Why do people want weekly Steel Ball Run?

Genuinely wonder why I see this under every netflix post. Weekly just kills the hype, most of my friends just wait for the entire season to release before watching as a result. Some weeks are so busy that I genuinely don't remember what happened last episode. But it's always nice to watch a few episodes before bed (so I'm not stuck on a cliffhanger for example), rather than once per week. What value even is there in once a week releases?

"discussing it online" -- forums are full of manga spoilers, or people like at least hinting at spoilers. nobody in discussions has any tact for this type of thing, it happens on every large-scale forum post, they're not well moderated

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Commentaires

N7CombatWombat2026-02-01 03:56

>What value even is there in once a week releases?

You must be very young.

Mama_Mega2026-02-01 04:03

32 here, I agree with OP. The weekly release schedule is a remnant of the television age. Like many bygone things people claim is better, it truly is worse, and people just prefer it because they hate when something they know is replaced with something new, no matter how much better.

In the streaming age, content should be released when it's finished. Not rushed out the door under absurd time crunches like many anime, nor withheld after already being finished and drip fed like most live action shows.

N7CombatWombat2026-02-01 04:08

The reason most anime are released weekly on streaming is because those anime are also being aired weekly on TV in Japan. I personally prefer binging, but I do understand how the weekly format helps with fan discussions, theories and builds tension depending on the type of story. That's why people like the weekly format, not because releasing all episodes at once is "new and scary", it's because it provides them a bonus to their entertainment that binge releases don't.

Ambitious_Common15442026-02-01 04:23

> nor withheld after already being finished

Dropping episodes all at once means they withhold earlier episodes when they're finished until the whole season is finished.

Ill_Act_18552026-02-01 05:05

While there are exceptions, anime is often still being worked on while the show is still airing. It's why you often see episodes get delayed out of nowhere because the staff simply couldn't finish an episode on time, and it's the reason behind most (But not all) clip show episodes. But beyond that, the binge model is never actually "releasing stuff when it's finished". Like just using Jojo as an example, Part 6 didn't bulk drop on netflix until weeks or months after the episodes had aired on TV. Bulk drops literally meant getting the episodes later, not sooner. And while this is an obvious and demonstrable example, it kind of holds true for most bulk dropped shows. Netflix doesn't drop shows when they finish, they hold onto them for when there's a convenient opening on their schedule. Stuff is held onto all the time, because they don't want some shows to compete, and they don't want holes in their schedules especially for given demographics. Bulk dropping actually incentivizes holding stuff back more because Netflix needs to make sure they're keeping subscribers from dropping their subscription for a few months and the best way to do that is to ensure a steady stream of new drops which can only really be reliably done by holding shows back until the most convenient point in the schedule.

In the first place you can't ever actually release episodes as they finish and do a bulk drop since that'd require literally every episode to be finished at the exact same time which never actually happens for anything. And you probably wouldn't actually want a schedule where they dropped episodes the moment they were done that much since it'd mean irregular releases that are hard to keep track of and easy to miss with no way to know when you get the next one

darkravenn122026-02-01 03:57

Although I personally don't really get it, the vast majority of people that consume media, especially people that watch anime, are seemingly obsessed with discussing every episode and speculating about what is going to happen. People like making theories and trying to engage with whatever is they are watching. It is what makes media entertaining for a lot of people. A weekly release allows for that.

WaifuMasterRace2026-02-01 05:40

People like being social. More news at 10.

abandoned_idol2026-02-01 03:58

Most of my enjoyment from anime stems from discussing it and hearing about things I missed when I watched the episode.

I have to talk to people on the internet because my friends/family don't watch anime.

awesomenessofme12026-02-01 04:00

How many people are talking about and hyped over Love Through a Prism? 8.5 on MAL, just came out just a couple weeks ago. And it's pretty much dead in terms of online discussion. Just because you don't participate in week to week discourse doesn't mean nobody else does.

melcarba2026-02-01 06:55

Netflix had experience with doing binge drop, multiple batch drop and weekly releases. The fact that they binge drop Love Through a Prism instead of doing it weekly means that the presence or absence of weekly discussion doesn't really mean anything to Netflix.

awesomenessofme12026-02-01 06:56

Well, yeah, but we're not talking about the company's bottom line here. We're talking about the enjoyment of the audience.

melcarba2026-02-01 07:07

And streaming companies like Netflix doesn't care about the enjoyment of the "audience". Also, you're assuming that the general public (which is Netflix audience, **not anime fans**) actually care about whether they can discuss shows weekly or not. Same reason why Netflix doesn't bother with typesetting. They know that the general public who watch their shows do not give a shit about subtitle quality.

awesomenessofme12026-02-01 07:08

Cool. None of this is at all relevant to the topic of this thread.

HonkHonkMTHRFKR2026-02-01 04:01

When you watch animes one episode per week, there is more time for that anime to stick with you.

