I mean…viewing habits. Right.
Impz, after he finds out I wrote this post.
So this post isn’t super amazing in length or depth, but it’s does pose a valid, interesting question…so start posting answers people!
Question: How do you go about your anime viewing?
I was talking to Impz about this a couple of weeks ago, and after hearing about my “odd” anime viewing habits, he mentioned possibly wanting to do a post on the subject. I’m here to ruin that dream with a crappy, less informed post. Or I could say this is preliminary research for Impz’s super in-depth high-tech super-awesomeness post later.
As for me, I generally let my episodes pile up until I have a good 4-7 on backlog before I sit down and digest them all in one day. I’ll go for a week or so just casually watching an episode here or there, then go on a 1-2 day spree where I bum out and watch like 20+ episodes.
This makes me a shitty episodic blogger. Sorry THAT. What about you?
Riex brings the WTF, and for those that care, he’s been hiding at typeZERO.
OH, AND IF THE COMMENT WASN’T ENOUGH…HAPPY CAPS B-DAY EXTRANGE!
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Comments (31)
[…] Riex posted a little tid-bit about viewing habits, which I found very similar to my own ways. I agree with […]
Aloe Dream » Blog Archive » Habits of Plenty added these pithy words on May 20 08 at 10:05 amI’d like to say that all the white space on this post makes the THAT homepage look terrible. Someone should hurry up and post something else so it looks pretty.
Riex added these pithy words on May 19 08 at 10:07 pmI am happy to volunteer as guinuea pig for unethical research!
I watch the majority of animé episodes at the end of the day, on the day I get them. I watch really good animé the second I get them if I have the time. Sometimes I backlog episodes of popular stuff that I try to force myself to watch, but fail, like Gurren Lagann and Macross. I’ll proberbly marathon them one day, but I think GL has been on the backburner for more than 1 year!
Teeif added these pithy words on May 19 08 at 10:53 pmReally depends on what else is on my plate. For this spring season, I kept up with everything I could, then gradually dropped shows. The only show I’m caught up with is Code Geass R2.
Due to the lack of shows under my belt, I’m mostly focusing on series that have already been finished.
I’ll usually try to cram 3-4 episodes at once unless I actually have tons of free time.
IcyStorm added these pithy words on May 19 08 at 11:04 pmI mostly wait for the series to finish before deciding to watch it or not. The exception to this is series that have low episode to episode plot, like Lucky Star. As a consequence I follow most of my animes via the episodic bloggers’ reports. Often reading their opinions of the latest episode is better than watching it!
kdp added these pithy words on May 19 08 at 11:46 pmI divide my shows into tiers. “Tier 1″ shows are the ones I scour the Internets for and watch the instant I get them downloaded. “Tier 2″ shows are ones I backlog and marathon for a later date (this includes older shows I need to get caught up on). “Tier 3″ contains the shows I lost interest in, and are basically taking up space on my computer.
For this season, my Tier 1 shows are Code Geass, Macross Frontier, Soul Eater and Vampire Knight. Tier 2 is Library Wars and Itazura na Kiss (yes, I still watch that show). Tier 3 is everything else.
Benne added these pithy words on May 19 08 at 11:55 pmI generally watch as much as I can as it comes out…. the priority goes to show I really like. The others stay in backlog until I have a lull in shows, and ample time, then I have a watch spree. This works alright but I usually end up with a series I have in backlog one season behind, such as shigofumi which I still have in backlog.
Deranged added these pithy words on May 20 08 at 12:06 amMy habits are like Benne’s, except there is no Tier3 
Tier1: Gintama, CG R2, Soul Eater, Macross Frontier, Naruto, Bleach (last two ones are like smoking, you just can’t quit xD even if it destroys your - in this case mental - health xD ).
Tier2: Straight Jacket, Real Drive, Druaga no To, Mnemosyne, Nabari no Ou, Allison to Lillia (this one I didn’t even start yet but the files are piling up on my HD~).
Tier1 I watch the instant I get them, Tier2 are saved for slow days on weekends when there’s nothing going on (speak: no good group I got into) in the MMO (DAoC) I’m playing.
Gajinsmash added these pithy words on May 20 08 at 12:15 amFor me, it really depends on the subbers. For most new animes, I tend to watch the episodes one by one, as the subbers release them. Toshokan was the only exception in this case as there was a backlog already of 3 episodes which were released all at once. If the subbers take too long, and the series is only say 5 episodes, then I would probably re-watch the entire series, before watching the newer episode. If it gets any longer than that, I quickly recap on the blogs about the previous episode ^^; since I dont generally d/l anime on my computer, and online sites take quite the while to load ^^;;
I was introduced to anime fairly late, so the only animes I watched from start to finish in one sitting would be Gokusen, Vision of Escaflowne and Trinity Blood.
