When Will You Stop Watching Anime?

[enkoujin]

The question we all do not want to ask ourselves - when do you think you will stop keeping up with otaku culture including anime, manga and the like?

Hearing from the older generation of anime fans about how they whine and complain about the decaying of the anime industry that have little entertainment (K-ON!, for example as they say, is the embodiment of all that is"moe" and nothing more). They claim that these new series lack substance that is inferior to the once "great" Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise, Cowboy Bebop, Trigun, etc. (older series than this for sure) (http://animeworldorder.blogspot.com/2007/12/anime-world-order-show-63-totally-lame.html)

Additionally, my otaku friend describes this new trend in anime, if you want to call it that. He calls it "the new wave" of internet and otakus that are suddenly dictating what genres or series that will be produced through sales and merchandise. While some cannot condemn the anime industry for falling through this route to compensate for [free]falling DVD sales, are there any other alternatives that will sustain the hunger of the older generation of otakus and neutralize the lust of the newer generations?

Plus, it may not be a mangaka's fault in how their works become a bubbling pool that spawns broods of despair, the directors and his/her cast are a major factor in determining the quality of the anime. With most animators earning less than $30,000 annually (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2005-11-02/animator%27s-salaries), is this also a big reason why many senior members of the anime community are dissatisfied with poor anime we have today?

To contrast all of this, we do have more people watching anime on a global scale (mostly ever increasing availability of the internet to both developed and developing countries' middle-class families), which is very helpful. In fact, Naruto is one of the most searched content on famous search engines (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/12/01/yahoos-top-searches-for-2008-are-the-same-as-they-were-for-2007/). That extra handful of audiences do help out with sales...or do they when concerning fansubs and licensing?

However, it is the new internet users that continue the anime that is being produced. After all, most animes may be getting a new overhaul with the new international attention and now, corporate attention from the Japanese sector of Pizza Hut (Yum! Brands) and Vaio notebooks (Sony).

What is evident in the anime industry is their limited amount of tricks to pull out of their sleeves. After all, once you pull sex and softcore porn into the picture to captivate the bigger audience of the "new wave", but surely, is sex not going to bore us all one day with so much exposure?

With everything nowadays becoming "mainstream", how does all of this affect you?

Finally, the above open discussions bring me to this point: How has all of the above affect the time you will stop watching anime, and when will that be? After all, fads do die out sometimes. Amongst the Suzumiya Haruhi DVD collections, the Hunter x Hunter manga books, that Mio bolster, those Gundam figurines, that Dragonball Z posters, that Lancelot USB stick you bought, attending anime conventions, cosplaying and many other variants, when will all of those things become mundane and useless to you?

For me, I have noticed the drastic change of the transitioning anime from the older series to the new ones and I have got to say that indeed, I have no idea where the anime industry has headed. I have realized how "empty" a series can become - especially oriented around the romance-comedy-harem genre. Utilizing that example, I have witnessed, time and time again, how that type of anime ends, perpetuating the ongoing relationship battle between two main characters with no distinction from the protagonist to choose one of them.

I used to laugh quite a fair bit at anime before, but with its repetitiveness in delivering punishment for perverse actions, my alienation Japanese puns, reading the terribly written blogs of obnoxious and self-righteous "elites" of the anime community, I barely laugh or enjoy myself when concerning otaku culture, a sign that guaranteeing signs the contract of death date of my interest in otaku culture. From my opinion, I would probably say I would stop watching anime and the like around 31-35, which is about another 14-17 years.

Anyway, it's a huge debate everywhere on every forum, and I am very sure there has been huge discussions as smaller skirmishes in different topics, and I am collectivizing all of those opinions into one topic.

[Penner]

Yeah..honestly, i'll never stop doing the things i like, wich includes watching anime and playing computer/video games.

Some people might feel the need to stop doing such things with the reason to "grow up" but thats just a lameass excuse because they somehow feel forced to stop doing certain things because it for some reason goes hand in hand with "growing up".

I see no reason why anyone would need to stop doing what they enjoy if it doesnt hurt them in any way. ^^

[Xelbair]

I'll stop when i grow tired of it - for now each season brings something new.

[Death BOO Z]

is there really such a difference between ages 41-45 and ages 46-50?

won't the more appropriate options be "in collage", "when I get a steady job", "when I married", "when I have kids" and "when my kids start watching anime"?

I'll put in a more serious answer later this night.

[Ryllharu]

The more appropriate options would have been the ones Death Boo Z suggested, and my answer would probably be, "When I have kids and they cause me to not have time for it anymore." Maybe I will have kids and still have plenty of time for anime I don't know, but if my dvds are still working by then (no reason for them not to be), I probably will share it with them as well.

