Why I Don't Watch Anime While It's Airing

[@dhk117rp]

Linkin park, check. Vaping, check. hates mainstream stuff, check. banned on Reddit thread, check. true edgy hipster confirmed kappa

[@Trixiethegoldenwitch]

Wait, is there really Linkin Park in here somewhere?

[@dhk117rp]

on your previous 2 hour long video on your taste in music

[@MarcoMaroon]

Digibro If I gave you an 1867 copy of Jane Eyre would you read my book on Amazon?

[@doofy3111]

There is nothing hipster about linkin park

[@Michael-xv1gn]

Can you give ME a 1867 copy of Amazon??! I would read all your books.

[@vitor_verde]

Now here is something I completely agree. There are literally THOUSANDS of completed anime out there, and at least HUNDREDS that are actually good. Why bother with the new stuff? Wait 'till they end to hear what people think.

[@johndaniel8283]

always exceptions imo. Like JoJo and Mob Psycho

[@caswellweird]

No Just No those arent exceptions: One Piece and Gintama are exceptions because youd never even finish an arc in one sitting. Stardust Crusaders maybe, but not PB or BT. have to finish DiU weekly and have in one sitting before i say anything on it though.

[@buckwade1402]

+Tackson Caswell Why are you everywhere?!

[@caswellweird]

Buck Wade Why are YOU somewhere?

[@buckwade1402]

+Tackson Caswell Why do we keep running into each other?! Ah fuck it, it's just coincidence. Carry on with your life.

[@Michirin9801]

Why Ben, why?? Now Digi is a true hipster...

[@kyokyoniizukyo7171]

GG ben, you made a guy get cancer...

[@TheOnceAndFutureKing]

Ruko Michiharu: I thought smokers start vaping because it's not as bad for you as normal cigarettes?

[@Deifendorf]

Hipsters don't vape. Hipsters smoke cheap, terrible cigarettes. In my experience, NEETs and m'lady types are the sort of folks more prone to vaping.

[@Schleicherfreund]

You do know, that hipsters actually use OLD stuff, not NEW stuff, right? I haven't seen E-Cigs 15 years ago, did you? Change and inventions doesn't make one a hipster (no, I'm not smoking).

[@Brewing5torm]

VAPE NARSH YALL

[@DarkpaladinEXE]

I actually have a very different problem. I get burned out just sitting down and marathoning one show for a few hours so the weekly thing works really well for me. Its the main reason why it takes me so long to finish anything, I just need a break.

[@josephdemarco5160]

DarkpaladinEXE I'm in the same boat. I'll just get burned out and I just want to either go watch or do something else.

[@ew275x]

I get distracted easily, sometimes I have to basically throw my cell phone and 3DS across my room and disconnect my mouse and keyboard so I don't get distracted.

[@AnimeCommander1]

It probably works for Digibro because it is his job to watch anime shows. But for the rest of us who haven't yet made that leap or at the very least don't get paid to discuss about anime. Marathoning shows can be more of a hassle than a benefit. I have seen many people burnout on anime completely exactly because they tried to watch 100-something series in a year and it just was too much for them.

[@ew275x]

AnimeCommander1 Funny you say that, because I;m currently trying to watch a series each week (Complete, not just an episode, same with a video game AND a movie) and it's been really fun and I wanted to get rid of my backlog. though the longest series I've watched was Turn A Gundam and it was mostly because I had already finished most of it, I still tried watching 5 eps of Touch a Day and couldn't do it. I get his point about discussion, but I do feel for him that Flavor of the season seems to give him more money but make for a worse video. I guess that's why he's been sticking to more general topics. I do like he brings back older shows like Steins:Gate and Lucky star for the "1st epsiode series"

[@AnimeCommander1]

ew275x In your case you at least have different media to enjoy and it seems like you wanted to get rid of your backlog. So marathoning isn't as much of a burden. But I assume you don't do that all the time? Since marathoning shows constantly has to be tiring at least on a physical sense, if not an emotional one. Longest series I marathoned was probably Naruto or Bleach. Took me two weeks to catch up with Naruto, and another two with Bleach. Just near constant marathoning. Long-running series excluded, it would be Gundam 0079 and Zeta Gundam back to back. Those were very interesting watches after all the other mecha anime I watched at that point. Marathoning isn't hard, but I wouldn't have been able to watch any of those shows if I didn't have a vacation from school every now and then. I don't mind he does videos on shows after they air. It honestly cuts through all the other debate nonsense that happens during a season like Digi said. But if I was a personal friend of Digi (which to clarify I am not), I'd probably not talk to him at all because he watches the shows after the fact. Which to me sucks cause it feels like he isn't watching the show "with me" but "after me". Many of my friends do this where they watch shows after they finish airing but when I talk to them, they are so out of the loop with the community or the series itself sometimes that I can't talk with them about it like I could with other friends who watched it while it aired. In the worst cases, I remember more about the show than they did despite having just watched it a few minutes ago. But that last part is a whole other issue.

[@TheXBRGUY]

Digi, people like you who critically analyze things and do such a great job of showing the strong points and capabilities of anime are why I want to delve deeper into it(I have seen very little). Thanks! Keep up the content!

[@TheInsid3]

i'd say that Naruto is a show that you want to watch weekly so you can actually forget how terrible it was

[@godwavenexus]

Erytropus lmaooo

[@MrBayren]

The final fight was way better in the anime than the manga though. Same can be said for most of the action in it tbh

[@TheInsid3]

Mr Bayren Well...I'm not gonna watch 700 episode show for one good fight at the end

[@lordalex027]

To be honest, if you skip all the filler and just watch the show... it's okay at best, but they do have some pretty sweet shounen fights. I've watched it all over (without filler... I mean I've went through that hell once. Not happening again) several times (4 times). Half for Nostalgia purposes, and the other half for the fights, because ay sometimes I just feel like watching some shounen fights. lol

[@TheInsid3]

Alex I actually tried to do that but i just could not keep going even while skipping filler...plot is just moving so slow. Some 50 episode arcs could be condensed to like 5 ep of actual content

[@Shadowpunk2077]

I enjoy waiting for each episode; it just feel like each episode has a lot more impact with its events. However if I watch a show all in one go the tension or excitement disappear all too quickly. Most shows I binge are usually forgotten only a short while later. Whereas a show were I have to wait a week for the next instalment will have me thinking about that show as I do other things. When I think about a show a lot between episodes I know I'm really enjoying it.

[@TheElitedeath]

tbh you're probably not watching good shows if they can't build tension without having you wait a week between each installment.

[@godwavenexus]

TheElitedeath I think they just mean that the experience ends too fast since you finish the show in one go.

[@Shadowpunk2077]

godwavenexus You have the right of it. It's just the way i like to watch. Digi doesn't understand, and that's fine. We all have our own way of enjoying our entertainment. As far as what shows i like, it's more or less what Digi likes, although not always for the same reasons.

[@BladesArisen]

Shadowpunk2077 I usually just watch a bunch of shows from different genres all at once. That way I can't get bored no matter what. Current anime annoys me personally because I like to watch shows in 3-5 episode bursts. Also cliffhangers drive me insane, even more so when the show turns out to be open ended.

[@Shadowpunk2077]

Sure, I get that. It's just not how I like to watch. We each consume our media differently, and there is nothing wrong with that.

[@LimeyLassen]

Anime is better marathoned because it's often designed to be watched that way, with individual episodes just being the season split into chunks. With a show like Rick and Morty where the episodes have distinct, memorable identity I get kind of exhausted if I watch too much in one sitting.

[@Trixiethegoldenwitch]

I've marathoned Rick and Morty like 4 times lol, once I watched season 1 almost in its entirety twice in one day

[@LimeyLassen]

Jesus dude, is your house built into a tesseract or something how can any man have that much free time

[@buckwade1402]

+Limey Lassen Digi has stated in his Ass Bitch Wars Sucks vid part 1 that he makes anime vids for a living.

