Reference News Network, August 13 report: Singapore's "Lianhe Zaobao" website published an article on August 10 with the title "From the Second Dimension to the 2.5th Dimension: China's New Generation Subculture Gradually Enters the Mainstream," as follows:

These days, a large number of Chinese second-dimensional (2D) anime and manga enthusiasts and Cosers have flooded this only inland island by the Huangpu River in Shanghai, immersing themselves in an open-world experience called "2.5th Dimension," which brings the world of games and anime (second dimension) into the real world (third dimension).

Before the open-world adventure island event "RED LAND" hosted by the Chinese social platform Xiaohongshu, the annual anime exhibition Bilibili World held by the video platform Bilibili, as well as the "China International Animation and Game Expo" (CCG EXPO) and the "China International Digital Interactive Entertainment Exhibition" (ChinaJoy) recently took place in Shanghai, creating a summer anime craze.

Third-year university student Liu Yu (a pseudonym) traveled from Nanjing to Shanghai specifically, becoming one of the "main characters" who "landed" on Fuxing Island on August 9. Unlike traditional anime exhibitions, on Fuxing Island, each player becomes the protagonist of a game, unlocking storylines based on their assigned character identities, and earning medals after completing tasks.

Liu Yu said that his first time attending an anime exhibition refreshed many of his perceptions, especially the non-player characters played by real people left him shocked, making him feel as if he had truly entered a game.

According to age groups, the players on the island are mainly "post-00s" generation, with some "80s" and "90s" generation anime enthusiasts. Among them, the most eye-catching were the Cosers dressed in various distinctive styles. "Xuejie" (a stage name for a Coser) entered the venue playing the virtual character "Hatsune Miku" and was surrounded by over 30 people taking photos within half an hour.

"Xuejie" said that in recent years, the second dimension has been increasingly understood and accepted by more people in China, and in Shanghai, there is almost a Cosplay activity every week. "Many related products and IPs have gone viral, and domestic anime has also received more attention."

The popularity of anime and games reflects that the Chinese second-dimensional community is continuously growing. According to data provided by Xiaohongshu, in the past year, content related to the second dimension and games on the platform increased by 175% and 168%, respectively, becoming the second and third largest categories following fashion and food.

In addition, current Chinese second-dimensional communities are integrating games and anime into daily life, such as celebrating birthdays for game characters in real life.

Xiaohongshu's second-dimensional representative, Sanbing, pointed out that the first wave of second-dimensional trend was 10 years ago, while the current offline-oriented 2.5th dimension is "a very important era trend," which also shows signs of a second explosion of the second dimension in the present.

Sanbing said that this is not only due to generational cultural differences but also cultural evolution. The characteristics of the new generation of young people are "outgoing and connected," and their growth environment no longer views the second dimension as a negative hobby.

Professor Xu Jian from the School of Media and Communication at Shanghai Jiao Tong University pointed out that the "International Anime Month" held in Shanghai indicates a significant change in the times, as Shanghai is moving towards becoming a "global youth trend city."

Xu Jian said that in China's cultural form, anime used to be considered a subculture, but with the new generation, who grew up watching anime, the "90s" and "00s" generations, their preferred culture is gradually entering the mainstream cultural form of Chinese society.

In the past year, multiple Chinese IP works like "Black Myth: Wukong" and "Ne Zha 2" became popular, which also boosted the international attention on Chinese games and anime. Xu Jian pointed out that from this perspective, the densely held anime exhibitions have become a cultural carrier platform, representing an effort by China to gain global cultural influence.

On the other hand, the heat of games and anime has also stimulated new consumer potential in China at the current time of boosting domestic demand. Xu Jian said that from commodity consumption to emotional consumption such as games and anime, it represents a shift in the consumption model.

He said that as a representative city of China's consumption transformation, Shanghai is currently exploring emotional consumption. "If the Anime Month continues for three or five more years, there will be more deep integration, and more new scenarios and phenomena will appear, attracting more market forces to join."

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7537879080838988298/

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