Aspects of anime series and why we like what we do....

[Flower]

I have been thinking of something of late regarding anime series and that is it's "re-watchability". This is going to be a long initial post here, so I ask your indulgence at the beginning!

Part of what first got me thinking about this was when I went back and tried to re-watch Spring 2011's "Ano Hana..." series. That series was without doubt my favorite, and I followed it very closely with ever ep that came out. When I went back to re-watch it I found it was not as engaging, and wondered why.

Then this season I have been following a fair number of series, and two of them were always "on the brink" for me of dropping them: No. 6 and Mawaru Penguin-Drum. Finally after ep 8 of both I kept No. 6 and dropped Penguin-Drum.

Putting aside for the moment whether anyone else agrees whether I should have kept or dropped either of these series, I began to wonder:

1.) What "following a series" actually ... erm ... "meant" or "entailed" as opposed to watching several eps of a series all in a row. (In the manga realm this could be similar to following a series chapter by chapter over a long period of time).

2.) Whether some series are more effective when they are "followed" on a weekly basis and others are more effective when several eps in a row are "steamrolled". (In the manga realm this would be reading all the chapters of a completed work only.)

and 3.) What the "re-watchability" of a series of either sort indicates about that series itself. (Equally applicable in the written realm: i.e. re-readability.)

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After thinking about these things I realized that for myself following a series means investing a certain part of my attention and emotions on the story as it trickles out bit by bit.

Did I like the story I was being exposed to? Did I like the content? And furthermore did I want to be exposed to the story or characters or content to the type of and or degree of intensity or focus that "following a show" involved? I also wonder if others "follow" a series in similar levels of focus as I do?

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Furthermore it came to me that whether or no I wanted to invest my attention in a show on a "following" basis was not necessarily indicative of whether or no I thought a show was "good". (Case in point with an immediate example is Penguin-Drum. I think it is actually a pretty good story - it was the "following" mode I get into that made me drop it after too much Ringo.) I will prolly watch Penguin-Drum some time after it is all finished.

Finally, as I mentioned earlier, I really liked Ano Hana and Gosick while they were airing and followed them closely, but was surprised to find that I found they were not very re-watchable.

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The whole realm of re-watchability is, I think, both a related question to the general subject of the thread and maybe even its own subject in of itself.

I find that there are not many shows I find "re-watchable". But the ones I seem to find most re-watchable are largely (but not solely) among my favorites. Things like:

Kimi ni Todoke series
Aria series
Marimite series
Clannad & After Story

But there are other series which are not among those I consider the "best" that I find highly re-watchable. Examples being:

Saki
Angelic Layer
Index and Railgun series

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Anyway ... with all this being said, what do other posters in here think about this? I suppose an overview of the thread would be considering some of the aspects of why you like a series or no, and how you are exposed to a series contributes to that, I guess.

But feel free to begin to talk about any of the general topics mentioned.

[GreatTeacherKen]

Regardless of quality, I find that I tend to follow series without a complex plot and marathon series that have a more complicated storyline. For the latter, I find it easier to remember plot details that way and subsequently enjoy the story.

In terms of re-watchability, I'm usually willing to re-watch any series I like unless it's really depressing like Grave of the Fireflies or Air TV.

Some series are better on re-watch since once you know the whole story, it's easier to spot some clever/interesting details and in some cases, revelations that happen later can put earlier events in a different light.

I think the early episodes (except episode 4) of Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann are even better on re-watch. Kamina's character and the way he treats Simon takes on a different dimension and has stronger emotional poignancy after episode 11 whereas it's easy to take him at face value the first time through the series.

[Vexx]

Aye, tragic/depressing makes it much harder for me to rewatch. I still can't re-watch Air despite being pretty fond of it because the dialog during the final scenes reminded me too much of a young brother that had a terminal illness and what he said before he died.

Series that require "surprise" or "unexpected" don't fare well in my rewatches. But series like "Kamichu!", "Aria"... or light comedies like "Working!" or "seitokai yakuindomo" I find very rewatchable.

[Echoes]

I largely agree that comedies and lighthearted anime (slice of life and such) generally make for good rewatching material. I'm actually rewatching Working!! right now in preparation for the upcoming sequel, and I often revisit old comedies and watch a few episodes before I go to bed each night.

