It's an unfortunate by-product of the industry that anime recap episodes are as common as they are. Anime studios are often up against strict deadlines to get episodes ready to air, but it doesn't always work out, and when that happens, recap episodes are there to give the team a breather.
Anime fans often groan at the mere mention of a recap episode, potentially providing no new story content and resulting in fans having to wait longer to get back to the canon plot. However, some anime studios get creative with recap episodes and use them as a method to have fun with their viewers.
10 Chihayafuru Uses Gags To Keep Recaps Fresh
In each of its three seasons, Chihayafuru has had at least one recap episode to act as a mid-season break. For the most part, these act as standard recap episode fare. The story is succinctly summarized to date, and only the most important plot points are mentioned. However, in each of these recap episodes, Chihayafuru intersperses some light original gags to showcase the cast having fun in their club room or doing other fun activities. It's a great way to enjoy seeing the characters in a more relaxed setting.
9 Clannad: After Story Gets Emotional With Its Recap
Clannad: After Story takes viewers on a trip that goes further than anyone expected. After all the emotional torment, it's both refreshing and cruel that the anime gives viewers a recap episode to go through the highlights one last time. Yet, more than a simple recap, the episode is framed as Tomoya Okazaki telling his daughter the story of his life and how he met Nagisa Furukawa. It's sweet and heartfelt but it also comes with the revelation that the events of some prior episodes took place in a different timeline.
8 Samurai Champloo Recaps Events From A Different Perspective
The beloved samurai trio of Fuu, Mugen, and Jin are resting themselves at a hot spring for a night which sets the stage for some reminiscing. Curious to know more about their mission, Mugen and Jin stumble upon Fuu's diary which serves as a recap of the show so far.
Told from her perspective, Fuu's diary details the events of prior episodes but with the added twist of including her own opinions on the events. It's a clever subversion of the typical recap episode and it gave fans new insight into the characters.
7 Kill La Kill Summarizes Itself In Record Time
Recap episodes traditionally use the entire runtime of an episode so that the studio doesn't have to animate brand new scenes. This isn't the case with Kill La Kill. In hilarious fashion, the recap episode of this anime speeds through its plot summary in less than three minutes total, before getting right back to the plot at hand. For an anime as breakneck and bombastic as this, there was no other way of telling a recap episode this true to itself.
6 Serial Experiments Lain Takes Its Viewers For A Ride
Recap episodes are designed to give anime studios a buffer while also summarizing the plot for viewers. Yet, in Serial Experiments Lain, the recap episode presents information that's out of order and even inconsistent with past knowledge. That's because it's actually a sequence where Lain is running through her connections in order to figure out who she is and whether she is real. If that wasn't cool enough, the recap montages are backed up by a killer guitar solo.
5 Monogatari Needs No Excuse To Add More Dialogue
By the standards of anime recap episodes, the Monogatari series doesn't get too crazy. But, for fans of this show, the recap episodes are still essential viewing. These compact recaps are a much-needed summary of events.
On paper, that doesn't sound exciting, but considering how dialogue-heavy the series is, it's a welcome way to make sense of plot points. These episodes are also narrated by characters like Tsubasa Hanekawa and Koyomi Araragi himself, to inject levity into the proceedings.
4 Gintama Is The Ultimate Troll
Gintama fans know that it's an anime that revels in breaking the fourth wall, and its recap episodes are no exception. Instead of simply retelling major plot points, Gintama takes the time to make fun of its own anime studio. Characters might complain about a lack of budget while there's a noticeable lack of animation on screen, or they'll redub older scenes with funny voices. The cast might even banter for minutes on end without the image changing or intentionally try to recap events that didn't actually happen.
3 Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood Sheds Light On A Key Character
The structure of a recap episode can make all the difference. In Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, the recap is framed through the eyes of a dream that Van Hohenheim is having. In said dream, he experiences old events by way of interacting with his old friend, Pinako. Characters talk about events that are in their past or future, and it gives viewers an insight into the mysterious father of the Elric brothers, while also raising new questions about who he really is.
2 Blood Blockade Battlefront Gives Viewers A Logical Explanation
For most intents and purposes, the recap episode of Blood Blockade Battlefront isn't that special. However, it does just enough with its premise to please fans. Framed as Leonardo Watch complaining about his mishaps to whoever will listen on a radio show, the episode gives fans a play-by-play of events with a comedic twist.
The addition of the opening song being tied into the episode itself was also a moment of appreciated fan service.
1 Re: Creators Has The Best Recap Episode In Anime
Meteora Osterreich didn't have as much time to shine as some other cast members in Re: Creators. That is, until the recap episode. As perhaps the biggest fourth wall break in the history of anime, this recap episode lets Meteora catch viewers up on the plot in the only way she can: from her point of view. Prior events are changed or exaggerated to make fun of other characters, to make herself look more beautiful and strong, or even to pause during key moments and speak directly to the viewers.