Studio Pierrot is remembered by many for its long-running series, like Naruto and Bleach.
In a recent interview, the CEO said the format is slowly going away.
Fans feel it’s a change for the better.
Studio Pierrot has been somewhat infamous among the anime fandom. Yes, they made many iconic anime — however, the actual quality of their adaptations has often been questioned. They’re known for anime like Naruto, Bleach and Tokyo Ghoul — and the former two illustrate one of their most popular production strategies.
The studio has made many long-running series in the past — and while the format is now fading away, we still got Boruto: Naruto Next Generations and Black Clover from them.
However, a recent statement by the studio’s CEO, Michiyuki Honma, shows that those might go away, and the studio is likely to switch to the “1-2 cours, multiple seasons” production model that is so popular these days.
Demon Slayer’s Popularity Proves That Short Shounen Series Can Be Successful
A recent interview with Honma revealed that he considers Ufotable’s Demon Slayer (Kimetsu no Yaiba) to be a groundbreaking work in the industry. It certainly made a lot of impact, but in the interview, Honma specifically mentioned how it affected the production of future battle shounen anime.
The success of Demon Slayer has led many to believe that anime produced with a higher budget and split into many seasons are way more successful than long-running series. As such, the CEO of Pierrot believes, this might become the prevalent format going forward, at least within the studio itself — and possibly for the entire industry.
Long-Runners Have a Lot of Problems
Fans aren’t even that unhappy long-running anime are going away. Well, things like One Piece (which is made by Toei Animation) are probably here to stay, but we are probably not getting another Naruto. Especially when Boruto S1 is over (and we don’t know anything about the planned sequel).
Still, long-running series have a lot of problems.
While it can be fun to watch an epic series spanning hundreds of episodes, most fans nowadays feel that these anime are too bloated for their own good. They are often suffering from issues like fillers, slow pacing, and low production quality every now and then.
In fact, some even argue that people wouldn’t even be watching them nowadays, and that they only were watched in the past due to a lack of alternatives.
The New Format Might Be Better
The new format has its benefits as well. On average, it allows for better production — the studio can take breaks between seasons. Moreover, you don’t need to pad the anime with fillers in the case of catching up with the manga.
An example of a successful change to a multi-season production is Bleach — the Thousand-Year Blood War adaptation is incredibly well-received, even compared to the original anime.
Studio Pierrot is remembered by many for its long-running series, like Naruto and Bleach.
In a recent interview, the CEO said the format is slowly going away.
Fans feel it’s a change for the better.
Studio Pierrot has been somewhat infamous among the anime fandom. Yes, they made many iconic anime — however, the actual quality of their adaptations has often been questioned. They’re known for anime like Naruto, Bleach and Tokyo Ghoul — and the former two illustrate one of their most popular production strategies.
The studio has made many long-running series in the past — and while the format is now fading away, we still got Boruto: Naruto Next Generations and Black Clover from them.
However, a recent statement by the studio’s CEO, Michiyuki Honma, shows that those might go away, and the studio is likely to switch to the “1-2 cours, multiple seasons” production model that is so popular these days.
Demon Slayer’s Popularity Proves That Short Shounen Series Can Be Successful
A recent interview with Honma revealed that he considers Ufotable’s Demon Slayer (Kimetsu no Yaiba) to be a groundbreaking work in the industry. It certainly made a lot of impact, but in the interview, Honma specifically mentioned how it affected the production of future battle shounen anime.
The success of Demon Slayer has led many to believe that anime produced with a higher budget and split into many seasons are way more successful than long-running series. As such, the CEO of Pierrot believes, this might become the prevalent format going forward, at least within the studio itself — and possibly for the entire industry.
Long-Runners Have a Lot of Problems
Fans aren’t even that unhappy long-running anime are going away. Well, things like One Piece (which is made by Toei Animation) are probably here to stay, but we are probably not getting another Naruto. Especially when Boruto S1 is over (and we don’t know anything about the planned sequel).
Still, long-running series have a lot of problems.
While it can be fun to watch an epic series spanning hundreds of episodes, most fans nowadays feel that these anime are too bloated for their own good. They are often suffering from issues like fillers, slow pacing, and low production quality every now and then.
In fact, some even argue that people wouldn’t even be watching them nowadays, and that they only were watched in the past due to a lack of alternatives.
The New Format Might Be Better
The new format has its benefits as well. On average, it allows for better production — the studio can take breaks between seasons. Moreover, you don’t need to pad the anime with fillers in the case of catching up with the manga.
An example of a successful change to a multi-season production is Bleach — the Thousand-Year Blood War adaptation is incredibly well-received, even compared to the original anime.
