Evaluation Reflection

The evaluation essay was supposed to convey how a piece of media was
successful or not. I chose the Demon Slayer Mugen Train movie that is a continuation of
the Demon Slayer series. It was not hard to choose a topic to analyze because this was
one of my top films of the year and my favorite anime movie thus far. There were a few
issues along the way while writing this essay. One of the problems I have encountered
was the research process and what criteria to evaluate. I wrote on my cluster map that I
would have evaluated the plot, animation, music, and characters. The issue was what to
research to make the evaluations credible. I attempted to rely on library and journal
articles about the movie but it failed. The reason why it was invalid research material is
that it didn’t fit with the criteria or genre. So, I relied on google resources and Youtube
videos to make a clear evaluation. The hours of research going into the culture,
sciences, and other movie reviews was difficult as I had to narrow down which one was
the most reliable for the criteria. The most difficult criteria to research were the plot and
character criteria because I was uncertain how to analyze why they made the movie
successful other than an opinion-based review. I solved this problem by connecting the
psychology of the characters and the animation to the film’s successes. My initial
research for characters was the portrayal of historical fashion and design but I soon
realized that it was irrelevant. Another research topic I wrote notes for was also cut out
because I failed to plan and ask questions of what to research beforehand. The process
was trial and error that ended up wasting time for my essay. The most difficult part was
backing up the criteria. Although the research process was vigorous and long, the essay
turned out to be one of my favorite essays to write throughout this whole class because
it allowed me to express my passion for the anime community. It allows me to explain
why I love the movie and why so many people do too.