Chinese Otaku Anime Situation] The popularity of the new April anime "Fate," which became a hot topic in China, is also due to the unexpected tailwind from the Japanese anime crackdown.

My name is Baiyuan Longhoam, and I am here to introduce you to all things related to the otaku situation in China. This time, I would like to introduce some of the new anime that will be released in April and their popularity in China.

Fate/stay night [Unlimited Blade Works].
Among the new anime releases in April, this work is probably the most popular in terms of both buzz and popularity. In terms of the number of accesses, it has been accumulating very strong numbers on each video site where it is distributed. However, this popularity is somewhat surprising when viewed from the perspective of trends in the Chinese otaku community.

Although there are many fans of the "Fate" series in China, and the series had a good reputation, the target audience was narrower than that of "Fate/Zero," which has established a huge genre among both male and female otaku in China. 間違いないが、トップになるかはわからない」という見方もありました。

The reason why "Fate/stay night [Unlimited Blade Works]" was able to consistently take the top position among new anime in April was due to the confusion of information related to new programs caused by the regulatory control at the end of March, which drew more attention than usual to standard works, as well as to the possibility of distribution cancellation due to the possibility of stricter regulations, which caused a sense of crisis among fans. It is undeniable that the situation was influenced by the possibility of stricter regulations, which made the fans feel a sense of crisis. If the distribution had been carried out under normal circumstances, it is possible that it would not have been as smooth as it is now in terms of attracting new fans and retaining old "Fate" fans, even with the high quality of the anime.

Seraph of the End
" Seraph of the End" seems to have more female fans overall, but it also seems to have a decent number of male fans, and it seems to be accepted as a kind of hot-blooded, chuunibyou-like work. Also, the current trend seems to be that there are many fans who "want a work that does not have an otaku smell.

Currently, most of the works that are distributed on Chinese video sites and spread in the Chinese otaku community are late-night anime, so works that emphasize the so-called otaku-oriented elements are becoming more prominent, but there are people who are tired of such works.

According to a Chinese otaku I spoke with, there are quite a few people who think, "I don't hate otaku-oriented elements, but it's hard to have them emphasized all the time. The fact that "Seraph of the End" is not all heroines or all good-looking men, in addition to the storyline and characterization, is also a plus.

The secondthread of "I don't know what my husband is talking about

The first season of "What the Husband is Talking About", which had not been officially distributed, became popular among some Chinese otaku, and when the second season started, several video websites were trying to acquire the work. It is a work that can be watched casually.

The length of the work, which can be easily watched, and the fact that the otaku-related material in the work is "just right" in many ways for Chinese otaku are said to be the reasons for its popularity. The theme of "young married couples" also seems to be of interest to Chinese otaku.

It is often said in Chinese otaku circles that "Japanese anime is all about students and schools," but this also means that only such works are being imported. The Chinese otaku community, which used to be exclusively young people, is now becoming more and more aware of topics such as "otaku marriages" as more and more people are entering society and starting families. Against this backdrop, it seems that works featuring otaku stories with husband and wife characters are being received favorably, as well as freshly.

The influence of the original manga is much stronger than in Japan .

In China today, where the influence of the original manga is much smaller than in Japan, anime based on shoujo manga tends to be buried at the initial release, but "Ore Monogatari! is a rare example of an anime based on a shoujo manga that has attracted attention immediately after its airing, and it has gained support not only from female viewers but also from male viewers.

Incidentally, Takeru's cod lips seem to be very unpopular among Chinese otaku, but it is interesting to note that the sweaty smell characteristic of the judo club and the messy, unclean room, which would be considered quite negative elements in Japan, are not considered so much in the Chinese otaku community. It seems that the overall evaluation of Tetsuo in the Chinese otaku community is that he is a tough, unattractive main character, and the so-called "unmotivated" impression seems to be less pronounced than in Japan.

Arslan Senki

Arslan Senki" is currently available on all video sites in China that regularly distribute Japanese anime. Although the number of accesses has not been outstanding, perhaps due to the spread of viewers, it seems to be gaining more than mid-level popularity on all video sites.

There are many long-time fans of Yoshiki Tanaka in China as well, and there are maniacal exchanges about his works. It will be interesting to see if this work will have a long-tail popularity in the future.

In addition to the works mentioned above, "Shokugeki no Soma" and "Bloodline," which I introduced in my previous article, have also maintained their popularity and are continuing to add episodes. As I wrote in my previous article, the crackdown on Japanese anime in China at the end of March caused a great deal of confusion regarding the distribution of new anime in April.

While it is inevitable that the regulation will have a chilling effect on the otaku industry and video distribution business in China, and the impact of the regulation can be seen in the trend of popular works in April, it seems that the level of attention to popular works and the way the topic spreads remains the same as ever.

(Text by Hyakumen Kagoyo)