Why, MAL, Why?! – Mid-April 2019 Edition

For all its faults, MyAnimeList is one of the best places to organize all the anime we’ve watched and it can be fun learn how public opinion for said anime fares over the course of its run. It is also unqualifiedly AWFUL!

(and yes, Chrome spell check, unqualifiedly IS a word, I checked!)

Everybody knows MAL has never a particularly accurate way to gauge the critical value of any given show. For one thing, its underlying business model hews closer to “marketing and e-book sales”.

Viewers naturally tend to under-rate anime they hate or over-rate shows they love, which means any MAL score must be taken with a veritable Makgadikgadi Pan of salt, especially since scores aren’t even factored into the average if a user hasn’t watched more than 20% of the show.

And yet, we still go there, we still post the shows we’re watching or have completed, and we still contribute what we feel to be fair scores to anime we watch. A MAL score will never be the determining factor in whether we watch a show, but it would be disingenuous to declare they have no influence on anyone.

So How Awful is MAL so far this Spring? Let’s go show by show, comparing both our current score—along with an estimate of the expected final average score – to that of MAL. We found that sometimes MAL still does get it right…at least from our perspective.

(Note that there aren’t any Spring shows we believe to be “TOO HIGH!” on MAL—at least not yet—though that doens’t mean it doesn’t happen: TenSura, OverLord III, Grand Blue, and Banana Fish are all past shows we scored much lower than their MAL averages.)

All Verdicts Are FINAL…but if you respectfully disagree with any of the below, feel free to voice your alternative opinions in the ‘ments!

Carole & Tuesday

Progress: 1/24
RAB Score: 10
Expected Final Score: 8.75
MAL Score: 8.17 (-0.88)
Verdict: TOO LOW!
Notes: Just a very underwhelming initial score for the best first episode of the Spring. 10 may be overdoing it a bit; 8.5 seems more fair down the stretch.-Zane

BokuBen

Progress: 2/13
RAB Score: 9.00
Expected Final Score: 8.10
MAL Score: 7.20
Verdict: TOO LOW!
Notes: Yes, it’s another high school harem, but so far it has been executed almost perfectly, featuring vibrant characters with solid motivations. A mid-to-high 7 score would be more fair here.-Zane

One Punch Man 2

Progress: 2/-
RAB Score: 9.00
Expected Final Score: 8.33
MAL Score: 7.94
Verdict: TOO LOW!
Notes: OPM has switched studios from Madhouse to J.C. Staff, but I haven’t detected a dire drop in quality. 8.2-8.3 seems more fair.-Zane

Dororo

Progress: 14/24
RAB Score: 8.64
Expected Final Score: 8.65
MAL Score: 8.58
Verdict: JUST RIGHT!
Notes: No complaints. Solid show that MAL acknowledges as solid. Keep it up!-Hannah

Rising of the Shield Hero

Progress: 15/25
RAB Score: 8.27
Expected Final Score: 8.40
MAL Score: 8.38
Verdict: JUST RIGHT!
Notes: Another fair score, but if the show gets too mired in Naofumi’s victimization rather than the world-saving aspect, our score could drop lower.-Hannah

Isekai Quartet

Progress: 2/12
RAB Score: 8.00
Expected Final Score: 7.60
MAL Score: 7.56
Verdict: JUST RIGHT!
Notes: Low-stakes chibi crossover fun. 7.50 is sufficient.-Preston

Sarazanmai

Progress: 1/11
RAB Score: 8.00
Expected Final Score: 8.25
MAL Score: 7.27
Verdict: TOO LOW!
Notes: Like Yurikuma Arashi and Penguindrum, woke Ikuhara shows just don’t get the love they deserve on MAL.-Preston

Mayonaka no Occult Koumuin

Progress: 2/12
RAB Score: 7.50
Expected Final Score: 7.50
MAL Score: 6.79
Verdict: TOO LOW!
Notes: …But not by much! The premise is fun, but the production values are 3D Kanojo-levels of meh.-Preston

Fairy Gone

Progress: 2/24
RAB Score: 7.00
Expected Final Score: 7.20
MAL Score: 6.57
Verdict: TOO LOW!
Notes: Also not by much. Looks better than the above, but lacks compelling characters, and 24 eps of them feels like a major slog.-Preston

Senryuu Shoujo

Progress: 2/-
RAB Score: 7.00
Expected Final Score: 7.10
MAL Score: 7.16
Verdict: JUST RIGHT!
Notes: Pure lighthearted comfort food. Score is fair.-Zane

Ao-chan Can’t Study!

Progress: 2/-
RAB Score: 6.50
Expected Final Score: 7.00
MAL Score: 6.77
Verdict: JUST RIGHT!
Notes: I just don’t see episodes going far beyond 7, while I can definitely see it dropping to 6.-Zane

This has been the Mid-April 2019 Edition of “Why, MAL, Why?!”. Stay tuned for the Mid-May 2019 Edition, hopefully closer to the actual  middle of May!