How to use the Database

The Media Arts Database (beta version) offers search functions that enable us to find out works in four areas, in other words, manga, animation, games, and media art, from various perspectives.

In addition to “search all,” which does not categorize areas but searches all works that match the keyword, there are “area search” that specifies in advance and searches one area and “combined search” that searches the work information compiled as a list from various perspectives. “Area search” has well-developed advanced search functions that allow us to specify detailed conditions in accordance with the characteristics of the work. Please use them according to the contents that you want to know.

For the configuration and search method of the Media Arts Database (beta version) and the details of each area, please refer to the following items:

Data composition

In the Media Arts Database (beta version), the information concerning the works in four areas, in other words, manga, animation, games, and media art, is organized according to the contents and classified into two types: item and collection. All items and collections are given unique pages and IDs. The types and classes of information are as follows:

Item and collection

The item means an individual work or data, such as one book or one magazine in the manga area or one story in the animation area, that we can actually see or that existed in past records. The collection means the information in which multiple items have been compiled as a list from various perspectives. There are the series compiled by each area, such as the information on book series in the manga area and the information on animation TV regular series in the animation area, and curation complied cross-sectionally, such as a list of works that have a creator or publisher in common.

Classes of information by area

  • Manga area:
    In the manga area, in addition to the manga books and manga magazine issues so far published, manga related items are registered as items. As collections, there are the manga book series, which means the entire works consisting of a plurality of books (volumes), and manga magazines that correspond to the entire magazines continuously published.

  • Animation area:
    In the animation area, animation TV programs, animation video packages, and animation movies are registered as items. As collections, there are the animation TV regular series, animation TV special series, animation video package series, and animation movie series.

  • Game Area:
    In the game area, game packages are registered as items. As collections, there are games and game variations compiled based on the identity of the game contents.

  • Media art area:
    In the media art area, in addition to the MediaArt Exhibition Or Performance that is the work information exhibited and demonstrated in the past (such as interactive art, installation and video images), literature and related items are registered as items. As collections, there are media art events and media artworks compiled from the perspective of the exhibition or event in which the work was exhibited.

Data item

The details of the data items registered in the Media Arts Database (beta version) are listed on the metadata schema design specifications. Please refer to the metadata schema design specifications from the following link.

MADB metadata schema design specifications (External site GitHub)

About the search method

The search method of the Media Arts Database (Beta version) is as follows:

Search all

A search shall be performed targeting the items and collections of all areas of manga, animation, games, and media art. Under the default setting, the search results of items are displayed in order of the latest one according to the released date. As for collections, on the top of the search results, the maximum of five cases is displayed. Advanced search functions allow us to specify the types of area and curation, narrow down by release date, and change the sorting sequence of search results.

Area search

A search shall be performed by specifying each area of manga, animation, games, and media art. Advanced search functions allow us not only to narrow down by release date and change the sorting sequence of search results but also to specify the type of information by area (which is subject to search) and search the detailed items by keywords. For the detailed items by area, please refer to the following links:

Combined search

A search shall be performed targeting the collections of all areas of manga, animation, games, and media art. Under the default setting, the search results are displayed in order of the latest one according to the release date. Advanced search functions allow us to specify the types of series and curation by each area, narrow down by the release date, and change the sorting sequence of search results.

For the alphabetical notation displayed on the search result screen of search all, please refer to the following:

Collection cm
: This represents a collection in the manga area.

(A) represents that the data is a collection.

(B) represents in which area the data was created.

  • cm: Manga area

  • an: Animation area

  • gm: Game area

  • ma: Media art area

  • co: Collection (curation) crossing four areas

Information subject to registration

For details of the information subject to registration in each area, please refer to each page of the following link destinations.