Chinese Otaku Anime Situation] October New Anime Trends in China and New Developments in the Japanese Anime Business

My name is Baiyuan Longhoam, and I am here to introduce you to all things related to the otaku situation in China.

Following on from my previous column, this time I would like to introduce some new trends regarding new anime titles in October that are officially distributed in China, as well as some new developments that have emerged regarding video sites in China and Japanese anime.

October's new releases are popular mainly for their sequels

Although the popularity of October's new anime is gradually becoming apparent in the Chinese otaku community, it seems that there are no outstanding works that have attracted much attention yet.

In terms of new Japanese anime distributed on Chinese video sites, in seasons when there are no outstanding new hot works, there is a trend toward sequels that were popular in previous seasons, works with standard elements that are easy to understand even for Chinese otaku, anime based on novels, and anime for women with a stable otaku community. The trend is similar to that of the previous season.

At any rate, at the time of this writing in early November, the most popular sequel series are

Seraph of the End

DIABOLIK LOVERS MORE, BLOOD

K RETURN OF KINGS

and "K RETURN OF KINGS".

Also, as for anime based on novels

The Heroic Tale of the Dashing Knight" and "I'll Go to School for Girls!

The Case That I Was Acquired by a Young Lady's School as a "Sample of a Commoner".

Gakusen Toshi Asterisk."

seem to be doing well both in terms of topics and number of views.

Other than that, there are new works in the Gundam series,

Mobile Suit Gundam : Iron-Blooded Orphans

is also doing relatively well, although some Chinese otaku and the otaku industry may find this a bit surprising.

Gundam is very popular and well known in mainland China, and "Gundam Seed" is still a staple in Chinese otaku circles, and knowledge and stories related to Gundam are basic knowledge for otaku.

However, the popularity of robot animation and Gundam among the younger generation has not been so strong recently, and the number of views of the new Gundam series in particular has not increased despite the newsworthiness and the large amount of related information entering the Chinese otaku community, and the content of the series has not been discussed.

Gundam stories" such as "Gundam Build Fighters" were still popular and talked about, but recently, "Robot Anime among Chinese Otaku" has been getting a lot of attention and has become a hit among Chinese otaku,

However, recently, there was a view that "among Chinese otaku, fans of robot anime are skewed toward the enthusiasts, and compared to Japan, the younger generation and the lightweight demographic are less receptive to robot anime.

This is because of the view that "no matter how many times the Gundam brand is used, it is not enough to attract the younger and lighter generation,

"No matter how strong the Gundam brand is, it may be difficult to distribute on a video site where there are many young and light users.

That is why there was such talk that the Gundam brand would be difficult to distribute on video sites that cater to the younger and more lightweight generations.

That is why the current popularity of "Iron-Blooded Orphens" among Chinese otaku is said to have betrayed expectations in a positive sense.

What has been the local response to the new anime since the restrictions at the end of March?

As mentioned in a previous article, at the end of March, restrictions were placed on Japanese anime on video websites in China. Some works were blacklisted and distribution was suspended, and since the criteria for the restrictions are not clear, it appears that the local situation is still in a state of limbo.

Among the new anime releases in October, "Shinkage! Giant Junior High School," a spin-off of the blacklisted "Shinkage no Kyojin" series, and "Shinshin Maou no Shikishi BURST," a sequel to "Shinshinshin Maou no Shikishi" (Contractor of the New Sister Demon King). Giant Junior High School" is now titled "Saikyou Chugakko" in Chinese and is being distributed on local video websites. (Incidentally, the sub-titles of each story, such as "Enrollment! Kyojin Chuugakko").

) It is said that in China, it is sometimes done as a form of self-restraint (?) to pass off foreign works "that might be dangerous if noticed by superiors" by giving them safe Chinese titles. This may be no different in the case of restrictions on Japanese animation on video websites.

For example, for some time now, "Bloodline" has been changed to "Genkai Senzain" and "Jail Academy" to "Gentlemen Academy" for distribution. However, there have been cases where Japanese titles in Chinese characters have been changed to Chinese titles and distributed.

From the responses of local video sites so far, it seems that even for works that have once been the target of restrictions, it is recognized that spin-off works can be distributed to some extent by changing the title, for example, to .......

Changes in the Japanese Anime Business on Chinese Video Websites

In addition to the distribution of new anime in October, we are also noticing that Chinese domestic anime productions are becoming more and more active in the Chinese otaku community, targeting the otaku and youth segments of the Chinese population through web distribution.

Among Chinese domestic anime targeting the Chinese otaku and youth demographic, there are some that are being developed using Japanese staff, such as "Hina Bee," which was produced using popular Japanese voice actors for promotion and a Japanese version. There seems to be a new movement in the distribution of Japanese anime on Chinese video sites.

It has been said that there are limits to the business model of Chinese video sites that rely on advertising revenue, and in addition to the trend of purchasing and distributing licensed works, there seems to be an active movement to secure IP for otaku and youth that is easy to develop on their own and link it to new developments.

In fact, I have also heard from people in the Chinese otaku industry

"Just getting views is not enough to make money, and if you get too many views, you run the risk of being regulated.

"We want to not only distribute anime, but also develop social games that can lead to profits.

I want to not only distribute anime, but also develop social games that can lead to revenue.

Against this backdrop, it appears that contact with the Japanese animation industry in the field of production has increased considerably over the past year or so. This is partly due to the fact that they are using staff and studios that are well-known in the Chinese otaku community to create a buzz, but it is also due to the fact that the Chinese side is also interested in the Japanese animation industry.

In addition, the Chinese side has the know-how and the experience to produce "anime works of a quality that will satisfy Chinese otaku and young viewers.

In addition, there is also a lack of know-how and manpower on the Chinese side to produce "animation of a quality that will satisfy Chinese otaku and young viewers. When it comes to producing 2D-oriented animation for otaku, the current studios in China are not enough to meet the demand.

This in itself may lead to new business, but if the Japanese side is also involved in Chinese animation production, it is likely to be a long-term deal, and the so-called risks of doing business in China may become more apparent.

The Japanese animation business on Chinese video websites will be different from the conventional Japanese animation business, where licenses are sold directly to local video websites or through intermediaries, or where data of works is transferred to and from local video websites. If a problem were to occur, it would not be practical for the Japanese side to go to China to take legal action against the Chinese side due to cost and other issues. It is important for those involved to be aware of such risks related to business in China.

(Text by Baigen Kagoyamo)