Executive summary
Our EDA project and research on various anime subreddits have given us a clear view of how fans are talking and what they’re excited about. Here are the key insights we found:
The overall anime subreddit has seen a decline in daily activity. However, special events like the ‘Aniplex Online Fest’ on July 30, 2021, draw significant attention, indicating that while routine engagement may have decreased, fans are still eager to connect during major happenings.
Specific anime subreddits, such as those for ‘OnePiece’ and ‘pokemon’ maintain steady activity. Notably, ‘OnePiece’ experienced a surge in comments in March 2022, coinciding with its 25th anniversary, which sparked increased fan interaction. ‘pokemon’ sees heightened activity every November, likely linked to seasonal events in the games around holidays like Eevee Day, Halloween and Thanksgiving.
We also noticed the most active times for fan discussions. Weekends, particularly late afternoons and evenings, are peak times for anime-related conversations, when fans are most likely available to discuss their favorite series. During the weekdays, lunchtimes and afternoons also see increased activity, suggesting fans enjoy anime discussions during breaks or post-work hours.
Fan activity varies by subreddit. ‘OnePiece’ enthusiasts are notably active on Fridays, possibly in anticipation of the weekend. The ‘Gundam’ subreddit shows increased activity on Sunday afternoons, suggesting fans may enjoy winding down their weekends with anime. Meanwhile, ‘Yu-Gi-Oh!’ discussions tend to peak on Monday evenings, possibly as a way for fans to start their week on a positive note.
In conclusion, the data visualizations produced from the EDA section have provided valuable patterns, showing which anime subreddits are most lively, the preferred times for fan interactions, and the types of posts that generate the most excitement among fans.
Data Quality Check
Before diving into the analysis, we first need to check the data quality and perform data cleaning based on that.
The quality checks we performed are:
- Checking for missing values
- Examining the number of missing values for each feature.
- Checking for duplicates
- Verifying if the data contains any duplicates.
- Checking for corrupted data points
- Since some submissions or comments may have been deleted by users or some users deleted their accounts, all corresponding submissions or comments may have been removed.
Data Cleaning
- Filter out corrupted data that includes [deleted] or [removed].
- Clean text data, including removing punctuation or symbols, extra spaces, and converting it to lowercase.
- Create a dummy variable (
contain_pokemon) with regular expression. - Create new columns (
date,year,hour,week,month,cleaned_text,wordCount).- Conduct word count on cleaned text for each data point.
External Data: Stock Prices of Anime Production Companies
In our exploration of the data, we include external data of stock prices of anime production companies. This incorporation bridges the gap between online anime community discussions and economic indicators, offering a deeper understanding of the interplay between anime fandom engagement and sentiment with the market dynamics within the anime industry. The stock indexes of selected anime production companies include Toei Animation (TOEAF) for anime such as Dragon Ball Z and One Piece, Bandai Namco (NCBDF) for anime like Mobile Suit Gundam, and SONY (SONY) for anime such as Kaguya-sama.
Exploratory Data Analysis
Topic 1
| created_date | count | |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 2021-02-21 | 263 |
| 1 | 2021-02-03 | 253 |
| 2 | 2021-02-13 | 250 |
| 3 | 2021-02-10 | 249 |
| 4 | 2021-01-18 | 247 |
| 5 | 2021-01-21 | 245 |
| 6 | 2021-01-31 | 243 |
| 7 | 2021-02-01 | 237 |
| 8 | 2021-01-12 | 236 |
| 9 | 2021-02-28 | 236 |
| created_date | count | |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 2021-07-30 | 16787 |
| 1 | 2021-01-31 | 15742 |
| 2 | 2021-03-25 | 15616 |
| 3 | 2021-03-26 | 15509 |
| 4 | 2021-02-05 | 14624 |
| 5 | 2021-03-24 | 14375 |
| 6 | 2021-03-28 | 14268 |
| 7 | 2021-01-18 | 14139 |
| 8 | 2021-02-21 | 14021 |
| 9 | 2021-02-14 | 13720 |
For the ‘anime’ subreddit, which is broader in scope, the number of both submissions and comments generally follows a decreasing trend over the period. Notably, the number of comments suddenly spiked on July 30, 2021 and peaked for this entire time period, which is potentially resulted from the ‘Aniplex Online Fest’, an online event featuring programming from Aniplex titles and more. Compared with the ‘anime’ subreddit, the number of comments of other top-tier anime subreddits remains essentially flat during the period. This suggests that people have become progressively less attracted to posting under ‘anime’ subreddit and have maintained their enthusiasm for commenting under subreddits with a more defined scope.
