i think for me, the mark of a really good piece of media is always in its writing. there are four points i personally search for.

this is such a broad category for me. i know i have a bit of a preference for characters who are often aware of their own flaws and this self-awareness actually propels their own deterioration, but there's so much i really love.

well-written characters also leads to a compounding effect of well-written relationships within media. specifically, i like relationships that touch on the theme of imbalance. i wonder in this world if there exists a relationship that is ever balanced totally. it's surely impossible. we all pretend and go about in common society that relationships are balanced, but the truth is, there are complex dynamics, hierarchies, and resultant subversions to every connection in our life. i like it when media tackles it head on.

good examples: bojack and diane from bojack horseman, zuko from atla, stanley pines and stanford pines from gravity falls, jinx from arcane, logan roy and kendall from succession, joel from last of us, orel from moral orel, hank anderson from detroit become human, pearl and rose from steven universe, mizi and sua from alien stage, leo valdez from percy jackson, oh ae sun and geum-yeong from when life gives you tangerines, stan from south park, lisa from ponyo, jiro from the wind rises, lady eboshi from princess mononoke, mulan and li shang from mulan, finn and the ice king from adventure time, ki jung from parasite, king lear from king lear, hamlet from hamlet, asgore from undertale, kris and noelle from deltarune, patrick from challengers, benson from regular show, tetsuo shima from akira, jin seon from bastard, sethe from toni morrison's beloved, evelyn and waymond from everything everywhere all at once, gru from despicable me, reagan and brett from inside job, carl from up, killua from hxh, aaron burr and hamilton from hamilton, dani from midsommar, russell from end roll, chae-a han from olgami, woody from toy story, nicole and gumball from amazing world of gumball, judy and nick from zootopia, eurydice from hadestown, daisy from the great gatsby, monika from ddlc, suji from pyramid game, marty from marty supreme, charles from hello charlotte, the judge from end roll, manny from ice age, nora moon from past lives, remy, alfredo and colette from ratatouille, sayeon from hand jumper, eren from attack on titan, michael + jan + ryan from the office, jimmy and captain curly from mouthwashing, princess zelda from legend of zelda, askeladd from vinland saga, reigen from mob psycho, nao kanzaki from liar game, light from death note, holden caulfield from catcher in the rye, lightning mcqueen from cars, katniss everdeen and haymitch from hunger games, po & tai lung from kung fu panda, odysseus from epic the musical, courage from courage the cowardly dog, sunny and mari from omori, rapunzel from tangled, woobin from trash belongs in the trash can, mirae from odd girl out, myeong from muse on fame, Haeru from I'll give you the most rotten one, geonyeong from proof of dignity, chaea and park from olgami, serena from serena, dom from inception

bad examples: jason from percy jackson, christopher nolan's Odysseus, ariadne from inception, barbie from barbie, everyone in devil wears prada 2

good examples: gravity falls, hunter x hunter, mob psycho, arcane, hunger games, bastard, season 3 of stranger things, deathnote, last of us, olgami, look back, shutter island, many more but i invested most of my time in well written characters

bad examples: barbie from barbie, devil wears prada 2

good examples: hunter x hunter, one piece, arcane, percy jackson, the wire, harry potter, gravity falls, friends, hunger games, hand jumper, succession, last of us, detroit become human, undertale/deltarune, legend of zelda breath of the wild

good examples: i think everything i put in the characters section honestly. good character writing usually comes with good thematic writing.

bad examples: thirteen reasons why

finally, for what i define a 10/10 isn't actually if it hits a 10/10 on every category here. i think when you engage at the right time and place and there's a connection to the material, it will stick with you forever. my 10/10s aren't the best written but perhaps the ones that i cannot forget.