| Interesting phenomenon. In the old days, I used to watch a ton of anime, finishing a series every week at least. Now, however, I barely watch anime, and I've been stuck trying to finish the same few shows for the past year with no motivation to complete them. It's not as if they're particularly bad shows, but I've just been less interested in anime in general. However, recently my life has gotten much worse, and what do you know? I've also started watching more anime and finishing some of those series I've been stuck on. Perhaps this is because anime offers an escape from real life, and you can simply immerse yourself in the world of the anime you're watching and forget about your real life troubles. I wonder if others also experience this phenomenon. Thank you for your attention to this matter! |
 What's the difference? |
| I don't even watch a lot of anime, i mostly read it and research it and talk about it. |
| It's the other way around for me. I don't watch anime when I'm sad because no matter what I watch it'll feel like shit. It's a bit like busting a nut to a bad hentai/doujin; no satisfaction. |
"Nobody could laugh at someone who's trying their hardest" -Machio- |
| What will you do when your life sucks 24/7? You'll have to have other hobbies to sustain a lifetime of cope. |
| Not really. Honestly when life sucks, I just kinda go into a depressive shell. There was a reason, my anime consumption started to go down a bit in 2022-2024, yeah I was working more, had more responsibilities; however, I can point at depression as a cause. I got more into "active hobbies" as a result, because when I am just consuming media, I have to feel good, or otherwise my terrible inner voice comes out, and starts to say bad things. When I feel that way, I need hobbies that require more than passive consumption to "escape". Main reason I picked up sketching. Now that I am doing, at least a bit better, I do want to watch more however, reading is kinda consuming me right now, though I do want to make more of an effort soon. |
| I haven't noticed any direct correlation between my mood and when I watch anime. If I'm super busy, I won't watch as much. I guess I've also noticed that I haven't been that sad lately. Basically I just watch anime when I'm bored, not too happy or sad. |
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| Yeah I have that too, fiction provides good escapism from real life. I haven't gone through the "barely watching anime" part yet though, I just tend to watch more of it when I feel like shit. |
| Not only, but probably more in my case. |
No, this isn't my signature. |
| The amount of time I spend watching anime has decreased dramatically since having kids. But to your point OP, I've found that if I'm stressed or otherwise a bit down, I still watch the same amount of anime, but the type of anime I watch changes. I'll watch SoL or cgdct, or isekai slop, or gag humour comedy, or rewatch something comfy like Slayers that I really enjoy and make me smile. When I'm chipper and all tickety-boo, I'll watch anything, although I'll have to be an especially good mood before trying to watch Takopi. Either way, anime is a great escape from the confines of modern life, and part of the reason I enjoy it so much. So much variety out there. |
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| Yes, for me, anime and my mood are related. When I'm in a bad mood, I watch more depressing anime. When I'm in a better mood, I watch anime like slice of life. |
| Tbh that has always been the case for me. Though it'd be kind of a waste to just stop when life is busy or going great. Can't really let go of what i like. I won't stop watching anime. What i'd do is perhaps change how i enjoy it and explore new things that i never knew or cared about before. |
| real dude, anime was my daily routine & anti-depressant pill from mid-2022 until July 2025 and I would watch it every night for those three years. Might watch anime again in 2026 for the catch-up in sequels, any popular animes, and the seasonal ones as well. |
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Daemon said: Interesting phenomenon. In the old days, I used to watch a ton of anime, finishing a series every week at least. Now, however, I barely watch anime, and I've been stuck trying to finish the same few shows for the past year with no motivation to complete them. It's not as if they're particularly bad shows, but I've just been less interested in anime in general. However, recently my life has gotten much worse, and what do you know? I've also started watching more anime and finishing some of those series I've been stuck on. Perhaps this is because anime offers an escape from real life, and you can simply immerse yourself in the world of the anime you're watching and forget about your real life troubles. I wonder if others also experience this phenomenon. Thank you for your attention to this matter! Full disclosure… I used to have a different opinion about this shit. Back then, I wouldn’t even have even recommend people to bury themselves in Anime if they were feeling depressed. Truth is, it’s only human to feel down sometimes. Even people who look like they’ve got their shit together hit those low points. The real problem is when it’s constant. Being perpetually depressed isn’t healthy. Compared to how I’ve seen other people cope in life, Anime isn’t the worst thing. I’ve watched friends drown themselves in alcohol, binge on shit like junk food until it showed, or in some cases, just give up entirely. One guy I used to chat with at a local bar overdosed on prescription meds... the Dude looked fine on the outside, but he was carrying chronic depression. So yeah, watching Anime to get through a rough patch is way better than that. The problem is when it becomes a pattern. Escapism isn’t inherently bad, but shit gets risky if you only turn to it when life sucks. At that point, Anime stops being a hobby and starts being a mood-dependent drug. That’s when it slides into avoidance, it becomes an addiction in its own way. Personally, when I’m down, I try to do something active like hit the gym, sign up for a cooking class, or surround myself with people in positive spaces. Sometimes I will just dust off my upright bass and drop a needle on my SL-1200mkII and jam to some Jazz on 12" vinyl. Hell, I’ve even set up a little home studio a few years back where I went out on a whim and bought a Tascam Portastudio, MC-808, Roland JD-XA, and a fender Jaguar, just to record my own electro-jazz tracks for myself to listen to. Shit like that pulls me out of my head and keeps me moving forward. Particularly, this is shit I do when I am down because I got a daughter who lives in Japan and a Wife who currently constantly travels all around the world due to her career (I literally only spend quality time with my wife in real life only a few times a months, other than video chatting with her before she goes to sleep when she is away from home). Anime can potentially help for some, but it’s not a life raft... it should just be one piece of the balance, not the whole thing. |
ColourWheelSep 16, 1:40 PM
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ColourWheel said: I got a daughter who lives in Japan and a Wife who currently constant travels all around the world due to her career Sounds interesting, what's her job? |
No, this isn't my signature. |
Zarutaku said: Sounds interesting, what's her job? She’s a highly successful multilingual professional. She’s fluent in more than half a dozen languages and has working knowledge of just as many more. Most of her work comes from being contracted by businesses. Everything from high-profile negotiations to translation work. On rare occasions, she’s even been brought in to assist politicians. |
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| I did that a lot back in 2016 and probably last year, but not nowadays for some reason, I don't really feel like watching anime even when I want to. |
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