Latest Anime Rip-off from China Discovered
Sharp-eyed Chinese viewers have noticed that scenes from the currently airing Chinese government sponsored animated television program Xin Ling Zhi Chuang (Spirit’s Window) bear an uncanny resemblance to scenes from director Makoto Shinkai’s 2007 anime feature film 5 Centimeters Per Second. Ironically, the show’s introduction describes it as, “Animation to raise wholesome minds and teach a noble view of life.” Reportedly, the Lanhai Technology animation studio that produces the show has refused to comment on the accusation of plagiarism. Japanese websites Narinari.com and Gigazine have posted numerous screenshot comparisons of the two productions.
Other similar instances of apparent Chinese copies of anime have surfaced recently.
This past January the Chinese produced fantasy RPG and animated series Kou Dai Xi Yuu drew attention for its remarkable similarity to the Japanese Blue Dragon game and anime franchise.
An informational pamphlet about the 2008 Bejing Olympics distributed to Chinese secondary school children featured a cover illustration character bearing a striking resemblance to Suzumiya Haruhi.
Not that I’m encouraging video piracy, but for the purpose of informative enlightenment, the first episode of Xin Ling Zhi Chuang is available for viewing on Nico Nico Douga.
Source: Anime News Network, Canned Dogs
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Oh come on guys the Communist Government of China would never do anything like this. It’s all in your imagination. Remember Big Brother is watching. ;>)
The sad part is those rip-offs are of better quality than their original products. 😀
I wouldn’t say that the Chinese copies are better. I watched the first episode of Xin Ling Zhi Chuang and it’s really nothing better than average quality Flash animation. I will admit, though, that it seems like it has aspirations to be better than its restrictive production routine allows.