Netflix has a new anime coming soon, and it brings a change in the release schedule that subscribers have been eagerly awaiting.
Blue Box is an upcoming anime about an elite high school badminton club, where protagonist Taiki develops a crush on a girl on the basketball team. They eventually hit it off, and the sports anime mixes romance and competition for their slightly tumultuous relationship.
The animated show is coming to the service from Thursday October 3, 2024and episodes will then be available weekly. This contrasts with Netflix’s usual model of offering an entire season at once.
Fans are already excited about the different rhythm. “Finally weekly,” says an answer on X/Twitter. “Weekly releases, we are here,” another adds.
Netflix has been gradually adopting the weekly model in recent years, but this choice is usually the result of a distribution split. The Great British Baking Show was weekly, and My Hero Academia and Oshi no Ko are both weekly, and they are both licensed TV shows, not custom productions.
Blue Box is also licensed, but Netflix is the exclusive streaming provider and, more importantly, it will be a simulcast, similar to what Crunchyroll often offers.
Typically, Netflix releases entire seasons at once or splits series into two parts, as was the case with Stranger Things season 4.
This is becoming increasingly frustrating, as it forces viewers to watch in one go rather than savoring a new release.
If you have other responsibilities in your life, it’s hard to find that kind of time on a whim. Aside from these user issues, Netflix itself has suffered from the fact that shows aren’t in the air for as long.
Offering a weekly series avoids this problem, and Blue Box will be a fascinating experiment in how Netflix manages to gradually build a fanbase rather than hoping for a big binge. Time will tell! Check out our guides to The One Piece and Dandadan for other great properties coming to the platform.
