Ask John: Are Recap Episodes Less Common Now?

Question:
Do production companies go through the extra effort to create a “recap” episode for an anime series anymore? Just based on observation, it doesn’t seem to me that it happens any more. Either that, or the majority of shows I see in recent times don’t seem to require one?

Answer:
Recap episodes are generally made for one of two reasons. Either the show has a long continuing story and a recap episode is necessary to remind viewers of what’s been going on and offer new viewers an opportunity to effectively begin watching the series; or the production staff is falling behind and needs to churn out a quick and easy to produce episode in order to give themselves more time to get their production schedule back in order.

Summary episodes may not seem as common lately partially because most of the recent anime TV series have not needed them. Many of the recent Japanese television anime series have been one kuru (roughly 13 week) series or have been either series without a strong linear storyline or shows that have chosen to prioritize the development of a continuing, uninterrupted weekly story. But the recap episode isn’t entirely extinct. Just within the past few weeks, Samurai Champloo episode 12 was a re-cap episode, and both Tenjoh Tenge and Shura no Toki have done brief series/storyline summaries.