Cultural mediaries on AniTube: Between fans and social media entertainers

Abstract

Over the last forty years, the increasing popularity of Japanese anime, manga, light novels, and other related transmedia texts has created a demand for the promotion, review, and criticism of such content among Anglophone, non-Japanese audiences. One of the most prominent communities meeting this demand is YouTube's AniTube community. With its roots in pre- and early internet fan reviewing, AniTube has transitioned from a fan to a creator culture, demonstrating how contemporary online communities adapt previously noncommercial practices for commercial production. Through interviews with creators and analyses of AniTube videos, this article details the tensions between cultural intra- and intermediation and between the communal and individualistic values and practices of its members.