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I’m having a case of Anime Burnout. What are the symptoms?
Inability to get into shows. What shows? Backlogged shows that are known quantities (read: do not have a reputation for excellence); shows that are logged due to conforming to a genre or sub-genre of choice (robot, Gundam, space opera). Or, shows that are known for excellence within a fandom, genre, or sub-genre outside of one’s tastes (shoujo, moé, harem, cry-porn, horror, etc.).
Why can’t get into them? I would start, but tune out of the episode fairly quickly. The thing is, I know that under other circumstances I would appreciate some of the things I’m seeing, even just as variations of superior or favorite examples. But now I am easily bored by them.
I know if I continue watching, I will end up dismissing most, if not all of these shows. My ideal attitude when I’m watching is highly enthusiastic. I don’t usually start watching a show with an approach of “making the show audition for my time” or “making it justify the hype.” Both approaches make me feel like an ass, as if I’m importantly entitled to something.
This doesn’t apply to new or currently airing shows. I try a large sample and drop a lot as well. This is because I know I can only keep up with so many and only stick with those I enjoy the most. Thus, I’m not worried about not having new shows to watch, and I’m rather impervious to the idiocy of sentiments such as “anime is dying” or “oh no yet another season of cancer” and variations thereof.
I’m more concerned about my ability to watch the shows I want to complete as a fan of anime. As a fan of Gundam I must complete After War Gundam X (5/39) and I just can’t get into it. As a fan of Gundam I want to complete Mobile Report Gundam Wing (5/50) no matter how shitty it is. Last year I watched over 150 episodes of shitty Gundam (ZZ, SEED, GSD) so I know I can do it!
What’s so different this time?
I watched a whole bunch of awesome. I rewatched a whole bunch of awesome. I got addicted to awesomeness and can tolerate very little that isn’t awesome. I’ve spoiled myself so that what isn’t awesome loses my interest.
Here are the (awesome, and by this I don’t mean an overall score of excellence, but instead have moments and/or elements that actually fill me with a real feeling of awe as an anime fan) shows I’ve watched and/or rewatched this year (R = Rewatched):
Eureka SeveN (R)
Broken Blade
Akira (R)
Whisper of the Heart
Only Yesterday
Heisei Tanuki Wars Pom Poko
Porco Rosso (R)
Gunbuster (R)
Diebuster (R)
The Borrower Arrietty
Welcome to the Space Show
The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya (R)
Steamboy
Revolutionary Girl Utena (R)
The Adolescence of Utena (R)
Macross: Do You Remember Love? (R)
Redline
Infinite Ryvius
Super Dimension Fortress Macross (R)
So uh, yeah. It’s just so much harder for me to get into a show like Dai-Guard which should be pushing so many fun buttons for me but it really isn’t. Like I said, new shows aren’t really a problem, since these have a built-in interest motivator in the form of other people watching. This is encouraging because you can see people’s reactions to shows, making you more interested to see what they saw; you have people to discuss shared experiences with. Yes, watching new shows is no problem at all.
So, is this only a mild case of anime burnout? Is it further invalidation of the notion that old shows are better — if they are, why can’t I even bring myself to watch so many of them? And yes, I’ve been watching anime since maybe 1979. You tell me.
Shows in my backlog:
Dai-Guard (13/26)
Legend of the Black Heaven (1/13)
Aura Battler Dunbine (1/26)
Panzer World Galient (1/26)
Heavy Metal L-Gaim (5/50)
Armored Trooper VOTOMS: Pailsen Files (2/13)
Armor Hunter Mellowlink (0/13)
Starship Girl Yamamoto Yohko (0/26)
Shiki (7/26)
After War Gundam X (5/39)
Mobile Report Gundam Wing (5/50)
There are a lot more shows I told myself I’m going to watch but I don’t even want to list them. My backlog is huge, and I need a prescription.
We Remember Love 
I had a conversation with a friend about the concept of backlogs. To him, backlogs don’t exist–he does something because he feels like it. He stresses that if you force yourself to derive enjoyment from something, then you’re doing it wrong. This isn’t work or school.
I don’t entirely agree with his system. I’m a creature of backlog after all. But sometimes it’s good to just acknowledge that you can’t enjoy what you think you should be enjoying. So I allow myself to just say “fuck this, I’m not in the mood”, and not force myself to do anything.
