PROS:
"I enjoy good company, even more than the show."
This might explain why so many people are so addicted to video sharing sites with Danmaku function.
We all have times when watching TV at home alone, hoping there're someone we can talk to, to express our feeling about the latest episode.
And Danmaku solves our innate demand for socializing. With everyone watching the same video, seeing others dissing on the content and expressing their views, such participation and interaction, can never be compared with the experience of quietly watching a video alone. Even a dull episode can become hilarious with the dissing Danmaku. Not to mention other irreplaceable functions of Danmaku.
Danmaku can be roughly divided into three categories: functional Danmaku, interactive Danmaku and decorative Danmaku.
We all have times when watching TV at home alone, hoping there're someone we can talk to, to express our feeling about the latest episode.
And Danmaku solves our innate demand for socializing. With everyone watching the same video, seeing others dissing on the content and expressing their views, such participation and interaction, can never be compared with the experience of quietly watching a video alone. Even a dull episode can become hilarious with the dissing Danmaku. Not to mention other irreplaceable functions of Danmaku.
Danmaku can be roughly divided into three categories: functional Danmaku, interactive Danmaku and decorative Danmaku.
1.functional Danmaku
Functional Danmaku include subtitles, annotations, supplementary resources, alerts and so on. Subtitles: As video sharing sites, tons of foreign episodes are uploaded to the sites everyday. Sometimes subtitles can't be embedded into the video in time, then "translators at wild" will voluntarily do the translation, and post their comments in the forms of subtitles. Annotations: Some videos such as "Jon Stewart Show" require background knowledge for American culture, so viewers who are familiar with the slangs will shoot their comments on the videos, explaining the gag for viewers. Supplementary resources: It can appear either in a drama video, trying to explain what a metaphor means, or can be in a video clip of billboard TOP 50 songs, telling viewer the playing song's historical ranks in the past few weeks. |
The yellow words in the picture above serve as a supplementary resource, telling people the historical ranks of "The Man" in the past few weeks. |
2. Interactive Danmaku
Interactive Danmaku include dissing the content, post mondegreen on purpose, check in, resonation and so on. The biggest feature of interactive Danmaku is the "sense of participation." In many cases, viewing others' comments are even more interesting than the video itself. Dissing the content: It's just like what people do on traditional video sharing sites. However, as the comments goes with the plot, you can quickly and accurately express the emotion, which is more direct and infectious. Mondegreen: It's especially common when it comes to foreign songs or emotional lines in a drama. People are easier to be immersed in the scenario with the instant subtitles. Check in: Viewers like posting Danmaku at the beginning of a hot video in the form of "Year/Month/Day check in" in remembrance of their viewing. You can also judge whether a video is popular or not by the amount of check ins at the beginning. Resonation: Resonation often occur in music videos or the opening of an animation. Viewers post lyrics onto the screen as the song goes as if they're sing together. |
Resonation of music video "Some like it hot", covered with the lyrics "Hey Hey Hey Hey Hey". |
3. Decorative Danmaku
Some Danmaku are meaningless. They're just posted to be part of the video for fun. There also exist a group of people called "craftsmen", who are experts in creating advanced forms of Danmaku. They're especially talented at using color blocks to build certain images overlapping the video, or create some movements with color blocks and symbols. On the right is a classic video covered with decorative Danmaku made by craftsmen. They use color blocks to pile up vivid characters and word arts. |
|
These overall functions of Danmaku can be considered as another way of reproducing. Instead of writing a fan fiction or editing a new video, posting Danmaku is another way to achieve same effects, but with a lower threshold. Taking the original video as the basis, Danmaku together with the video can achieve the effect of 1+1>2. In other words, we are no longer watching the video itself, but rather the combination of video itself + secondary creation. Thus, the fun of watching videos is also doubled, or even tripled. Danmaku undoubtedly make the videos more appealing and playful. Meanwhile, the possibility of getting resonation also can be incentives for viewers to send Danmaku.
Cons:
"It's forcing me not to turn on the Danmaku option when first viewing an episode."
With the rise of Danmaku sites, more and more people have become familiar with this new trend and have joined the Danmaku army. It is for sure that the metabolism of Danmaku sites will lead to the changes of Danmaku quality. Unfortunately, judging from the current situation, it's a decrease in quality.
Younger generation tend to be less legitimate and like posting meaningless Internet slangs such as LOLLLLLL, hhhh, 23333 (all represent laughters) to fill the screens. There're less thoughtful comments.
And this is not the most annoying thing.
There's nothing more annoying than the spoilers.
When you see the colorful text deliberately shot to the center of the screen, surrounded with arrows pointing to it, saying "The heroin will be dead at 23 mins";
When you just saw a new character, thinking "This girl is cute." and immediately a Danmaku appears, "This girl will be dead at next episode";
When you watch "The Friends" for the first time, and seeing the Danmaku at the first season "I can believe that XX and OO got married at last, I really can not see it from the first season."
It is indeed annoying.
Not to say those quarrels over characters overlapping the screen, it affects the viewing experience badly. Although there is functions like blocking certain users or blocking certain key words. It's still hard to prevent all the discomforts.
As a result, some people just choose to switch off the Danmaku function when they watch drama series, and only leave it on when watching news or spoofs.
Younger generation tend to be less legitimate and like posting meaningless Internet slangs such as LOLLLLLL, hhhh, 23333 (all represent laughters) to fill the screens. There're less thoughtful comments.
And this is not the most annoying thing.
There's nothing more annoying than the spoilers.
When you see the colorful text deliberately shot to the center of the screen, surrounded with arrows pointing to it, saying "The heroin will be dead at 23 mins";
When you just saw a new character, thinking "This girl is cute." and immediately a Danmaku appears, "This girl will be dead at next episode";
When you watch "The Friends" for the first time, and seeing the Danmaku at the first season "I can believe that XX and OO got married at last, I really can not see it from the first season."
It is indeed annoying.
Not to say those quarrels over characters overlapping the screen, it affects the viewing experience badly. Although there is functions like blocking certain users or blocking certain key words. It's still hard to prevent all the discomforts.
As a result, some people just choose to switch off the Danmaku function when they watch drama series, and only leave it on when watching news or spoofs.
Pic1: Thick Danmaku which block the screen. Pic2: Meaningless "Yooooooooooo" Pic3: Spoiler of pointing out the murderer.