The Beginning After the End anime outperforms Fire Force season 3 in a way no one expected

The Beginning After the End and Fire Force are two of the most anticipated Spring 2025 anime series. Both have an avid popularity on the internet, and their source materials are among the most popular pieces of fiction. However, even though one of them takes animation quality up a notch and should be the popular one, the fandom thinks otherwise, and the statistics prove it.

As seen in Crunchyroll, the like/dislike amount of Studio A-Cat's anime adaptation tremendously surpasses that of David Production's one. This indicates that the former anime series, despite having a below-par animation style, exceeds in popularity compared to the latter, which features impeccable animation.

Disclaimer: This article expresses the opinions of the author.

The Beginning After the End surpasses Fire Force season 3 in viewership on Crunchyroll

Arthur Leywin as seen in the anime trailers (Image via Studio A-Cat)

The Beginning After the End and Fire Force season 3 are both available to watch on Crunchyroll, as part of the streaming website's Spring 2025 anime line-up. The former series started airing on April 2, 2025, animated by Studio A-Cat, and the latter on April 5, 2025, animated by David Production.

David Production is animating their anime adaptation with flawless animation and a smooth storyline progression. While the anime's start might be slow, as compared to the other Spring 2025 anime, it has already started to get good. On the other hand, Studio A-Cat's anime adaptation might be cutting corners through below-average animation and a faulty plot progression that doesn't seem right.

However, their viewership on Crunchyroll says otherwise. Even though the streaming website doesn't mention the view count of episodes directly on their website's layouts, they could be estimated by looking at the number of likes and dislikes, and Studio A-Cat's anime adaptation might be far beyond David Production's anime.

For instance, the first episode of The Beginning After the End had above 80k likes, and Fire Force season 3's premiere had less than 50k. This difference could be seen in every episode, even though fans worldwide have criticized the former series.

Reaction from the fans

Shinra as seen in the anime trailers (Image via David Productions)

The majority of fandom was expecting this because the popularity of the manhwa of Studio A-Cat's anime adaptation was a blessing in disguise for the series. However, this popularity couldn't save the series from critics, as The Beginning After the End is one of the most disliked anime on Crunchyroll, proving that the fandom still despises the anime's low-quality animation.

On the other hand, some fans looked at the issue from a broader aspect, claiming that Fire Force's hype died down due to its return after so many years, hinting that its fandom might no longer be interested in the anime adaptation due to the conclusion of the source material. Moreover, the series' unneeded adult scenes add to the reduced viewership, as claimed by one fan.

"A starving camel is bigger than a horse," a fan said.

"Outperforming in dislikes by a bigger margin too lol," another fan said.

"They just seriously underestimated TBATE popularity. Fire force is no longer in it's prime considering a lot of its fandom has left after the ending of manga and the anime was on hiatus for a long time. So it will take time to attract new viewers," another one said.

"Fire Force had the controversy of continous debates regarding the inclusion of adult scenes, so, kinda expected," another one claimed.

Final thoughts

This comparison might seem unfair to some fans because, as already mentioned, Fire Force season 3 returned too late, and the fandom might be satisfied with how the manga ended.

Moreover, the fact that The Beginning After the End's manhwa series is holding out for the anime adaptation is commendable, and all thanks to the writing skills of TurtleMe. Fans would be hoping for things to get better in the future.

Related Links

About the author

Umer is an anime and manga expert at Sportskeeda with a Bachelor's degree in Industrial Biotechnology. He chose to deviate from his original career path due to his love for anime, and wishes to encourage more people to experience the genre through his work. He has previously worked at niche anime-centered media website Anime Senpai for around 1.5 years.

Umer believes in cross-checking facts with official sources and strives to produce well-rounded articles through thorough research. He is a fan of anime series like 'Made in Abyss,' 'One Piece,' and 'Clannad,' and also loves indulging in manga including 'Monster,' 'Yotsubato!,' and any series by Junji Ito. He admires 'One Piece' author Eiichiro Oda and is inspired by how he intricately weaves a narrative and seamlessly connects loose links.

Apart from immersing himself in a wide array of anime and manga, Umer also collects physical copies of manga series to support his favorite authors. When he's not working, he enjoys reading classic literature and watching soccer.

Know More

Edited by Tiasha