Honestly speaking I prefer the breaks, and then rewatching the series. I can then sort of interconnect/predict the threads/direction of the story better that way ^^
I generally go for a number of shows at the beginning of a season, and if some of the ones I didn’t begin watching turn out to have relatively good ratings, I watch them after the season is over.
Nagato added these pithy words on May 20 08 at 1:23 am… so just casually watching an episode here or there, then go on a 1-2 day spree where I bum out and watch like 20+ episodes.
that’s what I do sometimes. If the anime is being shown on cable, I’d watch a few episodes as regularly as i can and if it strikes my interest. i’d start scouting for the rest of the episodes and watch the whole series non-stop.
if the anime is new, almost the same thing happens, but it would depend usually on how much the anime has kept me interested. if it slumps, i would sit it out, wait for all the episodes to finish and watch it in a marathon.
then, if after watching it in a marathon would prove that i liked it, i’d re watch, slower this time. meaning, i’d go several episodes each time until it finishes.
i have broken that trend only once when saimono was being aired. Got to the point of watching raws and wait for the subs to come out & re-watch it.
KaeBoo added these pithy words on May 20 08 at 1:39 amIt honestly depends on how much free time I have. If I have time to sit down and watch an episode or 2, great, if not, it gets piled up. I also prefer staying up to date on some things but other things I’ll let slide.
Caitlin added these pithy words on May 20 08 at 2:26 amMe I able to watch my anime downloads during while I watch TV but if miss out I upload them to my Mobile phone so I watch them I have a free moment at work ether at lunch or before work
ShadowGuardian added these pithy words on May 20 08 at 2:57 amUsually I try to watch an episode as soon as possible, especially if it’s one of my favourite at the time. However, I have this really bad habit that if I start letting a series pile up, it would take a while before I would actually start watching the backlogged episodes. This even happens to current favourites.
Nekonron added these pithy words on May 20 08 at 4:06 amI’m quite constant and generally watch 5-6 episodes a day (possibly more at the weekend). Mostly all ongoing shows (have 24 shows currently airing on the watch list ATM) with one or two complete shows on the side 
I download new episodes as soon as they come out and normally watch them withing 2-3days, I cant let episodes pile up if they are currently airing. Complete shows however it may take me a few months to finish since I watch them whenever I have some free time.
Caraniel added these pithy words on May 20 08 at 5:02 amIt really depends, but I usually scout around 3-5 series per season, and those are pretty much the series I watch until to the end, barring unnatural circumstance or due to personal preference (like ARIA, Sketchbook, Hidamari Sketch, et al).
Myssa Rei added these pithy words on May 20 08 at 5:20 amWhen I’m hooked on a particular show, I finish it as soon as I can and sometimes there would be multiple re-watches (for example, series like Maria-sama ga Miteru, GITS SAC).
Before I used to watch anime at work during lunch, but now it’s usually at night. If I really like the show I watch it right away, though these days I can usually wait until I’m in the mood for watching.
Oh, I also posted something related to this. Maybe you could be interested at my viewing habits more than a year ago.
http://cuteproxy.wordpress.com/2006/09/24/theres-a-time-for-everything-especially-anime/
hayase added these pithy words on May 20 08 at 5:44 amI have a certain anime-watching timeslot called “morning and evening commute”, where I watch anime through my ipod while on the bus. If traffic is harsh I can sneak in 3-4 episodes a day, although there are times when I need to stand up on the bus due to overcrowding, in which I can’t watch anime.
This requires me to convert the videos to the specific ipod format, which kinda takes time and a bit of effort in planning ahead on what to watch. And my encoder also sucks in encoding *.mkv, which fansubs are mostly made of nowadays. So I tend to pick older (avi) series of mine.
Watching while on the commute keeps me busy and occupied on an otherwise annoying part of everyday work life.
bluemist added these pithy words on May 20 08 at 5:48 amI usually try to watch anime every time a new episode comes out- I watch anime usually in the evenings with my mother ^0^
It the anime is completed I tend to other spread it out- watching 1-3 episodes depending how much time i have OR i’ll just go on a lil’spree and watch as many episodes as possible ^^”
bamboowitch added these pithy words on May 20 08 at 6:03 am@Everyone
Way too many comments, way too fast!
