What does it take for an anime to get a second season?

Low popularity, sudden changes in the production team and lack of material to animate are some of the main factors that influence most series to stay in a season of between 12-24 episodes, without the possibility of a second. . What factors are involved in the production decision?

Anime popularity

It is clear that to get a second season, the series must first achieve an adequate level of popularity. If the first season is poorly received by fans then there is a very low chance of a sequel. Studios determine the level of popularity based on television ratings and the amount of related merchandise sold since they represent revenue for the production.

It should be mentioned that the rating is not necessarily related to quality. It is rather determined by how many people watch the program during its broadcast on television or streaming through official platforms.

Sales, on the other hand, are measured by the number of merchandise sold, such as Blu-ray/DVD, illustrations and scale figures. Naruto and its multiple filler seasons are an example of this, as fans of the series regularly and consistently purchase merchandise from the franchise, which translates into enough revenue to produce more seasons.

Staff changes and availability

Although it is possible to produce a second season of an anime, it is also possible that the same production team will not participate in it. This can have both a positive and negative impact. Due to the absence of staff members, the replacements will have to take their place despite not having participated in the original project. Sometimes members unfamiliar with the series are potential elements to cause a change in the workflow and productivity of the content, especially if they are replacing key members of the production, for example, the director.

On the other hand, it can also be a potential opportunity to include people with new ideas and perspectives that could ultimately make a product more successful than the original. Studios usually struggle to keep the original crew, and even the absence of some members can delay the production of a second season.

But this is not something exclusive to the staff, since there can also be problems with the voice actors. Consistency is very important, and unless there is an emergency or unavoidable situation, the studios will always keep the voices of their characters. This presents an obvious conflict, since the agendas of the voice actors cannot be made available to the production companies.

Shingeki no Kyojin's second season delay was a perfect example, as Yuuki Kaji, Eren Jaeger's voice actor, is in high demand and was involved in various projects. His extreme workload and busy schedule caused production delays as he was not available at all.

Lack of material to animate

While there are many original series that start directly in animation, most are adaptations from other sources such as manga, light novels, and video games. It stands to reason that if the anime catches up with the source material, there won't be a new season until the source material has progressed significantly.

Light novels and manga are especially affected by this situation. Clear examples are the Oregairu and Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai light novels.

Both series were successful enough to have a second season, but because the anime adaptations covered up the content of the source material available up to that point, the second seasons were forced to be put on hold indefinitely.

When it comes to video games, animation studios have an even bigger challenge when the material to adapt runs out. This is because when a video game series ends, it means that the story has been completely closed. The only way to get a second season is if there is a future release related to the saga that could offer content to adapt.

Steins;Gate is an example of this, as after its first visual novel was complete, it wasn't until the release of the spin-off Steins;Gate 0 that a new anime adaptation was produced.

In short, getting a second season of an anime is quite complicated. While some shows never got a sequel, others get new seasons almost every year. For fans who despair at the fact that a series does not get a sequel, it is always a good idea to read the source material and support the productions by buying merchandise or watching the series through legal streaming platforms.