Super Cub is a slice of life and school anime series released in the summer of 2021. The anime is inspired by the light novel of the same name that Tone Kōken has been writing since 2017. Calming anime fans have followed the series with interest this summer. Originally broadcast on many local networks (AT-X, Tokyo MX, TV Aichi, KBS Kyoto, BS11), the anime is also licensed by Funimation. Studio Kai, who is received good reviews from the audience with 7 Seeds, also took part in Super Cub’s first season. The anime originally premiered with a 12-episode season from April 7, 2021, to June 23, 2021. Fans are now looking forward to seeing another season of this calming anime. So will the anime have a second season?
What is the plotline of the anime?
The story centers on Koguma, a high school student living in Yamanashi. Koguma, who has no family, friends, and hobbies, has an ordinary life. One day he decides to buy a used Honda Super Cub motorcycle. With the little mishaps that happen to her on the roads, her motorcycle begins to add small adventures to her boring daily life. Satisfied with her transformation with her Super Cub, Koguma will gradually open the doors of her lonely world to brand new friendships and adventures.
Will there be a second season of Super Cub?
The anime completed its first season on June 23, 2021. At the time of writing, Studio Kai, manga publisher Kadokawa, or any anime-related company has not yet renewed Super Cub for a second season. Hundreds of anime are broadcast every year, but very few of them get the opportunity for a new season. Animes may be produced as a single season to promote their manga or mostly cannot get the financial strength to produce a second season. Financial strength is directly linked with the popularity of the series. Although there is no official statement so far, it is possible to speculate about whether there will be a second season of the anime. Light novel source material availability, popularity, and disc sales will determine the second season decision. We made predictions for a second season under these main factors.
Light Novel Status
As we mentioned at the beginning of our article, the light novel of the anime is written by Tone Kōken and illustrated by Hiro. The light novel published by Kadokawa Shoten has been published since May 2017. The good news is that the manga series is current and still ongoing. The last volume of the series, which reached 7 volumes in total, was published on March 31, 2021. Fortunately, the first season of the anime only covered the first 2 volumes of the light novel. Considering the remaining source material, it seems that there is enough source material for a second or even third season of the series. In terms of the light novel, there does not seem to be an obstacle for a second season.
Popularity and the other factors
It’s good that the light novel provides enough source material; otherwise, a new season would be impossible. But of course, it is not enough on its own. More importantly, the anime should be popular enough to release a second season. But the news is not so good. The anime’s official Twitter account is followed by about 30k people at the time of writing. That’s a pretty low follower count for an anime targeting a new season. On the other hand, we cannot talk about a strong search volume on Google. Although it has an average viewership in Japan, it is one of the underrated anime worldwide.
When we look at the Myanimelist data, it ranks 1933 in the anime popularity ranking. It is not considered good even for a new anime. Anime currently has a low popularity rating of 44,9% on our anime list.
The Super Cub Blu-Ray Disc Box will be released on August 25, 2021. A good sales figure can reverse the fate of the series. Generally, an anime is expected to sell over 4,000 copies to be renewed for a new season. Although online viewing habits have reduced disc sales in recent years, disc sales are still important for anime like Super Cub that doesn’t have a major exclusive distributor behind them. We will update this part of our article when disc sales become clear. However, as far as it seems, a second season seems quite difficult as a result of our evaluation.
Still, the anime world is full of surprises. Although ‘Uma Musume Pretty Derby‘ did not have strong popularity just like Super Cub, it managed to get approval for a second season. Moreover, the same studio, Studio Kai, is at the head of the anime. The first season of Super Cub was announced in November 2019. Considering the production time, it is still possible to see a new season in 2023. We will update our article as soon as there are official updates. Till then, we recommend animes of similar genres Yuru Camp and My Roommate is a Cat.