- Chinese comics exhibit potential for establishing an important presence in 
world markets

In September, a lineup of videos presenting Chinese comic characters appeared 
on the screens of NASDAQ and Tokyo Shibuya, drawing sizable attention. The 
winning lineup was selected from the just-concluded summer vacation event, the 
Chinese Comic Star Project, launched by Bilibili Manhua. The lineup included 
Heaven Official's Blessing, Breaking Through the Clouds, The Saintess has a 
Showdown, Global Examination, BLISS ~ End of Gods, Please Bully Me, Miss 
Villainess!, Fatal Flower and Song of the Sky Pacers.

The Chinese Comic Star Project is a campaign, launched by Bilibili Manhua in 
2021, to determine and highlight what fans of the platform consider the best 
among its content. The event is now in its second year. The one-month campaign 
debuted with the submission of more than 4,000 Chinese comic works and 
concluded with eight winners based on the results of voting by hundreds of 
thousands of the platform's fans. The vast participation in the voting process 
demonstrates the love that fans have for the platform and its content.

In recent years, many popular Chinese comics have earned recognition on the 
international stage and started exerting influence on the broader worldwide 
market. The driver of this increase in popularity has been the launch of 
overseas marketing campaigns by Chinese comics platforms seeking to raise the 
visibility of their assets outside of the home market.

To cite an example, Heaven Official's Blessing from Bilibili Manhua won a place 
among the top eight performers for two consecutive years as a result of the 
success of the Chinese Comic Star Project. Derivative products and authorized 
co-branding platforms vastly added to the influence and commercial value of the 
intellectual property (IP). In the 18 months since the launch of the English 
version, 8,288 visitors have rated the comic on Anime-Planet, garnering an 
impressive 4.4 out of 5. As of October 17, 2022, Heaven Official's Blessing was 
ranking 102nd among all comics on the platform. On Facebook and other social 
media platforms, seven interest groups were spontaneously formed by comic fans, 
collectively adding up to some 100,000 followers. Readers from around the world 
recommended this comic, drawing attention to and spurring the purchase of its 
merchandise. Whether in terms of the quality of the content, or the influence 
of readers, the comic serves as just one example of the huge potential, 
artistically creative Chinese comics in overseas markets.

Bilibili Manhua is the largest legitimate comics distribution platform in China 
and holds the leading position both in terms of scale and of activity among ACG 
(Anime, Comics, Games) fans. The platform was launched in November 2018, and 
currently hosts nearly 100,000 comics. Bilibili Manhua operates and manages the 
whole industry chain, including original comic creation and the subsequent 
animation, film, games, vomics, peripheral derivatives, publications, and IP 
licensing. A spokesperson for the platform said, in the future, "on the basis 
of ensuring the management of superior comic content in our home market, we 
also look forward to their outstanding performance overseas."

SOURCE  Bilibili Manhua

Image Attachments Links:

   Link: https://iop.asianetnews.net/view-attachment?attach-id=432002