Omo wrote a very interesting entry, quite stimulating. In my path of anime, I went from fan to consumer and slowly getting back to the fanatic roots, specifically, savoring the media. What changed me to being a consumer? Plain and simple, it was seasonal viewing. Sensible notion right?
Now I’m not sure where this aspect lies with fandom, but perhaps there is a variance among fans who consume and fans who savor. I would say they are both valid forms of fandom, and I wonder if creators have a preferable type? An answer doesn’t fall one way or the other, and should not have anything to do with money [though likely]. Surely, I do not love the version of myself which consumes endlessly; gluttony is not becoming.
Omo makes a great statement about HD video, 5.1 audio, and 101% attention enhancing the experience. I do believe production quality enhances experience, but attention and cadence are more integral, and in a savoring manner, they will also enhance the quality of an experience.
Episodic Task List
Part of the trouble with trying to savor media is the stepping task list associated with episodes, chapters, volumes, seasons, etc. It should not be become a task list, as viewing should not be a task. Tasks are usually less appreciated then say fulfilling wishes. I had this verbal trouble when I created melative Wish and called items wishes, when objectively it is a task list. I didn’t want it to be a task list, because it leads to a consuming state of mind, where we shift objective from the experience to the check mark. Let me give a related scenario.
Casablanca and two viewers
Viewer 1 watches Casablanca to see what the fuss is about, but pays no mind to it after The End.
Viewer 2 experience the film, and falls innocently in love with the presentation; it is appreciated, and looked upon.
Viewer 1 watched Casablanca while doing sudoku and chatting with friends.
Viewer 2 experienced the film in one-sitting silence, on a simple, breezy afternoon.
Viewer 1 moves onto something new.
Viewer 2 is inspired, learns more of the film, its cast, and production.
By the time Viewer 2 has experience one of AFI’s 100 Greatest lists, Viewer 1 is back to blockbusters and out of ammo. Viewer 2 is like the sniper, and Viewer 1 is the frontline machine-gunner. Yes, Viewer 2 is similar to Akari and Mizunashi-mode, but this savoring attitude has yielded a greater experience in the same about of time on the same title as Viewer 1. I’m not implying sniper’s are beautiful, but slightly more rich in existence.
Necessity and Judgement
Is that experience really necessary? No, absolutely not, personally, I know plenty of anime series that wouldn’t change my experience if savored or not. Some series are better unsavored (ie R2, Ninomiya-kun), hell. It comes down to judgment of when to savor a series, and when to gorge consume. May be it doesn’t matter in this media rich period, but I will still acknowledge the fact that brilliant experiences are more rare than some may believe.
Bring back the single-tasking media!
self-note: wut about marathons? Yes, marathons are more savory than not.
Sometimes, thuogh, you need a task list. Personally, pretty much every anime I’ve seen has at some point been a number on a lost of ’shit I need to get to’ It takes nothing away from my viewing experience though - whether or not I really experience a show comes down to the show itself obviously. When I really like a show I will look for the director and studio and try to explore the background and think about the characters, and if I really like a show it usually changes my life by making me want to become a director XD (see: ef) however when I don’t like a show I’m viewer 1. Take Nanoha which I watched parts of in 1.5 speed, read a book through parts of, and watched most of without sound, listening to music over it. I certainly consumed it just because I wanted to know why no one would shut up about it.
I wouldn’t use the consumer or sniper labels on people who watch anime as a whole, but as a classification for how they watched a certain anime.
And yeah, seasonal viewing is hell, IMO.
Understood. I think we all have a mix of these viewing styles, and it isn’t about the person, just the way they watch a title, or their level of intrigue (passive or active).
I guess it does come off as labeling the viewer, rather than habit/style of the viewing, but I meant the style of viewing rather than saying people are absolute a certain way in every case. I’ve yet to find any one person who is absolute in every case, so it would be unjustifiable for me to state such a thing. hehe
A single person will experience the same type of thing in various ways, it’s natural.
I’m not sure how I could sum this entry, maybe: The strong titles will be better with savoring, the very weak titles will be better consumed, but the grey titles may need more savoring to bring them up. Of course, the level of a title is subjective as well.
Sucking the marrow out of media, I suppose.
Some series have to be watched at a slower pace. Otherwise, they just don’t make a lot of sense. My guess is that most people who want to speed through that would get frustrated and give up. On the reverse side, some series are just fluff. Spending time analyzing it often produces redundant thoughts.
That’s the idea, judging which series fall into which categories. I feel it’s easier for anything to fall into the “speed watch” group when it’s a notch on the belt. Tis all.