I just drop something if I feel like I'm not having fun with it. With that said, I rarely do that, since I'm generally good at figuring out what kinds of series I'll enjoy.

>>33396
You can avoid that by occasionally popping into threads that discuss the unpicked shows to get a quick assessment on whether the show developed into something that interests you. Biggest downside to this is being exposed to spoilers.

>>33396
I only watch Anime after they're long finished, and usually don't stop watching them until I'm done. The only television I watch these days is the 1-2 shows that haven't finished yet, that I started 5-ish years ago.

I just give up when it gets boring, I'll even drop things on the first episode if I can tell from it that it won't be a show I will enjoy.

I don't think Tonari no Kyuuketsuki-san improved that much, well I liked the whole anime anyway.

If you don't like it by ep 3, move on.

I finish the first season of anything no matter what.

>>33681
Most anime only have 1 season anyway though.

>>33683
Well, yeah. So?

>>33400
This is my attitude. I don't really see why I should wait 3 episodes to assess a show, the first 10 minutes will give you an idea of how the show looks, sounds, what the thrust of the story is as well as the attitude of the main character. If these things don't add up to something that amuses me instantly, then I'll move on. There are plenty of shows out there, it's not like I'm starved for choice.

Sometimes this means that I end up dropping a show before it gets good, but it's pretty fucking rare. Sometimes I'll give a show another chance if I hear that it gets more interesting later on, but otherwise I can't be bothered. I don't have time to waste with subpar shows.

>>33400
Basically this. I've even done the reverse and dropped a show when there was only one episode left.

I enjoy dropping shit quality anime so much that sometimes I download ep1 of whatever just to see how quickly I can positively assess it's shittiness and confidently drop it.
I wasn't always like this, but year of wasting my valuable free time giving crap anime 2nd, 3nd & 4nd chances taught me the lesson. There is some regret involved in dropping at ep 5, while dropping at minute 5 is more like freeing yourself from a burdensome responsibility.

Been watching anime for like 26 years. I definitely don't need 3 episodes to know if I'm going to like a show. Generally the first 5-15 minutes of ep 1 is enough.

>>33816
Yeah they rarely have any substantial twists past the first ep. ep 1 and 3 just seem to be where they put the most attention to detail.

"3 episode rule" is because that's how long it takes to do a story arc. I usually watch one story arc (3-4 eps) to see how it is like.

>>33396
What's the equivalent rule for manga? 1 volume? 3 chapteres?

I use a quicker one episode rule; hook me in now or forget about it....

First approach is 3-episode rule, but it's also the same as >>33397 where if I get a hint I won't like the story, I'll just avoid watching it entirely.
As well as >>33400 where if I get bad vibes on episode 1, I'll drop it immediately.

After watching so many series over so many years, most will have learned that their time is worth so much more than wasting precious time on a series they don't like.

For me, the characters are just as important as story. If I dislike either of those, immediately dropped. But makes it feels that much more satisfying when you do find a gem that passes the vibe check

>>33396
If I find the first episode boring or off-putting, I drop it. If I know that it's just a generic comedy show, I might drop it even sooner. My backlog is huge and I don't want to waste time on things that I don't enjoy.

The first few minutes are enough to decide if I like the art style, the sense of humor, the main voice actors, the score and the sound work.

In more "serious" genres, there are a lot of shows that only really get started after a few episodes, but by the end of ep1 there's bound to be at least some kind of foreshadowing of it taking a turn that I might like or dislike.

The problem is just with shows that change drastically about half-way through.
Ergo Proxy is a good example where the first half is totally different from the second half, and you might not like the first half if you're the kind of person who really enjoys the second one, and vice-versa.

It depends. I usually don't consider dropped shows as rejected shows. Many times something comes up and I am not in the mood that watch that kind of anime anymore. So, technically I always watch until the end, or at least try to. If I drop it, I will try to come back to it later. Many years later. But if I even come back to it many times and dislike it, then it's officially a drop.
Most of the times I dropped an anime were not because of disinterest, but of circumstances.

Madhouse sucked me into Frieren by editing the first 4 episodes together into a single 90 minute movie. That way they got to do the whole introduction arc without constant interruptions by artificial cliffhangers to keep the audience tuning in next week again.

Would be nice if more shows did this.

>>37932
I'd love to see a fan cut of the series that did this tbh. The 24ish minute shows are too short for its arcs but I'm not waiting multiple weeks to get around to watching a new series just so i can marathon it

>>37932
I think something like that was done for the first episode of Oshi no Ko. It was +1h long and served as a good intro to the show. It definitely helped building interest for the series right away instead of having to wait a month for people to realize if they liked it or not. I guess you have the luxury to do something like that only if you have a big budget supporting you

There are a lot of shows I drop at the first episode. I usually look for something that immediately draws me in and I'll watch the whole series no problem. Those dropped series will usually pop up in my idle thoughts and I'll try again and they'll stick.

>>33396
If the premise doesn't excite or impress you, skip it straight away..

Over the past year I've been trying to never drop anything. Even the most dogshit show I'll still finish. Sometimes I really have to force myself and for some shit I'm watching 5 minutes a day for weeks to months until I finish it. But at least I never feel the fear of missing out, because I never miss out anymore.

Now, this is actually pretty healthy in my opinion for anime because they're short and it trains you to finish what you start no matter what even if you have to force yourself, which can be helpful in other scenarios. But I also do it for VNs and I have now been reading White Album 2 for two years and I hate myself because it's just not my thing. Almost finished though I'm on coda.

>>38104
Use a player (eg. vlc) that can play at 1.5x speed without increasing the potch of the audio. Hehe.

>>33396
After decades of anime experience I don't even start things that I won't like. But for those that I give a chance there is no real rule. In many cases I look into it and only need minutes till I can tell that it isn't for me and drop. Depends on the dialogues it has and how good or stupid/artificial they are, the designs, surroundings, the narrative etc.

Three episode rule happens when an anime is objectively fine and well-produced but failing to catch my attention. Current example: Dandadan. Looks fine, feMC isn't bad for once and everybody praises it. But the first two episodes bored me. I will give it three because of that since a few things seem to change with ep. 3. Might change my opinion. If not I drop it.

>fear that I may have missed out
I had this in the 00s. Watched so fucking much even if it was bad because I always thought "what if I miss a mind-blowing reveal or ending?" Here is the thing though, I eventually got a burnout and realised that the ending will never be good if the characters and writing isn't.
If scenes don't hit now they won't hit later. A bad series with bad characters and bad writing can incorporate a great twist or idea, but it won't work because the rest is bad. It's at best like good lyrics for a song and genre you hate.

This happened outside of anime, but I used to not drop anything, until I forced myself to watch the whole of the original Kamen Rider series, all 98 episodes and two short movies. That made me reevaluate my life. Now I am much less lenient, I've dropped series that were eight episodes long after watching only two, and halfway through I already knew I wouldn't go on. The only thing I can't really manage is to just stop halfway through an episode.