The promise of Japanese RPGs that can be understood in China and the concept of "heroes" learned from non-game sources [Anime Situation for Chinese Otaku].

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It seems that "promises" and "standard settings that need no explanation" of various Japanese works are spreading among Chinese otaku and Japanese anime viewers today, and one of the stories that has been spreading in recent years is the following.

One of the stories that has been gaining popularity in recent years is "the worldview of Japanese fantasy works in which a hero plays the leading role.

One of the stories that has been gaining popularity in recent years is "the worldview of Japanese fantasy works in which heroes are the main characters.

The influence of Japanese RPGs such as "Dracula" and other so-called "JRPGs" is thought to be significant in terms of the heroes and the fantasy worldview that surrounds them in Japanese works.

However, after listening to Chinese geeks and following the topics in the geek community, I found that the following is not true.

In fact,few people inChinahave grasped the concept of " Yusha" throughJapanese RPGs.

In fact, few people in China have grasped "Yusha" via Japanese RPGs," and so on.

Unique history and memories of games in China that are different from the history of Japanese games

It seems that Japanese games became popular and widely played in mainland China in the early to mid 1990s, but it is only relatively recently that Japanese RPGs have become widely and casually played in mainland China.

In the early to mid-1990s, Japanese animation works such as "Fist of the North Star" and "Slam Dunk" were broadcast on TV and became very popular in China as social phenomena, and Japanese manga spread in large numbers, albeit via pirated copies. At the same time, Japanese video games were also spreading at a rapid pace.

At that time, China was still in a period of low entertainment, and many people were not "resistant" to games, and there were quite a few people, both adults and children, who were addicted to NES games that could be played on pirated game consoles, losing track of time.

At the time, I was studying at a local school in China due to my parents' work, and I often heard that not only my classmates but also their parents and other people I met through my parents' work played games for not just a few hours but for more than ten hours straight. I remember being quite shocked by this, as I was of the generation that played games for one hour a day.

The spread of game consoles in China during this period was completely different from that outside of China, and software was spread sporadically through pirate routes. It seems that it was difficult to produce works that would be remembered in a wide range of Japanese works and that would have a strong name.

In particular, RPGs were not widely available due to language barriers, the quality of pirated software ROMs, copying techniques, and a decrease in demand.

According to a Chinese otaku with game experience from that time, the language barrier was still a major issue.

In the early days, even in the age of disc media, I could only pick up and read the Chinese characters mixed in with the Japanese text of the game and try to understand it. Naturally, JRPGs cannot be enjoyed if you do not understand Japanese. The Chinese game magazines that existed back then, such as RPG Strategy Articles, had value as an introduction to stories for Chinese gamers who did not understand Japanese.

There are a number of JRPGs that are popular in China today, but the ones that remain in everyone's memories and are talked about are mainly those that came out later in the series, when there was an official Chinese version.

I have also heard that this is the case.

This language barrier problem seems to be the cause of the fragmented and localized knowledge and memories of the influence and works of Japanese games, unlike Japanese anime and manga works, which were basically translated into Chinese and spread to China.

Incidentally, not only RPGs, but also many masterpieces from the same period that were regarded as old works in Japan did not become very popular in China. For example, "Super Mario" had a certain level of popularity and recognition at the time, but it was not as explosive as in Japan or other countries.

For example, "Super Mario" was popular and well-known at the time, but it was not as explosive as it was in Japan and other countries. In the Chinese market, not only in this case, but also in the Chinese market, " high name recognition does not necessarily mean high popularity and high demand for foreign game IPs ". There are many projects that failed because the people involved were not aware of this situation.

There are many projects that failed because the people involved were not aware of these circumstances," he said.

In addition, "Pokemon," which is very popular in China and makes headlines when collaborative goods are released, also has its own unique gaming environment in China.

According to local fans, Pokemon became popular in mainland China not through games but mainly through anime, and many people say that their original experience with Pokemon was through anime.

Pokemon (2019)

From a Chinese geek

'The anime is the biggest official medium for Pokémon fans in China, so it's not uncommon for the anime to go up in flames with lots of fans exploding in frustration because they feel that the development of the anime and the treatment of Satoshi, the main anime character, is poor. This is different from Japanese fans who can separate the anime from the game experience because there is a Pokémon game experience first."

