Ensatsu-Ken's Official Self-Criticism Thread

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

This is something that's been on my mind for a while, but I think that jokes aside, we all know that we are far from perfect people, either on or off-line. I figured it'd be healthy for some of us (mostly me....probably only me) to admit some of our own faults that we know we have just for the sake of getting it out and reminds us of things we could improve on. Also, as per usual I was extremely bored lately (I can't read Excel Saga right now because I can't find a single quiet room in the vacation condo to enjoy reading), so this was the only new thread idea that I could come up with.

I will basically just list my top 5 negative aspects that I can improve on:

5. I have a tendency to over-explain things- I'm a dude who actually hates vast and needless amounts of explanation in any form of writing, which technically makes me a huge-ass hypocrite because I'm guilty of doing that shit all the time. I guess I just get paranoid that people will mistake anything I say, so instead of summing up the gist of what I want to say in a sentence or 2, I waste entire paragraphs essentially babbling on about the same thing. What I mean is that, rather than just getting out with what needs to be said, I add in unnecessary details and just end up sounding repetitive, which....oh, fuck, I'm doing it again, aren't I? Well, moving on....

4. I have a tendency to UNINTENTIONALLY be a douche to other members on this board- Sometimes I can be trying to get a certain point across to other people that I disagree with, but hold no ill will towards. However the way some of the stuff I write comes off makes it sound like I am completely disrespecting another member's opinions entirely. I'm most guilty of doing this to Foggle and Avatior. My bad, guys.

3. I am extremely defensive- This is a problem that I have both on and off-line, and many people have pointed it out to me. Whenever I have an opinion of mind challenged, I immediately overreact in most cases and end up taking shit way too seriously with my response, and end up trying to make myself out to sound perfect in my logic and usually end up helping to ignite an unnecessary argument. Its something I try to improve on, but honestly I haven't made much progress in that area. Its just kind of in my nature, I suppose.

2. I have a tendency to INTENTIONALLY be a douche to other members on this board- Yeah....you all know how sometimes I'll attack another member when I feel that they have largely insulted one of my opinions (even though most of the time I should just learn to move on and not give so much of a fuck about it). Then I will be unfair and harsh and say things that I don't really mean about the other user. This is the opposite problem from me being defensive. Its me being a complete ass and taking the offensive on people who most of the time don't deserve my scorn just because they may hate something that I like, or express some other opinion that I shouldn't really feel offended by but am. Usually I immediately regret my harsh words soon afterward, but I'm mostly too stubborn to apologize. I'm most guilty of doing this to Dr. Insomniac and Desensitized/Spark of Spirit. Yeah, you guys should just ignore me whenever I do that again. It'll make me feel like an even worse ass, and then that thought should make you guys happier.

1. I AM BIASED AS HELL ABOUT ALMOST EVERYTHING!- Whether it be video games, movies, anime, books, or whatever, I tend to already have an idea of what I like and what I don't like and don't leave myself open to much else despite pretending that I am. This is something that I genuinely try to improve on, but the bottom line is that I'm a very picky person when it comes to entertainment, even though in some respects I feel really open to many kinds of entertainment. Now, to be fair, I do genuinely feel the way I do about things and don't just make uninformed opinions on stuff. So, when I say I'm not a fan of most 3rd party games or don't like certain movies or anime, that's really how I feel. Its just that I often-times let that bias cloud my judgement and give harsher opinions of such stuff that may really insult the opinions of other members, even though those works are perfectly fine on their own, which in most cases they are. Its just that sometimes I don't make the distinction between genuinely good or bad design from what just does or does not appeal to me. Also, sometimes I let my bias stop me from trying certain shows out altogether. For instance, because of all of the hype that Madoka Magica got from annoying fanboys, I didn't give it a chance for a good long while because I somehow convinced myself that I wouldn't like the show and it would be overrated. Completely nonsensical, I know, but that's how I felt about it at the time. Then I finally watched the show and it was really good. And then I realized that I was just being biased up until that point. Its a major fault of mine that I really want to get rid of more than anything else. To be fair, I think I have become substantially lest biased since my TV.com games, so there is hope for me yet.

And, those are basically the main faults that I am at least aware that I have. Feel free to offer me up some more constructive criticism of what an awful user I am....no, but seriously, I'm fine with any criticism.

And since this is a self-criticism thread, you guys can feel free to list anything you might perceive as your own faults. I just really wanted to get this stuff off my chest all of a sudden, so that's why I created this thread. Now that I have a physical written list of these things, maybe I can work towards improving myself at least a little bit.

