It’s a weird case — the game clearly has a large fanbase.
Summary:
Blue Archive The Animation is based on a highly popular mobile game.
Despite that, it wasn’t licensed in the US — likely because of the obsession with fanservice within the fandom.
It’s possible to watch with English subs in Asia, but the translation quality is very low.
Blue Archive The Animation is based on a gacha game developed by Yostar. The game has a massive fanbase around it, and it released multiple promotional shorts on YouTube before. Despite the popularity, however, not a single streaming company in the West picked it up — and that upsets fans a lot.
Probably Not Licensed Because of Fan Culture
There’s no real reason why the series hasn’t been licensed. The source material is incredibly popular — much more than many source materials for other series airing this season. It would have definitely had high ratings on any platform it was streamed on — clearly, lack of profitability isn’t the reason for this.
Many fans feel that a lack of license is related to the obsession of fans with fanservice — which many find very controversial. The fandom culture of Blue Archive is certainly unique and off-putting to many.
Still, the anime itself actually has next to no fanservice — it’s a wholesome show that mixes action and slice-of-life moments. For how much fanservice there was in the game, the anime, which adapts the main story, severely tones down those aspects.
English Subs Exist
The anime, however, is possible to watch with English subs — but not in the US. It’s licensed on YouTube by Ani-One Asia, and, technically, you can watch it in the regions the licensor covers.
Fans are not happy about this license, though — the quality of the subtitles is downright atrocious. They’re not better than a machine translation, full of mistakes obvious even to non-native English speakers.
The Episode Was Good
As for the episode itself, it was generally well-received. Lack of fanservice didn’t actually bother the fans — it’s entirely optional, after all. The anime, so far, adapts the main story very well, and the animation is very good.
If there’s one issue with the Blue Archive anime, it’s the second half being really weird — which some anime-only viewers have noticed. That’s because it adapts the actual combat gameplay of the gacha, which is really underwhelming. Sure, the action scenes in the anime looked cool, but they seemed to serve no purpose.
If you’re somehow confused about the plot of the anime — for example, girls having halos over their heads, or why they’re seemingly immune to bullets, then you’re not alone. Source fans can’t really answer those questions, because that’s just how this world works. This is the perfect example of “don’t worry about it.”
It’s a weird case — the game clearly has a large fanbase.
Summary:
Blue Archive The Animation is based on a highly popular mobile game.
Despite that, it wasn’t licensed in the US — likely because of the obsession with fanservice within the fandom.
It’s possible to watch with English subs in Asia, but the translation quality is very low.
Blue Archive The Animation is based on a gacha game developed by Yostar. The game has a massive fanbase around it, and it released multiple promotional shorts on YouTube before. Despite the popularity, however, not a single streaming company in the West picked it up — and that upsets fans a lot.
Probably Not Licensed Because of Fan Culture
There’s no real reason why the series hasn’t been licensed. The source material is incredibly popular — much more than many source materials for other series airing this season. It would have definitely had high ratings on any platform it was streamed on — clearly, lack of profitability isn’t the reason for this.
Many fans feel that a lack of license is related to the obsession of fans with fanservice — which many find very controversial. The fandom culture of Blue Archive is certainly unique and off-putting to many.
Still, the anime itself actually has next to no fanservice — it’s a wholesome show that mixes action and slice-of-life moments. For how much fanservice there was in the game, the anime, which adapts the main story, severely tones down those aspects.
English Subs Exist
The anime, however, is possible to watch with English subs — but not in the US. It’s licensed on YouTube by Ani-One Asia, and, technically, you can watch it in the regions the licensor covers.
Fans are not happy about this license, though — the quality of the subtitles is downright atrocious. They’re not better than a machine translation, full of mistakes obvious even to non-native English speakers.
The Episode Was Good
As for the episode itself, it was generally well-received. Lack of fanservice didn’t actually bother the fans — it’s entirely optional, after all. The anime, so far, adapts the main story very well, and the animation is very good.
If there’s one issue with the Blue Archive anime, it’s the second half being really weird — which some anime-only viewers have noticed. That’s because it adapts the actual combat gameplay of the gacha, which is really underwhelming. Sure, the action scenes in the anime looked cool, but they seemed to serve no purpose.
If you’re somehow confused about the plot of the anime — for example, girls having halos over their heads, or why they’re seemingly immune to bullets, then you’re not alone. Source fans can’t really answer those questions, because that’s just how this world works. This is the perfect example of “don’t worry about it.”
