Anime Situation of Chinese Otaku] China's New Anime Trends for July. Fate/Apocrypha" confuses fans and "Made in Abyss" is unexpected.

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 releases in July that are being distributed on Chinese video websites.

The April season coincided with the end of the school year and the entrance examinations in China, and the movement of Chinese otaku, mostly students, slowed down considerably in the latter half of the month.
However, in China, where university students basically live in school dormitories, the long vacations away from school have a significant impact on the otaku community, and July is also a time when the spread of anime topics changes and unexpectedly popular or unpopular works emerge.

Fate/Apocrypha" is the highlight of July, but is not doing well

The "Fate" series is very popular in China, and has been regarded as a representative work in the Japanese otaku field, but the influence of "Fate/Grand Order," which has been available in China since last year, has further expanded the fan base of "Fate" in China and broadened the scope of topics. The "Fate/Grand Order" service has been offered in China since last year.
Against this backdrop, "Fate/Apocrypha" was undoubtedly the most popular new anime for July.
Unfortunately, the current reaction in China suggests that it is not steadily gaining popularity and satisfying the local fans.

Of course, there are many people who are enjoying the anime version of "Fate/Apocrypha" and the number of views is increasing at a very high pace, but the development in the early part of the story was difficult for viewers with no prior knowledge, and in addition, the original story was altered and explanations were omitted. In addition, the story of the original work was altered and explanations were omitted, causing confusion even among fans who knew the content of the original work.
In addition, "Fate/Apocrypha" is different from the Fate-related animations that have been popular in China in the past in terms of drawing and expression, and there have been complaints about the quality of the animation and its depiction.

In addition, Yuichiro Higashide, the author of the original work, had previously published a short story in which Jingkai and the First Emperor of China appeared in "Fate," which caused a huge firestorm in China because he made the First Emperor into an ugly monster. I think it's also very negative in the Chinese geek community.

I've heard the following comments from Chinese otaku.
It's definitely the talk of the town in July, and it's a tasty piece of knowledge about Fate. However, I can't deny my concern about how many people will be able to keep up with it.
I also hear people saying, "I'm not sure how many people will be able to keep up with it in the future.

Made in Abyss" was received as an unexpected and unprecedented work

Next is " Made in Abyss," an unexpectedly good title that is seen as a dark horse among July's new releases.
In the Chinese otaku community before the start of July, "Made in Abyss" was only a matter of interest to a few enthusiasts, but after the start of July, it has become one of the most popular titles in July as people have come to appreciate the world view, artwork, and quality of the music.

As for "Made in Abyss," the fact that it was quite different from the image that Chinese otaku have of "new anime" and "popular works for otaku" in recent years, and the fact that the high quality was added to that image, led to the attention and high evaluation of the work,
The high quality of the work has also led to its attention and high evaluation.
The film has been received as a "legitimate adventure animation that came out of the unexpected".

In China, "Made in Abyss" has also been praised as "a work like Miyazaki's anime.
"It's like Miyazaki's anime.
The fact that the staff involved in Studio Ghibli's works are actually participating in the project is also said to be attracting the attention of the Chinese enthusiasts.

However, fans who know the original manga
However, some fans who are familiar with the original manga say, "This work gradually reveals a darker side, so if it attracts too much attention, the risk of it becoming a target of criticism and restrictions may increase. ......
Some people seem to have mixed feelings about the current popularity of the manga in China.

In addition to the works mentioned above, other new releases in July include "Welcome to the Classroom of Meritocracy," in which students are given points equivalent to cash based on their school evaluations, "Knights & Magic," in which the combination of otherworldly reincarnation and robots is attracting interest, and "Dancing with Dancers," which has not been recognized in China until now. Welcome to the Ballroom," which is perceived as a kind of sports work based on the theme of ballroom dancing, which had never been considered before in China.

Finally, a work that has been stopped even in the paid distribution?

Youkutudou", one of the video sites currently distributing Japanese anime in China, has been active in making new moves regarding the distribution method of Japanese anime and acquiring works that are considered difficult to distribute in China, such as the new January release "Child Wars", and distributing them exclusively for paying subscribers. However, "Gaket Kegurui," which was supposed to be distributed exclusively to paying subscribers, seems to have been postponed or cancelled this quarter.

The distribution of "Gaket Kegurui" had been announced for July 1, but the video site announced just before that "the distribution has been postponed due to force majeure, and the specific distribution schedule has not yet been decided.
As of this writing, there has been no further news on the distribution as of the beginning of August, and the name has now disappeared from the list of new anime distribution in July.

On Chinese video sites, there has been confusion over the cancellation and subsequent resumption of distribution of "Kabaneri of the Iron Castle," "Triage X" and"Punch Line" were not distributed after information of distribution had been circulated beforehand, and "High School Fleet" was cancelled after the first episode was distributed. However, there were some cases in which the distribution of "High School Fleet" was suspended after the first episode was distributed.
However, this may be the first case in which an exclusive distribution for paying members was announced through the official website, and then the distribution was postponed immediately before the announcement and no further information was released.

According to a Chinese geek, the recent tightening of regulations targeting online video sites and video distribution in China may have contributed to the cancellation of the distribution.
However, as for the problematic parts of the video, it is possible that in addition to the "gambling" theme of the video, it may have been caught in pornography or violent expressions, etc. "There are many aspects of the video that may be considered problematic in China, so it is difficult to identify the problematic parts.
It is difficult to identify the works because there are so many problems in China," he said.

In China, there are no clear guidelines on regulations, and the severity of regulations varies depending on the political and social situation at the time. It is difficult even for local people to predict the trend of regulations in China, and the perception of the trend and level of regulations varies from person to person.
This may be one of the reasons why, even when a case is found that seems to be caught by regulations, the interpretation and judgment of the case is not always the same. ......

In July, many topical works were released in China, but at the same time, there were movements that made us realize how difficult it is to distribute Japanese works in Chinese society. The situation regarding popularity and distribution remains as unpredictable as ever.


(Text by Kagoyo Hyakumoto)

(C) Yuichiro Higashide, TYPE-MOON / FAPC