Anime To marathon or not to marathon?

[Dagger]

Yes, I just turned the word "marathon" (which up until now was a perfectly respectable noun) into a verb. ;P

I watch most of my anime on DVD; I've lost interest in the vast majority of Adult Swim's series, and I try to avoid over-using Bittorrent. When I do buy a new DVD, I usually go through all of its episodes at once (I marathon them, so to speak). In Japan, however, most TV shows release new episodes on a weekly, bi-weekly, or occasionally even monthly basis. In my experience, certain series benefit from being seen over a very short period of time--i.e. two or three days--but other shows' faults sometimes become more obvious when most of their episodes are watched back-to-back.

Here are my questions: When you purchase or rent an anime DVD, do you try to give yourself a few days to absorb each of its episodes, or do you just sit down and play all of them in a row? What do you think each method adds to or detracts from the overall viewing experience?

~Dagger~

[OtakuSennen]

[color=midnightblue]Normally I just buy one DVD at a time, get broke, come up with another thirty dollars somewhere in one or two months, and buy the next volume of the series.

The only time I haven't done this, however, was with the Neon Genesis Evangelion box set. I saved up for a little over a year, waited a few months to get on the good side of my brother so I could take some of his money, and proudly bought the coveted eight discs all at once last September in our local Best Buy.

I planned on sitting there all day in a dark, damp basement with a bowl of popcorn and some Doritos hunched over a small, portable DVD player taking in all of the subtitles. However, my parents highly disapproved, and I ended up watching the discs after school over a two-month period. I suppose that I took in most of the information I needed, and I understood things pretty well, though I re-watched all twenty-six episodes when I was done. I caught a lot of symbolism I didn't notice the first time around.

I suppose watching an entire series in one sitting would make a pleasant experience with a rather short or simple series, but watching something with a lot of depth and character development without break.. Would probably give you a nice hefty headache for a little while if you hadn't seen the series before or didn't know much about it. But then, I suppose if you spent $160 on a batch of DVDs and finished it off in a day you might feel that you sort of wasted some cash.. "Wait. I just spent that much money on this boxset and I'm already done with it?!"

Then, yes, watching one DVD several times, waiting a week to absorb all of the information, and then repeating the process with the next disc also works well, particularly with a complex and/or long series.

I could go either way, though. If I had the time and money, I'd probably buy a lot more anime DVDs and watch them a lot more often. But I don't, so I tend to spend about two months watching a series.[/color]

[Arcadia]

[size=1]Well, subtracting the fact that a marathon is exactly how I spent last night, I really try to either watch maybe one or two episodes a day (depending on how much time I have), or just buy each DVD as it comes out (if I didn't get a box set or something). That way you've got time to sit back and think about the characters and all that, and you won't OD on anime or something.

However, I usually end up watching at least one whole DVD a day, so that can be four or five episodes, depending on the anime. And as said before, I spent last night/this early morning watching Fruit Baskets on my friends computer. I'm pretty sure I just don't have any sort of will power at all. The downside to this is, you do miss a lot of little things, especially once you've been watching episodes for hours already.

In my case, I end up watching all my DVDs multiple times anyway, so even if I miss some kind of joke or symbolism or foreshadowing, eventually I'll pick it up later. So I guess I don't have any real preferences, like Sen said - I just watch as much as I feel like watching. Or at least, as much as my body will let me. >.>[/size]

[VP-Master]

I used to marathon anime before but ive seen ive stopped now. A year back or so, I used to marathon 5-7 eps of shows i was watching for the first time. But I used to get busy sometimes and couldn't watch the show again for another few months when I found free time. My gripe with this was sometimes I'd forget little pieces of the plot and be forced to watch bits and pieces of prior eps to fully understand the current one I was watching. While I could understand the shows well, it was quite annoying to go back and forth between eps when all you want to do is see the new stuff.

Now since school keeps me busier than before, I like the idea of watching 1 ep per week of a show. Last year, I watched Cowboy Bebop over a span of 5 months or so and really enjoyed the anime this way. It might take a longer time to get through the standard 26 episode show like this but 1 ep a week helps me get my other work done and watch my anime without having to put it off for a later date.
I'm currently watching Neon Genesis Evangelion in this format and for a show of this magnitude, it's good to watch an ep at a time and attempt to aborb it in my mind slowly. At least that's my preference.

