I used to hate filler episodes, but a rewatch of Naruto changed my mind

I mean, I was watching the original series again last Tuesday and got to the one where they try to see Kakashi's face. It's just a silly side story, but it made me laugh so hard I cried. I guess I realized those episodes show the characters just being friends, which you don't get much in the main plot. Has anyone else had a filler episode they ended up really liking?

3 comments

3 Comments

alicecooper1mo agoMost Upvoted

Totally get that. I used to skip all the filler in my old anime VHS tapes, but then I caught that episode of Cowboy Bebop where they're all stuck on the elevator. It's just them talking, but you learn so much about how they all annoy each other (in a funny way). It made the big fights later feel like they mattered more, because you actually cared about the people in them.

the_hannah1mo ago

Right? That elevator episode is a perfect example. It's the quiet moments that make you actually like the characters. Then you're really invested when the action kicks in.

david_park29d ago

Remember that scene in the first Lord of the Rings movie where the four hobbits are just hiding under a tree root from a Ringwraith? No big speeches, just them being scared together. It makes you root for them as a group before the epic quest even starts. Those small, human moments are the glue. You see it in early Star Wars too, with Luke just staring at the twin suns, bored and wanting more. That quiet want makes his later heroics hit so much harder.