Full season or what as it appears?

[Kendjin]

So while it is often that case that as something comes out on the scene, people will pick up the series and proceed to watch it as it comes up.

But the question I have is this.... What do you think is more enjoyable, getting a whole season lined up before watching the series or that excitement of another episode each week?

I have to admit, there are some series, I'd prefer to see in one go, whereas there are actual others that the weeks wait actually adds to the tension and suspense.

[Down]

I have to admit, there are some series, I'd prefer to see in one go, whereas there are actual others that the weeks wait actually adds to the tension and suspense.

Same here. There are some 'good but meh' series I wouldn't watch if it wasn't week by week, for example. Yet sometimes I feel like I'm losing something when I have to wait a full week to see the episode... Having my own rhythm is better. I put on hold Psycho-Pass and Shinsekai Yori in Fall for that reason.

And there's yet other kind of animes where watching week per week is probably the best format, but because they're made for that (Precure for example) or because hyping the episode the whole week is so great (Chihayafuru).

[Eldin]

to be honest it completely depends on the series. some times I look forward to a new episode each week, and others it's one of those deals where I quickly get bored with the slow pace and wait for it to finish before marathoning the entire series.

[VN-Angel]

For me, watching the whole season is one-go is more enjoyable. That awesome ride of 24 episodes in one-go(one day) is an unforgettable experience. So I rarely watch anime when they are still airing be it a good anime or not.

Currently, the only on-going anime I'm following up-to-date is Railgun S, cox I already know the story and can't wait to see my favorite girl, BiriBiri.

Can't tell for certain about other animes, but I will watch Shingeki no Kyojin only when it finishes airing, that's for sure.

[Kendjin]

Will you wait for the end of the first season or the whole series before watching it.

[Snowtsuku]

I watch the first few episodes (around 1-3) then decide if I can wait for the next episodes or not.

[Tay]

For me it comes down to a big trade off: the emotional highs of continuity, or the fandom and community energy that peaks during a show's actual airing months. Anime is basically the only TV I watch (though my wife and I have Netflix, and I'll occasionally watch something with her), and so I have a lot of fun agonizing about episodes throughout the week (an experience I don't get with any other shows or medium). That said, if I have a choice, I nearly-always prefer to get an entire season at once and watch it in bulk sessions.

I think I prefer it that way because the shows I watch are character-centric, not action- or otherwise, and so having week-long breaks can break up the periods of character-watcher bonding that happens .

To offset the negatives, though, I try and participate in online show fandom during the week. For me, that's a big part of the fun: experiencing the community of a show during the original airing. There are some fun and passionate people out there, and it's a blast to participate.

[solidbatman]

I usually watch around 6-12 shows at a time, so I try to make sure a few are currently airing so I'm not overwhelmed by all of the shows.

[InvertMouse]

For me it comes down to a big trade off: the emotional highs of continuity, or the fandom and community energy that peaks during a show's actual airing months. Anime is basically the only TV I watch (though my wife and I have Netflix, and I'll occasionally watch something with her), and so I have a lot of fun agonizing about episodes throughout the week (an experience I don't get with any other shows or medium). That said, if I have a choice, I nearly-always prefer to get an entire season at once and watch it in bulk sessions.

I think I prefer it that way because the shows I watch are character-centric, not action- or otherwise, and so having week-long breaks can break up the periods of character-watcher bonding that happens .

To offset the negatives, though, I try and participate in online show fandom during the week. For me, that's a big part of the fun: experiencing the community of a show during the original airing. There are some fun and passionate people out there, and it's a blast to participate.

Darn, I was hoping to be the first to raise this point .

I always watch anime as they come week by week. It's fun to hop on Twitter, watch a show and discuss it live with others who happen to be seeing it as well. As we've discussed several times on other threads, many anime these days are pretty average, so I, sadly, often need something else to entertain me.

[jaxter0987]

I almost always want to wait and marathon the entire season (in one day if possible, though its usually been two days going by my current trend). If the anime was so interesting / captivating that it made me watch the first episode as soon as it aired, it'll be added to the short list of anime that I actually watched while airing. I watched Accel World, SAO and Shinsekai Yori as it was airing and I think those have been the only shows in my year and a half of anime experience.

I always hate having to wait for the next episode for a good show, so if I know right off the bat that I'm going to be hooked, I try my darnedest to avoid watching it until it finished airing. To name a few:

Sakurasou Pet

Date a Live

Haiyore! Nyaruko-san W

Robotics;Notes

Mondaiji-tachi ga Isekai kara Kuru Sou Desu yo?

Kokoro Connect

Yuru Yuri♪♪

Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai Next

Koi to Senkyo to Chocolate

Kotoura-san

Were all shows that I would have watched while airing but didn't to avoid the pain of waiting for the next episode.

[meru]

Like most other people, it varies for me!

I usually like to watch week-by-week as an anime is airing. One of the reasons is like Tay & InvertMouse mentioned - I used to be really into the fandom so it would be a lot of fun to review & chat about each episode as it came out. I also like the sense of anticipation, even though it can be frustrating!

However, there's some stuff I'd rather watch all at once, usually the shows that are longer than 24 eps. When I started watching Naruto it was out to about ep 80 or something, and I would watch 5-10 episodes a day when I had the time. With a show like that there's so little that actually happens in an episode that I feel like you need to watch a bunch together to actually see any plot progression.

[Metaler]

I don't mind marathoning, but if I REALLY like a show then I like to, as Whitesnake would say, take it "slow and easy" (yeah yeah, I know the song was about sex, but whatever). I don't know if anyone feels the same, but if I really like something I don't feel like finishing it. This is especially true for SoL series, and I remember this happened recently while I was watching GJ-bu: I liked the show so much I didn't want to end, and I still have to watch the last episode.

But yeah, I feel like if I savor a series slowly, I can enjoy it better. It's like eating good food: it's so good you just want to make every bite count. Imagine you're eating the best pizza you have ever tasted. The combination of tomato sauce, cheese, onions, calabresa... Every time you take a bit, you feel like there's a party going on at your mouth, like it just heard a talk by the Dalai Lama, or as if it was having sex with a beautiful woman/handsome man. Every bite counts, and you just don't want it to end. Everytime your teeth touch the pizza, you feel like you are a little bit closer to the Gardens of Eden, and your taste buds have reached enlightenment. Imagine all of this, and if the show you're thinking of is really fucking good, then imaging you're also on shrooms, because they make food taste 50 times better.

This is basically how I feel about anime, especially really good anime. Hell, not just anime, visual novels, books, and manga too. When I watch something I like, I want every frame to count. Every scene is a precious moment, and every time my favorite characters are on screen I feel a little bit closer to them, even if they don't say anything. Lines upon lines of dialogue make me think of all kinds of things (usually a bunch of crap), and certain scenes are so profoundly powerful that a bizarre feeling comes within me, a feeling which cannot be described. It's as if my very soul was touched. And sometimes, the scenes may seem incredibly insignificant, but they bring forth something so holy in my brain I simply feel speechless. I keep thinking about the scene for days, sometimes weeks. Because it feels incredibly good. Instead of absorbing a huge chunk of information at once, I take it bit by bit. "The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones."

........Damn, I feel like I'm rambling. I don't think I even have a line of reasoning anymore. I apologize.

Now, I can feel the same thing when I marathon something (like when I watched Sora no Otoshimono), but it's just not the same... I don't know how to put it, but it just isn't.

Aaaaand that is why I like to watch shows slowly.