What is "Danmaku"?
Danmaku, also known as "bullet curtain", is a kind of comment function only exist in certain video stream sites. Unlike the traditional video sharing sites whose comment box is placed below the video, and comments are ranged in time order, video sharing sites with Danmaku function not only have the traditional comment box, but also enable audience to "shoot" their comments immediately onto the video they're watching. The comments sync with the video timeline, and slide over the video (also possible to be displayed as subtitles to the top and bottom of the screen by the command function), creating a sense of shared watching experience.
The below video clip of animation Card Fight!'s opening song "Vanguard" is an example of how danmaku works. These synchronized comments of lyrics give viewers a sense that all the viewers are singing together.
The below video clip of animation Card Fight!'s opening song "Vanguard" is an example of how danmaku works. These synchronized comments of lyrics give viewers a sense that all the viewers are singing together.
The originator of Danmaku
The originator of Danmaku was Nico Nico, a Japanese video sharing site founded in 2006. Most videos are generated and uploaded by the netizens. Its comment function enables viewers to write comments on playback screen for the playing video. Comments will be shot onto the screen, and when the video is reproduced thereafter, previous comments will also be displayed in accordance with the time axis. Therefore, the comments go beyond the real-time, and the previous comments and later comments coexist together.
In fact, the time when a comment was posted and the time when that comment was read by another viewer is different (asynchronous), but when the video is reproduced, the comments will be posted at the same time, giving viewers an illusion as if they were synchronous.
By introducing the concept of Danmaku, Nico Nico has succeeded in acquiring the "unity among users". Viewers can not only share their comments, but also decorate the videos with comments, by making full use of the "command function". Command function enables viewers to produce comments with more complicated forms. Viewers can change the color, size, appearing location and existing time length of a comment.
But there're also crazy times when the screens are occupied with comments and viewers can't see anything. In that case, or whenver you feel disturbed, simply check "Hide Comments" option, Danmaku will disappear, adn videos will just become ordinary videos.
Below is a music video decorated with advanced Danmaku. These comments serve as subtitles for the lyrics, but in a more creative way. They spin and swirl according to the meaning of lyrics. When the lyrics come to "My split heart", the comments split as well. In such case, the advance Danmaku syncs with the lyrics, hence enhances the expirence.
In fact, the time when a comment was posted and the time when that comment was read by another viewer is different (asynchronous), but when the video is reproduced, the comments will be posted at the same time, giving viewers an illusion as if they were synchronous.
By introducing the concept of Danmaku, Nico Nico has succeeded in acquiring the "unity among users". Viewers can not only share their comments, but also decorate the videos with comments, by making full use of the "command function". Command function enables viewers to produce comments with more complicated forms. Viewers can change the color, size, appearing location and existing time length of a comment.
But there're also crazy times when the screens are occupied with comments and viewers can't see anything. In that case, or whenver you feel disturbed, simply check "Hide Comments" option, Danmaku will disappear, adn videos will just become ordinary videos.
Below is a music video decorated with advanced Danmaku. These comments serve as subtitles for the lyrics, but in a more creative way. They spin and swirl according to the meaning of lyrics. When the lyrics come to "My split heart", the comments split as well. In such case, the advance Danmaku syncs with the lyrics, hence enhances the expirence.
The followers
With the rise of Nico Nico, Chinese start-ups also began imitating this unique feature of Danmaku. Around 2009, two Danmaku video sharing sites AcFun, and Bilibili were founded. Their target audience are people fond of "ACG"(acronym for Animation, Comic and Game, especially Japanese ACG). The rise of Chinese Danmaku video sharing sites provided the hotbed for subculture in ACG and spoof videos. It's also worth mentioning that the spoof videos made from Chinese netizens are filled with Chinese-style humor, some classic Danmaku for the videos went viral and even became Internet slangs.
Below is a spoof video of a famous Chinese dubber, and the video is filled with decorative subtitles. It's also interesting to see the check ins in the beginning of the video.
Below is a spoof video of a famous Chinese dubber, and the video is filled with decorative subtitles. It's also interesting to see the check ins in the beginning of the video.
Regional differences
It's interesting to notice that Danmaku has been extremely successful in Japan and China. However, it has never been popular in US or European countries, despite the fact that there're also quite many ACG fans in these countries.
Nico Nico has tried to promote an English version for the oversea market. (If you access Nico Nico with foreign IP, you'll be automatically directed to the English site, unless you reset the website setting to Japanese version.)
So it's surprising to see how the Danmaku is different from the English version to the Japanese version, even for a same video.
Below is a music video for the character Alice in Touhou Project. And the only word I can use to describe the English Danmaku is, "Dull."
Nico Nico has tried to promote an English version for the oversea market. (If you access Nico Nico with foreign IP, you'll be automatically directed to the English site, unless you reset the website setting to Japanese version.)
So it's surprising to see how the Danmaku is different from the English version to the Japanese version, even for a same video.
Below is a music video for the character Alice in Touhou Project. And the only word I can use to describe the English Danmaku is, "Dull."
However, if you change the language environment for Danmaku into Japanese for this video clip, the outcome will be totally different.
The Japanese Danmaku is filled with sentences ending in "~yo Alice", such as"It's hard to get the credits yo Alice","You're so cute yo Alice", "This year has past yo Alice". The unity of sentences give viewers a sense that they're tied together, and they're not just posting comments, they are posting their daily emotions, as if they are devout believers of Alice. The reason why English Danmaku hasn't been popular may be account to the weak basis of ACG culture. Another possible reason is because of the uniqueness of languages. Japanese and Chinese can be expressed within few characters, while English usually needs long sentences to convey the concise meaning, which make it difficult to be presented to viewers within few seconds. |