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What is anime? Anime is . . . Wacky Ritual Rundown!

By myself:

Don't really have a ritual. Since I only watched subbed, I can't really be doing much else, otherwise I miss things, and this includes eating (unless it's mindless eating, like popcorn). Oh, like you, I will makes sure there is nothing tall on the coffee table, like a glass or bottle that may interfere with the subtitle reading, since I'm usually lying down on the sofa to watch anime.

With friends:

Since it's usually at my house, I will cook for my friends. There's about five or six of us that like to watch anime. So we'll pick a day and maybe have some kind of potluck, with me cooking the main dish. Alcohol will be involved, usually beer and wine. After chatting, goofing around, and eating, we'll settle down and watch about 2-4 episodes of anime.

Before everyone comes over, I'm usually freaking out, trying to get everything cleaned up and prepared, which I've most likely put off until the last minute.

I only watch subs as well. But usually I like to drink beer, eat, exercise (lol) while watching anime, and when the anime is boring posting on ANN! But I prefer to watch anime in a badly lit room wrap myself in my sofa or bed, usually bed since I live alone and there's not much point in staying in the living room, but whenever I'm watching anime in the living room I definitely refuse to turn the lights out, who knows what horrors might be lurking around!

Ritual? I don't have a ritual for watching sitcoms or dramas on TV, why should I have them for anime?

Rather than a ritual... something you like to do while/before watching anime would probably describe this thread better.

egoist wrote:

Rather than a ritual... something you like to do while/before watching anime would probably describe this thread better.

It probably would. That said, if one feels the urge to do a rain dance prior to watching Mushi Shi, hey, who am I to judge? I mean anything that you do while watching, anything you do to "enhance" to experience, if you do anything like that at all. But sure, let's broaden the thread: What do you do while watching anime?

egoist wrote:

whenever I'm watching anime in the living room I definitely refuse to turn the lights out, who knows what horrors might be lurking around!

Me thinks someone has been watching a little too much Paranoia Agent.

kyokun703 wrote:

There's about five or six of us that like to watch anime.

I wish I could get my friends to watch anime on a regular basis. Although, we did just go so Evangelion 1.0 in theaters, which was pretty good. Our activities tend to be Dungeons and Dragons followed by heady doses of Super Smash Brothers Brawl.

I do the same thing I do anytime I sit down to prepare to watch a movie or two or play some games for an extended amount of time. I get a nice big drink, not always alcoholic mind you...only half the time heh, and a snack. I then get into my position which means getting my groove in the sofa. You know, when you move the cushions, then move around after you sit getting to that sweet spot where you're comfortable beyond measure. Then I get a pillow or two to lay my arms on or lean against and I am set. Once I am fully engaged in the viewing position, as I call it, I am set for hours. Of course this often causes me to get too comfortable and fall asleep on said sofa and not make it to bed at night. Worth it.

I don't really have a ritual unless it's with someone else, like... my little 5 year old nephew for example.

I had him for the day and I told him ahead of time we're going to have a ninja day. He was a 5 year old with no previous exposure to ninjas, so he had no idea what to expect. He came over, I handed him a Naruto ninja headband and gave him a big corny speech about how he was now a ninja, gave him some crappy cheap ninja toys I found at the dollar store, plopped him down, and popped in Naruto. Switched back and forth between Naruto and Ninja Turtles, then lunch came around, I made him sit there, and set up a big ole spread of Japanese snacks and of course the main dish, ramen. (I fancy up my instant ramen) He managed to eat it all with chop sticks, it was rather impressive for a kid who never used them before.

By the end of the day he was pointing at the tv going "Aunti Aila, see that dude!?"

"Yeah..." Looks at the tv and see's Kakashi.

"I'M HIM!!" ... "Can you make my headband like his?"

That kid had no prayer. By the time his mother came around he wouldn't shut up about ninjas, and unfortunately caught on to doing a hand sign and yelling out "Sexy Jutsu!"

Ok, I'm being dishonest, I MADE him do it the first time, he just had fun showing it to other people after that.

I enjoy messing with impressionable kids.

Unless I'm watching it with other people, I usually just stick to watching anime on my computer. I don't remember the last time I had a marathon.

When I'm going through a title in my backlog (or am sampling something online) I'll typically wait until the evening. Most often my ritual consists of viewing but a single episode, unless a title is at least 24 episodes in length, in which case I sit through two for good measure. (One needs to savour shorter series, I find. Each individual episode becomes supposedly more significant in such cases.)
However, it is often the case that I don't watch anything at all- I'll while away too many hours online and end up in want of sleep.

On occasions where I decide to rewatch an old favourite, I'm somewhat hesitant: I will make my decision at least 24 hours before I intend to insert the disc. This best helps me to adopt a state of mind best suited to fully appreciating the title.

littlegreenwolf wrote:

I enjoy messing with impressionable kids.

