How to Judge an Anime at First Glance

There are so many anime every season. An otaku can't be expected to watch every single one of them!!
So here's my method:

Step One: Buzz
What have I read about this?
Are others excited about?

I get all my buzz off the Crunchyroll news reels

Step Two: Title
What's it called?
Does the title tell the story?
Is the title vague and alluring?

A lot of the time I'll watch an anime just because it has the same word as another series I liked. (i.e. Nichijou -> Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou, AnoHana -> AnoNatsu)

Step Three: Screenshot
Woo! First episode released!
Do I like the animation style, just based on the small icon provided?
How about the character designs?

I will refuse to watch a series because I don't like the animation style or character designs. :P

Step Four: Genre
Does this have a genre I don't like?
Is it yaoi/yuri/ecchi?

I HATE HISTORICAL. Other than that I'll watch just about anything.


I'm picky about really weird things, but when you are only focusing on the anime coming out at the start of seasons you can't be too picky about plot. If you're looking for an anime with a specific kind of plot, it probably already exists! So go look for it!