26 Episodes or 52? 100 or even more? - Ideal length for Animes.

There are shows which wear on for months and those, which are definitely too short. What's the ideal length when it comes to animes? Do you prefer long lasting shows like Naruto or do you prefer shorties like Air with about 13 episodes? Are there any salient examples which come to your mind?

If you ask me, it's a problem that nearly all shows observe the law of getting broadcasted in quarterly periods. 6 or 13 episodes usually turn out to be too short. Shingetsutan Tsukihime as an recent example felt very rushed in the end - The show wouldn't have sustained additional damage if it had lasted another five episodes. While 26 episodes are a better choice, it's still too short from time to time. However, whereas the next step normally is 52 episodes, shows tend to get boring after fifty episodes. This includes everlasting shows like Naruto with its dozens of fillers and One Piece. It's not like there can't be a show which still continues to stay interesting after months, but I'm happy that the vast majority of animes last about 26 episodes, even although something between 30 and 40 would be the better choice.

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I find 26-52 to be the sweet spot. Most anime series outstay their welcomes past that. It only seems anime based on solid manga can pass the 100 episode barrier without becoming irrelevant, even then they toss filler down our throats. It does seem some anime are too short at only 26 episodes though (like Samurai Champloo).

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Well... I find some mangas such as Dragon Ball dragged on too much. And some serises KNOWS when to end. (even it is under 30.) I personally can't decide on how long each anime should be unless I seen the anime myself.

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I think 13 - 26 is the ideal timespan. Unless they're going to faithfully and utterly follow a manga that's 20+ volumes long -- and fairly consistent on quality of content -- then 50+ is simply pushing it. Not only that, but it costs quite a bit to buy, should you want to legitimately purchase it. I've seen quite a few series that, if you cut out all the crappy filler episodes, could have been condensed into a watchable 20 episodes (Saiyuki and Kyo Kara Maoh, anybody?). The animation quality is also kept up to snuff because they actually have a budget.

Right now I'm wondering about Death Note's future...the new chapters are back to being pretty interesting, but just how long do they plan to go on? Why does everything published in Jump have to go on for 230948 chapters??

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anime's with around the 20 mark usually have a better story and great animation but each anime holds a different purpose in the number of episodes.
Elfen lied was only about 13 episodes I think and that fitted nicely otherwise it was mostly be a blood fest and get to repetitive but the flaw about that is that we don't get to appreciate some of the characters as much as we could. Anime's that keep on going over 55+ get repetitive if not handled correctily. DBZ only introduced a few new characters for each season and the same lame comedy from the same characters got so boring. And the story was also always the same, save the world from a blast ~_~
One peice and naruto are probably good ones to go over 100 (no fillers included) becuase theres a character that someone always relates to.

I was speaking idiomatically.

If a story manages to cover everything well within 13 episodes, I don't mind. My ideal length is 26-52, but series like Naruto or Bleach can still be enjoyable regardless of the number of episodes they have.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Yea.. but one's like DBZ... it kept dragging on forever.

FELIPE NO

I actually like having at least one anime like that. In case I finish the shorter series, there's still one continuous anime to watch.

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I prefer really long animes. The ones i have seen that spring to mind are Bleach, Naruto and Rurouni Kenshin. I'm not such a fan of shorter animes. It depends on the story line really. I feel kind of dissappointed when animes end after 20 odd episodes. I was kinda dissappointed when Elfen Lied was only 13 episodes (technicaly 14). I like really long stories

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I demand a poll! I seemto enjoy the number 26 though. The short ones I've watched around 13 episodes ended too quick and I wanted more . Series' after 26eps feel drawn out to me, unless they're split into seasons for breaks. I think my only exception is Rurouni Kenshin.

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Well it all just depends. stuff that is just random and nonsence need to end before they pass the 26 mark, just because, its hard to keep nonsince funny, or entertainning after that. Hints why none of the really good comedys that are just plain silly made it past that. But if they can keep a good and full story like, people say Monster did, and FMA, and not throw in a TON of bullshit in there, they are fine, like Detective Conan, or Lupin there series, where for the most part intellegent, While having their silly parts kept to the story from what i have seen of them.
Series like DBZ should have been cut down a bit, considering most of the animation towards then end, just looked like grown muscular men then where constipated trying to shoot a load out their ass. but if they would have just kept things like that down to like a 10/15 second thing and 5 mins in the show equated to no more than one episode. then people probly would have to problem with it.
But as long as they dont stray from the plot and keep it intressting, an anime can go on as long as it needs to. Afew silly episodes here and there between arcs of longer series are good, but just afew. what naruto is doing right now sickens me, but before that it was decent, and hopefully soon(like THIS MONTH FINALY) they will be airing episodes that have a relevance!

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26-52. The DBZ series was too darn long.

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26 to 52 is also my ideal point. There are some series that run up to 75 episodes that I can stomach (Monster) if it has a good plot and a decent amount of action. Any more than that and it's just an excuse to drag on and on (Inu Yasha and Kenshin to name two that were guilty of it).

