There are times when I miss when life (and anime) was so simple…
For most fans, descending into the depths of anime fandom and unearthing the treasures that come after true dedication (it’s hardcore and don;t you ever forget it) only happens being exposed to the the “gateway drugs” anime: horrible/bad shows that lead you to watching something better. I myself started out with Dragonball Z and through the rose-tinted galsses of nostalgia I still regard that show as one of my most influential and what helped shape me as an anime fan today. But I always wonder what would of been if I hadn’t started off by watching impossibly muscle-bound men screaming their heads off for hours on end.
Perhaps seeing such things is necessary for a greater enjoyment of anime over a longer period of time. There are merits to starting off with low quality shows and working your way up. When you are a young and impressionable anime fan, you’re willing to watch anything and everything to get your fix, and god help you if you have the internet and easy access to hundreds of shows out there. As such you’re also likely to watch a fair amount of crap, being unable to discern your personal preference or the good from the bad. But during this entire process, you’re still going to be watching those occassional gems, a Cowboy Bebop here, a Baccano! there, and with that foundation of the “gateway drug” you can see just how much better these shows are in comparison. You appreciate the efforts on the parts of all involved to make these shows better than the norm and demonstrate how amazing anime can really be if the right elements are combined.
In contrast, starting off by watching great anime could sead you to become slightly jaded against otherwise good shows which, as many shows do, have their fair share imperfections. It’s not only fanboys who are accomodating in their viewing, anyone who loves a show will occasionally gloss over its flaws if the whole was so enjoyable. By having seen some of the best anime has to offer, your expectations are set too high and you’re more likely to notice these flaws than one who has already experienced them (and possibly in abundance): the gateway fan.
In general, I believe those who have seen worse anime (specifically in their childhood) are likely to be more less condemning of shows that they see afterwards. They’ve seen how bad some shows are, and yet despite that, they still had an enjoyable experience. With such a mindset they’re more accomodating for shows which, even with their flaws, are still entertaining, and as a result can have more fun with their fandom.
Grand Punk Railroad 
I wouldn’t say that I’m less condemning of shows that I’ve seen afterward (and my gateways to anime were Record of the Lodoss War OVA and Nadesico, two shows that few people would regard as being bad) since I like to put forth a critical eye whenever I watch anything, whether it’s a Hollywood film or an anime series. I treat both fairly similarly with the differences coming about through recognizing how plot point are executed within specific genres (like how harem romances proceed, for example).
Nowadays, the main reason for me to watch a bad show is for the cathartic sense of relief that comes about by venting about it to anyone who listens. It’s a perverse way of deriving entertainment value since the joy comes in delivering an informed opinion based on my experiences why the show is bad, but it’s therapeutic all the same.
My gateway anime was Sailor Moon, the horrible dubbed Sailor Moon. I really ought to thank my good friend who introduced me to it back in like… 6th grade. And then, yeah, I went on to watch Dragonball Z until I couldn’t stand the stupidity anymore.
I’m not sure that there’s really that big of a relationship between what you’re introduced to first and what you think of anime as a whole. I mean, sure if you start at the bottom you can only go up, but even then you’ll still run into some anime that are as bad as that really bad one. Just like I don’t go to the movies every time expecting something epic out of every movie just because the first movie I saw was [insert epic movie here], I don’t think I watch anime with a different mind set just based on what I saw first. You might watch a really good anime as your first one, then be disappointed when some other ones aren’t as good, but then you’ll appreciate how that first one you watched really was really good. And then you’ll be able to see other ones that are good as well.
Pretty much, as long as you’re open minded, it doesn’t really matter what you start with. There will be gems and there will be failures and there will be some in between which, while not great, can still give a decent amount of enjoyment, despite their flaws.
While my own introduction to anime had mostly awesome shows, I doubt that it prevented me from enjoying, and pursuing the awful ones.
In my own Macross faggotry I saved the worst show for last (Macross 7) and it ended up being my freaking favorite sequel (it doesn’t mean it’s not an awful show, but I do love it intensely).
And here I am, waiting masochistically for the final episodes of the Prince of Tennis OVA.
Interesting. This is the subject I’d been meaning to write about last night, though I take a different tack. There is presently a real tendency to expect a “mature” otaku to move on to anime that reference other anime and are aware of genre conventions, and I am not sure that I agree with that.
“I believe those who have seen worse anime (specifically in their childhood) are likely to be more less condemning of shows that they see afterwards.”
I agree 100% with the phenomenon, but I don’t think it’s primarily because they’ve seen how bad shows can get and are consciously thankful for something better. I think it’s a selection process. The more critical (or less patient) viewers are simply weeded out, and those who remain have a general tendency to be less critical of their entertainment.
Of course this is all just armchair sociology. It would be neat to see some definitive proof one way or the other.
Gundam Wing was my first Gundam show. Go figure. That aside, I was weaned to those anime adaptations of western classics, and some Daimos.
I didn’t really acquire a semblance of taste until I discovered the internet.
a shameful past is always the gateway to a bright career, or so all the biographies would have you believe. I myself have probably watched the first generation Transformer episodes 4-5 times per episode.
