2026-03-15 46573 瀏覽Anime Q&A

Why does the quality of anime sequels drop? Why are second seasons often bad?

Machine-translated from Traditional Chinese

Many anime have a great first season, but the second season drops significantly in quality. There are too many examples to mention... but I want to ask what the reason actually is?

My guesses:
1. The first season already used up the best parts of the original work
2. The production committee rushes the schedule
3. Changes in key staff
4. Budget issues

What do you think is the main reason? Are there any counterexamples—anime where the second season is better than the first? I can think of Mob Psycho 100 and Attack on Titan.

回覆 (12)

催

催淚番專家2026-03-16

The most important counterexample: "Steins;Gate 0" is still good, even if it's not as good as the first season. This is because the original story itself is excellent.

漫

漫畫狂人2026-03-15

On the contrary, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is getting better and better! ufotable's production quality has been improving all along, and the battle scenes in every season have improved.

港

港島宅女2026-03-16

I think expectation management is also very important. There were no expectations for the first season, so it was easy to exceed them; for the second season, expectations were too high, which instead made it easy to be disappointed.

ACG歷史學家2026-03-16

The problem with sequels to 80s anime is even more severe... because the production environment back then was even worse. But some works, like "Dragon Ball Z," actually got better as they went on.

芙

芙莉蓮推し2026-03-15

Counterexample: Season 2 of "Mob Psycho 100" is even better than the first! The production team at Bones is just too outstanding!

機

機戰迷阿華2026-03-16

Every entry of SRW is very consistent 😂 because the system and production process are already very mature. If the animations had the same level of consistency, that would be great.

動

動畫歌手夢2026-03-16

From the perspective of the soundtrack: Sometimes changing the composer for the second season can affect the atmosphere of the work. Consistency in music is very important for a series.

百

百合推薦員2026-03-16

Sequels to yuri works are usually more stable, because the focus is on the development of the relationship between the characters rather than plot climaxes.

熱

熱血少年漫2026-03-15

Attack on Titan maintains a high standard every season (although the final season has some controversy). The secret is that the original work itself is excellent.

深

深夜動畫部2026-03-15

Analysis from the late-night anime department: The first season usually has a longer production time, while rushing the second season is a very common occurrence. This is the biggest reason.

動

動畫監督研2026-03-15

From the perspective of director studies: the impact of changes in the main creative staff is huge. If the Kantoku or series composer is replaced, the work's flavor will change.

追

追番日記2026-03-15

I totally agree with the point that the first season used the best parts of the original work. The first volume of many light novels is often the best one.