[@KingCreepa]

Digi has picked up vaping OMG he is now ultra weeb now all he needs is a fedora and all the ladies will be drowning in their own moistness.

[@rikanoniem5214]

KingCreepa he got a fedora as a gift.

[@LimeyLassen]

Vaping and fedoras are a pair now? Man I'm so behind on the hip trends.

[@KingCreepa]

Rik Anoniem Well my gf just drowned thanks.

[@Brewing5torm]

Vape nation V/\

[@unoriginalyoutubename8761]

KingCreepa How the fuck are weeaboos related to vaping

[@RaisuChaneru]

We get it, you -vape- don't watch anime while it's airing.

[@snivyian2199]

So the point of this video was to say "New shows don't mean shit unless they are finished airing and fuck new anime watch 80's anime"

[@snivyian2199]

***** Sarcasm my friend. I get his points

[@threePwny]

All this new stuff is only worthless now. It'll be worth something once it's a couple years old. You know, like kids. Kids are useless until they're at least 5. They're truly great once they're 18 and moved out of the house.

[@Jepze158]

Yeah watch 80s anime. There is some great shit like Dirty pair, city hunter and maison ikkoku

[@Michael-xv1gn]

Tried to get into City Hunter, and it was really cool. But the episodic thing just wasn't doing it for me.

[@Jepze158]

Well i guess it is kinda like Lupin. In second season there is gonna be alot more plot

[@denisbrezovsky5271]

Wait, wouldn't the most obvious reason to watch while airing be wanting to see the series sooner ?

[@DoomTone11]

While you can watch individual episodes sooner, you don't necessarily get to watch "the series" sooner. You still have to wait for that final episode for the series to be complete, after all.

[@lemondere]

you wouldn't want to watch it as much if you didn't start it. That's why I'm waiting for Togashi and Miura to die so I can see what all the hubbub is about.

[@denisbrezovsky5271]

DoomTone11 Well yes, but you get the taste of it before it's finished, you will get to start sooner, even if you finish along side everyone else.

[@denisbrezovsky5271]

***** I'm not trying to propose why Digi should watch anime while they air, but why people generally might do so(much as I have done the 2-3 times that I actually watched an anime while airing), as that was omitted from the video.

[@denisbrezovsky5271]

lemondere It might be by someone you really like the work of for example.

[@dusty2366]

Dammit Digi, you fell to peer pressure from Ben. My ideal anime viewing is one or two episodes per day. That way I can both have time to let the events of an episode sink in without losing track or interest over the course of a week. It also depends on the show itself. If it's something complex or difficult to keep track of like Steins;Gate or Durarara!! then I won't be able to do one episode per week because I'll lose track, whereas a show that doesn't require as much though process like JoJo, I'm fine waiting (it also helps that JoJo is a monster-of-the-week show).

[@buckwade1402]

Pfft, if you thought THOSE anime were hard to keep track of weekly, just try watching something like Monster, an anime with a small goal, but within a massive scale consisting of multiple characters, their backstories, development, plot details, how it all connects. It's insane.

[@dusty2366]

I've only seen the first episode of Monster. Maybe one day I'll finish it.

[@buckwade1402]

+Sighting is a Lifestyle ...what?...you're going to finish this masterpiece ONE DAY?! Are you crazy?! NO! Fuck everything else! Fuck studying, etc, you put your ass down on the coach, watch and finish Monster ASAP! Okay in all seriousness, I'd recommend just finishing it now.

[@dusty2366]

Okay, calm down! I'll get on it. ...promise.

[@buckwade1402]

+Sighting is a Lifestyle Don't worry, I'm just kidding with you.

[@juneguts]

ANIME SHIT NOW? Yes. But anime is only shit LITERALLY "now", the most present of present tense. Once anime become PAST, they're great. ANIME AMAZING PAST. ANIME SHIT NOW. ANIME NONEXISTENT FUTURE.

[@buckwade1402]

My friend and I actually had a discussion about this. She told me that the reason why we all think the 90s was better, was because we remember all the awesome anime, and just forget about the horrible ones, even though we still have a shit load of awesome anime today.

[@awsomeboy360]

The thing is that more animes are being created wayy faster than it was in the 90's. There's always great anime, but as a result more terrible anime.

[@buckwade1402]

+FErgersonn THE GREAT I want to become a hardcore analyist like Mother's Basement and Digibro, so more terrible anime=new lessons.

[@threePwny]

Yup. Anime is like kids. They're worthless until they're at least 5 years old, and only great once they're at least 18 and moved out of the house. Except you should be moving anime _into_ your house at 18. Wow, that analogy didn't work. I digress.

[@ew275x]

Well now is a pretty vague time period. +Buck Wade Yeah i made a small chart from everything worth from 1992: Tekkaman Blade Da Garn Sailor Moon Porco Rosso Giant Robo Yuu Yuu Hakusho Kyou kara Ore wa!! That's all and I can come up with as many meh anime, that is vaguely recognizable: The Return of Cooler LoGH: Godlen Wings All Purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku Nuku Ranma ½: Nihao My Concubine Bastard!! 3x3 Eyes Tenchi Muyo Not the worst, because the worst of the worst is completely forgotten and has like 100 people on people lists on MAL.

[@scribbled1990]

*Digibro watches an anime week-to-week or binge watches, doesn't like it* Fan: YOU'RE NOT WATCHING IT RIGHT!!!

[@buckwade1402]

Ooohhh, that's gotta hurt.

[@metalbeast45]

If you have a full time job, you don't have time to marathon a whole anime except on the weekends. And often once it's the weekend I don't feel like spending my few free days watching an entire show start to finish. Watching anime weekly is less of a time investment so it makes more sense for people who only have evenings free.

[@threePwny]

You made a really interesting point about predicting things as the shows go along, and it made me think about why I really love to make predictions. I realized that I actually hate to try to predict thematic developments. I'm not generally that good at analyzing them when marathoning a show anyway, but thematic developments are not what I'm supposed to develop, they're for the studio to develop in order to tell me, the audience, what they want to say. But I always enjoy making pointless and invariably completely wrong plot predictions. I like to imagine what might happen if the studio goes this route with this particularly event and how it could affect the overall plot or how certain events could have realistically resulted in totally different things and such. And really, the differences in my predictions and the actual plot do affect themes in some ways (such as the ever-fun "what if the 'good guys' right now are really the villains?"), but they're just so interesting to me. And I think the reason I enjoy it is because it's all fiction, and my "fanfiction", no matter how it differs from the established canon, is just as valid as the creator's canon. But that's not to say these predictions can only be done when watching a show as it airs. In fact, it's most enjoyable to have no wait to see how my predictions match up with the release. And even better than predictions is simply "how would I have changed this?" Even from a thematic standpoint, this question, which can only be asked after seeing the end, is superior to predictions. Well, _especially_ from a thematic standpoint. There was a massive essay I read recently (haruspis.wordpress.com/2016/10/15/reimagining-halo-5s-antagonists-the-ur-didact-and-mendicant-bias/) in which the author writes about why Halo 5's antagonists should have been two completely different characters from the canon, and why the two different characters are a much better thematic fit than the canon. And very supportive of your point, this could only have been done and is most effective post-release of Halo 5. Not anime, I know, but certainly an equally valid medium of storytelling. So yeah, what I first thought was a difference in opinions turns out to be much more of an agreement. Noice!

