<p><em>Angel Beats!</em> also did something similar, except that the numbers, prefixed by the character 'c', appear in the previews for next episode.</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/2fplEkqM.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/2fplEkqM.png" alt="Angel Beats! episode 7's next episode preview" /></a></p>
<p><sup><em>Angel Beats!</em> episode 7's next episode preview.</sup></p>
<p>These are the <strong>cut numbers</strong> found in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storyboard" rel="nofollow noreferrer">storyboards</a>, or （絵）コンテ (<em>e konte</em>, from the English word <em>continuity</em>) in Japanese.
According to <a href="https://washiblog.wordpress.com/2011/01/18/anime-production-detailed-guide-to-how-anime-is-made-and-the-talent-behind-it/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Anime Production – Detailed Guide to How Anime is Made and the Talent Behind it!</a>,</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Cuts refer to a single shot of the camera and an average TV-anime episode will usually contain around 300 cuts.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>which basically matches the range of numbers that appear in both <em>Oregairu</em> and <em>Angel Beats!</em>.</p>
<p>To top it off, I was able to find a screenshot of a part of <em>Angel Beats!</em>'s storyboards for episode 8:</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/lGUHzb69.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/lGUHzb69.jpg" alt="Angel Beats! episode 8 storyboards" /></a></p>
<p><sup>Image taken and edited from <a href="https://www.milkcananime.com/2017/08/angel-beats-illustration-collection.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">「Book Review」Angel Beats! Illustration Collection</a>.</sup></p>
<p>In the above image, cut no. 326 corresponds to this scene in the anime where Otonashi hugs Kanade and utters in desperation the line 「無事でいてくれ」, the exact same words (ignoring the minor variation in the translations) as written under <code>[c 326]</code> in the next episode preview screenshotted at the beginning of the post:</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/nSSNrNzP.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/nSSNrNzP.png" alt="The scene of Otonashi hugging Kanade in episode 8 of Angel Beats!" /></a></p>
<p><sup>Episode 8 of <em>Angel Beats!</em> at the 22:37 mark.</sup></p>
<p>In conclusion, I just proved that there is prior art of showing the cut numbers from storyboards in the anime, and we can almost be certain, short of finding the actual storyboards of <em>Oregairu</em> and connecting them to the numbers in question, that this case is no different.</p>
<hr />
<h3>Corrections to OP's post</h3>
<ul>
<li><p>The circled numbers actually mark the <strong>current</strong>, not the next, episode number.
See the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_My_Teen_Romantic_Comedy_SNAFU_episodes#Episode_list" rel="nofollow noreferrer">list of titles for all episodes</a>.</p>
</li>
<li><p>The numbers/titles don't always appear at the end.
For example, the title of episode 2</p>
<blockquote>
<p>17 ②きっと、誰しも等し並みに悩みを抱えている。</p>
</blockquote>
<p>appears very early, corresponding to the 17th &quot;cut scene&quot; in that episode, excluding the OP and ED.</p>
</li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-04-03T16:28:11.860Z
+1 Interesting finding, and it so far matches the appearance of the episode title for episode 2 and episode 7, though the title is not actually narrated.
nhahtdh
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-04-03T16:38:22.453Z
I don't know the story of Oregairu, but the titles do seem like part of the conversations, though. They're like what the characters said/would have said in those situations.
Gao
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-04-03T16:53:21.130Z
The title for episode 10 appears right at the beginning. And also for episode 11. Not sure what you are talking about?
nhahtdh
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-04-03T18:51:55.007Z
I don't think so. Visually speaking, it is extremely similar to the page and chapter indicator on top of every pages in the LN. However, the LN doesn't have chapters with the same titles (only similar titles). The LN's title format is <A connector word> <Character name> <Do something>, whereas there is no character names in the anime titles.
nhahtdh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2015-04-03T16:13:25.010Z
2024-08-24T10:44:27.937Z
2024-08-24T10:44:27.937Z
Gao
<p>At the end of any episode of <em><a href="http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=14888" rel="noreferrer">Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Come wa Machigatteiru</a></em>, some numbers appears coupled with the title and the number of the next episode (circled).</p>

<p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/bQu0P.jpg" alt="Ep. 4"></p>

<p>286</p>

<p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/jOwQf.jpg" alt="Ep. 5"></p>

<p>266</p>

<p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/xRWLq.jpg" alt="Ep. 9"></p>

<p>281</p>

<p>What's the meaning of these numbers?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-07-06T13:50:18.820Z
I don't think there is any meaning to them (I checked the novels, but those are definitely not page number from the novel). They are most likely for the purpose of styling.
nhahtdh
<oregairu>
What's the meaning of the numbers at the end of the episode?
# What's the meaning of the numbers at the end of the episode?
Posted by: username_0 on 2013-07-05
At the end of any episode of *[Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Come wa Machigatteiru](http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=14888)*, some numbers appears coupled with the title and the number of the next episode (circled).

