Forum - View topicHow can anime fans watch so much?
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Angel Blue
Posts: 2 |
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(Please do not take the following question as a way of bashing anime fans, but rather something that is based on a personal observation of mine.)
Why is it that so many fans insist upon watching as many anime shows as they possibly can? I have read many postings from anime-related bbs sites (like this one) and blogs about people keeping up with 4-5 different anime shows at one time. To someone who watches maybe 1-3 shows on a yearly average, this sort of thing boggles the mind. It is as if fans are never satisfied with having seen two or three good shows, and are inclined to make an effort to continue watching more and more. I like anime and all, but I do not feel the need to watch every new show per "season" out there. In fact, I am of the opinion that having seen fewer, "closely-held" series is better than trying to cram so many shows into a watched/must-watch list. Is there something to the fandom that promotes such a high level of commitment among every anime fan out there, or am I simply observing the really hardcore portion of the fandom on the Internet? |
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Vortextk
 Posts: 892 Location: Orlando, Fl |
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1: Bragging. The cool kids are always really into what they like, and the more into it you are, the cooler you are among the crowd that cares.
2: Lots of free time. If you work 20 hours a week and attend like 2 classes amounting to maybe 5 hours, where else do you spend your time? You have to pick a hobby somewhere. 3: I don't see it any different than someone watching reruns of 5 of their favorite shows while catching weekly episodes of 10 new ones. It's simply american vs japanese programming. 4: Society is being built around consumption and consuming more is supposed to be better. More cars, more women, more money, more video games, more muscles, what have you. You're told to spend your money, watch entertainment, buy goods and keep working until the end of time to continue the cycle. 5: For whatever good or bad reasons, you think japanese stuff is the best ever and you must inhale as much as you can. And thats pretty much everything I could think of off the top of my head. You can't shove everyone into one of those categories because everyone has different reasons, as they do about everything else they do, right? |
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Shugo_vampire
 Posts: 1 |
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For me, I have to keep up with what is popular today. I watch as of now at least 4 series. I'm an anime club president and I need to make sure my club is watching what is popular right now.
The other reason is to know what I'm talking about at cons. I don't like being that one person who doesn't know what the show is and being fussed over. |
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einhorn303
 Posts: 1180 |
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Personally, I never really watch more than one show per season. Often less, now that I'm generally avoiding fansubs.
I think true fandom, true otaku-ness, isn't found in watching lots of shows at once...that's just treating them as disposal entertainment. No, I watch one show and watch it with incredible depth, becoming a true fan of all it's subtleties. When Strike Witches aired in the summer, I made screenshot analysises breaking down when they reused animation frames, looking for historical references, pointing out the cultural inaccuracy in how a hamburger was made, etc. I don't watch anime because it's popular or trendy, I watch it because I love it. I think that's something a lot of today's self-entitled fansub kiddies forget. Also, if I actually had to buy all the DVD's, figures, artbooks, official doujinshi for that many shows, I'd be broke. I have to be more concentrated in my fandom. |
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Sophisticat
 Posts: 165 |
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Because there are many good shows that are enjoyable to watch and following 5 series per season amounts to 20 minutes a day of anime. Even 10 series per season only brings that up to 45 minutes a day (not even counting weekends), about the time it takes to eat dinner if you so choose to watch while eating. That's an easy 40 12-episode series or about 480 episodes.
It's really not that hard at all to rack up the amount you watch, while still enjoying plenty of other hobbies. It all about setting priorities and being organized and responsible. Selective viewing of anime beats out TV any day for me, anyway. |
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Mistypearl
 Posts: 517 |
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If I didn't try to watch shows I took a likely to, then what's the point of just watching one? My 'first' show was one that really affected me alot, and I wanted to see if there were any other shows that would do the same thing, really that's all there was to it. I won't be able to experience a 'wow' moment until I go searching for it most of the time. That's the main reason. Also, I get bored easily, and I seem to have free time. Ha.
