Action Anime: Why do you watch them?

[Omegaforce]

So while I was at work today I thought to myself what is it that keeps me watching action anime?

I'm talking about Naruto, Bleach, D.Gray Man, One Piece, etc.etc. anything over 50 episodes. They are all pretty much one in the same. Some boy/girl is just your normal person, they then discover some powers and from there on out they just get stronger and stronger. They always encounter stronger villains. Then when they fight they always have to explain their moves to each other and talk and talk and talk. After some talking, one person will pull out their trump card which always leads me to ask "Why not use it all the time and get it done with?" You catch my drift where I'm going with this.

I guess my reason is I mostly watch it for the fighting and action scenes. The stories usually tend to get holes in them with the plots and fillers are ALWAYS gonna happen to animes that last for more then 2 seasons. These fillers usually add new characters, abilities, and villains that aren't in the manga.

Let the discussion begin!!!

[calliopi]

Well I disagree about i being all about the action. My all time favorite anime (please no laughing...) is Sailor Moon. Seriously. Not the terrible NA dub. The original Japanese spoken, english subtitled Sailor Moon.

Why? Well the action scenes against the sub bosses during the season and the mains at the end were always fun and usually had a great music score o pump it up (the Beryl/Metalia fight was great)... but the story from the very first episode until the last season 5 episode was wonderful. It stayed true to each character from start to finish. The continuity was great. Even though there were 5 separate 'stories', one per season, the main underlying story between Usagi, Mamoru, and the girls is what hooked me :P

[Momo]

I think a big part of such series gaining so much popularity is the role-playable aspect to them. Like in Naruto, you're a ninja. Bleach you're a ... person with a big sword? (HAHA I don't know, I dropped it). One Piece, you're a pirate.

I think if you just vary the context (like ninja, pirate, etc) but recycle the overall plot (train, boss, power-up, another boss, train, etc) people are still gonna like it :P

[XRadium]

I don't like long series such as Naruto or Bleach, that have over 100 episodes without an actual ending.
I love to watch anime that have like 40 episodes and under. (Ergo Proxy, Witch Hunter Robin...etc)
I'm also a big fan of drama/horror/suspense, and it's rare to see those types with more than 30 ep.

[Omegaforce]

Originally Posted by XRadium

I don't like long series such as Naruto or Bleach, that have over 100 episodes without an actual ending.
I love to watch anime that have like 40 episodes and under. (Ergo Proxy, Witch Hunter Robin...etc)
I'm also a big fan of drama/horror/suspense, and it's rare to see those types with more than 30 ep.

Yeah I'm big into Drama/Horror/Suspense as well. I just got done with Higurashi no Naku Koroni and I must say that is one hell of show with the plot and all the twists in it, but to stay on topic. I think after I'm done with Bleach and D.Gray Man I'm gonna stop watching anything over 52 episodes because after that too many plot holes start to show up (as far as action shows go).

[Taiyz]

I don't know why I'm watching Naruto or D.Gray-Man anymore. D.Gray-Man is essentially going the path of Bleach; telling you what will happen if you don't stop the bad guys in time, and so the rest of the series consists of fighting said guys to stop the event from happening.

Needless to say I dropped Bleach in the 150s; the Arrancar were as bad as the filler Bount/Bounto/Bound/whatever. The Vizard are a bit more interesting, however...Really, I naively continued watching past the Soul Society arc when I should've dropped it back then.

Naruto is still amusing on some levels, but it takes itself too seriously (though not as badly as Bleach.)

One of my issues with both Bleach and Naruto is that their fighting game series' are so long. The Bleach games by Treasure, and the Ultimate Ninja series by CyberConnect2 are intriguing, but I don't want to support constant updates to rosters, so I haven't really bought into them yet. Ubisoft's Rise of a Ninja however, looks great.