One show that I've preferred to watch in marathons is Rurouni Kenshin. When I first saw this show, I was at a friend's house who owned much of the eps of the show. Once he showed me the first ep I didn't wanna stop there so I think I saw the first 15 eps of Kenshin in one sitting and it really got me hooked. When I later watched the "Legend of Kyoto" arc (after I got the eps), I liked watching serveral eps at a time to get the flow of the story moving quicker and I could find the time to watch.

I guess the debate of whether to marathon or not to marathon depends on the show you're watching and how much time you have to watch. Some shows are great to watch in long stretches at a time but for others, this can cause the interest in it to lessen a bit. Some shows you never want to stop watching but our life calls us to do other things. It's all a mixed bag.

[Heaven's Cloud]

[color=indigo]I usually watch two or three episodes at a time, but rarely do I marathon an entire series?that would be too much anime (at least too much for me). I usually don?t enjoy watching anime an episode at a time, mainly because I find many series anime fairly weak (content wise) based by individual episodes. Usually even sub story lines overlap two or three episodes or so, I tend to feel weird if I don?t finish at least a small part of a plot. Obviously there are exceptions; I have no problem watching some episodes of Noir and Cowboy Bebop because they may be a stand alone episode, however, if I am watching a series like Vandred or Kenshin I feel compelled to watch several episodes at a time?[/color]

[Semjaza]

I cannot even afford DVD series half the time. DVD prices on anime are still rather insane on average... and while I understand that they appeal to a still somewhat niche market and these prices are required to turn any decent profit and pay off licensing fees, I still wish they were lower.

So as such, I wind up with the first DVD in a set and don't wind up watching the next one until I can actually convince myself that I should drop the $30 to buy it. So I basically watch all of my anime DVDs with large gaps between them. I wouldn't do a marathon, even if I could.

I don't even bother with tapes anymore.

[AzureWolf]

[quote]So as such, I wind up with the first DVD in a set and don't wind up watching the next one until I can actually convince myself that I should drop the $30 to buy it. So I basically watch all of my anime DVDs with large gaps between them. I wouldn't do a marathon, even if I could.[/quote] I've been meaning to ask you: where DO you buy your anime DVDs from?! I rarely see an anime DVD for 30 bucks unless it is a limited edition one that has other stuff bundled along.

[ElvenSlurpee]

It matters on what anime it is and what time of year it is. If its a short anime (13 or lower) I'll watch it in a weekend if i dont have anything else to do. Yet if its an anime that i need to "absorb" and keep thinking about i'll just go about doing daily things until i think i've understood the episode completely (I tend to zone out during the boring talking sequences) which results in me sometimes rewatching the same episode. Usually this is the case when its winter and theres not much to do but snowboard outside.

In Summer i usually try to watch an episode or two a week. There's too much to do outside, i'd rather play paintball or hang with friends, than stay cooped up in my room burning my retnas in front of the tv...

[amibasuki]

[FONT=arial]I'll only mess with six episodes at a time on weekends, and even then, it depends on what I'm watching. I could watch stuff like Cowboy Bebop and Kare Kano easily that way, because they're both freakin' awesome. the worst I've ever done is watching the entire Evangelion series (plus both movies 0_o') in three nights, mainly because we were borrowing the tapes from someone else who needed them back shortly after. I barely remember anything I watched. stuff like that should [i]never[/i] be watched in under a week.:faint:[/FONT]

[Semjaza]

Azure -- I'd say around $30 with tax. On average, at ANY store in Chicago any good anime sells for about $24.99. Every so often I see something for $19.99, but only things like Akira or Metropolis at Target or anime I'm not interested in. The bundle stuff with free gifts is generally well over $30, based on all I've seen. The only things I've ever seen for less than $20 include anime like Miyuki-chan in Wonderland and Magic Users Club, which aren't exactly great.

I know a lot of people here buy from those cheap anime websites that sell HK versions, but I don't. I've rarely come across anime cheaper than these prices at normal stores unless it's some fluke.

When I can go to the store and buy a brand new movie out of Hollywood for like $15 new, I think $25 is a bit much. I understand the reasoning for the prices, but I sure cannot afford as many.