Using a position of responsibility to create new fans, I see. To provide balance, have a pirate theme next time...

theloniustrebonius wrote:

I'll start it out. If I'm watching a series or movie that I expect to be good or have already seen and love, I have to have all of the lights off and nothing distracting in my field of vision. Even an out-of-place Coke can or Xbox controller will peck at my brain until I put it in its proper place. I also can't watch anime if I still have "responsibilities" to see to that day (homework, laundry, etc.). Sometimes, watching anime is preceded by a flurry of cleaning so that all my "affairs" are in order for the experience. I also have to be in the "right mood," which is as hard to capture as it is to describe.

That's pretty much me as well. When buying a new game or grabbing a new anime series, everything must be cleaned and orderly before I set down and give my full attention to that game or series. I just can't simply sit down and play, I do prepare for it. Especially if you like the Elder Scrolls series like theloniustrebonius here. Preparation is a necessity. Without it you will snap out of you're anime or gaming fit and have to take care of business, which is never a good feeling.

I'll also usually grab an order of fast food, 12 pack of Coke, and a pack of Marlboro reds before devoting my time to a series. Got my bases covered, it's go time.

Shadowrun20XX wrote:

Preparation is a necessity. Without it you will snap out of you're anime or gaming fit and have to take care of business, which is never a good feeling.

Now gaming is a whole nother story for me. That usually requires a stop a taco bell for a burrito (yay one handed food) comfy pajamas, and a 2 liter of mountain dew set right next too me.

These preparations are usually a necessity though because you don't have much opportunity when your grinding with a party for 3+ hours. I never felt the need to prep for anime. Again, if it's with friends, snack foods and the lot, but just me... maybe a soda or some tea.

Zin5ki: I enjoy different themes, especially because I find it really hard to sit through the Naruto anime (only bought the first boxset so my nephew could watch it dubbed). Before Ninja day it was Star Wars day. The poor kid showed up to my house one day with a Vader Mask he found at a yard sale and started roaring at me. I asked him if he knew who Darth Vader was, he said no. I of course found this next to blasphemy so I quickly ran up to my room and grabbed the trilogy dvds, some Ewok/Droids dvds, my old action figures, space ships, toy light sabers, and a Jedi robe (understand I was a full star wars geek in my early teens) and quickly put the kid on the correct path. His mother wishes I never started him on it but I think she was only delaying the inevitable. She can't buy him a Vader Mask and let him go around with no idea how to act.

Pirates though... eh, pirate anime isn't my thing outside of space opera stuff like Harlock. I don't like One Piece, and he already had a pirate phase with Pirates of the Caribbean. If we did have a pirate day it probably would be filled with Goonies and Pirates of Dark Water. I don't know if he has the attention span for those yet.

I am the greatest aunt in the world! Or so I like to think. He loves coming over.

Shadowrun20XX wrote:

Without it you will snap out of you're anime or gaming fit and have to take care of business, which is never a good feeling.

Oh I know! It's probably different for each person, but for me it's a feeling of being rushed and frustrated.

egoist wrote:

This thread would be quite popular and interesting if used in the open forums.

I'll go and start a thread on this in the open forums as well.

Cool thread idea.

But just for future reference (to save you a bunch of work) if you want one of your threads moved, just ask a mod/admin and they can do it.

I'm glad I don't have the same condition as the OP because my place is so cluttered and I'm such an inveterate procrastinator that if I required order before I could watch anime...well, let's just say I'd never get to watch any.

I don't really have a ritual unless it's with someone else, like... my little 5 year old nephew for example.

I had him for the day and I told him ahead of time we're going to have a ninja day. He was a 5 year old with no previous exposure to ninjas, so he had no idea what to expect. He came over, I handed him a Naruto ninja headband and gave him a big corny speech about how he was now a ninja, gave him some crappy cheap ninja toys I found at the dollar store, plopped him down, and popped in Naruto. Switched back and forth between Naruto and Ninja Turtles, then lunch came around, I made him sit there, and set up a big ole spread of Japanese snacks and of course the main dish, ramen. (I fancy up my instant ramen) He managed to eat it all with chop sticks, it was rather impressive for a kid who never used them before.

By the end of the day he was pointing at the tv going "Aunti Aila, see that dude!?"

"Yeah..." Looks at the tv and see's Kakashi.

"I'M HIM!!" ... "Can you make my headband like his?"

That kid had no prayer. By the time his mother came around he wouldn't shut up about ninjas, and unfortunately caught on to doing a hand sign and yelling out "Sexy Jutsu!"

Ok, I'm being dishonest, I MADE him do it the first time, he just had fun showing it to other people after that.

I enjoy messing with impressionable kids.

Unless I'm watching it with other people, I usually just stick to watching anime on my computer. I don't remember the last time I had a marathon.

I know, but I didn't want to be a bother.

I find it quite annoying that I may eventually have to upgrade one or both just to be able to keep up with current fansubs, but that's a discussion for a different thread.

Ya know I had quite the different response when I showed anime to my cousins......well from my aunt anyways. She's a born again christian and wouldn't let her boys see Harry Potter when the movies first started because he's a witch and that's evil and Harry is going to hell. But yet Gandolf and LOTR was the shit and ok. Go figure. So when they visited and I showed 2 of the 3 youngest some Patlabor and Street Fighter II-V anime (many years ago and on vhs) they loved it. But she went ape shit lol. Hopefully your nephew's parents reacted more positively Littlegreenwolf heh.