Shows That Have Taken You Forever To Get Through

Not because of length but more because you keep picking them up & dropping them again.

I've had a few shows over the years that have taken me ages to watch, often I end up finishing them through sheer bloody mindness that I will get through this show. They aren't quite bad enough to give up on entirely, but not good enough to get me to watch them consistently.

The two that spring to mind are Devil Lady that took me over three years to get through, I'd watch a few episodes, drop it again, come back to it three or four months later, watch another couple & so on. Currently I am doing the same with Book Of Bantorra, so far managed twelve episodes in about eighteen months.
 
For me, once I drop a show, that's generally it. I've never really put a show on hold, either I like a show enough to finish it or I don't. My only exception here really is Gintama which is a show I really like but I don't watch. I kind of burned out about 90 episodes in which considering the show is 300+ episodes long, isn't really that far. I keep meaning to go back but I'd just much rather start a fresh show. Since I've recently started working fulltime I don't even think I have the time to watch a show so long anymore or if I did it would take years.
 
There's nothing that I've picked up more than twice yet, but there are plenty of series that are waiting for me to get around to picking them up for a third time.
 
My three can basically be summed up as "long running shonen series".
World Trigger
I was really enjoying it, then I realised what was about to happen next, and as somebody who hates awkward moments I don't think I want to watch 7 incredibly slow episodes of Osamu suffering. I keep trying, but I'm still stuck before the Border Enlistment arc. I think I'm just going to have to force myself to power through it at some point, because I do want to watch the rest. I was actually quite disappointed when it was revealed the spin-off was just a second season, I was hoping I'd be able to watch that and take my time with the rest of the main series.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
I love it and all (though not as much as some people), I just can't watch too much of it in a short period of time, and then when I do drop it I get distracted by other things. The fact I foolishly watched the compilation TV movies first, so I know what's going to happen narratively does not help, and I know I could just skip to Stardust Crusaders, but I couldn't start with the second series even if it isn't connected.

Hunter x Hunter
I love this show, it is amazing, but part of me feels that having seen 20 or so episodes is enough. I know I like it, it's not likely to surprise me any time soon, watching more almost feels pointless. Plus, there's 121 episodes left and a mountain of stuff on my watchlist, who has that much time?
 
Hmm. I don't think I have a lot of examples of this because if I start something I generally get through it all or I just outright drop it because it's something I've got no interest in.

I think my best example right now would be Death Parade as I kept starting and stopping that until I've wasted enough time where Viewster now don't have it. I've been watching Toradora again lately and getting through the middle of that has been a bit slow as well (considering I started it three-four months ago now).

I tend to be worse for stalling stuff and never going back rather than stopping and going back eventually.
 
The only one I can immediately think of is actually Gurren Lagann. I started watching the show about three times over a period of many months before something just clicked and I got hooked in. Generally I'm not one for mecha shows which probably contributed to that. Now I've seen the series at least four times and it's one of my favourite/go to shows.
 
100+ episode shows generally take the longest as i'd watch a boxset at a time then take a break and watch another show before i start the next set, unless a good arc starts towards the end of the set then i'd move onto the next one straight away.

There have been a couple 1 cour shows where it's taken me a few weeks to a month to finish as they weren't really gripping me but i don't like dropping shows unless it really irrtates me. Some of the shows that have taken this long are Boogiepop Phantom and Hellsing (Original series).

Cowboy Bebop was one that actually took me a few years to finish, i first started when i got into anime and dropped it halfway through. I started it again earlier this year when i had the blu-rays and finished it but still took about month due it's episodic type of a show.
 
It's going back a while now, but it took me a long time to get through Armoured Trooper Votoms. I feel it was worth sticking with, but the pacing seemed to chop and change between having a lot happen in a single episode, then dragging out things that should have happened a lot faster over far longer than was needed.

More recently, Slayers has been taking me a while. I think it's just a show that I enjoy more in small doses.
 
My record would have to be with Fist of the North Star. Which has taken me four years (and counting!)

I'm BIG into this show. But the problem is, life events just conspired to overtake and break up the flow of it. I stopped at the end of the main series and have the fourth box set (which is technically Fist of the North Star II) queued up and ready to watch. But the lengthy nature of it just sort of makes me feel wary of starting on it and tempting fate.

