Kuiba 2, Chinese animation for various age groups
The second installment in a five-part series produced by Vassoon Animation, Kuiba 2 has been made to try to help Chinese anime pull away from most adults' perception of the genre as puerile nonsense.
The plot centers around a figure named Manji who struggles to be a hero but must fight his inner demon. This demon is Kuiba, a destructive force reborn every 333 years to annihilate the world.
The film not only centers on inspiring themes of fighting to the end but also explores the father-son relationship and comments on reality, said Xu Xiaoping, co-founder of the private education company New Oriental, after watching the film.
Highlight: Although Kuiba 1 was the first Chinese animation to win international fame, it performed poorly at the box office. As an upgraded version, Kuiba 2 has not only won international acclaim but has also been a huge hit in China. Zhang Yiwu, a professor at Peking University applauded the effort shown in Kuiba 2, saying it represents innovation in the Chinese anime industry in that it features a fantasy world view that is complex for children but has elements which can amuse younger audiences, although he also mentioned the fact that China’s animation has a less extensive audience for it is targeting lower ages, which is a congenital deficiency for the industry's wholesome development compared with Western countries and Japan.