Chinese Otaku Anime Situation] Trends in China's new anime releases in April, along with popular works, and restrictions in the same direction as last year?

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

This time, I would like to introduce the trend and mess of new Japanese anime released in April on Chinese video sites.

The new anime for April was quite exciting even before the start of distribution, as there were a large number of works to be distributed, including some of the most anticipated works in the Chinese otaku community. After the start of distribution, it seems that some works have met or exceeded expectations, while others are being seen as unexpected dark horses. At the same time, however, there seems to have been some regulatory mess.

April's New Releases, the Early Topics of the Month

It seems that many of the new releases in April were "hits" in the eyes of Chinese otaku, and there is still a lot of talk about a variety of new releases, but among them, the most popular by far is

Sakamoto desu desu ka?

is the most popular of them all.

Sakamoto Desu ka? is one of the most popular gag manga in Japan in recent years, and the original manga was highly acclaimed in Chinese otaku circles. When the anime adaptation was announced, it was a big topic of conversation, and among the new anime releases in April, it was a highly anticipated work that garnered attention even before it began airing.

With this background, the Chinese otaku community is expecting that the "Sakamoto Desu Desu? anime would be popular in China, but the current excitement is said to exceed that expectation.

In China today, the younger generation and video site viewers are enjoying the videos by commenting on them to create a pseudo-synchronized sense of togetherness.

And it goes well with this style.

"Comedic works with a sense of humor

The "Sakamoto Desu Desu? anime meets such demand and has become popular among light otaku and the general public.

In addition to the popularity of the anime, there is also a lot of talk about the work.

Re:Zero kara kara Hajimete no Isekai Seikatsu" ("Starting from Zero, Another World Life")

The so-called "Re:Zero" is a recent phenomenon in China's otaku circles.

In recent Chinese otaku circles, there is a tendency for works with so-called loop elements to become topics of conversation and to be evaluated more highly, but even if this is taken into account, the response seems to be quite positive.

In China, the time travel or reincarnation genre, known as "kaketsu" in Japanese, has become very popular, and there are many popular works with stories in which the characters play an active role in a different world as they please.

However, some people seem to have grown weary of such stories recently, and there are some people who find the story of "Re:Zero," in which the characters trip to another world as promised, but continue to suffer hardships, refreshing.

Incidentally, "Re:Zero" has long been highly acclaimed among those who follow Japanese online novels, and with the quality of the anime and its popularity among Chinese otaku, it seems that fans of the original are taking advantage of the opportunity to spread the word about the series.

It seems that there is a lot of talk about "Re:Zero," from exchanging opinions while being careful not to spoil anything, to answering questions from new fans, to providing explanations.

Self-regulation or anger from the top? Works

The new anime releases in April have been doing well in terms of excitement before and after the start of distribution, but unfortunately, the distribution situation and regulations have not been as smooth as expected.

First of all, "High School Fleet" seems to have disappeared after the first episode was distributed.

In Chinese otaku circles, "High School Fleet" may have been considered a problem because of the name of the ship, which is related to the Imperial Japanese Navy, and the tie-up with the Self-Defense Forces, or because the story development in the military genre touches on "sensitive" elements. However, no explanation has been given by the distributor as to the reason for the cancellation of the distribution.

However, in January, the second season of "GATE: Jiyuu SDF: He no Chi de, Shi no Chi de, Si Ku Sen Eri" was distributed on several video sites, and there are some people in China who are wondering why the distribution of this work was canceled.

In China today, military-related issues, especially those that are considered to be related to reality, are often "sensitive topics," and since reactions to the sensitive atmosphere in this area vary from person to person, it seems that even local people are not clear about the criteria for the restrictions.

As of mid-May, when I am writing this column, "Kabaneri of the Iron Castle " is still in the midst of confusion.

From April 26th to 27th, the distribution of "Kabaneri of the Iron Castle" was stopped one after another on various video sites without any special explanation. After that, on May 11, there was an announcement from an official account in China that "Kabaneri is back" and the distribution resumed on May 12, but within a few hours, the distribution was suspended again, and a series of announcements regarding the resurrection also disappeared.

At first, there were some who thought that the suspension of distribution may have been caused by the leakage of the latest episode via a Chinese video site during the confusion caused by the suspension of the airing of the latest episode in Japan due to the Kumamoto earthquake.

In fact, in the past in China, "Chunibyou ga Koi ga Shitai! 戀" was distributed before it was aired in Japan, and then the distribution was stopped, although the cause is unknown.

But after that, all the sites distributing "Kabaneri of the Iron Castle" lowered the work,

"I was offended by the name from the higher-ups."

However, since then, all sites that distribute "Kabaneri in the Iron Castle" have dropped the work, and unconfirmed information such as, "I was offended by my superiors by name," has been circulating.

"I think it may have become subject to regulation by the Chinese supervisory department.

"The depiction of violence and gore may have been a problem.

and "the depiction of violence and bloodshed may have been problematic.

Although there have been regulations on violence and bloody depictions in anime in the past, it seems to be a rare case for new Japanese anime distribution in China to be subjected to such restrictions.

Kabaneri of the Iron Castle" has a staff that was involved in a very popular work in China in the past, and even before distribution began, there were expectations that this would be one of the most popular works in April, and that it would be popular not only among otaku, but also among the general public.

An official Chinese-language website was opened, and publicity was actively promoted through official Chinese-language accounts.

Therefore, the sudden restrictions and the subsequent ups and downs that followed are said to have disappointed Chinese fans.

As mentioned above, the new anime for April has been quite exciting in China, but at the same time, there has been quite a bit of confusion, and it seems that the new anime for April will not be uneventful.

(Text by Hundred Yuan Basketball)