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Why don't Japanese networks rerun episodes?

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Aug 29, 9:48 AM
#1

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Feb 2016
14658
A recent thread on anime filler has inspired me to ask a question of my own.
TheBlockernator said:
Because there aren't reruns and if they go without producing an episode for that week, they might lose the timeslot to another show

It sounds like studios wouldn't have needed to produce fillers if they had rerun episodes instead. Reruns also allow a show to air more than once a week. If I really enjoy a show, I'll want to watch it every day. It is far harder to stay invested in a series if one has to wait a week between episodes, especially since holidays and other events often delay episodes an additional week. So why aren't the most popular shows aired more frequently? Nobody has ever attempted to explain it to me.
その目だれの目?
Aug 29, 9:51 AM
#2

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Jun 2017
6464
i also think it's a contract thing, you have voice actors and animators and otehrs on staff who are required to produce something
My waifu is the most wonderful waifu. Mai Valentine.

We're freaking out that we're running out of time, but to do what? Should i stop and think of that? Is there something i could do to slow it down? Live in a day for once, instead of watch it sprinting by
Aug 29, 9:54 AM
#3

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Sep 2016
20655
They do, these episodes are called recaps.
Aug 29, 10:39 AM
#4

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Sep 2018
5206
Fillers can still be sold in DVD/Blu-rays and they're cheaper than canon episodes.

In recent times, reruns seem to happen only when the production is a complete trainwreck (Delico's Nursery, Haigakura), when a 1-2 weeks delay wouldn't be enough to solve the scheduling issues.
Aug 29, 12:13 PM
#5

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Oct 2010
21791
reruns are special cases, when an anime production team signs up with a tv station, they only have the slots they signed for
no tv station these days shows reruns of an episode the next day or something, the only case they do it is when a s2, 3 etc is scheduled and the tv station wants to inform more viewers about it or just refresh their memory, so they show s1
other cases like shingeki for example, the tv station will make their own recap and nhk even added their own narration, also not too long ago before final season, they reran all episodes, but shingeki is damn popular.

no sane tv station will show reruns of random anime.
Aug 29, 12:44 PM
#6

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Feb 2016
14658
Reply to Catalano
reruns are special cases, when an anime production team signs up with a tv station, they only have the slots they signed for
no tv station these days shows reruns of an episode the next day or something, the only case they do it is when a s2, 3 etc is scheduled and the tv station wants to inform more viewers about it or just refresh their memory, so they show s1
other cases like shingeki for example, the tv station will make their own recap and nhk even added their own narration, also not too long ago before final season, they reran all episodes, but shingeki is damn popular.

no sane tv station will show reruns of random anime.
Catalano said:
other cases like shingeki for example, the tv station will make their own recap and nhk even added their own narration, also not too long ago before final season, they reran all episodes, but shingeki is damn popular.

So is that actually common for popular anime? How often do they rerun Anpanman? A series like that could air nothing but reruns, and kids would outgrow it before watching it all.
その目だれの目?
Aug 29, 1:36 PM
#7

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Oct 2010
21791
Reply to Lucifrost
Catalano said:
other cases like shingeki for example, the tv station will make their own recap and nhk even added their own narration, also not too long ago before final season, they reran all episodes, but shingeki is damn popular.

So is that actually common for popular anime? How often do they rerun Anpanman? A series like that could air nothing but reruns, and kids would outgrow it before watching it all.
@Lucifrost
I have no idea about anpanman, I do know though that haruhi episodes get reruns
and about what you said in OP, no production committee wants to lose a slot to some rerun, they would rather make a recap, also slots are damn expensive and if the audience knows it'll be a rerun it won't be that watched hence the sponsors who payed for ads won't be happy. TV anime is hard.
Aug 29, 1:43 PM
#8

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Mar 2008
53164
They do sometimes air reruns but just with production delays. Though it also is to keep the staff paid that fillers are done and make sure it isn't a one to one with the source just meant as a sort of fanservice or fanfare.
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Aug 29, 1:46 PM
#9

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Feb 2014
4904
Reply to Nirinbo
Fillers can still be sold in DVD/Blu-rays and they're cheaper than canon episodes.

