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At the end of the Carnival Phantasm: HibiChika Special, Kohaku (Koha-Ace ver.) mentions that there is a superstition where good anime all have people running in the ending animation.

Does this superstition actually exist? If so, how true is this superstition? Where did it first start?

Truth... or Myth?

atlantiza
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кяαzєя
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    Interesting question, but I don't think there's an objective way to answer "how true is it?" What I think is a good anime might be a bad anime to you, or what a famous critic says is a good anime might be bad to me. – atlantiza Jun 21 '13 at 04:16
  • @atlantiza While taste in anime may vary greatly between fans, the commercial success of certain series is usually undeniable. I'm asking if there is any evidence that this sort of "jinx" could be result of a popular/unspoken myth/belief (like talking behind someone's back causes the person being talked about to sneeze), something that evolved out of some trend (like the [Curse of Bambino](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curse_of_the_Bambino)) or something the writers just made up in a tongue-and-cheek manner. – кяαzєя Nov 13 '13 at 00:14

1 Answers1

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I am not sure if there's a superstition in the Japanese culture or just among the animators but according here,

In a lot of anime, a character (usually the protagonist) will show up in the opening or ending credits, running along while remaining on a fixed spot on-screen. The character could be running the whole time, or start out walking slowly and gradually pick up speed. The background is usually of the scrolling kind, but sometimes the character actually seems to run through a changing scenery. In any case, it's rare for characters to maintain a leisurely speed the whole time; usually, this has something to do with either the pace of the music, or the animators' need to keep opening and ending themes moving fast at all times.

Side-on running and walking cycles are often created by animators as a way to get a feel for the characters, and these cycles will no doubt be used at some point in the show.

xjshiya
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    While this may answer why they do these types of sequences, it doesn't necessarily explain if there is a belief or trend that having such a sequence could boost the success of your franchise. Much like how superstitious sports fans do certain ritual or wear certain colors to games in hopes of their team winning. It's also interesting to note that if there are characters running, in one of those sequences, it's much of the time, it's to the left of the screen. – кяαzєя Nov 13 '13 at 00:06