Rewatching Anime
ITT overrated shit
There was a long time after I first starting watching anime (and fansubs) where I’d pretty much rewatch almost every title I saw, unless I totally disliked it the first time round. Then again, even some of the most generic fanservice anime had some rewatch value. This activity kinda fell off over the timescale of months after I started watching series as they aired, and these days its a rarity for me to bother watching something a second time. I think it has something to do with the fact that, almost inevitably, when I started watching anime as they aired, I was spending more time discussing the latest anime on forums and whatnot, which is probably time I would have spent rewatching anime in the old days. That, and going onto a faster internet connection probably killed off the need to resort to watching stuff I’d already seen to keep myself entertained. These days, I really don’t need to rewatch most things, since being active in the online discussion about anime usually fills in the holes I might have missed first time round (and anyway, I’m generally of the philosophy that, in most cases, because I take the effort to pay attention while watching anime, if I’ve missed something, it’s probably due to poor storytelling than anything I could be responsible for.)
But there are a few series that I really regret not rewatching. Bokura ga Ita and Mushishi immediately come to mind. A friend of mine is very low level weeaboo, but has a penchant for things like Mushishi and Bartender and is completely smitten over live action Nodame Cantabile (but, for some reason, he can’t bring himself to watch the anime). We were showing a mutual acquaintance a few random scenes from random episodes of Mushishi under the guise of “this is what anime is like when it’s awesome”, but with each new click on the MPC playbar, I kept finding myself saying “I don’t remember this scene” or “which episode was this one again”. Under any other circumstance, it wouldn’t terribly surprise me that I don’t have a crystal clear memory of an anime I saw almost two and a half years ago, but this is Mushishi we’re talking about, which is almost universally described with one of the greatest appraisals an anime critic can afford to an anime: “memorable”. The other series that I really want to rewatch is Monster, since I daresay it’s probably the third best anime I’ve ever seen (and as close as I’ve ever come to awarding an anime an “As Good As It Gets” rating in a review).
I also have trouble finding time to watch series from prior seasons. I still haven’t watched Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann. And there’s also a crapton of other series that I’m sure I should have watched, but haven’t. I guess it’s worth posing this spiel in terms of question/answer. If the question were “does watching anime as they air constrict the amount of time one can use to rewatch other series or watch series from previous seasons”, then the answer would be “in my experience, yes.” So, what does one do? One makes time. When I first watched the 74 episodes of Monster, it was an intimidating task (especially since I did it during the Honours year of my undergrad), so I basically watched an episode per day. I plan on repeating that task, and have started doing so yesterday. When I finish I might take the opportunity to post a re-review on this blog. It’s only been one episode, but it’s already struck me how different Monster is from the standard show that’s airing these days, which is quite incredibly considering the anime is only 3-4 years old. Granted, this is a calibre of series that only comes along very rarely.
I’ve been thinking about this lately, as my pile of backlogs keep growing each season, and I seem to be neglecting other animes I ought to be watching rather than what’s “in”, what’s new and what’s currently the ‘talk of the town’. And while yes, keeping up with a series on a weekly basis and discussing with people compensates for the need to rewatch, I’m finding it quite a pressure to keep up, and feel obliged to watch, not really because I want to. There’s also the pressure to blog episodic, but that’s an entirely different story.
I feel like skipping out on one season just to give love to the backlogged animes that deserve all the attention they can get, far more than what’s currently airing. Though of course striking a good balance is still the ideal. Gah, have to make time indeed.
I rewatch shows a whole lot. Randomly (which works for fluffy things like Lucky Star), big moments (Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann), finales (Macross Frontier, TTGL again), and systematically (Macross shows and Gundam shows: relevant to my interests).
The lack of shows relevant to my interests next season will allow me to not only rewatch more, but also attack my backlog aggressively. The current season allowed me to finish both Legend of the Galactic Heroes and Macross 7 at 110 and 55 or so episodes (including extras) respectively; as well as rewatches of TTGL, Gundam 0083, and the Mobile Suit Gundam compilation movies.
I can’t say enough how my rewarding my rewatching experience is. I wholeheartedly recommend it.
The only anime I’ve rewatched recently are the two Code Geass shows. I shows I usually give give a second go are ones that thoroughly entertained me the first time around. Now I do rewatch shows I consider classics like Haibane Renmei or Mushi-Shi (when I finally acquire them on on DVD), but these days, I’ve pretty much given up on this task and booked them for summer vacation viewings.
