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Oct 21, 2019 1:30 PM
#1
Hello fine people, I just wanted to talk about something I've been feeling for a while, and I'm wondering is there's anyone else that feels/has felt the same way. I've been an anime fan for a while now, and while I'm not the most well-versed of all fans, its something that is very important to me. I have gotten to a point in my life now though where I no longer have as much time to put into anime as I used to, and it bothers me because it means I haven't been able to keep up with the Seasonal cycle, my backlog is piled up and I feel like,for lack of better term, that I'm a "bad anime fan" because of this. I'm quite the completionist when it comes to things like this so it gives me some anxiety to still be backed up on shows from seasons, or even years, ago. Is this something other people feel too? I know there are people out there who have watched an insane amount and dedicate most of their spare time to watching anime, but I'm no longer in a position to watch anime as much as my completionist brain would want, so it feels a bit bad, especialy when my friends are talking about new shows that I just haven't had the time to get into. I love anime so much. Its gotten me through so many tough times, been the nucleus of so many memories. I remember a time when I enjoyed anime without worrying about keeping up with the flow of the Seasons, or about what was popular with the community; I just watched and enjoyed what I wanted. At the moment it feels like those days are far away, and I wish I could forge a new golden age of anime to myself if I could rid myself of my anime stress. Just wanted to get this off my chest. Thank you for listening to me. |
DoneriOct 21, 2019 1:33 PM
Oct 21, 2019 1:52 PM
#2
I have definitely been able to spend a lot less time on anime in the past few months compared to before and it has changed my approach to seasonals quite a bit. Basically I'm picking up less shows and I drop shows quicker since I raised my threshold for how good or enjoyable I need a show to be to keep watching. So I know the feeling, but I don't see it as a big deal because I can just adapt my behaviour to the new circumstances. But I guess it depends on how little time you claim to have for anime. I can still watch a few episodes almost every day if I want and I doubt that will ever change. I can't imagine ever leading a life where I don't have at least 2-4 hours of free time per day. That would not be worth living for me, even setting anime aside. It's just that I used to watch really fucking much and now I watch more overseeable amounts but I definition won't fall behind on seasonals as long as I trim down the amount that I watch. I can't say how I would feel if I did completely fall behind on seasonals. It would probably make me anxious, at least for a while. I have been keeping up with them for almost 10 years now, basically the entire simulcasting era so far. I've already noticed that as I had less time to spend on anime the first things I started 'cutting' were the older and completed shows I used to be watching at the side and between seasonals. And I do kinda miss that, but at the same time I have seen so much already that new shows are more likely to really wow me than the ones that are left, not to mention new seasons of shows I already love. Add that to my anxiety about falling behind on seasonals and it's pretty clear why I consciously and subsconsciously prioritize them. If I had only seen a few dozen or so shows outside of seasonals I'd probably be less inclined to prioritize seasonals over the classics and top-tier shows of each genre, but that ship has sailed a long time ago :> |
I probably regret this post by now. |
Oct 21, 2019 1:59 PM
#3
First off, lately seasonal shows aren't even THAT good.There have been probably like 10 to 15 shows this year that have been worth following.So, don't feel bad for not keeping up with them. Second, there is no such thing as a bad anime fan.You love it a lot?Thats about enough reason to be a good fan. Third, not keeping up with seasonal shows doesn't mean you're not a real fan, its completely fine to focus on shows you didn't get to watch before, and you can watch the shows from this season next year, in five years, in ten years, you get what I mean:no anime show will run away or dissappear. Since in my oppinion you watched an O.K. number of shows, you shouldn't break your head over it.Rather, focus to watch well-known shows you didn't get to watch by now, like the fate series, monogatari series, evangelion,etc. since they are not only long but also very popular,loved and known (ofc, there are more, but these are some I watched/am watching) I've watched a lot of shows.I don't watch seasonal shows unless