How do you get through an anime you're not interested in?

[Shikomizue]

The reason I ask is the anime club is going through a retro cycle and the anime is: Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Now, I'm not fond of mecha anime, I mean it's fun to play as a robot, but when you're watching them be controlled, it isn't as fun. Any ideas?

[Eclipsed]

Mmm not worth.

Throw in the towel.

Rage quit.

~~
Srsly, if you ain't enjoying it, why force yourself to go through it.

[Deep Blue]

I don't

 

btw evangelion is not about mecha and those are not robots

[Decay]

Well, I don't, but I guess you kind of have to. NGE at least will have a lot to talk about, though, even if you don't like it. You should approach from the basis of forming a critique. Maybe even take notes, paying attention to all of the flaws and things you dislike about it, and when your group meets to discuss it, play the part of the critic. If you approach it as more of a task rather than mindless entertainment, you could possibly get through it easier.

[Stray Cat]

-waits for Down to swoop in-

 

Anyway, I just kinda half watch something if I don't like it.  Play a video game while you're doing it or something, you'll make progress in that and not waste any time. 

[Shikomizue]

Mmm not worth.

Throw in the towel.

Rage quit.

~~

Srsly, if you ain't enjoying it, why force yourself to go through it.

That sounds good in theory but I don't like to give up on things.

 

btw evangelion is not about mecha and those are not robots

Maybe I got the wrong impression from it then.

 

Well, I don't, but I guess you kind of have to. NGE at least will have a lot to talk about, though, even if you don't like it. You should approach from the basis of forming a critique. Maybe even take notes, paying attention to all of the flaws and things you dislike about it, and when your group meets to discuss it, play the part of the critic. If you approach it as more of a task rather than mindless entertainment, you could possibly get through it easier.

Sounds reasonable, I'll try that.

 

-waits for Down to swoop in-

 

Anyway, I just kinda half watch something if I don't like it.  Play a video game while you're doing it or something, you'll make progress in that and not waste any time. 

Bleh, I'm not good at doing two things simultaneously.

[Soulless Watcher]

You poor sad fuck and if it's an anime club you probably can't rift it cause at least half of the club are Evangelion fanboys. Hmmmmm, close your eyes and think of England?

 

[BookwormOtaku]

You can do the following:

1) Take a break and come back in about 20 minutes.

2) Do a mental riffing. Even as a fan of Evangelion I'll admit it's enough moments to make fun of. I remember even the staff commentaries were often hilarious, especially when they covered this scene:

[Nosebleed]

Persevere, then make long rants about how much you hate the anime and everyone who made you watch it.

[Shikomizue]

 

You poor sad fuck and if it's an anime club you probably can't rift it cause at least half of the club are Evangelion fanboys. Hmmmmm, close your eyes and think of England?

I don't think thinking of any place on earth will help me here...

 

2) Do a mental riffing. Even as a fan of Evangelion I'll admit it's enough moments to make fun of. I remember even the staff commentaries were often hilarious, especially when they covered this scene:

I'll probably combine that with what Decay said earlier.

 

Persevere, then make long rants about how much you hate the anime and everyone who made you watch it.

Such a genius.

[Eclipsed]

Use the 2x speed function. Get through each episode in half the time!

[Flutterz]

If it's something I'm not enjoying and I know or suspect it won't change, I just drop it.

If it's something I'm not enjoying but I've either been told or I suspect it's building up to something interesting (NGE supposedly falls into this category, although I've only watched Ep 1 so I don't know if I'll dislike it yet, but I'm also not the biggest mecha fan), I'll usually just try to keep going and hope for the best. I'm really not a multitask watching kind of person, plus I hate dubs, so I can't watch it and do something else at the same time.

[Heizei_koukousei]

Much wailing and grinding of teeth

I always watch anime that I start until the end -.-

[zoom909]

This has happened to me before when watching in a group, too.   I just quit looking at the subs, and worked on my listening skills.  Whatever I missed didn't matter if I didn't really care about the show anyway; I figured I was turning a waste of time into something practical.

 

Also, it's interesting to talk about "the" anime being Evangelion.  Is it only one show at a time?  In the club I went to, they always had 3 different anime series going, plus a movie night.

[Zalor]

I normally drop shows I don't like, but there are some anime/Vns/books/movies/etc out there that should be experienced simply because of how influential they are. For instance I sat through K-on even though I don't like moe slice-of-life shows, simply because it had a profound impact on anime trends. And Evangelion is one of those shows you should watch.

 

What's more, Evangelion actually has little to do with robots (I don't like mecha much myself, yet Evangelion is one of my favorites). Neon Geneses Evangelion is a psychological anime before it is a mecha anime (especially in the 2nd half). Just give it more of a chance, some of the psychological themes should start surfacing in episode 4 : "The Hedgehog's Dilemna". Ultimately Evangelion is a show about why individuals do what they do, and why they are the way they are.   

[Soulless Watcher]

 

What's more, Evangelion actually has little to do with robots (I don't like mecha much myself, yet Evangelion is one of my favorites). Neon Geneses Evangelion is a psychological anime before it is a mecha anime (especially in the 2nd half). Just give it more of a chance, some of the psychological themes should start surfacing in episode 4 : "The Hedgehog's Dilemna". Ultimately Evangelion is a show about why individuals do what they do, and why they are the way they are.   

