Netflix Finally Addressing the Biggest Problem for Anime Fans

Netflix’s animated titles release patterns have always been a source of jeering for anime fans. However, it appears that they’re looking to end that for good.

It appears that Netflix is finally putting efforts to work on the significant issue with how it delivers anime. During the last few years, the streaming platform, Netflix has established itself as a major streaming service that offers a wide variety of anime. Unfortunately, how it chose to roll out anime series and movies has mostly been greeted with criticism and derision. Though, the recent changes made to their distribution patterns seem promising.

For quite a few years, Netflix’s SOP has been to release new anime series outside of Japan in one batch. They wait for the whole anime to air after the original release date and then upload all of the episodes, or just a part of it if it’s a series with more than 14 or 15 episodes. Although this model is perfectly in line with the standard binge release model of Netflix, the format raises some problems for viewers. By the time, the Netflix anime show is on-air, much of the hype and interest surrounding a particular anime would fade on account of people already jumping on to a new anime series. Several anime fanatics have lamented series like Shaman King, Beastars, BNA: Brand New Animal, Little Witch Academia, and Carole & Tuesday being burdened with Netflix.

Fans have been forced to either wait many months to watch it legally or go for pirated versions. The anime-loving community even voiced the expression “stuck in Netflix jail” to describe the prevalent situation.

However, recent changes in the strategy indicate that Netflix has made it its mission to resolve this concern. For the late 2021 season, Netflix purchased the rights of two renowned anime titles for streaming: “Komi Can’t Communicate” – a coming-of-age romantic comedy-drama series and the art-oriented “Blue Period” anime.

By adopting a new way of releasing, unlike other anime shows in the past, both titles will be released per week in the form of episodes. However, the episodes will be available on Netflix one week after airing in Japan.

Given the fact Netflix usually releases the content all at once, this new format is certainly the newer practice from the streamer and they hope it gives people more incentive to use Netflix for anime. Netflix is willing to revise its own binge-watch strategy in order to adjust the genre strongly indicates that it foresees huge potential in the anime genre world.

Moving forward, there will be a hybrid release model for the new anime like Tiger & Bunny 2 and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean. Both anime shows will be available on the platform; the plan is to release multiple episodes in a single go. However, unlike the practice in the past, these episodes will be initially released worldwide simultaneously. Thanks to this strategy, anime fans will be able to watch both the Tiger Bunny 2 and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure anime at the same speed and sequence as the rest of the world. This will make the fans catch up with the hype without having to fall behind the schedule.

In a nutshell, Netflix is clearly making efforts in order to change its anime distribution patterns. Netflix is releasing some of its licensed series on a delayed weekly pattern, while several others titles are airing with a batch of episodes in all regions at a universal time so that fans don’t fall behind. These new strategies are a positive approach towards fixing the biggest viewer concern to ward off piracy in the anime world. Going a step ahead Netflix is ensuring that every anime movie and show licensed by them properly gets the hype and limelight it deserves within the anime community.