Hearing from the older generation of anime fans about how they whine and complain about the decaying of the anime industry that have little entertainment (K-ON!, for example as they say, is the embodiment of all that is"moe" and nothing more). They claim that these new series lack substance that is inferior to the once "great" Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise, Cowboy Bebop, Trigun, etc. (older series than this for sure) (http://animeworldorder.blogspot.com/2007/12/anime-world-order-show-63-totally-lame.html) I say this as an anime watcher who has been around for a decade or so, who often tries to extol the virtues of the older, often passed over series of yesteryear. I really honestly and truly hate this aspect about western anime fans more than any other. There's even prominent sites (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/) full of them.

It's nostalgia (emphasis on the negative aspects), plain and simple. Self-righteous older anime fans look back and only remember the good animes they saw. They love and spout never ending love for Evangelion, but do they remember Gilgamesh or how awful Bubblegum Crisis 2040 actually was? They love Akira, but never saw Venus Wars? They remark how awesome it was to rent Record of the Lodoss War from the video store, but prefer to block out Final Fantasy Unlimited (as well they should).

There's the same percentage of crap back then as there is coming out today. The simple answer relates right back to this very topic. They've grown out of it, but can't admit it to themselves (especially the ones who spent a great deal on dvds or vhs tapes). So nostalgia goes into full force, and they fall into the "Anime was better in those days..." trap.

Here they are, 5 or 10 years down the road, remembering how many times they watched Nausicaa, and looking at where popular anime has gone and declaring the new garbage. They're just not into it enough anymore to find the gems that are still being produced unless ADV released them on dvd at their local BestBuy when they are picking up the latest season of LOST, or notice at their local anime con where they go to reminisce with their old anime watching friends and make snide remarks about all the "idiot young fans" (who are the same age they used to be when they were watching) and sit in on a panel discussion.

Fansubs? They'd never touch them. They wouldn't be able to justify how much money they had spent and now never watch again. In fact, they are more than happy to announce that now that anime has become more accessible, the newer fansub watching fans aren't "true fans," they're just pirates and irresponsible punks that are making the anime industry the shell of it's former glory and if they'd only start buying dvds maybe the anime industry would stop putting out "moe garbage" and release some angsty mecha.

(Of course, everything is "moe garbage" to them, regardless of the actual content.)



I went off on a bit of a rant here, but I think I hit some good points as an equally self-loathing fan of anime. I've been through that phase and luckily was able to see it a little more objectively and realized a lot of new fans just aren't going to watch the older "decent" titles, they only want the really good stuff. I can't blame them really.

And yes, I probably shouldn't read the ANN forums or reviews anymore because they only piss me off. But I keep going back anyway.

[poopdeville]

Meh, I stop watching an anime or reading a manga when it gets boring. If it all becomes boring, I won't watch any of it (much like prime time television, now that Lost is off the air for a year)

One Piece is 547 chapters in, and has not started getting boring. I would be surprised if I didn't see it through to the end at this point.

Obviously, this is just my opinion of "boringness". American media needs more pirates and anarchists instead of crappy cop shows. It would do us some good to question the world instead of getting pushed around by it. That wouldn't serve the interests of those doing the pushing, though.

[KrayZ33]

I'll stop watching anime when it gets too expensive and/or too difficult to get
I don't think animes nowadays are worse than they were 5-6 years ago.

There wasn't a season yet where I had no anime to watch.

[Kraco]

It's as much a misconception that one must eventually grow out of watching anime as that anime is something special that you must force yourself to keep watching no matter what. It's just one form of entertainment, nothing more. I won't grow out of it any more than I will grow out of 24 or 007 or games or whatever other entertainment out there. Some textbook genres have already become far less interesting (harem), and I watch them far less than I used to or drop them more often. Because it's entertainment and you don't watch entertainment that doesn't entertain, obviously.

There's little else to say. I foresee myself watching less anime in the future, for various reasons, but there's surely no reason to artificially drop it all. If I can keep myself updated, I will always find series that will be interesting.

[Pandadice]

well, it's a good question that I often ask myself. and I think you all have a lot of good points.

I figure I'll be watching anime until I find something else that interests me. until something new comes along that takes my attention, or fills the void.

however, even if some new thing comes along, that doesn't mean that I'm just going to start like, hating all anime or anything. I'll still love the shows I like regardless of if I'm keeping super up-to-date on all the new shows. I figure that there probably will be a time when I get too busy to keep up with 10 or so shows every season or whatever.

I can definitely see both sides of the "new wave" vs old-school ideologies, and I can agree with both. I mean, yeah I've seen plenty of "the classics" pre-2000 anime, and I still go back and watch old shows that I haven't seen. But I also watch the new stuff, and I do enjoy plenty of the new stuff. but at the same time, I watch some of these new shows, like Asura Cryin (I've only seen 2 episodes, so I can't really judge it), but it just seems like the same kind of highschool setting that I've seen all too much. as well as like Tayutama, which is the same thing i've seen infinite times before. Maybe I've just lost interest in those genres, but that doesn't mean I'm losing interest in anime in general.

