Growing out of anime

[Kirito]

I've been into anime since I was 9, stopped at 14, and got back into it when I was 17...so I've been taking anime seriously for 7 long years. Anyways, I don't see myself retiring or giving up on anime anytime soon because of how much time and energy I've invested into this trend. It's part of life's schedule and it's because of anime that I finally found something in my life that I can enjoy at its fullest.

Case and point - Still love anime religiously and love putting my time into it. I'm a little behind on certain series, news, and issues due to "circumstances", but I'm confident that I can get back to 100% again.

[Akito Kinomoto]

OP, I asked myself the same question a few years ago. Being familiar with something for so long can make you sick of it through familiarity. Sometimes you need to step back and see if you're watching for the sake of watching; there's no point to that. Anime should be treated like the entertainment medium it is. Realizing that made it easier to enjoy again.

[Endless Soul]

See my age to the left here. I'm actually watching MORE anime now then I was 10-20 years ago.

Endless "Older" Soul

[GDiddy]

I'm in my 30s and have been watching anime for over 15 years, ever since the days of the original Toonami and when AS/Current Toonami was known as Midnight Run. Used to watch Gundam Wing and DBZ when I worked late.

Will I still watch years from now? I don't know to be honest. Right now, I probably watch more anime than regular tv, since other than a few shows, I've become bored. I think I'll probably watch something of anime anyway...even if it's just a movie. Despite my age, I still enjoy animated movies. If I ever do have any kids, I'd rather have them watch Totoro or Cardcaptor Sakura than other dumb crap.

Oh, and I write fanfic too. Sometimes, it's just fun to get out of my head for awhile.

[Triple_R]

I probably will watch and enjoy anime as I grow older.

I'm an animation lover in general. This is something that has stuck with me over a decade into my adult years, so I doubt it'll ever leave me completely.

Anime is just about the only place you can find certain types of narratives done through animation. This may change over time a bit, but I doubt it'll ever change to the extent that it could fully take the place of anime for me.

[Dr. Casey]

Originally Posted by Eragon

I just can't bring myself to search through a ton of junk (in my eyes) that the industry throws out every season to find the one show I like.

I don't think the searching process should be a very difficult one; anime charts compile things well enough into one central location (one single image, to be exact) that you can easily know at a glance what's airing and whether it might appeal to you.

I like your new location, by the way

As for me, I don't have any plans to discontinue anime in the foreseeable future. I'm sure that once I start a family, my viewing habits will be curbed due to lesser free time - rather than watching everything that interests me in a given season (something that often reaches the double digits), I'll probably just limit myself to the series I can't stay away from, aka somewhere between one to four series a season - but I don't have any intention to completely distance myself from something that I love, and while I'm sure that my tastes will continue to evolve and mature with time, I'm equally certain that my tastes have stabilized enough that anime is something I'll never fall out of love with.

[Urzu 7]

I'll probably be an anime fan for the rest of my life. When I have free time, I choose to do different things with it, and two hobbies I dedicate time to is watching anime and playing video games. I'd like to have a wife and kids some day, so if I had all that, there wouldn't be much time for anime and video games. I think it'd be easier to throw in some anime episodes here and there then playing many video games. When being a family man, I wouldn't want to get into very involving and time consuming games, like RPGs. I'd do best to play games that have a real pick-up-and-play nature and games that don't take very long to beat. Stuff like Mario games and a lot of indie games.

[Guido]

I'm already 33 years-old, but I'm definitely growing out from kiddie anime once and for all for good:

- A long time ago I said good bye to YuGiOh! before the 5D series started.
- On October I'll be done with the Pokemon anime, because it's in a permanent deadlock cycle due that the writers for a long, long time ago care nothing about the plot at all.
- The way how the last season to Digimon felt literally like filler to me, then I'm done for good.
- Only this year I returned to watch the Pretty Cure franchise, because Doki Doki looked promising but only for a once revival nothing else.

[Eragon]

Originally Posted by Dr. Casey

I don't think the searching process should be a very difficult one; anime charts compile things well enough into one central location (one single image, to be exact) that you can easily know at a glance what's airing and whether it might appeal to you.

I like your new location, by the way

Hmm, perhaps I'll give that a try.

I'm glad you like it

[KanbeKotori]

I've grown out of kiddy anime like Vanguard and stuff but am still watching SoL and other genre - so long it grabs my interest. I picked my anime based on synopsis(since to me they do give an accurate guide to if it's interesting to me or not). I watch anime nowadays for their story plot and through various anime, there are somethings that can be learned.

