OK...
I don't know if anyone else has run into this or even cares about it but I wish I knew what it was that people found not to be usefull when reading one of my reviews.
I recently posted what I thought was a solid review that would help people decide whether or not to buy a particular DVD. I was kind of surprised to find someone rated the review as being not usefull.
What sort of information are people looking for to make a review usefull?
I'm guessing there are people that want more than the basics about the various qualities of the actual disc. Do people want to see more opinion about the stories in the reviews? Are they looking for additional background information about the video?
Is this feature of people giving a review a yes/no answer usefull to other people?
For me a usefull review contains picture quality, sound quality (quality of english dub if available), sub quality (spelling errors, namechanges, timing), menu layout, packaging. And a content review (genre, animation quality and your opinion) would be helpfull but there are many sites which have extensive reviews on shows and I always check these first to see if I will like a show. However, your opinion of the show is always most welcome.
This is what I personally look for in a usefull review. What review of yours wasn't found usefull?
when I look at a review, I want to know how the Quality of the Sound is (if the audio was encoded correctly from DVD, or if it's muffled, out of sync etc). I want to know the video quality and suspected source and of course the Subtitle quality. I do want descriptions and examples.
I don't need opinions on a show. If I'm lookinf at the HK, I probably know a little about the show, so they're a little inconsequential.
damn yes your reviews are helpful!
what we want in reviews are the basics on the quality of the dvd, a la picture, audio and subs but info and opinions on the show are alos quite helpful.
The review that made me question this can be seen at
http://www.import-anime.com/review.php?item_id=2766
I reviewed 1-Ichi which was originally thought to be Ichi the Killer.
The very first person to click on it said it wasn't useful.
It made me wonder what it is that people really want from reviews or if the person who said no was actually looking for Ichi the Killer?
From these three comments it sounds like my reviews are what people are looking for.
I must have been having a thin skinned moment there.
The main thing I look for in reviews and that's never there are the extras included in the DVD.
Well, I don'tknow the reasoning by rating the review low, but I sure thought it was a nice detailed review.
The reviews sure do help me a great deal. I want to know the quality in terms of videos, audio and subtitles before I buy a HK import. I do not want to end up with something that is almost unwatchable/unhearable.
There are some sets which I stopped on buying (even though I'm itching inside) coz no reviews have been posted yet.
Your overall comment and info on the set is really helpful.
I'm not here to complain about a particular reviewer but merely to advice on some suggestions, though not pointing to any particular reviewer.
I had seen most of the reviews written for this site and most of them don't include information on whether or not the ops/eds/next eps previews exist on every episodes. If they include the structure and order information from the start of the disc to the end, that would be helpful as I would want to know if there are any arrangements that were cut out from before and after each episode or otherwise.
I always look for reviews because sometimes getting one of this sets is a big investment, the trouble is that I normaly go for older stuff, and I can't find a review at all...I sometimes feel like a guinea pig when when I buy blind...
I'ts a gamble, sometimes you win, sometime you lose
This has all been very helpful information from everybody.
With all future TV series, I will make sure to include info about openings and endings and previews as well as track points.
For example, I noticed that the first Lupin series treats the opening, the beginning of the show, the middle of the show, the credits, and the previews all as separate tracks while the second series has all of those included but treats each entire episode as one big track.
We each want something differnet from a review , im sure and you cant make us all happy all the time- heres a few minor suggestions ( take em or leave em = you wont hurt my feeling ) I like to see screen shots, its also nice to know if the series is more for kids or adults, i also like to know if there is alot of action or just a plain fantastic story . A few I dont like is the first " X" movie with turbo sub titles- gives me a head ache after about ten minutes of it.- possibly if there are other versions of the series your reviewing- - that you found are better- does the animation flow easily- they may of been cheap in making the series and have more huky jerky motion ( less frames per second - makes it less smooth ) and possibly putting in the site where we can down load a trailer or two- thanks for listening . and last but not least when was the series originally aired in Japan-- some of us think its new, when its not !
I've actually steered my reviews towards the quality of the disc more than the content. There are lots of review sites out there that go into a lot more detail about the series than I'm usually willing to do.
Before I buy any title, I try to read reviews from at least two or three different reviewers to get an idea of what I'm looking at. People tend to have wildly different opinions about anime and what they're looking for. At best, I'll include two or three lines about the title to give a rough idea.
When I do my screen shots I will admit that I try to give a good sense of what the series may be like as well as show the image quality.
What about other people out there?
Should we look at more content driven reviews?
No, stick with techincal aspects first, then at the end give YOUR opinion on what you thought of the series, and why. I almost bought Shaman King, but those baaaaad opinions and one which was very detailed as to WHY steered me clear of it.