* Budget and Time: Anime production is expensive and time-consuming. Creating 26 episodes requires a significant investment in resources, staff, and time. Shortening the series helps studios manage costs and release episodes faster.
* Target Audience: Anime is often targeted towards a specific demographic. Short series can be more appealing to viewers who prefer concise stories or have limited attention spans.
* Story Arc: Anime often adapts a specific arc or storyline from the manga. This can be a self-contained story that doesn't require the entire manga's length to be covered.
* Flexibility and Experimentation: A shorter anime series gives creators more flexibility to experiment with pacing, storytelling, and animation style. It also allows them to adapt the material in a way that best suits the medium.
* Potential for Sequels: A successful 26-episode anime can generate enough interest to warrant a sequel that further adapts the manga. This can be a good strategy to cover more of the source material without overwhelming viewers with a single, long series.
* Creative Decisions: Sometimes, the creators choose to adapt the story in a way that differs from the manga. This might involve condensing certain events, changing the order of the storyline, or adding original content.
Here's an analogy: Imagine you have a book you want to make into a movie. You could adapt the entire book into a multi-part film series, but it might be more effective to focus on one specific chapter or arc within the book. The movie would be shorter, more focused, and easier to manage.
Ultimately, the decision to adapt a manga into a shorter anime series is a complex one involving creative choices, financial considerations, and market trends.