3 Episode Rule?
It's a must
18.0%
49
Not a chance
22.1%
60
I don't really care either way
59.9%
163
272 votes
| Usually I can tell off the first episode if a show is trash or not, and I'll stop watching halfway through (extremely shitty dialogue, choppy animation, poor CG, you know.. trash). I give most shows three episodes, though there's a few I've only given two before I dropped it. Depends on how tentative I am about it. I don't log anything I only watched one episode of, though. |
 "I am not sure that I exist, actually. I am all the writers that I have read, all the people that I have met, all the women that I have loved; all the cities I have visited." ― Jorge Luis Borges [url=]Goodreads[/url] | [url=]Letterboxd[/url] |
| Depends on the show. Most shows give you an idea of what they're about in the first episode. Some shows need to get a good foothold first, and three episodes is about a tolerable amount to give it a chance, maybe even more. Even back when it was incredibly commonplace, I still don't think many people really adhered to the rule. |
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| I try to give anime 3 or 4 episodes to get into unless I hate it from episode 1. If I think the anime is going to be a 5 or 6 by the 3rd episode, I usually drop and move on. |
 Just some guy who likes anime |
| anything rated over 8 I give 3 episodes but if it fails to hook me I'll usually drop it. If i'm watching a show that everyone already dislikes and I don't like it right away I may not even finish 1 episode. For the most part I try to give it at least 3 episodes, but anything I know won't get better in 3 episodes I tend to drop right away. As for everyone else, I think 3 episodes is good if you are watching something highly praised or expected to get better. |
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| Most of the time you can recognize a good or bad anime on one episode. The Only case where I use the three episode rule is when I think the show's execution could go any way or if I'm not sure I'm gonna like it. Digibro made a video some years ago about this and its pretty spot on. |
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| I use the 1st episode to judge the non-story parts of the anime, and if the outlook is not good I'll pass. Otherwise I try to watch it unless it becomes like a chore (Dies Irae anyone?) |
| Personally I have the habit of giving shows 4 episodes before if it is a trash or pass. However I have a hard time dropping trash and end up completing the show anyways. There have only been 2 shows I have picked up and just dropped instantly but I always end up finishing them eventually cause the completionist in me cant stand things go unfinished. >.> I am looking at you bikini warrior and Kiss x Sis... |
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Harshit0987 said: Warning:this rule doesn't apply to Gintama i have dropped this anime 5 times but after episode 48 i can't stop now so same goes for steins gate and shinsekai yori so 3 episode rule is dumb mindset for people with short attention span I kinda feel like Shonen specifically long running shonen are kinda exempt from the rule. I personally could not wrap my head around gintama and have never went back to it. Same for Jojo's got through the first season and never picked it back up. *braces for the hate* |
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| When i watch an anime, i generally stick with it till the end unless its really against my taste. For example, i dropped Hellsing Ultimate around episode 4 cos its too unnecessarily violent for me to appreciate |
 "Boobies, boobies, boobies... that's all guys think about these days. Well, they're idiots. Show me a boob man and I'll show you a no-brain, no-class knuckle-dragger who knows nothing of the fairer sex. I don't get it; you can't take the measure of a good woman just by ogling her chest. There are far more important things to consider"~Space Dandy |
Bungie_gum said: I've seen too many good anime that took more than 3 episodes to get me hooked. Perfect example is Hunter x Hunter. If I gave up on that show because of a slow cliche start, I would've missed one of the best anime ever. Oh god HxH Depending on which one you are talking about I firmly agree with you on one of the best anime ever. Still though it is a Long running shonen which personally I feel tend to be exempt from the 3 EP rule unlike most series that get at most 24EP. |
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| First episode is usually enough for an impression, they have the best quality or budget... being an introductory episode. Things drop by 3 or 4 times, later on. I never knew a 3-ep-rule existed before, but I do remember trying that far until dropped like a ton of bricks (endurance limit). |
