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mydramalist.com
I feel like the world of movie review and rating sites is getting a little stale. I mean, when you want to learn more about a movie or get a sense of whether it is or is not worth watching, what sites do you tend to visit? Rotten Tomatoes? IMDb? Maybe a site like The New York Times or Roger Ebert if you are in the mood for reading a full-blown proper movie review? I don't know about you, but I don't think the same old movie review sites are really cutting it for me anymore.
Secondly, these sites are often biased. Sure, Rotten Tomatoes has been accused of being ?biased towards positive reviews?, but IMDb is no better. In fact, their algorithm has been called into question more than once for assigning ratings based on how much money a person has rather than how well they have reviewed other movies. In other words, it?s not just the review site that can be ?biased.?
There are a number of reasons why I am tired of the usual so-called "best movie review sites." Firstly, although sites like Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb can be great resources for quickly getting a feel on how people generally felt about a movie, that is sort of where the conversation stops. I mean, sure, I could follow up and look at each individual review, but there is still something of a disconnect in that. I am merely reading one person's thoughts on a movie, sometimes years after the fact. It is, largely, a passive process. Secondly, these sites are often biased- usually in one direction. Sure, Rotten Tomatoes has been accused of being "biased towards positive reviews," but IMDb is no better. In fact, their algorithm has been called into question more than once for assigning ratings based on how much money a person has rather than how well they have reviewed other movies. In other words,. it's not just the review site that can be "biased."
I have been longing for a deeper connection with others, something more community oriented. I want a site where I can discuss my favorite movies and TV shows with like minded people, stay up to date on the latest news, and share my opinions. The best movie review site for me will be one that provides a sense of community, comradery, and companionship - not just information and movie ratings.
I find it troubling that sites like IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes tend to favor/more prominently feature Western movies and TV series. As a huge fan of Asian film and television, I often find myself left out on these sites. Japanese, Chinese, and Korean movies are hugely popular all over the world, but they seem to take a backseat on many of the best movie review websites that I have seen.
If you have ever had frustrations with a lack of good movie review sites, I have some good news for you. Today, I am excited to share what might be the best movie review site for fans of Asian movies and television. Although My Drama List is not a new site by any means, it is a new site to me, and it is one of those sites that makes me wonder, "Where has this been all my life?"
My Drama List is the perfect site for anyone who loves reading movie reviews and ratings, as it offers so much more than that. It's like a combination of Rotten Tomatoes, IMDb, and your favorite social networking site all rolled into one. This site is great for people who want to learn about new movies and find out what other people think about them before deciding whether or not to see them.
This is great news for Asian-Americans who love cinema, as this website is dedicated to just that subset of movies and TV shows. Additionally, because the My Drama List community is more focused than other movie review websites, it is much more cohesive and supportive.
My Drama List is a site that offers its users a forum to discuss Asian films. It is a simple premise, sure, but a profound community, nonetheless. Is My Drama List, in fact, the best movie review site for you? Well, let's dive in and take a closer look at everything it has to offer in order to find out.
History
After years of being a longtime fan of Asian dramas, I was surprised to learn about My Drama List only recently. As a writer of movie streaming site reviews, I can't believe that this incredible site and online community has managed to fly under my radar for so long. I'm glad that I found out about it recently, and I'm excited to explore it more in the future.
Interestingly, the site is still currently in beta mode. This could be why it eluded me. Apparently, the people behind My Drama Lists are perfectionists, and don't feel comfortable officially launching My Drama List until it meets their (very high) expectations. As is written on the site's About page: "Currently, the site is still in Beta mode, as it's not perfect (because we all know perfection is possible - ).?"
Nevertheless, the My Drama List website is live and accessible to anyone who wants to join a fun and friendly community of fellow Asian cinephiles, discover/rate/review new movies, and keep track of films and series that they would like to watch in the future. There is no other website that compares, and this is one of the many reasons why MDRL deserves to be considered one of the best movie review sites on the web today.
Design
I don't like the user interface of My Drama List. After 10 years, the site is still in beta mode, and I don't think it looks very good. It's clean and easy to navigate, but I'm not sure that it offers the best movie review layout that I've ever seen.
The website is a little bit chaotic, a bit all over the place, but not so much so that someone who is new to it would be unable to figure out how to use it. It straddles that line of being so close to offering an intuitive user experience, yet it still leaves much to be desired. The organizational structure of the website, I think, is one area for improvement. As it stands now, you will find news and editorial articles listed in a column spanning the middle of the page. You can filter this by clicking either featured, recent, or editorials. I would prefer to see these split into clearly differentiated sections.
To the right of this column are additional columns, which add to the somewhat haphazard nature of the site design that I speak of. Here, you will find popular voting lists, top airing shows, upcoming shows, latest reviews, and most popular shows. Again, it?s not impossible to find what you are looking for, but I think that the site could be made much easier to navigate, much better organized.
The site menu bar on My Drama List goes a long way in providing exhaustive dropdown menus and quickly finding the section you desire. I just wish the same attention to detail could be paid to the central sections of the homepage as well.
Content and Features
Like I have already said, the My Drama List website is like IMDb or Rotten Tomatoes, but with a much better community. In fact, community is at the core of what makes this movie review site so great. The community is knowledgeable, friendly, and very active. Most movie and series pages have hundreds of comments. Each comment can be replied to and/or ?liked.? You would be hard pressed, I think, to find a better community dedicated to Asian movies and TV series.
Additionally, user profiles are impressively detailed. Browse each users feeds, reviews, recommendations, lists, articles, stats and more. User stats even come with cool graphics to represent how they spend their time on the site. To complete the social media components of My Drama List, you can add friends and send direct messages for more in-depth conversing.
Even if you don't care as much about being a part of such an amazing community of Asian movie fans, My Drama List is still one of the best movie review sites out there. The site consists of an enormous database of Japanese, Chinese, and Korean movies and series reviews, ratings, and information. This is a site that every fan of Asian media needs to know about, immediately!
Mobile and Desktop Experience
There does not appear to be a mobile app currently available for this site, though the site is well-optimized for mobile devices and allows users to read movie reviews, rate shows, and keep up with the community no matter where they are. While ads may be bothersome, the site is still worth checking out.
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