I’ve got to say that I’ve definitely found a few of your viewing habits interesting so far. I apologize for not being able to individually reply to all of you like normal, but I feel I’d be repeating myself a bunch.
I don’t have any particular habits. I just watch whatever anime I want, when I want it. I also try not to let things go by for too long unless I know the plot already.
Odda C. added these pithy words on May 20 08 at 8:16 amviewing habits huh? . . . well if i have the whole series of a certain anime i like, i would watch it in a day or two . . . but if the availability of the series is in several episodes, i guess i could patiently watch it and again patiently wait for the next episodes to become available . . . but, thanks to the existence of the internet that i can watch online, ontime and with the generous works of various subbing groups that i can watch most of my favorite anime
Well once everything has been announced and I’ve researched to see what they are all about.
I decide what looks good and then I’ll keep an eye out for them, search around to see where I can get them from.
Then the watching begins! I’ll given them one or maybe two episodes. If I like them I try to watch them as soon as they come out.
If I kind of like them, enough that now I’ve started I want to know how they end. Then I’ll let them pile up and have a marathon.
Of course sometimes I get bogged down with work and rl and so have to let the ones I follow closely pile up like lately.
I actually went out to the theater and watched honest to god movies!
Although one of them was anime related since I got dragged to see Speed Racer on IMAX. ^-^
The Henry Ford has been seeing a lot of me lately.
D.J added these pithy words on May 20 08 at 6:58 pmTake a dartboard. Pin/paste new anime names on said dartboard. Take three darts. Blindfold self. Throw all darts one after another. Start watching those anime that darts land on. If I miss, repeat. It’s worked pretty well for me so far. Well, mostly. If I get bored of the above, I just start researching them, and picking the one that looks the best. The dartboard is more fun though.
Zan added these pithy words on May 21 08 at 4:47 pmI have an odd moderate/binge approach. I usually have several series that I follow weekly, of which I watch the episodes as they release. Once I’ve run out of those (and assuming I still have the time/inclination to watch more) I’ll grab another series and watch as many episodes of that as I can tolerate. The latter is where the binge part really comes into play; since it doesn’t matter to me whether or not a series is finished or not when I start watching it, sometimes the series I pick up will already have 20+ episodes out (or 40+…. curse you, Kenichi), in which case I may well have to watch ALL of the released episodes before continuing with my regular daily life.
pandakwee added these pithy words on May 21 08 at 7:01 pmhmmmm… different shows require a different approach. i dont like the cliffhanger feel - so with a show like Claymore for example i’d watch in 2 or 3 episode blocks (and thus need the blogger sites to tell me when it’s time to sit down and watch another chapter)… with a show like macross this season i’ll watch it once when it comes out - and then when a new episode comes, i’ll watch the better translated earlier episodes i havent watched yet that invariably come in more slowly and replace the speedsubs. I think it depends on the release reliability. A show like Macross that i know is coming out weekly regardless i’ll watch weekly - but a show like shion no ou that i love but has been slow to sub i tend to sit on and wait for enough to pile up to get back into it. if that makes any sense…
Quint added these pithy words on May 21 08 at 9:25 pmI’ll usually be watching a few series as they’re aired, or let a few episodes accumulate before watching. Other times, I’ll watch an entire series at once without a break.
Marouku added these pithy words on May 21 08 at 10:01 pmmy anime viewing habits generally find me waking up in the morning, checking for new stuff to watch then downloading and watching previously downloaded episodes while breakfast. then i go off to work. when i get home, i check for new stuff to watch then downloading and watching previously downloaded episodes while dinner. as for blogging, if i really really like the anime, i blog it right away. if it’s just a so-so, i wait til the weekend.
biankita added these pithy words on May 22 08 at 6:14 pmI don’t do much of the same kind of viewing as mentioned above. I’m a fan of the bi-weekly, daily episode dosage I get from to much television watching. However, It’s hard to check for new episodes with so many different subtitlers out there. If I find a batch of anime in a torrent(say 12 episodes) i can’t help but finish them as soon as the torrent finishes or within a week, i like to add the usual variety to my schedule, but i always finish one series completely before moving onto the next. My favirote 1 or 2 day marathon consisted of 26 episodes of ROD the t.v. that was fun.
0bjecterror added these pithy words on May 22 08 at 11:26 pmi watch animes very fresh from the err torrent oven…sometimes if the series is really good or last week’s episode ended on a cliffhanger — i even have them raw
i watch animes usually at night as i’m listening to the evening news and an episode or two as i’m sifting through my email in the morning
if there’s nothing new to watch, i usually d/l old favorites in more HQ or preferably blu-ray rips