On July 13, 2026, a post on China's SNS Xiaohongshu (RED) asking 'Why can Chinese and Japanese animation be distinguished at a glance?' attracted the attention of Chinese netizens.

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The poster wrote, 'It's strange, but Chinese animation and Japanese animation can be distinguished at a glance. Even though the art style should be different for each anime,' and Chinese netizens commented, 'The reading direction is different, right? Left-to-right for Chinese comics, right-to-left for Japanese comics, and scrolling top-to-bottom for Korean comics.'

There were also comments citing the thickness of lines: 'Maybe it's the way lines are drawn. Japanese animation has varying line thickness, but Chinese animation generally gives a more uniform impression. Also, recently, I feel like there are many 3DCG works in Chinese animation (from what I've seen).' '2D Chinese animation from a few years ago wasn't as heavily influenced by animation directors as Japanese animation, and the lines in character designs were also different. Chinese animation often doesn't hold back on lines, emphasizing large eyes and shadows under the lower lip.'

Chinese animation
Furthermore, differences in color usage and visual expression were also mentioned, such as: 'Chinese animation has simple coloring and less detailed drawing compared to Japanese animation. When it comes to Xianxia (immortal hero) genres, it can be too realistic.' 'Chinese animation's color scheme is flashy but sometimes a bit overdone, while Japanese animation has just the right balance. Also, the expression of light is different. I can't explain it well, but you can somehow tell just by looking.'

Voices also raised issues on the production side: 'I feel that Chinese animation's camera work and key animation skills are not as good as Japan's. Even in well-made works, you can sometimes tell the fundamental skill of the key animators from the screen.' 'In Japan, an individual or a small team leads the art and style, so there's individuality and it's easy to distinguish. On the other hand, China often produces with a large number of people, so while it's safe, it's difficult for outstanding individuality to emerge.'

In addition, comments mentioning differences in anime backgrounds and cityscapes were gathered: 'Maybe it's the background?' 'The atmosphere of the backgrounds is completely different. You can tell immediately by looking at the townscapes and buildings. I can't explain it well, but you can distinguish between Japanese-style townscapes and Chinese-style townscapes with a sense of daily life just by looking.' (Translation/Editing by Iwata)