FFS, there are already enough confusion among indexers about what constitutes a “season” when it is split into two parts. With five cours, I wouldn’t be surprised if it is split into three parts.
I saw this happen with Hyakushou Kizoku / Noble Farmer, it was officially 3 seasons made separately, but it numbered the episodes consecutively and even included episodes not broadcast on TV within its numbering. So thetvdb labels the first episode of the second season is S02E01, while tmdb thinks that it is S01E13, but it is episode number 15 according to its in-show title.
In the end, what is called a season is just quite arbitrary and up to the rights holders.
My feeling is a budget / production commitee / crew is put together for each season, and even if cours were split they were planned and announced together, but this is not always true either. Two or more seasons can be planned and announced at the same time, in some cases seasons aligns with major story arcs and there can be a production time gap in the middle of an arc.
I imagine people designing database for these stuff pulling their hairs out trying to get it right, only to have some wacky show break their assumption…… again.
5 split cours? does that mean we are getting 12 episodes on, 12 off for 2.5 years?
I believe it’ll be like this, except the first two cours will be one after the other. Like:
- 2026 - Spring, Summer, Winter. Nothing in Autumn.
- 2027 - Summer, Winter. Nothing in Spring or Autumn.
I’ve always understood a cour being 12 (or 13?) episodes. Is that right? So by that logic we’re talking like 60 more episodes? Cuz that’s a huge season.
According to JP wikipedia, its meaning is closer to a quarter (of a year). So for weekly anime 12 to 13 episodes per cour is correct, though there are both shorter and longer exceptions. For something like NHK’s daily drama I believe they still call a show 2 cour even though it has 150+ episodes.
I haven’t read the source material so I’m not sure if we’re coming up on a massive arc that takes that long to tell. But I will absolutely watch that much Slime if they’re making it!
This’ll cover at minimum 2 arcs, and get most, or entirely through a 3rd (though that one is fairly huge)
Why is this becoming more common? Did anime investors find out that they get more money for splitting up seasons like this or something?
Possibly related to working conditions reform in recent years, which unfortunately new PM Mrs. “discard work-life balance” Takaichi is trying to dial back. It might be also harder to get enough manpower together now that more shows are made each season.
Spreading production out in time probably let them get more done in house and get a more consistent and higher quality output too.
