Ran into a guy at the con in Austin who changed how I see filler episodes

So I was waiting in line for a panel at Anime Frontier last year, just killing time on my phone. The guy next to me saw I was watching a clip from a 'Naruto' filler arc and he just started laughing, but in a nice way. He said, 'Man, I used to skip all that stuff too, but then I got sick for a week and had nothing else to watch.' He told me he ended up watching a whole filler arc about that one ninja who could use ink jutsu, and it was actually kind of fun because it felt like a weird side story that didn't matter, so there were no stakes. He said it was relaxing in a way the main plot never is. I've tried it since with a few shows, and he was right, it's a different vibe. Has anyone else had a moment like that, where someone's offhand comment made you give something you always ignored a real shot?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_hayden1mo ago

That "no stakes" feeling is what makes filler perfect for when real life is too stressful.

scott.drew1mo agoTop Commenter

The problem with no stakes filler is it trains your brain to expect zero payoff. I watched a whole season of that baking show spin-off last year, and by the end I felt like I wasted ten hours. Real life has stakes, so escaping into something with zero tension just makes reality feel worse when you come back to it. Why not watch something light that still has a small story to follow?

averymartin29d ago

Used to hate filler eps, but you're totally right about the stress thing.