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Old 2013-03-01, 00:59   Link #1
Tempester
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Join Date: Nov 2008
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Backlog Thread: Having a massive list of anime to watch

I notice that some people complain about not finding enough interesting anime to watch, challenging (often not deliberately) other people to recommend them something special or unknown.

I have the opposite "problem"; I have a huge number of anime I plan to watch, and it just keeps on building up. At the time of this post, I have a whopping 266 anime in my "plan to watch" list, and that doesn't even count the 90+ unwatched anime I have on hand or downloaded. Just today I added 4 or 5 anime to that list. This isn't a real problem, but it can be a bit overwhelming when I realize that I'm several years away (at least) from watching all of the anime I'm interested in.

How did I find all this anime? In the five years I've been on AnimeSuki, I only made one thread in the suggestions sub-forum, and it was for musical themes. Most of these anime I discovered by lurking anime discussion boards, including Animesuki. I've had countless cases when someone casually mentioned an anime I've never heard about, and I searched the anime on Wikipedia, MAL and AniDB to see if I was interested in it. Whenever I saw an unfamiliar image, I reverse-searched it on Google or IQDB to discern the source by myself, and if that failed I just asked. Lurking and researching does wonders. I guess it helps that I have a somewhat broad interest in various anime genres, though.

I really doubt I can ever get bored in the entertainment sphere alone. Even if I run out of anime to watch, I'll still have backlogs in video games, literature, and/or western movies to deal with.

Does anyone else here have this habit of "piling up" anime to watch?
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Old 2013-03-01, 01:29   Link #2
Triple_R
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If you're a hardcore anime fan that engages in a lot of online anime discussion, you'll never find time to completely watch every anime show that gets recommended to you. You simply won't. I learned this myself the hard way.

Here is where it is extremely important to be brutally honest with yourself about what you like, what you don't like, and what you like most. If you're anything like me, you'll find that certain shows just click with you, and become downright addictive. Right now, for example, I highly anticipate Psycho-Pass each and every week. Back when I was watching older shows, I couldn't stop watching Mari-Mite's final season, and so I watched all of it in about half a day.

Try to find out which shows are like that for you (if some are), and then try to determine which other shows are like them. For example, I came to Strawberry Panic through Mari-Mite. I didn't like it quite as much as Mari-Mite, but it was a good, enjoyable watch.

So be totally ruthless in shaving your backlog down to the shows you really, really want to watch. It has to be for your own enjoyment, it can't be because it's a popular title or "all the cool anime fans like this" or something like that.

I'll admit that there's some anime shows I think I should watch "because all the cool anime fans I know love it to pieces". But it just didn't entertain me quite that much, even though the merits of the show were clear as day. There really is no accounting for personal taste and preferences.
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Old 2013-03-01, 01:31   Link #3
Kudryavka
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I have this habit with anime (well all TV tbh) and games, haha

The main thing holding me back is bad download speed and lack of time, it's hard for me to watch more than 4 new 1-cour anime a season without some getting put on the back burners for months (and most eventually getting dropped). And there are way way too many games I have in my backlog... T-T

I find it more productive for me to just pick up not piping hot and fresh anime that people recommend. Right now I'm only watching Kaiji and all of Evangelion (DVDs of course) because I heard people talk so much about them It also keeps me from picking up a new anime then dropping it because I dislike it and it ends up being something I did not like.
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Old 2013-03-01, 01:59   Link #4
Tempester
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Triple_R View Post
If you're a hardcore anime fan that engages in a lot of online anime discussion, you'll never find time to completely watch every anime show that gets recommended to you. You simply won't. I learned this myself the hard way.
Good point. I waste a lot of time rummaging through anime/game discussion boards (yes, this place included), and I'm sure I should allocate more of that time to actually watching anime.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Triple_R View Post
Here is where it is extremely important to be brutally honest with yourself about what you like, what you don't like, and what you like most. If you're anything like me, you'll find that certain shows just click with you, and become downright addictive. Right now, for example, I highly anticipate Psycho-Pass each and every week. Back when I was watching older shows, I couldn't stop watching Mari-Mite's final season, and so I watched all of it in about half a day.

Try to find out which shows are like that for you (if some are), and then try to determine which other shows are like them. For example, I came to Strawberry Panic through Mari-Mite. I didn't like it quite as much as Mari-Mite, but it was a good, enjoyable watch.
I usually start watching whatever I'm in the mood for, with consideration for what I'm currently watching at the moment. For instance, I picked up Ashita no Nadja recently because I was in the mood for a kids' romantic adventure, and the other old show I'm watching (Macross 7) is completely different. I wouldn't marathon, say, K-On and Hidamari Sketch at the same time.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Triple_R View Post
So be totally ruthless in shaving your backlog down to the shows you really, really want to watch. It has to be for your own enjoyment, it can't be because it's a popular title or "all the cool anime fans like this" or something like that.

I'll admit that there's some anime shows I think I should watch "because all the cool anime fans I know love it to pieces". But it just didn't entertain me quite that much, even though the merits of the show were clear as day. There really is no accounting for personal taste and preferences.
Again, it depends on how I feel. It took me maybe 3 years to finally watch Azumanga Daioh despite its fame and popularity, because it took until a certain day in summer 2012 when I just felt like I had to see it on that day.

