Name: Anonymous 2006-03-04 18:46
I've heard that most anime only plan for one season of television, as they are often not renewed for another season. This would explain why so many series end in 24 eps, and why some continuing series are considered sequels to the original first season (Sailormoon, Rayearth), and why some series simply start with a different continuity. Series which actually do plan to go on for a while can be cancelled before a conclusion is ever reached (Rurouni Kenshin, FF Unlimited).
Could this be the key to success for a 24 ep series? If every series had a "FOX TV" mentality of inevitable cancellation, then reaching a solid conclusion at the end of the first season either means the show is popular enought to be renewed or given a sequel series, or popular among fans but not enough to be renewed, where it can at least be remembered as a complete story (and have home video sales, OAVs and movies, etc).
US live action and animated series could learn from this. For example Sonic was cancelled only because it was network policy to cancel kids' shows after a couple seasons. A lot of shows cancelled on FOX could have a series finale planned in the first season if they make it that far. Even "mature" animated series could plan this way and gain popularity in DVDs by having an actual conclusion rather than a loose ended story.
Could this be the key to success for a 24 ep series? If every series had a "FOX TV" mentality of inevitable cancellation, then reaching a solid conclusion at the end of the first season either means the show is popular enought to be renewed or given a sequel series, or popular among fans but not enough to be renewed, where it can at least be remembered as a complete story (and have home video sales, OAVs and movies, etc).
US live action and animated series could learn from this. For example Sonic was cancelled only because it was network policy to cancel kids' shows after a couple seasons. A lot of shows cancelled on FOX could have a series finale planned in the first season if they make it that far. Even "mature" animated series could plan this way and gain popularity in DVDs by having an actual conclusion rather than a loose ended story.