How do you feel about the "three episode rule" for watching anime? I personally think it is a dumb idea...

How do you feel about the "three episode rule" for watching anime? I personally think it is a dumb idea. Three episodes is such an arbitrarily chosen number and I feel like people only picked it so that they could say "Hey, I'm following the rules!". You should either watch the whole thing or not watch it at all. If it's not going to be your thing you should know better than to watch it in the first place.

At the very least, people shouldn't speak about partially watched anime as if they've seen the whole thing. You don't see film critics review the first ten minutes of a film, I don't see why it's ok to write long psychoanalyses of shows you've only watched a fraction of.

Ok.

>you should either watch the whole thing or not watch it at all
Maybe you'll understand once you watch more than 15 anime.

Wait... so I should watch the entirety of Naruto or not watch it at all?

>If it's not going to be your thing you should know better than to watch it in the first place.
How would they know that it's not their thing if they didn't watch it?

>3episode

After consuming numerous anime and Manga I only need 1 or 2 episodes to decide if something is shit or has potential.

Sometimes I give it 3 but not usually.

>You should either watch the whole thing or not watch it at all
This is dumb as fuck. By your logic I should still be watching Pokemon.

>If you have an opinion that differs from mine you have not watched any anime.
Wow.

you should make some effort to watch a series before you shit on it
for 12 episode series 3 episodes is pretty much the climax of whatever arc theyre trying to build, also where the twist usually is

if you still dont like it after investing more than 1hr then drop it

if you couldnt sit through 1hr and 20 min pleas dont shit on something you never tried to understand

If you are served a dish you never had before, and your first few bites tasted awful, should you finish the whole thing just because you started eating it? By your logic, you must, and then you risk death by food poisoning.

> You should either watch the whole thing or not watch it at all
>You're not allowed to give up on a series mid-way through
If you're an autistic completionist, good for you, but don't insist that everyone else be.

> You don't see film critics review the first ten minutes of a film
And we aren't professional critics, so what's the issue?

The only valid rule is the 100 episodes rule you fucking moron, if a show doesn't appeal to you after 100 episodes you drop it then.

>such an arbitrarily chosen number
It's meme spread by nefags with Madoka as their first baby's anime.

Take Masamune for example.
The concept was so interesting that it took me 3 whole episodes that it's completely shit.

Most shows take about that long to develop, so even a show that doesn't seem too appealing for you might end up catching your attention by the third episode. Of course, there are also shows that completely turn you off straight from the first episode but it's still a good idea in general to give everything a chance before dropping it, and that's why the three episodes "rule" exists.

If you're the kind of person who bases your opinions of everything on reviews instead of forming your own ones, you shouldn't be here. Don't worry, experience comes with time as long as you put in the necessary amount of dedication.

Nothing, I drop whenever I want or just glance from the summary for the usual haremshit/battle harem series.

>You should either watch the whole thing or not watch it at all.

Fuck you, fag.

3 episodes is 25% of a 1 cour show. More then enough to know if you want to drop it. Only people who watch anime they hate are professional shitposters. In 3 episodes you can typically move past character/premise introductions and see what the main part of the show has to offer. You can always drop a show later if it drags on and you lose interest.

You watch three episodes of a show you're interested in before you drop it in order to give it a chance. It's not that arbitrary either. A recent example of this would be the first episode of YS that wasn't too appealing according to some. The second one, however, was. Some shows have a slow build up so I think it's a fine rule.

Honestly this. If I don't drop something after three episodes I will probably finish it, but I need less than that to drop something

The first episode ends with a hook, and the second answers the hook. Episode 3 is the first "business as usual" episode where the tone of the main body becomes apparent.

>You don't see film critics review the first ten minutes of a film
The 3 episodes rule is not a rule designed to review anime. It's a rule to decide if you're going to watch the show. After 3 episodes, if the show is not good you drop it. Only 1 episode is not enough because it could get better but with the 3 episodes rule you can get an idea of where the show is going.
Unless you're watching samurai flamenco, then Sup Forums can help you decide what's good.

>You should either watch the whole thing or not watch it at all
You complain about arbitrary rules, so you instate an arbitrary rule.

>If it's not going to be your thing you should know better than to watch it in the first place.
That's a good way to never expand your horizons. I hope you don't go through life like this.

>food analogy
The poison part was unnecessary.