If you don’t start out with something bad, you won’t be nearly as impressed with the good stuff. I think it’s pretty good logic. I am grateful that my first anime was Sailor Moon and then I watched it was I was young enough to think it was the best thing ever. That way when I watched something that was really god, I got all starry-eyed.
Imagine if you start with a great show? Everything else will seem like crap and you’ll never become an anime fan…in most cases. Unless you keep hanging on to find something that might be good.
“Growing up” with anime is definitely the best way to enjoy anime I think.
Gotta disagree with you on this one. I think that by the time most of us started watching anime, we’ve seen enough great and terrible movies, tv shows, books, etc. that our foundations of what we believe to be good or bad are already set. Whether or not we’re the type to nitpick is probably set well before we even see our first anime.
Here’s another way to look at it. I started off with Neon Genesis Evangelion, which to this day I consider the best anime ever made. I never watched what many consider to be the gateway animes (Dragonball, etc.) in the beginning. I pretty much tried to keep with those series ranked high at places like ANN.
Nowadays, I certainly don’t think I notice the flaws in — let’s say — Bleach more than other fans. On the contrary, it seems that I like Bleach’s good qualities and ignore the flaws more than most people do. Which is quite the opposite of what your hypothesis states.
I see the logic, but I just don’t think that’s how it works in the end.
Cool post. My own experience is more like the second kind you talk about–I came in through Evangelion, and that’s shaped my perception of what a good show is from that point forward. At the same time, though, having watched a broad selection of anime since then, I’ve seen a good amount of the low end and that has made me more cognizant of quality wherever it appears, even if it’s not masterpiece quality. I know Toradora! isn’t as good as Honey and Clover, for instance, but that doesn’t stop me from recognizing Toradora as being way, way above most shows of its ilk. And declaring it my favorite show I’m following by far.
I’ve decided to make this a Dailysite anime/manga channel selection for tomorrow! (It’ll appear in a few hours.) I hope this brings a few more readers to consider your thoughts in this post.
my first anime was when i was five and i thought japan had mechas and monsters running around the place. of course, i was five and i was pretty much content with new challenger appears, good guy kicks his ass and the cycle repeats itself the next episode. i certainly never really cared much about the daddy issues the characters had until i re-watched it when i was older. but re-watching certainly makes you notice more things that you never have before. more often than not, you end up thinking, what the hell did i find so awesome about this show again???
yeah, i moved on, looking for something more… cerebral, i guess is the word. no, it’s more age- and gender-appropriate for the likes of me. just because you’re getting older and not getting over “cartoons”, your own taste in the genres of the cartoons you watch doesn’t grow. but yeah, time does make you a much more picky watcher.
fine. i’m a liar. i still watch cutesy shoujo with love stories in them.
I did my own post on this subject back in November. In my own case, I branched out from shows like Dragonball Z to in some cases better series, or worse series. I guess it’s still a continuous search for new ideas and I probably find it more enjoyable when there is something interesting in a bad series than solid execution in an above average series.
@zzeroparticle
There is always enjoyment to be had in watching something bad then ranting about it. Though I’m not sure what that says about us willing to put ourselves through such a thing merely to complain about it.
@nazarielle
So in both cases, it leads to a further appreciation for the better shows out there. Much better than my theory, which I think some have taken as to ironclad in some cases.
@ghostlightning
Fame < Infamy. Worse = MUST WATCH.
@moritheil
Oh how I’d love to think of my fandom as the fruits of my perserverance. Someone must come up with proof showing that otakudom requires dedication and effort!
@schneider
Be thankful for what the internet has exposed you to. Mostly. Kind of.
@animekritik
Success has a foundation of failure. Look at Einstein! Look at Slumdog Millionaire!
@FuyuMaiden
That growing up and development are what are some of the best parts about being a fan. I’m constantly finding new things and constantly being impressed, and that’s somethnig I’m thankful for.
@Michael
But that’s the thing, those precepts wouldn’t exist as much since (or at the very least with me) since I started watching anime during my not-too-long-ago childhood. If I went back and looked at DragonBall Z (which I have done) I’d notice how it’s not the paragon of awesomeness that I once thought of it as in my starry-eyed youth. This was before I was even exposed to the internet, let alone ANN.
@Mike
W00t! Thanks a lot. Makes me all professional and the like ^^
@biankita
That “what the hell did I find so awesome about this show?” happened with Chobits. God, it’s awful in every way, but I used to love it.
Don’t feel guilty, I watch mindless action shows and love them. Screw devlopment, PUNCH SOMETHING IN THE FACE.
@Emperor J
Ah, Momentary Magnificenece arises once again. Though I’d take a solid series over that any day (Asu no Yoichi- solid: watching, Kurokami – three minutes of awesome and the rest is awful: dropped.)
It’s not so much momentary magnificent, as watching something trying as hard as possible to do something different and running into a wall at full speed. Like Kurokami’s moment of magnificence comes in the first episode for three minutes so it will have less of an impact than a series based on a crazy concept that’s poorly executed throughout.