China's Generation Z is driving a new and unique consumption trend, with animation, comics, and gaming merchandise that hold the special emotional value gaining increasing popularity among young people.
"Guzi" in Chinese, or "goods" in English, is a general term for animation, comic and gaming products, including blind boxes, badges and dolls of virtual characters.
According to China Insights Consultancy, the ACG economy in China has surged to about 170 billion yuan (23 billion U.S. dollars) in 2024, and its overall market size is expected to reach 300 billion yuan (43 billion U.S. dollars) by 2029.
Currently, animation, comics, and games have become some of the hottest topics among Chinese young people, with related merchandise serving as a form of "currency" for them.
Qian Yitong, a college student, also an enthusiastic comic and gaming fan, said these products provide her with spiritual comfort.
"I'm in exam week now. As soon as I wake up every day, I start studying. So I come here specially to admire these beautiful goods and relieve my stress," she said at a "Guzi" store in Beijing.
According to Qian, almost half of her friends are also animation, comic and gaming lovers. They watched cartoons when they were kids, and read comics and played video games when they got a bit older.
"Many of my classmates bought dolls made of anime characters and put them in front of them when studying in the library to give themselves spiritual strength," she added.
From a psychological perspective, experts said paying for emotional comfort reflects changes in Chinese consumption trends among young people.
"The qualities of animation, comic and gaming characters, such as their toughness and bravery, also give them spiritual power. The wonderful memories and companionship of physical goods can strengthen that feeling. Common hobbies can also easily expand the social circle of young people, which is beneficial for mental health," said psychologist Zhang Manyu.
Many big cities in China, such as Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu, are now treating the animation, comic and gaming industry as an engine for economic growth by creating commercial complexes that attract young people to shop offline.
China's Generation Z drives new consumption trends in animation, comics, gaming merchandise
Japan's ongoing push to revise its pacifist constitution and expand military buildup escalate regional tension, warned Japanese lawyer Kyoko Oe, who urged adherence to pacifism and vigilance against the government's dangerous moves.
Since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office last October, the Japanese government has renewed its push to revise the country's pacifist constitution and accelerated a series of military expansion measures, including increasing defense spending, deploying long-range missiles, and easing restrictions on arms exports.
Speaking on the dangerous policy shifts, Oe criticized the Takaichi administration for bypassing public will.
"We believe that when Japanese citizens are not demanding constitutional reform, pushing it forward through a parliamentary majority clearly violates the principle of popular sovereignty and the obligation to respect the constitution. Moreover, the content of the revision itself is extremely dangerous. [The government] is attempting to change pacifist principles of the Japanese constitution -- the most fundamental part -- and abandon basic concepts, including the renunciation of war and not maintaining military forces," said Oe.
The Japanese government has aggressively accelerated war readiness even under the current constitution, said Oe, adding that amending it will grant the Self-Defense Forces even greater freedom of action at the constitutional level.
"If the constitution is amended, the Self-Defense Forces will gain greater freedom of action at the constitutional level than they have now, and legal interpretations will develop in that direction. Even while the current constitution remains effective, the Japanese government has already forcibly advanced war preparations. For example, manufacturing long-range missiles, which were previously considered unacceptable to possess, and deploying them domestically; conducting joint war games and military exercises with the United States; and massively manufacturing and exporting weapons overseas," said Oe.
The lawyer also criticized Takaichi's provocative remarks on China, saying they have sharply strained bilateral ties and undermined peace and stability in the region.
"We believe that due to Takaichi's remarks made last November, China-Japan relations have become very tense and are deteriorating. Legal experts believe that Takaichi's remarks contain multiple obvious errors. Takaichi should frankly retract the relevant remarks and apologize. Only by building mutual trust with neighboring countries can we maintain our peace, and the peace of East Asia and even the peace of Asia. We believe that what the Takaichi administration is doing runs completely counter to what the Japanese people truly wish to achieve," Oe said.
Japan's constitution revision, military buildup fuel regional tensions: lawyer
