3 ms·

Someone more TV-knowledgeable can answer this for me or provide further clarification for me, but are there parallels between the Netflix show methodology and A

Someone more TV-knowledgeable can answer this for me or provide further clarification for me, but are there parallels between the Netflix show methodology and Anime? From my small amount of experience absorbing the anime world, it seems like a lot of studios find a manga/source material, then cram all the storyline into one season as the funding might not be there, etc. etc. I wonder if the motivations in the Anime world to put out one season are the same or similar to the Netflix show motivations - find a source material or writer who has a decent story, crank out a 1-season concept and if it takes off, you have a money-maker that will likely last a few years with more seasons/spinoffs.

layer8 4y ago
For manga-based anime, there often isn’t quite enough material yet to fill two seasons/cours, so they cram it into one, trying to fit some sort of story arc. There is certainly also the factor of risk reduction, only plan one season initially in case it isn’t successful. One difference from Netflix shows is that anime is usually part of a media mix (manga, light novels, merchandise, games, songs/music, physical media sales, sometimes musicals and other events), so even if it’s just one season with an open-ended storyline or a premature pseudo-ending, it serves to promote the other media of the franchise. Anime productions are typically planned and financed by a committee of media partners. See also this answer on stackexchange: https://anime.stackexchange.com/a/55361 https://anime.stackexchange.com/a/55361
- Izkata 4y ago
  There's another aspect that their answer sort of hints at but doesn't really expand on: > Now that late-night anime is the norm, the TV networks treat the shows like infomercials, and production committees making them are mostly interested in selling DVDs and character goods. > Anime in itself isn't a recipe for profit, so bearing the risk of investment between a bunch of companies is better if a title flops. There's a lot of single-season anime out there that fans generally understand as never having intended to continue, but instead were made more as advertisements for the manga/other media they were adapted from.
  - layer8 4y ago
    Yes, that’s what I was trying to get at in the second part of my answer. Many anime series aren’t necessarily meant to be a standalone experience.
dogma1138 4y ago
Not not really Netflix doesn’t really do self contained seasons for the most part. And don’t need to go all the way to Japan. British shows used to have “series” which were self contained stories usually under 10 episodes sometimes even as little as 3 episodes in a series and series could be years apart. However as budget grew and as British shows found audiences outside of the UK many have adopted a more seasonal approach with continuity between series and a yearly cycle. However in general applying the anime way to shows is quite difficult because of the huge budget many shows require especially Scifi/Fantasy and historical dramas and a lot of that initial budget goes into setting up the production. So you almost always need a multi seasonal plan to get those greenlit. Granted with CGI there is much less upfront sunken cost these days and much more of the cost goes into post production for each season but there is still enough when you need to build whole sets and costumes. Miniseries also aren’t a solution mini series used to be pretty much made for TV movies with large budgets and often were huge events for the network. Golden age 80’s miniseries like Winds of War, V and Masada from the 80’s had budgets on par with big movie blockbusters. Winds of War which came out in the same year as Return of the Jedi had a budget of $40M to RoTJ $32. By the late 80’s miniseries series like War and Remembrance were produced on a budget of over $100M, in fact War and Remembrance in 1988 had a budget larger than the 3 highest grossing films that came out that year - combined.

layer8 4y ago

For manga-based anime, there often isn’t quite enough material yet to fill two seasons/cours, so they cram it into one, trying to fit some sort of story arc. There is certainly also the factor of risk reduction, only plan one season initially in case it isn’t successful. One difference from Netflix shows is that anime is usually part of a media mix (manga, light novels, merchandise, games, songs/music, physical media sales, sometimes musicals and other events), so even if it’s just one season with an open-ended storyline or a premature pseudo-ending, it serves to promote the other media of the franchise. Anime productions are typically planned and financed by a committee of media partners. See also this answer on stackexchange: https://anime.stackexchange.com/a/55361 https://anime.stackexchange.com/a/55361

Izkata 4y ago
There's another aspect that their answer sort of hints at but doesn't really expand on: > Now that late-night anime is the norm, the TV networks treat the shows like infomercials, and production committees making them are mostly interested in selling DVDs and character goods. > Anime in itself isn't a recipe for profit, so bearing the risk of investment between a bunch of companies is better if a title flops. There's a lot of single-season anime out there that fans generally understand as never having intended to continue, but instead were made more as advertisements for the manga/other media they were adapted from.
- layer8 4y ago
  Yes, that’s what I was trying to get at in the second part of my answer. Many anime series aren’t necessarily meant to be a standalone experience.

dogma1138 4y ago

Not not really Netflix doesn’t really do self contained seasons for the most part. And don’t need to go all the way to Japan. British shows used to have “series” which were self contained stories usually under 10 episodes sometimes even as little as 3 episodes in a series and series could be years apart. However as budget grew and as British shows found audiences outside of the UK many have adopted a more seasonal approach with continuity between series and a yearly cycle. However in general applying the anime way to shows is quite difficult because of the huge budget many shows require especially Scifi/Fantasy and historical dramas and a lot of that initial budget goes into setting up the production. So you almost always need a multi seasonal plan to get those greenlit. Granted with CGI there is much less upfront sunken cost these days and much more of the cost goes into post production for each season but there is still enough when you need to build whole sets and costumes. Miniseries also aren’t a solution mini series used to be pretty much made for TV movies with large budgets and often were huge events for the network. Golden age 80’s miniseries like Winds of War, V and Masada from the 80’s had budgets on par with big movie blockbusters. Winds of War which came out in the same year as Return of the Jedi had a budget of $40M to RoTJ $32. By the late 80’s miniseries series like War and Remembrance were produced on a budget of over $100M, in fact War and Remembrance in 1988 had a budget larger than the 3 highest grossing films that came out that year - combined.