Eyecatch

An eyecatch (アイキャッチ aikyatchi?) or internal eyecatch is a scene or illustration used to begin and end a commercial break in a Japanese TV program, especially in anime and tokusatsu shows, similar to how "bumpers" into/out of commercial breaks are used in the United States. The term is used, in Japan, to refer to all kinds of bumpers.

Unlike in American programs, in which bumps are typically supplied by the network (when they have them at all), eyecatches are almost always produced by the production company and considered a part of the program itself, rather than (or also serving as) a segue into a commercial break. They are typically 2–6 seconds long. Eyecatches for children's programs are often longer and more elaborate, while eyecatches for programming for adults may consist of nothing more than the program's logo against a black background.

Contents

Types

Most programs use the same eyecatch in each episode, but a few change them every week, or rotate a stable of repeating eyecatches. The program The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is a noted exception; there is only one eyecatch in the entire series, which is contained in the first program and is meant to be a riff on anime clichés. Other anime without eyecatches include Elfen Lied, The Big O, Fullmetal Alchemist (in the first series) and Naruto.

The anime Air Gear also makes use of humorous eyecatches, such as Agito becoming super deformed.

Often, especially in programs aimed at children, the eyecatch has a secondary purpose: marketing. Pokémon is one of the examples (see below); the purpose of the eyecatch of Pokémon is to help children learn to identify the characters and thus increase brand awareness. Likewise, there is a recent trend among magical girl anime in Japan of using the eyecatches to show the heroine having fun with some gadget or toy, such as those featured in Pretty Cure. The item featured is then made into merchandise and sold. Thus, the eyecatch both creates a product and provides it with free advertising.

There have also been times, at least in anime, where multiple eyecatches are displayed throughout each episode that do not necessarily have to do with commercial breaks. The eyecatches in this case tend to be around five per episode. Examples of this type can be found in such anime as Rec and Tsuyokiss. More over, this is also seen in the anime Pani Poni Dash! where the eyecatches often have scenes pertaining to the episode in question.

Some anime like Katekyo Hitman Reborn! have different eyecatches for every story arc.

Examples in USA

An example in American culture is the use before and after commercials during NBC's long running Saturday Night Live.[1]

Anime

In Inazuma eleven, there are shown the FFI participating Teams' Badges saying Inazuma and then endo says Eleven

Tokusatsu

References

External links