I’m a completist.  And as the name implies, I like to complete things.  Those “things” don’t really matter.  It can be completing video games, reading the whole run of a comic book, or watching all the episodes of a TV show. 

The only thing I don’t like to complete is eating all my vegetables. 

But this can be a problem.  For example, what happens when something is horrible?  That’s when the completist is in trouble.  Suddenly he or she finds an internal struggle brewing.  Do I finish the <insert name of current obsession>?  Or do I cut my losses and run?  It’s a tough position for a completist to be in. 

Collecting comic books, despite an awful story, is probably the most commonly discussed example.  However I have one that’s much worse - I have an almost compulsive need to finish watching the entire run of a TV show.  This is especially true of anime.  

I tell myself, “I can stop anytime I want.”  But I can’t.  I’m stuck between wanting to turn off the TV and being committed to the end.   

For instance, I wasn’t a fan of Full Metal Alchemist, One Piece, Death Note, or Blood +, and yet, I kept watching.  In some cases I’m still watching. 

Part of the issue is that by the time I realize I don’t like a show, I’ve already invested 20 or 30 hours into it.  That’s a lot of time to simply say, “yeah I don’t care about what happens.”  But I know I’m lying to myself.  I want to know how it ends.  What’s the good of starting a story if you’re not going to finish it?

The other part is a total lack of options.  If I want to watch anime on TV I can either watch Cartoon Network…or buy my own.  So at the moment I am subject to the Cartoon Network programming overlords.  Which means watching anime that under my own powers, I wouldn’t be watching.

I suppose this is just the completist dilemma. 

So how about you?  What do you have trouble giving up even though you know you should?

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