On August 17, 2026, a post on China's social media platform Xiaohongshu (RED) reported that the TV anime "Yani Neko" had been suspended in Hong Kong due to a violation of the smoking ordinance, drawing mixed reactions from Chinese netizens.

"Yani Neko" is based on a manga by Nyannyan Factory, serialized in Kodansha's "Weekly Young Magazine." It is a comedy depicting the lazy daily lives of chain-smoker Yaniko Sato, known as "Yani Neko," and her friends, set in a fictional city where humans and beastmen live together.

According to the poster, "Bahamut Anime," which holds the distribution rights for the work in Hong Kong, announced that it had ceased distribution for Hong Kong after receiving a request from the Hong Kong Department of Health.

The company's notification reportedly stated that the content of "Yani Neko" violates Articles 13B and 14 of the Hong Kong Laws Chapter 371 "Smoking (Public Health) Ordinance," which regulate advertisements for smoking products on the internet.

Furthermore, it was reported that viewers in Japan had also lodged complaints regarding the work's depiction of smoking and scenes of what appeared to be illegal drug use, and the matter was discussed at a deliberation of Japan's Broadcasting Ethics and Program Improvement Organization (BPO) on the 28th of last month.

Chinese netizens expressed views that the suspension was unavoidable, with comments such as "It's surprising it wasn't banned earlier," "Well, there are indeed some pretty outrageous developments," "That looks more like drugs than tobacco," and "It wasn't officially distributed in China anyway. In a way, we were ahead of the curve."

Additionally, comments supporting the decision to suspend distribution were seen, such as "I think this is a good thing," "I'm glad they banned it. Does anyone seriously think that's an 'anti-smoking anime'?", and "If such a terrible anime can be banned, it should be. The values are completely messed up."

On the other hand, voices questioning excessive regulation of creative expression also arose, with comments such as "I support freedom of creation. No to overprotective complainers," "I don't think a complete ban is necessary. A 'restricted to 18+' label should suffice," and "People nowadays really have too much time on their hands. Back in the day, nobody would make a fuss just because an anime character smoked." (Translation/Editing: Iwata)