Historically, cultural policy was predominantly a domestic matter. In the context of international politics, governments have typically used cultural policy as a tool for public diplomacy, and occasionally colonization. New communication technologies like the internet have significantly expanded the reach of national cultural industries, transforming them into economically powerful industries in their own right. Using Japanese anime as a case study, this research paper argues that the reduction of barriers to the globalization of these once-national cultural industries — and their corresponding increase in potential economic value — has altered the nature of cultural industries and their relationship to national cultural power, also described as national “soft power” by international relations theorists.

In recent years, increased Chinese investment in Japanese anime and related creative industries has raised questions about the permanence of branding and the ways in which financial flows may shift audience perceptions of the national associations of globalized cultural products. However, much of the discourse over the internationalization of the Japanese animation industry relies on incomplete or imperfect data. This analysis explores the available quantitative data and attempts to draw some preliminary conclusions about the state of the overseas Japanese anime market, while also identifying areas in which quantitative data is lacking.

Anime industry observers had mixed reactions when producer and longtime industry veteran Masao Maruyama predicted in a recent interview that “Japan will be overtaken in no time” by China in the anime industry given the latter’s vast capital resources.[2] The most comprehensive analyses of the Chinese animation industry estimate that it earned 24.5 billion yuan (CNY), equivalent to $3.84 billion U.S. dollars (USD), domestically in 2021 (iResearch 2021, 10), comparable to the Japanese animation industry’s 371.3 billion yen (JPY), or $3.22 billion USD, in domestic revenue for the same year. But since Maruyama was referring to the soft power value of anime abroad, exports are essential to this calculation. While exports comprise a limited portion of the Chinese animation industry’s revenues, the overseas market formed nearly half of the wider Japanese animation industry’s total revenue in 2021.

On the other hand, by stepping out of the narrow definition of animation and into anime-adjacent media, such as mobile gaming, China’s growing international presence becomes much more obvious. For example, the Chinese-made mobile game Genshin Impact broke the record for highest revenue in a game’s first year of release.[3] Released in 2020, over a third of Genshin’s lifetime revenues have come from China, demonstrating both the Chinese domestic market’s influence and the overseas reach of the latest releases from Chinese developers like miHoYo and Yostar. In contrast, the second highest-grossing Japanese mobile game for the first half of 2023, Uma Musume Pretty Derby, is still not available in the West despite being released over two years ago. It is China’s recent success in anime mobile gaming, not anything regarding animation specifically, that prompted Maruyama’s comment.

But for all of Maruyama’s talk, China’s success in promoting anime mobile games overseas has not translated to its animation so far. The highest grossing Chinese animated movie in history, “Ne Zha” (2019), earned over $737 million of its $742 million USD total box office revenues, or over 99%, domestically. In contrast, the highest grossing Japanese film in history (animated or live-action), the 2021 anime movie “Demon Slayer: Mugen Train,” earned $507 million USD, with around $121 million (24%) coming from overseas. This is lower than most other recent Japanese anime box office hits but only because the movie was banned from theatrical release in China. On the other hand, “Suzume” (2022), which did release in China, earned more money there than it did in Japan, becoming the fourth-highest grossing Japanese film in history. “Ne Zha” managed to earn more than all these Japanese anime movies, proving that Chinese audiences can outspend the rest of the world’s anime fans when they come together. The reason this does not happen more often is that many of them are too busy watching Japanese imports.

https://www.bakerinstitute.org/research/chi...20in%20domestic

Not surprised since Japanese are going extinct

In terms of animation, maybe, in terms of story? Same issue as their movie industry compared to Hollywood, too much creative restrictions.

They banned my favourite novel Gu Zhen Ren, by far the best high fantasy novels that is come out of China.

They have culture to produce more anime storyline

Some of the comic nice,
But most like shit....
But not like nihon punya all good...some shit also...
Just wonder,
How they got time to colour all the pages...

To beat Japs u must surpass their hentai first

no

japan, korea, china in that order.

japan very mature in their manga, too mature hard to change bisnes model. only now projecting to webtoon. I prefer adult not sex manga, thought provoking issues.

korea sex webtoon feels like hollywood av level, standard porn. They can try to explore more genre, but nothing very deep. Take example gourmet manga, we have lots of variety for gourmet or even recipes, manhwa have some but not so comprehensive.

ch like fast food, try catch up with cheap entertainment, only sometimes got gem.

No, they are chokehold in creativity and you know what by their gomen. Best they can do is hero self inserts with op powers killing peons in sleeveless outfit that show ketiak because that’s the max the gomen censor board will let something through.
The only reason it’s well received is because that’s the only media china youth with hormone can consume easily

This post has been edited by GHBZDK: Oct 8 2024, 08:50 AM

yea the Chinese animators got talent, but they still largely work for Japan and other foreign studios cuz works produce in China itself still too restricted

not only anime, but toy and mokit as well.

Too many restriction, story cannot touch many commie taboo, it’s always a back up to Japanese animie and amdk cartoon

anime is fine, just replace the dub with jp one

In terms of perverseness with a sense of humor, the chinese are no match

Something tells me that China will animate anything, except winnie the pooh cartoons.

Doubt.

At least China surpassed the mobile gaming industry.
For anime? Nah.

china kan boleh hand copy. plus later guna AI to do

following are the best chinese animes at this moment.
Indon/vietnamese also like this.
3D rendering is getting better and better....