Ask John: Why Do American Otaku Hate Filler Episodes?

Question:
Why does it seem like there’s a lot of disgust in the otaku community over what are referred to as “filler episodes” in anime?

Answer:
“Filler” episodes, or what Japanese fans refer to as “original” episodes, pose a bit of an odd, ironic, but nevertheless valid problem. Anime television series are often based on pre-existing manga, yet sometimes anime adaptations vary from literally adapting the original source material by including new, anime-exclusive episodes. American fans frequently refer to these “original” episodes as “filler” because the episodes are often created specifically to span a period of one or more weeks to allow the original manga creator time to write more story. It’s easy to envision the duration of an anime TV series as a line that rises and falls. The peaks in the line represent the episodes that literally adapt the popular and familiar story from the original manga. The spans in-between those peaks have to be “filled in” with episodes entirely written by the animation staff instead of the original series creator.

Ironically viewers that watch typical episodic American cartoons don’t mind episodes that don’t align with an ongoing narrative. American comic book fans typically don’t complain very much about transitional and interim issues or installments in ongoing comic book series. Even Japanese otaku typically don’t take offense to “original” anime episodes with the vehemence that American otaku typically do. Japanese fans that become deeply engrossed in an ongoing anime series have the inexpensive, immediate, and convenient option to refer to the original manga series to skip over “filler” episodes and see what happens next. Traditionally American fans that have become deeply engrossed in an ongoing anime series only to suddenly encounter irrelevant episodes frequently with a subtle but noticeable difference in “feel,” have not had an alternative to simple disappointment and frustration over having their satisfaction prolonged. Fans engrossed in a favorite story want to see that story unfold. Tangential “filler” episodes are a supplemental distraction to the core narrative, thus they’re not as satisfying because they don’t provide the ongoing narrative that viewers want. Typical “filler” episodes don’t look any different from “canon” episodes because they’re all animated by the same studios & staff. However, “filler” episodes often “feel” a bit different because the filler episode plots are not created by the original series creator, and “filler” episode stories have to be considerate not to introduce any major developments that could have a ripple impact upon the primary narrative.

Partly because Japanese viewers have such each access to the original source manga to refer to, and partly because Japanese viewers are used to the conventions and necessities of professional anime production, typical Japanese viewers don’t seem to get as incensed over “filler” anime episodes as American viewers do. American viewers who are typically impressed by and enthused with the integrity, narrative quality, and production design of Japanese animation tend to unconsciously form high expectations, so they take great offense when those expectations go unfulfilled. American viewers are less familiar with the production necessities that affect anime studios, and less familiar with the traditions of long-running anime based on manga, so we’re less likely to be forgiving and accepting of “filler” episodes that don’t advance the narrative we want to see and don’t quite maintain the high level of narrative quality that we’ve become accustomed to.

The American rejection of “filler” episodes seems to be at a wane presently for two reasons. Americans have greater access to manga today than ever before. So like Japanese viewers, impatient American otaku that can’t wait to see what happens next can refer to the original manga. Furthermore, there are relatively few long-running shounen adventure anime on the air right now, allowing for fewer opportunities for filler episodes to air. Presently One Piece, Naruto Shippuden, Toriko, and Hunter x Hunter are the only ongoing shounen adventure anime, and I don’t think that Hunter x Hunter has included any anime original episodes yet. So recently there have been fewer “filler” episodes for American fans to rail against.