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SHANGHAI, Oct. 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Bilibili Inc. ("Bilibili" or the "Company"), an iconic brand and a leading video community for the young generation in China, announced 49 Chinese anime series lineups at its annual ANIME MADE BY BILIBILI 2022-2023, showcasing Bilibili's new initiatives in the Chinese animation sector.
As its principal producer and financier, Bilibili also announced the latest progress in producing The Three-Body Problem animated series, which is an adaptation of Liu Cixin's titular Hugo Award-winning sci-fi trilogy. The series is co-presented by China's top sci-fi company The Three-Body Universe, and China's top animation studio YHKT Entertainment.
Since the project was announced in 2019, The Three-Body Problem's trailer on Bilibili has attracted 3 million followers and 40 million views. Bilibili has officially announced that the series is scheduled to debut on December 3rd. It will also be shown on satellite TV channels and overseas video platforms for both Chinese and overseas audiences to enjoy.
The Three-Body Problem animated series will debut on December 3rd, 2022
As one of the most popular sci-fi novel series of the past twenty years, The Three-Body Problem trilogy broke language and cultural barriers and has inspired millions of readers globally. Preceding the launch of The Three-Body Problem animated series, there have been many excellent fan creations. At this year's ANIME MADE BY BILIBILI, the company also collaborated with The Three-Body Universe, the rightsholder of the Three-Body IP, to launch the Three-Body Global Creator Project. The Project invites top animation creators across the world to explore the IP in their own unique vision and aims at presenting to global audience a wide variety of art styles and the infinite potential of Three-Body animation.
"I am excited to announce that The Three-Body Problem animated series will debut on Bilibili," said Liu Cixin. "Animation, like science fiction, is the art of imagination. Imagination is humanity's most powerful force. I believe in the world of animation, a sci-fi story like The Three-Body Problem can really come alive."
Other anime series lineups announced at the event include Link Click Season 2, a story of two friends using extraordinary powers to grant people's wishes that has proven popular among overseas audiences. Link Click achieved a ranking of #20 on MyAnimeList, the world's top online anime community and database. The new season of Fog Hill of Five Elements involving cultural elements taken from Classic of Mountains and Seas will soon launch on Bilibili, as well as other Chinese culture-oriented anime series such as the new season of the Fairies Albums. The event also introduced To Be Hero X, a new season of a Bilibili made anime series, whose impressive visual effects showcases Bilibili's strong production capabilities.
Bilibili-produced Link Click has been introduced on leading global streaming platform Funimation
This year, ANIME MADE BY BILIBLI was held amidst a boom in Chinese animation. Data from market analysis firm iResearch shows that the total production value of the industry exceeded RMB221.2 billion as of 2021. Carly Lee, Vice Chairwoman of the Board of Directors and Chief Operating Officer of Bilibili, stated that the audience for Chinese animation has grown substantially in the past years.
Bilibili is the leading platform for Chinese anime series and a record of over 96 million people watched Chinese anime series on Bilibili in August 2022, double the audience size of just two years ago. Among the viewers on Bilibili, more than 40% come from second or lower-tier cities, and the number of users over 25 years old has increased by 7 million within one year.
"Revenues generated from Chinese anime on Bilibili are estimated to exceed RMB 2 billion in 2022. Anime has become a popular way for the young generation to express themselves," said Lee. "Anime is also more than just a form of expression. It has become an infrastructure capability for the digital world with wide application in films, games and virtual creator livestreaming. In the future, anime may have the potential to replace other content forms. Bilibili is actively working with leading production companies in the industry to bring more premium quality animation to global audiences."
According to Carly Lee, anime has become an infrastructure capability for the digital world
Chinese animation has achieved a high level of recognition in the international arena. On overseas social media, #DongHua, the Chinese word for anime, has begun to distinguish itself from #Anime and is starting to become a popular hashtag that global audiences are following and discussing. Global platforms are actively introducing Chinese anime titles and 24 series from Bilibili are already available to audiences around the world.
As a platform with a global perspective, Bilibili is also promoting its overseas production capacity by cooperating with overseas production companies on animation projects. Outstanding overseas animation production companies such as RED DOG CULTURE HOUSE and CMC MEDIA have participated in the production of Bilibili's anime title Fairies Albums and other original productions. The Bilibili-made Face on Lie Season 1, based on a South Korean comic, was launched this April and is an example of Bilibili's IP expansion capability in overseas markets.
"We have always embraced 'MADE FOR GLOBAL' as part of our vision," said Leo Zhang, Vice President of Bilibili. "We are committed to making more original animation with global influence, and we also hope to keep discovering outstanding creators from all over the world to develop diversified cooperation models."
Bilibili continued to promote its Light Catcher Initiative to further support animators, students and passionate anime lovers who want to work in the industry. 14 pioneering animated short films supported by Bilibili have been available on the platform since September this year.
Watch ANIME MADE BY BILIBILI 2022-2023: https://bit.ly/3zumktb
ABOUT BILIBILI INC
Bilibili is an iconic brand and a leading video community with a mission to enrich the everyday life of young generations in China. Bilibili offers a wide array of video-based content with All the Videos You Like as its value proposition. Bilibili builds its community around aspiring users, high-quality content, talented content creators and the strong emotional bond among them. Bilibili pioneered the "bullet chatting" feature, a live commenting function that has transformed the viewing experience by displaying thoughts and feelings of other audience viewing the same video. It has now become the welcoming home of diverse interests for young generations in China and the frontier to promote Chinese culture across the world.
