What are some animes that weren't popular but still got another season?

Usually an anime only ever gets a sequel if it is popular and gets lots of viewership and attention but I can't help but wonder if there are any examples of animes out there that really were not popular at all but despite that, they still got another season. Are there any examples of this?

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gud_fellow2025-12-28 17:49

Maybe In/Spectre? Or Masamune-kun's revenge

Ashteron2025-12-28 18:18

>Maybe In/Spectre?

According to an animenewsnetwork article the manga had 2 million sales in 2019 with 9 volumes. That's a good number.

gud_fellow2025-12-28 18:34

I didn't know, but the anime's name is rarely brought up, and I rarely hear about it. Here we are talking about anime but still Idk. And what about Masamune-kun's Revenge?

Btw I'm actually watching In/Spectre right now.

Ashteron2025-12-28 18:52

>I didn't know, but the anime's name is rarely brought up, and I rarely hear about it.

It doesn't really matter how often is it brought up in the west.

>And what about Masamune-kun's Revenge?

No idea. The second season was made to promote the manga sequel.

MeowMixMax12025-12-28 17:52

Uchouten Kazoku was not very popular but got a sequel years after the fact. Its also very good and I would recommend it to anyone.

Nettysocks2025-12-28 18:10

I have never heard of this but damn the trailer looks amazing, This is going on my watch list for sure

Ponczo1232025-12-28 17:52

[deleted]

MeowMixMax12025-12-28 17:59

It was very popular when it was new nearly 20 years ago.

ScaryGent2025-12-28 18:08

SZS was huge back in the day, I'm very surprised to hear it called "unpopular". I think you're just displeased with the anime's gecko ending.

Ithambar2025-12-28 18:01

"Popular" is a pretty poorly defined term. If there was no money to be made with a sequel, then it wouldn't be produced.

That said, the sequel I always think of in cases like this is "Gakusen Toshi Asterisk 2nd Season"

Torque-A2025-12-28 18:33

Wasn’t the second season of Asterisk more like just a split cour?

Ithambar2025-12-28 19:56

I don't remember, it has been too long. But I think taht there was an announcement at the end of S1 and we did not know beforehand? But again, it has been quite some time

MusubiKazesaru2025-12-28 18:45

That was a planned split cour series. it's pretty different from a new project type season 2 announcement.

FetchFrosh2025-12-28 20:59

> If there was no money to be made with a sequel, then it wouldn't be produced.

You say that but somehow Hand Shakers got a sequel. For basically everything I can understand the monetary incentive even if I'm not a fan, but I have never found a justification for that one.

PPGN_DM_Exia2025-12-28 18:14

I'm both shocked and thrilled that Skip and Loafer had a sequel announcement recently

scholars_rock2025-12-28 18:37

Skip and Loafer sells but I was also surprised at the 2nd season announcement because the studio (P.A. Works) basically never makes sequels.

N7CombatWombat2025-12-28 18:17

If it truly wasn't popular/profitable, it's not getting another season unless more than one was the original order.

[deleted]2025-12-28 18:19

[removed]

Sandtalon2025-12-28 18:23

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I_am_your_oniichan2025-12-28 19:17

Vinland Saga

RemarkableYou73102025-12-28 19:51

This is like calling "A tale of two cities" unpopular.

I_am_your_oniichan2025-12-28 19:54

I haven't met a single Japanese person who has heard of Vinland Saga... the only reason it ever got a second season is because the director was a big fan and hard pushed the production committee for a second season. It was nothing more than a passion project

RemarkableYou73102025-12-28 20:05

It is not AoT, JJK level popular. But it has healthy sales numbers. I think somewhere around 5-10 million. The anime itself was popular. And you not hearing a Japanese person who has ever heard of it doesn't really mean much. I have no context how many Japanese people you have talked to, how many of them are anime fans, or if they read or engage with manga.

I_am_your_oniichan2025-12-28 20:16

i live in Japan. Vinland Saga manga sales numbers are not bad at all, but nobody other than hardcore anime/ manga fans would have heard of it. A typical japanese person would definitely know AoT or JJK which is why these kind of anime always get more seasons.

Something as unknown (relatively) as Vinland getting a second season is a miracle.

RemarkableYou73102025-12-29 18:16

Vinland Saga is definitely a "B" tier anime, if even that. But its not super well animated, (its no Demon Slayer). It has a very well regarded manga to base off on. So, I imagine its profitable. There are many random isekai series with relatively low Light Novel sales and low popularity even in Japan(and virtually 0 out of it), that get multiple seasons, because they cost the equivalent of a hald eaten pack of oreos to makes.

Tldr: I agree, I just think with the current higher demand of anime from a far larger audience than ever before, and more money than ever before, anything that anyone wants probably gets a S2.

ArugulaFine32512025-12-28 22:01

We live in a world where Isekai Smartphone got a second season six years after the first one finished airing, and I for one find this absolutely hilarious

KRChaserReturns2025-12-28 23:38

Then again, before that happened we had How not to Summon a Demon Lord getting a sequel.

Salty1452025-12-28 22:23

Like 99% of isekai sequels.

This myth of shows getting popular and *then* getting sequels isn't entirely true. The average anime usually spends about 3 years in production from start to finish. Sequels coming out in under that time are usually indicative of a production that was greenlit prior to the original ending or in many cases airing in the first place. An egregious example of this is *Dan Da Dan,* which was almost certainly conceived knowing that it would be at least two cours given how S1 ends. Since these shows are already in production (and a lot just exist to burn money anyway), the sequel is going to happen whether the show was popular or not.

There's a pretty good reason for this and that's that if you *do* get a popular show, you want to be able to capitalize on it as fast as possible. Waiting three years might kill all momentum your show had, and you might not be able to land key staff members whose schedules fill out otherwise. This is what happened to OPM S1 with director Shingo Natsume being too busy on other projects to return for S2, and sounds like what happened with *Bocchi the Rock* S2 as well.