Last poll from icassop for a while (I promise!). What's the most likely reason for you to stop reading a series that you had initially enjoyed? The options aren't exhaustive, but I gave you a wide range of choices!

You can submit poll ideas here (and try to keep them manga/anime-related)
http://www.mangaupdates.com/showtopic.php?tid=3903

Previous Poll Results:
Question: If you went to karaoke, you would choose...
Choices:
Mostly anime songs - votes: 1637 (21.5%)
Mostly Western songs - votes: 4072 (53.6%)
Mostly Asian songs - votes: 706 (9.3%)
Mostly songs that don't fit into the above categories - votes: 1183 (15.6%)
There were 7598 total votes.
The poll ended: May 9th 2015

I guess the other 2k+ people who didn't vote would never go karaoke

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A just ruler amongst tyrants

Voted for "Plot Veers off into a bad direction", but the option I really wanted is missing - "story elements that attracted me in the first place disappeared". I.e. instead of light erotic comedy with character interaction story transformed into one brutal war scene after another coupled with endless training montages...

"Plot veers off into a bad direction"
When that happens, it becomes unfortunate.

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"to the world you may be one person,
but to one person you may be the world."
-unknown

"There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so" (from Hamlet, Wm. Shakespeare; Act II, scene ii)

(Even though the quote above is from Hamlet, I first saw it in a Final Fantasy Versus XIII trailer on YouTube ^o^)

Irregular releases has been the biggest factor for me. The manga that I read usually only releases 1 new chapter a month or every other month. And when the releases become more irregular than that it's hard for me to remember what happened in the last chapter a few months ago, let alone stay interested in it.

The second factor would be boring plots. Some manga just keep redoing the same type of storylines, and while it's interesting at first, having the same story keep repeating itself is tiresome and lazy storytelling.

Well this is a first , didnt vote because i never drop series i like at the beginning. Since there was no option even remotely similiar like that no vote.

I was stuck between "plot veers off in a bad direction" and "boring plot". I chose the former and the results show that those two are indeed the major reasons people quit a series. I've dropped many series that I started reading, and among them are some that I followed for quite some time before quitting. The main reason is always that the author takes the story in a direction that I never expected and ended up disliking. Such a series might start off giving a certain vibe, a vibe that I like and that makes me wants to see how the author takes the story, but at some point the story takes a certain turn and after some time I realize what I am reading now is very, very different from what I was reading in the beginning. Almost like an entirely different story. Or maybe the author changed without me being aware. Either way, it leaves a bad taste in the mouth and that makes me simply lose interest in the future of the series. Among those I've dropped this year, "Magi - Labyrinth of Magic" stands out. It's like the author took a break, forgot about the difficulties of writing the story, then resumed only to find he needs to refresh his mind and get into the right mindset to continue (reread the earlier parts, go over his previous plans, etc.), but instead he takes a pen and just continues writing the first thing that comes to mind.

Now, that's one Real Poll!

On this regard, I would drop a series only if - Plot veers off into a bad direction or it becomes too boring or Random to bear with it. I mean, I will certainly stop reading it if the excitement of reading it dies. Or the author keep dragging it around.

For a example take Bleach, though I haven't given up on it yet. Kubo-sensei is dragging it around too much. The last chapter was too pointless. I mean it could be finished in four or five pages. And he don't need to bother with the small facts...and here Ichigo is just going up first, then coming down, then going up again and coming down a little...then sensei brings back dead guys...well Grimjaw is CooL!!
But, after all that, the main point is, he is dragging it too much!!

