Chinese Online Anime Pioneer Finds New Audience in Japan

(Nikkei Asia) — A key figure in the rise of China’s online animation industry is making a name for himself in Japan as well, with a movie distribution company bringing content from his home country to meet growing demand in the homeland of anime.

Japan “is the world’s third-largest film market, so I thought it was a fitting place for a new challenge,” Dong Zhiling said of his decision to set up Facewhite in Tokyo in 2019. The company’s name is a literal translation of the characters in its Japanese name, which together mean “interesting” or “funny.”