Hot Step Jump shows just why I dislike passing judgement on a series until I’ve seen most or all of it:

After watching the first episode of Mokke a few weeks ago, I wrote, “The first episode didn’t necessarily grab me as much as I would’ve liked, but I think the show has a lot of potential.” Yet, despite my optimism, I proceeded to put the show out of sight and out of mind, almost to the point of forgetting about it entirely. This past weekend, however, I sat down and watched a few more episodes and discovered that my initial impression of the show was pretty much on the mark. In fact, I’d even go so far as to now label it one of my favorite shows of the season. I’m glad I gave it a fair chance.

Even a series like Myself; Yourself, in which I wrote that I wasn’t necessarily impressed with the first episode, I decided to keep watching, and now 4 episodes into it, it’s starting to grow on me a little.

First episodes might give you an idea of what a series is about, but it won’t necessarily tell you how well the series will turn out. A series may start off with a bang, then go down hill, while others may start out slow then have a fantastic ending.

Kannazuki no Miko, while hardly the best anime I’ve ever seen, is a good example of a show that got better as the series progressed. Then there are series like His and Her Circumstances which I think start off really strong, then collapse near the end. You could not get a proper impression of either of those series by merely watching their first episodes (or even first DVD volumes).

Thus, I think it’s always good to reserve judgement, at least for a little while, while watching a series.