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[img]https://i.imgur.com/ERg8slD.gif[/img
[img]https://i.imgur.com/HphHlPh.gif[/img]
Tv Tokyo - Anime & Manga ~ MinatoAce

Impossible for me to choose just one! Too many unlikable characters (see: Smug jerkasses who never seem to get what they deserve) mixed with confusing story that is overall really boring and seems to never end yet seems to be released on a schedule kept by a cat with dementia. Oh and one that's not on the menu: Epic FAIL by the mangaka in his/her use of panels in a limited set of pages. Let the haters grill me but Bleach is a perfect example. Huge chunks of a single page dedicated to a close up of someone's face, or a distant explosion (which usually looks nothing more than a black sideways diamond on a plain white background; instead of some actual "plot" progression. Oh and the constant newer "powerups" that shounen protagonists seem to almost always need. I could go on but I'll be ranting non stop and by now many of you who are Bleach fanatics would have already tuned me out so yeah...

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People hate honest reviews.

I ended up picking "too many unlikable characters" cause it's pretty rare that the mangaka screws up so badly that they end up killing off or ruining everyone's favorite character (I'm looking at you Death Note).

Just thinking back the most common thought I've ever had while reading manga is "I don't care! Just get back to the character I actually care about!" Because more often than not one of the main characters is the only person I care about and everyone else is just filler. And pretty much all long running manga spend time piddling about side characters when all you want to see it the main one.

Fairy Tail had the entire arc about Erza when all I want to see is the Dragon Slayers backstories.

D. Grayman spent like 50 chapters focusing on Linalee and the side character's escapades when I just wanted to see Allen.

And I know you could call this "character development" but when they come out just as annoying and unlikable as they were going in then you just want to scream "Shut up and get the good stuff!!!"

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Cynicism at its best.

There are too many reasons : boring plot, too many unlikable characters, series never seems to end,...

And one that isn't really in the poll that made me drop a series, more than 10 chapters of continuous rape on the main female character, that was awful :s.

I voted for "Irregular releases"; however, that probably wasn't the best choice. Did I really drop it? Or did I just put it on hold for an undetermined amount of time...

The "I just didn't have time to keep up and forgot about it" would have probably been a better choice in hindsight.

Top reasons for me are:
- No character development
- Plot veers off into a bad direction / Boring plot
- Series just never seems to end / Pacing too slow

I can tolerate, for axample, a boring plot if there´s something else which makes up for it, like fan service. In this case I just look at the pictures and I´m done with it.

I never had the chance to sing Karaoke/Singstar so there is that and i chose the catch all Boring plot. Or in my own word: I will 100% give up on a series that was of quality before if it becomes a grind-fest only where Rumiko Takahashi reigns supreme or if even worse a clear ending point has been reached as Dragon Ball did when it ended for me with the marriage of Goku. What´s a Saiyan you ask? I don´t know!
Kangoku Gakuen / Yamada-kun to 7-nin no Majo pulled that very stunt recently when they ended their first (aka only) arc to become a license to print money which bothered me so much that i even revived both for that reason before dropping them. So my enemies this week would be disappointment in artist who can clearly do better and crass commercialism. All my examples hit big due to these very decision so i should never become and editor it seems .

I will never give up on a series due to a slowdown of release btw. as i started Berserk half a year before we got on the boatride of a lifetime in 2006 and i look forward to more years on the Sea Horse! The current hiatus started on 04 October 2014, Hunter x Hunter´s schedule which i started in 2001 redefines the meaning of ongoing but the wait makes the final product just more precious. "Service"/Violence also tend to escalate over time in all sorts of ongoing mediums which would be a good topic for it´s own poll...

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I also read EU/US comics and am a librarian.
Manga-Masters, My ANN-Lists + Imdb

I tend to drop a series when the author decided to add a 'this character got raped/ gets raped' or those things which leaves a really bad aftertaste for the rest of the day.

Boring plot was the easiest answer to go for if it's based on me voluntarily dropping it. More often I'm forced to drop a series I like because of lack of releases by the scanlator/scanlators drop/scanlators become inactive. Most of the time it's out of my hands but when it is in my hands, I suppose it's a boring plot. Sure a manga may have irregular releases but it doesn't mean it's off my radar 100%. If it unexpectedly updates, it'd be a treat. Of course with my tastes in mangas changing over time, a once interesting manga can turn boring.

Last edited by mysstris at 3:37 pm, May 12 2015