To call anime fans “passionate” would be a vast understatement. There are certainly a large number of calm, collected, and, for lack of a better word, “controlled” anime fans out there. But, general attention is often shifted towards the extreme fans who make sure the world hears their negative opinions about new shows, movies, actors, etc. It’s a phenomenon with which The Beginning After the End was recently confronted. Following the debut of the first two episodes, over 50,000 fans took to the internet to sign a petition calling for the anime adaptation to be canceled and remade.
Among those who signed the petition, there will likely be some who mean well while having a strong sense of duty to TurtleMe’s web novels and subsequent webtoons being adapted with the quality and care they deserve. But, as with any anime fandom, there are also those who take their hatred to an extreme level. The petition has gained major traction online, but is the very idea of the petition a result of fans taking things too far, or is it justifiable passion?
Is The Beginning After the End’s Petition Disrespectful, or Justified?
As you might expect from such a question, there isn’t one definitive answer. Your opinion on the matter will depend on your history with the franchise, experience with other anime, and personal tastes in anime. Even though over 50,000 people hate The Beginning After the End‘s anime enough to sign a petition asking for it to be canceled, a strong number of viewers still enjoy the ongoing show. The series currently holds a 4-star rating on Crunchyroll with just under 40,000 reviews and boasts modestly successful IMDb ratings with each episode.
The argument against the online petition comes from the perspective of respect. It’s incredibly easy for audiences to see a mediocre or bad anime and assume that the animators and the studio didn’t care enough about the source material, or didn’t truly understand the nuance of what they were adapting. But, in most cases, that isn’t true. Animators enter their careers through a love of art and anime. Even though the overall quality of The Beginning After the End‘s animation is mediocre, it doesn’t mean there weren’t animators and staff who poured their hearts and souls into the show. To many, a petition demanding that all of that passion be scrapped and remade by someone else is disrespectful to the hard work of the animators.
However, from the perspective of well-meaning fans who love TurtleMe’s series, the petition isn’t an insult aimed toward the animators at Studio A-Cat. Instead, it comes from a place of adoration for the source material and a desire for the anime adaptation to live up to the same quality as the novels. The most exciting and engaging parts of The Beginning After the End are its power fantasy and fight scenes. So, for an action anime to have underwhelming fight scenes has left the fan base feeling like the source material hasn’t been done justice.
[RELATED – The Beginning After the End Reveals English Dub Cast & Release Date]
What Next for The Beginning After the End?
There’s one major question looming over The Beginning After the End‘s fan petition: will it actually work? Over 50,000 signatures is a very strong turnout for such a petition. The backlash against the show got so heated that TurtleMe had to address the fan base, asking fans to respect the work done by Studio A-Cat. But just because the petition is gaining serious traction, it doesn’t mean it will actually have an influence on the future of the show.
With all of the time and money Studio A-Cat has poured into The Beginning After the End, the likelihood of them canceling the series is lower than fans’ expectations for the next episodes. Four episodes are currently available to stream on Crunchyroll, with new episodes being released weekly. Season 1 will run for a total of 24 episodes.
It is unlikely that Season 1 will see any drastic changes in the animation quality. However, while the fan petition might not get the show canceled and remade, if The Beginning After the End is picked back up for a second season, there’s a chance that the passion of the fandom could influence better animation for Season 2. But, that will remain to be seen.
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