Results for
Ru's 5th Semi-Annual Rec.arts.anime.*
"What are we like?" Fan Survey
August 1999
Jump to Section: [A][B][C][D][E][F][G][H][I][End]
Part A. Time as a Fan
A1. How long have you been a fan of anime?
0 0% I was just introduced this month
1 1% less than 6 months
4 4% 6 months to 1 year
13 13% 1 to 2 years
42 43% 3 to 5 years
19 20% 6 to 10 years
18 19% more than 10 years
0 0% blank
-------
97 100% total
A2. How were you introduced to anime when you became a
fan?
31 32% A friend showed me some anime
3 3% A club showing
34 35% TV broadcast
9 9% Video rental or loan (eg. out of curiosity)
0 0% A public (other than club) showing (eg. theatre)
4 4% Saw some material from WWW sites/newsgroups/internet.
0 0% Saw a demo at a store or rental shop
5 5% Purchase without preview (eg. out of curiousity)
1 1% Saw a demo in other media
4 4% Through video games (either based on anime or in anime style)
9 9% other
0 0% blank
-------
100 103% total
A3. How do you USUALLY get a FIRST full length viewing of an
anime title?
25 26% At home on TV broadcasts
44 45% At home with borrowed or rented media
62 64% At home on your own video media
1 1% At a friend's or relative's home on TV broadcasts
6 6% At a friend's or relative's home with borrowed or rented media
16 16% At a friend's or relative's home on his/her own video media
23 24% At an anime club
16 16% At a convention
3 3% At movie theatres
4 4% At stores that show demos
0 0% blank
-------
200 206% total
A4. How many anime TITLES (a series counts as one title)
do you estimate you have watched?
10 10% 10 or less
15 15% 11 to 20
22 23% 21 to 40
10 10% 41 to 80
14 14% 81 to 120
7 7% 121 to 160
8 8% 161 to 200
5 5% 201 to 240
6 6% more than 240
0 0% blank
-------
97 100% total
A5. How much anime video do you watch?
7 7% up to 2 hours a month
13 13% up to 2 hours every 2 weeks
25 26% up to 2 hours a week
30 31% up to 2 hours every 3 days (or 5 hours a week)
15 15% up to 2 hours a day
7 7% more than 2 hours a day
0 0% blank
-------
97 100% total
A6. How much non-anime video (eg. TV, rentals) do you watch?
4 4% never
13 13% up to 2 hours a month
14 14% up to 2 hours every 2 weeks
17 18% up to 2 hours a week
25 26% up to 2 hours every 3 days (or 5 hours a week)
10 10% up to 2 hours a day
14 14% more than 2 hours a day
0 0% blank
-------
97 100% total
A7. How many anime fans do you personally have frequent
face-to-face contact with (outside of a club)?
17 18% none
27 28% 1 to 2
33 34% 3 to 5
9 9% 6 to 10
5 5% 11 to 20
6 6% more than 20
0 0% blank
-------
97 100% total
A8. What percentage of your acquaintances (eg. people at work,
folks at the grocery store you are on first name basis with) would
you guess are what you consider anime fans?
20 21% none of them
57 59% 1 to 10% of them
10 10% 11 to 30% of them
5 5% 31 to 50% of them
2 2% 51 to 70% of them
3 3% 71 to 90% of them
0 0% all of them
0 0% blank
-------
97 100% total
A9. How many different hardcopy anime fan magazine titles do you
regularly buy, read, look through, or subscribe to?
45 46% none
15 15% one
21 22% two
13 13% 3 to 5
3 3% more than 5
0 0% blank
-------
97 100% total
A10. How many different anime fan web magazine titles do you
regularly read, look through, or subscribe to?
38 39% none
29 30% one
13 13% two
12 12% 3 to 5
5 5% more than 5
0 0% blank
-------
97 100% total
A11. Do you read Manga (Japanese or translated)?
84 87% yes
12 12% no
1 1% blank
-------
97 100% total
A12. How many anime conventions per year do you usually attend?
54 56% none
27 28% one
12 12% two
4 4% 3 to 5
0 0% more than 5
0 0% blank
-------
97 100% total
Jump to Section: [A][B][C][D][E][F][G][H][I][End]
Part B. Linguistic Fluency
B1. How fluent are you in understanding spoken Japanese?
