“Why don’t you watch good shows?”

Have you ever been asked that? It’s a very off question right? Like a subtle little jab at your anime-viewing tastes — and taken out of context it actually sounds a bit insulting. It’s almost the same as someone going up to you and saying “Hey, why do you like crap anime?”, just slightly nicer.

See, I’ve been asked that close to a dozen times now by my circle of uni friends. I know they don’t mean anything by it, and I in turn take no offense and just brush it off as harmless joshing. But, joke or not, the inquiry is still very much loaded. Had I been a short-fused person the first time they asked me that, things might’ve gone south (well, as far south as discourse on anime can go I suppose, lol).

I’d like to think it’s because I can roll with quips like that which they took as an open invitation to put me on blast whenever I’m not watching whatever “good” anime they’re currently watching. I hardly watch more than three titles at a time anyways, so the assumption is I’m always picking up the “the” shows of the season — and saving the sub-par ones for another time.

As an example: in Summer 2015 I caught some flack for deciding to watch Charlotte and Gangsta. over Prison School and Overlord. I was never that big on comedy so Prison School was a no go from the get-go, and Overlord simply didn’t look like a must-watch right out of the gate. I did eventually watch it though, and while it was good, I don’t really regret not picking it up while it aired.

In a previous commentary I posted a while back, I discussed my stance on the mainstream of things, and how I don’t really like it when people pile on a show because everyone is saying it’s awesome. For instance, I get that Gurren Lagann is reaaaalllyy good; for some a masterpiece even. I just don’t feel like watching it right now. Will I watch it someday? Yeah, probably. Do I think it’s a bad show? Nope. Not at all.

I believe that I am not discrediting a show’s “good”-ness by deciding not to watch it. I am of the mindset that I can acknowledge that a show is good without having to see for myself. I also believe that I have (at the very least) a decent grasp of the anime-viewing landscape to be able to ascertain well-received and generally “good” anime.

The idea that you must only watch good anime is one that is at first glance seemingly very obvious. I mean, why would you purposely watch something bad, right? However, if that truly were the case, then we’d all love TTGL, or One Piece, or Evangelion, or *insert good anime here*. The reality is, well, yeah, some people love these shows; some people love all anime; and some people just don’t care either way. It’s all good.

It all boils down to having personal taste and preference. The important thing to remember here is that you should always go watch what you want to watch. If it’s good for you, that’s good enough.