Evolving Trends of Hot Spots in Chinese Animation Subculture Research: A Bibliometric Analysis

With the development of Chinese society, animation subculture has increasingly garnered attention from scholars. Methodologically, this article employs Citespace to conduct a bibliometric analysis of 321 documents sourced from the CNKI database, systematically identifying research hotspots, developmental history, and frontier fields within the realm of Chinese animation subculture from 2005 to 2024. Three key findings emerge from this analysis: (1) The number of published works exhibited significant fluctuations over time, forming the initial period, the first peak period, the second peak period, and the decline period; (2) The scholarly attitudes towards animation subculture have evolved over time, transitioning from negativity and uncertainty to positivity and affirmation; (3) Animation subculture and fan communities have progressively shifted from niche topics in earlier years to mainstream subjects of interest. Furthermore, this article discusses the advantages and limitations of bibliometric analysis within this field and offers predictions for future research hotspots and ideas.