Chinese franchises shine at Osaka Comic Con 2024

Visitors wander at Osaka Comic Con 2024 in Japan. SD-Agencies

Featuring appearances by renowned personalities such as Norman Reedus, Tom Hiddleston, Mads Mikkelsen, and Jason Momoa, Osaka Comic Con 2024 in Japan attracted globally renowned cultural and entertainment companies such as Marvel and LEGO, franchises like “Harry Potter” and the DC Extended Universe, and fans from all over the world over the weekend.

China Literature, a leading online literature platform which owns QQ Reading and Qidian, showcased Chinese franchises such as “The King’s Avatar,” “Lord of the Mysteries,” “Fox Spirit Matchmaker,” and “Under One Person.”

Japanese idol band NMB48 poses for a photo at China Literature’s booth at Osaka Comic Con 2024 in Japan.   

In China Literature’s booth, a pink tree called the Bitterness Tree attracted many fans, who stopped to take photos. This installation was inspired by the Chinese comic “Fox Spirit Matchmaker.” The comic has collected over 55 million favorites on the Tencent Comics platform, while its animated adaptation has earned over 11 billion views. The TV drama adaptation, “Fox Spirit Matchmaker: Red-Moon Pact,” is expected to premiere this year.

Meanwhile, the interactive photo spot for “The King’s Avatar” also attracted many fans, who wrote birthday wishes for protagonist Ye Xiu on the nearby message board.

“The King’s Avatar” debuted in Japan in 2015. In 2021, a manga adaptation with the same name premiered on the Japanese Piccoma platform.

Two 20-something fans of “The King’s Avatar” from Tokyo made a special trip to Osaka. One of them mentioned attending offline events for “The King’s Avatar” in Shanghai back in 2016 and was excited to attend the event in Osaka after eight years.

“Lord of the Mysteries,” which combines fantasy adventure and steampunk elements, also gathered a lot of fans at the convention. Its English version on WebNovel has earned nearly 43 million reads with a rating of 4.7 out of 5. A fan from the U.S. at the convention told China Literature that after reading the novel on WebNovel, he liked it so much that he also recommended it to his friends in Spain and Canada.

In recent years, Chinese franchises have successfully ventured overseas, attracting fans globally. Chinese stories and values are gaining more and more recognition from overseas readers and viewers. (Global Times)