You need time for people to enjoy an episode and talk about it so they can then move onto the next episode.

People who like to binge watch shows enjoy doing it just so they can move onto the next one. Where’s the hype in that?

MusubiKazesaru2026-02-01 04:10

This is very true. It's those anime that ran for several cours at once that really stay with people. I enjoy a good binge, but once it's over it's over.

hanr102026-02-01 05:53

> When you watch animes one episode per week, there is more time for that anime to stick with you.

Eh I don’t think that’s true at all. When I watch a show over a relatively short period of time it definitely tends to stick with me more. I don’t binge watch but I like a 1 or 2 episodes a day rhythm focused on one series, there’s a kind of emotional momentum that tends to dissipate when I'm watching weekly, partly because well I'm doing and watching a bunch of other things during the week. I often lose interest mid-season and end up falling behind for that reason (where’s the hype in that?)

...So not a fan of the format but I still do it for shows I’ve been really looking forward to because I have no patience

The part that *can* be nice (or not depending on the anime/fandom) is the community aspect that I can agree. But whether weekly watching makes an anime more enjoyable and memorable really depends on the person

HonkHonkMTHRFKR2026-02-01 05:57

It is true.

That’s why there are no anime that exist that people talk about that get released like this.

You need time for an anime to cook with people.

People need to get out of this TikTok mentality of consuming media.

I feel bad for people like you who will never really understand how amazing it is to be able to watch an episode and discuss it with people to then move onto the next

hanr102026-02-01 06:14

> I feel bad for people like you who will never really understand how amazing it is to be able to watch an episode and discuss it with people to then move onto the next

? I've been following seasonals pretty much since simulcast started being a thing. I'm not new to this

I discuss anime with people, both on the internet and in real life as I'm lucky to have friends and siblings into anime too

And I'm telling you

> When you watch animes one episode per week, there is more time for that anime to stick with you.

That statement isn't true for everyone, myself included. This has nothing to do with TikTok mentality the hell

HonkHonkMTHRFKR2026-02-01 06:19

One piece, bleach, Naruto, Dragon Ball, and all those other animes would not been as popular as they or if they released all their episodes at once

Look at the previous version of JoJo. People were talking about it for a week and then we’re just waiting for the next season. It never was given the chance to cook.

hanr102026-02-01 06:31

My man, what are you even arguing about ? Where did I talk about weekly release not being good for discussion or anything like that

I'm talking about personal experience, because you said

> When you watch animes one episode per week, there is more time for that anime to stick with **you.**

And unfairly framed people who don't favor this format as "doing it just so they can move onto the next one", I'm pointing out that it's not true for everyone.

HonkHonkMTHRFKR2026-02-01 07:08

I’ve said it multiple times.

You need to allow the anime to grow within the community. You need there to be discourse and allow people to talk about it.

Or you will end up with a stone ocean situation where it was released and people stopped talking about it a week later

hanr102026-02-01 07:43

Holy shit, are you a bot? I'll say it again *this isn’t the point I’m making*. I don’t know why you’re so intent on arguing against a claim I never made

I’m talking about individual experience and enjoyment in response to your first goddamn sentence, not community hype or success. Or do you think something can only be enjoyable and memorable experience if other people are talking about it ?

HonkHonkMTHRFKR2026-02-01 07:59

You seem to be upset that you don’t like being told that you can’t binge something.

I don’t care about the individual experience. I’m not into that TikTok mentality. I’m not into that smell your own fart mentality

I care about the show actually having an impact on the community. Something that could be talked about for a very long time even after it ends because the groundwork was set.

Not whatever you want, lol

hanr102026-02-01 08:00

You should care about learning how to read

hell0w0rld__2026-02-01 04:04

Dropping it all at once is more than likely gonna kill it faster than dropping it weekly. Imagine if JJK S3 dropped all at once. The discussions about the animation/story between each episode that pretty much go viral wouldn’t happen because everyone would be consuming it at different paces. The season would go viral upon release then a month or two later everyone moves on vs. weekly anticipation

peter123yeah2026-02-01 04:05

A lot of people care as much or more about talking about a show with random people on reddit vs watching the actual show.

Nomar_952026-02-01 04:06

it's because binge releases kill discussion. Just look at what happened with Part 6: it came and went with no staying power.

notsoinsaneguy2026-02-01 04:06

It used to be that people would all be watching the same show. On Tuesday, you could go to school or work and everyone would be talking about the show that aired Monday night. This made media consumption much more social than it is today, where you would naturally engage with media with friends between episodes.

Streaming media has basically put an end to that. Modern audiences have the option of going online and seeing what people think, but this pales in comparison to the joy of discussing shows with friends in person. Once a show has finished airing (or is released all at once) the idea of watching in pace with your friends kinda flies out the window. Some people will finish the series in a couple days and it won't be as exciting to them, and they won't remember nearly as many details, when talking about it with a friend who finishes it weeks later.

