Does the popularity of an anime deter you from watching it?

Popularity should not be the basis of watching anime (or any other show for that matter). It should be the story, characterization and your own preference. For Inu Yasha, I watched several episodes, until I got a bit bored, since the pacing is rather slow (lots of fillers and monsters-of-the-week). Bleach, I have seriously tried to like it (but I'm not too inclined to watch "fighting anime", they tend to put me to sleep - I'm more into politics, mind games, existentialism themes and long conversations), same with Naruto (hell, I even tried the manga, but no such luck).

It only does slightly, but I still watch in due time. I do find some of the lesser known animes to be quite a treat (compared to DBZ, Naruto, etc). It could also be because I keep track of anime/manga a bit more (instead of depending on Adult Swim or anything like that). I have to agree with your final statement. The art counts for something, but storyline, substance and execution are what really matter to me. Higurashi no Naku Koro ni really refreshed me in this matter (felt just like I did more than a decade ago when I discovered anime).

Hey, its popular for a reason. For most of those you mentioned like Inuyasha, Naruto, Bleach....i watched it and got into it BEFORE i KNEW it was popular...so i just went along. It doesn't really matter to me. I mean, i like what i like. I like popular ones since people have seen it and can give me a clear opinion, i also like not so popular ones.

Eh...kinda, not really? It makes me wary, it doesn't make me not watch it if it sounds interesting to me. Popular tends to equal stuff I don't like. Sad but true. Not because it's popular, but because of the story, the art, or the quality of the characters. Maybe it's just not my thing _ *shrugsorz*

nope, setai! lol. i chose anime according to my genre likes in my genre mood. lol. i dont care if its popular or not as long as the anime is available for downloads. also im not really into the animes that you mentioned but i watched those. my moods varies, so does the animes that i want to watch at that time. hehehe

I think that it's ridiculous to refuse watching an anime just because it has a fanbase. If you do that and refuse to watch stuff that other people watch, your are just going to find yourself watching crap...I mean, there's obviously a REASON people don't watch it. (not bashing your anime choices at all, I myself watch many a series that no one has heard of ^_^) I think these people are just the whiny emo-kids of the new otaku generation, spouting off things like, "we won't watch Naruto because it's conformity." or "only sell-outs watch Inuyasha" I personally consider anyone who has refused to watch a series based on popularity, unless they have actually watched at least 1 story arc and can tell me why they think it sucks and sound intelligent doing it.

I've kind of had to struggle with this one myself. When I first started watching anime, there wasn't much good anime on TV here in the US, so the popular stuff was the anime I didn't really like... not because it was popular, but because of the quality or storylines. Now, though, there are a lot of good anime that are being shown on TV, so some of the ones I like have become popular, and I'm not going to stop watching them just because they're popular now! Naruto was a good example of this. I was watching Naruto via fansubs a few years ago, before it came out on Cartoon Network. After it came out and became mainstream, other serious anime fans were kind of like "You like Naruto? Let me guess, that's the only anime you've seen, right?" Then I start talking shoujo classics like Oniisama E or Revolutionary Girl Utena, or other series like Fruits Basket, Gravitation, Boogiepop Phantom, and any other random thing I like, and they get really confused about my taste. Ultimately, I take each anime based on it's own merit, not whether it's out in the US or it's popular or what other people say about it.

Same here, I dont watch an anime because its popular or watched by many people. I like anime with some good flavors like Naruto, which combines ancient and modern techniques of storytelling.

Oh, how weird, we exactly have the same attitude! I like being unique and that goes the same with my taste. I like to watch movies that are not popular, read mangas that are not really popular and read books that are written by unpopular authors. It's also the reason why I discover so many things that have a good quality, yet, unrecognized by the public. Thanks for making me aware that I'm not alone in this world who loves unpopular things. LOL

Hmmm, so far, I could only watch what I can, not because I don't want to watch anything in particular. The popularity of the anime series doesn't influence me if I want to watch it or not. I simply look and if it catches my interest, then I'll watch up to how long it goes. There are individuals who don't get motivated to watch certain series due to it being over too popular. Maybe because they don't want to end up being among those who are so engrossed or those that are still starting up with the series, still trying to catch up I guess. Anyway, that's just what I think

Sometimes it does... Like with Naruto... i kept hearing about that series a for a long time... i didn't watch it because i wasn't interested. I didn't find it interesting, but then out of the blue my brother downloaded it and i was hooked! Now i know why Naruto was such a big hit! Haha. It's really great. I've yet to watch Bleach though... Haha.

I'm open-minded and I try to give anything a chance. There are plenty of popular animes that I dislike and won't watch, but not because of the fact that they're popular. I'll watch a few episodes to get the feel of it, then decide if I like it or not.

i think some people think it's cool to watch anime that only a few people has watched. they think some people watch these anime just because everybody's watching them, so might as well join the bandwagon. but for me, i watch anime because of it's plot and animation may it be popular or not.