Reviews constitute a central component of the marketplace operated by Amazon. They influence how products are perceived, which items appear more prominently in search results, and the degree of trust potential buyers place in an offer. Alongside authentic reviews, however, there also exists the problem of purchased reviews, which can distort the evaluation system.
For the purpose of illustration, a simplified model using the three categories F, C, and E may be employed.
F – “Five-Star Feedback”
In this example, the letter F stands for Five-Star Feedback, that is, highly positive reviews awarding five stars.
Typical characteristics include:
• a very high star rating
• strongly laudatory descriptions
• recommendations directed toward other buyers
Such reviews frequently arise from genuine satisfaction. Nevertheless, precisely these kinds of evaluations are also the ones most commonly purchased or artificially generated, since they exert the strongest positive influence on the perceived quality of a product.
Connection with Purchased Reviews
Certain sellers attempt to make their products appear more attractive by compensating individuals in return for writing a positive review.
Typical forms include:
• monetary payments
• free products
• discount codes provided in exchange for a review
Practices of this kind violate the policies of Amazon; nevertheless, they continue to occur on online marketplaces.
C – “Critical Comment”
The letter C represents a Critical Comment, that is, a review expressing criticism.
Characteristic features include:
• a lower star rating
• indications of problems or defects
• detailed criticism
Critical reviews are particularly valuable for buyers because they reveal potential weaknesses of a product. At the same time, they can serve as a counterbalance to excessively positive or manipulated reviews.
In some instances, sellers even attempt to have critical reviews removed or marginalized, since such evaluations may negatively affect sales.
E – “Experience Review”
The letter E denotes an Experience Review, meaning a review that describes the user’s personal experience with the product.
Typical contents include:
• everyday usage
• long-term observations
• concrete examples of practical application
Reviews of this kind are often regarded as especially credible because they contain detailed information and do not resemble mere advertising statements. For this reason, it is frequently easier to determine whether such a review is authentic or potentially artificial.
How Purchased Reviews May Be Identified
Buyers frequently consider several indicators in order to recognize potential manipulation:
• an unusually large number of F-reviews within a short period
• very similar wording across multiple reviews
• extremely brief or overly general texts
• a pronounced imbalance between positive and critical evaluations
Platforms such as Amazon attempt to identify and remove such reviews through technical measures and moderation.
Comparison with Academic Scholarship
A useful comparison can be made with academic research and scholarly publications. In scientific work, the correct citation of sources is of fundamental importance. Authors are expected to document precisely which sources they used and where specific information originates. Incorrect quotations, missing references, or inaccurate bibliographic data are considered serious scholarly errors.
In addition, the academic world possesses systematic mechanisms for tracking how often a work is cited. Databases and search systems such as Google Scholar record how frequently a book or article is referenced by other publications. This process, often referred to as citation tracking, allows researchers to follow how frequently a work is cited and how scholarly discussions develop over time.
Through such systems, academic literature forms a traceable network of references. Scholars are able to see both the sources used in a publication and later works that cite it. Consequently, the reliability and influence of a work can be evaluated more systematically than is typically the case with ordinary consumer reviews.
Compared with these academic standards, online product reviews are far less rigorous. While scholarly writing requires precise references and verifiable documentation, reviews on commercial platforms generally do not undergo such scrutiny.
Personal Note on Writing Reviews
Personally, I write very few reviews. My guiding principle is not to lie and not to write embellished or artificially positive evaluations. If I were to write reviews more frequently, I would analyze the respective book down to the smallest detail and evaluate it accordingly.
This would also include examining the accuracy of translations and the reliability of the scholarly apparatus. If, for instance, passages of text were translated incorrectly, entire sections had been omitted, or completely incorrect source references had been provided, these issues would necessarily be reflected in the evaluation.
Under such a methodical and critical examination, it would naturally be unlikely that a product would receive a Five-Star rating.
The Problem of Review Bombing
Another phenomenon that illustrates the limitations of online review systems is review bombing. This term refers to coordinated actions in which large numbers of users deliberately submit extremely negative ratings within a short period of time in order to damage the public perception of a product, book, film, or game.
Such campaigns are sometimes motivated not by the actual quality of the product but by external controversies, ideological disagreements, or organized online reactions. In these cases, the numerical rating may reflect collective protest rather than a genuine evaluation of the work itself.
Review bombing demonstrates that online rating systems can be influenced not only by purchased positive reviews but also by coordinated negative campaigns. For this reason, numerical ratings alone rarely provide a complete picture, and careful reading of the actual review texts remains essential.
Possible Reactions to Review Bombing
When review bombing occurs, some sellers or authors attempt to counteract the negative wave of ratings in different ways. One possible reaction is the attempt to increase the number of positive reviews in order to rebalance the overall rating. This may happen by encouraging satisfied readers or customers to leave their own honest reviews.
In more questionable cases, individuals may attempt to purchase positive reviews or ask acquaintances and friends to write favorable evaluations in order to counteract the negative ratings. While such actions may temporarily influence the numerical rating, they also illustrate how vulnerable online review systems can be to manipulation.
For this reason, both readers and buyers should approach rating systems critically and focus not only on the number of stars but also on the substance and credibility of the written reviews themselves.
Karate Kenkyū Shitsu 