I foresee I won't stop watching anime in the future. I used to on and off watch anime and 3 years back I begin to watch them seriously. From then on I go to charts and picked my anime.

I guess as people grow, kiddy anime such as Vanguard, Yu-Gi-Oh and what not are less appealing to the "normal" ones out there like SoL etc... Different people have different limits so it might not be applied to all but nonetheless I find those people around me that watches anime picked anime that are much suited around their age. I guess in time to come it all depends on how passionate you are. The more you are into these things, chances of you growing it out is pretty slim. I for one, am gonna migrate and head out to study and work in the anime industry in Japan(that'll only be a few years time cos I need to settle some stuff in my country before leaving -_-).

Ever since I started watching anime, I haven't touched the TV(if you exclude the fact I used it as a monitor) so it depends on one's taste and preference. No one is right or wrong if they wanna drop it. Ultimately we indulge in whatever is interesting and throw the uninteresting hobbies off.

[jdennis007]

Like the other old man here I find myself watching more anime now than I did when I was younger ( I am 44 now).

[GreyZone]

I noticed that latelyeverything became more extreme. When earlier there were slightly bad anime, there are now extremely horrible ones and where there has been an "a bit over average" anime, there is a masterpiece today. I like this trend. It becomes a lot easier to sort the trash out and find the gems.

A few years ago the only anime I was following was One Piece. Now I get into the mood to watch a few animes per season, sometimes more, sometimes less.

So overall I think I didn't grow "out" of anime at all, I'd even say the opposite is true.

[P99]

I don't believe I am "growing" out of anime, it's more like the older I get, the less time I seem to have for it. School and work keep me on a tight schedule so I usually binge on anime and manga during holidays or in my scarce free time.

[SeijiSensei]

Looks at age of poster above. Laughs.

Come back and talk to us again about this subject in a decade. You're way too young to be "growing out of anime" at eighteen.

[Strygwyr]

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

Looks at age of poster above. Laughs.

Come back and talk to us again about this subject in a decade. You're way too young to be "growing out of anime" at eighteen.

I think it's alright for him to post. What if school work did bury him and can't watch anime, then became a successful person with a great job

Then it occured to him, hmm I watch anime in my teen years...good times. Then continues work and make his living.

Now what I said does sound stupid (not being successful part) but you dont't know when you'll be watching your last anime because of other things in life, more important things does make you pull away from anime/manga and surely not everyone can be other members here that actually watched anime more as they became older.

[Echoes]

I think SeijiSensei was referring to the "growing out" part, not necessarily the "I'm too busy at the moment" part. Which you definitely could be at 18, especially when you've got a job in addition to school.

Around 18 was actually when I got into anime as devoted fan. I'd liked it before, but it was never a large part of my life, or even that notable of a hobby, until that point. Since then, it's always been there for me. Sometimes in a huge, vortex-which-consumes-all-free-time way, and sometimes as a small pleasure on the weekends. I don't see myself ever fulling leaving it behind at this point.

[Vexx]

I have a lot of hobbies ... and a finite amount of time. Therefore, in the last couple of years I've gotten very *picky* about what I'm going to commit time to. I barely watch US television at all outside of PBS/BBC. Between research, writing, relearning bass guitar, gaming, reading, home improvement projects, etc ... anime has to take its turn.

[Lota]

I remember when I was about 13 I cried because everyone had stopped watching cartoons by that age and I was still watching and I thought that I was a freak and would have to quit against my will if I wanted to grow up Then I found out that my 'cartoons' were actually anime and that adults watched it too, so it was ok. Good times.

I don't see myself "growing out" of anime anytime soon. I'm in waaaay too deep to get out. If I'm not watching anime, I'm reading manga or sth like that. Sure, there are many anime that repeat the same ideas, things that once seemed very original get overused and become cliches, but every once in a while comes an anime that makes me think "Ahhh... That's why I watch anime". University, job, other activities... It's not like there's nothing else to do, but as long as I'm enjoying it, I'm not gonna stop.

[cyth]

I don't see myself completely growing out of anime, but I have grown out of the obsessive habits that concern the more hardcore otaku. I used to be an information freak, but now I'm content with merely following ANN. Being obsessive about cartoons, to make them the center of your lifestyle simply isn't healthy.

[speedyexpress48]

Well, I watch more anime/manga now than ever before, but that's mostly due to stress and lack of stamina for gaming since working at a repair shop is pretty stressful and you just want something as a reliever without really moving around much.

Also, I used to be the kind of guy who chased girls and had a nice social life. Got burned out and not really thinking of getting a romantic relationship with anyone anytime soon or ever, and I'm definitely not having kids. I'm not stable enough for that