Does The Beginning After the End Pass the 3-Episode Test?

The Beginning After the End‘s anime adaptation is here, and fans are… incredibly divided. The anime is based on the webnovel series by author TurtleMe, which has been read by over 150 million people worldwide. A series that popular is bound to cause some controversy when it’s adapted into an anime. But, hardcore fans of the webnovels hate the new show, with some going so far as to sign a petition calling for it to be cancelled.

But, is The Beginning After the End‘s anime actually that bad? Three episodes of the series have been released so far, meaning it’s time to examine whether the series passes the “foolproof” anime metric of the three-episode rule.

Is The Beginning After the End Worth Watching?

After three episodes, it’s safe to say that The Beginning After the End isn’t a strong contender for the Best Anime of Spring 2025 award. In a season that includes Fire Force Season 3 and Lazarus, The Beginning After the End is this season’s mediocre isekai entry. The series tells the story of the tyrannical King Grey, who is mysteriously murdered and reborn in a fantasy world as Arthur Leywin, where he learns compassion from his loving family. The series blends the power fantasy of Solo Leveling with the isekai formula of Mushoku Tensei, but it fails to live up to the same quality as either.

The first episode was promising, although it included a lot of clunky exposition explaining the rules of the fantasy world. But Episode 2 was where fans became upset. The anime adaptation reduced the exciting fights from the webnovel into something akin to a PowerPoint presentation. That was the driving force behind the controversial petition. Did Episode 3 do enough to redeem the show for the rest of its debut season? Not really. Once again, lackluster animation let the series down. Although this time it was in the form of 3D animation.

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It’s unfortunate because The Beginning After the End has a very interesting concept, as King Grey’s former life is just as mysterious and interesting as the fantasy world he is reborn into. Whether you’ll enjoy The Beginning After the End is entirely dependent on your expectations going into it. Fans of TurtleMe’s webnovels despise the anime because they feel like the underwhelming animation hasn’t lived up to the same highs as the web novel. However, unaware audiences might not be so critical of the series.

After three episodes, The Beginning After the End‘s three-episode rule results depend on two questions. Do you want amazing anime fights? If yes, then The Beginning After The End fails hard. But if you want an interesting story and aren’t too bothered by mediocre animation, then you should definitely give The Beginning After the End a try.