A fan takes a video at the China Literature's exhibition area of the Osaka Comic Con 2024 in Osaka, Japan. Photo: Courtesy of China Literature

During the five-day May Day holidays, many Chinese tourists traveled abroad, and some Chinese IPs also headed overseas.  

The highly popular Tokyo Comic Con expanded to cater to fans of comic books and celebrities in western Japan with an Osaka edition held at the Intex Osaka from Friday to Sunday.  

Featuring appearances by renowned personalities such as Norman Reedus, Tom Hiddleston, Mads Mikkelsen, and Jason Momoa, Osaka Comic Con 2024 attracted globally renowned cultural and entertainment companies such as Marvel and LEGO, as well as IPs like Harry Potter and the DC Extended Universe. The diverse content of the convention attracted fans from all over the world.  

China Literature, a leading online literature platform which owns QQ Reading and Qidian, showcased Chinese IPs such as The King's Avatar, Lord of the Mysteries, Fox Spirit Matchmaker, and Under One Person, attracting fans from different countries. 

In the center of China Literature's exhibition area, a pink tree called the Bitterness Tree attracted many fans, who stopped to take photos. This installation was inspired by the Chinese comic Fox Spirit Matchmaker. The comic has collected over 55 million favorites on the Tencent Comics platform, while its animated adaptation has earned over 11 billion views. The TV drama adaptation, Fox Spirit Matchmaker: Red-Moon Pact, is expected to premiere in 2024. 

Meanwhile, the interactive photo spot for The King's Avatar also attracted many fans. May 29 marks the birthday of the protagonist, Ye Xiu, so many fans wrote birthday wishes for him on the nearby message board. 

The King's Avatar debuted in Japan in 2015. In 2021, a manga adaptation with the same name premiered on the Japanese Piccoma platform. 

Two 20-something fans of The King's Avatar from Tokyo made a special trip to Osaka. One of them mentioned attending offline events for The King's Avatar in Shanghai back in 2016 and was excited to attend the event in Osaka after eight years. 

Lord of the Mysteries, which combines fantasy adventure and steampunk elements, also gathered a lot of fans at the convention. Its English version on WebNovel has earned nearly 43 million reads with a rating of 4.7 out of 5. A fan from the US at the convention told China Literature that after reading the novel on WebNovel, he liked it so much that he also recommended it to his friends in Spain and Canada. 

In recent years, Chinese IPs have successfully ventured overseas, attracting fans globally. Chinese stories and values are gaining more and more recognition from overseas readers and viewers.