0 0% As if it were your native language (or, is your native language)
16 16% Enough to survive alone in Japan
34 35% You can understand a few words and phrases of FORMAL conversation
46 47% You only know a few words
1 1% Not a word.
0 0% blank
-------
97 100% total
B2. How fluent are you in speaking Japanese?
0 0% As if it were your native language (or, is your native language)
11 11% Enough to survive alone in Japan
35 36% You can speak a few words and phrases of FORMAL conversation
47 48% You only know a few words
4 4% Not a word
0 0% blank
-------
97 100% total
B3. How fluent are you in reading Japanese (kanji, hiragana, or
katakana)?
0 0% As if it were your native language (or, is your native language)
11 11% Enough to survive alone in Japan
11 11% You can read a few hundred different characters
25 26% You can read a few words and phrases
21 22% You only know a few words
28 29% Not a word.
1 1% blank
-------
97 100% total
B4. Which Japanese script are you most fluent in?
as appropriate)
11 11% kanji
49 51% hiragana
44 45% katakana
32 33% blank
-------
136 140% total
B5. What language do you generally watch anime in?
2 2% untranslated only
3 3% mostly untranslated
20 21% some untranslated, some translated (dub or sub)
44 45% mostly translated (dub or sub)
28 29% translated (dub or sub) only
0 0% blank
-------
97 100% total
B6. Have you taken courses (eg. in classes or in home study)
in Japanese?
47 48% yes
48 49% no
2 2% blank
-------
97 100% total
B7. If you have taken courses, were any of the following
components in the course?
40 41% verbal or audio
40 41% text (kanji, katakana, or hiragana)
35 36% romanized grammar text
51 53% blank
-------
166 171% total
B8. Regarding your fluency in Japanese, which best characterizes
the influence of your interest in anime?
1 1% was already fluent in Japanese when got interested
5 5% was already trying to increase fluency when got interested
61 63% interest in anime started interest in improving fluency
7 7% interest in fluency and in anime were (nearly) simultaneous
4 4% interest in fluency started interest in anime
4 4% there is no influence of one on the other
9 9% have no interest in fluency
6 6% blank
-------
97 100% total
Jump to Section: [A][B][C][D][E][F][G][H][I][End]
Part C. Dub versus Sub
C1. When you BORROW, RENT, or otherwise VIEW translated anime,
what is your translation preference?
19 20% demand sub only
49 51% tolerate dubs but prefer subs
21 22% have no preferance
7 7% tolerate subs but prefer dubs
1 1% demand dub only
0 0% blank
-------
97 100% total
C2. If you OWN translated anime, what is your translation
preference?
33 34% get sub only
33 34% sometimes get dubs, but mostly get subs
15 15% have no preference
13 13% sometimes get subs, but mostly get dubs
2 2% get dub only
1 1% don't own any anime
0 0% blank
-------
97 100% total
C3. What translation preference do you usually find at places
you BORROW or RENT translated anime from?
8 8% subs only
10 10% some dubs, mostly subs
19 20% roughly same amount of subs and dubs
37 38% some subs, mostly dubs
13 13% dubs only
10 10% blank
-------
97 100% total
C4. What translation preference do you usually find at places
you BUY translated anime from?
3 3% subs only
9 9% some dubs, mostly subs
45 46% roughly same amount of subs and dubs
33 34% some subs, mostly dubs
1 1% dubs only
6 6% blank
-------
97 100% total
Jump to Section: [A][B][C][D][E][F][G][H][I][End]
Part D. Video Format
D1. What video format do you own anime in?
93 96% Tape
23 24% VCD
26 27% LaserDisc
35 36% DVD
3 3% other
1 1% None
0 0% blank
-------
181 187% total
D2. If you own anime, what video format do you choose the
most often (eg. due to budget constraints) to collect anime in?
72 74% Tape
2 2% VCD
4 4% LaserDisc
16 16% DVD
0 0% other
3 3% blank
-------
97 100% total
D3. If you own anime, what video format, of the various formats
you own, do you prefer (not wish) the most to collect anime in?