![Ep. 4](https://i.sstatic.net/bQu0P.jpg)

286

![Ep. 5](https://i.sstatic.net/jOwQf.jpg)

266

![Ep. 9](https://i.sstatic.net/xRWLq.jpg)

281

What's the meaning of these numbers?
**Tags:** oregairu
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: I don't think there is any meaning to them (I checked the novels, but those are definitely not page number from the novel). They are most likely for the purpose of styling.  
---
## 1 answers
### Answer by username_2 on 2015-04-03. Score: 5 | Accepted answer
*Angel Beats!* also did something similar, except that the numbers, prefixed by the character 'c', appear in the previews for next episode.

[![Angel Beats! episode 7's next episode preview](https://i.sstatic.net/2fplEkqM.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/2fplEkqM.png)

*Angel Beats!* episode 7's next episode preview.

These are the **cut numbers** found in [storyboards](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storyboard), or （絵）コンテ (*e konte*, from the English word *continuity*) in Japanese.
According to [Anime Production – Detailed Guide to How Anime is Made and the Talent Behind it!](https://washiblog.wordpress.com/2011/01/18/anime-production-detailed-guide-to-how-anime-is-made-and-the-talent-behind-it/),

> Cuts refer to a single shot of the camera and an average TV-anime episode will usually contain around 300 cuts.

which basically matches the range of numbers that appear in both *Oregairu* and *Angel Beats!*.

To top it off, I was able to find a screenshot of a part of *Angel Beats!*'s storyboards for episode 8:

[![Angel Beats! episode 8 storyboards](https://i.sstatic.net/lGUHzb69.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/lGUHzb69.jpg)

Image taken and edited from [「Book Review」Angel Beats! Illustration Collection](https://www.milkcananime.com/2017/08/angel-beats-illustration-collection.html).

In the above image, cut no. 326 corresponds to this scene in the anime where Otonashi hugs Kanade and utters in desperation the line 「無事でいてくれ」, the exact same words (ignoring the minor variation in the translations) as written under `[c 326]` in the next episode preview screenshotted at the beginning of the post:

[![The scene of Otonashi hugging Kanade in episode 8 of Angel Beats!](https://i.sstatic.net/nSSNrNzP.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/nSSNrNzP.png)

Episode 8 of *Angel Beats!* at the 22:37 mark.

In conclusion, I just proved that there is prior art of showing the cut numbers from storyboards in the anime, and we can almost be certain, short of finding the actual storyboards of *Oregairu* and connecting them to the numbers in question, that this case is no different.

---

### Corrections to OP's post

* The circled numbers actually mark the **current**, not the next, episode number.
  See the [list of titles for all episodes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_My_Teen_Romantic_Comedy_SNAFU_episodes#Episode_list).
* The numbers/titles don't always appear at the end.
  For example, the title of episode 2

  > 17 ②きっと、誰しも等し並みに悩みを抱えている。

  appears very early, corresponding to the 17th "cut scene" in that episode, excluding the OP and ED.
> **Comments:**
> **username_1** (2015-04-03): +1 Interesting finding, and it so far matches the appearance of the episode title for episode 2 and episode 7, though the title is not actually narrated.  
> **username_2** (2015-04-03): I don't know the story of Oregairu, but the titles do seem like part of the conversations, though. They're like what the characters said/would have said in those situations.  
> **username_1** (2015-04-03): The title for episode 10 appears right at the beginning. And also for episode 11. Not sure what you are talking about?  
> **username_1** (2015-04-03): I don't think so. Visually speaking, it is extremely similar to the page and chapter indicator on top of every pages in the LN. However, the LN doesn't have chapters with the same titles (only similar titles). The LN's title format is <A connector word> <Character name> <Do something>, whereas there is no character names in the anime titles.  
---
