Random Rant: Anime and the case of Hate-watching
anime·@ascheriit·
0.000 HBDRandom Rant: Anime and the case of Hate-watching
## Introduction A pleasant day everyone! Today is a bit special as I've reached the 40 reputation mark (A big thanks to everyone who has supported me this far) so I decided to make this post a bit different compared to my usual posts. I would put aside the memes and anime recommendations to make way for a more sensible post and discuss my opinion about anime hate-watching that has seen a great rise in the recent years. ## Let's begin! The internet has connected people all over the world by letting them interact with each other thru social media platforms, forums and even the comment sections allow people to hold discussions with each other. Some might even say that the world is held by each other in the palm of their hands as the way to access the internet becomes much easier by the day. These developments, however, are not free from drawbacks as problems like hacking, cyber bullying and the like becomes more pronounced as our technology advances. The anonymity that the internet offers also gives other people the guts to try things that they can't do in real life which brings us to the topic of this post, hate-watching.  ## What is Hate-Watching? To put it simply, it as the activity of watching shows that an individual hates to take pleasure or enjoyment at criticizing it. Pretty twisted habit if I say so myself, one could only imagine how much of a masochist it takes for someone to watch something they hate to derive pleasure from it, but the reality is that it happened, it is happening and it will continue to happen.  ## Why do people hate watch? As someone who has seen a lot of anime shows, it is not unusual for me to witness people throwing random insults to a show even though they are already half-way through the series or maybe even further. Those recurring scenarios made me think why are these guys here if all they ever do is say offensive things against the show and at times even to the show's fan base. To satisfy my curiosity, I observed the people that exhibits the aforementioned behavior, the way they commented on their hated shows and the way they answered the people that disagrees with what they’re doing. By doing so, I came up with possible reasons as to why they are conducting such an unhealthy activity. (These are just my own hypotheses so if anything doesn't sit well with anyone reading this, feel free to voice it out in the comment section ;)) ### 1. Mainstream Dragon Ball, One Piece, Naruto are examples of shows that even non-anime fans may have already heard of. Mainstream anime are usually long running series that has a large fan base all over the world. The appeal of these shows attracts both anime and non-anime fans alike. This, however, grinds the gears of some elitist that thinks that those who watch mainstream shows are individuals that only picks up those shows just to fit in or just to ride the shows' popularity.  ### 2. Poor Adaptation Most anime shows are usually adapted from *Manga*, Novels and even Games. The fact that a source material exist means that comparison between the source and the adaptation sometimes becomes inevitable, and this is where another type of hate-watchers comes in. This type usually watches the anime and expects that a faithful adaptation would be made, but when things don't go the way they want it to be * ahem * Tokyo Ghoul root A * ahem * they would start picking on the series and most likely they would still watch the whole thing to point out every detail that isn't in accordance with the source material. ### 3. Promoting Alternatives Some takes on the habit to encourage others to drop a series and start watching a show that they deem more deserving of the praise and attention. They usually say stuff like "Show x > Show y" or "Everyone watching this instead of show x have sht taste" and other things along those lines. ### 4. Betrayed Expectations There are series that sets up a very good first impression, but there are times that a show can't live up to that hype and gets crushed by its own weight in the end, leaving those who have been enticed by the show's first few episodes in a state of confusion as to what went wrong. Some would consider dropping the show, but there are those who would carry on and watch still hoping that a reversal would occur, but as they go on further that little hope they have eventually turns into hate and frustration. ### 5. Character/s This is quite an interesting one, there are people that actually enjoys a show until a character that they dislike turns up. Some drops the show, some expresses their hatred towards the character/s but some thrashes the whole show just because of the character/s that they despise.  ### 6. For Fun No need to explain this, there are people whose sole purpose is to have fun without regards to others. They are just in it for the heck of it. No matter how much logic you beat into them they would just come back with more insults not just for the show but they may even go personal with their attacks so it is best to ignore these kind of people. ## So why am I writing this? Well I want to express my opinion (or more like my own rants) regarding this rising trend of hate-watching. I know that not everyone would like the same thing but there are a lot of other ways to express ones opinions without looking like a whiny kid. Here's my take: ### 1. Mainstream I don't know why anime fans should be stingy to people that only watches mainstream shows, aren't those shows the one that lead most of us into becoming a fan? So why are we trying push away those that are trying to enjoy them? I know that some loves anime so much that they try to protect it from people that are trying to use its popularity for their own purpose, but that love itself could become a powerful poison that corrodes the community from the inside if not harnessed properly. ### 2. Poor Adaptation If you can't bear to see your favorite *Manga* or Novel not getting the adaptation that you think they deserve you can just go ahead and forget that the anime even exists. It is a whole lot easier and healthy both for you and the community. ### 3. Promoting Alternatives The point is there, some shows are really objectively better than others but that doesn't mean that the inferior ones doesn't deserve viewers attention. And honestly, you could promote your favorite show by pointing out its good point instead of calling out the flaws of the other one. ### 4. Betrayed Expectations I've seen numerous shows that set a high bar but failed to keep it up till the end. Yes it is frustrating, but is it really the shows' fault? Or is it ours for expecting too much? This is what we should ask ourselves. And in the case you think that it is the shows' fault, just drop it. ### 5. Character/s It is really unfortunate but a character/s can totally ruin a show for others, but enough is enough, if you dislike the character/s go voice out your opinion once and be done with it. No need to comeback every episode just tell the same complaint every time. You might just become the character that everyone hates after the season if you keep up with that attitude. ### 6. For Fun Grow up.  ## TL;DR There has been a rising trend of watching a show, not to enjoy it nor to write a review about it but to make fun of and insult the show and its fans. This became a cause of concern for some fans (including me ofc) and so I wanted to share my own observations and opinions regarding the matter. Hate-watchers are driven by different reasons as to why they are engaging in the said activity. Some hate the fact that anime is being used to garner popularity, some are disappointed that the source material is not properly adapted but then there are those that just enjoy it and are solely doing it for the laugh. I acknowledge other people's right to express their own opinion and thoughts. What I can't come to terms is the fact that some are using it to sht on others enjoyment. So what if you don't like the show? Does that mean you have all the rights to call everyone watching it stupid because their taste doesn't match with yours? There's this thing called *respect* that you may want to install to your system first before surfing the net. Don't bask in the anonymity provided by the internet, the persona you developed in the internet might ended up incorporating to your personality even when you are no longer online and only then you can see the naivety of your actions when reality hits you hard. -End of Rant- ## P.S. I would like to end this post in a good note. We all love anime, even if our preferences may differ, let us settle things in civilized manner. And the most important thing is to enjoy and let others enjoy, just like how the saying goes "Respect begets respect". This concludes my post, have a good day everyone and thank you! .jpg)