I'll watch anything as long as is it is quality stuff. I don't give two ****s about the length as I feel that I can watch anything as long as it interests me. One Piece hasn't bored me yet. Not even after 600 episodes. And neither has shows like Gintama which have 250+ episodes. In fact, these two are the best anime I've ever seen. The "Best anime" tag is subjective and people can point out a number of faults in One Piece which are largely absent in shows like, say, Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood. But I regard the series with which I've had a more fun and have had a better emotional connection with the characters as the better one. I feel that long-running shows have this advantage over short ones - characters get more time to shine. I feel like I have more of an emotional connection with characters like Sakata Gintoki from Gintama than someone like Lelouch Lamperogue from Code Geass.
I don't understand how people can just "drop" a series because it is too long even though they've seen like 120 episodes and are enjoying themselves. I mean, as long as you're enjoying the experience, who the hell cares? Nobody's forcing you to get "caught up" with the show. You can watch things at your own pace - one or two episode per day is manageable by most people. Again, I don't get why people are so obsessed with getting "caught up". I mean, honestly, waiting for episodes to come out weekly is a pain in the ass. You'll know that the feeling is pretty excruciating when you get caught up. People should just enjoy the experience while it lasts.
That said, I do feel that the makers of One Piece are milking it to a degree (not the mangaka; the anime company - Toei). They could've easily fit the contents of those 600 episodes into 300-something episodes. The current episodes are following a one chapter per episode pacing which is just plain horrible. Each chapter is like 17-18 pages long and an episode being stretched out using a single chapter just ends up with the anime having horrible pacing. I feel that 2-3 chapters per episode is the ideal pacing. Gintama's been doing things right when it comes to that. I mean, sure, it goes on breaks. But at least the animation is amazing and the show doesn't suffer due to bad pacing.
Anyway, my point is - why bother thinking about length if you know you're in for a wild ride? Some stories are meant to be long. Just enjoy the hell outta it instead of worrying about crappy stuff like length. Of course, if you're short on time then it becomes a sort of problem. But then again, you can just watch an episode or two a day instead of watching 5-6. Most people do have that much time with them.
Gym Leader Rozu said:
Shortness in an anime is annoying. :c But length in an anime is off-putting.
However I prefer long anime's. It keeps me occupied through dark times.
Longest I have gotten is 24 episodes. I HATE DEATH NOTE!!! :C
Umm, what's with all those contradictory statements? :p