Anime Relations
How SIMKL connects anime seasons, arcs, OVAs, movies, and side-stories? Why they are separated?
Anime is not produced like Western TV. And SIMKL does not pretend that it is.
Most anime series are created over many years, often by different studios, with story arcs that stop, restart, branch into movies, or continue long after the original run.
That makes anime fundamentally different from Western shows that air one continuous season every year.
SIMKL’s Anime Relations system is how this complexity is solved.
Instead of forcing anime into artificial “Season 1, Season 2” buckets, SIMKL tracks each anime production exactly as it exists in Japan, and then links those titles together using powerful relationship data.
This gives you:
SIMKL relies on third-party databases like AniDB for its Anime Metadata AniDB - For Anime
What Are Anime Relations?
Anime Relations tell SIMKL how anime titles connect to each other.
Every anime on SIMKL can have links such as:
Sequel
Prequel
Side story
ONA
OVA
Movie
Special
Spin-off
Music
Direct continuation
These relationships are shown in the Related Anime → Relations panel on every anime page.
This allows SIMKL to know things like:
Attack on Titan → Season 2 → Season 3 (Part 1) → Season 3 (Part 2) → Final Season → Final Specials → Final Movie
Even though each of these is a separate anime entry, SIMKL knows they are part of the same story.
Why SIMKL Splits Anime Into Separate Titles
This is the single biggest source of confusion and also SIMKL’s biggest advantage.
SIMKL does not invent anime seasons. SIMKL tracks how anime is actually produced and released in Japan.
In Japan:
Studios often take multi-year breaks between arcs
Production committees change
Animation studios change
Episode formats change (TV → OVA → Movie → TV)
Story arcs are officially marketed as separate titles
For example:
Season 1, Season 2
Attack on Titan (2013)
Season 3
Attack on Titan Season 2 (2017)
Season 4
Attack on Titan Season 3 (2018–2019)
Season 5
Attack on Titan The Final Season (2020–2023)
Movie
Attack on Titan: The Last Attack (2024)
These are not seasons in Japan, they are separate releases, each sold, licensed, and produced independently.
SIMKL preserves this reality instead of collapsing everything into one artificial show.
This allows: • Correct licensing & streaming tracking • Proper episode counts • Accurate release notifications • Correct studio credits • True drop-rate & popularity stats • Reliable long-term tracking
How SIMKL Still Gives You “Season-Style” Tracking
Even though anime on SIMKL is stored as separate titles, SIMKL recreates and improves the idea of “seasons” through a system called Anime Relations.
Instead of forcing everything into one giant listing, SIMKL builds a story-aware structure that understands what actually comes next in the franchise whether it’s a new season, a movie, an OVA, or a special arc.
Next to Watch – Sequel
On every anime page, SIMKL shows a Next to Watch – Sequel panel.
This is not a random recommendation, it is a story-correct continuation of the anime you are currently viewing.
Next to Watch – Sequel
This automatically points to the correct next anime in the story.
This is not a random recommendation, it is a story-correct continuation of the anime you are currently viewing.
For example:
If you are on Naruto (2002), SIMKL shows: ➡ Naruto Shippuden
If you are on Attack on Titan Season 3 (Part 1) SIMKL shows: ➡ Attack on Titan Season 3 (Part 2)
This works even when anime splits seasons across multiple titles, years, studios, or formats.
Parts vs Seasons: TV Show FormatsWestern season systems cannot do this, they only count episode numbers.
SIMKL follows the actual narrative order.
Relations Panel
Every anime page also contains a Relations panel. This is where SIMKL becomes uniquely powerful.
The Relations system shows the full structure of the anime franchise, including:
• Direct sequels
Direct sequels
Movies that continue the story
OVAs
Alternative versions
Side stories
Final parts
You can switch between two views:
Directly Related
This shows the core story path the parts you must watch to follow the main narrative.
Example for Naruto: Naruto → Naruto Shippuden → Boruto
Example for Attack on Titan: Season 1 → Season 2 → Season 3 → Final Season → Final Specials → Final Movie
This acts exactly like a true season list, but more accurate.
How SIMKL Syncs Seasons Across Plex, TVDB, TMDB & MAL
SIMKL has various connected IDs & links:
SIMKL also connects two anime worlds:
Original anime titles
TVDB seasons
Japanese episode numbering
TMDB season structure
Studio-defined releases
Plex / Kodi episode layout
SIMKL maintains a mapping database that links:
TVDB Season 3 Episode 5 → The correct Japanese anime episode
So when Plex says:
Naruto – Season 2 Episode 1
SIMKL knows:
Which real Naruto episode that was
This means: • Plex • Kodi • API apps • Mobile apps • Browser extensions
All stay accurate, even when anime uses different season systems.
Notifications for New Seasons & Related Anime
This is where SIMKL becomes extremely powerful.
When a new anime is added that is related to anything in:
Watching
Completed
On Hold
SIMKL can notify you automatically.
Notifications
This means: If you watched Attack on Titan years ago… When Attack on Titan: The Last Attack (2024) was added… SIMKL can tell you it exists.
You never miss new seasons, OVAs, or movies again.
This solves the #1 problem anime fans have via notifications:
“I didn’t know there was another season.”
Why SIMKL Does Not Collapse Anime Into One Big Show (Yet...)
Some apps show:
My Hero Academia – 8 seasons
SIMKL shows:
My Hero Academia Season 1 My Hero Academia Season 2 My Hero Academia Season 3 …
This is not fragmentation. This is accurate representation of how anime is produced.
Why is anime a top level category like movies and tv shows?
Anime is not one continuous show
Each season is:
A separate TV production
With its own budget
Its own staff
Its own broadcast window
Its own licensing
Its own episode IDs
Because:
Japan releases them as separate works
Studios change
Licensing changes
Movies interrupt the timeline
SIMKL does not split anime for no reason.
SIMKL splits anime because: That is how anime is actually made.
Relations put everything back together. better than any single-title season system ever could.
You get: ✔️ Correct history ✔️ Correct future notifications ✔️ Correct syncing ✔️ Correct watch order ✔️ Correct stats
That is what Anime Relations were built for.
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