Does it ever happen to you that when you sit down to revisit a favourite genre, a novel, a movie, a series, or an anime, for the nth time, you start with all the excitement and anticipation but quickly notice disinterest or boredom? You might have had the urge to revisit this favourite series for a long time. You make the time finally but everything feels... underwhelming! You soon find that this journey can sometimes lead to unexpected realizations—a loss of intrigue, the discovery of plot holes, or even a sense of saturation.
This is precisely what happened to me. After a gap of two years, I revisited some of my all-time favourite series. However, my expectations were vastly different from reality. For instance, during my revisit, I couldn’t help but notice how certain storylines contradicted each other. In one series, a character’s backstory from the prequel clashed wildly with their portrayal in the sequel. My nostalgia couldn’t cover up the cracks in the storytelling.
This prompted me to ponder about the reason behind this.
Firstly, one must understand why we turn to our favourite books, shows, and series. Everybody needs a break from their routine - something that enables them to forget about the world and relax for some time. Driven by the need to escape briefly from reality, people have different ways of achieving the rest and refreshment they require. Some prefer travelling, others prefer hobbies, some other people hang out with their friends, while other people prefer music and art.
When you sit down to binge-watch or binge-read your favourite series, whether you prefer a visual medium or an auditory medium, you’re consuming fiction. Starting a new series brings this whole new experience of who is who, who does what, and what happens next. Nothing beats the anticipation of the next episode or the next instalment. It drives curiosity and creates the urge to know what's coming next. If it's a familiar series, you've likely revisited it because you feel some kind of connection to the story, the characters, and the plot. This doesn’t mean we no longer love the series. Rather, it reflects how we’ve changed over time.
Why does a revisit not give us the same vibes as in the past?
This is more than just a lack of fresh discovery since this is a familiar series to you. Even if you get bored or disinterested, there’s a reason why you yearn for this over countless other series you may have viewed in the past.
Over time, a sense of nostalgia envelops us, making us yearn to revisit a particular series that offers us the familiar comfort. Maybe you're attached to the main idea of the series, a character, the entire plot or what the series might represent in your life. You remember the magic, not the flaws. Nostalgia makes you yearn for emotional attachment, and when you finally experience it again, it feels less impactful than what you’ve been yearning for, owing to familiarity and predictability, leaving you disappointed.
The pull to revisit such stories is from a sense of connection. Think of it as reconnecting with an old friend—a comforting escape into a familiar world. In an earlier stage of your life, you encountered this series for the first time and felt deeply attached to it. This memory fuels your nostalgia and creates a sense of nostalgia and the urge to reread or rewatch the series.
Since you already know the story, re-engaging with it isn't like the first time you encountered it. You know all the twists and turns, you remember the outcome of the story. And, as I found to my annoyance, a revisit means looking at the obvious cracks in the storytelling — timeline inconsistencies, plotholes, mismatches, etc. This realization diminishes the magic and leaves the experience feeling incomplete.
Does that mean you should stop revisiting your favourite series?
No need! Eyeing your favourite series through a critical lens just means that you have grown over time and your perspectives have shifted. It reminds people of who they were when they first encountered these stories and who they’ve become since.
You need to acknowledge this shift and allow yourself not only to explore your favourite stories through other mediums but also to explore newer stories. They could be of your creation, or that of an author whose writing you’ve yet to explore as deeply as your old favorites.
Final Thoughts
Revisiting old favourites is a mixed bag. It’s comforting, frustrating, and enlightening all at once. The magic might not always be the same, but it showcases how far you’ve come since the first time you encountered the series. It could also mean that the best stories are yet to come - whether of other authors you read or of your creation.
What do you think? Let me know in the comments!
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