Identifying Your Neighborhood Anime Content Creator.
When you truly love something, you want to share it with the whole world. It’s this very sort of real, authentic love for anime that drives imaginative, resourceful, and inventive creatives to create and share in social spaces. These creatives are known as Anime Content Creators (ACC’s). From YouTube and Instagram to TikTok and Facebook, they’re out there, in mass.
For far too long, these ACCs’ incredibly beneficial impact on the Anime Industry has been met with distrust, copyright takedowns, and difficulties sourcing content.
I have made it my mission to change this narrative by turning Anime Content Creators into a solidified, trusted pillar of the Anime Industry. A future without copyright hits and takedowns, a future without needing to turn to the dark web to search for the right download, and a future where anime marketing teams appreciate Creators for making their jobs that much easier.
In a follow up article we’ll dive deeper into the value add they bring to the industry today, and the potential that they can carry into tomorrow. But for now, let’s get into what these ACC’s produce so that you can identify these creatives when you see them!
What They Create
Anime Content Creators create a wide variety of content. From bomb Anime Music Videos (AMV’s) and detailed reviews, to in depth theories, reactions, and more! The common thread is, of course, that their content involves anime.
Instead of talking too much about what they create, I’ll let the examples below speak mostly for themselves. It’s important to remember that even in each category, every creator provides a unique twist of their own. If you’d like to hear a few more details about each creator type in a fun, imaginative lens feel free to check out my article “Guilds for Anime Content Creators?!”.
Anime Music Videos
In perhaps the most well known ACC category, AMV’s, the creator either chooses one particular anime to create a music video about, or they mash up quite a few to fit with their chosen sound track. These creators typically aim to spark an emotional reaction, and as such they are made up nearly entirely of clips from their favorite anime titles.
Additionally, some artists create these AMV’s to help promote their own musical creations. This is a powerful strategy for self-promotion since viewers are far more likely to watch videos with visual content than those with none.
Reaction Videos
In this genre, ACC’s watch an anime trailer or a particular anime and react to what they’re seeing. Sometimes these involve only one ACC, but it’s also extremely common to see Groups of ACC’s reacting. Most fade out the anime content and put it in a discreet corner of the video, while also clipping the video in various locations to avoid detection by YouTube Content ID tracking so that they can produce for their fans.
Most viewers tend to watch these videos as a supplement to watching the full series on their preferred streaming service. This is interesting in and of itself, because it shows just how important community is for anime fans. Many viewers don’t want to feel alone in the emotions the anime evokes; ACC’s pick up on that need and fill that hole. Check out the Community section of my previous article for a bit more context there, Kissanime Shut Down! Community Reacts.
“Top 10” Videos
Think “Top 10 Heroes” or “Top 10 Villains”. These usually involve the creator talking in the background while showing a mashup of each anime they’re discussing. These can especially be helpful for anime fans when deciding which anime to watch next, or when they are playfully debating which of their favorite heroes/heroins would win in a fight.
Theory Videos
In these videos, ACC’s describe theories about a particular anime plot, and typically have b-roll of the particular anime in between discussion areas to add emphasis to, or visual observations of, the points that they’re making. These add a much larger context of understanding for viewers and therefore adds a whole new dimension to the world of anime.
News Videos
In these videos ACC’s will often describe some news about an upcoming anime/ the anime producers themselves/ etc. Similar to theory videos, these edits will typically have b-roll appear on and off to keep their audience entertained while listening to the news that they are broadcasting.
Viewers rely on these creators to keep them up to date on the happenings in the Anime Industry, newest releases, and more!
Industry Relevant Videos
In these videos, an ACC includes anime in their works to bring a new dimension to their industry while connecting with their fans on a deeper level.
Below you’ll see an example of an ACC incorporating a character from Demon Slayer to teach his viewers new workout strategies in a fun, unique way. You can imagine that the creativity within this style is crazy high!
Reviews
Last but not least, many ACC’s enjoy providing their fans with reviews of various anime titles. Anime fans tend to seek out advice on which anime to watch next, and who better to trust than their friendly neighborhood Anime Content Creator?
Now that we know what these ACC’s create, we know how to identify them! Next we’re going to dive deeper into how ACC’s positively affect the Anime Industry. If you’ve read my work before, I keep calling them “Hidden Heroes” for a reason! So stay tuned for that article.
In the meantime, if you’d like to help me in my mission of turning Anime Content Creators into a solidified, trusted pillar of the Anime Industry, I’d love to have the opportunity to connect, learn, and grow from one another.
Please,
- If you’re an Anime Content Creator — either aspiring or current — Join our Discord. It’s new, but I’ll be offering feedback to help you grow, as well as throwing ideas back and forth if you aren’t sure where to start.
- Signup for our monthly newsletter via our Coming Soon Site.
- Follow our journey on our Instagram
Thank you so much for your time, and as always:
Adventure on anime enthusiasts!
