Awesome shows you have trouble rewatching?

[something]

Pretty simple question really. What shows did you love the first time through and keep getting a desire to rewatch, but just can't seem to finish? This can be the very first attempted rewatch, or a show you used to rewatch but can't anymore. It doesn't mean you dislike the show or anything, but... you just can't get in the mood, or other things that normally wouldn't deter you suddenly seem to be big distractions.

I'll say that the one that comes to mind for me is Evangelion (another top 10 title). I know I've watched it at least twice, possibly three times, but I haven't done so in a couple... years? I've tried a few times but never could get in the mood for such a heavy show. Most of those times I didn't finish episode one. Still, I love the show. I know I do. I want to see it again... I just need the time to be right.

Another one is Tenchi Universe. I mean, good god I've only seen it once (on Toonami/CN), and that was dubbed and edited only. I've had the DVDs at least 4 years. I've still never touched them /images/graemlins/stunned0.gif And it's my favorite Tenchi even! I can't figure out what's holding me back from popping it into my computer and watching, especially considering the incentive of seeing it uncut and in Japanese, which I never have before /images/graemlins/sweat000.gif

Side note: A few days ago, the impetus for this thread was going to be Azumanga Daioh. I watched it on its initial run and again on R1 DVD, but that was quite some time ago and I've been meaning to rewatch it since (a great Yukari character profile AMV made me decide now was the time). Disc 1 went ok, but on disc 2 I wasn't laughing as much as I expected or remembered. I was getting distracted easily. I wondered what was going on, since this *is* the #3 show on my favorites list and all, right? Of course, then I popped in discs 3 and 4 and laughed muchly I can safely say I completely remember why I love it so much /images/graemlins/sweat000.gif It's also such a relaxed rewatch... I don't feel like I HAVE to marathon it. A disc a night is totally fine, and skipping a night doesn't seem blasphemous.

[Collectonian]

First one that comes to mind for me is Noir. I loved it the first time I watched it, but I've tried three times to rewatch it and I've yet to make it through. I just can't get back into it...maybe knowing the ending just keeps it from being as interesting the next time around.

[something]

[ QUOTE ]
Collectonian said:
First one that comes to mind for me is Noir. I loved it the first time I watched it, but I've tried three times to rewatch it and I've yet to make it through. I just can't get back into it...maybe knowing the ending just keeps it from being as interesting the next time around.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ohhh, yeah definitely. I really, really liked Noir the first time around, but I have a feeling the DVDs will be sitting there untouched for quite awhile /images/graemlins/sweat000.gif But still, that's generally how it goes for me... I frequently need at least a year between viewings, which is another reason why I tend to wait until the last disc in a series (that I've seen pre-license) is released before I rewatch. Well, that and I almost always prefer to marathon.

But yes, shows like Noir where a majority of the enjoyment comes from an unraveling story can be tough to rewatch (for me at least). Still, I never thought I'd be able to stomach a rewatch of Spiral (I mean, talk about a show where the enjoyment hinges on "finding out"!) when I finally bought all the DVDs, but I actually rather enjoyed it. Granted, it was about 2+[?] years from the first time I had seen it, so that sort of helps, but... /images/graemlins/sweat000.gif

[Lego]

Bebop for me. I find myself just flipping back to the four or five episodes that I can rewatch endlessly.

[guido7]

There have been tons of shows that I really enjoyed all the way through, but knew I would never rewatch, or would have trouble rewatching. This is why I started renting things. Some good examples of things I love but will have a hard time rewatching---or will never rewatch.

Super Dimensional Fortress Macross
X TV
Infinite Ryvius
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED

What all of these shows have in common is that they are way more plot-driven than character driven, and especially with the last two what kept me going through was the constant desire to know what was going to happen next. Once there are no surprises the show isn't quite as compelling anymore. Furthermore, the last two especially are such emotionally draining rollercoasters that I can't imagine putting myself through that again---Infinite Ryvius, especially.

The shows that I like that I will rewatch and have rewatched and those who have episodes who stand out very, very well independent of the plot. Comedies do this better by nature, but in a show like Utena, almost every episode stands well on it's own, and thus makes it pretty rewatchable. Of course, what really makes Utena so rewatchable is the dense symbolism and the complex character relationships. Any show with that kind of density is going to be rewatchable to one extent or another.

