The anime industry is subject to change often and is constantly evolving. Over the last few years, the industry has changed a lot, and a lot of that has to do with the new audience and the current trends. Long-running anime series used to be the norm before, as seen with the likes of the Big Three. One Piece, Naruto, and Bleach were long series that dropped episodes weekly throughout the year. Now, this is rare to be seen as seasonal anime are preferred. Fans have adjusted to the seasonal anime schedule quite well over the last few years, but now, movies are also getting more popular, as seen with Demon Slayer. With these movies gaining so much popularity and being massively successful, it is quite clear to see that a major change is upon the fans once again. Moreover, fans’ dislike for filler or the fact that manga series are only getting shorter only adds to all this.
Long Running Anime Are Becoming Scarce
- Manga Are Getting Shorter By The Day
- Seasonal Anime Are Now Favored Over Weekly
Long-running anime series were the norm in the 2000s. Most big series received this kind of adaptation, where episodes would be pumped out weekly. Big examples of this are series like Naruto and One Piece, the latter of which still goes by this model to this day. Things have now changed, however, and anime series have largely stopped being weekly. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It does mean fans get less content throughout the year, but it’s usually in exchange for superior animation quality and better pacing. With the rise of seasonal anime, filler has also been going extinct. This is good, in a way, but also removes some of the fun associated with characters just being able to chill and interact without being chased by the plot.
At the same time, all this might also be a result of manga getting shorter by the day, which makes longer adaptations impossible. Years ago, most manga used to run for over 500 chapters, at the very least. But now, fans are lucky if a manga hits 300 chapters. Mangaka are simply not willing to sacrifice their life and health anymore for this rough industry, which is good, and it’s directly impacting the anime.
Seasonal Anime Might Also Be Under Attack By Movies
Demon Slayer and Its Movie Success Are Shaping the Industry
Seasonal anime are the norm at the moment, but they also might become less common in the upcoming years, and the blame goes to movies, specifically Demon Slayer movies. Demon Slayer has shown the industry just how big anime movies can be. Previously, anime movies were overlooked, especially overseas, but Demon Slayer: Mugen Train showed their true potential, which was followed up by Infinity Castle recently. While more anime movies might sound great, it’s actually a huge concern as they might start taking the place of seasonal anime. This would mean one arc could take a couple of years to conclude, which no one really wants. Hopefully, seasonal anime remains untouched despite the success of Demon Slayer.
Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle is out in theatres right now. Fans who don’t want to wait for the movies to drop can check the manga out on Manga Plus. Meanwhile, for the anime, the series currently has 4 anime seasons. These anime seasons can all be found on Crunchyroll. The remaining episodes of the series will, however, be animated into movies, which fans will have to wait for their theatrical release to watch, depending on their country.
- Release Date
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April 6, 2019
- Network
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Adult Swim
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