Much before 'Ne Zha,' another Chinese animation series, 'Scissor Seven,' won over the world

Chinese animation productions have a distinctive charm in terms of narratives, visuals, music, and philosophies. In addition to the "NeZha" and "White Snake" franchises, "Scissor Seven" has also enjoyed international success and boasts a large global fan base.

Directed and written by He Xiaofeng, the series' first season aired on Netflix in January 2020. It was the first Chinese animated series to air on the streaming platform.

According to AHAVERSE, the producer of the popular cartoon franchise, the series has been dubbed into 5 languages ​​​and subtitled in 29 others, reaching anime fans in over 190 countries worldwide.

The cumulative views of long and short videos related to the series on the entire network have exceeded 30 billion, and the number of followers has surpassed 40 million. Significant international earnings from copyright sales and subscription money have also been generated.

The series is also popular in English-speaking countries like the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as Western Europe and Latin America. It was screened in internationally renowned animation and film exhibitions such as Anime Expo in Los Angeles and the Singapore Comic Con.

The franchise covers various forms like animation, comics, games, retail products, and live music. The homegrown IP has also collaborated with Bandai Namco to create peripheral merchandise figurines and partnered with globally famous anime peripheral retailer Animate to lay out terminal channels.

On IMDb, Netizen "ericfelipe" noted that the "Scissor Seven" series is full of imagination, comedy, and good action scenes, adding that it's a very rare anime in this "anime era."

The official account of "Scissor Seven" on social media platform X alone has more than 37,700 followers, many of whom are foreigners. They regularly post sketches based on the series' cartoon images and plot.

Some famous scenes, such as "Ah Zhen falls in love with Ah Qiang," have also been made into creative short videos, gaining millions of views and many likes on overseas platforms.

Co-produced by AHAVERSE and Sharefun Studio, the comedy series premiered in 2018 and tells the story of an assassin named Wu Liuqi.

After losing his memory, the assassin travels to an island to discover the power of love, tolerance, and understanding in the company of other kind-hearted islanders.

On "My Anime List," an anime and manga social networking website, the current five seasons of the franchise have received an average 8.18 out of 10 rating. The story's warmth, healing power, and other Chinese aspects like architecture, accent, and kung fu captivated many international audiences. The series' distinct anime flavor differs from Disney and Japanese productions.

Anime fan "Karhu" highly recommends the series on the website, saying that it is entirely humble, shows massive respect for human life, and greatly values ​​​​the awesomeness of its characters.

"'Scissor Seven' is absolutely fantastic," said "Karhu." "This series doesn't impose its will on the audience, instead demonstrating a clear and complete trust in its own content. I have nothing but respect to give in return."

At the 2018 Annecy International Animated Film Festival, the series was the only Chinese-language title to be nominated in the TV Film category. The dubbing team for the overseas version includes "The Daily Show" correspondent Ronny Chieng, talk-show host Daniel Sosa, and French comedian Max Boublil.

Chieng, a Chinese American stand-up comedian, is fluent in both English and Chinese. This advantage allows him to effortlessly capture the Chinese-style comedy from the original language while dubbing the animation. He also contributes to the localization of the series' mood and highlights for foreign audiences, as well as the reduction of cultural obstacles.

In the eyes of Aiken Zou, founder of AHAVERSE, the series focusing on "love and tolerance" features universal human emotions, humanism, and cross-cultural appeal, thus appealing to people from various backgrounds.

Meanwhile, the ubiquitous Chinese cultural elements in the series, such as regional dialects and ordinary people's lives, have also sparked the interest of overseas audiences.

In the passing years, they have made great endeavors to spread the charm of Chinese animation to the world. The franchise has also benefited from Shanghai's favorable policies to support the domestic animation industry with funding and multiple resources.

"Shanghai is the cradle of Chinese animation, nurturing masterpieces such as 'The Monkey King' and 'Calabash Brothers,'" said Zou. "The influence of Chinese animation in overseas markets is increasing. In recent years, many high-quality domestic animations have been broadcast overseas, and Chinese animation has also been referred to as 'donghua' overseas."

Zou added that AHAVERSE has also built a matured ecosystem for this well-received global IP. User profiling analysis has been conducted through data-driven methods to accurately reach overseas audiences and ultimately forms a sustainable international influence through high-quality content and industrial operation.

Anime fans and critics hope that many more touching and imaginative Chinese animations like this series will come out in the future. In their eyes, the art style of this IP never imitates American or Japanese animations, and it explores an original and creative style to depict the interesting characters, many of whom are "small potatoes."

Director He also encouraged young animators to helm single episodes. He believed that it is the wealth of animation talent that keeps the industry thriving. For both audiences and animators, perhaps "Scissor Seven" is also a narration of an ideal life, a life that every ordinary person has longed for — the beauty of love, dreams, and home.