James' Reviews


Movies

TV Series

Books

Comics/Manga

Video Games


The Ground Rules

  1. The subject of a review must be experienced in its entirety as a general rule.
    1. Serials may be reviewed in installments (such as an individual tankoubon for manga).
    2. Video games must be played for at least ten hours or to the end of the core campaign, whichever is sooner.
  2. The experience must be recent, at least within the past six months. Anything beyond that will require a second viewing/playthrough.
  3. A basic impressions review must be posted before other variants, such as analyses or retrospectives.
  4. Reviews will be kept as spoiler-free as possible. Analysis posts will contain spoilers, so proceed with caution.

Ratings

Rather than using a conventional rating system, such as five stars or ten points, I've come up with a more qualitative alternative. While colored by my personal preferences, obviously, I do try to apply these ratings with some consideration to the general viewer.

  • Treasure It - This is the best of the best. Your life is better for this. Perennial viewing is highly recommended.
  • Own It - This is so good that you should add it to your personal library and reward the people responsible with your hard-earned money.
  • Watch It - This is good. For whatever reason, it's worth your time. It may not quite warrant purchase, but if you happen to come across it on demand or something, give it a look-see.
  • 50/50 - This is a mixed bag. Take it or leave it. You might like it and you might not. If your tastes lean sufficiently in that direction, it'll probably be fine and if not, you probably won't hate yourself afterward.
  • Avoid It - This is bad. Not so bad it's good but so bad you'll wish you hadn't seen it. Steer clear.
  • Burn It - This is some of the worst tripe you'll find. It is a blight on existence itself and should be expunged. Kill it with fire.