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With Sword Art Online Season 1, there are 25 episode split into 2 Arcs, the
first Arc, Sword Art Online ends with episode 14 while the rest of the season
is the second Arc which is Alfheim Online.

In original Rozen Maiden series there are 2 seasons, season 1 end on episode
12 while the second season known as Träumend ends at Episode 25, likewise with
Spice and World, both seasons have about 12 episode.

Now i am wondering, is there a way to tell the difference between Arcs and
Seasons, i know i can't relay on openings as Sword Art Online has different
openings for it's 2 arcs likewise with Spice and Wolf and Rozen Maiden which
had different openings for it's different seasons.


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2014-01-07T23:10:28.670
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2014-01-07T23:17:25.150
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question
terminology
Is there a way to tell the difference between an Arc and a Season?


Seasons has to do with the broadcast of a show, it doesn't necessarily always
equate to 12 episode per season, sometimes a show can only be 10 episodes.
See: [What defines one "season" of
anime?](https://anime.stackexchange.com/questions/1971/what-defines-one-
season-of-anime)

Arcs has to do with the story. Wikipedia [defines a story arc
as](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Story_arc):

> A story arc is an extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling
> media such as television, comic books, comic strips, boardgames, video
> games, and in some cases, films. On a television program, for example, the
> story would unfold over many episodes. In television, the use of the story
> arc is much more common in dramas than in comedies, especially in soap
> operas. Webcomics are more likely to use story arcs than newspaper comics,
> as most web comics have readable archives online that a newcomer to the
> strip can read in order to understand what is going on. Although story arcs
> have existed for decades, the term "story arc" was coined in 1988 in
> relation to the television series Wiseguy, and was quickly adapted for other
> uses.

The way to tell the difference between the two is how they are broadcast and
how the story continuity flows from episode to episode. There could be many
story arcs in a single season of an anime, or there could be many seasons in
an anime that only has one overarching story arc.


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