The Problem With Anime Compilation Films (And How To Fix It)

Anime compilation films are becoming big business in the anime medium these days. Demon Slayer has made a killing with offerings that put batches of episodes on the silver screen, including Demon Slayer: To The Swordsmith Village and Demon Slayer: To The Hashira Training. With Dandadan getting in on the action with its recent Dandadan: The Evil Eye that hit the West earlier this month, there remains a big problem with these movies that need to be addressed when it comes to the compilation films that are filling theaters these days. Fingers crossed that changes are in store for these future collections.

Typically, when it comes to compilation films for these specific shonen franchises, old and new episodes will be combined into a succinct story for anime fans to witness on the big screen. Most recently, Dandadan: The Evil Eye gave fans a sneak preview for the upcoming second season landing this summer with three new episodes to follow Okarun and Momo in a cursed town. To help fill out the runtime of the film, a synopsis of the first season and interviews with creators behind the scenes help make it run over ninety minutes but this tactic seems lackluster, especially in terms of current ticket prices.

For Demon Slayer, the compilation films had a bigger issue in that the episodes used for previous theatrical outings didn’t quite tell a cohesive story for those hopping into the shonen franchise for the first time. While it was neat for shonen fans to see major battles on the silver screen for the first time, the preview material could have used more exclusives for those willing to make their way to theaters. Both Dandadan and Demon Slayer could have introduced far more episodes from the upcoming seasons to help sweeten the pot for anime fans as it can often feel sparse in their respective runtimes.

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Which Anime Compilation Film Gets It Right?

Ironically enough, Attack on Titan: The Last Attack felt like the best way to get the “anime compilation film” right. To start, the anime movie had a titanic runtime of over 2 hours and thirty minutes. The material from Studio MAPPA also featured the biggest battles of the series to date and presented a story that was beyond worthy of playing out on the silver screen. Featuring deaths, high-flying action, and emotional character beats galore, The Last Attack should be the template for other anime franchises looking to do the same, but these points aren’t all.

Where Attack on Titan: The Last Attack also had a leg-up over recent offerings from Demon Slayer and Dandadan was with its post-credits scene. Recreating “Attack on School Castes,” the scene itself was unnecessary to the overall plot, focusing on an alternate reality where different takes on Eren, Armin, and Mikasa finish watching The Last Attack. Sticking strictly to theaters for its initial run, the post-credits scene is the cherry on top of this gigantic offering, making the movie earn its ticket price. The grand finale of the brutal anime franchise warranted a grand celebration, so it made sense to see the Scout Regiments on a giant platform one final time.

At the end of the day, anime compilation films should not go the way of the dinosaur and become extinct. Instead, they should be retooled and offer anime fans more bang for their buck, whether that comes in the form of additional new episodes and/or exclusive scenes for theater-goers. Of course, Demon Slayer is moving away from this formula for its final trilogy of films. Since the Infinity Castle story will be three original movies to end the franchise, this fact in itself is enough to be worth the ticket cost. The first of these will arrive in Japanese theaters next month, looking to hit the big screen this September in North America for Western anime fans.

Want to stay in the loop when it comes to the world of anime compilation films? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on Demon Slayer, Dandadan, and other anime franchises and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime or hit us up in the comments.