RahXephon held up very well to a second viewing, but I somehow lost my set so I have no idea about the third time…

@Kabitzin
I get what you’re saying: seems like after seeing a bunch of anime it becomes a matter of whether you decide you can’t handle all the crap or you start to value things like execution. Because originality really is at a premium for most of it.

@Owen
That is a Macross 7 reference, Eureka dressed as this guy. I haven’t seen sola, but it does remind me (not sure why it reminds me) I’ve always wanted to go back and see if I’d like Ranma 1/2 these days…

@Omisyth
Saw your tweets on the subject. I’ve never seen the beginning of Bleach, but I’m inclined to believe what you say. Haters be damned, you don’t get that popular being complete shit (unless you’re Coldplay). I’m sure there are some things that I watched early on that would impress me even more in context of the rest of the anime I’ve seen since.

Caught the two OVA episodes of sola not too long ago and all I could think of, hilarious bikini hijinks aside, was that it didn’t seem all that bad anymore! Or maybe it was just the benefit of hindsight and how those episodes fit together in the entire series as a whole (the prelude to the first episode, not the swimsuit episode).

Some things you grow out of, or look back upon and think OMG why did I love this crap and those are the shows that just don’t age well.

Other shows like you say you can look upon with nostalgia because they are great enough to stand the test of time.

I just finished rewatching Macross and it just renewed my love for it and made me think back to a few other shows I’d like to rewatch, like RahXephon.

Haha, yeah The Hoff is pretty dated, the hairstyle at least…

I like your point about putting together the tools to enjoy anime. I feel I really appreciate shows like Hatsukoi Limited a lot more now because I now value execution over originality in many cases (and originality becomes harder to find the more you watch).

I watched a few anime shows as a kid that still color my appreciation of the medium. One in particular was The Mysterious Cities of Gold. I happened upon the series again when I was in my late teens, and some of the images still resonated with me — such as the Golden Condor, but moreso, the Olmec war machine that manages to somehow still evoke a low-key dread, even as an adult.

@choujin1
You deserve what you get for watching that twice.

@kritik
It took me many years to finally watch Evangelion again. I was so worried that it was just something so different from anything I’d seen that it affected me unrealistically. Safe to say there’s still nothing like it, but point is I understand your pain.

@Joe
The social stigma is what the name of my blog is all about! But it is nice to be able to enjoy with friends, or at least not be stigmatized too much.

Age is definitely a factor. While most of us watch anime that’s well outside our supposed demographic range, age and the various experiences that go along with it have a huge effect on what we like. As far as connecting strongly with something, you’re right about that as well. It’ll stick with you. That leads back to my third point a bit, because sometimes the circumstances surrounding that first viewing have as much to do with us liking it as the quality — sort of like a song that takes you back to that summer when it came out, in spite of the fact that embarrasses you to still like the song.

For me, anime has always been a type of social stigma. I liked it in high school, but i never pursued it because I was afraid of the social side effects. Now that I’m in college, I could care less and I’ve never been happier with the medium. Not only that, my friends that dislike anime can handle my interests.

I can barely watch any of the “kiddie” anime that I watched when I was younger, specifically Pokemon/Digimon. That shit was the bee’s knees when I was younger, and I still love watching some of it for nostalgia alone. Age seems to be a huge influence for me. That said, I absolutely loved the show when I was younger, and it helped form bonds with friends that I still hang out with to date.

I find that I pick up a lot more the second time around too. I always liked Samurai Champloo when I first saw it, but I was in a different state of mind. Sure, I got the vibes, but I was in my death metal/Gears of War phase, and the show didn’t really click. Fast forward two years and Sam Cham is one of my all time favorites and I’ve played the OST probably 80 times.

I guess the point I’m trying to make is this: the truly moving anime, or moreover, the one’s a viewer connects with best, will always remain in the nostalgia category, while being supplemented by newer anime that feeds our current tastes.