In June, the Chinese Ministry of Culture blacklisted 38 Japanese anime and manga from distribution in China. The decision, which included popular titles like Death Note and Attack on
However, in the hearts and minds of Chinese fans of Japanese anime, the Great Firewall of China is acting a little too late. At the largest of mainland China’s 20 annual anime conventions, more than 100,000 fans make up the attendance.
David Frank, a 28-year-old living in Shenzhen, told me that he encounters fellow fans daily. It helps that he works for a Chinese startup that helps university students set up online websites for their extracurricular clubs, including anime viewing clubs.
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“Given its popularity among undergraduates and young adults, the easiest way to meet other anime fans is online,” said Frank. “Social network like Sina Weibo [think Chinese Twitter] are top destinations. There are forums dedicated to anime and manga as well, and some of them has been around for 10 years or more.”
With the Ministry of China’s new restrictions, however, it’s more difficult to get Japanese anime by legal means than it was before. Frank said BitTorrent is a popular fallback, as is watching Japanese anime “raw,” or in its original form without any translations. Japanese is a notoriously simple language for Chinese native speakers to acquire, which makes this a bit easier.
“There was a time when I watched Chinese-dubbed anime, but that's back when I was a primary school student,” said Frank, who left his native China to study at Oxford before returning as an adult. “Increasingly, I am watching more raw anime in order to learn Japanese. Some of these shows are never going to be translated anyway.”
Fans relaxing at a Shanghai anime convention. Photo by David Frank.
The best places to witness anime fan culture in China are at anime conventions, where censorship may have restricted the availability of anime, though not the variety of cosplay or the burgeoning attendance of fans. China’s geographical closeness to Japan means that fan organizers can arrange for anime creators to show up in person.
“Cons here are not much different than cons in Japan,” said Frank. “Lots of people cosplay, and larger events invite voice actors and artists from to meet fans and promote their work.”
It’s an indication that the tensions affecting Japan and China’s political elite have not disseminated to some of China’s young people. Modern Sino-Japanese relations have never been friendly, but relations have grown even more tense over the last couple of years due to a long-standing dispute over islands in the South China Sea. Japanese investment in Chinese companies are lower than they’ve been in half a century, hurting both countries’ economies. Major protests have occurred in both countries, denouncing the other country’s actions. The Chinese people have the most unfavorable view of Japan of any country, and the Japanese people have the most unfavorable view of China of any country.
Not surprisingly, Japan’s most visible export, anime, has been dragged into it. Last year, a Chinese journalist accused an anime cat mascot of being a Japanese attack on Chinese culture. On the other hand, young people in China believe that Japanese anime may hold the key to resolution. Yao Lijin, a student from China's National Dong Hwa University, won first place in a Japanese essay contest in which she affirmed that Japanese anime serves as a "cultural exchange," that help Chinese fans to "ascertain the true form of the other country."
Two countries overcoming their differences through a shared love of cartoons. It’s a stretch, but it’d be the perfect plot for a Japanese anime.