they are very hyped or I check them out or if it catches my eye. If you feel anxious about what you watched and how much, tbh just chill.Its not the end of the world if you don't have a whole year of your life spent on anime, yknow?You're human, spend your time however you want, and if you feel pressured to watch an anime, then its not love, its more of an addiction. I honestly watched only one or two eps today, didn't watch anything since saturday (the new BNHA episode), and I still like anime a lot.Just take it easy, noone will shame you, we're all here to just watch epic fights and anime titties. Its totally okay to feel close to anime because of how it affected your life, but its not okay to base your life on it. I might have sounded hypocritical in this reply, but I hope I somewhat helped. |
Oct 21, 2019 2:08 PM
#4
Pullman said: I suppose your anime watching habits are different to mine, as the idea of dropping a show once I've started it is not something I'd be able to do easily. I think your approach is pretty good though, dedicating a bit of time to it each day; its not something I was able to keep up. I should try and just focus on keeping things to suit my time availability.I have definitely been able to spend a lot less time on anime in the past few months compared to before and it has changed my approach to seasonals quite a bit. Basically I'm picking up less shows and I drop shows quicker since I raised my threshold for how good or enjoyable I need a show to be to keep watching. So I know the feeling, but I don't see it as a big deal because I can just adapt my behaviour to the new circumstances. But I guess it depends on how little time you claim to have for anime. I can still watch a few episodes almost every day if I want and I doubt that will ever change. I can't imagine ever leading a life where I don't have at least 2-4 hours of free time per day. That would not be worth living for me, even setting anime aside. It's just that I used to watch really fucking much and now I watch more overseeable amounts but I definition won't fall behind on seasonals as long as I trim down the amount that I watch. I can't say how I would feel if I did completely fall behind on seasonals. It would probably make me anxious, at least for a while. I have been keeping up with them for almost 10 years now, basically the entire simulcasting era so far. I've already noticed that as I had less time to spend on anime the first things I started 'cutting' were the older and completed shows I used to be watching at the side and between seasonals. And I do kinda miss that, but at the same time I have seen so much already that new shows are more likely to really wow me than the ones that are left, not to mention new seasons of shows I already love. Add that to my anxiety about falling behind on seasonals and it's pretty clear why I consciously and subsconsciously prioritize them. If I had only seen a few dozen or so shows outside of seasonals I'd probably be less inclined to prioritize seasonals over the classics and top-tier shows of each genre, but that ship has sailed a long time ago :> Prioritisation of seasonals is also something that's creeped up on me since 2015. |
Oct 21, 2019 2:10 PM
#5
I think for anime especially I don't ever get a fear of missing out. Granted I'm not generally involved in series specific discussions so that's never an issue, but if I were in a position where I was extremely curious about a show (especially a seasonal show) it takes minimal time and effort to get caught up. To put it in a time perspective an anime season is about 13 weeks or 3ish months. If there is 1 show you consistently hear mentioned you'd only have to find about 5 hours in a period of 3 months to finish the series (assuming it only runs for 1 season). If you wanted to be a part of the discussion presumably that would narrow it down to about 2 hours in a period of about 2 months if we're focusing on general consensus for major series. Unlike some other hobbies however anime has free alternatives so access is rarely a problem so you'd essentially have to elect to miss out versus being forced to miss out due to say a lack of money. |
Oct 21, 2019 2:11 PM
#6
I feel you. I'm such a completionist I'll get anxiety if a little special or commercial tied to a series that has a listing on MAL is lost or not translated. To me, it sounds like you're forcing yourself to enjoy and keep up with seasonal anime, though. I used to love participating in discussions and keeping up with multiple shows every season, but then I just abruptly lost the passion for it and got burned out on anime for a while. When I eventually came back, I realized it felt way more meaningful for me to find completed shows from previous years and dedicate myself to those, and for a while now I've been carefully picking things that'd maybe appeal to me more rather than keeping up with new stuff. Especially now that I'm more busy irl and serious about school, I find myself having way less time as well as motivation to just watch anything and everything. Of course, I can't be sure if you're having the exact same problem, but I'd say try it out try it out man |
