Filler episodes vs. series' breaks

sergeantz · Conscript Joined: Aug 29, 2005 Posts: 105

I noticed a lot of people talking about the fillers in Bleach. The only other real option would be to have the series take breaks occasionally. So I pose this question: Would you rather have a series run a bunch of filler episodes between arcs, such as Bleach or Naruto, or would you have them take breaks, such as Tsubasa Chronicle and School Rumble?
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Tevesh · Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2006 10:28 pm Post subject:

If the fillers are done well, then I would like to watch them. Fillers are generally not good, so this is usually painful. Unfortunately, the 'better' of the two evils risks the series being permanently cancelled.

The amount of episodes in 12 Kingdoms is really just the introduction. Now that I realized this, I want to see more... But because they decided to stop there so they wouldn't screw up the story, as they caught up... Well... I want more and it isn't on TV anymore...

Stopping a series seems like a good idea, but it is simply too risky. Especially for those who have prime time TV, such as Naruto or Bleach. They wouldn't want to risk that spot at all...

DaSeaCucumber · newbie! Joined: Feb 14, 2006 Posts: 10

i say fillers rather than not having any episodes cause sometimes the fillers are fun and aren't in the manga so you got no idea how its gonna turn out only that the people are gonna live and sometimes having fillers are annoying like the naruto ones they're havin rite now thank god its gonna end soon
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xenocrisis0153

not talking about Bleach specifically, but I like fillers. They are a good opporunity to show "daily life" aspects of some characters and/or put the characters in totally out-of-the-ordinary situations (read... any episode involving pools, the ocean, or swimsuits). They are usually light on plot but still provide worthwhile entertainment, comedy, and fan service.

Plus, sometimes you do have to pay attention. While some may label some episodes as filler, looking back, it may have contained some important clues to the final revelation of the overall mystery of the main plot. This was the case with Mai-HiME in most situations.
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willy_383 · Heimin (Commoner) Joined: Aug 15, 2005 Posts: 68

I understand the idea of fillers to keep the show going while they think of something good to an extent, but it really does take away from the series when theres episodes where absolutely nothing happens. I know that I stopped watching Dragonball Z way back when they started devoting episodes to Goku screaming as he powered up for 30 minutes, and I'm guessing that a lot of people did the same.

machines · newbie! Joined: Jun 21, 2005 Posts: 47

Breaks. The filler arc in Naruto made me stop watching it.

silverkitsune · Posted: Wed Feb 15, 2006 5:19 pm Post subject:

WinterAlchemist · Posted: Wed Feb 15, 2006 6:14 pm Post subject:

Some fillers are just not interesting but others are. You get to see interesting ideas and situations through the fillers. Also, if there are breaks than it could ruin the storyline or get the show cancled. Some shows shouldn't have fillers though. Anything that needs constant movement forward should minimize the filler.
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rotteneggsman · newbie! Joined: Feb 11, 2006 Posts: 30

Fillers ain't good at all. the fillers in Naruto is killing me of boredom. as for Bleach, i stopped watching the manga a long time ago, before the fillers started so i wouldn't know.

arayashiki · newbie! Joined: Oct 26, 2005 Posts: 45

In the case of Naruto, the manga features a gap of three whole years, if they've done that too for the anime won't you ask what has happened with all the characters or do you prefer 3 or 4 eps. of background info right in the middle of a fight?
The fillers in Bleach aren't that bad; at least they've proven to be interesting with the new villians.

The_Infernal_Dragoon · newbie! Joined: Apr 05, 2005 Posts: 14

I personally don't mind filler episodes. Granted, if you're watching a series that is being subbed as it comes out (ie Bleach) then I imagine having 3 or 4 filler episodes in a row would be really frustrating, especially if episodes come out every week or every other week. Even so I still find some filler episodes entertaining. Look at FMP: Fumoffu. None of those episodes provided a plot bridge between FMP and Second Raid, but I thought they were very entertaining nonetheless, and the same goes for the filler episodes in the first series as well. If a filler episode can be done well it can bring a much needed break from monotony that simply can't be done by temporarily stopping the show. I find this monotony especially present in long running action shows.

TrueAncestor · Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2006 11:37 am Post subject:

I truly depends on what anime it is and the quality of the fillers. If the series runs for 100+ episodes and 30+ are pointless fillers, I would just cut out the crap and stop the sereis. However if the fillers are good and entertaining, then more power to them. I have noticed that more often than not fillers show some deeper aspects to the characters than normal everyday episodes. This does not apply to all animes though.

You must also keep in mind that anime companies are in the business of making money. For mega hits like Bleach and Naruto, they are obviously trying to milk them for all they are worth. So its understandable that they jam in the fillers as much as they can.
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