There have also been stories such as the following.

The promise of Japanese RPGs, as grasped by Japanese fantasy works and the increasing number of otherworldly reincarnations

Although there are circumstances unique to China, such as the type and timing of game consoles in use and the language barrier, it seems that the so-called JRPG genre is recognized and popular in China today, and not limited to RPGs, "popular series" and "masterpieces in Japanese game history" of Japanese games are quite well known. It seems so.

Unlike in Japan, however, there are not many people who actually play and enjoy old RPGs, and unlike in Japan, there is not much excitement over old RPG-related topics.

When I used to talk with Chinese geeks about the promises of Japanese RPGs in Japanese works and the works that created those promises, I heard the following comments

In China, classic Japanese RPGs such as Dracula have never become popular due to the time when video game consoles were popularized and the Japanese language. It's very difficult to grasp the significance of the foundation of JRPGs and the demand from fans of the series to keep the fundamentals of the games the same, even if only as knowledge.

These are some of the things that have come up.

Thus, although Japanese games have been spreading in mainland China, the situation regarding Japanese RPGs remained poor until relatively recently, and the Japanese RPG situation and standard elements that would be common knowledge in Japan did not seem to be spreading well.

However, looking at the Chinese otaku community in recent years, one can sense that "basic knowledge of Japanese RPGs " is taking root indirectly, not through games, but through works with a fantasy worldview based on Japanese RPGs and VRMMOs.

In recent years, the influence of Japanese anime and manga on the "Otherworldly" category in China seems to be particularly large, and before long "basic knowledge of Japanese RPGs" has taken root in Chinese otaku circles, while promised elements such as "heroes and demon kings" have become a part of "Japanese national RPGs" (e.g., Dracula). As a result, it seems that the popularity of famous Japanese RPGs released in the past in China has also increased.

Dragon Quest

VRMMOs, which have become a staple in Japanese novels and online novels, seem to be gaining recognition as "a unique game world that is clearly different from the MMOs that Chinese people are familiar with in real life," even though they are set in an online game environment.

Recently, Japanese online games, especially those based on VRMMOs, have come to be perceived not as games but as unique fantasies," said a Chinese geek. And since they often have a JRPG-like worldview and balance, they are often judged to be Japanese two-dimensional, otherworldly works."

He also said.

In fact, there were quite a few tsk tsk ts in the Chinese otaku community about the content of Shangri-La Frontier, which attracted attention in China in 2023, saying that it was different from a real MMO, but in response, mixed with voices such as "convenience of creation

Shangri-La Frontier

The worldview of the game is a mixture of influences from JRPGs and other Japanese home video games. ......

Some people said, "That's because the worldview is mixed with the influence of Japanese home video games such as JRPGs, etc.".

What is interesting about the situation in China is that, as Japanese RPG-like worldviews and promises have spread through relatively recently arranged works, there are cases in which standard RPG-derived elements that could be called "overused" in Japan are, on the contrary, perceived as fresh.

For example, in the case of "Sougou no Furen," a 2023 anime that has become very popular in China and has gained a dedicated fan base, the "straight-up heroes" aspect was perceived as very fresh by Chinese otaku, leading to the popularity and high evaluation of the work.

One Chinese otaku commented on this aspect of the work.

The image was spreading in China from recent Japanese fantasy works that heroes are rarely on the side of the hero or the hero's allies, and that heroes often play the role of antagonists or obstructors to the hero.

The Funeral Freelancers

Himmel, the hero in "The Burial Freeloader," is a very unusual hero among the works popular among Chinese otaku, and his portrayal as a cool hero who is portrayed in a straightforward manner was refreshing and popular.

There were also stories such as "Himmel became popular.

Unlike anime, where the differences in popularity between Japan and China narrowed relatively early on, the game industry in China has its own unique gaming environment, and both old memories and current trends in popularity are different from those in Japan. Among these, Japanese RPGs are a genre that has its own unique and popular works and memories.

In recent years, it is not uncommon to find Japanese RPGs that are available in Chinese, and it has become easier for China to accept the "promise" of Japanese RPGs, as anime and manga with world views influenced by Japanese RPGs have become popular in China as well.

It will be interesting to see how Japanese RPGs will be accepted in China in the future, and how Japanese RPGs themselves will be accepted by Chinese otaku.