Initial Observations:
- The trend of comments and submissions is pretty similar; they increase and decrease at the same time.
- Starting in January 2021, the comment and submission volume is relatively stable until a marked increase begins around mid-2021.
Significant Fluctuations:
- The peak in November 2021 stands out, which correlates with seasonal anime releases or significant events like different anime conventions or major announcements.
- The sharp decline immediately following the peak could indicate the conclusion of a popular anime season or series, leading to a temporary reduction in discussion volume.
Intermittent Increases:
- Subsequent increases both in comment and submission volume, such as the rise started in May-2022, represent new anime seasons or series premieres, which typically generate more discussions.
Notable Declines:
- The noticeable dip around Aug-2022 could be associated with a period between anime seasons when fewer new episodes are released, resulting in less activity.
- The latest data point, Feb-2023, shows an increase from the previous month, suggesting a potential recovery in discussion, possibly due to new releases or a growing trend in community engagement.
General Engagement Trend:
- Despite the variability, there’s a general trend of recovery after each decline, indicating a resilient and sustained interest in anime-related discussions over time.
General Engagement Trend:
- Despite the variability, there’s a general trend of recovery after each decline, indicating a resilient and sustained interest in anime-related discussions over time.
Overall Trends:
- ‘One Piece’ not only generally leads in comment volume but also exhibited a particularly sharp peak around March 2022. This surge in activity likely correlates with the 25th anniversary of the franchise and a significant plot development in the anime, where the protagonist Luffy’s brother Ace is captured, prompting the Whitebeard Pirates to mount a full-scale rescue that escalates into the Summit War (Paramount War).
- ‘pokemon’ experiences consistent annual peaks in November, which can be attributed to a series of rewarding events in ‘Pokemon Go’ and other Pokemon-related games. These events are timed around global festivities like Halloween and Thanksgiving, as well as special in-game events like “Ibuki Day” and “Sleep Well Day”, drawing heightened engagement from the community.
- ‘Naruto’ also has significant activity with notable peaks, suggesting periods of increased engagement that might relate to new game releases, series milestones, or popular discussions.
Subreddit-Specific Observations:
- ‘Kaguya_sama’ has spikes in activity, possibly aligning with new season releases or pivotal episodes.
- ‘DemonSlayerAnime’ shows a notable peak, potentially corresponding with the release of the Demon Slayer movie or season.
- Other subreddits, like ‘Gundam’, ‘dbz’, and ‘swordartonline’, display more consistent activity with less pronounced fluctuations.
Variability Factors:
- The variance in comment volumes across subreddits suggests different levels of sustained engagement, with some communities becoming particularly active during certain periods, likely due to new content releases or community events.
Recent Activity:
- As of early 2023, there’s a visible decrease across most subreddits in the number of comments, which could suggest a seasonal downtrend or a lack of newsworthy events within these communities at the time of the latest data.
Some words being mentioned most frequently for both submissions and comments are shown below.
Topic 2
Not surprisingly, whether it’s an initial post or a comment, the highest concentration occurs on weekends between 4 and 10 pm. Afternoons and evenings are typically more active than mornings within the whole week. Observing both submissions and comments, a pattern emerges suggesting that anime fans tend to be night owls, especially on weekends, engaging in more animated discussions late into the evening compared to weekdays. Yet, there’s a similarly high level of activity during midday on weekdays. This could indicate that fans might be using their lunch breaks or midday pauses to catch up and converse about their favorite anime.