I am interested in seeing how Bleach will develop once the storyline jumps back into the manga sequence and I may just break by 75 episode cap rule to do just that.

I was speaking idiomatically.

I normally like the medium to long animes, but it all depends on the story. If they story fits well into 12 or 13 episodes, thats fine. On the other hand, you get animes that are twice as long as what they should be.

One thing I hate is when an anime ends but the manga keeps going. Then you don't know what happens without reading the manga. I don't like watching a series, only to find that the ending doesn't really wrap things up...

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by Greykin

I demand a poll!

Although I prefer formulated argumentations, I totally forgot about the option of creating a poll. Since there's no possibility to add a poll afterwards without having special rights, I'd be nice if a moderator could add a poll about the ideal length for animes. Just involving the main numbers like >13, ~26, ~52, <100 and >100 should be enough.

FELIPE NO

Everything else is fine for me, except the neverending stories like Naruto. I want to see an ending, preferably before watching 200 episodes. 24-26 episodes is the ideal lenght, but 13-episodes-long series are good for "minimarathons".

As long as it keeps me interested, I'll watch it.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Me, I like 'em long. Well, just not Dragonball Z long. THAT was torture.

My preference is around the 50 mark, much like my two all-time favorite series, Gundam Wing(49 episodes, plus 3 for Endless Waltz), and Gundam Seed(50 episodes, I think). Meh, Gundam Seed: Destiny might bump itself into my fave list if it ever makes it to North America.
The point is, I prefer around the 50 mark. I like long stories. I can even tolerate up to 100, provided that the show has enough staying power. But not Dragonball Z. Good lord, that show did not know when to quit.

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I don't really have a set preference - it really depends on the show. I've seen shows of various lengths that I found enjoyable:

13 episodes or less - stuff like Haibane Renmei or Crest of the Stars have been enjoyable watches at this length. Some topics are just ideal for this length

26 episodes - more or less the standard, and it works for a lot of shows.

52 episodes - It's much harder to produce a good show of this length. You must have a well thought out story for this to work. Episodic shows with little plot carry over from one episode to the next just don't work here. Good examples of successes are Fullmetal Alchemist and the various Gundams.

More than 52 episodes - you better be faithfully reproducing a GOOD manga to pull this off. Hajime no Ippo was doing it well and Bleach appears to be on the same track. Shit hits the fan when you make your own arcs a la Naruto.

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Any length is just fine. They just have to watch what they're doing.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

I generally don't mind anything in the 13~52 episode range, as long as it fits the story. I personally wish they didn't have to go by these standards, and just keep going until needed. It does not have to be overly long, but not so formulaic with the whole 13, 26, 52 thing (can't we have a 19 episode series, or 37, just break the norm sometimes).

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Let them go crazy as long as you don't have 8 episodes dedicated to showing someone power up.

Then another 8 to attack.

Then another 8 for the baddie to die.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Personally, I think a lot of the better anime are the shorter 13~26 series. There are series that are exceptionally good with less than that (Gundam 0080: there were only 6). I really can't stand anime where filler is put in. Usually in a 26 episode series they have a 1 episode where they recap the previous series of episodes up to that point. That's all that's necessary to me.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

I prefer the 26 episodes mark, really, if it's paced well. More often than not, though, anime have too much filler and irrelevant character interactions (I like non-plot interactions as much as the next person, but do we REALLY need a swimming pool episode?)

When 26-epsioders pace their plots well, they usually are quite rewarding. IMO. Sometimes I feel they're a bit short, but that's only just the earmark of a good time well spent. But this is coming from a person who walks out of the theater, satisfied, but wishing it was an hour longer >_>

FELIPE NO

It truly depends on the series. I think something like Kenshin should've be shrunk down to 52~ episodes instead of the 90-something it was with nearly half-filler.

King of Bandit Jing was really short -- less than 20 episodes. I would've liked to see more, but the way the series was structured it would've need to have more story written. Basically it needed a true beginning and a true ending.

On the other hand, Full Metal Panic: Fumoffu was fantastic for it's length. Maybe a bit too detracting from the original to be longer in episode count, but still for 17 episodes it was pretty damn good.

Noir could've been quite a bit shorter. They spent 18 or so episodes not even bothering to discuss the main plot. Whole series could've been summed up in 10 episodes I'd say.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

26 is the most ideal number for me.

< 12 basically is a teaser of what could have been expanded (eg. Bokusatsu Tenshi, despite the random nature of the entire show)

By the time I'm between 15-26 I find myself questioning just how long I've been watching the anime of my own will.

The only anime I liked that have broken 26 are Bleach, FMA, and Naruto. Although Naruto is angering me with all these pointless village sidetracks and idiot episodes (escorting the rich kid, Kunihisa, comes to mind)

26 usually concludes the series nicely. Except for Fruits Basket. I want more.

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