New Anime in China in January: Popular Works Canceled or Cut and Corrected [Anime Situation of Chinese Nerds].

My name is Baiyuan Longhoam, and I am here to introduce you to all things related to the otaku situation in China.
In this article, I would like to introduce the popularity of the new Japanese anime released in January on Chinese video websites, the popular works, the confusion caused by the cancellation of the distribution of the new January anime, and the subsequent resumption of distribution after the cuts were made and corrected.

January's highlight, "Darling in the Frankis," has been cut and corrected, although the distribution suspension has been lifted.

Darling in the Frankis", also known in China as " National Team", a nickname derived from interviews with staff members, became very popular due to its quality that did not betray its great reputation in China, but its distribution was suddenly suspended around the beginning of February. (According to iqiyi, the video site that distributes the movie, the reason was "force majeure.)
(According to iqiyi, the video site that distributes the film, the cancellation was due to "force majeure,
"Will the film just disappear in mainland China?
"Will the suspension of distribution spread to other productions?
The Chinese otaku community was temporarily in a state of panic, perhaps due to such fears as, "Will the work disappear in mainland China?

Fortunately, the distribution suspension itself was lifted in mid-February, although no concrete explanation was given, and it has maintained its popularity as one of the most popular works of the season without noticeable damage to its popularity or buzz.
However, the resumption of distribution did not come without incident, and in the end, distribution was resumed with some scenes cut, and the version currently being distributed on Chinese video sites is a version with highly revealing scenes and scenes inside the cockpit cut.

Besides that, at the same time, another video site, bilibili, is distributing "Ruyo no oshigoto! which was distributed on another video site "bilibili" at the same time, has somehow been replaced with a "modified" version in which the highly revealing scenes, the scene in which the main character says "I'll make you my bride" to an elementary school student character, and subsequent scenes related to it have been cut.

According to a Chinese otaku, there have been cases of blurring of the screen or cutting certain scenes in Japanese anime distributed on Chinese video sites, but the major correction and replacement of scenes from the middle of a new work in January is said to be unusual. However, the major enhancement and replacement of the January new work from the middle of the production is said to be unusual.

This is not a regulatory matter but a contractual one, but bilibili announced that "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. However, it seems that the distribution has been resumed sequentially since mid-February.

However, it seems that the distribution was not resumed as it was,
The distribution of the works that have been resumed due to technical reasons will be available only to paying members for a while".
However, it seems that the distribution was not resumed as it was.
There is no detailed explanation of the situation, and the fact that the distribution is limited to paying members for the time being has caused a delicate atmosphere even among bilibili users, who are usually quite positive about the video site.

Overlord" sticks with a variety of audiences, and "Rio no Oshigoto!

Next, let's talk about other popular and talked-about works.
First of all, "Overlord II" is receiving stable support from a wide range of people. Overlord" has maintained its popularity since the first season of the anime, with the nickname "Kone hakuten," which comes from the Chinese slang "Ryu hakuten," meaning "I TUEEE" in Japan, taking root. They have also been the topic of discussion, character narratives, and so on. Furthermore, there are developments in which the main character properly demonstrates overwhelming power in some places, making it a work that can be watched with peace of mind.

What is interesting about the popularity of "Overlord" in China is that it seems that how people perceive this work and which genre it falls into are different.

Some people think of it in the standard "otherworldly trip" or "Ore TUEEE" categories, while others think of it more like "One Pan Man" or "Sword Art Online," while still others think of it more like "Code Geass.
I have also been surprised to see Overlord being talked about in unexpected places, and it seems to have a wider range of fans than what can be imagined in the Japanese sense.

Another work that has grown in popularity since it began airing is "Ruunoh no Oshigoto! which has been growing in popularity since it started airing.
This work originally had a high reputation among Chinese readers of novels and had a fixed fan base before the start of the anime.
In addition, it is said that this work is experiencing a phenomenon where people who started watching this work with the moe as a gateway to the anime have somehow come to appreciate other aspects of the work besides the moe, such as the passionate story and character portrayal, and have even begun to question the excessive emphasis on moe (see ......). I heard that there is also a phenomenon happening.

The "RYO-NO-OSHI-GOTO!" is a simple and easy-to-understand moe element that has become a topic of conversation and has led to Chinese otaku to watch the work, and as a result, it is interesting that some Chinese otaku who have no knowledge of Japanese chess have become fans who follow the passionate storyline of the work and some have even become interested in Japanese chess. This is an interesting point.

China's unique otaku situation affects the popularity of some works

Among the new works released in January, there are some works in which the unique otaku situation in China is influencing the popularity.
In China, too, we can see the rise in popularity of the parody material in the work and its use as collage material, but at the same time, the voice actor material that is a pillar of the anime does not seem to ring a bell with the majority of the Chinese otaku population, ....... This seems to happen frequently.

In addition to this, the current Japanese voice actors in China are not only a major part of the anime industry, but also a major part of the otaku population in China. In addition, the popularity of Japanese voice actors in China today is centered on relatively new voice actors, and there is not as much love for the big-name anime voice actors in the Japanese TV market.
Perhaps due to this background, "POPTEPIC" is an interesting work that highlights the similarities and differences between Japan and China in terms of the material that sticks with otaku.

Also, "Emiya-san's Family's Today's Gohan " is a work that shows the local situation, and it is also perceived as a "slightly unexpected Fate work" among Fate fans in China.
In China, the popularity of Fate exploded with "Fate/Zero," and since most people came into contact with the Fate series via the anime, they are much less aware of the original game and TYPE-MOON's various derivative works than in Japan, and are more interested in the daily life parts of the original game and the Japanese doujinshi and derivative works. The atmosphere of the doujin and derivative works community has also not been well communicated.

Therefore, many people find the atmosphere of "Emiya-san's Family's Today's Gohan" and the relationships between the characters fresh, and the fact that it is a "daily life Fate with a warm atmosphere and not a killing spree," combined with the surprisingly strong Japanese cooking recipes, has ensured its popularity despite its monthly distribution pace. In addition, "YuruCan△" has been distributed on a monthly basis, but seems to have secured a solid popularity.

In addition, "YuruCan△" has been evaluated as a "pleasant-to-watch daily life series" because of its content that provides knowledge about the outdoors, scenery depiction and music, and "Death March Kara Hajimaru Isekai Kyousoukyoku" is a story about reincarnation in another world, which is too standard for Japanese fantasy series, and it is receiving criticism from various directions. Although "Death March Kara Hajimaru Isekai Kyousoukyoku" has received criticism from various directions, it seems to have gained a certain level of popularity and a stable number of views because it is easy to watch. Although there have been some problems such as temporary suspension of distribution and changes in distribution format on several video sites where "Saiki Kusuo no ψ-difficulty" is distributed, it seems to be maintaining its popularity as a standard gag series work that can be watched while making a commentary with a barrage of comments.

In China, many of the new releases in January were "hits" other than the ones mentioned here, and they are very exciting, but at the same time, there are some disturbing developments.
As usual, it is not clear what the reasons are for the suspension of distribution and the modification of cuts after the resumption of distribution, or to what extent it is voluntary, but it can be seen that local video sites are taking a defensive stance by modifying the content of Japanese anime currently distributed in China. I'm not sure how much of this is voluntary, but I'm not sure.

Some Chinese otaku have commented on this.
I am glad that there are so many interesting works, but when I look around anime, I can't be so simple-minded.
It seems that the January season is a mixture of fun and anxiety for Chinese otaku.


(Text by Hundred Yuan Kagoyamo)

(c) Darling in the Franchise Production Committee