Sonny Boy has been one of the summer season's ongoing enigmas – perhaps the biggest one. The 12-episode anime takes the isekai genre and turns it into a complex thought experiment across words that may or may not be real, depending on your definition of real. Given how saturated the whole concept of traveling to different worlds has become, an anime as original as Sonny Boy will leave a gap after it ends. So, will there be a Season 2?
In a premise that begins with strong Lord of the Flies vibes before becoming a work that's still strongly intertextual but completely its own, Sonny Boy follows a class of 36 students as they go adrift in another dimension, which they call This World. Not only have they developed scary superpowers in the meantime, but the world abides by its own rules, becoming a character of sorts.
When more dimensions, more characters, philosophy, God, and those who want to kill God enter the equation, Sonny Boy becomes a wild experience to watch. And if this type of anime is for you, you will enjoy every moment.
As Sonny Boy is an original work, with no light novel, manga, or other medium preceding it, there's no way to tell where the story will go next. This means that we can't tell whether a Season 2 is possible based on some existing ongoing or completed plot we already know about. The only way to find out would be an official announcement, which has not come yet.
If we were to make an informed guess about Season 2 of Sonny Boy, looking back to other intellectually complex animated works would be the way to go. Anime like Neon Genesis Evangelion, Wonder Egg Priority, Serial Experiments Lain, which also had us wondering, trying to untangle what, at times, felt impossibly confusing, usually tend to end at around 11-13 episodes, perhaps getting movies, or specials, rather than whole new seasons.
Related:Sonny Boy Opening Theme, Song Name, Title, Lyrics, Spotify, and Where to Download the Intro
Of course, the circumstances under which an anime gets or does not get an expansion are different and unique to each work. However, my theory is that anime that prioritize complexity and symbolism over marketability (not that anything is wrong with more mainstream works!) don't tend to work very well with second seasons unless these had been originally planned.
That being said, nothing is set in stone. The creators of Sonny Boy might yet surprise. If any announcement comes up, we'll be sure to let you know.
Meanwhile, To Your Eternity Season 2 has been confirmed.