While many fans of "Attack on Titan" were happy that season 2 of the anime premiered over the weekend, some were not pleased with the announcement that the new season will only have 12 episodes, which is less than half compared to the number of episodes the first one had.
The number of episodes was announced on the official Twitter account of the anime series. According to Thomas Romain, a French animator who is currently working in Japan, the reason for this is lack of manpower. He posted on Twitter that the studio experienced staff shortage because of anime overproduction. He said that anime shows like "Attack on Titan" are only given limited time for production. As such, they were only able to produce a few episodes given that the team was understaffed and were working under a tight deadline.
Many fans expressed their disappointment over the news, especially given the fact that the first season ended nearly four years ago. The delay in production was due to lack of material. At the time, the anime was able to catch up to the manga. The latter needed to be developed further so that the creative team will have enough material work with for the second season of the anime.
Between seasons, two Japanese live-action films were released in 2015. A Hollywood production of "Attack on Titan" is also rumored to be under negotiations between Warner Brothers and Hajime Isayama, who created the series.
"Attack on Titan" is set in a post-apocalyptic world, with only a handful of humans surviving and fighting against Titans — giants who feed on people. The lead character, Eren Yeager, one of the people fighting those creatures, discovers that he can transform into a Titan and uses this ability to help protect humanity. The series tackles the mystery of the origins of these gigantic humanoid beings.
Season 2 picks up almost right where season 1 ended, with Eren and his group discovering and managing to capture a Titan within the city itself.
Fans can watch season 2 of "Attack on Titan" on Funimation, Hulu, Toonami, and Crunchyroll.