Plot-heavy series are harder to rewatch, and that comes down to at least two different issues. The first is the one Vexx brought up, the twists and turns won't hit surprise you, at least not to the same extent, even if it's been a while since you've seen it. This could take some of the punch out of the series. The second is that plot-heavy series demand more of the viewer. To get enjoyment out of them, you have to really devote time to the series, sit down and pay absolute attention. It's not necessarily something you want to do again for the same series unless you really liked it. In addition, these kinds of series are more likely to be subject to the other issue Vexx mentioned: intense emotional scenes. I feel similarly about Air. I do plan to rewatch it some day, and I've watched the movie since I saw the series (it's pretty damn good, too), but there's a strong deterrence in place to keep me from picking it up anytime soon. The same could be said for the recent Ano Hana. Loved the series to death, but it'll probably be a while before I see it again.

It's not a rule without exceptions, though. It's really a series-by-series thing for me, and I cannot pinpoint what exactly makes a series rewatchable beyond the points already mentioned and me simply liking it. I've watched Death Note three times, for instance, and that's a series that relies heavily on turns, twists and suspense to keep you guessing to the very end.

[cyth]

It would be interesting to know which type is more inclined to rewatching: viewers that follow regular broadcasts or viewers that marathon series in one or two swoops?

As for me, I've only rewatched maybe two shows apart from rewatching certain episodes or scenes of select anime. I've watched .hack//Sign numerous times now, never fully completing my rewatch run without longer intermezzos. I simply needed to refresh and upgrade my experience of the story, the cool dialogues and characters, and for that I found out that I don't need to watch the whole story. I guess it's like quenching your thirst.

I had a hunch that I won't miss AnoHana one bit, and it came true. I also think that if it weren't for the BDs, other people would have forgot about it a long time ago. So yeah, I firmly believe that rewatch value is a parameter and as such can be engineered and appropriated into any series. But with series like AnoHana growing ever so popular, series that grab viewers' attention by riling up their fanbase over the course of its run, series whose rewatches will never be able to offer the same level of excitement as they have during their initial runs, those kinds of series won't sell for their rewatch value because they haven't any.

[Triple_R]

Originally Posted by Flower

1.) What "following a series" actually ... erm ... "meant" or "entailed" as opposed to watching several eps of a series all in a row. (In the manga realm this could be similar to following a series chapter by chapter over a long period of time).

Following a series on a week-by-week "live" basis is definitely a different experience than marathoning it all at once, and/or in several chunks.

The main difference I find is that the week-by-week approach turns it into much more of a social experience, at least as far as online discussion goes. However, that week-by-week social experience viewing style typically can't be replicated. Once a show is done its initial airing, the week-by-week social experience aspect of the viewing is done, as people will move on to new shows.

Its possible that a lot of the joy you took from Anohana was kind of journeying through it with your fellow travelers here on Anime Suki.

There's actually some anime shows were half (if not more than half) of my enjoyment of them comes from talking about them online ASAP after they've aired, rather than just the anime viewing experience in and of itself. A good example of this for me is Hanasaku Iroha, which is often a good watch, but is always a fun show to talk about on Anime Suki.

2.) Whether some series are more effective when they are "followed" on a weekly basis and others are more effective when several eps in a row are "steamrolled". (In the manga realm this would be reading all the chapters of a completed work only.)

I definitely think this is the case.

In some cases, that week-by-week viewing/social experience adds an awful lot to the show.

In other cases, a show may have a slow, methodical plot, that can seem excruciatingly slow if watched on a week-by-week basis, but doesn't seem as slow if you get to watch through it in an "one arc per sitting" basis.

and 3.) What the "re-watchability" of a series of either sort indicates about that series itself. (Equally applicable in the written realm: i.e. re-readability.)

There's a term that 0utf0xZer0 once coined in a discussion with me on why Clannad: After Story was so effective. That term was "Precision Wham Moments".

Basically, what it means is moments of high drama that are gradually built up to within the plot itself, and which tend to have a large emotional impact on the viewer. They're kind of like "legitimate melodrama" you could say.

You know the saying "making a mountain out of molehill"?

Well, these precision wham moments are so well built up to, that they now feel like making a mountain out of an actual mountain - Their melodrama has kind of been earned, in other words, and so it can have a huge emotional impact as the drama now feels deserved, and not cheesy and/or overwrought.

For me, these sorts of moments of high drama stay with me for a long time, and I can enjoy rewatching them over and over again, because each time I do, my memory of how I felt when I first watched them comes bubbling back up to the surface.

