Major Chinese Comic Convention Bans Anime And Manga

When it comes to anime, Japan has been the primary country that has created some of the biggest franchises in the medium to date. While North America and other countries have created their own brand of television and movies in a similar style, anime’s country of origin has been the primary distributor for the medium that continues to skyrocket in popularity. Unfortunately, despite the growth of manga and anime, China is making a bold decision with one of its biggest comic conventions that appears to ban both mediums from the event completely. Needless to say, many exhibitors and potential attendees were shocked to say the least.

Comicup’s thirty-second event has announced that the comic convention will only focus on a ‘Chinese-style theme,’ meaning that many exhibitors were notified that their reservations had been cancelled. The official statement from Comicup reads, “Due to consideration regarding the current social environment and our cultural obligations, the organising committee has decided to pivot this edition of the convention towards a ‘new Chinese style’ theme.” With the comic convention itself housing around seven thousand booths, the new declaration has seemingly affected dozens of potential exhibitors who will no longer be able to feature works outside of China. Considering the event is set to be held on the 27th and 28th of this month, the last-minute decision has thrown many for a loop.

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The China/Japan Feud Explained

The current feud between China and Japan is a complex issue, as numerous factors are currently at play. One of the biggest has recently been newly elected Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae stating that China attacking Taiwan would be a “survival-threatening situation.” Following this, China warned its citizens not to travel to Japan and has seemingly been cancelling many events, including concerts and movie showings related to Japan. Ironically, anime has had a big year in China, especially with Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle being released in the country and helping Tanjiro’s latest film cement its place as the anime world’s biggest film.

While this latest move is a blow to the anime world, this isn’t the first time that China has made some drastic decisions regarding the medium. In 2023, the country announced that it was “cracking down” on anime cosplayers thanks to a law titled, “Law on Penalties for Administration of Public Security.” In this law, citizens were not allowed to wear attire that could potentially “hurt the feeling of the Chinese nation.” This law didn’t specifically focus on cosplay, but a scenario arose in which a Chinese park employee booted cosplayers from the locale, leading many to see cosplay as a target.

With ComicUp only a few days away, some exhibitors affected by this surprise move took to the internet to share their thoughts. For example, an exhibitor explained her situation and shared how much it was affecting her online, “I am feeling utterly helpless and sad. I had been looking forward to this event for so long, hoping to meet everyone in person. Even though there were rumours before the official notice that certain [intellectual properties] might be cut, I still held on to a sliver of hope – until the formal notification came.”

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Via China Statistics