Most 12 episode anime don't play their cards until the halfway point. This idea that the introductory arc (at best) is somehow representative of the whole show needs to die.

look, just watch it as long as it holds your interest

This is rarely, if ever, the case.

food analogy
it's like we're really on Sup Forums

>it really gets good halfway through
Anime shouldn't be a chore where you force yourself to watch something. We already know people here have all the free time in the world but it doesn't mean they should watch things they aren't interested in. If you aren't into an anime after 3 episodes why bother continuing?

Why do people hate food analogies again?

>You should either watch the whole thing or not watch it at all.
>Watches on episode of Naruto to see what all the hype is about
>Realize it's shit
FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUck

Some people do the 3 episode rule for a 25 episode series. You can at least admit that's a bad idea, right?

I've watched a ton of shows that I was uncertain about in the first three episodes but then gave them a bit longer and I was hooked. I think people can't know for certain if they're "into" something from just three episodes.

>watch an episode of Detective Conan
Might as well kill myself now, instead of suffering through an agonizing death

It depends on the anime. Some shows have a great first 3 episodes, and then go to shit.
Others have a bad start, but get better as time goes on.

That's what Sup Forums is for. If you dropped it but Sup Forums says it's good then maybe you should pick it up again.

Using Naruto as an example is really self-defeating because it takes 6 episodes for the Zabuza arc to get rolling which is where the plot really begins.

there is no rules about this. you watch a show until it gets boring to you. aftert that you drop it

I don't give a shit, sometimes I drop a show right before its finale and sometimes 10 minutes into the first episode.

But Sup Forums's opinion can vary at any given moment. You can create a thread about a series and get a ton of people saying it's shit then you can create a thread the next day and get nothing but praise.

I think that's a good policy. Better than following some hard rule, anyway. But you shouldn't be adverse to picking it up again just because you dropped it. I see too many people who are stubborn about that.

I look at the character design, the opening song, and then skip into the middle of an episode to hear what the voice acting is like. If all of them are good and it's not overanimated, I'll probably watch it.

If something is crap, this method will expose it.

The three episode rule is fucking stupid.

Just watch as much as you like.

But don't complain that you have nothing to watch if you drop everything in 5 min.

>overanimated
What the hell? Why exactly would too much animation ever be a problem?

>6 episodes for an arc to get rolling
Dropped.

>You should either watch the whole thing or not watch it at all
Fuck off.

>character design
Fair enough

>the opening song
Opening song =/= quality of the show you dolt.

>episode to hear what the voice acting is like
Okie dokie

>and it's not overanimated
>>Watches anime an animated medium
>>Over animated
Fucking eh?

>Opening song =/= quality of the show you dolt.
To be fair it is generally a good indicator. Can't think of a single bad show where ZAQ has done the opening.

I usually drop at the first episode, but it's not like I decide the show isn't worth it, I just drop because I can't be bothered to watch it. This season I watched the first episode of Handshakers and thought I would watch the second, but I downloaded it when it came out and haven't watched it yet, at this point it's pretty safe to say I dropped it forever.
I also dropped Kemono Friends at the first minute, but after hearing good things about it I gave it another chance.

Are there any other 'rules' worth taking into consideration?

Yeah and you'd probably drop Hunter x Hunter that early too so that shows you just how well this dumbass rule works out.

>but after hearing good things about it
You got memed.

if you ever drop anime that's under 50 episodes, then you're probably an idiot casual

>To be fair it is generally a good indicator
No, it really isn't.

> Can't think of a single bad show where ZAQ has done the opening
Chu2 S2.

There's no such thing as a rule worth taking into consideration. This applies to both anime and life.

Not seeing anything that contradicts my point.

I-I see. Sorry, user. I'm just a newfag trying to get to grips.

t. no lifer

At least they're better than car analogies.

>I just drop because I can't be bothered to watch it.
That's kind of how I am too. Except I don't really consider it dropped, just permanently on hold. There's a sense in my mind that maybe I'll get back to it someday, but there's so much I can watch that it's like "Who knows if I ever will." Sometimes I do have a sudden impulse to get back to one of those shows and I do it and I like it, so you never know.

If the anime isn't interesting after the first episode it's not worth watching

The only thing you should try not to do is mention that you're new. As long as you don't admit it, nobody will be the wiser.

Not that poster, but if he tried it at the suggestion of other people and ended up liking it then he didn't get memed. He got recommended a show he liked. This phenomenon happens more than you might think!