This is part of the reason why I find Saki very rewatchable, just as you do. Because its team tournament arc has a few precision wham moments that are just so great, imo.

After thinking about these things I realized that for myself following a series means investing a certain part of my attention and emotions on the story as it trickles out bit by bit.

Did I like the story I was being exposed to? Did I like the content? And furthermore did I want to be exposed to the story or characters or content to the type of and or degree of intensity or focus that "following a show" involved? I also wonder if others "follow" a series in similar levels of focus as I do?

Yes, I think that I do. I think that you and I are basically on the same page here.

Furthermore it came to me that whether or no I wanted to invest my attention in a show on a "following" basis was not necessarily indicative of whether or no I thought a show was "good". (Case in point with an immediate example is Penguin-Drum. I think it is actually a pretty good story - it was the "following" mode I get into that made me drop it after too much Ringo.) I will prolly watch Penguin-Drum some time after it is all finished.

Finally, as I mentioned earlier, I really liked Ano Hana and Gosick while they were airing and followed them closely, but was surprised to find that I found they were not very re-watchable.

I think a possible factor with Anohana is that it has a certain emotional thickness to it. As opposed to precision wham moments that you gradually arrive at after relatively lighthearted fare, almost each and every Anohana episode felt emotionally "heavy" to me. By the time I was through it, I honestly felt kind of spent, emotionally speaking. Like I just didn't have it in me to re-watch the entire show with the degree of high emotionality it kind of expects from its viewers on an episode by episode basis.

So, I think when you have a series with a lot of emotional thickness - where each and every episode feels "heavy" to you - it can be hard to rewatch because of that heaviness. Whereas when you have a "relatively lighthearted to moments of high drama" set up, its easier to rewatch because its easier to get back into, and you might be anticipating rewatching that moment of high drama all over again while you go through the anime a second time.

That's my experience anyway.

[Flower]

Many good and excellent replies thus far....

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@ Triple_R:

"Precision Wham Moments", eh? Maybe a good description.

I have recently found another series that has a fair number of these. Both Saki and Angelic Layer had them too ... hmm ... anyway the series (curiously) is Yumiero Patissiere.

There are definitely elements in the show that are lighter or even "sillier" than Saki and Angelic Layer - like the little squeaky voiced fairies fluttering about (although for me they are kinda endearing every once in a while). But even so it has some very moving parts to it - the understudy at the Parisian patissier's shop that had the orange tree in the back comes to mind most immediately.

But I would still not group Saki or Angelic Layer or Yumiero Patissiere in the category of the Marimite series, Kimi ni Todoke or the Aria series. For me they are in two diff classes, although both possess the ability to be re-watched.


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Originally Posted by cyth

It would be interesting to know which type is more inclined to re-watching: viewers that follow regular broadcasts or viewers that marathon series in one or two swoops?...

Hmm ... good question.

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@ Vexx and Echoes:

I find that I personally don't have as much difficulty as watching "plot heavy series" as some others, and my guess is that the reasons are most likely difference in personalities. The Marimite series, Clannad/After Story, Kanon, and Air are all very re-watchable for me, and I have watched them through several times.

For me the most difficult of the ones just listed is Air, but moreso because when it gets to the part of the main male character reincarnating as a bird I was disappointed with where the story went. On my third re-watch or so I was able to "overlook" it a little more, although I still don't like it.

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Triple_R hit on another element of the following a series vs. steamrolling methods of watching, and that is the "communal" experience of a group of people commenting on, praising to the skies, railing at, discussing, etc. a series together on an ep by ep basis throughout the series.

I agree about Ano Hana being thick the entire time I was watching it. Maybe that method of presentation lends itself better to the "following" method of watching and helps "activate" the "communal" experience of following it and enjoying it more? Perhaps without that communal experience it is harder for me to invest myself as much on a re-watch? Hmm ... something to think about.

Now that I think about it, though, almost all of my favorite choices (of both the more "serious" content and the "less serious") were series I steamrolled.

One of the things I am curious about at the end of this season will be if the series I am following the closest will retain their re-watchability. These series are:

Ikoku Meiro
Usagi Drop
Hanasaku Iroha.

I have recently finished re-watching each of these up to the ep they are up to atm, and Ikoku and Usagi were even more enjoyable the second time around. Hanasaku was also enjoyable - don't get me wrong - but it was not as strong an impression as the former two examples.

