13 26 52+

Sukunai · Post by **Sukunai** » Sat Sep 06, 2008 10:32 am

After watching anime for years, I have realised, nearly all of the shows I have fond memories of are actually either old series in the case of long duration ep runs like Ranma, Urusei Yatsura, KOR or Sailormoon to name the easy ones, or generally 13 or 26 ep duration series in the case of more recent shows.

I've actually discovered that I can really like the short run series if they don't try to hard to go longer than they ever could.
I find I have liked a lot of 26 episode series that had a finite story to tell and were not planned to last indifinitely.

Just curious if others have a preference for duration with the shows they like, or if it even matters at all.

AaronAMV · Post by **AaronAMV** » Sat Sep 06, 2008 11:08 am

Lol, you just noticed?

Anyway, I tend to go more to the shorter series because... They're shorter.

Immorrel · Post by **Immorrel** » Sat Sep 06, 2008 1:42 pm

It really depends on what I'm looking for. You have the Naruto/DBZ/Ranma type of series that don't seem to end. I enjoy them but the formula tends to get old, however cool they are. Then there are the ones like Full Metal Alchemist, where it's up there in episodes but it isn't the same formula over a number of seasons. It has a truly epic story that needs that much time to properly tell it. Next is your series like Full Metal Panic/Zero no Tsukaima where they have multiple seasons that aren't the same formula from season to season. And finally you have the one shots. There either a series (26 or less episodes), or a movie that tell it's story and is done.

Each of them have things that make them enjoyable, but I can't really say that one type is better than another. I enjoy all of them equally, it's usually just a matter of what I'm in the mood to watch.

Jasta85 · Post by **Jasta85** » Sat Sep 06, 2008 3:09 pm

i prefer 24-26 ep series, 12-13 eps makes the show feel too short, it's even worse if it's a good show as i feel like i was just getting into it when it ended. i also do like the really long series as it gives you more time to get attached to the characters (if they are likable that is).

xexyzl · Post by **xexyzl** » Sat Sep 06, 2008 7:07 pm

The only bummer I find with ~26 episoders is the "turning point" that typically occurs halfway through, completely changing the the tone of the series.

Evangelion being the most obvious example.

Jasta85 · Post by **Jasta85** » Sat Sep 06, 2008 8:31 pm

xexyzl wrote:The only bummer I find with ~26 episoders is the "turning point" that typically occurs halfway through, completely changing the the tone of the series.

Evangelion being the most obvious example.

i would say death note had the biggest turning point in any series i have seen, but that doesnt always happen, some series are pretty smooth all the way through.

Pas · Post by **Pas** » Sat Sep 06, 2008 8:36 pm

24-26 = best

12-13 can be good, but more often than not there's not enough time for the story to be told properly, many side characters just get ignored after the second half etc and it has to speed things up.

52+ is well, just too long really. The only one of these I can remember really enjoying was Eureka Seven.

OropherZero · Post by **OropherZero** » Sat Sep 06, 2008 10:27 pm

I agree that 24-26 is ideal.

Maybe 12-13 if they do a movie length finale or OVA but generally these have really rushed endings or don't have good pacing.

This is also why a lot of anime feature films like Sword of the Stranger and Origins suck so much, not enough time to drive out the story and characters.

50-52 is a bit much all at once but if its split into seasons like Code Geass, Gundam 00 they are fine.

Yakitate Japan was 69 episodes and I thoroughly enjoyed it right until the end

Vivaldi · Post by **Vivaldi** » Sat Sep 06, 2008 10:41 pm

OropherZero wrote:
This is also why a lot of anime feature films like Sword of the Stranger and Origins suck so much, not enough time to drive out the story and characters.

I rather liked sword of the stranger, by this logic all feature films suck because they're so short.

OropherZero · Post by **OropherZero** » Sat Sep 06, 2008 11:32 pm

nah romance and drama ones are fine. Girl who leapt through time was good and so are Miyazaki and err 5cm per second guy. But the action ones really take a beating.

Sword of the Stranger had the worst plot and characters I've seen in a long time.