Anime that changed animation between seasons

On a Reddit forum, users have engaged in a lively discussion about the anime that experienced the most significant changes in their animation as they went from one season to the next. Opinions vary, with some highlighting impressive improvements, while others lament a noticeable decline in quality.

Anime's animation can improve in a second season for a number of reasons. First, the success of the first season can attract more funding, allowing animation studios to invest in better resources and hire more or better animators. This translates into smoother animation, more refined details, and greater consistency in visual quality. Additionally, viewer feedback can provide creators with a clear idea of what aspects need improvement, 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 can have more time to plan and execute the production of the second season, thus avoiding the hurries and mistakes that often arise on a first attempt. The experience gained during the creation of the first season can also be invaluable, as teams become better acquainted with the characters, style, and tone of the anime, allowing them to deliver more polished animation in the next installment.

However, it is not always the case of an improvement. In many cases, the animation can get worse in the second season. One of the main factors is the reduction of budget. If the first season did not have the expected financial success, studios may face economic 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 frequent problem. The pressure to release a second season quickly can lead to rushed production, compromising the quality of the animation. In addition, studios may be working on multiple projects simultaneously, which disperses their resources and attention, negatively affecting the quality of each.

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

"The infamous second season of Yakusoku no Neverland. In terms of history, yes, in terms of production, probably not 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 way: quality, animation, plot, characters and their motives. As a fan I was happy that a good anime had a new season after many years, but the second season was a substantial downturn."
"Nanatsu no Taizai. The first two seasons, animated by A1 Pictures, were stunning, but the third and fourth, produced by Studio DEEN, were awful."
"Seasons 2 and 3 of World Trigger had a much better than the first."
"The two seasons of Gunslinger Girl, released 4 years apart, represent a drastic change in direction and style. The theme is getting darker and darker, while the design of the characters and everything else is brighter and less detailed."
"Kingdom is a series in which things get better as the seasons go by. The first season has a lot of bad CGI, but it's also criticized for its heavy censorship and for skipping story arcs."
"Initial D has also seen many changes to the animation and character design throughout its many seasons and films, although sometimes this makes some characters almost completely unrecognizable compared to their previous representations. Here's an old graph that shows this."
"The improvement in production quality from the first to fifth seasons of Symphogear is mind-blowing. From a purely artistic and animation point of view, the first season is not too special (although it is not bad by any means, just a little inconsistent), but the gradual improvement from one season to the next is very noticeable. In the fifth season, the production values are crazy. A good way to illustrate this is by looking at the transformation sequences."
"Golden Kamuy, but he had it backwards. The more it advances, the more quality it has. Same for Kingdom."
"Nanatsu no Taizai is the perfect example of how it should not be done."
"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."
"K-On had a pretty significant difference between their seasons. Not in animation, but in writing and rhythm. For comparison, the S1 spans 2.5 manga volumes. While the S2 covers 1.5 volumes and yet the season is twice as long as the first. This shows how much KyoAni has expanded the script. While the first season was a relatively solid series, the second season has become the best Slice-of-Life anime and one of only three 10/10s I've ever seen."
"I wouldn't say there's been the BIGGEST change in quality, but the difference between Full Metal Panic's first season and Kyoani's is quite noticeable."
"Danmachi's fourth season was far above the previous ones. The second season of Clannad was a big step forward. In terms of graphics, the last few seasons of Kingdom improved a lot. The first season was shit."
"Date A Live has undergone some drastic changes. 2 was better than 1, 3 was worse than 1 and 2, and 4+5 had a completely different animation style, so you can't even compare."
"Oregairu. They completely changed the studios and the style between the first and second seasons. They even changed the protagonist's hair from green to blue."
"The quality of Goblin Slayer has changed. The first season relied on CG to render his armor and movement, while in S2 it was drawn more by hand."
"Tokyo Ghoul, one of my favorite series and the one I hate the most at the same time. It's really impressive how big of a piece of shit it is. I've never seen anything like it. One of the best first seasons I've seen for a series. It sets expectations through the roof. Then it gives you the most confusing second season possible. That it moves away from the original material. Not bad, but you wonder if they're going to explain something in the next season. Then he goes back to the source material, ignoring everything that happened in the second season. It leaves you with a thousand questions, tells you to fuck off and makes a huge leap in time and replaces all the characters."
"If the source material starts to go downhill 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 Arifureta Season 1 was very poorly animated overall, but Season 2 has a lot of momentum. I hope Season 3 in the fall lineup is even better."
"D.Gray-man was released in 2006 and DGM Hallow in 2016, both are made by the same studio, but the rhythm, art style and even the seiyuu are different."
"Kyoto Animation turned Full Metal Panic from a mediocre romance-comedy drama into one of the funniest comedies ever with Fumoffu. Then they did it again with The Second Raid and turned it into a mecha drama show. And those were his first two anime."
"Since no one has mentioned it, I've seen a lot of comments elsewhere saying that Tokyo Ghoul after the first season is too different from the manga, a lot of scenes are cut and people don't like it. The truth is that I haven't seen it yet. Another one is Psycho-Pass they say that only the first season is good, personally I have only seen the first two seasons and one movie. I liked the second season and I still don't understand the hate this season gets, the movie wasn't that good for me."
"Terra Formars, I will never forgive what they did to that season 2."
"It's an obvious answer, but it's so tragic the decline in quality between One Punch Man seasons 1 and 2. Personally, I don't think it's horrible as it still has humor and fun, but the animation made Season 1 exceptional, so you can really tell the difference."