[Zalor]

MUST. HOLD. BACK. MY. ADAMANTIUM. RAGE

 

I fail to see how I posted anything even slightly provocative. I don't guarantee that everybody will like Evangelion, but it is certainly more than it initially presents itself to be, and should at least be given a proper chance. Some people (like myself) gave it a chance and fell in love with it, whereas others gave it a shot and didn't like it. But if you don't at least give it a decent chance, then you will never sufficiently know whether it's something will love or not. 

[julyan]

Nah, I drop it immediately if it's not worth my time.

[Soulless Watcher]

I fail to see how I posted anything even slightly provocative. I don't guarantee that everybody will like Evangelion, but it is certainly more than it initially presents itself to be, and should at least be given a proper chance. Some people (like myself) gave it a chance and fell in love with it, whereas others gave it a shot and didn't like it. But if you don't at least give it a decent chance, then you will never sufficiently know whether it's something will love or not. 

Sorry I've already stated before that I'm not a fan and I should have leaved it at that, it's just I have a personal unholy trinity of anime that makes me a bit..... emotionally unbalanced. I've seen all of them and they offended me on nearly a spiritual level, and when one of them is mentioned in a positive light I start to see red and have to take time to calm myself down. Which sucks for me since they are all relatively popular and well liked.

 

Now having said that,there is nothing wrong with you liking Evangelion, I should not have posted that, I appologize for my immature emotional outburst.

[zoom909]

I fail to see how I posted anything even slightly provocative. I don't guarantee that everybody will like Evangelion, but it is certainly more than it initially presents itself to be, and should at least be given a proper chance. Some people (like myself) gave it a chance and fell in love with it, whereas others gave it a shot and didn't like it. But if you don't at least give it a decent chance, then you will never sufficiently know whether it's something will love or not. 

 

If there is anything provocative in it, it's suggesting that there is an anime (regardless of which one) that everyone should watch, when in fact there is no such thing.  Just as there is no game that everyone should play.  So in my opinion, it was a waste of time for you to watch K-On out of some misguided sense that you ought to watch it even though you don't like it.

 

(The epitome of this lunacy is of course the "50 visual novels you should read before you die" list, assuming one takes it seriously)

[suikashoujo]

Short answer: I drop it.

 

Long answer: It depends.

 

There are some anime: like Evangelion, actually- that I actually did feel like I should sit through, even though I wasn't really interested, simply because they were talked about so much that I was pretty left out of conversations if I didn't. But then there are shows like, say, Happy Lesson, that were so boring that I didn't feel the need to waste my time with them, and that I knew weren't really commonly discussed anyways.

 

Honestly, I do think that everyone should at least give Evangelion a shot, even though I personally dislike it. It seems to be a love-it-or-hate-it thing, but who knows, maybe you'll end up loving it. Like others have said before me, it's really not all about the mecha.

[sub-zer0]

I don't

 

exactly what he said, word by word,lol, I don't understand how you even watch an anime you don't like...you were attracted by some sort of element that the anime had, so you can't dislike it....so how does one even watch an anime he/she does not like...everything I pick, I can bare with it, even if its not as great as I expected, its still good or decent at least,even if other people hate the anime, I must have liked in some sort of way or form to be able to pick it up in the first place 

[Zalor]

Sorry I've already stated before that I'm not a fan and I should have leaved it at that, it's just I have a personal unholy trinity of anime that makes me a bit..... emotionally unbalanced. I've seen all of them and they offended me on nearly a spiritual level, and when one of them is mentioned in a positive light I start to see red and have to take time to calm myself down. Which sucks for me since they are all relatively popular and well liked.

I have a bad tendency to write my thoughts more seriously then I intend them at times, sorry. ;p Also, I can completely relate, as there are popular shows that hate as well. In fact, I think most anime fans hate at least one really popular title that most other people seem to like.

 

If there is anything provocative in it, it's suggesting that there is an anime (regardless of which one) that everyone should watch, when in fact there is no such thing.  Just as there is no game that everyone should play.  So in my opinion, it was a waste of time for you to watch K-On out of some misguided sense that you ought to watch it even though you don't like it.

 

(The epitome of this lunacy is of course the "50 visual novels you should read before you die" list, assuming one takes it seriously)

People have criticized me of this view before, and while I see their (your) point; as an involved critic I want to broaden my views and understanding of the medium I enjoy. And part of broadening your perceptive is to step out of your comfort zone sometimes. So in that sense, I actually don't regret watching K-on. Much like how I don't regret having read the Iliad, despite hating that poem.   

[melo4496]

How do you get through an anime you're not interested in?

 I can't

[Tesla]

Recently if I watch an anime I end up being not really interested in I start a CinemaSins sin counter in my head. It's actually kinda fun watching it that way for me. But if it's something that is just incredibly boring (looking at you Shukufuku no Campanella),not worth it, and/or just incredibly long I end up dropping it. Though the fact that my dropped list doesn't even pass 10 anime is testament to how rare I drop something.