by Anime hits in 2023 include “Oshinoko” and “Funeral Freeren. “These two works have a lot in common. This is because the initial broadcasts of both “Oshi no Ko” and “Funeral Freeren” were broadcast as expanded versions instead of the usual 30-minute time slot and were successful.
When it comes to the first episode of traditional anime, many end with introducing the characters. However, in recent years, the number of anime broadcasts each year has exceeded 200, so it sometimes needs to be noticed in the spotlight. For this reason, more and more anime shows shocking developments from the first episode to attract viewers’ interest. One way to do this is to broadcast the first episode/expanded version and compete.
As a result, an increasing number of works have become big hits. Now, look back at the successful works that aired “Episode 1/Expanded Edition.”
Suddenly, shocking development! first broadcast for 90 minutes
This was particularly popular among anime broadcasters in 2023 and became a hot topic when it was first aired as an expanded version of 90 Minutes. After the first broadcast of [Oshi no Ko], many people expressed their impressions on social media that it was a shocking turn of events.
The first episode of [Oshi no Ko] is an animated version of the first volume of the original comic and is a prequel to the second volume, from Ai Hoshino’s shining idol to the birth and childcare of Aqua and Ruby. And I drew even the last fierce scene.
Funeral Freelen is a story of a freelancer who lives in a time different from humans.
“Funeral Free Ren” was also a successful work, as the expanded version of the first episode was broadcast. The first broadcast of “Funeral Free Ren” was 120 minutes long, but instead of each episode being 120 minutes, episodes 1 to 4 of the anime were broadcast all at once.
The story begins with the triumphant return of Himmelparty, the hero who defeated the Demon King, and the party’s dissolution. After a while, Freelen heads to the hero Himmel. However, a big problem stands in the way: the difference in lifespan between races.
Although it was a short time for Freelen, it was a long time for humans. Therefore, when Freelen reunited with Himmel, he was already old. After that, he experiences separation from Himmel, and the elf Freelen goes on a journey to get to know humans.
In the expanded version of the first episode, you will be reunited with party members Heiter, a human monk, and Eisen, a dwarf warrior.
Extended broadcast of the first and final episode of “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba.”
“Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba,” whose theatrical version “Demon Slayer: Mugen Train” became the highest-grossing movie in Japan, is also a work whose first expanded version was a success. However, instead of “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba: Kamado Tanjiro Risshi Hen,” which was broadcast in 2019, “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba: Yukaku Hen” in 2021, and “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba: Swordsmith’s Village Edition” in 2023 will be expanded. I did.
“Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Red Light District” is a continuation of “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba: Mugen Train” in which Tanjiro and his friends go undercover to the red light district “Yoshiwara” to rescue Tengen Uzu’s missing wife.
“Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba: Swordsmith’s Village” depicts an episode in which Tanjiro, who has angered the swordsmith Hotaru Kotetsuzuka by breaking his sword every time he fights, heads to the village of the swordsmith to negotiate with Kotetsuzuka directly. Will appear.
“Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Red Light District Edition” and “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba: Swordsmith’s Village Edition” were both expanded to 60 minutes per episode and the final episode of “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba: Swordsmith’s Village Edition” was also expanded to 60 minutes. It was broadcast. Expanded broadcast of the first episode of the Narou series “Re: Life in a different world starting from zero.”
The masterpiece Re: ZERO -Starting Life in Another World” from “Let’s Become a Novelist” was also broadcast in an expanded format for the first time. “Re: Life in a Different World from Zero” was broadcast in the first episode of the first season in 2016, which depicts an episode when Subaru has just been summoned to a different world.
Subaru is summoned to another world wearing only his clothes and meets Emilia, a half-elf girl. Subaru searches for what Emilia, who saved Subaru from a pinch, is looking for but gets caught up in an incident.
Subaru was killed in that incident, but before he knew it, he was rewound to the state he had just been summoned from.
Other successful works with “Episode 1/Expanded version.”
In addition to the works mentioned so far, other hit works that were aired in their first expanded versions include Yakushi no Hirogoto ”, which features a drugstore cat and cat’s brilliant deductions, and Uma Musume Pretty Derby”, which is also famous as an app. We hope the expanded version of the first episode will continue generating buzz and creating hits.