That, or watch Bartender. It’s the closest to having a drink in the context of this hobby, on multiple levels. 😛
I don’t understand your friend’s meaning of the word “backlog.” The point of it is to be shows you want to watch but haven’t gotten araound to yet. It’s meant to inspire excitement as you think “ahaha, I get to watch THAT soon!” It can become a hassle if you’re a gundam fanboy, but there’s still a reward in the end.
Backlog is burden.
You burden yourself with the idea that you have something to watch, but since you can’t watch it right at this moment, it’s backlogged. Why fuss over that episode you can’t see anytime soon? He doesn’t queue things up like we do.
I don’t feel this way at all. I love that my backlog is so goddamn fucknormous. For me it’s nothing besides “the goodness I know is coming.”
I too, am a creature of backlog.
Remember that here in the Philippines, we mostly skipped the ’80s. We got a fuckton of ’70s shows, then sort of went straight to the 90s. Thus, I feel that I did miss out on a lot of shows I’d have loved had I seen them as a boy in the ’80s.
Bartender eh, will consider it. Does it work if marathoned?
It’s paced like Aria. So however you watched that.
In small doses, preferably.
After work, ideally. Works best while having a drink of your choice.
Ironically, Bartender is exactly one of those shows that I keep feeling like I’m watching wrong as the first two episodes have done nothing “wrong” perse, but I can’t will myself to sit down for another episode any time soon.
You can’t get into Shiki? Such a good show. I’ve only just got back into anime from a summer long burnout. I’ve almost cleared my entire backlog in 2 weeks it feels nice.
The thing is about shows like that, they take a while to get AWESOME and he can’t handle that period of unease right now.
I’m not into horror, vampires, etc. It’s not that I think it’s bad or anything, just not very motivated to watch it. It’s high up on my considerations though, I just might well pick it up again.
As digi-b said, it starts off kind of slow, but then it gets really awesome. To me it wasn’t so much about vampires as it was humans.
If I watch too many awesome shows in a row I feel like I’m spoiling myself and loose interest in the “shittier” (who knows since I haven’t started most of em but that’s the way I try to go into all anime so they can surprise me with awesome) anime I have in my backlog. So I really try not to watch too many awesome anime all at once weather it be for the first time or a re-watch. It sounds weird but it works. (for me at least)
Like you I don’t really count current airing stuff in this issue either. So while I can keep watching that stuff I won’t be watching any finished series when I’ve OD’d on great anime and I’m not feeling anything. What I do to try and get back into wanting to start up these shows again is focus on something else for a while. Video games, RL shows/movies, or some of my other stranger hobbies generally get picked up greatly when anime watching is at a low. Then when the time is right suddenly I find myself missing those older shows I should be watching and bam I’m back into it ^__^ So yeah generally it’s all about the “mood” and “feeling” or something along those lines!
Keep on going with your Gundam Goal no matter what though! I’d feel weird if you didn’t watch em all someday like I have (totally did it just last year XD) teeehehehehe
Yes, you know it!
In hindsight, VOTOMS fell into the cracks this way. While I do stand by my opinion on it, I think had I not been watching all these awesome stuff I’d be less put off by it. Then again, I started it years ago when my viewing was all over the place.
Don’t worry, I WILL finish Gundam Wing. It’s just a matter of time. It’ll just be a matter of how much I end up RAEGING about it.
If you don’t LURVE Gundam Wing, then skip to 21:32 and listen to what Zechs Merquise has to say!
lol
LOL (And fuck you Millardo)
hahahaha when I saw “G Gundam” in high school the first thing I thought of when I saw the shining finger sword was Zechs cutting the barge in half. WE HAVE NO NEED FOR YOU IN OUTER SPACE!!!!
It’s like a video game to me. I was reluctant to start my Deus Ex: HR recently because I thought I wouldn’t have the time or effort to finish it. But once I started, I was totally hooked and spent late sleepless nights (which are rare for me because I’m not healthy enough to endure less sleep). This is granted that I currently have a game burnout (I have Assassin’s Creeds, Bioshocks, and a bunch of other games that I haven’t finished nor started), so it kinda depends on my mood.
