Critique Anime UK News, please!

After reading these suggestions, I'm moving ahead with a few new features for the site.

The biggest new addition will be an interactive "events" section in which users can add and subscribe to conventions, meets and other events. Obviously this will be a great way of planning meets since everyone will be able to see who is attending which conventions etc.

I'll look at revising the review layout system, should be easy enough to do as suggest aboved.

Finally, I'll try and work on a new banner. It's not that I hate graphics, but I have such trouble perfecting these things that I often spend hours just staring a blank screen scrutinising perhaps 1 pixel. Either way, I'll see what I can do.

Keep these suggestions coming, its important to know what people want! :)
 
Paul said:
Finally, I'll try and work on a new banner. It's not that I hate graphics, but I have such trouble perfecting these things that I often spend hours just staring a blank screen scrutinising perhaps 1 pixel. Either way, I'll see what I can do.
Thats where we were gonna help out, I wanna have a crack at a banner and Im guessing a few other people do too, we just need the sizes and vital information.
 
Xelis said:
Paul said:
Finally, I'll try and work on a new banner. It's not that I hate graphics, but I have such trouble perfecting these things that I often spend hours just staring a blank screen scrutinising perhaps 1 pixel. Either way, I'll see what I can do.
Thats where we were gonna help out, I wanna have a crack at a banner and Im guessing a few other people do too, we just need the sizes and vital information.

Even if Paul would rather stay away from a competition for a new banner (which I think might be a nice idea for visitors to take part in), even a thread here in the forums to showcase everyone's efforts would be good. Sadly I only have internet access at work, but I will try and see what I can cook up at home and try to get permissions access to use a usb device.
 
I just thought of something that would probably be more use to me and a lot of other people than a new banner.

DVD movie info added to the reviews. I'm talking technical information about the quality of the DVD reviewed. What's the presentation like? How is the video and audio quality? What audio and subtitle options do we get? and so on.

Something like that might save me some money with releases like disasterous release of Millennium Actress by Manga.

Probably something along the lines of this for the layout...

Code:
Region: 2

Distributor: MVM

Chapters: 24

Menu: Cheap looking picture of a book with the characters and options on the pages.

Picture: Full screen. Clear Transfer. Blah blah blah...

Sound: Optional Japanese 2.0 or English 5.1...

Subtitles: Yellow font with a black outline. Clear and easy to read.

Extras/Trailers: Little in the way of extras except for the clean opening and closing. Trailers include 'Gungrave', 'Fullmetal Alchemist' blah blah...

Additional Notes: If you aren't concered with appearances(or cost) then go for this release. The presentation of the region 1 and 3 versions however is far superior whereas this looks little more than a cheap bootleg.

Of course that's just an example.
 
Ryo Chan said:
dare i say it, but bring back the competitions you use to do aswell

I'll be honest and say that I hated running competitions. Although we always had 500+ entries, the amount of the trouble and stress they cause when a winner doesn't get his or her prize on time, the constant emails, chasing up DVDs etc. It's hard and stressful work.

WTFDaveMustaine said:
DVD movie info added to the reviews. I'm talking technical information about the quality of the DVD reviewed. What's the presentation like? How is the video and audio quality? What audio and subtitle options do we get? and so on.

These are basically things that I'd love to do if I actually cared. I'm no DVD technophile and don't particularly pride myself on how a DVD looks on my shelf etc. All of our reviewing team is the same really, we're just a bunch of anime fans writing about anime, if you want hard details on a DVD release then more specialist sites like www.DVDTimes.co.uk (who do review UK anime) are the way to go.
 
Well at least a little mention would be nice if the DVD has Dubtitles or whatever. You know, anything that might effect the enjoyment of the viewing. It doesn't have to be much, just a quick footnote.
 
I'm with Paul on this one. We'd much rather discuss the pros and cons of the anime themselves, than waste paragraphs on a lot of technical jargon that only a very small percentage of our readership is going to appreciate.

Besides, there are plenty of other sites, such as AnimeonDVD for example, that provide plenty in the way of technical information for a wide range of UK, not to mention US and JAP, releases.
 
Then i'll stick to that site then. I don't like reading the actual review part anyway. I like to judge for myself.
 
My own view is that you can get a rough idea of technical spec from the back of the box/purchase site - there's a danger of the writing reviews for series turning into an act of c/p-ing the same info of bonus features and aspect ratios. Point taken though - If a certain feature adds a noteworthy aspect to the DVD (be it an outstanding interview section or serious technical glitch on the disc) I'll include it. Otherwise, I consider the content to be more important.
 
I think a competition for a new site logo would be great especially if the winner was decided by a poll, then we could have our say on what we liked best.
And there isn't anything i can really complain about the site :)
 
The only thing I can think of is, A little mascot would be cute ^^

and as Butch-Cassidy said a Quick refrence to Anime and manga events in the UK ^^
 
What about Adamcubes banner girl.... sooooo cute

adamyn0.jpg
 
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