A Guide To Anime Marathons!
Step One: Collect Underpants.
No no that's not it! The first step is to get out a complete series or season of an anime show on DVD, doesn't have to be anime. Typically, most shows run around 26 episodes per series/season. Sure some can be more and some can be less, but 26 is about the most you should watch in one sitting. Any more than that and your eyeballs my fall out of their sockets.
No no that's not it! The first step is to get out a complete series or season of an anime show on DVD, doesn't have to be anime. Typically, most shows run around 26 episodes per series/season. Sure some can be more and some can be less, but 26 is about the most you should watch in one sitting. Any more than that and your eyeballs my fall out of their sockets.
Step Two: Get foodstuffs.
Make sure before starting your marathon that you have plenty of carbonated drinks, pretzels, chips, and maybe a few chocolate treats. Your 26 episode marathon should run about 12 hours. Which means, you will need all the caffeine and cardboard-hydrates you can get.
Make sure before starting your marathon that you have plenty of carbonated drinks, pretzels, chips, and maybe a few chocolate treats. Your 26 episode marathon should run about 12 hours. Which means, you will need all the caffeine and cardboard-hydrates you can get.
Step Three: Clear the Schedule.
Since this foray will take some time, you want make sure you won't have any responsibilities immediately after your marathon. Sleeping in is a must. Trust me, you'll need to recharge after this.
Step Four: Insert the first disc.
Careful with this step, it's quite a lulu!
Careful with this step, it's quite a lulu!
"Wow, that seems easy enough, is that all there is to an Anime Marathon?" Oh no my friend, that's just the beginning. For there is a set of ironclad rules one must follow in order to achieve a fulfilled experience. These rules are so absolute, that they were set forth by the Anime Gods themselves. Gods of whom Ebb just made up. Ha ha, anyway. Behold the Rules of Anime Marathons:
Rule One: Watch the Trailers/Previews.
More often than not, your discs will contain trailers or previews of other shows. It's a good way to get glimpse of more anime you might have never known you were interested in. Just like at the movies, you should watch them before you start.
Rule Two: Start with the original language.
There's more than one language on that there disc, so why not start with the language that it began with. Sure you may not understand what they say, but the emotions of the characters still carry across pretty well. Give it a chance and use subtitles. Of course subtitles are not perfect. Anyone with a slight understanding of another language can tell they generalize the subtitles. They do that so people who no nothing of another culture can still follow what is going on. But watching anime with subtitles on is still a good place to start.
Rule Three: Watch every opening sequence.
Drill that theme song into your brain, nothing is funnier than having a song stuck in your head that you can’t pronounce the words to. For the ending sequence, you have it watch it once, but after that you don’t have to watch them any more. The music on the endings are usually downtrodden and sometimes just boring, so it’s okay to skip those.
Rule Four: Skip the episode previews.
Really, you don’t need them. They make them for the people who watch one episode a week on television, but you are watching all the episodes in a row. You wouldn’t want to ruin anything in the next episode, because sometimes they reveal too much.
Rule Five: Take a Break.
Most of the time a disc will contain 3 to 5 episodes. So when you are done with a disc, it is good time to take a break. Go to the bathroom, grab another drink, or whatever you need to do. I recommend grabbing a 24 ounce drink every other disc, you don’t want to drink too much or you won’t make to the next break.
Rule Six: Finish in one sitting.
This is your ultimate goal. To watch a show in it's entirety in one day. After you've finished you may not feel any different than you did before, other than being a little groggy. You should at least feel a sense of accomplishment. So down the last drink, and give yourself a pat on the back!
So there you have it. All you ever wanted to know about Anime Marathons, which I'm sure wasn't a lot. But you stuck through to the end, even with my barely par grammar. For me, a marathon is more like a tradition then a set of rules. And I hope by reading this that you have found a new way to appreciate anime.
