The Ryuo’s Work is Never Done! or Ryuuou no Oshigoto! is an anime series released in 2018 in the comedy and game genre. Anime is about a game called Shogi, similar to chess in Japan. Based on the light novel written by Shirow Shiratori, the series’ light novel has over 2 million cumulative circulations. However, a part of the fans is more interested in anime than manga or light novels and is very curious about this series’s sequel. Created by Project No.9, the first season of the series consisted of 12 episodes in total. We also know the studio through High School Prodigies Have It Easy Even In Another World. Originally aired on many local broadcasters such as AT-X, Tokyo MX, KBS, Sun TV, BS Fuji, Mie TV between January 8, 2018 – March 26, 2018, the first season was also licensed by Crunchyroll. So far, no OVA episode or new season has met with the audience. So is the second season in the plan?
What is the plotline of Ryuuou no Oshigoto!
One day, high school student Kuzuryuu Yaichi, a Shogi player, wins the Shogi tournament and becomes a master. Hinatsuru Ai, one of those who watched this match that day, admires Yaichi. After the match, Yaichi returns to his home, and suddenly his door knocks. When he opens it, he sees a little girl in front of his house, and this girl tells Yaichi that she wants to be his student. The girl is none other than Ai. Yaichi is then forced to accept this request and takes him as his student. In the continuation of this story, the days begin when funny events will find them.
Will there be a second season of “The Ryuo’s Work is Never Done!”?
As of February 2021, at the time of writing, Project No.9 or any related company has yet to renew the anime for a second season. Animes are generally productions with long production periods and we cannot see a new season of many animes a year or two after they are released. Since there is no official news about the second season, we will mostly speculate about the second season in our article. It is possible to evaluate the possibility of a new season under some criteria. These main factors are disc sales, popularity, manga status, etc.
Light Novel Status of the Anime
As we mentioned at the beginning of our article, the series’s original is a light novel, and the anime uses this written work as source material. Written by Shirow Shiratori and illustrated by Sharabi, the light novel began to be published by SB Creative in 2015. Although it follows from behind, it is published by BookWalker in English, and the light novel series can be read worldwide without any fan subtitles.
The good news is that the light novel series is still ongoing, and there is enough stock material for a second season. With the last volume released on February 13, 2021, the series reached 14 volumes in total. Only 4 volumes were adapted in the first season. So there is enough script for making a second season. There is no obstacle to the second season in terms of source material adequacy, but this factor alone is not enough for a sequel.
Disc Sales (BluRay and DVD) of the Anime
Disc sales are very important for anime. Deciding on the second season of an anime depends on how profitable this decision will be, and the decision committee closely monitors the disc sales in this regard. In general, it is expected for an anime to reach at least 4,000 disc sales to bring profit.
However, The Ryuo’s Work is Never Done only sold 2,394 copies in the first season. This number is about half of the generally-known 4,000 sheets target. So, looking only at the disc’s sales, it can be said that the second sequel of this work is not very likely.
Popularity, Broadcast Channels, Other Products
Although it has fallen short of targets in disc sales, sometimes the series’s general popularity can influence second season decisions. The fact that giant broadcast services such as Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu get the series’s broadcast rights strengthens the possibilities of the new season. But “Ryuuou no Oshigoto!” is not broadcast on any of these services. In this case, the anime can only be an advertising product to support Light Novel or generate revenue from disc sales. Anime produced solely for light novel commercials generally do not receive season two approvals. Unlike many anime, they do not have a Twitter account only for anime, and their overall popularity score is 63.4%. The series has a PlayStation game, which is also available on Nintendo Switch. It is a good thing, but in general, we can say that the team is focused on the light novel right now.
Second Season Release Date of Ryuuou no Oshigoto!
Unfortunately, there is no second season confirmation yet. The first season of the anime was published in 2018. We speculated about a new season from the data that has emerged so far. As a result of this evaluation, the probability of the new season is 30%. Because anime doesn’t have enough popularity and disc sales are far below targets and does not broadcast by giant broadcaster services. Still, the anime world is full of surprises. We still have a low chance of seeing a new season to support the light novel series because there is enough source material. If the series is renewed for a new season, the production time will take about one year, and we can see a new season in 2022. Until then, you can watch other comedy anime like Great Pretender or Classroom of the Elite.