Overheard a guy at the con saying he skips the source material before watching

So I'm waiting in line for the AoT panel at Anime NYC last weekend and this dude behind me is telling his friend he never reads the manga before watching the anime because 'it ruins the twists.' I get that, but then he said he also skips recaps and filler to save time. That made me think, half the emotional weight in shows like Frieren or 86 comes from the small quiet moments that aren't in a plot summary. If you're just chasing the big reveals, you're missing the whole reason those hits land. Now I'm wondering, does anyone else actually read ahead on purpose and then feel more invested, or am I the weird one for spoiling myself on purpose to catch the foreshadowing? He had a point about pacing though, some 24 episode shows could be 12, but that's a different argument. Has anyone else overheard a take at a con that made them rethink their own anime habits? I'm curious if that's a common strategy or just a hot take from a guy in a leather jacket.

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derek_brown281mo ago

Jeez, some people treat anime like it's a race to the finish line. I've done the whole read-ahead thing for a few shows and honestly, catching the tiny details the second time is way more satisfying than any big twist. That guy's gonna burn through a season in one sitting and wonder why nothing sticks with him.