Hakuhodo DY Music & Pictures and Ritsumeikan University Art Research Center Launch Joint Research on Animation Genre Integration and Content Evolution Hakuhodo DY Music & Pictures Inc. Press Release: October 27, 2025 To Members of the Media
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infrastructure using digital and web technologies and develop the associated tools and knowledge systems for the purpose of analyzing macro trends in animation. A research team led by Associate Professor Kazufumi Fukuda of Ritsumeikan University’s College of Film and New Media, in collaboration with Hakuhodo DY Music & Pictures, has conducted preliminary research, including text mining of anime synopses to examine evolving narrative trends (Figure 1) and macro-trend analysis of character eye and hair color (Figure 2).
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https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/84062/107/84062-107-8ecae35ee035d0e60b32b6a0aaf28883-1280×720.jpg This collaborative research aims to clarify the overall picture of diversifying anime genres by visualizing multiple genre systems, such as distribution platforms, anime information sites, anime review sites, and Wikipedia, and then integrating them from a bird’s-eye view. This will enable us to grasp the overall structure of genres and analyze changes in anime content over time, thereby deepening our understanding of anime fandom’s attitudes toward genres. Hakuhodo DY Music & Pictures, which aims to provide more appealing content to anime fans, and Ritsumeikan University Art Research Center, which has the research and analytical capabilities to study tangible and intangible human cultural products, primarily art, performing arts, technology, and craftsmanship, from historical and social perspectives and is promoting academic research on Japanese content, including anime, will collaborate in this joint research project with the goal of capturing the latest true picture of Japanese anime fandom. ■ About Ritsumeikan University Art Research Center In order to pass on human culture to future generations, we research and analyze, from a historical and social perspective, tangible and intangible products of human culture, centered on art, performing arts, technology, skills, and techniques, with the aim of recording, organizing, preserving, and disseminating them. Using digital technology, we conduct research and development on systems for preserving and utilizing “time arts” such as performing arts and theater, systems to support artistic creation, systems for disseminating art so that citizens can share and enjoy it, systems for understanding art and education for that purpose, educational programs, and other educational and outreach activities. Location: 56-1 Tojiin Kitamachi, Kita Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture Established: June 1998 Director: Ryo Akama Website: https://www.arc.ritsumei.ac.jp/ ■ About Hakuhodo DY Music & Pictures Inc. Hakuhodo DY Music & Pictures is a comprehensive entertainment company involved in all businesses related to “visual works,” including anime and movies. As a company with a love and
responsibility for “the best entertainment,” we are engaged in 360° business development, including the planning, production, and distribution of anime, event screenings, sales of broadcasting and streaming rights, and sales of overseas rights; the planning, production, and distribution of films, sales of broadcasting and streaming rights, sales of overseas rights, the release of Blu-ray and DVD content; music business (promotion, management, live production, fan club management, etc.); merchandising and event business production; and copyright management and merchandising production for various properties. Location: Akasaka Biz Tower, 5-3-1 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo Established: October 1, 2003 Representative Director, President and Executive Officer: Yohei Koyama Website:
https://www.hakuhodody-map.jp/ For more information about this release