wat u say

I’ve seen a few posts concerning the way we watch our anime recently (the former being not really so recent), and it’s had me thinking about the way I like to watch my anime as well. I’ve left a few comments here and there, but I woke up this morning after watching H2O – Footprints in the Sand and had a sudden urge to write my own post about it. I’ve never really done anything like this, mostly because I’m not sure what I’ll have to contribute that others haven’t said (or said better), but I suppose I may as well take a step into the world of metablogging (if this can even be called metablogging, lol).

So, there’s been plenty of talk about the way we consume our anime. There’s quite a few different ways to do it, but I’m going to focus on the two most popular, because they’re the two that I personally have to choose between. Well, it’s not like I have many options other than to marathon old anime that’s already aired. But what I want to touch on is when, what, and why to watch shows as they’re airing. Naturally, I’m not going to try to set a hard and fast rule for all anime fans, I’m pretty sure that it’s not possible to set such a rule for all anime fans everywhere, and I’m not that arrogant to think I could. If at least one person can get something out of this post, or even if it just makes people think more about the way they watch anime, I’ll be satisfied.

I’d like to start off by talking about marathoning first. It’s the way I’ve watched (had to watch) most of my anime really. I’ve only just barely made it through one season of watching anime as it airs (really not even a full season yet), so I haven’t had much of a choice in the matter. That said, it hasn’t all been bad. I’ve mentioned in several of my comments that I prefer marathoning drama and slice of life shows that bring a sadder side to the story, because for me, it’s easier to watch that way. Not only because I don’t have to wait forever and a year for the resolution, but I can get fully enveloped in the show. It’s the second part that I realized means a hell of a lot to me. And I first noticed it as I was watching Clannad After Story this season. Normally, I would’ve been balling so hard during Misae’s arc, but I felt like all that had happened last episode had happened ages ago, and it barely touched me. At the time, I didn’t realize how much I was really missing out, but H2O really drove home how much I prefer watching shows like this in a marathon.

I’ll say this, I would definitely have kept with H2O through the season as it aired. From the start it had me captivated, so I have no doubt I would have watched it eagerly. However, the problem for me would have been immersion. It’s this absolute immersion in the story, being able to get completely lost in their world for hours at a time that really give stories their impact. It’s why when I read a book that I really enjoy, I literally can’t put it down. I’ll read it for hours on end until I either get hungry or sleepy. If it’s good, I don’t want to stop and break the immersion. And good stories will really try to immerse you in the story, get you to feel for the characters, their friends, their worries, their hopes and their dreams.

It’s the immersion that I really feel gives certain shows their kick, if you will. Perhaps it’s a failing on my part that I can’t just easily recall all my feelings on a series when I open the next episode, but I really have to get into a series first. Maybe that’s a sign that I need to watch a few previous episodes when I’m watching anime as it airs, or just specific anime, but I’m getting off topic here. By being completely enveloped in a story, you can really get carried away by all the emotions. And that can be good or bad. I notice I’m much less critical of flaws, even big ones, in episodes or even spanning a series when I marathon. As long as the series manages to immerse me in the story and get me feeling for the characters, I can’t find myself hating it. It’s only after the immersion wears off that I can start looking at it a bit more critically, which is why I like to write my posts before that happens. Perhaps I’m just too soft or too easy to please, but if a story can move me emotionally, that’s all it takes for me to at least like it.

On the positive side, when marathoning shows, I feel like it allows you to really fully feel the raw emotional power of it. I’m having a hard time putting it into words, but with the immersion, I feel like I get so close to the characters that my own feelings tend to parallel those of the characters. It’s this emotional part of anime that I love. And I never realized how much I loved it until I grabbed and marathoned Clannad. That was my crash course in feeling anime, and what a crash course it was. But I feel like when I watched H2O last night, the point was driven home further. The final episode of the series was full of so many emotions that I was unbelievably overwhelmed. And when Hayami walked towards Hirose at the end, my emotions overflowed and I completely lost it. Would I have really had such a strong reaction if I hadn’t just watched the first 11 episodes of the series before watching the 12th? Even if I had re-watched them all before watching the 12th episode, there’s just something particularly mind blowing at watching an entire series all at once, for the very first time ever.

I think by now you can see where my preference lies, but let me be my own devil’s advocate and see if I can also express what I’ve learned from this season of anime.

So, the flip side of the coin, watching anime ongoing, or weekly. I’ve learned quite a lot this season about watching anime as it airs. The first, of course, is not to bite off more than I can chew. I definitely tried too hard to pick up everything and post about it. But that aside, I think there’s a lot to be said for watching anime ongoing.

