Why does it take 3 whole episodes just to explain one power system in modern shonen

I started watching this new shonen anime last week and I swear I spent like 2 hours just trying to figure out how the magic system works. They kept throwing terms like 'resonance levels' and 'core binding' at me without ever showing it in action. I sat through three full episodes of characters standing around talking about their abilities instead of actually using them. Compare that to something like Fullmetal Alchemist where Ed just transmutes stuff and you get it right away. By episode 4 I had to pause and look up a wiki guide just to understand why the main character lost a fight. Has anyone else dealt with an anime that overexplains its own rules to the point of being boring? I feel like I wasted a whole evening when I could have been watching something that just lets the story move.

2 comments

2 Comments

the_sandra22d ago

It's like how people explain recipes now, @murphy.linda, they spend ten minutes talking about the history of the spoon before they tell you to crack an egg. Same with those video game tutorials that make you sit through a cutscene about the lore of the pause button before you can actually move your character. Sometimes you just need to get on with it, you know? That's why I keep going back to older shows where they just let you figure stuff out by watching it happen.

murphy.linda23d ago

Is it bad that I've definitely been that person who has to pause and google "wait what does resonance level even mean" while my snack gets cold? I feel your pain though, I tried watching that one show where the magic comes from eating special fruit and by episode 5 I still couldn't tell you why the bad guy could fly but the good guy couldn't. Fullmetal really did it right, Ed just claps his hands and stuff happens, no three episode lecture needed. I swear some of these new series writers think we want a textbook instead of actual fighting and story. At least you made it to episode 4, I gave up on my last overexplained anime during episode 2 when they spent 20 minutes on a single conversation about "mana channels.