[@adsim92]

I definitely see the merit in binge watching a show in one or two sittings, and I used to do it a lot. these days though I'm often pretty busy with university, homework and obligations I have with friends and projects and when I do have a free day off I like to play video games I've been missing out on. watching the 6 to 10 or so shows I follow a season means I can watch one every night before bed, always have something new to look forward to each week - and can still stay up to date with the newest releases. it just really works for me.

[@LouTalksAnimeNow]

I have the same eva shirt. As someone that tries to keep up with seasonal anime, I totally get why you don't. Keep up the great work.

[@xxxlewismanxxx]

Weekly viewing enables discussion in forums, which are a great source of discussion which in the end adds to the entertainment. Also, many shows can be much more satisfying if watched weekly due to being episodic or having payoffs at the end of each (no cliffhangers basically). An example would be Cowboy Bebop. 2-3 episodes per sitting when rewatching seems much better than a binge.

[@VoltismProductions]

I feel no different from watching things week by week to all at once. It's the same thing. Though I usually don't start watching until at least 4 episodes in, and it's something like OPM, jojo or mob

[@StanTheWoz]

I feel this. I do watch some things weekly but I pretty much always enjoy things more if I watch them all at once, not necessarily in one day or anything, but at my own pace. If I'm keeping up with something weekly there's always that sense that I shouldn't get too invested since then I'm going to have to wait around a whole week for the next installment, and I have a lot harder time maintaining interest over time too. Definitely agree that the bad or boring things stand out more when watching weekly, as well, since there's less good along with them.

[@SchmitzCinemaStudies]

One anime that I definitely believe is better week to week is Mushishi. I marathoned through the first season and I feel like I need to rewatch some of those episodes because I got in a zoned out mode from watching so many and some blend together in my memory. Then when Zoku cam out I watched it week to week and it was wonderful to come back home from a day of college and know that once a week I'd be taken on a contemplative journey.

[@buckwade1402]

Ah yes, Mushishi is perfect to watch on a weekly basis.

[@Jepze158]

And Lupin too

[@Welovekahk]

A few points in the defense of watching current anime. Time Lots of anime-watchers only have time to catch an episode here or there throughout the week, and trying to find time to sit down and watch a whole series often results in just not watching anything at all. Digi is definitely in the minority here since anime watching is research for his job, so he can easily book large chunks to devote to this all at once. Genre Some anime viewers have very narrow genre tastes. If they don't watch the current crop for their genre, they might not have a backlog of good titles from years past to watch that they haven't already seen. Impatience In addition to wanting to talk about stuff as soon as it airs and participate in discussion/reaction threads, some people are just plain impatient. I know for me, waiting until the end of the season when a show looks good is just going to drive me crazy. Poor impulse control. Accessibility For lots of folks, older decades' titles are just a massive turnoff due to stylistic choices popular in those times, but beyond that, many shows are simply harder to actually acquire. If you don't want to track down old vhs/dvds on ebay or turn to torrents, legit streaming sites like crunchyroll tend to have a lot more recent/current anime than older gems. Some people (myself included) pretty much only watch what's available on crunchyroll or netflix. Watch it current, or binge when it's over. It's not a big deal, but depending on your lifestyle one method probably fits better for you than the other.

[@Alienrun]

I think what digi is saying is that its just plain illogical to do so when there is so much older stuff that one can be watching...

[@aozoraeyes8976]

I do enjoy the water cooler stuff and just absorbing new content the moment its available. I do agree about your feelings on spoilers - mostly. Knowing the spoilers has encouraged me to watch certain things. Though there are certain shows that i love which wouldn't have been the same if I knew the spoilers going in. I don't know why you think its so weird for people watch Weekly over Marathons though, is it really such an alien concept to you? Personally I'm happy doing either, sometimes it does depend on the kind of show. A show like Flying Witch earlier this year, I could never sit through 12 episodes of that all at once. But one 20 minutes of *healing* each week between other shows is very nice.

[@deadspacemasseffect]

One Punch Man and Jojo's Bizarre Adventure were the best to watch weekly, but it's rare to find a show like that

[@animewatcher102]

Ya I would agree. I really enjoyed Stardust Crusaders watching week to week and I read up on Diamond is Unbreakable before the anime. DIU didn't have as much impact as a result though I still enjoyed it. On the plus side the anime has small easter eggs for people who read the manga.

[@korisnthere]

I havent seen Jojo, but I would disagree on OPM. The pacing is nice and fast and blends smoothly from one episode to the next, keeping the hype train going all the way up to the awesome finale. The only shows I dont mind episode-by-episode are episodic comedies/sol (such as the new working! anime) but even those I dont know if I'd say they're superior episode-by-episode to binging it.

[@FistMeDaddy]

Yeah, once I caught up with Stardust Crusaders, I started having more fun with the show and end up being a huge fan of the series. It would get me excited all week for the next episode. I would wonder how the part 2 of an arc would work out, since it seemed like the main characters were screwed or what will the next stand be like. Unfortunately, I kept getting spoilers (sometimes it was my bad, but other times it was careless people or jerks that enjoy sharing spoilers) so I had to read the manga before I got even more spoiled.

[@amrit6252]

I personally loved watching the Chimera Ant arc of HxH week by week. Every week was just absolutely insane and I had no idea where it would go. It just surprised me at every turn and was such a great weekly experience.

[@Hammm99]

Samurai Flamenco. It's a show that turned "jumping the shark" into a weekly event. The show is a strong 3 when watched by yourself, but cultural context plays a large part of one's enjoyment of the series; when you're watching it with friends and drinking, it's a fucking 10. Sometimes, anime is a film medium that is best enjoyed with friends who love you.

[@Kenjitsu419]

I feel you digi. I do what you said at the end where I am watching only the shows I care about while they air (Gundam IBO and Dragon Ball S) while watching older show whenever I can (Older Gundam shows and dragon ball). I feel like watching similar shows to the airing ones give you a better breadth of knowledge and some points of reference when you talk to people.

[@StevenCAja]

I really like the weekly discussion, not because it's particularly interesting or rich, most times itr eally isn't but I'm really into this "What makes an anime popular". Like, I didn't start Re:zero until it was halfway done and I got into it not because this would be good, but because I was thinking "How, and what did this one do to become such a popular anime?" In that case it was mostly the theorizing, because I've read a lot of comments on it and it was mostly that, and that insight is really interesting, even if I don't really agree with it. As for myself, I like watching weekly because it's like a childhood routine of mine: I come to my house at a certain time, and in certain specific days I watch anime, and I'll go out of my way to watch the ones I'm really into. I don't watch more than 11/12 anime so I can watch older stuff along, and I really don't have much of a problem keeping up with most details because I usually go back a little when I finish something.

[@SoloSnivy]

Ya know, digi makes a good point. I personally enjoy both methods of watching, but I do agree that i would often forget stuff prior while watching an ongoing show. But if I really liked what I went through, I'll rewatch it again one day.

[@spamberlea]

spoilers absolutely do not make me enjoy something more. it completely ruins a show for me. if I hear that say.. a character dies, then the only thing I'll be thinking whenever that character appears is 'you're gonna die, when are you gonna die, is this it??' and that's all I can think about is when this goddamn character is going to die and I can't focus on anything else. and then when it happens I'm just... oh okay, so you're dead now? great, totally didn't expect that to happen... a few shows have been spoiled for me and I enjoyed them far less than anything I've watched completely spoiler free. I just can't enjoy it bc all I'm thinking about when watching is the spoiler and when is it gonna happen.. and if there's a huge plot twist with a lot of build up then what's the point if you know what's going to happen

[@Syogren]

Same. Rip us.