A show that I thought was awesome that I haven't rewatched? I thought Last Exile was great, definitely a show I watched immediately when a new disc came out. I haven't rewatched it.

I haven't rewatched X (TV) either, but really liked that one a lot.

[Lumberjack]

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Lego said:
Bebop for me. I find myself just flipping back to the four or five episodes that I can rewatch endlessly.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree. It's Bebop and Champloo for me. I enjoy both shows, but they both really episodic, so I don't feel compelled to watch the next episode right away.

[Lego]

I agree. I mean I can watch a episode like Ballad of the Fallen Angels(Ep 5) over and over, but not be able to watch one of the first episodes where Ein joins the crew.

[Bullfrog]

There are quite a few shows I must re-watch, Cowboy Bebop, Evangelion (remasters), among others. However, time is the major killer for me - and when I do have time, I tend to want to watch the stuff that I haven't seen before).

[Legion]

I have a hard time re-watching basically anything in a short period of time. Give me at least a year or two so I can "forget" a lot of details and thus rediscover them when I'm in the mood for a rewatch. Also, the second viewing of a show will still seem new to me because, 95% of the time, I watch the other language. With that approch, I've found some rewatches even more rewarding then the first viewing. Nadesico is a prime example for me. It's a busy show with a lot of characters and subplot to keep track of. I bought it when it was being released so the 2 month wait between volumes hurt the flow of the series. For the rewatch, I was able to watch the whole thing in the span of two months and I found a lot more to like about the show. I got the EA release just recently and I've all ready got the theme in my head, so all ready I'm in the mood for a third viewing. (Which will still seem new thanks to a cleaner presentation.)

So no, I don't usually have much trouble rewatching a show if enough time has passed. Finding the actual time for a rewatch, now *that's* where I run into trouble..

[aquapermanence]

There are a lot of shows that haven't gotten many repeat viewings from me. I can blame it on time or just having so many new things to watch, but even when I try to make time for a show I can't rouse the interest. Starship Girl Yamamoto Yohko and Please Save My Earth have been sitting in my re-watch pile for quite a while now, with the former untouched and the latter barely 2 episodes through.

What I find most helps me revisit a show is to watch it with someone who's never seen it before. It gets me excited because I get to experience what I liked about it again through another person's reactions, and I don't feel like I'm using time that could be spent on something else. Conversely, when I watch something I've never seen before with someone else (who's also never seen it before), there might not be any imperative holding our attentions since neither of us have any prior attachment to the show. Heat Guy J and Koi Kaze were both good examples. I watched them for the first time with a friend, and while we thought they were good, there wasn't any driving need to keep watching. I finished up what I had on my own.

[golthin]

I never have had this problem, but I have something similar.
I read all the NANA manga that is availble and for this reason I can't bring myself to watch the anime. I know that the anime is just going to make me angst like you can't believe, so I am skipping it. There are enough shows that will set me in that mood and I don't need one that is going to take me down that road for sure.

[something]

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Bullfrog said:
However, time is the major killer for me - and when I do have time, I tend to want to watch the stuff that I haven't seen before).

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Indeed... I find myself saying "Well, I could rewatch Escaflowne right now, but I have the new episode of Haruhi here..." or "Evangelion has been in my head, but Champloo just came in and I haven't seen that..."

[Scribble]

The one that comes to mind for me is Texhnolyze. I think it's because most of the time, when I rewatch shows I marathon them, and Texh just doesn't lend itself to that. It wants to be watched a little at a time.

[jecca-neko]

Sailor Moon, because of the length of it and it being a bit repetitive makes it hard to rewatch sometimes. You have to be in the mood for it, I think.

[Njr Scrawl]

Sometimes I think it's better to keep good memories of a show you've watched originally, & enjoy other people enjoying it, rather than re-watch & possibly lose some reminiscence fondness.

With the amount of titles & variety, what might have made me happy last time, can be on re-watching, less appealing & even inferior to later shows, or even later episodes from the same show.

Maison Ikkoku, Gundam UC & Sailor Moon are examples of long series for which earlier seasons seem poor compared with the quality of later ones.

Having said the above, re-masters always get me buying them for favorites.