[Flawfinder]

Rewatchability of a series usually determines whether it ranks up in my favorites, so stuff like Durarara and CLANNAD are considered better than FMA for me (while FMA's story is better, I don't find it very rewatchable). I guess when it comes to rewatchability, it helps if there are things you missed the first time that you'd get within a second run. There's just too many factors for me to judge what's rewatchable and what's not with anything, let alone anime series.

[DonQuigleone]

Myself, I'm a marathoner, not a week by week type. There's a few shows I've followed week by week. Heavily plot based anime tend to do better on a marathon, while more episodic stuff works better week by week. That said, some series that heavily deal in cliff hangers and suspense are interesting cases, as they provide a different experience week by week compared to a marathon. Such a series works well both ways, as the cliff hangers and suspense can keep you fueled going through the marathon, and you won't burn yourself out. It's like reading a page turning book, you just don't want to stop. On the flip side, if you're going week by week you definetely get that tense experience waiting for the next episode. I can't really say which is better, but I personally prefer being able to focus on one series at a time rather then having to remember to download episodes every week etc.

RE "Precision Wham Moment": I think the discussion of Melodrama is a very fertile field of discussion. Generally Japanese Entertainment (particular Drama) often has problems of too much melodrama. However I have to agree that melodrama in itself isn't bad, and you do need it to be built up and "earned". It also needs to be used sparingly. A lot of Anime does this right, and saves up it's doses of melodrama for just the right time, GTO for instance. JDrama usually does the opposite and has way too much melodrama, usually melodrama every episode.

I found AnoHana to have a bit too much Melodrama for me. I know the plot warrants it, to an extent, but I often feel a bit exhausted when there's so much. I think you need to mix concentrated melodrama with more extended portions of other things. It's a bit like an action films, a film that's all action would feel too shallow, you need to build up backstory first so that the action is more meaningful.

A good simple example of melodrama done right might be 5 centimetres per second. The movie obviously has moments of high drama, but the movie has far more time spent on building the foundations for that drama, it draws you into a mood where you are susceptible to a wham of melodrama. 5 centimetres per second is one of those rare films that stand in hallowed ranks of things made me cry.

A lot of people ask "why would you want to see a film that makes you cry?" It's difficult to explain, I find it has a kind of purging effect. It brings your own sadness to the surface and flushes it. You feel it so intensely that you really feel alive.

I'm convinced that we watch films to give us an "emotion" whether it's mirth, horror or excitement, it's all about making us feel something intensely. So long as it can bring about an intense feeling, I think the film (or anime) has succeeded.

The worst types of films are those where you feel nothing at all, and just feel dead inside.

[Akito Kinomoto]

The shows I watch on a weekly basis are once in a blue moon, so one of the mindsets is already lost to me since I'm usually just plowing through anime unless we're dealing with a series about nothing *coughluckystarcough.*

Regarding the subject of re-watching, I've found that what I'm more likely to go through again is usually a show where I had a strong emotional investment more than or instead of an intellectual one. However, it isn't uncommon for the latter to immerse me within the narrative more than emotions if only for all of the thoughts that swirled as I watched; what's going to happen next? or Isn't that guy on their side? or wow, they even thought of that too... But once they're finished, it's the former that raises its own stock, and in some cases, they even get better.

Take Clannad, for example. I actually wasn't very fond of it at all when I first watched, but that changed when I finished After Story. Upon re-watching, there was a whole slew of subtleties that I knew were only intended for the people who stuck with the second season.

Of course, exceptions exist and by no means do I treat an emotionally investing and intellectually investing series as mutually exclusive. But generally speaking, I think it's safe to assume that Kanon 2006 and Paranoia Agent will not attempt to be what they aren't.

[Archon_Wing]

It may do a lot of things, but it must not bore me, or insult me. It should be able to inspire thoughts. In general, the more thoughts I come out with, the better it is.

Stuff like Usagi drop manages to always entertain and never becomes insulting. I suppose it doesn't always inspire much thought for me, but that's what I'd call a solid series.

On the other hand, you have stuff like the Unlimited Blade Works movie which manages to be insulting, boring, and devoid completely of thought. The fact that I took 12 hours to watch a 1:30 speaks volumes to how shit it is.

It may not have been a series, but I could have spent that time watching something else.

