forsakenmage wrote:

To each his own. It is true that there is simply too much stuff that comes out and for some, like myself, it's impossible to keep up with even the drop in the bucket, much less everything that comes out every season . So I don't. I am an exceptionally slow watcher of all filmed things that I choose to watch, and particularly of anime. I watch every opening and ending, even if they stay the same throughout the series, every next episode preview, every filler or flashback, and most special features if I'm watching something on DVD. And I rewind if I couldn't read the subtitles fast enough and take in the art simultaneously. It's an obsession borne out of a love of film and fantasy. I love doing this, but I can't say it's a "better" method because obviously I will be exposed to far fewer things than what I otherwise would have loved to watch.

For the OP, I think it sounds like you've found out a way to sift through what's out there and decide how you want to allocate your time and attention since like you said, many plots can follow a similar outline...in any medium, really. I'm curious. When you re-watch something you really like, do you slow down then for the details? And are you ever tempted to watch a series that is over 13 episodes long, because there are so many great ones that are longer? I just realized that most of the ones I've seen are longer than 13 episodes. And I was thinking the other day, if I would just watch the shorter ones every once in a while then I wouldn't be so behind and out of touch all the time!

forsakenmage wrote:



I agree, you don't have to watch everything. I don't even try to. As much as I would like to, I don't even manage your suggestion to watch what I think might be good for that season, within the season or anywhere close anyway. Some stuff might go on the queue but by the time I get around to them after other things, the new things have aged like fine wine. I guess I just like vintage anime!

In relation to the thread topic, I do have respect for those who develop a system of screening or speed watching numerous anime from diverse genres to narrow down what they want to see in detail, although I hope at some point these super watchers should be able to find something that really catches their eye or their mind enough to entice them into watching it all the way through, even if it's just a few series a year. Although I certainly have my favoritest of favorites, I have enjoyed every anime I have seen, except maybe a couple of them did drag a bit but I still derived enough pleasure to make them worth my while. And I have a sneaking suspicion that this widespread enjoyment is partly because I simply love the medium, but also primarily because my method of selection is quite rigid and I don't explore all the genres enough. But hey, at least "exploratory" things get on the queue. They may just keep getting bumped by other priorities.