At this point in my life, rewatching shows is more of a luxury simply because trying to keep up to date on the newer stuff has been really trying. I’ve got Bokura Ga Ita and sketchbook which really deserve to be finished as well as Kaiba on the back burner, and older series like Monster and Gankutsuou definitely deserve a rewatch, but I’m definitely hurting for time.
Nowadays, the only chance I get to rewatch something is when I introduce friends/acquaintances to new shows (which explains why I’ve seen the first 3 episodes of ARIA about 4-5 times already).
What we need is a really crappy anime season. That would be perfect for playing catch-up and to get back to the quality series of years past that I’ve seen before.
Funny you mention Monster, because it’s a series I’ve just recently decided to watch, in a manner not unlike how you described. The difference is that this is my first viewing while you’re on a second pass.
I love to rewatch things, and I love to see past shows that I may have missed. They’re known quantities, things either I enjoyed previously or were recommended by those whose opinions I value. Watching current shows just for the sake of being trendy or up to date has long lost its appeal to me. Sure, by not following every last fansub released under the sun, I may miss finding the next Haruhi Suzumiya, a yet undiscovered gem of pure joy not yet tainted by the noise of absurd hype or the wild antics of an overzealous fandom. But since I’ve began following weekly episodes as they air, that sort of revelation has only happened the one time.
I guess what I mean to say is that going back and seeing past shows is equally important, or even more so, to my passion for anime as watching new series.
I still rewatch now and then, not as much as I used to but still do. Rewatching Kaiba back then pretty much solidified my opinion of it as the best anime of 2008. With multi-layered beasts like Kaiba/FLCL/Boogiepop Phantom, it usually takes 2 or more viewings to spot what one may have missed in their first viewing.
Then there is rewatching and seeing something different because you as a person has changed. Man do I love Azumanga Daioh now but, I don’t know if any Nihonreview staff here remembers, I used to find every chance to bash it.
I also watch random episodes like ghostlightning does, which is what I did for Mushishi, and that explains why I can remember some episodes clearly in detail, while others are kind of left forgotten.
Hmm there was something else I wanted to say…can’t remember, nvm.
*O yes now I do. YOU ARE NOT IMPLYING MONSTER IS OVERRATED AFTER SECOND WATCH RIGHT?!!?!?!
@usagijen: It’s all about balance, isn’t it. One could just lighten their load and watch less new anime, but then you feel like you’re missing out on the discussion. But, almost certainly, the majority of what’s in your backlog is probably better than the majority of what’s currently airing. Yet, if you’re like me, you probably can’t help but go for whatever’s airing. I’m starting to think there’s an “addiction” element to all this… like, it’s better for you just to watch good anime from older seasons, but it’s more fun to watch bad anime from current seasons because you get to take part in the discussion about it. There’s a stronger social aspect to watching current anime than there is to watching older anime, even if the older anime is better for you.
@ghostlightning: Yeah, I rewatch lots of random moments as well, but their usually the light, fluffy moments from series like Clannad and Kannagi. I can’t bring myself to watch the big moments from serious anime unless I’m watching the whole thing, because I feel like those moments can’t be done justice unless they’re within context, and I don’t feel like they’re within context unless I’ve seen the entire series leading up to it. Yes, even when it’s a series I’ve seen before. I’m a tad compulsive like that.
@Shadowmage: Certainly shows with high entertainment value are easier to rewatch than the “classics”, but as ghostlightning hinted at, I think it ends up being a more rewarding experience to rewatch the truly brilliant series.
@zzeroparticle: Knowing what I’m like, if there’s ever a super crappy season, I’ll probably be all over that. But there’s also this idea that the anime that surprise you by leading you into setting really low expectations and then blowing those out of the water are the most rewarding to watch. And that idea is kinda at the core of my anime philosophy (which is why I drop things very rarely). ARIA is another series that deserves a rewatch. I rewatched the first series of ARIA, because that was around the time I was still rewatching stuff, but I’ve yet to rewatch the two (better) seqeuel series.
@kadian1364: Yeah, but “known quantities” is part of the reason why I feel like there’s less of a point to rewatching entire series. There’s always something rewarding about watching something new, even if it’s crap, because it’s during that first watch that you find out it’s quality/quantity. It’s kinda like unwrapping a present you know nothing about… there’s a certain joy in that process, with all the unknowns and expectations. And when you find something that exceeds your expectations, in that moment, it feels awesome. But, when you go to rewatch a series, it’s not like you can wrap it up again, and regenerate all those “unknowns” and “expectations”… those are forever gone after your first watch through. The rewatch then becomes about the little things: spotting hints and whatnot that you missed the first time through, getting a new appreciation for the how well woven the various ends are, because you know where they’re all going to end up at in the end. I’m not saying that isn’t a rewarding experience. But I have the suspicion that there’s something about new anime being “new”, combined with the whole discussion and social component of watching new anime, that makes it an even more rewarding experience, even when they turn out to be crap.
