Yeah so I know this doesn’t have to do specifically with anime, but whatever its relevant to almost every kind of entertainment that there has ever been or will be. If you’ve been on the internet for more than a minute, its safe to say you’ve seen your fair share of top 10 lists. So let me ask you this rhetorical question. Have you ever really agreed with any of them? I’m talking 30% or more. I know most of the top 10 lists I walk away from always end the same way, me rolling my eyes and thinking the other person is dumb or something. Maybe you’ve had this same reaction and are sick and tired of these top 10 lists that plague the internet as easy click-bait (maybe I’m a hypocrite here because of my title). Yes the title is misleading because this will not be a top 10 list. No this subject doesn’t really matter, and yes this is basically a rant. And to clear something up, I honestly think a stupid rant like this has more merit than a top 10 list. Rants may be another scourge of the internet but lets deal with this first.
To clarify this up in case it was a little vague in the opening paragraph, I don’t have a problem with the idea of a top 10 list. As an avid fan of things and stuff I have plenty of top 10 lists. What I don’t like is forums/websites/youtube channels whose main source of content is throwing together a top 10 list for every stupid thing under the sun. Theres a specific youtube channel you all know so I won’t have to say it, its watchmojo.com. Oops, couldn’t help myself. These are the types of top 10 lists I loathe and since I’m already 300 words into this thing I better start telling you why.
Like I said before I have my fair share of top 10 lists, who doesn’t? However, just because I have all these lists, doesn’t necessarily mean that they are worth sharing. “Logan what do you mean by that?” Well while I may have a list of certain top things there are only a few subject matters that I feel like are worth me sharing with other people (especially people who don’t really know me). For example, I know little to nothing about cars, so it would be pretty pointless if I posted a list of top 10 cars having to do with whatever. The most I could get away with is aesthetic, but if I did that the list wouldn’t really have any purpose. Its just a matter of wanting people ranking things to be a little informed about what they’re talking about.
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Now there are times where you feel like you know someone online and want to get there opinion on things (and attempt to validate your own). Thats probably the biggest thing wrong with having all these top 10 lists. There really isn’t being any worth to them if you have it laid out that way, is there? Sure I find myself looking to be validated by someone else opinion every once and a while, but it shouldn’t really be encouraged (when talking about entertainment of course). So we look to, most of the times, random columnists (like myself) or faceless youtubers and look at what they think is the best in certain fields that are 99% pointless.
To make this easier to understand (Im doing a really bad job at that) Ill give an example of a pointless top 10 list and then a good top 10 list. A bad top 10 list would be something like Top 10 anime battles. I even put a link so you could watch and see what I’m getting at (and oh look its that one channel that I talked about earlier). Lists like these are as shallow as they come. They’re just there for that justification and validation purpose and thats it. Most of the top 10 lists are set up like this, people talking about things they know little about and thus can’t really bring anything to the conversation at hand. This potentially could be good if it were more informed and gave me something to chew on. Thats not the case though, every list is accompanied by a half-assed explanation and a fanboy pen bleeding through the video.
Now here’s an example of a good top 10 list, Top 10 Fullmetal Alchemist Theme Songs. So whats done right here as opposed to the other is that this clearly has more though put into it. There’s some real research to tie more things to think about into the subject at hand. It gives reasoning not only why its on the list but why it might resonate with people, why its unique compared to other things. The difference is that I learn something from this video as opposed to the former.
If you’ve read any of my articles you know I like to get as much out of my entertainment as possible. I’m just that greedy. So when I waste my time on something that really didn’t do anything, and even made me kind of mad that I watched it, it stays on my mind. Not too long or anything, I’m not crazy. most top 10 lists are bad right now and thats not necessarily because of the lists themselves, Its about whose making them. Whether they intend to actually share an educated opinion or just make some click-bait.
