PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
This might as well be your most reliable source. Of course, your reviews are your opinions! Simply write about how or what you were feeling while you were watching the anime, reading the manga, or listening to the soundtrack. For example, you can begin by relating how you got the animanga material in the first place. No, no, we don't mean a step-by-step process of how you woke one morning and took a stroll down the street! What we mean is, did you get the product because of a recommendation? From word of mouth? Did you like the manga that you just had to buy the anime? Are you a huge fan of the author? Things like that.

You can also describe your first impressions. What were you thinking while the first few minutes tolled by? Did it turn out predictable, or were you surprised? What was it that made a big impact on you? After this, you can go further down the road and remember how you felt for the entire duration of the animanga experience. Did it make you cry? Did it make you feel heavy with depression? Or did you roll off the bed with too much laughter? In reviewing soundtracks, you may also have to consider other questions like "What does this remind me of?" and "Does this suit the anime?".

Lastly, you can also dig up past references and go down memory lane. Did this anime/manga/soundtrack hold any relevance to you at some point in time? If so, what? This is especially effective for those old and memorable titles. Some good examples of this are our reviews of Astroboy, Candy Candy and Voltes V.

COMPARISONS
Comparisons may be a good thing to include in your reviews, but care not to dwell on this too much! Remember that most titles deserve to stand out--many of them may need to be appreciated individually. Also, there are good and bad comparisons. The latter is when the comparison turns out to be irrelevant.

A comparison is good when it serves as a background that helps the reader in visualizing what's in store for her/him. For example, you can compare a new series from that of an older or more popular one from the same creator or genre. Or you can cite a more popular work and say that the one you are reviewing is similar to some extent. Then your readers can get an idea of what you are trying to describe. Sometimes, your basis of comparison doesn't have to be animanga-related. Your object of review can be compared to a certain experience or an external icon that many people are familiar with.

GENRE
It's always good to consider how much a certain anime, manga or soundtrack lives up to its genre. Is it original? Is it different? Is it typical, yet enjoyable nonetheless?

Many of us have our favorite genres. One might say that each of Okashi's staffers has her own "field of specialization". Firesenshi loves mecha anime, so she is most suited to write reviews for them. Skysenshi enjoys sports anime, and knows more about hentai titles than all of us combined, so she's the best authority for those. As for Thundersenshi, she seems to thrive on fantasy/adventure and dark anime, so that's what she mostly writes about. If you have your own genre of specialty, then you may want to stick with that. Otherwise, keep in mind that most of these titles have a target audience--consider this before you bash shoujo for being too girly, or mecha for being futuristic!

Oh, and before we forget, be sure of the genre you label on the title (especially in music) you are reviewing. If you are having difficulty pinpointing what category it belongs to, you can always ask help from the staff. ^_^

STYLE
One can also take note of the style. Creators have their own trademarks, and if you can point them out in detail, many readers shall appreciate it greatly. The important thing one must do is to define how effective this style is, especially in getting a message across.

VISUALS/ARTWORK
Aesthetics! It's usually the first thing everyone takes notice of! How good was the artwork? Was it detailed? Were the coloring, shadowing and accenting excellent? How fluid was the animation? How smooth did the action scenes look? More importantly, what was its overall effect? Did it bring an atmosphere of happiness with its bright coloring? Or were the monochromatic shades too gloomy?

One can also take further note of certain details in the work. Do the panels look as if each one was worked on for over an hour? Are the eyes beautiful? Are they expressive enough? Does this rendition have a realistic approach? Is there someone out there who actually looks like Hotohori (if the answer is yes, please contact Thundersenshi)?

If you are reviewing soundtracks, this is not always applicable (in fact, almost never). Of course, you can have little cover descriptions, but remember that your main focus is the music, okay?

AUDIO
Ahh...music more or less sets the mood for watching. Needless to say, this is not applicable for writing manga reviews.

Music is important because it brings out the emotions and the heart of whatever it is you are watching. It can move you to tears, or it can make you want to dance. Other times, though, it can make you want to scream or beat your head on the ground (in which case, we suggest you get subtitles and press "mute"). Whatever it is that music makes you feel, it will be good to take note of it. Talk about how effective it is in setting the mood. If the music reminds you of something, say what it is. If you are so enthralled with the instrumentals, but are not sure with how it was played, you don't need to talk gibberish or inject jargons. Simply write about what it sounds to you, but be clear of your knowledge! If you don't know much about music, then best not mention it at all.

One can also comment on voice acting, how every seiyuu was able to bring out the character s/he is playing. Ask yourself, "Does the role suit her/his voice?". Bear in mind that popular seiyuu tend to be versatile. You can recall past jobs they did and compare. Many times, seiyuu also sing for the anime's soundtracks. You can comment on their singing skills (or lack thereof) if nothing else! ^_^; Sometimes, popular jrock bands or jpop singers do the job. That deserves some mention, too, if you're already familiar with their work.

CHARACTERS
Stories speak through their characters. They are the life of every tale. They are what makes one sit through an otherwise boring flim/read--because it is the one thing that the audience can and will relate to. Remember that lousy storylines can be salvaged with a good cast of characters.

It is easy to start with characters descriptions. Just take note of design, special attributes, and most importantly, personality. The latter defines most of their individuality, after all. Whether they be realistic or whimsical, there's always something to talk about characters and the roles they play.

STORYLINE
Possibly the most important aspect of anime and manga. Every story must have substance! Whether it be complicated and heavy or a simple, endearing one, there must be some point to whatever it is you are watching/reading. A review's entirety is usually about how good (or bad) the storyline is.

There are many things to consider in evaluating storylines. There is the plot, its complexities and depth. One might choose to discuss the concepts involved in it, or perhaps the symbolisms, if any. Consider also the climax of the story (the way it was executed), continuity (episode fillers, character/plot development, pacing) and the conclusion ("Does it give proper closure?").

Be reminded that some of the best anime and manga do not rely on intricate plots. A story may be simple, but it does not automatically warrant a bad overall rating.

The most common mistake one makes in writing reviews is narrating the storylines. Keep in mind that you are writing a review, not a summary nor a synopsis, and that many people may not have yet seen the title you are writing for. You don't have to give the sequence of events. Try to come up with a good assessment of the animanga title without giving away too much plot details. If it can't be avoided, at least try separating them and make "spoiler notes".

Other tips:

Taking down notes. Some of us, like Skysenshi for example, take down notes to make things easier. She opens up Notepad and types her thoughts and comments while she watches anime in DVD format. Of course, you don't have to do this if you don't write reviews on a regular basis, but it won't hurt to try if you're really having difficulty remembering details!

Saving your review. Ack! We are paranoid! As soon as we finish writing reviews, we save them (Thundersenshi has text versions of hers)! It's hard to write quality articles, so if we had to rewrite something due to accidents (submission glitches, connection errors, overwriting, etc.), that would be such a drag. Better safe than sorry, minna-san! Have your own copies of your reviews before pasting them on the submission form!

Personal style. If you don't feel like writing with utmost formality, then by all means, don't! ^_^ Each writer has a distinct style and it would really be great if the essence of your personality comes out of your opinion. Don't worry, we won't re-write your sentences or re-arrange your prepositions (or heaven forbid actually change your words into our own!). Just don't go around using "2" for "to" and "u" for "you" like Darth Paul does, or pepper your reviews with emoticons, because those really bear correcting.

Are you ready to write now? Yosh!
Click here to submit!