Oct 21, 2019 2:14 PM
#7
dude your plant to watch list is too much lol one of the main reason people procrastinate is that they overestimate how huge the problem is and in this case your plan to watch list is too big of a problem lol just watch the most popular ongoing shows right now like Dr Stone, Vinland Saga and even the recently finished Kimetsu no Yaiba that should kick you of to a new start so do not watch too many that you cannot chew or bite |
Oct 21, 2019 2:15 PM
#8
Fraise-chan said: First off, lately seasonal shows aren't even THAT good.There have been probably like 10 to 15 shows this year that have been worth following.So, don't feel bad for not keeping up with them. Second, there is no such thing as a bad anime fan.You love it a lot?Thats about enough reason to be a good fan. Third, not keeping up with seasonal shows doesn't mean you're not a real fan, its completely fine to focus on shows you didn't get to watch before, and you can watch the shows from this season next year, in five years, in ten years, you get what I mean:no anime show will run away or dissappear. Since in my oppinion you watched an O.K. number of shows, you shouldn't break your head over it.Rather, focus to watch well-known shows you didn't get to watch by now, like the fate series, monogatari series, evangelion,etc. since they are not only long but also very popular,loved and known (ofc, there are more, but these are some I watched/am watching) I've watched a lot of shows.I don't watch seasonal shows unless they are very hyped or I check them out or if it catches my eye. If you feel anxious about what you watched and how much, tbh just chill.Its not the end of the world if you don't have a whole year of your life spent on anime, yknow?You're human, spend your time however you want, and if you feel pressured to watch an anime, then its not love, its more of an addiction. I honestly watched only one or two eps today, didn't watch anything since saturday (the new BNHA episode), and I still like anime a lot.Just take it easy, noone will shame you, we're all here to just watch epic fights and anime titties. Its totally okay to feel close to anime because of how it affected your life, but its not okay to base your life on it. I might have sounded hypocritical in this reply, but I hope I somewhat helped. I think I needed to hear something like this. I've got quite a lot going on in my life right now, and I'm spending a lot of time with my SO and working on other hobbies and its just felt like not watching anime as much was kind of a betrayal of my past. I suppose I've felt like I need to match up with the community and my friends and my own expectations of what a "true" anime fan is like. |
Oct 21, 2019 2:25 PM
#9
First of all, I want to say that please don't get to the point of depression or deep anxiety of worrying about this. I don't like anyone getting hurt or sad just bc they think they're not doing enough effort for being a fan. Trust me, being part of this community is really enough for the anime community in general. You're already giving your time and effort to watch a couple of shows, just showing your love matters. Everybody has a life, too, so don't feel like your whole life has to revolve around anime bc it's not, it's revolved around you so think of yourself first and do whatever makes you happy >~< Second, I can relate to this so much. I recently just became really busy bc I have tons of college stuff to do, and even though there's 8 shows on my watching list right now, I'm barely watching 3. I even didn't get to finish all of the summer anime last season, and I have all of them on hold now. So how disappointing does that sound? Plus, there are also shows I didn't even get to start last season and now this season, either. So I can definitely say I'm really upset that I can't watch as much as I used to, and it does get me anxious (hate to admit it), but like I said, don't get too depressed. I was almost very sad for a while, but realizing that I'm not the only one out there makes me happy in a way and now I want to make myself happy by doing what I want to do. Finally, I really appreciate that you mentioned this bc I haven't seen a post like this in a really long time, and I think that's it's important to give advice for people watching anime. Procrastination and budgeting time is really a weakness for teenagers these days, especially during school, so thank you again for bringing it up. |