@gaguri: No, “overrated shit” is a 4chan meme, ie, typical /a/ trolling. I’d be very surprised if Monster was any less brilliant the second time round. That’s how it has been for the first two eps. Certainly, one gets more out of rewatching multi-leveled anime that are, as you put it, “hard anime” to watch. I guess the “soft anime” are simply easier to rewatch, which is why I often pick out random moments from light series to rewatch. It’s fun and entertaining, but I guess one could argue that it’s pretty meaningless and not all that rewarding.
Hmm I’m thinking, well according to how I’d like to define “hard anime”, they’re usually multi-layered but not necessarily. I suppose one gets more out of something like Haibane Renemi from his second viewings, while one could argue that there aren’t much layers underneath the theatrical entertainment of Code Geass on the surface level. But softs are usually easier and more inviting when it comes to rewatching.
These days I only seem to be rewatching anime for these reasons:
1. Refreshing my memory of animes from years past that I may have only watched once. And to see what I think of the anime compared to the time period I viewed it.
2. I am bored as hell and have nothing better to do.
3. Nostalgia.
Revisiting animes has been more painful for me the past few years due to the fact that my standards and tastes have changed and evolved. Thus, my opinion of animes I once loved have been more scrutinous present-day as a result. For example, I once loved Revolutionary Girl Utena and its overblown usage of symbolism while believing it to be exemplary of genius when it first aired years ago. Now, since I can see the inherent flaws within the usage of symbolism amongst other problems (especially in the character department), my opinion changed when revisiting it. It does sadden me a bit when I find that shows I once enjoyed thoroughly have not stood the test of time well. Then, there are the animes that are only worth the watch just once and that is about it, regardless.
Sometimes, I have found that some shows manage to keep their novelty and entertainment value regardless of time. While some particular shows may not be along the lines of Mushi-Shi per se, there is just something about appealing to multiple things like an inner child that still makes multiple visits worthwhile. At times, when it comes to franchises, I find myself rewatching older shows to keep my spirits up when the latest incarnation is horrendous crap. Reliving what made a predecessor so great does feel like a clean slate and its nice at times.
Currently, I have not found anything worth a second visit or so. These days, the quality of shows are usually not enough to warrant such a thing. Eventually, years from now maybe there will be a show I will just rewatch for the hell of it. As it stands, I don’t really have anything I want to rush into at all.
More than just rewatching, I tend to think that what needs to be done is rethinking, a process that isn’t necessarily linked to a second or third viewing even if it may usually be prompted or aided by them. It’s simply not always a requirement.
Which reminds me…I saw Saint Seiya about five times when I was younger and yet it is only now that I can think about all the missed opportunities in its formula, as entertaining as it was, and how certain episodes hinted at developments that didn’t really go anywhere since a shounen fighting series isn’t going to take many risks.
On the other hand, rewatching Legend of the Galactic Heroes is making me pay a lot more attention to certain characters, like Rubinsky, whose influence I seriously underestimated the first time around, and even get a better understanding of Phezzan’s role in the story, as relatively marginal as it may have seemed to be.
Every person focuses on different details when they first see a show and I admit that deeper specimens have a lot more to offer, but even lesser shows can benefit.
@Flash Sword Irene: It’s been some time since I last saw Utena, which means my opinion is sketchy, but the second time around actually proved to be quite constructive to my experience. The overuse of symbolism might have some problems, among other issues, but I noticed the show’s structure became a lot more…tangible and susceptible to later analysis about the role of gender and what it means in the context of the series, for instance. For me that counts as a positive, at least from what I recall.
@gaguri: The ironic thing is I’m actually noticing a small but far from non-existent amount of interesting details in Code Geass / R2 as the show airs on Adult Swim, and obviously the plot twists are rather indifferent to me at this point.
It may not be the most multi-layered story in the world but there are themes and ideas that aren’t immediately evident to a first time viewer. Some of the flaws in the story become apparent yet again but also some positives, if anyone else can ever admit such a thing. Then again since my position on the show is…rather flexible compared to that of many others, that probably helps. Oh well, to each his or her own.
Rewatching a show can also ruin the appeal you once had for it. Like Chobits. That is one awful anime. Anyway, I’m trying as much as possible to drop any shows from anew season that aren’t above average, so I can make time for backlog and rewatches. And I only rewatch the best,