I finally understood why people get so heated about filler episodes

I was at a small anime con in Columbus last month, just hanging out in the lobby. Two guys next to me started arguing about the pacing in a popular shonen show. One guy was saying the filler arc was 'a complete waste of 12 episodes' and the other guy was getting red in the face, saying it 'built the world and gave the main cast room to breathe.' I always just skipped filler, no question. But hearing him say that made me pause. I went home and rewatched one of those 'bad' filler arcs from a show I love, but this time I didn't skip. I actually paid attention to the character moments, the jokes, the little bits of world building I always missed. It wasn't all great, but there was a whole episode about the main character just helping a random village fix their water supply that was... nice? It felt peaceful. Now I don't auto-skip anymore, I give it a few minutes to see if it has any charm. Does anyone else have a filler arc they ended up liking?

2 comments

2 Comments

elizabeth_williams13d ago

Wait you were at that con in Columbus? I think I heard that same argument by the snack table. Small world. Honestly never gave filler a real chance either, might have to try your method.

linda_clark13d ago

That con in Columbus had the best snack table spread, I swear. I read a blog post last week that said the key is to watch filler arcs with a friend, so you can just talk over the boring parts. Elizabeth_williams, you should totally try that, it makes it way less of a slog. The writer argued it turns a boring watch into a social thing, and honestly that changed my whole view. I used to skip everything, but now I just put it on in the background while doing chores.