User blog comment:Xilinoc/Doing Filler/Padding Right - Episode 743/@comment-4899461-20160530210223

I'm a known proponent of "padding". I greatly prefer it to most filler, though recent examples (looking at you, Shuzo/Caesar Retrieval arcs) haven't been nearly as awful. But I seem to remember a lot more people hating on filler arcs back when they were much more common. I bet you most OP editors haven't sat down with a filler arc in 5 years or more)

I think the real problem people have is anything that they feel has little relevance to the story. To me, having to sit through an arc like the Goat Island Arc or the Ocean's Dream Arc is just about the most painful OP experience I could have. I know the plots don't matter, I know the characters won't be forever changed by it, and I know it's just not good. A lot of people hate stretching scenes and fights because they know the ending.

I think the big difference between the two is that anime-only OP fans can hate filler arcs, but don't often notice when padding occurs. To me, that makes padding by far the lesser evil.