First summer intl anime month kicks off in Shanghai

The first Shanghai Summer International Anime Month, which links for the first time the three major industry pageants of China International Cartoon & Game Expo (CCG Expo), Bilibili World, and China Digital Entertainment Expo & Conference, opened in the city on Friday.

Held until mid-August, the anime month will attract companies from 37 countries and regions, with the combined exhibition area reaching nearly 400,000 square meters.

Teaming up with 18 major business districts and themed hotels in the city, the anime month organizers have added special animation paints to cruise ships and subway coaches, among others.

As the first show held during the anime month, the three-day CCG Expo was unveiled on Friday, attracting 480 exhibitors from Japan, Mexico, Singapore and France. The expo has introduced for the first time an international elite competition for board games, gathering over 100 global board game designers and nearly 300 creative studios.

With the first edition held in 2005, CCG Expo has seen its influence extend not only to the neighboring Yangtze River Delta region but also nationwide. It held special editions in Xi'an of Shaanxi province and Kunming of Yunnan province in 2023. The expo will also hold a special edition in Wuhan of Hubei province in October.

Also released on Friday is the special set of passes for the anime month, which includes a themed "Shanghai Pass", which is a multi-purpose prepaid card issued by Shanghai City Tour Card Development Co Ltd to cater to the needs of inbound travelers, and three one-day invitations to CCG Expo, Bilibili World, and China Joy, respectively.

MAXCOS 2025, a makeup festival, will be held along with this year's anime month, according to information released during the Friday opening ceremony.

Bilibili World, featuring animation, comics and games, will be held from July 11 to 13. China Digital Entertainment Expo & Conference, or better known as China Joy, will run between Aug 1 and 4.

Zhao Liang, acting head of Putuo district, said at the opening ceremony that this year's anime month provides an important opportunity to deepen the integration of cultural and tourism developments. By leveraging traditional culture, industrial civilization and ecological scenery resources, Putuo — where CCG Expo is held — can create more experiential cultural projects.

Attracting increasing attention from the younger generation, animation and games are among the most dynamic and promising sectors in the cultural creative industry. Therefore, Putuo has given more play to its industrial foundation and resource advantages to develop online games, e-sports, and internet film and television, he said.

During a themed speech held during the Friday opening ceremony, Xu Jian, deputy dean of the School of Media & Communication at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, pointed out a significant shift in consumer psychology among the Chinese youths, attaching greater importance to latest trends, self-gratification, fun and value-for-money.

Meanwhile, the culture of animation, comics and games has become more proliferate among Chinese cities. Currently, Shanghai has 159 large enterprises and over 18,000 small and micro-sized enterprises specializing in fields of culture of animation, comics and games.

"It can be said that a complete industrial chain has been initially formed in Shanghai. In accordance with the younger generation's consumption psychology, the development of animation, comics and games culture can help advance the coordinated development of cultural, tourism, commercial and sports industries, promote urban renewal, reshape consumption scenarios and elevate the city's image," he said.