Not really...? At least, they're not nearly as strict as the US. There's all sorts of nudity on Japanese broadcast TV after like, 10pm. And I'm not talking about "oh, look, it's Jimmy Smits's butt on NYPD Blue!" style nudity. Just look at Garo -- that show is all about bare lady chests.

I think "episodic" and "filler" are synonymous to most fans. Filler definitely hampers the pace of a show, but people don't always understand that episodic shows aren't necessarily packed with filler.

My point was that the episodes were episodic due to constantly having these elements, something Amazonz didn't. Is it simplified? Admittedly, yes, but I still had you agreeing on my argument, didn't I?

I'm aware of Garo, but I meant that Japan tends to be strict on certain stuff. Like how Mara exists because you can't show a penis, but you CAN show something that looks like one

Which is what scares me. Didn't the term "filler" originate in the Anime community to refer very specifically to "stuff not in the manga only put in so it can catch up"? Because now it seems to mean "literally anything that doesn't advance the almighty Plot enough for my liking" a lot of the time.

Like I said, I wasn't thinking any differently in the first place. Amazons was a solid narrative that didn't have enough run-time to "waste" any of it. It's a very different style than the yearly shows and between that and being genuinely well-written it's really no mystery why people wouldn't find it "boring".

'filler' by definition, is padding that serves no contribution to the end product. Does it advance the main plot? The development of characters? Something new in Kuuga's arsenal or abilities? World building? If none of these are touched upon, it's filler. To refer to Jojo again, Tonio Trussardi/Trendy's episode. All it did was introduce Tonio, a character who is unimportant in every way. However, what did it do? It built upon DUWANG/Morioh, which means it's justified

Hm, I dunno. I've heard the term "filler" bandied about for decades and not just in relation to anime. Buffy and X-Files fans used it a lot back in the day, to mean exactly what Annuga said (i.e., "padding that serves no contribution to the end product").

Either way, I do share your concerns. A lot of fans are obsessed with overarching plots, and those people don't realize that a non-plot-centric episode can still contribute meaningfully to a series by developing characters and fleshing out details of the world. I find this variety of fan particularly frustrating -- they're so plot-oriented that a holistic appreciation of a series is virtually impossible for them.

Right, they're definitely more strict about censoring explicit pornography (which would never be depicted in mainstream media in any culture). But they're far less strict when it comes to depictions of non-genital nudity, violence, and salty language in their mainstream media.

I think that's a bit of a narrow definition. It's why I brought up Ultraman earlier. Most of those shows use a pseudo-anthology format where very few "purposeful" things happen in a long-term sense each episode, but they're still fun, well-made stories with their own messages and whatnot.

And what about when serialized shows have a "break" episode after a particularly dramatic arc, for example? Is that lumped in as filler too? Those are decent enough guidelines but there are a lot of exceptions to these rules.

I think the only thing that can make something truly qualify for a title as ignoble as filler is sucking. As long as whatever episode of a show is entertaining, it isn't a waste of your time.

Very few. Few isn't nothing, so it wouldn't be filler

The break is a 'After this incident' which also shows what our characters like doing after they're done and can lead into good characterization

Agreed there my fishy friend~

Well, I'd say a break after a dramatic arc definitely contributes to the end product, as those breaks are often where a lot of great character work happens. They also contribute to the rhythm of a given show -- they're the valleys that make the peaks feel important.

There are plenty of plot-based episodes that suck too -- so just sucking isn't enough to earn the filler title. You really have to look at the reasons why something sucks -- and with filler, I usually find that it sucks because there's little character development or plot progression.

Plus, I'm not convinced that all filler is automatically bad. I'm reminded of a lot of Sailor Moon filler episodes that I deeply, deeply enjoy.

I meant sucking in combination with the other things, of course.

Maybe I just don't know the true depths of how bad filler gets? I don't know how you can even write an episode of a show that doesn't contribute something interesting.

I guess, for example, the tie-in episodes of Gaim are pretty definitely filler but like...

- Kouta interacting with the ToQgers called attention to how much less of a kid he was by that point.

- You got me on the Kikaider one, admittedly. Kouta likes dogs?

- Sagara having Kaito fight AU?!Kouta once again calls attention to Kouta's growth and is kind of a wake-up call for Kaito that he isn't as tough as he thinks. Also seeing Kaito suck at soccer is hilarious and totally makes the episode worth it in of itself.

...they still have their qualities. They're not super great episodes or anything but calling them filler makes it sound like they're super horrible episodes or something. Unless I'm wrong but it's always seemed to me like the word "filler" has extremely negative connotations. Basically the worst insult you can give an episode.

Of course, I'm the guy who thinks Ghost is genuinely brilliant, so what do I know?