Chinese Otaku Anime Situation] January's new anime in China was considered a blockbuster lineup, but there were also problems with distribution cancellations.

My name is Hundred Yuan Kagoyo, 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 of new Japanese anime released in January on Chinese video sites and the changes in the distribution format.

January new anime was considered a "blockbuster" gathering in China. With the excitement, there are also troubles.

January's new anime releases have been well-received in the Chinese otaku community, with many of them being highly talked-about and unexpectedly good works, and they seem to have been quite popular just in time for the Chinese New Year vacations.
At the same time, however, there have been incidents such as the sudden suspension of distribution, and we hear that the situation is not one in which one can enjoy these works without worrying about anything.

In the Chinese otaku community, "Violet Evergarden" and"Darling in the Franchise" were the two most popular new anime releases for January, and before they began airing, they were neck-and-neck in terms of popularity.
Violet Evergarden" was called " Holy Scripture" (Bible) and "Humanity's Holy Scripture" because of the high quality drawings of the Kyoani brand, and "Darling in the Frankith" was called " National Team" (National Team) because of an interview with a staff member. The show is also known by the nickname " National Team," which has been actively used in Chinese otaku circles even after the show began airing.

However, "Darling in the Frankis" and "Slow Start" were abruptly canceled in mainland China in February.
Although iqiyi, which distributes "Darling in the Frankis" in mainland China, has announced that "distribution has been suspended due to force majeure," as of this writing, there has been no movement regarding the resumption of distribution. (Incidentally, bilibili is distributing in Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan.)

There are also rumors that the sudden suspension of the distribution of these two works is due to a "report" to a government agency, and there is talk that the suspension may not be limited to these two works, but may spread to other works, and the otaku community in China has temporarily entered a state of panic.

In addition to these two works, there are many other new works that Chinese otaku are looking forward to seeing in January, and various works are being talked about, but the following are some of the more notable ones.

First, "Fate/EXTRA Last Encore" is a work from the Fate series, which is very popular in China, and the popularity of the domestic Chinese version of "Fate/Grand Order," which is currently doing very well, has attracted attention not only from deep-rooted fans but also from light fans.

As for sequels, "Saiki Kusuo no Ψ-Difficulty (2nd season)" is doing well as a gag series that is popular in a wide range of audiences, and "Overlord II" has been gaining popularity in China along with its nickname "Bone Arrogant Heaven," which is derived from the Chinese slang "Long Arrogant Heaven," meaning "I TUEEEE" in Japan, and is also attracting a lot of attention from game and fantasy fans. It is said that "Overlord II" has gained a wide range of fans in China, including fans of video games and fantasy works.

Card Captor Sakura Clear Card Arc," which is somewhat different from other sequels, has become a hot topic among the general public as well.
Since "Card Captor Sakura" was previously broadcast on Chinese TV, it is said to have a very wide range of viewers, and there are many people who have fond memories of the work from their childhood, and it is not unusual to see people enjoying this "Clear Card Arc" while recalling old memories. The "Clear Card Arc" is also a favorite of many viewers.

In addition, in the frame based on novels, "Ruyo no Oshigoto! is also doing well despite its theme of chess, which is not common in China.
This seems to be due to the fact that the original work is highly evaluated by Chinese readers of Japanese novels and has a dedicated fan base, as well as the fact that there was a preceding work in the chess genre, "March Lion," which seems to be working positively, and the anime seems to be steadily gaining fans with each episode.

Is there a battle over the format of paid distribution?

As mentioned above, there are many new anime titles in January that have become hot topics in China as well, and combined with the Chinese New Year vacations, they seem to be quite popular, but behind the scenes, there are also movements regarding distribution formats, especially in the area of paid distribution, on Chinese video sites that distribute Japanese anime.

In China, too, the days when video sites were able to do business solely on advertising revenue are far behind us, and various means of monetization are currently being explored.
In terms of video content, the trend toward treating video content as content for paying subscribers is accelerating, and even Japanese anime, which regularly supplies new releases, is being distributed in advance or in a limited distribution format for paying subscribers.

iqiyi is distributing exclusive titles, including popular titles, to its paying members in advance, and bilibili, which is said to have been holding off on introducing limited distribution, is now distributing the popular "Violet Evergarden" to its paying members in advance.

In addition, there also seems to be paid distribution-related movements in non-exclusive distribution works, and this season, in addition to the Tele-Telecom-based animations, "Card Captor Sakura: Clear Card Arc" and other works are now available for paid distribution (one-week prior distribution to paying members?) on all video sites where they are distributed. The company is now in the process of making a new distribution system.

In addition to this, there is also talk of confusion regarding the format of distribution.
Until now, when a single work was distributed on multiple sites in China, the distribution environment was quite different on each site.
However, since the beginning of this year, several works, mainly from the Teletext series, have been distributed on the following websites
"One-week advance distribution for paying subscribers
Among the video sites, iqiyi was not affected because it had been distributing in this format for some time, but youku and bilibili were forced to respond to the situation.

The impact on bilibili was particularly significant, with the official statement
Due to technical reasons, we are unable to fulfill our responsibilities under the license agreement, and we will suspend distribution of the 37 titles involved until the technical issues are resolved.
The announcement stated that the distribution of 37 titles, including January releases such as " ψDifficulty of Kusuo Saiki (2nd season)" and "Weak Mushi Pedal GLORY LINE," had been suspended.
As of this writing in early February, the suspension has not been lifted.

As for the suspension of bilibili's distribution, it is hard to say since the specifics of the contract and the route of the contract are not clear, but bilibili had a messy situation in 2016 regarding the display of advertisements for Teletext titles, and the acquisition of licenses and the display of advertisements at the time of distribution have continued to be a messy situation. The situation may have continued to be troublesome in terms of licensing and displaying ads during distribution.

The new anime-related trends in China in January reminded us of the popularity and buzz of Japanese anime, but at the same time, we were reminded of the risks associated with "too much attention" to anime and other genres that are currently classified as "two-dimensional" in China.

In addition to the problem of regulations in Chinese society, in which Japanese content has often been involved in the past, there is also the possibility that the competition among the top and bottom ranks of the Chinese society may be affected by the competition among local video sites for acquiring animation copyrights and distributing them. The competition among local video sites to acquire animation copyrights and distribute them is about to advance to the next stage.

(Text by Hyakumen Kagoyo)

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