21 June 2012

Observing anime popularity using Twitter - Anime Social Graph


Is it possible to see the popularity based on response from social media? Yes sort of. Using keywords and hashtags gathered from twitter, there is an "Anime Social Graph" from ANIMEMAP.

The graphs only take anime series that air from this spring season 2012, therefore other ongoing ones from previous seasons are not accounted for.


Second season of Fate/Zero has consistent peaks whenever it's near the airing time (or shortly the time after), and the peaks tend to increase as the series come closer to a showdown with the penultimate episode aired last weekend generating the most talk on twitter.


Haiyore! Nyaruko-san has a bit of ups and downs, with a couple of episodes causing some peaks before slowly descending down.


Hyouka, on the other hand, seems to be talked much less than the two mentioned above, with the most talked during the first episode.


While these are interesting observations, they don't necessarily represent a very clear popularity of this season's anime, as only tweets with specific keywords and hashtags are collected (see here for table and data). Other common methods are by view rates as well as DVD/BD sales thereafter, but taking a look at people mentioning the anime they watch on places like twitter is an interesting one as the series airs over the season. You can see the individual graphs of each anime series by clicking on their one-letter/kana name at the top of the table.

What are you watching in this season right now? I'm only watching Fate/Zero and Nyaruko-san at the moment, but I may pick up Accel World as well later on (graph here for those who are interested).

But of course, these don't always necessarily tell you which are better anime over the others; one may like those that don't seem to stand out or talked as much as the big ones out there. It's really down to our personal tastes and preferences at the end of the day~ ^^

All images are from ANIMEMAP via Gigazine

4 comments:

  1. It is always fun to look at a graph of data to see how things are progressing. I am with you on the hash mark as not everyone uses them which could make these even higher.

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  2. It's great to see that Nyaruko-san is so popular, that means it's more likely to get a second season. I'm also watching Accel World, Space Brothers, Mouretsu Pirates, Sakamichi no Apollon, Shining Hearts, Sengoku Collection, and Sankarea.

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  3. @ bluedrakon:
    Not everyone uses hash tags or the "correct" keywords so not all relevant tweets will be picked up. For example, the graph only takes in tweets with the hashtag #fate/zero or the keyword "Fate/Zero", but not #fate_zero or "Fate Zero" etc.

    @ Nopy:
    Nyaruko-san has a lot of parodies and references from other anime or other media in their actions or dialogues. Even though they are far more than I really know, the series is still enjoyable overall for a genre I don't really catch on. I do believe that a second season is likely to happen, but it's just a matter of when! And you really do keep yourself up with a lot of anime!

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  4. Half the fun of watching Nyaruko-san is trying to get the references. I had to watch the first episode a few times just to confirm that Nyaruko was saying the names of early UC mobile suits whenever she got hit by the fork! And that's not counting the kamen rider and Jojo's bizarre adventure references in episode 2!! Only Ben-To! and it's love for the sega saturn was better. I had a massive grin when Shaga mentioned virtual on and totally agreed with the response!

    But overall, this season is really strong. The strongest for a long time! Even Upotte! is fun, though I have a major soft spot for Elle seeing as I have fired an L85 rifle before *spoilers* They really do suck!!!

    Accel world is an interesting show but the world itself is rather lacking. It's like anything which happens in the accelerated world doesn't matter and there are some pacing issues as well. But I'm really looking forward to Sword Art Online next season. That always felt like it fit an anime adaptation better due to its structure but pacing will be an even bigger issue, especially as I suspect that they will only be adapting the first 2 arcs. It would let the makers tie things up neatly while leaving room for a sequel.

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