Like r/anime, these subreddits shown above have a similar pattern. The peak activity times might coincide with lunch hours and after-school/work hours in American time zones, which is common for many online communities. The lowest activity across all subreddits during very early morning hours might indicate a predominantly American user base, or at least an English-speaking one that aligns with Western time zones. Weekends show different patterns from weekdays, which could reflect different usage behaviors when users have more free time.
The One Piece subreddit sees heightened discussion throughout Fridays, suggesting a trend that may reflect on American work culture where the day is often treated as the kickoff to the weekend. This implies that while many may be physically present at work, their engagement on the subreddit hints at a mental shift towards leisure pursuits. Surprisingly, activity dips on Saturdays, indicating that One Piece enthusiasts might prioritize other weekend activities over their fandom. The steady buzz on weekday afternoons further suggests that fans might be turning to One Piece discussions as a welcome diversion during the workday.
The Gundam subreddit exhibits steady engagement throughout the week, with a notable uptick on Sunday afternoons. This spike in activity could be a reflection of fans devoting time to their interests during the latter part of the weekend, a period typically reserved for leisure after completing work or personal tasks. Interestingly, the conversation continues into the early hours of Monday, hinting at a potentially younger demographic within the Gundam community who may have more freedom during this time, possibly due to flexible schedules that don’t adhere to the conventional workweek.
The Yu-Gi-Oh! subreddit sees its highest activity on Monday evenings, which at first glance might seem unusual. However, considering the typical workweek, it starts to make sense. Mondays are often the most demanding days, and diving into a beloved pastime such as a favorite anime can be a preferred way to unwind after a long day. This spike in activity could also be linked to potential content updates, such as new episodes or game releases, which could prompt fans to flock to the subreddit for fresh discussions. Interestingly, Yu-Gi-Oh! discussions are more fervent on weekday evenings compared to weekends, suggesting that the fandom might serve as a welcome reprieve from the workday’s stress rather than a weekend leisure activity.
The apex of activity in the One-Punch Man subreddit occurs on Wednesday afternoons, a somewhat unexpected time given that it’s midweek, neither approaching the weekend nor at its start. This spike in discussion provokes curiosity about what drives the conversation during what is typically a regular workday. It’s plausible that this pattern is aligned with the release schedule of new anime episodes; enthusiasts may be eagerly taking to the subreddit to dissect the latest updates and share their enthusiasm with fellow fans soon after new content is available.
The Naruto subreddit shows a surge of activity on Friday evenings, which could be driven by fans eager to dive into theories, share nostalgic content, or engage in discussions about the latest developments in the Naruto universe and its sequel, “Boruto”. This pattern suggests that the subreddit’s demographic might lean towards working individuals who become active as the workweek concludes. As observed in the heatmap, the intensity of discussions notably increases from Friday evening, maintaining momentum over the weekend, particularly during the afternoons, indicating that the weekend provides a prime time for fans to connect and engage with the content.
The Pokémon subreddit consistently buzzes with activity, mirroring the midweek peak observed in the One-Punch Man community, particularly on Wednesday afternoons. This consistent engagement could be attributed to globally synchronized events in Pokémon Go, updates on upcoming games, or new episode releases. Unlike other anime subreddits, Pokémon’s discussion levels remain robust throughout the day, tapering off only during typical sleeping hours. This enduring enthusiasm for Pokémon may very well be partly thanks to the irresistible charm of its mascot, Pikachu.
Topic 3
Score-related
The bubble plot visualizes subreddit activity, specifically showing how average comment and submission scores relate to the volume of comments in various anime-related subreddits.
- ‘OnePiece’ stands out with a substantially large bubble located higher on both the average submission score and the comment count axis. This indicates not only a very active subreddit with many comments but also that the submissions receive high average scores, suggesting quality engagement.
