While this new anime season is filled with plenty of shining lights, one fantasy series has joined the likes of Blue Lock and Uzumaki in animation jail after a clip went viral for all the wrong reasons.
The scene from The Beginning After the End (which you can see below) shows a handful of its characters attacked by wolves. But instead of a dazzling, kinetic sequence as the trio fend off the beasts, viewers are treated to a series of still images slowly crawling along the screen – complete with some background trickery to make it seem like everything is moving a lot faster than it is.
TBATE Episode 2 Didn’t expect anything else #TBATE pic.twitter.com/lUK5FlviGgApril 9, 2025
Inevitably, this has led to scores of fans to express their frustrations with the scene. Some are calling for a new team to replace Studio A-Cat for future seasons, while others joked, "I’m hoping they’re just saving the budget for when Arthur gets older."
Another added, "This was so disappointing."
While we shouldn't expect every anime series to hit the heights of a Demon Slayer or Jujutsu Kaisen, it's difficult to ignore the spate of recent shows bundled with controversial animation decisions.
Last year, Blue Lock season 2 was roundly mocked by fans, with some even comparing it to a PowerPoint presentation. That, in turn, led to one of its animators lift the lid on why it looked so "bad", pointing to an environment that favored efficiency over quality.
Similarly, horror anime Uzumaki received a noticeable drop-off in quality after its stellar first episode. In response, executive producer Jason DeMarco sounded off in a series of now-deleted posts on social media site Bluesky.
"It’s fine, we knew this would happen. I can’t talk about what went down but we were screwed over and the options were A) Not finish and air nothing and call it a loss, B) Just finish and air Ep 1 and leave it incomplete or C) Run all four, warts and all. Out of respect for the hard work, we chose C," DeMarco wrote at the time.
Meanwhile, the spring 2025 season continues with several big names, including Fire Force season 3 and One Piece's return after a months-long hiatus.
For more, check out the best anime you should be watching in 2025. Then dive into all the latest news on the Chainsaw Man movie and One-Punch Man season 3.