[@PeppyPipLBP]

i feel you exactly. also, if i know something, my reaction becomes all confused cuz..idk how to react? if a character dies and i didn't know it would happen i would genuinely cry my eyes out if i really like them, but if i already knew i wouldn't be able to react to it in the same way and i really like the genuine emotions/feelings i get from shows i guess if that makes sense? anyway same, spoilers ruin it for me too is what im saying lol

[@Aztyph]

Opinions! Personally speaking, I'm similar to Digi. While I don't actively seek out spoilers, knowing them doesn't negate my enjoyment of enjoying whatever I'm checking out. For me, I care less about the spoiler itself, and more about how it was executed. If it's done well, then I am just as shocked as if I didn't know about it beforehand... hell, sometimes more so, if there's foreshadowing involved. But hey, to each their own.

[@PeppyPipLBP]

i really like the execution too i think that's important! i stray from spoilers mostly cuz then i'm just expecting it and i'm just waiting for it. i have to watch yoi eps as soon as they come out cuz if i see gifs beforehand then im just sitting there going "oh theres the scene i saw on twitter." instead of a genuine reaction if that makes any sense...and i like to experience things with knowing little/nothing abt them i guess? it's a gamble sometimes but it makes things fun! i understand what u mean tho!

[@ninezerotwo1778]

The lesson learned is to not interact with other anime fans, or just only watch new shows. Can't be spoiled by something that doesn't exist yet.

[@CdrJamesCool]

Spoilers affect people differently and I understand both sides. I think what might often be the case is that when someone comes across a spoiler it is that initial response that hits hardest, especially if it is for a show they are in the middle in or about to start. I don't think a spoiler inherently ruins a show, being spoiled can damage a person's motivation to watch on but, at least in my case, that passes. I got the last episode of GoT series 5 spoiled and it did cause me to lose interest in watching it for a while, now I am actually interested to see what leads up to that event and even though I know when it happens I don't know why it happens and I want to find out.

[@Simok1234]

I mostly got big into anime once I started watching stuff weekly, and ever since like, spring 2013, I haven't missed watching at least one show a season. While I usually do wish I was doing more backlog watching, I almost always end up getting caught up watching the recent season more than marathoning stuff that's already out. It's really not common for me to watch more than 1 or 2 episodes of a single show in a day. In order for that to happen, it needs to be something that REALLY hooks me, and that's not extremely common. With watching stuff that's airing, if it's something I like and want to watch but I'm not THAT into, it's easy for me to watch it since I only need to see an episode a week. If it's a show I REALLY REALLY like, I get to have the excitement of a new episode a week which I find really fun. Different people have different reasons, but I guess that's more or less my situation. I do wish I spent more time on my backlog though.

[@Maloolz]

I don't personally go into discussion threads for currently airing anime anymore since they're often just jokes, reactions and theories, they only become interesting to me in retrospect. But I think that there still is value to them, for a lot of people and for me when used to participate in them, because they generate hype and give a lot of good memories. I remember when Fate/Zero was airing the /a/ threads on it were always a treat and is one of my fondest memories with a series as it was airing. Sure they were just threads filled with memes and jokes and reactions, but all of it can feel so genuine, and before you know it you're swept up in the hype wave for a series (And thankfully for Fate/Zero it paid off in spades). It's a similar feeling to the anticipation of the next episode for your favorite TV series as a kid. I think that ultimately something like that can lead to major disappointment and make a show feel worse than it really is if it doesn't live up to expectations, but I think that experience you get from those threads alone can really make an anime special for you. You say that it doesn't matter in the long run, but I think that the experience you get from those weekly discussions can actually affect your enjoyment later in a very positive way. Now of course, i'm writing this as someone who is also kind of disillusioned to the whole idea of watching anime weekly, it just doesn't appeal to me anymore so I do sympathize with you a lot. But I think that type of experience you can get from weekly watches shouldn't be forgotten either. Sometimes I even try to relive that type of experience by watching a show weekly with everyone else. Last year it worked out pretty well with One Punch Man and I ended up liking that show all the more than I would have just watching it in one go, on the other side of the coin I was all the more disappointed in something like Charlotte for being a trainwreck, so it's definitely a double edged sword.

[@buckwade1402]

I've decided to stop going onto discussions or watch reviews (save for the ones whom I'm subscribed to), because I just feel pressured into pandering towards popular opinion without having my own, legit, strongly formed opinions, that come from MY perspective. Basically, I went: Fuck everyone else's opinion, I don't give a damn anymore, I'm making my own, and I'm gonna stick by it, unless my bros (Digibro, BlackCriticGuy, etc), convince me otherwise.

[@jdxanadu872]

Personally I initially just kinda started watching airing shows, but now I also run a page where I express my opinion of the shows or just make jokes to entertain people. One thing that makes me happy with that is I've had people come and tell me that sometimes they decide to watch a show because my posts made them interested. With a discussion as a show is airing, I get your point but if done right I think it can be nice. One of my favorite experiences in the community is when Rokka no Yuusha was airing. I remember everyone was having a genuine discussion about who they thought the seventh was and why they thought that. I also agree with you saying shows are the least interesting to talk about while they airing, but I do think there's interesting discussion to be had while it's airing. Although it's not like you said there aren't. Anyways regardless of my perspective on airing shows, I found this pretty insightful.

[@MrCactuar13]

My main reason for keeping up with shows as they air is that it allows me to better sort out my favorites over time. The shows that I lose interest in will be the ones I definitely know I won't care for down the line, and the ones that I watch through until the end I'll be sure to visit again later down the line. Comparing my thoughts as I watch a show as it airs and then later revisiting a show in a marathon gives me time to ferment my thoughts in two different ways, and I tend to have a higher opinion of show that I view through the initial airing all the way. That being said, if I could I'd marathon all my shows all the way, but to me it's not the most feasible way to keep up with new shows that I'm interested in.

[@toddgreener]

I only watched Madoka because it was spoiled for me. Still one of my favorite things ever.

[@thatoneguy2906]

I don't know why people do this. Like we get it, you vape :^)

[@skylarspeaks8811]

Please don't vape Digi. You'll get popcorn lung. :(

[@Trixiethegoldenwitch]

Guess I'll go back to smoking, then.

[@skylarspeaks8811]

Digibro Didn't know you smoked. Vape on, brother.

[@SaberStash]

Vape then, it's better than smoking at least. Had no idea you smoked though, I know you thought is was cool.

[@Hammm99]

There's no reason you can't do both! Don't let your dreams be memes, cigarettes are fire tamed at a man's hands; they're the physical manifestation of the parable of Prometheus. And vaping is even cooler

[@caswellweird]

Digibro he's being exaggerative, you would have to vape through a vile of juice a day for that. and besides, smoking has way more negative aspects to it. its just more financially accessible.

[@atomicdiscogirl]

When I was younger I had a group of friends over the internet and irl who discussed anime. We were big hype train riders and the most interesting thing for us was discussing the latest episodes. I'm not as much into the hype anymore. Now I find it very difficult to watch a show weekly, for the same reasons you do. So I think some people just really like the hype and community of it all.

[@danielbaljeu3669]

Agree with a lot of stuff said in this rant. Sometimes I'll watch a weekly anime to talk about it with a friend, but otherwise it's all old shows and re-watches of favorite anime. There's a lot more I end up picking up on second, third, and forth re-watches. There's always a sub-reddit to go back and post on and KZbinrs still have their videos out from past months/years

[@urishima]

Vote Trump to get all the vapers thrown out of the country.

[@ZontarDow]

But don't most Vapers support the God Emperor?

[@RockyX456]

That sounds like heresy...time to exterminatus the comment section.

[@thomaslebel6922]

weekly (or otherwise un-marathonian) episode watching is beneficial to me, because I generally like to think about each episode for while before going for the next. instead of having to consider the unique elements of the whole show, I can digest mentally each part on my own time. one day i will try marathonningan entire show.

