Citrus is a popular anime series in the yuri genre, meaning girls’ love, released in 2018. The anime is based on a manga series written and illustrated by Saburouta. It was created by the studio Passione. Citrus is directed by Takeo Takahashi and Naoyuki Tatsuwa, whom we know from the popular anime series Dakaichi. Originally aired on AT-X, Tokyo MX, SUN, BS Fuji local channels between January 6, 2018 – March 24, 2018, the first season attracted great attention. Thanks to the Crunchyroll and Funimation license, the series has spread worldwide. After about three years, fans are still waiting for a new season. So, will there be a second season of the series?
Citrus Season 2 Plotline
Synopsis: Fancy Yuzu thought differently about the first day of her new school after her mother remarried. She didn’t know it was an overly rigid and tutored school. So instead of her sweet high school crush, she conflicts with the head of the school council, Mei. Mei is actually her half-sister. And she will learn that hate and love are not that far away. Unable to deal with what is now, Yuzu discovers a brand new beginning, her sexual side, and discovers more about Mei.
After the first season: The first season was full of intense tension, love triangles, confused emotions, and distractions. By the end of the season, Mei finally confessed her true feelings. Unfortunately, Yuzu couldn’t respond clearly, creating an awkward atmosphere. The second season will allow Yuzu to further explore their relationship by agreeing to their feelings.
Will there be a second season of Citrus?
As of June 12, 2022, at the time of writing, neither studio Passione, manga publisher Ichijinsha, nor any related company renewed the second season’s anime. There is also no cancellation yet. We can see a new season of anime years later, and this period can take 5-6 years sometimes. Right now we can only speculate about the possibilities of the new season and air date. There are some important criteria, such as source material, popularity, and sales, to examine second-season possibilities.
Manga status of the anime
As we mentioned at the beginning of the article, Citrus anime is a TV adaptation of the manga of the same name written by Saburouta. Originally published by Ichijinsha, the manga consists of 10 volumes in total and aired between November 17, 2012, and August 18, 2018. In the meantime, it is possible to reach animation in English thanks to Seven Seas Entertainment. Manga is not ongoing anymore and it’s not good news that the manga is no longer running. Because after the manga is complete, the advertising work is no longer as strong as before, and a new anime season that may increase manga sales may not be as valuable as before. But the good news is that a Sequel manga series exists. The sequel manga Citrus Plus is currently ongoing and has reached 4 volumes in total.
The anime’s first season progressed faithfully to the manga. It covers 4 manga volumes in the first season. The remaining 6 volumes are quite enough for a second season. Also, those who want to continue with manga can start reading the 5th volume of the main manga.
Popularity and BD Sales of Citrus
Disc sales are important for anime as they generate financial returns. However, there has been a serious decline in disc sales in recent years. This is due to changing habits. However, disc sales figures are still good data to compare with animes released in the same period. The anime’s disc sales were made in the 2018 winter season, and it only sold 1,342 units. This sales figure was well below the targets.
While Blu-Ray sales make the new season unlikely, the production is not local and is also broadcast on global streaming channels. When we look at the overall popularity, we see it ranked 397th in Myanimelist’s popularity ranking. For an anime released in 2018, this ranking can be said to be above average. Also, the anime is followed by around 45k people on Twitter, which, while above average, is not enough for an anime targeting a new season.
When is the second season of Citrus?
Citrus is not renewed as of June 2022. As a result of the evaluation, We see the probability of a new season as 40% when we consider the positives and negatives and the creative animation studio is a small company and is currently busy with other anime. The anime studio has created ten anime and three OVA series so far. However, none of them has a sequel. We think that the studio’s work is mostly based on advertising to feed the manga. Nevertheless, still, there is enough source material and viewership for a new season of the series. If the anime will be renewed, the new season could be around 2023.