Why Donghua Will Never Replace Anime
Donghua is increasingly popular, but concerns over its potential replacing anime are ignoring the medium's biggest hurdles to long-term success.
Anime is one of the most popular mediums around the world, with its success reaching far beyond its native land of Japan. It's part of the reason why Japan as a whole has made more cultural inroads than other Asian countries, with South Korean media only becoming a major international force in the past decade. Now, however, Japanese animation is facing stiff competition from China.
Referred to as donghua, Chinese animation is beginning to give anime a run for its money. This has some anime industry veterans worried about the future of the country's animated works, especially given concerns over creativity. While these fears might be valid, it's highly unlikely that donghua will come to truly compete with anime anytime soon.
How Is Donghua Different from Anime?
Donghua isn't a modern phenomenon, and Chinese animation has been around since the 1920s. Many of these projects retold stories of Chinese mythology, and that scope has continued to this day. It's only recently, however, that Chinese animation has really taken off—namely in foreign markets. Some of the most popular donghua released during these periods include various adaptations of the legend of Nezha, with generations of Chinese children growing to love these works. Given that they were tied closely to the country's folklore and almost never released in other markets, these works were largely overlooked as anime with only a modicum of success were comparatively far more popular. There was also a certain stigma that the country had to overcome in terms of its animation's reputation.
For decades, China had been seen as a home of "second-rate" bootleg products and services. This extended to the country's homebrew animation, which was largely clunkier and less fluid than the stylized works coming out of Japan. As cheap CGI became more affordable, this only made matters worse, as some donghua were defined by this sometimes rather primitive animation and aesthetic. This finally began to change as the internet made it easier for talented young artists to highlight their skills. On top of that, animation work had previously been outsourced to China for both anime and animated works from other countries. This honed Chinese talent to create higher quality native cartoons, which received a major push from the government, as foreign workers had their air time restricted.
The 2020s have been particularly kind to donghua, especially as the pandemic era saw streaming services hungry for content. The donghua adaptation of the novel series Heaven Official's Blessing was a major boon for Netflix, and it's likely going to become only one of several Chinese animated hits on the platform. The New Gods CGI animated movies (again based on the Nezha legend) were also very successful, making it possible that the medium may overtake anime in the future. While it's a valid concern, it's ultimately an unlikely development given the general culture surrounding both donghua and anime.
Even Animation Enthusiasts Don't Know What Donghua Is
When it comes to foreign animation, even those who don't watch anime immediately recognize it. It's to the point where Western animation (once a big influence on Osamu Tezuka, the godfather of manga and anime) now frequently emulates the aesthetic trends of the anime. Associated with big eyes, bigger hair, and other quintessential design elements, the style of animation is easily one of Japan's most influential cultural exports. On the other hand, donghua isn't nearly as well known, thus limiting its true potential for success.
Anime and manga are fairly common terms among "geek and nerd" culture, but manhua (Chinese comic books) is a lot more unknown. That's especially the case with donghua, the animated versions of these stories. That's not just with the general audiences, either, with even anime fans likely being unfamiliar with the word or what it means. Conversely, because so many popular donghua emulate the art styles of anime, they're many times almost indistinguishable. For instance, the aforementioned Heaven Official's Blessing show doesn't look too different from semi-historical anime such as Demon Slayer. With most unable to tell the difference between donghua and anime, it's arguably impossible for the former to really blossom into its own major cultural force.
The Biggest Anime Franchises Drive the Medium's Popularity
The current surge in anime popularity has been a rising tide that's lifted several boats. Anime that may not have found a major international audience a decade prior now have a lot more eyes on them, with streaming services such as Hulu and Netflix certainly helping in this regard. At the end of the day, however, the major driving force for the many global anime booms has been the star power of major franchises. Shonen anime such as Dragon Ball, One Piece, My Hero Academia, and even the shojo classic Sailor Moon were and are some of the biggest names in the medium, with legions of fans becoming enthralled in the battles, relationships, and lore.
These fans will dissect the minutiae of each manga's chapters, debate the merits of this source material next to the anime adaptations, and buy a steady supply of anime merchandise and memorabilia. In fact, the continued success of the Gundam franchise has largely been due to the sales of collectible Gunpla model kits. These are the elements that keep fans engaged with a property, and the result is that big box retailers now carry toys for major anime franchises. There simply isn't even one donghua that has anywhere near this level of fandom and interaction, and the lack of tangible goods and collectibles only heightens this branding weakness. Without this direct cultural imprint or engagement, donghua is simply irrelevant next to anime.
Cultural Barriers Will Keep Donghua From Achieving Its Potential
As noted, a wide majority of donghua represent Chinese myths, folklore, and culture in arguably educational ways. While this isn't inherently a bad thing, the somewhat limited is a major setback. For as much as anime fans may bemoan the continued prominence of isekai or battle shonen anime, the reality is that even without these well-worn genres, there's a lot of "on paper" diversity. On top of that, while anime is a great entry point for some regarding their love of Japanese culture as a whole, most of the more popular works are more interested in building their own worlds than representing Japan in the form of borderline edutainment. Focusing on the story first, any cultural tidbits are merely there due to who created the anime. This means that those who aren't necessarily interested in folklore or myth still have a lot to choose from.
Another cultural issue is that some of the Chinese novels, manhua, and donghua that are being brought to the West and other countries are set in the Boys' Love genre. These homosexual romances are analogous to tamer versions of Yaoi anime from Japan, though the latter is a far from mainstream offering. While these works (including Heaven Official's Blessing) have found a global fanbase, it's inarguable that their subject matter and content instantly prevent them from being mainstream hits in certain markets. They're certainly harder sells than Dragon Ball Z or Death Note, and BL currently being the face of donghua doesn't bode well for the medium's long-term prospects of standing next to anime. If anything, the latter is only going to increase in widespread success. Even if there's a similar anime "crash" as the one that occurred in the late 2000s, it's simply unlikely that Chinese animation (which already looks just like it) will fill the void.