Eve no Jikan and 5cm are the exact opposite. I have time to settle on the nuances, perhaps even rewind a bit, but the fact of the matter, is that I am being entertained, my brain is working, and I am not in pain.

[Vexx]

@Flower, yeah, the "bird" moment seemed pretty absurd to me (and its hard to be absurd in a thousand year epic of reincarnation and time loops) but the extended history lesson flashback was powerful and the scene as mom and daughter headed to the beach and afterward at the end.. .well, it may have missed its mark but it was an amazing mark imo.

As for the present,
Ikoku Meiro
Usagi Drop
Hanasaku Iroha.

I'm watching all 3 .... and will venture a guess that I'll find Ikoku and Usagi rewatchable, especially if I'm airing it for someone else to watch together. Not so much Hanasaku (though its no knock against it) ... it just seems more soap opera-ish to me and less memorable though I enjoyed it a lot.

[Master_Yoma]

Re-watching online anime is hard it just that new anime keep coming out so I watch those before I re-watch them again. But DVDs are easy to re-watch because you can just pop it in when there nothing on. Ive re-watched all my dvds many time hell I watch Iria over 20 time since I got it but Ive never re-watch an online anime that dose come out in the US on dvd ever again

[ahelo]

Two things would make me rewatch a series:

Anime that I remember pumping me up a lot in energy or laughs even though it didn't turn out to be my favorite series at all (Saki, Fumoffu, School Rumble)

Those that you'd be surprised how better it is after rewatching (Haruhi, Madoka, Steins;Gate, FMA Brotherhood)

[calorie]

First of all, I am amazed to hear that some of you spend so much time re-watching a series when there are so many other titles to experience. Flower (the OP) went so far as to re-watch the three currently airing series, something that would never even cross my mind. Surely, as someone who has only re-watched a handful of movies and perhaps one or two TV series, I am not the most competent person to be having this discussion.

However, I would like to say one thing - the more anime I have watched, the less obsessed I become with a particular title. Key's animes are still my favorites and were the first to ignite my passion, therefore I am sure I will re-watch them at some point; but I also felt that the best way to keep that same passion going was not to stick to one genre. When I'd finished watching CLANNAD, Mecha or Shounen genre was the last thing I was interested in. But gradually, over time, I felt like trying out those, and other kinds of animes as well, and in order to be able to understand and enjoy those, I did some reading on "how and what to like about this type of animes" on websites like tvtropes or from the reviews (I see nothing wrong about this because I was equally as skeptical about slice-of-life/moe anime). This led to two things:
1. I became more aware of the basic "skeleton" of shows like Kanon and thus no longer thought of such as being unrivaled by anything else.
2. My area of interest has expanded tremendously, leaving me with the conclusion that I should only re-watch select titles after some time passes.

Now as for the topic of this thread itself:

There are shows that definitely work better on a week-by-week basis, some more so than others. Take ARIA for example - I could not watch more than 2 episodes of the thing at a time. But if I watched it one day at a time, it would be a great way to relieve stress; I imagine this might work better on a weekly basis. Though if you ask me, I think very few animes were meant to be marathoned; I find myself getting worn out that way fairly quickly regardless of whether I like the anime or not.

I also don't think the re-watchability should determine the overall quality of a show, though it can be a plus. Favorite characters and why I liked them, emotional scenes, crazy plot twists are not something I easily forget; on the 2nd go, mostly the flaws tend to stand out in my eyes.

Unless we're talking about shows like FLCL, Evangelion or other mindscrews that are in a way meant to be seen more than once.

[DonQuigleone]

Myself, I only rewatch stuff when I'm showing it to other people. Otherwise I stick to rewatching particular portions I liked, things like big fight scenes, musical sequences etc.

[Vexx]

'rewatchability' doesn't only apply to anime... my wife has the complete collections of MASH and Firefly/Serenity - she'll often put on a disk when television sucks for the night. We'll rewatch favorite Brit-coms (As Time Goes By, Monty Python, Fawlty Towers, etc). We have a fair-sized DVD collection and will rewatch favorite movies (like the annual Lord of the Rings marathon when all the offspring are home).

So rewatching certain anime isn't really something unique to j-pop fans.

[Flower]

@Vexx

And as rewatchability does not just apply to anime so too does the principle of following a series piece by piece (whether in written or visual form) or steamrolling the story.

And as regards the Air ... the history lesson/going back in time gave the series a whole lot more meaning for me. Up to then I was wondering what was going on, but after going back to the source story everything became much better for me.

