On Series Length, Rewatchablity and Other Things
So, ADV has acquired Keroro Gunso. Well, they haven’t really said anything, but if you’ve visited their site any time within the last 24 hours, it’s fairly obvious. I’ve always had a passing interest in Keroro, but never really acted on it, given the show is longer than time (read: over 50 episodes.) There is nothing wrong with shows running over 50 episodes, but when I have to give up large amounts of personal resources (harddrive space, money) in order to see it, one wonders if it’s really worth it.
When it comes to shows that break the 50 episode mark, I have a couple of factors that I use to determine if it’s worth me purchasing. One of them is a simple question of quality. In my experience, most shows that run over 50 episodes (and usually into the 100s) usually run into filler, or just have a weak story. I understand that there are exceptions. For instance, I am told Monster runs at about 70 episodes, with each episode contributing something to the story. Some shows are all “filler”, such as the second Lupin series, making it more or less a normal TV show, which I am totally fine with. Especially given that each of the episodes are extremely entertaining.
The length of a show also contributes to its rewatchabilty. Honestly, how many times is one going to rewatch Naruto in their lifetime? Provided they actually finish it, that is. I find short series easy to rewatch. Shows in the 13-26 episode range are perfect for me. 50 is pushing it, but acceptable. This isn’t to say that I feel every 13-26 episode show is worth another look. I have a feeling I won’t be touching the likes of Kasimasi ever again, but on the other hand, I would watch Haruhi multiple times. However, short series length can also hurt the most entertaining of shows. One can only watch Neon Genesis Evangelion so many times before it gets to the point where you can predict what each character is about to say. With longer series, there’s more stuff to chew on, thus increasing its rewatchability. Conversely, longer shows take time. Sometimes a lot of time. Sure, that 100 episode epic might be wonderful, but how many times are you really going to watch it? Is it really worth buying 100 episodes that you may watch just once, or even twice in your entire lifetime?
Both rewatchability and series length determine the overall quality of the show. The length contributes to the rewatchiblity and the rewatchablitiy contributes to the overall quality. A high quality 13 episode show that I can enjoy time and time again is better than a high quality 100+ episode show that I can only enjoy once or twice. Then again, I suppose once could argue that you could that the entertainment value for a 100+ episode show you can watch once is the same for a 13 episode show you can watch 10 times. And if you’re a giant who lives thee times longer than humans, then that crap doesn’t matter to you as you have all the time the world!
So yeah, that’s it. I kind of forgot where I was going with this…
edit: someone just reminded me: so, basically a long ass series is worth purchasing if you can be damn sure you’ll watch it 1000000000000 times or something. There.
And just for the record, I’ve yet to own a 100+ episode show its entirety.