I found anime in the past (30 and 20something years ago)... and have refound anime now to be worth my time because it's a surrealistic medium that you can more or less do anything with. I find myself more interested in an animated show done right than I do yet-another-live-action show. There are turds from every era and diamonds in the rough from every era. One just has to get lucky or know where to look. I like stuff from the mid 1970s till present, but I don't just like anything. A good deal of what others like I find to be garbage. What I like others think is garbage. I have other hobbies, but since Covid Variable Era began I have more free time than I used to... if I'm going to be in front of the Television, might as well be something different/interesting.
I will say that I DO see a slight change in how things are done though. 30 years back one had to scrounge for anime at conventions, monthly anime fan club meetings, or you purchased VHS, Laserdisc, DVDs of what you wanted from whatever it was that companies licensed. There was time to watch stuff and let it gestate. You ended up re-watching stuff several times over every time you introduced your friends to it (if they were open to it). ---Today with "Streaming" and Simulcasting and the whole Seasonal setup, one has oodles of stuff to pick from but needs to commit to what is realistic to watch and when they're done with 8 to 12 shows, it's time to watch the next Season. IF... IF the 12 episode season did well enough to get another 12 eps. Back in the day a show automatically ran for 24 to 49 to 52 to 75 eps easily. It was more of a risk for the companies producing anime and for companies licensing stuff to sell on physical media, and ppl collected stuff to watch and re-watch later. PRESENT DAY, it's becoming more "something to do" and I wonder if ppl today will still be pimping a show from 2019 or 2022 in 2042 or 2060, like my generation still pimps stuff like Bubblegum Crisis 35 years after it was released and 30 years after it came out stateside. Or will people from today fall out of flavor with it all and not care when they're 40something. I'll prolly be watching stuff from now and from the golden era in 2060 when I'm 83 years old. My father is 79.9 and watches anime now. |