[ QUOTE ]
disarm said:
Pretty simple question really. What shows did you love the first time through and keep getting a desire to rewatch, but just can't seem to finish? This can be the very first attempted rewatch, or a show you used to rewatch but can't anymore. It doesn't mean you dislike the show or anything, but... you just can't get in the mood, or other things that normally wouldn't deter you suddenly seem to be big distractions.

[/ QUOTE ]

NONE. Shows/series that I seldom rewatch even though I have the DVDs, for me, usually indicates that they are not so good after all. Seldom do I need to be in a certain mood to watch a show I consider good. When I'm not in the mood to watch, I just do not watch any shows at all, be it anime or not. Shows with dark/disturbing stories/subject matters that I consider good don't make me think twice to rewatch them. No special mood required. Just watch them. Distractions do not stop me either if I intend to rewatch a good show as I'll just continue where I stopped in the next session or reschedule watching it to another session.

A show that is good will have either compelling characters or compelling storytelling or both. Key word is compelling. If a show is not compellingly good enough for you to get you to rewatch it, it is honestly just not good, in your books, even if it goes against the opinion of nearly most people here have. (Do note that if in recent years, you find yourself seemingly unable to rewatch a show you considered good previously, it's a clear indication that your tastes have changed and you have moved on.)

Episodic shows, by their very nature, do have a disadvantage compared to shows with a continuous storyline. It is usually easier to get caught up and follow through on shows with a continuous storyline compared to an episodic one. However, if the episodic shows are really good enough, it wouldn't deter me to rewatch the entire series right through. An example of one such episodic series - the Patlabor TV series. I do have a few episodic shows that I do not have much interest to rewatch but still manage to do a rewatch occassionally just to get value from the DVDs. The first time round that I watched those episodic shows, I thought they were okay but the usual subsequent rewatch did not elicit further interest. An example of such a series - Cowboy Bebop. It's also an example of what I mentioned in the second paragraph above. *Hides behind a riot shield* /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Lengthy series does not deter me either. If it is good, I will rewatch it entirely. My definition of lengthy is at least 50+ episodes and I have a number of these shows. Heck, I have rewatched series that have more than 100 episodes and often too. So, no excuses there for me.

<font color="firebrick">Bottomline:</font> If a show is good to begin with, I will have no problems getting the show rewatched a few times. If it is not that good to begin with, the show is less likely to be rewatched but will still do to get the most value from the DVDs. Hence, NONE is my answer.

[jaylee]

Now and Then; Here and There.

It was really hard to watch the first time although I loved it. But I'd need to be in the mood to get depressed again to watch it.

[DanielJr]

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Inu VASHa said:
Now and Then; Here and There.

It was really hard to watch the first time although I loved it. But I'd need to be in the mood to get depressed again to watch it.

[/ QUOTE ]
LOL! I had trouble deciding which series to mention, but this one definitely fits the bill for me too. I'll also add Grave of the Fireflies.

[mrgazpacho]

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DanielJr said:
Grave of the Fireflies.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ditto.

After I watched it at the movies, I did buy the DVD, but I really thought I might never watch it ever again. It was only when showing it to my parents that I eventually saw it for the 2nd time.

[something]

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mrgazpacho said:
After I watched it at the movies, I did buy the DVD, but I really thought I might never watch it ever again. It was only when showing it to my parents that I eventually saw it for the 2nd time.

[/ QUOTE ]

I've seen it [GotF] twice, I think. Maybe three times, but they were all years ago. Once was in Japanese class, and I think two were at home. I haven't watched it in a good three[?] years though.

[Ambers79]

Now and then Here and There it is good but depressing. I always find something else that I need to watch before it. Utena I have trouble rewatching all the way through again although I really liked it. I think it is because it is so long and some what repetitive. I loved the stories of Master Keaton and Reign but I disliked the character designs so it makes it harder for me to rewatch both of those series again.

[Shsway]

I love Tenchi and Sailor Moon to bits, but it's quite a chore to work through everything available from either franchise, yes. Like jecca-neko said earlier, you've gotta be in the mood (and stay in it for while too).

*Currently trying to marathon these two, and KOR at some point

[Suzaku Seikun]

Last Exile for me. I love that show a lot, and I rank it within my top 10, but for some reason, I can't seem to rewatch the entire show again.

