Children of the Whales is a beloved fantasy and science fiction anime series released in 2018. This series, which many of us know on T.V. screens, is actually based on the manga series written and illustrated by Abi Umeda. The anime series was created by the famous animation studio J.C. Staff. We know how they are good at drawing, and this anime again proves the studio’s quality. Broadcasting rights of the anime, which were initially aired on Tokyo MX, SUN, KBS, BS11 local channels, were acquired by Netflix. After it was released on Netflix in March 2018, many viewers had the opportunity to watch the anime worldwide, and its popularity increased. On the other hand, the studio, which prepared some seasons of productions such as One Punch Man and Food Wars, managed to get the second season’s approval with many anime. So will Children of the Whales have a second season?
What is the plotline of Children of the Whales?
The ship called the Mud Whale is drifting adrift in a sea of sand. Children of the Whales tells what happened on this ship island. There are islands creeping on endless sand seas. One of these islands is the Mud Whale. Two types of people live on this island, the marked and the unmarked. The marked are young people with special powers. They have a sort of telepathic powers but, unfortunately, die when they reach the age of thirty. Those who are not marked are normal people. Management is in unmarked people, consisting of the elderly.
Our main character is named Chakuro. He is one of the marked ones, and his duty on the island is to record what happened in writing. Like every young man on the island, he is curious about the outside world. One day, an island appears near the Mud Whale, and Chakuro joins the island’s fundraising team. However, Chakuro finds a miserable and bloodied girl on the island rather than the source. The girl attacks Chakuro but immediately passes out because she is so tired. Chakuro, taking the girl with him, goes to his other friends and immediately returns to the Mud Whale. As a result, a person from the outside world has been found. This is a sensational event. Before long, the actual bomb will explode because someone is approaching the Mud Whale.
Will there be a second season of the anime?
J.C. Staff or any related company has yet to renew the series for a second season. The anime’s first season was originally aired in the 2017 final quarter. We haven’t heard an official statement for more than three years. When we consider the issue, there is still no renewal or cancellation for a new season recently. In fact, this situation is common in many anime, such as Children of the Whales. Because anime can take years to renew. When some of the main factors are considered, it is possible to speculate about a new season. Manga status, popularity, and disc sales will be the main items of this review.
Manga status of Children of the Whales
As we mentioned at the beginning of the article, the Children of the Whales manga series was written and illustrated by Abi Umeda. Akita Shoten originally published the manga series in Monthly Mystery Bonita. In parallel, Viz Media has published the manga in English. The good news for the manga, which has reached 18 volumes since 2013, is still ongoing.
Like many anime, Children of the Whales uses manga as its main source material. The first season of the anime covered the first five volumes of the manga, and many volumes and chapters remain. There is no obstacle in terms of manga for a new season if really decided.
Popularity and disc (BluRay and DVD) sales
Manga status alone is not always enough because financial situations always come first. Although the series was broadcast by Netflix and was created by the famous studio, J.C.Staff, the disc sales were a complete disappointment. The second season of the anime, which only sold 216 copies with the first season, seems very unlikely for financial reasons. Generally, an anime is expected to be profitable and sell at least 4,000 copies for the second season’s approval. Children of the Whales anime sales are far from this number.
Summary and release date
J.C. Staff has no plans for a second season yet. The anime’s overall popularity score is 69.2%, but it doesn’t seem popular enough in Japan. Fourteen thousand people follow anime’s official Twitter account, and they don’t seem very active anymore. When all these are evaluated, we see it very hard due to the second season’s low popularity and disc sales. However, the anime world is full of surprises. The manga series is still ongoing, and if there is a renewal, the production will take an average of one year, and we can see a new season in 2022.