| Not sure if this discussion is still relevant, but couple years back, there was a pretty heated debate about premises vs execution, and somehow people think the premises of the show is irrelevant. I'm not saying they're wrong, because you can make a bad premises good through execution, but a bad execution is just game over. On the other hand, a lot of people underestimated the power of a good premises. For an anime to be considered good, execution is simply not enough, you need a good premises to support that and keep people interested. So imo, the 3 episode rule is pure bullshit. If even the first episode, which is typically the exposition dump, or the description of the premises, can't make you at least think "hmmm, this sounds interesting", then the anime can only be mediocre at best. Just take a look at the top anime from MAL (yes ik, not objective rating, bad system for determining "good anime", yada yada yada, I've hard of them all, and that's beside the point. Just look at what anime is at least considered "popular"), almost every single one of them have a distinct premises that if you describe it to others, it'll at intrigue people. Are they actually good or not is a whole different discussion, but at least the point about premises is there. |
WHEN IT RAINS, IT POURS. |
| The 3 feels like it should be different depending on how long the anime is. In some cases 1 episode is more than enough to know you're gonna hate the show and other times you'll need the first 6 to tell if the show is gonna be good. It's honestly up to the watcher whether if they want to risk their time watching something that has the potential to get better or fall flat on its face. |
join the hyper going home club!  |
| It's a waste of time. I'm not dedicating an hour to every anime i want to check out. |
| Nah, I keep watching until I get sick of it. Usually, if I get past 8th episode, I propably will finish the cour. |
| "Could you not talk with me? I'm busy breathing." |
| If it doesn't spark any joy for you in the first half of the first episode, just drop it. You can always pick it up again if your taste or perspective has changed in future. At the mean time why don't you dedicate your time to shows that you thoroughly enjoy the every minute of it? If you can't find any show like that, it could be that you're not trying out shows quick enough. The faster you drop a mediocre show, the more other shows you can try out personally, the earlier you will encounter the next great show that would enchant you from the first minute to the last. |
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| I usually stick by it, but it definitely isn't an end all be all. Most shows you can tell almost immediately if you wont like them from either the premise, art style, voice acting, or genre, but at the same time there are also shows that $#!+ the bed halfway through due to production issues or poor writing. In general though, I do not tend to drop shows, because I almost always research something beforehand. |
It's not like I like anime or anything. |
| It's a time wasting rule. I don't need 3 eps to decide whether I'll continue or not. |
 OTP: KidLaw | IzuKatsu | GureShin | EruRi | AoKi | See more!» My art » My translation » Doujinshi collection » Favorite Kurobas doujinshi  BISHIES X RAP |
| 3 episode rule is just a simple taboo that people use to determine the worth of an Anime. But it nothing except a self-defined criteria for filtering whether the anime is continuable or not. Moreover, you don't have to worry about it if you have judged the plot properly. Most anime take time to introduce a complex plot, so it is a sin to drop before the 7th episode |
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| only 2 is enough for me to decide if I'm gonna continue or not but sometimes it took 3 |
  "O kawaii koto" ( ´• ᴗ •` ) I wish i could love myself~ |
| Well, I see why people use the 3 Episode rule, and it can definitely be helpful, but as someone who doesn't drop shows, I don't see why I should care for it. |
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| I use it only as a basis. It's tough to abide solely by the 3 episode rule, but given that 3 episodes is usually enough time for me to get a small grasp of an anime, that's been my limit, unless there's an exception. Two examples I can think of right now are probably Yu Yu Hakusho being more battle-esque after the 5th episode and Katekyo Hitman Reborn being considered good after 20 or so episodes (which I still haven't gotten past). Exceptions like those I really only rely on their characters or overall feeling of the show at that moment in time. |
| watch it till the end no matter how bad the anime is |