[eleanor]

[size=1] You people have enough money to buy all of those anime DVDs? O_o. *looks at rejected ten-dollar bill*

If I did actually buy a complete set of any anime series, I'd probably soak in as much anime episodes I could until I had to stop and then continue the next day. :p I never feel the need to soak anything in, even if it is intense. *cough*Evangelion*cough*[/size]

[AzureWolf]

I enjoy watching an anime in bulk. What I usually like to do is watch the opening, ending, and preview of every episode, which is really more than enough time to get the full effect of the episode, while not losing the general state that you are mentally in (i.e., the feeling and atmosphere given off by the episode you just watched).

IMO, all anime series can be enjoyed by watching them in a marathon. However, there are some series that, as separate episodes, are worsened, or the desired effect is weakend. Those series are series where, while there is an overall beginning, climax, and resolution, individual episodes lack a sub-beginning, sub-climax, and sub-resolution.

Naruto is a perfect example of a run-on anime series. The second genuine episode doesn't really end until episode 20, starting from around episode 5. If you took those 15 episodes, you do have a sub-story, but to span that much, you can't fully enjoy with just a weekly airing, as you'll experience with the later episodes of this fine series. Naruto, although great, certainly has no solid single episode, but makes an awesome [B]series[/B] nonetheless.

Noir, on the other hand, is powerfully crafted. While almost every episode drives the general story forward, each episode can also stand on its own. New beginnings arise and new things develop. At the end, you are given a theme, a thought-provoking resolution, and all the while, maintaining and progressing the principle storyline.

Shows like Noir can be watched bit by bit, down to an episode at a time, with no damage or loss to the entertainment/interest value. Shows like Naruto, unfortunately, lose too much when watched in such a fashion.

I hope I made some sense, because I'm not reading this post over. <_<

[terra]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by AzureWolf [/i]
What I usually like to do is watch the opening, ending, and preview of every episode, which is really more than enough time to get the full effect of the episode, while not losing the general state that you are mentally in ...[/quote]
[b][i]Really?!?![/b][/i] I nearly always skip the opening, ending, [i]and[/i] preview of every single episode. *laughs* You and I definitely have our differences.

EDIT: You meant opening [i]scene[/i], I think reading back on it ..... neeever mind. I meant that I usually skip the opening and ending credits.

[quote][i]Originally posted by AzureWolf[/i]
Naruto is a perfect example of a run-on anime series.[/quote]
I know, will that anime EVER END???

Anyway, onto the topic. I usually end up marathoning, though I hardly ever start out intending to do it that way. By the time I actually get around to beginning an episode, I usually have enough time that I can just watch a ton of them. I did Love Hina in two days, I think.

In my experience, mindless shows seem to be better for marathons than shows that require a lot of contemplation. I basically marathoned both Love Hina and RahXephon (the latter in about four sessions, though). Love Hina was fine this way, because there was really nothing heavy to think about (don't you dare try and convince me Love Hina isn't a mindless show). It was just a lot of humorous exploits one after another, with the occasional nice emotional moment thrown in; not a bad way to spend four to six hours, or whatever it was.

But I think I didn't enjoy RahXephon as much as I could've because I watched it in big chunks. Oddly enough, even though they were one after another, I often had difficulty remembering what (unnecessarily complex) insights had been revealed in just the episode before. But since they were all in a row, I got too tired about trying to remember all of the little details and just sat there letting it pour over me. I think if there had been time between, I would've been more mentally able to think back, and would've been forced to remember the back story every single time I watched a new episode.

All right, that ended up being way longer than I intended.

[Dagger]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by terra [/i]
[b][i]Really?!?![/b][/i] I nearly always skip the opening, ending, [i]and[/i] preview of every single episode. *laughs* You and I definitely have our differences.[/quote]

I usually force myself to watch an anime's opening and ending, if only because they're part of what I paid for. ;P But unless the animation and/or music is really captivating, I have some difficulty sitting through those sequences several episodes in a row. Previews, however, I almost always see--they help me decide whether to continue watching, or to take a break.

[quote]But I think I didn't enjoy RahXephon as much as I could've because I watched it in big chunks. Oddly enough, even though they were one after another, I often had difficulty remembering what (unnecessarily complex) insights had been revealed in just the episode before. But since they were all in a row, I got too tired about trying to remember all of the little details and just sat there letting it pour over me. I think if there had been time between, I would've been more mentally able to think back, and would've been forced to remember the back story every single time I watched a new episode.[/QUOTE]

I watched each RahXephon DVD twice (first in English, then in Japanese) before moving on to the next, so although I initially had trouble distinguishing between episodes, I generally managed to sort things out in time for seeing the next batch.

