I noticed a real shift in how people talk about filler episodes from the 90s to now.

Back in the early 2000s on forums, filler was just annoying downtime you skipped, but now I see whole threads dissecting the character moments and world-building in those same Naruto or Bleach episodes.

4 comments

4 Comments

jessica13020d ago

Nostalgia is making people rewrite history. Those episodes were bad then and they're bad now. @kimmurphy fast-forwarding was the right call. Filler actively hurts shows by killing momentum and padding runtime with weak stories. It's okay to admit some content was just a waste of time.

miller.rowan16h ago

Got a different take honestly. The filler was always a mixed bag, some of it was just bad. But the good stuff gave us moments the main plot rushed past. It's not about nostalgia, some of it just holds up.

kimmurphy20d ago

I remember downloading Naruto filler arcs in 2004 and fast forwarding through them. The idea of watching characters just go to a hot spring felt like a waste of bandwidth. Now I see those episodes as a quiet break from the plot, where the cast actually gets to breathe. My whole view flipped after rewatching some old Bleach filler recently. I was surprised by how much it added to side characters who got ignored in the main story. It makes sense that we value that downtime more now when most new shows are so tightly plotted.

linda11420d ago

You're totally right about how our view changes over time. I used to hate filler too but now I see it as needed character moments. It's funny how getting older makes you appreciate the slower stuff.