As an anime example, I have Ojamajo Doremi. Yup, that 200+ episode epic mahou shoujo anime. I watched disparate raw episodes some years ago while most of the anime was still not subbed. It was so hard to start on the entire anime semi-rewatch, me knowing that the third one (Motto!) was really the best out of all of them. Now that the awesome-awesome Doremi Fansubs group finished Motto (I provided them the raws tehehehe~) and is in the final season (Dokkaan!), I feel like I had to catch up starting from the first, but it’s hard. IMO, first season was average, and the second (Sharp) was the worst season. I ask myself, “I’m able to tolerate 10+ Ro-kyu-bu episodes so far (worst anime I’m watching right now), but I can’t start up on one of the best mahou shoujo animes ever made. Yup, depends on the mood.
Before I can respond to individual comments, here’s something that can help explain this affliction:
I’m on my last week of freedom before I start my new job (on top of everything else I’m up to) which will then take up most of my time. I feel like I should marathon something while I (theoretically) have the time.
Shiki doesn’t get good until like 15 or something. Just so you know. If you got through Destiny, I KNOW you can get through Wing, geez. Suck it up, man!
Shiki is “good” from the beginning. It’s a constant incline of awesome, though.
I’ll probably pick up Shiki again, but don’t worry about Wing, it’s just a matter of time and RAEG.
Associate each show in your backlog with a different food. Whenever you want to eat that food, watch an episode of the corresponding anime with it. For example, Joshikousei was my pizza show.
This works better if you have no control over your meal plan. Otherwise you might end up avoiding necessary nutrients just because you associated them with anime you’re reluctant to watch, or potentially worse, you might engorge yourself with cake because the show you associated with it is super exciting down the stretch and you can’t stop watching it.
I usually have currently airing shows for low-intensity viewings. Rightly or wrongly I treat backlogged shows as projects.
Like you acknowledged yourself, this likely isn’t true burnout because you still follow some anime in the meantime. The sorts of burnout I’ve seen is where people get sick and fed up of anime/the fandom that they ragequit and leave for months, or they “grow up” and move on to other hobbies. You have these goals as a fan and evangelist of mecha, and that’s cool and everything, but the things you’ve mentioned here all fall in only a few categories: scifi/mecha, family-friendly Ghibli-alikes, and Be-Papas. Maybe it isn’t anime you’re tired of, but the repetition of database elements you’ve seen been done better?
We’re all a bit guilty of clinging to our favorite genres, sticking to what’s familiar and comfortable, in lieu of exploring what may surprise and excite us. What I find works for me when I’m in one of these lulls is to watch something completely different than what I’ve seen recently. I second Schneider’s recommendation of Bartender, which combines the soothing mood of ~healing~ anime like Aria with the mature, jazzy ambiance of a classy bar. I also spy the rare horror anime on your backlog, Shiki, which will indelibly leave a neurotic sensation in your mind once you hit the 2nd half. On exposing the flaws of the human animal, Shiki hits as hard as Ryvius.
Makes sense.
I agree with your second paragraph only that I consider myself as someone who has varied his tastes quite well over the last 3 years. It could be however, that the variation of my tastes has “institutionalized” itself already and thus feels far less fresh.
As I’ve mentioned to schneider, is Bartender good to marathon? It’s really my agenda for what remains of my week.
I just finished Bartender myself after having it laying around for a long time and would definitely recommend it. I watched it over 3 days but could have marathoned it in a day if I wanted to. Each episode is a stand-alone episode but some of the characters become reoccuring-ish. The animation was a bit dodgy at times and the final episode was kinda meh but that’s about the only knock against it. In a similar vein there’s also Ristorante Paradiso.
Reading that you’ve put yourself under pressure to make the most of anime in the time before a new job, I think you’re making it near impossible to just enjoy what you’re watching. It also doesn’t help that you’ve been hitting just your favorites. Watch some blatantly crappy anime or anime that’s not to your taste like say Ichigo Mashimaro, Steins;Gate, Mayo Chiki, Yuru Yuri, Blood-C, R-15 or [C]. You might just go running and screaming back to “good” anime or you might find something new to like.
I tune out really quickly, going about watching stuff that’s so far out of my tastes… and I start disliking it in ways that I don’t find fair.
