A curious discussion is taking place on Japanese forums, Do long first episodes guarantee the success of an anime??
There is no doubt that Oshi no Ko It is Sousou at Frieren (Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End) were two of the most important anime productions of the year 2023. Leaving aside their plots and much more, both series have something in common: It turns out that the debut episodes of both series had a duration extended period instead of the usual 30-minute block.
When it comes to the first episode of an anime series, this one usually introduces the characters. However, in recent years there have been over 200 releases per year, making it much more difficult for an anime to stand out. For this reason, many animes extend their initial episodes to quickly reach the initial climax of the story and captivate the audience from the first broadcast..
Apparently, this strategy continues to produce favorable results for the majority of anime series that have resorted to using it. Not only Sousou at Frieren with a first episode of 120 minutes and Oshi no Ko with a 90-minute first episode, but also Kimetsu no Yaiba: Katanakaji no Sato-hen had an extended first and last episode of 60 minutes; It is Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu it also resorted to extended episodes when it had a remaster. Other successful examples were Kusuriya no Hitorigoto It is Uma Musume Pretty Derby.
But do the dynamics of the extended first episode really guarantee the success of a series? Fans are debating about this:
- It’s not that these series were successful because of the extended first episode, but we finally realized that twenty minutes per episode is sometimes not enough to judge a series completely.
- I think the extended start is just a way of looking at things, like waiting for three or four episodes to come out and watching them in a row to decide whether you’re going to watch a series or not. Eventually you realize that a series will be successful or not as it progresses, I don’t think the extended premiere has much to do with it.
- I love Sousou no Frieren. However, I’m more than sure that not everyone would have fallen in love with the series if there hadn’t been an extended release. After all, you had to witness Frieren’s emotional development from the beginning.
- I feel that the interest comes more from how much it is recommended by those who read the original work, be it manga or light novel, and not so much from an extended release.
- Ragna Crimson also had an extended first episode, but it wasn’t enough to make the series popular.
- I think success doesn’t come from the first extended episode, but rather from the first extended episode deciding precisely whether the original work is popular or not.
- It’s great and all that there are long-running first episodes, but eventually all premieres will be like that and it will stop being something special.