Oct 21, 2019 2:26 PM
#10
ShadowMonkey said: I do definitely feel like I'm burning out a bit trying to keep up with seasonal anime. I've never been the kind of person to delve into the deep anime discussions, but my impulsion is definitely driven by the need to keep up to date. I used to try and watch 10+ shows per season and it just bogged me down; its not that I didn't enjoy those anime, I just kind of had the expectation of myself that I should be watching seasonally and if I didn't I was not being as good a fan as I should be. Maybe its because I'm an Aspie but I have always been bad at multitasking, so when I'm focusing on doing one thing its hard for me to keep in mind another thing, so its been easy for me to end up neglecting anime in pursuit of other hobbies and obligations lately.I feel you. I'm such a completionist I'll get anxiety if a little special or commercial tied to a series that has a listing on MAL is lost or not translated. To me, it sounds like you're forcing yourself to enjoy and keep up with seasonal anime, though. I used to love participating in discussions and keeping up with multiple shows every season, but then I just abruptly lost the passion for it and got burned out on anime for a while. When I eventually came back, I realized it felt way more meaningful for me to find completed shows from previous years and dedicate myself to those, and for a while now I've been carefully picking things that'd maybe appeal to me more rather than keeping up with new stuff. Especially now that I'm more busy irl and serious about school, I find myself having way less time as well as motivation to just watch anything and everything. Of course, I can't be sure if you're having the exact same problem, but I'd say try it out try it out man |
Oct 21, 2019 2:35 PM
#11
As others have pointed out, there's no such thing as a "true" (or false, for that matter) anime fan. If you like anime, you're a fan, there's not much else to it, no need to worry about not being a hardcore fan just because you're missing seasonal shows or anything along those lines. I do get your fomo, I never really had it with anime (I can go months without watching if I don't feel like it) but at a point I certainly had it with videogames, especially for some series where I had this urge to get the game asap as to talk about it with others and so on and so forth. I've stopped doing that a while back but I get you; for reasons, I haven't been able to watch any of the autumn seasonals yet and at the beginning I had just a tiny feeling of discomfort of "getting behind". Goodness knows, in this day and age most things will try to get you to feel fomo even when you don't want to in the first place (although this is certainly not the case). My general advice is not particularly useful but if "keeping up" with the anime community gives you this much anxiety you should quit on it. Get away from all possible anime communities, get away from all seasonal shows and, since you're a completionist, just start working through your backlog. I have a fairly large one too but again, being a gamer, I've long since abandoned even the concept of being discomforted by a disgusting backlog, it's part of life and there's nothing I can do about it unless I became a highlander. Don't worry about things you can't change and start changing things that worry you. Also consider the possibility of simply stop watching anime for a while. Depending so much on a medium that you get so anxious and depressed can't really lead anywhere positive in the long run, but that's just my idea (and I'll admit I very often am one of those "do as I say but not as I do" people). Cheer up mate, anime is supposed to make you happy (or mad, or any other emotion depending on what you're watching), not become a source of misery. |
"The problem with defining even an aspect of your personality by something that you like, is that criticism of that product appears to you to be criticism of you personally. I find it to be a very harmful attitude, [...] you can't rationally discuss a product because you've started to define yourself by its very existence." John Bain |
Oct 21, 2019 3:50 PM
#12
The only reason I still watch a bunch of seasonals is so I can make an informed decision when the "Anime of the Year" polls/awards start rolling out. |
Oct 21, 2019 4:26 PM
#13
Oct 21, 2019 5:21 PM
#14
It's not worth getting anxious and stressed over anime. I still have things I put on my list a decade ago. I gave up with seasonal anime after trying just a couple years because it was too much to handle. Now I just watch anime for fun. I thought I would've completed my list two years ago, but I guess I keep adding things and other hobbies get in the way. I love anime, but it surprises me nowadays just how much time I've really spent watching it. Think about it, in the future, will you really remember/care about every single anime you've ever watched? In other words, don't let life pass you by. |
