Eyecatch

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An eyecatch of Pokémon: Advanced Generation.

An eyecatch (アイキャッチ, Aikyāchi^?) 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 "commercial bumpers" into/out of commercial breaks are used in the United States.

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 2-5 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.

[edit] Types

The eyecatch of Kino's Journey

Most programs use the same eyecatch in each episode, but a few change them every week, or rotate a stable of repeating eyecatches. In tokusatsu productions, such as the Super Sentai series, the eyecatch generally revolves around the character the episode is focused on. If it revolves around two members, one or both characters are shown. Some anime does this as well. 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 cliches.

Each eyecatch from Marmalade Boy rotates every few episodes. The love triangles in the anime are expressed with a couple being united and the third party always falling over.

Oftentimes, 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 "Who's that Pokémon?" eyecatch 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 has also been times, at least in anime, where multiple eyecatches are displayed throughout each episode that don't 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.

[edit] Examples

In the original Japanese version of One Piece, the eyecatches for that program consist of a series of Wanted posters, each depicting one of the show's central characters, who are all pirates and therefore wanted criminals.
In Pokémon, there is a "Who's that Pokémon?" segment. The segment challenges viewers to identify one of the series' 493 fictional creatures, which is obscured in silhouette. After the commercial break, the answer is revealed.