Because sometimes, we just don’t wanna hear ’em.
(and *spoiler warning, just in case)
The subject of whether or not spoilers ruin the viewing experience is very debatable, yes, but I think it’s in good taste to at the least respect the fact that some people do in fact think that being spoiled lessens the enjoyment for certain anime/manga (or, any media for that matter).
My personal stand on the topic; it won’t mess with my watching, but more often than not, I’d prefer to be in the dark (unless I absolutely cave-in, then everything’s fair game by that point, lol). Which is why, I believe there should be some sort of delicate handling when it comes to spoilers.
For example (and I think people have already come to terms with this unknowingly), there do exist widely accepted and known spoilers. A huge bulk (if not all) of these choice scenes consist of popular death scenes (you should know by now what I’m talking about). If you’re someone who frequents the anime/manga side of the ‘Net, then it becomes virtually impossible that you won’t encounter at least one of these revelations. No one is to blame for this, really (and hey, these supposed “universally” spoiled shows are considered some of the best of all time)
In regards to concealed plot occurrences or twists then, well, that’s where I think most of the problem lies. Sometimes people wanna know the answer right away, sometimes people savor the moments of ambiguity. Whether it’s the former or the latter, I think I can empathize. It’s all very situational; like, maybe, a show’s been dragging it’s plot heels long enough and you find yourself needing an incentive to watch a show ; or the arc is finally coming to fruition with the big reveal of some not-yet-known character’s true identity.
I find it best to just keep it inside until you’re asked (or if you really really have to, pre-empt it with a “spoiler alert” or any variant you may prefer to use); and on the flip-side of that, say when you don’t want to be spoiled. This stuff happens inadvertently. I know, it’s happened to me before. This is by far not a sure-fire way of handling it (it still happens to me now, lol) but think of it as a way of minimizing casualties. Some bits and pieces of plot might slip through, but at least you’d be left with something. I mean, unless of course, your friend just blasts you with everything, and by that point you might as well just look at the bright side (hey, no more guessing next ep!) and enjoy the show.
Finally, knowing that you can potentially spoil yourself if you go ahead and dig deep enough is a nice thing to keep in mind. “Curiosity killed the cat”, as they say.
Ah, spoilers, those accursed things. While I find that a spoiler won’t actually ruin a series for me, it is a bummer to get a big reveal really early on when it’s something I couldn’t have possibly processed on my own at that point. It’s especially annoying if you have a friend talking about a series with you that just sorta blurts out a really big spoiler and ruins an epic moment ahead because of it. Funny thing is that even aside from that though, I find that sometimes I’m stupid enough to let myself get spoiled. Sometimes I’ll surf the webs, whether for pictures or just information I want to clarify, and next thing I know I’ve come across a spoiler that I probably would’ve avoided if I had just been more careful. It’s a sad thing, but I’ve survived so many terrible spoilers that as bad as another one would be, I doubt it would kill my enjoyment of a series.
All true really 😀
I guess it’s more of the feeling itself of losing the opportunity of seeing it for yourself, rather than the idea that simply knowing what’s gonna happen will ruin any instance of epic awesome-ness from a show/title. It’s almost like this weird investment we have with anime/manga where we bank so much on “the moment” at times that we feel robbed when somebody else spills the beans.
Oh definitely, even though it won’t ruin the experience entirely for me the effect is lost. Big example being Danganronpa just recently, during my web surfing I came across a very, very huge spoiler for the story, and while it made absolutely no sense to me at the time (and was thus not quite a deal breaker because of it), it certainly lessened how dramatic the epic reveal was when I got there. Considering how much of a spoiler magnet I used to be (and maybe still am….), I’ve gotten used to it to the point where it might bother me but it won’t utterly ruin my experience, though of course it remains a sad thing being spoiled all the same.
Ah, yeah, almost fell for that myself with DanganRonpa as well when I started reading YouTube comments (good thing I was playing the game at the time). It’s hard to forget flash spoilers like that, and I find that the best remedy is to just hold out on browsing about that series that much (which is admittedly very hard for ongoing shows)
Ah I see, yeah YouTube comments can be filled with spoilers, dangerous things. And that’s very true, it’s best to avoid looking up info on series like that if at all possible. Of course, then there are those awful moments like when I was looking up the utterly amazing music from Clannad’s OST, and then look to the sidebar and see “(Insert character name) Death Scene”. Just……terrible. The internet is a cruel place sometimes. D=
When I watched an anime or is playing a game or novel, I tried not searching for random discussion sites or whatnot unless I really have to. Some sites had absolutely no control with their spoilers, and even in some databases like MAL or wiki, their official synopsis itself is a potential danger. So sometimes, I may seem very indifferent towards very popular media because of this, lol.
It’s a weakness for all of us really >_<
The problem is though, with forum sites, or communities like MAL, and even wiki's is that; they all have that option (like, spoiler tags, show/hide spoiler toggle buttons, highlight text to see) but people just don't care for spoiling at times, or are just unaware that they're already treading spoiler territory.