Information Needs for Anime Recommendation: Analyzing Anime Users' Online Forum Queries

Despite the increasing consumption and popularity of audio-visual materials and non-textual information, recommendation-based information retrieval research regarding these materials remains limited. To provide robust recommendation services to users, it is critical to understand how users describe their needs when they seek audio- visual materials. We conducted a content analysis of 396 recommendation threads from Anime News Network online forums to identify 19 common information features used in these requests. Work, Theme, and Genre were the most frequently mentioned features when users described anime they were seeking. Findings also show Audience as an important anime information need. Together, these form a distinct set of interests, vital to understanding the information needs of anime users.