I retread a lot of my favorites this year because I made a project of making that favorites list I recently did. Well worth it, but I suppose this too, is a consequence. Note that I did NOT list things I’ve seen that I didn’t find awesome, so the list will give you a wrong impression. I’ve completed stuff I’m quite lukewarm to, and at times I outright dislike: (not to say they’re bad or I think they’re bad)
Armored Trooper VOTOMS
Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha (Film)
Super Robot Wars Original Generation: The Inspector
The Cat Returns
Shin Getter Robo: Shin vs. Neo
RahXephon (R)
Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro
Kara no Kyoukai 1: Fukan Fuukei
FLCL (R)
I need to stress that I don’t think these shows are necessarily bad (save for SRWOG:TI), I just don’t think that highly of them and I didn’t get into them as much as I thought my effort would be rewarded with.
Is Bartender good to marathon? Depends. Do you like to marathon something like Aria, or would you like a little more plot to tie a marathon together? If the latter is the case, I’d suggest Shiki or something else.
Ghost,
If you’ll tell me where I can find “Panzer World Galient,” I’ll probably try to jump through the computer screen to shake your hand. I’ve ALWAYS wanted to see that show. That one, “Orguss” and “Vifam” and “Dragonar” forever elude me…
Back on topic: I am relatively proud of myself in that I’ve recently tackled quite a few of the shows that I’d been hesitant to try and then some others that I just knew (or had been told) I definitely should watch. I’m checking out “FLAG” now and I like it so far (that robot is pretty friggin’ sick) and I was very impressed with “Infinite Ryvius” and “Redline” as well as all that Macross-related stuff I watched back around SaiMecha time. I’ve still yet to watch any “Cowboy Bebop” but it’s going to happen…maybe. Probably. Hopefully.
I sent you an email.
FLAG’s HAVWC is indeed really frickin’ sick and the way the combat is presented is the kind we don’t get at all in anime: missions like operations, like real military shit. The closest we get is uh, Gundam 00 in recent memory.
Thanks so much for the email! I’ll be downloading that junk TONIGHT. Hopefully it’ll be good to go come morning so I can watch an episode before work.
Sadly, Gundam 00’s real military shiiiiiiiiiii all got de-railed as quick as you can say: INNOVATOR. What a load. I often wonder how the show might have ended up if it had kept going along the same lines as laid out by Season 1.
These days, I try to keep things fresh by spontaneously adding something into the mix in addition to the things I already enjoy. I think there’s something to be said for throwing yourself into a show without any anticipation built up for it. For example, I never even heard of Moribito before I happened to stumble over it on MAL. I picked it up, watched it, and while it wasn’t the greatest show I’ve ever seen, I still enjoyed the ride and I’m glad I did it.
Maybe hit the old random button a few times and see what comes out? Maybe it’ll be great! Maybe it’ll be so bad it’s good! Or maybe it’ll make you appreciate the stuff you actually want to watch! Who knows?
I have done this in the past, though I can’t remember what shows I ended up watching. Maybe it’s the problem with such an approach. Thanks for reminding me of this approach though, it’s good to have it as a tool.
im 4 episodes into gundam x
and I have completely lost my mood to continue watching, since it took out my exciting.
excitement*
whats with me these days….
We’ll just have to put this off until much later.
Oh boy I totally get what you mean. My backlogged anime is ridiculous and with every new season the list just gets longer. I know I still like anime but I can’t sit and watch through them like I was few years back. I blame it on my social responsibility and also mild case of burn out. 3 episodes per day is considered many now. Few years ago that was considered too little. I just dunno how am I going to go through all those backlogs T___T
If I knew, I’d probably never would’ve written this post.
I kind of had a feeling I’d see a post like this eventually. It’s sort of looked like you’ve been struggling to maintain interests in shows that I would almost guarantee would be easy sells to you when we first met and it left me a bit surprised, but then I thought about it and came to the same conclusion you seem to be about to reach. It happens. Sometimes some things just get boring and you have to find something else to do for a while.
During 2010 I found myself losing interest in anime so I switched to sport and building model kits. Perhaps you have a secondary hobby that you could focus more of your attention and free time on until you feel the time is right to step back into the anime scene. I know when I stepped back in 2011 after the Hockey season was over and after almost a solid years break from watching anime (I maybe watched 4 shows not called LOGH that year) I suddenly found what had become mundane to be of renewed interest to me. One Piece was cool again, I suddenly started actually LIKING some visual novel and Slice of Life stuff that I saw (unheard of before this year) and I just find myself trying out all kinds of shows I never would have considered before to see if I can further pave my way into my previously “forbidden” genres.
