Ask John: Why Do Anime Have Next Episode Previews?

Question:
Why do anime have next episode previews? Even anime full of stand alone episodes have them. Why do you think next episode previews are so popular in Japan?

Answer:
American anime fans used to watching consecutive anime TV series episodes on DVD may forget that these series are broadcast weekly in Japan, so next episode previews are a useful tool that create interest in upcoming episodes. With so many different anime television series available to viewers, and a week between each new episode, series have to do what they can to keep viewers coming back week after week to watch new episodes. Creating anticipation for new episodes is a highly effective method of ensuring that a series’ television broadcast is successful.

Besides the fact that next episode previews intrigue viewers by delivering a peek at what’s to come, next episode previews may also interest viewers because animators have discovered ways of making next episode previews unique, novel, or even an enhancement to the show they’re attached to. The 1998 Trigun television series was primarily an action comedy, but its next episode previews emphasized the show’s underlying melancholy, regretful, and serious tone through the use of psychological and thematic analysis delivered in a serious, weighty tone. The 2006 Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu television series emphasized the show’s non-chronological episode sequence and the relationship between protagonists Suzumiya Haruhi and Kyon by having Suzumiya Haruhi narrate previews for the wrong next episode while Kyon corrected her. The 2007 Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai television series instituted a brilliant cross-promotional tactic by making its next episode previews available only on the show’s official website, forcing its devoted fans to go from the television broadcast to the show’s homepage.