[darkshadow]

Never, if I ever liked something consiously I will continue to like it. Sure I might get to like it less, but why should I ( or anyone for that matter) suddenly grow a dislike for something?
The only excuse that I can think of is prolly also the lamest and very society driven. Being that you should "grow up" and stop watching cartoons or play games.

I don't even try to debate such a thing with those people, since in most cases it means that they are just ignorant fucks who deeply care about what other people ( society) thinks of them.
I'll do whatever the hell I want thank you ;).

And like Kraco said, its all entertainment, you don't watch/do it not to be entertained. And if you have been actively entertained by something, its a very safe bet you will keep being entertained by it, even if to a somewhat lesser extent then the first ( or succesive) time(s).

[Board of Command]

It's as much a misconception that one must eventually grow out of watching anime as that anime is something special that you must force yourself to keep watching no matter what. It's just one form of entertainment, nothing more. I won't grow out of it any more than I will grow out of 24 or 007 or games or whatever other entertainment out there. Some textbook genres have already become far less interesting (harem), and I watch them far less than I used to or drop them more often. Because it's entertainment and you don't watch entertainment that doesn't entertain, obviously.
I agree. Entertainment is entertainment regardless of how old you are. You only move on when you come to the realization that whatever you're doing is no longer enjoyable.

[Testarossa Autodrive]

As long as there is something that strikes my interest, I don't think I'll ever stop watching anime. That's like asking "will you ever stop watching comedies or horror flicks?" It's just something you're drawn to, an interest and it doesn't make me childish to be watching it when I'm well over the hill.

[MFauli]

as long as im interested. lol, why would i stop watching because of some society pressure "oh, you´re too old now!".

It´ll be the same with videogames: I barely play these days, which is because theres hardly interesting games out there, but when there´s something im interested in, im playing it hours and hours in a row.

[Hiwatari]

I don't think i'll stop watching. As much as everyone here in this thread has talked about how old anime are better than the new ones, i'm more inclined to say that new anime series has more genres to offer, and there is a genre for every age group.

So as long as anime companies continue to exist, and develop more series to suit each population group, why should i stop watching?

[NarutoAngel221]

I think that I will stop watching anime if ever their is no longer anime creators in this world which is not going to happen...

[Carnage]

I intend on growing up some time in college.

[Penner]

I intend on growing up some time in college.

You seem like one of those people i was referring to in my first post in this thread :rolleyes:

[Assassin]

thats like asking "when will you stop watching the simpsons/family guy/futurama/american dad/southpark"

Just because its animation doesn't mean its meant for kids.

[Ryllharu]

I find that while I don't necessarily watch any less anime than I did in high school or the early years of college, my tastes certainly changed.

I've little patience for series like Bleach, Naruto, Hitman Reborn, or Basquash anymore. There's nothing wrong with them (except Reborn...too generic and boring for me after about 100 chapters of the manga), but they just don't grab me the way they used to, and I tend to lose interest in them quickly, as I did with Basquash.

Five years ago, I never would have watched Itazura na Kiss, would have found Spice and Wolf too slow, the art style in ef - a tale of memories too weird (I almost dropped MoonPhase when it got like that), and White Album too boring. Now, they are among my favorite series.

And five years ago, there is no way in hell I would have ever been caught owning the three box sets of ARIA.

[fahoumh]

I've been watching anime before I even knew what it was over 20 years ago. I can't remember if the first one I watched was Astroboy, Voltron, or Robotech. I've loved animated shows and movies for as long as I can remember, especially anime, so I seriously doubt I'll ever stop watching.


thats like asking "when will you stop watching the simpsons/family guy/futurama/american dad/southpark"

Just because its animation doesn't mean its meant for kids.

I could not have said it better. And the thing is, more than one person has thought my liking for animated shows/movies to be weird.

[oyabun]

Never. Anime taught me some valuable lessons about life. And it gives me great entertainment too..

[SilentSnake]

I'll be interested in anime and manga until Berserk ends :D

[Archangel]

Yeah..honestly, i'll never stop doing the things i like, wich includes watching anime and playing computer/video games.

Some people might feel the need to stop doing such things with the reason to "grow up" but thats just a lameass excuse because they somehow feel forced to stop doing certain things because it for some reason goes hand in hand with "growing up".

I see no reason why anyone would need to stop doing what they enjoy if it doesnt hurt them in any way. ^^

This post wins

[Foomanchew24]

I'll stop watching anime when i have lost my short term memory and can no longer remember what I am doing in the first place. You know your too old when you cant have a conversation without telling a story about your past and thats all you remember is the past. At which point your too far gone and you don't realize you too old anyway.

[Archangel]

I'll stop watching anime when i have lost my short term memory and can no longer remember what I am doing in the first place. You know your too old when you cant have a conversation without telling a story about your past and thats all you remember is the past. At which point your too far gone and you don't realize you too old anyway.

This post gets second place, but it's a close call