[meganly_chan]

I think it's a lot easier for me to rewatch something when I haven't hit a huge plot point or something of the like yet. Meaning, I still don't know the end, so I could watch it 100 times without much trouble. It also may be easier when it's a fun, cute show and not one with mysteries around every corner.

I adore and love Slayers but haven't watched anything beyond one of their many movies in YEARS. I don't have the motivation, but I've tried so hard.

[K7P5V]

I`m a great fan of the anime series known as "Yu-Gi-Oh!". I love watching all my favorite brunette female characters like Anzu Mazaki, Shizuka Wheeler and Ishizu Ishtar. Out of those three, my most favorite is Anzu Mazaki because I love her short dark brunette hair which frames her lovely face. I also love watching Ms.Anzu`s constant interactions with her best friends Yugi, Tristan, Mokuba, etc.

But for me, my interest begins to fade when the blonde mai kujaku(valentine) makes herself visible in the series. I have no interest in that blonde cartoon character. Mainly because she`s blonde and her raunchiness is obscene. And I can`t stand that egotist Type voice of hers. I refuse to Liv with it and I try to avoid those episodes she appears in.

[Herufaiya]

Gundam Wing: Got me back into anime many years back, and I love my complete collection, but I can't just rewatch the thing with any speed, I still love it, but I pop in one episode every few months...though, I actually do enjoy the show that way...

Samurai Champloo: Well, it's just, the first 9 episodes are so terrible(for the most part, I likely exclude ep8 from this count) as the creators spend so much damn time trying to figure out the characters, that it isn't until episode 10 the cast feels solid. It's like, they're winging the whole show, but as a result they weren't just trying to let us get to know the characters, they'd change the characters whole spectrum at the drop of a hat as if they had even less clue than we did. I do like the show, and while I debated selling it, I'll probably keep it, as, after ep10 and with the exception of ep22(one of the worst pieces of tripe in anime, for me) the show is pretty much gold.

The Big O: My favorite anime series in many ways, it presents two problems, one, the amount of times I've watched it, especially S1, and two, the stark change between S1 and S2, most annoyingly in the animation department(STOCK FOOTAGE!). The many powerful moments of the series still hit me, but yeesh, I'm still not all the way back.

Evangelion: Picking the right time, picking the right time, picking the right time, picking the right time, picking the right time, picking the right time, picking the right time, picking the right time, picking the right time, picking the right time...

By contrast, I watch Berserk at least once every year...

[akcoll99]

There have been a lot of shows that I've watched and enjoyed and then never had any desire to watch again. But as for shows where I've just tried and failed:

Evangelion - This was the first one that came to mind for me too. It was the show that singlehandedly drew me into being a hardcore anime fan, and yet when I try watching it now, I just feel uneasy the whole time, knowing about all the horrible things that eventually transpire to my favorite characters. I just like happy endings too much I guess. It's still an amazing show, but I just have difficulty with it now. I agree with Disarm, it's just too heavy.

Grave Of The Fireflies - like trying to watch Schindler's List for fun. Great movie but just SO. DAMN. DEPRESSING.

Hellsing - An awesome show, but having now read the manga and seen where the story was supposed to go, I just have a hard time watching the TV series the whole way through...

Now And Then, Here And There - someone else's post reminded me of this show. Amazing story, animation, and music. Probably one of the best TV shows I've ever seen. But there was no way I could rewatch it. Just too intense and psychologically damaging. I ended up selling my box set because I just knew I could not sit through another viewing of it...

[Chloe]

While it is a close race, I think Grave beats NTHT by a moderate margin. Nort for me; I've seen Grave like 6 times now. But everytime a thread like this comes up, Grave seems to draw more then it's share of attention. And I know why; it's just so emotionally draining, gut-wrenching even. NTHT has more graphic scenes even, but it isn't the carefully cultivated engine of trauma that Grave is.

[SpaceButler]

I have had trouble getting through Escaflowne ever since the first time I saw it. I loved it, its prolly in my top 10, but I can't finish it a second time.

Cardcaptor Sakura is another one I can't get to the end of before I quit. I think that its just cause it's a longer series though.

[Njr Scrawl]

X TV &amp; movie. Shows where characters I grow to like are killed, are only good for once - unless they have alternate endings like Eva.

Zeta Gundam is another where I really have to be in the mood.