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wormraper
 Posts: 427 |
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Well, I know people who watch several movies a week. It's not that much of a stretch to turn movies into anime. You can finish an anime series in about a week going like that. Shrug, it's a hobby, something you enjoy doing.
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JacobC
ANN Past Staff
 Posts: 3728 Location: SoCal |
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I may get throttled by this, but I'm a fan who doesn't ingest that many episodes in one day, in fact there are several days that go by where I don't watch any anime because I'm occupied by other things. (I still find time to post on this board, though, but that's because my laptop is my siamese twin...I use it for everything and almost always have it with me.)
So I don't think it's that anime fans are insistent on ingesting a lot of anime, I think it's that one blanket stereotype of anime fans (don't throttle me, it's true!) is that a lot of them have a LOT of free time. They're not the kinds of kids who are always out at parties or extracurricular sports or anything. They go home after school or after their jobs and they're done. They sit around watching anime. (Yes, I'm aware there are LOTS of fans with active social lives, but I know enough fans that have hours and hours to spend on WoW and fansubs to know that nerd = no life.) I've been there myself, so I'm poking fun at me here, too. (Thankfully, I'm not there anymore. Being busy is a lot better for me.) |
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Labbes
 Posts: 890 |
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Well, most of my friends live about an hour away from where I live (By car. And I have to take the train...), so I don't have much to do after school. Sure, there's homework, but...well.
I do sports and stuff, but there is still a lot of time left. I read a lot of books, listen to music (legally.), watch movies, and I watch anime/TV shows. I can't do nothing with my free time^^ However, I can't really understand the need to watch more than 3 shows a season either, and I can't even keep up with those, so usually, it boils down to one or two shows per season. |
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TheMysterious
Posts: 5 |
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I think the real nerds is most often not the ones who have no friends but the ones that enjoy anime so much that they chose to stay home instead of doing... social stuff. Also some people barely sleep and skip homework... (I'm thinking about people school age now since I don't know many older otakus)
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JacobC
ANN Past Staff
Posts: 3728 Location: SoCal |
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Yeah. That kind of attitude irks me! You should always try to consider other people over your own dumb hobbies if you have nothing better to do. Spending time with other people is more fulfilling, and it's the right thing to do![/sarcasm, see below]
... *raises hand* However, being a complete bum and screwing over your responsibilities to enjoy a good show? Heck yes, I'm there! 
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Top Gun
 Posts: 4803 |
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I don't see how it's so hard to watch multiple series every season (or multiple shows at once in any case). Your average anime episode runs about 23 or 24 minutes, give or take. If you're watching six series currently premiering in Japan, that's less than three hours of anime-watching per week. Not exactly a huge time commitment.
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Angel Blue
Posts: 2 |
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The time it takes to watch a single anime episode isn't the point. It's the fact that fans usually commit themselves to watching so many shows at once that puzzles me. It is as if certain fans watch anime just to build up a list of shows that they have seen, regardless of simply appreciating one or two really good shows at the moment. Some of you have compared this to watching movies or live-action TV shows. I personally have not seen this kind of commitment among my high school classmates when it comes to television shows, or movie-watching. Sure they might go nuts over the next blockbuster movie or hot new TV show, but they don't bother trying to pick out five or six other movies/shows to watch at the same time. |
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prodicted
 Posts: 5 |
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Can someone explain what the problem is? Is it not commiting yourself to a single season or is it quite simply that it costs to much time?
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Dorcas_Aurelia
 Posts: 5344 Location: Philly |
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Really, you don't know people that watch, say, Grey's anatomy, Desperate Housewives, and Lost as the new episodes come out? It's the same thing. Lots of people regularly watch prime time television and follow multiple shows. And dramas run an hour long, so there's more to keep up with week-to-week. And then there are soap-operas. Each one an hour a day, five days a week. Keeping track of any more than one of those would put most five to seven anime shows a week watcher to shame in terms of information to deal with. |
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