I just realized I've been watching anime wrong for years

I always skipped openings and endings to get to the story faster, but my friend in Chicago pointed out how much world-building and foreshadowing they hold. Now I feel like I missed half the show. Do you watch every opening or skip them?

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3 Comments

piperb937mo ago

My cousin in Seattle got me into watching the full openings for Attack on Titan. The visuals actually showed key plot points from later seasons we hadn't reached yet. It completely changed how we watched the whole series.

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wells.miles7mo ago

Yeah that's so true, it's like we're trained to skip intros but they're hiding stuff in plain sight. I mean it happens everywhere, like how song lyrics hit different after a breakup or you notice background details in a movie the second time. It's all about the context you have when you look at something. Maybe we're just moving too fast to catch it the first time.

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the_morgan6mo ago

That point about Attack on Titan is spot on. It makes me wonder if we're supposed to skip them at first. Like, maybe the first watch is for the story, and a rewatch with the openings is for the deeper clues. Some shows, like Madoka Magica, have openings that feel like a totally different genre than the actual show, which is a huge spoiler in itself if you know to look for it. Do you ever go back to old openings after finishing a series?

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