When I read through season previews and check out promo videos and websites, I notice that several triggers often toggle my interested/disinterested switch. So while I was taking an initial look at some summer previews for 2008, I wrote down some of the factors that triggered my flags. I guess as I become more cynical over time, I tend not to get super-excited over a small serving of teaser information. However, I did notice that certain factors immediately made me move a series down in my mental watching-queue. Also, keep in mind that this list is mostly based on what I will blog, and not what I will watch.
That Floats My Boat
- Nice Art: This is the number one thing I look for when I am scoping out season previews. I’m not saying that I absolutely won’t watch retro-looking or fugly shows, but I always watch shows with nice designs and good production values first. Think of it like a nightclub with a line to get in. The good-looking shows keep cutting to the front, and when the club is full the ugly shows gotta wait in line.
- Low Episode Count: I like variety, especially since I am one of those boring episode summary bloggers. I will always cut some slack for a show that comes right out as a 13-episode affair, because it represents very low risk. I’ve found in recent seasons that I prefer not to drop shows midseason. In fact, I’d rather wait a few episodes and play catch-up than watch a few episodes and drop a show.
- Nice Choreography: Nothing is more frustrating than a bunch of long speeches followed by speed lines and clash-and-fall. If I am going for a show because of the action, the choreography better be sweet.
- Feelings Of Commitment: If I made it through the first season, I will probably cover the second season. This even applies to ZnT3, no matter how scared I feel.
You Sunk My Battleship
- Too Fringe: I like my summaries to be read, and I like to talk about series I watch. So while I don’t only go for sure-fire hits, I avoid shows that I am sure will receive little coverage. These shows often run into problems getting subbed, which just leads to disappointment down the road. Hey, I liked Shigurui too, but I wouldn’t blog it.
- Too Many Characters: This isn’t just in terms of harem. Keeping all those names straight is a lot of work, and often many of the characters are under-utilized. When I see the promo-art or OP featuring a bazillion people, it’s cause for concern.
- Based Off A Game: A number of Eroge adaptations have been alright, but in general I have found that most game-based shows do not fare well.
- Mystery: I guess I don’t like to work that hard when watching anime. I’m ok with there being mysteries in a series; I am talking about the genre itself.
- Gigantic Chichi: If more than 1 main character has a huge rack, it often says something about the focus of the series. I did watch Dragonaut for its so-bad-it’s-funny appeal, but usually this appeal doesn’t last very long. Also, Dragonaut had thong-face going for it.
- One Trick Pony: If it looks like a series is going to rely exclusively on fanservice, or fighting over characters and story, I usually put the series on a very short leash. If that’s all you’re coming with, you better have some of the best fanservice and/or fighting that I’ve ever seen. This especially applies to anything that even pretends to involve The 3 Kingdoms.
- Sports: Unless it is about basketball, I typically avoid sports anime. If the sport is not really the main focus (e.g. Bamboo Blade or Suzuka), I may make an exception.
Really Not Important
- Voice Actors: I really can’t keep track of VA at all, and I never pick shows based on who has been signed on to do voices. No matter how good a VA is, that VA cannot save a show with crappy lines.
- Intriguing Plot Description: Half the time they’re lies anyway. Interestingly, some really great series sound really stupid when distilled down to 3 spoiler-free sentences.
Related posts:
This post was written by...
Kabitzin – who has written 1935 posts on Sea Slugs! Anime Blog.
One of the founders of Sea Slugs, I handle most of the blog admin tasks while wearing my I AM BOSS shirt. I like my action series well choreographed, and my romance series extra trashy. I also have a soft spot for puns.
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Oooh, so that’s why you were saying you wouldn’t watch Kaiba. Are you at least curious about Kure-nai now after seeing the first ep?
I like anything with nice pictures
Kurenai is owning my soul right now, arrrrg…
As funny as it is watching Yayoi waste time trying to get the high score in cell phone games, why couldn’t Benika have just set up Yayoi as Shinkuro’s live in GF? They could pretend they had a love child and everything!
Success!
Your description of Shinkuro as weak intrigued me…
Murasaki ended up being much more awesome than originally anticipated.
Murasaki’s precociousness is out of this world. Yayoi is pretty hilarious too; her bitter vigils in front of the love hotel are pure win.
Your disinterests list is very similar with mine, except for the characters and mystery (cause I like it ^_^). I keep a list of names for those larger shows; otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to do it.
lovcom, lovcom, lovcom, slice of life, lovcom lovcom, lovcom, show with potential greatness, lovcom, lovcom, lovcom, fighting anime, lovecom, lovcom, lovcom, watch all the rest of the first episodes….decide what to watch!
I’m probably guilty of picking up shows because of seiyu I like…it’s kind of life picking up a movie because of an actor. Yea, this can cause for disappointment some times though (a lof of times). Otherwise, I can relate with most of the list. Too much fail anime is bad for your health after all!
YAYNESS! You guys watch Kure-nai!
I’ll pretty much watch anything good, but to list my specifics, I guess I tend to like slice-of-life/inspirational anime more. The epi count has never bothered me before (if its good) (eg: Hajime no Ippo, Touch), but I prefer 12-13 epis.
WTF? Keep Epi out of this!
If only we could have 12-13 of him.
That would be EPIC indeed.
WHA? Are you talking about MEEE?? *blush*
Kabi and Chris(ty): “No, we’re talking about Epi! HES/SHES DREAMMMMYYYY!!!
Jesus159159159: “YOU SAID IT PAL! *takes 4 Epis into his room*”
Caught up on Kurenai, and recent episodes made me rage against lolicons and siscons!
That sounds like a cool band name “Rage against the Lolicons”. Do you play any instruments? And by the way, compared to neocons they’re fairly harmless.
“No matter how good a VA is, that VA cannot save a show with crappy lines.”
Aww guess you never watched Ginban Kaleidoscope
Of course he did. Stalking FAIL.
lol, yea Epi, where have you been? Once in awhile, someone comments on that series here! I find it somewhat weird… is like, Sea Slugs the top site for that series or something?
Feelings of commitment were a bad thing during the middle part of Shakugan No Shana II — when my betrothed, the plot, was out seeing other people.
I’m trying to strike a balance with the fringe thing. I figure this is the internet, there’s a market for everything and somebody’s got to want to talk about the left-field stuff. And if people want to talk Geass, they aren’t going to come to my tiny corner of the internet.
yes, Kabitzin, feel the RAEG for those pedo f*cked up siscons / lolicons. It’s even worse in the novel (if I wasn’t able to control myself I would’ve torn my book to shreds). It features Murasaki vicious groping too!!1!!
Chris, J159, Epi: I did watch some Ginban Kaleidoscope, but Ender is the one who was covering the series in the posts.
otou-san: This may not apply to everyone who gets to blogs from Google, but I like to read episode summaries that my favorite bloggers write (regardless of how big their site is). I personally feel that the aniblogosphere is very far from being saturated.
usagijen: Noooo, wtf!!! Elbow spikes ACTIVATE!!!
TRANSLATIONS!!! YOU SHALL TELL ME WHERE THEY ARE!!! NOW!!! (jk… but yea, source? sauce? please? =3 you’d be doing the community a great service!)
Wouldn’t it just be in moonspeak text..?
In my many years of lolicon worshiping, I have learned to decipher some moonspeak! First, I had to learn what the hell I was saying in my own gibberish moonspeak! After that, its a piece of cake (which I assure you is not a lie… ok, i probably shouldn’t use that joke, like, i don’t even know about the game!… i think that comes from a game… right?)
It comes from Portal.