>The only thing you should try not to do is mention that you're new. As long as you don't admit it, nobody will be the wiser.
I'm aware of this. But in this circumstance it would be clear either way, and is relevant.

I've been coming to Sup Forums for nearly a decade at this point, but have never bothered to try anything beyond shows whose characters spilled onto other boards as memes, like Holo or Umaru.

Try watching the first 3 episodes of Hatarakiman. It's easily the worst show ever put in Noitamina block.

If there is something worse than admitting being new, it's admitting you're a crossboarder. You're walking on every mine.

I personally follow the "trailer/first 20 seconds rule".

>overanimated
Retard.

>actually only watching anime for the memes
Congrats my man, you made it.

Please don't bully me, user. I never post here, only lurk. This is a one-time exception. Honest!

And Hunter x Hunter is shit, so the rule checks out.

Not really.

>I've been coming to Sup Forums for nearly a decade at this point, but have never bothered to try anything beyond shows whose characters spilled onto other boards as memes, like Holo or Umaru.
Man... I don't have the words for this. At least Spice and Wolf is a genuinely good anime and all this led to your interest in learning more.

You've got a whole world open to you now. Once you've gotten the hang of it, I'm sure you'll gradually find some classics that you watched of your own accord, and that makes them all the more special. I wish you the best of luck in your search.

You couldn't be more wrong if you tried.

>I wish you the best of luck in your search.
Thanks, user. I remember nothing about Spice and Wolf, it was a few years ago that I watched it, but I really enjoyed trying Azumanga Daioh recently. I'm going to stop posting now so nobody mistakes me as somebody asking for recs.

Have a nice evening, user!

You're just living the meme. I bet you think Bananya was a fantastic show.

Honestly just use your own judgement, I think the 3 episode rule went outside the window a long time ago.

I only have two.

Quality - eg Handshakers must be of acceptable standard or its dropped.

Multiple uses of the most generic cliches (boob grabs/ pants flash) in the first episode - dropped.

Literally the same happened to me yesterday, this show has such a weird effect.

>I'm going to stop posting now so nobody mistakes me as somebody asking for recs.
You're already learning quite well. I think you'll do just fine.

>Have a nice evening, user!
You too!

>Quality - eg Handshakers must be of acceptable standard or its dropped.
Why does your quality rule only apply to Hand Shakers?

What the fuck do you have against Bananya, you heartless jackass?

If i start getting bored after 3 episodes i honestly can't care enough for what's to come, i don't have enough patience to sit through shit.

At that point you have to make a choice for yourself. if have to keep questioning if you should watch something, it is time to drop.

>only
Do you not know what "eg" means?

Egsample

I used to be like that too, some years ago, then the seasons passes and you keep watching 15-20 anime every season, at some point you just stop bothering yourself to watch what you don't like, you just try everything and drop whatever isn't worth sitting through.

The point is he's being dumb and vague about what the fuck an acceptable standard is.

Three episode rule is meant for autists who can't think for themselves.
Because if you don't give them a guideline to follow, they would actually do stupid shit like watching the whole show they hate.

It's a good rule

I don't always follow it, but it does work.

If you are served a car you never had before, and your first few vroom vrooms tasted awful, should you finish the whole thing just because you started vrooming it? By your logic, you must, and then you risk death by having bad vrooms

People need to be more confident. They shouldn't let other people decide what they do. They should either do it, or not do it. No waffling.

Pretty sure user means the animated equivalent of overacting, where every body movement is waaaaaay exaggerated because the animators are bad at their job.

The 3 episode rule is great, although I make it the 5 episode rule to accommodate series that have a slower pace.

Examples of what you're talking about?

I drive.

Fuck you, it was pretty okay. Nowhere near as bad as Galilei fucking Donna, at least.

There is literally nothing wrong with Galilei Donna.

>Three episodes is such an arbitrarily chosen number
>You should either watch the whole thing or not watch it at all.
Chosing a number is dumb, but forcing yourself to watch something you could already tell wasn't worth it is pointless.

>At the very least, people shouldn't speak about partially watched anime as if they've seen the whole thing
Of course. If I drop something I either say I didn't watch it or that I watched it until X episode.

If you can tell it's not worth it then why are you following some strict three episode rule? Be your own man.

The point I was making with that is that it makes no sense to "watch everything or watch nothing". Just before I said that choosing a number doesn't make sense, which clearly implies I don't follow the 3 episode rule.

TV reviewers quite often review 1-3 episodes of something even if it is dumped all at once in the Netflix model