In recent years, many anime fans have noticed a shift away from weekly episodes in favor of seasonal anime, 12-24 episode seasons that adapt specific manga arcs. This push has led to what many consider higher quality adaptations of popular manga. Fans have also noticed a decreasing amount of filler episodes as seasonal anime has dominated the industry.
But is the sudden lack of filler episodes a good thing or a bad thing? And what does this shift from weekly to seasonal anime mean for the industry as a whole?
Why Are There More Seasonal Anime Today?
Weekly anime often follow a stricter schedule, with very few breaks for the staff in between. Because it’s more long-term, the budget is not as generous either, which is why weekly anime often have lower quality animation compared to seasonal shows. Weekly anime also typically adapt longer-running titles, which gives the staff more material to work with for the longer interim. During those times when the anime threatens to overtake the manga, the filler episodes start kicking in until the manga moves further ahead once more.
Seasonal anime often have much better budgets that allow for higher quality animation because there are longer breaks in between each season. These breaks also give the authors more time to push their story forward so, by the time the anime adaptation returns, there’s already more than enough material to use for the current season. This allows for more faithful adaptations as fillers and anime-original endings can be avoided more easily.
What Filler Episodes Are Meant to Accomplish in Anime
For long-running series like Naruto or One Piece, filler episodes were needed to fill in time after the anime caught up to the manga. Unlike regular episodes, filler episodes follow completely original storylines and are often considered fluff as they usually don’t add much to the plot. Many even question the canonicity behind filler episodes, but for others they offer fun new storylines and perspectives — especially since these episodes often act as breathers in between all the more serious plotlines.
Seasonal anime are typically much shorter, with just 11-13 episodes. Those based on longer-running titles, like Spy x Family and Haikyuu!!, are released in parts rather than a weekly series — which means the show isn’t continuously airing for an entire year. Because of this, seasonal anime adaptations typically adapt material straight from the manga and rarely ever include filler episodes because they’re not necessary. This means major alterations to the story are less likely to occur, making them much more faithful adaptations.
How the Anime Market Is Shifting Away From Filler
As seasonal anime become more popular, weekly anime have become less and less common — even for long-running shonen titles like Attack on Titan and My Hero Academia. This shift has also led to more well-animated and faithful adaptations, which are especially evident among reboots of previously released titles like Fruits Basket. This shift has led to more fans wanting to see proper adaptations of other classics like Reborn! and Ouran High School Host Club.
The move for more seasonal releases also makes it easier for studios to produce more anime, leading to more and more anime released per year. There’s more anime being made now more than ever, but that isn’t necessarily a good thing. More shows means more working hours for underpaid staff — which is why many anime studios have recently come under fire for poor treatment of workers.
Filler episodes have always been a bit contentious with anime fandoms, with some even actively avoiding watching them as they’re often viewed as unnecessary to the overall narrative. But with filler episodes now becoming a rarity in anime, fans who are looking for more non-canon fluff pieces might be better off turning to fan fiction.