45 46% Tape
4 4% VCD
10 10% LaserDisc
31 32% DVD
0 0% other
7 7% blank
-------
97 100% total
D4. If you own anime, what video format do you wish to collect
anime in if you could afford it?
5 5% Tape
2 2% VCD
16 16% LaserDisc
67 69% DVD
0 0% other
7 7% blank
-------
97 100% total
D5. If you don't own anime but wish to, what video format
would you prefer to collect anime in?
3 3% Tape
2 2% VCD
2 2% LaserDisc
13 13% DVD
0 0% other
77 79% blank
-------
97 100% total
D6. Which formats does the equipment you own, or share, play?
96 99% Tape
42 43% VCD
23 24% LaserDisc
43 44% DVD
7 7% other
1 1% blank
-------
212 219% total
D7. If you collect anime, is your decision to buy one unit of
your prefered format (eg. one LD) in a series dependent on the
distributer releasing the full series in your prefered format?
43 44% yes
17 18% no
35 36% sometimes
2 2% blank
-------
97 100% total
D8. Which release version of anime do you collect?
33 34% only non-Japanese (eg. English version, French version)
42 43% mostly non-Japanese, some Japanese domestic
10 10% some non-Japanese, some Japanese domestic
8 8% some non-Japanese, mostly Japanese domestic
1 1% only Japanese domestic
3 3% blank
-------
97 100% total
D9. If you have Japanese domestic releases, do you try to also
get the non-japanese version when available?
20 21% yes
17 18% no
30 31% sometimes
30 31% blank
-------
97 100% total
D10. If you collect translated anime, on average in a year,
how many individual units (eg. tapes, LDs, count each tape
in a box set separately) do you buy per month.
29 30% less frequently than one a month
12 12% one
20 21% two
20 21% three or four
5 5% five to eight
8 8% more than eight
3 3% blank
-------
97 100% total
D11. If you collect Japanese domestic anime, on average
how many individual units (eg. tapes, LDs, count each tape
in a box set separately) do you buy per month.
41 42% less frequently than one a month
11 11% one
2 2% two
4 4% three or four
1 1% five to eight
2 2% more than eight
36 37% blank
-------
97 100% total
D12. On releases with more than one episode per unit (e.g. tape,
disc), the ending and opening credits between episodes are
sometimes cut and put at the very end of the unit. Which way
do you prefer for credits?
71 73% leave credits alone
8 8% cut out intermediate credits and put at end
5 5% cut out intermediate credits altogether
11 11% don't care
1 1% undecided
1 1% blank
-------
97 100% total
D13. Some anime have supershort animated sequences, unrelated to
the story at hand, in the middle (e.g. just before and/or after a
commercial), called "eyecatches". Do you prefer that these be kept
on the video version?
79 81% yes
3 3% no
12 12% doesn't matter
3 3% undecided
0 0% blank
-------
97 100% total
D14. Along with the main feature, some video distributers usually
put in previews of other titles in their catalog. Relative to the
main feature, where do you prefer seeing these previews?
34 35% all before the main feature
7 7% some before and some after the main feature
38 39% all after the main feature
5 5% none at all
11 11% undecided
2 2% blank
-------
97 100% total
D15. If you like seeing these previews, how many at a time do you
feel is acceptable (summary, rundown, or slideshow presentations
count as one)?
5 5% 1
13 13% 2
54 56% 3
18 19% more than 3
7 7% blank
-------
97 100% total
Jump to Section: [A][B][C][D][E][F][G][H][I][End]
Part E. More about DVD
E1. Would anime be, or was anime, an issue in your decision to
buy (or not to buy) a DVD player?
67 69% yes
22 23% no
8 8% blank
-------
97 100% total
E2. Suppose DVD became well established. What video quality
would you tolerate if you wanted to collect anime on DVD?
