Yet, it limits the extent of self-expression, especially those perceived as too alien, confusing, or too racially aware to the assumed global audience. Precisely, the anime-esque style elevates any culture if it is recognizably faithful to the anime-esque conventions. This essay argues that this failure is not only a result of the complicated entanglement between representation and appropriation but also the reality of depending on the anime-esque style to achieve global recognition. While successfully representing Chinese culture and redefining the label “made-in-China,” Genshin fails in some aspects of embodying non-Chinese cultures. Genshin takes advantage of the Japanese animation style, or the anime-esque style, to create its global identity and elevate Chinese cultural elements to the global stage. Beyond the technical aspects of animation, video games can leverage animation as a cultural currency to reach a broader audience. While video game is distinct from animation, it relies on animation to visualize and communicate the system to the player. What does it take to transcend a national border to be globally recognized, and what are the responsibilities of being on the global stage? I will attempt to answer these two questions in my analysis of three incidents surrounding the open-world roleplaying game Genshin Impact (2020). Chinese Animation and (Post)Socialism, April 27-28, 2017.

Hong Kong Animation, Zoom Webinar, May 12-14, 2022.

Chinese opera genshin