mad
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MAD
“MAD” (マッド, Maddo) is a Japanese term for creative, modified media that could be called crazy, stupid, or insane. It actually originated in the late 1970s, long before the internet had went public, and there are further classifications of MADs based on genre(s) and the medium.
History
1970s–1990s
In the late 1970s, students at the Osaka University of Arts used cassette decks and record players to make nine 46-minute tapes, dubbed the “NEW MAD TAPE” series.1) The “MAD tape” (MADテープ) was also called a “kichigai tape” (キチガイテープ), implicating that “MAD” is a translation of “kichigai” (きちがい), which does means “lunatic” or “madman” but carries the same weight that “retarded” does.2)3)
These tapes would influence Tamori's All Night Nippon's4) famous “NHK Tsugihagi News” segment, which was swiftly pulled over legal threats in 1980.5) Over the next two decades, technology had rapidly evolved, allowing people to work with VCRs to make an “Analog MAD” (アナログMAD), then there was the meteoric rise of computers and the internet in the late 1990s to digitize the process.
2000s–present
However, the switch wasn't immediate since their only tools (e.g. Adobe Premiere, Ulead VideoStudio) were commercial products, forcing the scene to go underground and share everything illegally. In its place, there was a Flash boom, but the distribution of copyrighted materials being used in such a ridiculous manner would lead to impeding legal issues, which include DMCA takedown requests from JASRAC.
By the late 2000s, the Flash era was winding down as people now had access to proper video editing tools for free, plus video sharing websites like Niconico Douga and YouTube were on the rise. As for the whole copyright issue, most copyright holders appear to be divided on whether they should act or not. Regardless, the MAD scene continues to thrive as the culture that we know and love today.
Subgenres
- Tegaki MAD (手描きMAD/手書きMAD) - A type of MAD with hand-drawn visuals. Some are original, but most parody a style (e.g. Caramelldansen, Geddan, Ievan Polkka, MMD music videos, etc.).
- OtoMAD (音MAD) / Otokei MAD (音系MAD) - A type of MAD where audio is usually the main focus, with visuals being secondary. This is usually the most popular form of MAD video.
Software used
This section sucked.
You might want to consider MMaker's YTPMV & 音MAD Document.
Takedown risk levels
In most cases, an MAD relies on the unauthorized modification of copyrighted content, which causes some videos have a higher risk of a DMCA takedown or account termination6) than others. As a result, an MAD creator is advised to be vaguely aware of the copyright situation around certain materials. Below is a vague, possibly dated,7) diagram on how Niconico handled these requests in the past.
| Risk level | Examples of materials | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2D media | Companies | 3D media | |
| X | • Touhou Project8) | ||
| 1 | • The Idolmaster • Rhythm games | • Disney | • Keyboard Crusher (KBC) • Political campaign broadcasts • Ronald McDonald • Shuzo Matsuoka |
| 2 | • Dragon Ball • Haruhi Suzumiya • Lucky Star • The Prince of Tennis • Yu-Gi-Oh! | • Shueisha | • Gachimuchi |
| 3 | • Higurashi When They Cry • Martian Successor Nadesico • Slayers | • Kadokawa | |
| 4 | • Beyblade • Death Note • Kirby • Pokémon | • Shogakukan | • Eiko Kano |
| 5 | • Doraemon • Matao Maeka9) • Sazae-san • Rurouni Kenshin (KYM)10) | • NHK • Shin-Ei Animation • Studio Ghibli | • Soka Gakkai • Toei Spider-Man |
Notes
- In the past, MADs were compared to Anime Music Video (AMV) and YouTube Poop (YTP).
External links
2)
TL;DR: It's considered an offensive term due to pejoration and the euphemism treadmill, when it used to describe mentally ill people, though some have used it to mean “enthusiast” in a positive context.
3)
On the other hand, it seems like the word “MAD” was meant to walk around this, being seen as an English term for “going mad, insane, crazy” (気が狂った) or “being stupid, foolish” (バカげている).
4)
“Tamori's All Night Nippon” was a two-hour variety show, hosted by Tamori, which ran from 1976 to 1983 as the first two hours (1–3am JST) of All Night Nippon on Thursdays.
5)
“NHK Tsugihagi News” (NHKつぎはぎニュース) was a late 1980 segment where people sent in modified tape recordings of the NHK News. This segment lasted a month, before the NHK demanded Nippon Broadcasting System to cancel the segment or face a defamation lawsuit on December 3, 1980.
6)
There are reports of Niconico allegedly forwarding user information to copyright holders at their request, only if the user resides in Japan, but I have no way of confirming this.
8)
The guidelines for Touhou Project are generally permissive with derivative works, so it can be assumed that a Touhou Project video getting taken down would likely be due to some unrelated factors.
9)
“Matao Maeka” (股尾前科), or “Maeka Matao”, is JR West's fictional train driver who demonstrates that carelessness can lead to accidents, though he is unable to get fired.
10)
“Futae no Kiwami” (フタエノキワミ) in katakana, or “KYM ”, refers to the English dub of the 1996 anime that became a source of mishearings (soramimi) and was laughed at for its odd dubbing decisions.
mad.txt · Last modified: 2024-09-23 00:24:07 by 127.0.0.1