Painful comparisons: TBATE - Wistoria - Frieren
I know comparing things isn't always ideal, but sometimes that's the only way we notice certain details and missed opportunities - in this case, how a good anime adaptation can work wonders, or a bad one can do the exact opposite
These images and stats mainly measure trends and popularity. While they aren't absolute, they give us a solid idea and are highly accurate when it comes to gauging general audience reception. The data includes markets across the entire West + Japan. For some of you, the charts alone will be enough to understand everything without further explanation
But to provide more context: TBATE was massive. It was bigger in popularity than 98% of the shows that premiere every anime season - nobody should doubt that. Unfortunately, it received the worst possible treatment, resulting in an absolute massacre in terms of reception and popularity. At its peak, Season 2 only managed to reach 20% of the hype that Season 1 had at its peak
On the other hand, one of the compared anime, "Wistoria," has an average or standard story but features great animation, and its Season 2 aired right alongside TBATE Season 2. Before its anime, nobody knew it; its Season 1 only reached 37% of the reception compared to the premiere hype of TBATE Season 1. Yet, by its second season, it grew even bigger than its first and outperformed TBATE Season 2 by over 200% in trends
Another comparison is "Frieren," a famous anime with a great story and a top-tier adaptation. Believe it or not, Frieren actually had less popularity than TBATE before its anime. The premiere hype for the TBATE anime even matched the peak popularity of Frieren Season 1. Of course, after the premiere, TBATE tanked while Frieren did nothing but grow with every single episode. As for its second season, it's not even a contest - Frieren's peak was 900% of TBATE Season 2's peak
These are just data and interesting facts. I'll always wonder what would have happened if TBATE had received Wistoria or Frieren-level animation, but one thing I'm sure of is that this was one of the greatest downfalls of a series related to an anime adaptation.