It’s something to consider, but I say definitely do whatever you feel makes you the happiest and makes others happiest as well.
I second this. If you’re burnt out, take a break and cleanse your palate. Check out movies you’ve been meaning to see, read a book, take a break from the anime scene for a while. Watch something ridiculously shitty to ease yourself back in, like Legend of the Overfiend or Mad Bull 34, then compliment it with an old favourite, in both cases preferably something short.
Work through stuff as you feel like it, and eventually a spring will break and you’ll be hooked again. There’s a while to wait until Sunrise puts out Unicorn episode 4 and The Origin, so break now rather than risk being burnt out of the fandom for a much longer period. Maybe come out of the woodwork to hate on/praise Gundam AGE, but take the time to relax.
I myself came out of a massive Shonen series binge four years ago, and I got back into Superhero comics and classic movies for a spell. What brought me out of my self-imposed absence was my own growing affinity for Mecha, so breaks can easily lead to personal growth.
I started watching TV programming a week ago, but see I’ve gotten a far worse case of what I’m feeling for anime there. I can only tolerate TV programming that is truly exceptional. I can’t get into middle-of-the-road stuff or genre material because I end up raegquitting by the third annoyance I encounter.
I need anime, because it’s the thing I write about. I am a compulsive writer and I need a subject to make the compulsion productive. Anime has been that the past 3 years and I think I’ll be fine with the new shows; it’s really the backlog that’s really tough.
Good job in expanding your sampling. Just remember that we’re not supposed to be impressed by anything; it’s more a matter of finding ways to approach things that give us the maximum enjoyment given our personal contexts. My usual tricks just stopped working for me of late.
A burnout happens to everyone sooner or later, you picked the lucky straw this time and it’s your turn. When it happens to me I just stop watching everything except the ongoing shows and fall back to watching old favorites for a while (not necessarily anime).
Your approach that as a fan you want to watch all the shows of a particular fandom, like Gundam, is something that is ambitious but cannot work for everyone. I tried to do the same with Gundam, but it turns out I can’t watch a show that bores me just for the sake of completion. So I gave up that plan.
The concept of backlog now. By the term “backlog” I usually mean shows I’ve started but later stalled for whatever reason. Some of them I will never finish as I can’t find the motivation to continue them.
I largely agree with Chii here, I decide to watch shows according to my current mood, ignoring all lists/backlogs/ you name it.
So you have a week free? Don’t force it, it’s pointless, unless you enjoy it.
Yeah, I’m not forcing it anymore. Such a shame though. I spent almost all of my day yesterday doing other projects, and writing a Cowboy Bebop post — which always takes a lot out of me (which is why I spread them out so far).
I’m not worried about Gundam, I’ll get through it, hopefully with a better appreciation for Gundam X. I don’t really care how much I suffer through Wing.
I’m not sure if it’s a burnout, but I too can’t get into anime recently. Tried first episode of Steins Gate (apparently one of the best this year), but didn’t have the urge to watch the next episode. I don’t think it’s the anime’s fault, the episode itself was good, but I didn’t really ‘get into it’. Maybe because I have your same problem, saw too much awesome shows haha.
Steins;Gate really starts out slow and boring that I couldn’t get into it. Eventually, I managed to finish it, but it’s until episode 10 or somewhere along there that it started picking up and every episode was killing me with anticipation. I suggest you at least try “getting into it”.
Same, I watched the first episode and just… moved on. I started thinking about this…
http://twitter.com/#!/ghostlightning/status/116461725712261120
http://twitter.com/#!/ghostlightning/status/116462346741878784
Thus, until we free up our “overloaded/committed” resources, we won’t be able to get into good things.
Ugh. I can so relate. Recently, I’ve been starting a lot and dropping a lot, and I tend to drop a show when I feel that watching it feels like a chore. Heck, reading my comment above only suggests that I’ve been watching one show faithfully and that’s just it.
And I have lots of backlogs too. There are still a lot of mecha shows that I haven’t seen, and also LotGH.
As for Gundam X, yeah I can understand, it sure was boring as fuck when I first saw it, but I guess I wasn’t burned-out at the time I was watching it that I managed to watch it all and eventually became my most favorite Gundam show. Eventually, when you get over your slump and watched the show in its entirety, tell us what you think.
