Showerthought: People keep saying 'filler arc' wrong and it drives me nuts

I was in a chat room last night and saw three people call the G-8 arc in One Piece filler. It's not. It's anime original, but it's actually good and fits the story. I think folks just hear 'not in the manga' and their brains shut off. I've been watching anime for 15 years and this mix-up happens all the time. It matters because it makes people skip some genuinely fun stuff. I rewatched that whole arc last month and it's solid. How do you even decide what 'good filler' is anyway?

2 comments

2 Comments

grant_gibson1d ago

What makes filler good is when it feels like the show, not just killing time?

richard_ramirez1d ago

Saw a video essay that made a good point about this. The person said "filler" just means it pads the runtime, but "anime original" can add to the world. G-8 is the best example, it feels like it could be in the manga. Some of the worst filler just rehashes old plot points for three episodes. What makes you decide to skip an arc or not?