Anime for Chinese Otaku] New Winter Anime That Became a Hot Topic in China (Lightweight Version)

My name is Hundred Yuan Kagoyo, and I am introducing this and that about the otaku situation in China.

This season, a variety of new Japanese anime will be distributed on Chinese video websites, and there are some hot and popular works in the Chinese otaku community. This time, I would like to introduce some of the anime that have been distributed in China and have become popular and talked about among the local, mainly lightweight audience.

Unique Circumstances in China

First of all, there are circumstances unique to Chinese society during the winter season. Also, university students, who are the largest group of otaku in China, seem to have less time to engage in their hobbies because it is the end of the semester.

Therefore, Chinese otaku people are also busy and less active in January, and the amount of otaku-related topics that fly around on the Internet is also lower than at other times of the year. This is a tendency that the number of new animation works to be checked is reduced, and the selection is safe.

The trend of regular distribution of Japanese anime in China began to accelerate in earnest in the latter half of 2012, but looking at the trends of last year and the year before, January is a time when the response of the Chinese otaku demographic is slow.

Tokyo Ghoul: Tokyo Ghoul √A
Sequels tended to be strong in January, with "TOKYO GHOST: TOKYO GHOST √A" probably the most popular among them. This work is distributed on multiple video sites due to its non-exclusive distribution, but it is one of the most popular new anime of the season on all of the sites, and there is a lot of talk about it in the otaku community on the Internet.

The first season of "Tokyo Ghoul" became popular in China last year, and the second season seems to be gaining popularity as well. In the Chinese otaku community, it is seen as a follow-up to "Shinkoku no Kyojin," which became very popular last year, and fans are getting excited about it with the nickname "Tokyo Kuko" and various stories and parodies about the work.

When the first season of "Tokyo Ghoul" began, it attracted attention mainly from female otaku in China, and since then, the demand for dark hero works in the Chinese otaku community and the story elements in the works have been expanding in the current Chinese otaku community.

The popularity of the series has since expanded to a lighter audience, including male fans, as it matches the style of viewing the works, which is to "enjoy the works while commenting on them on video sites with comments.

The second season, which began in January, was a time when the fever of the first season had not yet cooled off and the transition to the second season could be smooth. This was a strong factor in China in January, when the Chinese people's antennae for new works do not grow.

Even before the start of the anime, there was a great deal of attention and buzz, and even after the start of distribution, it seems that the quality and content were satisfactory from the Chinese otaku point of view, which has led to excitement. In the Chinese online otaku community, it is common to see "Tokyo Ghoul" related topics, parodies, and collage images being exchanged.

Kuroko no Basket
Kuroko no Basket" is definitely one of the most popular new anime of January, but it is a bit difficult to judge its popularity compared to its previous tremendous popularity. Even in its third season, "Kurobasuke" is still a standard favorite among Chinese otaku, and its presence is still strong, but it has clearly lost some of its excitement compared to previous seasons. Perhaps it is because the original work has already reached its final episode, but I get the impression that the main motivation among Chinese otaku is to "see the work through to its end.

Kuroko no Basket" has created an era in the Chinese otaku community, and has made the promise of the work known to Chinese otaku, and in the past, fans held Kuroko no Basket events in the midst of anti-Japanese riots and discontent over the public expression of otaku interests related to Japan, The work was extremely popular and fans were very passionate about it.

Of course, its popularity continues to this day, and it has become a "signature sports-related work" in the current otaku circles in China. At the same time, however, the original manga has ended, and local fans are shifting to other works.

However, there are various activities related to "Kuroko no Basket" in addition to the distribution of the anime, and events featuring the voice actors who appeared in the work have been held for otaku in the past, so it will be interesting to see how it moves as a standard work in the future.

This work has also "re-opened the door" to a new generation whose interest in sports-related works in Japanese anime is mainstream, a different generation from those who were into "Slam Dunk," "The Prince of Tennis," and "Okiku Furikabutte," and it will be interesting to see if there will be another popular Japanese sports-related work following "Kuroko no Basket. I also wonder if there will be a popular Japanese sports series following "Kuroko no Basketball".

Aldnoah Zero
Although not as popular as the above two works in terms of number of accesses, "Aldnoah Zero" has been gaining popularity and spreading well, and it is remarkable that it is currently being talked about in a wide range, despite being a robot anime, a genre that does not easily spread in China, except among a fixed fan base.

In addition, the fact that the second season or sequel is more popular than the first is also a rarity in the Chinese otaku community.

The popularity of the second season of "Aldnoah Zero" can be attributed to the fact that the story and the main character's activities were to the liking of Chinese otaku, and that information about the work became widely available among Chinese otaku between the first and second seasons, lowering the bar for understanding the work and making it easier to discuss.

In addition, an anti-protagonist segment was formed in response to the activities of the main character and the opportunistic aspects of the work, and there was a lively exchange of opinions on both sides of the issue, resulting in the work being in a state of flames, while at the same time increasing in popularity and attention.

The above works are the ones that stand out in terms of popularity among the light segment at the moment, but "Kami hajimemashita ◎" and other works seem to be popular among female otaku as well.

Although sequel-type works stood out in January, it does not necessarily mean that sequels will be popular, and in fact, there is a view that "except for new works in January, sequel-type works are not very popular" in terms of the popularity of new anime in the Chinese otaku community.

In my next entry, I would like to write about the reasons for the split in the popularity of sequel works and the works that have become popular among the enthusiasts.

(Text by Hyakumen Kagoyo)