As of this post, I haven't watched any Ghost in the Shell title yet, but I've seen some anime that virtually nobody ever acknowledges or talks about.
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Old 2013-03-01, 02:11   Link #5
erneiz_hyde
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You have it somewhat better, since I have similar problem that extends towards VNs. Now that my reading pace is severely gimped (I just can't get into the right 'sit down and read' mood), it simply is impossible to keep up with every new title released each month Not to mention I have a backlog that goes back to the '04

The only anime that I look forward each week now is only JoJo, and the ending is quickly approaching
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Old 2013-03-01, 02:39   Link #6
Azuma Denton
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Not really, as i spare one day an hour to watch anime. So i fairly caught up with most of my anime.

What piled up so much is game. I havent prioritize on gaming recently and quite a number of unfinised game piled up.
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Old 2013-03-01, 02:55   Link #7
Rosalena
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I'll admit that I find it strange that so many anime fans keep lists of the titles they watch, plan to watch, have dropped, and so forth. Perhaps it's only because I'm not a list-maker, but this has always struck me as peculiar. The anime community is the only fan-based community I can think of that has an entire website devoted to helping people handle their various lists

I'm fortunate that I'm a member of a site that keeps track of what I watch. According to my user statistics I've supposedly watched more than 800 series in their entirety since I became a member. Considering that I spent nearly two years in a wheelchair and on crutches due to a certain health situation, and before that I had several years filled with free time that list doesn't seem unreasonable.

At this moment I don't have a backlog (on a list or otherwise). I've been watching anime since I was a child so my tastes have developed nicely over the years. I can almost always correctly identify whether or not I will like a show based on its promotional material, genres/themes, key visuals, et cetera. Occasionally a show will unexpectedly catch my attention, but that doesn't happen very often.

For example, I know that I don't like shounen style shows or series with an overabundance of ecchi fanservice. Thus, I know to steer clear of those because they aren't going to entertain me. Why would I bother to give something like Bleach or Queen's Blade the standard three episode trial when I know that I almost certainly won't like either one? That would simply be a waste of time that would be better spent elsewhere. On the other hand if I hear that Urobuchi is involved in a show I automatically know that there is a high chance that I will like it.

I always keep a vague idea of what shows I'm looking forward to in each upcoming season, but I don't keep a list of them per se.
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Old 2013-03-01, 03:07   Link #8
totoum
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I'm similar except I have this weird thing where I start watching a couple episodes based on an impulse and even if I like it I might not check out more for a long while, so my "plan to watch" list isn't full so much as my "stuck at ep 2/3/4 list is full (and in fact I don't add most of those to my MAL until I've really seen more episodes than that)

Those impulses can come from anything,a suggestion, intriguing staff or even just a nice OP.
Or I sometimes just like to go on anidb and use their calendar and pretend that we're in Spring 1991 for example and pick a couple shows to watch from that season as I would if it were the upcoming anime season.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tempester View Post
but I've seen some anime that virtually nobody ever acknowledges or talks about.
I say we should both start a "why you should watch Key: The Metal Idol" club!
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Old 2013-03-01, 04:31   Link #9
Ichihara Asako
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I have 146 series in my backlog at the moment. It was a little higher but I've been digging through it a bit lately. Though I don't watch stuff as rapidly as I used to, so each new season just piles more on.

My biggest problem is spending time rewatching old favourites; and as time goes by, I get more and more great series I enjoy and rewatch, instead of getting to new series (some of which may be just as great). Though a lot of it is generic fluff and just gets shelved after the first few episodes (as compared to dropped, which is when I find stuff particularly distasteful, not simply generic).
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Old 2013-03-01, 07:08   Link #10
Kyuu
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Thankfully, I never had a backlog -- until it started developing over the past 2 years. Prior to that, I've often skipped out on various series -- just because. But now... having a backlog brings about the feeling of... watching anime = chore.

There's no fun to that. But, at the same time, there's this need to grab almost as much anime as possible, but not everything. That's due to various reasons:

* The potential threat of fansubbing and anime downloading becoming a thing of the past.
* Not wanting to miss out on much (on this note, some series I had to go back on)

Nevertheless, it'd be good to just drop a bunch of series -- 'cause they're just boring and not enjoyable to watch. Then move on to the stuff worth watching.

By the way... I watch at a rate of 1-4 episodes... per day. That's IF I even go ahead and watch something.
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Old 2013-03-01, 07:33   Link #11
Marcus H.
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Please refer to my sig for my current backlog.

That said, even at a small backlog like this, it can be quite annoying to find that you don't have time to watch an entire series (especially with Gintama on my list D MAL was a godsend for me since I was able to manage which shows I have watched during my more-than-ten-year life as an anime watcher. But I'm trying to shave down my backlog, a few episodes at a time. Hopefully, my own methods to get 30-50 MB episodes would help me a lot.

