Sino-Japanese Brainstorm in Animation and Comic Industries Brings New Opportunity

CHENGDU, China, April 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- During the 2025 Chinese Spring Festival, the Chengdu-produced animated film Nezha 2 became a global sensation, ranking among the top five highest-grossing films in global box office history, which also attracted lots of attention to Chinese animation and comic industries. On April 18, an International Salon on the Animation and Comic Industries themed "Linking the World with Industrial Interaction", hosted by National Business Daily and organized by NBD Think Tank, was held in Chengdu city of Sichuan Province of China. The event was focused on collaboration and communication between the Chinese and Japanese animation and comic industries, exploring how Chengdu can build a world-class hub of such industries. It attracted numerous representatives from companies, experts, scholars, and professionals of the industries from both China and Japan. Through activities such as project roadshows and roundtable discussions, the event provided an international exchange platform for the industries of both countries, further advancing the globalization of Chengdu in this sector.

Representative from one of Japan's most influential comprehensive cultural enterprises, KADOKAWA Corporation, suggested establishing a regular exchange mechanism of the industries between Chengdu and Japan, including having online and offline technical and experience-sharing sessions periodically, offering more opportunities of communication and cooperation to both sides. Several Chengdu-based animation and comic companies introduced their successful examples of creativity and production in TV cartoons, comic books and video games. Besides, they admitted a favorable environment for business and enterprises in Chengdu played a big role in their success, with local policy support and high efficiency of administrative services.

Chengdu boasts rich cultural resources, such as the mysterious Ancient Shu Civilization, the profound stories of Three Kingdoms Culture, and unique cultural IPs with Tianfu Culture. Experts like Professor Hiroaki Inoue from the Department of Animation and Culture at Japan's Kibi International University, who was a main member of GAINAX, the producer of famous NEON GENESIS EVANGELION (EVA), emphasized the importance of fully integrating and applying traditional cultural IPs into the industries, to not only empower the development of the sector, but also bring new life into traditional culture. By combining international creation and distribution models, the industries and their outstanding IPs as well as products could become a dynamic new calling card for a city or even a country in global communication.