That idea of wanting to just finish a series asap is totally understandable - that's why streaming media got so big so fast in the first place. To people who remember how tv used to be, that social aspect of media consumption is an unfortunate thing to have lost. I have a lot of great memories of not just watching shows, but of sharing excitement about upcoming episodes with friends.

Gamerunglued2026-02-01 04:06

You only have to look at JoJo Part 6 to see that it's actually the full season release that kills the hype. Weekly episode releases keeps the series relevant for a full three months at least. That allows for more discussion and speculation and celebration that helps build hype for the series. Other people see it and watch to join in, and it serves as advertising that builds a bigger, more engaged audience. The longer there's buzz for a series, the more hype it builds. Jojo parts 1-5 were extremely popular and had lots of hype, while part 6 was not released weekly and the hype completely died. No one even seemed to know it came out, the discussion was limited and thus the buzz was non-existent. People don't want to see what happened to part 6 happen to part 7, because SBR is the most beloved part of the series.

No_Cockroach24672026-02-01 04:06

Weekly releases generally make for better discussion. It unites people around a manageable chunk of content rather than having to immediately navigate the entire story, it's easier to keep up even if you don't have hours of spare time to binge, it lets people theorize and build hype for where the story might go.

MusubiKazesaru2026-02-01 04:07

Here's the thing. I'd be fine with a binge release. IF THEY RELEASED ALL OF IT AT ONCE. They're not going to. So inevitably we're going to be kept waiting. I've heard rumors that it may even just be the first race (or even just the intro) rather than a full cour. Then we're stuck with who knows what as the release schedule. As a result we even have anime platforms where Part 6 is considered 3 parts rather than one season.

If they aren't releasing it in one batch they should make it weekly to make it more enjoyable over a longer period of time. Long runners in anime are what's missing right now and the lack of them is what's bringing down the medium. It's also more manageable for subbers to fix the inevitably screwed up localization subs (Filthy Acts at a Reasonable Price).

Silcaria2026-02-01 04:17

Some people derive pleasure from outside factors, such as talking about the shows they watch as said shows are ongoing. That's about it.

SliderGamer552026-02-01 04:25

My hottest take is it is selfish to ruin everyone else's time with a show just because you can't wait for it to be complete. Especially nowadays when close to zero anime air for multiple seasons in a row anymore. It's three months, you can wait 1/4 of a year for a season to finish airing.

Roketsu862026-02-01 04:26

>Weekly just kills the hype, most of my friends just wait for the entire season to release before watching as a result

Your incredibly small sample size is irrelevant. The overwhelming majority of anime fans watch things weekly and weekly releases have proven to be better long-term due to constant recurring conversations instead of one and done discussions.

melcarba2026-02-01 07:03

And unlike Crunchyroll, Netflix isn't only catering towards anime fans. Sure, weekly watching might be popular with anime fans. Doesn't mean the same for general public, which Netflix is catering towards.

Mr_Rock-haley2026-02-01 04:43

One episode per week forces the viewer to think, increasing engagement with the show, fans create theories and such, and this encourages them to watch the next episode

See the comparison between Stranger Things and Severance

Turbulent-Region33232026-02-01 04:56

Simply cause its fun to let the episode marinate and wonder what happens next. When u binge, its one and done. Maybe there is discussion about a week or a month but after that its forgotten for whats the new hot binge thing that drop. Same as you i am quite busy, so i dont have free time to just binge stuff. I dont enjoy it as i have tried. It takes a lot of my time away and the show becomes a fleeting moment and after a bit of time i dont even remember much from it. Weekly i can adjust my routine to watch 1 or 2 episodes .

SmurfRockRune2026-02-01 06:54

> most of my friends just wait for the entire season to release before watching as a result

Cool, and you can still do that with weekly releases. We can't have weekly discussions with a batch release. Batch releases just take away one choice where weekly allows people to do whatever they want.

Batch releases killed JoJo Part 6. Part 1-Part 5 all lost watchers after each one, as happens with sequels, but it's a gradual drop, starting at 1.8m MAL members for Part 1/2 and ending with 1.1m members for Part 5, that's pretty normal. Then Part 6, the Netflix batch release one, drops off a cliff with 600k, 337k, and 285k for the respective batches. That's absolutely awful and Part 7 being a batch will only continue the trend.

tenkakisuihou2026-02-01 07:10

I'm not someone who watches anime weekly but even I don't want Jojo to be a batch drop. That just erases it from the collective conscious.

KDW32026-02-01 07:55

JJK season 2 had 24 episodes, it released weekly for 6 months. That means people were talking about it every week for half a year.

If you can’t see how that’s better for the show and discussion and hype then I don’t know what to tell you.