Chinese Otaku Anime Situation] China's July New Anime Trends, Impact of Martial Arts Works from Japan

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 new Japanese anime of July, which are distributed on Chinese video sites.

Re-zero" again at the center of the conversation in July

Re:Zero Kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu" was one of the most popular new anime in China in April, and its popularity has not waned in July, and it seems to be accumulating episodes while building a solid fan base.

In China, there are many otherworldly trip-type works and retrograde works, but the ones that stand out the most are the ones that focus on a "convenient development for the main character" and a sense of exhilaration.

In addition to its strong storyline, the pain, despair, and frustration of the story are shared by fans in the Chinese otaku community and have become a topic of conversation.

In addition, looking at the movements of "Re-zero" fans, it is noticeable that more people have knowledge of the original work compared to other works that have entered China and attracted attention, and that more people are following the anime with some understanding of the original work and are aware of the differences between the anime and the original work.

Of course, there have been people who enjoy new anime with knowledge of the original work. However, "Re-zero" is a popular work that has become the center of the season's topics, and I feel that the movement to enjoy the work while also being aware of the original work has become active, and that knowledge and images of the work, including the original work, are being shared over a much wider area is a movement that has never been seen before.

Changes in Distribution Format of July New Works

Although new anime titles such as "Shokugeki no Soma 弐ノ皿", "Mob Psycho 100", and "Amazu to Inazuma" have been the talk of the town in July, there do not seem to be any popular or talked about works that jumped out from the early stages of the season like there were in April.

However, there have been some differences in the distribution format of Japanese anime.

The first one that stands out is "Saiki Kusuo no Ψ難" (Ψ Difficulty of Kusuo Saiki).

This work has an irregular format in Japan, with both a short version and a 30-minute batch version being broadcast, but some Chinese video sites also distribute both the short version and the batch version.

One of the strengths of "bilibili" is that it is an environment where advertisements are not displayed or can be skipped, which also seems to be a tailwind. In China, there is considerable dissatisfaction with frequent advertisements on video sites, and even in the Chinese otaku community, there is a common complaint that short animated films are "forced to have advertisements after each episode.

In the Chinese otaku community, there is a strong dissatisfaction with frequent advertisements on video websites .

There was also a tendency for people to avoid watching short animations because of such thoughts as "I feel like I'm losing money by watching short full-length animations considering the time I am forced to watch ads every episode.

The "bilibili" environment eliminates the need to be aware of such problems, and the length is easy to watch, and the content is easy to get excited about in the Chinese otaku sense of "vomit tank" (tsukkomi), making it a very effective delivery style for this work.

On the other hand, "ReLIFE" stands out for its "batch distribution.

As the official "ReLIFE Channel" in Japan distributes all episodes at once, "YoukuTudou" distributes all episodes at once for its paid members.

ReLIFE" has also received a positive response in China, perhaps due in part to the batch distribution of all the episodes.

"I have seen all the episodes and I have an impression of it.

This is a little different from other works in China, and even though "ReLIFE" is distributed only to paying subscribers, it has gained a good reputation among some Chinese otaku.

In fact, in China, dramas and animations are basically broadcast and updated daily, and it is only relatively recently that the Chinese otaku community has adopted the Japanese style of following and discussing works at a weekly pace. Therefore, being able to watch all the episodes at once may be more "feel-good" for Chinese viewers than it is in Japan.

Although the pace of content consumption speeds up when it comes to batch distribution, and there are difficulties in terms of maintaining topics and popularity, as well as the burden on the production side, with such an increase in the number of new Japanese anime works being distributed regularly in China, it seems like a much better way of doing things than to have them buried under a cloud of bad content. It seems to me that this is a much better way to go about it.

The distribution mess, this time from the Japanese side

In July, a new anime "Regalia: The Three Sacred Stars" had distribution problems due to reasons on the Japanese side, and it seems to have become a topic of conversation locally as well.

According to the official announcement, the broadcast of "Regalia" was terminated after the fourth episode due to "differences in quality from what was originally intended," and the program will begin airing again on September 1, after the production system has been adjusted. However, since it was distributed on multiple video sites in China, it was immediately affected by the termination of the broadcast.

With regard to the distribution of new Japanese anime in China, there is a risk of restrictions on violence and pornography in China, as well as restrictions on the inclusion of political material. It will be interesting to see how this will affect the international distribution business in the future.

The Impact of Tōrei Chien-yūki

Lastly, I would like to introduce a new release in July that may have had the biggest impact on the Chinese otaku community: "Thunderbolt Fantasy: Touri Jien-Yuki".

Thunderbolt Fantasy: The Last Jien-Yuki" is strictly a Taiwanese Hotei play (a type of puppet show). Although it is not strictly an anime (a type of puppet show), it is treated in China as if it were in the Japanese anime category because of the involvement of Japanese staff, including Gen Urobuchi.

And as for the "impact of this work on China," the first is that this work

The first is that it is "a work with an air of chivalry that can be accepted by Chinese viewers without any problem, created by Japanese.

The first is that it is "a work created by a Japanese person with an air of martial arts that is acceptable to Chinese sensibilities.

It was well known in the Chinese otaku community that Gen Ufuchi had created works with martial arts elements in the past, but many Chinese otaku still felt that it was unexpected to see a work with a true martial arts atmosphere.

The second point is "the influence of otaku-oriented elements on other genres as an entry point.

Although the mime play is a popular and well-known pastime in China, it is also a kind of traditional entertainment, and until now, not many people in the Chinese otaku community have been interested in it, except for a certain segment of the population.

However, the fact that Gen Fuchimoto is involved in the production of the play has led to an increase in the number of young Chinese otaku who have an interest in mime.

Regarding the work's "new appeal and impact on the Chinese otaku demographic," Chinese people have been asking

"It makes me think about how to utilize otaku content.

I also heard that

Finally, and this is something that I am also aware of,

"The ideal way to develop works with Chinese elements for Japan

I am shocked about this.

For some time now, there has been a trend of domestically produced Chinese animation entering the Japanese market, but it has not been a flattering success.

The reasons for the lack of success of Chinese productions in Japan include the quality of the works themselves, the difficulty of translating them into Japanese, the difference in knowledge of Chinese elements between Japanese and Chinese viewers in general, the difference in the direction and scope of sympathy for the characters' words and actions, and the seemingly mismatched publicity for the Japanese market. It is difficult to make a general statement.

However, according to what I have heard from Chinese otaku who are close to the industry, in addition to its high quality, "Toryu Jionyuki" is very well done in various aspects, such as the "Japanese expressions" in the play that form a martial arts atmosphere, media development, and information provision on the official website, and it is clear that works with Chinese elements, including martial arts elements, are acceptable in Japan. He also felt that it was a model of how a work with Chinese elements, including martial arts elements, could be accepted in Japan.

In this way, "Dongli Jien Yueki" has had a variety of impacts on the Chinese otaku community, and in a sense, it is the most shocking work of the season.

(Writing by Hundred Yuan Kagoyamu)
(C) Thunderbolt Fantasy Project