[@mary34channel]

I completely 100% feel you on this. I barely watch anything while they are airing, hell I barely watch seasonal shows period. It's just weirdly taxing for me. (although I don't like it when they spoil things. I don't know to me it's much more gradifying when I don't expect the thing happening.)

[@CureSapphire]

For me personally I have a few different reasons for watching anime while its airing. I watch some shows with friends on a week by week basis, like JoJo part 4. I've been up to date with that basically since it started with one of my friends and we have a total blast. The hype never really dies, and often if it dies down between episodes I'll get hyped up again at the start of the next one. I should also say that recently I haven't really binged much stuff lately anyway, maybe a couple episodes here or there, but not full shows since earlier in the summer. I'll have some shows I started months ago basically on hold, but still consider that I'm watching them, so I don't see how that's much different of an idea. I definitely can understand and respect not wanting to watch things week by week, but it doesn't really hurt me too much. Also, just from seeing how you think about these things, I am comparatively really lax about my thoughts of a show while watching things. I don't worry about whether the next episode will be good, or a let down, or whatever. Now, I don't think that any shows necessarily NEED to be watched weekly, but some shows are really great for just watching an episode here and there, which weekly can give you a nice grove to watch them. Like, a lot of cute girls shows I find are nice to sit down chill out and watch an episode or two. I watch some finished shows basically like that. But like I said, all of this is just how I watch shows, which really boils down to I just like watching anime and having fun. I watch new stuff, and old stuff and anything else I feel like. (Holy shit I just kept on typing) TL;DR I watch shows in a variety of different ways and enjoy them in different ways, so I think there is nothing wrong with either way when it comes down to it.

[@BM14575]

I like to maximize my enjoyment for EACH episode and remember the details. when I marathone I only tend to rememner the ending and close to nothing that happened in the middle. plus I get more attached to the story and characters cause its for a longer period of time

[@SanvelloSerapiega]

to be fair a lot of shows are designed to be episodic on a weekly release making it so binge watching it would actually ruin the pacing. This is one of the reasons Netflix shows are noted for being great binge watching shows. Instead of focusing on making the best individual episodes they can focus on the series as a whole and make larger and more complex stories with harder accessibility in individual episodes.

[@Trixiethegoldenwitch]

I don't think there's any show that is better watched weekly, regardless of intentions.

[@Cokoro955]

Digibro season 4 of jojos bizzare adventure?

[@Axeshizzle]

I also despise the very practice of watching shows weekly, but I've found that some shows are better not to binge. An example of this would be Mushishi, where I got more enjoyment out of it with time in between the episodes to contemplate on them as opposed to moving on right away. I would watch an episode and give it a day or a week for it to linger in my mind instead of focusing right away on watching the next episode and not thinking about the one I've just watched.

[@SanvelloSerapiega]

it really is subjective but really the only shows that actually get noticably better by weekly pacing are shows that are badly paced in a series run(making shows for binge watching soley or for both tends to make better shows anyway because they don't have to account as much for the gap)and since this type of viewing is overall inconvenient the series run tends to be a much better viewing style anyway. Typically shows where they repeat rules like every 2-4 episodes typically benefit from this view style because they don't waste time telling you something you may have forgetten about weeks ago that you wouldn't forget if you watched it all at once and it seems less repetitive if it isn't said about every hour throughout the series. The style also allows cliffhangers to have a more lasting effect even though they would resolve the actual arc extremely quickly within the series run when they aren't viewed as seperate installments.

[@shygirl2927]

Cap. Orange Soghda McGuffiepans I don't think so. Anime deals in stories more often than episodic series. Our shows hare more episodic IMO.

[@animewatcher102]

I would say that watching weekly helps you remember the little things that happen in the episode that would have been lost as topic of casual conversation. Like when I talk to friends about an anime that finish my first reaction is to say my reaction is to say my overall thoughts, but I would have to unpack what I thought about particular parts of the show before I can have more in-depth conversation. But if we were to talk about a particular of a show while airing you can easily bring up what you thought of the more recent events.

[@xerxBreak]

i see your points there, though honestly i think there are some shows that work better with the week between them-shows with a mystery aspect to them or a villain-of-the-week format, comedy shows, etc- and there are some shows that work better marathoned, mainly stuff with a very tight continuous narrative but without much mystery. personally i often let some shows lay for like 5 episodes and marathon those 5 episodes while it airs, works pretty well for me.

[@nickknight8]

Thats completely fair Digi. I personally crave water cooler talk, and some of the talk me and my friends had about some shows this season (mainly mob psycho and Re:Zero), have been some of my most enjoyable moments for me this year in anime and will be remembered fondly for the coming years. But hey if that doesn't float your boat and you want to consume a series all at once, you do you man.

[@TheOnceAndFutureKing]

I seem to remember, on Digi Does Anime, you had a show called ANIME HYPE TRAIN where you reviewed anime weekly. That was back in 2014. And many of them you didn't keep up with, but you did with GochiUsa season 1, if I recall correctly, (I believe both you and Victor did that one together).

[@ergergergal]

Please link that study about people enjoying shows more with spoilers than without because I really need to show it to a few people.

[@AndromedaRoach]

www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/spoiler-alert-spoilers-make-you-enjoy-stories-more I love The Matrix Revolutions, in large part because I was completely spoiled on it for three years before I watched it. On the other hand, I wish I hadn't been spoiled on Attack on Titan, The Sixth Sense, etc.

[@DiogoUsagi]

I share the sentiment. I gave airing-anime style a fair chance, between 2010-2014. The shows would just pile on, splitting all the the stuff equally by the days of the week meant an average of 4 different shows per day. The reason was simply, wanting to have the knowledge to participate on 90% of the online discussion, carried by the hype-train that seasonal anime represent. But in truth, even while watching the shows, I didn't participate much. Losing track of the story's flow across all those shows, watching rushed subs, low stream/tv quality, censorship, lack of polish, and the biggest offense of all, denying my backlog the time it deserved, in favour of current shows, whose quality/time investment ratio were but a gamble. The depth of the discussion you mentioned is also true, writing reviews after watching a show felt discouraging because everyone else's was just another "hey this is what I think of it" without feedback. Just an endless dump of ignored walls of text, or forgettable one-liners or small paragraphs even the author would forget was written, hours later. Since I stopped, I've adopted the philosophy of spending that time, on backlog instead. Marathoning shows at a rate of 3 episodes per day.

[@akou12]

where did you hear that study about spoilers?

[@DreamInSilenceYT]

akou12 It sounds like bullshit to me. You can't scientifically prove how people will subjectively enjoy a show. Spoilers matter to me in most cases. It's not always a big deal, but I prefer to be surprised as much as possible.

[@gran2053]

I would like to know that too.

[@caswellweird]

ConsoleCrashersShow yes you can, as special as you think individual people are, you can break down human psyche very plainly. you just have to form consensus groups that have the same checkbox of opinions.

[@caswellweird]

akou12 www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/spoiler-alert-spoilers-make-you-enjoy-stories-more

[@ninezerotwo1778]

That study IS bullshit, of course. It depends entirely on what the spoiler is as well. Character death, plot twist, event, what happens in episode 1; all can be considered spoilers, but everyone is affected differently.

