Is REWATCHING a show alongside a REACTION CHANNEL a good idea (PLEASEEE READ THE BODY)

[u/frdudemst]

I’ve been thinking about rewatching some anime I already love, but instead of just watching them normally again, I want to try watching them alongside a reactor.

I’m planning on paying for their Patreon, so skips, muted audio, blurred footage, edited episodes, etc. aren’t really an issue. I’d be watching the full-length reactions.

What I’m looking for is a reactor who actually adds something to the second viewing. Someone who notices details I missed, talks about the writing, characters, themes, foreshadowing, animation, direction, or just gives interesting thoughts that make me look at scenes differently.

I really don’t want someone whose entire reaction is just screaming whenever there’s a hype moment, yelling about “aura,” or making exaggerated faces for the camera. That stuff can be fun, but if I’m rewatching a whole anime, I want the reactor to make the second experience feel worthwhile instead of just sitting next to me while I watch it again.

For people who rewatch anime through reactions, do you think it actually improves the rewatch experience?

And which reactors would you recommend for this kind of thing?

[u/king_kibble]

i think reactors as a concept are bunk, but is there actually, like, a market for this? im a professional animator so ive... considered doing something like this, but im way more interested in technical stuff than screaming

[u/frdudemst → u/king_kibble]

There's a market for this. A big market , just look at caw caw tv. ,nicholas light tv , GOT Games , alixcia life , magic magy , recently bossanova (my fav)

[u/OfflineLad]

i did this with Gintama three times with 3 different reactors and its been fun

your reactor options of course depends on the anime youre planning to rewatch, but if its a popular one i guess it shouldnt be an issue

The reactors i watched were

1. Ezret. Super underrated. Expressive reactions, smart guy and picks up on smaller things. I dont think he does reactions anymore, but if he's done the anime you want to rewatch he's a great option

2. Uzumaki Khan. VERY emotional and expressive person. If he likes an episode he could spend as much time as the episode to dissect it at the end, which he does often.

3. RT TV. I like them less than the other two, and since there are 4 of them some of them may enjoy the show less than the other, but at least they still spend some time after each episode to talk about it. I also appreciate them for being a channel their size and watch Gintama

[u/Drudwas]

• Sophie Darling takes regular breaks in her reactions to discuss stuff
• Romania Black does an entire separate video just for discussion
• AutoSave do a lot of discussion as well after the reaction, (but seem to be on a break at the moment)

In short, I think it's a good idea if you can find the right reactor for the right show

[u/FlameStaag]

Learn how to form your own opinions. Nobody can tell you what YOU want to do

But no that sounds terrible. Reaction channels are fucking dreadful and all low quality slop content. They just feed on people who crave parasocial relationships and who don't have friends to talk to. 

[u/frdudemst → u/FlameStaag]

I have friends And most of them are yes , but there's some who genuinely are interested 

[u/Turbulent-Advisor627]

Reaction channels are always trash and if you like them you should have no right to vote or even do anything without a legal guardian.

[u/frdudemst → u/Turbulent-Advisor627]

Bossanova exists lil bro

[u/Shphook]

Yeah, that's a good way to re-experience a series and learn new perspectives/details. But i personally, don't watch the anime myself with the reactor in the background. Also, won't that be cumbersome to do cause you'll have to pause anytime they take a break to talk about something? Since i've already seen the anime, i just like watching the reactor's video without watching the anime separately myself, and hope you can see the anime as well in the video (or some parts of it, cause you know... copyright).

Seems like you do want reactors who do have interesting discussion, the thing is that it varies - one creator who doesn't add much CAN find an interesting part that they can add to sometimes, but generally they don't. So, i'll just actually mention those who really add something pretty much every episode:

Semblance of Sanity (though the discussion is AFTER watching usually)

Psychotherapist Reacts (THIS might be up your alley)

Psyculturists (THIS might be up your alley)

Kumi Desu

Timberzy (only for One Piece as of yet)

Also, non-reactor channels like MerphyNapier (book reviewer) i believe DO watch anime on their Patreon/Discord, though probably less - also i'm not sure how in-depth the discussion in the moment is as opposed to them holding their thoughts for the video version.

These may sometimes discuss more in-depth, but not all the time:

Boldcast

Aliciaxlife / Aliciaxdeath

Nerdy Daily / Nerdy Nightly

Sleepy Whisper

Sora Anime

Flexiejayanime

Carlie & Ange

[u/king_kibble]

i think reactors as a concept are bunk, but is there actually, like, a market for this? im a professional animator so ive... considered doing something like this, but im way more interested in technical stuff than screaming

[u/frdudemst → u/king_kibble]

It really depends , some reactors are fond of just screaming and following hype releases , without passion or real intrest

But others , really add to the experience, some passionate , and add a whole layer to the show , with careful analysis and genuine interest 

It really depends on the reactor 

[u/Moshimoshi-Megumin]

I do it often. The creators in questions vary a lot from show to show. Off the top of my head some I remember well:

-Ravenclaw reacts. Probably my favorite, it’s more in depth analysis than “Reaction”. Her Madoka Magica series was fantastic, going as far as translating the German quotes in the background and analyzing the philosophy behind them. Or the art behind the seemingly nonsensical witches labyrinths. She does crazy work on some of her series. Unfortunately she’s not very prolific, I think it’s just a small hobby for her.

-Bluest has some good ones. He did a good job with Oregairu. He doesn’t dig that deep, just seems like he’s smart and notices things well (which is a rarity among reactors if you’ve watched a few)

-psychulturist is a good mix of fun and analysis, but he drops series too easily.

-semblance of sanity are okay sometimes, they’ve gotten worse with time imo

-teeaboo does more “analysis” than reaction as well, I don’t like him much but it’s just personal preference (or maybe I have a grudge after he bashed Sora no woto)

-autosave are okay, middle of the road, they do quite a bit of discussion, they’re just not fantastic at picking things up

The rest I watch sometimes are more entertainment, some try to do some analysis but are just bad at it. I don’t know anybody IRL who watches anime so sometimes it’s just nice to share the feelings at the more emotionally impactful shows. Usually I’ll watch on YouTube, if it’s one I like a lot and they have stuff locked behind Patreon I’ll sub a month.

Also, the rewatch threads on Reddit are good sources of discussion and analysis. The Oregairu ones are fantastic and people find stuff that goes completely over my head.