Forum - View topicDo real long-running-series-viewers exist?
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The Lost Prophet
 Posts: 46 Location: Australia, Adelaide |
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You know those shows with like 500 episodes that you stop watching at 30-50 when you get sick of quality slumps? Have you ever skipped ahead to the current episode, even if it's 400 episodes into the series?
I don't undertand how people can watch these platinum-huge series and not drop it entirely when it hits a consistant slump? Is it that people just skip epidsodes, or watch an episode each week? The shows only get this big because enough people tune in, is it just youth and people new to anime that follow series like Naruto? Do people watch it every week out of fear of missing out? I know for sure I'm not the only one that tunes out once a series hits a certain point. Accell world being a recent example, I can barely bother tuning in on it anymore and it's only been 20 episodes. I want to know what's going on with the people that make it up to episode 400 of One Piece. WHAT MAKES YOU TICK!?! |
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TitanXL
 Posts: 4036 |
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Considering the top anime/manga are series like Shin-chan, Detective Conan, Doraemon, One Piece, and Naruto? Apparently they do have a lot of fans.
For me, Detective Conan has never hit a 'slump'. Each episode only gets better and better I find. Same with a lot of shows. |
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Spastic Minnow
 Bargain HunterExempt from Grammar Rules  Posts: 4609 Location: Gainesville, FL |
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I don't follow many long-running series but I will say it's possible to skip ahead when the "quality slumps" are easy to identify. The franchise I've watched the second most amount of episodes from is Naruto, and in that case there is no issue skipping that quicksand of filler episodes at the end of the first series. (although I eventually ended up abandoning Shippuden as well). I had planned on revisiting Bleach after the Bount arc ended, but by the time Adult Swim got to that point I had dropped cable and heard too many bad things. It didn't make me want to continue.
But, Like TitanXL, I've watched every single episode of Detective Conan, and while there are occasionally some stinkers in the anime original episodes, the quality generally doesn't drop. There are repeated story elements and you have to keep suspending your disbelief about a 17 year old turning into a 6 year old and then spending over 15 years in that state, but the cases remain intriguing and the characters remain likable. No reason to stop. One Piece fans are likely to reply similarly. |
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Saffire
 Posts: 1255 Location: Iowa, USA |
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Not only do they exist, but they're probably the most common anime fans. I generally don't do shows that run longer than a year anymore (I'll read the manga, thanks), but it's pretty easy to find people who like them.
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Vaisaga
 Posts: 13224 |
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I stuck with Bleach for its entire run, even when I had to go away for 9 months I caught up with it when I got back.
The thing is that I love the characters in Bleach. Even if the quality dips I still get new adventures with them every week and I enjoy it greatly. I read the manga too so I even like the fillers because it was all new material and I get to be with my favourite characters during an adventure I have no knowledge of. |
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DuskyPredator
 Posts: 15457 Location: Brisbane, Australia |
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I would say I watched Naruto and Bleach dubbed, but I really got sick of those shows a while back and stopped watching them. I would mostly catch up on them, but I just ended up too frustrated over the problems attached to a long running series.
But I have been watching Fairy Tail since it began, and I don't feel bothered by any of the long running issues if they do exist. |
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Kruszer
 Posts: 7983 Location: Minnesota, USA |
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I tend not to watch anything I know is going to be super long in the first place so that kind of solves that. After years of watching I noticed that, generally speaking,most things that go over 100 episodes tend to self-destruct in one way or another, be it through filler, repetition, cancellation or whatever. Sure there's exceptions, but overall I'd rather just play it safe and avoid them if I can by sticking to shorter series. In the rare cases that I have been roped into starting them, it was usually because I just didn't know what I was getting into or I had it from a good source that said it was an exception like the series my avatar comes from. I'm not really the type to give up on something too easily, so if it's at least entertaining or if I like the characters and want to know what becomes of them, I'm going to continue to watch. I have been known to skip obvious filler in certain long shounen shows though.
As for long stuff I did enjoy a lot there was, D.Gray-man, Yu Yu Hakusho, Kodocha, and Inu Yasha. I also finished Bleach even though that one had some serious issues and rampant (bad) filler. There was a lot of good story in between all that though. |
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EricJ
 Posts: 876 |
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Just as I'm pretty certain there's no Japanese viewer who's watched a whole thirty-year run of Doraemon (one or two out there, maybe  ) some long-running shows have viewers that dropped out for a couple years, some kiddies who just discover it in the middle of an arc, and those who are picking it up at the end--
And as it's usually fight series (or screwball comedy, like Ranma, UY or Sgt. Frog), it's something you CAN watch the middle of, without having to follow much depth. Do you think Naruto stayed on the air for its plots? Had the same experience myself with "Cheers" on the air for eleven years, and never even watched the collected twenty-eight years of Doctor Who:Classic until Tom Baker showed up in the middle. Like a few American toons (ahemsimpsons) that ran themselves into weekly background noise, when it's a domestic commercial product that shows up on the free channels every week, people just get used to it, well, always being on--And when it's been on for at least seven years, the new generation can't remember it NOT being on. Show of hands, how many current Simpsons fans have actually lived long enough to have ever seen the Tracey Ullman Show? It's only us collectivist video folks who need to archive a show from cover to cover. |
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TitanXL
Posts: 4036 |
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I find the opposite true myself, far too many shorter series would benefit from more episodes, while the long running ones have plenty time to flesh out and develop their stories and characters. While one or two cour shows can be nice, none of hem really stand out enough to replace the top tier series I can watch every week before and after the shorter ones end. Though really if 20 episodes is too long for someone, I think it's safe to say the problem is with the viewer, not the shows. |
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egoist
 Posts: 7762 |
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It's been the same thing ever since I hit my puberty. If you know what I mean. 
