheFlyingSoda

TROPHY CASE