Explanation of my ratings:

The scale. Generally each number represents a number on a normalized graph centered on 5. The mean and median is 5 and there's a normal distribution from that. Very few things will be 5 or below, but this is generally because I don't tend to watch really bad animes. I will also give out 0.5s if necessary.

I may give out 10s from time to time, but please remember, this doesn't mean that I think that whatever gets 10 is the absolute best ever and that it will never be beaten. All anime are rated in context of year they were made in, so keep that in mind!

The numbers in more detail:
1 - Really, awfully bad. Why did I waste my time even reviewing this?
3 - Really bad. Why did I waste my time watching this?
5 - Mediocre. Absolutely nothing special whatsoever. The average. Half of everything is below this, half is above.
7 - Pretty good, in fact not bad at all, but not that great either. Basically a 7 means it was nothing special, but it did it's job well and wasn't distracting.
8 - Very good. This was something in the top echlon of anime and I recommend.
9 - Excellent. This was one of the very best of all anime, and is highly recommended.
10 - Perfect. This is a genuine classic. One of my favorites, and what I believe everyone should be watching.

Animation:
The rating for this is based on a myriad of factors. There is quality of artwork, originality of artwork, beauty and sophistication of designs (background, mecha, objects, settings, etc.), and framerate. It is generally accepted that even beautiful artwork may sometimes suffer from low framerate and thus suffer in the ratings. I also rate highly for good use of colours.

Characters:
This encompasses both character design for art and character design for writing. As well, depth on characters, how well characters were used, how well characters were developed, and how they developed over the story (if applicable) are all factors in rating.

Sound:
This is basically for the usage of sound effects and quality of sound effects in the anime.

Music:
This is for both the background music, and for any singing tracks in the anime. As well the OP and ED (opening and ending songs) are included in this rating.

Story:
The plot of the anime. How original was it? Did it make me think? Was it entertaining? Did it work? Did I like the ending? Were things explained sufficiently?

Overall Enjoyment:
This is self explanatory. Basically how much I enjoyed watching this anime and how much I looked forward to it and thought about it after.