In terms of story, characters, animation, voice acting, etc… what is something that you find yourself always avoiding.

In anime everything can take away from a anime being good. Story is probably the most important aspect of a good anime , however I won’t get to enjoy that story if the animation is terrible. I try not to be an animation snob but I really can’t enjoy anime if it has average animation. I’m particularly fond of a type of animation called Sakuga.

Sakuga (作画) (lit., “drawing pictures”) is a term used in anime to describe moments in a show or movie when the quality of the animation improves drastically, typically for the sake of making a dramatic point or enlivening the action. It’s pronounced SA-ku-ga.

Generally American animation is animated frame by frame, whereas Japanese animation often will animate “long scenes in which only the mouth of a character moves during an important monologue, or depicting rapid motion with a character frozen in an action pose against a swift-moving background.” Due to money and time limitation Japanese animation tends to skip frames and reuse some.

However, Sakuga is an expressive and expensive form of animation. Animating frame by frame, movements are more realistic and fluid. Sakuga is usually used for action, like fight scenes or to convey emotional faces. If you have time treat yourself to some Sakuga animation compilations on YouTube. Basically, if the anime doesn’t have high animation quality I won’t watch it.