Research On Audience Strategy Of Japanese TV Anime

In English, anime is referred to as “Japanese animation”.Usually, anime can be classified into three categories: Anime film,TV anime and OVA(OAD). Most anime is transmitted on TV. TVanime, which was created by Osamu Tezuka, attracts largeaudiences, has profound influence and brings huge benefits toJapan. The characteristics of TV anime are quite different fromthose of America or European countries. It has contrasting pictures,realistic backgrounds, distinctive characters, circuitous stories, richmusic and colorful images. TV anime makes it possible for Japan toexport productions of anime and manga around the world.Nowadays, Japan has already accounted for more than half of theworld’s productions of animation and comics. According to statisticsof China’s top online video site Youku, over90%of “Today’s favoriteanimation” is Japanese TV anime. Other statistics show that the TVanime Gumdam received1.32billion ratings all over the world whileanother TV anime Dragon Ball is being welcomed in more than60countries and regions.TV anime, containing humor, reasoning, fiction, machine wars,sports, adventure, emotion, action and other elements, is loved byaudiences of different ages or different roles. Letting everyone findhis or her own anime is the strategy of Japanese TV anime, whichhas made Japanese TV anime prosperous and successfullystanding on the world stage. In this thesis, this strategy was namedas Extensive audience development strategy. Under the instructionof communication theory, this thesis detailedly analyses the strategyof Japanese TV anime.This thesis contains5parts. Part one is introduction, whichbriefly described the significance, purpose and methods of thisthesis. Part two discussed the role that TV anime played and foundout that TV anime was the core of both Japanese anime and itsanime industry. Part three mainly compared audience orientation ofdifferent countries and regions, especially China and Japan. Fromthe angle of communication, it pointed out the advantages ofexpanding audience. Meanwhile, this thesis found how objective and subjective factors of both history and human affected audienceorientation of TV anime. Part four explained the adjustments of TVanime in order to bring Extensive audience development strategyinto effect. It specifically analyzed TV anime’s artistry, dramatechniques, themes and expression. The last part explored that withthe help of government, anime staff, especially directors andseiyuu(voice actors) and cheap labour force, TV anime could shakeoff screen and influence audiences’ lives.