On July 6, 2026, an article titled 'Japan's new anime unexpectedly becomes the 'strongest anti-smoking anime'' was published on China's portal site, Sohu.

The article stated, 'In many anime works, smoking has long been depicted as a special element to make characters memorable. Many famous characters, with a cigarette in their mouth, left a strong impression of maturity, coolness, mysteriousness, and ruggedness, and over time, cigarettes appearing in anime came to have a 'romantic filter' applied to them. However, in the new anime 'Yani Neko,' which began broadcasting this July, it depicts, without concealment, the most realistic, miserable, and unhygienic aspects of a smoker's life.'

It further added, 'The work is based on the manga of the same name, which has been serialized since 2023, and its long-awaited anime adaptation has finally been realized. The protagonist is a cat-eared girl named Satou Yaniko, who is called 'Nikoniko-nyan' by those around her due to her strong dependence on cigarettes. Severely nicotine-dependent, she lives in a very ordinary apartment, and her daily life revolves around smoking. When she has no money, to continue smoking, she even picks up cigarette butts dropped on the roadside and puts them in her mouth, her room is piled high with trash, and ashes, cigarette butts, delivery containers, and various other items are scattered everywhere. A suffocating sense of confinement hangs over the entire room,' it mentioned.

It also stated, 'The reason 'Nikoniko-nyan' became a big topic was a comment posted by a Japanese user on X (formerly Twitter): 'This is an anime that makes you want to smoke less the more you watch it, so let's just make it a Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare recommended anime already!' This post quickly went viral, and the comment section became like a 'smoking cessation experience sharing' forum. In contrast to traditional anime that depicted smoking as somewhat cool, 'Nikoniko-nyan' is going in the opposite direction,' it explained.

Furthermore, it stated, 'As an animation, the quality is high, character movements are smooth, and the direction and pacing are excellent. However, all of its high drawing skill is used to depict 'filth,' and the way everything, from her living environment to her physical and mental state, collapses is thoroughly portrayed. Many view this 'unpleasantness' as proof that it realistically expresses the connection between smoking addiction, an unhygienic living environment, and a ruined life.'

It also discussed, 'Many viewers evaluate 'Nikoniko-nyan''s greatest appeal as its ability to naturally make viewers feel aversion to smoking by showing how she is swayed by cigarettes daily, her room becomes messy, and her life deteriorates. This unconscious influence, it argued, might be more effective than any anti-smoking slogan.'

Meanwhile, Chinese netizens commented on the work, saying: 'This is an anti-smoking anime, isn't it?' 'Smokers, especially, should watch this anime.' 'If anyone watches this and still wants to smoke, they're something else.' 'After watching, smokers became even scarier... She's a cute cat-eared girl, but it's quite grotesque!' 'It's too vivid; I held my breath while watching the video... I felt like I was inhaling even the secondhand smoke.' (Translated and edited by Iwata)