In today’s Japan, the amount of anime being released is so huge that even local fans can’t keep up anymore.
Japan is known for its manga and anime culture, but the reality goes far beyond what most people imagine.
■ A New Wave of Anime Every 3 Months
Anime in Japan is released in four seasons per year—winter, spring, summer, and fall.
This means that every three months, dozens of new shows premiere all at once.
Some seasons have more than 50 new titles, and it’s completely normal for people to say:
“I have no idea what’s airing anymore!”
■ The Source Material Isn’t Just Manga
Anime comes from a surprisingly wide range of original works:
- Manga
- Novels
- Light novels
- Games
- And fully original, non–adapted anime
Because of this diversity, the number of possible anime genres and stories is enormous.
■ Including Past Titles, Watching Everything Is Basically Impossible
Anime has existed since the 1960s, meaning there are already thousands of past titles.
Add the constant wave of new releases every quarter, and you get a simple conclusion:
“Has anyone ever watched all Japanese anime?”
→ Almost certainly no.
There’s just too much.
■ A Single 20-Minute Episode Isn’t Always Enough
While one episode is around 20 minutes,
many shows don’t reveal their full charm until episode 2 or 3.
Some fans say:
“Give it at least three episodes before dropping it.”
That makes choosing what to keep watching a real challenge.
■ Weekend Binge-Watching Is a Common Hobby
Many people are busy during the week, so anime fans often:
Spend their entire weekend binge-watching all the episodes they recorded.
A proper “weekend anime marathon.”
You sit down… and suddenly it’s Sunday night.
■ Having Too Many Anime Is Great… but Also Hard
It’s amazing to have so many high-quality shows,
but it also comes with problems:
- You can’t watch everything
- It’s hard to choose what to follow
- You’re always falling behind
It’s a happy problem, but a real one.
In Japan, there’s simply more anime than anyone could ever finish.