On a Reddit forum, users engaged in a lively debate about the anime that underwent the most significant changes in animation from one season to the next.Opinions vary, with some highlighting impressive improvements, while others lament a noticeable drop in quality.

The animation of an anime can improve in a second season for several reasons. First of all, the success of the first season can attract more funding, which allows animation studios to invest in better resources and hire more or better animators. This results in smoother animation, finer details, and greater consistency in visual quality. Additionally, viewer feedback can give creators a clear idea of where they need to improve.allowing them to adjust and refine their work to better meet audience expectations.

On the other hand, scheduling and logistical issues can be resolved after the first season. Studios may have more time to plan and execute the production of the second season, thus avoiding the rushes and mistakes that often arise on the first attempt. The experience gained during the creation of the first season can also be invaluable, as teams become more familiar with the characters, style, and tone of the anime, allowing them to deliver more polished animation in the next installment.

However, improvement is not always the case. In many cases, the animation can get worse in the second season. One of the main factors is the budget reductionIf the first season is not as financially successful as expected, studios may face financial constraints that directly affect the quality of the animation. There may also be changes in the production team.where new directors or animators may not be as aligned with the original vision, resulting in visual and stylistic inconsistencies.

Tight deadlines are another common problem. The pressure to release a second season quickly can lead to rushed production, compromising the quality of the animation. Furthermore, studios may be working on multiple projects simultaneously, which spreads their resources and attention thin, negatively impacting the quality of each.

Animator overload is an endemic problem in the anime industry. Long working hours and lack of rest can lead to a decrease in work quality due to burnout and lack of motivation. Even if a team is talented, these conditions can prevent them from reaching their full potential.

• “The infamous second season of Yakusoku no Neverland. In terms of story quality, yes; in terms of production quality, probably not so much.“.
• “Hataraku Maou-sama. The difference between the two seasons is almost 10 years, but the first season is significantly better than the second in every aspect: quality, animation, plot, characters, and their motivations. As a fan, I was happy that a good anime was getting a new season after many years, but the second season was a significant step backward.“.
• “Nanatsu no Taizai. The first two seasons, animated by A1 Pictures, were impressive, but the third and fourth seasons, produced by Studio DEEN, were terrible.“.
• “Seasons 2 and 3 of World Trigger were a huge improvement over the first season.“.
• “The two seasons of Gunslinger Girl, released four years apart, represent a drastic shift in direction and style. The subject matter is increasingly darker, while the character designs and everything else are brighter and less detailed.“.
• “Kingdom is a series that gets better as the seasons go on. The first season has a lot of bad CGI, but it's also criticized for its heavy censorship and skipping story arcs.“.
• “Initial D has also undergone many changes in animation and character design throughout its various seasons and films, though sometimes this leaves some characters almost completely unrecognizable from their previous portrayals. Here's an old graphic that demonstrates this.“.
• “The improvement in production quality from the first to the fifth season of Symphogear is impressive. From a purely artistic and animation standpoint, the first season isn't particularly special (though it's not bad by any means, just a bit inconsistent), but the gradual improvement from one season to the next is quite noticeable. In the fifth season, the production values are insane. A good way to illustrate this is to look at the transformation sequences.“.
• “Golden Kamuy, but I had it backwards. The further you advance, the higher the quality. The same goes for Kingdom“.
• “Nanatsu no Taizai is the perfect example of how not to do this.“.
• “The Rising of the Shield Hero. The change in quality between the first and second seasons makes you wonder if it's the same series.“.
• “Knights of Sidonia S1 was a science fiction space battle anime. Knights of Sidonia S2 was a harem anime.“.
• “K-On had a significant difference between its seasons. Not in the animation, but in the writing and pacing. For comparison, Season 1 spans 2.5 manga volumes. Season 2 spans 1.5 volumes, yet the season is twice as long as the first. This shows how much KyoAni expanded the plot. While the first season was a relatively solid series, the second season became the best slice-of-life anime and one of the three 10/10s I've ever seen.“.
• “I wouldn't say there was the BIGGEST change in quality, but the difference between the first season of Full Metal Panic and Kyoani is quite noticeable.“.
• “Danmachi's fourth season was a step up from its predecessors. Clannad's second season was a huge improvement. Graphically, Kingdom's later seasons have improved significantly. The first season was rubbish.“.
• “Date A Live went through some drastic changes. 2 was better than 1, 3 was worse than both 1 and 2, and 4+5 had a completely different animation style, so they can't even be compared.“.
• “Oregairu. They completely changed the studios and style between the first and second seasons. They even changed the main character's hair from green to blue.“.
• “The quality of Goblin Slayer has changed. The first season used computer graphics to render his armor and movement, while the second season was more hand-drawn.“.
• “Tokyo Ghoul, one of my favorite series and my most hated at the same time. It's truly astounding how much shit it is. I've never seen anything like it. One of the best first seasons I've ever seen in a series. It creates sky-high expectations. Then it gives us the most confusing second season possible. It strays from the source material. It's not bad, but you wonder if they'll explain anything in the next season. Then it returns to the source material and ignores everything that happened in the second season. It leaves you with a thousand questions, sends you to hell, and then jumps back in time and replaces all the characters.“.
• “If the source material starts to decay and the anime is very faithful, does that count?“.
• “Classroom of the Elite after the first season got so bad with the pacing and animation“.
• “It's not the biggest change in an anime, but the first season of Arifureta was very poorly animated overall, but the second season has a huge boost. I hope the third season in the fall lineup will be even better.“.
• “D.Gray-man was released in 2006 and DGM Hallow in 2016, both are made by the same studio, but the pacing, art style and even the seiyuu are different.“.
• “Kyoto Animation turned Full Metal Panic, a mediocre romantic comedy, into one of the funniest comedies of all time with Fumoffu. Then they did it again with The Second Raid, turning it into a mecha drama. And those were their first two anime.“.
• “Since no one mentioned it, I've seen a lot of comments elsewhere saying that Tokyo Ghoul, after the first season, is very different from the manga. Many scenes were cut, and people didn't like it. Actually, I haven't seen it yet. Another thing is Psycho-Pass, and they say only the first season is good. Personally, I've only seen the first two seasons and a movie. I liked the second season and still don't understand the hate that season gets; the movie wasn't as good for me.“.
• “Terra Formars, I will never forgive what they did with season 2.“.
• “It's an obvious answer, but the drop in quality between One Punch Man Season 1 and Season 2 is truly tragic. Personally, I don't think it's terrible, as it still has humor and fun, but the animation made Season 1 exceptional, so you really notice the difference.“.

Source: Reddit