How to re-watch an anime?

[Nafi]

I want to re watch the anime "Eureka Seven" because almost no anime has the same concept as it does, plus almost no anime moves this slowly while still having a good background story.

I'm asking how to re-watch it because I want to know the best way to get the most enjoyment out of it. For example: should I watch the anime with a limit per day or per week? Should I rush through it?

I basically want to savor every moment of the anime since it's been around a year and a half since I last watched it so I'm a little fuzzy on the small details.

Do you guys do anything different when re-watching an anime?

[Kyuu]

Originally Posted by Nafi

Do you guys do anything different when re-watching an anime?

Like not paying attention to it? Of course. Some series are good for background noise, when doing something else.

[Xefi]

normally, if i watch an anime again, it was with another significant others: friends, family, brother or sister
that havent watch the show before; it was actually more exciting for me to watch it again that way.

[Nafi]

I actually want to re-watch the anime, not just have it on the side while multi-tasking. When I asked if you guys do anything different, I mean to make the anime seem better (except when compared to first watching it). But I guess you did answer my question.

And let's say I enjoy watching anime while being secluded (which I mostly do since I find it better). I kind of tried that already, it feels awkward at certain times when they ask me questions or certain parts of the show comes up.

[Hiroi Sekai]

All depends on your standing with that particular anime. Some people will like marathoning Code Geass whilst taking Cardcaptor Sakura bits at a time, while others will see it differently.

You just need to gauge it for yourself. Watch one episode, and you'll get that feeling by the end of it, I'm sure. I'll say that if you aren't running to that next episode right away without thought, take it in smaller increments. A series runs best when you're fully in the mood to keep going.

[Nafi]

Well usually when I rewatch an anime, I usually blaze through it, but try to pace myself to prevent that feeling of finishing too fast.

I have never done this with an anime with a solid plot though. I'm the type of person who wants to watch multiple episodes since "Eureka 7" has a type of episode ending where I want to know what happens due to that ending (most of the episodes).

[Concordia]

It purely depends on the size for me.

A one cour show, I will just order a pizza, get some nice drinks and watch it all in one night.

Any longer than that I tend to just re-watch bits of them when I'm in the mood, or have nothing else to do. It probably just comes down to a personal level though really; I don't think the angle I have given you is very helpful or new in any way.

[TinyRedLeaf]

Originally Posted by Nafi

Do you guys do anything different when re-watching an anime?

No.

Originally Posted by Nafi

I'm asking how to re-watch it because I want to know the best way to get the most enjoyment out of it. For example: should I watch the anime with a limit per day or per week? Should I rush through it?

I basically want to savor every moment of the anime since it's been around a year and a half since I last watched it so I'm a little fuzzy on the small details.

I actually find your questions somewhat bizarre. Unless you're a student tasked to critique a particular show, you shouldn't need to set specific goals when re-watching an anime series or movie. Watch it as many times as you like, as long as it pleases you.

If you really do need a reason, your last point, which I bolded above, should be key. If you're attentive, you'll spot the little details you missed the first time round. What those little details are will depend entirely on you. Our viewing experiences are subjective, after all, so the things I watch out for won't necessarily be the things that interest you.

For my part, the shows that hold my attention tend to be densely plotted, meticulously designed projects, like Kaiba, Aoi Bungaku, Sky Crawlers, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Kino no Tabi, Mushishi, and my favourite series, Haibane Renmei. These shows often have multiple layers of meaning, both in terms of writing and art, that make it rewarding to watch them many times. Take Sky Crawlers for example; the movie is designed to make a viewer think about the impact of reviewing sequences of events over and over again.

It will take several threads to discuss the revelations I enjoyed from reviewing these movies and series. I would say that most anime projects are meant simply to entertain and usually do not contain sufficient critical depth to reward multiple viewing. That, however, is a subjective opinion. Simply put, if you even have to ask why or how you should re-watch a show, perhaps it's better to simply give it a rest and return to it again some time in the future. You'll be surprised how much difference an older, more mature perspective would make when it comes to catching details you once missed.

[Triple_R]

When I re-watch an anime, I try to find a friend to watch it with that hasn't watched it before. That adds an "extra dimension" to a re-watch. It can also be interesting to get a newcomer's initial reactions to a show (and where s/he thinks the show will go) when you already know where it will go.

[Daniel E.]

Originally Posted by Nafi

Do you guys do anything different when re-watching an anime?

When re-watching something, I sometimes focus on a handful of episodes that I enjoyed more than the rest, instead of watching everything again. Genshiken and Azumanga Daioh being examples of.

[Akito Kinomoto]

Originally Posted by Nafi

For example: should I watch the anime with a limit per day or per week? Should I rush through it?

It's up to you. No seriously. It's your enjoyment. Don't ask us to decide what works best for you.

Originally Posted by Nafi

Do you guys do anything different when re-watching an anime?

