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Anime's 3-Episode Rule: Is It Still Valid?


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Sheenoobuu



Joined: 17 Sep 2019
Posts: 80
PostPosted: Thu Feb 02, 2023 11:13 am Reply with quote
Within the first three episodes the story should be properly introduced, a goal has been stated, and the pacing is established. Nier Automata is the best example of this I've ever seen and most shows have this structure just fot the simple fact that it's an easy way to draw in someone to be interested in a story quickly. Tbf some anime are so great they establish all of this in episode 1, but it's pretty rare. On the inverse there are plenty of shows that "get good later", which is perfectly fine. I see these as probably being shows that have a slow buildup that keeps building nonstop until the end of the show. That said, just because that's a thought out design, doesn't mean it's more or less likely to draw in viewers. It's still always better to draw in viewers asap rather than claim it will get better later. Also there's shows like One Piece that take this approach in a different way. One Piece may "get good " at a later point, but it doesn't change the fact that it's first few islands introducing Luffy, Zoro, and Nami are very well done and chaotic. Maybe around a 7 or 8 out of 10. The later stuff is a 10 though so "it gets good" is more like "it gets amazing" but it started out really cool already.(I'd say this is the most common pacing among the best anime)
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cutslo



Joined: 23 Dec 2016
Posts: 62
PostPosted: Thu Feb 02, 2023 11:52 am Reply with quote
Yeah, I don't really understand why this even warrants an article, at least not this one. Are there actually people who think the 3 ep rule is somehow law or scientific? In my experience, "3 ep rule" is just shorthand for "if you're not certain about an anime (after doing a reasonable amount of research on it) then consider watching more than just one episode, maybe something like three for a TV show of regular length", and that is as true as it's ever been.

I don't think it's a momentous realization that shows can get better or worse after the 3 episodes point. I also don't think anyone is under the impression that you have to watch a minimum of 3 episodes to form an opinion on anything, or doubts that if someone you trust recommends you something, it's probably worth watching.

3 ep is specifically helpful if you have watched one episode and still aren't sure, because one episode isn't enough to fully introduce settings, show how plot threads play out, or establish production value (first episodes almost always look better than the majority of an anime, the question is by how much). Also, personally I feel like at about 3 eps the sunk cost fallacy kicks in, and if you watch more than that you might as well watch 12 or 13, which often is the entire thing. If you ever thought this was an ironclad "rule", then that's on you. But it's not like it's not a helpful thing to keep in mind.
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Alan45
Village Elder



Joined: 25 Aug 2010
Posts: 9812
Location: Virginia
PostPosted: Thu Feb 02, 2023 4:05 pm Reply with quote
The three episode rule never made much sense to me. I don't really remember hearing about it before streaming became a big thing. The whole dynamic was different then and it depended on how you got your anime. Some people watched a few select shows on cable channels, some saw what their local club was showing and others pirated the stuff. I read everything I could find on the shows and decided to buy the first tape or disk when it came out. If I liked it I kept buying as additional disks came out, though the delay made it hard to maintain any momentum. With the exception of pirating, all of these put you a couple of years behind the Japanese market.

Now, if part of your enjoyment is dependent on participating in the discussion of episodes as they come out, you pretty much have to watch the show as it airs. For the rest of us, subscribe to Netflix, Crunchyroll and Highdive and you have access to more new anime each season than any reasonable person can watch. If the preview reviews make it seem bad, don't watch any episodes, if while watching the first episode you find yourself checking how much time is left, one episode is enough. If you enjoy the first episode or so, keep watching until the end or the show fails which ever comes first. Life is too short and there is too much anime to waste time on shows that aren't doing it for you. It is not like you are going to miss anything. If later on people keep telling you that you should have finished the show, it will still be there for the length of the license in most cases five to seven years or longer.

If you can't find enough in a season to fill your time, all the services have backlogs of older anime. Much of that backlog is likely better than the weaker shows out this season. If you are not a reviewer, being paid to watch a show, there is absolutely no point in watching shows you don't like. On the other hand, don't come here and ask, "Should I watch show X?" A single episode is usually 22 minutes. Go watch an episode and decide for your own damn self. Watch what you like, not what people tell you that you should like.
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SHD



Joined: 05 Apr 2015
Posts: 1752
PostPosted: Thu Feb 02, 2023 4:20 pm Reply with quote
Spastic Minnow wrote:
I actually have a differing opinion about Trigun. What the three episodes revealed to me was that it is focusing on the ugliest aspects of the story, wanton cruelty, and hopelessness.

It doesn't, though? It just takes a different storytelling approach than the manga and the first anime?

Like, yes, it started with that big dramatic thing whereas the other versions started with comedy and whatnot, but that's because those versions had time to do a slow burn and build toward the big dramatic thing as a revelation, whereas Stampede clearly doesn't. And so while those versions started with low stakes building toward high stakes, Stampede starts off with high stakes and then takes its foot off the gas so that, having established the stakes, it can spend some quality time with the characters. (And this approach was very obvious from the first three episodes, mind.)