[@se-n-fly-er]

Yeah I kind of agree. I followed anime seasonally for almost a decade and while it was fun to catch some shows before they got big, there were just as many that were forgotten by others. I dislike how most of the big places discussing anime only focus on currently airing shows. Funny enough I also used to post on animesuki years back before moving onto other places. I like learning about the surrounding culture (otaku stuff) and process/history put into anime (animators, production, etc.) but I find most places don't really discuss these things and it's mostly just articles that talk about it. (that's not even mentioning the titles that are currently airing but most outside of Japan don't care about such as Doraemon or Chibi Maruko Chan. I understand why most don't care for them or can't watch them, but it's a shame when you find a series like that you enjoy only to find there's no one else to discuss it with.) Another downside to watching anime seasonally is initial impressions can be messed up, for example I ended up watching Psycho Pass during the reairing before season 2 (back before I knew about how the staff mostly went onto working on the movie), and while I enjoyed it a lot I think having 2 episodes as one helped with enjoying the content. Also I somewhat dislike the trend of splitting what would previously be a 2 cour series into two seperate mini "seasons". For example while previously a series might have went from summer-fall with 25 episodes, now it'd be split into summer 13 episodes, nothing during fall, then another 13 during winter, I find that completely messes with the flow of a series usually. Not to mention then these 2nd cours are now labeled as 2nd seasons which tends to be technically correct, but not quite the same meaning a 2nd season usually has (where it airs at least a year later and can have different staff or themes compared to the original).

[@Harutjun]

hmm that is a interesting take on it , I usually don't mind watching things weekly because I have a very big backlog so watching it weekly gives me more time to enjoy many shows at once & don't get burned by them

[@CartoonHangout]

When I try to wait for an entire season to air, I just forget it exists.

[@valerielynch3708]

As a highschool student, I like watching ongoing anime because I need to focus on school during the week anyway, so then on the weekend, I have new episodes to watch. It feels more manageable. Over the summer, I prefer to be able to binge completed shows though.

[@TheEvilRohanite]

If I had to choose between the two I'd always binge instead of watching weekly, but since there's so much anime out there I feel like the best way to experience most of it is to do both. Watching a single episode a week is less of a commitment than picking up a full finished show (even if it was only 12 eps long), and the sense of routine will make you more likely to keep up with it each week (I don't forget about them even though I do other things during the week so we just happen to differ there), and during the wait you can binge finished shows. If I could watch anime for a living like you and have no time constraints for binges I might relate to your opinion more though.

[@ausaskar]

There's something cathartic in transcribing your thoughts to words. I think the reason why it's seen it so often on reddit/anime forums and even comments on youtube is the fact people need an excuse to do it, I think having other people read and respond is secondary to the act itself of organizing the thoughts buzzing through your head into a coherent piece of text. Not everyone has a youtube channel with 20k viewers but they still want some kind of outlet to get their thoughts out there.

[@LoveSasukeKai]

It's really interesting for me to watch videos and opinions like this, because they're so alien to me. I never watch anime to discuss it or be part of a community, because I've been burnt so badly by fandom. Like, the last time I tried to discuss an anime that was currently airing was when Star Driver: Kagayaki no Takuto was coming out, and that "discussion" lost me halfway into the show at the latest. And I think that marathoning the shows really sounds like the best thing for you, Digi, because that's the most logical, on top of the most enjoyable for you. I mean, how can you form a solid opinion without having seen the whole thing? I don't get people who complain about it? I also love marathoning finished stuff, but that's connected to why I watch anime in the first place: To enjoy the fuck out of it, get a break from my mental illness, and recharge my creative batteries. I watched stuff like Kill La Kill and Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress when they aired because I loved the shows from the get-go, and they gave me something to look forward to. When life was shit, at least I had a show that could snap me out of my apathy for some hours once every week. However, I rarely ever watch any anime weekly unless it really catches me in the first episode. I lose interest in them, just like you. And then if I find a complete show I like? I marathon it, to really saturate my mind in it and enjoy it fully, to get all those themes and sensory stimulation into my brain. Because I also write and create my own stories, so watching stuff helps me discover new things that inspire me. So, yeah... I think it's really cool to see why other people do what they do, and in some ways I can really relate to how your mind works. I, uh, don't have high hopes for a reply, though. Just wanted to share my own thoughts about this subject, as someone with a very different reasoning for doing the exact same thing.

[@ruolbu]

Everything you say makes sense. I still find it hard to sit through more than maybe three episodes of one show unless it's a 10/10 for me. Unless the thing has me already on my knees begging for more I just can't deal with that much of the same stuff. For me there are shows (quite a few) that are only entertaining because I can get some distance before I get another episode. On the other hand I do agree that those I enjoy binging always are better if watched in one or two sittings. I just don't know how to discern. I really enjoy those shows I prefer on a weekly basis. Forcing myself to get through 13 or 26 episodes that are already out is way harder in those cases than just watching them during my evening routine.

[@Id334ler]

I can understand the feeling of wanting to marathon every show, I do it a lot too. But I think there are some shows (not many), but a few, that are more suited for week by week. An example of this would be Flying Witch. It's a happy, feel good show, and it's nice to be able to watch it once a week, and just relax. Although, you can still marathon them, you can marathon anything.

[@JanizMakudomaru]

When I heard about Ace dying in OP I had to go see what was up. I went back in at the Duval episode, but then I was like "The hell are these new guys?" So then I went back and saw everything after the Skypia arc. Worth it all.

[@ZontarDow]

The only time I watched a show during its runtime was during Attack on Titan's run due to the sheer hype of it (I liked it, and really wanted to be able to talk about the latest thing with my friends) but other then that I not only usually wait until it's over, I usually wait until I've bought the physical release to watch it. Which is why the past few moths have been pretty great, since Funimation released the big 3 series of 2006 in a 3 month period on Blu Ray (Lucky Star, Haruhi, Code Geass) I also agree with you on the spoilers. I actually became a big fan of the Metal Gear series because of being told a brakedown of all the major spoilers of MGS 1, 2 and 3.

[@hemangchauhan2864]

I think weekly approach works well with some having a Sakamoto like episodic structure, and it's especially appealing to more casual anime viewers.

[@princesseuphemia1007]

Thanks for this. This is exactly why I always wait until a show I like or am interested in is finished airing so that I can binge watch it. If I can't binge watch a show then I will never finish watching it.

[@TheLonelyLuneon]

I find it cool that my reason for watching anime weekly is completely different from what you mentioned haha Nothing against people who watch things in marathons. That's perfectly fine, each their own ^^ Each person should find their own way which fits them best.

[@shellysunfish]

I like a balance of both old, and new weekly stuff. I don't want to get bored/burned out on one series. It's best to have a viewing schedule for me. So on my days off of work, I can plan things out.

[@catsoup9870]

Not to mention that truly well executed moments, that are actually worth declaring a spoiler, are executed in a way that makes it just as good if you are aware of what will happen because some people don't try to blindly keep up with everything as it airs and instead REWATCH OLD STUFF. This way you can perform the ancient ritual called "spotting all the foreshadowing"

[@CrystalRubyMoon]

My reasons for not watching anything weekly is the same(ish) as yours. That's why I like to binge-watch everything because the information still makes sense, little details won't get forgotten, and like, no cliffhangers killing me for the rest of the week.

[@buckwade1402]

Hey, on the bright side, watching weekly is a completely legal way to torture people!

[@SovietRipper]

What Digi doesnt get its that out there is people like me that is addicted to hype, being part of the hype aka. adiccted to cliffhangers, and theories, blah blah blah, is more about being addict to the expectation of ''whats gonna happen next!' with a group of people/ fandom and at the same time is a kind of way to ''extend'' the show, when i bingewatch a full show i really liked i feel like ''and... what i do now? I wish i saw this show when it was airing'' because at the end when i finish a weekly series after 24 episodes (6 months) it feels like i spent a good time into it, when i bingewatch is like wat 6 hours? 8 hours? too short. But i get your point Amethyst, just sharing my opinion and felz. Also comes down to patience and free time i think, theres people who simply doesnt stand to wait another week, or they dont have the time to watch a series the same day every week, and in the other hand theres people who want t over-extend their ''enjoyment'' for something or be part of the group, most communites of specific shows start slowly dying after a shows end, and that gives the feel that its empty.

