Anime Music Video

An anime music video (AMV) is a music video consisting of clips from one or more anime set to an audio track (often songs or movie/show trailer audio); the term usually refers to fan-made unofficial videos. An AMV can also be a set of video game footage put together with music which is known as a GMV. A newer format of AMVs including or comprising solely of non-anime or gaming footage called animashing has also started to gain popularity.

AMVs are not official music videos released by the musicians, but are rather amateur fan compositions which synchronize edited video clips with an audio track. AMVs are most commonly posted and distributed informally over the Internet (mostly YouTube). Anime conventions frequently run AMV contests or AMV exhibitions. While AMVs traditionally use footage taken from anime, video game cut-scene footage is also a popular option. Music used in AMVs is extremely diverse, using such genres as J-Pop, rock, hip hop, pop, R&B, country, and many others.

AMVs should not be confused with music videos that employ original, professionally made animation (such numerous music videos for songs by Iron Maiden), or with such short music video films (such as Japanese duo Chage and Aska's song "On Your Mark" that was produced by the film company Studio Ghibli). AMVs should also not be confused with fan-made "general animation" videos using non-Japanese animated video sources like western cartoons, or with the practice of vidding in Western media fandom, which evolved convergently and has a distinct history and fan culture. "Anime music videos" are a sub-genre of the more general "animated music videos". Parallels can be drawn between AMVs and songvids, non-animated fan-made videos using footage from movies, television series, or other sources.

The first anime music video was created in 1982 by 21-year-old Jim Kaposztas. Kaposztas hooked up two VCRs to each other and edited the most violent scenes from Star Blazers to “All You Need Is Love” by The Beatles to produce a humorous effect.

One of the first anime music videos that achieved popularity came from the 1996 song "Daytona 500", from rapper Ghostface Killah, using clips from the 1960s anime Speed Racer, which was first shown on English television back in 1968.