Filler Arcs...

Most anime are created after a successful run (both long and short) in the manga world, that is, Japanese comics. Most run for a season or two (13-26 episodes), then end, typically well before the manga which is usually on going and can run for years. Some series however buck this trend and run for what seems like forever. A famous example of this was Dragon Ball Z which has premiated the mainstream enough over in the west that at least some people out there know what I'm talking about.

The only problem with this is, manga chapters are released at a rate of 1 chapter a week with breaks usually only for things like Golden Week or the main writer taking a quick vacay. Anime, released at a rate of 1 episode a week, covers more than a single chapter typically. Eventually the anime starts to catch up with the manga, or to put it another way, the show starts running out of story. To combat this, most long running anime, do what is known as a filler arc, or an alternate storyline that exists outside the timeline of the manga but doesn't adversely affect it. The thing is, filler arcs universally suck.

They have to keep making episodes of anime but they can't have any real plot because they can't do something that will affect the actual story taking place in the manga, which is considered the official universe if you will. Well two of my long running animes have recently started their filler arcs and after an episode or two, the trend continues. They officially suck. Oh well. Luckily I have a large backlog of movies to go through. Next up: Slumdog Millionaire. Let's hope it's not all hype.