[@CrystalRubyMoon]

Alexander Reiss I understand where you're coming from. There are series that I like to watch (and read) when they first come out, too, like RWBY and Attack on Titan (manga) because making and reading theories for those makes me more excited or makes me think, and it's just fun.

[@thomasffrench3639]

I tend to forget about everything after the show is over more often if I binge it over if I watch it weekly.

[@Alexander_Isen]

In 9/10 cases I agree with this statement. For whatever reason however some of the most fun I've ever had watching anime was waiting for new Mob Psycho episodes. I watched the first 8 episodes at once and could just not believe how amazing and beautiful that anime was. I could barely contain my excitement waiting for the next episode, it was SO FUN.

[@iBenjamin1000]

I hear you on all these points but I CANNOT marathon for anything. Which is why I like trying to find a few shows from the current season. Any that I might want to watch after they finish airing get mixed in with the rest of the older shows that I have yet to watch.

[@Remnaut]

Even outside out anime, I have found that I am enjoying the netflix format for its original shows. I really enjoyed watching house of cards at my own pace, and its nice that even if I took 4 or 5 days to get through the whole season, conversation was still relevant since the show had just come out.

[@zsdghl]

I'm glad you do what you do, Digi; a couple of my favorite anime KZbin channels have become...not my favorite anymore, due to devolving into making all these new anime reaction/discussion videos as the majority of their content. Honestly, nothing is more off-putting, so I'm glad there are others who see no appeal in watching all the weekly stuff.

[@TheSilverKetchup]

My thing is that I don't really binge shows. I go out of my way to switch back and forth between several shows because if it's just one show I'll get sick of it. I don't watch too many at the same time though so that there's only a few days between episodes. I like spreading the experience out so I have more time to reflect on it. I sort of like airing shows with how they force you to spread out the experience, although 7 days is too long.

[@TheAvizanski]

i slightly disagree on that spoiler thing, the sixth sense isnt nearly as engaging if you know the spoiler, for me it was the same with madoka magica, sometimes spoilers can ruin a thing you might have liked otherwise.

[@caswellweird]

Avizanski i disagree, I feel like you are looking at it only from face value, and not thinking deeper on it. I don't think you are entirely wrong as spoilers should still be avoided if able, but if a show relies entirely on a big plot twist spoiler, that show probably wasn't all that good to begin with if a spoiler made it unwatchable.

[@TheAvizanski]

***** dude, you couldn't be more wrong. looking at something like madoka magicka at face value doesn't really bring out too much. being a deconstruction of the magical girl genre. though knowing the twist and how the show is going to play out pretty much makes it lose all it's value. you do know there is value in novelty. and i've never said it makes it unwatchable, what i meant is it made something that in someone's mind could have been a classic and turn it into far less interesting.

[@skipthewave]

I knew the twist months before I watched and I still loved it... actually, why is that twist even the "main part" about the anime when it just gets better? :V

[@redholm]

Tbh. Knowing something like the ending of Madoka will ruin tension and such when first watching the show. And if you are bored because you know whats coming you will likely not watch it again. As what you remember is that it was not a shock for you. Instead of that the twist was great.

[@caswellweird]

Avizanski and YOU couldn't be more wrong because you completely missed the point of my comment. I wasn't saying look at the show from face value, I said don't look at the spoiler as "well now that its spoiled, it loses novelty." 1. if you know the spoiler, then you can appreciate the subtly of the build up sooner than later. you'll notice things others might have missed with this extra information. 2. it prevents people from falling off the show because now they know its more than just a magical girl show. 3. just because you know the event doesn't mean you've lost the novelty of experiencing it. Half of my favorite shows, I knew a spoiler going in, and that didn't ruin the emotion of the scene nor its impact on me. 3. rewording "unwatchable" doesn't change my point. if that one plot twist was all it had going for it, and without it, it can't be a "classic" then it was probably never that good to begin with. Spoilers don't ruin shows, they ruin reactions to scenes. 4. Madoka Magica is a great show, it can be enjoyed without needing to go in blind. I know that because I did. I can gurantee you I would have dropped it not knowing the events of a show. 5. just because one spoiler is ruined, doesn't mean everything is, with a show like Madoka, there are tons of other plot twist present. So even if you know 1 or 2, there is still a lot more to get your kicks worth. You aren't wrong that spoilers should be avoided if able, I'm saying that a show isn't good if its not as good without being spoiled.

[@eff-fume]

I like watching anime weekly because I like the illusion I make for myself that I finish many things at the same time. Ofc it is impossible to do many things at the same time, so I make for myself a Illusion that if I finish to 15 shows in the same week, I pretty much 'saved' time because in that time i would've probably been barely motivated to watch one 12 or 13 episodes show. I can't just binge watch. It makes my brain hurt, I get headache and other sicknesses. To that if the show really isn't entertaining throughout and has like 3 very boring episodes in line I will get demotivated, set it on hold for like; depends; few weeks to months to years and the dropping it. And because I hate binge watching, I barely finish an amount of older shows a year because all I pretty much watch are airing shows or shows I really wanted to see because I was totally in the mood (and even then they get set on hold f o r e v e r) and I did find something that did entertain me. I think at average I finish 10 shows a year that aren't airing. That would be the highest number. The excitement of seeing a new episode of a few shows I like every week also makes me happy. I also can remember most events of show I have seen, even if it a very long time ago, so I have no problem with keeping up and talk in discussion; which also is a plus point when you watch airing shows. I don't watch every episode immediately though, I also watch when i feel like it.

[@eruno_]

Speculation what next episode is gonna be is fun. It should not be correct or anything like that. That's not the point.

[@caswellweird]

Kôito yes its fun, but its pointless if you run a channel where you analyze anime. he never said it was the way to do things, the video is just explaining why HE doesn't watch shows weekly.

[@andy4an]

Tackson he absolutely criticises people that enjoy it on a week to week basis, and argues that their reasons are irrational. This isn't a video about mutual understanding. It's about "my way is right, and you guys should fall in line". Early in the video, he talks about hating forums because lots of people get to state their viewpoints separately from each other, and likes his videos because everyone responds to HIS viewpoints. Basically, he likes digibro being the center of an anime conversation. Which makes sense if you are digibro, but isn't terribly appealing if you aren't.

[@caswellweird]

weesh ful no he says that they aren't reasons that he agrees with. if you want to be overly negative and take everything he said as an insult, be my guest. I didn't see it that way though.

[@DigitalStarry]

I can understand where you are coming from as someone who does anime analysis and assorted videos for a living, but for me I just find it much easier, more digestible, and less time consuming day by day to spend an hour watching 3 or so episodes a day versus all at once. It's also nice to have a "set" day ahead of time when x show releases a new ep for me. I have other commitments and hobbies that prevent me from binging most days. I like having the variety and binging just leads to bleeding the details of the show together and possible burnout. I do go back and watch older shows when I can though.

[@shuuyakano2390]

the fun part is that forgetting what's happened is not a problem I'm good with that kind of stuff but like you said I lose the enjoyment which normally should build up to the ending

[@masterchaoss]

yeah the only thing I watch live are sports, where knowing the final score aka spoilers is a legit reason to not watch. anything narrative I put off till a season is over or the whole run is, with the exception of comedic stuff or shows that have limited story cary over between episodes.

[@hellslayer2000]

gotta agree with sports I try to watch Man U live in the us if I can't watch I record it, but if I end up seeing the score I can't watch I've tried before but if you take the tension and suspense out of sports they aren't worth watching.

[@BlackRose-pu8km]

yeah sports are best live no question!

