Some questions ...

[Rowend]

1.) Can the music in the background be in another language aside from English? It'd probably be Japanese. If the use of music in another language is allowed, would it be safe to add in subtitles for the lyrics of the song?

2.) Are you allowed to use any part of an anime? For example, including the animation for the opening/ending song.

3.) Are there rules on special effects, such as rapid blinks, glows, colors, etc.?

4.) Should the AMV consist entirely of the AMV and lack an introduction for the creator and a credits scene after the AMV is completed?

I may have more questions down the line, but thanks to anyone who provides me answers!

[LantisEscudo]

1.) Can the music in the background be in another language aside from English? It'd probably be Japanese. If the use of music in another language is allowed, would it be safe to add in subtitles for the lyrics of the song?

Any language is allowed; we've had entries in at least six non-English languages that I can recall, and videos in Japanese and Latin were in the finals this past year. Adding subtitles is more of a risk, though - it's difficult to add them in a way that isn't distracting from your video, and the judges tend to not score things with distractions well.

2.) Are you allowed to use any part of an anime? For example, including the animation for the opening/ending song.

Any part of the anime can be used, but you should use the creditless versions of openings or endings if possible, as again, distractions like credit text get judged poorly.

3.) Are there rules on special effects, such as rapid blinks, glows, colors, etc.?

There are not any rules against particular effects, and we do have warnings in the contest opening about the possibility of photosensitivity effects.

4.) Should the AMV consist entirely of the AMV and lack an introduction for the creator and a credits scene after the AMV is completed?

That's correct. We have standardized title and credit cards for all videos, both in the finals and during the Overflow screening.

If you have any more questions, feel free to ask!

[Sayoria]

I used Nillili Mambo back in 2014 (Korean), I remember Kiri Kiri Mai (Japanese) and Senbonzakura (also Japanese) used in previous contests. Then we had Das Omen (German) and Hall Om Mig Nu (Swedish) both in the action category in 2006. There's never been restrictions on foreign languages. You just have to realize that the audience mostly won't understand the lyrics so the content in the video will need to do the lifting if there's any emotions or story to portray.

I do want to say about that Self-lyrics could help but could also pose problematic. You need that sweet spot of on-screen time where there's enough time for people to read them, but they don't overstay their welcome. Additionally, you need to make sure they aren't popping up grabbing people's eyes from a very important part otherwise, the audience will miss something. It can also look pretty tacky too.