When I first bought Boogiepop Phantom--which happens to be one of my favorite anime--I marathoned it over the course of a three-day weekend. I enjoyed the series, but realized that I had only scratched the surface in terms of understanding its complexities. I later saw it again, this time restricting myself to one episode per night, and found that doing so really improved my comprehension of Boogiepop's basic message and intricate character relationships.

~Dagger~

[JazzLady22]

I marathon. Most DEFINATELY. When I buy an anime DVD, I try to see how fast I can finish it, no matter how long it takes.

For example:

I got a Fruits Basket DVD at a Christmas party with my friends, and they were all episodes I hadn't seen yet, so I was detirmined to watch them. I got home around 10:00 at night, and immediately sat down and wacthed it straight through. It took about 3 hours, and it was a school night. But if I'd stopped halfway, I wouldn't have slept well anyway wondering what happened. It made it even worse that it was the last few episodes.

And my Escaflowne box set is coming in a few days, and there are tons of episodes I haven't seen. I'll want to watch them all at once, so I might have to wait for this weekend to watch any of it, even if it comes tommorow.

I watch the opening credits sometimes, if they're really good. I watched the Cowboy Bebop opening, as well as the Gravitation one. But I rarely watch the closing, because I'm anxious to get to the next episode.

[Kanariya]

[size=1][color=chocolate]Sadly, I don't have any DVDs really. I'm broke, and ebay isn't much help to me either. *shrugs*

But if I bought anime DVDs, I would watch the whole thing in a row in one day, and then I'd watch it again all in a row the next day. I just like to watch everything in a row, it's just my natural habit.[/size][/color]

[Dagger]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by JazzLady22 [/i]
[B]I got a Fruits Basket DVD at a Christmas party with my friends, and they were all episodes I hadn't seen yet, so I was detirmined to watch them.[/B][/QUOTE]

Heh, I also marathoned the last Fruits Basket DVD. For some reason, I assumed that I'd be able to exercise some self-control, and began watching it around 12:30 (right after .hack//SIGN finished airing on CN). Fortunately, it was a Saturday night, so I didn't have to worry about waking up for school the next day. Much as I love 6- and 7-episode DVDs, they tend to consume large chunks of one's time.

[quote][i]Originally posted by Wasabi[/i]
[b][size=1]But if I bought anime DVDs, I would watch the whole thing in a row in one day, and then I'd watch it again all in a row the next day. I just like to watch everything in a row, it's just my natural habit.[/size][/b][/quote]

I often do the exact same thing. While marathoning sometimes causes the individual episodes to blur together, I find that re-watching everything helps me sort out all of the new events/characters/plot twists/etc.

~Dagger~

[Dan Rugh]

I "marathoned" the last 9 episodes of Neon Genesis Evangelion yesterday and was all excited to see what would happen in the end. The last two episodes were... not good.

I also tend to marathon my Naruto episodes simply because it's THAT good.

[HatakeKakashi]

Marathoned....I guess I did that to Naruto. Bought 7 DVD's with 59 Episodes and marathoned them over 3 days. Needless to say the family wasn't happy about me sitting around all day watching a " Ninja cartoon that turned me into some weird ninja girl" (as said by my mom) And that did happen. I also marathoned Trigun...but I don't know if that's possible being that it has so little episodes.

Marathoning any anime, (to me) is fun. You get the the full effect.You are watching it and you're like :eek: cuz everything is hitting you like a train. With the animes on tv now you're still like WOAH! but then you have to wait another week, 2 weeks or a month and sometimes with our lives we kind of forget stuff. Like when I first started watching Naruto I was seriously getting aggrevated because I couldn't marathon all my DVD's in one day because I would get so hype and then my mother would tell me to turn it off! :flaming:

But enough mumbling :babble: ....I say...MARATHON AWAY!

