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Answerman - Why Are Anime Series So Short These Days?

I for one love it when a show is written and planned for a set number of episodes, with the possibility of more seasons down the line. This is much better than how most shows here in the US tend to be made, where they basically keep spitting out episodes until the ratings drop and the show gets canceled. I prefer the story to be well produced and planned with a concrete ending already in mind, seems to make for a much better overall story. At least that way it can end on a high note, as opposed to the whimper of a previously popular show that overstayed its welcome and jumped the shark one too many times.

My top ten TV anime series on the other hand are dominated by single cour series. The only outliers are Golden Time and Welcome to the NHK! at 24, and Planetarian at 5.

There are a truck load of shows that have literally left viewers hanging for years with no conclusion or continuation to the story. Sankarea for instance.

...but also come censored. It may be annoying for an R rated anime, but it´s also understandable

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They then pay TV channels to broadcast the show in the early morning hours, which is seen as promotion for the home video release, and whatever other merchandise comes out.

So this may explain why adult series are not only broadcasted in the morning, but also come censored. It may be annoying for an R rated anime, but it´s also understandable

Unfortunately this seems to mean fewer Shoujo shows in general since merchandising is so difficult. Though personally I would welcome the return of Shoujo anime Barbie dolls.

i would rather have a tightly plotted 13 ep. show (hello Netflix and HBO!) than syndicated filler

I wonder with the rise of streaming if things won't change again. I find it hard to justify buying a set box since I know I already watched the show and if I want to watch it again I can probably find it on one of the many streaming service that I'm potentially already subscribed to. On the other hand if I want to buy a merchandise I don't have any other choice, so I'm queasy about spending 60$ on a BR set but I have no problem spending close to 1000$ on gunplas.

The production committee system can still go awry in strange and terrible ways (there have been a few incidents where the committee becomes dysfunctional and literally can't get anything done), [...].

But why is so much of anime seemingly aimed at teenagers then? They're neither interested in toys, nor have the kind of money you need to buy BDs/DVDs.

The planning company would decide what to adapt (or create) and try and find a sponsor. The sponsor would supply the money in exchange for product placement and commercial slots

I do miss when 26 episodes was the standard(from around the mid 90s to late 00s), now it is usually 13 episodes, if it 26 episodes, then it's broken up into 2 seasons. I think the only new shows in the 10s to go over 100 episodes have been Toriko and Hunter x Hunter(JoJo of you combine all parts).

Have to say I really mourn the near-demise of the 24-26 episode form-factor series as well. Most of my favorite series tend to come from the late-90s to the mid-00s, and a lot of them fit into this mold. It allowed for some largely stand-alone episodes up front to help build the world and introduce the characters, adding in elements of an overarching story over time, with the second half largely progressing things up to the finale.

Justin Sevakis wrote:

The production committee system can still go awry in strange and terrible ways (there have been a few incidents where the committee becomes dysfunctional and literally can't get anything done), [...].

What I wouldn't give to hear the grim and ugly details of those incidents!