Anime that belong together are described on three layers, each answering a different question: the series name ("which family?"), relations ("what is one record to the other?" — the watch order is one of these) and chronology markers ("after which episode of the series comes which film?"). They follow in that order; relations have a section of their own.
Which series an anime belongs to is set by its series name (the "Series" tab of the form; existing names are suggested as you type, and a spelling difference means a different series). Records sharing a series name appear on the detail page under "Related Anime", grouped by media type (TV / Film / OVA / Special / ONA). The series name feeds two more things: when adding a chronology marker, the "Anime to watch" list offers only records of the same series, and the "Air Date" tab of the Series Chronology page shows every record carrying the name. A series name describes a family; it says nothing about order — order is set by relations.
Which anime to watch after finishing the current one. It is set in the Relations panel of the edit screen: pick the other anime and choose "Sequel" (or "Prequel" from the other end). It appears in the "Next Up" box on the detail page; the chain tab of the series timeline and the synopsis spoiler guard follow this link. The link is followed only when both ends carry the same chain name (or neither has one). Order is just one of the relation types; for all of them see Relations.
In long series like Detective Conan the films and OVAs slot into a specific point of the series: "after episode 54, watch the first film". A chronology marker (a "chronology note" in the interface) stores exactly that: an episode number of the series you are watching + the target record to watch at that point (a film, OVA, special or another series) + an optional comment. The marker belongs to the series' record; the target is a separate record and must carry the same series name. It shows in three places: as a list in the "Chronology Notes" section of the detail page; as an active alert at the top of the detail page once your watched episode has passed a marker's release point and its target is not yet "Watched"; and on the separate page behind the "Chronology" button, where the series' episode ranges and the records slotted between them form one line, each with its watch status.
A marker can carry two insertion points: the release order point (where the content actually aired) and the story order point (where it is best watched). Example: the first Card Captor Sakura film aired after episode 46 but is recommended after episode 35. Leaving the story point empty means "same as release" - you only fill the second number for markers that diverge. A single button on the detail page and the chronology page cycles the view: release → story → both. You can pick the default in List Settings.
Notes are shared catalog structure, not personal data. So on the online site only moderators and above can add or delete them; on your own installation you always can. The list is visible to everyone. The add form sits at the bottom of the detail page's "Chronology Notes" section and only appears when the anime has a series name and that series has other records — with nothing to pick as a target there is no form.
Editing happens in place: type the episode number into the box next to the row and press ✓. The box edits the point of the list it sits in — the box in the "Release Order" list edits the release point, the one in the "Story Order" list edits the story point; clearing the story box and saving makes it "same as release" again. To change the target record or the comment, delete the note and add it again. Deleting is the × at the end of the row; it asks for confirmation.
No; the two pages work at two different scales. Chronology (the button on the detail page; only shown when the anime has notes) looks inside one series: episode ranges and the films / OVAs slotted between them, marked with your progress. Series Chronology looks at the whole franchise: seasons, films and spin-offs as records, in chain order or by air date. The first answers "what comes after episode 54 of this series?", the second "which link of this franchise am I on?"; details below.
The type of link between two records is data too: "Sailor Moon R is the sequel of Sailor Moon", "the Space Adventure Cobra film is an alternative version of the TV series". These links show on the detail page under "Relations", grouped by type; each row carries the other record's title, media type and your watch status. Links are created and deleted in the Relations panel on the edit form's "Series & Relations" tab; on the online site that form is for moderators and above, on your own installation it is yours.
In the panel you first pick the other record, then the type. The form's question is always the same: "The anime you picked is the ___ of the anime you are editing." Editing Sailor Moon, picking Sailor Moon R and choosing "Sequel" is right; editing Sailor Moon R, picking Sailor Moon and choosing "Prequel" creates the same link from the other end. You never need both — the record is one and it shows on the two pages with two different labels ("Sequel: Sailor Moon R" / "Prequel: Sailor Moon"). That is why the four directional types appear twice in the list: Sequel / Prequel, Side Story / Parent Story, Summary / Full Story, Special / Main Entry. The other five (Alternative Version, Alternative Setting, Same Setting, Shared Character, Other) read the same from either end; for them it does not matter which side you start from. The ★ in the list marks records sharing the series name; a relation does not require the same series name.