- ‘pokemon’ also has a notably large bubble, suggesting it too has a large number of comments along with a high average submission score, indicating active and positive engagement in the subreddit.
- ‘Kaguya_sama’ and ‘OnePunchMan’ have smaller bubbles placed higher on the average comment score axis. Although these subreddits have fewer comments, the ones they do have tend to score highly, implying that the content is well-received by the community.
- Other subreddits like ‘Naruto’, ‘yugioh’, and ‘Gundam’ have moderate-sized bubbles, signifying a fair amount of activity and interaction, but with lower average scores compared to ‘OnePiece’ and ‘pokemon’.
- The bubble color depth, which correlates with the comment count based on the legend, illustrates that ‘OnePiece’ has the highest comment count, followed by ‘pokemon’, and then the rest.
Subreddits with Large IQR: Subreddits like ‘OnePunchMan’ and ‘Kaguya_sama’ exhibit a large interquartile range (IQR), suggesting that posts within this community receive a varied number of scores. This could imply that ‘OnePunchMan’ and ‘Kaguya_sama’ have content that responds differently to their audiences, leading to some posts being significantly more popular than others.
Subreddits with Small IQR: On the other hand, subreddits such as ‘DemonSlayerAnime’ and ‘DetectiveConan’ have a smaller IQR, indicating a more consistent level of engagement where posts tend to receive a similar score range. This consistency might reflect a more closely linked community with shared interests that rates content similarly.
Median Scores: The median score, indicated by the line within each box, varies across subreddits. Some subreddits like ‘Gundam’, ‘Kaguya_sama’ and ‘KillLaKill’ have higher median scores compared to others, which might point to a generally higher baseline of engagement in these communities.
Whiskers and Engagement Range: The length of the whiskers represents the range of scores beyond the IQR, excluding outliers. Subreddits with longer whiskers, such as ‘Kaguya_sama’ and ‘OnePunchMan’, could indicate occasional posts that receive much higher or lower scores than the typical content.
Most of the number of submissions’ titles are clustered between 5 and 15. There is no correlation between the score and the number of title words, and most of the submissions with high scores also have words clustered between 5 and 15.
Likewise, there is no correlation between the score and the number of body words of comments. Most of the high scoring comments had a word count of less than 150.
Pokemon-related
- Across all these 2 visualizations, ‘Pikachu’ is consistently the most mentioned Pokémon, underscoring its prominence within the Pokémon community.
- ‘Bulbasaur’, ‘Charmander’, and ‘Squirtle’ have significant mentions, which may reflect their status as the original starter Pokémon in the series, maintaining a consistent level of popularity.
- The visualizations highlight the varying degrees of attention each Pokémon receives within the community, with ‘Pikachu’ being a clear focal point of discussions.
Additional Info
Proportion of Comments by Top-tier anime subreddits
- “OnePiece” has the largest segment, accounting for 31.8% of the comments, highlighting it as the most active community among the subreddits sampled.
- “pokemon” holds the second largest share with 25.3%, indicating it also has a very active subreddit community.
- “Naruto” and “OnePunchMan” follow with 9.5% and 8.2%, respectively, suggesting significant but lesser activity compared to “OnePiece” and “pokemon”.
- Other subreddits like “yugioh”, “Gundam”, and “StardustCrusaders” have smaller proportions of the comments, ranging from 5.5% down to 3.1%.
- The smallest slices represent “dbz” and “digimon” with 3.4% and 2.3%, showing these communities are less active in comparison to the others mentioned.
- The remaining communities grouped into “Others” make up 4.7% of the comments, which include any number of smaller or less active subreddits not individually listed.
This distribution suggests a concentration of discussion within a few highly active subreddits, with “OnePiece” and “pokemon” dominating the conversation. It also provides insight into the relative popularity and user engagement within these specific anime fandoms on Reddit.