Is Anime Better Than Sex?
Web Analysis Concludes More People are Searching Toons than Nookie
Online web analysis portal claims that more people are searching Wikipedia for anime and manga than sex or anatomy.
Source: blog.compete.com)
Wikipedia, despite its inherent drawbacks – literally anyone is able to edit the thing, meaning that the information contained in its pages can't be considered 100% accurate – has become an extremely popular research tool on the Internet. Virtually every 21st Century student who has been handed some kind of research project starts with the online encyclopedia, and one or two have literally based their entire papers on information gleaned from the site . . . often much to their chagrin, when they get dinged for presenting Web-based inaccuracies as fact.
Considering how much traffic Wikipedia attracts, it's natural that someone would eventually take the time to analyze the most popular search topics on the online encyclopedia. Enter Adam Tomes of Compute.
Tomes, a writer with the online web analysis portal, examined the Top 100 of searched topics for April of 2007. Happily for parents and teachers, General Research topics made up the largest category of Wikipedia searches at 28% of the total searches. Many of those topics were linked to the top news stories of April 2007, such as the Don Imus controversy, the Virginia Tech massacre, global warming, Naruto, and some bozo from American Idol.
Not surprisingly, sex and similar anatomical terms were extremely popular with Wikipedia browsers, with a solid 16% of all terms searched that month. Tomes observes that these searches "do not appear to have gratuitous intent. The top terms include very straightforward inquiries on human reproductive ‘parts’ and basic concepts of what sex is and how it is performed. It appears many people are learning about what sex is and how to have it by referencing Wikipedia."
Considering the phrase, "I'm not ready for my kids to be learning about sex!" is the crie du coeur of many parents, it's not surprising that Li'l Missy or Junior is going to Wikipedia for information about the topic. Also, the easy availability of porn sites on the Web (and the general ineffectiveness of Nanny programs) means that surfers don't need to consult Wikipedia for gratuitous content.
The stunner was that anime-related topics rated a full 10% higher with Wikipedia users than sex or anatomy. The Japanese art form, along with its manga counterpart, accounted for 26% of all searches conducted during the month of April.
"Perhaps these are parents who want to know what their kids are going crazy over," observes Tomes.
Pop Culture matched Sex at 16%, followed closely by Music at 10%. Movies closed out the pie chart at a mere 4% of total searches.
There are some issues with Tomes' analysis. For instance, he discusses He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, a 1980's-era American cartoon show, as part of his paragraph on anime. Did he include shows like these in his list? Also, some anime, such as hentai, have a highly-sexual component and even mainstream fare such as the 1988 film Akira contains adult content. Would hentai be included under Anime or Sex?
While we're at it, Tomes doesn't mention what his terms are for anime: does it include all animation or just cartoons from Japan? Are feature films (like Akira or Hayao Miyazaki's movies such as Spirited Away) a part of anime, or do they go into the Movies category?
Certainly this analysis isn't conclusive or terribly detailed, but it is good for a few laughs, and a cogent argument for marketers trying to bring more anime content to North American audiences. You can read all about it over here.
Fun Fact: Depressingly, one of the most-searched articles on my site is the one about the assistant principal who was accused of possessing child pornography.