Building a series uses two tools together: Sequel / Prequel links build the track, the chain name (Series tab) keeps tracks apart.
1. Link the seasons in watching order with "Sequel": first season → second season → sequel film.
2. If the series holds another track — the films follow their own order, or the same story was told a second time — do not link that track into the main one. Give it a relation ("Alternative Version") and its own chain name ("Crystal", "Films").
3. Records that join no chain at all get a relation: a work's bonus episode or short extra gets "Special", a side OVA that stands on its own "Side Story", anything else "Other"; they show with their date on the "Air Date" tab of the Series Chronology.
The test is simple: a link means "when you finish this, watch that". If the sentence is not true, do not link — relate. Sailor Moon Crystal is not the sequel of the 90s series; calling it one breaks the timeline and closes the spoiler guard over eight unrelated seasons you have not watched. The right answer: an Alternative Version relation + the chain name "Crystal".
The "Series Chronology" button on the detail page of any anime in a series shows that whole series on a single timeline. The page opens with three tabs:
The three tabs read the same series with three different questions: "in what order should I watch this", "when did it come out" and "how are these records linked". Which tab the page opens on is set by List Settings → General Settings → "Series Chronology View"; clicking a tab does not change that default.
One series name can hold more than one independent chain — the films may follow one order while the TV series follow a completely different one, or the same story may have been told twice (the 1990s Sailor Moon and the 2014 Crystal run). You can give each track a chain name (the “Chain name” field on the edit screen); entries sharing a name count as one chain and the tab carries that name. Without a name the tab keeps the old "Other Chain 1..N" label, numbered from the oldest chain.
A named track gets its own tab even when it holds a single record — naming it is a deliberate statement: “this entry is its own track”. An unnamed record linked to nothing does not count as a chain; those live on the "Air Date" tab.
The chain name also bounds the synopsis spoiler gate: it only looks at earlier entries on the same track, and never treats a record from another track as something you should have watched first.
The Diagram tab draws the series in two dimensions. Rows are chains: every chain name is a row; unnamed chains are numbered "Chain 1, 2…", and records that belong to no chain gather in the "Unlinked" row. Columns are release years: boxes run left to right by first air date; two records released in the same year share a column when they sit on different rows (a TV season and that year's film stack vertically), and records with no known date stay in the rightmost "?" column.
The lines between boxes are relations, and the diagram draws them by itself — there is nothing extra to enter, every link that has been set up appears. The solid purple arrow is the watch order (Sequel / Prequel) and flows left to right along a chain; dashed lines are the other types (alternative version, side story, summary, special, same setting, shared character…) and run between rows. For directed types the arrow points at the derived work: predecessor → sequel, parent story → side story, full story → summary, main entry → special. The legend under the diagram lists only the types that occur in it; hovering a line shows the two records and the type of the link.
The colour stripe on the left edge of a box is your watch status (the same colours as the dot in the list); the box with the blue frame is the anime you came from. A faded box with a dashed frame is a record from outside the series: it belongs to another series (or to none) yet has a direct relation to a record in this one. Clicking it takes you to the diagram of its own series; the rest of that series is not pulled in here.
The diagram scrolls: a wide series extends to the right. A record flagged 18+ keeps its box, but its title stays hidden unless the preference is on.
The synopsis of a second (or later) entry in a series usually describes how the previous one ended. So when any earlier entry in the chain is unwatched, the synopsis is not shown directly; it waits behind a "Let me read it anyway" button. Pressing it expands the synopsis in place.
The guard applies in two places: the Synopsis row on the anime detail page, and the teaser on the Recommendations → Surprise Me card. Your own Personal Synopsis is never hidden.
An anime's episodes can be classified by their relation to the source material. This helps people who wonder "which episodes can I skip". There are four types:
An unmarked episode means "assume canon" — that is, if an episode has no type label, it is treated as part of the main story.
For anime that are airing or have not started yet, the detail page shows the broadcast day, time and time zone. The date of the next episode is worked out from those.
On an anime that has not started yet, if both the first air date and the broadcast time are known, the page shows how long is left until the first episode. That figure is never stored; it is recalculated against the current date every time you open the page.
If only the year or the month of the release date is known (??.??.2027) the countdown line is not printed at all: it would mean inventing an exact number for an unknown day.
For further questions: more detailed technical information is on the project's GitHub page.
Help Contents