0 0% even if poorer than VHS
10 10% even if only similar to VHS
26 27% even if better than VHS but poorer than LD
28 29% even if similar to LD
19 20% only if better than LD
3 3% regardless of the video quality
9 9% undecided
2 2% blank
-------
97 100% total
E3. Suppose the video quality is sufficient for you. Would you
collect anime on DVD
10 10% only if DVD is recordable
69 71% even if DVD is not recordable
15 15% undecided
3 3% blank
-------
97 100% total
E4. Suppose DVD meets the above requirements. Would you collect
anime on DVD if anime DVD manufacturers predominantly used the
region lock (for example, a lock code for Japan's region would
prevent you from playing the DVD on a US player)?
47 48% yes
27 28% no
20 21% undecided
3 3% blank
-------
97 100% total
Jump to Section: [A][B][C][D][E][F][G][H][I][End]
Part F. Anime Products
F1. Do you also typically buy products associated with anime?
4 4% you don't buy any associated products
77 79% manga
72 74% music CDs (and other audio media)
49 51% toys (excluding model kits)
29 30% model kits
36 37% games
54 56% books
50 52% magazines
57 59% posters
34 35% calendars
22 23% cels
41 42% trading cards
27 28% decorations
24 25% office products (eg. erasers, pens)
10 10% phone cards
28 29% computer products (eg. screen savers, mouse pads)
51 53% clothes (eg. T-shirts)
10 10% linens (eg. towels, pillow cases)
28 29% other
0 0% blank
-------
703 725% total
F2. What are your most common sources of Anime products?
49 51% off the shelf at local anime store
18 19% special order from local anime store
52 54% mail order from non-local anime store
33 34% off the shelf at local non-anime store
9 9% special order from local non-anime store
14 14% mail order from non-local non-anime store
4 4% off the shelf at non-local non-anime store
12 12% ordered through friends or family living in or visiting Japan
10 10% gifts from friends or family living in or visiting Japan
32 33% vendors at conventions
1 1% blank
-------
234 241% total
F3. If you collect anime CDs, do you also collect J-Pop?
39 40% yes
40 41% no
18 19% blank
-------
97 100% total
Jump to Section: [A][B][C][D][E][F][G][H][I][End]
Part G. Anime Clubs and Accessibility
G1. How many anime clubs are you aware of that are what you
consider reasonably accessible?
30 31% none
28 29% one
27 28% two
10 10% 3 to 5
0 0% more than 5
2 2% blank
-------
97 100% total
G2. How many anime clubs do you belong to?
55 57% none
34 35% one
4 4% two
3 3% 3 to 5
0 0% more than 5
1 1% blank
-------
97 100% total
G3. How many people are in the largest anime club you belong to?
3 3% 2 to 5
3 3% 6 to 10
10 10% 11 to 20
25 26% more than 20
56 58% blank
-------
97 100% total
G4. If you belong to more than one anime club, how many people are
in the smallest anime club you belong to?
0 0% 2 to 5
5 5% 6 to 10
1 1% 11 to 20
3 3% more than 20
88 91% blank
-------
97 100% total
G5. How many video rental shops are accessible to you in your
geographical area?
0 0% none
6 6% one
4 4% two
14 14% three
67 69% more than three
5 5% don't know
1 1% blank
-------
97 100% total
G6. How many of those video rental shops have any anime?
5 5% none
13 13% one
17 18% two
18 19% three
37 38% more than three
7 7% blank
-------
97 100% total
G7. How many of those video rental shops have a section devoted
to animation (general or anime specifically)?
13 13% none
12 12% one
20 21% two
14 14% three
29 30% more than three
9 9% blank
-------
97 100% total
G8. What is the size of the largest anime inventory (number of
tapes, or equivalent media, discounting multiple copies) at those
video rental shops?
6 6% less than 6
7 7% 6 to 10
13 13% 10 to 20
23 24% 20 to 30
8 8% 30 to 50
26 27% more than 50
14 14% blank
-------
97 100% total
G9. How many anime stores (dedicated to anime and/or manga/comics)
are accessible to you in your geographical area?
26 27% none
23 24% one
20 21% two
9 9% three
13 13% more than three
5 5% don't know
1 1% blank
-------
97 100% total
G10. What are the most common sources of your Anime video (any
medium) purchases (not gifts)?
