China's new anime for April, which is undergoing self-imposed restrictions, and the stark differences between Japanese and Chinese online novels [Anime Situation of Chinese Otaku].

My name is Baiyuan Kagoyamo, and I am introducing various topics related to the otaku situation in China.
In this issue, I would like to introduce trends related to the new Japanese anime of April distributed on Chinese video sites, and the differences in "promises" in online novels, which have continued to increase their presence in recent years among otaku-oriented content, both Japanese and Chinese.

Distribution of new anime has been canceled one after another, and self-imposed restrictions are becoming stronger. New anime are becoming more and more popular in China.

In terms of the popularity of new anime in China in April, there have been few unexpectedly popular works, and the popularity and topics have been growing without any major changes from the initial trends.

Looking at the most popular and talked-about works, "Demon Slayer," "Carol & Tuesday," "We Can't Study," and "The Wise Son" seem to be stable in terms of play count and other factors.
As for works that have continued since before April, "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure" is still going strong in its 4th season, "Golden Wind," and is maintaining its popularity due to the popularity of topics including the "JoJo story" that is spreading in the Chinese otaku community. In addition, "The Rise of the Brave Hero of the Shield" and "Dororo" continue to attract attention.

However, when we look at the movements and related topics related to new anime in China in April, we can see that there is a lot of confusion about self-imposed restrictions and distribution cancellations related to works.
As for new works in April, the distribution of "YU-NO: The Girl Who Sings Love at the End of the World" was cancelled in late April, followed by the full episodes of "Sarazammai" and "Isekai Karutetto", episode 5 of "Kawayagi Shoujo" and episode 3 of "Midnight Occultist" in late May, and the distribution of these works was also cancelled, and as of this writing, the resumption of distribution has not yet been decided. The resumption of distribution is still undecided at the time of this writing.

In addition to this, there have been revisions and cuts to the content of the works, for example, in "Demon Slayer" mentioned above and various other works, scenes that seem to have been judged problematic locally have been blurred out, entire scenes have been cut, and the front and back have been spliced together, and so on. In fact, in China, such correction is becoming more and more noticeable.

In fact, this kind of correction and cutting is not uncommon in China, and Japanese animated films have long been cut or corrected when broadcast on Chinese TV, and some works have also been cut or corrected when distributed on the Internet.
Recently, however, the number of cuts and revisions has been increasing in various works, and in the April season, there was also a move toward restrictions that may have been related to the June 4 "Tiananmen Square protests.

According to a Chinese geek, local video sites are trying their best not to ruin the atmosphere of the viewing experience by covering the video with geeky material, but recently they have not been able to cover it all up and are cutting more and more scenes as well as blurring them out. Some people have suggested that the "......" site is a good place to start.

There are also cases such as "ISLAND" where the distribution of a work that was suspended in the past was restored before we knew it, so there is a possibility that the recently suspended works will be restored sooner or later. However, it is not clear when this will happen, and those who have been following the new animations are sure to be disappointed and worried.

Looking at the recent trend of restrictions on anime distributed online in China, it is clear that restrictions on violent and bloody scenes, which are considered standard in China, and highly revealing scenes (male nudity has also been a problem in China for a long time, regardless of gender) are stricter than before, and in the area of romance, criticism of close relationships such as siblings and "children being in love with each other" is also increasing. In the area of romance, criticism of close relationships between siblings and other close relatives and the cutting of scenes in which "children" are actively trying to engage in romance are becoming more noticeable, according to the report.

Other standard restrictions include historical and political topics, mainly related to modern and contemporary times, which are also being increasingly regulated.
For example, one of the reasons why some scenes in the fourth episode of "Hyouka" were cut was because of the timing of the Tiananmen Square protests and the depiction of the Japanese student movement.
There is also a story that "the reason why some scenes in the fourth story of "Ice Cream" were cut is because of the timing of the Tiananmen Square incident.

In China, it is not uncommon for standards not to be revealed, or to not exist in the first place, even if there are instructions from the top, and when a situation arises where self-imposed regulations must be enforced, both those enforcing the regulations in the field and the viewers are said to be suspicious of the situation.
Furthermore, there is a strong stance of temporarily erasing a work and letting it slide, and as a result, the scope of the regulation is widened. As a result, the scope of restrictions is widening.

From last year to this year, China has been steadily tightening its regulatory control of content, both domestic and foreign, and there is a sense of uneasiness about the treatment of various entertainment content on the Chinese Internet, including online novels, anime, manga, and games, as well as new Japanese anime. It is also said that there is a sense of uneasiness about the treatment of various entertainment content on the Chinese Internet, including not only new Japanese anime but also online novels, anime, manga, and games.