Investigating Visual Differences Between Japanese and American Animation

This study looked at animation produced in the US and Japan, in order to discover the visual differences between the two. After sampling from four distinct animations of the US and Japan, over 300 screenshots were captured. A visual content analysis of the 300 screenshots was conducted, focusing on differences in character psychological status and environment rendering. Results revealed that Japanese animation contained at least three times more psychological depictions and used more subdued coloring than American animation. Lastly, using semiotic analysis, the findings from the content analysis were interpreted and potential reasons for the differences between the two animations are discussed