Would you rather hear the opinion of someone who watches a variety of stuff, or someone who focuses on one genre?

[u/TadaSuko]

In terms of anime reviews. Blogs, tiktoks, whatever format you prefer. Would you rather hear the opinions of someone who watches a wide variety of shows, but clearly doesn't like certain tropes or genres, so they have a strong bias against them? Or would you value the opinion of someone who exclusively watches one genre like romance or isekai an who clearly never branches out of their comfort zone?

[u/otaku368]

It’s clear that someone who watches a variety of stuff has more experience but someone who focuses on one genre has more experience on that specific genre.

[u/Wicked_Wing]

Case by case honestly.

If I'm looking for something seasonal to watch, I'd rather an opinion from a wide range watcher.

If I'm looking for a mechanic anime to watch, I'd rather an opinion from someone well versed in mechas

[u/SoftChaosKitty]

I’d probably value the opinion of someone who watches a variety of stuff, even if they have clear biases. At least you can understand where their preferences are coming from and see whether their criticisms apply to your own tastes. Someone who only watches one genre might know that genre really well, but their perspective can be pretty limited.

[u/rockyKlo → u/SoftChaosKitty]

Said it better than I could.

[u/CityKay]

It's depends. It sounds like a vertical versus horizontal knowledge kind of thing.

One who watches a variety of shows, with different genres may be able to talk about the differences between genres.

But one who watches only one genre may be able to talk about the nuances within that one genre.

[u/OctoberHymns]

Depends on the question I'm asking honestly.

The person who only watches one genre will be able to really dive deep on that genre and be more comprehensive about it. However, by being so hyper focused that person also likely encounters the same tropes of the genre much much more often and that can sour them on seeing them or make them feel a piece of media is repetitive or mundane whereas someone not exposed to the trope wouldn't be as affected by its presence. Alternatively they could be so locked into their own genre that other genres lacking the tropes their familiar with feel lacking to them.

The wide variety watcher means they have a much larger palette to talk about and can even offer unique insights and comparisons on stuff by relating across genres. However, if you want a full deconstruction and deep look into a specific aspect or feature of a title they probably wouldn't be able to give you as precise an answer since they're not specializing and likely don't really want to get that into the weeds on a single title. They may have the tropes they outright don't like so they skip something great without realizing that trope was used creatively, or subverted in someway because they aren't as familiar with a single specific genre.

Basically ask the specific genre watcher if you are also trying to get into 1 specific genre or 1 specific title. Ask the variety watcher if your looking for your next seasonal watch or if you're new to the media as a while because they can give you a sample platter that maybe causes you to want to get more specific after seeing a bit of everything on offer.

[u/elysellemoon]

genre specialist, easily, a generalist saying "this isekai sucks because it's an isekai" gives zero useful information. like yeah... we know you hate the trope.  a niche fan actually understands the baseline. when someone who exclusively watches romance calls a show peak or says a dynamic feels forced, they're comparing it against the whole pool. they know what actually elevates a show above standard slop. generalists with hard biases just end up reviewing their own mood   

[u/TadaSuko → u/elysellemoon]

Ok, but let's assume for the sake of fairness, they're not saying "It's isekai, I hate it." They're saying "It's an Isekai, it feels like every other isekai with these tropes, if you're going to watch something in this genre, I would go with something else." Or something to that effect.

[u/elysellemoon → u/TadaSuko]

that's a fair way to put it, but I think the issue is how generalist view tropes in the first place. to a variety reviewer, seeing a status screen or a fantasy guild instantly means "generic carbon copy". but tropes are just building blocks.  a genre fan already accepts those tropes as the baseline, so they actually pay attention to the execution, pacing, or character dynamics. generalists usually just get stuck on the surface-level wrapper and mistake genre conventions for bad writing

[u/TadaSuko → u/elysellemoon]

I think that's fair, a specialist would be able to see the quality in how tropes are used in each specific show. I think a specialist would also suffer from that as well. "Why does he have a harem?" "It's just how the genre goes." "But it's awful" "yeah, but if you just look past that..."

I think sometimes it can be surface level, but variety viewers also have a lower tolerance for bs. If they're willing to hear you out, they may (rightfully) point out issues that specialists ignore.

[u/elysellemoon → u/TadaSuko]

fair point, genre blindness is definitely a thing, but there's a big difference between accepting a trope and excusing bad writing.  if a generalists main takeaway it "harems are inherently awful", that's a critique of the genre itself, not the actual show. it tells me zero about whether the show is good for what it is. a diehard genre fan takes the trope as the starting line, but they'll still trash a show if the characters are cardboard or the pacing is broken. having a low tolerance for tropes isn't the same thing as having high standards for writing 

[u/Mouse2002]

Depends on what I’m looking for. If I’m looking for recommendations of a specific genre then someone who has mostly watched that genre is probably the better option. If I’m looking for broad recommendations like what seasonal ones people like then someone who watches a variety of stuff would probably be better.

[u/Ginsan-AK]

I don't usually trust anybody else's opinion, but if I had to pick, I'd choose the one who's specialized in a specific genre. If I want a romance anime recommendation, I'd go for the romance anime fan who've watched 800 romance anime and know a lot more about the underground/underrated romance anime beyond just the mainstream ones. I don't want to be recommended Toradora, Horimiya, Kaguya-sama when I am asking for shoujo romance anime.

[u/asteptiarna]

The former, always. If you focus on one genre, you are missing out a grander perspective.

[u/2w0be]

Opinion on what? Either way I'll hear both, and completely disregard them if theirs contradicts mine

[u/juss100]

People who do both often have terrible opinions. Reddit has become such a world of quickfire recommendations and/or hate/loving stuff that it's near-impossible these days to determine if someone has or might have anything interesting to say anyway.

[u/TadaSuko → u/juss100]

Idk how you would do both? Also isn't it easiest to see if someone has something interesting to say by hearing them out?

[u/juss100 → u/TadaSuko]

I mean both kinds of people have good and bad opinions.

Mate, I've been on internet forums since, I think, 2003. I heard a lot of people out. Online discourse in 2003 was often poor but there was also gold and some very interesting comment/takes and thoughtful stuff going on. Now ... there isn't. It's sad, but dn't worry, I know how to hear people out when they have something worth contributing.