Zhang Shule is a columnist for People's Daily Online and People's Post and Telegraph

Chinese mecha,

Encounter the problem of anti-addiction!

There is an insoluble mystery about Chinese mechas, namely:

I always stay in the state that primary schoolchildren like.

Why can't everyone like it?

In the eyes of many people, mecha-related industries are very popular in Japan, from anime to toys and games.

But this view has a strong filter of the times.

At the same time, if you truly understand the development of Japanese mecha culture, you can also find the root cause of the lack of popularity of Chinese mecha games.

When talking about the origin of mecha culture, we have to start with Japanese robot animation works.

At the end of the 50s of the 20th century, as the ancestor of the "giant robot" animation, the giant humanoid robot controlled by humans in "Iron Man 28" laid the foundation for later mechas.

In 1972, starting from "Demon God Z" created by Hiroshi Nagai, robots were no longer remotely controlled, but humans directly entered the mecha to drive, and "mecha animation" really began to become a complete animation category.

Subsequently, a series of classic works such as "Mobile Suit Gundam" and "Neon Genesis Evangelion" (EVA) emerged one after another, making the mecha category constantly improving and diversifying.

The most well-known of these is the Gundam series. From anime, manga, novels, theatrical films, and games, the series, which was born in 1979, is still iterating and acclaiming, and has made Gundam one of the synonyms of manned mechas.

Although, the mecha has become an iconic symbol of Japanese pop culture, it has also undergone a long incubation period:

It took at least 20 years from the beginning of the warm-up of "Demon God Z" to the global exit of "EVA".

During this period, Japanese mecha animation and derivatives are also gradual, that is, on the basis of children's works, in order to meet the needs of children who have grown up, works for adults gradually appear.

Especially in 1995, "EVA" came out, and it explored a large number of stream-of-consciousness narratives, integrating religious, philosophical, environmental protection and other elements to achieve a completely adult orientation, and the connotation is so profound that it even requires a considerable amount of knowledge to understand.

In other words, the sophistication of the mecha is synchronized with the age of its original audience.

At the same time, the new mecha works will continue to subdivide the original audience: children, teenagers, and adults can always find mecha works suitable for their age group.

The Gundam was born in 1979 and was originally intended for the children's market, and its body was very rough.

Later, the mecha was continuously improved and the world view was filled, which was just right for the teenagers.

As the anime has crossed the ages, the peripheral toys have also changed from the early "Gundam Fusion Group", which combined transformation, integration, and various accessories, to the more complex and detailed "Gangpla" series models.

By the way, the Gundam game, too, happens to be refined with the improvement of game technology.

It's just that when it really becomes a game, fans won't buy it.

As a result, the popular mobile game "Gundam Breaker" in 2019 will finally be discontinued in 2023, and players feel that the mecha in the game is not attractive enough and are unwilling to pay for their feelings.

Under the incubation of the long timeline, it caused a dislocation of the perception of Japanese mecha when it entered the Chinese market:

There are coverage of all age groups, and the types are diverse and mature, especially compared to the Chinese mecha staying in the low infantile stage, this illusion is even stronger.

At the same time, it is the synchronous growth and subdivision of mecha peripherals (such as games, movies, toy derivatives, etc.).

And China's original mecha works, their appearance is also late, and regardless of whether there is a well-known mecha IP, the first generation of audiences is far from growing.

Of course, aside from the post-1980s who grew up with "Astro Boy", "Transformers", "Battlestar" and "The Legend of the Demon God Heroes", they may be loyal fans of Japanese mecha or American robot IP, and consume for their feelings.

But in the 2000s, when Chinese mecha works such as "Fruit Treasure Special Attack", "Totem Field", "Titan Strike Team" and "Armored Warrior" appeared in batches, they had already begun to go to society......

Why is the audience of mecha works still young in China?

Just because the audience is still small, its toys may still sell well.

can be made into a game, and the problem of minors' anti-addiction has become an insurmountable hurdle.

Under this premise, the enthusiasm of Chinese manufacturers to enter mecha games through the existing domestic mecha IP will have to wait a few years before they have a chance to burn.

Published in the People's Post and Telegraph on August 3, 2024, Issue 408 of the column of "Le Youji".

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