37 38% off the shelf at local anime store
53 55% off the shelf at local non-anime retailer
12 12% special order from local anime store
9 9% special orders from local video retailer
0 0% special orders from local video rental shop
1 1% special order from local anime club
36 37% mail order from non-local anime store
16 16% mail order from non-local video retailer
0 0% mail order from non-local anime club
14 14% mail order from domestic distributer
8 8% mail order from Japanese distributer
27 28% trading with friends or other fans.
15 15% vendors at conventions
3 3% blank
-------
231 238% total
G11. How often do you research or get information about a title
(e.g. criticisms, recommendations, descriptions, synopses, reviews,
renting/borrowing) before buying?
1 1% never
3 3% hardly ever
27 28% sometimes
25 26% most of the time
24 25% almost always
17 18% always
0 0% blank
-------
97 100% total
G12. Where do you usually get information about specific anime
titles?
51 53% anime-specific magazines
6 6% non-anime magazines (eg. game, comic)
67 69% usenet
92 95% World Wide Web
63 65% word of mouth (e.g. friends, family, club members)
15 15% club resources
21 22% store (e.g. comic shop, anime store, video store)
48 49% viewing (e.g. rental, loan, club showing)
6 6% other
0 0% blank
-------
369 380% total
G13. Which type of information do you find the most useful in
deciding on buying an anime title?
20 21% synopses / descriptions
8 8% recommendations
18 19% reviews / criticisms
39 40% seeing it for yourself
2 2% none (I'll buy any anime)
0 0% other
10 10% blank
-------
97 100% total
G14. Which type of information do you find the most useful in
deciding to watch an anime title that you have not seen before?
32 33% synopses / descriptions
19 20% recommendations
20 21% reviews / criticisms
20 21% none (I'll watch any anime)
0 0% other
6 6% blank
-------
97 100% total
G15. How often do you research or get information about related
anime products (e.g. criticisms, recommendations, descriptions,
reviews, renting/borrowing) before buying?
6 6% never
17 18% hardly ever
37 38% sometimes
13 13% most of the time
13 13% almost always
9 9% always
2 2% blank
-------
97 100% total
G16. Where do you usually get information about specific related
anime products?
44 45% anime-specific magazines
7 7% non-anime magazines (eg. game, comic)
52 54% usenet
79 81% World Wide Web
37 38% word of mouth (e.g. friends, family, club members)
7 7% club resources
22 23% store (e.g. comic shop, anime store, video store)
11 11% other
6 6% blank
-------
265 273% total
G17. How often do you do anime related Web browsing (that is, not
usenet/news groups)?
1 1% never
2 2% once every 6 months
9 9% once a month
5 5% once every 2 weeks
9 9% once a week
17 18% once every 2 days
20 21% once a day
17 18% twice a day
17 18% morth than twice a day
0 0% blank
-------
97 100% total
Jump to Section: [A][B][C][D][E][F][G][H][I][End]
Part H. News groups
H1. Approximately how often do you at least READ rec.arts.anime
news groups?
0 0% never
1 1% once a year
5 5% once every 2 to 4 months
1 1% once a month
2 2% once every 2 weeks
11 11% once a week
19 20% once every 2 days
27 28% once a day
12 12% twice a day
18 19% more than twice a day
1 1% blank
-------
97 100% total
H2. In approximately how many reading sessions do you POST to
rec.arts.anime news groups?
14 14% never
8 8% once a year
17 18% once every 2 to 4 months
11 11% once a month
10 10% once every 2 weeks
8 8% once a week
13 13% once every 2 days
6 6% once a day
4 4% twice a day
4 4% more than twice a day
2 2% blank
-------
97 100% total
H3. Which rec.arts.anime news groups do you USUALLY
check out?
24 25% rec.arts.anime.info
33 34% rec.arts.anime.music
77 79% rec.arts.anime.misc
10 10% rec.arts.anime.models
33 34% rec.arts.anime.fandom
13 13% rec.arts.anime.games
28 29% rec.arts.anime.marketplace
30 31% rec.arts.anime.creative
1 1% blank
-------
249 257% total
H4. Which rec.arts.anime news groups do you OCCASIONALLY
check out?
