Is it possible to "outgrow" anime?

[The Masterplan]

I used to watch anime all the fucking time. Then, somewhere down the line I just kind of stopped. When I finally realized I hadn't watched any anime in a long time I didn't have a desire to pick it back up. What's so weird about this is I went from checking AnimeSuki daily awaiting the release of the next episode of whatever anime I was watching at the time to not making an effort to watch it anymore. I still have a decent DVD collection, but I sold off a good third of it. I finally came to the realization that I may have somehow "grown out of" anime. I think it became apparent when I saw something that I would have laughed my balls off at and didn't. At all. I used to love retarded anime humor and now I just kind of see it as "Meh, it was funny, but I'm stoic to laugh at it."

I don't think the light has completely faded, I say this because I still have some anime in my collection and had a strange inkling to watch Trigun for the 35th time in a row. Probably because I'm learning a few songs from the show. Also, I accidentally came across a Hellsing fansite and there was mention of the 8th volume of the manga being released in summer and I was kind of happy.

It's weird. For instance, two series I love are "X" and "Soultaker" and I haven't finished collecting them and it's not even that I don't want to, but more like I don't "feel like it right now" but "right now" seems to last "forever". I remember a little while ago I went to my anime folder on my part of my HD [it's paritioned]. It used to contain: The Serial Experiments: Lain, Ghost in the Shell : Stand Alone Complex The Second Gig, Texhnolyze, Berserk, a folder where the Hellsing OVAs were going and Speed Grapher. It's not there anymore and I'm not sure why, but I really wish it were. At the same time, for whatever reason, I feel like I would be impatient just sitting there and watching some anime. I don't know. Maybe I really did grow out of it. Or maybe I just need some kind of "reawakening". What say you anime discussion board?

[Svenska Aeroplan]

The same thing happened to me. I'll still browse through the anime sections when I'm in stores that sell it, but after not being into it for so long, all the new titles just confuse me. I still like anime, and I still buy some occasionally, but I've just got so many other things to do/worry about now that it just gets put on the back burner.

[Federal Network]

I go through periods like that. I watch more than i used too but there aren't as many that catch my interest. but i like dark serious things and there are more and more wacky things or theres too much slapstick in a dark looking series. Not that i don't enjoy something completely off the wall sometimes though

[Svenska Aeroplan]

I'd say that my anime watching seriously decreased with the creation of AE actually. My main source of anime info was AN, but I don't go there anymore.

I go through periods like that. I watch more than i used too but there aren't as many that catch my interest. but i like dark serious things and there are more and more wacky things or theres too much slapstick in a dark looking series. Not that i don't enjoy something completely off the wall sometimes though

Yeah. It seems like the anime industry is more interested in importing G4 type content than bringing over things things worth watching.

[ROCKSTEADY]

I don't think you've outgrown it, There just hasn't been anything good thats been released... probably in this decade, with some exceptions of course.

[Gundampilotspaz]

There was a time when my fandom slowed down... and then in the past year it's reached a new height XD

So, things come in stages. But I'm the sort of person who doesn't go though "phases" or "fads" I still listen to the same music I did in sixth grade, I've just added new bands and genres to my favorites in the years proceeding it.

[Ceraziefish]

Man, I joined AN when I was on an anime upswing. I was getting really into it, and always wanting to watch it.

And then something similar happened; I pretty much just lost all interest in it. Basically the only anime I watch anymore is really terrible, with friends, to make fun of it.

Something similar happened with video games, but there was more of a reason for that; I started playing tabletop roleplaying games a lot more (DND, etc). Now I'm mostly interested in computer games, my love of console games never really came back (which is too bad, because I have many consoles, but no gaming PC).

[Svenska Aeroplan]

Man, I joined AN when I was on an anime upswing. I was getting really into it, and always wanting to watch it.

And then something similar happened; I pretty much just lost all interest in it. Basically the only anime I watch anymore is really terrible, with friends, to make fun of it.

Something similar happened with video games, but there was more of a reason for that; I started playing tabletop roleplaying games a lot more (DND, etc). Now I'm mostly interested in computer games, my love of console games never really came back (which is too bad, because I have many consoles, but no gaming PC).