Oct 21, 2019 9:34 PM
#15
OP @Doneri There was a time when my PTW just kept growing and growing, and I took recommendations from whoever gave them. At some point though I realized I couldn't just keep accumulating things like this. A couple things happened or didn't happen (to varying degrees of "intentionalness" on my part) that slowed things down: 1. I gradually figured out my tastes. I stopped adding stuff only because people said it's good, and instead only added stuff that suited my fancy. 2. I never hung out with anime fan crowds that much. This gave me little in the way of a social compulsion to watch more anime or to "why have you not already watched [particular series]". 3. Not hanging out with anime fan crowds much also limits "discovery" -- the process of finding new stuff one is interested in watching. 4. I just watch really slowly so there's just no way I can make it through so many shows. The way I watch tends to be more about trying to savor the experience, and I often wait until I really feel in the mood to watch something. 5. I guess I'm "fortunate" in that I never got into the "seasonal" watching crowd, and have chosen not to do so in the foreseeable future. This was probably an easy decision for me partly partly because I didn't really use anime to socialize in the first place. (If anything I'd rather avoid looking at what's coming up in a given season, because if I do even check it out I'll get interested in something.) Like you, I've had some very meaningful experiences related to watching certain shows, and also like you (maybe?) I do like to give stuff a fair chance to shine and also like you I have a giant PTW list which is basically half my entire list volume in size. But I gotta say, at the end of the day, put this into perspective: anime is an entertainment medium. In this sense, anime should exist to serve you, and it's probably a better idea to think of yourself as having a personal relationship with anime (i.e. it means something to you) rather than a social relationship with anime (i.e. it means something only because you get to interact with others over it). I can't tell you what anime means to you, because the exact reasons are unique to everyone, and not even necessarily fully known, nor do they necessarily stay the same. For myself, I've discovered that it's a medium that I can turn to for fantastic journeys and iconic characters who can mean a lot on an emotional/philosophical/allegorical level, and so this gently guides the way I interact with the medium. Maybe it'll work for you to limit discovery. Maybe it'll work for you to just call it quits on the seasonal rat race after this season. Maybe simply taking a long break of like weeks or months without anime will help. Who knows. There's no one perfect formula that'll definitely work, but the neat thing is that in life, even if you screw up, the result will be interesting. Possibly painful, but still an experience you can learn from and appreciate. And no, you're not a "bad anime fan" for ignoring seasonals. Or, alternatively, I am one. woot, Bad Anime Fans represent! |
Avatar character is Gabriel from Gabriel DropOut. |
Oct 22, 2019 12:07 AM
#16
FOMO is something that really does eat at you. I'd say to take a small break and come back to it when you feel like it. I take sporadic breaks from anime and focus on other interests when I feel burnt out. I often come back more passionate than when I left. |
ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜꜱᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ'ꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇᴀꜱɪᴇꜱᴛ ᴡᴀy ᴛᴏ ᴋᴇᴇᴩ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ɢᴇᴛᴛɪɴɢ ʜᴜʀᴛ yᴏᴜ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ʟᴏᴠᴇᴅ yᴏᴜʀꜱᴇʟꜰ yᴏᴜ'ʀᴇ ᴀʟʟ yᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴀɴᴅ yᴏᴜ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ʟᴇᴀʀɴᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ʟɪᴋᴇ yᴏᴜʀꜱᴇʟꜰ |
Oct 22, 2019 12:12 AM
#17
I don't really have this problem since I don't try to keep up with seasonal anime as much as used to. These days I usually wait until somethings at least half way finished before I start watching it and then watch at my own pace. At least 90% of what I've been watching lately are shows that are already completed. |
Oct 22, 2019 12:16 AM
#18
I can relate to that because it has happened to me as well. I don't really feel like a bad anime fan tho lol. It's just that I feel that I need to catch up on some anime and while it's not really that stressful, it can be something that'll be on my mind when I do get some free time. |