I swear, of all the things the show can be criticized for, people here keep choosing the weirdest things to complain about instead. "Focuses on the ugly things!" - nope. "Has subpar writing for [doing perfectly valid things that literally countless other stories also do with nobody complaining, it's just not what the other Trigun versions have done]" - what.
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Grove



Joined: 04 Dec 2020
Posts: 11
PostPosted: Thu Feb 02, 2023 4:30 pm Reply with quote
My answer: Have the wonderful, dedicated folks at ANN use their time on my behalf. I use the Season Preview Guide to decide if I want to watch a show or not, and vote on shows I think have potential. I ask the ANN folks to watch the episodes for me first.
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ThrowMeOut



Joined: 10 Oct 2018
Posts: 256
PostPosted: Thu Feb 02, 2023 9:39 pm Reply with quote
95% of anime can be judged by the first episode. 99% from the first three. The fact that you have to dig back 12 years to find an exception to the rule just kinda shows how reliable said rule is.

But ultimately, watch anime however makes you happy. Whether you insist on finishing everything you start, or only watch the first 10 minutes of every show's third episode, you do you. It's not like there's any right or wrong way to watch TV.
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nobahn
Subscriber



Joined: 14 Dec 2006
Posts: 5120
PostPosted: Thu Feb 02, 2023 10:10 pm Reply with quote
The 3-episode rule became a thing when Madoka Magica shocked/surprised everyone.

As others have noted, it certainly blew Zac Bertschy away (RIP).....
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pikabot



Joined: 19 Nov 2014
Posts: 168
PostPosted: Fri Feb 03, 2023 3:59 am Reply with quote
Who ever believed that the three-episode rule was a universal thing to be applied to all shows? If something’s obviously total trash or obviously incredible after a single episode, why would you need two more to confirm it? Rather, it’s for shows where you’re on the fence after the first episode. If it hasn’t caught fire after two more episodes, it probably isn’t going to.
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Panophobia



Joined: 17 Jan 2020
Posts: 14
PostPosted: Fri Feb 03, 2023 4:03 am Reply with quote
You missed a really important aspect of the 3 episode rule in the article.
Usually, 3 episodes is 1/4th of the season. If you cannot enjoy that much of siad anime, that means, you will most likely not enjoy the other parts.So perfect time to drop it.
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PumpkinMouse



Joined: 05 Oct 2014
Posts: 80
PostPosted: Fri Feb 03, 2023 10:19 am Reply with quote
Grove wrote:
My answer: Have the wonderful, dedicated folks at ANN use their time on my behalf. I use the Season Preview Guide to decide if I want to watch a show or not, and vote on shows I think have potential. I ask the ANN folks to watch the episodes for me first.


Same, honestly, along with “This Week” columns for anything I was still uncertain about after the preview guide. It’s also really helpful when I’m trying to remember shows from previous seasons that I never got around to watching but which sounded interesting, because I constantly forget to add those shows to a watchlist on streaming services.
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Top Gun



Joined: 28 Sep 2007
Posts: 4566
PostPosted: Fri Feb 03, 2023 5:50 pm Reply with quote
This article reminds me of why I so very rarely watch series that are currently airing (not counting those that already have an earlier season under their belts). I don't like dropping series, so I don't decide to watch one unless I think it's worth my time, and the only way to be reasonably sure of that is to wait until it's over. I've been an anime fan long enough to have encountered my fair share of series that have horrifically botched their endings, and at this point I just don't have much patience for bad writing like that. Hell, if a show that looks interesting had weekly episode reviews, oftentimes I'll start out by going straight to the last episode's review: not because I want to deliberately spoil myself, but because I want a sense of what the reviewer thought about the ending. If it's clear that the series cratered somewhere along the way, I won't even bother to start it.
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Yaafm



Joined: 11 Mar 2017
Posts: 31
PostPosted: Fri Feb 03, 2023 8:15 pm Reply with quote
3 episode rule is entirely still valid and I feel most of the shows this season have proven it.
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SaneSavantElla



Joined: 25 Jan 2013
Posts: 217
PostPosted: Fri Feb 03, 2023 10:04 pm Reply with quote
Neither the 3-episode nor 1-episode "rules" are perfectly reliable in filtering out quality of a show, the only thing those, as well as the '0-episode' method, are good for is for filtering for your preferences. I use all of them ever since I started watching seasonals 12 years ago (urgh don't remind me). Read the synopsis and watch trailers to see if it's up your alley. Read the preview guide AND/OR watch the 1st episode to see if premise and production value holds up. Watch 2nd OR 3rd episode to see if it can actually keep up with the quality you expect. And finally, read the reviews and 'Best of' articles to see which gems you actually missed. I mean, that's partly what they're for and why ANN and various other anime communities are bookmarked in my browser in the first place. There's no foolproof filter you can use to catch all the good stuff, and neither is it a necessity; you don't have to (and can't always) watch anime while they're airing as sometimes you need to wait for them to become available to you.
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Beltane70



Joined: 07 May 2007
Posts: 3868
PostPosted: Sat Feb 04, 2023 12:39 am Reply with quote
I've personally have never subscribed to the 3-episode rule. I've dropped shows after just one episode, others I've dropped after a dozen or more episodes.I don't think that there's really any right or wrong way for people to judge if they're going to stick around with a show or not.
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Fluwm



Joined: 28 Jul 2009
Posts: 881
PostPosted: Sat Feb 04, 2023 7:54 am Reply with quote
If you can't find a good reason to keep watching a show after 3 episodes, you're not gonna find one after 30.

And, let's be honest, each season we also get anime that are so bad it's hard to even make it through just the one, first episode, nevermind more.
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