I came across an interesting Anime News Network discussion prompt asking whether it “matter[s] if the sequel [to an anime] is as good [as the first season] if it takes too long to show up?” The two participants in the discussion cite examples where it does seem to matter in a commercial sense. From my perspective, a long delay between seasons can be irritating in that I need to go back and refresh myself on the prior season(s). I distinctly recall having that issue with the second season of Re:Zero back in 2021 (the first season aired in 2016). But as long as the new season is good and worthwhile, I am not worried from a viewer perspective. The third and final season of My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU (aka Oregairu) was the easy choice for my TV anime of the year nod in 2020, notwithstanding the five-year gap between the second and third seasons. I still insist on a third season of the best series of the previous decade, March Comes in like a Lion, despite the fact that the second season finished airing seven years ago. (Aside: While I have yet to watch the third season of Kimi ni Todoke, which aired 12 years after the second, I appreciate that it helped bring attention to my Kimi ni Todoke hair color study.)