How To Deal With Anime Burnout And Become Interested Again

Anime burnout is real. I’m surprised so few platforms talk about it or have talked about it.

It happens to all anime fans at some point, but it especially happens to fans who are more dedicated to anime. Or who watch more anime than most, etc.

As usual, I like to talk about different things no one else is touching on (despite being important) so here we are.

Let’s start with a question.

Why does anime burnout happen in the first place?

Like burnout in general (despite working a little different) the more you do something, the more likely you are to burnout from it.

A good example can be video games.

The more you bash video games over the head and spend hours a day playing it, the faster you’ll become disinterested.

The same thing happens in relationships. At some point the same thing grows dull and things need to change.

Even eating the same type of food has its own version of “burnout” eventually.

Anime is the same way.

How to deal with anime burnout:

1. Re-watch your favorite series

I won’t even lie, right now as I write this I’ve become disinterested in anime in general. In fact It’s been like this for months.

On and off.

It all started after the last season (January to the end of March 2021). Just before spring anime started, I lost interest.

I’ve watched 100’s of anime, so it’s to be expected at some point.

Most of the anime I’ve been watching are shows I’ve seen already.

One example is Shakugan No Shana, which I’m watching right now again.

I’m now 2 seasons into the series (out of 3) and the nostalgia never goes away for me.

Another series I re-watched again was Slayers. This is a Shonen from the 1990’s with a female lead.

Similar to how I’m watching Shakugan No Shana, the nostalgia of this series never goes away. And it’s how I always deal with anime burnout.

The trick is if you re watch something you love to death, this will keep you interested in anime in general.

Other anime I re-watched was:

• Happy Sugar Life.
• K-On.
• Magi Series.
• Maid Sama.
• Zetsuen No Tempest.

At some point, you’ll then be drawn to try something new because you know you can’t keep watching old stuff forever.

That’s the phase I’m in, and I’m gonna start watching newer anime again. “New” meaning something I haven’t watched, not necessarily something from 2021.

Re-watching your favorite series again is like revisiting your favorite cities, towns, or hot spots again. It’s a good way to inspire you to try something new eventually.

2. Watch older anime series

It doesn’t have to be your “favorite” anime series. Just watching older anime series works as well. Or at least it can.

Older anime from the 1980’s, 1990’s are just a different world all together.

They’re nothing like modern anime.

• The visuals
• The art
• The characters
• The scenery
• The plot
• The music

Almost everything about old school anime has a different taste compared to anime from the 2010’s and beyond.

For that reason, watching older anime will give you different vibes and experiences, and that can knock you out your “burnout”.

It’s not a guaranteed solution, but then again what is? But it’s worth trying and can make a genuine impact.

Good choices to choose from are:

• Bubblegum Crisis.
• You’re Under Arrest.
• Akira.
• Fist Of The North Star.
• Nadia: Secrets Of The Blue Water.
• Inuyasha.

You can obviously make your own choices as well, but those are a small selection to choose from.

Relevant: 18+ Old School Waifu’s From The 80’s, 90’s, And Early 2000’s!

3. Stop binge watching anime

I hinted at it before, but binge watching anime is the fastest way to burn yourself out.

I’m not talking about binge watching short anime series with only 12 episodes, though that can cause it.

I’m more talking about binge watching anime that are fairly long or have a good amount of episodes and seasons.

A few examples would be:

• Monster.
• Naruto.
• Bleach.
• Psycho Pass.
• Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple.
• Eureka Seven.

Anime shows like this (especially Naruto) have a good amount of episodes, seasons, or both.

Monster for example has over 70+ episodes. 12 episodes is 4 hours, meaning Monster is over 24+ hours of watch time.

That’s more than a single day.

If you binge watch these types of anime (alongside short anime series), eventually burnout will come knocking on your door.

Binge watching anime will never fix the issue either because it’s more likely to recreate the problem.

You need to put your foot on the break and chill at some point. Can’t always be accelerating and kicking it into 5th gear.

Relevant: Why Anime Has 12+ Episodes Per Season (Compared To 10-20+ Years Ago)

4. Change your anime schedule

Shaking up your schedule like a bag of skittles can loosen up the anime burnout. And help it disappear.

At least to a lesser extent.

If your typical anime schedule involves binging anime shows, then it becomes obvious as to what changes need to be made.

Binging is always one of the worst ways to bring it on in the first place.

If your schedule involves watching anime till stupid ‘o clock, try changing it to a more reasonable time.

One thing that should definitely be cut down on is watching anime in the day time (on a regular day especially).

It becomes (and can become) a distraction too easily by interfering with what you’ve got going on in the day.

This is more relevant for fans who are at that stage of their lives, as opposed to teenagers still in school. But it can still apply.

Related: How To Watch More Anime Without It Eating Too Much Of Your Time

5. Read about different anime to spark your interest

This is where:

• Anime blogs
• websites.
• manga.

And things along those lines start to come into the picture. You can use these to read about different types of anime.

The benefit here is you’ll be reading about anime:

• From different perspectives.
• Different angles.
• Different voices.

And so on. Which will help potentially motivate you to watch a certain anime series, and get into the groove of anime again.

After all, sometimes it’s not about reading a generic description of an anime on a site like MAL. But hearing it from someone with their own opinion.

There’s also the element of reading anime from different genres you’re not used to reading about.

It could be:

• Space
• Psychological
• Horror
• Sci-fi
• Josei
• Shoujo
• Superpower
• Police

Or some other anime genre (and type of anime) you tend to stay away from.

Getting into and reading about these types of anime can refresh your interests and curiosity in anime completely.

Are you going through anime burnout right now?

Recommended Next:

How To Decide Which Anime To Watch Next (If You’re Stuck In A Rut)

How To Convince Someone To Watch Anime (Especially Friends)