How do you deal with post-anime depression?

[Dyan]

So okay despite the name this can apply to pretty much any medium.

It's basically the feeling of emptiness after watching a series (or reading a book, watching a movie etc)and a general air of "what do I do now?". I'd like to know how the denizens of The Escapist deal with it.

I usually just find another series, but that's just a temporary solution, or I just stay away from the internet for a while.

 

[[Kira Must Die]]

I usually wait a few days before picking up a new series, and give the anime time to fully sink in. During that time, I usually listen to that anime's music, look up wallpaper, talk about it, anything related to that particular anime until I feel like I'm ready for a new one.

 

[MysticSlayer]

I'll probably just start looking for a new one. Sometimes, if I really liked it, I'll go to anime-planet and start looking at similar shows, and if the premise sounds interesting then I'll see if it is available anywhere. Sometimes I'm just in the mood for a particular genre, so I go to Crunchyroll and search for something based on genre. If the show was exceptionally good, then I'll stop watching anything for a day or two and work through all my thoughts and feelings towards the show. Very few shows ever reach that last category.

 

[The Wykydtron]

All the music ever. If a series does particularly well I will be trawling the interwebs for fanart. I can move between animes and games pretty easily though, I watch nothing but slice of life comedy anime, anything that is classed under psychological thriller (Mirai Nikki, Higurashi) and Attack on Titan.

One does not simply move on from Attack on Titan.

 

[TheIceQueen]

By watching it again.

If I never stop watching it, it never ends and I never have to go through a crisis situation of what to do with my life. This is probably why I've read Harry Potter around 25 times, Percy Jackson series around 10 times, Artemis Fowl around 8 times, and watched FMA: Brotherhood around 9 times, the Crash Course Histories around 12 times, How I Met Your Mother 3 times, and Supernatural 4 times.

 

[ecoho]

So okay despite the name this can apply to pretty much any medium.

It's basically the feeling of emptiness after watching a series (or reading a book, watching a movie etc)and a general air of "what do I do now?". I'd like to know how the denizens of The Escapist deal with it.

I usually just find another series, but that's just a temporary solution, or I just stay away from the internet for a while.

I usually make a new ending up in my head make that cannon and move on

that might not work you so my suggestion is switch to another medium, if you watch an anime and feel this way go read a book or watch a movie. (or vice versa)

 

[MeChaNiZ3D]

Generally that's when I discuss it for a bit on forums or something then find another thing.

 

[Therumancer]

So okay despite the name this can apply to pretty much any medium.

It's basically the feeling of emptiness after watching a series (or reading a book, watching a movie etc)and a general air of "what do I do now?". I'd like to know how the denizens of The Escapist deal with it.

I usually just find another series, but that's just a temporary solution, or I just stay away from the internet for a while.

Well, typically there is so much stuff I want to see/do when I'm "in the mood" where finishing one just means being able to move onto something else.

In the cases where I actually have feelings like you mention, really liking a series/characters, and then realizing there isn't any more, I just generally think of what they did to things that they dragged on too long, or ended badly (since if I feel this way, there was usually a good ending, otherwise I'm usually more irritated rather than feeling empty).

 

[Auron225]

]I usually wait a few days before picking up a new series, and give the anime time to fully sink in. During that time, I usually listen to that anime's music, look up wallpaper, talk about it, anything related to that particular anime until I feel like I'm ready for a new one.

Yep - all of that. I avoid diving into something else so soon. I'm usually playing a game or reading a book or something at the same time so I'd indulge in that a bit more until I'm done... cooling off? If thats the right term?

But yeah I'll usually set a new wallpaper and find a forum - not even to talk about it, just to hear other peoples thoughts on it all

EDIT:

...watched FMA: Brotherhood around 9 times...

0.0

Wow. Surely you must be able to quote, like, all of it by now! Was that 9 times in a row just to get over it ending?? So after 8 times you stil had to see it again? Don't get me wrong, I love it too - it's in my top 4 anime of all time but I've only ever seen one anime more than once and that was cause the boxset was just there, and it was only about 13 episodes (Cowboy Bebop if anyones curious).

 

[The Funslinger]

I usually try to find something new to watch/read. Often, I'll go for something that's a completely different mood or genre to what I just finished. It's hard to think wistfully of something when you're being swept away by something completely different.

I did have a surprisingly bad case of this when I watched Seven Psychopaths. I just loved that movie so much, and despite its serious subject matter, it's hilarious and off the wall at the same time. So bouncing to something different was very tricky.

Rewatching it is an option, but not one I engage in soon after, but rarely. It's just not the same when you know what's coming up. Whatever it was you enjoyed so much can be a bit deflating to repeat immediately without that sense of wonder and curiosity because you know all the twists and turns.

