Are weekly episodes the best way to air a show, or should we sometimes wait?
Waiting has never been the strongest human suit, so weekly anime releases without any hiatuses might be a dream come true for some viewers. While this idea seems wonderful at first, there are still some things we should keep in mind.
There are several factors that can make a show great. First of all, most viewers are interested in well-thought-out stories and charming characters. It doesn’t matter what genre you like, might it be an action fighting series or a cute romantic story, you won’t be invested if you’re bored. Storytelling is what keeps a show afloat.
When it comes to animated series, the artstyle is also highly important. Even the most intricate plots can become unattractive if the picture is not visually appealing and you don’t like what you see.
One more thing fans usually pay attention to is pacing i.e. the speed at which the story unfolds. In a well-paced series, everything should be strategically placed.
It maintains the audience's interest, creates suspense, and builds tension. Most viewers are also not huge fans of filler episodes with zero action that don’t really move the plot forward.
With that being said, let’s analyze the influence that weekly episodes may have on these three major factors.
Plot-wise, most anime are based on manga, which makes it easier for anime creators. They don’t often have to invent something, they have the original material and they just need to adapt it. No one says it’s easy, of course, but it’s definitely not as time consuming as writing your own story. Taking this into account, it’s safe to say that weekly released manga-based series have only one problem when it comes to the story: are there enough manga chapters to keep this format going?
Animation, on the other hand, is a completely different issue. It takes an enormous amount of time to animate all of the details and make the series look dynamic and interesting to watch. The quality of the final product usually depends on the amount of time spent on animating, that’s why it’s important to let animators take their time. Otherwise the companies might be in danger of crunch (working extra hours intensively to meet a deadline for a long period of time) followed by burning out of the staff.
Just like the plot, pacing highly depends on the anime's original source. Anime creators might change the sequence of manga events to make the viewers more involved. For example, in the Final Season of Attack on Titan chapter 123 of manga was moved to change the pacing without making major alterations to the story. It’s once again a matter of adaptation which doesn’t strongly affect the quality of the final product.
As you can see, the main problem with rushed series releases is the animation quality. Not all companies can afford hiring such an extensive staff that will let it work on an anime for a long time without getting exhausted and losing the quality of the show. So maybe it’s not such a bad idea to wait?
Are weekly episodes the best way to air a show, or should we sometimes wait?
Waiting has never been the strongest human suit, so weekly anime releases without any hiatuses might be a dream come true for some viewers. While this idea seems wonderful at first, there are still some things we should keep in mind.
There are several factors that can make a show great. First of all, most viewers are interested in well-thought-out stories and charming characters. It doesn’t matter what genre you like, might it be an action fighting series or a cute romantic story, you won’t be invested if you’re bored. Storytelling is what keeps a show afloat.
When it comes to animated series, the artstyle is also highly important. Even the most intricate plots can become unattractive if the picture is not visually appealing and you don’t like what you see.
One more thing fans usually pay attention to is pacing i.e. the speed at which the story unfolds. In a well-paced series, everything should be strategically placed.
It maintains the audience's interest, creates suspense, and builds tension. Most viewers are also not huge fans of filler episodes with zero action that don’t really move the plot forward.
With that being said, let’s analyze the influence that weekly episodes may have on these three major factors.
Plot-wise, most anime are based on manga, which makes it easier for anime creators. They don’t often have to invent something, they have the original material and they just need to adapt it. No one says it’s easy, of course, but it’s definitely not as time consuming as writing your own story. Taking this into account, it’s safe to say that weekly released manga-based series have only one problem when it comes to the story: are there enough manga chapters to keep this format going?
Animation, on the other hand, is a completely different issue. It takes an enormous amount of time to animate all of the details and make the series look dynamic and interesting to watch. The quality of the final product usually depends on the amount of time spent on animating, that’s why it’s important to let animators take their time. Otherwise the companies might be in danger of crunch (working extra hours intensively to meet a deadline for a long period of time) followed by burning out of the staff.
Just like the plot, pacing highly depends on the anime's original source. Anime creators might change the sequence of manga events to make the viewers more involved. For example, in the Final Season of Attack on Titan chapter 123 of manga was moved to change the pacing without making major alterations to the story. It’s once again a matter of adaptation which doesn’t strongly affect the quality of the final product.
As you can see, the main problem with rushed series releases is the animation quality. Not all companies can afford hiring such an extensive staff that will let it work on an anime for a long time without getting exhausted and losing the quality of the show. So maybe it’s not such a bad idea to wait?
