I recently responded to a tag post. It was one of those answer 11 questions ones. I like those posts because you can tell a lot about a person from the questions they ask. I’m not great at keeping up with my nominations but I try.
Anyways, there was one question that piqued my curiosity. “What is the one thing that would make you stay away from an anime”. Sir Meliodas from anime articles came up with it in this post right over Here.
It’s an intriguing question that I haven’t seen around a lot. Moreover, if we could get a decent sample size to answer it, I think it may reveal some very interesting things about anime viewers and the state of the industry.
It’s also a fairly difficult question since I tend to watch just about anything and generally go in blind, as such there aren’t many things that could scare me off. I don’t have any genre or theme restrictions and I am happy to give creative teams and studios unlimited chances. This is going to be a though top 5!
5) Toxic fandoms
This is the reason I gave in my tag post. I rarely get exposed to fandoms of any sort but when an anime has a very vocal (occasionally slightly aggressive) following, it tends to be a turn off. Not because I don’t want to be associated with the fandom or anything like that, I wouldn’t be anyways, but because when I hear about an anime non-stop in controversial ways, I get a bit exhausted. It fits off my appetite for the series.
In a slightly different take on this point. There are also fandoms on shows that are not controversial in any way but that are so protective of the show’s they like and characters in them that if you say anything less that adoring, they tend to lash out. This won’t stop me from watching and enjoying series but it will ensure that I never review them. At least not only own. As such, the shows do get stuck on my to watch list a lot.
4) Violence towards animals
There are things that we find difficult to watch even in a fictional context. Although it’s never pleasant I can sit through abuse or suffering of characters if it serves the story I’m watching. I might gripe about certain forms of fanservice but in the end, I won’t let embarassing objectification of characters stop me from enjoying and otherwise great show.
I draw the line at violence towards animals. It’s often a narrative crutch and it’s a personal pet peeve. I’m just going to cry and stop paying attention to the show so what’s the point.
3) No legal Canadian distribution
This feels like a cheat… it’s a really though list! It may seem obvious that if I can’t see it I won’t but what I mean is that I will avoid *alternate* distribution routes if I can’t find it in an official capacity. There are several reasons for that and if you’re interested, I can tell you all about it some day… For now, let’s just say it’s been a useful way to keep my to watch list under control.
Not that my watch list isn’t completely out of control. It is and somehow keeps getting longer despite the less than reasonable amount of time I spend watching anime. It’s not a problem as long as no one notices, right? Oh good!
2) Over 300 episodes
I’m sure I’m missing out on something. I bet you get crazy invested in a show you’ve been following for years but still. I’m a completionist and a lover of variety. The idea of randomly dropping an anime mid way through makes my brain itch. Honestly. I’ve only dropped a handful throughout the years and it still bothers me…
On the other hand, watching the same characters in the same universe deal with the same premise for such an extended period is just as brain itchy… All proper scientific terms here! I do have a workaround though. If the anime happens to be divided into reasonable seasons then that’s OK. I can watch 24 to 50 episodes that make up season one then take a break until I’m ready for more without it feeling like I’ve dropped a series. I know, I’m weird.
1) it’s called Mayoiga
I’m kidding…
For those of you new here, I have a running gag on this blog where I call Mayoiga the worst anime ever at every chance I get.
It really wasn’t that bad. Actually I don’t remember any of it to be honest. If I wasn’t constantly blindly hating on it, I would have forgotten its existence long ago. I’m just dedicated to the bit now. You should watch Mayoiga so you’ll know what I’m talking about!
Real No 1) Unnecessary sequels
This is a little counter intuitive. First let me say that what constitutes a “necessary” vs “unnecessary” sequel is completely subjective. Your opinions on the subject are just as valid as mine even if they would be mutually exclusive. Second I am not a person who instinctively dislikes sequels or remakes. I tend to be optimistic and excited when studios decide to take another go at retelling a story I’ve loved. Moreover, with a few noted exceptions, I tend to prefer second seasons to first which is not the general trend among anime fans (actually I find that I’m almost always the opposite to the general public when it comes to season preferences… I even thought the Zoldyck family arc was great!)
This said, sometimes I feel a story has just reached its natural end point and the characters have done their journey. They are now frozen in perfect little moments in time in my brain. At this point, I will simply ignore any further sequels and spinoffs. Especially if I have reason to think they are simply a money grab. (Not that I haven’t watched my share of soulless money grabs… I’ve enjoyed a few)
This was a though list to make and honestly I do end up watching more than my share of pretty disappointing shows because I have no real way of quickly filtering stuff out. What do you guys think. Do you have any criteria that make a specific anime a no no for you. Once a reader told me that if there where no girl characters on the promotional cover art, they knew it wasn’t for them. I think they are missing out but it also sounds efficient….