Definitely, as I will every major Gundam show I watch. Although… I think I skipped writing about F91 (ugh), and posted about G-Savior somewhere else…
http://www.shamefulotakusecret.com/2011/04/08/live-action-gundam-g-saviour-is-not-as-terrible-as-they-say/
I CAN’T IMAGINE BEING ABLE TO BE AS POSITIVE ABOUT THIS SHIT IF I WATCHED THIS RIGHT NOW.
F91 was only bad because it should have been a full series rather than just being a movie, although the movie is hilariously bad in itself.
Do you think that watching “shitty shows” first like you mentioned (ZZ, GS and GSD) had a factor? 😛
Hmmm, I was watching good shows too, so the shitty Gundam stuff wasn’t a factor. I even finished V Gundam (shitty) soon after.
Burn out is natural, after you see so much anime viewers start to see repeats of concepts and stories which seem balzie on a second viewing.
As for Dai Guard, I’d ask how are you watching it, Jap or English dub? This is one of the rare instances I would say watch it in english. The office jokes make more sense and as the series goes on the VA really hit their stride. When I do rewatches it’s always in english, I tried to watch it in the jap dub and I literally fell asleep cause everything lost that funny little quirk.
I tried watching the English dub… I lasted about 5 minutes. I thought it was a good idea too, since I’d be able to follow what’s going on without looking at the screen… but I pretty much died.
One of the main reasons I’ve been so burnt out on anime recently is because I watched ‘Ghost in the Shell: Innocence’, ‘Akira’, and pretty much Satoshi Kon’s entire filmography and now I’m struggling to find anything that matches the quality of those films or series, both in terms of animation and story. I don’t know, it just sucks that most TV series from Japan, in all genres, is now putting out formulaic shit one series after another. Mamoru Oshii really needs to get his ass back in the director’s chair– for an animation production, that is. I’d love to see him give one more go with ‘Patlabor’, especially considering the remarkable work that Production I.G. and Polygon Pictures seem to come up with when working with him. Anyway, I still need to finish ‘Eureka Seven’, but I’m just so burnt out that I don’t know if I’ll resume watching it any time soon.
I don’t get hung up comparing film productions with TV shows, maybe because I ultimately prefer TV productions due to the sheer amount of material.
But yes, I get you!
well, ive been in the same kind of burnout for about 2 years. ever since i started watching anime as it came out weekly. before, i marathoned everything. and of course there were instances when i marathoned 3-4 awesome shows a week. and of course i got spoiled.
plus, that comment about a limited capacity fo quality struck a chord. here are anime that everyone thinks are cool (or even awe inspiring), that i think are average at best – mawaru penguindrum, madoka, steins gate, durarara, bakemonogatari.
i even mix things up a bit by watching american tv series and movies, but it doesn’t really help anymore. although i still recommend you try it. there are plenty of quality series, just check IMDB.
too bad i will never understand the backlog principle…if you can’t get into it, why force yourself to be bored/miserable/what have you ?
The backlog does three main things for me:
3. I get to keep track of shows I’ve been recommended to watch by people I give the benefit of the doubt to (that they have my best interests at heart).
2. I get to keep track of shows that caught my interest at some point but could not watch due to other things taking up my time and attention.
1. Track my progress over a viewing “project,” i.e. as a fan of Macross, how many shows have I yet to watch, how much of Gundam have I still not seen?
1 is very important because I am a fan of both franchises. It is irrational to a non-fan, but to a fan it makes a lot of sense. As a fan I exist to experience, comment on, and share about the object of the fandom. It’s why I have this blog. It’s quite distinct of being a “lover of good things” which demand that whatever is consumed must be good.
Perhaps it’s just mecha burnout – nearly all the shows you list do fall within that genre. And mecha is one genre where presentation matters a lot; and all the new stuff coming out has really raised the bar in the past couple of years.
But the other thing I’ll note about the titles you list (at the risk of generalizing) is that most of them don’t seem to be “fun”. That is, they lack an element of whimsy, comedy, or humour and tend to feature rather grim, serious settings – which of course makes them more difficult to watch.
…but you know, if you can’t get into an episode of Gundam Wing just by hearing the intro thme “Just Communication”, I’d say you were either too old when you first watched it or simply have no sense of nostalgia at all.
Two-Mix gave Gundam Wing the best theme music since Z Gundam. I even like their “normal” music.