Possibly the biggest benefit is being able to reflect on one episode for an entire week. Having that time to simmer down and really look at each episode as it stands gives way to some very good discussion and a bit more objective grading of the episode and the anime. While I feel that sometimes this isn’t all that helpful, it does help to stop and think about what you’re watching. I certainly fall prey to just going along with what happens in a story and just accepting it, even if it makes absolutely no sense. Perhaps I’m just a simpleton, or easy to please, but I think that’s where the reflection time helps me the most. If I’m able to sit down, watch an episode, make a post about it, then reflect on it for a week, I’m able to feel a certain sense of satisfaction if I’m overall pleased with the episode at the end of that week. Of course, I encounter many other blog posts about episodes, and without a doubt they can influence or even change my opinion, but that’s usually not a bad thing. I’m certainly not a person who notices things like symbolism and hidden references to modern times or anything. My mind just doesn’t work that way, so being able to have those things pointed out to me by fellow bloggers is a good thing for me.

Naturally though, there are times when this reflection time and sharing of thoughts and opinions can have an adverse effect. I noticed it first with Clannad After Story, I called it a brooding period instead of reflection, because everytime I saw a post about Clannad I would get all moody and angry at the characters for doing something I felt was stupid. It left me with a bad taste in my mouth for a few weeks and I had to put off watching Clannad until I finally felt up to it again. And in the end, it was nothing really huge, it was just frustrating at the time, and since I couldn’t move forward, I had to wait and brood and it made me not want to continue. I guess you could say I RAGE quit watching Clannad After Story for a few weeks.

The second part, being influenced by others opinions, I don’t find to be such a bad thing. If someone puts forth a convincing argument or theory and backs it up with proof or at least some semblance of logic, is it such a bad thing that they should change your mind? I find myself encountering posts like these pretty often, but I don’t feel that it is a bad thing. I have trouble looking really objectively and critically at anime and fiction in general, so I actually find it very helpful to have others around me who are able to do that and are willing to share their thoughts. The trouble comes if and when you let the people around you do all the thinking and just accept what they say like a mindless robot. I feel I’m rather past that stage in my life, but I can see how others might be affected by this. However, I see that as being more of an exception than the rule.

The communication between fans of anime I see as being the biggest benefit to watching anime ongoing. Being able to have an intelligent discussion about topics that come up in the anime, as well as the anime itself, really helps to enrich the experience on the whole. You’re not just being entertained, you’re really being challenged to think about what you’ve watched and come up with something to say about the anime. This is the part I enjoy the very most about watching anime ongoing, and it’s why I’ll continue to try to watch at least one show each season, to keep myself sharp and on my toes.

There’s one more thing I want to say about watching anime ongoing. There are some anime that, while they might not be that great on their own, can be made very enjoyable or even hilarious when taken in context with the fanbase. Of course, the show that comes to mind most is Code Geass, but there are plenty of other shows I’ve seen reference to in the past that really made me feel, “Damn, I wish I had been watching that when everyone else was watching it, that seems like a great experience.” Watching Code Geass ongoing, even for the short time I watched it like that, was really enjoyable. Watching the fans go crazy over every other scene, reading koda’s rants about Schneizel, the entire series was really a blast because I could laugh along with everyone else. So even when the show was really going downhill, I could still enjoy it, probably more than I might’ve if I hadn’t been there, due to the fans and the interaction I had.

So, after this giant wall of tl;dr, what have I come up with? Well, it really depends on what you want to get out of your anime. Do you want to be able to look at anime critically and search for that ever elusive number 10? Or do you just want an enjoyable emotional rollercoaster? Personally, if it’s a comedy, action, adventure, or sci-fi show, I find it rather enjoyable to watch ongoing. Shows like Code Geass, Gundam 00, Macross Frontier, and Chaos;Head are pretty enjoyable to watch ongoing. Not only is there a pretty big fanbase with which you can have intense discussions, but there’s plenty of chances to come up with some fun, if not crazy, theories on where the story will go. And, in my opinion, you don’t need to be so deeply immersed in the story to get what you need out of it.

Concerning shows that are more slice of life, romance, drama, or what have you, I prefer to watch these shows in a marathon. Perhaps there are others out there who are able to easily reimmerse themselves in a story with only a few short moments of preparation, but I feel like I need more inertia to really get going. Of course, once I get immersed, I just can’t stop. And that’s the reason I prefer marathons. I hate being forced to stop, it feels like I’m being completely trainwrecked and derailed at an inopportune time. But perhaps, due to that inertia, I get more out of a marathon than others might.

So that’s that. Sorry for the giant wall of text, but I didn’t want to split it with giant pictures either. Hopefully you will find something in the wall of text that might help you better enjoy anime, or at the very least, make you think about the way you consume. おわり～