I watched all episodes of One Piece and Detective Conan. They are really good and I still look forward to it each week. Can't deny that there are times when I may get tired and give it a break. I also re-watched One Piece, and made it to episode tree hundred something of Detective Conan. |
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Jen526
 Posts: 124 |
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I tend to think about the long-running serial shows (as opposed to the episodic gag-of-the-week ones) as the anime equivalent of soap operas. People don't necessarily watch them for the scintillating plots, but because they get hooked on the characters. After a while, the characters become part of one's life... friends whose comings-and-goings involve long periods of blah punctuating with really memorable high-points that just cement the viewers love even more.
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Exaar
 Posts: 279 Location: Delaware |
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I definitely had a phase where I was into this sort of show. Back in 2005 when I was first getting into anime I watched the first 135 episodes of Naruto in like eight days. I watched Bleach every week from the beginning until episode 315.
My tastes have definitely changed though. Nowadays I tend to prefer the shorter shows, if only because it tends to make them more focused (at least if they're written well). Even 26-episode shows tend to throw in some rambling off-topic episodes, which put me off the more I see it done, although there are some which maintain a good narrative the whole way through. |
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Kruszer
Posts: 7983 Location: Minnesota, USA |
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Being too short is also a problem more often than not, such as OVAs or one season shows. Though when it comes to two season shows these seem to have a higher possibility of actually wrapping things up and ending. I want my shows to end and their plotlines to be wrapped up, but at the same time I don't want a series to overstay it's welcome and deteriorate either which the longer they get the more they seem to do. So basically, I'll watch continue to watch anything for any length as long as it's maintaining a steady level of quality. I guess what it really comes down to is that I like my shows to go out with a blaze of glory rather than succumb to old age and die, ill-reputed. Not to mention it's shorter series are so much easier to complete and much less expensive to collect if you liked them and want to own them. |
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4750G
 Posts: 546 |
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Like many others here, I've watched all episodes of One Piece, Detective Conan and Bleach. I'm quite behind on Fairy Tail because I shifted to reading manga a while back but since the anime recently entered a filler arc, I plan on watching that as well.
I can't say there have not been episodes or entire arcs in general that have not disappointed me in these shows. However, when you've stuck with an anime for as long as over a hundred episodes, I think it's pretty hard to stop watching because of a slump. Also, most of these long running episodes are shonen anime with a lot of action, and that's really what I'm going for anyway. Some of them even have good plots. Others have great characters. Bottom line is, they're my kind of show, so slumps aren't a big issue to me. In fact, I've experienced this loss of quality more often in shows that run for two seasons. I've watched a lot of shows that I dropped after reaching past episode 15. They just get too unbearable to watch. These long running shows more often than not have a lot of things in common, so if you've watched one you may find watching another just as enjoyable despite the length. When you've watched all episodes of Detective Conan, which has been on air since 1996, watching 360+ episodes of Bleach is a piece of cake. 
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kounoupi
 Posts: 9 |
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I am a big fan of long running shows. I’ve watched Bleach, Gintama etc. and I’m still watching Naruto, One Piece and Fairy Tail (and now I’m trying to start Detective Conan). The fillers don’t bother me at all, instead I find them somewhat useful (especial when they come after a big battle or a stressful period) they give me some time to relax, rethink the whole story, get it straight and then continue (but that’s just me). I never skipped an episode (not even the second time I watched them) and for the still running shows I wouldn’t say it’s the fear of missing out, rather the curiosity of what comes next.
It’s like 4750G said, when you've stuck with an anime for as long as over a hundred episodes, it's pretty hard to stop watching because of a slump. I also agree with TitanXL. Recently I watched Shikabane Hime and besides the question if it was a good show or not, I got the feeling that there were trying to squeeze too much in too little space, that it was overwhelming (maybe not the best example since the show has 2 seasons but for me this feeling was so obvious in this show than in others). I don’t say that I don’t watch and enjoy short terms series (sometimes I too get tired of the long running show and take a break) and I understand the people that want to see something that has an end, a closer, a complete story that doesn’t take years to be told. I don’t judge a show from its length, by I do have a soft spot for long running shows (maybe because of that I’m willing to overlook some problems) In my case, if it’s something that I like, the longer the better (but then again that’s just me).
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