In recent times, reruns seem to happen only when the production is a complete trainwreck (Delico's Nursery, Haigakura), when a 1-2 weeks delay wouldn't be enough to solve the scheduling issues.
Nirinbo said:
and they're cheaper than canon episodes.

[citation needed]
....................
Aug 29, 1:56 PM

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Feb 2016
14658
Reply to Catalano
@Lucifrost
I have no idea about anpanman, I do know though that haruhi episodes get reruns
and about what you said in OP, no production committee wants to lose a slot to some rerun, they would rather make a recap, also slots are damn expensive and if the audience knows it'll be a rerun it won't be that watched hence the sponsors who payed for ads won't be happy. TV anime is hard.
Catalano said:
no production committee wants to lose a slot to some rerun, they would rather make a recap

Why? Reruns cost nothing to make.

Catalano said:
if the audience knows it'll be a rerun it won't be that watched

If that were true, American networks would never rerun anything. Back when I used to watch TV, however, the overwhelming majority of my time was spent on reruns.
その目だれの目?
Aug 29, 2:26 PM

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Feb 2020
1404
They do rerun sometimes. Slam Dunk had a rerun, Soul Eater Repeat, Dragon ball kai, Gintama Yorinuki (The very best), Jigoku Shoujo Season 4 had a partial rerun.
When Anime delay they just air other things in the slot. In the 2 Kusuriya delays this year, Fuji was airing the Mission Impossible and the Harry potter movie franchise later sequels. And that just "Grew over Kusuriya Slot".
Animax reruns long anime too, but it is on cable.
And NHK E does exhibit Ann 2 times https://www.nhk.jp/p/anime-ann-e/ts/3LZ793P8J2/episode/te/KVRLVQY393/
放送 (Air) 毎週土曜 午後6:25
再放送 (Reair) 毎週木曜 夜7:20
(Saturday and Thursday)

Aug 29, 2:51 PM

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Sep 2018
5206
Reply to thewiru
Nirinbo said:
and they're cheaper than canon episodes.

[citation needed]
....................
@thewiru I just noticed that filler episodes usually have worse animation, which makes sense since they're less important. However, bad animation can still be expensive if you're in a hurry and you need it in a very short amount of time.
4 hours ago
Lucky★supporter

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Mar 2021
1994
Huh?? Anime reruns have been around for decades—it’s nothing unusual. In fact, Evangelion has been rerun multiple times, and I actually got into it after watching its first rerun. If someone wants to watch a show multiple times a week, they can just use a streaming service. TV broadcasts have fixed timeslots and schedules, so just because you personally want to enjoy one show more often doesn’t mean you should deprive other viewers of the variety of non-anime programs they look forward to.

If you can’t wait more than a week between episodes, then you can just watch the whole series after it finishes airing. I think very few people who like Japanese anime are so impatient that they find it hard to stay invested in a series if they have to wait more than a week for each episode.

@Lucifrost probably won’t read my answer, but as for the question “Why aren’t the most popular shows aired more frequently?”—it’s because TV broadcast schedules are predetermined, and also because anime usually doesn’t get as high ratings compared to other types of TV programs.Also, people who want to rewatch an anime after it airs on TV usually just set up a recording during the original broadcast, so there isn’t really much need for reruns.

Also, Anpanman did have reruns during the COVID-19 pandemic, probably because recording new voice acting was difficult at the time. But with over 1,600 episodes already, rerunning it regularly is physically unrealistic. Saying that anime is “mostly reruns” is a serious misconception.

Anpanman is an anime mainly for children aged 0–3 (or up to around 4). It’s actually rare for kids to remember which specific episodes they’ve watched. It’s not that they get bored before finishing all the episodes, but rather that as they get older, they naturally shift their interest to shows aimed at a slightly higher age group, like Pretty Cure.

And lately, instead of reruns, some shows have been rebroadcast as compilation episodes
kihel3 hours ago

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