It’s October again; that time of year when Americans gear up for that most ghoulish of holidays, Halloween! In order to get into the spirit of things we usually watch spooky movies, deck out the house with creepy decor, and generally try to scare ourselves into a festive mood. And what’s more frightening than an anime experience gone horribly wrong? Bwahhhahhah!!!
I’ve repeatedly referred back to my first anime experience as a horrifying one, and not just because of the subject matter; the company and locale was “off” as well. I’ve had other scarring anime experiences – hard not to when you watch a lot of anime- Trinity Blood, Last Exile, and Glass Fleet to name a few.
Other than my first time viewing anime with “Mike”, I haven’t had any other bad experiences watching anime with other people, although the company does factors into the overall experience in a big way.
If you don’t feel comfortable with the people you’re with, or if they talk to the TV and you’re not- hey, it’s OK to do if everyone’s on the same page- it can have a negative impact on your enjoyment. For example: You broke up with your girlfriend/ boyfriend and they show up to your anime watching party with your best friend…awkward.
Then there’s all the other little things that can go awry when watching anime; the DVD is scratched and won’t play, you can’t find the remote, the neighbor kids are screeching like banshees outside at 2:00 in the morning (yes, we have experienced this), or you discover the boxset you paid $125 for is actually a bootleg from China and has lead in the paint…
The Anime Blog Poll
Have you ever had an experience so hellish, you refer back to it on your blog repeatedly? Did you ever have an anime viewing so grueling, you buried it away until today? Has a series or movie been so incredibly god-awful that just to think of it sends chills down your spine? What was your most horrific anime experience? Let the ghoulish comments begin!
Scariest ‘anime-related’ experience? Probably watching the live action version of ‘La Blue Girl’. There were some scenes in that I wish could be flushed out of my head…T_T
The first time I went to an anime club was possibly the worst anime watching experience I’ve ever had. Encountering all the stereotypes in one room for 3 hours (3 times too…I’m a slow learner) put me off anime for a couple of years – not to the point of stopping, but definitely making me realize that anime club was probably not where I was going to find a lot of friends.
Golgo 13 Queen Bee. Terrible, terrible anime.
One phrase: AX ‘07.
It has scarred me for future AXs to come; which is sad since it’s my first AX.
Watching Trinity Blood in two days. My God that has got to to be the worst anime with the worst ending since Samurai Deeper Kyo. I’m so glad that I’ve watched enough animes to put that horror behind me.
@David, was I there? Because if I was, I don’t remember, and I guess that’s a good thing…
@griever, ouch! I have to kinda sorta agree with you. However, it was really cool one evening when a couple came to the anime meetup who looked like they were high grade professionals. Not hipsters, but corporate grade. I think we scared them off though T_T. Every now and then there were people who showed to the meetup who broke the mold and tossed it in the dumpster. I’d love to be able to attract people who might not normally be attracted to anime; it livens and diversifies things nicely!
@Calamitous, Gologo 13? I’ve heard some people rave about it, but then again, people also rave about Karas and Last Exile…
@Mel, sorry AX sucked so hard for you! What was it specifically that scarred you? Please share.
@Edrei, did you lose a bet to have to watch Trinity Blood in two days? It took us two weeks to sludge through the series. I’m so sorry you did that in two days, so very, very, very sorry…
Rachel – Oh yes, you were there. Fortunately, it seems to have been blocked from your memory.
Lucky you!
You may have heard of the many mishaps that happened at this year’s AX, but I’ve made an article on it (http://jiiii.wordpress.com/2007/08/10/just-another-ax-2007-rant/). Funny how it was one of the best con experiences I’ve ever had, but at the same time, probably the worst con experience.
I’d be a mold breaker for sure…most of the time, people who like anime are surprised that I also share their hobby. The thing I disliked about the anime club was that the people there were very much into the “I know more than you” bit. Kind of distracted from just watching the anime presented when a trivia or argument would break out frequently.
And some of them didn’t bathe regularly – that much I could smell several chairs away.
In the future, I’ll probably find an anime club where the people don’t freak me out. But I won’t be looking as hard…got other clubs to join. Like the badminton club. Geriatric hardcore! \/(^-^)
@Mei, I checked out your experience log; sorry. I didn’t go to many of the musical events since there were was so much other stuff that we had to cover with only 2 people T_T. We did try and see the S.K.I.N. concert, but left after two hours of waiting. AX 2007 for many people was horrendous, but we had an awesome time. I think in part because we were still convalescing from ACen…
@griever, “…some of them didn’t bathe regularly”, see this is a part of anime stereotypes which baffles me. Why, oh why don’t people bathe, daily? Is anime that all consuming that they can’t put the anime on pause and spend five minutes under the shower? Geez, I will never, ever, ever understand this aspect of the stereotype. I feel groddy if I don’t bathe for 18 hours let alone 18 days. Yeesh.
I also don’t understand that. To be fair, the majority were bathed, or at least, hid it well. But there were a few…. I’d cut them some slack if it had been exam week, but it wasn’t.
ACen….not one in particular…just ACen. Fell in love with it first time….enjoyed it 2nd…then started noticing changes….I still keep going, 10 years later, just havent figured out why anymore.
Oh, and deciding to og on a pilgrimage from episode 1 of Dragonball all the way thru to the last episode of GT. Thats right. All DB, DBZ, and DBGT in a row.
Ouch.
My fault though. Wanted to see if I could do it.