As an anime fan, there are four times you should mark in your calendar. Because several times a year, streaming services add new animes to their lineup. MeinMMO explains what it’s all about.
When do new animes come out? Animes are released within a season. Seasons occur quarterly, meaning every three months or every 12-13 weeks. Accordingly, there are the following four seasons in a year:
- Spring season (starting April 1)
- Summer season (starting July 1)
- Autumn season (starting October 1)
- Winter season (starting January 1)
This does not mean that all animes are released on the first day of the new season. They usually spread out within the first two weeks of a new season. So, you should definitely keep an eye on the start date of the anime you have in mind whenever a season changes.
An anime that was especially popular during the winter season is Frieren:
What it’s all about with seasons and cours in animes
Does every season consist of one core? The episodes of an anime that are released within a season are called cours. Since a season lasts about 12-13 weeks, a cour consists of the same number of episodes. However, this does not mean that the 12-13 episodes make up a season.
It can happen that a season spans 24-26 weeks. In that case, a season consists of two cours and is shown over two seasons. You can remember the following definitions:
- Cour: The number of episodes of an anime within a season.
- Season: Can consist of several cours and usually ends with a completed storyline.
For example: The first season of Attack on Titan has 25 episodes. It is split into two seasons, so it is two cours long.
However, there are exceptions like One Piece. The long-running series has been running continuously since 1999. Although it is divided into individual seasons, it does not adhere to when the anime seasons begin. There are only breaks when the production team sets them.
Why are animes released in cours and not in seasons? The release of cours gives the production team more flexibility. If an anime is extremely well-received after 12 episodes, for example, the team can decide to incorporate another cour within the same season.
On the other hand, the responsible parties lose less money if an anime is not as successful as expected. In that case, the anime can be finished or canceled more quickly.
If you need inspirations for the next series, we have something for you. The MeinMMO editorial team has chosen their favorite animes: The best anime of all time – Here’s what our editorial team watches
