The term “animation”, derived from the Latin word “anima”, has evolved beyond its original association with animated films to encompass a wide range of fields, including games, robotics, and puppetry. With the advancement and widespread adoption of digital technology, the methods of production have diversified, occasionally crossing over between different domains. However, amidst these changes, the definition of the term has not evolved significantly. As a result, discussions about animation often involve complex notations based on different perspectives, such as genres, production materials, techniques, and concepts. This complexity requires verification for each discourse. Therefore, this paper aims to redefine animation. Drawing inspiration from the concept of new animism, it shifts the focus from the mere presence of “movement” or “life” to the formation of “personhood” and “personality” based on the inter-subjective relationship between the animated object and the observer.

There has been little research into how viewers perceive animated works. Therefore, this research focused on their merits and strengths, and aimed to exploratorily clarify how people subjectively perceive it. A questionnaire survey was conducted on 71 university and graduate students, with the responses analyzed via the KJ method. The merits and strengths of animated works were categorized across seven major themes: “creativity”, “vivid characters”, “artistry”, “easy to get used to”, “easy to enjoy”, “effects of comprehensive artistry”, and “the creation of diverse experiences”. We were able to understand how viewers perceive anime from the aspect of their merits and strengths, based on the data actually obtained from viewers.

This research examines the effectiveness of “Follow and Retweet” promotion on Twitter. Official Twitter accounts for anime (i.e., animation originating from Japan) post various types of tweets, with contests and sweepstakes as the primary measures of increasing follower count. The study used multiple regression analysis to find the characteristics of contests and sweepstakes that led to follower growth. Findings indicate that designated tweets in the promotion were more frequently retweeted, and the earlier the tweet was posted after the TV premiere, the more followers a Twitter account accumulated. Thus, the author suggests that when conducting contests and sweepstakes, organizers should require Twitter users to retweet a designated tweet and conduct the promotion as early as possible after the TV premiere. Furthermore, character-related tweets often tend to be retweeted, especially ones with newly-drawn illustrations. Regarding tweets about broadcast information, thank-you tweets posted after the broadcast are more likely to be retweeted than tweets about the broadcast schedule alone; this indicates the importance of follow-up after broadcast and streaming times.