How closely do you follow Japan?

[blkmage]

So I've noticed that whenever recommendations come up, people will post a bunch of stuff and I'll post a bunch of stuff, but there's usually not a lot of intersection. I've become aware of the fact that I'm in the minority that follows what is happening in Japanese media. I've also become aware that there are a lot of you who don't and only follow what's available in North America.

How closely do you watch for new anime announcements coming out of Japan? Do you follow shows that are airing on Japanese TV and do you keep up from season to season? Do you follow the Japanese fanbase, participating in things like imageboards or Nico Nico Douga? Do you recognize anime by the studios that produced it? Can you tell different seiyuu apart and recognize them in different roles?

I'm interested in seeing how many people do what and to what extent.

[Mr. SmartyPants]

None of these, actually.

I used to keep up to date, but now I just stopped caring.

[LadyRushia]

Right now I only follow the weekly updates of Naruto and Bleach. There are a few series that I've seen/known about before their U.S. release, but that doesn't happen often.

[MasterDias]

Yeah, I follow new shows each season. I'm trying to catch up on older stuff too, but I try to keep up-to-date on a decent amount of shows.

I'm not touching 2chan or any of its variants with a 10-ft-pole however...

[minakichan]

Wait, minority, really?

I mean it's true that I don't watch EVERY new show, but I think most people do stay somewhat up to date with what's going on... seriously, I mean, I don't think I actually know a single person in real life who "only follow[s] what's available in North America." I'd like to think that such people do not exist... Or rather, I suppose, the only reason one would settle for being so behind the times is if he or she was extremely anti-piracy, which is legitimate... but that's definitely a minority...

[ShiroiHikari]

I don't follow new stuff closely because I'm usually not interested in any of it. There's plenty of old stuff that I want to watch so I mostly just stick to that.

[Kaligraphic]

I watch what I get around to watching.

It's just entertainment for me. I'll check stuff out if it sounds good, but I don't explicitly try to keep up with the industry.

[Benn]

I'll keep an eye out in the fansub world. But i'm trying to cut down on that. It's hard though because there's some great anime shows that never make it to the US like Twin Spica.

[Momo-P]

Some years ago I use to follow it extremely well, but anymore? It's so boring. I swear, it's like every year has been nothing but irritating moe dramas...the Key stuff ain't bad, but besides that? I can't take it anymore. I'm really starting to miss made up lands, people going into space, and a lot of that junk you saw in the 80's and 90's. Slice of life isn't bad, but I feel as if it's become such a big deal lately. ._.;

[Puguni]

I usually just rely on word of mouth on the internet. Also, I just look out if any of my favorite mangas have been made into anime yet. Usually that puts me light years ahead of people who follow stuff in North America, but still behind what's popular in Japan.

[Etoh*the*Greato]

None of these, actually.

I used to keep up to date, but now I just stopped caring.

This is kind of where I'm standing now.

[Dante]

How closely do you follow Japan?

Well... I keep a safe distance of about 6000 miles...

[Scarecrow]

I only concern myself with what's completed and out here in America... and I only buy stuff if it comes in a thinpack or box set. I think buying individual volumes is a rip-off.

[GeneD]

I watch what I get around to watching.

It's just entertainment for me. I'll check stuff out if it sounds good, but I don't explicitly try to keep up with the industry.

Same here. I haven't seen all that many series anyway, so I have a lot of the older shows that most people have already seen to catch up on.

[Shao Feng-Li]

I used to care way more about it, but there are only a few cartoons anymore that I care about. If I care enough, I'll watch a series on fan subs, though, I still really want to own the Samurai 7 boxset. Out of a site that hosts like, 400 anime series, I've only watched one series in entirety in the last few months, though I've seen about 4 other series via bittorrent over the years.

Most of the new stuff doesn't really seem to stand out from anything else to me.

