Anime Anime Global

Autumn anime has started in October.

It’s not easy for anime fans to choose which new anime to watch every cour. You might like the original work, the main character may be voiced by your favorite voice actor, up and coming creators may be involved in the work, etc.

We at Anime!Anime! conducted a readers’ survey asking, “How Do You Decide Which Anime to Watch?”. Readers could choose up to three of the choices, and we received 220 votes during the voting period from Sep. 28 to Oct. 9.
The voters were mainly female with a gender ratio of 70% female to 30% male, and the age range was on the younger side with 45% under 19 and 30% in their 20s.

■Voice actors, original works, musicians, etc. Which is your choice?
1st Place
Topping the list was “It features your favorite ‘voice actor'” with roughly 65% of the votes.

We received comments saying, “If my favorite voice actor take on roles that frequently appear in the work, like the hero or main characters, I would watch that anime”, “I mostly check out the anime to see how the voice actors play their roles”, and “I love to watch anime with the voice actors giving the characters a voice and bringing them to life.”

There were also fans that check the websites of the cast members instead of the anime websites, “I love voice actors to the point that I would watch any work to hear my favorite voice actors voice, so I frequently check their official websites, Twitter, and blogs.”

2nd Place
Coming in 2nd was “You like the ‘original work”” with roughly 55% of the votes.

We received comments saying, “Most animes are based on original works, so it’s important to me if the original work is interesting or not”, and “Even if I already know the story from the original work, I love to watch the characters in motion!”
“I read Weekly Shonen Jump every week, so I try to watch titles based on Jump manga”, and “Anime based on novels, such as ‘The Millionaire Detective’ and ‘Ikebukuro West Gate Park’, are my favorites, so I try to watch them”, were comments pointing out specific original works.

3rd Place
3rd place went to “The ‘story’ sounded interesting in prior information (commercials, interviews, etc.)” with roughly 45% of the votes.

We received comments saying, “I check out the information on magazines and trailer. If it seems like something I would enjoy, I watch the 1st episode”, “I watch the trailer and if it looks interesting, I check out the storyline and decide if I’ll watch it or not,” and “I check out the storyline, and I also value the drawing style while watching the 1st episode. If the story development seems to be exciting, I will watch the 2nd episode and on.”
Many fans check out trailers and the outline of the story before watching the 1st episode.

This was followed by “Your favorite ‘musician’ is involved in the work (opening, ending theme, etc.)” at 4th place with roughly 20% of the votes.
It’s not only having their favorite musicians involved in the work, but some fans pointed out how the music helps you understand the world of the anime, “The opening and ending theme, regardless of whether you like the musician or not, gives you a hint of what kind of anime it is.”

In the free answer section, some fans said they decide on the genre, “If there are robots in it or not”, and “If it has a lot of action scenes or not”. Others say they check the scriptwriter, “I look for female scriptwriters because they often make elegant stories even if the work is aimed for men.”
Also, there were some passionate fans that watch all of the 1st episodes of the new anime, “I watch almost all of the 1st episodes of the new anime to decide if I’ll keep watching or not.”

The results show how diverse the factors are to decide which anime to watch.

■Results
[How Do You Decide Which Anime to Watch?]
1. It features your favorite “voice actor”
2. You like the “original work”
3. The “story” sounded interesting in prior information (commercials, interviews, etc.)
4. Your favorite “musician” is involved in the work (opening, ending theme, etc.)
5. It’s created by your favorite “anime production studio”
6. It’s directed by your favorite “director”
7. It’s available on the “streaming service” you subscribed
8. It seems like a work that will become a “hot topic”
9. You happen to watch TV during the “broadcast slot”

(Voting Period: Sep. 28 to Oct. 9, 2020)