[Rosalinas Spare Wand]

I am lazy as fuck.

[Foggle]

Good thread idea! I actually wanted to post something like this about myself as well, so here we gooooo...!

I hate how abrasive I've been in the past towards, well, pretty much everything. Rereading some of my older ARticles, I still find them funny, but they're also very mean-spirited, which I know from experience is extremely obnoxious to the people who actually like whatever it was I was bashing. Not only that, it represents a style of humor I've grown to hate over the years, which is why I tend to outright avoid Blip reviewers and such whenever possible. Reading the writings of other anime bloggers spouting bullshit about shows I enjoy, and reflecting upon my own work as a creator, I've come to realize that insulting the product of someone else's imagination, instead of actually criticizing it, is petty and disgraceful, no matter how bad your perception of said work may be. It alienates everyone except those who completely agree with you, and just generally kills the mood and your credibility.

Of course, this also applies to the general way in which I have expressed my opinions. Recently, I've attempted to be more positive and constructive in my comments and forum posts, because I really do dislike the way I used to write online. It reminds me of those awful, humorless people on Reddit/Tumblr/GameFAQs/etc. who treat their own word as law and would rather see someone kill themselves (seriously) than disagree with them. That shit is immature and terrible, and makes me upset, especially because I used to behave like that. So, I apologize to anyone who may have felt insulted by something I've said in the past, and please know that I really do feel bad about being so abrasive.

I am lazy as fuck.

And yeah, so am I.

[Dr. Insomniac]

I let overwhelming paranoia and unfounded pessimism get in the way of the finer things in life.

[Daxdiv]

I have a very, very short temper. I get mad easily.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I hate how abrasive I've been in the past towards, well, pretty much everything. Rereading some of my older ARticles, I still find them funny, but they're also very mean-spirited, which I know from experience is extremely obnoxious to the people who actually like whatever it was I was bashing. Not only that, it represents a style of humor I've grown to hate over the years, which is why I tend to outright avoid Blip reviewers and such whenever possible. Reading the writings of other anime bloggers spouting bullshit about shows I enjoy, and reflecting upon my own work as a creator, I've come to realize that insulting the product of someone else's imagination, instead of actually criticizing it, is petty and disgraceful, no matter how bad your perception of said work may be. It alienates everyone except those who completely agree with you, and just generally kills the mood and your credibility.

Honestly, I never felt like your reviews were ever as bad as most of the negative reviews you find on sites like That Guy with the Glasses, in which most of it boils down to obnoxious ranting than actual criticism (people like Doug Walker, Lindsay, and Linkara are the exception, rather than the rule). That said, I do think that you have become a better "critic" with experience in writing your articles, so the quality has definitely gotten better over time, but I still didn't find your old stuff to be as tasteless and mean-spirited as other reviews in the same vein. As for me, I need to learn how to do some negative reviews, because I don't fathom that I would be very good at actually criticizing something. Its a lot harder than it looks to properly convey the legitimate faults that you feel any particular work has, so I commend you and the other AR reviewers for being able to write critical articles at such a competent level.

Of course, this also applies to the general way in which I have expressed my opinions. Recently, I've attempted to be more positive and constructive in my comments and forum posts, because I really do dislike the way I used to write online. It reminds me of those awful, humorless people on Reddit/Tumblr/GameFAQs/etc. who treat their own word as law and would rather see someone kill themselves (seriously) than disagree with them. That shit is immature and terrible, and makes me upset, especially because I used to behave like that. So, I apologize to anyone who may have felt insulted by something I've said in the past, and please know that I really do feel bad about being so abrasive.

The funny thing is, I've actually found you to probably be one of the most chill members on this board or any site that I have been to. Of course everyone on this board, aside from myself, are pretty well-tempered from my perception. But I also notice that out of all of the members on this board, I've probably ever had the least arguments with you. That may just be me, but I generally notice that you have always been good at avoiding serious arguments and heated debates whenever possible. I think I've only ever really clashed with you 2 times ever in regard to serious disagreements (one time was with that KND argument we had, and the other was with the Sonic Adventure games). In contrast, I've had many more arguments with Desensitized, and even Avaitor, though my arguments with Avaitor have never really gotten heated, either, and I don't think I've argued with him about anything in well over a year, or maybe even more than that.

