Abstract
This quantitative study examines Saudi viewers’ perceptions of the Japanese anime Attack on Titan. Data collection was undertaken by means of an online survey of 346 viewers of the animation, aged between fourteen and thirty-eight. The results indicated that the most popular characters were Levi, Eren, and Mikasa, with the least liked being the Armorer Titan, the Female Titan, Sasha, and Christa. The research found that the participants were attracted to scenes including fights between human and Titans, flying blood, and dialogue. The viewers expressed an interest in the unique scenario of the series, as well as each character’s tone of voice and facial expression. Finally, the hypothesis testing (Ho) of viewers’ tendency to like characters based on gender was accepted as confirmed by the 2-tail test (.042), i.e. the participants tended to prefer male characters. This study recommends that future research applies content analysis to provide further insights into the reasons behind the identified preference for male characters.
Highlights
Japanese animation has, since the 1940s, spread from Asian countries (e.g., China, Korea, Thailand Singapore, Hong Kong, India) to Western regions (Tongdhamachart, 2015)
The hypothesis testing (Ho) of viewers‘ tendency to like characters based on gender was accepted as confirmed by the 2-tail test (.042), i.e. the participants tended to prefer male characters
It should be noted that reviews from a variety of different cultures are distinctive from those originating from Japan, despite consuming Japanese animation
Summary
Since the 1940s, spread from Asian countries (e.g., China, Korea, Thailand Singapore, Hong Kong, India) to Western regions (e.g., the United States of America, Britain, Canada, Germany, France) (Tongdhamachart, 2015). Drummond-Mathews, Dallas, and Scally (2019) stated that American audiences have undertaken a positive interaction with Japanese animation due to identifying with characters unable to exert control over their own feelings or strength, concluding that: ̳[an] American audience would be expecting answers, or at least a clue, Attack on Titan leaves viewers with only more questions‘ (Drummond-Mathews, Dallas, and Scally, 2019, p.8). This indicates that the spectator must share the characters' fear of an inevitable attack or death, as well as the unease that comes from being unable to understand why such attacks are taking place. Caffrey (2009), indicated that audiences in North America exert little influence over Japanese producers
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