[@16JPE]

I feel the same. But I do still watch it weekly mostly because I can't wait, but also I can wait its all really confusing

[@Xylos144]

I agree with liking the availability of a show - that I can binge it all at once. It's like having to read a book at one chapter per week. It's annoying. With that said, I think the break in between episodes, and the desire (and inability) to watch what happens next, fuels a lot of speculation and review and introspection on the episode you just got. The suspense builds an extra appreciation that you'll skip over if you can just jump straight to the next episode and get everything answered. I think there's value to it. But a week between episodes is just too long. What I've taken to doing is - depending on how long the show is - watching one to three episodes per day, instead of binge-ing all 10 or 20 or 40 episodes over a weekend. I think it strikes a good balance - I don't lose interest or forget anything, but I get that time to reflect and wonder. And I still get through the series within a week or two. I'd recommend giving it a try.

[@amrit6252]

I tend to watch currently airing anime mostly just because I want to support it as it's airing. That weekly support can be pretty meaningful. Other than that, yeah, watching a bunch of weekly shows gets tiring, so that's why I watch a few and also have some older shows to fill in the downtime between new episodes.

[@the_blue_flash]

Digi, I seem to have the opposite problem that you have. I am more like to forget a show if I watch it in one sitting, although it pertains mostly to 12-episode shows. So another solution is to binge a show (say Madoka) across the timespan of a week or less, just as long as it's not a day. Until now I manage to remember all the magical girls' name (save for the apple-eating one, who cares about her anyway?) and most relevant things I like about the show.

[@bleachbleachBLEACHER]

I watch anime while it's airing for no greater reason than I am more likely to finish shows that way. I have extreme difficulty marathoning a series of any length. I've tried it, I've made plans to specifically try and binge through a show in a single sitting, and it just almost never works for me. After 2-4 episodes of most shows, I just come to a point where I want to switch tracks and go to something else, and this happens because I am a very spontaneous person. Planning has never been my forte, so in order for me to stick to any kind of schedule, I have to have that schedule imposed on me by an outside force. So while I do still watch already completed shows a lot, It often takes me too long to accomplish, because I'll watch 2 episodes, come to a stop, and then for no reason at all, not get back to it until like a month later, if at all. And many times I will have been thinking about the show all through that time I wasn't watching it, I just could never put myself back in the chair to sit down and continue because at that exact moment, I wanted to do something else MORE. But when I'm watching ongoing series, I have that schedule of one episode each week to keep me making sure I come back at a specific time for each episode. It's not an issue I expect many people have, but it is the reason that I watch currently airing shows, or rather why I DON'T wait for them to finish before watching them. The only times I've really been able to watch through whole seasons of a show in a single sitting is when I'm watching the show with someone else. Someone to throw my ongoing thoughts about whats happening onto and keep everything interesting. I just kind of have an issue in the process of watching a completed show where my head gets full of all these different thoughts, theories, questions, ect. about what's happened so far and what may happen next. It's a reflex at this point, and if I don't give myself time to digest it all, I just feel like I'm overheating myself trying to watch more, and HAVE to come to a stop. and then I have the aforementioned issue of never coming back to it even though I want to for no real reason.

[@uxoh8492]

For me, knowing the tone and slight shape of School Days ending made an entire show entertaining and created a suspense that made me marathon a show, which i don't do that often, even with short series.

[@JackTheVulture]

I know this is just a small part of the video but I want to offer my (probably unneeded) perspective on spoilers. I understand why some people dont care about spoilers, thats their thing, thats totally ok and I'd be an idiot if I looked down on them for it? I'm not a total hardass about it either but I have a thing for experiencing something in the way the creator intended it. Less pretentious wording: Build up and tension is awesome and spoiling the thing that the story is building up to dampens it for me. Not everyone, obviously. But for me, it does. That being said, I DO prefer to marathon things. I think it creates the best way to experience a build up because the tension keeps going and I wanna see whats gonna happen next. Thats what keeps me going. The main reason I havent watched Steven Universe is because I literally don't NEED to, like it would be a formality at this point. I know all the spoilers so I don't wanna sit through the build up because it means a lot less to me. Like I recently watched JJBA Part 3 and I was somehow completely unspoiled. Spoilers blow. Other than the Jojos, had NO IDEA who was gonna survive. I had guesses and hunches but the tension was ALIVE because I know JJBA characters ARE NOT IMMORTAL, and can pop back up in later parts. I get attached to characters easily, its just how I am and it lets me enjoy things more. So I'm sitting here biting my nails wondering if the universe is gonna leave Polnareff the FUCK alone and let the man live. Avdol went out so suddenly that it completely took me by surprise and filled me with immediate dread and fear of Vanilla Ice. I joked about him the entire season watching it with my friend "Whens vanilla ice comin lol" and when he finally showed up I was SO glad I didnt know ANYTHING about it. Not being spoiled for serious shocking moments creates experiences that I remember. I remember how I felt. I remember yelling WHAT WHAT WHAT at my friend whose seen it and kept it from me. I love those moments. I know that not everyone cares but I think I'm one of those people that prefers to experience things in order. The buildup has more payoff for me that way. Its worth being disappointed sometimes to have the mystery and suspense.

[@Lengari]

2 Questions: 1. Is the weebcast already out? 2. Will it be uploaded somewhere else?

[@eruno_]

It's all about weekly hype and waiting for next episode in anticipation. And after watching it discussing it with your friends in heated debates about hypest moments an best waifus.

[@MrHaganenoEdward]

While sometimes spoilers aren't important I love some shows precisely because I don't know what's going to happen or some events might shock me. Good examples of this are Legend of Galactic heroes or Game of thrones. Plus while I think that spoiler problem is a bit blown out of proportion I still remember when learning about the outcome of battle between L and Light absolutely ruined Death Note for me. But otherwise I mostly agree with you. Watching show when you want to watch it is awesome. And also I really love that there's an anime youtuber who doesn't talk mostly about episode reviews.

[@DoomTone11]

3:53 In case anyone hasn't seen it or doesn't believe Digi, it's true that studies have shown that spoilers don't necessarily ruin stories. Here's an article about it: phys.org/news/2016-05-spoiler-alertspoilers-stories.html

[@ethan37066]

I don't even want to watch the weeb cast without digi. I don't relate to any of mothers basements opinions and Nate isn't enough. Digi will probably not even watch 90% of the shows from the season. The weeb cast was the only way for me to listen to him talk about all these shows that never get talked about again. It's half the reason I even watch everything

[@captainpato11]

I really love the message at the end.

[@jhonviel7381]

i agree, especially when they are based on manga which is weekly, or monthly, which is ahead of the anime always, because that is how they do it.

[@jhonviel7381]

also i was an anime hipster before digi made it cool to be one

[@VicMonado]

19:25 Yeah that's a good middle-ground. I watch what I definitely like as it's coming out and fill the rest of my watch time with stuff that's finished. I also drop shows as the season progresses much like New Game last year and EldLive this year. Interesting perspective in this video though.

[@CrimsonFace]

I picked out a few shows of the season that look interesting and gonna watch them/try them while binging other stuff. I've never seen Cowboy Bebop. Gonna change that by the end of the month, but the new stuff won't interfere with it much,

[@D-Havoc]

I feel the same about being "spoiled". It only makes me enjoy a series with a believable standard and makes me more determined to see how it turned out the way I found out by either reading it or hearing it from a person.

[@hemangchauhan2864]

One of the most interesting experience I had was watching Sakamoto (as it was airing) , then go to /r/anime and witnesses all the hilarity and chaos set loose with each episode discussion.

[@metathpr4h290]

With how much I hate spoilers, that is definitively the opposite for me, since I lose motivation to watch something if I already know what will happen. And for the community part... well, that's his opinion, for me discussing the seasonal anime is half of my enjoyment, posting in the episode threads, making theories, talking about favourite OP/ED of the season, best characters/anime of the moment... etc, if I waited for the end of the season, I wouldn't have anything to discuss about with the others q_q