Dai-Guard is a lighthearted and comedic show (think 1st arc of Planetes only less serious)
L-Gaim is whimsical and fun (or at least tries to be)
Legend of the Black Heaven is slapstick stuff with big tits and the POWER OF ROCK.
I was too old when I first watched Bebop and Eva (25? 26?) and I feel tons of nostalgia for them when I indulge it. I saw (or tried to watch W around the same age).
“As a fan of Gundam I must complete After War Gundam X (5/39) and I just can’t get into it. ”
Gundam X is the reason why I haven’t written a WIWFTWTW post in months. I just could not get into it, so it got tossed in the backlog so I could get around to doing other things that I’d been meaning to do, like read the Game of Thones books or watch Breaking Bad. But now that I’ve finished those, back to Gundam X. I’m halfway in and I’m still waiting for it to “get good”, as everyone swears it’s supposed to…
I had a good experience of it at the para-text level when I played Super Robot Wars α Gaiden where it’s one of the major storylines, but that’s cheating because I don’t really have to engage the show and its characters because I’m basically using Quattro, Amuro, Bright, etc. to do what Jamil & Garrod are supposed to.
I didn’t really read this post and slightly skimmed the comments, but i did read the title of the post and all i can say is: K-ON THE F*CKING MOVIE MAN. Everything is gonna be allllllll right~
LOL yes of course.
having suffered from anime-burnout many times, my advice is to dig up some previously unseen masterpiece, instead of trying to watch a lot a lot of mediocre shows out of habit.
if you havent yet seen vifam or future boy conan, do so now 😉
some quick comments on your backlog:
Aura Battler Dunbine (1/26), this show is not worth it, i would drop it unless youre a hardcore completist.
Panzer World Galient (1/26) im only 5 episodes in, but so far its pretty genereic.
Ryōsuke Takahashis worst?
Armor Hunter Mellowlink (0/13) i loved mellowlink, though its pretty flawed.
After War Gundam X (5/39) pretty bad, but i still ended up enjoying it.
was it the music, the psychic dolphins?
Mobile Report Gundam Wing (5/50) somehow i actually managed to enjoy gundam wing.
perhaps its because i was starved on gundam when i started watching it 😉
http://myanimelist.net/animelist/bbob
Your MAL tells me your tastes and sensibilities resemble mine in ways that I get what you’re saying about these shows.
I’ve seen a few eps of Future Boy Conan on TV… it’s really not my kind of show at all.
I’m a softcore completist… and it’ll just bug me that I’ve seen Garzey’s Wing and not Dunbine. In any case I’ve put all of these off since I start a new job tomorrow that will consume most of my time. Thanks for the feedback.
When you look at what you watched and what you’ve rewatched it certainly does look bland down there in the land of backlogs. I know how hard it is to finish those less than stellar Gundam series. Technically, I think I still have one more show to finish, but I can’t remember what the hell it is.
When I first got into anime it was easy to get excited about a brand new hobby. I was always discovering something new and interesting and engrossing. I spent a lot of money just exploring new anime back then. When I first discovered torrents it was also really easy to keep my interest. A series would have to be really boring for me to not finish it. It was like a whole previously forbidden garden had been opened up to me of shows I’d never thought I’d get to see let alone buy in my lifetime. Not hard to get excited about that.
When I joined MAL I got more into the niche groups and genres of anime and the internet culture surrounding it. Couple that with always being able to find the latest and/or greatest anime had to offer and I say I’ve been pretty spoiled. There are plenty of fans out there who purposely seek out the bad, entertainingly bad. But I’ve never been one of them. And now that all of that has passed I find myself a little stretched thin and distracted by all the way to communicate with people. I dare say I was probably a better, more productive anime fan when I was a hermit.
I believe we’ve both probably felt “burnt out” to lesser degrees before. Like I hope for me, I hope your fire returns and you can burn through that backlog. I’m just hoping that once both of my kids are comfortably in elementary school the anime world won’t have passed me by and I can join you guys in full again.
It’s just the backlog, really isn’t it. I’m as excited about new shows as I ever was. How about you?
Definitely, I just lament my inability to juggle it all consistently. The backlog mostly. It seems terribly uneven for me to be watching so many new shows when I have that backlog to hack away at. I’m all about balance in my anime watching.