How much thought do y’all put into a choosing a show to watch?
I’m somewhat picky about the shows I watch. With so much anime out there, I want to make sure that I am enjoying my time. I do my research beforehand. I read the synopsis as well as a few reviews before I commit to anything.
There are some things that automatically make me uninterested while there are other things that pique my interest. For example, I like horror anime.
Some people get put off by certain art styles. Eh. I mean… my two favourite anime are One Piece and Kaiji. These are series that a lot of people say have “bad art.” I disagree but whatever.
When I start a show, the first episode is a dealbreaker for me. I know that a lot of anime viewers have a 3 episode rule but I’m not bothered to watch three episodes of something I don’t like. Then there are some people who never drop shows. These people never cease to amaze me. Sometimes I just stop watching within the first five minutes. Is that bad?
I’ve never thought much about the process of selecting a show so I’m interested in how you choose your shows!
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p.s. I’m planning on watching Shinsekai yori. I think it’ll be good.
I have a few shows on my Plan to Watch list. Maybe I’ll write a post about it.
Wretched and Divine 
I was planning on watching Shinsekai yori too!
I’ve been on a mystery / psychological kick and while I’d tried to watch it in the past and couldn’t get into it (slow intro and just wasnt interested at the time), I was planning on trying again. Hopefully it’ll be good as you think.
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I’m on episode 4 right now LOLOL! It is really interesting so far!!
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In terms of older series, I usually will go off of recommendations or things that I’ve seen discussed quite a bit. For seasonal anime it’s usually the description followed by watching episode 1. I typically try not to follow the 3 episode rule. I usually can get a good gauge as to whether it’s worth my time withing the first couple of episodes. If a series gets boring or just bad, I am not afraid to drop it and move on. I have watched 10 episodes of series to just discover that it wasn’t for me. In some cases I will decide to just binge a whole series once it’s completed if it seems appropriate. It all really just depends on the show. Sticking to a set rule is too restrictive for me.
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That’s so true!! I agree that setting a rule is too restrictive. There have been times where I was unsure about the first episode but still watched the second. I’ve also watched 10 episodes in a series before dropping it. Thanks for sharing!!
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I’d never heard of the 3-episode rule until I started aniblogging, but have long had a 2-ep rule for myself. Still, I definitely agree that you should stop watching the moment you realize that you’re just not gonna enjoy a show–there’s too much good stuff out there you could be watching instead!
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Yeah! Some shows do present a huge plot twist or something interesting later on but I would probably learn that from the review or from people talking about it. With so much good stuff out there PLUS new shows coming out every season, I feel like you have to be a little picky!
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I put a lot of thought into watching a show and I mostly find recommendations on YouTube…. after I listen to the soundtracks. If I like the soundtracks, then I’ll watch the show only if the plot and animation is decent. I’m super picky about anime especially. It can’t be dubbed. It can’t be mainstream (anything on cable and most stuff on Netflix). My biggest problem now is finding a free streaming site that isn’t littered with ads or inappropriate content.
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Ohh, it’s interesting that the soundtrack is an important consideration. I also don’t watch dub. Ohh, I see. I still recommend Crunchyroll as a good free site. It supports the industry but there are ads. It’s not too bad though (like watching commercials on TV) and it doesn’t have inappropriate content.
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I haven’t used Crunchyroll in years because of the annoying adds. I think there’s a fee that you can pay to get rid of the ads which I might look into. I used to use the Crunchyroll app on my iPad which worked pretty well! 🙂
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I think it’s around $8 a month which is not bad.
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$8 is a bit steep for me right now. Broke student here. Once I get a job, I will consider getting a subscription because I miss watching anime.
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That’s fair!!
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I have no problem dropping an anime on the first episode if it simply seems bad. Or too problematic on the subject matter. Or it strikes a bad chord with me emotionally. If I see glowing reviews from people I respect I can always pick it up again.
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Same! I usually pick up dropped shows after people tell me to keep watching and it’s usually always worth it. 🙂
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Life is too short to waste it on bad anime!
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I kinda agree with you on deciding on the first episode. Like, 3 episodes is 25% of a show. You shouldn’t need to watch/read 25% of anything to be interested in it. I usually wait for shows to be finished though, as many shows have a huge drop in story/quality halfway through the season…
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Ohh, I never thought about episodes in terms of percentages before!! I’ll remember this. XD
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