Actually, I wanted to thank the OP for posting this topic. Let us drink in our backlog sorrows and frustrations.
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Old 2013-03-01, 07:58   Link #12
Westlo
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Massive backlog....

Watching 11 (and 3 of these will definitely be put on hold if I get to Spring season without making more progress)
Completed 173
On Hold 370

Why is my backlog so big? Well for this upcoming Spring season there's 15 shows I want to check out, another 3 sequels I would like to check out if I finished the first season (not gonna happen lol). So that's 15-18 titles I'll start watching and more than likely by the 3rd week of the season I'll only be focusing on 2-3 and the rest will fall into my backlog...

Repeat that 4 times a year and there is no way I'll make inroads to this... it's like my video game backlog as well... just not enough time these days.... not like when I was young... (Also taking 12 hours to download a Rahxephon/fmp etc episode gated things a lot)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rosalena View Post
I'll admit that I find it strange that so many anime fans keep lists of the titles they watch, plan to watch, have dropped, and so forth. Perhaps it's only because I'm not a list-maker, but this has always struck me as peculiar. The anime community is the only fan-based community I can think of that has an entire website devoted to helping people handle their various lists
There's a video game site for backlogs...

http://backloggery.com/westlo

Completely forgot about this lol, would have to put in a few good hours to even get this anywhere close to what it really is.
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Old 2013-03-01, 08:33   Link #13
Lord of Fire
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Guilty as charged.

Right now, I have 48 shows listed as plan to watch, though the actual number is far higher, due to me not updating that list as much as I probably should. It's probably almost 60 by now.

And from the 26 shows I'm currently 'watching', a few of them are technically stalled, usually due to lack of subs.

I also have 24 shows listed as 'on hold', but I know I'll never finish some of the, since I can't find any subs for them, or the only fansubber for them has pretty much given up on them. And for some other shows, I'm waiting for the Blu-rays to be fully subbed, as I don't want to watch either fully white or half-black screens.

And like others, I spend too much time on forums like this one to watch more.
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Old 2013-03-01, 08:41   Link #14
Kirarakim
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rosalena View Post
I'll admit that I find it strange that so many anime fans keep lists of the titles they watch, plan to watch, have dropped, and so forth. Perhaps it's only because I'm not a list-maker, but this has always struck me as peculiar. The anime community is the only fan-based community I can think of that has an entire website devoted to helping people handle their various lists
As a film fan I can assure you this is not true

Well okay you don't usually drop a movie but other than that there are definitely similar ideas to My Anime List out there.

There are also book sites like this as well (since I know I also have a long backlog of things I want to read).

And yes I also have an anime backlog, especially when it comes to classic anime. Although it all has to wait since Legend of the Galactic Heroes has taken priority.
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Old 2013-03-01, 09:07   Link #15
Bri
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This is very familiar. My list of want-to-see-titles also numbers in the hundreds. The overwhelming choice kind leads to procrastination on my part. As making a choice really takes effort. I find it easier just to keep up with the 2 to 6 shows I tend t watch any given season.

What I do to break the deadlock is to keep a separate small priority list of say 5 titles which need to be completed before I add any other titles to it.
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Old 2013-03-01, 09:46   Link #16
MisaoFan
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My backlog keeps growing over the course of years, and I'm currently watching a dozen of shows simultaneously, which is exceptionnal given how minimal (usually 3-5) the number of shows I watch before. The number of shows I plan to watch get bigger as well each time I catch up something interesting I know I'll watch it to the end, regardless of how good or bad it will be, and I almost never drop anything as well, since I dislike dropping shows even if they were bad. Still, I'll try to develop my tastes over the years to see how progressive my backlog looks.
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Old 2013-03-01, 10:18   Link #17
HurricaneHige
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I think I have about 300gbs of anime I need to go through...

I watch in 720p, but some of the older shows are only available in 480, so that's about avg 200mb per episode, which means 1500 episodes, @ 13 ep per cour that's 115 cour worth of anime on backlog for me.

Well, F***.
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Old 2013-03-01, 10:41   Link #18
Magin
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Finally, I don't feel so alone having a such a big backlog! And actually, I think my backlog is somewhat small compared to most peoples'; of course, part of that is the fact that there are shows I want to watch but don't actually have yet (I only count the shows that I do have as my backlog)

Although I do have a reason why I'm currently backlogged, other than being in school: I'm attempting to work my way through all One Piece, and I'm not quite to episode 400
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Old 2013-03-01, 11:12   Link #19
stormtrooper
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I still have a big backlog of anime just because I hang around the forums more, doing other unimportant stuff and it's time consuming that way. The backlog for each season piled up so yeah I then realize that I'd miss out on much anime.
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Old 2013-03-01, 12:12   Link #20
Kanon
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My backlog is thankfully not as massive as yours, but I know I'll probably never complete it nonetheless. Not enough time nor motivation lately, I always find myself distracted by other things. I've lost the fire I had in my youth where I could marathon a show in only a few days. I enjoy lazing around on forums more than actually watching shows nowadays.

I concentrate on keeping up with the shows airing each season and try not to add more series to my backlog. It's more or less working since my backlog hasn't increased much since last year. It's not decreasing, though...
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