The Final word on anime burn out

[Olin of Xephon]

John's insights never cease to impress me, but he captured my thoughts exactly in this article:http://animenation.net/news/askjohn.php?id=1369

This is the final word on the so called "anime Burn out" that pops up on nation wide anime forums quite often. True, it's basically a enlightened version of "you either get it or you don't" but good food for thought.

[Samurai Drifter]

I especially agree with the part about anime fans being more naturally pre-dispositioned to interest in speculative and creative fiction, because before I became an anime fan I read ridiculous amounts (not that I don't still read).

[ransom]

In addition to Johns thoughts, dedicated anime fans can burn out too. Often when you overparticipate in anime communities you can often feel obliged to be watching what everyone else is watching. Sometimes you need to feel you have to have an opinion on something.

You can often end up watching a lot of new season shows and finding none of them grab you, or the ones that interest you either go south or fall betwwen the cracks of fansubbing/licensing.

Burnout antidote: only watch good anime that hooks you in. Seek out big anime fans with similar tastes to you, or significant overlaps, and start the series that turn them into calm collected anime fans into raving fanboys.

Also don't be afraid to start a long series to keep you into something. If you are into sports anime, there must be at least 6 AAA titles like Slam Dunk, Hajime no Ippo, Hikaru no Go, Touch etc. Sports anime fans are dead lucky. For the rest, long anime series with anti-burnout comes in the form of Maison Ikkoku, You're Under Arrest, Patlabor, Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Kaleidostar, Full Metal Alchemist, Kodocha.

If you treat anime fandom like work, it will start to feel like work and unpaid at that. Go back to basics.

[Neo0tak0n]

I'm not burnt out, I am just jaded. But its not my fault anime got fluffy.

[White hell]

People should just take a break from anime if they feel burned out, I'm taking a break from pretty much every anime with the exception of one piece. I usually watch Tokatsu or watch the news lately. doesn't mean I'm done with anime, just taking a break.

[Kiyone]

Burn-out/getting jaded is the best thing that can happen to an anime fan.

The way I see it, it doesn't necessarily mean you're turning your back on anime. I've been burned out many times, but I still call myself a fan. It just means that you're beginning to take off the fanboy blinders and you've reached the point where you're actually beginning to put things in "perspective" and start watching things with a more critical and discerning eye.

[Uraku]

it might not be you, the current output seems less diverse than it has been. Miyazaki, Kon, Wantanabe, ABe, Oshii, are all between projects; when it comes to new material this year isn't very impressive.


(Except Gankutsuou)

[himura_kenshin]

In addition to Johns thoughts, dedicated anime fans can burn out too. Often when you overparticipate in anime communities you can often feel obliged to be watching what everyone else is watching. Sometimes you need to feel you have to have an opinion on something.
There's an easy way to avoid that - be yourself and only watch what truly interests you. If you can't respond to a specific discussion thread, nobody is going to shun you. This doesn't just apply to anime - nothing will burn yourself out faster than constantly subjecting yourself to hours of content that isn't interesting (kinda like High School).

John

[himura_kenshin]

when it comes to new material this year isn't very impressive.

(Except Gankutsuou)
Man, you've got to be kidding me. There is a lot of quality material that has come out lately - Honey and Clover II, NANA, Bokura ga Ita, Coyote Ragtime Show, Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu, Kiba, Ouran High School Host Club, Inukami! (it's a guilty pleasure), Utawarerumono, Kasimasi ~Girl Meets Girl~, Strawberry Panic!, etc.

All these shows came out during 2006. Some of them are completed, some of them are ongoing, one of them is licenced with an unfortunate name-change (but that's a different thread entirely). All of them are excellent and deserve your attention and in the case of the eventual US DVD release of Utawarerumono - your money.

John

[himura_kenshin]

Burn-out/getting jaded is the best thing that can happen to an anime fan.

The way I see it, it doesn't necessarily mean you're turning your back on anime. I've been burned out many times, but I still call myself a fan. It just means that you're beginning to take off the fanboy blinders and you've reached the point where you're actually beginning to put things in "perspective" and start watching things with a more critical and discerning eye.
Bah. I can't disagree with you more. There is a middle-ground between being a jaded anime fan, and a "fanboy" which I don't think gets much attention. There's nothing terminally wrong with either extreme, but I think that both ends are missing something.

People who tout being a "jaded anime fan" like a badge of honor tend to be the ones who miss out on the enjoyment of anime by being too critical. They've lost the ability to lose themselves in "temporary willfull suspension of disbelief", instead analysing the show scene-by-scene for flaws. They also demand only the best anime - something completely subjective and nebulous.

Fanboys tend to focus entirely on specific series, character designers, seiyuu, etc. For about 5 years, I followed Takahashi Rumiko's work. I watched a lot of other stuff, too ... but her work was usually my favorite. However, I found that the justified popularity of her work lead to series outstaying their welcome and becoming stagnant. To this day I still have a great love for Urusei Yatsura, Maison Ikkoku and Ranma 1/2 ... but I tend to rewatch the earlier episodes of Urusei Yatsura and Ranma more than the later ones. Would I consider myself jaded towards Takahashi's work? Maybe a little, but if she came out with something new, I'd definitely be willing to give a chance just like any other new show.

I find myself snugly in the middle-ground - a place where there are no pretenses. I like to get lost in anime - feel the characters emotions, experience falling in love all over again, feel the sadness when a loved one is lost, feel the excitement of victory and disappointment of defeat. Can all anime provide those feelings? No. Some anime fail to provide that level of experience, but it's all there for the taking by taking off the "jaded" or "fanboy" blinders and expanding your horizons actually enjoying your anime again.

John

[ZODDGUTS]

I've also been feeling a bit burned out. Lately I've been watching less and less anime then I used too. The old me would have watched an anime even if it was average but now I've been giving up several series eventhough they aren't bad but not great either.

Hell I got several Ghibli DVD movies that haven't watch but for some reason I'm not motivated to watch them.. What the hell is wrong with me!!! :punch:

Maybe I should limit myself the amount I watch anime so that I won't feel all burned out. :uhh:

[Mikadzuki Tatsu]

I especially agree with the part about anime fans being more naturally pre-dispositioned to interest in speculative and creative fiction, because before I became an anime fan I read ridiculous amounts (not that I don't still read).
Ditto. I've been a fan of fantasy fiction for as long as I can remember - which is probably why the bulk of my anime/manga collection is fantasy - and one thing that drew me to anime in the first place were all the surreal aspects of it.

John pointed out something that I'd never thought about before, but that makes perfect sense - as your exposure to anime increases, whatever drew you to anime in the first place seems less and less fascinating and unique, as it becomes more common. I think the only reason I haven't suffered from serious anime burn-out yet is because I keep finding new things that snatch my interest. I have suffered from minor burn-out, though.