[Foggle]

Well, in regards to the KND thing, I do have a tendency to talk out of my ass and argue things as I remember them rather than how they really were. Like, there were certainly a few disgusting episodes of that show, but most of them weren't, and I was mostly basing my opinion on the outliers, which I personally found to be more memorable. So I can see why that argument happened.

I think you seem like a pretty chill guy as well, unless you feel insulted by someone, which is understandable. It's quite easy to be rude to people, especially online, and not even realize it. Often I will read things people say as a personal attack, even when they are clearly (to everyone else) not meant as such. Because of that, most of the time, I get why you'd jump on someone for what they say. So don't be too hard on yourself about that, it's human nature for people to defend themselves.

[talonmalon333]

I love all of you. Honestly, you guys make Animation Revelation the most chill forum I've ever frequented.

Think I'll join in with you guys and post some of my own self-criticisms.

- I feel as if I really suck at explaining and clarifying things. Like, if one of you guys asks me a question, I'll try overly hard to make my point and just go on and on to get across the point I'm trying to make. So I guess I too have the tendency of go into great detail to explain things. However, when I do so, I frequently end up looking back on my longs posts and thinking "... That probably just looks like a bunch of gibberish".

- This is something that I like to think I've improved on over the years. But in the past I've had a tendency to get... "hot headed" during debate. This is something I feel bad about, because I feel like I've done it to all of you guys at least at some point during my time here. And ultimately, it just comes off as obnoxious spite. Again, I do believe that this is something I've been getting better at not doing lately. But still, this problem of mine has definitely cropped up here, and it's probably still shown itself within these past few years. So most importantly, I would like to take the opportunity to apologize to anyone here that I've given a hard time to.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

To your first point, I pretty much have the same problem, so you're at least not alone on that one.

And to your 2nd point, at least we can both say that we've come a LONG way since back in our days at TV.com.

[The Shadow Gentleman]

I am lazy as fuck.

[Goldstar]

-I have a tendency to be uber-critical of things that I don't care for. Also, I seem to have a knack for pissing people off. Sometimes I'm not even aware that I'm doing it. I have a bad temper and will sometimes fly off the handle when it's not necessary at all. I get very defensive when I think someone is criticizing me, and so I'll often push back hard, which is not a smart thing to do. Many of you are already aware of this, because that's what got me kicked off of Toon Zone.

-More recently, I've taken to stop and think about what I'm about to say before I type something publicly, but still I may on occasion type something in fury which will inevitably come back to bite me in the ass. In my defense, however, I like to think that I've gotten better in the last 2 years.

-I'm incredibly lazy.

[Spark Of Spirit]

I did not notice this thread.

Which makes my number one being that I have a tendency to miss things I should have noticed. Which goes in well with my annoying trait of trying to lone wolf things instead of working with others and not slowing down when I probably should. I'm sort of stubborn, I guess.

They're all things I work to fix, but those are probably my top problems.

[Spark Of Spirit]

The funny thing is, I've actually found you to probably be one of the most chill members on this board or any site that I have been to. Of course everyone on this board, aside from myself, are pretty well-tempered from my perception. But I also notice that out of all of the members on this board, I've probably ever had the least arguments with you. That may just be me, but I generally notice that you have always been good at avoiding serious arguments and heated debates whenever possible. I think I've only ever really clashed with you 2 times ever in regard to serious disagreements (one time was with that KND argument we had, and the other was with the Sonic Adventure games). In contrast, I've had many more arguments with Desensitized, and even Avaitor, though my arguments with Avaitor have never really gotten heated, either, and I don't think I've argued with him about anything in well over a year, or maybe even more than that.

I actually enjoy discussing things with you because you don't come off as a jerk. Or at least I know you well enough by now to know when you're serious or kidding. Even when we don't agree I tend to see where you're coming from and try not be overly annoying about my position. I realize I fail at that sometimes, however. 

That's the thing with this board is that even when I disagree with someone on here we (usually) seem to be able to seriously discuss it without resorting to personal attacks or dismissal of trains of thought.

To be honest, that's probably why this is the only message board I post at anymore.

[Foggle]

I love all of you.

<3

AR: One moderately-sized happy family.

[Avaitor]

Better a smaller-sized board full of members and a staff that respects and generally likes each other than a giant board with an increasing decreasing userbase and lowered levels of respect any day.

As for what I don't like about myself, I have securities up the yin yang (and don't even ask about my yin yang), I'm highly opinionated, prefer dogs to people, and I'm too lazy to expand on anything or finish