It’s been officially confirmed that That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime Season 2 release date has been delayed.
The official website for anime series announced that Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken Season 2 would be delayed due to the effects of the SARS-COV-2 coronavirus pandemic.
The second season of the Slime anime series was originally scheduled for release in October 2020, but now it will be released in January 2021. Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken Season 2 is a split-cour anime season, so there’s also a delay for the second part.
What’s a split-cour, you might ask? For those unfamiliar with the lingo, a “cour” is a three-month block of TV broadcasting based on the physical seasons usually composed of 10 to 13 episodes.
A “split-cour” is where a single anime season takes a multi-month break before resuming TV broadcasting.
Recent examples would include Haikyuu!! Season 4 Part 2, which was initially coming out in summer 2020 but has been similarly delayed.
The That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime Season 2 Part 2 release date was originally scheduled for April 2021, but now it’s being shifted to the July 2021 TV time slot.
An official statement from the anime production committee announced the postponement.
The committee explained that the production schedule had originally allowed for plenty of time to complete the project, but these plans were disrupted when COVID-19 caused Japan to enter a state of emergency.
“We were proceeding with the production … with a sufficient preparation period. Since the announcement [of Japan’s state of emergency] has had a great impact on the originally planned production schedule, we will postpone the broadcasting and distribution start time,” the official statement says.
The production committee also stated that the “detailed broadcasting and distribution schedule will be announced on the official anime website and official Twitter as soon as it is decided.
“We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience and anxiety caused to the fans. We will do our best to make the TV animation something even more enjoyable that everyone can enjoy. We would appreciate your understanding.”
The Slime Diaries release date also delayed
The spin-off anime The Slime Diaries has been affected, as well. The Slime Diaries: That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime release date has been pushed back from January 2021 to April 2021, the spring 2021 anime season.
The anime spin-off is based on the Tensura Nikki Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken manga series by original creator Fuse and artist Shiba. The story is more comedic and focuses on the everyday lives of Rimuru and his friends.
Animation company Studio 8bit is producing both the main series and The Slime Diaries anime. Studio 8bit is also producing The Irregular At Magic High School Season 2, which was also delayed by Japan’s state of emergency.
2020 anime schedules suffer from coronavirus
In April 2020, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared a national state of emergency, which was supposed to end on May 6, 2020. But in the first week of May, NHK reported that Japan’s state of emergency was expanded.
Throughout May, the Japanese Prime Minister slowly began lifting the state of emergency in many prefectures around Japan.
By May 26, the state of emergency was over, but Tokyo and the surrounding areas maintained a state of emergency for the longest. This posed problems for Studio 8bit, which is located in Suginami, Tokyo.
The That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime Season 2 anime is one of several major anime that suffered delays. Many studios’ schedules suffered from cascading effects due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the worldwide mitigation efforts.
The Seven Deadly Sins Season 4, Haikyuu!! Season 4, Black Clover, Pokemon Journeys: The Series, The Promised Neverland Season 2, My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU Season 3, The Quintessential Quintuplets Season 2, Re: ZERO Season 2, Sword Art Online: Alicization Final Season, and No Guns Life Part 2 have all been pushed back to later dates.
The few anime that are not being delayed had production schedules in which the episodes were completed before the pandemic swept the world.
The Tower Of God anime, My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!, Kaguya-sama: Love is War Season 2, and Ascendance of a Bookworm Season 2/Part 2 are among the anime productions that was able to complete episodes before the pandemic delayed the work.