Have you ever watched an anime fight and thought to yourself, “That would be even better if the song were Linkin Park”? Were you ever browsing YouTube one day and saw a video titled "A tribute to Tony Stark"? Watching it, did it give you that odd feeling? What is this edit? Well, chances are, if you’ve been watching YouTube for any amount of time in 2024, you’ve watched an AMV without even realizing it. But the question comes down to, what is an AMV exactly? Why do they matter so much to anime fans, and what other secrets are hidden under this craft that seems so tucked behind a curtain no one wants to talk about?

What does AMV mean?

"AMV" stands for Anime Music Video. To sum it up, it’s a fan edit using several scenes from one or more anime combined with a soundtrack. You have many different styles and editing approaches to capture a mood or to tell a story. Have you ever watched a music video from your favorite band? In music, most bands or artists release a music video for their top song or new releases. These are highly produced with shots on green screens, sound stages, effects, and CGI. An Anime Music Video is no different, only there’s no need for a high budget. You just need a copy of the anime footage, the song, and some time editing, and you can create a similar effect. I want to be 100% clear that creating an AMV has its risks.

• They are not Official
• There is a big risk of being sued by the copyright holders
• Restrictions on uploading
• I'll go into more detail about the dark side of the craft later below.
• Why People Make Them

If there is so much high risk in making them, why do people do it? It comes down to show, high risk, high reward. For many people in the fandom, they often don't think about those risks. I have heard that some anime companies turn a blind eye to them, and the same with some record labels. Some have gone out of their way to issue copyright strikes and takedown orders on many creators of AMVs. Here are some reasons why someone would create one.

• To express emotion through a character(s) they love
• To showcase their editing skills
• To relive moments with a new perspective
• To complete in contests (like Majin Planet's Fight Club or King of the Hill)
• Where You've Probably Seen Them

As I mentioned before, if you have spent any amount of time on YouTube, you’ve more than likely come across videos such as Naruto vs Sasuke AMV, shorts, or even on TikTok — quick edits timed to the beats of a song. Trailer mashups can also, in many ways, be a form of AMV. When live-action footage is used, they’re often called LAMVs or Live Action Music Videos. You can also find many classic anime music videos on AMV.org, which for many years was the central hub for all things music videos. Many creators, including Majin Planet's past webmasters and editors, hosted and shared their videos directly there. You may have even come across one or two from Majin Planet in the mid to early 2000s when the site’s main focus was music videos.

The Dark Side of AMV

As I talked about earlier, there are massive risks to creating a music video using both copyrighted anime footage and copyrighted music. Many people have this idea that if they buy a copy of the anime (on DVD or Blu-ray), they own that copy. The same can be said if they buy the song off a streaming service like iTunes or even buy the CD itself. Even though we, as customers, want to believe we own the media we buy, in whatever form that may be, we do not own the copyrighted work. What we own, often, are what’s called common licenses to view or listen to a copy of that work.

In summary, when you buy Season 1 of an anime, what you’re buying is the right to watch the show from that media disc (or in some cases, streaming) for personal and private use only. Those terms do not include selling (yes, reselling a DVD is breaking that agreement), sharing with others, or duplicating it. All of which, by US law, are illegal.

The same can be said for music. You are paying for the right to listen to the music for your personal use; selling or making copies is illegal under the terms you agree to when you buy it.

Now granted, no one reads those agreements. If you walk into any thrift store, you’re going to find used DVDs, CDs, or even pull up to a local yard sale. I won’t get into the reasons why this has been going on for nearly 50+ years now. It comes down to small fires compared to those who illegally upload online or create streaming services and make money from those sites.

The truth is, the moment you copy the footage to your computer for editing, you’ve already broken the law. Yes, this also applies to reacting to content, in case you were wondering about that.

So, Majin Planet is breaking the law?

To be blunt, yes. Every reaction, every music video posted on Majin Planet, by use of our hosting servers, YouTube, etc., is subject to a copyright takedown. The risk is massive, but we also take great time and effort to make sure we’re not breaking the trust of those copyright holders. Most of our music videos are not full episodes or clip shows.

They have lots of editing and effects added to transform the media as much as possible. So, in some cases, it can fall under fair use. This is why all our music videos and edited reactions are free. You just need an account to watch them.

Granted, we do charge for our full uncut reactions, which is a whole different story. We have to pay for the servers somehow, after all. One thing to know is that when you create an AMV, you are taking a risk of being sued. Even now, I can’t think of any case where someone was signed by a media company or a record label.

I have heard some artists not liking it and asking the community and fans not to use their music, to which most people respected that. Many companies and artists have looked at it as free promotion. And while most creators don’t make any money from their works, it is still a very grey area.

Where This is Going

Whether you’re new to AMVs or coming back after many years, Majin Planet is here to help. We’re bringing the Vault back. After many years, we’re rebuilding our old collection of music videos created by people who have made AMVs for Majin Planet over the years. We also want to give back to the community that helped build Majin Planet in the early days. Our yearly Fight Club contests are returning, and many more events are to come.

Stick around as we dive into tools, styles, and scene timing in the coming posts.