Oct 22, 2019 7:05 AM
#19
Doneri said: Fraise-chan said: First off, lately seasonal shows aren't even THAT good.There have been probably like 10 to 15 shows this year that have been worth following.So, don't feel bad for not keeping up with them. Second, there is no such thing as a bad anime fan.You love it a lot?Thats about enough reason to be a good fan. Third, not keeping up with seasonal shows doesn't mean you're not a real fan, its completely fine to focus on shows you didn't get to watch before, and you can watch the shows from this season next year, in five years, in ten years, you get what I mean:no anime show will run away or dissappear. Since in my oppinion you watched an O.K. number of shows, you shouldn't break your head over it.Rather, focus to watch well-known shows you didn't get to watch by now, like the fate series, monogatari series, evangelion,etc. since they are not only long but also very popular,loved and known (ofc, there are more, but these are some I watched/am watching) I've watched a lot of shows.I don't watch seasonal shows unless they are very hyped or I check them out or if it catches my eye. If you feel anxious about what you watched and how much, tbh just chill.Its not the end of the world if you don't have a whole year of your life spent on anime, yknow?You're human, spend your time however you want, and if you feel pressured to watch an anime, then its not love, its more of an addiction. I honestly watched only one or two eps today, didn't watch anything since saturday (the new BNHA episode), and I still like anime a lot.Just take it easy, noone will shame you, we're all here to just watch epic fights and anime titties. Its totally okay to feel close to anime because of how it affected your life, but its not okay to base your life on it. I might have sounded hypocritical in this reply, but I hope I somewhat helped. I think I needed to hear something like this. I've got quite a lot going on in my life right now, and I'm spending a lot of time with my SO and working on other hobbies and its just felt like not watching anime as much was kind of a betrayal of my past. I suppose I've felt like I need to match up with the community and my friends and my own expectations of what a "true" anime fan is like. You should definitely focus on real life issues.Its normal to grow out of a hobby, and we all do so at some point.Noone will stay an anime fan for all their life. Once again, it should be a hobby and nothing more, so don't break your head over not being good or fitting the standard.And if you still feel bad or anxious, considder seeking psychological help.Its always good to get into a better place! |
Oct 22, 2019 7:21 AM
#20
Now I might sound like someone who doesn't understand your situation properly, and Im not claiming that I fully can, but I'll try to tell you my own experience with the hope that you might understand your own situation better. I started anime around 4 years ago. Back then, I had time to burn. With time, the amount of time Ive had to watch anime has decreased drastically. But has my love for the medium decreased? No. It has probably increased lol. First thing I haven't done is adapting the completionist mentality. I do watch a lot of anime each season, but I never feel it a compulsion to do so. Would also add here that not all seasonals are good. I've find like 2-4 excellent or extremely good anime each year since I started getting into ongoing seasons around 3 years ago, and it's honestly the same for all the years that passed before I got into anime. Taking up the mission to keep up with seasonals is kind of a suicidal move in my opinion, as it increases the stress and burden on you to keep watching things you probably wont even like. At the end of the day, you watch anime to entertain yourself. Said entertainment can be of various types, but for me, it should never feel like a tedious compulsion. So TL;DR, don't worry if you miss out on seasonals. You can always come back to them after they've finished, and you can also get a good feel usually of which ones are extremely worth it. The best thing Ive done is to find an anime community, and find people in there I can trust and get recommendations from, and so far, its been a pretty successful strategy. Also would add here that you wont become a "bad" fan just cause you don't watch a lot of anime. Its not about the fucking watched count, goshdarnit. Its about your passion for it. You're here getting depressed for real cause you feel like you've been neglecting the medium. You care for it. Is that not passion? In my eyes at least, it is. Don't get tensed up about it. Enjoy what you find. If you can't, keep searching. |
SunBro26Oct 22, 2019 7:26 AM
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