We’re finally into a batch of new anime series about which I didn’t have any prior expectations. In a way, those can be the most fun to watch, because aside from how I might feel about the subject matter in general, I’m not forced to navigate around the baggage that expectations provide. That said, reading a blurbs and plot summaries in the process of preparing to watch something can sometimes create their own sort of expectations. Most genres have their own strengths and weaknesses (depending on how much one personally aligns with their tropes). Is there really any way to go into a viewing completely unmuddied by prior knowledge? It’s possible that by attempting to keep up with anime news I can’t ever go into a viewing without having some kind of reaction already waiting in the wings… but that doesn’t mean that watching the actual material can’t still provide its own surprises.
