Otaku, No Video

Strike Witches © Gonzo

Pardon me while I rant for a moment.

I’m tired of people replying to negative feedback with the ”Well, everything is just my opinion” defense.

To illustrate my point, let’s look at three variations of opinion:

1. “I don’t like element Z of show X, for the following reasons.”
2. “Show X doesn’t work for me, for the following reasons.”
3. “Show X doesn’t work, for the following reasons.”

The closer a writer’s comments veer towards #3, the shakier that writer’s argument, and the more evidence is needed to support it. Argument #3 states an opinion about the show’s ability to work for its audience. Now, that is a personal opinion, but it’s a very different opinion than a statement about how well the show works for the writer.

Does that make sense? I can state that Manos: The Hands of Fate doesn’t work as a movie, because there are dozens of reviews to back that up, and I could apply plenty of well-established rules of film criticism to prove that it doesn’t work. However, if I were to state that Strikes Witches or K-ON! don’t work, that flies in the face of many positive reviews and an established fan base. These shows clearly work for someone.

Moreover, reality isn’t completely subjective. The name of a manga’s author is a fact. When a review states that a series is “hugely popular,” I should hope that’s based on some kind of evidence. Similarly, a description of the show’s premise (“a girl falls out of the sky into a boy’s arms”) is not opinion.

So, reviews contain quite a lot of non-fiction. Since that’s so, it’s vital for authors to clearly separate opinion from fact in an article, and be clear about their opinions’ scope.

Thank you.