[Hana Ryuuzaki]

[font="palatino Linotype"]NICONICODOUGA, FTW! XD

But, nah, I only really look for what's new ev'ry season.
Most of the REALLY good shows are hard to find, though......
8C
And, personally, I can tell a few seiyuu apart...but only if their voice is memorable, like Romi Paku. XD;[/font]

[sharien chan]

I used to watch a lot of non American released shows, but now I kind of moved on from anime to doramas. I prefer anime that hasn't been released here yet because the majority of good shows never make it here (with some exceptions ^_^) but I really don't have time to watch anything anymore T_T

[minakichan]

The "anime nowadays is blase and all the same and I don't follow it anymore"-ness of this thread is making me D:

I think we need a string of wwwww to fix it.

wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

[MasterDias]

Yeah, most of the replies don't really compute with the results of the poll.

[GundamFan]

I don't really fit into any of the categories most of the stuff I watch is released in the U.S. on rare ocassions I'll watch one online that's in Japanese because recommended by friend. The only other time was with Gundam 00 and that was only cause first half show on Sci-Fi. As far as news on franchises I try to keep some idea what's going on with Gundam franchise that's pretty much it.

[GundamFan]

I rarely watch anime that hasn't been released in U.S. all the stuff I have watched so far online is like Gundam 00 2nd season it's always something one seen the first part series not online or spin-off series of something I have seen. Once in a blue moon I dig around see is any word on something new coming with like Gundam or Ghost in the Shell but that's about it as far as me trying to find out anime news.

[Ingemar]

There was a time when I would religiously track series as they air in Japan so as to snatch a fansub as soon as it popped up.

Nowadays, I've replaced that compulsion with actual religion and haven't turned back.

I've noticed that maintaining a regiment of current anime shows really sucks the enjoyment out of the endeavour and makes the whole thing feel like an ordeal. Besides, lately I've had less of an obsession with anime. There's a stack of DVD's I got from my latest trip to Asia (which... I got as a gift... yeah) of craploads of anime that I haven't touched due to studying for a little thing known as the MCAT... but now that I have all the free time in the world, I still don't have any drive to slog through that backlog.

That, and [ryanbait]I think I've caught on to the K-Wave.[/ryanbait]

[Bobtheduck]

I'd never hang out on 2ch (don't feel like getting arrested for accidentally downloading kiddie stuffs) but I go on nico nico douga from time to time. Not to keep up on the trends, just to see what random funny carp I can find.

As for keeping up with new anime, I actually prefer finding old anime that never got brought to the US...

Hiatari Ryoko, Ramune, World Masterpiece Theater, Starship Troopers.

The newest thing I watch is Naruto Shippuden on Hulu... Which sucks, because I also read the Manga, and think "How bad-a would it be to see this animated" then we get stuck with non-canonical filler and something that takes me about a minute to read in the manga takes a full episode to animate... *sigh*

[That Dude]

I'll watch fan-subs every once in a while. Not a ton but more than a little.

[animaniac]

i will NEVER watch a fully japanese movie again! i watched the animal crossing movie in japanese and had my friend translate.....it didnt go well.

but i do watch the weekly episodes of all anime on toonami and the ones after 11:00 at night(bleach, code geass, cowboy beebop ect). i also watch animonday on ci-fi.

[Radical Dreamer]

Not much at all anymore, really. There hasn't been much new stuff that I've been interested in; that, or I simply don't have the means to find out. My school's network isn't kind to torrenting, and there's plenty of good shows released here that are worth watching instead of looking up the latest. That's not to say I ONLY concern myself with what's licensed here--I might find something and follow it occasionally if it's good--but for the most part, I just don't have the time or the drive to care much anymore.

[S.M.O.G.]

I don't realy follow it but that's due to lack of resources. I'll try to watch what someone recommendsif I can, but that's not always posible on my computer. If you can give us lnks to the websites you use, I'd be able to watch a more it more (if my computer cooperates), hint hint.