This week's poll was suggested by punchmanga. Do you think reading the first chapter is enough to evaluate a series? Do you judge a book by its cover?

You can submit poll ideas here
http://www.mangaupdates.com/showtopic.php?tid=3903

Previous Poll Results:
Question: Do you have or think you have a mental health condition?
Choices:
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) - votes: 284 (5.4%)
Panic attacks - votes: 82 (1.6%)
Psychosis - votes: 15 (0.3%)
Eating disorders - votes: 79 (1.5%)
Dissociative disorders - votes: 28 (0.5%)
Borderline personality disorder - votes: 69 (1.3%)
Depression - votes: 867 (16.6%)
Autism - votes: 235 (4.5%)
Bipolar - votes: 80 (1.5%)
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) - votes: 180 (3.4%)
Anxiety disorders - votes: 613 (11.7%)
Alcohol / Substance abuse - votes: 47 (0.9%)
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) - votes: 40 (0.8%)
Schizophrenia - votes: 37 (0.7%)
None - votes: 1588 (30.4%)
Other - votes: 162 (3.1%)
Multiple - votes: 814 (15.6%)
There were 5220 total votes.
The poll ended: August 31st 2018

Hopefully you guys seek out assistance!

A just ruler amongst tyrants

To me pilot chapter or first chapter cannot be use to judge the entire series because it usually shift in tone when it become serialized (multi vols).

Really depends on the series, sometimes the first chapter is only introducing the beginning of the issues and no solution to that, for that kind of series it's pretty normal to wait for several chapters mmm...
But most of the time, with only the first chapter I can make assumption whether the series will be good or not mmm...

I will change this world mmm...
So the world can change me mmm...

Bear in mind that the question is if you know if you'll Like a series or not after the first chapter, not if you'll know if a series is good or not after the first chapter. As we all know, liking a series and said series being "good" are not mutually inclusive.

In any case, this mostly comes down to how that first chapter is written. If it's mostly intro (as it should be) and world building and starts off slowly as a result, then I know I'm gonna need more chapters to see if I'll like the series. Now if it gives me a little taste of everything and things to come in that first chapter, then I'll almost immediately be able to make a decision about whether I'll like the series or not.

50/50 chance.
Depending on the type of literature, I normally read one or two volumes or at the very least 5-10 chapters before making this decision.

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Tv Tokyo - Anime & Manga ~ [color=red]MinatoAce[/color]

Well as my "good" is subjective, if I like a manga then it should be a good manga mmm...
Even if the manga is generally accepted as garbage, if I like it then it's a good manga in my book mmm...

I will change this world mmm...
So the world can change me mmm...

It really depends. I remember dropping a series after a couple of chapters (can we really say "dropping" when I couldn't even finish the first volume?), but I usually read more than one chapter even if the first one isn't mind-blowing.

Never, I always need multiple chapters. If I like the 1st chapter, that does not mean I like the second. If I dislike the chapter, does not mean I don't love the series. In my opinon, the 1st chapter can not even be used as a benchmark for liking a series. By the first two volumes, I know for sure if I like the story or not.

This evaluation is different for oneshots where the series ends with the 1st chapter. If its a oneshot, I can decide if I like the series by the end of the 1st chapter.

Internet Lurker At Heart

I answered "barely ever", but no, it's not out of the question.

I seldom make those kinds of snap judgments.........if I've tried it at all it means I've looked over it/whatever information I can find about it quite a bit already and am going to at the very least give it somewhat of a chance......... but yeah, I can see a single chapter having elements I know I'm not going to like and dropping it on the spot, unlikely but not altogether impossible or never happened for me.

Yes, most of the time if what i see is rubbish, or if the pilot is ultra-bland, or if what I see just reaffirms a negative attitude towards the creator(s). If what i see is at least a solid C+, a 6/10 if you want, then I go on and reevaluate at a later date.
There is just too much stuff out there to wade through rubbish unless i know things get better later. The Star Trak Next Generation problem if you want. But the story needs to be rather far along or already finished to have that problem and i have no backlog for translated manga. Meaning that my answer is set in stone for at least manga.

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

In my memory I only have The Promised Neverland where the first chapter was enough. I guess that it's more of an often occurance in anime (adapted or not).

Usually takes me a few increments before I see if a series is really worth continuing. Although, there have been a few series such as Legend of Lemnear and Sabaku no Tami which I didn't care for, but finished anyway because it was that short, or because I wanted to see how things develop (Watching Martian Successor Nadesico was a painful experience with this because it just didn't get any better, but I couldn't stop myself from watching it).

[img]http://www.dragonflycave.com/wpay/mew.gif[/img]

Personally, it depends on how long the first chapter is and how much background if any is given to me.. but ost of the time it takes until ch 5 before i go, "eehhh, not for me".

I find it quite easy to tell from the first chapter that I wont like the series... but deciding whenever I like it takes more chapters so it's a Maybe/No thing rather than Yes/No decision.

It depends on the pace of the series.
If there's enough content in the first chapter, then yeah, but some series are definitely more of a slow burn.
Thus, I chose 50/50 Chance.

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