(excuse my amount of retarded Cory rabbling and spelling errors)

[pbfrontmanvdp]

Out of all the series that i own so far i have never purchased a box set. I just never seem to want to spend a lot of money all at once, knowing that it saves a me a lot more money that way. I also don't wait to buy every DVD in the series and then finally watch each episode one buy one. Sometimes i can go months until i see another episode of a particular type of series. Its actually happening to me right now with Witch Hunter Robin since they are being released over a month period inbetween. Guess ill watch it on AS first.

[Lady Macaiodh]

[COLOR=DarkSlateBlue] Ahh, If only I could suck the life out of Dragonball. It will always be my anime idol.

Yes, I have watched the series all the way through. It is genius. Nothing can compare to the break threakthrough of the inner truth that is explains the mysteries of the universe.l

Dragonball Z conntains the answers to the key to life. No none should dismiss them so easily.[/COLOR]

[densuke]

I marathon as much as possible. It reminds me of when I used to get big bundles of fansubbed tapes ^_^ The only defect is when I am watching a show for kids where they waste 5 minutes of the beginning of every series flashing back to what happened 3 minutes ago (from my perspective). Recap episodes during a marathon are pretty hard to take, but that can be a good time to eat crunchy stuff while watching - or go wander off to see if the coffee is ready...

The thing I really like about marathoning is seeing the patterns of how things are handled in the series. It is harder for the production teams and writers to conceal their techniques from someone who is eyeballing the entire work in one go. It's especially good to marathon a series when rewatching it so you can see all these techniques.

I would imagine that marathoners are more 26-and-out types than long-series types... I certainly am.

[Godelsensei]

[COLOR=Gray][SIZE=2][FONT=Courier New]If I have them availible, I will watch episodes, and watch episodes and watch episodes. If I borrow a spindle of discs containing a completed series from some one, you can be assured that I will sit in front of the computer for endless hours, taking everything in.

This is what I did with Kenshin, Scrapped Princess, Escaflowne, alot of Naruto, and the portions of other series that were already availible for downloading, at least. And Inuyasha as well, come to think of it...along with half of Cowboy Bebop.
I think this is the kind of thing that drives people to saying I "watch too much anime"--perhaps I just don't know when to stop.^^"

I got through Scrapped Princess is two days, though I would have in one, had my mother not forced me to stagger into the sunlight for a few moments over Christmas break.
I watched the last 18 episodes of Kenshin in one day, as soon as I was able to get them working (it takes two things to be an avid downloader: patience, and alot of codecs).
I think I got through Escaflowne in three--it was during the week, so I had less throw-away time to squander.

Perhaps some people will find this borderline sick, but I enjoy the series I watch alot more this way. I download episodes of currently-running shows weekly, and I must say: I cannot stand the wait. I spend my week ranting about not being able to see episode (insert number here), then rejoice as soon as I am able to get my hands (mouse, whatever) on the awaited article of footage.

Hense the fact that, every day, I hear something to the effect of, "Get a freaking hobby, you Wapanese troglodite." Only, people try to be nicer about it.[/FONT]
[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[duorocks17]

[FONT=Century Gothic][COLOR=Blue]Hum....I don't know if I've ever really "marathoned" before. I guess you could say I have.

I first bought my Gundam Wing box set a few years back. I remember that ever day after I got home from school, and popping in the first disk. I watched it all the way through, and then I would pop in another, until my mom came along and strictly said, "Will you turn that stuff off, it's time for bed!" (only instead of the stuff she would say something else.) Needless to say, she wasn't very happy with my $150 purchase. N/E ways, I ended up only taking a week to view the entire GW series, including Endless Watlz. I would say that I try to watch at least all the eposides on one disk before I just stop watching.

A friend and I rented NGE from our local library last year. Each week we got a new disk, and one day out of that week, we would watch the eposides on the disk. It was sometimes hard to remember what had happened in the series, (maybe that's why i didn't really understand it at the time.)

We did the same thing with Trigun. But I understood that one too.

I guess you could say that I marathon, but only for short periods of time! :)[/COLOR][/FONT]

[ChibiHorsewoman]

[color=darkviolet]I haven't marathoned anything lately since all my anime is in storage in TX and even if it wasn't, I don't have my DVD player with me.

However, I have a feeeling that I'll be on bed rest by July and prior to that I'm buying the first and second season of SailorMoon and a DVD player then I'll have me a marathon of great proportion!

I think marathons are good ideas, but only in moderation-if that makes any sense to anyone here!.[/color]