I think the general rule is that any Shounen Jump manga adapted into an anime that exceeds 52 episodes will hit a dead end there. That's approximately where Rurouni Kenshin's third arc began, where the Soul Society arc ended and so on.
Naruto was a bit of an exception, in that it hit a better stride and kept strong until they decided to convert the anime entirely into filler until Shippuuden was announced.

So basically, I'm saying that stuff like Houshin Engi and Busou Renkin and even Black Cat are actually pretty solid series', despite being "Shounen Jump" style shounen, which this topic is basically about.

Though, all that said, I find it easier to get into anything non-Shounen Jump. Busou Renkin was amazing and Houshin Engi was a riot, but stuff like Nabari no Ou or Zombie Loan are my bread and butter.

[Frein]

Hmm, good question. I used to watch shows like Naruto and I dipped a little bit into Bleach as well. I suppose it's the fantasy setting and fighting that holds the appeal as it certainly isn't plot or character interactions. However, that kind of shows just don't cut it for me anymore, I guess I just grew out of them. I pretty much don't touch Shounen Jump-derived shows at all anymore and shounen in general has fallen out of favour.

[Omegaforce]

Originally Posted by Taiyz

Though, all that said, I find it easier to get into anything non-Shounen Jump. Busou Renkin was amazing and Houshin Engi was a riot, but stuff like Nabari no Ou or Zombie Loan are my bread and butter.

OMG, i want more Zombie Loan!!!!

[Livvy]

I don't watch them,lol

[solimor]

Well personally I like em the fantasy and Fighting is the reason but in bleach I really enjoy the story I admit I dropped off abit in bounty act since I didn't like it to much but right now I'm just waiting for new episodes.

Naruto has been more of thing I just pick up for Sundays mornings when son figured he want to stand up really early and I need something to sleep true lol.

Overall I enjoy the style and development and believe some Aime is actually to short but that's just me. Bleach has been great IMO (even true the game(wii) was big disappoint but that's for another tread)

[Aeterna]

One Piece: Well.... I simply love the characters. I absolutely love everything about them. Even if there's no fighting at all in an episode I'll still be laughing my *** off and cursing it for being over so quickly.

Naruto: I guess because the story's getting interesting (Manga..) and I prefer anime over manga. The action that does happen is allright, although all the filling is nearly killing me.

Bleach: Well, I was wondering why I was myself,, but kept watching and 166 and 167 basically showed me why i did; the fighting's cool and entertaining. Giving me shivers at times.

D. Gray Man: I find Allen and Lenalee to be very fun characters and I guess I grey fond of them. I'm still getting annoyed with kuro-chan everytime I see his face however.

[Taiyz]

Originally Posted by Omegaforce

OMG, i want more Zombie Loan!!!!

Yeah. I've been told that the last two DVDs of the series will have an extra, not-aired-on-TV episode each, but there's no news of any movement for another season. =/

[Dez]

I watch them because...

They kick ***.

[Reitei]

oh they kick *** indeed...
since we're all on this site, i am pretty sure that the on thing i can say for all of us is our personal love of the MMORPG, and then the basic MMO. i personally love novels, fantasy and sci-fi. some of the series are alot like anime, and they simply drag on and on with no conclusion in sight, but most are to the point, and since its a sngle author, they can go on without fillers. one of the reasons i love anime and manga so much is the ability to watch faces, despite being drawn. also the incorporation of some real physics/chemistry give for a more realistic sight (yes, i know that you can't jump through the forest at upwards of 70 mph, i mean the OTHER stuff).
i have never been a soap opera person, EVER. i do like character interaction, and the ability to develop character background via plot and such, but it doesn't seem quite as interesting without a massive a$$ kicking every once in a while, just to make sure your paying attention. Especially in the good anime, you see that in fights the persons emotions are laid bare, along with their memory, and you get the sense that it isn't just a brawl, but a battle for what they believe in.
ahhhh... that all sounded so mushy and teary eyed T_T

[Kaldur]

I just love how Action Anime mimics my moves IRL.