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Afloo said: Most of the time you can recognize a good or bad anime on one episode. The Only case where I use the three episode rule is when I think the show's execution could go any way or if I'm not sure I'm gonna like it. Digibro made a video some years ago about this and its pretty spot on. Also Digibro has a history of misidentifying good shows as bad ones maybe because sometimes he is a bit prejudice or maybe sometimes has too little time to check everything and doesn't pay enough attention. About the rule - it's actually statistically correct, many show does start a bit slower...also many shows drop in quality after those 3 episodes. Apparently it's some kind of key stage production wise. Dropping at first episode is justified you immediately know that this show is not your cup of tea. Personally I could drop at weird points like 19-the episode...but also I undrop very easily. |
alshuApr 6, 2019 6:49 AM
| 3 episode is too little of a story except maybe when an anime is episodic.. I know how popular the term is, but I don't agree with it ... |
"The Slave is the have-not, the oppressed one with nothing to spare. But because the Slave is in that despairing situation, having nothing, it can kill the Emperor !" |
| I will watch a show until it no longer interests me. Sometimes this happens in the first 10 mins, sometimes this happens in the last 10 mins. I'm not going to force myself to continue something once it stops interesting me. |
| depends on why you're considering dropping it. if you dislike the show because of the art/animation, might as well drop it on the first ep. if it's an issue with the plot, it can be worth hanging around. |
AnimeFreak-San said: is this a male gender issure...human issue...mental illness perhaps? |
| i normally will watch an anime until i lose interest, and do some research and look at other people’s thoughts on it too to see if it’s actually worth it if i’m THAT worried it’s gonna be shit. does this still waste time though? yeah probably. |
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| I don't start watching shows I know I'm not going to like. So I never have to bother with the 3-episode rule. |
| When you stand at the cliff's edge, staring into the darkness below, the most horrifying realization is not that you might slip, but that you could leap. |
| It depends upon the show,if we strictly followed that rule then Jojo would never have beeen great because it's start was pretty slow. |
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| It is not a rule, and before you even touch the first episode you should familiarize yourself with what is this anime about?, there are PV launched months before the anime aired and promotional material like the character concept art and the cast announcement. From those material alone you can see their best moneyshot from PV, a sample of their voice acting, and a synopsis of the story. If the promotional material doesn't even intrigue you then you don't need to touch it at all. Honestly people should stop jumping blindly on anything for three episode then trash it because it's not like their 'expectations' ... you're just wasting your time and the community from actual review of the show. |
| The most important things in life is the people that you care about |
| I don't care. I drop anime only when I just hate them, and this happened just 1 time. |
 ❅Aoishi❅ ✿My Profile ✿MyAnimeList ✿MyMangaList |
| No, it's an arbitrary number. Instead think about why you started watching the show and decide whether continuing is a waste of your time. For example if you're watching it for a specific girl, obviously stick with it at least until she shows up. Or alternatively until her arc starts up if you already know it's coming. And if you went into it pretty much blindly hoping for something interesting but the show is boring as fuck, you can just drop it after the first episode and move on to something better. Not like there's a shortage of anime out there. |
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| I have the "no drop rule", so I think they need to watch until they can't anymore. |
| All weebs creatures of the galaxy, hear this message. Those of you who listen will not be struck by western animation. You will no longer know hunger, nor pain. Your Anime have come to lead you now. Our strength shall serve as a luminous sun toward which all intelligence may blossom. And the impervious shelter beneath which you will prosper. However, for those who refuse our offer and cling to their western animation ways… For you, there will be great wrath. |
| I've never tried this before - what I've been applying is more like a one episode rule LOL, but I will try using this three episode algorithm from on :D |
| Waste of time.I choose to follow a show by the first episode.I think if the first episode is bad then the rest of the series is bad,but if the first episode are good,then it doesn't mean the rest of the series is good,in that case I drop it when it stop to be appealing to me |
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| Fuck 3 strikes and you're out-I have a 2 strikes and you're out rule. |
| Life Is Short But Intense. |
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