BTW, huzzah to LoTR marathoning and Firefly!

Okay - back on topic. *cough cough*

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@ Calorie ... yeah - I can easily imagine why you would be surprised at my re-watching.

But maybe it would be a little more understandable if you knew that I do not have a tv/cable, or any game consoles or listen to the radio, etc. The only technology I have of that sort of thing is a computer and a portable video/mp3 player. You would be surprised how much "free time" you have at you beck and call without the tv/cable and game consoles.

I also agree that re-watchability does not necessarily equal the quality of a series. I thoroughly enjoyed both Ano Hana and Gosick while they were airing, to use recent examples.

Originally Posted by Archon_Wing

It may do a lot of things, but it must not bore me, or insult me. It should be able to inspire thoughts. In general, the more thoughts I come out with, the better it is....

This is also a big factor for me in determining whether I like a series to begin with, and tends to be a characteristic of the more serious branch of shows I find rewatchable.....

[TinyRedLeaf]

Originally Posted by cyth

It would be interesting to know which type is more inclined to rewatching: viewers that follow regular broadcasts or viewers that marathon series in one or two swoops?

I notice that when I marathon a series, it tends to have less impact on me and, subsequently, less re-watch value. Cross Game was the only notable exception to this rule. Conversely, shows that I follow regularly week by week tend to have higher draw. A good example would be the currently airing Usagi Drop; I re-watched the first few episodes several times while waiting eagerly for the subsequent instalments.

Originally Posted by Flower

1.) What "following a series" actually ... erm ... "meant" or "entailed" as opposed to watching several eps of a series all in a row. (In the manga realm this could be similar to following a series chapter by chapter over a long period of time).

2.) Whether some series are more effective when they are "followed" on a weekly basis and others are more effective when several eps in a row are "steamrolled".

I find that episodic series — that is, shows in which each episode is a standalone story — are typically easier to "follow" on a weekly basis than shows with plotlines that stretch across scores of episodes. There have been many such shows that I gave up halfway, not because I disliked them but simply because I got tired of having to keep up with them, week by week.

Originally Posted by Flower

3.) What the "re-watchability" of a series of either sort indicates about that series itself.

Originally Posted by calorie

I am amazed to hear that some of you spend so much time re-watching a series when there are so many other titles to experience.

I don't think it indicates very much more than an individual viewer's subjective preferences. From my list of favourite anime, Haibane Renmei, Mushishi and Kino no Tabi rank as shows that reveal new insights each time I watch them anew. There are also those stories that are deliberately designed to reward re-watching, such as The Sky Crawlers, where the very act of re-living the events of the movie helps to reinforce its central motif.

And then there are those shows which are, to me, superb works of art that make evergreen reference material — the more often you review them, the greater an appreciation you develop for animation as an art form. Almost all Ghibli movies rank highly in this regard.

In my case, the subject matter rarely affects its re-watch value. Despite its heartrending plot, I often find myself pulling out my cherished copy of Rurouni Kenshin: Tsuiokuhen, just to re-experience its tremendous quality. Till this day, the movie's prologue never fails to tear me apart each time I revisit it.

I wish I could write stories with such lasting impact.

[Gamer_2k4]

For me, two things have to stand out in an anime: memorable characters and memorable moments. Concerning the first point: Japanese names are, well, foreign to me, so they're more difficult for me to remember. If I can name the characters, it means the anime is doing something very right. Successes: Azumanga Daioh, Haruhi Suzumiya, and Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Concerning the second point: if I don't remember specific scenes in the anime, it probably didn't catch my interest. There have to be moments that really stood out to me, that made me think, "THIS is why I'm watching this anime." Successes: Azumanga Daioh, Haruhi Suzumiya, Angel Beats!, Yu-gi-oh!, Gurren Lagann.

Finally, I've said this before, but it's a major point in an anime's favor if it's short. I'd much rather have a short anime that I wish was longer than a long anime that I wish was shorter. Fourteen episodes is ideal; Twenty-six isn't bad if the pacing stays tight. Anything longer than that risks just being drawn out and forgettable, even if I enjoyed individual moments from it. Successes: Madoka, Elfen Lied, Haruhi Suzumiya, Gurren Lagann. Failures: Code Geass, Eureka Seven, Angel Beats! (only because of how badly I wanted it to be twenty-six episodes instead of sixteen).