The official release and distribution of new Japanese anime titles in China has become difficult because of stalled reviews, and fans are increasingly turning to pirated copies. Some observers also point to deteriorating Japan-China relations, while restrictions on the use of Japanese-language audio were imposed at events.
The official release and distribution of new Japanese anime titles in China has been repeatedly suspended since the end of last year because of stalled reviews by the authorities. As a result, opportunities to watch titles through official channels have declined, affecting how fans obtain them.
At Bilibili World, a general anime and gaming exhibition held in Shanghai, exhibitors reportedly received a verbal request from the organizers about one month before the event not to play Japanese-language music or videos at their booths. Although the request was described as an unofficial, informal notice, people involved said they had no choice but to comply. Promotional footage featuring Japanese-language video was substantially cut.
Industry participants are increasingly of the view that the deterioration in Japan-China relations lies behind the situation, and some observers say the momentum Japanese anime has built in the Chinese market is now entering a period of change. Japanese anime merchandise continues to sell well and events still attract large numbers of attendees, however, indicating that its popularity remains strong in some respects.
Against this backdrop, it has been reported that some fans are increasingly turning to pirated copies because official channels are difficult to use.