I stoped playing video games when work and school combined to take up 20 hours of my day, and weekends were spent doing homework and such. Now that I have time to play video games, I don't have any of the current generation consoles. :sad:

[The Masterplan]

The damnedest thing was I was going to mention that at the end of the original post. I stopped gaming for the sake of my grades and overall performance in school. I've come to realize I'm more of a PC Gamer than console, but I still play both often...at least I used to. The main games I played World of Warcraft and Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory. I was really heavily involved in scrmming and shit too. But now that I've been away for so long, I'm contemplating returning to my clan and reinstalling either of those games. [i uninstalled them so I wouldn't play them ] Hell, the only reason I haven't sold off my consoles is because if some day I want to toss in the old GGXX or RE4 I can. The bitch of it all is [at least for PC games] that's what me and my friends do. When we get back from school we go do an instance on WoW or play a TWL scrim on ET and that's one less way I'm connecting with my friends. I don't know, I always figured this was a sign of me being depressed.

[margot]

it's pretty normal to get tired of a hobby after a while, or at least loose a lot of passion for it. i mean there's a reason why there aren't that many 40 year olds with massive collections. it's good to span your horizons, too.

[The Masterplan]

it's pretty normal to get tired of a hobby after a while, or at least loose a lot of passion for it. i mean there's a reason why there aren't that many 40 year olds with massive collections. it's good to span your horizons, too.

I'm 17 :ohmy:

[Gundampilotspaz]

it's pretty normal to get tired of a hobby after a while, or at least loose a lot of passion for it. i mean there's a reason why there aren't that many 40 year olds with massive collections. it's good to span your horizons, too.

I don't agree with that, you have people who dedicated their lives to studying the Civil War and they are still willing to talk your ear off about it.

It depends on the hobby and it depends on the person.

[The Masterplan]

I'm gonna go ahead and give this another shot. Right now I'm breaking the interweb by downloading: Lain, Hellsing OVAs 2 & 3, Texhnolyze and the new GitS thing. Solid State something or other.

[Nega-Brent]

I haven't watched a new series in a very long time. I still love and watch the classics (Trigun, Outlaw Star, etc.) but most of the new stuff that comes out is so god awful.

[The Masterplan]

I haven't watched a new series in a very long time. I still love and watch the classics (Trigun, Outlaw Star, etc.) but most of the new stuff that comes out is so god awful.

Yeah I feel you. There really hasn't been, to my knowledge, something to come out in a while that really grabbed me by the balls and took me off my feet. Wish I payed my intarbutt bill so I could get better download speeds than 50kbp/s with 300 seeds.

[margot]

it's pretty obvious most people change hobbies unless they have a huge passion for something. i think this would be especially true with anime since there's not much invovlement and a lot of anime are very similar, plus there's no cultural connection ect

[DreamerGirl]

I don't really watch it that often. I was never really that into it (which is kind of ironic in a way since I still was on AN a lot) but when I stopped talking to my ex it was just a "me" thing and I got bored watching it with myself pretty quick.

Growing out of it though? Um yeah, I don't think that's an issue for me. *Has a Hello Kitty poster over her computer*

[The Masterplan]

Most of the stuff I was downloading is in chunks on YouTube.

I'm watching Texhnolyze and I feel kind of blank...maybe I should watch something else.

[Natsu]

I think 9 times outta 10 it really depends on the persons attitude in general, if you like it so much then no matter what happens your gonna get your fix, Like I've been reading comics for going on 15 years and it never gets boring, thats the fun things about it, but I'm really fickle about anime and only buy the ones I like, and I honestly don't like downloading and watching them on my PC because for one its a piece of shit(my PC) and 2. I rather watch i on the big screen.

[ROCKSTEADY]

man, watch some Neon Genesis Evangelion.

or love hina :hardgay:

[Tanni Foemangler]

i thought that i'd outgrown anime a while back. turned out i just stopped caring about all the typical rehashed bullshit anime. finding something awesome like Mushishi might get you back into it

[Gundampilotspaz]

it's pretty obvious most people change hobbies unless they have a huge passion for something. i think this would be especially true with anime since there's not much invovlement and a lot of anime are very similar, plus there's no cultural connection ect

I would think most people who fall in love with Anime hate their culture to begin with.

[The Masterplan]

man, watch some Neon Genesis Evangelion.

or love hina

I own both of those series.

i thought that i'd outgrown anime a while back. turned out i just stopped caring about all the typical rehashed bullshit anime. finding something awesome like Mushishi might get you back into it

John told me about Mushishi when it was first coming out, I'll look into it.

[amy]

I don't think it's possible to outgrow ANIME (that's like outgrowing books) but it is possible to outgrow anime obsession or mainstream anime

[No Sad Endings]

It's possible to 'outgrow' anything, if by 'outgrow' you simply mean 'your interests have changed'.

Given that watching anime is the one pastime I really enjoy other than reading books, I don't think I'm in any danger of that though.