21 22% rec.arts.anime.info
14 14% rec.arts.anime.music
13 13% rec.arts.anime.misc
9 9% rec.arts.anime.models
16 16% rec.arts.anime.fandom
12 12% rec.arts.anime.games
15 15% rec.arts.anime.marketplace
15 15% rec.arts.anime.creative
37 38% blank
-------
152 157% total
H5. Do you read rec.arts.anime news groups from a local server?
71 73% yes
10 10% no
14 14% don't know
2 2% blank
-------
97 100% total
H6. Of the fans from your geographical area and which you are
personally acquainted with, approximately how many are you aware
of that at least READ rec.arts.anime news groups?
40 41% none of them
4 4% all of them
3 3% 80% of them
2 2% 60% of them
5 5% 40% of them
8 8% 20% of them
24 25% less than 20% of them
11 11% blank
-------
97 100% total
H7. Of the fans from your geographical area and which you are
personally acquainted with, approximately how many are you aware
of that POST to rec.arts.anime news groups?
50 52% none of them
2 2% all of them
1 1% 80% of them
0 0% 60% of them
3 3% 40% of them
4 4% 20% of them
25 26% less than 20% of them
12 12% blank
-------
97 100% total
H8. Do you read anime news groups other than the ones in the
rec.arts.anime.* hierarchy (eg. in alt.*, japan.*)?
52 54% yes
42 43% no
3 3% blank
-------
97 100% total
H9. Do you like to read spoilers (messages that give away plot
surprises, or other important plot elements)?
22 23% yes
51 53% no
23 24% undecided
1 1% blank
-------
97 100% total
H10. Do you prefer advance warning of spoilers (eg. spoiler tag
in subject line or spoiler warnings in text)?
93 96% yes
1 1% no
3 3% undecided
0 0% blank
-------
97 100% total
H11. If you like to be warned of spoilers, which types of warnings
would you like to see?
70 72% tag or warning in subject line (eg. [SPOILER]...)
19 20% warning in text just before spoiler
65 67% warning in text with lots of blank lines just before spoiler
4 4% blank
-------
158 163% total
H12. Do you prefer to give advance warning of spoilers in your
messages?
85 88% Yes
3 3% No
9 9% blank
-------
97 100% total
H13. Are HTML encoded messages in the rec.arts.anime.* news groups
acceptable to you?
21 22% Yes
56 58% No
14 14% Don't care
6 6% Undecided or Don't know
0 0% blank
-------
97 100% total
Jump to Section: [A][B][C][D][E][F][G][H][I][End]
Part I. Miscellaneous
I1. How old are you?
0 0% less than 11 years
6 6% 12 to 15 years
20 21% 16 to 18 years
53 55% 19 to 30 years
15 15% 31 to 40 years
3 3% 41 to 60 years
0 0% over 60 years
0 0% blank
-------
97 100% total
I2. What geographical region do you live in?
3 3% East Asia (eg. Japan, India)
0 0% West Asia (eg. Turkey, Iran)
2 2% Southern Pacific (eg. Australia, Indonesia)
15 15% Europe (eg. Germany)
0 0% Africa (eg. Kenya)
74 76% North America (eg. Canada)
1 1% South America (eg. Brazil)
0 0% Antarctica (eg. ...)
2 2% blank
-------
97 100% total
I3. Do you have more than one internet accessible account that you
use often?
46 47% yes
51 53% no
0 0% blank
-------
97 100% total
I4. Do you pay directly for any of your internet accounts or access?
57 59% yes
38 39% no
2 2% blank
-------
97 100% total
I5. Do you participate in anime mailing lists?
57 59% yes
40 41% no
0 0% blank
-------
97 100% total
I6. Have you participated in past "What are we like?" questionaires
(eg. Aug 1997, Feb 1998, July 1998, Mar 1999)?
43 44% yes
50 52% no
4 4% I'm not sure
0 0% blank
-------
97 100% total
I7. Where did you get this copy of this questionaire?
94 97% a news group
0 0% mailing list
3 3% someone e-mailed me a copy
0 0% hardcopy that I re-entered manually (or by OCR)
0 0% web page (note: I'd rather it didn't appear on a web page)
0 0% someone dictated it to me
0 0% blank
-------
97 100% total
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