The era of Chinese animation has just begun

Overview

The video argues that Chinese animation (donghua) has entered a new phase of global dominance—commercially, creatively, and through deeper industry interdependence. As a result, it claims it’s increasingly unrealistic to frame donghua as simply “anime’s replacement,” and instead treats it as part of a shared, evolving global animation ecosystem.

China’s Global-Scale Breakthrough

• The video frames recent Chinese animation achievements as globally significant, not merely popular within China.
• It highlights major works such as:
  • Lord of Mysteries
  • To Be Hero X
• It then points to Nija 2 becoming the highest-grossing animated movie ever, with over $2 billion worldwide, surpassing major international hits mentioned in comparison (including Chainsaw Man and Demon Slayer).
• The takeaway: Chinese animation is no longer only “China’s phenomenon”—it’s becoming a world force.

Historical Roots (Not a Brand-New Rise)

• The video argues this success is not unprecedented, using early milestones to counter the idea of a sudden modern breakout.
• It traces donghua’s lineage back to early eras, including the 1940s/early feature Princess Iron Fan (based on Journey to the West).
• It also claims Japanese manga/anime inspiration is indirectly connected to Chinese works, specifically asserting that:
  • Osamu Tezuka saw Princess Iron Fan
  • He later helped shape modern manga through Astro Boy
• The video further describes a “golden age” roughly linked to the Shanghai Animation Film Studio period (~1957–1966), where:
  • traditional “gua” painting styles were experimented with
  • large-scale production became common

Political Repression and Stagnation

• The video identifies a major interruption: political repression.
• It claims Mao Zedong-era purges and censorship severely damaged Chinese animation in the 1970s, leading to long-term stagnation:
  • a limited number of proper animated films produced over more than a decade
  • creators shifting toward propaganda and commercial work
• The argument is that this made recovery difficult and delayed broader creative growth.

Modern Success: Streaming Economies and Game-Funded Media

• The video attributes the 2010s turnaround to shifts in China’s streaming industry and financial ecosystems.
• It points to national streaming platforms owned by major conglomerates (e.g., Tencent Video tied to Tencent’s gaming and broader platform ecosystem).
• The claim: game revenue helps fund animation, and animation in turn promotes future games—functioning as both content and marketing.

Creative Evolution Through Film Milestones

The video presents donghua’s creative maturation through a sequence of increasingly distinct, identity-forming projects:

• Monkey King: Hero is Back Uses traditional music and stylized design, with modern anime-like influences and 3D elements.

• Big Fish & Begonia Attempts to evoke a Studio Ghibli-like sensibility.

• Yesterday’s Crystal Sky Moves toward more everyday, character-centered storytelling.

• Na Framed as a step toward a more distinct Chinese identity, emphasizing design language and narratives tied more directly to Chinese tradition.

Current Donghua: Production Choices and Story Depth

Visual Production (3D + 2D Hybrid)

• Donghua often blends 3D and 2D:
  • 3D used for environments, effects, and camera movement
  • 2D used for character work
• The video describes this approach as enabling dynamic shots without hand-animating everything.

Narrative Themes

• The video claims donghua draws deeply from:
  • Chinese mythology
  • Taoist cultivation systems
• Examples include series such as:
  • Lord of the Mystical Spirits / Lord of Mysteries
  • Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation
  • Heaven Official’s Blessing
• It highlights moral and philosophical questions, including themes like “who is evil”—whether demons, people, or clans.

World/System Complexity

• Some adaptations are described as initially messy, especially when compressing large source material.
  • Example: Lord of Mysteries trying to condense a massive web novel into anime-length runtime.
• Despite this, the video argues audiences respond to the atmosphere and craftsmanship.

Different Release Models vs. Japan

• The video claims China’s system differs from Japan’s manga/light-novel pipeline.
• Because streaming drives production, creators can experiment with:
  • varying episode counts
  • different formats
  • adapting a wider range of source materials

Highlighted “Innovation” Examples

• Link Click Noted for its time-photography premise and release structure (two seasons plus a prequel).

• To Be Hero X Emphasized as a stylistic/thematic success, combining multiple animation styles such as:

  • frame-rate shifts
  • text/motion design elements
  • 2D/3D swaps It also satirizes social media manipulation and hype.

Collaboration Has Long Been Two-Way

• The video argues China’s influence is not one-directional.
• It claims collaboration across borders has existed for decades, including:
  • Chinese subcontracting for Japanese anime (in-between animation, backgrounds, CG, compositing)
• It cites studio involvement in mainstream anime such as:
  • Attack on Titan
  • Demon Slayer
  • contributions to One Piece and Naruto

Viral “Anime-Quality” Scenes and Cross-Creator Credit

• The video attributes some viral scenes to specific Chinese animators now working on Japanese productions.
• Example:
  • A Chinese action series (Super Cube) reportedly went viral for a near-20-minute fight choreographed/animated mostly by one animator, who later debuted in Jujutsu Kaisen season 3.
• It also mentions individual creators credited for roles like color work and direction on related projects.

Final Conclusion: “China vs. Anime” Is Artificial

The video concludes that the “China vs. anime” framing is artificial because:

• animation markets are already interconnected
• studios outsource across borders
• artists move internationally
• techniques and stylistic approaches circulate freely

Therefore, it argues the real takeaway is that donghua and “anime” are part of the same ongoing global industry conversation—already evolving together.

Presenters or Contributors (Referenced)

• Osamu Tezuka
• Miyazaki
• Makoto Shinkai
• The Juan Brothers
• Nan 41
• Sophie Lee
• Howling Lee
• Mosan Tunu
• Studio BC May Pictures
• Shanghai Animation Film Studio
• Shanghai Phantom
• Huahan Animation
• Deans/Dean
• Studio Comix Wave Films
• Science Saru

Referenced Entities (Not Presenters)

• BC May Pictures / Studio Lan / Studio Comix Wave Films / Tencent / BillyBili