Many people place a lot of stock in MyAnimeList scores, frequently citing an anime’s rating on the website as apparent proof of why an anime is good or bad.
Whether these scores actually having any bearing on an anime’s quality is debatable at best. While there are definitely series with high ratings on the site that are deserving of their high praise, however, could it be that the majority of these scores are merely for show?
Is There Any Firm Criteria That MAL Scoring Follows?
MAL’s scoring system seems to stem from personal opinions, as any user can rate and review a show of their choosing. One only needs to create an account on the site to start rating shows, so there are otherwise no restrictions on who can or cannot affect a show’s MAL score. Just like any other website that allows for reviews, this also means that anyone can say anything about the show, although ultimately the ones that get more views will be the ones that look over the show in the most reasonable and objective manner.
Because of this, it is also entirely possible to review bomb a show that isn’t deserving of it. For example, when the Great Pretender was first released, it received several one-star reviews. It was later revealed that this was because many Attack on Titan fans were upset that WIT Studio chose to produce it instead of producing a new season of the popular shonen series and review-bombed the original anime’s MAL page. The Great Pretender has gained mostly positive reviews elsewhere and was even nominated for an Annie Award for Best Direction in 2020. While it didn’t win, just receiving a nomination is a big deal as televised anime rarely ever get recognized by American-based award shows.
MAL actually has a system in place that detects abnormal ratings and the issue has since been rectified with The Great Pretender’s score now sitting at an acceptable 8.24. A similar incident has occurred with other critically acclaimed shows like Chihayafuru as well. It is believed that the cause for the josei anime’s review bombing were bots which, again, just goes to show that MAL’s ratings aren’t always entirely accurate.
In the Grand Scheme of Things, do MAL Scores Matter?
At the end of the day, reviews are just opinions, and opinions are always subjective. Some people hate the most beloved shows and vice-versa. A show with a low score could just be low because not enough people have watched it or maybe its target demographic don’t frequent sites like MAL, or maybe they were review bombed by bots. Likewise, the same can be said for higher-rated shows. Maybe they’re literally overrated, maybe they just happen to have a very vocal fanbase, or maybe someone managed to cheat the system and create multiple accounts.
Every anime that exists is likely to be someone’s favorite title — regardless of what the popular opinion of the show is. So at the end of the day, viewers should rely on their own opinions rather than some strangers on the internet.