Still, after some time, it is fun to go back and experience something again. You actually get to see the foreshadowing at work.

 

[JasonKaotic]

Dude, you have no idea how relevant this is to me right now. I just finished watching Sword Art Online yesterday. Now I'm sad.

Me and the friend who recommended it to me have been rambling to each other about it since then and I can say that in a weird way that actually helps. Try having constant conversation with someone about it. Kind of puts you back into the zone. Heheheh.

I've taken to calling it finisher's remorse. It kind of fits.

 

[FPLOON]

I go about my day like normal... Besides, I'm usually watching multiple series all at once, usually at a fixed pattern (a la a typical Toonami schedule), so it's not like I don't have anything else to do...

Also, if the series is THAT good to me after completing it, it's going on my anime "To-Buy" list... to both re-watch and bask on the special features on the DVD/Blu-Ray... (Those FUNamation commentaries, man...)

Edit: I realized that I rarely get depressed unless the series is like Clanned After Story... (or like The Ugly Yet Beautiful World, since I actually would re-watch Clanned all over again...) where I want to punch the first thing I can find on hand after completing the series...

 

[Greg White]

Generally, go for a walk then find something else to do.

 

[PunkRex]

Watch/read other stuff, there's soooooooooooo much awesome out there guy/gal, NO TIME TO BE DEPRESSED!!!

 

[flamdunk]

A little surprised nobody else suggested this yet. When I finish a series, to get it out of my system, I go to TV Tropes. Sometimes, you just might learn something new that makes you think of that work slightly differently.

 

[Camaranth]

Look up fan art and discussions, see other peoples takes for a bit then I usually go back to something familiar. Even if it's just a level or chapter or two. And then find something else in a similar vein or pick the next itch if I'm burnt out.

In time the thing I just finished may become an old familiar to go back to when the next entertainment ends.

 

[Kajin]

This usually only happens to me if the series in question took years and years and years to complete. The most notable times this happened to me was when I read the final books of the Harry Potter series and the final book of the Pendragon series. Both of them I started reading when I was in middle school and both of them I finished reading when I was halfway through college.

I know what it feels like to have something that took up a huge part of your life for so long finally come to an end. Like seeing an old tree you used to climb on as a kid being cut down or someone filling in the creek you played in so they could build a house over it. It just... It hurts, you know? A quiet little pain nagging at your thoughts that comes with the dawning realization that you're getting older. You're changing. And everything about the past is over and done.

Life sucks and then you complain about it on the internet.

 

[FalloutJack]

Watch something funny. Gets your mind off of things for a while.

 

[TheIceQueen]

Time.
Seriously waiting is the best remedy.

Other than that try to watch drama and then a comedy to heal the emptiness.

By watching it again.

If I never stop watching it, it never ends and I never have to go through a crisis situation of what to do with my life. This is probably why I've read Harry Potter around 25 times, Percy Jackson series around 10 times, Artemis Fowl around 8 times, and watched FMA: Brotherhood around 9 times, the Crash Course Histories around 12 times, How I Met Your Mother 3 times, and Supernatural 4 times.

Brotherhood 9 times?!!
I think you should go see a psychiatrist.

Brotherhood is my favorite anime and I have only seen it twice.
And the anime ended less than 4 years ago, so 9 times is really a lot.

I consume media at a very rapid pace. I can read an average teen novel in three days. I can watch your average television series season, depending on the length of the episode and the season in question, in a day - maybe a day and a half at most.

I'm also fairly picky. Take anime, for example. I don't generally have that high of an opinion of most anime, despite having made attempts to watch quite a few of them. Of course, I don't generally have that high of an opinion of most books, tv series, or movies in general either because my rapid media consumption means that I've got to constantly move from one thing to another, which limits me in many ways to reading book series that I can jump from one book to the next as soon as one's finished, watching long series like Supernatural that makes it so that by the time I finish it, some of the looser details will be fuzzy for me, or watching movie series back to back like LOTR, Harry Potter, POTC, etc. etc. etc.

And for anime, which I generally view to be quite crappy, it's natural that I go back over and over to the one anime that I view to be damn near perfect in a sea of shit, not to mention how satisfying it is compared to the rest. It doesn't help that I refuse to watch subs because I simply cannot manage that with how massively ADD I am in everything that I do. For example, even as I type this on my desktop, I'm watching a show on my laptop, playing a video game on my PS3, and roleplaying with two people while also writing a story (both of these on my desktop). I can't have my attention being put upon tiny little words all the time and have to constantly read fast while I also want to play one of my many games and roleplay with my friends.