Nothing? A show with rewatch value for anyone clicks with the viewer in such a way that it still has (roughly) the same effect now as it did then.

[Ichihara Asako]

I rewatch stuff constantly; rewatching makes up at least 2/3rds of my total viewing time (which is why my backlog constantly grows). It really depends on the show, and my mood, as to how I tackle it. Sometimes I just want to binge something so sit down and watch it all in one go. Other things I watch a couple episodes a day at a very casual pace.

"slice of life" type shows can be binged, or taken slowly, but stuff with solid focused stories and constant action and such I find are better binged instead of spreading it out. So if I want a proper binge either goes, but just for very casual watching I usually go for lighter episodic stuff so I don't HAVE to watch the next episode due to cliffhangers or whatnot.

[bhl88]

I watch the sub, then the dub.

[Hooves]

Originally Posted by papermario13689

You just need to gauge it for yourself. Watch one episode, and you'll get that feeling by the end of it, I'm sure. I'll say that if you aren't running to that next episode right away without thought, take it in smaller increments. A series runs best when you're fully in the mood to keep going.

This is how I rewatch many of my animes. I simply don't think, and just feel what first inspired me to continue watching the anime in the first place come back to me. Probably explains why I rewatched Shakugan no Shana about 20+ times now.

[Nafi]

Thanks for all the responses. I only want to know how other people re-watch anime since I want to find a way to enjoy it more then just watching it straight through. Most of you guys told me it depends on me personally (which I agree) and the mood I am in. I've been fighting the urge to rewatch this anime for around 2 weeks, and I'm at my limit.

And TinyRedLeaf, I will definitely use your idea of rewatching when I'm a bit more mature. That's an idea which I actually never heard of, and it actually sounds interesting.

And Hooves, it's pretty hard to know what inspired me to watch it again. And also, Shakugan no Shana is one of my favorite shows, I'm just trying to prevent myself from re-watching it since last time I watched it was a few months ago. That's probably the best Tsundere/action anime out there.

[TinyRedLeaf]

Originally Posted by Nafi

TinyRedLeaf, I will definitely use your idea of rewatching when I'm a bit more mature. That's an idea which I actually never heard of, and it actually sounds interesting.

That's cool. A few words of warning, though: the method can cut both ways. Re-watching Star Wars as an adult was painful compared to when I first watched it as a child. The thing about stories in any medium, be it literary or visual, is that personal life experiences will affect the way we interpret them. Someone who's never experienced the pain of a long-distance relationship may not be as strongly affected by 5 Centimetres Per Second as someone who has, for example. This season's Sakurasou has had a similar effect for many viewers, myself included. We sympathised with the difficulties some of the characters face when trying to maintain an honest relationship with friends who are so much more talented than them.

Good stories never grow old. They just acquire more "character".

[Master_Yoma]

I just sit down and watch it as many time tell the disc melts

[Kyuu]

I'll just say this.

I've watched Saki -- at least 30 times per episode. Sometimes in order. Other times in random order. Even then, episodes in order... but... start at the beginning of particular arcs. I covered this one very thoroughly.

That's mainly due to the beginning stages of liking mahjong.

[Azuma Denton]

Reason for re-watching something?
Most of it because of nostalgia...
Like TinyRedLeaf says...

Originally Posted by TinyRedLeaf

Good stories never grow old. They just acquire more "character".

I have re-watched School Rumble and Bakemonogatari (both is my favourite shows) for 4 times already. And i still enjoy it...

[Echoes]

The easy answer to all of your questions is just to experiment and do what feels right to you. There's no right answer, different approaches work for different people. I'll give you my take, though.

It varies greatly depending on what sort of show it is. Comedies and slice of life shows can easily be rewatched on an episodic basis. (And so can episodic actions shows, such as Dirty Pair and a lot of Bebop.) You can jump in and out, or skip right to the episodes that stuck out to you in particular. While I do take this approach occasionally (often with things I watched very recently), I tend to subscribe to the "In for a penny, in for a pound" philosophy and rewatch the entire thing from beginning to end. I feel that this is a more rewarding experience, and it is usually worth the time investment, even if it's the second or third time through. Something is often lost when you don't watch it from start to finish, even if you think you remember the important stuff. It's even better if you, like me, have a less than optimal memory. Then there's even more incentive to re-experience movies and series.

I've also found that owning physical media helps prompt me to rewatch things. It's much more tempting to pull out a DVD from the shelf than to sift through my external hard-drives. I guess that just looking at the box-art really helps bring forth that sense of nostalgia. Of course, everything might not be as rose-colored as you remember it, but I've found that I to a surprisingly high degree still love the stuff I enjoyed 6-7, even 10 years ago, as far as anime is concerned. Which can be a good reason to rewatch something in itself, to see if things hold up, and to see how your taste might've changed over the years. That's more of a long-term project, though.