I keep reaching for it whenever I finish a show and then think better of it.

"Wait, no... what if another faamily member dies halfway through?"

"Wait - what if I start going out with another girl who turns into a complete nightmare project?"

"Wait - what if that massive comics gig drops right in the middle of this?"

I tell ya. Life as an anime fan is hell.
 
I almost said FotNS as well, but I don't know if I can be bothered going back to finish it. FotNS II was fun for a while, but I dunno, I think the whole franchise struggles to overcome its repetitive nature.
 
Thinking back, I remember Soul Eater took me quite a while to watch as I originally caught a few episodes on a random volume I picked up, and then a year or two later started at the beginning but stopped after a few eps, baulking at the thought of a 50 ep series. I finally revisted it six months or so after that when I finally went through the rest, mainly in one sitting. So yeah, my consumption of that show was quite piecemeal.
 
I don't drop too many shows and when I do it's rare that I come back to them so there probably aren't many for me.

I suppose technically The World God Only Knows/Kami Nomi zo Shiru Sekai might count. I watched the first disc of the first season (through a rental thingy) and really enjoyed it then got the full first season a while later, enjoyed that and have yet to watch the subsequent seasons. I originally held off watching the second season because I had just started getting Blu-rays so I thought I'd watch it in HD but I haven't actually got around to it yet. I'm quite fond of the show but I think I tend to assume there'll be time to pick it up later while other things tend to seem more urgent. I should really watch it on Crunchyroll but the OVAs aren't on there (and I did start with the dub originally).

Another possibility is Lost Universe if I ever get around to trying to finish it. I'd quite like to because of the relationship to Slayers but it just doesn't seem to be quite as strong a show.

There's also Bleach and Naruto, both of which I started fairly early on in my anime watching career but I doubt I'll find the time/will to finish either of them.
 
Professor Irony said:
I almost said FotNS as well, but I don't know if I can be bothered going back to finish it. FotNS II was fun for a while, but I dunno, I think the whole franchise struggles to overcome its repetitive nature.

It certainly does suffer from 'Again! Again!' syndrome. But the high points make it worthwhile. For me, the sticking point was that, after the end fo Rei's arc, the show struggles to intoduce anybody or anything more interesting.

Still, I'm told that FotNS II is a return to form. And it DOES have what's objectively the best opening theme of any anime ever! :p
 
Bleach - I've been watching this show since I started watching Anime 6-7 years ago. I'm on Episode 229.
Ranma 1/2 - Been stuck at Episode 112 for about 4 years. I only put the title on hold as I couldn't find the next DVD boxset. Haven't gotten round to picking up the Viz releases to finish.
D-Gray Man - Episode 55 (I think) - No further western releases of the show put a stop to me finishing.
Code Geass - Episode 4 - I wasn't too into the the show so I lent it to a friend who wanted to watch..I still haven't have my Blu-Ray returned almost a year later but I'm not too fussed.
Fairy Tail - Episode 24 - Enjoyed but there were other shows I wanted to start, been on hold for..a year? or so.
FMA: Brotherhood - Episode 6 - Same as Fairy Tail. I've also seen the original adaption so it's not a priority, on hold for about a year and a half.
Hellsing: Ultimate - Episode 4 - I was waiting for a complete set from Manga on Blu .. on hold for a good 3 years.
InuYasha - Episode 13 - Bought the UK release years and years ago thinking there were more released, nope. On hold for ..5-6 years?

:S
 
Bleach ... ever since it came out on uk tv years ago... I think it was propeller tv or anime central I first saw it.... but now I'm on the last episode.......

It was a cool series and with a great style.

See you in the manga..... soul reaper
 
Mangaranga said:
The only one I can immediately think of is actually Gurren Lagann. I started watching the show about three times over a period of many months before something just clicked and I got hooked in. Generally I'm not one for mecha shows which probably contributed to that. Now I've seen the series at least four times and it's one of my favourite/go to shows.

I got stuck on episode 7 the first time it was released, meant to come back to it & just never did.

I keep meaning to pick up the new collected edition & have another crack at it.
 
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